After nearly a month of constant oral diarrhea spewing from SEC fans' mouths about how Penn State had no chance against LSU, my inbox is now open.
So, LSU fans, your apologies should be emailed to:
ZombieNationPSU[at]gmail[dot]com
Be aware, however, that your emails are open for publishing on this web site. So if you don't want your words put out there for everyone to read, don't send it.
Let's take a ride around the MSM's Big Four to see what they have to say about the Big Ten's bowl debut last night: (I'll try to do this for every day the Big Ten plays a bowl)
• If the win over Miami is any indicator of what the Badgers are capable of, Wisconsin could be at the top of the Big Ten when 2010 ends, writes Andy Staples at SI.com and Adam Rittenberg at ESPN.com.
• SportingNews' Matt Hayes is confused: how could a speedy southern team actually lose to a slow northern team? Something must have been seriously wrong with Miami last night, according to Hayes; because you know, there's no way Wisconsin might actually have been a better team than the 'Canes.
• Of course, anyone with half a brain could see that Wisconsin not only came into the game better prepared, but was in fact the better overall team on the field, writes Rittenberg. Even Heather Dinich had to agree.
• I don't know why I even go to CBSSports.com. All we got on this game was the wire story and a bunch of message board whack jobs. Dennis Dodd must be waiting until all the Big Ten bowls are played, then he can pick out the few losses to argue that the Big Ten should drop football and the SEC should just become the NFC Southeast.
From the only main-stream blogger worth reading:
"Speaking to Wisconsin's athletic board on Friday, Alvarez, the former longtime Badgers football coach, said the conference already has investigated possibilities for expansion "from all over the country." And though he places no timetable on the search, Alvarez thinks conference commissioner Jim Delany will respond to a group of athletic directors and coaches who want expansion."I know Alvarez is a guy who doesn't back down from something like this. So, let's hope there is more meat to this bone we're being thrown here. Could we see another run at Notre Dame, with the new regime coming into South Bend?
Penn State's senior quarterback Daryll Clark, and Michigan's senior defensive end Brandon Graham, have split the Chicago Tribune Silver Football Trophy vote for the best player in the Big Ten. It is the first time in the award's history (since 1924) that more than one player receives the honor.
On the Big Ten Network's exclusive announcement last night, Gerry DiNardo defended Clark's selection, "Some of it falls on Clark," BTN analyst Gerry DiNardo said, "but the majority of it should not. Penn State's offense is built to run the football... Did he make some bad decisions in those games? No question. But he hardly could get his feet set. It seemed like he had to start moving at 2.3 seconds."
In today's Tribune article, Big Ten beat reporter Teddy Greenstein jabbed Clark's selection, pointing out the cliche that DC can't win in the clutch, specifically this season. Clark is more likely to be a fourth- or fifth-round pick. The chiseled 6-foot-2, 230-pounder excelled this season in 10 games, completing 66.4 of his passes with a 22/6 touchdown pass/interception split... But in his team's two biggest games, against Iowa and Ohio State, he completed just 24 of 60 passes, firing four picks and one touchdown pass. Both were losses.
We all know that DiNardo's assessment is much more intelligent, not to mention backed up by actual football analysis. But let's not get into the negatives of this. Clark earned this by leading a severely depleted Penn State squad to another 10-win season and a New Years Day bowl berth. He has been a great leader for the Nittany Lions, and should be appreciated by all fans for it.
Past Nittany Lions who have been awarded the Silver Football are quarterbacks Michael Robinson (2005) and Kerry Collins (1994).
College football is shifting into overdrive, preparing for the long haul until January. Every day, you can't spend five minutes on the internet or TV and not find something new previewing the 2009 college football season.
Sports Center now has a daily segment dedicated to kickoff week, while the sports pages are buzzing.
So, let's say this preseason stuff was wrapped up into ten questions. What would they be? Let's find out.
10. Isn't Tim Tebow great?
9. Who's better, Terrelle Pryor or Superman? (Trick question, Pryor is Superman)
8. Will Oklahoma ever win another BCS bowl?
7. Is the Big East still playing football?
6. Who is this year's Utah/Boise State?
5. How bad does the Big Ten stink?
4. How many SEC teams won't go undefeated?
3. Isn't Florida great?
2. Should we just give the BCS National Title to Florida now? I mean, they're going to get it anyway. Why bother even playing the season?
1. Isn't Tim Tebow great?
Did I forget any? I'm sure I did, but you get the idea.
Penn State football camp opened today, but let's first get a little blood pumping in today's Red Meat Monday. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the World Wide Leader in all its Big Ten-disparaging glory.
Mark Schlabach ranks the conferences, and as you would expect, the SEC leads the way.
1. SEC - "Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss are potential top-10 teams along with the Gators."
Adam Rittenberg counters with typical grounded logic.
2. Big XII - "Oklahoma and Texas are national title contenders, and Oklahoma State is a dark horse to be in the BCS mix. Kansas and Nebraska are slowly closing the gap in the Big 12 North."
3. ACC - "The league has been ridiculed in recent seasons for not being very good, but there might not be a more balanced conference in 2009."
4. Pac-10 - "Despite losing a boatload of talent to the NFL, it would be a big surprise if USC didn't win at least a share of the Pac-10 championship for the eighth season in a row."
