Sunny Skies-(Except for Big 10)

[leopold]

Not knocking the Big 10 but they have fallen behind - OSU has propped up a mediocre conference. Joe Pa and a few others have said publicly that they thought it was due in part to the fact that they haven't had a championship game, and they made a mistake waiting on the prima donnas at ND. We'll see how they do with NU on board. I don't understand it - they are the richest conference out there (sorry SEC), huge state football schools loaded with tradition, multiple recruiting hotbeds, they should be doing better.

BTW, didn't Mississippi State set a record against Michigan this year? Can't remember. Somebody look it up.

[ponyte]

SMU is currently ranked #49 on Rivals

From the Big X (+ II)

#11 OSU
#16 Nebraska
#27 Iowa
# 28 Michigan State
# 30 Michigan
# 36 Penn State
# 38 Wisconsin
# 31 Illinois
# 48 Minnesota
SEC has 10 schools in the top 50
Big XII (- II) has 8 schools in the top 50
ACC has 9
Big East 5 (Includes TCU) Not, unranked BSC qualifier UConn isn't in the top 50 dispite the free ride.
Pac X (+ II) 6 (includes Utah)
Boise is # 50
ND is # 8


Nice to be with some big names again and it looks like the Big X (+II) is doing fine.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/r ... 11/all/all

[Mitch McConnell]

Not knocking the Big 10 but they have fallen behind - OSU has propped up a mediocre conference. Joe Pa and a few others have said publicly that they thought it was due in part to the fact that they haven't had a championship game, and they made a mistake waiting on the prima donnas at ND. We'll see how they do with NU on board. I don't understand it - they are the richest conference out there (sorry SEC), huge state football schools loaded with tradition, multiple recruiting hotbeds, they should be doing better.

BTW, didn't Mississippi State set a record against Michigan this year? Can't remember. Somebody look it up.

I've said for years the Big 10's biggest problem is NOT with the skill position players. The problem is the conference has a problem recruiting LBs and safeties who are fast. And that's the difference in 10-yard gains turning into 25-30-yard gains.

And I knew some crackpot was going to bring up the Mississippi State thing. Hey, they kicked Michigan all over the field. Give them credit.

That said, I guess I'll bring up crappy 7-5 Iowa taking down 10-2 Missouri in the Insight Bowl...Remember, the Tigers were supposed to blow them out? Well, don't worry about that.

BTW, don't get into the comparison score business. That's really for losers. Who had more is all that matters.

[Mitch McConnell]

SMU is currently ranked #49 on Rivals

From the Big X (+ II)

#11 OSU
#16 Nebraska
#27 Iowa
# 28 Michigan State
# 30 Michigan
# 36 Penn State
# 38 Wisconsin
# 31 Illinois
# 48 Minnesota
SEC has 10 schools in the top 50
Big XII (- II) has 8 schools in the top 50
ACC has 9
Big East 5 (Includes TCU) Not, unranked BSC qualifier UConn isn't in the top 50 dispite the free ride.
Pac X (+ II) 6 (includes Utah)
Boise is # 50
ND is # 8


Nice to be with some big names again and it looks like the Big X (+II) is doing fine.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/r ... 11/all/all

IMO, when you get to rankings No. 25-50, there's not a whole lot of difference between those teams. Maybe 1-2 players.

[Stallion]

Top 50 is largely irrelevant for comparing BCS Conferences-just about all should be Top 50. What's shocking is that the SEC has 9 teams in the Top 22.

[gostangs]

Wow - that is amazing. SEC rules apparently.

so most people would rank the top 5 conferences:

SEC (really each division would be numbers 1 and 2)
Pac 10
Big 12
ACC
Big East
MWC
Big 10
CUSA
Wac
MAC
Sunbelt

the question is whether you would put the Big 10 ahead or behind CUSA - another year like last year and they would be about with WAC and MAC.

[ponyte]

I would rank the Big East with TCU about even with CUSA. Other than TCU, it is a very weak conference for football. Sure WV on occasion has some impressive teams, but not consistently up there.

With the implosion of the MWC I would rank it too below CUSA.

I think the Big X (+II) is much stronger than the ACC and for sure the Big East (even with TCU).

[Pony_Law]

Not knocking the Big 10 but they have fallen behind - OSU has propped up a mediocre conference. Joe Pa and a few others have said publicly that they thought it was due in part to the fact that they haven't had a championship game, and they made a mistake waiting on the prima donnas at ND. We'll see how they do with NU on board. I don't understand it - they are the richest conference out there (sorry SEC), huge state football schools loaded with tradition, multiple recruiting hotbeds, they should be doing better.

