Warning to New Big 10 Teams : Learn Defense!

Here's a warning to new Big 10 teams arriving this fall:  Learn defense.  Learn how to play defense.  Learn how to play against defense.  This warning comes on the heals of Monday night's college football national championship as Michigan smothered the formerly high-flying Washington Huskies 34-13.

The Washington Huskies are one of four teams, including the USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, and Oregon Ducks which will be moving to the Big 10 in summer of 2024.  Big 10 teams are known for defense.  Pac 12 teams are known for ignoring defense.  Case in point:  The Big 10 placed 6 teams in the top 20 scoring defenses in 2023.  In fact, the top four spots were occupied by Big 10 teams.  In order:   Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa.  Oregon cracked the top 10 but Washington placed 53rd.

Going into Monday nights natty, Michigan's defense had given up just over 10 points per game.  Only three teams cracked 20 points on them.  Maryland and Ohio State scored 24 each.  Alabama scored 20 in last week's Rose Bowl.  That's it!  Craig Shemon and Company on ESPN Southwest Florida felt going into the championship game that Washington's offense, led by Heisman runner-up QB Michael Penix Jr. and his three future NFL wide receivers might score a few points on Michigan.

Wrong!

Michigan's defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and his crew held the high-flying Huskies to 13 points and gave up just one chunk play all night.  Other than a 44 yard reception by Rome Odunze, Washington's longest play through the air was 15 yards.  And Penix, one of the most accurate passers in college football, over threw his targets all night.  Despite registering just one sack, the Wolverines defensive front made Penix uncomfortable all night.  It was remarkable.  Conversely, Washington's porous defense couldn't stop Michigan's ground game.  The Wolverines rushed for over 300 yards on the night.  Blake Corum capped his career with 134 yards and two touchdowns.  And Donovan Edwards tallied 104 yards including two long scores.

Washington, USC, UCLA, and Oregon better brush up on its defensive skill set before September or it will be a rude awakening in the Big 10.

There's something special about Saturday's in the fall. The pageantry, traditions, and the excitement is unique in American sports. Schools have gone one of two ways with their uniforms. The blue bloods usually go with a traditional look. Ohio State's biggest uniform change in the last 50 years was taking silver striping off the shoulder. Those new to the top of college football, or looking to find their place use uniforms as a recruiting tactic. Schools like Oregon and Maryland rarely were the same combination twice in the same season. But what are the best college football uniforms? That's a nuanced question. I think it's a combination of color scheme, uniqueness, and a winning recent history. The last might seem unfair. But it's tough to look cool when you're getting blown out. Although there will be one school that's been down for the last decade.

The best college football uniforms change with the times. I'm a big fan of subtle changes to classic uniforms. Michigan is the perfect example of that. Changing their helmets from the shiny blue to the matte blue updated the whole look of the program. It's probably a coincidence that they started making the playoff once the change came to the helmet. But what did Deion Sanders say about looking good? The complete overhauls of classic designs stink. The one time a year when Miami wears the all black uniforms I want to punch my television. But more on them later. Let's get into it. The best college football uniforms ahead of the 2023 season.

I don't hold it against Penn State that they have basically had the same threads for the last 50 years. It would look weird if Penn State tried to turn into Oregon with a new look every week. They are instantly recognizable to the average fan. Never change Penn State.

Very similar to Penn State. Alabama is a instantly recognizable brand, and the simplicity of the uniform is part of that brand. It's a no nonsense program who's uniform reflect that.

I love the UGA uniform. They will change the font of the numbers to say with the times, and include a black uniform every once in a while. I think what gives the dawgs and edge over the previous two schools is what they look like in their road top. The white top with grey pants is just a little better looking than the all white look.

Sure they haven't won recently. But the history of Nebraska football is as good as any other school's. The simplicity of the "N" on the side of the helmet and the bright red pops.

One of the most iconic color combinations in college sports. They don't have the on the field success as the other schools on this list, but the Carolina blue and white is a clean look and when they incorporate the navy blue... oopf. They all look good.

Most schools say they are purple and gold when in fact their colors are purple and yellow. THAT is gold right there. This doesn't have the traditional feel of some of the other uniforms, but man they look good.

A lot like Georgia with the grey pants, but the helmet is what does it for me. As the season progresses I become a bigger fan of the Buckeyes threads as the helmets get filled up with buckeye decals.

Talk about a unique color combo- orange and purple. That's half of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This is a really clean uniform and the orange helmets really pops. I do wish they incorporated a bit more purple. But it's still a great look every Saturday.

Orange and blue belongs to the Gators. They struck gold with the cursive "GATORS" on the helmet, and the orange provides enough pop to the uniform to make it stand out. This is one of those programs that should never change their football appearance (you hear that Florida State?).

I am a big fan of the gold and blue. Few teams in the country use the "Vegas gold" that UCLA uses, and that powder blue looks great with the gold.

I usually do not like Adidas uniforms. I think they try too hard... most of the time. That's not the case for The U. Adidas went back to the 1980's look and Miami looks (at least before the game) like they did in their heyday.

You might be sensing a trend at this pint; I like powder/light blue. Ole Miss introducing the powder blue was a huge success, and the program has experienced a slight up tick since the new look.

Texas is one of those handful of programs that should never ever change their football uniform. The simplicity of the uniform with the unique "burnt orange" is instantly identifiable.

The maize and blue is an iconic look that Michigan owns. The winged football helmet adds to the classic look that Michigan rolls out every weekend. And they improved it by making it matte a few years ago.

Somehow Oregon football has turned their identity into unique combinations every week. They are identifiable because we never know what they'll look like. Not all the new looks land, but they've done enough to show they know what their doing with their look on the gridiron.

Should aliens present themselves (they're here, don't play yourself) to us and ask "What is college football?" I think showing them a video of Notre Dame football is a great spot. They are college football royalty and the gold puts that on full display.

There is not another lookalike in college football. LSU goes against the grain and wears white tops instead of a school color. And it works for them.

I love everything about this uniform. The simplicity, the cleanness, and the logo on the helmet is all chefs kiss. USC is knocking on the door of the college football elite with Lincoln Riley in charge, and when they get there they will look the part.