I still quite can’t get used to the biggest misnomer in sports, the current incarnation of the Big Ten Conference. And yes, I’m including the Big XII, since that’s at least only four off the actual 16-team count as opposed to the B1Ggest and broadest grouping of all.
Not only has it produced some still odd-sounding matchups as conference games, such as the one that saw that Iowa schlep to central New Jersey for a crucial matchup with theretofore undefeated Rutgers in a Friday Night Lights matchup not far from Congregation B’nai Tikvah (the Hawkeyes prevailed; those heathens) , but it has also displaced rivalries between in-state and former conference rivals that traditionally were played just before or during Thanksgiving weekend in cold, dark and frequently snowy conditions to the balmy and sunny afternoons of mid-September. Yesterday gave us two shining examples of such “progress” that temporarily restored the remnants of Pac 12-Minus-Ten to a slightly larger total.
At least it’s the season to pick apples in Washington State, which made the matchup which CBS SPORTS’ Carter Bahns wrote about yesterday somewhat apropos, if not at all, er, delicious:
The Apple Cup is no stranger to outstanding quarterbacks, and the 117th edition saw two monster performances in the Huskies’ 59-24 win on Saturday. Washington’s Demond Williams Jr. outdueled Washington State’s Zevi Eckhaus with four touchdowns (three with his arm and one on the ground) in one of the best and most eye-catching performances of his young career. Behind Williams’ dynamics, the Huskies recaptured the rivalry trophy and will take it back with them across the Cascades, getting revenge for last year’s neutral-site loss in Seattle.
Williams set a career high with 88 rushing yards and has now run for at least 64 yards in each of his three outings to open the year. The four passing scores set a season high and matched the personal best he logged in the Sun Bowl last December. And from an efficiency perspective, it would be hard to be much better than the 16-for-19 completion rate Williams posted against his rival.
Meanwhile, one state to the South, the rivalry known as The Civil War returned to Tracktown for what turned out to an anticlimactic and potentially last lap, as THE ASSOCIATED PRESS’ Anne M. Peterson described:
Dante Moore threw for 305 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, and No. 6 Oregon rolled to a 41-7 victory over former Pac-12 foe Oregon State on Saturday before the rivalry goes on a break next season.
Moore was 21-of-31 passing and spread his scoring strikes to four different receivers for the Ducks (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), who had 585 yards in total offense. Anthony Hankerson ran for 38 yards on 14 carries and the lone touchdown for the 0-4 Beavers.
Peterson did her best to try and assauge old school fans that the aforementioned break is temporary. But the gap between the fortunes of these schools, already as wide as the ocean thanks to the largess of one Duck-loving alumni named Phil Knight, has become practically galaxian with the Ducks already at the top of their new heap while the Beavers are, well, about to start some rivalries one would have never predicted even a decade ago:
Before conference realignment collapsed the Pac-12, the rivalry was the final game of the regular season and it often had bowl implications. Last year Oregon played its first season in the Big Ten, winning the conference’s championship game.
Oregon State and Washington State, the lone two teams left in the Pac-12, have spearheaded the league’s revival. Next year they’ll be joined by new members Texas State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State.
I guess you need to be a state school to qualify for membership. But this new incarnation of the conference will need as much star power as possible to be viable; hence there will be additional pressure on OSU to play those conference matchups on showcase weekends. And with the Ducks’ national appeal growing exponentially with success, finding a common ground for those left behind like the Beavers isn’t a guarantee.
Especially when the results are this disparate.
On the other hand, it was a notch more competitive than the battle for Ohio bragging rights that the Ohio University website apologetically described:
The Ohio football program went on the road to face the No. 1 team in college football, Ohio State. After a tight game through three quarters, the Buckeyes pulled away to win 37-9.
“I think a lot of our guys are disappointed in the outcome of the game,” Ohio head coach Brian Smith said. “I think that they see what our true potential is as a team.”
And if you actually watched the primetime matchup that went down in the rain and humidity of the cursed Indian land that Hard Rock Stadium sits on, you might have concluded what transpired at Autzen Stadium was actually more competitive than what Florida fans endured, final score notwithstanding. As USA TODAY-FLORIDA’s Dan Rorabaugh described:
Miami football renewed its rivalry with Florida Sept. 20 with the two teams headed in opposite directions and bye weeks waiting. Despite dominating throughout most of their 26-7 win, the No. 6 Hurricanes very nearly saw this one slip away.
Carson Beck had easily his worst game since transferring from Georgia, throwing an interception right after the Gators scored their only touchdown of the game. At that point, the score was only 13-7 even though the vaunted UM defense held Florida to just 32 yards and one first-down in the first half. Beck finished 17 of 30 for 160 yards and no touchdowns.
It’s entirely possible that the ‘Canes could be on a path that could see them actually squaring off with the Ducks in the College Football Playoff tournament. In December, at least it’s much more likely that Miami will actually provide a superior weather forecast than Eugene. Good thing that game didn’t take place yesterday.
Courage…