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?

UPDATE: Metrodome Sex Cougar Won't Let Story Go Away

As WildHawks so graciously informed us last week, a 38-year-old married cougar and a 26-year-old with a girlfriend sent the metrodome out with a "bang" at the Iowa v. Minnesota game a few weeks ago. As funny as the story was at the time, it's taken on a life of its own since then. Seriously, this story is like Mike Gundy press conferences on YouTube...it's a gift that keeps on giving.

Highlights include:

• Ironic Newspaper Headlines..."Dome Incident..." It's almost too easy.
• MySpace photos of the culprits hitting the internet (courtesy of SportsbyBrooks)
• One woman fired from their job as an administrator at an assisted living center.
• Allegations of a drug being slipped in a drink, without any...you know...details to back it up.
• And, one cougar who can't stop pumping out quotes to keep the story alive.

"I don't know who this man is. I just found out his name in the paper"

"I don't deny that it did happened, because, obviously, there are police reports"

"Everybody thinks something was slipped into my drink....Right, and that's what my lawyer and I are working on."

There's really only two people missing from this story, the guy having sex and the cop that found them. The guy hasn't spoken about it yet, but SbB has an idea where he may be...

Meanwhile, we haven’t yet heard from our hero, Ross Walsh. He’s probably too busy wading through the high-five processional outside his house.

As for the cop, well, the police spokesman in Minneapolis offered this little nugget regarding the woman-as-a-victim theory...

"All I can say is the actions went on for some period of time with many witnesses on hand and no one reported either party was objecting."

Touche, sir.

Does This Count as Halftime Entertainment?

The story speaks for itself.

[Insert punny comment] In the last UM game at the Metrodome, two Hawkeyes went out with a bang. Whammy.

Ruminations on Week 11

Not quite as exciting finishes this week, but there were certainly some shocking results to this weeks Big Televen football games. Indiana again proved to be the best medicine for any struggling team this year, and the weather finally became a factor in some games. As the bowl picture starts to take shape, here are some ruminations on Week 11:

1) Bye-Bye BCS Championship. Iowa played the role that they have become so good at in the last few years...spoiler. Penn State, the Big Ten's best and only shot at the BCS National Championship game, couldn't pull out a victory this past weekend, and their perfect season exists no more. On a chilly day in Iowa City, this looked like a great game to be at in person. All 3 of my brothers were actually in attendance, taking in the game from the student section. I get a call at halftime...is it sweet being there in person?

"Nah, we left at halftime...it was freezing. Iowa only has like 2
first downs, they're about to get blown out so we're just gonna watch it on TV
at home."

Good choice guys. Seriously, storming the field like that would not have been fun at all. I'm sure your living room was going crazy.

2) My respect for Pat Fitzgerald went through the roof. Watching the beginning of the ESPN broadcast, they showed Fitzgerald in the pre-game firing up his players. Two words summed it up for me...passionately intense. Even I was getting fired up listening to Fitzgerald scream "Thata way 72! Thata way to fire off the ball, 72! Big Ten Football...FIRE OFF THE BALL!!" I tell you what, Pat Fitzgerald will be one of the best coaches to ever roam a Big Ten sideline by the time he's done. He got the job too early, under the worst circumstances anyone could imagine, but there is no one better for the Northwestern job than him. I thought it 3 years ago, I think it even more today. He'll find a way to be great. The guy loves football. The guy bleeds purple. The guy just gets it. Watching that game, NU came out ready to play, they just couldn't stop the big play. The defense was fired up and laying the wood. They just couldn't get off the field. Offensively, they got too predictable with a backup QB and 3rd string RB. What offense wouldn't? Eventually, Ohio State's talent proved to be too much, but here's to thinking that Fitzgerald's intense passion closes that gap.

3) Not even Timmay! is immune from the big-loss hangover. College football is about the only place where the older you get...the easier it is to get rid of a hangover. Minnesota certainly was entitled to their share of a hangover following that brutal loss to Northwestern. But Timmay! and the Gopher coaches had a great chance to get the team pumped up to take advantage of a down Michigan football team. Instead, the Goofers did what only FCS teams and Wisconsin have been able to do this year...they made Michigan look good. Playing without stud wideout Eric Decker, Minnesota struggled moving the ball all day. Weber was pressured by the Wolverine front 4, and the field goals UM kept kicking proved to be enough for a road victory. I thought Timmay! and his endless positivity would get his group up for this game, but it turns out that Minny couldn't kick the hangover in time.

