Nothing like college football coaches talking honestly about their rivals, right? Athlon Sports is back with its annual round of anonymous, inter-conference commentary from coaches across the country -- and the Big Ten is full of good fodder.
Valenti and Rico break it down, ranking each unfiltered review on a scale of 1 to 5.
Regarding Michigan State, opposing conference coaches say the Spartans are "the 50-50 program in the Big Ten:"
"You never know what you're gonna get when they actually line up against you. They're talented enough to beat most teams, and then sometimes they can't put anything together. ... In the Big Ten, they're Ole Miss. They're getting better at high school recruiting, but they're still locked on the portal."
Rico says: "That's spot on. They're 50-50. Ole Miss, that's a good example. In any given game, you're like, 'Wow, where has this team been?' and then you get losing to Indiana in double overtime."
Regarding Michigan, the coaches said that "last season really sealed it for them" as a "different program" in the Big Ten:
"The gap between them and Ohio State hasn't been this close in decades. ... It's reload, not rebuild, which is something they've been able to claim like Ohio State or an SEC team. The transfers are good, the backfield is great, the QB is great, they've got speed on the edges and defensively they're consistent and smart."
Valenti calls it a 4.75, citing one issue: "I don't know if J.J. McCarthy is great." Rico calls it a 4, "only because I think the gap between Michigan and Ohio State is huge, because Ohio State is not the same team anymore. Michigan has surpassed them, and it's not even close."
And regarding the Buckeyes, the coaches still see them as the most talented team in the Big Ten:
"This is the only roster in the league that could've beat Georgia last year. The talent matches the SEC at every position group, year in and year out. The perspective is the problem because if you lose to Michigan, the season is a bust. The program is in great hands and (Ryan) Day is a top-tier head coach. It's just the standard is what it is."
Rico deems it a 4, "because Ryan Day can't get past Michigan and I think that's in his head. I can't say they're in great hands with Ryan Day anymore."