ESPN Article on B1G struggles

[Mavric]

"The narrative is we've underperformed, and I can't argue with that," Delany said this week. "We haven't won big games. The narrative is about right. When you have big brands, expectations are high. I can't discount the facts, and I can't discount the critics."

...

What stands out about this season is the lack of signature wins -- or even many decent wins -- and more important, the lack of elite teams. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the last time the Big Ten didn't have any top-12 teams in the fourth AP poll of the season was in 2001, when No. 16 Northwestern was the league's highest-ranked team. Illinois finished the 2001 season as the Big Ten's highest-ranked team at No. 12, the last time the league finished without a top -10 team in the final polls.

Full Article

 

There was at least one bright spot:

 

The Big Ten has only one starting quarterback, Nebraska's Taylor Martinez, rated among the nation's top 30 passers.

[WoodyHayes1951]

It's a blessing in disguise I'm hoping.

 

Perhaps this is the kick in the pants the conference needs to invest in coaching and recruiting and maybe Delaney invests in better marketing of the conference and the games.

 

Order more night games, more high profile matchups, more neutral game sites that EVERYONE participates in. *gasp* maybe even November night games

[HuskerShark]

All of that sounds like a good start, Woody. The only problem with scheduling higher profile OOC opponents is that in order to make the conference look respectable, the B1G teams need to come out on top.

 

Having Nebraska lose to UCLA

Wisconsin loses to Oregon State and looks unimpressive against 2 other teams that should not even compete with them

Ohio State struggles against UAB

Michigan State loses to Notre Dame then comes home and gets tested by Eastern Michigan, and their offense has looked totally incompetent so far.

Michigan starts out the season against Bama and gets CRUSHED then lays a big stinky egg against Notre Dame

Penn State starts the season 0-2 against average opponents

Iowa loses a game 9-6 to Iowa St then loses to freakin' Central Michigan

Illinois gets crushed by freakin' Louisiana Tech

 

 

It's just an embarrassing year for the conference. The only team that has gone into every game and played well against decent opponents and crushed the team that they were supposed to was Northwestern. They are probably the best coached team in the conference, and it will take a pretty good game by our team to beat them.

 

Moral of my statement is, scheduling big games in the non-conference schedule is a great thing, but the teams in our conference have to step up to the challenge and WIN some of those because when it plays out like this year, the conference loses a lot of respect in the national spotlight.

 

Maybe part of this is due to the conference's old-school views about the Rose Bowl. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't think that a lot of the B1G teams realize the importance of the non-conference games because if they don't win them, they just have to win the conference and make it to the Rose Bowl. We need a NATIONAL CHAMPION and I hope that Nebraska can be the team to supply that to the B1G conference in the near future.

[VA Husker Fan]

Well said, Shark. You can have Delany put lipstick on a pig, but don't expect anyone to take it to the prom.

 

This doesn't just seem to be the SEC over-signing advantage either. Very few of those losses or close games that shouldn't have been close were vs. the SEC.

 

Maybe it's just a down cycle. It's not that long ago (2006) that we (well, not "us" at the time) nearly had OSU and Michigan in the championship game. Florida barely edged out Michigan for #2.

[HuskerShark]

I'll be quite honest, my opinion on what the B1G is doing is much different than most people.

 

The big hoopla in the preseason was about how so many of the B1G teams have gravitated toward more of a spread attack, such as Ohio State, Michigan, and Northwestern, who have all historically been pro-style and run-heavy offenses. IMO those guys need to get back to that because that is the identity of B1G football: smashmouth, "3 yards and a cloud of dust" offenses with stout, physical defenses.

