While I do not know Big Ten Commissioner James Dealny personally, I am sure that he was in great spirits as 2014 began. The year started with his Michigan State Spartans knocking off Stanford in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.
On the basketball side, Delany boasted the country's deepest and most talented conference top to bottom. And his signature programs...(Michigan, Michigan St, Ohio St, Wisconsin) were all nationally ranked and enjoying out of conference success.
The first annual College Playoff was set to make it's debut, and Delany was assured to have at least two teams ranked in the preseason top ten. Life was good.
Then...the year started.
During March Madness, Delany watched the Kentucky Wildcats knock his two chances for a title (Michigan, Wisconsin) out of the Elite 8 and Final Four on consecutive game winning three pointers at the buzzer.
Ouch.
Then came the football season, and the signature programs failed to notch a win over a quality non conference opponent. Wisconsin blew a huge second half lead to LSU in their opener. Michigan St. ran out of gas in Oregon, and Michigan was blanked (31-0) by a Notre Dame team that turned out to be average.
Ohio St. did not play a big boy non conference opponent, but still made a splash...losing at home to Virginia Tech.
Michigan's implosion was long, drawn out, and hard to watch. Rutgers and Maryland, the conference's two newest members, made no impact nationally. And by season's end, the conference was down three coaches. Michigan and Nebraska fired theirs after dismal campaigns. And Wisconsin's coach (Big Ten Title game participant), bolted on his own for...Oregon St?
Stop playin.
Well Mr. Delany, you still have basketball right? Right?.....
Um...yea...about that.
With so much hoopla surrounding the upcoming playoffs, few have noticed how mightily the Big Ten is struggling in basketball. Things will need to turn around quickly if Mr. Delany expects his conference to make it to a fourth straight Final Four.
And once again, it's the non conference play...or lack thereof.
Yes, the Big Ten beat the ACC in their annual challenge (8-6), but the B1G went 1-5 against the ACC's ranked opponents. Wisconsin, the league's best team was blown out at home by Duke...the ACC's best team. Ohio St has failed to earn a quality non conference win, and Big Brother and Little Brother (Michigan & Michigan St) are struggling mightily.
The Wolverines have already lost at home to N.J.I.T. and Eastern Michigan. The Spartans just lost at home to Texas Southern. Oh, and Nebraska has already lost..at home...to Incarnate Word.
Innnncarnaaaate Wooorrrrrd?
In a shocking turn of events, all three teams will be unranked when conference play starts next week.
You know how bubble teams get profiled as the season draws to a close...and their resume gets put on the screen? And they have two categories...good win and bad loss?......
OK...I'll digress.
There's good news...and bad news, Mr. Delany. The good news? Ohio St is still in play for a National Championship. The bad news? That would technically be credited to 2015.
Gotta charge this year to the game sir.
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