Big Ten full of ranked teams
For the first time since 2005, six Big Ten teams are ranked in the Top 25 entering conference play.
“This is as tough of a conference from top to bottom as there is in America,” Minnesota coach Tim Brewster said. “From top to bottom, this is one hell of a conference.”
It starts at the top with No. 2 Ohio State (4-0), followed by No. 11 Wisconsin (4-0), No. 17 Iowa (3-1), No. 19 Michigan (4-0), No. 22 Penn State (3-1), and No. 24 Michigan State (4-0).
In addition, Northwestern (4-0) and Indiana (3-0) begin Big Ten play undefeated.
“This is the best the Big Ten has been in a long, long time collectively,” Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. “That’s not just my opinion but the opinion of the guys who have been in the league.
“I thought coming into last year our league was going to be pretty good. I thought that bore out to be true in non-conference games and bowl games.”
The Big Ten posted a winning record in bowl games last season (4-3), including wins in both BCS Bowls — Ohio State over Oregon in the Rose Bowl, and Iowa over Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl.
It broke a recent bad trend of the Big Ten losing its two BCS games in each the past three seasons. It also helped erase the bad taste of Big Ten teams going 1-6 in bowl games following the 2008 season.
“I’ve said this all along, the Big Ten did well in bowl games last year,” Illinois coach Ron Zook said. “People remember. Then the expansion talk. When you are out there and they are talking about you, and you have teams that are successful, there’s no question the Big Ten is moving up around the nation.”
On the other hand, perception can change a lot in the next nine weeks. Conceivably, three Big Ten teams could fall out of the rankings with a loss this week.
“We’ll go into this Saturday, half of us will win, and half will lose; that’s the Big Ten at its finest,” Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said. “What you saw last year at the end of the season, the number of players we had back … it set us up to have success in September.”
The 2010 season is the last without separate divisions and a Big Ten title game the first weekend in December. However, the Big Ten probably will continue the trend of sending two teams to BCS Bowl games.
Which teams?
“Gosh, I think until you see us playing one another … I can’t begin to think how the conference is going to unfold,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.
“We’ll look at the whole league a little different three weeks from now, six weeks from now, nine weeks from now,” Indiana coach Bill Lynch said.
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes Football
Lets not go into another pipe dream…A not so good pac 10 team (Arizona) beat a supposedly Big Ten power house (Iowa). The weakest part of Big Ten team’s schedule could be when they play each other.
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