BigTen Bloggers Roundtable :: Signing Day

◊ The BigTen Bloggers–well, a bunch of them–were motivated enough to tackle a post-signing day roundtable. I threw them some questions, they answered. Here's what we got.

(Download the .pdf version of this post!)

Signing Day edition participants:
Lake the Posts (Northwestern)
Bucky's 5th Quarter (Wisconsin)
Our Honor Defend (Ohio State)
Off the Tracks (Purdue)
Maize 'n Brew (Michigan)
Maize & Blue Nation (Michigan)
Nittany White Out (Penn State)
The Nittany Line (Penn State)
Happy Hour Valley (Penn State)
1. Were you pleased with this year's recruiting class? Where did your team excel? Where did they fall short?

I figured on starting with a predictable, boring question. My guess is that I achieved my goal. But there were some interesting story lines emerging from this year's recruiting battles. Like, is there a growing war over the State of Illinois? With Illinois admittedly underachieving last year, Northwestern's seemed to pounce on the opportunity, says LTP:

"I would say we excelled in putting the proverbial flag in the Chicagoland ground as we inked three of the areas most highly touted players… NU has seemingly had a blue chip back in the lineup since Darnell Autry and this coming year, with Simmons the heir apparent, is the most questionable we've been at the RB spot in a long time."

Ok, so Chicago is only a small part of the state, but it's a major hub of talent. Then there's the land of polka and brats, a.k.a. Weeskansin, where B5Q is upbeat about UW's slim pickin's this year, yet with a warning:

"This year's class has the making of any other Wisconsin recruiting class. Bret Bielema grabbed the second tier players and now the goal is to make sure they don't become the "sloppy seconds." Most fans are disappointed in the class, but I'm actually somewhat surprised the class is as good as it is after such a bad season."

But if there was one team that made a real impression this recruiting season, it was Purdue, under new head man Danny "Sunshine" Hope. OTT welcomed the relocation of the Boilers' efforts:

"Purdue needed to go in a different direction and we did by cleaning upt he leftovers in the state of Florida. I say leftovers because you are rarely going to pry the top players away from Miami, Florida, and Florida State. Getting even anyone marginally good out of Miami-Dade county is impressive because Randy Shannon has a headlock on the talent down there, but fortunately there is so much talent in the state that those three schools can't possibly take all of it."

Michigan had some holes to fill on defense, even if some of them (cToRuEgNhT) might not be bad holes to have right now. MBN liked what the Wolves did this year, but was left looking for a bit more immediate results:

"We probably fell short in shoring up were linebacker and defensive back. We did get some guys that I think could end up making an impact in 3 years, but no standout playmakers."

Ah, then there's Penn State. You know, that team that fielded the first-team All BigTen quarterback? Well, TNL wants more of the same the next few years, and wants to see it happen in next year's class:

"Penn State landed 5 guys listed as wide receivers and four of them are of the 6 foot 2 inch or taller variety, so yeah they did their job there. Star recruit and dual-threat QB Kevin Newsome aside, the coaches fell a little short at quarterback but already have a verbal for 2010 so things aren't all bleak."

2. Name one or two players you want to see get on the field ASAP, and where you think they will fit in.

Sick of Ohio State fielding NFL talent every year? Well, it's not over, says OHD:

"James comes to Ohio State by way of Grand Ledge, Michigan and runs a reported 4.31 40. I'll go ahead and downplay the significance of that measure, but there's still plenty of reason to want to see James Jackson get on the field. He's a vertical threat when the last season seemed to have no receiver capable of meeting that need."

And for Northwestern, LTP is looking forward to the Cats' newest signal caller, even if he may not play (LTP said redshirts are very common at NW) in 2009:

"We're all anxious to see what QB Evan Watkins can do - his 6-6 size is of course appealing and he seems to be the guy we're betting the next four years on."

MNB forgot what decade we're in:

"I'd like to see Charles Woodson at Corner and Tom Brady at QB. I think, especially given their work with NFL teams, they could compete to start immediately."

While MBN looks for the defensive line to field some very highly touted freshmen:

"William Campbell, the 5-star DT from Detroit, will probably be an instant starter at defensive tackle. He will fill the massive hole left by departing senior Terrance Taylor."

