Big Ten coaches aim to keep league’s respect rising
Urban Meyer and Ohio State raised expectations for the entire Big Ten with their national title win.
On Thursday, the Buckeyes coach dumped some cold water on the festivities.
“It’s a one-year cycle,” Meyer said on the league’s spring teleconference. “The SEC had about a seven-year cycle (of national championships). There’s a lot of pressure on the Big Ten to keep it going.
“I’m a believer that there’s only one way to eliminate (negative) perception, and that’s to get better.”
Meyer, of course, played a huge role in that stretch of SEC dominance, winning two national titles at Florida before taking a year off and returning to his native Ohio.
In other words, while the 2014 season was a nice start in reshaping the league’s image, the Big Ten still has some work to do.
Another coach who recently arrived in the Big Ten from SEC country, likes what he sees so far.
“It’s a 180-degree turn (from last year),” Penn State’s James Franklin said.
Though he has fielded dozens of questions about the topic since arriving from Vanderbilt, Franklin has been loathe to draw comparisons between the Big Ten and SEC.
But on Thursday, he was eager to note that the general tone in discussions about the Big Ten has been radically different from when he was hired by the Nittany Lions in January 2014.
“I’ve got a much better feel, obviously, now than I did before,” Franklin said. “It’s pretty interesting, if you look at the conversations about our conference a year ago compared to now, it was completely different. And especially our side of the conference.”
That particular phrase — “our side of the conference” — came up more than a few times.
The Big Ten split up its spring availability so that West Division coaches and players spoke on Wednesday and their East Division counterparts were available on Thursday.
And there’s little doubt that the bulk of the offseason buzz around the conference revolves around the East thanks to the Buckeyes’ landmark season and Michigan hiring away Jim Harbaugh from the NFL ranks.
More than that, Michigan State is in the midst of a renaissance, having beaten a California school in the Rose Bowl and a Texas school in the Cotton Bowl in back-to-back years.
“I think (the changing perception) is a combination of a lot of factors,” Franklin said. “I think it’s the success that Big Ten teams had in bowl games. I think it’s the personalities that now are in the conference in the coaching positions. I think it’s the success that individual schools have had on a national level.”
Franklin and the Lions aren’t on that level yet as they begin to pull out of the morass of NCAA sanctions. Their biggest hope for the future is a notable uptick in recruiting, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed across the rest of the Big Ten.
With Meyer, Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio, Franklin and now Harbaugh leading the charge in the Big Ten East, it reminds the Buckeyes boss of his time with the Gators in the SEC East.
“It’s very comparable,” Meyer said. “Our side of the conference is kind of ridiculous right now. There’s a lot of good recruiting I see going on our side of the conference.” “If you look at the strength of our division,” Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said, “you’d be hard-pressed to find one stronger in the country than the Big Ten East.”Spring notes • Penn State released its rosters for Saturday’s Blue-White Game. Nearly every projected starter for the fall on offense and defense will suit up for the Blue squad. Linebacker Nyeem Wartman and tight end Adam Breneman are both listed on the White team, an indication that both may sit out the scrimmage. • All eyes continue to be on Columbus for the quarterback battle to end all quarterback battles. Meyer and the Buckeyes must decide between Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, the former third-stringer who led the Bucks to the national title. On Thursday, he set a general timeline to make what should be a tough decision. “I think the middle of training camp,” Meyer said. “Every one of them deserves the opportunity, and right now two of them aren’t getting it. “By the middle of training camp, I think you have at least a handle on this thing.” • As for Michigan, Harbaugh placed Shane Morris atop his depth chart coming out of the spring, but incoming Iowa transfer Jake Rudock may be the favorite. “I expect there will be very good competition,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a player who is hungry to compete. It’s good for him academically and very good for him athletically with the opportunity to compete for a role, whether that be a starting role (or not), I know that’s where his goals are aligned.“I’m excited to watch it go down.”
