Replay deserves a look from the Big Ten

Sporting News, The, Oct 15, 2001 by Tom Dienhart

"The Big Ten should try it on a trial basis.... If they felt it didn't work, they could tell other leagues not to bother and save them money."

It all makes too much sense not to try.

M@IL BONDING

TOM DIENHART ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

It seems to me the strongest conference is the Big 12, followed by the Pac-10 and the SEC. The improvement of Stanford and Washington State only makes the Pac-10 that much stronger this year.

--Rob Wittenauer, Omaha, Neb.

Rob: I think you have it correct. No conference can match the Big 12's strength at the top with teams such as Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska. All are potential top 10 finishers. And don't forget about Colorado, Kansas State and Texas A&M.

The Pac-10 rates second. What makes it so strong is its depth, which is even better than the Big 12's. However, there aren't a lot of great teams, which is why it fails to match up with the Big 12. UCLA and Oregon are the only legitimate national title contenders.

Still, the Pac-10 is stronger than the SEC, which is top-heavy with powers such as Florida, Tennessee and South Carolina. LSU is decent, but it's a quick decline after that. Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Auburn are struggling for consistency.

RELATED ARTICLE: INSIDE DISH

By TOM DIENHART

Don't look now, but Nebraska is experimenting using I-back Thunder Collins as a wingback. The site of the speedy Collins lined up in the slot has some thinking of how the Cornhuskers used Johnny Rodgers and Irving Fryar in the past. Collins would provide speed on the perimeter and another option in a passing game that needs big-play help.... Call it sweet justice for first-year Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who has the Terrapins off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1978 and in sole possession of first place in the ACC. "I applied at Duke, South Carolina, Maryland twice, Clemson, North Carolina twice," he says. "Know what I'm saying? Some of them didn't even respond. That's what I was thinking. People didn't think I could coach. I knew I could." ... Michigan's defense was much maligned last year, ranking 74th in the nation by allowing 381.2 yards per game. But the unit's ability to bring the heat on passers without blitzing has reversed its fortunes this fall. A strong rush means every player is allowed to focus on his task--especially the defensive backs. As a result, they are able to break up passes and hit receivers quickly before a play can be made. The defense's balance makes it difficult to attack. In a 20-0 win at Penn State, the Wolverines held the Nittany Lions to 25 yards rushing on 26 carries .... A big reason for Mississippi State's struggles has been the play of its corners. Demetric Wright and Korey Banks have been slow to develop in a defensive scheme that requires the corners to play man coverage.... After Washington escaped with a 31-28 win over California, coach Rick Neuheisel was concerned his Huskies were overlooking teams. So, a players-only meeting was called leading up to last Saturday's game with 1-3 Southern California. It worked, as the Huskies claimed a 27-24 win on a last-second field goal. "We tried to convey the message that this is a week-to-week thing, that the opponents are only going to get better and we need to toughen up," says Huskies WR Todd Elstrom. It was a timely lesson--Washington travels to UCLA Saturday.... It appears there's a way to slow down Syracuse DE Dwight Freeney after all. Rutgers limited him to half a sack in the Knights' 24-17 loss to the Orangemen--the first game in the last eight that Freeney was held to fewer than two sacks. The Knights used double- and triple-teams to protect true freshman QB Ryan Cubit in the pocket and had Cubit roll away from Freeney. Look for future Syracuse opponents to copy that style.