I thought this kinda related to some of the posts from the osu/lsu posts. I'm not saying I agree/disagree, just thought it was a interesting read.




BY DREW SHARP

FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

NEW ORLEANS -- A little humility would serve Jim Delany well.

The Big Ten commissioner remains the most powerful figure in intercollegiate athletics, ruling his fiefdom with the indifference of a despot who turns up his nose to change.

But if Delany's not careful, someday soon the peasants may revolt, and the Big Ten could be left on the outside of the next evolution of the Bowl Championship Series.

It hasn't been a good 12 months for Delany. The cracks in the Big Ten's reputation are evident.

The humiliation of consecutive national championship game blowouts has called into question the overall quality of Big Ten football. And the launching of the much-ballyhooed Big Ten Network proved disastrous.

Meanwhile, Delany's displeasure with a "plus-one" national semifinal BCS format hasn't stopped other conference commissioners from seriously looking at implementing the system -- with or without the Big Ten's blessing.

But a reminder of Delany's worst moment came immediately after LSU's 38-24 romp over Ohio State on Monday night, when one of the victorious Tigers took issue with Delany's questionable response in February to a newspaper article seeking explanations for the Big Ten's perceived football inferiority to the SEC.

Delany wrote on the Big Ten Web site: "I love speed, and the SEC has great speed, especially on the defensive line, but there are appropriate balances when mixing academics and athletics. ... Each school, as well as each conference, simply must do what fits their mission regardless of what a recruiting service recommends. ... Winning our way requires some discipline and restraint with the recruiting process."

In other words, he promoted a stereotype that SEC football players are only slow above the shoulders.

"We didn't forget what they were talking about before," said LSU senior defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, Outland Trophy winner and potential No. 1 overall selection in April's NFL draft. "We kept that in the back of our minds. Every senior on this team is graduating. We've got guys on this team who came back to not only have a chance of winning a national championship but to also get our degrees."

Delany needs an ego check.

You heard the dreaded "I-word" floating around the Superdome late Monday night as it pertained to his Big Ten football brand -- irrelevant.

The Big Ten believes there's no legitimacy to any national championship competition -- or, stated differently, no broad viewer appeal considering Delany's conference has the bulk of the primary television markets.

But after watching another Ohio State implosion and seeing Illinois prove itself unworthy of a Rose Bowl invitation, does the Big Ten really deserve such a prominent seat at the discussion table?

And it could get worse if the Buckeyes reach next year's BCS championship game in Miami. They've got USC on the schedule in September, but one loss isn't fatal in this process.

But who's going to beat them in the Big Ten next season?

Michigan?

Wisconsin?

Illinois?

It's not outlandish envisioning an 11-1 Ohio State worming its way into the final top-two slots of the BCS rankings because it's again built a faux dominance against the likes of inferior conference competition.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive and ACC commissioner John Swofford said before Monday's championship game that the plus-one system of using two of the four major bowls as national semifinal games would be a topic of discussion at the BCS committee's meeting this spring.

They added that full participation from all BCS conference partners in a plus-one wouldn't be mandatory.

That's a proviso aimed directly at Delany's bluster.

He's apparently the primary obstructionist to altering the system, arguing that university presidents don't desire change. But it's Delany who tells the university presidents what to do regarding athletics.

The plus-one doesn't necessarily improve what's already there, but a little humility might help Delany see the changing football landscape for what it is. He can lead the change, or risk getting trampled in the stampede.

Contact DREW SHARP at 313-223-4055 or dsharp@freepress.com.

 

Nice! I love to see an egomaniac get his due..