5. Big Ten - "Illinois, Iowa and Michigan State will be tough outs, but the Big Ten simply isn't as strong when Michigan isn't very good."
6. Mountain West - "The Utes aren't going away, and neither are TCU, BYU and Air Force."
7. Big East - "After proving it was BCS-worthy with a few key bowl victories in recent seasons, the Big East again needs a jolt of energy in 2009."
8. Western Athletic - "In 2008, Boise State came within two points of finishing unbeaten for the second time in three seasons, but the Broncos could use some help.""The SEC has become the nation's preeminent conference, but how many other leagues separate the Big Ten from the top?
I swear, you wouldn't know from his writing that Rittenberg is the WWL's resident Big Ten blogger. He's supposed to be a homer, but unlike pretty much all the others on that site, he's most definitely not.
I put the Big 12 at No. 2 in my conference power rankings, but well behind the SEC and not far in front of the Pac-10 and Big Ten. The Big 12's quarterback play is superb and the offensive innovation... is fun to watch. But the Big 12 was less than impressive during the postseason. Though the Big Ten went 0-3 against the Big 12 in bowls, two of those games (Fiesta and Alamo) easily could have gone the other way.
Still, the Big Ten's putrid postseason performances can't be overlooked."
I was thinking about writing my own counter to Schlabach's rankings, but unless I want to pump out 3,000 words on the double standard applied to the Big Ten, I'll leave this for your own thought.
Up later
Penn State camp opened today!
We can pretend the AP Poll still counts, but it doesn't. That role is reserved for the only BCS-valid human poll in college football -- the coaches' poll by USA Today. With its release today, Penn State will begin its quest for a second straight Big Ten title at No. 8.
Notes on the 2009 preseason USA Today poll (below the fold)
• Penn State is the only team to start 2009 where it left off in 2008, No. 8.
• No. 6 Ohio State is ranked two spots ahead of Penn State, probably because Terrelle Pryor can shoot lightening out of his eyes at opposing defenses.
• For the first time since 2003, USC (No. 4) will begin the season outside USA Today's top three.
• The SEC leads the way with five ranked teams; the Big Ten has three -- PSU, OSU and Iowa.
• No. 9 LSU is the highest team to end last season unranked.
• Penn State begins the season with its highest preseason ranking since 1999.
• Six other Big Ten teams -- Michigan St., Illinois, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan and Minnesota -- received votes.
• No. 23 Notre Dame is the only ranked team to win fewer than eight games (7-6) in 2008; No. 9 LSU (8-5) is the only eight-win team.
Have a great weekend!
We all had a clue last week that Penn State would play Iowa at night, along with an early evening kickoff in Evanston against Northwestern. But since it's all been made official today, here's the earliest announced kickoff times for 2009:
PENN STATE IN PRIME TIME 2009
Sept. 26 -- IOWA at PENN STATE, 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN
Oct. 31 -- PENN STATE at NORTHWESTERN, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2
The Big Ten will send seven teams to the college football post season, with the marquee game in Pasadena between Penn State and Southern Cal. You could say it's important for the conference as a whole to have a strong showing, especially since every opponent will be from a BCS conference. But you could also argue that if Penn State loses to USC, no one in the main stream media will care what the rest of the Big Ten does. Here's a quick rundown of all the Big Ten bowl games:
Rose: Penn State vs. USC - "The Grand Daddy Of Them All" could earn its weight in TV ratings this New Years Day, especially if Penn State pulls the upset. Would it really be an upset? Anyone who watched Penn State closely this year will tell you, not really. USC is a bit overrated, but I wouldn't be at all shocked if the Trojans win another Rose Bowl. This could be the best bowl game of the season, outside of the national championship game.
Mark May opened his fat mouth again, saying he doesn't think it will be close. Lou Holtz is a Penn State (or at least, a geriatric for JoePa) homer and said Penn State should win. I don't think I've disliked an "analyst" as much as I do Mark May.
Fiesta : Ohio State vs. Texas - How great is this game? I love it. Texas is a monster, who I feel should have played for the national championship. Ohio State should come out ready, particularly since this isn't a national championship game against the SEC. I don't think the Buckeyes will win this game, but you have to remember just how good this Texas team is. The Longhorns could be the best team ever, not to play for the title.
Capital One: Michigan State vs. Georgia - Georgia will be out for blood, after coming into the season as the anointed national champion, only to lose three games. The Bulldogs are probably one of the most overrated teams in recent history. Michigan State couldn't be happier, emerging as a late contender for the Big Ten title after years of mediocrity. This game will probably come down to
Outback: Iowa vs. South Carolina - This won't be as good a game as ESPN would like it to be. South Carolina is not a very good team, in a vastly overrated conference this year. Did you think that should a game come down to quarterbacks, Iowa would have the edge over anyone? Well, the Hawkeyes have a much better offense, led by Shonn Greene, and a much better defensive front than the Gamecocks. It could get ugly in Tampa.
Alamo: Northwestern vs. Missouri - Missou doesn't deserve to be this low in the bowl pecking order, a victim of the best conference in college football this year. Northwestern had a great run this year, and deserved a good bowl game against a good opponent. The Tigers could prove to be too much for the Wildcats, but there's always hope.