4) The One-and-Done. It's not just a potent drink at The Blue Velvet in Madison, WI...it's also the working title on Ron Zook's Illinois coaching stint. From a magical Rose Bowl season serving as Zook's lone bright spot...to the verge of a losing season and no bowl game the next...Illinois football is stalling right now. This team has been the model of inconsistency all year, and Zook appears to be losing his patience. After the loss to Wisconsin, he called out his experienced players for making too many mistakes. After this loss to Western Michigan, who is left to call out? The players obviously are not picking up the teachings of this great coaching staff, and their player leadership is lacking. Worst of all, the players apparently don't like each other very much...as Jeff Cumberland recently broke Mikel Leshoure's jaw with a punch. Apparently homey don't mess around when you steal his cell phone. And if you watched The Journey last week, you know that had to be a huge punch to break that big of a guy's jaw.

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.)

Wisconsin @ Iowa Game Blog: Battle for the Heartland Trophy

The Heartland Trophy

9:10am UW’s first drive gets a couple nice first downs, but Sherer was off the entire drive…hopefully nerves. Josh Oglesby is getting dominated on a consistent basis, which is not a good sign.

9:17am 7-0 Iowa. Shonn Greene got to the second level pretty much any time he wanted. Major props to Iowa’s offensive line, which had their way with the Badgers. They got a 3-4 yard push every play and covered linebackers almost every play. It could be a long day if this keeps up.

9:19am Am I crazy to think that the BTN is slightly validated now that both Presidential candidates are airing commercials on the network? Not picking sides…but we’ll keep score. Obama 1 positive, 0 neg. McCain 0 pos, 1 neg.

9:24am Kyle Jefferson doesn’t look the same this year. Just caught an easy out pattern in his chest and fell down immediately. It looks like he doesn’t trust his hands as much as he did last year.

9:25am UW O-line dominated again, as the Badgers can’t get a 2nd-2 or a 3rd-2.

End of 1Q 7-0 Iowa. It’s been all Hawkeyes in the first 15 minutes. Both lines are dominating the line of scrimmage, and that really will be the key today. In these old-school Big Ten games, whoever controls the line of scrimmage and limits turnovers usually wins the game. Neither team has a turnover yet, but chalk up the LOS battle to the Hawkeyes in the first quarter.

9:43am Sherer apparently has a problem throwing the ball away. That’s twice when he’s been pressured and pretty much thrown it straight to a Hawkeye. Note to Dustin…don’t do that.

9:45am Obama 2 positve ads, McCain 1 negative ad

9:51am Another overrated part of football, that Barry Alvarez used to stress all the time, is the hidden yardage. In these throwback games, special teams yards can make all the difference. Wisconsin is about to start their 3rd drive of the day at the 20 yard line or worse. Lots of punting so far, but Iowa is secretly gaining a lot of yards.

9:59am Shonn Greene just showed why Iowa has missed him while he went back to JUCO. He ran through a bunch of arm tackles by the Badgers, including from both safeties, and gave the Hawkeyes a 14-0 lead.

10:03am SHOCKER ALERT! The most fragile fat-ass in college football is hurt again. PJ Hill just limped his way off the field, and hopefully into a backup role for the rest of his career.

10:06am These announcers are excellent, and I’m actually really enjoying listening to them. They are correctly pointing out the little things that make a difference, like when Glen Mason says “Sherer is adding an extra pump before all his passes, causing him to be slightly late.” Or Chris Martin saying, “70,000 people knew where Dustin Sherer was going with that ball. He stared down Beckum the entire time.”

10:13am Travis Beckum…welcome to the game. Nice to see you finally appear with 2 mins left in the half.

10:14 Holy Shit! Sherer threw the ball away!! Wait…hold the celebration, penalty for illegal formation, our 2nd of the day. That’s on the coaching…how do these guys consistently not know where to line up?

10:16am Finally, the Badgers are on the board. In probably their best drive of the day, Wisconsin gets a field goal from Phillip Welch to make it 14-3 Iowa.

10:21am Bielema is calling timeouts at the end of the half. This appears to be crazy considering his offense can barely move the ball. But give the man credit, he’s not conceding anything to his alma mater. But he could give Gilreath a shot at one more punt return, which is always dangerous.

