The Big Ten stunk at football at this time last year. That was the perception anyway, right?
Michigan State got run over at Oregon and then trucked by Ohio State. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, weren't anyone's idea of a national title team after losing to middling Virginia Tech.
Why?
Well, they played in the Big Ten.
Why else?
It's easy to forget now, what with three league teams ranked in the College Football Playoff top 10, but thinking that the Big Ten could produce the national champ a year ago was … laughable.
Heck, here is a quote from the Big Ten Network -- the league's own mouthpiece!