Champs Sports: Wisconsin vs. Florida State - Two brand-name teams in an off-brand bowl game. I'll watch this bowl, just because I enjoy big-name teams facing off in the post season. I don't expect it to be good football, though. The Badgers might get caught in the "if only" mentality, after falling from their lofty preseason hype.
Insight: Minnesota vs. Kansas - The Golden Gophers are headed to a bowl game, but it probably feels like the national championship after going 1-11 last year. This year wasn't just a turnaround, it was a complete re-direction of the program, and could end with an exclamation point with a win over the Jayhawks.
*Ed- Every few days, I'll post a preview of all the Big Ten bowl games, in chronological order. Then I'll tackle the non-Big Ten BCS bowls. Also this week, I'll post the normal stuff, like my Top 25 tomorrow.
Sorry, folks, but if you were to look at which game should scare the living hell out of every Big Ten fan, look no further than Cal Poly visiting Wisconsin Saturday.
Despite the one loss this year, Poly (8-1) has run roughshod over its opponents (including FBS's San Diego State), to the tune of 46.4 ppg to 23 ppg. The offense has been incredible, totalling 493 ypg, and 303 rush ypg. Six players have rushed for more than 277 yards, with two going for more than 526. Poly also is currently ranked No. 3 in the FCS polls. Their quarterback, Jonathan Dally, and safety, David Fullerton, were both named Great West Conference players of the week.
Now, I understand that the level of competition has been non-comparable. However, Wisconsin has not only been one of the most disappointing teams in FBS this year, it hasn't even been due to fluky plays or a bad call here or there. Wisconsin is averaging 28 ppg, to opponents 24.4 ppg. You could say that it started in Ann Arbor (don't worry Badger fans, I won't rehash that one), but looking at where this team was supposed to be in 2008, you could say it all started by struggling at then-No. 21 Fresno State, a team that we now know is very mediocre.
This isn't to say that Cal Poly has a great shot to beat Wisconsin in Madison. But what if they even come close? The SEC has done a fantastic job this season covering up their own poser-like season, by continuing to trash the Big Ten for losing to so many MAC/lesser teams. Imagine what we would hear from the rest of the nation, should Wisconsin fail to secure this win by halftime? Considering it's the last week of the Big Ten season, with no other games to make up for a poor performance, this is a huge game for the Big Ten. Wisconsin has the weight of a conference's reputation on its back this week.
Not to pressure you guys or anything...
Sure, we in the Big Ten know all too well what it's like to scream, week in and week out, that the SEC isn't the NFL-lite. Right now, the only friends of the SEC are ESPN and CBS (note: the two networks that have financial interests in hyping up the conference), while everyone else outside of the SEC/ESPN/CBS axis of evil knows the truth: The SEC just isn't that good this year.
Take a few minutes, and read this blog entry. It's worth the time.
Please welcome Joe, from Paint the Town Orange, a fine Illinois blog. I shot some questions his way, and he was kind enough to answer them. We're all really excited for this weekend's primetime battle between Penn State and the Illini. So without any more blather from me, here's what PTTO thinks of the game.
1. Illinois had one of the better defenses in the Big Ten last season, but so far r this year, that Illini unit ranks dead last in Big Ten scoring defense and second to last in total defense. Are you worried this week, going up against Penn State, the Big Ten's best scoring offense and best total offense? What's Illinois' biggest defensive weakness?Am I worried about the PSU offense? Absolutely. It is a balanced dynamic spread offense that is going to put pressure on the line backers to drop back into coverage a lot, as well as keep track of Daryll Clark, Penn State has put up some gaudy number against inferior competition in the last few weeks and the way they hurl the ball around the field makes me sick.
2. If Illinois has one hope of slowing down PSU's offense, what is it and how do the Illini do it?
Admittedly, This will not be the best offense that Illinois sees this season, but based on these first few weeks, it wont face another one like it the rest of the season. In the first 3 weeks there has been a major weakness in the Illini defense that is the middle against the run, and that is at every phase of the defense. Up front, the loss of Sirod Williams in camp along with the curious absence of Josh Brent through the first 2 games made DT a major concern, DE Will Davis moved inside and true Freshman Corey Liuget has been rushed into early play. At linebacker Britt Miller, with the exception of Week 3, has not shown either the athleticism he is known for, or the gap discipline that his predecessor J Leman could be relied upon for. At the Safety position the Illini have been without their best Strong Safety Donsay Hardeman with a knee injury up until this coming week. The result of this soft and inexperienced middle? Over 100 yards rushing allowed in both weeks one and two. Scary.Without a doubt the Illini will be the healthiest on defense this week as they have been all year. The aforementioned Hardeman, and Brent will be back, which moves the best D-lineman Will Davis, back to his true position of DE. I have not watched much Penn State football so far this year, most of what I know comes from the Syracuse game, and I frankly don't know exactly how a defense is supposed to really attack the "spread HD" or whatever it is called, other than just staying discliplined and keeping the receivers from getting open. From week 2 to week 3, Brit Miller showed the most improvement, getting involved in the backfield 3 times in the same series against ULL and scoring his first TD. If the line doesn't give the run any free yards, Will Davis will be heard from in this game, he has the speed to catch a mobile QB, and he will get a sack this game. Overall though what is most important is keeping the game from becoming another St Louis. Illinois can't give up easy points and bad penalties, and it must RUN THE BALL. The best way to diffuse the explosion of points that is Penn State's offense is to keep the ball on the ground and control the clock. Illinois has shown its ability to put up points in gobs as well, but it usually is not a good sign if Juice is throwing as much as he did against Mizzou.
