Football Season is Upon Us!

Congratulations sports fans...you made it. The college football season is officially underway! The Big Ten kicked off their season tonight as well with Junior Varsity scrimmage in Bloomington, Indiana.

What's that? Huh? That wasn't a scrimmage? Those weren't JV teams? Oh...well...this is akward.

Turns out that was an actual Big Ten team taking the field tonight, as Indiana was able to hold off Eastern Kentucky. The game actually came down to the last play as Eastern Kentucky had their last ditch Hail Mary pass batted down at the buzzer. Now, this game never should have come down to the last play, as Indiana should have run away with this one. But they didn't. They struggled. Bill Lynch admitted that they struggled in the postgame presser, but rightly so, he focused on the positives that the Hoosiers can build on this year. And there were a few positives, namely Ben Chappell and the dangerous wide receiver combo of Tandon Doss and Damarlo Belcher. The 5-yard hitch route was wide open all night, and IU took advantage by getting the ball into their playmakers hands. Doss and Belcher did the rest and in the process showed a bright future for IU on the outside.

Unfortunately, that was about it for the positives. The offensive line was unable to control the LOS for most of the game. The Hoosier's new downhill running game from the Pistol formation looked like it was running up-hill all night, and finished with a paltry 73 yards. And defensively, well, let's just say that the Colonels didn't struggle to move the football on IU, amassing 388 yards total. That and the fact that IU's middle linebacker looks like he is a safety doesn't quite forbode well for the Hoosiers when Big Televen season rolls around.

In reality, there were two great things about this game for Indiana. First, they won. And a win is a win in college football. Only five more until they're bowl eligible. Second, it was only the first game and many of the mistakes can be corrected. As excited as we can be as fans that the season has started, watching the IU/EKU and the Boise/Oregon games tonight reminded me that this is week one....not week 12. Both games featured multiple turnovers, tons of penalties, and overall sloppy football.

Temper your expectations football fans, because the game on the field might be ugly...but the fact that you are even watching football again is oh so beautiful!

Familiar Faces at the Top: Predicting the Big Ten in 2009

During the latter half of this decade, only two teams have been able to call themselves Big Ten Champions on the gridiron...and we here at F&BT don't think that will be changing this year. Penn State and Ohio State have claimed either outright or shared titles every year since 2005. Despite some high profile losses for both teams, WildHawks and I think that they will be sitting at the top of the Big Televen again this year. Here's how we're predicting the Big Ten will look at the end of the season:

1) Ohio State - Lots of high profile, face-of-the-franchise type players are missing from last year's team...but the highest profile player is back in Terrelle Pryor. All the accounts from the off-season have Pryor taking a bigger leadership role on the team, and improving his passing as well. If the Buckeyes can find some offensive playmakers from the unproven RB's and WR's to compliment Pryor, their offense will be tough to stop. On defense, the LB's will be green, but the DL should be good enough to protect them and keep opposing O-lines from getting to the second level. Look for the Buckeyes to be representing the Big Ten in another BCS game this year.

2) Penn State - Daryll Clark and Evan Royster help give the Nittany Lions the best offensive backfield in the BT this year, but their top 3 wideouts from last year are gone. None the less, we still think this will be one of the better offenses in the league this year. On the defensive side, Linebacker U continues to churn out future Sunday players at the linebacker position, as PSU will feature two of the best Big Ten LB's in Navorro Bowman and a healthy Sean Lee this year. The DL lost their two best pashrushers to the NFL, but the Lions typically churn out great pass-rushers every year, and they will need it to be an elite defense again this year.

3) Illinois - The Illini should have the most prolific offense in the Big Ten this year...but the key word there is should. Something makes us think that the words "Juice...Rejus...Touchdown Illini!" will be said quite often this year. And with Florida transfer Jarrod Fayson added to the receiver mix this year, defenses won't be able to focus solely on Rejus Benn. On the defensive side, my sources say that the team is flying around to the ball and seem much more intent on gang-tackling this year. We'll see if that continues when the season starts, but for the Illini to do anything truly special again, the team chemistry will need to improve.

