Big Ten: 5-1
Great start and the only loser so far is Rutgers which was a fill in against a ranked Wake Forest team. All games have been against Power 5 conference teams. Huge games to come. MIchigan will try to take out an SEC team in the Southeast. Always tough. OSU had 4 1st or 2nd round NFL draft choices skip the bowl and have to travel to the West Coast to play against a Utah team that from a style perspective appears to be a tough match up. Iowa and Penn State also play ranked SEC teams in the Southeast. What is good could be great or just OK.
SEC: 1-5
So far so bad. But that could change quick. 4 of the next 6 matchups are favorable. Bama should beat Cincinnati and Georgia is favored against Michigan. Kentucky and Arkansas get cold weather Big Ten teams in the Southeast. Baylor vs. Ole Miss should be interesting. LSU is playing outside of the Southeast and is not favored. If they win 5 of 6, get both finalists and bring home the title then the SEC has to be considered the best conference again. The Big Ten is the conference with a chance to take them off the Mountain. For at least this year anyways.
Big 12: 2-2
OK so far. Oklahoma's win over Oregon was solid. An Rudy type Iowa State team kept it tight in a loss against Clemson. West Virginia was stuffed by Minnesota which finished the season strong. Texas Tech sunk the Pirate. Two big games left with Baylor vs. Ole Miss and Oklahoma State vs. Notre Dame. Win those two and its been a good season for the conference. KState over LSU would be icing on the cake.
ACC: 2-4
Pretty bad. Only wins were Clemson in a tight game against Iowa State and Wake Forest against a last minute fill in with a losing record. Not sure if a single player on Iowa State was recruited by Clemson. League champion Pittsburgh was beat down in the 4th qtr by Michigan State, the #3 team from the Big Ten. Adding insult to injury, three other games were cancelled and the NC State Coach had a brain aneurism when UCLA cancelled with a cryptic explanation a few hours before the game. Hope they at least enjoyed some good tacos in San Diego.
Pac 12: 0-4
As bad as it gets. OSU and WSU lost to the Utah State Aggies and the Central Michigan Chippewas? Seriously? Oregon was smoked by Oklahoma and ASU was outphysicaled by Wisconsin. Utah is the last hope of the Federation. They have a very favorable set of circumstances to win a game that would be perceived as an upset. 10 yrs ago one would never have thought that Utah would be the class of the Pac 12. One would be wrong.
Mountain West: 5-1
How about that? Best conference in the West? No top of the line opponents but did get wins over an ACC team and a Pac 12 team. Is San Diego State the best football program in California. Has UCLA ever lost a recruit to San Diego State? Ever? Seems like the Mountain West has answered a lot of questions this bowl season.
AAC: 3-0
Is it time to add the AAC to the Power 5 and drop the ACC? Wins over two SEC teams thus far and Cincinnati is playing Bama tough as I write this, though they will probably lose in the end. Would love to see the Bearcat take out the Elephant.
Mid-American: 3-5
Another middling season from middle America. Or should I say Middlin' to Fair. The biggest win was Chippewas over mighty Cougars of the Pac 12 but that is not saying much. They did give us Khalil Mack, Ben Roethlisberger, James Harrison, Julian Edleman, and Antonio Gates (though he played basketball in college).
That's not bad.
Conference USA: 3-5
No wins over Power 5 conference teams but UAB pulled out a good one over BYU (the de facto Pac 12 champion 5-0). Not much else to see here.
Sun Belt: 3-1
NOT TOO BAD. Jeopardy question: Best places to get fried Food. Answer: Sun Belt Conference. Best of all the Louisiana Rajun Cajuns should finish the year ranked and that is pretty cool. Good job Bobby Boucher.
Great start and the only loser so far is Rutgers which was a fill in against a ranked Wake Forest team. All games have been against Power 5 conference teams. Huge games to come. MIchigan will try to take out an SEC team in the Southeast. Always tough. OSU had 4 1st or 2nd round NFL draft choices skip the bowl and have to travel to the West Coast to play against a Utah team that from a style perspective appears to be a tough match up. Iowa and Penn State also play ranked SEC teams in the Southeast. What is good could be great or just OK.
SEC: 1-5
So far so bad. But that could change quick. 4 of the next 6 matchups are favorable. Bama should beat Cincinnati and Georgia is favored against Michigan. Kentucky and Arkansas get cold weather Big Ten teams in the Southeast. Baylor vs. Ole Miss should be interesting. LSU is playing outside of the Southeast and is not favored. If they win 5 of 6, get both finalists and bring home the title then the SEC has to be considered the best conference again. The Big Ten is the conference with a chance to take them off the Mountain. For at least this year anyways.
Big 12: 2-2
OK so far. Oklahoma's win over Oregon was solid. An Rudy type Iowa State team kept it tight in a loss against Clemson. West Virginia was stuffed by Minnesota which finished the season strong. Texas Tech sunk the Pirate. Two big games left with Baylor vs. Ole Miss and Oklahoma State vs. Notre Dame. Win those two and its been a good season for the conference. KState over LSU would be icing on the cake.
ACC: 2-4
Pretty bad. Only wins were Clemson in a tight game against Iowa State and Wake Forest against a last minute fill in with a losing record. Not sure if a single player on Iowa State was recruited by Clemson. League champion Pittsburgh was beat down in the 4th qtr by Michigan State, the #3 team from the Big Ten. Adding insult to injury, three other games were cancelled and the NC State Coach had a brain aneurism when UCLA cancelled with a cryptic explanation a few hours before the game. Hope they at least enjoyed some good tacos in San Diego.
Pac 12: 0-4
As bad as it gets. OSU and WSU lost to the Utah State Aggies and the Central Michigan Chippewas? Seriously? Oregon was smoked by Oklahoma and ASU was outphysicaled by Wisconsin. Utah is the last hope of the Federation. They have a very favorable set of circumstances to win a game that would be perceived as an upset. 10 yrs ago one would never have thought that Utah would be the class of the Pac 12. One would be wrong.
Mountain West: 5-1
How about that? Best conference in the West? No top of the line opponents but did get wins over an ACC team and a Pac 12 team. Is San Diego State the best football program in California. Has UCLA ever lost a recruit to San Diego State? Ever? Seems like the Mountain West has answered a lot of questions this bowl season.
AAC: 3-0
Is it time to add the AAC to the Power 5 and drop the ACC? Wins over two SEC teams thus far and Cincinnati is playing Bama tough as I write this, though they will probably lose in the end. Would love to see the Bearcat take out the Elephant.
Mid-American: 3-5
Another middling season from middle America. Or should I say Middlin' to Fair. The biggest win was Chippewas over mighty Cougars of the Pac 12 but that is not saying much. They did give us Khalil Mack, Ben Roethlisberger, James Harrison, Julian Edleman, and Antonio Gates (though he played basketball in college).
That's not bad.
Conference USA: 3-5
No wins over Power 5 conference teams but UAB pulled out a good one over BYU (the de facto Pac 12 champion 5-0). Not much else to see here.
Sun Belt: 3-1
NOT TOO BAD. Jeopardy question: Best places to get fried Food. Answer: Sun Belt Conference. Best of all the Louisiana Rajun Cajuns should finish the year ranked and that is pretty cool. Good job Bobby Boucher.