3. How much has the loss of Rashard Mendenhall hurt the Illinois offense, not necessarily in yards, but in consistency? Hearing Rashard Mendenhall and "consistency" kind of makes me chuckle. Prior to last year, Rashard could be counted on to fumble more than anything. Last year was a red letter for the Illinois run game though. In week 3 against Syracuse Rashard really established himself as the obvious every down back. This year we have thus far used 4 runners in an attempt to find consistency. Of these 2 are true freshman, 1 is a redshirt freshman and last is Daniel Dufrene, the RS Junior who has taken the most snaps. Dufrene showed a good amount of speed at OSU last year, but has not shown the burst through the hole, or the sheer strength that Rashard did. There is nothing that this team would love more this year than to have him back, let me tell you.
4. What's your personal memory about last year's Illini upset of the Lions in Champaign?I remember plenty. I was sitting in the student section and had never ever heard my fellow students cheer as loud as they did when Rejus ran the ball back on the kickoff to respond to PSU's field goal. (bad teams lead to much lower standards, and we have had some bad teams.) I was struck by, and I may be hitting a sore spot here, just how many opportunities to take the game back that Morelli wasted. One way or another though, the Illini defense showed that it could run with the offense of a ranked team. It didn't become real until Kevin Mitchell picked off that last pass, but I was there when the team rushed into the stands of the student section to celebrate with us. We could blow out PSU this year, but it wont mean as much as that first big win last year.
5. Going forward, what's the rest of the season look like for Illinois 1.) if they lose to PSU, 2.) if they beat PSU?
(a buddy took a video of the end of the game here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqO-mqYbc4c)Thus far the season has gone basically according to script, but I don't know if this week will follow my preseason predictions. Penn State is playing much better than I thought, and the Illini D is playing much worse. The Big Ten is pretty wide open right now, and it would not surprise me one bit if, Illinois loses this game and ends the year at 8-4. On the other hand should Illinois beat the "Nitally Lions" then there may never be as good a shot at a Big Ten title for the Illini than this year. OSU is now putting a true freshman in at QB and could be conceding a third straight conference crown. If Illinois wants to consider itself in the top 4 of the Big Ten its going to have to beat some combination of Penn State Wisconsin and Ohio State. We will learn an awful lot about how good both teams are this weekend.
6. Game score?Optimally 28-21 Illinois, but I would look for a much higher score, on both sides, if the D can't play to its talent level. Least optimal score- 42-35.
Extra Point:
PSU's All-American DE Mo Evans and DT Abe Koroma returned to practice today, and should see playing time vs Illinois. Does that change your outlook at all on this game? It certainly doesn't help my cause, but they played against us last year and we ended up winning. My biggest concern might be that last year this game was played at 11am in Champaign, and this will be a prime time white-out game. We do appreciate the respect that sends to our team you know, that we are good enough now to warrant a white out.
*Coming later: A quick rundown of Paterno's Presser
Sean Jackson, a CFN blogger, had a coherent (that was about it) write up on how the Big Ten can be better in 2008. Now, I won’t get into the fact that he’s just one of the many talking about the Big Ten as if it’s the MAC or even the Big East circa 2004. Jackson just made some fundamental mistakes in his assessment of the conference going into 2008, mistakes which should have been, at the very least, addressed by CFN before publishing the article. “It’s essential that the Big Ten establishes a tone early in the season especially for the younger teams such as Michigan, Penn State, and Michigan State. If the younger teams can develop confidence from the beginning of the year, it’ll make the Big Ten much more competitive. If not then history will repeat itself.”
Young? I’m not one to defend those two other teams from Michigan, but to lump Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State in the “young” category is just not correct. Penn State may return as many as 18 starters for 2008, and many more with starting experience. The Lions have an upperclassmen-laden depth chart this fall, and Jackson clearly gives away his failure to do even minimal research by labeling Penn State as a “younger” team in the Big Ten.
Michigan’s defense is shaping up to be one of the better in the conference in 2008, with the entire line returning, an excellent leader in MLB Obi Ezeh, two returning starting corners, and two safeties with starting/meaningful experience.
The Spartans return EIGHT starters on offense, including fantastic back Javon Ringer and signal caller Brian Hoyer. Meanwhile, the defense has six starters coming back, and three more with starting experience. I’ve even called for Michigan State to finish third in the Big Ten this year!“For the past two years it’s been Ohio State, then Wisconsin and Michigan dueling for second. Illinois emerged last year as a pleasant surprise adding a fourth team to the mix, but from then on it gets ugly pretty quick. Want to prove the media wrong? Want to field teams in the BCS that will compete? Then the core of the conference needs to get better. Teams need to start challenging and keeping up with Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Illinois, in order to make this conference better.”
Has Jackson even watched a Big Ten football game the past two seasons? If I remember correctly, Illinois was 2-10 the year before last, and 2-10 the year before that! He also falls into the pack mentality by failing to recall that the past two seasons, Big Ten BCS teams have played USC twice, Florida, and LSU. I’m not so sure any other conference would do much better against those opponents. The only team that proved it deserved a shot against those two eventual national champions was USC, who’s still (as much as we’d like to ignore it after Vince Young tore them apart in ’05) in the middle of an incredible dynasty of dominance.
