<p>*Also, I agree football doesn’t define a school, but it does pay alot of bills for the university. It’s much more than just a game, it’s a major revenue for schools and a big business. *</p>
<p>I agree…and it helps with name recognition and such. Schools with top teams get big applications boosts.</p>
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<p>Having a strong football team cannot hurt, but the correlation to increasing applications is not that clear. It would be hard to explain the explosion of applications at the Ivy League by pointing to the exploits on the gridiron. Of course, there are people who think Joe Paterno coaches at Penn. </p>
<p>Then you have to look at programs such as WUSTL and Tulane. Then you’d have look at Chicago or the above mentioned Vanderbilt. Applications jumped up by a fair margin, and the football team … well, that is another story. </p>
<p>When it comes to applications, there are different types of name of recognition, and as one climbs the selectivity ladder, the academic recognition trumps it all. That and that “prestige” recognition we all like so much. :)</p>
<p>Getting back to the Big Ten…</p>
<p>WSJ: [The</a> Big Ten Meets Dante’s Inferno - WSJ.com](<a href=“The Big Ten Meets Dante's Inferno - WSJ”>The Big Ten Meets Dante's Inferno - WSJ)</p>
<p>Excerpt:</p>
<p>"This was supposed to be the Big Ten’s year. The year Michigan began to turn the corner, Iowa cemented itself as a top-10 power and Ohio State returned to national glory. Instead, the nation’s oldest major collegiate conference has been hit with a plague for the ages.</p>
<p>As the Big Ten’s final bowl team, Ohio State, takes on Arkansas in Tuesday’s Sugar Bowl, the conference is a pathetic 2-5 in the bowl season. In one hellacious stroke of misery on New Year’s Day, its teams lost all five of their bowl games by an average margin of 20.4 points. Two coaches have already been fired and another may be sacked as early as this week. </p>
<p>Beyond the carnage on the field, the Big Ten’s image has also been scorched for matters not directly pertaining to football. Five of Ohio State’s players have been suspended for the first five games next season for selling memorabilia and receiving improper benefits from (gasp!) a tattoo parlor. The players later apologized. </p>
<p>The year actually looked heavenly at the outset. Last summer’s addition of Nebraska will give the conference four of the top six schools on major-college football’s all-time win list. Ohio State beat Miami in an early-season showdown, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson was the early Heisman frontrunner and Michigan State topped Notre Dame on a faked field goal in overtime. But the suffering that has ensued since seems almost biblical in scope. It’s also, quite frankly, ripe for parody…"</p>
<p>Where is the Ohio State president at? The Big 10(+) commissioner? They aren’t going to speak out about this awful showing? Because remember they “play the big boys week in and week out.” We see how that helped them. Thump. Thump. Thump.</p>
<p>Now don’t get me wrong-- I watch a lot of Big 10(+) sports. My family has Illinois football season tickets. </p>
<p>But I’m tired of them talking about how superior they are. If Ohio State would go out and play somebody for a change… instead of Ohio Nobody for 4 weeks…</p>
<p>^ Gordon Gee put his foot in his mouth. He probably has the most riding on tonight’s game because of his dumb comments.</p>
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And of course there are people who know Paterno is a Brown graduate. ;)</p>
<p>Demographic cohort called Tidal Wave II lifted all boats.</p>
<p>The Detroit News is reporting that RichRod had been fired.</p>
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<p>That is why their current (and relative) misery appears so sweet to outsiders. Everything was probably exacerbated by the seriously obnoxious manner in which they discussed their expansion plan and assumed that any team in the nation should be honored to (finally) join the elite. </p>
<p>While it is undeniable that the Big 10 has known glory days, a great number of them happened eons ago. The conference is still formidable, but a LOT more pedestrian than the Big 10 fans might ever admit.</p>
<p>^ It is a “pedestrian” conference that is actually growing… ;)</p>
<p>^I agree with eadad. I also think the weather plays a role in the Big 10 teams not being able to PRACTICE as effectively outside during the cold, snowy, and wet months.</p>
