Micah's takeaways from a dominant week for the Big Ten

6 days ago 2

It was a great week for the Big Ten The national championship game is guaranteed to have a team that resides in the Big Ten Conference. The title game won't feature two Big Ten teams, but there is no doubt that the best game in this playoff and the best game this season might be the upcoming semifinal between two Big Ten teams, Indiana and Oregon.

Here are my takeaways from the Big Ten from this Week's bowl games:

The Big Ten got the better of the SEC

From wins like Iowa over Vandy, Illinois over Tennessee, a high-powered offense, all the way to Indiana beating Alabama, the Big Ten showcased they are the best conference in the country. The Big Ten lost Ohio State as a representative, but with the matchup between Oregon and Indiana, that could very well be the team that wins it all. Indiana very well looks like the best team remaining by a wide margin. Texas did get the best of Michigan, but everyone is clearly aware of what has been going on in Michigan prior to that bowl game. It is safe to say that the Big Ten runs college football.

Mendoza is continuing to rise his stock

Against Alabama, Fernando Mendoza was as good as he could possibly be. Mendoza was 14-16, threw for 192 yards through the air, and threw for 3 passing touchdowns. Many of his other counterparts struggled, while Mendoza continues to win and continues to be the reason why Indiana is winning. At this current moment, Mendoza looks like a sure thing quarterback prospect for the next draft class, and he will make one desperate NFL team very happy.

Curt Cignetti is the best coach in college football

Indiana was the one team that had a bye week in the College Football Playoff that did not lose. Not only did they not lose to Alabama, but they won the game in the first half. Ty Simpson had no chance, and this was a complete football performance by Indiana and Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers are undefeated this year, and last season they only lost two games, one of which was in last season's College Football Playoff. Cignetti consistently has this team ready to dominate regardless of the opponent. He has a Big Ten title for the first time in program history, and he is looking for much more this season. This two-year run for Cignetti in Indiana places him as the best coach in college football right now, and it is not close, just like the coaching match between him and Kalen DeBoer on Thursday.

Indiana is clearly the best team left

Indiana is a team that has not shown any weakness this season. In games that could have resulted in an upset this season, Indiana has a guy who can win them games in the clutch in Fernando Mendoza. This team has an elite quarterback, they have elite weapons as Omar Cooper Jr. returned versus Alabama, and their defense is just as good as any team left. This team is well coached, and their team is full of players at every level who have been in college football for at least 4 years. The steamrolling of Alabama was a surprise to no one. Indiana made their statement on Thursday and proved it is the team to beat.

Oregon versus Indiana will be the championship game

The last time these two teams met, Indiana won 30-20. That game was a battle, and both quarterbacks struggled and faced adversity. Mendoza proved to be the quarterback who battled adversity the best. Against Indiana was the first time Dante Moore struggled and did not have his usual success. For Oregon to win, they will need Dante Moore to be the better quarterback. In all the other areas on their team, Oregon matches up very well against Indiana, and their defense showed that by completely shutting out Texas Tech. Once again, these two teams will deliver one of the best games of this season. In my opinion, whoever wins this game will win the whole thing.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten football teams handled the SEC in New Year's bowl games

Read Entire Article