However, don't think that because Penn State loses Derrick Williams & Co., that the speed factor will fade in Happy Valley, as HHV explains:

"I'd like to see the coaching staff utilize Devon Smith and his Usain Bolt-like speed (4.19 40-yard dash) as a kick/punt returner or on bubble screens. Give that kid just a little bit of open space to create and the sky's the limit… Although, I would like to see the coaching staff feed him something because he's only a racing singlet and a haircut away from being mistaken for a Kenyan marathoner."

3. This one's purely for the sake of argument. Much has been made about the SEC's recruiting 'dominance' over the BigTen, particularly this year. Either validate that claim, or try to prove it wrong. At least vent a little bit. You know you want to.

You had to know I was going to ask some question about the SEC. After all, are we BigTen Bloggers, or not? But first, we here at ZN and across the BigTen community, must express our deepest sympathies to OHD, for:

"...being a resident of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, [yet] I try to advance my days without acknowledging the SEC."

He did answer the question, though:

"Important for Ohio State's sake — and indeed, anyone else in the Big Ten — is that recruiting, while invariably important, is but half the battle. Getting top flight athletes to come to Ohio State is one thing, but they obviously have to be much better by time they leave."

NWO looks at the situation as a problem with the BigTen's image nationally, but isn't helping itself:

"I think that the media dictates this perception, but the Big Ten does need to show up, with, at the very least, a BCS bowl win next year."

And MBN points out that the whole "Southern Speed" thing might not have too much weight behind it anymore:

"Michigan did it's part to help refute the notion that only fast guys from Florida go to SEC schools. 8 of Michigan's 22-member class are from the state of Florida, and all of them are skill-position players."

MNB is looking to start a blog war:

"SEC country has always been better at tracking sub-18 year old kid's every movements via facebook and internet chat-rooms."

While OTT throws a little gas on the flame... in fantastically blunt fashion:

"You know what, screw the SEC."

Could it be that there's another reason for the SEC's grip on recruiting? TNL had some suggestions:

"Let's just put it this way, with the last three national championship teams sitting in the SEC conference it's not a difficult sell to young kids. That and it just reached 40 degrees today in central PA for the first time in oh…. 3 months."

Hmm... he may have a point there. So might HHV:

"It's undoubtedly frustrating but honestly, do you expect the majority of that "southern speed" to agree to play in the cold/wind/rain/snow up in Big Ten country during the latter half of the college football season? They all would rather play in a climate where the temperatures never dip below the 50s and rain is the only element that ever causes a hinderance."

Weather have an impact on where 18-year-old boys want to go to school? No way. I mean seriously. Who wants to go to a place like Florida, with all those girls laying around dressed only in... oh, wait...

4. Going into next year (already), where does your team need to focus its efforts? How about the BigTen as a whole? What can the conference/ your team do better to attract more highly-regarded recruits, or is it even an issue?

Ha! You thought we were don't blaming the BigTen's troubles on weather? Think again!

"Global Warming! Global Warming!"

Proclaimed B5Q...

"We need warmer weather to compete with the SEC… Flashier teams on primetime national television sounds more appealing than playing Toledo on the Big Ten Network. Just saying."

But enough with that already. NWO wants to see Penn State (and the BigTen overall) recruit more defensive speed, along with the schemes to utilize that speed:

"The spread offense seems to have finally hit the midwest, with at least Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois, and Northwestern running some variation on it. Speed on offense needs to be countered with speed on defense. I think Joe Paterno stepping down isn't as big an issue as others seem to, but maybe if (when) Tom Bradley takes over, he'll have a more hands-on approach."

And HHV added to the defensive talk for Penn State, specifically the quickly-thinning defensive front:

"Since the D-line took a harder-than-expected hit with the departures of Gaines, Evans, and Maybin, and with Jared Odrick entering into his senior year, that should be our main concern for 2010."

And now for some easy stuff...

One word/number answers...

How many freshmen (in your class) redshirt in 2009?

LTP: 15 of 18.
OHD: 10
OTT: Half
MNB: All of them. Rodriguez believes he can win with last year's team given a 2nd opportunity.
MBN: 16
NWO: 19
TNL: 15
HHV: 10

Did you watch live TV coverage on signing day? If not, how many times did you hit 'refresh' on your browser on signing day?