HALF 14-3 Iowa. Well, that certainly wasn’t the Badgers best half of football. The lines for Iowa are in complete control of this game. The Badger linebackers haven’t made many plays, but to their credit they’ve been getting covered up pretty well by the Hawkeye o-line getting to the second level. So what snap, irrational judgements can I make as of right now….Shonn Greene has too many double letters in his name, and he belongs in the NFL. Dustin Sherer is not a D1 quarterback, maybe not even D1AA (FCS). PJ Hill is finally where he belongs…on the bench.
Not to toot my own horn…but here’s some proof on my hidden yards comment. Iowa only has 30 more yards at halftime. UW leads in Time of Possession, by 3 mins and has run 13 more plays that the Hawkeyes. UW has converted 44% of 3rd downs to Iowa’s 25%. Both teams have 10 first downs. Iowa leads this game 14-3. Hidden yards are the difference in this game. Toot fucking toot.

10:47am Damnit Comcast…my screen goes grey for a split second about every three seconds. You have no idea how annoying this is. Big stop by the Badger D.

10:48am My BOY! #85 David Gilreath just got a seam…but got tackled by the kicker. I don’t think anyone in college football has been caught by the kicker as much as DG…but I still love him. Badgers have come out to play in the second half….and penalty. That’s more like it.

10:52am A pass to Beckum leaves the Badgers with 4th-3, and Phillip Welch nails his second field goal of the day. 14-6 Iowa. Now that I think of it, with as terrible as Phillip Welch was throughout the spring and particularly in the spring game, he’s my most improved for the Badgers this year.

10:58am Obama 3 positive ads, McCain 1 negative ad.

11:04am Another stalled drive in the red zone for the Badgers, but Welch proves reliable again chipping another field goal in to cut the lead to 14-9 Iowa. UW is looking much improved, but field goals will not win this game. We need some tugs.

11:08am Personal foul on Casillas the thug for late hit on the passer. I swear to you, there is no dumber player in the Big Ten than Jonathon Casillas. Not book smarts, but just general stupidity. He is second on my list behind PJ Hill of people I hate that everyone else loves.

11:10am Shonn Greene. Touchdown. Demoralizing is an understatement. The Hawkeyes caught the Badgers in a blitz and ran a perfectly executed draw play. Greene went untouched for 52 yards and his 3rd touchdown.

11:20am So there were just offsetting penalties on a punt…and I’m pretty sure the refs messed that one up, because they moved the Badgers back 15 yards. Which is wrong if the penalties are offsetting. Either way, some guy named Paki just blocked the punt…and Brad Nortman’s miserable freshman season continues. Excellent.

11:23am IT’S OFFICIAL…the wheels have come off of Bucky’s Bandwagon. Play action with a ridiculous 1-handed catch by a big TE for the Hawkeyes. One move and he’s taking it to the house. 28-9 Iowa.

11:27am Josh Oglesby…welcome to college football. I know you were thrown into the LT position by an injury to Carimi…but please try to get a hand on someone…anyone. Two plays in a row, you got beat off the edge without touching the guy…not good.

END 3rd Quarter 28-9 Iowa. This one is pretty much Britney’s career right now. The wheels came off, you know it’s over, but there is part of you that won’t give up hope on that epic comeback. I hate that part of myself right now.

11:41am Sherer stares down Beckum on 3rd down for the 84th time today…aaaaannnnddd picked. Anyone surprised?

11:46am Obama 3 positive ads, McCain 2 negative ads

11:47am Christina Aguilera just made another hit record to rub it in Britney’s face…. Errrr, Shonn Greene just ran for his 4thTouchdown today. 35-9 Iowa. Anyone that wants to tackle him today is welcome to join the Badgers.

11:51am Sherer stares down Beckum…Pat Angerer picks him off. Where have I seen this before? By the way, Pat Angerer, Iowa’s MLB, is having himself a GAME! 16 tackles and two picks so far. I’m sure there is some joke about being angry right here, but I’m too dejected to think of it. Where’s my drink?

11:58am Field Goal…38-9 Iowa. Obama 4 positive ads, McCain 2 negative ads. Tolzien in the game, white flag waved. And as I say that…Zach Brown Touchdown. Granted he carved up the backups for Iowa, but good for him. He’s been forgotten with the success of Clay, and he’s reminding the coaches why he’s a valuable commodity. 38-16 Iowa.

