A Friday Night Thought

As I sat here on this Friday evening, waiting for another great weekend of college football, a thought dawned on me, and I decided I should share it with you. It's kind of one of those chicken or the egg things, but it actually has to do with football.

There is always talk about which of the major conferences is the best, and most people agree that the SEC, year in and year out, is the better league. There has been tons of talk about the offenses and the quarterbacks in the Big 12 this season. And rightfully so. Colt McCoy at Texas, Chase Daniel at Missouri, Sam Bradford at Oklahoma, Todd Reesing at Kansas, Graham Harrell at Texas Tech, and even the play of Zach Robinson at Oklahoma State, although their ground game powers their offense. The list goes on and on. Six Big 12 teams rank #21 or higher in terms of total offense. That's pretty impressive. Not surprisingly, none of their teams are in the top 21 in terms of total defense.

Then I looked at the SEC, where most people have the impression that the offenses are struggling this year. Wouldn't you know... No SEC team is ranked in the top 21 in terms of total offense. But seven SEC teams are ranked #21 or higher in terms of total defense.

So it makes me wonder. Are the offenses in the Big 12 really that good? Or are the defenses just that bad? And, conversely, are the offenses in the SEC really struggling? Or are the defenses just that good?

And it got me thinking about the end of the 2006 season, when Ohio State beat Michigan 42-39, and, essentially, secured their right to play for the national championship. Almost all of the experts called the game an instant classic, a stunning display by two great teams. But I remember clearly one voice - CBS color commentator Gary Danielson - who said, "To me it looked like two teams with lousy defenses."

What happened in the end? That Ohio State team, averaging 36 points per game in the regular season, scored a mere 14 points in the BCS Championship game - and 7 of those points came on the opening kick return - against SEC champion Florida, a team with a great defense.

It makes you wonder about the Big 12, doesn't it?