Yesterday, we kicked off our Big Ten college football roundtables by discussing which teams would be the most improved. Today, TSS Associate Editors Bart Doan and Terry Johnson join staff writer Kevin Causey and special rotating guests to continue our discussion of the Pac-12.
On our Big Ten panel we we are joined by Ken Kohl of The Buckeye Battle Cry and Kevin McGuire of Nittany Lions Den.
Question: Which team will be the most improved in the Big Ten?
Ken Kohl
On Twitter @KenKohl1
No doubt, the Ohio State – Michigan game. The game is always a highlight match up for me, but I especially look forward to it because of the coaching match-up this season. There shouldn’t be too much to the actual game; OSU will simply overwhelm UM. The entertainment will be the match-up between the proven, credentialed (and defending national champion) coach, Urban Meyer and the New Kid on the block, Jim Harbaugh. Urban will make a point that this isn’t the PAC-12 to Harbaugh. Jim will thank Urban for the learning experience.
Kevin McGuire
On Twitter @KevinonCFB
In most years you could probably look at the Big Ten schedule and say the Ohio State-Michigan game is the best game of the year to watch, and most years you would be correct. That certainly feels like the case this season, and it is not because Michigan is going to be very good. It’s all about Jim Harbaugh and his first opportunity to coach against Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes. The game already has people drooling over it just because it has Harbaugh attached to it, and the Wolverines get the Buckeyes at home. This is THE game for Michigan this season. It could also very well see Ohio State in the midst of a Big Ten championship hunt and potential College Football Playoff pursuit. No game in the Big Ten will be packed with as much anticipation and drama as this one. Ohio State may still have a decided upper hand, but we should see the rivalry reach some new heights this season.
Bart Doan:
On Twitter @TheCoachBart
You can pretty much regurgitate this answer from me every year … the game known only as The Game and that’s all you need to know about it. Certain things don’t need flashy trophies or unique nicknames for you to get the point.
The big thing that makes The Game this year not just homer drivel by me as excitement is the addition of Jim Harbaugh to Michigan, giving both schools very successful, very large personalities who are among the elite coaches at any level in the nation.
Add to that Harbaugh’s history of getting lesser talented teams to rise up against the beast (who can forget 41-point underdog Stanford beating Southern Cal in 2007?) and you can guarantee the underdog Wolverines will be up for the challenge. Excitement around these parts over this rivalry is hitting a fever pitch, Ten Year War style.
Kevin Causey:
On Twitter @CFBZ
I think Michigan fans are getting ahead of themselves a little bit. They have Jim Harbaugh and he was a great hire but let’s slow down a little bit. All this talk about challenging Ohio State is rushed.
Michigan needs to remember that they aren’t even the best team in their own state. Michigan has lost two straight (and they weren’t even close) and they’ve lost six of their last seven to the Spartans.
Michigan fans might have November 28th circled on their calendar but that’s a long way away. The most intriguing game of the Big Ten season for me is Michigan against Michigan State in Ann Arbor on October 17th. Can Harbaugh turn the tide of this rivalry in favor of Big Blue or will the Spartans continue to dominate?
Terry Johnson:
On Twitter @SectionTPJ
In a conference as deep as the Big Ten, there are a number of games that pique my interest.
However, if I’m only allowed to pick one, I’d want to make sure that it has a significant impact on the conference championship.
Using that criterion, I’d have to disqualify “The Game” from consideration. While Michigan will be the most improved team in the B1G this season, I don’t think it’s ready to compete for the division championship just yet.
That’s why I’d choose Michigan State – Ohio State as the most intriguing game of the year.
Make no mistake about it: this game will feature the two best teams in the Big Ten. After all, the Buckeyes have been the top program in the country over the past three years, posting a 38-3 record with an amazing 24-0 mark in conference play. The Spartans have been equally impressive the last two seasons, going 24-3 overall and 15-1 versus Big Ten foes.
Since both teams return plenty of experience from last year’s highly successful squads, there’s no reason to think that this won’t be a matchup between two top five programs, making it one of most intriguing games in college football.
Go ahead and mark your calendar for November 21… you won’t want to miss this one.
