The History of the Big Ten Conference
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- Опубликовано: 17 июн 2024
- Few conferences in the whole of college sports can stand to match the history, intensity, or academia of the Big Ten Conference. Its journey from the late 1800s to today has featured a steady growth in the conference, with few ejections and myriad introductions. It, alongside the SEC, is the posterchild for Power Conferences in the modern day.
0:00 Part One - The Western Conference
11:45 Part Two - Ten in Name Only
21:16 Part Three - From Sea to Shining Sea
26:44 Part Four - Bigger than Ten
Featuring academic powerhouses like Northwestern in Chicago, Rutgers, and Purdue, athletic strongholds such as Michigan and Ohio State, as well as brief periods of dominance from schools like Indiana or Michigan State, or even potential future athletic powers like Iowa, Wisconsin, or Penn State, the Big Ten has more than solidified itself as one of the biggest conferences in the country---even if it isn't anywhere close to being the "ten-iest" anymore.
It has found itself at the precipice of change in college sports as of recent, with the NCAA's weakening grasp on the future of television deals coinciding with massive consolidation of "power 5" schools, heralded by media giants such as ESPN and FOX. The collapse of the Pac-12, aided by the Big Ten's additions of USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, has continued to shift power from schools to television companies---from regionality and rivalry to branding and endowments.
Because nothing screams Midwest more than the sandy beaches of California or the pierced skies of New York City!
But how did we get here? How did this conference build itself from a humble meeting in Chicago in 1895 into an academic and athletic powerhouse only rivaled by the SEC and professional sports leagues? In this video, I will attempt to compress over 125 years of conference history into a slightly easier to digest video essay of under 30 minutes.
No aspect of this video belongs to me. It was written with information available among the sources cited on the Big Ten Conference's wikipedia page, as well as other places, such as Penn State fansite Black Shoe Diaries and IN.gov. Every screenshot and quotation shown in this video belongs to those sources, and is not my words, but theirs. Images and video do not belong to me either, belonging to their respective owners. Video was available on RUclips, and belongs to / was sourced from History Colored, yestervid, ISU Library, the Rose Bowl, histconv and Oskee Wow Wow via the University of Illinois, Chuck Phillips, the Big Ten Conference, KXAN, and ESPN. Music was sourced through RUclips's free audio library.
As always, if there are any factual inaccuracies, speech mistakes, or interesting tidbits of information you felt were left out, please be sure to leave them in the comments below, but please refrain from engaging in arguments or rivalry matches. I would like to keep the comments section focused on the history of these conferences. As always, thank you for watching. 
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One quick clarification - Nebraska had been a member of the AAU since 1909, but was consistently ranked near the bottom of AAU members year in and year out. They had spent time making themselves far more suitable for B1G membership by enhancing their standing within the AAU, but had in fact been members beforehand. This doesn't change the fact they were voted out in 2011, but as Iowa State can attest to, AAU membership really doesn't mean all that much other than the types of research you do. ISU is a world class agricultural research university and voluntarily dropped their AAU status to become even better at it. I know Husker brass is trying to get back into the AAU, but personally I think they should take a page from the Cyclones' book and focus their academic improvements elsewhere. Be world-class at something unique, not elite at something a hundred other schools are also elite at.
Let’s just say it how it is…Texas had spent decades gatekeeping A&M from the AAU, claiming Ag research wasn’t important enough for membership. Nebraska was an AAU member for over 100 years primarily because of their Medical Center. Once they officially left the Big XII, the university of Texas spearheaded Nebraska’s removal from the AAU…mostly out of pettiness. It is not a coincidence a 100 year member gets voted out the same year they left Texas’s conference.
@@fu-fucuddlypoops6583 ummm…no lol
Much of Nebraska's AAU credentials came in their world-class agriculture programs. Just after Nebraska joined the Big Ten, the AAU decided to lower the weight given to agricultural programs, as if agricultural research isn't important, and also discounted Nebraska's medical school from their score because it was in Omaha, a separate campus, and not Lincoln. The combination of these two factors led the AAU to kick out Nebraska, an action that in my opinion was crap and lowered the standing of the AAU.
