Despite the SC game, the Buckeyes have only the 5th-toughest nonconference schedule in the Big Ten. This according to Matt Hayes of the Sporting News, who thinks the Michigan State has the toughest series with a game at Cal and home tilts against Notre Dame and Florida Atlantic, the reigning Sun Belt champ.
Though you can make an argument that going on the road to play the Trojans is worth about five trips to Berkeley -- ewoks aside -- OU and Youngstown State sit here staring at us like 2-7 unsuited. So give Hayes that, but what really struck me are his thoughts on Utah's upcoming visit to the Big House:
I don't know about you, but that Utah game at Ann Arbor in Michigan's season opener has upset written all over it. New system, new quarterback, new uniforms, first time in front of 100,000-plus with the new coach, etc. And Utah is pretty damn good -- No. 5 in the nation in scoring defense last year, and a ton of experience returning. One more thing: the Utes have a streaky, dual-threat quarterback (Brian Johnson) who can get hot.
Upset written all over it? How about that game will be darn near a pick-em when it goes off? Both squads should start the season in the "others receiving votes" camp and most importantly, the bot has Utah as his 14th-best team. No doubt due to all of their returning talent. Rodriguez Year One won't be the complete disaster some Buckeye fans are praying for, but this Utes team would probably be able to give a good Carr squad a run. Michigan blogs do seem to have taken notice of this threat, so it won't be the sneak attack we saw in last year's opener, but I don't think you can call a potential Utah win an "upset".
While we're talking nonconference schedules, have you seen LSU's slate? Appalachian State, a late addition, is the marquee game. The other three games are against Troy, North Texas and Tulane. I know, I know. They play in the SEC, which is like, three times as difficult as playing in the AFC. Or something.
If the Big Ten is looking for a 12th team, which I believe it should be, they can probably officially cross Notre Dame off of their list. Despite sagging ratings, the Irish have inked an eight year extension with NBC, effectively ensuring independent status through 2015. You hear Rutgers and Pitt and UC, but who would be your choice to become the conference's 12th member?
And finally, this is just brilliant.
Comments
I said when the big east was breaking up that the Big Ten should have made it's play for west virginia then, now they are top dogs and won't come over. I think UC would be a good fit b/c of the location and they moved from Conference USA to the Big East not long ago so why wouldn't they jump again?
I personally love Rutgers, Syracuse, or Pitt (Rutgers is my #1, Pitt #2)--- this would add the New York TV market to Big-10 games and yield more of an inside track to NY/NJ recruiting. I do not like the conference championship game because it cheapens the season-- remember Florida State winning the ACC with 4 losses a 2 years ago-- all because the "won" a conference championship game.
I believe that Missouri is a great choice. They are central to some of the Big Ten schools. A natural rival with Illinois and a serious upgrade over NW and Minn.
Agree with the Utah thing.
I don't want a 12th team. I say we drop Minnesota and go back to being the Big 10 with 10 teams. Minnesota can join the Big Sky or Mountain West or whatever it's called. They have a chance of being competitive there.
I agree on not adding a 12th team. I don't know about dropping one, but definitely don't want a 12th...two divisions totally jacks the OSU/MICH rivalry and that's what this conference is all about.
Definitely not UC... we don't want any Ohio recruits to ever even begin thinking that UC could be on the same level as Ohio State, and adding them to the Big Ten might just do that. It's the same reason why Penn State won't play Pitt... they don't want to begin competing with Pitt for Pennsylvania recruits. Ohio State gives them enough competition in Pennsylvania already.
For the same reason, in reverse, I like adding Pitt. It'll keep Penn State down. Or Rutgers, it'll add new real estate to the Big Ten plus that big NYC market.
Stay at 11 and play nine conference games per year.
No way West Virginia, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Missouri, Pittsburgh, or Rutgers deserve to be called Big Ten teams.
How about we ask the Indianapolis Colts to join the B10. Then maybe we could have a team that could go .500 in the SEC.
whew, I thought I would be alone in expressing contempt for the idea of adding a 12th team. It's worth asking: what could any of the likely candidates bring to the Big Ten? They have insignificant fan bases and they would be routinely crushed by Ohio State and Michigan. UC is a commuter school whose casus belli for joining the Big East is the curious de/realignment that led many schools to the ACC as well as its basketball tradition for which it's currently a doormat. Buckeye fans should be soundly against the idea that Cincinnati be handed equal status with them because there is absolutely nothing that Cincinnati has done its history to deserve it. Rutgers is competitive by Big East standards (and that's until Schiano takes the Penn State job) and Pitt? Well, if the Big Ten needs more victims of 72-0 thrashings, it'll know where to look.
Besides, if you're in the Big East, why would you join the Big Ten? College football media is high on the Big East as it is, and all you would have to do to play for a national title is put together a string of victories over UConn, Syracuse, Pitt and the like and liberally season that appetizer with more nonconference games, owing to the 8 football teams in that conference. The Big East, as it is, affords its football participants a lot of creativity in their scheduling.
In an ideal world, I'd love to kick someone out of the football rotation and be like the Pac 10. The Pac 10 is an exemplar for all college conferences. 10 teams, 9 conference games. Everyone plays everyone. No splitting conference titles a la OSU-Iowa in 2002, no discrepancies that emerge from fluke conference title games a la OU-Mizzou-Kansas last year, LSU-Tennessee 2001, Georgia-LSU 2005.
Just a thought, lets say the conference did go to 12 teams...what do you call it? A conference called the big ten that has 11 teams is already a little wierd but the sweet hidden 11 in the logo makes up for it. I don't know how you hide a 12 in that thing...Any thoughts?
B-Buck: I don't know about that. WVU, UC, Mizzou and Rutgers are all at least as good of options athletically as Northwestern or Minnesota.
