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[QUOTE="RF2044, post: 3289638, member: 40"]
I don't just THINK it -- OSU [U]IS[/U] down.  For pete's sake -- they were poised to take over #1 earlier in the season, being ranked #2 early on, right before the bottom dropped out.  If you don't think that is a precipitous decline from where they are now versus what they were expected to be in the early part of the season, then let's just agree to disagree.  they lost 5 or 6 in a row at one point, plummeting out of the rankings entirely.

I don't just THINK MSU is down -- they were ranked preseason #1.  Now, they are hanging onto #25 by the skin of their teeth, and lost earlier in the week.  That isn't some subjective opinion, they're teetering on the precipice of being unranked, after starting the season ranked #1.

At one point, Michigan was a top 5 team, too -- now they are #24 and approaching double digit losses.

The ACC has the opposite issue -- three extremely good teams ranked in the top 10, and the middle quality isn't there this year.  The B1G has a bunch of middle teams, but no elite teams.

OSU isn't losing to conference foes because the opposition is so strong -- they're losing because they are mediocre, were overrated, and not that good themselves.

In a normal season, with the usual suspects like Michigan State, Wisconsin, and others that have had sustained success are playing at their expected level, then the mid-tier teams in that conference all have 3, 4, 5, or more additional conference losses.  That isn't the case this year, which is why middling teams that rarely are good like Rutgers, Penn State, etc. are playing "better" than they normally do.  It's not that they've ascended, it's that the top tier has descended and is now playing down to their level.
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