We've come full circle.....

[ruppertflywheel]

After watching Indiana beat MSU in overtime, I looked at the teams in the East and West and came to this conclusion. We're back to the " Big two and little eight" that had a big run in the late 60's to the 80's. It started with the Woody and Bo domination in the original " Big Ten" Yes we've had some breaks in the domination with Wisconsin and Iowa . We're back to Ohio State and Michigan being the flag ship of the conference. Other than Michigan the only team I see has a chance to beat the Buckeyes is Wisconsin. And who will beat Michigan other than Ohio State? So in my opinion, we're back to the Big two and Little 12.

 

[MNGoldenGophers1]

Oh well, at least we have more company now.

 

[IceBoxGopher]

Well, for the time being I see what you mean. Both Michigan and Ohio State are the cream of the crop right now. However, I don't expect them to have complete dominance on the conference like they did from the 60s-80s.

My main reason for thinking this is that there's more competition now.
Wisconsin, while losing to Mich, still looks really tough and will probably remain a thorn in the side of the stronger teams.
Not sure Franklin is the right coach for Penn State, but that's a school that still seems willing to invest in its football program heavily. I think they can get back to some level of prominence.
More or less, that's the same with Nebraska, too. Not sure if Nebraska will ever get back to its 90s era, but I still think their program can make improvement with the support it has.
Then there's Michigan State. Obviously it looks like they will have a down year. However, I've learned to not count out Mark Dantonio, I think he will right their ship soon enough.
And here's a bit of a wildcard, but I also think Lovie Smith might do some good work at Illinois.

I'm not thinking any of these teams will knock the two off their perch in the next two years, but over the next decade the conference should be somewhat more balanced than it was some decades ago.

 

[maroonfive]

But the big 2 will continue to dominate us and we will be the same as usual. I have been through the thick and thin with this program and you cannot ignore what the big 2 have done to the Gophers. I know they did not play every year but to not beat either of them at home in the whole history of the Metrodome and now at TCF Bank stadium is embarrassing. You have to accept this program for what it is. A few good wins here and there and the Bank is a great place to be on a fall Saturday afternoon. I am not sure which team will show up on Saturday but I will be there. As far as turning this program around I am not sure what more you can do. It is going on 50 years since a Big Ten championship. You could say we have done well as far as interest since we have not won anything but even as much fun as I have during the games this mediocrity is getting old. I do not have an answer as to how to turn this thing around. Even winning would only create a temporary bump in interest. There seems to be a disconnect between alumni and Gopher football. I thought being on campus would help even if you were not winning because it would be an event. With the amount of alumni and a 50,000 seat stadium there is still so many empty seats. I don't get it.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[EG#9]

Maybe the league has come full circle, but the Gophers positioning has sadly remained stagnant. I'd much rather see Ohio State or Michigan win every year than Wisconsin or Iowa being in the race so I guess that's a positive?