I am always amused by people in the Mid-American Conference who believe their brand of college football is near the equal of that of its big brother, the Big Ten Conference. Sorry, but it is nothing short of laughable. It is true that the occasional MAC team will score an upset over a Big Ten team or play a Big Ten team tough. But, the statistics over the years illustrate the dominance of BCS conferences over mid-major conferences like the MAC. Now, to be fair, the MAC is a very good league and perhaps underrated on a national scale. Unfortunately for the MAC, and other leagues like it nationwide, the big-time leagues hog most of the national spotlight. Now, recently, I was reading a column written by Graham Couch of the Kalamazoo Gazette. He is chief defender of the MAC’s status and, more significantly, Western Michigan University’s football and men’s basketball prowess. Couch believes that schools like Western are unfairly lost in the large shadow created by the Big Ten. Here is a recent item from one of Couch’s columns that I found particularly interesting:
“Just when the Mid-American Conference appears to have strength and depth at the top of the league, a day like Friday happens and any claim that this conference’s top four or five teams are equals with the second tier of BCS conferences sounds ridiculous. I’ve been saying all year that I thought Central Michigan and Western Michigan were the top two teams in the state. I also believed, until Friday, that outside of Penn State, Ohio State and Iowa, the top four teams in the MAC — Ball State, CMU, WMU and Buffalo — were at least as good as the Big Ten’s fourth best team. In other words, Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois would be nothing more than in the mix in either of the MAC’s divisions.”
WOW! Now, Graham is entitled to his opinion. Frankly, I do agree with him in essence in thinking that the MAC is undervalued as a conference. I will concede that the Big Ten is as poor this year as it has been in my recent memory. But, it is credibility-damaging if not outright laughable to say that Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois “would be nothing more than in the mix in either of the MAC’s divisions. The MAC teams know they are on the big stage when they play their big brothers from the Big Ten. So, they play out of their minds and give it everything they have for this showcase game. Could a MAC team sustain that kind of an effort over the course of a long and grueling Big Ten schedule? It’s a lot tougher when teams are playing for a conference championship than when they schedule a non-conference game to warm up for their league schedule (as most of these BCS schools view games against mid-major schools from conference’s like the MAC). The MAC is a good league, but it’s time for MAC supporters to keep their rare success and close shaves against Big Ten teams in a little more perspective. It reminds me of people from Division II national power Grand Valley State University believing the same thing about the MAC that the MAC believes about the Big Ten. And, you know what, I’ve heard MAC people laugh at the suggestion that a Division II superpower could hang with them. Well, I am sure the BCS teams feel the same way about the mid-major schools.
Bronco Insider:
http://blog.mlive.com/broncosinsider/2008/11/embarrassing_day_for_mac.html
Sandy Gholston