I don't think anyone actually watched it on TV. So figure the internet in some form was the predominant medium used.

Are you going to your spring game?

Yes: LTP, OTT, MBN, NWO, TNL, HHV
No: B5Q, MNB, OHD

...and so it ends.

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So, you want Big Ten Bloggers?

◊ Just a quick note. You'll notice on the Big Ten Bloggers feed at the bottom of ZN, the guys are posting their answers to the Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable for this week. I won't be doing my own entry, as I'm the 'host' blog for this one. So, in stead of gracing you with my own insights to this week's topic, Signing Day, I'll do the wrap-up post of all the other blogs' answers. It should be a good time for all, so be sure to tune in Wednesday morning when the wrap goes live.

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Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable :: The week after, just sitting around

The Big Ten Bloggers are back with another roundtable. Sort of a season wrap-up theme. Off The Tracks brings it.

1. Minnesota, Michigan, and Indiana got absolutely torched in rivalry games this weekend. Please feel free to diagram your revenge scenario/taunting celebration as appropriate for when you stomp a rival/get stomped by a rival in such fashion.

ZN: I think the only team that I truly feel passion after a win or a loss would be Michigan. Now, I know that they don't view Penn State as a "Rival," since they've got enough of their own. In fact, I'm not so sure I view them as a true "rival," either. But after losing to the Wolverines for the last 120 years, it was a special kind of feeling after Penn State ran off 32 unanswered points. The Lions won 46-17, which was a larger margin of victory than any of the Wolverines' versus Penn State. Even when Penn State was really, really bad, Michigan never beat Penn State by more than 27 points. Michigan went 3-9 this year, giving them a solid dose of humility, but I'm not so sure it has had the desired effect. Michigan fans just seem more pissed off than ever. It sort of reminds me of the Notre Dame situation. So, did you not see it yet? I'm taunting Michigan by just restating what has happened this season, and topping it off by comparing them to Notre Dame. But to talk briefly about Michigan State. It was fantastic to beat them, after Penn State blew a big lead last year. Plus, knowing that Mark D'Antonio and his crew could only muster up some pathetic stalling techniques (calling those timeouts at the end), just made me even happier to blow them out of the water. It just makes the PSU-MSU "rivalry" better.

2. The results are in an the Big Ten didn't do well this year. What does the conference need to do in the bowl season and next year to regain esteem?

ZN: BEAT FREAKING MAC TEAMS!!! DAMMIT MICHIGAN, INDIANA, ILLINOIS!!! YOU'RE PATHETIC! Thank God none of you are going to a bowl game. You're a disgrace to the Big Ten, and I don't even like this freaking conference!

3. For Penn State fans, what is your plan to defend the title. For everyone else, how will you topple the Nittany Lions next year?

ZN: Are you ready for this? The Penn State defense should be (barring any early-entries to the NFL) even BETTER next year! Holy shit, where's the Tylenol?! The Nittany Lions return its first-team All-Big Ten quarterback, an All-Big Ten running back, All-Big Ten guard, the defensive line from Hell itself, All-American Linebacker Sean Lee (who will want blood after missing this season), first-team All-Big Ten linebacker Navorro Bowman, and the best coach in college football. Do I think we have a shot next year? You bet!

4. Of the 109 other teams in Division 1A, pick one you absolutely would love to face in the postseason and pick which bowl game (other than BCS championship) you would play them in.

ZN: I'm probably like every other Penn State fan and blogger, but I really want Oregon to beat Oregon State. Penn State deserves to face USC (if the Lions don't back into the BCS Title Game) in the Rose Bowl. I would rather lose a close game to USC, than play Oregon State again. Sound crazy? It should, because it is. Ok, so maybe I wouldn't really want a loss to USC, but I still think taking the risk by playing the Trojans will reap bigger rewards for Penn State, as well as the Big Ten Conference overall. Imagine if Penn State goes to Pasadena, and just lays a beat-down on USC? One can dream.

*Ed.-I'm not sure what's exactly in store for the rest of this week, as I'm leaving for Kentucky tonight. The Michigan State game review will be up probably tomorrow, but maybe not until later. Although, I could always try working hard and get it done today. We'll see.