4) Iowa - Picking the Hawkeyes this high is looking shakier and shakier as long as Jewel Hampton stays out of the depth chart. I'm not quite sold on Iowa without him, as they used solid defense and Shonn Greene to a solid 9-win season in 2008. Ricky Stanzi will continue to be one of the better BT quarterbacks, but the offense requires a good run game to function. The defense should be solid, although the anchors of the defense the past few years are gone with the graduation of Mitch King and Matt Kroul. If they can't find suitable replacements, look for their outstanding LB core to take on more blocks in the running game.

5) Wisconsin - Color me an optimist, but this Badger team will come to exemplify the term "addition by subtraction" this year. Gone are several multi-year starters that no doubt provided valuable service to the UW, but seemed to get a little casual and more concerned with their future as their careers came to a close. Filling the void are young, hungry and talented players looking to turn around a dismal 2008 season, especially on defense. The QB play should be better, because it can't really be any worse. Look for the Badgers to reverse the trend of declining victory totals in the Bielema era.

6) Michigan State - It continues to confound me how all the experts can predict that Michigan State could make a move in the Big Ten this year, while completely dismissing the fact that they are losing almost all of their offensive production from 2008. Gone are workhorse Javon Ringer and multi-year starter Brian Hoyer at RB and QB respectively. Yet because Mark Dantonio has a serious manner and gives a stable interview...Sparty has turned a corner. It is ridiculous to me. While Dantonio will do good things eventually, I haven't seen anything to think that Sparty has turned the corner from their letdown ways. It took Wisconsin pulling an even worse letdown and the worst season in Michigan history for the Spartans to avoid losing 5 out of their last 6 games last year. Go ahead and think they've turned the corner...I'll wait until they actually do prove it.

7) Northwestern - While both WildHawks and I love what Pat Fitzgerald is doing at NU, this just isn't going to be a repeat of 2008 for the Wildcats. The bottom line is that Mike Kafka is no CJ Bacher...and a CJ Bacher type player is required to run that offense. While Kafka performed admirably filling in for Bacher last year, it was clear that the offense wasn't the same without the passing of Bacher. While the defense will keep NU in many of their games, I don't see Kafka being able to pass well enough to put a lot of points on the board.

8) Minnesota - Recruit all you want Timmay!, but at some point you are going to have to do something with those recruits. 2009 will not be that year. Despite finally getting out of that abominable Metrodome and moving into the outdoor TCF Bank Stadium this year, Minnesota has made a few mistakes this off-season which will hamper them. First, they went from a spread offense that was beginning to show results for them and highlighted their proven QB/WR combo of Adam Weber and Eric Decker. Second, they replaced Ted Roof, the D-coordinator who left for the same job at Auburn, with Kevin Cosgrove. You may recall Cosgrove from his days getting shown the door at Wisconsin and giving up ridiculous amounts of points at Nebraska. It baffles me how he keeps getting DC jobs at major universities.

9) Michigan - Rich Rod won more in his second year at every school he has coached. Thus it would be easy to expect that his second year at Michigan would see a large increase in victories as well. But nothing has really gone according to plan since RR took over the helm in Ann Arbor, and we don't think this year will go to plan either. First there was the Justin Boren "family values" comments as he transferred to OSU, followed by the worst season in school history, RR's plan to play 3 QB's this year, and just this weekend allegations that Michigan coaches are violating NCAA rules for practice time per week. Not just allegations, but player allegations. Can anyone say disaster?

10) Purdue - Hope waits...until next year at least. I don't see much going well for Purdue in Coach Danny Hope's first year. Same offense, but new QB, RB and WR's will spell trouble for the Boilermakers. And defense...well, that never really has been their thing.

11) Indiana - While they could also fall under the same "addition by subtraction" category as Wisconsin does by getting rid of athletic but troubled Kellen Lewis, we still don't see Indiana doing anything this season. Biggest questions for IU this season are 1) how many more future conference home games will the AD sell to the highest bidder? and 2) who is going to be the next head coach when Bill Lynch gets fired after this season?

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Welcome to Season II of First and Big Ten!

