Can the Big Ten Finally Strike a Blow Against the ACC?

The 11th edition of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge began on Monday night, albeit in quiet fashion because it was a game featuring Penn State and Virginia, two of the less-than-sexy squads involved in the event. (Penn State won 69-66.)

The Big Ten has taken a loss in this thing every time out. They've come close a few times, losing 6-5 twice and 5-4 three times. Still, when the end result is 10 years of being bested by the ACC as a whole, it's worth wondering whether the Big Ten can ever win this thing.

But this year there's hope, right? It's not a stretch to say the Big Ten's two top teams -- Michigan State and Purdue -- are just as good, if not better than, the ACC's top two -- Duke and North Carolina. It helps that this thing is being played early in the season as the Tar Heels are talented, but young and finding themselves at this point. The games break down into a few categories that give us an idea of where things will go in the remaining matchups.

The (almost) sure things: Give host schools Purdue and Clemson wins in their respective home games against Wake Forest and Illinois. It's also pretty safe to give Michigan a win at home against Boston College. If we hold those to be true, we're at Big Ten 3, ACC 1.

The heavyweights: Duke faces Wisconsin. Duke is a favorite, but the only reason it isn't in the "sure things" pile is because Wisconsin isn't the easiest place to play. Still, for the purposes of this exercise, let's give it to Duke. Ohio State hosts Florida State, which I initially had in the "almost sure things" pile, too, but I probably didn't give the 'Noles enough credit for their work in Orlando. Still, I'm enamored with Evan Turner's game, so I like OSU in that one.

But the heavyweight game of the night features a rematch of last season's national title game with North Carolina hosting Michigan State. It's in Chapel Hill, but what kind of read do we really have on the Heels right now, particularly after the blowout loss to Syracuse? The win against Ohio State was nice, but came prior to that second-half meltdown against Syracuse. In a game this close, I'm inclined to go with veterans, even on the road. So let's give this one to the Spartans. If we split these two games, that's Big Ten 5, ACC 2.

The rest: N.C. State over Northwestern feels like a toss-up, but I'll give it to the home team, N.C. State. Maryland figures to take down IU, even on the road. Iowa is just 2-4 and might not be able to defend its home court against Va. Tech, so let's say the Hokies win that one. We're back at even, with Minnesota and Miami facing off in Coral Gables on Wednesday. I'll take Minnesota, which has been tested this year, against Miami, which has feasted on a heavy dose of cupcakes to build that 7-0 mark.

Purely based on the order I wrote it, this thing comes down to Minnesota vs. Miami, but ultimately the tiebreaker looks like it'll be tonight's contest between North Carolina and Michigan State. The Big Ten can legitimately claim five wins without even winning that one -- and possibly more if a road game or two swings their way -- so hold your head up, Big Ten fans. You might finally win this thing.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.