Around the Big Ten

[entropy]

so the BIG needs to compete in areas it can (pay, facilities) and find advantages in other ways...

[WM Wolverine]

Or the NCAA needs to do as the B10 does, have a limit on signing day. You can only sign more than you have (up to 3) unless you can show where those 3 are coming from.

[entropy]

WM... not sure the other conferences care enough to make that happen.

[Wild Hoss]

so the BIG needs to compete in areas it can (pay, facilities) and find advantages in other ways...

We seem more intent on finding new disadvantages.

[entropy]

this might be the worst analysis i've ever seen...

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Final Big Ten power rankings for 2012

January, 8, 2013
Jan 8

By Adam Rittenberg | ESPN.com

Alabama and Notre Dame put a bow on the 2012 college football season Monday night. Most of the Big Ten would just as soon douse it with gasoline and light a match.

But before a largely forgettable 2012 Big Ten season goes up in flames, let's take one final look at the power rankings following the bowls. Ohio State not surprisingly remains on top, and the bottom three teams stay the same as well. There's a bit of shuffling among the seven bowl teams after varying performances. As has been the case most of the season, very little separates Nos. 2-6.

Here's a look at the pre-bowl power rankings.

Let's get to it ...

1. Ohio State (12-0; previously: 1): The Buckeyes will occupy this spot until they lose a game, which might be a while under coach Urban Meyer. After recording just the sixth unbeaten, untied season in team history, Ohio State sets its sights on even bigger goals as it emerges from NCAA sanctions. The Buckeyes showed major strides on offense behind sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller and improved on both lines as the season went on. Meyer exceeded most expectations in Year 1, but they'll be much higher in 2013.

2. Northwestern (10-3; previously: 5): Pat Fitzgerald's team moves up three spots after claiming its first bowl victory in 64 years. There was surprisingly little drama as Northwestern capitalized on Mississippi State's errors and won the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl by two touchdowns. The Wildcats recorded just the third 10-win season in team history and easily could have won another game or two despite a young roster. Things are headed in the right direction in Evanston.

3. Michigan (8-5; previously: 2): The Wolverines were one defensive stop away from recording the most impressive win in the Big Ten's bowl season and in the Brady Hoke era. They paced a very talented South Carolina team in the Outback Bowl and received big performances from wideout Jeremy Gallon, running back Denard Robinson and quarterback Devin Gardner. Unfortunately for Michigan, an elite pass defense couldn't get it done in the end. Four of Michigan's five losses came against top-10 teams, but an 8-5 record isn't what Hoke or his players had in mind this fall.

4. Penn State (8-4; previously: 3): Penn State and Michigan are similar in that both teams have "good" losses on their r?sum?s (Michigan a few more than Penn State). Both teams rallied to beat Northwestern at home, while Penn State has another quality win against Wisconsin. The Lions and Wolverines didn't play one another, and we'll never know how Penn State would have fared against a team like South Carolina. Michigan gets the slight edge here, but Penn State had a terrific season behind a dramatically improved offense and a defense led by senior stars Michael Mauti, Jordan Hill and Gerald Hodges.

5. Nebraska (10-4; previously: 4): The Huskers beat the three teams ahead of them in the rankings, but the power rankings place more weight on recent results, and Nebraska finished the season with a thud. Bo Pelini's team surrendered 105 points in its last two games -- losses to Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game and to Georgia in the Capital One Bowl. Nebraska showed it could move the ball and score against anyone, despite being turnover-prone. But the defense was abysmal in the four losses and raises serious concerns for Pelini's program going forward.

6. Wisconsin (8-6; previously: 6): The Barry Alvarez-led Badgers showed they could hang with Stanford, but they couldn't take advantage of the unique opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl despite finishing third in the Leaders Division. The inconsistent offensive execution that plagued Wisconsin throughout the season surfaced once again against a tough and talented Stanford defense. Wisconsin just didn't have enough firepower to get over the hump, which was really the story of its season.

7. Michigan State (7-6; previously: 7): A come-from-behind win against TCU in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl takes the sting off of a season that didn't go according to plan for Michigan State. The Spartans leaned on their defense and received just enough offense from backup quarterback Connor Cook and Co. to get past a young Horned Frogs team in Tempe, Ariz. Michigan State posted its second straight bowl win under coach Mark Dantonio and said goodbye to three juniors -- running back Le'Veon Bell, tight end Dion Sims and defensive end William Gholston -- in the days following the game.

8. Minnesota (6-7; previously: 9): Minnesota appeared poised to give the Big Ten a surprising 1-0 start to the bowl season. The Gophers made strides on offense between the end of the regular season and the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, as young quarterback Philip Nelson and the offensive line looked a lot better against Texas Tech. But Minnesota still doesn't know how to finish and suffered breakdowns down the stretch in a tough loss to the Red Raiders. The team still doubled its win total in Jerry Kill's second season and could make some noise in a tough Legends Division next fall.

9. Purdue (6-7; previously: 8): The Boilers and Minnesota swap places after Minnesota performed much better in its bowl game than Purdue did. A mismatch on paper turned into a total whitewash on the field as Oklahoma State, which had no business being in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, outclassed Purdue from the get-go. Purdue's once-promising season ended with a thud as a veteran-laden Boilers team that kept pace with both Notre Dame and Ohio State struggled mightily against most of the good to great teams it faced this season.

