Damage control

Buffalo plays at Maryland and Tulane lands in Ohio Stadium this afternoon, which means the Big Ten gets two more chances to prove it's not just a handy tool for raising the profiles of small fry. That, has, after all, been it's higher purpose so far this year, at least by most available evidence.

Although "The Big Ten: The Underdog's Friend" is not a brand the conference likely is comfortable with. Nor is "The Big Ten: We Elevate Akron So You Won't Have To."

It was Northwestern who did that a week ago, by losing to, yes, Akron. Nebraska, meanwhile, gave Troy its own theme for this year: "We Beat The Cornhuskers In Lincoln, So There."

Ditto Temple beating Maryland, South Florida beating Illinois, BYU beating Wisconsin -- Wisconsin! -- in the mighty fortress of Camp Randall Stadium, and perennial Big 12 sadsack Kansas (which counts as an underdog even if it's in a Power 5 conference) beating Rutgers, also on the road.

Oh, yeah. And don't forget Eastern Michigan beating Purdue in Ross-Ade Stadium a couple of weeks back, too.

(Sample theme for that one: "Ypsilanti, The Football Town West Lafayette Wishes It Were.")

In any case, this has not exactly raised the Big Ten's own profile as The Best Conference In America, which some people, mostly in the Midwest, keep insisting it is. The sneering from up north at the paper tiger that is the SEC has been notably muted by the proceedings so far.

And so it's with likely relief that, of the seven Big Ten games being played today, four of them will be conference games. Needless to say, that's the best defense possible against more pillaging by the Troys and Akrons. Only Buffalo and Tulane are inside the gates this time, and it's incumbent upon Rutgers and Ohio State to repel them.

They probably will, of course. Tulane would seem especially doomed, on account of Urban Meyer returns to the sideline today after three weeks in which he suffered mightily for coddling yet another miscreant. His Buckeyes, after all, only went 3-0 in his absence while outscoring their opponents 169-62. It's hard to imagine how much more cruel poor Urban's punishment possibly could have been without involving thumbscrews.

So, OSU likely turns back the Tulane incursion. As for Buffalo at Rutgers, that one's in the lap of the gods. It's Rutgers, after all, and Buffalo, another of those pesky MAC schools. One more likely theme is already percolating.

"The Big Ten: Gateway To The Mid-American Conference."

Works for me.

Update: As almost predicted here, Buffalo crushed Rutgers 42-13. The Big Ten should really start picking on conferences its own size.