Slices of Tuna, Big Ten media days edition: Ring me
The Big Ten's bling was on display Tuesday in Chicago.
CHICAGO — Three quick takeaways from Day 1 of Big Ten media days, where Illinois, Iowa, Penn State, Rutgers, USC and Wisconsin held court.
Up Wednesday: Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue and UCLA.
1. Lots of SEC talk … in a good way
Of the 23 questions that Tony Petitti fielded Tuesday morning, eight made reference to the SEC.
For once, it’s not because it just means more over there.
In fact, it was hard to ignore the three CFP national title trophies that were displayed to the Big Ten commissioner’s right while he stood at the podium.
“In addition to winning three consecutive titles, the Big Ten has dominated the first two seasons of the expanded College Football Playoff,” Petitti said. “Seven Big Ten teams combined for the nation’s best 11 wins, more than double the next closest league.
“There have been 22 games played in the first two years of the 12-team CFP — 14 of those 22 games have featured Big Ten teams, including two games with Big Ten teams facing each other.”
Petitti talked up the league’s middle-class, a point that the SEC seemed to fixate on during its media day.
Perhaps the SEC’s move to nine league games will lead to more losses for that conference’s bluebloods, proving the league’s point.
Or perhaps it simply won’t matter, not when the Big Ten is dominating the CFP the way it has the last three years.