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Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable :: Home Stretch

Brad over at Maize n Blue Nation was good enough to put this together.

1. With two weeks left in the season, it's safe to say that most schools have reached the point where the year has been a success or a disappointment. How has your school fared this year in your opinion? Or, is the jury still out?

ZN: The jury is still most definitely out on Penn State. If PSU had beaten Iowa, rolled over Indiana (which is still expected), and lost to Michigan State, it would have still been very successful. But now with the loss in Iowa City, Penn State could very well lose everything, if the Lions lose to Michigan State. This season has come down to one game. I know we're supposed to look at this "one game at a time," but screw that. If Penn State loses to Indiana, we should just drop football altogether. It's now about MSU, and MSU only.

2. Is your school heading to a bowl? If so, which one? And if not, WTF?

ZN: Yeah, Penn State's going bowling, but it still comes down to one game. Did I mention this already? Yeah, I did... MICHIGAN STATE. Penn State could go to the Rose Bowl, or, dare I say it, sneak into the BCS title game, if it wins on Nov. 22. But if PSU loses, it's off to the Capital One bowl, or the Outback Bowl, if MSU or OSU doesn't get an at-large bid.

3. The Big Ten has recently had a hard time getting respect among the national media as a top conference. Has the Big Ten taken a step forward or a step backward in this debate this season?

ZN: Well, I was about to say it's not as bad as they say, but then Michigan loses to Toledo, and Illinois loses to Western Michigan. Those were the ultimate WTF games. So, until the Big Ten starts beating these glorified high school teams, yeah, the Big Ten sucks ass.

4. Would the Big Ten benefit from adding another school to create two divisions like the SEC, Big 12, ACC and MAC? And if so, which school should be added? Or, should we drop one school?

ZN: How many times to we have to go through this? Notre Dame should (but won't, EVER) join the Big Ten, and split the league into two divisions. (I'm going to do my own BCS conferences realignment following the season) But since the Irish won't do that, the Big Ten should kick Penn State out. Let us go join the ACC or the Big East. Nothing makes worse sense than having the "Beast of the East" play in a Midwest conference.

5. Do you agree with President-elect Obama that college football should have an 8 school post-season playoff?

ZN: Yes, and no. There should be eight teams, all going to the traditional "Big Four" BCS bowls. Then, the following week, release one more BCS Poll. The top two teams in that poll goes to play in the BCS title game. But then again, if the conferences just get off their asses and all go to 12 teams, playing a conference title game, most of these issues would be worked out anyway. No, I don't like them either, but it would go a lot farther to solving these problems.

6a. Who is your favorite network television play-by-play announcer/color commentator/sideline reporter?

ZN: I wish they'd pair Brad Nessler with Kirk Herbstreit or Todd Blackledge. Keep Paul Maguire for some drunken fun. And because it's nearly required to say this, add Erin Andrews to the sidelines. That's a broadcast team for ya!

6b. If you listed Erin Andrews, please provide a photo/video to back
up your pick.

ZN: Fine.

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Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable :: Reflections on week one; Heisman talk

The Big Ten schedule enters it second week, and the conference title race hasn't gotten any clearer. Where do we go from here? Who's the real Heisman contender in the Big Ten? Well, Our Honor Defend pops off a few of those questions in this week's edition of the Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable.

01. We're all basically in conference play now, sans Purdue who played
visitor to Notre Dame over the weekend. What did you see in the
conference opener that you liked? What did you see that sucked
noodles? If you're one of the Purdue blogs, what did you see against
Notre Dame that has you nervous (or even optimistic) for your
conference opener against Penn State this Saturday? Oh, and, have fun
with that game, by the way.

ZN: I loved that Penn State was able to come back from two different seven-point deficits in the first quarter. PSU's ability to make a big play, and answer every score with a touchdown, will go far when it's time to face Wisky and OSU. I was a bit disturbed by the 120+ yards PSU gave up to ILL in the first quarter. But as we all know by now, PSU is the best team in the conference for a reason, and showed it by clamping down on ILL the remaining 3 quarters.

