A week ago today, the Big Ten trumpeted a historic event on the front page of its weekly release. On Sept. 6, the Big Ten went 11-0, marking the first time every team won a game on the same day.

Never mind that just two of those wins came against BCS teams — Penn State beat Oregon State and Northwestern toppled a powerhouse Duke squad — this was a big deal for the Big Ten.

But fast-forwarding just one week paints a more realistic picture of the Big Ten, a storied conference in the midst of a significant downturn.

The Big Ten went 7-3 two days ago, but the losses spoke louder than the wins.

In his teleconference last week, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said he didn’t agree with the perception that the conference is weakening, but acknowledged that the only way to change peoples’ opinion is to win big games.

This week, that burden fell on the Big Ten’s “Big Two,” Ohio State and Michigan.

The Buckeyes traveled to California to take on Southern Cal in a matchup that received almost as much hype as a National Championship Game.

The Wolverines went down to South Bend to play a game that has more historical significance than current ramifications.

Ohio State and Michigan won’t be compared often this season, but both flopped on a big stage and further sullied the Big Ten’s tarnished image.

The Buckeyes were supposed to present a big test for Pete Carroll and his pack of five-star recruits. Sure, Beanie Wells didn’t play, but Ohio State got flat-out trounced in a way that one key injury can't excuse.

“I can't believe we screwed up so badly," Ohio State senior left tackle Alex Boone told USA Today after the game. “I feel like this is the national championship all over again: stupid penalties, stupid mistakes, roughing the passer, holding, offsides, personal fouls.”

Following blowout losses to Southeastern Conference teams in the last two National Championship games, that makes three straight choke jobs for the Buckeyes. Not exactly the best way to help out your conference.

But the Big Ten didn’t get any help from its other traditional power either.

Sure Notre Dame isn’t a powerhouse program anymore, but if Michigan had taken a win in South Bend, it would have marked a very visible victory for the Big Ten. Notre Dame is still a significant team on the national stage, if for no reason other than its history. A road win in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus is still a big deal.

Now it’s not like the Big Ten was without some bright moments this weekend. Wisconsin picked up a nice win at Fresno State and Purdue put a scare into a talented Oregon squad, taking the Ducks to double overtime.

Despite the two bright spots, the Big Ten is in the midst of a crisis of confidence.

What was once a perennial top-two conference is now perhaps the fourth best, behind the SEC, Big 12 and Pac 10.

The Big Ten went 3-5 in bowl games last year. The SEC was 7-2, including Louisiana State's thrashing of Ohio State in the BCS Championship Game. The Big 12 was 5-3, and the Pac 10 went 4-2.

Why does the Big Ten struggle so much against the other BCS conferences?

Last bowl season, there was a lot of talk about the Big Ten being at a disadvantage because of the rule against games after Thanksgiving. And it's true that the nation's best high school talent isn't in the Midwest anymore, making recruiting more difficult. But those factors don't combine to explain what happened at the Los Angeles Coliseum two days ago.

The Big Ten doesn’t have the talent to stack up against top teams from other conferences right now.

Until its talent-level rises, the Big Ten will be perceived as a second-rate conference. And it's hard to argue that's unfair.

— Sandals likes the hidden “11” in the Big Ten logo, but still thinks the entire conference needs to step up its game. He can be reached at nsandals@umich.edu.