For years, the Big Ten had only one certain way to keep the same team from playing in the Rose Bowl every year: a “no-repeat” rule against back-to-back appearances in Pasadena.
After four different Big Ten schools have gone to the Rose Bowl in as many years, it seems amazing that the conference ever needed that contrivance. Two of the four–Michigan in 1992 and Penn State in 1994–came as no surprise. But the other two–Wisconsin in 1993 and Northwestern last year–sent shock waves to all corners of the Corn Belt.
“Ever since Wisconsin won the league, it has gone from the Big 2 to the many,” Illinois coach Lou Tepper said. “Yes, Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State for the foreseeable future are going to be in the top half of the standings. But each year there are going to be other teams jumping up and making a real bid for the Rose Bowl.”
It wasn’t ever thus. From 1968 to 1982, only one team, Iowa, broke the Ohio State-Michigan stranglehold on the Rose Bowl. But from 1983 to 1995, all but three Big Ten teams–Indiana, Minnesota and Purdue–have played in Pasadena. And six teams have played since the Buckeyes’ last appearance, in 1984.
When Northwestern made it to Pasadena last year for only the second time in its history, it was plain that anyone could do it.
“It’s not a caste system,” Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said. “Everybody’s got a good club.”
Well, not everybody, as long as Indiana (0-8 last year) remains in the conference. But when people don’t know who’s going to win on Saturday, they’re probably more likely to buy tickets. Thanks to Northwestern’s rousing success–the Wildcats played to Dyche Stadium sellouts last fall for the first time in more than a decade–the Big Ten sold out 38 of 66 conference contests in 1995. That’s the first time in history that more than half the games were sellouts.
“We have lots of healthy football programs in the Big Ten,” Commissioner Jim Delany said.
A variety of reasons explain the recent balance in the nation’s oldest major athletic conference:
– A general leveling of the Division I-A playing field. The Big Ten isn’t the only place where the serfs are rising up against the lords. In the Atlantic Coast Conference, Virginia handed Florida State its first conference loss last year. In the Southeastern Conference, Alabama needed a late score to avert a Vanderbilt upset. And Kansas decked Colorado in the final Big Eight season.
– Rigorous academic standards. By keeping their standards relatively high, Big Ten members weren’t caught off guard when the NCAA pushed through academic reform in the 1980s. Conference teams generally have not relied heavily on players with poor academic records to fill their rosters, so they weren’t hurt when the NCAA decreed that those student-athletes had to sit out as freshmen.
– Television. Years ago, only one Big Ten game was certain to be televised, and that was Ohio State-Michigan. In 1995, cable or network TV carried 39 of 44 league games. That makes it easier for the lesser teams to gain exposure and that, in turn, produces untold recruiting benefits. For example, Northwestern’s star defensive back, Hudhaifa Ismaeli, said he first became interested in NU because he liked its purple uniforms, which he saw on TV at home in Pittsburgh.
– The schedule. Because Big Ten teams play only eight conference games, it’s possible to win the league with as few as six victories (it happened three times in four years between 1990 and 1993). That means it takes only one or two upsets to scramble the race.
If teams had to play a round-robin conference schedule of 10 games, it would be that much harder for an underdog to prevail. Remember that Northwestern didn’t have to play Ohio State last year, and when Wisconsin went to the Rose Bowl in 1993, it received a bye against Penn State.
If preseason rankings are any indication, it appears the balancing act will continue in the conference’s 101st football season. There’s nothing close to a consensus favorite, and five teams–Iowa, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Northwestern–are nationally ranked and calling themselves contenders. A sixth, Wisconsin, has all the markings of a dark horse.
When Penn State coach Joe Paterno heard that the media had picked his Nittany Lions to win the title, he shrugged and replied, “Today you say Penn State. Maybe you look tomorrow and say Michigan.”
The Big Ten may be balanced again, but this year it appears ready to move away from the wide-open style of play of the last two seasons, when a spectator at a Big Ten stadium might have thought he’d wandered into a Western Athletic Conference shootout.
In 1994 Penn State’s offense set a slew of conference records, including a scoring average of 48 points a game.
In 1995 it was Ohio State’s turn to spin the scoreboard behind Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Eddie George, quarterback Bobby Hoying, flanker Terry Glenn and tight end Rickey Dudley.
The Rolls-Royce offensive stars are gone, replaced in the spotlight by sturdy four-wheel-drive defenders. “Obviously, you’d rather have both sides,” said Ohio State coach John Cooper, who lost the heart of his attack. “But if I had my choice, I’d rather have a strong defense.”
And he will, with linemen Matt Finkes and Mike Vrabel and cornerback Shawn Springs. Michigan, led by hard-hitting linebacker Jarrett Irons, has depth and experience on defense. And Northwestern, which had the stingiest scoring defense in Division I-A in 1995, also figures to be strong, with conference defensive player of the year Pat Fitzgerald back at inside linebacker.
Of the main contenders, only Iowa appears stronger on offense than defense.
“There are some good defenses,” Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. “The key will be who can develop their offenses.”
