Jon Joseph No. 1 Share Posted December 18, 2023 (edited) Early signing day like Christmas, is coming soon. Players will officially commit (at least for one year) to the program of their choice on Wednesday, December 20. The B1G money is there for the B1G schools to compete with the other Power 2 CFB conference, the SEC. B1G revenues exceed, slightly, SEC revenues. But in on-field results and CFB recruiting results, the B1G trails the SEC and when you trail in recruiting, it is no surprise that you also trail in CFB trophies. Below are the latest ESPN Top-50 recruiting rankings, posted 2 days before signing day. B1G - 14 of the 18 B1G member schools are in the Top 50. 2 teams ranked in the Top 10 - 2. Ohio State and 4. OREGON. 4 more B1G teams are ranked in the Top 25 for 6 total. 11. Penn State, 16. Michigan, 18. USC, and 23. Nebraska. (If the Huskers flip QB Raiola from UGA they will move up.) Other B1G-ranked teams: 28. Wisconsin; 30. Purdue; 34. Iowa; 36. Rutgers; 37. Minnesota; 40. Maryland; 43. Washington; and 47. Illinois. Not ranked - Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern, and UCLA (Shameful!) 14 of 18 teams ranked is pretty darn good except when looking at Dixie. The SEC Conference has 16 of 16 teams ranked in the Top 50. 6 - 1. Georgia, 3. Bama, 6. Florida, 7. Texas. 8. Oklahoma, and 10. Auburn ranked in the Top 10. 5x more than the B1G. 12 SEC teams are ranked in the Top 25 - the above Top 10 plus 13. TENN, 14. LSU, 17. SO. CAR., 19. Ole Miss, 20. A+M, and 22. Kentucky. Twice as many as the B1G. Also ranked - 26. Arkansas, 31. Miss State, 33. Missouri, and 45. Vanderbilt (Vandy ranked but not UCLA!) The SEC does sit in recruiting happy hunting ground helped by bringing in Texas but bringing in the 2 LA schools should, in theory, help the B1G close the gap. But the B1G being ahead in revenue does not matter unless B1G programs from the top administrators down have the same desire as SEC poobahs to succeed in CFB and CBB. A commitment that SEC Powers-That-Be made decades ago. Do the scholars in the B1G have the desire to get down in the dirt and wrestle with the SEC? If not, the B1G money will spend, but don't bother to use some of the dough to build Bigger trophy cases. Meanwhile, OREGON is already flexing its P2 recruiting muscles. The only B1G team with a superior roster ranking in 2024 is Ohio State, paying a visit to Autzen on 10/12/24. Extinguish The Flames! Edited December 18, 2023 by Jon Joseph 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 2 Share Posted December 19, 2023 Nebraska flipped QB Raiola from Georgia and moved to 20 from 29. 7 B1G teams are now in the Top 25 and Ohio State has a better chance to finish No. 1 ahead of UGA. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 3 Share Posted December 19, 2023 Early Signing Day primer: Examining B1G storylines ahead of the Early Signing Period SATURDAYTRADITION.COM Early Signing Day 2023 is just about here with the full results bound to have an impact on the new-look Big Ten and the 2024 season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Author No. 4 Share Posted December 20, 2023 It's but one rating service, ESPN, but ESPN has moved Oregon recruiting to 3 and dropped Ohio State to 4! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
