Here's Dodd's article on the Big-10.
sportsline.com
Notebook: Big Ten poised for big upswing
The Big Ten is back.
Oh, you haven't heard? Its return wasn't exactly front-page news this offseason. The Conference That Rules The World (and acts like it) was last seen trying to claim a national championship in basketball (with Illinois).
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Drew Tate is part of a powerhouse crew of Big Ten QBs. (Getty Images) </TD><TD width=15> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Football? Not so much. It's going on three years since the fireworks went off at the Fiesta Bowl and Miami was celebrating another national championship and -- wait, there's a flag.
Ohio State took it from there.
Unfortunately for the Big Ten, that's all the league has taken in the BCS title game. Seven years, one BCS championship berth for the Large Eleven. That's tied with the Pac-10 for fewest championship berths (out of 14) in the BCS era. And essentially USC broke the tie in favor of the Left Coast by winning two consecutive titles, one of them by beating
Michigan in the 2004 Rose Bowl.
The Big Ten wasn't Conference USA bad over the past few years, it just wasn't itself. The best recruits were looking elsewhere. The league's current five-year Heisman drought is its longest since 1991, when Michigan's Desmond Howard broke a 15-year streak of the Big Ten not winning a Stiff Arm.
From 1998 through 2003, Ohio State and
Wisconsin had a combined 12 consensus All-Americans. That's as many as the rest of the league had combined. Michigan had only two.
It can be argued the two franchise programs did not pull their weight. Take away Ohio State's 2002 championship, and the Buckeyes and Wolverines have averaged an astonishing 3½ losses since the 1999 season started.
And while 2004 marked the sixth consecutive season with at least six Big Ten bowl teams, postseason success has been spotty. Since 2000, the league is a 15-18 in bowls. It hasn't won the Rose Bowl since
1999. (OK, OK, so the BCS system didn't allow the Pac-10-Big Ten matchup in 2001 and 2002).
Don't even get us started on the decline of
Penn State and the messy Maurice Clarett situation.
Enough bad news. As we said, an offseason headline you might have missed (or never read) was the Big Ten's return to prominence.
Proof:
- Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan all should start in the preseason top 10. Iowa just completed the best three-year run in its history (31-7). Ohio State has its best team since the 2002 championship. Last year's co-champ (with Iowa) Michigan might have the final say when it plays host to Ohio State on Nov. 19.
- The biggest non-conference game of the season is at Ohio State when Texas comes calling Sept. 10. That single game will go a long way toward deciding the national champion and Heisman. TV has picked it up and shoved it to prime time for the first-ever meeting between the schools.
- There is tremendous depth. An argument can be made for eight bowl teams in 2005. Look for Michigan State and Northwestern to step up. This is the kind of year when John L. Smith shocks everyone. Only Michigan has won more league titles than Northwestern over the past decade. The Wildcats aren't that far away from the postseason again after a 6-6 2004.
- It is suddenly a quarterback league with the likes of Drew Tate (Iowa), Troy Smith (Ohio State), Chad Henne (Michigan) and Drew Stanton (Michigan State) all gunning for each other and national honors.
- The league hasn't forgotten its roots. Michigan tailback Michael Hart is a Heisman candidate. Minnesota's Laurence Maroney (1,348 yards) should go for at least 1,500 and become a national star. The carries that he shared with Marion Barber (gone to the NFL) are now all his.
- Ohio State receiver Ted Ginn Jr. is the fastest player in the country. Many think he is also the best. If Jim Tressel's offseason isn't being spent finding ways to get his sophomore superstar the ball, then he should have his headphones taken away.
- Beyond Ginn, each team seems to have at least one impact player. Steve Breaston takes over for Braylon Edwards as Michigan's go-to guy. Breaston might be better because of his return abilities. In Ginn and Santonio Holmes, Ohio State might have the best starting pair of receivers in the country. Purdue might have its best defense in the Joe Tiller era. With A.J. Hawk (Ohio State), Chad Greenway, Abdul Hodge (Iowa) and LaMarr Woodley leading the way, the Big Ten is the best linebacker league.
- In recent years, Penn State has been a sled dragging the league down. JoePa has basically scheduled himself a bowl game this year. Five of the first six are at home. The first three are at Beaver Stadium against South Florida, Cincinnati and Central Michigan. Paterno rebounded to land a star recruiting class too. There is at least a buzz again in State College. The Lions won't challenge for the Big Ten title, but they will go at least 6-5, which is a giant step for JoePa in the winter of his career.
- Illinois can't help but get better under Ron Zook. He might have underachieved by Florida standards, but Zook will get the Illini competitive again with the combination of his energy and recruiting ability.