10. Indiana (4-8; previously: 10): After going 1-11 in Kevin Wilson's first year, Indiana could only get better and took some important steps this season. The Hoosiers showed they can score points on just about every defense in the Big Ten, and their group of skill players is among the league's best. IU's defense still isn't at a Big Ten level and improving the talent and depth on that side of the ball is the chief challenge for Wilson and his staff entering the 2013 season.

11. Iowa (4-8; previously: 11): A bowl appearance looked like a guarantee for Iowa before the season as the schedule set up favorably for eight or more wins. But the offense took a giant step backward, and injuries hurt the unit throughout the season. Iowa's defense kept it in quite a few games but also let down against better offenses like Northwestern and Michigan. The Hawkeyes will look for more cohesion on offense and more playmakers to emerge. The Legends Division only seems to be getting tougher.

12. Illinois (2-10; previously: 12): No team and no coach wants to turn the page on 2012 more than Illinois and Tim Beckman. Almost nothing went right in Beckman's first season, as the offense stalled and the defense struggled against spread offenses. The Illini dropped all eight of their Big Ten contests and lost by fewer than 14 points just once. Perhaps new offensive coordinator Bill Cubit can get the offense on track. The defense, meanwhile, must fill holes up front and in the secondary. At least Illinois gets a fresh start in 2013.

[THE_WIZARD_]

horrible

[Rob F]

poorly written, I agree, but not far off at all in ranking the teams.

[entropy]

Rob... Really? The rankings are horrible.

[lineygoblue]

We beat Northwestern.

Head to head obviously means nothing

Northwestern would have fared no better against South Carolina.

[The Oracle]

Seriously, who gives a fuck what that says? What does it even mean?

[THE_WIZARD_]

Jack Spit

[iam416]

Nebraska as #5 and Wisky as #6 is dicey, too.

Bottom line is that the B10 had a crystal clear #1. Then, amongst nFw, M, UNL and PSU, it could go in any order. Wisky #6. MSU #7. 8-11...meh. #12 Illinois.

[lineygoblue]

I sent that moron an e-mail.

I just said, "So, you believe that Northwestern would have defeated South Carolina, correct?"

No response yet.

[entropy]

no real surprise here...

============

Big Ten discussing nine-game, possibly 10-game schedule
By Tom Fornelli | Blogger
January 28, 2013 11:34 am ET


Both Dave Brandon and Gene Smith are in favor of expanding the conference schedule. (US Presswire)
The Big Ten is discussing the possibility of expanding its conference schedule again.

The Big Ten announced that it would be going to a nine-game conference schedule back in 2011 after Nebraska joined the conference and it went to a two division setup. The change was to begin in the 2017 season but then the Big Ten came to a schedule agreement with the Pac-12, and the nine-game schedule was scrapped.

The deal with the Pac-12 would fall through as well, and now the Big Ten is once again considering the idea of not only a nine-game conference schedule, but possibly a 10-game conference schedule.

"That's something that we have to really resolve quickly, because the ramifications of that discussion are significant," Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon told ESPN.com. "It's a high-agenda item."

While the nine-game schedule is more likely, there are concerns with it as some Big Ten teams would play five conference home games and only four road games each season. Meaning that a team playing four Big Ten home games would have trouble playing seven home games on the season if it wanted to schedule marquee non-conference opponents.

One possible solution to this that the conference athletic directors are considering is the 10-game conference schedule. Of course, while that balances out home and road games in conference, it only leaves space for two non-conference games, which means it could be just as hard to get to seven home games on the season.

"Most of us need seven home games in order to make our local budgets," Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said. "Is there a way to overcome that? I don't know. We'll have to look at that. The conference is aware that it's an issue."

Of course, while discussion points may be about a bigger conference schedule allowing the schools to play each other more often and making schedules "better" to help Big Ten schools get selected to the playoff, there's another reason for it too. The more Big Ten games that are played give the Big Ten more Big Ten games to show on its network and sell as part of the conference's new television deal. All of which leads to more money.

Money that could help overcome the loss of an occasional home game.

Considering that the Big Ten has already agreed to go to a nine-game schedule before it added Maryland and Rutgers , I would expect that it will agree to expand the schedule again. And while the nine-game schedule is the more likely scenario, it's interesting to see the conference is at least considering a 10-game slate.

For more college football news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnCFB on Twitter, subscribe to our RSS Feed, college football newsletter, and get the Eye On College Football Podcast from iTunes. You can follow Tom Fornelli on Twitter here: @TomFornelli.

[Wild Hoss]

I?d support a 10-game conference sched. OOC scheds are pretty much a joke nowadays anyhow, so getting the most games possible between the marquee programs in the league should be of higher priority.

I also think the made in there that the amount of money being tossed around should be more than adequate to make up for having 6 home games in some years is valid. How much money is enough? At what point does actual competition factor in here, i.e. providing games that fans want to see? The point in playing these games is getting lost amidst all the administrative/contractual chaff. What does it matter if you have seven home games if five of them are uninteresting for the fans?