In just more than a month, tailgate parties will kick off and fans will pack the stands, as teams will get the first chance to prove their worth in 2012.

It is also an opportunity for conferences to flex their guns early on in the season. The SEC will certainly relish the occasion, waiting to show, yet again, where the heavyweights of football reside.

For the Big Ten, it is a chance to shake its bad offseason publicity and recent bowl game nightmares. Conference commissioner Jim Delany is surely tired of seeing the Big Ten being paired with Jerry Sandusky in the news headlines.

A reminder of his teams' 34-52 record in bowl games since 2000 is also a thorn in Delany's side.

Nevertheless, a new season ...

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