make a bigger effort to win (money wise, from the programs), and…

play less Noon games.

Michigan, PSU, OSU, and Iowa clearly go all-out to win. What of the other schools?

We need to win big out of conference games, it’s that simple. Not just bowl games, but those early games that create national buzz. It’s only when those games are won that we have a benchmark set for the rest of the season for the commentators to go back to.
As far as exposure, noon games make a difference, but I think a lot of the exposure issues come from the BTN not being watched by anyone other than Big Ten fans, so most games not being seen by the bulk of the country. And that’s only going to get worse as the SEC/ESPN deal turns them from just friends with benefits to a full time married couple. Why will the worldwide leader bother to pimp any other conference ?

Recruit more athletes from California and the South for their presumed speed and agility.

This is a result of the media being stupid and lazy, everyone recruits in Florida and California—that includes the “slow” Big 10.

I’m not sure what the solution is, but it will eventually correct itself over time (I’m not saying it’s completely cyclical, just that it will appear to be that way because there are different solutions for different teams and said solutions aren’t always overt). There is too much money flowing into the top schools in the Big 10 for this to become a systemic problem (and this is not to say that there won’t be another down year or two, possibly three in the interim).

There is only one correct answer. Recruit more talent. It doesn’t matter where it’s from..just get it in the Big Ten.