The Big Ten conference will get better when the coaching, top-to-bottom, gets better.
10-15 years ago, the Big Ten heavyweights were coached by John Cooper, a competent Joe Paterno, Lloyd Carr, Barry Alverez, Nick Saban, and Hayden Fry. All six are, or will be, CFB HoF coaches. Even Northwestern enjoyed unprecedented highs under Gary Barnett.
All these experiments to bring "the spread" to the Big Ten under guys like John L Smith, Rich Rodriguez, and Tim Brewster fail miserably. Even the so called pioneers of Big Ten spread attacks, Joe Tiller and Randy Walker, enjoyed far less success after DCs around the league wised up.
The height of Big Ten football power, arguably in the mid-to-late 90s, featured a lot of squads with superior lines and dominating running games. Even miserable teams like Purdue had a Mike Alstott, while surprises like Northwestern had a Darnell Autry.
The league has gotten away from that. Tressel, Ferentz, Bielema, and Paterno appear to be the only coaches smart enough to ride the running game. Even an incompetent oaf like Zook enjoyed a career year with Mendenhall. TBH, I'm a lot less worried facing a Minnesota with Weber & Decker coached by an NFL-genius than I ever was facing a Minnesota with Barber III & Maroney coached by Glen Mason.
It isn't rocket science, and it isn't Jim Delany's fault either.
Three-yards-and-a-cloud may be passe, but it worked for the past 100 years, and it will work for the next 100 years.
