Big Ten Recruiting Review

Below is the final Pryorless rankings of all Big Ten teams. I also included Pitt to make our class look worse. The way Pitt out recruits us is troubling to say the least, but then again the way Whanstash manages to suck so bad with good recruits is a bit troubling as well. One thing worth pointing out here is that these services rank based on 'points', so a bigger class is going to outscore a smaller class of the same level of talent. Penn State brought in the smallest class of any Big Ten team by far, just 14 players compared to an average of 21. This includes Minnesota with 30 recruits and Illinois with 28. This is a result of Penn State not losing very man scholarships and therefore not having many to give...it's obviously cyclical. So while our class isn't knocking anyone's socks off, keep in mind we are getting punished in these rankings for bringing in so few kids. Per Rivals, number of recruits in quotes:

Rivals
#9	OSU	(19)
#10	Michigan	(24)
#17	Minnesota	(30)
#23	Illinois	(28)
#29	Pitt	(19)
#41	Wisconsin	(24)
#42	Penn State	(14)
#47	MSU	(21)
#53	Iowa	(24)
#63	Purdue	(25)
#73	Northwestern	(20)
#78	Indiana	(19)

Not to get too bitchy, but really looking at this list makes me wonder why I think college ball is so superior to pro. Indiana's prize recruits are a couple of three star kids, while Ohio State doesn't even bother going after kids that low on the list. Why this is considered "pure" is beyond me, but it doesn't change the fact that I do in fact like NCAA football better than the NFL.

As for Penn State, you never like to see Minnesota that far ahead of you, especially after their one for the ages shitty season.

Let's take a look at how Scouts listed the Big Ten:

Scouts

#7	OSU
#8	Michigan
#18	Illinois
#25	Pitt
#26	Wisconsin
#28	Minnesota
#41	Penn State
#42	Iowa
#49	Purdue
#56	MSU
#63	Indiana
#69	Northwestern

This site seemed to be a bit more optimistic about the Big Ten, but not really about Penn State. They also didn't buy into the Minnesota class quite like Rivals did. All in all there aren't really any surprises here. Zook really is bringing Illinois up to a respectable level. Northwestern and Indiana still suck. Penn State continues to be mediocre in more ways than we realize, and Ohio State and Michigan continue to dominate recruiting by a large margin.

This year's recruits take 2 or 3 years to really have a full impact, so there's no immediate threat to a team's success. Pryor might be an exception, he will start day one at Michigan and you bet your ass Paterno would play him somewhere if he chooses Penn State.

I guess we'll see.

The O$U Fetish

The nation has had it ever since the 2002 Mythical National Championship was won in overtime on the back of a pass interference call. So why is this team still getting the benefit of the doubt 5 years later? They received an overwhelming number of first place votes this week, and are listed at the #1 team in the nation in every 'expert' poll I've seen since Sunday.

My question is this: what separates O$U from Arizona State? Or Hawaii for that matter.

None of the listed have wins over ranked teams, all three have shown weaknesses against inferior opponents, yet there seems to be a rather overwhelming consensus that the Buckeyes are the cream of the crop. This despite the fewest passing attempts in the nation, a rookie QB, and a 3-2 score at the half against Akron.

USF, on the other hand, has beaten a surging Aurburn team on the road, and of course their signature win over WVU in a turnover orgy of a football game.

So to answer my question, I turn to the response given by the all knowing homer, Kirk Herbstreit:

" OSU has the best defense in the country. At this time I would say they are a definate lock for the #1 spot and deservedly so. #2 USF doesnt have the history it takes to win a national championship. Change thier name to USC or LSU and I would say they are a lock to win the national championship."

Well put you shameless homer. Where is the logic of filling in O$U #1 when you admit the next morning on the radio that USF is more deserving?

This is all going to shake out, I'm sure, with O$U playing at PSU and at Michigan, but it doesn't change the obvious fact that, although everyone loves to use the word 'parity' to describe the fact that just about anyone can win on any week, the truth is we are still stuck in old times with press no ready to admit that the Blue Bloods are on an even keel with the rest of college football.