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Although I long ago became a diehard OU Sooners fan, before that I went to the University of Wisconsin for undergraduate school.  The year before I arrived, the Badgers had gone to the Rose Bowl at the end of the 1962 season (I’m dating myself) and been beaten by USC in a close, high-scoring game (42-37) that went right down to the end before it was decided, thanks to a big Badger comeback in the 4th quarter.  During my 4 years of games at Camp Randall as a student, the Badgers began a loooong downhill slide out of contention.  By the end of my days in Madison, they were pretty much doormats.  Although I went to most of the games for 4 years, I never had much to celebrate about UWi football, so I really didn’t become much of a fan.  Michigan and OhSU dominated the conference.  The Badgers' next appearance in the Rose Bowl was in 1993/4, more than 30 years after their loss in 1962/3 – which they won in another close match (21-16) versus UCLA.  Their return to prominence that year caught my attention, of course, and I was pleased with their Rose Bowl win.

What I remember about Big Ten football was cold, often gloomy weather, conservative offenses in the “3 yards and a cloud of dust” mold so beloved by Woodie Hayes of OhSU, great halftime bands playing in extreme cold and snow at the end of the season, and big (slow) defensive and offensive linemen.  Michigan and OhSU dominated the Big Ten even more then than they do now, so I guess I learned to enjoy their rare losses.  Like now, the Michigan-OhSU game every year was gigantic, regardless of their respective W-L records.

I’ve come to appreciate those teams and those fans more as time has passed.  Perhaps they still are mostly conservative offenses (Purdue was and is typically a more wide-open offense than most other Big Ten teams) and big, relatively slow players at most positions (except sometimes at key offensive skill positions).  But it was great, hard-fought football with packed stadiums and a core of dedicated fans who stayed with their teams through thick and thin.  It wasn’t just about national championships.  The games were fought to decide the Big Ten champion first of all.  The Rose Bowl didn’t always go to the winner of the conference championship (decided by records, not a championship game).  Everybody played every other team in the conference and the best W-L record was the champion.  Tie-breakers were used when necessary.  If two (or more) teams were tied for the championship and one hadn’t been to the Rose Bowl the previous year but the other had, then the previous year’s winner was pre-empted to give a different team the reward of going to the Rose Bowl.  This was when bowl games were a reward for a successful season – not a barometer of team and conference success.  A simpler age, perhaps, but not a bad perspective on the college game.

This was a conference where football traditions ran deep – as deep as or even deeper than any other conference in the nation.  At the end of the year, traditional rivalries decided the holder of the rivalry trophies:  the Old Oaken Bucket (Purdue and Indiana), the Little Brown Jug (Minnesota-Michigan), Paul Bunyan’s Axe (Minnesota-Wisconsin).  These are games where the rankings and records of the teams don’t mean very much and most anything can happen.  It’s fun and not necessarily all about the almighty dollar.

Looking back, I like the college football atmosphere in the Big Ten.  College football is a lot more than National Championships.  Winning it all doesn't mean everyone else is a loser.  Conference games aren’t just a part of the schedule.  They’re what matters most to those Big Ten teams.  This year, the Big Ten had a pretty dismal bowl season (1-6), but the bowl games they participated in had excellent attendance.  Apparently, the Big Ten fans travel well.  This is my kind of fan.  Disappointed with losses but staying faithful to their teams.  They love to go to the games and participate in all the atmosphere and excitement of live college football.  If you haven’t been a part of it, chances are you don’t get it and likely never will get it.  Your loss.

As luck would have it, my first "friends" on FN include some Big Ten fans.  I think we have similar perspectives on the game, if not identical loyalties.  We can disagree and still respect one another.  Perhaps that perspective comes from a shared heritage.  Anyway, when OU plays a Big Ten team, I’m not rooting for the Sooners’ opponent, but I won’t be trash-talking about them, either.  I respect those teams and those fans (except for the fans who are classless, of course)