<p>^ I think most Big Ten teams have indoor practice facilities.</p>
<p>The Big Ten can compete with any conference that actually abides by the NCAA scholarship limits and does not casually discard players not living up to expectations. That would exclude the SEC which only abides by the rule of “you are not playing, better transfer so we can recruit somebody better”.</p>
<p>Yes, I think every B10 team has an indoor facility.</p>
<p>^ Would you like my violin? It’s pretty small.</p>
<p>Considering it’s a B10 school that recently just had 5 players suspended (but letting them play in a bowl game) and another one on probation (Michigan), I think your “holier than though” attitude about the B10 is…well, it’s lame.</p>
<p>Whatever. We don’t really care what you think. The B10 is printing $$$$$ unlike the Big Least and there is no Big Least team that would not jump to the B10 if invited. It was a Big Least coach that got UM on probation with his dumbass Big Least ways. Most schools would have just looked the other way at the OSU issues which are minor compared to all the academic and big cash for play deals floating around the SEC. The Big Least schools can’t afford to pay their players that much.</p>
<p>^ Yeah, the BE sucks right now, but I won a Sugar Bowl playing there, beating an SEC team (Georgia).</p>
<p>OSU hasn’t looked the other way? They are letting the players play in the Sugar Bowl…what does that tell you?</p>
<p>Let’s see how many of those five OSU players who should not be playing tonight actually stick to their signed pledge to return to OSU next year and serve out their suspensions. I’ll believe it when I see it. As a Tennessee fan, I can’t stand Arkansas, but I’m rooting for them tonight. GO SEC!</p>
<p>^^ Ditto. (and I’m a Big Ten alum)</p>
<p>Exciting game…the Piggies almost clawed back but the Sweater Vest held on. Congrats Buckeyes on beating an SEC team!</p>
<p>[Ohio</a> State in a no-win situation against Arkansas in Sugar Bowl - College Football News | FOX Sports on MSN](<a href=“http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Ohio-State-in-a-no-win-situation-against-Arkansas-in-Sugar-Bowl-010411]Ohio”>http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Ohio-State-in-a-no-win-situation-against-Arkansas-in-Sugar-Bowl-010411)
**
Ohio State might score more points than Arkansas on Tuesday in the Sugar Bowl, but OSU can’t win and neither can the Big Ten Conference.**</p>
<p>By FOX Sports Ohio</p>
<p>After the events of the past 10 days in Columbus, the Buckeyes come out a loser in the eyes of the nation no matter what the scoreboard in the Superdome reads.</p>
<p>By using five players including quarterback Terrelle Pryor and three other offensive starters whose five-game suspensions for selling memorabilia and accepting discounts or free tattoos were delayed by the NCAA until next season, Ohio State taints any victory with an asterisk it will never erase.</p>
<p>Any doubt about that vanished Sunday when the Columbus Dispatch published more damaging details about Pryors privileged treatment that should interest the NCAA, but probably wont given its preferential treatment of OSUs football program.</p>
<p>The hometown newspaper found that Pryor has twice been ticketed for speeding while driving an SUV and sports car loaned to him by the same salesman.</p>
<p>Pryor told the Dispatch he gets to drive vehicles from that salesman only when his own car is in for repairs.</p>
<p>What are the odds that every time the kid drives a loaner, he gets ticketed?</p>
<p>^ These “privileges” happen all the time and will continue to happen as long as talented players are courted by agents for the NFL. The unfortunate thing is the NCAA’s inconsistent enforcement of the rules.</p>
<p>Having a strong football team cannot hurt, but the correlation to increasing applications is not that clear. It would be hard to explain the explosion of applications at the Ivy League by pointing to the exploits on the gridiron</p>
<p>Obviously, athletics at the ivies is irrelevant to how popular those schools are. And, schools like Tulane (that hand out free apps), are going to get a lot of apps.</p>
<p>However, for mid-tier National Univs, having a strong football team does result in increased apps.</p>
<p>Last night’s game was very exciting…I thought that UArk might pull it out in the end.</p>