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Big Ten Football: 20 burning questions for August 2019

By Ryan Kay

MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 24: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers runs with the ball while being chased by Blake Cashman #36 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first quarter at Camp Randall Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 24: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers runs with the ball while being chased by Blake Cashman #36 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first quarter at Camp Randall Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OH – SEPTEMBER 22: Parris Campbell #21 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after catching a touchdown pass in the first quarter against the Tulane Green Wave at Ohio Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – SEPTEMBER 22: Parris Campbell #21 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after catching a touchdown pass in the first quarter against the Tulane Green Wave at Ohio Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

2. Is Ohio State still king of the Big Ten?

Yes, until proven otherwise.

Much has been made of Urban Meyer retiring and there being an opening for another school in the Big Ten to take over the mantle as the top dog.

Ohio State is the only Big Ten school to win a national championship in the past decade as the Buckeyes did and 2014 and other than Michigan State, they are the only other school to make it to the College Football Playoff in the conference.

The Buckeyes also have been Big Ten champions the past two seasons and many have them favorite for a three-peat. Many have been quick to anoint the new king of the Big Ten after Meyer retired, but the other 13 teams in the conference have to prove it on the field and not through the media.

Even if another team wins the Big Ten this season, can they do it back-to-back? Can they compete with the likes of Alabama and Clemson for a national title? Time will tell but in order to be the king, you must first beat the king.

1. Can the Big Ten be better than the SEC?

Yes, and here is why. As good as Ohio State may be, you would have to give the edge to Alabama in the head-to-head battle until the Buckeyes can do what they did in 2014 when they beat the Crimson Tide.

Georgia in a head-to-head battle with Michigan would likely have the edge, especially if the game was to be played in Athens. Even if you said that LSU would beat Penn State, you can make argument that the Big Ten could be favored and or win in the other matchups of the second and third-tier SEC teams this season if there was such a thing as a Big Ten/SEC Challenge in football.

Here are some examples:

  • Florida vs. Wisconsin
  • Texas A&M vs. Iowa
  • Auburn vs. Michigan State
  • Missouri vs. Northwestern
  • Tennessee vs. Purdue
  • Kentucky vs. Minnesota
  • Ole Miss vs. Nebraska
  • South Carolina vs. Maryland
  • Mississippi State vs. Indiana
  • Arkansas vs. Illinois
  • Vanderbilt vs. Rutgers

You can make a case that the Big Ten this season wins the challenge 8-6. The SEC is top-heavy but if the games were divided equally in which each conference got seven home games each in the challenge, it’s feasible that the Big Ten could win the challenge.

The top half of the SEC is strong and no one is debating that but he Big Ten has a lot of depth this season and it may not have multiple national championship-caliber teams, but it does have a good group of quality teams that can compete with other conferences’ second and third-tier teams.

If in the future there is a Big Ten/SEC Challenge, it would be great for the fanbases of each conference.

Next. Top 50 players in college football for 2019. dark

This is the first segment of the Big Ten monthly in which 20 questions were asked and answered based on what has occurred and or being discussed in the month of August involving the 14 teams that play in the conference. See in you September when non-conference play has all but concluded and Big Ten play has begun.

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