Something to chew on re: competitive divisions

[omahapanda]

"Hopefully the league doesn’t go overboard insisting that Penn State is one of the “big four” in the league, considering the Nittany Lions’ ten-year record (77-46) is worse than that of Iowa (80-41) and Wisconsin (86-43). If the criteria is relative longevity - a decade is a good marker - PSU is the fifth-best program in the Big Ten."

 

http://www.huskerlocker.com/blogs/view/bid/3310/i/husker_monday_takes_ugly_big_12_divorce_big_ten_divisions/o/0

[knapplc]

LINK

 

*Nebraska’s football team should - and will - put on blinders for its final Big 12 season. Expect head coach Bo Pelini to place a moratorium on any Big Ten talk before the season begins - and for his senior-laden team to follow suit. There’s just no percentage in lingering on a future that hasn’t come to pass.

 

But the divorce between NU and its old league could be ugly. This “liquidated damages” clause - we’ll dive deeper into it this week - that extracts up to $40 million in revenue from the Huskers and Colorado won’t be hard to enforce - after all, it’s withholding distribution, not a penalty - but it could hard to uphold. If Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman is serious about this “withholding” being “inappropriate,” you could see NU move on this before the Big 12 even has a chance to withhold revenue.

 

It’ll be another distracting sideshow in a pivotal year of the Pelini era. Nebraska could legitimately be in the national title hunt - or out of the Big 12 North Division race by the end of October.

 

*But if the Huskers win big in 2010, Pelini is well-positioned to make the Midwest region - a seven-state area from Denver to St. Louis, from Bismarck to Wichita - his oyster. Our analogy: Nebraska football needs to be to the Midwest as the Boston Red Sox are to New England. And the conference realignment changes should help NU achieve that goal.

 

The slimmer version of the Big 12 will stick Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State and Iowa State in the hurt locker; the chance any will break through against schools with inherent recruiting and tradition advantages get smaller by the year. The Northern Four get to cultivate their precious basketball programs, with Kansas enjoying the biggest name; the Big 12 will serve those winter passions quite well. But not football.

 

Nebraska can - and should - step into that vacuum. Don’t worry; it’ll be there. Within four years time, all of the Big 12 South programs will have surpassed their northern brothers. Consider: A thoroughly mediocre Baylor team - missing its starting quarterback - put a good scare into NU and upset Missouri in 2009. And the Bears haven’t even started integrating their best recruiting classes into the two-deep yet.

 

When the time is right, Bo needs to do the weeklong media tour to all the big stops: Denver, Des Moines, KC, Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, Wichita. Get the name out. Mark the territory. When there’s a Bubba Starling to land - land him. The Big Ten brand has staying power with kids.

 

*Of course Nebraska’s football recruiting will be affected in Texas, especially now that the Big 12 lives. Instead of the state being divided into four power leagues like postwar Berlin, it remains solid Big 12 country, with UT, as always, at the epicenter. Whereas some of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State’s recruiting inevitably would have shifted to the West Coast in a move to the Pac-10, it stayed rooted in their neighbor to the south.

 

NU’s exposure on the Big Ten Network will help ease the concerns of parents, but their best chance to see their sons in person will no longer be a day’s drive to Austin, Waco, Lubbock or College Station.

 

Remember: Since 1996, NU could promise recruits from Texas that at least one game would be played annually in the Lone Star State. Starting in 2011, that won’t be the case.

 

And Texas high school coaches can count on pressure, implicit and possibly explicit, from the Big 12 schools to keep Nebraska out of the Metroplex, where NU running backs coach Tim Beck has knocked down some doors in recent years.

 

Two ways to lessen the blow: Win so big it doesn’t make a lick of difference; or consider a home-and-home two-fer with Rice, SMU, Houston or TCU. I wouldn’t count on any of the Big 12 South teams, except perhaps OU in the distant future, ever scheduling Nebraska again.

 

Winning’s the better solution, yes?

