OT - In your opinion, what are the B1G's "helmet schools"?

[nuwildcat]

For me, I'll go with the 4 teams I associated with greatness wayyyyyy before I was even remotely interested in college football (my love for the sport and the 'Cats unsurprisingly started in '95):

Michigan
Nebraska
Ohio State
Penn State

[betarhoalphadelta]

I'm hard pressed to disagree with those four.

[utee94]

Michigan and Ohio State are the marquee helmets for sure.


But I think most college football fans would consider Nebraska and Penn State to be in their top 10/11.

[FearlessF]

Michigan
Nebraska
Ohio State
Penn State


cut and dried in my mind


Michigan State would be next with Wisconsin following, they have a chance to move into "helmet" with a couple decades of sustained success and a few national titles


not easy

[Brutus Buckeye]

Those are the four.

[OrangeAfroMan]

Is it unfair for what I'd describe as Nebraska's bleak future to come into play?  OSU & Michigan would be my answer.  PSU and UNL....I don't know.  We'll see if PSU still matters in 2018.  The Huskers?  I have a hard time seeing how they get back up the mountain.

[ELA]

The thread title should be changed to "Are Nebraska and PSU helmets?"


2 schools clearly are, 10 schools clearly aren't.

[Hawkinole]

Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State.

Nebraska has been a "helmet school." The future for Nebraska is somewhere between Iowa and Michigan State. Above average.

If Nebraska were to recruit a top coach, they could be Wisconsin good. It's hard to win national championships when there are 6 - 7 teams in the conference that are competitive.

Most years in the Big 8 there were two competitive teams. Occasionally, but not usually, Mizzou, or Colorado would be competitive. Is it possible recruiting was better for Nebraska in the Big 8 / Big 12, than being on the western periphery of the Big 10?

[Cincydawg]

Ohio State - about as good as a program can get


Michigan - some time in the wilderness lately possibly on an upswing


Penn State - again, some down time, but apparently on an upswing


Nebraska - has been one of those 8-9-10 win programs lately that is "OK" but tarnishing


Wisconsin - does the most with the least, can be very good unexpectedly


Iowa - some rich history but great seasons are sporadic


Minnesota - some almost ancient history trying to get back to decent


Northwestern - Not much history but also with occasionally tough teams


Michigan State - sporadic history and some recent success


Illinois - a sleeping program


The rest are struggling to get on the list above which is obviously pretty generous.

[Temp430]

I agree with the OP.  However, just from a design and appearance perspective, I would pick Maryland, Michigan State, Michigan, and Iowa.

[ELA]

Michigan State - sporadic history and some recent success

I think I've posted this before, but MSU is rarely what their aggregate profile says they are.  I think in terms of winning percentage and all-time AP poll, they slot in right around #20.  But they are almost never that.  They are either top 5-10 or really bad, and then just wind up falling in the middle.  In the 50s and 60s, they were right there with any program in the nation.  Then were awful for about 15 years.  Then Perles had them back from the mid-80s through the early 90s.  Then about another 15 years of nothing til Dantonio got them back.

So maybe it's time for a lull?

Really only the late Perles through Saban years (like 91-98) was their longest stretch of just being decent, nothing more, nothing less.

[847badgerfan]

Ohio State - about as good as a program can get


Michigan - some time in the wilderness lately possibly on an upswing


Penn State - again, some down time, but apparently on an upswing


Nebraska - has been one of those 8-9-10 win programs lately that is "OK" but tarnishing


Wisconsin - does the most with the least, can be very good unexpectedly


Iowa - some rich history but great seasons are sporadic


Minnesota - some almost ancient history trying to get back to decent


Northwestern - Not much history but also with occasionally tough teams


Michigan State - sporadic history and some recent success


Illinois - a sleeping program


The rest are struggling to get on the list above which is obviously pretty generous.

I would go with that except that I'd have MSU somewhere between Nebraska and Iowa. Interchange UW and MSU between those two and I won't argue, because you have UNL and Iowa ranked where I would have them, with UW and MSU in between.

[Cincydawg]

I wasn't exactly ranking them, just offering comments from an outsider in effect.


There are three basic groups I think.

[Brutus Buckeye]

Nebraska is in better shape than Michigan.


I) They have been elite more recently
II) They have higher expectations
-Nebraska fires coaches that can't win more than ten games per season, win Conference Titles, or who lose in a NC game.
-Michigan acts like they are back on top of the mountain, after posting back to back ten win seasons/third place B1G East finishes.
III) Nebraska has the best coach of the modern era.
-Tom Osborne: Three NCs; winning Bowl record
-Bo Schembechler: Zer0 NCs; abysmal Bowl record


A fella would have to drastically over hype the era between the Civil War and WWII in order to make a sound argument that Michigan is the better program historically.


A fella would have to be drinking the Maize and Blue kool aid in order to believe that Michigan has a better program than Nebraska, going forward.