Big Ten Top 3 Conference in 2011?

Submitted by YoungWolverineFan on

Does anyone else think that in 2011 when we get Nebraska that the big ten will be competing to be at least in the top three conferences in NCAA football? With Ohio State, Penn State, and Iowa going 11-2 last year and Nebraska and Wisconsin having 10 wins, and by 2011 Michigan will be a 9-11 win team again.

YoungWolverineFan

June 18th, 2010 at 9:57 AM ^

I would like to be able to post a forum topic. So i dont have to wait for someone to post the topic i want to post, and its not a big deal, i just want to start new threads when i want. The onyl real thing that bothers me is that people are giving me -1 votes on things that dont really deserve it.

willywill9

June 18th, 2010 at 9:29 AM ^

Well, personally, by 2011 there will be only one super mega conference anyway.

Seriously though,  it's hard to not have arguments on any point in college football (or sports for that matter.)



I think the Big Ten is and will remain in the top 3.  (Maybe Top 2.)

MGoRobo

June 18th, 2010 at 9:26 AM ^

Assuming no more teams switching conferences, I defintiely think so.  We got a huge boost from bowl games last year, as much as I hated OSU winning a Rose Bowl.  Especially the Penn State game, which shows we can compete with top SEC teams.

PhillipFulmersPants

June 18th, 2010 at 9:44 AM ^

project with much more than the vaguest speculation, given we don't know what players may get hurt, what underclassmen go to NFL early after 2010, what coaching changes may take place, etc.  

This is a better question for next spring, but I think it's safe to assume Nebraska strengthens the B10 relative to other conferences, and the B12 gets weaker with the loss of NU and CU (even though CU's been down).  Based on coaches and recruiting, I don't see how anyone knocks the SEC off the block for quite a while. Rare will be the year that it's not the best conference top to bottom.  The PAC10 is pretty balanced this year, save for WSU, but USC will start to feel the effects of lost scholarships beginning in 2011 (and more so in the 2-3 years beyond that) and will clearly be challenged out west. Adding Utah and CU I think strengthens that conference long term. 

ACC coastal is particuarly tough this year (and ACC in general may be top 3 this year) but I'm not sure how they project in 2011.  B12 is going to have to rely on teams like TT, KSU, Mizzou etc. to be good to even be in the conversation (as alignment stands beginning in  2011). Tough row to hoe long term.

jblaze

June 18th, 2010 at 9:53 AM ^

the B10 should be #1 or #2, if we aren't already. Nebraska and (hopefully) a good Michigan team will only strengthen the conference.

Hannibal.

June 18th, 2010 at 10:17 AM ^

I think that the Big Ten is easily top 2 this year.  Ohio State has the best combination of 2009 success+returning starters in the country.  Iowa has a lot of guys returning from a team that won a BCS game.  Wisconsin, Michigan, and Michigan State were all very young last year. 

Tater

June 18th, 2010 at 10:38 AM ^

The Addition of Nebraska will take care of one of the main problems when comparing the Big Ten to the SEC: depth.  That will help even up the bowl matchups, moving teams like Wiscy and Iowa "down" a notch and making the #3 and lower slots stronger. I see the Big Ten doing a lot better in bowls now with the addition of one great team. 

 PSU had a few weak years and Michigan has had two; this has hurt the Big Ten the last few years.  It has forced their traditionally middle of the pack teams have to compete against traditionally strong SEC teams.  By 2011, the Big Ten should be better with Michigan "back" and the addition of Nebraska, especially if Iowa and Wiscy can continue their strong play and PSU can develop a good enough QB to stay elite. 

Consequently, the Big Ten could very well (gasp!) suprass the SEC as the best conference in college football in 2011.  Here's how I see it looking:

SEC top rung: AL, FL, LSU, UGA.  Big Ten top rung: UM, OSU, Neb, PSU.

SEC upper middle:  Aub, Ark.  Big Ten upper middle: Wiscy, Iowa,

SEC lower bowl eligible: TN, Miss, KY.  Big Ten lower bowl eligible: Purdue, MSU, NW.

Due to the unpredictable nature of football, actual results will fluctuate wildly, but my main point is that the addition of Nebraska and sustained excellence from PSU and UM are enough to at least pull the Big Ten equal with the SEC.  Also, RR's influence on schemes and recruiting especially on the offensive side of the ball, could very well tip the scales back in the Big Ten's favor.   

Nebraska will take care of the depth, and RR is already influencing the Big Ten to spread the field with faster players.  When Michigan starts to actually do damage with its remade team, it will influence other teams in the Big Ten.  When UM and OSU were the "Big Two," and succeeded with "three yards and a cloud of dust," other Big Ten teams tried to make themselves in the image of those two teams becuase they were the most successful.

When RR succeeds by running the spread option with speedy players in Ann Arbor, the rest of the league will continue the trend of moving toward that kind of attack.  The SEC had better enjoy being number one while they can, because the Big Ten is on their trail and catching up every minute. 

Besides, if Michigan and PSU both find a way to play elite-level football or very close to it, while Wiscy and Iowa sustain their programs at their current level, the Big Ten won't be very far behind the SEC this year, even without Nebraska.   

oakapple

June 18th, 2010 at 12:38 PM ^

Even without Nebraska, the Big Ten was already among the top 3 football conferences. As I recall offhand, the Big Ten has garnered an at-large BCS slot (on top of its guaranteed slot) almost every year. I'm working from memory, but I believe the SEC and the Big XII are the only others that have regularly done that. With the Big XII now losing one of its perennial powers, the SEC and the Big Ten will be the top conferences in most years.

Doug Sir Swish Remer

June 18th, 2010 at 1:19 PM ^

SEC is still top dog for now. I think we are tied with the PAC-10 for 2nd. Big 12 still has talent but Nebraska is a big blow. They are on par with ACC. If ND gets good again and we add them to the Big Ten then we could possibly be better then the SEC. I think we need to eliminate weak schools like Indiana so we can add better schools.

WolvinLA2

June 18th, 2010 at 3:52 PM ^

Wow, I read the title of this thread and I thought, wow, this sounds like a stupid thread.  And then I read it, and it was worse than I had expected.