The Big 10 is down this year, the pundits continue to tell us.  And while there's been plenty of debate over whether or not this is true, the fact remains 1-6 in bowl games last year, 3-5 in 2007.  We all know about Ohio State and recent MNC games.

The most frequently pointed at issue the Big 10 faces is that we have gotten 2 BCS bids in recent years, causing teams to be bumped up, playing a one bowl higher than their actual conference ranking would dictate.

So it occurred to me, while we're looking forward towards Northwestern (but with certain assumptions that I will not state here), there is a game that has huge implications for the conference as a whole, OSU vs PSU.  If PSU wins, they will likely have a 11-1 record and a BCS bid.  If OSU wins, it's much harder for the BCS to make that call given the number of undefeated and 1 loss teams left.

As much as I hate to say this, would a PSU loss be better for the conference this year because it will potentially help with bowl matchups?  Or does a 11-1 PSU team serve us better because of the increased visibility and money for the BCS bowl?

(For the record, I really want PSU to win out, and for all the Big 10 teams to win their bowl games, we need the boost in conference respect.  I'm just throwing out a hypothetical.  Obviously, any change in the main assumption here makes the whole thing moot.)