In 2012, the Ohio State Buckeyes signed the then two-time national champion Urban Meyer to become the head coach of its football team. Upon doing so, the Big Ten conference was then changed for the foreseeable future. This is because that is what great leaders do – they make everyone around them better and raise the level of the entire organization.
As reported in the August 23rd edition of the USA Today, the Big Ten’s surge can be traced back to the hiring of Meyer. Meyer forced every team in the conference to up its game in an effort to keep up.
As a result, the following are 3 Reasons All Leaders Need To Know Why The Big 10 Has Passed The SEC As College Football’s Best Conference:
- Hire Elite Leaders – If you want your church, business, non-profit, educational team, or athletic organization to get better, hire a great leader. The Big Ten got better because it made the decision to pay top dollar for top coaches. First was Meyer (who previously coached Florida in the SEC). Then Penn State hired James Franklin from Vanderbilt (Big Ten got better, SEC got worse). Michigan scored a major coup getting former Super Bowl coach Jim Harbaugh. Illinois also signed a former Super Bowl coach in Lovie Smith. And let’s not forget the talented Paul Chryst who was hired at Wisconsin. While the Big Ten was ascending, the SEC lost coaches Mark Right (who currently has the #1 recruiting class at Miami) and national champion coaches Les Miles and Steve Spurrier.
- Recruit Elite Talent – Great coaches attract great talent. In 2013, 11 SEC schools were in the Top 25 in recruiting as opposed to only three in the Big 10. Fast forward to 2017 – five Big 10 teams were in the Top 20.
- Deliver Elite Results – Never confuse activity with accomplishment. The measure of any conference is its ability to contend for national championships. The Big 10’s bowl record in 2012 prior to Meyer’s hiring was 2-5. Last year it was 3-7 but they had 10 teams make bowl games and the conference is making significant progress. Let’s also not forget Meyer’s Ohio State team won the 2014 national championship.
My prediction is Ohio State will win this year’s national championship. Furthermore, I predict Penn State running back Saquon Barkley will win the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s best player. It should be a great year for the Big 10.
If you want to get better as an organization, hire elite leaders who will attract elite talent who will then deliver elite results.
To receive leadership insights from Coach Nick Saban, click HERE or on the image to the left for my new ebook The Leadership Of Nick Saban: Timeless Truths From The Incomparable Head Coach Of The Alabama Crimson Tide. Enjoy!