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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> BEAST MODE On the heels of PSU's championship joyride, the Big Ten East is looking more and more like college football's best division W hen he was coaching at Van- derbilt a few years ago, James Franklin famously quipped that "there are three conferences that matter in football: the AFC, NFC and SEC." He quickly walked back that com- ment when he was hired by Penn State, but the sentiment behind it – that the Southeastern Conference was doing an end zone dance while everyone else in college football could only look on and fume – might still have passed for con- ventional wisdom in 2014. But now? After years of playing catch- up, it appears that the Big Ten has nar- rowed the gap and maybe even eliminated it. That's what one of Franklin's counter- parts argued at Big Ten media days in Chicago last month, and he, like his Penn State rival, has an SEC background on which to base the comparison. "I don't think there's a gap at all," said Ohio State's Urban Meyer, who spent six seasons at Florida before heading to Columbus. "I coached in the SEC East when that was one of the strongest [divi- sions] in the country, and I think the Big Ten East right now is every bit as strong as I can remember the SEC East [being]. "I was shocked at the disrespect the Big Ten had in 2012," Meyer added, re- ferring specifically to the state of the re- cruiting race when he joined the league. "I don't feel that at all anymore. I feel a great amount of respect nationally about the Big Ten. You sit and look at the na- tional recruiting rankings and you see the Big Ten everywhere, all over the place, and that's the way it should be. So there's a lot of credit to be given, obvi- ously, to the administrations that invest in their programs and to the coaching staffs that are out there doing the work. This is as tough a conference as there is." Meyer may have a vested interest in promoting the Big Ten, but he isn't alone in his assessment. The Big Ten has received kudos from throughout the college football commen- tariat this past off-season. "The league is back in a major way," wrote Austin Ward of ESPN.com. "And in case a reminder of that strength is needed, check the final national rank- ings where the Big Ten nearly took up half of the spots in the [2016] top 10. The conference has come roaring back to life and is stocked with multiple na- tional contenders, and the strength and depth at the top with Ohio State, Michi- gan, Wisconsin and Penn State just can't be matched." SI.com placed the Big Ten No. 1 in its rankings, with writer Joan Niesen focusing on the windfall that new TV deals have brought. "More than anything, this comes down to money, and the Big Ten is minting it and will be for some time, which can only mean more exposure, better facilities, better recruits – and likely better and better football," she wrote. Athlon placed the league third behind the SEC and At- lantic Coast Conference, but noted that the top echelon can compete with anybody: "The rise of the Big Ten East has elevated the league's | PLAYING CATCH-UP Ohio State tacklers give chase as Saquon Barkley sprints upfield during last year's matchup between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions. Photo by Bill Anderson B I G T E N R E P O R T

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