Now, WildHawks and I are fully aware that any self-respecting blog will continue to hone their craft through the long, lonely off-season; but let us assure you...we stopped respecting our blog-selves long ago. Looonnng ago.

In fact, we are fairly confident that we might be the worst bloggers on the internet. Be that as it may, we're going to continue giving you our thoughts and insights throughout this college football season. You might notice a few changes in the blog this year as well, as we learned a few things over the past year. While we are as passionate as ever about the entire Big Ten Conference and its oddyssey back to respectability, we learned how hard it is to focus on 11 different teams every week. Basically, Adam Rittenberg is good at covering the whole league, and we don't have the time to do it as well as he does. So, you might see us focusing on a few of our favorite teams more often this year (Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern), and of course a few of the teams we love to hate (Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State).

Another change you'll see this year is more of the Linking Laziness posts, where we direct you to some friendly websites that are much better at this blogging thing than us. We've got our list of favorite blogs on the right side of the page, so why don't we start there.

• Recently, friends of F&BT and fellow sophomore bloggers at Over The Pylon have redone their website and posted a preview of the Big Ten Conference.
• Fear not Badger fans, you've now got a decent blog dedicated to all things Bucky. Check out Bucky's 5th Quarter to get your Badger fix somewhere other than here.
• Indiana continues its run as the joke of the conference by selling a conference home game for $3M. Let me repeat..selling a CONFERENCE HOME GAME! Thankfully, I'm not the only one disgusted by this, as Indiana blog The Crimson Quarry shares my views.

That's it for tonight. Just a little taste of what's to come in Season II here at F&BT. The goal is to have posts up about 3-4 times a week, and maybe some Linking Laziness more often than that. Keep checking throughout the season, and we promise to underwhelm you.

Ruminations on Week 9

Homecoming 2008 in Madison has come and gone...and the damage was extensive. I'll have a tally of the weekend's events up soon, but for now, just know that it was a great weekend. All the old college crew was back, and the parents even brought a cake to celebrate my birthday at the tailgate. Due to obscene amounts of drinking, this is the first weekend that I didn't see any other Big Ten games than the Badgers, so my ruminations are based entirely on box scores and game recaps...

1) Defense is still king in the Big Ten. Forget all these new spread offenses taking over the league, defense is all the rage in the Big Ten. For evidence, see Penn State at Ohio State on Saturday night in the Most Important Big Ten Game this week. Ohio State had the more hyped defense coming into the game, but it was Penn State that proved to be opportunistic enough for the victory on this night. Holding OSU to an average of 2 yards per carry, and forcing two turnovers by the phenom, Terrelle Pryor, the Nittany Lions kept control of their own BT Title destiny.

2) Bad day to be a senior. Travis Beckum, broken fibula, career over. Tyrell Sutton, broken wrist, career over. It's the worst way to have your career ended, especially when you've been the face of your program for a few years. For Beckum, coming back to school meant turning down millions in the NFL for a chance to play as a Badger 12 more times. With a pre-season hamstring injury, a couple lackluster games, and now a season-ending injury, his senior year can be considered nothing more than a disappointment. Both players should go on to NFL careers, and both will have a good shot a future success, but unfortunately for them, and even for us fans, it won't be on the Big Ten gridiron.

3) Little Brother is all grown up. Sparty finally got victory against Big Brother Michigan. Granted, Michigan had to be at its lowest point in decades for it to happen, but a win is a win in rivalry games. Especially in a rivalry that coach Mark Dantonio has made such a focal point in offseason workouts for the Spartans. Javon Ringer got back to his normal self and Brian Hoyer even bounced back to have himself a game. But the best part of the day for MSU fans had to be the postgame chanting, as those in green rained "Lit-tle Sister" down on the home crowd.

4) Off the Schneid. Or slide. Or losing streak. However you want to say it, two BT teams without a win in the past 5 weeks got wins on Saturday. Wisconsin took down Illinois on the Badgers Homecoming game, and Indiana took down Northwestern on the Hoosiers homecoming game. Huge wins for both teams as fans were starting to become restless with the coaching staffs. Brett Bielema and Bill Lynch are breathing easier this week, but as is always in the Big Ten, another big game awaits.

