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Big 10 football takes a hit this season

It was a conference that was once respected nationwide in football.

But as they say, that was a long time ago on a planet far, far away.

The B1G (Big 10 to most of us) is a far cry from the league it was this season.

Oh, I’m not forgetting Wisconsin. The Badgers put together a nice season, but even the most avid rooter in the Cheese State will admit this was not the best team they’ve put out in Madison.

Don’t tell me about Ohio State and Penn State, two teams that folded like a $7.99 chair at your nearest convenience outlet, either.

The Buckeyes were blown out by Oklahoma and Iowa (believe it or not).

The Nittany Lions have also lost twice, once to a Michigan State team that was pretty ordinary in 2017.

That’s not saying the Spartans didn’t have a very good turnaround, going from 3-9 last season to 9-3 this fall.

Most of that turnabout was due to a great coaching job by Mark Dantonio, who is one of the great innovators in the game.

Dantonio once again defeated archrival Michigan, leaving UM fans to ponder whether Jim Harbaugh can lead the Wolverines back to the prominence it annually enjoyed.

Personally, I believe Harbaugh will give the National Football League another go in a year or two. That’s been his standard operating procedure in his previous coaching tenures.

In the meantime, the Big 10 will again find out the hard way that going up against the Alabamas, Oklahomas, Auburns, etc. in the bowl games is no easy task.

If you believe that Wisconsin or Ohio State can play with these heavyweights of college football, I have the inside information on some prime seaside property in Norman, Oklahoma.

Is there a way for the Big 10 to reach the level of these powerhouses? Maybe.

But it’s going to take a lot of cash under the table to do it.

That’s how the real football factories do it.

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