Of the 12 ACC teams that have played Challenge games, only three – Georgia Tech, Miami, and Virginia Tech – have losing records. Contrast that with their Midwestern counterparts and only Michigan State, with a mark of 5-4 (their game against Virginia in 2001 was halted by court safety conditions), can claim a winning record.
Three Big Ten teams (Minnesota, Illinois, and Northwestern) have at least seven losses. In defense of the Illini, though, in 1999 and 2000 they played Duke and lost both games by a combined four points.
What’s more, of Illinois’ seven total losses, six of them have been by single digits. And in addition to the two Duke games, the Illini have played UNC three times. They also lost to Maryland the season the Terps cut down the nets so it’s fair to say they’ve been on the short end of some close contests.
The Big Ten has hung tough in half of the Challenges as five of them were decided by a single game. But the ACC has also won twice by scores of 7-2 and 8-3. It should be noted that with the ACC expansion to include Miami, Boston College, and Virginia Tech, the Challenge expanded in 2005 from nine games to 11. So when the Big Ten has been bad, it's been really bad.
Home cooking has been anything but for the Big Ten as conference schools are a mere 27-22 as the host. To make matters worse, they are an abysmal 8-40 on the road.
Look, I’m not trying to do the ultimate hatchet job on the Big Ten. I’m really not. In fact, I love the idea of conferences squaring off on a yearly basis to see which can stick its chest out further. Most fans much prefer to see out-of-conference games against top-flight schools as opposed to contests against much lesser competition where the game is over at halftime and the only drama left for the last two minutes is how many of the walk-ons will score.
But when one conference has been a punching bag for 10 straight years, isn’t it time for a change?
Maybe Jay Bilas summed it up best with regard to the Big Ten when he said “anyone can have a bad decade.” Glass half full, I suppose.
So, Mr. Claus, I’m sure you can see why the college basketball world has come knocking at your door. Really, we need action and we need it fast. Oh, and Santa, if you’re looking for a last-minute gift idea for the Big Ten, how about some coal?
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