Anyone who has followed this blog knows my dislike of the Big 10. I believe that it is the most overrated conference in all of college football. The routs of Ohio State the last two years in the National Championship game showed us that the SEC is just in another stratosphere.
But here we are this year watching Penn State climb up the ladder. They currently sit at #3 and nipping at the heals of Texas and Alabama. The Nittany Lions have two big games left. In two weeks against Ohio State and three weeks after that against Michigan State. In between those games is a bunch of Big-10 bottom dwellers. If Penn State wins out I can almost guarantee they are in the big one.
Texas still has to take on Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. Kansas is also looming at the back end of the schedule. Alabama still has Tennessee and LSU. But don't forget in the SEC anyone can get beat.
Those are two rough schedules. If Mac Brown and Nick Saban lead their teams through that schedule unscathed than they deserve to fight it out for the title. BUT it is hard to believe that they will pull it off.
As long as Penn State wins out they will most likely be looking at a National Championship birth. What they do with it is very up in the air. They are no doubt a talented team (although Ohio State did have the Heisman winning QB and one of the best receivers on their side). Derrick Williams is reemerging as a premier player and Darryll Clark has helped bring back the swagger that Michael Robinson gave them three years ago. And their defense has only allowed one team to score more than 14 points in a game.
The past few seasons have taught us not to trust the Big-10 but maybe this Penn State team is the one to bring respect back to the conference. Only time will tell.
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