5 replies to this topic

[gamekeeper]

Big Ten football conference is as noncompetative to other conferences as it is to there not being 10 teams in the conference anymore, and the Two divisions names are terrible as some of the team's football play in them.

Any thoughts on what they can do to change things around? They need at least four teams of to be able to win games against someone other than the MAC, and this year even that was a struggle.

[lepiota]

It's my belief that it's getting harder and harder to recruit in the Big Ten. In the 70s and early 80s before ESPN, only a couple of schools in each conference got national attention. An good example is the PAC 10. We all knew about UCLA and USC, but who knew anything about Oregon or Oregon St.? In addition to that is the fact that the national media hammers the Big 10 every time it can. If the SEC is the teachers pet, then the Big 10 is surely the class clown. Colin Cowherd, Kirk Herbstriet, and Mark May could, by themselves, be responsible for a considerable dip in the ability to recruit. Lastly, it's cold in all the Big 10 schools. If talent is as thin as it appears to be, then a warm weather school is a lot more attractive than Nebraska to a 5 star recruit.

Since they can't draw the top QBS, DBs and receivers, I think they all should either employ a spread offense like Oregons that does not require a 5 star QB or receivers, or a large running play action offense like Wisconsin.

[Irish Viking 87]

I think it has to do with the coaches in the Big 10. Ohio State will be good as long as Urban is there. Dantoni at MSU is a perenial top 10 school, and I think Penn St. will rebound under James Franklin.

On the other hand, Michigan hasn't been the same since Lloyd Carr, Iowa hasn't been a power since Hayden Fry, and Nebraska is still looking for someone to replace Tom Osborne. The rest of the Big 10, while they may have an occasional good year, has never been a consistant National power. Wisconsin is kind of a wild card. Let's see what this new guy does after Belima's recruits are gone.

A good coach can recruit the South and convince those kids to come North. The Big 10 just doesn't have many good coaches. It will be interesting what Michigan does after the season. The new President is a graduate of Brown and is very accademically oriented(which he should be). But he also has said that no coach should make more money that a professor. It's gonna be hard to get Les Miles or a Harbaugh brother to Ann Arbor for that kind of money.

Almost every game is on TV today. Three or four years ago, Ole Miss was consistantly one of the worst teams in the country. They hire a new coach(although I'm not positive everything he does is on the up-and-up) and they are Nationally ranked and hosting Game Day tomorrow. If, and only if, the Big 10 starts to hire better coaches, will they turn things around.

[gamekeeper]

Yeah, I agree with the weather thing. Also, historically freshman don't start at OSU. But a a kid can start going somewhere else now. There is some many schools with TV coverage, and if you can get on the field then you can get scene quicker. Gone are the days Ohio state could hoard RBs some no one else could have them.

I did kind of forget the mass exodus of coaches leaving about the time the big ten went into a tailspin. THat is a huge when it comes to name recognition for recruits.

Urban still seems to be trying to figure out Ohio states Indentity. I am not sure if Urban teams didn't have great defenses before because they could score so quick so they were up and put team in more predictable offenses, or he is just having problems getting the right personal. Because like Ohio State the Big ten other than Michigan seem to have a problem stopping other conferences, hence getting bagged on by the ESPN heads.

[JAB]

The nation's population moving more towards the south east also doesn't help the B10 out any either.

[gamekeeper]

So did they realign the conferences with Rutgers and Maryland coming in?