Thoughts on Football

I love football, especially this season. Everything seems to be chaos personified and it just makes predictions next to useless and adds an element of suspense to the equation that makes every Saturday a joy to behold- because no one knows what could happen on any given week!

But there are things I don't get and I don't understand- to whit:

1. Why do people hate on the Big 10?: Seriously. Explain this to me, because I am unconvinced. I think the Big 10 has been awesome this season- sure, thanks to Iowa's last second upset of Penn State (BEST. GAME. EVER.) they won't be in contention for the Big Brass Ring of a National Championship, but find me a conference that has defied conventional wisdom as much as the Big 10 this season and I will eat my hat. Literally. I will buy a hat and eat it. Up is down and down is up and it makes for awesome football. Michigan sucks, Wisconsin and Ohio State started strong, but look positively mortal now. Illinois can hold on against Iowa one week and crash to someone totally random the next. Minnesota, of all people charges out to a 7-2 start before dropping a couple of games to Northwestern and Michigan. There are no obvious answers where the Big 10 is concerned. Just Penn State and whomever is atop the pile behind them that particular week.

Yet there's no love for the Big 10. I don't know why: Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan probably make up our list of 'usual suspects' when it comes to National Titles, which isn't as much as the SEC to be sure, but what has the ACC been up to this year? Or for that matter the Pac-10? As much as I loved Iowa's win over Penn State, it would have been nice to see Penn State run the table, kick some ass and get everyone to give up a little respect for the Big 10 for once.

2. Stop with the USC already. For all the pissing on the Big 10, it really irks me that no one stops to piss all over the Pac-10, the most lopsided, ridiculous conference in the country. In recent years, the sole contender to emerge out of the Pac-10 has been USC. And yet USC gets respect. Hmmm... if you're in a crap conference and win a lot of games... I don't get it. How do you figure. I would rate the Pac-10 pretty close to the bottom football wise.

3. Variety: I might actually care about the national title this year. It's not the usual suspects and I like that- Ohio State, USC, Florida, Oklahoma, Penn State, Michigan- all, for now, out of the picture to varying degrees. Some could sneak back in, but it's refreshing to have teams that haven't been near the top in a while (or at all) in contention. I say to thee yea, 'Bama. Keep winning. And Texas Tech, y'all better beat Oklahoma!

All in all, an awesome football season!