USA Today’s Danny Sheridan claims 5 SEC 2nd-string teams could go undefeated in Big Ten
It’s no secret that the Big Ten and SEC are rivals. They compete for viewers, are historical college football powers and geographically are about as different as possible. So, while the SEC has enjoyed a run of national success, many in SEC country have also poked fun at the Big Ten.
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However, some on both sides have taken things a step too far. Such was the case on Wednesday afternoon when USA Today oddsmaker Danny Sheridan poked the Big Ten bear and made perhaps the most asinine claim of the 2014 offseason.
It seems that Sheridan believes the SEC is so good, and the Big Ten so bad, that the SEC’s second-stringers are better than anything the Big Ten puts on the field. While speaking to an Arkansas radio station on Wednesday, Sheridan made this wild claim:
Sheridan: The second-string units from five SEC schools would each go undefeated in the Big Ten.
— Bo Mattingly (@SportandStoryBo) August 6, 2014
Yes, he said not one or two, but five 2nd string units in the SEC would go undefeated in the Big Ten. One could only guess he’s talking about programs like Alabama, LSU, Georgia, South Carolina and Auburn, right?
However, a bit of knowledge on his part would’ve likely made him realize the error of his ways. After all, Georgia was beaten by a second and third string quarterback of Nebraska in a bowl game this last January—and that’s just one example.
It’s also a bit insulting to teams like Michigan State and Ohio State, who are only outranked in the Preseason Amway Coaches Poll by Alabama and Auburn respectively.
Sheridan’s hypothetical scenario also suggests that going to Columbus, Ann Arbor, Madison and Lincoln are easy enough tasks that non-starters in the SEC could easily accomplish that feat.
There’s little doubt that the Big Ten is not on the top of its game, but Sheridan’s assertion may be the most absurd thing said in a college football offseason full of them.