CHICAGO — Jim Delany made his way up to the podium Friday morning at Big Ten Media Days, palms sweaty, wondering what type of questions he was going to receive from the media during his annual press conference at the event.
It hadn’t been easy for Delany in the past. The Big Ten, especially in football, had been somewhat of a punching bag for the national audience. He was often grilled with questions of what the conference could do better to become more relevant.
That wasn’t the case this year, though. Not after what Delany described as a “great year for the Big Ten” in 2014. The conference claimed 10 national championships and, in football, the league proved itself worthy and was no longer that punching bag that had been beaten nearly to death.
Ohio State won the 2014 national title and first-ever College Football Playoff. Michigan State and Wisconsin both claimed big-time wins in bowl games over Power 5 schools. On the biggest stages, it was the Big Ten which finally shined the brightest.
“To be honest with you, it’s easier to come up after a good year and there is a certain energy and optimism,” Delany said. “We feel good about that. But really, the interesting thing is the — is how the season plays out and watching the stories unfold. That hasn’t changed from year to year.”
There’s a lot of hype surrounding the conference this year. The Buckeyes return 15 starters from their national championship team and are heavy favorites to repeat. Michigan State is a preseason top-10 team and another strong contender to be one of the four qualifiers for the CFP. Michigan has hired Jim Harbaugh as its head coach, a move which has put the spotlight back on the Wolverines throughout the entire summer.
There was a bit more buzz inside the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place for this particular event than had been in previous venues in years past. More cameras flashing, more recorders on the tables, more of a legitimate conversation about the Big Ten conference and what it can accomplish during the 2015 season.
“I was kind of shocked that in 2012 the lack of, the negativity toward our conference, toward the Big Ten,” Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said. “I think it’s completely changed, but that has no impact on 2015. We can look back and say in 2014 it was one of the best conferences in America. A lot of teams did their part.”
That negativity is no longer there. That's all been changed by Ohio State's national championship and Michigan State's two-year run among the nation's elite.
Under Harbaugh, Michigan will almost certainly rise back to national prominence and James Franklin seems to have Penn State heading in the right direction. Nebraska and Wisconsin each have new coaches, but odds are they maintain their consistency as programs.
The Big Ten is no longer laughed at, no longer mocked. Now, the Big Ten is respected.
It just took a little bit of time.
"I've said all along that great football is played in the Big Ten Conference, as it is played in all these other conferences. Great football," Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio said. "There's a lot of parity in college football. Things hang by the inches. When people get hot, great things can happen."