It's not like the AAU actually does anything to help a school's academics or research, unlike the Big Ten Academic Alliance or its predecessor, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (Big Ten plus U of Chicago). Sharing between Big Ten universities academically is strong and seamless: I don't think academic cooperation is as strong in any other conference, not even the Ivy League. Need a book to do a paper but you're at Michigan State and the only book is at Northwestern? No problem. Need funds for a research project? There might be some help from another Big Ten university or more importantly, you can pool your resources with your counterpart department at another Big Ten school. Need help with a research project? Other Big Ten institutions should be your first stop after local resources. And even in this online era, research cooperation between Big Ten universities is stronger than in other conferences. The Big Ten is much more than just an athletic conference.
I think you mean a *correction*. You said Nebraska "bull rushed their way" to AAU membership, "rushing the qualifications for admission," when in fact at the time of admission to the B1G they had been members of the AAU for over a century -- longer than a number of existing B1G members. That's not a clarification. You made a factually incorrect statement.
No Nebraska was Big 12 (or Big 8) before the big ten
Although Men's hockey is a relatively new Big Ten Conference, there have been plenty of member schools (Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame) that have won NCAA titles in prior conferences
I chuckled when he referred to baseball as the “Third Revenue Sport” because for the schools with hockey, it is WAY bigger than baseball.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure of the currently hockey conferences, Big Ten schools make up a plurality of championships in both the men's and women's hockey.
Well said.
Also how Big 10 sponsoring hockey triggered the most disruptive conference realignment ever
Notre Dame has never won an NCAA title in men's ice hockey.
And that leaves us with one remaining power conference! With a conference as big as the B1G is, I couldn't cram as many names and moments in here as I would have liked to in order to keep us under 30 minutes. Who are some people or what are some moments in Big Ten history that I forgot to mention?
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and good luck this bowl season! Here's to 2024!
Merry Christmas to you as well! The longest video yet AND a premiere? What a great present
hook ‘em horns and go pokes
How about some Heisman Trophy mentions? Be sure to mention Nile Kinnick, Iowa's only winner and WWII hero.
The formation of the B1G men's and women's basketball tournament. You reference the three revenue sports, but only mention the football championship.
Really remised you didn't mention anything about the Volleyball culture in The Big 10 right now. As much as the Big 10 is a wrestling power, they are slowly becoming the best conference for the women in the sport. The fact Nebraska drew 93k to a football stadium for a game should be a reason enough.
I thought about it, and had a part of the script written about it-including the basketball game. Had to cut some stuff down to fit time and with a 97% male audience it was one of the paragraphs that made the most sense to let go of unfortunately
@@lukeontheplainsPlease do the SEC next please!!!!!😊❤
I mean……… men tend to love women’s volleyball though
Of course in a 28 minute video there's only so much to mention, but with the new additions women's volleyball will become even more prestigious and competitive. Current members will now have a combined 21 national titles (Penn State - 7, Nebraska - 5, UCLA - 4, USC - 3, Washington - 1, Wisconsin - 1).
I love these videos. Being from Scotland it gives me a better grasp of collegiate sports. Huge thank you for making these videos
Which college do you like most for sports
I loved the subtle updates of the team logos throughout the video as well
Starting the Notre Dame chapter in the 1990s is a disservice to the history. Notre Dame was denied entry into the Big Ten multiple times in the 20th century, largely due to discrimination and Fielding Yost's personal hatred (Michigan even organized boycotts of ND). It was only when Notre Dame became profitable with it's revolutionary TV deal (and when it was no longer socially acceptable to exclude Catholics) that the Big Ten was interested.
At that point, being an independent program (forced upon them) was not only a core identity but an advantage. Notre Dame played a national schedule - and built the only truly national brand to this day - and did not want to be regionalized to the midwest.
And Notre Dame, though a good school, was not then a member of AAU (top tier research school), a requirement of BIG membership. Recently ND was voted into AAU should it ever come up again.
Given the B1Gs history with the Rose Bowl, plus the addition of the 4 PAC teams, i think it would be cool if the B1G championship game began alternating between the Rose Bowl stadium and LucasOil.
(As a fan of Washington - going to have to get used to not saying “UW” soon)
I would say that is a great idea but I think Vegas would be more likely
@@erichschaumloffel975vegas isn't even our area. Thats MW territory.
I think US Bank Stadium would be a good choice. Balanced location, modern, and in my home state
I would rather the B1G Championship game alternate between Indianapolis and Las Vegas (if these conference championship games continue, at all).
