Rivalry and mutual hatred aside, there is one thing that most Buckeye and Wolverine fans can adamantly agree on; Ohio State and M*chigan are the best programs in the Big Ten Conference. Sure, other schools have made significant improvements and managed to place themselves near the top every year (i.e. Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State). There are also years in which the streakier schools in the conference make a run at a title (i.e. Illinois, Northwestern), and let’s not forget the occasional down year(s) for these two powerhouse schools (i.e. M*chigan 2008-2010, OSU 2011). When all is said and done, however, the odds are that the Wolverines and Buckeyes, or at least one of the two, will have a say in the Big Ten Championship. After all, M*chigan has 42 conference titles, OSU has 35 to its name, and the next closest school (Minnesota) has 18, with the most recent being in 1941.

With new coaches Brady Hoke and Urban Meyer either settling in or furiously beginning their campaigns as the boss, it would appear that this recurring B1G theme is on track to continue. Both schools have hit the trail in 2012 recruiting with a “last season ever” mentality, and are clearly separating themselves from conference competition. This is not simply one person’s opinion, but, as you can see from the stats below (click on the Continue Reading link), it is an indisputable fact.

Hindsight will always be the best determining factor for which recruiting class is the best, but in the meantime, we need to rely on the experts. The people that I choose to rely on for recruiting information are out there at the high schools watching games, noting offensive and defensive styles, and looking for strengths and weaknesses to make their educated guesses on how good a player is and how successful he will be. Scout.com is one of the best in the business and provided the stats below:

M*chigan’s current recruiting class is ranked #2 in the nation, and OSU’s class is sitting at #5. The next closest Big Ten school is Wisconsin, whose ranking of #35 in the nation puts them behind notably average schools like Virginia (20), Cincinnati (21), and Pittsburgh (22), and behind awful pigskin programs Kentucky (30) and Vanderbilt (32).

The Big Ten currently has 13 of the Top 100 prospects in the nation committed to its schools. 10 of these 13 players will be going to Ohio State (5) and M*chigan (5). The others are split up, one each, between Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan State. Also of note, those 3 recruits are all ranked below Ohio State’s top 5 recruits.

Out of the players that have committed to Big Ten schools, only 5 of them received the highest ranking possible from Scout, 5 stars. Of these 5 star athletes, 4 will be Buckeyes and the other (Kyle Kalis, an Ohio native) will be a Wolverine in the fall. Side note, OSU’s 4 defensive line recruits — who will be facing Kalis soon enough — are currently averaging 4.75 stars per player.

There are 39 4 star recruits, the next highest honor that a player can receive, in the Big Ten 2012 class. 19 of these will be playing in The Game at some point (M*chigan 13, OSU 6), and the remaining 20 are divided up among the other schools, although Indiana and Purdue are yet to recruit a 4 star player yet. It should be noted that Wisconsin’s class has 7 4 star recruits at this time, but one is expected to leave for Ohio State (Kyle Dodson – OT), as his commitment currently remains a “soft verbal” to Wisconsin. This is roughly equivalent to me telling my wife that I should be able to attend the ballet with her a few months down the road “unless something comes up.”

There are only two teams in the conference, you’ll never guess who, that have an average commitment ranking above 3.5 stars per recruit (Ohio State 3.74, M*chigan 3.65). The remainder of the teams range from 2.22 (Minnesota) to 3.42 (Wisconsin).

So, what does all this mean for the Big Ten? Simply this: Urban Meyer and Brady Hoke are making a major statement already in their B1G coaching careers, and if the rest of the conference does not step up soon to compete, then top recruits will continue to choose maize & blue or scarlet & gray. There will certainly be hidden gems within the 3 star recruit pool, but with OSU and M*chigan stealing away roughly 80% of the top talent, I know who I’d bet on to be playing for the conference title every year. This could even lead to a modern version of the 10-Year War, but that’s another blog completely.