I was talking with a buddy today about the state of the B1G 10 compared to other conferences. It seems all of the talk is about needing to get on par with the SEC. My position is that I don't give a damn about the B1G compared to the SEC. As long as The Ohio State is able to come out and deliver an ass whooping that is all I care about. I'm fine with the B1G sucking as long as OSU is a power that delivers consistently. In other words OSU beating down the ALL MIGHTY SEC.
BUT...
For those who do care about the B1G conference as a whole...If another team in the B1G 10 wants to be competitive for example, Illinois then why not go out and make a big move while the B1G as a whole is down? While it's no longer possible why not go out and get a PROVEN winner like Petrino? Yes, he comes with controversy but not something I'd consider a major FOOTBALL issue. There are a lot of teams in the B1G that are one MAJOR hire away from becoming relevant in the B1G and potentially on a national level. A guy like Petrino has taken irrelevant programs like Arkansas (In the SEC) and turned them into relevant and potential powers.
Because the B1G is not a win at all costs environment.
If that truly is the case, then no B1G fan ever has the right to complain about the conference strength. If your programs dont' set a goal of winning ball games, then you'll never compete with conferences that do.
I'd go so far as to say the B1G tried to make splashes hiring certain guys but they failed. Zook and RichRod were considered big hires, they just were horrible hires. Though MSU has been pretty good, I think it was expected that Dantonio may have been a little better than his teams mostly have been. He's had 2 really good years up there but neither resulted in a BCS bowl(though last year should of).
I think the lastest wave of hires is going to make the B1G better. Meyer, Hoke, Hazell, and then if Wisconsin lands Petersen too. I think the conference has tried to make splashes, they just didn't get it right.
I think there's a different mentality between winning games and win at all costs. Within the conference you have osu and ttun that have the prestige and the win at all costs mentality and its not ironic that those schools make the splashes. Zook to Illinois was no splash. He had been fired. He was not a steal. The other big ten schools are not really putting the money into their programs. They want to win but don't want to invest in it. Look at what happened with Wisconsin - those comments about why bilemma left are exactly why the big ten is where they are. The big ten schools shouldn't be places to start careers, but because many of them have failed to invest money and resources, they are becoming career launching schools instead of dream destinations.
If the B1G sucks, even if OSU is good, the perception is that OSU is good, but in a weak and crappy conference. The strength of the conference does matter. If the B1G does not get better, it could end up screwing OSU over in terms of getting into the upcoming college football playoffs. I don't want to get passed over because our conference sucks.
Arkansas wasn't completely irrelevant prior to Petrino. Houston Nutt had success there.
I considered the fact that a weak B1G would be a negative reflection on OSU; however, if they keep winning while scheduling strong out of conference games it will become irrelevent. With the move to a playoff format an unbeaten OSU is going to get in. If you keep winning the masses have to accept OSU as being just as good, if not better than SEC teams..Or at least according my logic.
100% of unprayed prayers go unanswered
With how much the rest of the B1G loves to see us lose, I agree with you. F**k the rest of the B1G. I hope Meyer drops 100 points on all of them next year.
"Do not pray for an easy life. Rather, pray for the the strength to endure a difficult one" - Bruce Lee
Here in the South you would think the SEC is one big team. All the time I hear "My team lost but at least the SEC..." I'm sorry but I'll never be happy if OSU loses and EVERYONE else in the B1G wins. I won't be celebrating...
100% of unprayed prayers go unanswered
I'm here too...it's like the toothless twightlight zone.
B1G 10 Buckeye - Exactly how I feel. I tell SEC fans that:
1. We have a long history of hating each other in the B1G. Good stuff.
2. We aren't insecure. Therefore we don't need others (teams) to do well to make us feel better about ourselves.
3. If the SEC was losing big time each one of them would be the 1st rats off the ship, pointing fingers at other teams to show how inadequate those teams are in order to make themselves look better.
