ESPN examines the struggles of the Big Ten

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Biggest eye-opener is that the league has not had a quarterback taken in the first round of the draft since 1995.
 

too many variables to postulate but
The playing field within the BIG was leveled when they adjusted the scholarships sometime in the 80's It is shortly after that that you see the rise of WI, NU, PU and even IL in football. Prior to that MI and OH took all the good players and fielded a National Championship squad. Population shift combined with transitory athletes mix in a little graft. That scholarship rule never goes in place and the Big 2 Little 8 goes on in perpetuity.
 


Mulligan said:
Biggest eye-opener is that the league has not had a quarterback taken in the first round of the draft since 1995.
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That is pretty shocking although Drew Brees should have been a first rounder. This current crop of QB's might be one of the worst ever top to bottom in the conference in terms of star power. Most casual fans could probably only name their own and maybe Robinson at Michigan and Martinez at Nebraska, neither of whom is that great of a QB in the traditional sense. Both are just phenominal athletes playing QB and won't get any consideration for the QB position at the next level.
 

Mulligan said:
Biggest eye-opener is that the league has not had a quarterback taken in the first round of the draft since 1995.
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Dual threat QBs work for the college game, not necessarily the pro game. Option football is a staple of the college game and not used in the pro game as much. The pro offenses are also entirely different than the vast majority of BIG offenses (except for bucky or MSU).
The pros are looking for QBs who can "make all the throws" a pro can make (comebacks, 15+ yard outs, accuracy in the seam, etc.) but there have not been too many QBs with that kind of arm strength and accuracy in a while.

It's important to note that it doesn't matter if they are picked in the first round or not, it's if they are productive (Brady, Tom. Brees, Drew.)

Would you rather have production or Blaine Friggin' Gabbert?

USC has had 3 QBs drafted in the first round since 2003 and look how that is going...
 

CrocShots said:
Would you rather have production or Blaine Friggin' Gabbert?
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How about Cam Newton or RG III? Fact is, the Big Ten is getting fewer and fewer of the really elite recruits. There are still some, of course; but demographics, importance of football, economics, location, coaching changes, scholarship changes, etc. all contribute to a slow erosion.

I'm guessing the number of first round choices at receiver, running back, and defensive back over the last decade might also be surprising.
 

There is definitely something there because there is a true lack of star power across the entire conference when you look at it from a National perspective. Who are the truly elite players in the Big Ten, especially on the defensive side of the ball? I'm having a hard time coming up with many off the top of my head outside of maybe the DE at Michigan State.
 



Kawann Short is one of the better DTs in the country - he could be a 1st rounder next spring. 'Shede could be a first-day pick in 2014. Michael Buchanan DE Ill and John Simon DE OSU are studs. Terry Hawthorne CB Ill could be a 1st rounder next spring.
 

Mulligan said:
How about Cam Newton or RG III? Fact is, the Big Ten is getting fewer and fewer of the really elite recruits. There are still some, of course; but demographics, importance of football, economics, location, coaching changes, scholarship changes, etc. all contribute to a slow erosion.

I'm guessing the number of first round choices at receiver, running back, and defensive back over the last decade might also be surprising.
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The lack of First Rounders surprised me to. The problem is if you're a big time 17-18 year old High School QB you want to go to a school where you can throw the ball again and again. Throw the ball deep too and often. Run if you have to sure, but Pass first and not look to hand-off the ball. None of that screams "Get me to the Big Ten!"
 

Iceland12 said:
The problem is if you're a big time 17-18 year old High School QB you want to go to a school where you can throw the ball again and again. Throw the ball deep too and often. Run if you have to sure, but Pass first and not look to hand-off the ball.
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Andrew Luck says hai.
 




First of all, I don't care if the Big Ten is down if we have a good team. Oh shoot, we went to the Rose Bowl the year that the Big Ten wasn't any good!

I don't think the conference is as bad as people are saying, we're just a little weak at the top and as a whole we lack any marquee non-conference wins. Illinois, Iowa and Indiana have all taken some bad losses but so have plenty of other major conference teams. If the SEC had the balls to play any major conference teams on the road they'd suffer losses similar to the Big Ten's losses in Pasadena, South Bend and Corvallis. For the record, the SEC is 0-2 against AQ teams in true road games this year (UK lost at Louisville and Vandy lost at GASP the weak ass Big Ten's Northwestern.)

If Notre Dame doesn't have their best team in a decade or two and if Michigan scheduled Alabama A&M instead of Alabama, we're probably not even having this discussion.

Come bowl season, I think we'll see a record that doesn't stick out as significantly worse than any other year.
 


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