BTW, didn't Mississippi State set a record against Michigan this year? Can't remember. Somebody look it up.

I've said for years the Big 10's biggest problem is NOT with the skill position players. The problem is the conference has a problem recruiting LBs and safeties who are fast. And that's the difference in 10-yard gains turning into 25-30-yard gains.

And I knew some crackpot was going to bring up the Mississippi State thing. Hey, they kicked Michigan all over the field. Give them credit.

That said, I guess I'll bring up crappy 7-5 Iowa taking down 10-2 Missouri in the Insight Bowl...Remember, the Tigers were supposed to blow them out? Well, don't worry about that.

BTW, don't get into the comparison score business. That's really for losers. Who had more is all that matters.

Absured statement senator, AJ Hawk and Chad Greenway are to recent Big 10 Alums who were definetly athletic LBs. The Big 10's problem is thaat the teams are built to play smash mouth, ball control football. This is because of the poor weather each has to play in during the heart of the conference schedule, then they go to a bowl game in warm weather against spread teams and have to shoot it out which none are built to do. If the BCS championship rotated to inclued cold weather games The big 10 would have a few of those Championships that sit in the SEC right now. Seriously remembe what happened when Penn state played LSU in the Muck?

[gostangs]

so - if they play them in conditions that slow down the other team then they would do better? I think that makes them not as good a team.

[mrflinnbob]

Another Big Ten alum worth a mention is Iowa's Bryan Bulaga. Last years lineman of the year and this year he's starting for the Packers playing in the Superbowl.

[Mitch McConnell]

You're right. 2-3 examples completely defies the point as a whole. Go check out the past Rose Bowls when USC running backs were streaking past Penn St. LBs and Illinois.

Of course, there are going to be great individual players. But IMO the Big 10 doesn't have the speed that it consistently needs in those positions.

And I'll take the Big 10's smashmouth play. It is a philosophy that can win.

Not that anyone would care, but ya know Tarelle Pryor almost works exclusively from the shotgun. But then there's the outcry from fans of a spread off that is tanking with such comments as, "Can we please have our QB go under center?"

[PoconoPony]

The thing with big ten recruiting is that they do not have the same kind of player pools to draw from. Ohio and Pennsylvania prodiouce a good amount of talent but it is pintence compared to texas florida and Cali where warm weather schools can pull from. However I have always thought there is some ranking inflation in scouting the kids from Cali, Tx and Fl. Not to say there aren't amazing kids from this area but I think kids on the margin get a bump from scouts saying he's from tx, he's from cali ect. Also I know of at least one recruit from the midwest who was painfuly undervalued by rivials even though he had offers from ND, Ohio state, USC, Mich, Neb. and others.

I just checked out Penn State's recruiting. They have 14 verbals of which 6 were picked up the last 2 weeks. According to Scout, they have 6 rated as 4 stars, 6 rated as 3 stars and 2 rated 2 stars. Most are O or D line men. Interestingly, only 4 are from PA and 1 from Ohio. Does not look like PA and Ohio have the numbers in HS talent to supply the needs of the regional colleges. Penn State appears to be getting chewed up in the recruiting wars and is forced to look out side their region for talent.

[NickSMU17]

Penn State needs a new coach...They should have hired Golden when they could have....

[leopold]

I've said for years the Big 10's biggest problem is NOT with the skill position players. The problem is the conference has a problem recruiting LBs and safeties who are fast. And that's the difference in 10-yard gains turning into 25-30-yard gains.

And I knew some crackpot was going to bring up the Mississippi State thing. Hey, they kicked Michigan all over the field. Give them credit.

That said, I guess I'll bring up crappy 7-5 Iowa taking down 10-2 Missouri in the Insight Bowl...Remember, the Tigers were supposed to blow them out? Well, don't worry about that.

BTW, don't get into the comparison score business. That's really for losers. Who had more is all that matters.

And I knew some crackpot would change the subject.

I didn't say a thing about the skill players. If somebody else did, quote him. I was wondering how strong football schools could have struggled for so long, with only Ohio State being a legitimate NC contender, and my suggestion was at the conference and institutional level, had nothing to do with the LB's.

Heck, same thing could be said for the ACC - how is it a conference that is anchored in states like NC, SC, GA, and FL be considered an afterthought in the top 10-15 for much of the year for multiple years?

And fine, MSU beat the wolverines. The record was brought up to highlight the point.