4. If that doesn't sink into their thick skulls, then I get a little nastier.
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx
I'd say we should only worry about the things that we can control, but this SEC nonsense extends all the way up to their head coaches voting each other's teams higher on purpose JUST BECAUSE they're in the SEC together (Steve Spurrier just admitted to that this past week).
It's a double-edged sword though. If the Big Ten starts doubling what it pays for assistant coaches (the way the SEC coaches do), then they're going to have to start cutting other non-revenue sports programs. The University of Florida has 21 varsity sports. Alabama has 19. Louisiana State has 20. Michigan has 27. Penn State has 29. The Ohio State University has THIRTY-NINE.
It is becoming more and more apparent to me that the Big Ten is using its huge revenue streams to fund the education of more than just its football teams. That's the only way I can rationalize them not matching the SEC in terms of coaching salaries. The SEC might be able to afford to inflate the coaching salary market because it doesn't have as many mouths to feed, so to speak. I'm not saying the B1G should sacrifice this value of theirs. I'm just wondering if it actually could.
Hell..Auburn could afford to pay Cam $140,000.00 you know they can pay everyone else too :)
Seriously though good points...
100% of unprayed prayers go unanswered
I thought it was $180,000........ ;-)
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx
140,000 after taxes..lol
100% of unprayed prayers go unanswered
I was pleasantly surprised this wasn't about, the whole state of Michigan.
~Because we couldn't go for three~
Texas and USC both won the same number of NCs as the bucks in what I would consider down leagues ( both are better now ) but neither won really big even though they absolutely dominated their leagues. I guess what I'm saying is that I think the bucks can benefit from a good conf, thus I care how the rest of the conf does.
I don't give a rat's ass about the SEC. College football has always been cyclical. Anyone who thinks the SEC will be dominant for the next 100 years is either naive or dumb. I agree with what Optimistic said, the B1G isn't a "win at all costs" conference. The SEC would club a baby seal and deal with the shadiest of individuals to win hence why they are 100 times more likely to get brought up on NCAA violations in the near future. That mentality is what will cause the SEC to decline. Remember just 10 years ago it was USC and Miami as the world powers. NCAA probe comes along and they're middle of the pack. Same thing will happen to the SEC's best and the whole thing gets churned around. Ten years from now the B1G may be the world beaters.
"Sherman ran an option play right through the south" - Greatest.Civil.War.Analogy.Ever
Because if our conference turns into the Mountain West, we will become the new Boise State. We'll be on the outside looking into the playoff games featuring 3 out of 4 SEC teams. Our only other alternative is to go undefeated every year so they we have a shot at the top 4 seeding, which should be our goal every year but is simply unreasonable to expect.
The mindset of not caring what the Big Ten does is along the same line as "i don't care if we go 0-11, as long as we beat Michigan", or wanting Michigan to lose every game. What good does that do? Personally, I would rather UM be undefeated then lose to us, thus giving more legitimacy to the win. In case you haven't noticed, that's exactly how the SEC has won six straight champs. A perfect example is Mississippi State this year, who vaulted to #11 in the polls by virtue of several wins over cupcakes, then gets crushed by Bama. Then the narrative becomes "look how dominant Alabama is because they killed a top ten team". The reason the SEC gets the benefit of the doubt is due to the perceived strength of the league from top to bottom. You don't have to root for Wisconsin or Michigan, but until the league gets drastically better, don't count on Ohio State getting the benefit of the doubt like Bama did after their loss.
We can't stop here; this is bat country...
The SEC is nothing special. It's all part of the hype machine (manziel?). You win games, you get pushed to elite status. But, am I really supposed to believe (fake)USC belongs in the top ten? Yeah fucking right.
I wouldnt say the SEC is all hype, they have some high caliber teams (LSU, Bama, Florida) that could beat anybody on any given day. When your conference is responsible for the last 6 National Championships you kinda earn the right to brag. I hate it but until they get knocked off the SEC is king...
Not to worry, "fake" USC isn't in the top 10, real USC is.
"Attack the Strong, Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead!"
-Former OSU S&C Coach Lichter