Ruminations on Week 8

Another week of Big Ten play, and the title picture is coming into more focus. It's looking like Penn State and Ohio State are the class of the league, and it's hard to argue for anyone else. Here's the thing about these two teams, they show up for the big games...every week. Think about it for a second. Every team gets jacked up to play Ohio State...it's their chance to prove that they belong in the elite of the Big Ten. Yet Ohio State has only lost one BT game in the past two years. That's quite the streak. Other teams in the Big Televen have done a decent job of making it to big games and getting themselves to the point where they are successful enough to have a big game, but they disappoint. Northwestern had a big game last week against MSU...lost. MSU had a big game this week against OSU...blown out. Wisconsin had a big game against...nevermind. Here are some other ruminations on Week 8 in the Big Ten:

1) Yeeeaaaahhh, about all those articles claiming that Sparty isn't going to have their October slide.... I hope you were holding on tight Spartan fans, because I'm pretty sure Ohio State just pushed you down that slide. Actually, they shot you out of a cannon down that slide. The Buckeyes came out to play in the Most Important Game of the Week in the BT, and put this one away early. Terrelle Pryor found his running legs early in this game and put the OSU offense on his back in the first few drives, and all of a sudden it was 28-0. It didn't get much prettier for Sparty, as Javon Ringer got robbed, or at least had his "money-makers" taken away on Saturday. We'll see how the Spartans respond this week with Big Brother up next. The Wolverines are just plain awful this year, but with Michigan State, you can never underestimate the mental midget factor, and that could play huge this Saturday.

2) Winning cures all evil. Just ask Iowa and Penn State. Both programs have had their share of off-the-field trouble in recent years, but as the victories pile up, the problems fall farther into the distance. Just think, a few months ago everyone was calling for Kirk Ferentz head as he was being investigated for inappropriate conduct in a sexual assault investigation. Now...the Hawkeyes are on a hot streak and are back in their offensive stride with a dominant O-line and bruising back in Shonn Greene. A few months ago ESPN was calling out JoePa for his lack of control of the Penn State program. Now...they're calling for him to have the right to decide when he should leave. Turns out the saying is true...winning cures all evil.

3) The wheels have officially come off. Indiana and Wisconsin seem to have hit a pothole greater than any of those you'll find on I-94 in the winter. Indiana has lost their last 5 games. Wisconsin their last 4. Worse yet, both teams have seemed to regress in the last few weeks. Neither coaching staff seems to know what is happening to their teams, as their once promising seasons are crumbling before them. This much is true, both head coaches are up against something that they have never experienced in their careers...and how they respond will largely determine their longevity at their respective schools.

4) You can have your Quarterbacks in the Big 12...the best Running Backs in the country are in the Big Ten. Beanie Wells. Javon Ringer. Shonn Greene. Tyrell Sutton. Evan Royster. Stephon Green. The conference may have gone to more spread systems in recent years, but the running back talent in the Big Televen is unmatched by any conference out there. And the youth at the position keeps the forecast positive for years to come. John Clay. Jewell Hampton. Sam McGuffie. Jason Ford. (**note: I purposely left PJ Hill off this list. If you disagree, or want to know why, email the blog and I'll you.)

FNT: Friday Night Trashtalk

Buckingham: Well Hello there WildHawk...you ready to get this Friday Night Trashtalk going?
WildHawk: Let's do it
Buckingham: Alright, so basically this is going to be a semi-regular segment on the blog where we take a look at all the Saturday games, and talk trash to each other/fans of the teams. No holds barred, cage-match style. Witty banter and jokes are welcome.
WildHawk: Old-school rules?
Buckingham: 1 rule...there are no rules…except for rule #2, which is limit the swearing...we're part of the Yardbarker Network now!
WildHawk: Noted
Buckingham: And on that note...f*ck Iowa. Just kidding, we'll get to that later.