As an Ohioan and OSU fan, I was immediately thinking that since the Big Ten has that Rose Bow tie-in.
There's nothing wrong with having two UW's. The SEC has three schools called Tigers and two called Bulldogs. THAT is really stupid.
I had been waiting on this video for a long time. Very well done and thank you!
Great as always! Thank you for the content!
Love your work man, keep doing it!!!
Love these conference history videos, and thanks for adding my info you shall need!
This was fabulous, gonna share this with friends!
Man, you post some of my favorite vids. Its history and sports!!! Keep doing what you do sir
Love your videos merry Christmas happy new year
Amazing as always! I hope you enjoy Christmas, the New Year, and the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
very informative, I truly enjoyed it. Thanks!
You forgot to mention that Notre Dame wanted to be apart of the Big 10 back in the 40's but was rejected because the Michigan AD at the time did not want Catholics in his conference. So when they came calling again in the 90s ND still remembered that and decided to stay independent
Michigan is always bitching.
STFU Ohio state, we're a founding member of Big Ten while you're not @@nateg4582
@@nateg4582why would they kick out the only relevant football school they have the past decade
ND was trying to get in from the 1920s supposedly through the 1970s. Only after the TV Rights being opened up did ND move on.
It was about money for ND. It's always about money with ND. The Catholicism is just a veil so they can pretend they're just taking the high road.
Oh my god, I lost it at 5$ bits of broken Chair. Excited to join the confernece next year!
I have never really cared much for college sports. But video essays like this show me how deep the history is and why they can be more exciting than professional sports. Great video!
im so hyped for the sec video
Fabulous video
This was really well done. Soooo happy to see the $5 Bits of Broken Chair trophy highlighted here - an actual collaboration between Goldy Gopher and Faux Pelini!
18:00 as someone who has lived in Lincoln my whole life and pays enough attention to college football to be subscribed to this channel, I didn't even know the "$5 bits of broken chair" existed. Makes that season opening loss to Minnesota that much worse I guess.
Classic Documentary since the day it came out. ❤🎉❤
Man, imagine if Nebraska had been a big10 school from the start
it was a strong possibility there for a bit. Even weirder-imagine if Marquette was.
@@lukeontheplains I wish Marquette was, we need more FBS teams in Minnesota and Wisconsin
@@BrownieCFBthe biggest problem is that Marquette doesn't have a football team.
@@nateg4582 Really?!?! I didn’t know that!!! 😱😱😱🤯🤯🤯🤯
The ripple effects of being in the Big Ten probably saves their football program.
@dalukes Thank you for mentioning Big Wrestling. It is the only D1 conference where every member has a team. Keep up the good work.
Very cool video
Great video.
Would have liked a mention of Indiana's ongoing Mens Soccer dynasty and the Swimming & Diving dynasty.
Maybe a future video can elaborate on college sports dynasties? That imo would be interesting.
A dalukes vid on my alma mater’s conference is a great Christmas gift! As a Maryland grad who grew up in Maryland as a diehard Duke fan, I was not a fan of Maryland joining the Big Ten (especially as I was going to start attending). The Big Ten always did feel like a midwestern brand to me and that wasn’t Maryland, but the quality of competition (especially in the "Olympic" sports) has won me over. Great job on these videos, you're one of my new fave channels I discovered in 2023. Excited to see what's next! Also you briefly mentioned Maryland’s lacrosse program, but they have absolutely dominated the Big Ten and the country since joining
2023 Final D-Cup Standings:
ACC: 3 Top 10, 7 Top 20 (includes ND & STANFORD)
B12: 0 Top 10, 0 Top 20 (excludes Texas)
B1G: 2 Top 10, 5 Top 20 (includes USC and UCLA)
PAC: 0 Top 10, 0 Top 20 (excludes USC, UCLA & STANFORD)
SEC: 5 Top 10, 8 Top 20 (includes Texas)
Schools that finished 8x or more in the D-Cup Top 10 (1993/4 - 2022/23)
ACC: 4 (STANFORD, UNC, UVA, CAL)
SEC: 3 (TEXAS, FLORIDA, GEORGIA)
B1G: 5 (UCLA, MICH, USC, OHSTATE, PSU)
B12: 1 (ARIZ)
Admittedly your terps had stepped it up a bit this year.