Just try to tell me that Oklahoma (which was blown out by Big East “weakling” West Virginia) should have played LSU last year, or Virginia Tech, or even Kansas (which lost to Missou) or Missouri (which lost--twice--to Oklahoma). USC was the only other choice to play in the BCS National Championship Game, and while they probably could have beaten LSU, the Trojans lost to Stanford at home, so the voters never would have gone for placing them ahead of Ohio State. And if you want to take the “voter-bias” point further, West Virginia should have also been given serious consideration, but because of the largely false assumption that the Big East can’t compete, the Mountaineers were left out.*
I don’t think that I’m as upset at Jackson, as it seems. It’s just this snowballing effect since Ohio State lost the 2007 national championship to an LSU team that was supposed to win it from the beginning. Jackson and CFN are just the latest to fall victim to this black hole of sensationalism in college football. There’s nothing wrong with the Big Ten. The SEC isn’t faster than holy hell. USC is still the best football team over the last six years. And don’t worry, next season the media will latch onto something else that will have one half of college football fans whining, and the other half cheering. If everything was so easily explained in this sport, why would any of us even care to watch?
*I won't include Illinois in this part of the conversation, due to the fact that the Rose Bowl goons made the horrible decision to invite the Illini to Pasadena last season. Yeah, the team was January-bowl good, but not hey-let's-play-USC good. The Big Ten should have only had one BCS representative in 2007, period.
Part 2: Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin.
Apromised, here's the second part of ZN's look at the conference's spring game circuit. Minnesota and Northwestern will hold their spring games April 25 and 26, respectively. I couldn't find any Indiana blogs that analyzed the spring game. Michigan sucks, and because of this suckage, were forced to hold their spring game at a high school, on April 12. So no soup for them. Enjoy...
Eleven Warriors had probably the most interesting take on the Ohio State spring game, going so far to say that Terrelle Pryor may not get the immediate playing time everyone expected in 2009. "22 year-old redshirt freshman Joe Bauserman stole the show in the 2008 Buckeye spring game, connecting with fellow soph Taurian Washington on two long scoring strikes (true, one was called back on a penalty, but you can’t take anything away from the throw and catch). Bauserman looked so good on the afternoon that the large contingent of fans that see Boeckman as nothing more than a big-game disaster-in-waiting have already begun placing orders for their #14 bobble-heads."
Heading down to Old Columbus Town, there's some even wondering if the incumbent starting quarterback is having the kind of spring practice he should. "Boeckman, leading the Scarlet against the hated Gray, turned in a head-scratching performance: 12 for 18, 145 yards and two picks. However, Boeckman was close to perfect completion percentage when he threw his second INT. So Becks' two interceptions were close to being his only two incompletions."
As for the Purdue spring game, BoiledSports had the story in their eye-witness account of the action. "Jaycen Taylor had one of the niftiest plays of the day. On a draw right, the hole sealed and he patiently picked another hole after avoiding getting collected in the scrum and broke the run for a touchdown... Justin Siller looked good at times at quarterback, but had an awful-looking interception that was returned for a touchdown. I was definitely more-impressed with Elliot as he seemed to throw a better ball and even scampered for a few nice gains when he needed to run. Panfil (another former quarterback) had a touchdown reception...he's been recently moved to receiver."
In a much more cynical evaluation of the Boilermakers' spring game, Off The Tracks didn't seem to take as much stock in Purdue's performance on the field, hinting that a I-AA school would be a tougher test. "I don’t think you can take too much from yesterday. Event eh good performances we did have came from guys who may barely play in the fall because of getting all the starters back. Playing Northern Colorado will tell us a lot more simply because we’ll have everyone back and we’ll be playing at game speed. Both sides of the ball are also handicapped a bit because in a spring game the have a very good idea about what is on the other side of the ball. At least when facing someone else, even a bad team like Northern Colorado, there is an element of surprise and reaction that isn’t there in a spring game."
And finally up to Madison, where Badgercentric offers its insight into a team with sky-high expectations. "Lots of reports raving about DeAndre Levy, not so much his play but his leadership. As unstable as the other defensive units are, we should be able to go six deep at linebacker this season without much dropoff... The running backs did nothing to make us think that this won't be our strongest position in 2008. Say all you want about the other three guys, who are good, but I'm still glad P.J. Hill is coming back as the starter. These are four guys who all bring something to the table and will test defenses in their own way. Looks like Johnny Clay did not disappoint in his first public appearance as a Badger."
*Check back with ZN next week for updates on Minnesota's and Northwestern's spring games, and if I can find something on Indiana's game--from a blogger, that is--I'll have it here. Also tomorrow, look for ZN's complete NFL draft analysis and projections.
Via BigTen.org:
The Big Ten Conference office released the game times and television plans for five home football contests today to appear during prime time on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. A Big Ten contest will be featured during prime time in at least five of the nine weeks of intraconference play, including four appearances by Penn State, a pair of games for Ohio State and Wisconsin and one contest each for Illinois and Michigan.