INDIANA @ ILLINOIS

Buckingham: Let's start her off with some easy targets here...Indiana @ Illinois. Go...
WildHawk: Well Indiana just plain sucks, and Illannoy only plays offense (plus doesn't have a coach, only a head recruiting coordinator)
Buckingham: Tru dat...I mean, I just plain feel bad for making fun of Indiana.
WildHawk: Yeah, sorta like staring at a freak on the sidewalk.
Buckingham: If you were the only fan left on earth, and you had to pick a football coach for your team, and the only two options were Bill Lynch or a bumb off the street...who do you pick? … I go with option C...none of the above. I'd rather have anarchy on the team than either of those two options.
WildHawk: …or D, get rid of the football program altogether. Only problem this year is they don't have basketball to fall back on.
Buckingham: Thank you Kelvin Sampson!!
WildHawk: With Sampson, they traded one season with a good player for the entire program. But I digress…
Buckingham: Illinois is going to put up about 500 yards of offense in this game, but then they'll sadly realize that Juice is still their quarterback and that Mendenhall hates their program. There is nothing like alienating your best NFL prospect in ages as soon as he steps off campus.
WildHawk: How hard would it have been to keep his brother on the team? Hell, I bet he could start on defense (and he was a RB, no?)
Buckingham: That is cooorrrreeeccct! Winner of this game?
WildHawk: Illannoy, but even Illini fans won't be able to be cocky after.
Buckingham: Agreed...Illini W this week.

PURDUE @ NORTHWESTERN

Buckingham: Moving on...Purdue at Northwestern?
WildHawk: Purdue is a mess with a lame-duck coach, but the Cats never throw a ball more than 5 yards.
Buckingham: I've heard mustaches aren't very popular in Evanston except on women...so Tiller could be in trouble. Curtis Painter probably more...that Wildcat defense should be coming after him.
WildHawk: I hope so. Plus Purdue's D is no good. I like Northwestern by default....but closer than it should be.
Buckingham: Yeah, I have a feeling that lame-ass Wildcat noise that every college in the country who has "cats" in their name uses will be played often.
WildHawk: Fact. Also, is it just me, or is Tiller playing a sick joke on Painter, surrounding him with no one? I always thought Painter was overrated, but this is cruel.
Buckingham: I wrote about this before, but Tiller is just straight up being a dick. How many years ago do you think he stopped caring?
WildHawk: Funny how 3 years ago, when they were going to have 2 straight years without OSU or Michigan, they started to blow, despite decent talent and hype (also, as of last year, I could change the school in question to Iowa for this and I'd still have a good point).
Buckingham: I'm guessing that you're taking the Cats...but what's the over/under on passes thrown within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage?
WildHawk: I'm guessing CJ will throw about 35 times, 25 of which will be either behind the line or within 5 yards, this despite 3 senior WRs and a line that hasn't given-up many sacks.
Buckingham: I'll put the over/under at 30 combined passes within 5 yards.
WildHawk: under...barely
Buckingham: Cats take this one with their defense.
WildHawk: Agreed.

MICHIGAN @ PENN STATE

WildHawk: How about scUM/PSU?
Buckingham: PSU....147....Michigan....0
WildHawk: Sounds like Ditka will be suiting-up for Paterno, but seriously, my crystal ball says this will be another embarrassment for the Wolverines.
Buckingham: At this point, if Michigan has less than 4 turnovers in any game...it should be considered a success. Do you think they can set a record for worst turnover margin in NCAA history?
WildHawk: Perhaps. I just hope none of them die.
Buckingham: Don't talk about Paterno like that WildHawk...he's young at heart.
WildHawk: Hahahaha. Sigh.
Buckingham: I'm gonna say that Paterno will be asleep by the mid-3rd quarter...and Rich Rod will be on the phone with his agent looking for an escape route.