FINAL 38-16 Iowa. Shonn Greene went for over 200 yards and 4 TDs. Pat Angerer had 16 tackles and 2 INTs. I’m gonna go out on a limb and name them the players of the game. Wisconsin continues its downward spiral, dropping to 0-4 in conference play and 3-4 overall. Iowa wins two conference games in a row for the first time in a while. Obama outspent McCain 2-1, but McCain went all negative and Obama was all positive. Shonne Greene gave his O-line props during the postgame interview, and rightfully so, he wasn’t touched very often today.

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.

The Mailbag is Answered!

I'm finally getting around to answering the Mailbag question posed by friend of F&BT Ross Gellar a few weeks ago after Wisconsin's monumental loss to Michigan.

Ross' Question: Which team in the Big Ten has been the most disappointing over the last 5 years?

I wanted to give myself some space from the game as I knew I would be highly emotional about the Badgers for a few weeks, and I was right. Immediately, I was all about Ross' logic: he did some research, his argument made sense, I was vulnerable and impressionable (drunk), and most of all...I had lived almost all those losses as a student.

And after thinking about it for a few weeks, I can't say that the Badgers have been the most disappointing since 2003. Sure, it has been tough being a Badger fan and being so close, but not as bad as it has been for others. Think about it for a second. Would you rather be OSU or Michigan, and get to a big bowl game only to get embarrassed? That would suck just as much. Trust me, the Badgers have been fortunate to win their bowl games, and winning that last game does wonders for the mood of players, coaches, and fans alike throughout the offseason. Plus, they have won 47 games from 2003-2007. So that's my argument against the Badgers.

Here are a few other schools I looked at:

MICHIGAN: I thought they had to have some disappointing seasons over the last few years. The Alamo Bowl year came to mind, and I thought there had to be others. But I was wrong. Michigan is 46-17 over the last 5 years. Only once did they win less than 9 games, when they went to the Alamo Bowl with 7 wins. It turns out that Michigan just suffered from the Ohio State Syndrome...pulling Suck-Jobs in bowl games.

PURDUE: They always seem to fade in the years they are supposed to be good, or at least towards the end of Orton's career at Purdon't. But the more I thought about it, are expectations at Purdue really that high that they can be utterly disapointed every year? No, they're not. Purdue is 37-26 over the last 5 years, including 21-19 in the Big Televen. I'd say that's where Purdue fans should expect them to be, thus they shouldn't be disappointed.

IOWA: If this question were only about the last 3 years, Iowa takes this title running away (...from the cops!). Sure, they're only 1 game over .500 in the last three years. Yes, they were supposed to have excellent recruiting classes that should have been paying off right about now. Absolutely, those classes have been decimated by off-the-field incidents and injury. But as bad as it has been the last three years for Iowa, they had great years in '03 and '04, with a 20-5 record in that time. The Hawkeyes are 23-17 in the BT the last 5 years, which isn't great, but certainly not the most disapointing in the last 5 years.

And the most disappointing team in the Big Ten over the last five years is....

MICHIGAN STATE!

Congratulations Sparty, you've got an award courtesy of F&BT. I know WildHawk is loving this right now, as MSU is his most despised team in the conference. And you know what, even if I were an MSU fan over the last five years...they'd be my most despised team too. There are no two ways about it, it's been rough being a Spartan fan since 2003. Your recruiting is always fairly decent, plenty of HS talent resides in your state, you always open the season with some creampuff victories, optimism resides in your heart....and then the wheels come off. Next thing you know John L. Smith is yelling at Jack Arute, you blow a couple games, and your headed to the Alamo Bowl...or no bowl at all, as was the case in 2004-6. Seriously Sparty? The only 2 bowl games you've been to in the last 5 years is the Alamo Bowl ('03) and the Champs Sports Bowl ('07). You lost both times.


Yes, being a Spartan fan has been rough. You're 29-32 over the last five years, and even worse, you're 15-25 in Big Ten games. 10 games under .500!! To top it all off, Big Brother instate rival has enjoyed a good deal of success on the other side of the state. Basically, being a Michigan State fan is like being any other female sideline reporter not named Erin Andrews. Erin is Michigan, you're anybody else. You'll never be as good looking, and while they are enjoying unparralled success, you're toiling at some mediocre football game that few people are watching. Probably a Michigan State game.

Another Reason I Love College Football: "We're Still Pretty Good!"

So WildHawks had 3 posts yesterday...count 'em...Uno, Dos, 3. Are you kidding me? This guy hasn't posted in weeks, and all of a sudden...Boom! I won't lie that he was about to get fired next week if he didn't post. I didn't want to have to do it, but my inner Donald Trump had been tugging at me for a while. And then there he was, with three posts in one day. Ladies and Gentlemen, he's back.



