LAKE BUENA VISTA - It's only a matchup of power vs. speed, but some are making it out to be David vs. Goliath when the Big Ten Conference faces the Southeastern Conference.
UF's 41-14 romp over Ohio State in last year's BCS title game opened the eyes of many around the country to the perception of the trendy, athletic SEC?s superiority over the Big Ten?s stale strong-man attack.
The latest battle for conference bragging rights takes place Tuesday, when Tennessee plays Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl and UF and Michigan meet in the Capital One Bowl.
Both SEC teams are favored, UF by double digits.
Perhaps odds makers don?t believe the Wolverines can keep up with the speedy Gators.
BI don?t know what you can do to stop us unless you?ve got great athletes like we have on the offensive side of the ball and try to match it up,C brash UF wide receiver Andre Caldwell said. BBut I don?t think Michigan has the personnel we have here.C
Maybe Caldwell is right.
Michigan struggled to keep up with the spread attacks of Appalachian State and Oregon in losing its first two games of the year and allowing 73 points.
The Wolverines later beat Big Ten foes Northwestern, Purdue and Illinois, three teams that have opened up their offenses in recent years.
It took some time for Michigan to get used to those foreign schemes.
BIn the Big Ten, you face I formations,C Michigan linebacker Shawn Crable said. BFor you to try and get a look at spreads and get a look at the tempo, it?s kind of difficult in practice. You really don?t get the feel of it until you?re in the game.C
Ohio State can vouch for that.
Florida stunned the Buckeyes by scoring on six of its first seven drives in the national championship game.
By the time Ohio State realized what was going on it was too late, as UF took a 34-14 lead into halftime.
BThe way the speed is in the SEC and the talent in the SEC versus what?s in the Big Ten, I think last year?s game really did a number on that,C UF safety Tony Joiner said.
The SEC may be a deeper league with six ranked teams, while just three programs œ Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin œ have carried the Big Ten in the BCS era.
But the Big Ten does own an 8-6 advantage over the SEC in bowl games during the previous five seasons.
Nevertheless, Ohio State?s loss will likely have lasting effects on the rest of its conference, if not the entire college football landscape.
Michigan?s hire of West Virginia?s Rich Rodriguez to replace Lloyd Carr means it will switch to a spread offense, much like Illinois did when Ron Zook came aboard.
BBy the end of everything, when it?s all said and done in the next one or two years, I think everybody will be running the spread because it?s the new, hot offense,C Crable said.
The years of muscle and the power I are fleeting, but this New Year?s Day will still provide plenty of ammunition for the SEC vs. Big Ten argument.
BAll of that debate is a great thing for college football because people in the Southeast are going to say that the Southeastern Conference is the best league, the fastest league,C Carr said. BSome years, that?s probably true. Other years, it?s probably true of somebody else.C
