Big Ten football schools have a flashy .794 non-conference winning percentage (27 wins, 7 losses) but reality is the teams are disappointing. College football observers including Sports Illustrated rank the Big Ten among the worst BCS conferences. In its issue last week the magazine rated the conferences this way: SEC, Pac-10, Big East, Big 12, ACC and Big Ten.
Three of the non-conference wins by Big Ten teams have come against feeble Notre Dame (0-4, scored 24 total points). League teams scheduled mostly a collection of nobody schools and stumbled to a few losses. Headline embarrassments include Michigan-Appalachian State, Minnesota-Florida Atlantic, Iowa-Iowa State and Northwestern-Duke (Blue Devils ended nation’s longest losing streak).
In non-conference games Big Ten schools haven’t come near playing top 10 ranked teams with the closest quality win being Ohio State’s road victory over Washington, 33-14. The conference doesn’t have a team that deserves consideration among the nation’s elite. In this week’s Associated Press rankings of the top 25 teams the league has only three schools included, Ohio State No. 8. Wisconsin No. 9 and Penn State No. 21. Top ranked USC and No. 2 LSU are probably three touchdowns better on a neutral field than any Big Ten team.
A major problem is that several conference teams lack balance between offense and defense. Iowa and Purdue are two examples. The Hawkeyes have speed, talent and are well coached defensively but have much less to offer offensively. In their last two games, both defeats, the Hawks have allowed 29 points but scored 26 in losses to Iowa State and Wisconsin. Purdue has scored over 40 points in all four of its wins, including a 45-31 victory over the Gophers but the Boilermakers have an average defense that has allowed Toledo, Eastern Illinois and Minnesota to score 77 points.
Last weekend the Big Ten opened its conference schedule with only Michigan State’s win over Notre Dame being a non-league game. From now through mid-November league teams will infrequently play non-conference games, more “Joe Blows” like Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Temple, Ken State and Ball State. Except these days it’s a good idea for conference teams to address these opponents as Mr. Ball State, Mr. Kent State etc.