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Outlook on each Big Ten team

MADHAT1

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Apr 1, 2003
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Maybe should have put OT in the subject line šŸ˜
Seems like FB isn't the driving force here [roll]

Looks like RU is gaining some respect and that puts a smile on my face along with me feeloing in the long run Rutgers will be one of the better B1G FB programs.
But probably one that will be in the mix, but not constantly picked to take it all like the Buckeyes or automatically pre season beauties like the Wolverines are every year .

Buy, sell or hold? Long-term outlook on each Big Ten team
(Buy Rutgers Scarlet Knights)
https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com...utlook-on-each-big-ten-college-football-team/
 
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Buy, but not expecting a 10 bagger. Where I see Rutgers in the not to distant future is consistently reaching a Wisconsin level of team.
 
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The article makes me feel even better about where we are in the overall picture of the BIG than I did before. I honestly believe we will be very competitive in every game this season. 6/6 and a Bowl is not a pipe dream. Not a given, but not a pipe dream.
 
Glad to see you guys getting some respect. He's all wet about Northwestern, though ā€” typical Michigan attitude there.
The Wildcats are one program that defy the odds and make believers out of non-believers.
I'll never underestimate Northwestern as long as Pat Fitzgerald is their HC.

Greg Schiano is bringing back the respect the Rutgers Football program had like when in his first term as the RU FB HC he (Greg1)turned the Scarlet Knights football program into one that was considered a good program after years of it being considered a terrible one.
Now in his second run Greg2 is doing that again.
 
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Nebraska just parted ways with their athletic director, Bill Moos. Interesting timing.

It seems it was a likely termination, since Moos recently stated he planned to be there until the end of his contract. One has to think Frost's seat just got a little warmer.
 
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Glad to see you guys getting some respect. He's all wet about Northwestern, though ā€” typical Michigan attitude there.
Didn't you guys lose a number of big time performers, especially on D? That may be why some feel that way.

I 100% agree with the guy who spoke highly about Fitzgerald. One of the best around.
 
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Didn't you guys lose a number of big time performers, especially on D? That may be why some feel that way.

I 100% agree with the guy who spoke highly about Fitzgerald. One of the best around.
Doubt we'll contend for the West, but we seem to be reloading pretty well on defense and the offense should be better (although admittedly the last couple of years have set a low bar). OL Coach Kurt Anderson has been recruiting well, and we finally seem to be recruiting a little speed. Hilinski could be a good transfer pickup at QB. On the defensive side, where the Cats lost the most, secondary should still be good. Depth at LB and DL will be crucial. The big uncertainty in the mix is losing Mike Hankwitz, the longtime defensive coordinator. A lot will depend on whether Jim O'Neil, the new guy, can integrate his system with Hank's legacy.

Bottom line is, we could be pretty good again or below average, but I don't think the program is going away as the Michigan writer suggested. The Cats never would have gotten two recruits from Alabama, as they have this year, in the recent past. Clocking Auburn in the bowl game didn't hurt.
 
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It should be noted that every team the author is selling on is in the West. That's not a comment on the writer's bias, simply a reminder of how the Big Ten East is the toughest division in college football.
 
The article makes me feel even better about where we are in the overall picture of the BIG than I did before. I honestly believe we will be very competitive in every game this season. 6/6 and a Bowl is not a pipe dream. Not a given, but not a pipe dream.
Some of that has to do with knowing your team inside out while knowing little about your opponents. It's natural to overvalue one's opponents when little is known about them.
 
Doubt we'll contend for the West, but we seem to be reloading pretty well on defense and the offense should be better (although admittedly the last couple of years have set a low bar). OL Coach Kurt Anderson has been recruiting well, and we finally seem to be recruiting a little speed. Hilinski could be a good transfer pickup at QB. On the defensive side, where the Cats lost the most, secondary should still be good. Depth at LB and DL will be crucial. The big uncertainty in the mix is losing Mike Hankwitz, the longtime defensive coordinator. A lot will depend on whether Jim O'Neil, the new guy, can integrate his system with Hank's legacy.

Bottom line is, we could be pretty good again or below average, but I don't think the program is going away as the Michigan writer suggested. The Cats never would have gotten two recruits from Alabama, as they have this year, in the recent past. Clocking Auburn in the bowl game didn't hurt.
Coach Hankwitz is going to be missed. I loved playing for him when he was the DC at Colorado.
 
