If we measure a conference solely by its elite, the Big Ten is strong. Ohio State won the national title in 2014 the hard way, beating college football’s current dynasty (Alabama) and the richest of the nouveau riche (Oregon), and Michigan State won the Cotton Bowl the year after winning the Rose Bowl. And it’s only rational that other Big Ten fans would take some reflected glory, having lived through seven years of SEC fans equating national titles with being the best league in the sport. But if we dig below the surface, the Big Ten has little else to be proud of. The conference likes to sell its history, hence the comically inept Leaders and Legends designations when it first split into divisions. It’s the only league with four of the 10 winningest programs in college football history: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and Nebraska. The Buckeyes picked up right where they left off in Week 1, piling up an absurd 572 yards on 10.2 yards per play in Blacksburg against a Bud Foster defense. While Ohio State was trampling Virginia Tech, the other three programs were busy going 0-3. Michigan and Nebraska have the excuse of first-year head coaches. If recent history is a guide, it’s unreasonable to expect a new coach is going to have a great record in year one, even among coaches who eventually found success. Coach Year one Year two Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 7-5 13-0 Jim Tressel, Ohio State 7-5 14-0 Pete Carroll, USC 6-6 11-2 Nick Saban, LSU 8-4 10-3 Urban Meyer, Florida 9-3 13-1 Nick Saban, Alabama 7-6 12-2 Urban Meyer, Ohio State 12-0 12-2 Meyer was great from the start in Columbus, although he was taking over a healthy program that fired its coach for rules violations, rather than lack of performances. …
Continue Reading: Of the Big Ten’s 4 historical elites, only Ohio State is pulling its weight