02. Ole Miss punked #4 Florida in Gainesville. #1 USC got punked by
Oregon State on national television? What's the underlying theme
behind these bizarre upsets? You guessed it: magic. Some kind of
hocus-y pocus-y sorcery in the form of "familiarity". The idea being
pitched around is that these upsets come in conference games because
the underdog has played the heavily favored team before, and thus
isn't afraid of them nor surprised by anything they do. Should I buy
this idea? Or are these upsets more likely the combination of
something more conventional, like great/horrendous gameplanning,
preparation and execution by the underdog/favorite team respectively?

ZN: The upset fairies came down from college football heaven to rain their pixie dust upon USC, Florida and others. Beware, however, as those deceivingly cute angels of football death will return. Watch out, they're coming for your team next!

03. Entering the season, Beanie was the Big Ten's Heisman favorite.
After a few games, Javon Ringer had put up the Heisman stats, though I
don't think anyone could've believed that Ringer would have the hype
machine necessary to get him to New York. Yet, after this week, I see
his name mentioned more and more in the Heisman race. Do you think
Ringer, at this pace, gets to New York on something more than a
courtesy visit (on courtesy visit, see: everyone last year not named
Tim Tebow; everyone in 2006 not named Troy Smith)? How about Daryll
Clark? Is Daryll Clark of Penn State legitimately in the Heisman race
after week 5?

ZN: Javon Ringer is a great workhorse, but won't win the Heisman. He'll be lucky to get an invite to NYC, but only if they invite the top-5 contenders. Daryll Clark has a much better opportunity to win the award. He's a quarterback (7 of the last 8 winners were QBs), and plays on a potential BCS team. If PSU is undefeated at regular season's end, and he has even similar numbers to what he's at now, he's in NYC.

04. With the nonconference schedule basically over, do you think the
Big Ten collectively bettered its standing from the maligned position
it was in before the season began? For every Wisconsin victory over
Fresno State and Penn State thrashing of Oregon State, there's
Michigan's turnover bonanza against the Irish and Ohio State's
neutering by USC. Long question short, what sticks out more: the
positives or the negatives for the conference?

ZN: Positives. More people are talking about Ohio State coming back under Terrelle Pryor, Penn State and Northwestern at 5-0, and Michigan State's darkhorse Heisman contender. And if Michigan wins 8 games, only losing to bowl-bound ND and Utah teams, the loss to Wisconsin won't look nearly as bad.

05. As I'm sure you may have seen on your moving pictures box, the
Ernie Davis movie has been getting a lot of publicity for its imminent
release to theatres. The story, of course, centers around the first
African-American Heisman winner and some of the trials that come from
being a black athlete, playing before the Civil Rights movement and
playing in the Cotton Bowl. Does your football program have an
uplifting story that you think is movie-worthy? If so, please share
it.

ZN: Already done. Something For Joey, the story of John Cappelletti and his dying brother Joey.

(*Ed-I didn't correct any spelling by TOGTM. I think he does it purposely. Umm, yeah...)

Coming tomorrow: Guest blogger Boiled Sports; JoePa's presser rundown.

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Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable :: Conference Play Opens

This week's Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable is brought to us by Boiled Sports.

1) We're all car guys here at BS. So your task is to assign your own program a vehicle. Is Purdue an all-terrain vehicle like a Jeep or a Hummer? Something befitting a brawny Boilermaker? Is Ohio State a slow, conversion van being passed by Corvettes with USC markings? Is IU a John Deere tractor with a hillbilly riding on it? Get creative and let us know both what your school is if it's a car as well as assigning a vehicle to as many of the other Big Ten schools as you like. (I'd require you to do them all but I know attention spans are short and counting to 11 is hard.)

Wisconsin:
Loud, slow, and usually surrounded by drunken working-class heros, you just keep plowing over everyone.


Michigan:
You laugh now, but this 'project car' will beat your pants off some day.


Purdue:
You used to be cool... in like 2000.

Penn State:
Yup, grandpa has had that car for the better part of a half-century, and it still runs better than your new-fangled piece of crap.


Ohio State:
You were making excellent time, but then...


Northwestern:
Just because we can't afford one of our own, doesn't mean you're automatically smarter than the rest of us.


