Big Ten - SEC Challenge

[Jobocky]

This comes from the Buckeye beat writer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Interesting Idea.

I don't think either one of us has played as challenging of a conference schedule as we could or should," Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany is saying to me on the phone.

Finally, agreement. Delany is on board that both the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference can play more compelling early-season football games. Too bad the Big Ten leader spent the previous 15 minutes poking holes in my idea for the SEC-Big Ten Challenge, a unifying festival of football, a cultural extravaganza guaranteed to dominate the opening weekend of college football two years from now.

So my first version of the SEC-Big Ten Challenge went down in flames.

And I tried again.

This is version two, which differs in several ways from the proposal e-mailed last month to Delany and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. First of all, it's nine years away. So no excuses about preseason schedules already being locked in. Second, the earlier plan with sites hosting up to three games in a weekend festival atmosphere gave way to regional doubleheaders, for the most part, at neutral sites.

The thrust of the idea remains the same: An 11-game, first-weekend showdown between the SEC and Big Ten aimed at settling, or better, inflaming the debate over which conference plays better ball.

It's a two-year proposal, with each team playing one game near home and one game in the other region. (Mississippi State and Ole Miss share a spot to solve the 12-team vs. 11-team conference problem.)

You'll see LSU hosting at New Orleans' Superdome, Tennessee at Nashville's LP Field, Ohio State at Cleveland Browns Stadium and Penn State at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. During the doubleheader at Detroit's Ford Field, Michigan and Michigan State fans will unite to fight the SEC. At Birmingham's Legion field, former home of the Iron Bowl, Alabama and Auburn fans will root for each other against Midwest invaders. And with a game going on in each region at the same time, the highlight of an Indiana touchdown against Ole Miss in New Orleans would be met by cheers from the Iowa fans in Minneapolis watching the Hawkeyes take on Tennessee.

Yes, even Buckeyes and Wolverines would be bonded for the weekend.

The games would be played at regional neutral sites to allow for a major corporate sponsorship to bring in several million dollars, something that couldn't happen with on-campus games. Doubleheaders would drive ticket sales and facilitate conference camaraderie. And if you wonder, like Delany, whether anyone would really be interested in, say, a Northwestern-Vanderbilt game . . . wouldn't a game counting as a point in the Challenge create a lot more interest than a typical Northwestern-Duke nonconference game?

Why wouldn't it work? Stubbornness. And even with the corporate sponsor, schools like Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee, with monster stadiums, might lose a little bit from the lost ticket revenue of playing in smaller NFL stadiums.

But that shouldn't be enough to hold it up. The Big Ten already plays the ACC in a basketball challenge. This would dwarf that. Since it's on the opening weekend of the season, the buildup would last a month. For those two days, no one in college football would talk about anything else.

Commissioners Slive and Delany, if we do not hear any further objections, we will see you in nine years.

2016

Saturday

At Cleveland

Ohio State vs. Florida, 3:30 p.m.


At Louisville

Kentucky vs. Purdue, 3:30 p.m.

At Minneapolis

Iowa vs. Tennessee, noon.

Minnesota vs. Vanderbilt, 8 p.m.

At New Orleans

Ole Miss vs. Indiana, noon.

LSU vs. Penn State, 8 p.m.

Sunday

At Birmingham, Ala.

Alabama vs. Michigan State, noon.

Auburn vs. Michigan, 8 p.m.


At Chicago

Northwestern vs. South Caro lina, noon.

Illinois vs. Georgia, 8 p.m.

At New Orleans

Arkansas vs. Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m.


I read the article which also showed his 2015 proposal. For some reason it wasn't in the online version. I know for fact he had 2 games in Tennessee. One being OSU-Tennessee. Indiana-Kentucky was also matchup.

[Killian]

Good luck with that. My guess is that more then half of the SEC doesn't know that planes fly north.

[Shoalzie]

Good luck with that. My guess is that more then half of the SEC doesn't know that planes fly north.

I think their faces melt if they go north of the Mason-Dixon line.

I like the idea...the more BCS conference matchups in the non-conference schedule, the better.

[buckeye_in_sc]

I would rather this take place say oh November...when the rain, sleet and cold are there and see how these supposed superior speed athletes could handle the elements...

I mean I have heard comments about how ugly the OSU v Michigan game was from the SEC folks down here...but when I tell em...30 degrees, rain and a slick field...defense and a strong running game is what wins those types of games...they laugh...

I would be in favor of that...heck you could even have games in areas of the country where alumni bases are strong..Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando, etc...

[Mr T]

I am sure it will go over well for the big ten.

Sin,
Acc-Big Ten Challenge