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Today, all across America, young men will fax (LOLWUT) their National Letter of Intent to a school that essentially locks them into that University for the next four years.
Fanbases of those schools have been lighting up Twitter, Facebook, and message boards with 'inside information' about which kid is going to go where. Some of the info is good, some of it is bad, and some if it is shit's on fire crazy.
After today, it ends, at least for the incoming class of 2013. Overall the B1G is predicted to be kind of so-so. Ohio State and Michigan look to be pulling away this year from the rest of the conference, with Nebraska a distant third. The current rankings heading into signing day are as follows, including future members Rutgers and Maryland:
School | Scout | Rivals | 247 | Avg Rank |
Ohio State | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2.67 |
Michigan | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4.67 |
Nebraska | 10 | 16 | 17 | 14.3 |
Michigan State | 36 | T-38 | 37 | 37 |
Wisconsin | 32 | T-38 | 30 | 33.3 |
Penn State | 37 | 42 | 24 | 34.3 |
Illinois | 35 | 44 | 55 | 44.67 |
Northwestern | 40 | 50 | 54 | 48 |
Indiana | 58 | T-52 | 57 | 55.67 |
Iowa | 49 | T-52 | 53 | 51.3 |
Purdue | 63 | 59 | 66 | 62.67 |
Minnesota | 79 | 63 | 74 | 72 |
Rutgers | 30 | 41 | 51 | 40.67 |
Maryland | 51 | 49 | 36 | 45.3 |
I'm fairly ambivalent about overall rankings. Wisconsin, for example, never really brings in highly touted classes, but were two hail mary passes from playing for a national championship a couple years ago. That said, you need talent to win at the national level, and right now most of it is heading to the SEC. A lot of that has to do with the coaching in the B1G until recently, and with an influx of good coaches like Darrell Hazell, Jerry Kill, and Kevin Wilson, wins will translate into better overall talent. But right now, it's the SEC's world, and everyone else is just living in it.
Except kids who get oversigned by SEC schools and have to go elsewhere.
So feel free to comment about recruits as they send their LOI's to your school, and let us know what you think of your newest freshman.