OHIO STATE @ MICHIGAN STATE

Buckingham: Do you think Michigan State will crumble this week? (note: I couldn't even type that without chuckling a bit in anticipation of your response)
WildHawk: Of course
Buckingham: Letdown. I was hoping for something along the lines of...Does a bear shit in the woods? Does Charlie Weis refuse to pass up an all-you-can-eat at the OCB? Is Lindsey gonna relapse before she realizes going lesbian is only awesome if your partner is hot?
WildHawk: I should hire you as a ghostwriter; those are pretty good. Let's be honest, they barely beat an Iowa team at home who was playing like they were trying to lose. They're simply not that good. I hate OSU, but they have a defense and a better coach. Ringer won't have 100 yards, and OSU will win by more than people think.
Buckingham: Yeah, I'm loving all the "not this October" articles popping up right now. Here's the thing about Sparty...they need to flop in a big game before the slide starts. This is really their first big game/opportunity to provide us with comedic material.
WildHawk: And you know what, even if Iowa and Northwestern take it in the neck tomorrow, I'll still laugh my ass off.
Buckingham: oh absolutely...how could you not? I've been saving up "money-maker" jokes all year for this game…but it'll be even better when Michigan beats them the next week. Granted I can't talk much, but it'll still be good.
WildHawk: And that's why I love college football. Anyone can root for their team, but it takes a real fan to hate certain teams with the same passion.
Buckingham: Who ya got?
WildHawk: Kidding? Gimme the Buckeyes
Buckingham: I'll take MSU in the first 25 minutes of the game...and the Suckeyes doubling Sparty's point total in the last 35
WildHawk: Interesting. I respect the detailed pick.

WISCONSIN @ IOWA

Buckingham: So I guess that leaves only one game left...which team is gonna suck more on Saturday...yours or mine?
WildHawk: Beats me. I'd say it's 50/50. Last time you guys had a QB making his first start against Iowa, Donovan torched us.
Buckingham: True...but we also have a QB on our roster that beat out Sherer in spring/fall camp...yet made every Badger fan long for Tyler Donovan. I feel dirty just typing that.
WildHawk: Sick. I think it's simple: win the turnover battle, win the game.
Buckingham: The bad news for you is that we have a guy named John Clay who is a sexy piece of man meat. And no, I don't regret typing that…my man-crush is that great.
WildHawk: ...and he almost picked-up the Iowa hat!
Buckingham: Still stings a little doesn't it?
WildHawk: I dunno, I'm happy with Shonn and Jewel Hampton (a real diamond in the rough...whammy)
Buckingham: I thought you'd bring up the Jewel of every Hawks-eye (stretching on that one)
WildHawk: I'll accept it.
Buckingham: Can we just talk about something else though...underage drinking! More specifically getting caught for it, and pissing off your parents…even more specifically, pissing off your dad/football coach.
WildHawk: Yikes, now the youngest Ferentz. Ouch.
Buckingham: Did you see that press release Kirk put out today?
WildHawk: No, good?
Buckingham: I mean, my dad would be mad...but this took it to a whole new level. I can not even imagine how much hell his life is going to be for the next six weeks. There are punishment press releases that coaches put out that seem like they're really not worried (see Zook, Ron), and then there is the press release that all parents probably wish they could put out when their kid does something stupid. Kirk had that chance, and unlike Iowa's offense, did not waste it.
WildHawk: At least he isn't overpaid. (Sidenote: So Zook doesn't suspend guys who hit women?)
Buckingham: (Nope, bitches should know that when the Zooker gets poked in the eye, he won't be as nice as Eddie McGee.) Back to the topic...if either team has to go to the untrustworthy left-handed backup QB...who wins?
WildHawk: Wisconsin…no question. Jake isn't a D1 QB, plain and simple.
Buckingham: Wasn't he the savior of the program as a redshirt frosh? That turned out well for you. So, who wins if the starting QB's stay alive?
WildHawk: If he's the savior, then I'm Mickey Mouse. I like Iowa, obviously. Regardless, it's gonna be close.
Buckingham: I'm taking my Badgers. Unless the fat-ass (PJ) plays too much, then we're screwed. Actually, I got a 4 in the college pick'em last week, so we're probably screwed anyways if I'm picking the Badgers. Either way, it's gonna be an old school Big Televen football game, and it'll be great to watch.
WildHawk: Hahaha, sadly I didn't win a week for the first time in a while. That being said, I can honestly say I respect Wisky...one of the only non-Iowa/NU Big10 teams I don't despise.
Buckingham: Ditto for Iowa.