"Just when I thought you couldn't get any dumber, you go and do something like this....and TOTALLY redeem yourself!"




One of WildHawks' posts made me chuckle at first, and then I realized that he was right, and it was one of the reasons I love college football. His post about Iowa football, and that he thinks they're still pretty good. I mean think about that, they're still pretty good?! They're 3-3 overall and 0-2 in a mediocre conference and their biggest win is against...Iowa State?


Yet there goes WildHawks, proclaiming that they're still pretty good. And you know what? He's right. And that's what I love about college football. As a diehard fan, don't you find yourself rooting for your team no matter what? Don't you continue to see the great plays and block the bad ones from your memories? Every time your team takes that field, there's no chance they don't live up to their potential and probably dominate that game right? I know that's how I feel. I know that's how a lot of college football fans feel. We're blinded by our love for our team, and for better or worse, we're going to always view them through those team-color tinted glasses. It's a beautiful sight.


That's the thing about college football, every team is dangerous on any given week. Sure, throughout the course of the season, talent will most likely rise to the top. But for 3 hours on a Saturday, Oregon State is better than USC. Michigan is better than Wisconsin. Duke is better than anybody. Vanderbilt can beat Auburn (and get their O-coordinator fired after 6 games). Even at 3-3, Iowa is a scary football team. I know I'm not looking forward to playing them. They run the ball well, they have a great D-Line, and they are built schematically to stop teams like my Badgers. As terrible as their record is, Iowa will always be a tough game for Wisconsin, because their styles are so similar.


And that's why I love college football. A mediocre team can be a terrible matchup for a great team, and that great team may well come crumbling down. People thought last year and all the upsets was crazy and once in a lifetime. I thought it was awesome and expect it to happen again this year.

Why? Because at 3-2 and 0-2 in the Big Ten, my Badgers should be done for the season, but I also think we're still pretty good! And through these Cardinal Red glasses I'm wearing...their game against Penn State this week is going to be a beautiful sight.

Finally, A Northwestern Post!!!

Please, contain yourselves. I know everyone's been on the edge of their seats, craving some purple love....well, the wait is over. Let's talk Wildcat football:

Off to their best start since 1962, the Northwestern Wildcats still aren't getting a lot of respect. And despite my loyalty to the Cats, I think this is justified. I won't say I expected them to be undefeated at this point (I thought they'd lose in Iowa City), but I'm also not at all surprised with this start. Let's face it, Northwestern hasn't played anyone (Duke is improved, but still Duke, and a W at Iowa doesn't mean what it used to). Having said that, this week should be big. Because a lot of media-types love the idea of fellating Michigan State, this will be the perfect game to spring the Wildcats onto the national stage.

Thanks to an improved defense, the Wildcats are no longer completely dependant on a high-scoring offense. Mike Hankwitz has done wonders in his first year as DC (sidenote: thanks for firing him Bielema). At this point, the Purple Nation is just waiting for the offense to catch-up. With a bye-week behind them, the Cats had time to heal and sharpen their claws. I look forward to them pouncing on Sparty. Mark my words, the offense will have that clicking moment sometime in the next couple games, at which point Northwestern will shock the conference (nay, the nation) on their way to the Outback Bowl. [I also predicted my Cubs would play in the World Series, so take this one with a grain of salt]

My 100% Bias Post: I Still Think Iowa's Pretty Good

While watching (or attending) every Hawkeye game this year, I can't help but think the team is pretty good. However, a couple days after the game I wonder if I'm totally nuts. Here's what I know so far:

1. Stanzi > Christensen. Sure, Ricky needs some time to develop, but there's no doubt he has a far greater upside than Jake.
2. Shonn Greene is a beast. If he is healthy, he could be the best back in the Big10.
3. The Hawkeyes have played well enough to be 6-0 (3 losses by 9 points combined is tough to stomach)
4. Turnovers and Red Zone Inefficiency will kill a team's momentum, confidence, and record.

Thinking about this team makes me feel like Ed Norton in Fight Club or Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys, constantly questioning my sanity. Obviously, after a 3-3 start, I've got to re-think my initial projections. I can honestly see this team winning-out if they can take care of the goddam ball in the red zone. But, who knows, that could be crazy-talk. Maybe they won't win another game.