The Big Ten home schedule will hit prime time during the opening weekend of conference action on Saturday, Sept. 27, when Penn State hosts Illinois at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. The Fighting Illini defeated the nationally-ranked Nittany Lions last season on the way to their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1984. PSU collected at least nine wins for the third straight season after winning the Valero Alamo Bowl, giving head coach Joe Paterno his NCAA-record 23rd bowl triumph.
The conference's nighttime slate continues with a pair of Wisconsin home games the following two weekends, with the Badgers hosting Ohio State on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. CT on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 and Penn State on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN or ESPN2. Wisconsin is coming off a fourth straight season with at least nine wins, the longest streak of success in school history. The Buckeyes are aiming for a fourth straight Big Ten Championship and an unprecedented third consecutive outright crown after reaching the BCS National Championship game the last two seasons.
Nighttime games will continue on Oct. 18 when Penn State hosts Michigan for a 4:30 p.m. ET game to appear on ESPN or ESPN2. The Wolverines welcome new head coach Rich Rodriguez for the 2008 season after Lloyd Carr ended his time on the sidelines with a victory in the Capital One Bowl. The Big Ten's final prime-time outing on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 will feature Penn State at Ohio State on Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. ET.
The Big Ten will hold the 2008 Football Media Days and 37th annual Kickoff Luncheon on Thursday and Friday, July 24-25, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, featuring all 11 head coaches and some of the conference's top returning players. The 113th season of Big Ten football kicks off on Saturday, August 30, with 10 of 11 schools in action.
2008 BIG TEN PRIME-TIME FOOTBALL GAMES ON ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
Sept. 27 - ILLINOIS at PENN STATE, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
Oct. 4 - OHIO STATE at WISCONSIN, 7 p.m. CT, ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
Oct. 11 - PENN STATE at WISCONSIN, 7 p.m. CT, ESPN or ESPN2
Oct. 18 - MICHIGAN at PENN STATE, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN or ESPN2
Oct. 25 - PENN STATE at OHIO STATE, 8 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
*I'll take a better look at this later, so stay tuned. I'll also have a take on the most recent Blue White Round Table.
Do football players deserve to schedule easier classes? Michigan's "General Studies" major has been the subject of scrutiny for years, now one Michigan newspaper is attacking the university head on. If this is true, and Michigan has been passing football players regardless of academic performances, what does this mean for Michigan, and the Big Ten?
Who's been saying for years now that Michigan gives its football players a free academic ride? Yes, I'm raising my hand. Actually, I'm jumping up and down waving both arms high in the air. I guess the Michigan paper which is doing the series wanted to wait until Lloyd Carr left. After all, he did manage to beat PSU for all these years.
But I just don't understand how anyone is surprised by all this. Michigan fans have buried their heads in the sand, while the rest of the conference pretty much turned a blind eye. If Michigan goes down, then what would be left? Penn State? Wisconsin? These teams are well known--PSU more so--and could garner national ratings every football week, but Penn State is not the face of the Big Ten. Wisconsin is up there, but can they be the second bell cow next to Ohio State?
I'm not accusing anyone at Michigan of doing anything, as I have no way to back it up. However, are those in Ann Arbor really that dumb to what was going on inside the football academic advising offices? I've already read on message boards, Michigan fans defending their school by saying the newspaper had no real substantial evidence to back it up. That's like saying Joe Paterno doesn't make every, single decision regarding Penn State football. It's just a fantasy.
When you have the complete support of those in power, you can get away with anything. Michigan did that. I'm sure the Big Ten and Michigan officials will deny they knew anything about this. On that, I'll call preemptive shenanigans. If the powers that be deny anything looked funny, it's a flat out lie. They're going to tell us that this didn't throw up red flags? 
I probably shouldn't get so worked up over this. Penn State has its own issues right now. I'm not going to pull the "well, at least..." comeback, either. The Chris Bell thing just ruined everything for PSU this spring, and unless things move forward quickly, it's not going away soon. It's nice to see the conference working hard to improve its image, from PSU players packing machetes to half the Iowa football program going to jail, and Ohio State being well, Ohio State to Michigan maintaining the academic standards of Boobie Miles. This is a bad time for the Big Ten, and it deserves every bit of it.
--On a side note, and completely unrelated to this Michigan bash fest, I found this absolutely hilarious post by one of the fine UM bloggers out there. Take a read. It's worth your time.
I generally try to feature an article each day from another site. Usually they're from Penn State or Big Ten blogs, sometimes from other sites. Please check out the author's Web site. I always supply the link in the introduction.
Because the rest of the college football world is seeminly taking a break from creating anything (myselft included) interesting, I'm forced today to put up a post from an Ann Arbor--whore! cough, cough--loyal blog. Luckily for us, it's one of the best out there. The M Zone takes a nice shot at Rivals.com for their revised preseason rankings. It's a good little read.
The End Of Times?More below the fold...
Quick - when is the last time Michigan entered the season unranked? Whatever the previous answer is, the current answer just might be 2008.
A Rivals.com article called "Draft departures cause Top 25 to change," took another look at its first preseason poll of 2008 and had this to say about the Wolverines in the wake roster changes due to players leaving early for the NFL draft and coaching changes:
"Michigan's place in the top 25 was tenuous at best following the graduation of its starting backfield and offensive tackle Jake Long. Since then, wide receivers Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington entered the draft and Chad Henne's heir apparent at quarterback, Ryan Mallett, transferred to Arkansas. New personnel and a new scheme could mean growing pains for new coach Rich Rodriguez.
