It was supposed to be Ohio State, Michigan and then everybody else.
That was the thought when Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh were hired at their respective schools. The Big 2, Little 12 was supposed to be back in full effect.
Penn State doesn't seem to be having any of that.
After a rather slow start to the James Franklin era hindered largely by scholarship sanctions, the Nittany Lions, somewhat surprisingly, claimed a Big Ten championship during the 2016 season. And with the majority of that team returning in 2017 and a monster start to the 2018 recruiting cycle, Penn State doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Few expected the Nittany Lions' 2016 campaign to go the way it did. And after a 2-2 start — one that included a 49-10 loss at Michigan — the heat surrounding Franklin started to get a bit hotter. But Penn State rallied, and the Nittany Lions rode the momentum of an Oct. 22 upset over Ohio State all the way to a Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl appearance.
The majority of that team is back in 2017. Quarterback Trace McSorley, running back Saquan Barkley and more return and make Penn State one of the favorites in the league heading into the offseason.
But the success isn't likely to stop once the current crop of talent leaves Happy Valley. Not with the way the Nittany Lions are putting together their 2018 recruiting class, anyway.
Yes, there are still 50 weeks until National Signing Day in 2018, but Penn State currently has the No.1-ranked recruiting class in the country by a fairly wide margin. The Nittany Lions currently have 11 commitments for 2018 — including a pair of five-star prospects and six four stars.
There will be plenty of change throughout the next 12 months, of course, but as things stand right now Ohio State only has three pledges for the 2018 class; Michigan has just two. Penn State has all of the momentum in the recruiting world at the moment.
This is good news for the Big Ten.
The conference had what many consider its best season in recent history in 2016 as Ohio State represented the league in the College Football Playoff while Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin all played in New Year's Six bowl games.
Under Meyer and Harbaugh, the Buckeyes and Wolverines will annually contend for those spots. Franklin appears to have Penn State doing the same — at least on paper.
The next step for the Nittany Lions to reach the levels of Ohio State and Michigan is to sustain the success. Penn State had a breakout season in 2016, but in its two years before that, it combined to go just 14-12.
Sustained success is difficult. Just ask Michigan State. The Spartans had a tremendous three-year run under Mark Dantonio where they won two Big Ten titles and a Rose Bowl, but that was followed up by a 3-9 season in 2016. Michigan State benefitted a bit from Michigan being down and the Spartans didn't recruit well enough to maintain the level they reached.
If Franklin and Co. can build on their 2016 campaign — and with the bulk of last year's team returning there's no reason to think they won't — the conference may not be the Big 2, Little 12 any longer. A Penn State rise with both Ohio State and Michigan in their current states would be awfully impressive.
The pieces are in place for exactly that to happen.
And you'd better believe Meyer and the Buckeyes are taking notice.