PS - Last week's game did nothing to improve my opinion of Michigan State. I still think they're the most consistently overrated team in the Big10 and maybe the nation (possible contenders are Clemson and Arizona State). I have no respect for MSU, and I'll take that to my grave. Remember Rob Lowe's plan to "stop the trucks...stop Tommy Boy", well, without a Javon Ringer freakout, MSU is not a nationally ranked team. In fact, they're incredibly mediocre. Stop Javon Ringer...stop Sparty!

We've Got Ourselves A MAILBAG!!

Pop the champagne...we've got a mailbag folks! Our first ever question came from my college buddy "Ross Gellar". Now, typically, the way mailbags work is that someone asks us a question and we answer it...but every blog does that. I'm going to try and change this up a bit, and pose all questions to you...my 15 readers. Use the comments section to let me know your answer! And if you want to be heard in this blog or have a question of your own...email me at firstandbigten@gmail.com!!

Ross' Question: Which team in the Big Ten has been the most disappointing over the last 5 years?

F&BT fans...I want to know what you think. Look for my answer to this question in the near future, but in the meantime...give Ross' answer to his own question a little thought. Forewarning, Ross Gellar is a Badger fan and sent this in on Saturday after Michigan did something terrible to the Badgers. Enjoy.

Ross' Answer:
There are so many ways to subjectively consider this question. Look at some of the worst performing teams over the past 5 years and you could say that Indiana or Northwestern have been the most disappointing. Minnesota's 1-11 season last year was terrible and disappointing for their fans. And certainly, Ohio State laying two eggs in the last two national championship games is disappointing for the entire Big Ten. Those are persuasive arguments.

But how is Wisconsin simply not the most disappointing program in the last five years. In 2005, this team lost to Northwestern and then had two, count 'em, two opportunities to go to the Rose Bowl. Both were losses in back to back weeks to Penn State and Iowa. The year before that it was the same story. Go to Michigan State and win and you go to Pasadena at worst. In consecutive weeks they choked!

And the 2003 team underperformed its way to 7-6 record.

Last year, the team was ranked in the top 5 (admittedly way overrated, but isn't not living up to a high ranking the definition of sports disappointment?) and lost in a cataclysmic manner in Illinois. Then they got waxed in State College the next week. Show you are a second-class citizen in the Big Ten by losing to Ohio State and you have yourself a berth in the Outback Bowl (which you lose to a declining program in Tennessee). Fantastic.

Today's loss to Michigan is really just a continuation of the past 4 years. This team was given a golden opportunity...a loss by OSU opened the door for them to beat a down Michigan team then have the Big Ten's other best teams at their place. But, in typical Wisconsin fashion, we can't win the big game.

You might interject right now, haven't they won 3 Rose Bowls in the last 15 years? Yes that's true. But we haven't sniffed the Rose or any other BCS bowl since the 1999 season. Every time we have, we have had a massive meltdown. So, I don't define disappointment as being terrible (Indiana, Northwestern or Minnesota) or getting to a championship game and then choking. Hey, at least Buckeye fans got to spend their December's under the (misguided) belief that they had a championship caliber team on their hands! With the Badgers, we are good enough to have the opportunities but never quite good enough to actually seize them.

That's why, in my opinion, the University of Wisconsin has been the most disappointing program in the Big Ten in the last 5 years. And don't get me started with why...I think it boils down to not having a playmaker at the most important position on the field. Sorgi, Stocco, Donovan, Evridge....game manager, game manager, game manager. Give me someone who can win the big game, not just get me there!!!

F&BT Conversations: WildHawk and the Dual Fan Phenomenon

I was at a wedding this past weekend with a bunch of college buddies (sidenote: congrats Heff & your new ball n' chain), when a pretty good fandom question was posed...who do you cheer for when both your teams are playing each other?

At first, this thought was preposterous to me. You have one team, you follow that team, you base your mood off their successes/failures, and your life is complete. Well, through this conversation, I realized how rare my situation really was. I grew up a Wisconsin fan. I went to UW for college. I'm still a Wisconsin fan. But I'm rare, and I'm realizing it. Fuzz grew up an Auburn fan because his Grandpa played football there. He also grew up a Mizzou fan because both his parents went there. He's a Wisconsin grad and loyal Badger fan. Kenny G grew up a Minnesota fan and went to Wisconsin. Our very own WildHawk grew up a Northwestern fan and graduated from Iowa.