Taking the Wolverines' place in the top 25 is Fresno State."
I'm sorry, for a second I thought that said Fresno State.
Fresno State, ladies and gentlemen.
As in the WAC. Taking Michigan's place in a preseason Top 25.
Fresno. State.
Holy Schembechler!
Hold on, folks, I'm looking outside for locusts. Because I'm pretty sure the Bulldogs replacing the Wolverines among college football's preseason elite is one of the signs of the Apocalypse as foretold in Revelations.
And to all those who couldn't wait for Lloyd to leave, who claimed any idiot with a coach's headset could do what he did with the talent at a school like Michigan, well, we'll see.
The Big Eleventh is easily one of my favorite Big Ten blogs. Don't ask me why, because I couldn't tell you exactly. Just go with it, and read this article about Joe Tiller's successor and the situation in West Lafayette. This is, in my own mind, one of the most underreported situations in college football today. Considering Tiller revolutionized northern football when he installed his "basketball on grass" in 1997, him getting the boot at Purdue is huge. That program was one of the most consistent in the '90s and 2000s, and what does he get for that? "Sorry, but we're looking for more." What? Purdue is now expecting to become Oklahoma, USC or even Penn State? Get real, you're known as the "Spoilermakers" for a reason. With that rant, I give you this fantastic article of the day:
If You Can't Beat Them, Fire Them.
That's the new Big Ten mandate, problem is only Ohio State is 'beating them', oh, and this doesn't apply to Penn State.Purdue is set to announce Eastern Kentucky coach Danny Hope as Joe Tiller's successor. This isn't a Bobby Bowden-Jimbo Fisher successor plan, or even a Barry Alvarez-Bret Bielema deal. No, this is much more like "you're out old man, and since we like you we'll allow you to hang on for one more year."
This story has been totally overlooked by the major media outlets, mostly do to the MNC and other, more soap opera like coaching searches. That and the fact that no one ever really bought into the whole "Basketball on Grass" thing. Anyway, I started following it Tuesday over at Boiled Sports. For most of the week the lead candidate was Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst...which lead to a series of predictable yet hilarious Christ Jokes.
By most accounts Chryst was nervous about "not being a Purdue guy" the way Hope is. There was also concern that his whimpy girly mustach wouldn't hold up at a place like Purdue. The people printing the "You may have God, but we have Chryst!" Notre Dame game t-shirts took a huge hit when the announcement was made (credit on the t-shirt joke must of course go to Boiled Sports).
But this leads to a bigger issue, or trend I suppose I should say, that is taking hold around the Big Ten: everyone seems to be getting a new coach:
Illinois: Coach Ron Zook, hired 2005
Indiana: Coach Bill Lynch, hired 2007*
Iowa: Coach Kirk Ferentz, hired 1998
Michigan: Coach Rich Rodriguez, hired 2008
Michigan State: Coach Mark Dantonio, hired 2007
Minnesota: Coach Tim Brewster, hired 2007
Northwestern: Coach Pat Fitzgerald, hired 2006*
Ohio State: Coach Jim Tressel, hired 2001
Penn State: Coach Joe Paterno, hired 1966
Purdue: Coach Joe Tiller, out in 2009
Wisconsin: Coach Bret Bielema, hired 2006
This is really amazing when you sit down and look at it. Excluding JoePa, that is an average stay of 2.7 years. By most accounts, you really aren't even coaching you own team until after the third season. There are exactly four coaches** (Paterno, Tressel, Ferentz, and just now Zook) who are coaching Juniors and Seniors they recruited.So what does this all mean? Well, for one thing, its not that surprising that the bottom half of the Big Ten sucks right now. It is filled with schools right in the shitty middle part of a coaching change. You have players recruited for one style forced to play another. The heart of the squad is made up of the always weak 'tweener' class that was recruited during the change.
Secondly, the Big Ten isn't in that much trouble if they can stay more competitive than the ACC, Big East and probably the Big XII with seven brand new coaches.
Finally, there is something a little more subtle that I worry about. Once these guys gain their footing, establish their recruiting lines and solidify their systems...well that will be right about the time Penn State goes through what will probably be the biggest circus of a coaching change in the history of sports. If we learned anything this year it's that neither Paterno nor the Penn State admins have a fucking clue how to handle it. Things might not be ugly, but they aren't going to be neat and clean. We are setting the successor up against some lofty odds. The "I want to play for Paterno thing" disappears. The stability of the other 10 programs will be used as a tool against us. I don't want to say I'm worried, but I am ready for it to be over with.
*I do understand it was tragity and now a decision to get new coaches for these schools.
**Yes, Tiller is still the coach, but he's a lame duck and that team kind of sucks right now anyway.
One of my favorite weekly standards, Pete Fiutak's Cavalcade of Whimsy tackles the Big Ten bashfest going on everywhere. I think he hits the nail on the head. His articles are usually very long (but very good), so I'll leave out a bunch of stuff here. So feel free to go and read the rest there.
If this column sucks, it’s not my fault … I wasn’t even able to win my own division outright, much less my conference championship, but I feel like I should’ve been playing for the national title after destroying an overrated Hawaii team that had its head out over its skis. Because I didn’t get a chance to play for the whole ball of wax, I want to overhaul the column and push forward a playoff system. I'm also writing up a formal proposal to turn back time so I can then benefit from the new format.
