When the Big Ten is down, everybody's quick to point it out. When it's doing well, nobody says a word.

Well, we're not afraid to say it: The Big Ten had a very good year, and it could get better if Ohio State, the league's first contestant in the BCS-arranged national championship game, delivers.

	QB Craig Krenzel led the Buckeys to a perfect season and a Fiesta Bowl bid.

The unbeaten Buckeyes head a list of four Big Ten teams in the top 12. Iowa, which came within one blown lead against Iowa State of also being unbeaten, gives the league a second BCS entry for the first time in three years. Michigan had only two missteps, and Penn State's three losses, including two in overtime, came by a total of 16 points.

Seven Big Ten teams are bowl-bound, although the other three are limping in. Purdue salvaged a 6-6 season by beating up on tailenders in its last two games. Minnesota will take a four-game losing streak into its bowl. And Wisconsin -- which went 2-6 in league play, an unofficial record for a team in a bowl -- sneaked in at 7-6 by beating the Gophers in their season finale.

The Big Ten did not lack for exciting offensive stars this fall. Iowa quarterback Brad Banks had a triumphant campaign and is very deserving of his conference MVP honors. But Penn State tailback Larry Johnson, who had a sensational 2,000-yard season, might be a better Heisman Trophy candidate. And if not for injuries, Ohio State freshman runner Maurice Clarett would have been in the hunt for both league and national hardware.

The Big Ten did not lack for embarrassing and/or bizarre moments, either. Four officials were suspended one game for inferior work, and Joe Paterno's bristly complaints about dubious officiating intensified the calls for the league to use instant replay.

Michigan State made a rare in-season coaching change, firing Bobby Williams when the Spartans ran into trouble on and off the field. And in one strange week, Wisconsin saw its star running back, Anthony Davis, stabbed by a girlfriend, and its injured star receiver, Lee Evans, arrested on a marijuana charge. Even Ohio State, which found itself in a tearing-down-the-goalpost controversy, was not immune.

And then, there was the league's early announcement that Iowa would play in a BCS bowl. Even if it was true, it was a tacky, thinly-veiled effort to give Big Ten teams more time to sell bowl tickets, and it was not appreciated by the conference's football colleagues around the nation.

Still, in football terms, it was a very good year in the Big Ten. And the league, which has taken its share of hits when it hasn't been competitive, deserves credit for having some good football teams this fall.

MVP: Brad Banks. The Iowa quarterback came out of nowhere to lead the nation in passing efficiency, and lead the Hawkeyes to an unbeaten record in conference play. Banks threw 25 touchdown passes with only four interceptions, and meshed well with a veteran offensive line and defense to guide the Hawkeyes to their first Orange Bowl trip.

Coach of the Year: Kirk Ferentz. It was a slow steady build, from 1-10 to 3-9 to 7-5 to 11-1. But in his fourth year, Ferentz got it done by molding unheralded recruits into a championship team. The Hawkeyes had balance, leading the Big Ten (sixth in the nation) in scoring, with 38.9 points a game, and finishing third in the league (20th nationally) in scoring defense (18.2 points a game). They also were poised unit that jolted Michigan 38-9 in Ann Arbor.

Newcomer of the Year: Maurice Clarett. If not for a shoulder injury that limited him in the second half of the season, the freshman might have made a run for the Heisman Trophy. Despite missing three games and playing hurt in others, Clarett wound up with 14 rushing touchdowns and averaged 119 yards a game, 16th in the nation (fourth in the Big Ten) in rushing.

Biggest surprise: Iowa. Kirk Ferentz, who's doing a fine job of molding a unit that gets the most out of its talent, built around a veteran offensive line, and found a running back in Fred Russell. The most encouraging part for the Hawkeyes is that their talent base figures to improve in the coming years. That, combined with an excellent coaching staff, could keep Iowa rolling.

Biggest disappointment: Michigan State. In September, the Spartans were ranked 15th in the nation and were expected to contend for the Big Ten title. But they unraveled big-time on the field and off, culminating in a 49-3 drubbing at Michigan on Nov. 2. That rout, combined with off-the-field problems that saw quarterback Jeff Smoker and running back Dawan Moss leave the team, wound up costing Bobby Williams his job with three games to go.