Michigan State:
You're the unattractive workhorse, never taken out on the town.


Minnesota:
Stick to hockey.


Indiana:
Aw, while cute and efficient, no one really takes them seriously.


Iowa:
Fighting for room in the middle-of-the-pack Big Ten traffic jam.

Illinois:
Looks tough on the outside, but actually compensating for years of inadequacy on the inside.

2) In Week 1 in the NFL, the New England Patriots learned how precious things can be when Tom Brady had his knee blown out by a former Boilermaker. Let's say your team wins out from here to the end and is in a BCS bowl game with a chance to do the school and conference proud – what ONE player on your squad would you most likely cry about having his knee blown out in the first quarter? That is, who is truly indispensable?

ZN: I love this question. Penn State has already lost its "indispensable" player in Sean Lee, and we're doing just fine. Penn State doesn't have that ONE player right now who's injury would kill the season or the big game. Watch this team play a few times, and you'll see that there's no individual star. Hell, even if Daryll Clark went down, PSU has Pat Devlin, who'd start for most other Big Ten teams right now.

3) Purdue plays Notre Dame this week and, well, we detest Notre Dame like probably no other program. Let's say I have the power to force you (maybe you lost a bet to me) to wear another Big Ten school's colors to an away game for that team. That is, you're wearing OSU colors to a game being played at Michigan, or something like that. And I'm talking, dorky, head-to-toe… goofy-ass sweatshirts and flat-brimmed, ridiculous-looking hats. If you have to choose, which program would you be able to stomach wearing? (Remember, you're going to an away game, so people won't like you and accept you and you'll be taking this abuse for a school you're not even affiliated with.) And by the same token, what program could you absolutely not EVER stomach wearing, under any circumstances?

ZN: I could wear Indiana's. Not to many fans actually hate them, especially since the Hoosiers haven't been much of a threat to anyone. But I could never wear Michigan garb. Everyone hates them, hands down. More than Ohio State, more than Wisconsin.

4) I like big butts and I can not lie. Share your embarrassing guilty pleasure music selection that you know other people might laugh at. Bonus points if you can send a YouTube video of an awful music video with it. Many/most of us grew up and/or went to college in the '80s and '90s so I know you've all got some Nelson After The Rain on the iPod.

ZN: Unlike those geriatrics, I went to college in the 21st Century. So I'll go with the ridiculous techno music from the early 2000s, like Castles in the Sky, Sandstorm, and Heaven. That shit was orgasmic for us 18-20 year olds.

*We'll have a Blue & White Roundtable coming out around dinner time. Plus, don't forget about my rundown of the JoePa presser, coming tonight.

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Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable :: Week 1 Reactions

BHGP put this week's roundtable together. So, yeah, thank him or something like that.

1. Week 1's in the books. What surprised you about your team? Are you optimistic? Disappointed? (NOTE: Purdue does not apply here, so these fans must talk about Wake Forest instead)

ZN: I'm very optimistic. Sorry, but Penn State didn't look this good in last year's cupcake blowout over FIU. I think Clark and Devlin are a two-headed monster, and the running backs are pushing Wisconsin's lead in the conference.

2. Beanie Wells' foot is definitely the top story in the conference. What's #2?

Rich Rodriguez lost the opener at UM. OK, so we all sort of knew Utah could pull the "upset" but UM looked totally lost on offense. The defense will be good enough to win a game or two for UM, but if the O doesn't improve by the Big Ten opener, look out.

3. Admit it: you loathe DickFraudROFL (né Rich Rodriguez), but when Michigan scored that last touchdown, you were rooting for them to make the 2-pt. conversion.

Hell yeah I wanted Michigan to win that game. I hate when any Big Ten team loses out of conference. It only gives those redneck retards down south more bullshit ammo against us.

4. Is this weekend's slate of games actually less interesting than last week's?

I'm happy there aren't as many I-AA teams. Those game really, really, really suck ass. In fact, they shouldn't even count towards the team's record.

5. Don't you hate pants?

Well, since I'm wearing some right now, I can't answer that question. Ask me again later, when I'm with shorts.

Hopefully us Penn State bloggers can have a Blue & White Roundtable today or tomorrow, so check back for updates.

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