Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable: Week 11

Big Ten Chronicle serves as host for the Week 11 edition.

1. Every year we hear that the quality of play in the Big Ten is "down" and that the conference as a whole is "weak". This season most pundits would consider the Pac 10 or SEC as superior conferences. Give your best argument for the over strength of the Big Ten and evaluated how your team would be doing if they were placed in either the Pac 10 or the SEC.

I wouldn't necessarily agree that the Big Ten is "down" this season, but I will admit that the play of teams from top to bottom isn't as strong as some of the other conferences. I've talked about this with a few people before this season, wondering what Michigan's record would be if they were in the SEC, and honestly, I don't think it'd be that great. The reason I say that is because of that one word that everyone down south likes to use: speed. Michigan, right now, wouldn't have the speed to match-up week in and week out with teams in the SEC. Could they still go through a conference schedule with a winning record? Maybe. But it would be much harder than beating teams like Northwestern and Minnesota.

In the end we'll get another chance to see how good or bad the Big Ten is in comparison to the other conferences. If Ohio State and LSU win out, those two teams will play for a national championship, and OSU has a chance to redeem itself after the blowout loss to Florida way back in January. On the other hand, they also have another chance to fall flat on their face, and it wouldn't be surprising to see that happen either.

I guess I would say that the level of play in the Big Ten isn't at the same level as some of the other conferences, but I wouldn't necessarily characterize that as a down year for the conference.

2. Pick your team's Most Valuable Player to date and tell us why he should be in consideration for Big Ten Player of the Year.

Michigan's MVP, without a doubt, is Mike Hart. After an 0-2 start in which he really seemed to be the only one giving it his all, Hart guaranteed a win over Notre Dame and he and the rest of his team delivered. Since that guarantee was made, Michigan has won 8 straight games, and Hart has been key in the games that he did play in and even the ones that he didn't.

The one thing Michigan has been able to count on from Mike Hart is the fact that he will play his heart out on every snap. By game's end, there will be at least 100 yards in the boxscore next to his name, and all of those yards came from hard fought runs. Although he did miss two games and Michigan still was able to win both of them, Hart still was on the sidelines coaching Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown and was firing up his teammates to win. I honestly believe that without Hart, this team would have lost more than only 2 games this season.

As far as his status for Big Ten Player of the Year goes, there's no doubt that he is deserving of the award. Had it not been for that high ankle sprain he suffered against Purdue, Hart would've been a serious contender for the Heisman Trophy. That alone should tell you how much he deserves the award.

3. Sure it's the time of year that has most fans looking ahead to Bowl games, but we covered that last week. Plus, basketball season has officially begun! If you plan on covering basketball, give a brief analysis on your team and how far they will go in this year's postseason (Final 4, Sweet 16, NIT, friend's couch, etc.).

I have very low expectations for the Michigan basketball team. I am beyond excited for the season to start now that John Beilein is the head coach, but I really think this year's team will struggle a lot. The schedule is very tough and the team is very young overall. With that, as much as it pains me to say this, the NIT may be tough to qualify for. Just looking through the schedule, getting to .500 on the year would be an achievement, so I am not expecting great things to happen just yet.

Bonus Question:

It's time again for annual "rip on the BCS" party! In your opinion, what is the best way for college football to determine its National Championship? Current BCS system, current system plus one, 16-team playoff, 4-team playoff, something totally cool I've never even thought of before?

I would say that once the current TV contract expires, giving the BCS some flexibility, we will see a playoff in one form or another. Now that upsets do happen so much more often in college football, a playoff will be a heavily requested addition to Division I-A. I don't really think that they should go too far with it just yet, but a simple 4-team playoff would be sufficient. We're going to see controversies on a yearly basis with more than just 2 teams that deserve to play for a national title, so for the time being, a 4-team playoff would work. Of course, as soon as a system like that went into place we'd have to expand it after controversy of the last team to get into the playoff, but it would at least give more than 2 teams a chance if they deserved it.