Illinois
The Illini, who returned 14 starters, had hoped to follow up on last year's Big Ten championship. But an unsettled quarterback situation and a porous defense during a 1-5 start left them with a disappointing campaign.

MVP: Antoineo Harris. It was a close call between Harris and passing-game stars such as Brandon Lloyd and Jon Beutjer. But the senior running back's big second half gets the nod. Harris had four games of more than 150 yards during Illinois' 4-2 finish.

Biggest disappointment: The Illini weren't ready to go during their 1-3 nonconference start. The effort that took Ohio State to overtime would have served Illinois well in early losses to Missouri, Southern Miss and San Jose State, but the coaches and the players were still searching for a winning combination in the early going. That left Illinois one victory short of a bowl trip.

Did you know: Despite a quarterback controversy that didn't settle down until November, Illinois was second in the Big Ten, and ninth nationally, in total offense (446.3 yards a game). The 5,356 yards was a school record, topping last year's 5,041 yards.

Indiana
Under new coach Gerry DiNardo, the Hoosiers had a few good moments, but wound up struggling as expected. Lack of depth in the rugged Big Ten wore them down as the year went on.

MVP: Gibran Hamdan. The senior quarterback led the Hoosiers to their biggest victory, a come-from-behind 32-29 shocker over Wisconsin, and provided some stability for a team making the transition to first-year coach Gerry DiNardo.

Biggest disappointment: The Hoosiers, who had shown signs they were going to be competitive in early October, collapsed down the stretch, allowing 234 points in their last five games. Indiana wound up 10th in the league in points allowed (37.1 a game) and last in scoring (21.5 points a game).

Did you know: With Indiana's defense on the field so much, two young Hoosiers, sophomore Herana-Daze Jones (9.8 tackles a game) and freshman John Kerr (9.5), finished among the top four tacklers in the Big Ten.

Iowa
The Hawkeyes had a banner year as coach Kirk Ferentz' patient development paid off in a veteran squad that had learned its lessons. The top-notch offensive line and defense paved the way for skill players such as Brad Banks and Fred Russell to shine.

MVP: Brad Banks. See Big Ten MVP.

Biggest disappointment: A blown lead against Iowa State kept the Hawkeyes from an unbeaten season. And their weak schedule strength kept them from being in the hunt to square off in the national championship Fiesta Bowl.

Did you know: Iowa's 8-0 record in conference play was its first perfect league performance since 1922.

Michigan
The Wolverines were close to having a big year, but gaps on offense proved to be difficult to overcome. John Navarre took the heat, but Michigan didn't have its usual complement of big-play players, particularly at running back. And the defense was prone to giving up critical big plays.

MVP: Quarterback John Navarre had many critics, and some of the criticism was well-founded. But Navarre was the key player in what was, overall, a pretty good season. Considering that two of their three losses, to Notre Dame and Ohio State, were by a combined seven points, the Wolverines were close to putting together a one-loss season.

Biggest disappointment: The Wolverines unraveled at home against Iowa, losing 34-9. The defeat was Michigan's worst home loss since it fell 34-0 to Michigan State in 1967.

Did you know: Michigan is 49-15 in eight years of Big Ten play under Lloyd Carr, but has gone to the Rose Bowl only once (1997) during that time.

Michigan State
What was supposed to be a good year turned into a season of troubles. The Spartans didn't play well and had off-the-field turmoil, which led to the firing of coach Bobby Williams.

MVP: Charles Rogers didn't mount the Heisman Trophy campaign some expected. But amid all the Spartans' turmoil, he still had a fine season, leading the Big Ten, and was sixth in the nation, with 112.6 receiving yards per game. He also set an NCAA record for most consecutive games with a touchdown catch.

Biggest disappointment: Bobby Williams, the coach who lost control of his team and lost his job. When Williams, an assistant under Nick Saban, was elevated to head coach before the Spartans Citrus Bowl appearance at the end of the 1999 season, it was viewed as a feel-good story. Instead, the Spartans became a disaster area in Williams' third full season.

Did you know: After scoring only 50 points in their last four games under Williams, the Spartans scored 98 points in their next two games under interim coach Morris Watts.

Minnesota
The young Gophers used a soft nonconference schedule as a springboard to a bowl season. But they weren't competitive in their last four games of the year against Big Ten heavyweights.

