There has definitely been a shift away from the Big 10 this decade.
OSU still turns out a lot of NFL players, but the SEC, Big 12 and PAC 10 may be more appealing to young athletes, particularly those more prone to be defensive players.
Of course the Mid-West, in general is the part of the country that is declining the most, in terms of economy, population, etc., so it stands to reason it is also impacting the athletics.
You are correct.. I have never heard anybody bring this up, but the Big Ten has diminished with mass migration out of the rust belt to the South..
I'll agree with you on that. And with the addition of Alabama next year, there will finally be a new top dog that will able to compete in any bowl game they get invited to.
I don't know what happened to Michigan but it's not the cold so it has to be the coaching. As for MSU, holy cow, did they bottom out! Hopefully their first winning season in many, many years will now enable them to start recruiting great players......we'll see.