Big Two-little ten: Follow Up

I wanted to write a follow up to the post I wrote yesterday. I did a broad strokes overview of what is happening on the recruiting trail and how the recruiting profiles of the different Big Ten schools has changed. I thought it was worth it to take a deeper look because some people aren't ready to admit that we are headed towards a two horse Big Ten.

While it's one thing to recruit well, it's another to develop that talent. Schools like Wisconsin and Michigan State don't recruit the same level of talent that Michigan and Ohio State recruit, but they are successful in developing talent. However, if you're recruiting and developing your talent, you are going to win Big Ten Championships. This is what Michigan and Ohio State do. They would not have won 77 Big Ten Championships between the two schools if this were not the case.

Ohio State got 13 players in the 2012 Rivals Top 250. Michigan had 11. The other big midwestern school, Notre Dame, had 9 players in the Top 250. There were, by my count, 38 players from Big Ten states in the 250. For the other schools that don't have the national appeal of those three schools, when those three schools are getting that many players in the top 250, it is slim pickings. You see that in the results.

Michigan State had 1 player. Wisconsin had 2. Penn State had 1. Iowa had 3. Northwestern had 1.

To put that in perspective, the midwest had 39 players in the Top 250 in 2011, a year where Urban Meyer wasn't coaching and Brady Hoke was late to the game. The Spartans had 2 players, Wisconsin had 2, Penn State had 5, Iowa had 4, Illinois had 1, and Indiana had 1. There were more players who trickled down to these schools. Michigan only had 5 players in the Top 250 and Ohio State had 9 players. Notre Dame had 10. Both Michigan and Ohio State have increased their pursuit of top level talent since then.

If you look at 2013's Top 250, you can already see that. Michigan already has 11 players in the Top 250. Ohio State has 4. Notre Dame has 1. No other Big Ten team has landed a Top 250 prospect. There is more talent in the Big Ten states than in other years, but Ohio State and Michigan have already landed 13 of the 43 players. Furthermore, they're in good standing for a lot of the other players. Michigan could very well have the type of class that has enabled Alabama to compete for a national title on a year to year basis. It's going to be tough for the other schools to get those top guys.

The numbers suggest that the Big Two will be back. You look at the coaches on both sides and you see a track record of success. They're not just bringing in talent. They're going to develop them. The other schools are beginning to get squeezed as result. While in any given year, one of the little ten schools can challenge for the title, it's going to be much more difficult to compete on a consistent basis. We're closer to another Ten Year War than an open Big Ten.

The best will be the best.