The brake pedal is the one on the left … Great, now I have to look like Mr. Big Ten again.
Has there ever been a backlash like the one against the Big Ten for having the temerity to lose a second straight national championship game? Columnists and radio talk show hosts across the country couldn’t shovel dirt on the league and Ohio State fast enough after the bowls, like getting whacked LSU is like losing to Appalachian State or Duke at home.
Well, the Big Ten did lose to Appalachian State (Michigan) and Duke (Northwestern) at home, but that doesn’t mean the conference is somewhere between the MAC and Conference USA on a national perception scale, as a my-dog-just-died looking Kirk Herbstriet said.
Look, if a fully healthy, fully rested LSU wasn’t the best team in America, it was a close number two, and you’d have been nuts not to think it'd probably beat any of the 118 D-I/FBS teams on that Monday night in the Superdome. Georgia certainly would’ve given LSU a fight (and I sort of think Missouri would, too), but a 99% healthy USC is probably the one team that truly has a claim to being the best in the country. The Big Ten shouldn’t be killed for getting blown out by a healed and fired up Trojan team in Pasadena; Illinois just so happened to be the team that got in the way of the speeding bus.
Second, to compare this year’s BCS Championship to last year’s is simply moronic. The Buckeyes were completely and totally outclassed, outhustled, outcoached and outplayed by Florida in every way shape and form in the Glendale debacle. Against LSU, they had several chances to turn the game around, but in the end, they just lost to a better team after battling hard for a full sixty minutes. This game was nowhere near as bad as the embarrassment against the Gators.
Third, the Michigan win over Florida and the Wisconsin and Michigan State performances have somehow been swept under the rug. The Badgers played Tennessee right down to the wire in a dead-even battle that just so happened to come out on the wrong side for the Big Ten. If nothing else, the game showed how there really isn’t a speed and athleticism disparity among the top teams. The Spartans, a lower division Big Ten team, played ACC No. 2 Boston College down to the wire in a loss. And, of course, Michigan got Chad Henne and Mike Hart healthy, and voile, the offense worked against the Gators.
No one’s saying the Big Ten is remotely close to being as good as the SEC right now. This year, I’d put the Big 12 number two, but in a sort of challenge, going from top to bottom, I’d take the Big Ten over the Pac 10 thanks to a better midsection, and I’d sure as heckfire put the league ahead of the ACC and the Big East. No, compared to several other teams, Ohio State probably didn’t belong in the national title based on the overall schedule, but if West Virginia had beaten Pitt or if Missouri had beaten Oklahoma, Jim Tressel would’ve likely been holding the crystal ball over his head while preparing to do future battles with the Les Miles-led Wolverines. This really wasn't a bad Ohio State team.
While we’re at it, let’s be honest here about all the outpouring of love going to the SEC for its bowl season. Georgia was terrific, no question about it, but every Big Ten bowl team would’ve beaten Hawaii. Every Big Ten bowl team, other than probably Indiana, would’ve beaten UCF (who lost to Mississippi State), a depleted Florida State (who lost to Kentucky) and Colorado (who lost to Alabama). With Arkansas mailing it in after Houston Nutt left and Darren McFadden ready to take his Escalade to the NFL, it probably would’ve lost to all the Big Ten bowl teams but Indiana and Purdue. I’d take Ohio State, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan over Clemson, who lost to Auburn, but I would’ve taken the Tigers over Michigan State, Penn State, Indiana and Purdue.
On the flip side, I’d take USC, who beat Illinois, over every SEC team but LSU in the Rose Bowl, and the Trojan-Tiger game would’ve probably been a coin flip. With the way Oklahoma State came out with everything working in the Insight Bowl against Indiana, it would’ve likely beaten Mississippi State, Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky, as would Boston College, who beat Michigan State. Yeah, all the SECers would’ve beaten Central Michigan (who lost to Purdue), but Texas A&M, who put up a mega-fight against Penn State, would’ve likely beaten most of the second-tier SEC bowl teams.
Again, I’m not saying the Big Ten is in the same ballpark as the SEC. The league just wasn’t as bad as you’re probably making it out to be.
Here's how the two top teams match up by position. The obvious edge goes to OSU, but that doesn't necessarily mean one team is overall better than the other. Also, check out Zombie Nation's full BCS National Championship Preview.
QB-LSU get's the QB edge due to Ryan Perrilloux.
RB-Chris Wells is head-and-shoulders better than all LSU backs combined.
WR-LSU only really has one good WR. Holliday is more of a slasher.
OL-Duh.
CB-Only a slight edge to Malcolm Jenkins and Co.
S-Craig Steltz has bailed out LSU numerous times.
LB-OSU has much more than just Laurinaitis. LSU only has Highsmith.
DL-If Dorsey is healthy, this one's a runaway, but don't underestimate Gholston.
K-Tressel's teams are built on this aspect.
P-Same with this one, too. Trappasso will go pro.
C-Although conservative Mr. Sweatervest can be dull, he knows how to win the big ones when it counts. 2006 was just one game.
E-Nearly all of OSU's players saw action in last year's BCS title game.
H-LSU's been banged up since September.
Cr-This one is only a sliver away from going OSU, but in New Orleans, LSU is comfy.
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