With the season upon us (finally!), and some Big Ten teams actually stepping up and playing some good outside competition early on in the schedule, here's a good read about the Big Ten's current image problem.

Perception of weakness

I thought the most interesting note from the piece was about the Big Ten's problems in bowl games (well, except for Penn State, since we still get it done in bowl games).  Jerod Mayod, New England's first round pick from Tennessee, had some interesting things to say.

"Mayo believes it's not coincidence that the Big Ten has mostly fallen on its face in bowl games because those games are generally played in ideal weather. Big Ten teams must be built to withstand often-rugged late-fall weather.

If an SEC team had to play in Michigan or Wisconsin in January, the outcome might be different.

"It definitely would be," Mayo said. "When you're used to playing in weather like those guys are, it plays to their advantage. You have to build a team that's able to run the ball, and that's what they do."