 

Fortunately, Nebraska is well-positioned to make inroads into Big Ten country. The Brothers Pelini and Beck hail from Youngstown. Shawn Watson’s old stomping grounds is Illinois. Ted Gilmore coached at Purdue. Marvin Sanders is a Chicago native. Director of football operations Jeff Jamrog coached at Minnesota State. Strength coach James Dobson coached at Iowa and got his undergrad at Wisconsin.

 

*Three great things about landing verbal commitments Jamal Turner and Bubba Starling for the 2011 recruiting class:

 

1. Only Ohio State (with verbal commit Braxton Miller) can match NU’s haul in the Big Ten.

2. Both of them have enough athleticism to play several different positions.

3. They both run a 4.5-second 40-yard dash - which is damn fast.

 

Hey - where you can get speed like that, get it - and put it on the field. Somewhere.

 

Slender with a long, impressive stride, Starling is some athlete. Can he be a consistent passer in college? Does he have to be if he’s surrounded by a good offensive line? Turner is more accurate in the short and intermediate routes, and well-schooled in the spread offense. Durability and height could be an issue. Plus - Turner lacks Starling’s sheer upside.

 

*The Big Ten will undoubtedly create divisions in a way that achieves what the conference views as “competitive balance.” Hopefully the league doesn’t go overboard insisting that Penn State is one of the “big four” in the league, considering the Nittany Lions’ ten-year record (77-46) is worse than that of Iowa (80-41) and Wisconsin (86-43). If the criteria is relative longevity - a decade is a good marker - PSU is the fifth-best program in the Big Ten. Something to chew on.

 

Let’s not overdo it on the phony trophies, either. You can’t force tradition. You make some initial choices and let it unfold. For example: We can presume Nebraska and Penn State might be blood rivals in volleyball, but perhaps Minnesota, no slouch of a program itself, emerges instead. Same could happen in football.

 

*If you’re going to watch one sleeper team in the Big Ten this year, make it Michigan State. The Spartans are close, and head coach Mark Dantonio - a Nick Saban pupil - has recruited quite well for East Lansing. The 2010 conference schedule is a little rough, though - games at Michigan, Iowa and Penn State.

[Manhattan]

Bull.

 

I think a decade is the worst marker of longevity. If anything, things tend to flux by decade. If we were going by decade, Nebraska would then be one of the weaker programs in the Big 12.

 

M*ch*gan and Ohio State have traded off periods of dominance that have lasted about a decade or less each.

[husker_99]

Bull.

 

I think a decade is the worst marker of longevity. If anything, things tend to flux by decade. If we were going by decade, Nebraska would then be one of the weaker programs in the Big 12.

 

M*ch*gan and Ohio State have traded off periods of dominance that have lasted about a decade or less each.

 

I agree with this. I mean if people went by Nebraska in the 00's decade nobody would have ever guessed we won 3 national titles in the 90s.

[Manhattan]

Bull.

 

I think a decade is the worst marker of longevity. If anything, things tend to flux by decade. If we were going by decade, Nebraska would then be one of the weaker programs in the Big 12.

 

M*ch*gan and Ohio State have traded off periods of dominance that have lasted about a decade or less each.

 

I agree with this. I mean if people went by Nebraska in the 00's decade nobody would have ever guessed we won 3 national titles in the 90s.

 

It's still surprising if you say that to yourself. Nebraska won 3 - THREE! - NCAA Football Championships in the 1990s.

[Enhance]

I'm all for the idea of having split divisions that reflect current skill level of teams, but also leaves room for a designated rival. That way, Michigan and OSU could still play each other every year without having to be in the same division.

 

The only problem with that, however, that Nebraska really doesn't have a rival and you can't just force those things to happen.

[BOJ]

Bull.

 

I think a decade is the worst marker of longevity. If anything, things tend to flux by decade. If we were going by decade, Nebraska would then be one of the weaker programs in the Big 12.

 

M*ch*gan and Ohio State have traded off periods of dominance that have lasted about a decade or less each.

I have to agree with this, there have repeatedly been examples of this. There are certain schools that can have bad stretches, but get the right coach and past glory comes back almost instantaneously. Case in point, USC, Oklahoma, Alabama, and recently Nebraska. Penn State may have a bad stretch now and then, but to relegate a program like that to mid tier quality based on ten years is silly; Joe Pa got them back up and as soon as he decides to retire I don't have a doubt in my mind that they will do just fine. Michigan is an example in the making, if anyone thinks they are going to continue to be cellar dwellers they have a rude awakening coming up (at some point, not sure when), they went through a similar remaking when Bo showed up and that worked out okay.