Make sure you guys are thinking big picture....as in "not just football."
WVU, Pitt, and Cincy look like the best option as 2 sport (basketball and football) schools right now.
However, I do agree that Cincy might start poaching some of tOSU's recruits then and Pitt would do the same to PSU.....which, let's face it, we don't need any Big10 teams getting any WORSE right now.
WVU would also bring an interesting matchup playing Michigan.
WVU's the best fit but I still say no need to add a 12th team. The other conferences need to quit being greedy and nix their conf title game. I don't want one of those. Just another opportunity for the best team in the Big 10 to lose. I don't see the point.
First of all, Cincy would never poach any of our recruits, simply because of the differences in campuses and stadiums.
Second, I agree with Skinner, there is no need for a conference title game, let the other conferences have them. The attendance for the ACC championship game last year was less than 50% capacity, an absolute embarrassment and the Big 12 championship game got Ohio State in the BCS game. There is going to be a few more times in the near future where a team loses a chance at the BCS game, because they lost in their conference title game. OSU has a Big Ten championship game every year, there is no need for them to play two.
Adding a 12th team is nothing more than the prelude to a conference title game, an idea that I abhor. A 12th team is nothing more than a naked grab for more TV ratings and income and provides everyone involved, except the players and coaches, an opportunity for mo' money. To quote Sheriff Bart from Blazing Saddles "I am not from Havana!"
michiganders can (and generally do) expect a loss against Utah in their opener this season. Which then creates the very odd situation of Miami(Oh) becoming their "must-win" game. Think of it: michigan sweating-out a victory over Miami(Oh). AppState game is very much engrained in their minds, AND michigan is not the team they were last year. Every michigander will be wondering if this is their year to go totally Charlie-Weis, winless against weak competition. A loss against Miami(Oh) will seal their fate, and take Minnesota off the throne as the Big Tens premier football bitch. Just watching them sweat this out is a source of great pleasure for me.
what is magic about 12? why stop there? go after the cream of the big-12, add rutgers and syracuse to balance out penn state, create a mega conference that will make the bigten network a tv force to be reckoned with. split into two divisions, keep OSU and UM in one division so that the game still has meaning, and add a conference championship. just expanding by one team is a half measure.
Don't add, instead let PSU go to the Big East where they belong, go back to 10 and play a round robin with of 9 league games as 3 OOC game of which only 1 can be a MAC type team. Go back and look at our schedules prior to the Tressel era. We nearly always played 2 BCS conference teams and in some years 3.
it will be Notre Dame or no team at all. Those fuck sticks over a NBC keep fucking it up for the bigten. Notre Dame already plays Michigan, MSU, and I believe Purdue/Penn St. are getting into the rotation
the big ten ought to drop northwestern... get back to being a big "10"... northwestern doesn't fit the big ten mold (big, public, state institution)... its a private school with only 7,000 undergrads, and 15,000 total students... the next smallest big ten school is Iowa (20,000 undergrands, 30,000 total)...
I say dump michigan.
Big Mike, We need Northwestern to keep our conferece graduation levels high.....them, Michigan, and tOSU are probably the 3 teams that the Big10 could not afford to lose.....with Wisconsin coming in a close 4th....and sorry PSU fans....with your football in a downward spiral and lack of a basketball program you are probably less important than Indiana, MSU, Purdue and Illinois now a days.
Northwestern is a charter member of the conference. They were there 17 years before Ohio State. Kicking them out is like murdering your grandfather. I wish it was still ten teams, but I'm not kicking anybody out to make that happen.
Conference title games are for greedy southerners. The Big Ten has benefitted more by not having a CTG. Seven of ten years with two teams in BCS games brings in a lot of extra revenue.
I am looking at this big picture. You make money with FOOTBALL! We would have never taken in Penn State if we looked at them "big picture." Only participation in the Big Ten has raised their level of play in the other sports. It is also the only reason anyone has mentioned Rutgers in this thread. Three years ago anyone would've been laughed at for such a suggestion.
I am totally against 12 teams (or more). However, If a gun was held to my head and I was told to offer choices they would be:
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Miami (What a great way to expand recruiting)
Boston College
Anything less isn't good enough for the Big Ten.
Pop quiz hot shots......what do Duron Carter and his father (adoptive I believe) have in common? They will both be tOSU receivers.
http://footballrecruiting.riva...
Before last year, I was a member of the one-strong bandwagon calling for the BXI to invite Louisville to the conference. I see now why I was foolish.
But, I no longer want Notre Dame in the conference anyway. I don't see them being good for a long, long, time, no matter how many No. 1 recruiting classes they accrue. Personally, I think we should drop Northwestern completely because they haven't fielded a competitive team in any revenue sport in about 13 years and I think we should pick up Rutgers or Boston College. Not only are those two pretty good, rising programs, but they bring in two of the larger markets in the country. Makes good business sense, and Jim Delany, if anything, wants more money in the conference regardless of prestige.
Duron is definitely the biological son of Cris and I do hope Cris' athleticism was passed on to Duron. If you can read the Scout article on Duron's commitment, I think you'd like Cris' response to Duron's commitment today.
You really think Michigan can upset Utah...?
Not that it's necessarily the best fit, but what about Syracuse. Tolerable academics, good in multiple sports (well, historically, anyway), etc. I don't think Louisville is necessarily the worst choice, either.
The addition of a 12th game really undercuts the tOSU-m*ch*g*n rivalry, and will be a regrettable development.
And that political analysis? "Brilliant?" Really?
Oh, and Utah is definitely an upset special. Right on target there.
BrotherBuck-
It's mathematically impossible for the Big Ten to have 11 teams and play a 9 game schedule.....see, for a conference to work, there needs to be an even number of results, and 11 teams at 9 games each would make 99 results, which is impossible.