The preseason Top 25 poll illustrates the BIG's main problem

[NewEra 2014]

All conferences favor their marquee teams, but the BIG's problem is not that is favors OSU. Many times, OSU lives up to the preseason hype. Just like Alabama does in the SEC, or Duke does in ACC college basketball. The conferences favor those teams, and those teams in turn do a reasonably good job of justifying the hype.

No, it is that one of the teams that the BIG favors is Michigan, who hasn't won a conference title since 2004 and has a record similar to Iowa since that time. Michigan lays an egg just about every chance they get to be on the national stage. It hurts the overall perception of the conference, to the detriment of every other team in the BIG. It is like the SEC trying to bend over backwards to make sure Tennessee wins a bunch of conference games so that they can get blown out in a bowl game every year.

I hate to see Michigan bring down this fine upstanding conference year after year.

 

[Nittanyplayer#12]

I've always thought we should signe a 25 year Home and Home schedule with ND. It's a great rival, the NCAA loves ND and always puts them in a high ranking.

 

[michnittlion]

I think U-M being rated #7 in any preseason poll is absurd.

But .......

We're also 1-4 against U-M in the 2014-2018 era. We need to change that to get the "benefit of the doubt" that U-M is currently getting.

Bigger picture, there is really only one B1G football team that deserves the "benefit of the doubt" in pre-season rankings. It's a team that has proven themselves over and over and over again. They've earned that "benefit of the doubt" even in cases where they're breaking in a new coach. Like it or not, that team is OSU.

 

[LionDeNittany]

All conferences favor their marquee teams, but the BIG's problem is not that is favors OSU. Many times, OSU lives up to the preseason hype. Just like Alabama does in the SEC, or Duke does in ACC college basketball. The conferences favor those teams, and those teams in turn do a reasonably good job of justifying the hype.

No, it is that one of the teams that the BIG favors is Michigan, who hasn't won a conference title since 2004 and has a record similar to Iowa since that time. Michigan lays an egg just about every chance they get to be on the national stage. It hurts the overall perception of the conference, to the detriment of every other team in the BIG. It is like the SEC trying to bend over backwards to make sure Tennessee wins a bunch of conference games so that they can get blown out in a bowl game every year.

I hate to see Michigan bring down this fine upstanding conference year after year.

I think the SEC is fairly good at favoring their undefeated teams. Not necessarily their marquee teams.
The powers that be know they need to keep a team or two undefeated. They let the beginning of the season shake out and then just focus on a couple of teams based on success. My favorite being the year they walked UF into the end zone vs. Arkansas.

The Big Ten, on the other hand, picks their horses pre season... and those horses are OSU and UM. This is a recipe for failure on the national stage but success for maintaining one's job as head of Big Ten (insert job here).

Short term focus is what destroys companies. The Big Ten is no different in this case.

LdN

 

[ivan brunetti]

Last year's preseason had Ohio State at the top, then Penn State in second and Michigan State in third.

Sparty was the program that "brought down the conference" most recently.

 

[michnittlion]

Last year's preseason had Ohio State at the top, then Penn State in second and Michigan State in third.

Sparty was the program that "brought down the conference" most recently.

Wisconsin (now THERE is a program which is over-ranked more often than not) was actually the top-ranked B1G team in last season's pre-season AP poll.

Wisconsin #4, Ohio State #5, Penn State #10, Michigan State #11, Michigan #14.

 

[angus55]

Wisconsin (now THERE is a program which is fraudulent more often than not) was actually the top-ranked B1G team in last season's pre-season AP poll.

Wisconsin #4, Ohio State #5, Penn State #10, Michigan State #11, Michigan #14.

When most of the talent is in the East what do you expect? They cant' all go undefeated.

 

[michnittlion]

When most of the talent is in the East what do you expect? They cant' all go undefeated.

In my world, no B1G West team should ever be ranked above #15 until that division produces a B1G Champion.

Michigan's generally under-achieved over the last few years. But they aren't the B1G's biggest problem. The B1G's biggest problem is the bunch of flotsam that populates the West, a bunch of programs who (1) nearly always lose to U-M, OSU and PSU, and (2) consider it a successful year if they beat Western Michigan, Utah, or Mississippi State in a tier-2 Bowl game.

 

[ivan brunetti]

Wisconsin (now THERE is a program which is over-ranked more often than not) was actually the top-ranked B1G team in last season's pre-season AP poll.

Wisconsin #4, Ohio State #5, Penn State #10, Michigan State #11, Michigan #14.

Yes. I was just focusing on the Big Ten East.