@@tarheel7406 No one cares about the D-Cup lol 🤡🤡🤡🤡
Thank you for the christmas present, merry christmas to you dalukes
What a great present!
I'm a Maryland alumnus who loves being in the B1G, alongside our land-grant, state flagship peers. I should note that since joining in 2014, only Ohio State and Michigan have won more conference titles than College Park.
Interesting. I had assumed that MARYLAND had been founded on the Ivy model like UVA/UNC, but Wiki confirms a land-grant.
@@tarheel7460 That MARYLAND was not a land-grant was a relatively safe assumption given its location and flag status. I've also read complaints by MD fans over "B1G academics" and culture vs. those in the ACC.
An educated guess that turns out to be wrong is not a sign of not being intelligent. You don't even know what a "lie" is.
Troll somewhere else.
Indiana is a very good school for Mens Soccer (with numerous national titles) and the Womens basketball has been good lately.
i'd love to see a video on the west coast conference some time now that oregon state and washington state are joining it for non-football/baseball sports
Excellent video. I learned a lot about my favorite conferene and saved it.
The one thing not mentioned much except for ND being in the B1G for the sport, was college hockey.
The B1G has won 23 national championships in men's ice hockey since the game's inception under the NCAA in 1948. Number of titles by school, as follows:
Michigan 9
MSU. 3
Minnesota 5
Wisconsin 6
Great job on your Big Ten video, Luke! Your video was perfect in everything. Excellent presentation, historically accurate, very informative -- AND with plenty of clever wit and good humor. I also have to say I didn't realize how many championships the Big Ten has won in its' rich, illustrious history. Plus, plenty of great legends have made their mark in the Big Ten, with many more to undoubtedly come.
I love your videos, Luke, and I can't wait to see what you do next. Merry Christmas!
Mans the Santa of RUclips! Just gifted the whole world ON CHRISTMAS EVE! HELL YEAH MAN💯
Im surprised the fielding yost notre dame hatred wasn’t mentioned here
Dalukes video at this time of year? It’s a Christmas gift and I love it
Do the MWC next!
Been waiting for the big 10 vid
18:00 ...I like the $5 Bits of Broken Chair...
Michigan's biggest issue with the 1906 rule changes was that they were retroactive, meaning that multiple Wolverines would be immediately ineligible. Michigan, on it's Point-A-Minute run under Fielding Yost, wasn't having that. Secondly, these changes were cynically less about player safety, and more a politically motivated swipe, coming mainly from Yost/Michigan's rival: Amos A. Stagg at Chicago.
Michigan is always bitching lol.
@@shshskateproductions2250 with justification
@@bryanvogt3371 no lol.
@@shshskateproductions2250 Yes, cheater beeyatch
Wait what? Seriously Lake Forest College I am an alum. I had never ever heard this before.
BIG TEN WRESTLING MENTIONED HELL YEA
I’m not going to ask about a MWC video because I know for a fact you’ll be in the middle of releasing one/ making one when the news drops about what happens to WSU/OSU.
please do the WAC next🙏
It's on the list!
@@lukeontheplains W
That would be interesting.
Merry Christmas Dalukes
Fun fact; University of Chicago is still a member of the B1G Cancer Research Consortium in the Big Ten Academic Alliance.
The Rose Bowl was the perfect money making operation. Allowing the fans of the Big 10 champion to come to sunny Southern California away from the icey Mid West during a bleak time of the year.
Thank you so much and O-H.
Do the mtn west conf
Because WhO CAn FoRGet the Five Dollar bits of BrOkEn ChAiR Got Me Rolling on the floor!!
1:33 Yessir Lake Forest 💪
#GoBlue
Appreciate the video
I'm still mad that my home state school of UMD joined the big 10 rutgers shouldn't be there either so obviously i was upset when the west coast joined
To me the best thing about college sports were the regional rivalries and that shit is dead
Oh fuck yes new epsiode
Seeing as Florida State might leave the ACC and blow that conference up, it would not surprise me to see the Big Ten evolve again, perhaps with the additions of Stanford, Cal, Virginia, North Carolina, Duke, and Georgia Tech, to reach 24 teams. It seems crazy, but we said the same about USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten a couple years ago.
