After years of being called overrated, the Big Ten appears to be back. Urban Meyer already has a national title with Ohio State. Jim Harbaugh will have Michigan back and winning soon. Michigan State is constantly an 11-win squad under Mark Dantonio. Wisconsin is clearly the best team in the Big Ten West. However, the bottom of the Big Ten isn't very good right now. With the top so strong, it means those on the bottom aren't going to be competing for a Big Ten Championship anytime soon.
Maryland Terrapins
Maryland will get to plenty of bowl games, but it isn't going to win a Big Ten title. The Terrapins are stuck in the same division as Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. Even Penn State has a better chance of winning a title. Maryland will never be able to recruit with those teams and they won't get a Big Ten Championship either.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Look, Rutgers is only in the Big Ten for TV purposes. A winning season and a bowl game is a successful season for the Scarlet Knights. Going 8-5 and winning a bowl game is a good year at Rutgers. At Ohio State, it's reason enough to get fired. A 10-win season with the Big Ten East schedule would require a small-miracle. Rutgers just isn't taking home a conference title.
Indiana Hoosiers
Indian hasn't won a conference title since 1967. The Hoosiers have been to one bowl game since 1994. Unless something drastically changes, Indiana doesn't have a prayer of winning a conference title.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Excluding a 10-2 season under Ron Turner in 2001, Illinois hasn't won 10 games since the 1980s. That's simply not going to change anytime soon. A good season at Illinois is going to be around nine wins. A 10-win season will be rare and whoever is coaching will probably leave for greener pastures. Illinois is a stepping-stone school and those schools don't win Big Ten titles.
Purdue Boilermakers
Joe Tiller had moderate success at Purdue and even he couldn't win 10 games there. In fact, it's only happened once in Purdue history. Just like Illinois, Purdue is stepping-stone school that won't win a Big Ten title.
Follow our Big Ten page for all the latest Big Ten news and rumors!
Back to the Big Ten Newsfeed