MVP: He wore down along with the rest of the Gophers, but quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq was the key to their 7-1 start. Among players on bowl-bound Big Ten teams, Abdul-Khaliq finished fourth in total offense (207.5 yards) behind Brad Banks, John Navarre and Zack Mills.

Biggest disappointment: Under the weight of a fierce schedule, Minnesota collapsed, losing its last four games by a combined 169-79.

Did you know: Minnesota is going to its third bowl in four years under Glen Mason. Before that, it had played in only five bowls in more than a century of football.

Northwestern
It was another struggle of a season for the Wildcats, who had major problems on defense. Injuries on both sides of the ball didn't help matters.

MVP: Freshman quarterback Brett Basanez, who led the Big Ten in total offense (230 yards a game) and was second in passing yards (220.4), was the linchpin in the Wildcats' offense.

Biggest disappointment: The NU defense was a disaster area, allowing a Big Ten-worst 502.3 yards a game, including 313.6 rushing yards. NU wasn't even close, allowing 78 more rushing yards and 74 more total yards than Indiana, which finished 10th in both categories.

Did you know: Except for its 2000 bowl season, when it went 8-4, NU is a combined 10-24 in its other three campaigns under Randy Walker.

Ohio State
Second-year coach Jim Tressel is the toast of Ohio. By making the most of abundant talent, he has the Buckeyes one game from their first national championship since 1968.

MVP: This is a tough call. When healthy, Maurice Clarett was sensational. And defenders such as safety Mike Doss and linebacker Matt Wilhelm had great years. But quarterback Craig Krenzel gets the nod for keeping the Buckeyes unbeaten when the going got tough.

Biggest disappointment: When you're talking about a 13-0 team, this will be nit-picking. But the Buckeyes weren't overpowering in the final month of the season, particularly in narrow escapes at Purdue and Illinois.

Did you know: Jim Tressel (2-0) has won as many games in two years against Michigan as his predecessor, John Cooper (2-10-1), won in 13 seasons.

Penn State
After two losing seasons, the Nittany Lions were back. Three close losses kept them from having an outstanding year, but they still were very competitive, and could have accomplished a lot more with a few more favorable bounces.

MVP: Running back Larry Johnson had a Heisman-Trophy-worthy year, breaking the school's single-game rushing record three times en route to becoming Penn State's single-season rushing leader.

Biggest disappointment: Penn State couldn't catch a break in its three losses. Two were in overtime, to Iowa and Michigan. And in its 13-7 loss at Ohio State, it didn't allow an offensive touchdown. No wonder Joe Paterno was chasing down the officials.

Did you know: Larry Johnson is only the ninth college player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season.

Purdue
The Boilermakers were good, but not great on both sides of the ball, and came up a few inches short in too many games. But they still salvaged another bowl trip under Joe Tiller.

MVP: Taylor Stubblefield (7.78 catches per game, sixth in the nation) made a nice comeback in nine games from a freak offseason head injury. But John Standeford gets the nod of strength of his 1,202 receiving yards, 500 more than Stubblefield. Standeford was third in the Big Ten with 5.42 catches per game, and second in receiving yards per game (100.2)

Biggest disappointment: Purdue's six losses came by a total of 26 points. Four were by four points or less, and one of the Boilers' two seven-point losses came in overtime.

Did you know: The Boilermakers have gone to a bowl in each of Joe Tiller's six seasons as head coach.

Wisconsin
Even during their 5-0 nonconference start, the Badgers were showing they had problems. Once Big Ten play began, those problems became major flaws that turned a team that looked like a conference contender into an also-ran.

MVP: Like the entire team, Anthony Davis didn't have the season he envisioned, particularly during a bizarre incident in which he was stabbed in the thigh during a domestic dispute and missed the Illinois game. But the 2001 Big Ten rushing champion still finished third in the conference, and 14th in the nation, with 121.3 yards a game.

Biggest disappointment: The failure of Lee Evans, who had been expected to return from a major knee injury, really hurt the Badgers. A young receiving corps dropped a lot of balls that could have been difference-makers, particularly when Wisconsin started its Big Ten skid.

Did you know: The Badgers' first three losses of the season, to Penn State, Indiana and Ohio State, came by a total of 11 points.

Herb Gould covers college football for the Chicago Sun-Times.