As a Carolina fan and student, I (and the vast majority of UNC fans) would definitely prefer to land in the SEC than the B1G. Geographically, the SEC makes much more sense, and we were one of three ACC schools (along with FSU and Clemson) to vote against the addition of Stanford, Cal, and SMU to the ACC, so I don’t think we’d want to join a conference with west coast members. Additionally, we have significantly more history with SEC teams. Kentucky is our second biggest rival in basketball, and we have a pretty heated football rivalry with South Carolina. Academically the Big Ten makes more sense, as we’re an AAU school and a public ivy, but I don’t think joining the SEC would hurt us at all in the academic department.
@@banksavram All signs are (thankfully) now pointing towards the SEC.
@@tarheel7406 Nope. All sings are the big east.
It’s a tough time to be a Penn State Cross Country and Track fan
18:00 yeah, who could forget it
Wrong about Maryland being the only recently added university to win B1G championships in one of the top 3 men’s sports…Nebraska has multiple B1G Baseball championships already.
Love the videos, easily one of the best youtubers out right now. Keep grinding and I could see this being a huge channel. Keep up the great work and happy holidays
What's the third sport you're referring to when you say Big 3 men's sports? Football and basketball obviously, but I would say there's a big drop off between those 2 and the next one. And if I had to pick a next sport, I would say baseball which Nebraska and Maryland have each won 2 conference titles in, with both of them looking to be serious contenders again this year.
Missouri and Kansas would have been so much of a better choice competitively than UMD and Rutgers, an amazing what if
its about research money. Snooty B1G presidents care about academics and the money that comes with it. We are talking about billions of dollars
@@TheEricShen😂❤
23:58 This image is incorrect. The Cal Golden Bears are joining the ACC, not the Big Ten.
Think the Maryland/Rutgers pickup has to be one of the more regrettable realignment moves. They’d love to have that flexibility back.
Why? If the B1G had not added MARYLAND, the ACC would not have [overreacted] to the departure and not have locked itself into long-term contracts. The ACC would then be in a better position to remain a peer Tier 1 and perhaps poach PSU.
In the B1G's defense, Rutgers was a respectable Big East football team around the time they were added. Unfortunately, shortly before RU joined the B1G, Coach Schiano, the coach that literally built the football program from nothing left for the NFL, and the coaches that followed let the program collapse into ruin with academic scandals and terrible recruiting.
TV contracts suggest otherwise.
@@tarheel7406 Not a very brith question.
In the B1G, ice hockey draws bigger crowds, has more expensive tickets, features more successful (past and present) B1G teams, and is generally a far bigger deal than baseball. B1G hockey arenas seat between 6k-16k, and they very frequently sell out. Most B1G baseball stadiums are under 2k. From fall of 2001-present, there have been about 10 months when the most-attended hockey game (we're talking pro, college, Olympic, international) to date WASN'T a game between B1G schools.
women's volleyball is a money making sport for the big ten as well you should add info on that as well
Do you have any source data to confirm women’s volleyball as being a revenue sport for the Big 10? If so, please let me know where I can find it. 👍🏽
“Missouri had been hoping for admission but their interest was not reciprocated” this is incorrect. The B1G offered Mizzou junior membership(meaning less initial share of tv revenue) like they did Nebraska. Missouri opted for full SEC membership
What’s your source?
Did I miss something with the football titles? You said Minnesota was the only school to win 3 straight titles immediately after saying Michigan won 4 straight?
The $5 Broken Chair... lol XD
CAUSE WHO CAN FORGET 5 BITS OF BROKEN CHAIR.
Gentlemens Garden... Interesting 🤔🤔🤔
I thought Notre Dame hockey joined the B1G… if that gets covered later in the video, never mind! (Edit, you did cover it!)
Now we need a sec video. S-E-C!! S-E-C!! S-E-C!!
The MIGHTY... SEC!!! bow down or get BEAT down baby !!!!!
Great! Let’s wrestle for it!
@@darkjedi74 y'all's best team just got BEAT down by a sorry midweight SEC team.
@@voiceofreason2674 without any of their offense on the field. Don’t pretend that was a full strength OSU buddy. Sure is great the third best team’s first team can just scrape by OSU’s 17th string offense. That was practically a walk on offense.
Either way, Iowa’s just going to return the favor to Tennessee, worst D1 offense and all, which will make it all the more embarrassing for TN.
