Seven facts Big Ten football fans must admit

[Excel]

I've never really heard of "collegespun" but I was linked to it on another site and stumbled across this article.

The facts:

1. Big Ten vs SEC Matchups Are Getting More Lopsided

2. The Additions Of Rutgers And Maryland Will Dilute Football

3. To Be A Top Conference, You Have To Win National Championships

4. Only 2 (OSU & UW) Programs Carried It Through The BCS Era

5. The NFL Does Not View Its Talent As Elite

6. In Recruiting, It’s Second-Tier, Not Second-Best

7. 3 Of Its 4 Traditional Powers Aren’t Currently Elite

What do you think? Do you agree?

 

[JJ Husker]

Agree with 2-7. I guess number 1 depends on the matchup.

 

[NUpolo8]

1. Prepare for an onslaught of "BUT TEH GATOR BOWLZ FTW!" comments. But I don't think it's entirely accurate. I think the gap isn't very pronounced anymore.

2. It was a tv deal. Nothing more. There was a time when adding Maryland would help Olympic sports but it's kinda sketchy now.

3. Yep. One would be nice.

4. Well Michigan was there too, although they got tromped. But that's like saying Oregon and Stanford carry the PAC 12. Good teams are rare.

5. It's cyclical

6. No way.

7. I assume that means Ohio St, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Michigan. So no way on Ohio St, I would say Wisconsin is debatable, Nebraska definitely is down as well as Michigan.

 

[Excel]

7. I assume that means Ohio St, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Michigan. So no way on Ohio St, I would say Wisconsin is debatable, Nebraska definitely is down as well as Michigan.

I think they meant Penn State. Wisconsin is in that solid second tier with Michigan State.

 

[NUpolo8]

7. I assume that means Ohio St, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Michigan. So no way on Ohio St, I would say Wisconsin is debatable, Nebraska definitely is down as well as Michigan.

I think they meant Penn State. Wisconsin is in that solid second tier with Michigan State.

I'm a little puzzled if they do mean Penn St, obviously their penalties are killing them right now, but haven't they been on a pretty middling run before 2011?

 

[Excel]

7. I assume that means Ohio St, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Michigan. So no way on Ohio St, I would say Wisconsin is debatable, Nebraska definitely is down as well as Michigan.

I think they meant Penn State. Wisconsin is in that solid second tier with Michigan State.

I'm a little puzzled if they do mean Penn St, obviously their penalties are killing them right now, but haven't they been on a pretty middling run before 2011?

They've got to mean Penn State. Two of the four are obviously Michigan and Ohio State, the original "two". The third is Nebraska. The fourth would have to be Penn State, the "elite" power on the Eastern side of the conference. I think that even before the sanctions they were "down" from where they should be. They're a massive state school with great tradition, tons of fans and funding and enough pull to get some great teams together. Sanctions set aside they've still been underachieving.

 

[True2tRA]

We are down until we are up. They are up until they are down. It doesn't mean what is now will be what is the future and it also doesn't completely erase history either. The Big Ten holds some of the most successful football programs in the history of this sport. Michigan, Ohio St., Nebraska are some of the winningest teams in history with some of the greatest names in coaching and player history. Discounting any of that illegitimizes any so called sports writer. Know your sh#t and stop always living in the now. Now means nothing to history or the future.

 

[Excel]

We are down until we are up. They are up until they are down. It doesn't mean what is now will be what is the future and it also doesn't completely erase history either. The Big Ten holds some of the most successful football programs in the history of this sport. Michigan, Ohio St., Nebraska are some of the winningest teams in history with some of the greatest names in coaching and player history. Discounting any of that illegitimizes any so called sports writer. Know your sh#t and stop always living in the now. Now means nothing to history or the future.

I don't think any conference has as many "elite" programs as the Big Ten. The SEC is solid but Tennessee and Alabama are they only real historic powers.

 

[husker B-rent]

Of course they mean penn st.

