Mailbag: What has to change for the Big Ten to get better?

You have questions, and I have answers in my mailbag. What will be Michigan?s final record? Why the love for Penn State? Are the Nittany Lions really better than Ohio State? Read on.

What in your opinion has to change for the Big Ten to get better? - Greg Ashton

This may be an oversimplification, but it does come down to coaches. And, in particular, coaches who live to recruit. That?s the lifeblood of any program: recruiting. And there are two Big Ten coaches who seem to recruit at another level: Ohio State?s Urban Meyer and Penn State?s James Franklin. Michigan State?s Mark Dantonio doesn?t recruit on their level, but he coaches better than anyone in the Big Ten. Perhaps with Meyer and Franklin pushing the envelope, other coaches will pick up their game and recruit at a higher level.

How many wins will Michigan have this year? - Craig Sutton

The Wolverines are 2-1 right now, beating Appalachian State and Miami (Ohio). Not impressive. And Michigan lost 31-0 at Notre Dame. The jury remains firmly out on Brady Hoke?s fourth team. Here is my best guess at the Wolverines? 2014 record.

Utah L
Minnesota W
At Rutgers W
Penn State W
At Michigan State L
Indiana W
At Northwestern W
Maryland L
At Ohio State L

That's 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten. Talk amongst yourselves.

I think the best offense Maryland will see this year will be Ohio State?s-not West Virginia?s. - Len

I guess I beg to differ. That West Virginia offense that the Terrapins faced last week was very good. WVU put up 694 yards. And this is a pretty good Maryland defense. No way Ohio State?s offense can match the firepower of the Mountaineers. I do think the Buckeye offense will continue to improve as the line develops and J.T. Barrett gains experience. But I don?t think OSU ever will have the firepower that Dana Holgorsen?s team has.

Wanna know what's really crazy? If Tommy Armstrong keeps on his current trajectory, he'll pass for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000. He'll become the sixth man EVER to do this.  - ProjectionsGalore

Impressive. Tommy Armstrong hasn?t received enough publicity for his start to this season. He is No. 4 in the Big Ten in passing (257.7 ypg) and seventh in rushing (86.0 ypg). The sophomore has been a beast, and he's making his teammates better. And, that?s what a quarterback is supposed to do.

What are your thoughts on Ohio State?s chances for the playoffs? - Jade Trainer

It will be an uphill battle. To have a shot to earn one of the four spots, the 2-1 Buckeyes will need to win out. And that will mean winning at Michigan State on Nov. 8. There also are potentially tough games at Maryland (Oct. 4) and at Penn State (Oct. 25). Those are some big games to try to navigate. Win those, and the West Division champ waits in the Big Ten title game. OSU needs to show it can stop the pass and continue to develop playmakers on offense to take pressure off J.T. Barrett.

Why is everyone so high on Penn State when they turned five Rutgers? interceptions into only 13 points? Am I missing something here? How does a team reel in five interceptions and not put more points on the board? - Timothy Erickson

Give some credit to the Rutgers defense. The front seven is pretty stout. And the Nittany Lions have a spotty offensive line. Penn State struggled to run the ball all night. The only real offense was Christian Hackenberg throwing. And he often was running for his life. This is a flawed Penn State team that was playing in a hostile environment vs. a fired-up team. Just finding a way to win was impressive enough.

Penn State escapes against vs. two mediocre teams in UCF and Rutgers and they are better than Ohio State? As OSU?s youth matures this season, it has the talent to be formidable. Do you really think that PSU would beat OSU on a neutral field right now? - Rick Ford

First off, Penn State has a better resume than Ohio State. The PSU win at Rutgers was far better than anything the Buckeyes have done. And OSU lost at home to a Virginia Tech team that turned around and lost at home to ? East Carolina. No doubt, the Buckeyes have better talent than Penn State, which has depth issues because of NCAA probation. For now, I give an edge in overall performance to the Nittany Lions. But I think Ohio State would beat Penn State on a neutral field. I think the Buckeye d-line would be too much for the Nittany Lions? offensive line to deal with.

Who do you think will perform better in the Nebraska-Miami game, Ameer Abdullah or Duke Johnson? - Joe

I give an edge to Abdullah. Why? Because I think Johnson will be facing a better front seven than what Abdullah will see vs. the Hurricanes. Nebraska?s line and linebackers will be able to hem in Johnson and limit his big plays.

Nebraska looked pretty good against Fresno State, but the offense was still boom and bust. Some of that had to do with Fresno's gambling defense, but let's see how the Huskers do against the physically equal Miami Hurricanes this week. Lots of potential for the Huskers, but can they turn that potential into results? Miami is getting better this week, and the Huskers will need to as well if they hope to win. - David

Yes, the visit from the Hurricanes will be a nice litmus test for a Nebraska squad that hasn?t exactly faced a tough schedule. Miami?s athletic ability and speed will be good tests for the Cornhuskers? defense. And can Tommy Armstrong continue to run and pass with aplomb vs. a Miami defense that will be by far the best he has faced this season? No doubt, a win on Saturday night in Lincoln would be the best for the Big Ten yet in what has been a miserable non-conference season.

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