@@darkjedi74 3-22 buddy , yallre the best the big ten has to offer no doubt Ohio state has good teams but y'all get OWNED by the SEC so please bow down and show respect
a) The core 10 of the B1G has only a single original public ivy, namely MICH.
b) Prior to settling on MARYLAND/RUT for #13 & #14, UVA, UNC & GATECH had all passed on B1G overtures, a history perhaps relevant to the current realignment.
@@tarheel7460 You are a confirmed troll and likely a minor. No clue.
Da real heal know what he talking Abt
@@tarheel7460 It's been reported a lot, and I've already refenced the Frank the Tank article.
Also from experience, before I identified you as an ~15 year old troll, after providing evidence you just disappear for a while and then later return with the same trolling.
@@tarheel7406 Nope
hockey is definitely bigger than baseball for most of big ten
Notre Dame...they have to be football independent, but conference membership is fine for every other sport.
I love the realignment chaos
Pretty sure 2 possibly will occur
1. 4 18 team power conferences.
2. The amergence of a 24-30 team college super league.
@@nateg4582 I would say the super conference won't happen like when Spain and all the big brand soccer clubs around Europe tried to make a super league....but that was stopped by the own fans of the teams that were going to be in the super league they looked out for the smaller teams ......I don't see Alabama fans Michigan fans or Ohio State fans being like no to a super conference they're just like pushing for it
@@noelramirez1551I can see you on that but yet you probably can't rule it out at the same time especially with the proposed new subdivision made by the NCAA president.
Saying Nebraska was added for media market share is insane lol
Ohio State is the big ten!
Michigan got lucky
Great video except how you neglected to state how the Big Ten added hockey in the 2010s and ruined the greatest College Hockey Conference in history
What a missed opportunity. The decision for the Big 10 to sponsor ice hockey triggered the biggest conference realignment in that sport. Completely dismantle and reorganize all the conferences west of the Appalachian Mountains
What's up with an sec video?
At around the 6:00 mark you have a mascot for IU that is definitely not the schools mascot
It's actually one of Indiana's alternate mascots from a while ago, which is a Bison. You can see the IU on his sweater. I actually wish they brought this logo or some form back-it's a very interesting one.
www.idsnews.com/article/2022/10/column-iu-bring-back-the-bison-mascot
I’ve seen it elsewhere. It’s real, and from a bygone era . . . which makes it ideal for where it was placed in this video.
@@lukeontheplainshonestly think IU should have the Buffalo as the official costumed mascot for them.
Few conferences can match... sadly, PAC-12 historically could. Academically and national championship wise in all sports, all kinds even olympics. RIP pac12
Such a shame they didn’t follow Joe Pa’s plan. Could have strong northeast conference similar to SEC
im sorry but him saying "ill-eye-ni" will never fail to annoy me
If UCLA and USC are joining the Big Ten, it only makes sense for Cal and Stanford to join as well. It bothers me how they only invited the SoCal schools, but neither NoCal schools. It’s like there’s a big gap on the West Coast that needs to be filled. Plus, from what I’ve read, the NoCal schools have better academics than their Southern counterparts.
Do a video about the transfer portal and nil
No mention of Men's soccer at the end Boo
Well at least ill always have Canada West. UBC doesn't make shit off the 3,000 alumni who show up for Football games but we'll always have the same 6 schools. Seriously gonna miss watching the Ducks and everyone else after dark, PAC Football fans now know the pain of the WAC. It was nice but now its gone.
At Michigan state baseball is not a revenue sport but hockey is. Hockey is a revenue sport in the big ten for all teams that have it.
Lets go hawks
Iowa owns the B1G in wrestling
Do some collage hockey
JOHNS HOPKINS MENTIONED
27:14 With those NCAA violations starting to show up last week, you may have to edit Harbaugh out.
The Big 10 vs SEC is college football's version of America vs Russia during the Cold War
B1G (USA) SEC (USSR)
No offense to those schools intended, but Maryland and Rutgers have kind of hurt the competition level reputation of the B1G.
When was their reputation good ? It's the most bloated overrated dinosaur of a league. They carry a lot more irrelevant programs than just those 2.
Northwestern, Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois have all hurt the Big Ten by being terrible. Michigan and Ohio State carry the Big Ten so badly. At least the SEC has had 7 different schools win a National title recently