 

I am the type of person that very much prefers pro-style, old-fashioned, run-first offenses. Case in point: Stanford. If I were ever to become a big-time head coach, I would absolutely choose to run a pro-style offense. Use the I formation, Fullback barely ever leaves the field, 1 TE, and have a QB with a nice arm that has a high football IQ. (Luck)

 

Bama also runs a pro-style run-first offense, and because of the physicality that they have on both sides of the ball, it makes both sides that much better. It's much like how Osborne had the Nebraska football machine ticking in the 90s and had so much success. Those guys still comment about how the best offense/defense they ever saw was on the practice field so when they got to gametime, they were able to dominate.

 

So that's my opinion on B1G football and football in general: Run the football effectively, play defense, win football games.

[WoodyHayes1951]

This whole The Rose Bowl Game means everything to the Big Ten is overplayed.

 

Sure it's fun to make the trip to Pasadena but no OSU fan is down on the Bucks because we've only been to Pasadena twice since 1984.

 

I think you will find that the Big guys in the conference want to play for more. 1996 sucked ass. We won the Rose Bowl Game vs #1 Arizona State. It wasn't good enough because we lost the most important game 13-9. wasted year and wasted talent.

 

The Nittany Lions and the Wolverweenies will tell you the same thing during similar seasons.

[WoodyHayes1951]

You will see scUM back to pro style in a couple years. Maybe even next year.

 

I always said they sold their souls when they hired dick rod. They have been Pro Style QBs, Power ISO tailbacks and 6-3 WRs for as long as I can remember. Fred Flintstone was part of that era and it looks like from their recruiting class that they will be back to that very soon.

 

OSU has always been more flexible on offense.

 

I think it just comes down to talent no matter what offense is ran. We are not very good as a conference. I think the recruiting rankings will back me up. Who in this conference has consistently been in the top-10 or top-25? Rivals currently has 10 of the 14 SEC teams in the top 25. can you guess how many Big Ten teams are there?

[HuskerShark]

You will see scUM back to pro style in a couple years. Maybe even next year.

 

I always said they sold their souls when they hired dick rod. They have been Pro Style QBs, Power ISO tailbacks and 6-3 WRs for as long as I can remember. Fred Flintstone was part of that era and it looks like from their recruiting class that they will be back to that very soon.

 

OSU has always been more flexible on offense.

 

I think it just comes down to talent no matter what offense is ran. We are not very good as a conference. I think the recruiting rankings will back me up. Who in this conference has consistently been in the top-10 or top-25? Rivals currently has 10 of the 14 SEC teams in the top 25. can you guess how many Big Ten teams are there?

 

3 or 4 maybe. It's a little embarrassing for the conference, but half of those 10 ranked SEC teams are overrated just because of the conference they're in. To me, the SEC teams that should be ranked are Bama, LSU, Florida, SC, Georgia, and MAYBE either Miss St or Tennessee.

[strigori]

The problem is that the teams build and recruit to beat only the teams in their conference (or the MAC as half the conference makes them most of the non-con)

 

Think back about Nebraska. For years TO couldn't beat the Florida teams in the Orange Bowl, so he went out and recruited more speed.

 

Our best hope is that Urban Meyer is going to build Ohio State to look like an SEC team, forcing the rest of the teams who actually want to win the conference (I honestly think at least half the conference makes no effort for it)

[LouisianaHuskerFan]

It's a blessing in disguise I'm hoping.

 

Perhaps this is the kick in the pants the conference needs to invest in coaching and recruiting and maybe Delaney invests in better marketing of the conference and the games.

 

Order more night games, more high profile matchups, more neutral game sites that EVERYONE participates in. *gasp* maybe even November night games

 

Delaney said a couple of months ago that if the two teams playing each other agree to play at night in November then that's fine. Actually, he said if Nebraska wants to play a night game in November and their opponent agrees then the game can be played at night.

[strigori]

Something that NEEDS to happen is spring football in northern states. That alone is giving a huge advantage to the southern recruits. More time to develop. Its a joke that it has not happened yet. Too much attitude of "this is the way it has always been done, so it must always be done this way"

[sd'sker]

[Mavric]

Perhaps if they were like LSU and had to label each 5-yard line, this wouldn't have happened.