Wow...we suck at talking trash.

Ruminations on Week 6

Another week...another brutal Wisconsin loss that I don't want to talk about. It's a good thing that plenty of other things happened this week for me to discuss. Here are my ruminations on Week 6 of Big Ten play:

1) Quarterbacks, Quarterbacks, Quarterbacks. Where to start with these guys this week? The Juice got loose, Terrelle became a man, and Darryl Clark did what he does. Even Brian Hoyer made some plays on Saturday. On the opposite end, Curtis Painter found his way to the bench in the second half against Penn State and Allan Evridge tried his hardest to get there. Tell me who predicted that both Todd Boeckman and Curtis Painter, the most experience/hyped QB's in the league would both be on the bench during Week 6 games?

2) Timmay! has a W. The Minnesota Golden Gophers have their first conference win of the Tim Brewster era after scraping past Indiana on Saturday. Brewster has himself a stud in Eric Decker and the defense is much improved under the Ted Roof (see what I did there? under the roof? yep, been saving that one). Granted, Indiana has regressed faster than Michael Richard's stand-up career, but a win is a win is a win. And for Timmay!, it's a first in the Big Ten.

3) Tiller is different on his way out. If you Joey T wasn't retiring this year and he still had recruits, high school coaches, etc. to please, do you think Curtis Painter gets benched in the second half last week? Do you think Tiller even talks about benching him the week before even though he didn't? I sure don't. I know from some good sources that Tiller and Kyle Orton had some major differences is style during Orton's senior year (Orton thought they were too conservative and was vocal about it...real vocal). Yet Orton never saw the bench, even though Tiller could barely stand him by the end of the season and Purdue's season had spiraled downward. If Tiller was retiring do you think Orton sees the bench? I'd bet on yes.

4) Alright, let's talk about it. Props to Ohio State this week, and especially Terrelle Pryor and Beanie Wells. Those two are a potent combination that rival any combo in the nation. But this rumination isn't about them, it's about my Badgers. This defeat was bad, but not as bad as last week. They were competitive, even Beanie came out and said he had never been hit so consistently hard on every play throughout a game, and they gave the UW faithful a great, albeit disappointing, show on Saturday night. I can live with losses like this....oh who am I kidding? That sucked. It leaves the Badgers staring at 0-2 in the Big Ten with arguably the league's best team coming next week. The biggest challenge of the season for the coaches could be to keep this team motivated...clips from last year's PSU debacle should help.

An Oddysey: BIG WEEK in the Big Ten

In case you didn't hear...there's a couple big games in the Big Ten this weekend. It was almost a tough choice for the Most Important Game in the Big Ten This Week (seen on the right), but alas, THE GAME OF THE CENTURY 2008 Edition! is happening this weekend. There has never been a better week for the Big Televen to stake their claim as a respectable conference. This is the week to turn around the "down" label that has plagued the conference since the infamous National Championship Game Suck-Job #1. Ohio State learned the hard way this week just how negative the rest of the country feels about the Big Ten. After a poor performance against Ohio last weekend, the buckeyes dropped from 2nd to 5th in the polls. After a Win! Rarely do teams drop after a win, no matter how ugly. Sadly, that is the state of the Big Ten's national perception. But fear not, 3 big time games provide an opportunity for the Big Ten to earn their way back into the nation's good graces:

Ohio State @ USC
This game has been hyped, talked about, disected, and predicted like no other game this year. And the crazy thing is, the circumstances keep changing. Tuesday we heard that Beanie Wells would be playing, and that he wanted 45 carries. Wednesday he practiced well. Thursday...he's doubtful. President Bush just declared the state of Ohio a disaster zone due to massive flooding from all the tears. USC on the other hand comes in with the full arsenal of talented skill players and an experienced defense. Call me stupid, but I don't expect a ton of points in this game. Ohio State will struggle without Beanie to pound the rock. Boeckman will show his big game struggles again, and the USC defense will be flying all over the field. On the other side of the ball, USC looked unstoppable against Virginia. But the OSU defense is better than Virginia's, and the USC O-line is young/inexperienced. Expect the Buckeyes to blitz early and often and try to throw the Trojans off their game. Ultimately, the Trojans will pull away, but not until a late touchdown seals it. USC over OSU 24-10.

