BTB Roundtable Questions: Purple Helmet Edition

This week's roundtables are being courteously hosted by friend of blog Lake the Posts, who covers Northwestern with an excellence that far exceeds that of the actual team's. Nonetheless, he is read daily by yours truly, and since Northwestern is converging on being nationally relevant (in a top-25 sort of way) for the first time in nearly a decade, he should be a daily read of yours as well.

On to the questions!

1) The national media is using the Big Ten Conference as a punching bag in 2008 ranking us somewhere between the Big East and the MAC. Based on Ohio State's no-show, Purdue's "APPLE!!!" and Michigan's debacle, it is redemption week in Big Ten Country. However, several teams have very respectable, yet no-name teams (ie. Troy, Central Michigan, Ball State). Tell us how the Big Ten will respond this week in the final week before conference play.

To answer the actual question, I think the Big Ten will be fine this final week before conference matchups begin. The games look like this:

Ohio @ NU
FAU @ Minn
Temple @ PSU
Iowa @ Pitt
CMich @ Pur
Troy @ OSU
Notre Dame @ MSU
Ball St @ Ind

Just like week two, I expect the Big Ten to run the table again, with possible trouble brewing for Minny, Iowa, and Indiana (and Iowa only because it's a road game, and weird things happen). The question within this question, however, is that of the national perception of the Big Ten. For a few years now, we've heard the cries from the corners of the country - the Big Ten is weak, slow, unprepared, and soft. Well, in 2006, we had Michigan and Ohio State to rally behind, and they came with a preloaded excuse for their bowl collapses. In '07, Ohio State was still a monster, but after Michigan's soul-wrenchingly bad start, they (OSU) were also the only team in the conference who could claim national relevancy. This year, nobody's home. It doesn't make the football any less entertaining, and it doesn't mean that the Big Ten is full of bad teams - it just means that the upper crust of college football this year doesn't include the BXI. I expect that to change over the coming years, but there is no sense in denying it now: compared to the other BCS conferences, the Big Ten is pretty weak top to bottom.

2)The conference standings look like someone took the 2007 results and flipped it upside down. Which of the undefeated teams are contenders and which are pretenders (another way of saying which teams have put lipstick on a pig)? Recalibrate your preseason rankings and tell us who the conference favorites are now.

My preseason Big Ten rankings looked like this:

1. Ohio State
2. Wisconsin
3. Penn State
4. Michigan
5. Michigan State
6. Northwestern
7. Illinois
8. Purdue
9. Iowa
10. Minnesota
11. Indiana

Ohio State, despite the no-show against USC, is still, laughably, the best team in the conference, and should win it rather undisputed. I had Wisconsin occupying the number 2 spot, and I would leave them there for now, knowing that Penn State has to go win in Madison before they can claim it. Michigan...eh...I was optimistic. I still think they are capable of putting together a run and finishing at 6-6 or something like that, but 4th in the conference was too high. I've got Michigan State right where they need to be, and I would move Northwestern into the 4 spot vacated by Michigan (pandering to Lake the Posts? Maybe...) Seriously, Northwestern has impressed me thus far, and frankly, I don't see anybody out of the remaining teams as a clear favorite to beat them. The rest is still a jumbled mess of 5 to 7 win ballclubs; ranking them is an exercise in futility. I will say that Purdue, despite the loss, looked sharp against Oregon.

3)Javon Ringer has emerged as the early season best-bet Heisman hopeful from the Big Ten. Real deal or non-conference smoke screen? Does anyone from the Big Ten have a prayer for the Heisman, or is it too late?

Nobody from the Big Ten has a prayer to win the Heisman this year. I doubt anyone will even be invited. Beanie had a shot, but his nagging injury will prevent him from being a serious contender. As unfortunate is this is, Ringer could run for 200+ in every single one of his remaining games, and unless MSU is a contender nationally, he won't get a sniff of Heisman. There are too many good QB's (Tebow, Daniels, Bradford) out there for a player from the marginal Big Ten to get any Heisman love.

4)After three weeks it is time to give your team a new slogan. What is it and why is it what it is?

Illinois Football: Wither Art Thou, Mendenhall?

Indiana Football: We're Probably Better than the Basketball Team This Year.

Iowa Football: They're not booing, they're saying...well...yes, they're booing.

Michigan Football: Not Recommended for Consumption.

Michigan State Football: Now with 75% more Scowling!

Minnesota Football: GO, EXCELSIOR, WIN FIGHT!

Northwestern Football: Affordable Tickets since 1903

Ohio State Football - now with completely justified disrespect.

Penn State Football: I can't believe this offense is working either.

Purdue Football: Position Wanted: Kicker

Wisconsin Football: Just Don't Make us Pass.

5)By now, you've likely adopted a favorite non Big Ten team to watch. Flex your football worldliness by convincing your fellow Big Ten kool-aid drinkers to watch your "other" team.

If you're a fan of gutty, well coached, slightly under-talented teams achieving at high levels, I recommend that you watch Wake Forest play every Saturday.

1) Riley Skinner poses naked.
2) Jim Grobe looks asleep on the sidelines.
3) Wake's defense is better at forcing turnovers than Michigan's offense.
4) Kicker Sam Swank is automatic inside of 75 yards.

Seriously, they're fun to root for because they're the perpetual underdog. This weekend, they face Florida State, who is either ranked, or on the cusp of being ranked depending on what poll you look at. Should be a fun matchup.