Big Ten Board (Beta)

I am most interested in the 2012 season because I believe our fans will get to see how critical it is to have a competent coaching staff. That is one the has a plan, select those that play and in what position, puts together a strategy for each game and adjusts that strategy based on how the game is going. Hopefully the bucks don't have too many injuries that can derail the above, but I feel confident that with Urban running the team, us buckeye fans should be in for a great 2012 season with better things ahead as he reloads with his type of recruits. Go bucks..........

Still tough to win on the road with a soph QB. WI & MSU will be difficult to win.

I'm not too concerned about this year's record. Admittedly, i don't know a lot about Alabama situation when they hired saban, but the year before he was hired they were 6-7 and his first year they went 7-6. his second year they went 12-2, and third year they won it all. i think saban and ufm are analogous...strong defenses and aggressive recruiting. but if fans overanalyzed saban's first year, they would have missed the trajectory in which he was putting the pieces together to form the kind of team that he wanted. building a team the way ufm wants it takes time especially since the offense is a radical departure from the old. to me, 8-4 or 7-5 would be understandable, (but of course i want them to win them all!).

I see 3 real swing games ... at Michigan State and Wisconsin and at home against Michigan. I'd say they lose the 2 on the road and win the 1 at home.

Agreed, I have mashed up already 4 or 5 top 25 lists. In the Big Ten, they show Michigan 11, Michigan State 12, Ohio State 13 and Wisconsin 15 and Nebraska 20.

Very little separating those first 4.

OK, out of the 12 Big Ten teams and a combined 48 nonconference games, only 5 of them are against preseason top 25 teams (on that mash-up list, at least) and only 1 against a team in the top 20.

Michigan vs. Alabama (3) in Arlington, Texas, and at Notre Dame (23)

MSU vs. Boise State (24), Notre Dame (23)

Purdue at Notre Dame (23)

Kudos to Michigan for taking the game against Alabama. As I read on it, UM passed up a home game for that (Jerry sweetened the pot nicely, we hear)

OSU replaced 7, wiscy 6. wiscy lost coaches that helped define them as a team (o-line). Not to mention the quality of coaches we've been able to bring in, and how OSU's coaches mesh and complement each other. Vs BB pissing everyone off and them leaving.

If you are replacing 6 coaches then you have to teach those 6 the old system, either way wiscy is just as screwed using your logic.

Edit: and with a lame duck offensive coaching staff osu was still able to beat wiscy last year...

Wisky has only 10 starters back, a new coaching staff, a new OL and a new QB. Lightning isn't going to strike twice. There are going to be some growning pains in Madison. Their recruiting class was also thin.

I see Penn St struggling for all the same reason. QB play being #1. Only 11 starters, new staff and zero impact recruits in the two deep.

I like Tim Beckmans crew as well and think if he can settle Scheelhaase down, they'll go as far as their defense can carry them but 17 starters is far better than 10 or 11.

I like Purdue to be in the top half of the division. They had a solid but under achieving team a year ago and have almost everyone back.

IU will do some damage on offense and can hopefully control the ball and keep their defense off the field until help arrives.

I see

1. Ohio State 11-1 7-1
2. Illinois 10-2 6-2
3. Purdue 8-4 5-3
4. Wisconsin 7-5 3-5
5. Penn St 5-7 2-6
6. Indiana 3-9 0-8

I think that the best group of linebackers in the B1G reside in East Lansing, MI and not Madison, WI...IJS