Oregon at Purdue
Yards, Points. Yards, Points. That's pretty much how this game should go on Saturday. Both offenses are wide open and capable of putting lots of yards and points on the board. Both defenses leave much to be desired. Purdue will come out fired up, as they will for most games this being Joe Tiller's final year, and it will be on Oregon to match their intensity. After a long trip from Eugene, I don't think the Ducks will have it in them early. Expect Purdue to take a first half lead behind the arm of Curtis Painter, but the Ducks to come storming back. Don't be surprised at the final score. Oregon over Purdue 45-37.

Wisconsin at Fresno State
Pat Hill has been building this game as the biggest game in Bulldog Stadium history. Fresno State is known for their motto of "anyone, anytime, anywhere". Well, the Bulldogs are finally getting a big-name program to come into their house. The fans will come from all over the Valley to support the Bulldogs, and Wisconsin fans may show up too. (sidenote: yours truly will be there, and judging by the booster event in San Fran tonight, there will be tons of badger fans). I fully expect the Badgers to come out just as fired up as the Bulldogs. Look for the Badgers to go on offense first if they can, and use their big O-lineman and a punishing tailback trio to beat up the Fresno D right off the bat. Fresno will look for the big play early to get their fans into the game right away...and don't be surprised if the trick plays come out of the bag. Eventually though, the Badgers will pull away. Allan Evridge will start throwing on first down to soften the D, and after four quarters of pounding, the Wisconsin O-line and running backs will take control in the fourth. Badgers over Bulldogs, 31-21.

Other Games:
Michigan over the Domers 17-7
Penn State over Syracuse 56-10
Minnesota over Montana State 34-21
Michigan State over FAU 35-14
Illinois over Lousiana Lafayette 42-21
Iowa over Iowa State 21-17
Northwestern over SIU 27-10

Ruminations on Week 2

Frankly, Week 2 in the Big Televen wasn't exactly the most dificult slate of games. Considering the upsets that have happened in the last two years across college football, anytime a conference can go 11-0 on a Saturday, it's a good day. And it was a good day for most teams, here's a few things that stood out to me:

1) The "Spread HD" is legit. I thought Jay Paterno had jinxed his self-named offense when he came up with Spread HD. Yet after two weeks and 111 points, I'm a believer. Daryll Clark is Michael Robinson V2.0, the receivers have clearly established themselves as the best in the Big10, and Even Royster has been running untouched quite often. The Big Ten is on notice, JoePa has himself a team, and a great shot at being the lone all-time wins leader.

2) Minnesota has DOUBLED it's 2007 win total. Pop the sparkling wine Gophers, you have double the joy...and it's only week 2. This was no pushover either, Bowling Green had just upset ESPN darling Pittsburgh the week before and the game was on the road. I picked it for the Most Important Big10 Game last week, and Minny came through for the conference. I definitely don't like Minnesota to win many games inside the conference, but it's looking good for a non-conference sweep. Congrats Timmay! Let's see how you handle this unparralled success that two wins has brought you.

3) Indiana has bowl chances. Not bad Kellen, not bad at all good sir. But the Hoosiers haven't played anyone yet, and like many teams in the Big Televen, I still don't know what to make of them. Lewis does look like a stud, and I can't help but get the feeling that Indiana could be capable of pulling off some crazy offensive outputs like they did with a certain superhero named Randle El. Wait and see.

4) Fan bases are too quick to hype. Stop it people. Please, just stop it. P.J. Hill for Heisman? Try 18 carries for 57 yards against Marshall. Not a Heisman candidate, please shut up now. Martez Wilson on the Butkis Award Watchlist? He's not there yet, and hadn't started a game when he was put on that list. That's absurd. Stop it. That One Guy at Ohio State? Didn't play when the game was in doubt, and no, that is not a news story. He's a true freshman who isn't ready yet, that's not news. Please stop trying to make it news.