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The only team I disagree with is MSU. They are falling like a rock. I have said this multiple times, we are two programs moving in opposite directions and either this year or next we will pass them for good (at least for the foreseeable future).
 
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It should be noted that every team the author is selling on is in the West. That's not a comment on the writer's bias, simply a reminder of how the Big Ten East is the toughest division in college football.
It's one of the toughest if Michigan and Penn State get their acts back together. For schools with their recruiting resources to play the way they did last season was ridiculous.
 
The only team I disagree with is MSU. They are falling like a rock. I have said this multiple times, we are two programs moving in opposite directions and either this year or next we will pass them for good (at least for the foreseeable future).

Those that are close to the Michigan State program do not see it that way. They see an upgrade this year with all of the transfers they have brought in, and recruiting that has recovered since the low point at the end of the last era.

I might have felt the same way you did, but I'm not knowledgeable enough about their roster / recruiting to know exactly where things are headed for them. As of now, I see most of their fans as satisfied with their HC.
 
It's one of the toughest if Michigan and Penn State get their acts back together. For schools with their recruiting resources to play the way they did last season was ridiculous.

As a longtime Michigan (and Rutgers) supporter, I can tell you that the perception for many that follow both Michigan and Penn State is that Penn State's troubles last year were much more likely to be temporary than Michigan's. Penn State really does seem to have suffered a number of unique Covid circumstances (along with the OT loss against Indiana) that will not be repeated.

Michigan's problems seem much more systemic. Things are likely to get quite divisive in Ann Arbor as to Harbaugh if Michigan goes 7-5 this year, and then 9-3 next year, with expected non-competitive losses to Ohio State and others.
 
Those that are close to the Michigan State program do not see it that way. They see an upgrade this year with all of the transfers they have brought in, and recruiting that has recovered since the low point at the end of the last era.

I might have felt the same way you did, but I'm not knowledgeable enough about their roster / recruiting to know exactly where things are headed for them. As of now, I see most of their fans as satisfied with their HC.
I will give you 1 stat about their recruiting "recovery"....

Since the day Greg Schiano was hired, we have landed seven composite 4 star undergraduate recruits. This covers parts of three recruiting classes. In that same time period, Michigan State has landed ONE.
 
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The only team I disagree with is MSU. They are falling like a rock. I have said this multiple times, we are two programs moving in opposite directions and either this year or next we will pass them for good (at least for the foreseeable future).
I think it is too early to make that judgement on MSU. Tucker was hired very late last year, combined with all the Covid stuff- tough to get a valid picture. They did beat Mich and NW last year. A lot of roster movement coming into this season, i think there will be a much clearer picture after this season.
 
I think it is too early to make that judgement on MSU. Tucker was hired very late last year, combined with all the Covid stuff- tough to get a valid picture. They did beat Mich and NW last year. A lot of roster movement coming into this season, i think there will be a much clearer picture after this season.
Although technically he was hired in 2020, this is his second year just like Schiano. He was hired a little more than two months after Schiano.
 
Michigan and the cult of state penn canā€™t lose enoughā€¦I hope Ohio state hangs 70+ on eachā€¦deep into the 4th qtr!
 
Ohio State is as deep a cult as any in the league.
Iā€™ve met poisonous nut peopleā€¦I agree, but right now those two irritate me most plus no one is knocking osu any time soonā€¦
 
Ohio State is as deep a cult as any in the league.

Having family who attended both Michigan (grad school) and OSU along with neighbors who went to PSU I'd rank on the "cult meter"

1. Penn State
2. Ohio St.
3. Michigan
 
Iā€™ve met poisonous nut peopleā€¦I agree, but right now those two irritate me most plus no one is knocking osu any time soonā€¦

Not particularly disagreeing with you, just pointing out that it is hard for me as a non-alum of the three schools you mention to root for Ohio State to pound anyone. I wouldn't mind seeing them getting taken down a considerable peg or two, but it's up to the other schools in the league to find a way to do it. And the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 seem to be finding it equally hard to do with Clemson, Alabama, and Oklahoma. Plus, the current limited playoff format seems to be working to solidify the position of the top dogs.
 
You mean Notre Dame?

As I mentioned earlier, more the case with Alabama and Clemson, which have six appearances in the seven years of the four-team playoff, and Ohio State and Oklahoma, which have four appearances each. Notre Dame has made two appearances and has been decisively defeated in the semis both times. Pac 12 hasn't appeared since 2017.
 
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