Even though the professional ranks in major football positions, promote the highest level of accomplishment, the college game offers the more fun, more comparisons, less stale attitudes, and unbridled enthusiasm. The college bowl season, just completed, reflects college football’s best foot forward.
In high school basketball, diminished in recent decades in attendance, there is a level of pride, enthusiasm, and loyalty, similar to college football and college basketball experiences.
The University of Michigan football team preserved Big Ten Conference prestige and power with its 27-20 overtime victory over Alabama in the Monday, Jan. 1 Rose Bowl. An Alabama victory would have created greater spoilage within the Big Ten.
The Michigan victory left the Big Ten with a 5-4 record in bowl games and 2-4 against the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Michigan defeated powerhouse Alabama and prevented the Big Ten from dropping to 1-5 against the SEC. It was no small accomplishment. Big Ten bowl victors included Maryland, 31-13over Auburn; Rutgers, 31-24, against Miami (Fla.); Minnesota, 30-24 against Bowling Green; Northwestern, 14-7 against Utah. Notre Dame’s 40-8 victory in Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas ,does not count in conference representation.
College basketball fills in for football and offers its own excitement. Northwestern University an highly-ranked Illinois were in a Big Ten Conference game Tuesday this week with more than three months of interest to see who can capture a conference championship. Purdue is top-rated in the country and will lead the Big Ten Conference charge along with No. 9 Illinois and No. 21 Wisconsin for prestige and seek surges to remain at the top of the standings. Northwestern stunned the college basketball world at the start of the season with a big upset victory against Purdue. Ratings are important, however, mean little when the March Madness college basketball tournament start its ride Big Ten thought: Oregon and Washington will join the Big 10 in the Fall and in 2025 UCLA and USC will become members