Ohio State's Rose Bowl Victory Representative of Big Ten Dominance

The title of my article is admittedly a bit hyperbolic.

However, is the title of this article any more hyperbolic than any of the garbage thrown at the Big Ten over the past year?

Slow. Lacking Creativity. Boring. Inferior. Etc.

Actually, I'm sure the "boring" slurs will continue because the Big Ten hasn't won any of their games by a score of 51-24. Typically, in order for a game to get that out of hand, one of two conditions has to apply.

The first is that one team is simply over-matched. This is usually the case when a major BCS program takes on a lesser-tier FCS sacrificial lamb. One example might be Florida's dismantling of Charleston Southern 62-3 earlier in the year.

Is there anyone in the country who thought Charleston Southern had a chance? Of course not. The Gators' athlectic level is simply worlds beyond that of Charleston Southern. The Gators might as well have played a high school team (albeit a very good high school team).

The second condition for a blowout is, for whatever reason, the team on the losing end is unprepared or unmotivated. I think that was the case last year when Iowa blew out Minnesota to the tune of 55-0.

The previous week, Minnesota had thrown everything they had into a close loss to the Wisconsin Badgers in the annual battle for Paul Bunyon's Axe.

They began the game against Iowa by throwing everything they had at the Hawkeyes. Iowa withstood the initial storm and Minnesota was spent. They cashed in their chips and Iowa proceeded to have their way with them.

In short, blowouts rarely happen when the two teams involved are somewhat evenly matched, fully prepared, and motivated.

OSU did not blow out Oregon. Penn State did not blow out LSU. Wisconsin did not blow out Miami. In fact, there were points in the fourth quarter where OSU and Penn State were behind.

However, here's what's undeniable: OSU, Penn State, and Wisconsin absolutely dictated the pace and action of the games. No matter what the score read, Oregon, LSU and Miami were always reacting to what their opponents did; always, in a sense, behind the 8-ball and never in control.

OSU did not squash the vaunted Oregon offense. Rather, the Buckeyes sustained long, methodical drives, thereby keeping Jeremiah Masoli and the Ducks' offense off the field. Just as Jim Tressel game-planned.

Wisconsin did not roll over the Miami Hurricanes. Rather, the Badgers played their game, using the tight ends in the passing game, collapsing the pocket using only four rushers and slowly wearing down the front seven of the Canes. Just as Bret Bielema game-planned.

Penn State did not destroy LSU. The Lions played a tight, disciplined defense that just begged LSU to make mistakes and they kept the ball in the hand of their play-maker, Darryl Clark. Just as Joe Pa game-planned.

Do you sense a pattern?

The Big Ten isn't necessarily pretty. The Big Ten teams do not dismantle over-matched opponents. The Big Ten does not have terribly imaginative schemes replete with copious amounts of southern speed.

The Big Ten teams play basic, simple, fundamental football. They slowly squeeze the life out of their opponents, making those opponents' play come to them, rather than the other way around.

Essentially, they play a brand of football that reflects the people who make up their fandom.

I suspect this Big Ten "dominance" will not be good enough for ESPN, Fox Sports and the rest of the talking heads who need a 55-point poster boy ala Tim Tebow.

My feeling is, they can have their poster boy.

I will take three (hopefully soon to be four) bowl wins over three top 15 teams. That is something that no other conference in the country can say.