 

[NUpolo8]

We are down until we are up. They are up until they are down. It doesn't mean what is now will be what is the future and it also doesn't completely erase history either. The Big Ten holds some of the most successful football programs in the history of this sport. Michigan, Ohio St., Nebraska are some of the winningest teams in history with some of the greatest names in coaching and player history. Discounting any of that illegitimizes any so called sports writer. Know your sh#t and stop always living in the now. Now means nothing to history or the future.

I truly hope you don't believe the last three sentences you wrote.

 

[Mavric]

1. Considering there were three bowl match ups and the SEC lost one and won the other two by 7 and 10 points, I'm not sure on this one. That's not exactly lopsided - especially considering the SEC teams were solid favorites in each.

 

[Redux]

The media wouldnt ever admit it but the SEC was kinda down last year. Defenses across the board werent that great by their standards and obviously the title game loss bruised the ego. Im hoping that means tthe new era of postseason wont be kind to them, love to see an SEC drought.

Overall the list is half accurate onits points. All could be true in certain circumstances but its all about perspective.

 

[True2tRA]

We are down until we are up. They are up until they are down. It doesn't mean what is now will be what is the future and it also doesn't completely erase history either. The Big Ten holds some of the most successful football programs in the history of this sport. Michigan, Ohio St., Nebraska are some of the winningest teams in history with some of the greatest names in coaching and player history. Discounting any of that illegitimizes any so called sports writer. Know your sh#t and stop always living in the now. Now means nothing to history or the future.

I truly hope you don't believe the last three sentences you wrote.

Because you aren't great "now" doesn't mean you weren't once. Because you aren't great "now" doesn't mean you can't be again. Thus, "now" doesn't mean anything other than we are down right now.

If you are a so called sports writer, know your history. The SEC isn't God Almighty himself just because of their recent dominance and the Big Ten isn't trash just because they haven't dominated recently. Nebraska isn't all of a sudden a sh#t football program just because we haven't won the big one for a while. I believe we are elite, and I think we will be back on top again someday. Dominance doesn't last forever for any sports team. Parity is even greater in sports now than it ever was.

I truly hope you don't believe that I don't believe what I wrote there big guy. I believe every word of it.

 

[Redux]

History makes a program.

The future is what everything leads to.

But all the fans and media and players and coaches care about is the now.

 

[NUpolo8]

We are down until we are up. They are up until they are down. It doesn't mean what is now will be what is the future and it also doesn't completely erase history either. The Big Ten holds some of the most successful football programs in the history of this sport. Michigan, Ohio St., Nebraska are some of the winningest teams in history with some of the greatest names in coaching and player history. Discounting any of that illegitimizes any so called sports writer. Know your sh#t and stop always living in the now. Now means nothing to history or the future.

I truly hope you don't believe the last three sentences you wrote.

Because you aren't great "now" doesn't mean you weren't once. Because you aren't great "now" doesn't mean you can't be again. Thus, "now" doesn't mean anything other than we are down right now.

If you are a so called sports writer, know your history. The SEC isn't God Almighty himself just because of their recent dominance and the Big Ten isn't trash just because they haven't dominated recently. Nebraska isn't all of a sudden a sh#t football program just because we haven't won the big one for a while. I believe we are elite, and I think we will be back on top again someday. Dominance doesn't last forever for any sports team. Parity is even greater in sports now than it ever was.

I truly hope you don't believe that I don't believe what I wrote there big guy. I believe every word of it.

I'm glad you believe it, but you're wrong to discount the "now". And it reflects the problem that we're having with Nebraska right now. Nebraska isn't "elite" in any sense of the word as a football team right now. None. And the sooner people stop with the "we are down now but look at the 90's!" and start with the "we are down now, we need to change something" it will be a happy day.

And just because an LSU wasn't good previously does not discount their status now.

While you are correct that things can be cyclical and there is absolutely no reason Nebraska can't be elite again, sitting around waiting for the cycles to change on its own.....well that's pretty ill advised.