[DJR313]

Using the last decade is not appropriate in such a tradition rich conference that plans on being around to stand the test of time, and has done so. Over the last 30 years? How about 40? Maybe 50? You earn the right to be considered elite by doing things the right way consistently over a long period of time, as Penn St has done. Wisconsin and Iowa are good programs right now, but I don't think they have earned the right to consider themselves on the same tier as Penn St, no offense to any Hawkeyes or Badgers fans. I have respect for all these programs, but I think Penn St is still a cut above.

[BOJ]

I'm all for the idea of having split divisions that reflect current skill level of teams, but also leaves room for a designated rival. That way, Michigan and OSU could still play each other every year without having to be in the same division.

 

The only problem with that, however, that Nebraska really doesn't have a rival and you can't just force those things to happen.

I have heard this in a couple of places, but have to disagree. I think if you do something like that you put the league in a bad spot. The powers that be will be at one time or another, if the league decided to split divisions based solely on recent success we may very well have a disaster on our hands 20 years from now and that is how the decision will be made (I think, at least).

 

The league likes the idea of an intimate conference and it may end up not even having divisions for that reason (slim chance of that, I think). But, if it does split I am in the camp that thinks it has to be PSU and Nebraska in one division and UM/tOSU in the other, if the number one concern is competitive divisions. History will show that even when one of these programs has a down stretch they can bounce back and be national contender status promptly. Personally, I am a fan of the division break-up that Rittenberg (Big Ten blogger on ESPN) had, I think over the long haul it makes the most sense competitively and maximizes prime time Big Ten football games on TV, which is important.

[ESPY]

Thought this might help in this discussion. My vote - Penn St belongs among the top 4.

 

Winningest College Football Programs:

1. Michigan: 877-304-38

2. Texas: 845-321-34

3. Notre Dame: 837-291-42

4. Nebraska: 827-341-41

5. Ohio State: 819-308-53

6. Alabama: 813-316-43

7. Penn State 812-351-43

8. Oklahoma: 796-305-53

9. Tennessee: 783-333-55

10. USC: 774-307-54

 

National Championships:

Michigan - 11

Ohio St - 7

Minnesota - 6

Nebraska - 5

Illinois - 5

Penn St - 2

Iowa - 1

Wisconsin - 0

Michigan St - 0

Purdue - 0

Northwestern - 0

Indiana - 0

[BOJ]

I'll go with the winning % but don't let those championship numbers fool you, two of those for tOSU are made up and about seven for Michigan.

[knapplc]

I'll go with the winning % but don't let those championship numbers fool you, two of those for tOSU are made up and about seven for Michigan.

Yeah, I'm skeptical about lots of the MNC's teams claim from way back when there were several handed out each year.

 

How did Minnesota get six MNC's? That seems impossible.

[junior4949]

Didn't Princeton win something like 14 NC's? I don't think I'd put a lot of emphasis prior to World War II.

[BOJ]

I'll go with the winning % but don't let those championship numbers fool you, two of those for tOSU are made up and about seven for Michigan.

Yeah, I'm skeptical about lots of the MNC's teams claim from way back when there were several handed out each year.

 

How did Minnesota get six MNC's? That seems impossible.

Minny was actually a powerhouse until about 1970, I don't think all 6 are legit but 4 of them definitely are.

[ESPY]

I'll go with the winning % but don't let those championship numbers fool you, two of those for tOSU are made up and about seven for Michigan.

Yeah, I'm skeptical about lots of the MNC's teams claim from way back when there were several handed out each year.

 

How did Minnesota get six MNC's? That seems impossible.

Minny was actually a powerhouse until about 1970, I don't think all 6 are legit but 4 of them definitely are.

Actually I think all 6 are legit. They 3-peated as the most dominant team from '34-'36. And each of their last 3 ('40, '41, '60) were AP titles.