2008 All-Big Ten Selections

Penn State had a fantastic showing on both the media and coaches' 2008 All-Big Ten teams. I would take some issue with a few selections, some you probably wouldn't expect. But first, the 2008 All-Big Ten Teams:

I actually don't think Derrick Williams should have made the first team as a receiver. The conference should select a return specialist, or all-purpose player. Then I would tab Williams as the best in the Big Ten. But as a receiver, Deon Butler should have gotten some love. You would think after his final performance (3 TD catches vs MSU) of a great career, the coaches and media would have selected him to at least the second team. I also am very surprised that Anthony Scirrotto made the first team, but Lydell Sargeant didn't (he made the media team, but not the coaches). HONORABLE MENTION, COACHES: PENN STATE: Jeremy Boone, Tony Davis, Dennis Landolt, Jordan Norwood, Mark Rubin, Tyrell Sales, Lydell Sargeant.

The media selections seemed a bit more on the mark, especially with the offense. Williams and Butler were both on the second team, which is fine by me. But on defense, I think Jared Odrick deserved the nod for first team honors. Both Scirrotto and Sargeant made second team defense. HONORABLE MENTION, MEDIA: PENN STATE: Jeremy Boone, Tony Davis, Josh Gaines, Dennis Landolt, Mark Rubin, Stefen Wisniewski.

One more thing you may be surprised to read here, but I wouldn't have been too surprised, or upset, if Joe Paterno did not get coach of the year. I mean, sure, my homer vote would have gone to Paterno, but if I were to be truly unbiased it would have been tough to pick.

My other top choices were, in voting order:
1) Tim Brewster, Minnesota;
2) Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern;
3) Mark D'Antonio, Michigan State.

Link: 2008 All-Big Ten Teams, via BigTen.cstv.org

*Ed.-Check back in a little while, and I'll have my top 25 posted.

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Michigan's academic situation

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.

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Article of the day

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.

Later today or tomorrow morning, I'll try to have something up about how Penn State's recruiting class is looking so far for 2008.

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