As I've realized, the dual fan phenomenon is growing and these dual fans are everywhere...and they need a voice. Welcome to the second installment of F&BT Conversations. This week we interview supposed blogger (only two posts and counting) on this very site WildHawk, on all things Northwestern and Iowa, and being a fan of both teams.

So, this is awkward...how have you been while you've not been blogging on our website?
Well, I've been okay. As you know, I haven't been blogging much, instead trying to figure out my life. Hating my job is probably the biggest issue, considering I spend a lot of my time there.

Explain for our readers how you became a Northwestern fan?
Both of my parents went to Northwestern for graduate school. Having said that, they weren't really good fans (let's be honest, up until the mid '90s, it was tough. I went to grade school with another big fan (in fact, I believe he was already interviewed for this very site). His dad took us to a lot of games, and I got hooked. Plus, 1995 helped a lot, especially having witnessed the majority of the games.

Was it hard always rooting for a team that sucked more than the movie Click?
I guess everyone's aware of my deep hated for that movie. I only had to endure a couple of years of sucking before the Cats became competitive. I consider myself extremely lucky to not be older.

When you made the decision to go to Iowa, did you feel like Brutus stabbing Ceasar (aka NU fan brethren) in the back?
Nah. The simple answer is I couldn't get into NU. Plus, it's really close to home (sidenote: it's not like Iowa was my #1 school either. Go RedHawks! - kidding). (admission: I forgot WildHawk went to Miami Ohio first...my bad)

What was people in Iowa's reaction when they found out you were a NU fan? Were you ridiculed?
People in Iowa have very little respect for Northwestern, but then again, I think that sentiment is shared by all the other ten schools. People in Iowa City are pretty liberal and accepting, even of me. Plus, the fact the the two teams are almost dead even in football and basketball over the last 10-15 years seriously hurts their ability to gloat.

Head-to-head games...who do you cheer for?
I still don't know. My first idea was to root for the team that had more on the line, the team that needs the win more. I've also considered just rooting for the home team.

What are the pros and cons of having 2 teams to root for?
Pros: More chances to win any given week, more games to watch, more research to doCons: Playing each other, tough when both suck, more time necessary for research

You're going to be back in Iowa City for the game this weekend, how do you see the game playing out? Bold prediction?
Both defenses have been strong this year. CJ Bacher is really slumping for the Cats, and Jake Christensen just plain sucks-ass. Given the fact that Stanzi is starting for the Hawks and it's at Kinnick, I'm thinking 20-13 Hawkeyes. Who knows though, if CJ finally has his breakout game of the year, he and Sutton could lead to a lot of points for the Wildcats.

Quick Hitters:

Best Northwestern game you ever attended?
3-way tie: NU/Notre Dame '95, NU/Penn State '95, and NU/Michigan '96
Best Iowa game you ever attended?
Toss Up: Iowa/Michigan '03 or Iowa/Ohio State '04
Who has hotter girls?
Iowa....more talent than an outsider would expect

Who has a better campus?
Tie. Northwestern is better aesthetically, but Iowa has better town (bars).
Who has better gameday experience?
Iowa, no question.
Rate this blog on a scale of 1-10. How much better would your writing make it?
Hahah, I'd give it an 8 - it's good, but needs a consistent fan base. Who says I'd make it better? (I do...please start writing WildHawk...please)
Favorite tv show?
Californication/House/Entourage/The Office/Colbert Report
Favorite fast food chain?
Popeye's or Wendy's (Panchero's in Iowa City, but too local)
Is this the Cubs year?
Yes.
Finally, both Rashidi Wheeler and Randy Walker died while you were an NU fan...and Iowa city has had 2 natural disasters (tornado and flood) hit since you became a fan...do you want to take any blame for these and maybe admit that you're bad luck?
I won't take any blame, but it has sucked. Still, there's been a lot of good times too. That tornado senior year really was unbelievable, at est until I had to pull a tree out of my car window and saw a dumpster fly. Also, looking around my room now, I still can't believe a Wildcat was on the SI cover, and it's been 13 years.

Thanks for the input WildHawk...it's about time you had some input into this blog! Kidding buddy, but your writing would be appreciated as often as possible (once a week?)! F&BT fans have a fever WildHawk...and the only prescription...is more blogging!

Alright, that was lame. Have fun this weekend in your old stomping grounds and go Iowa...or Northwestern...whichever you choose.

Ruminations on Week 4

So after a week off from the blog...I'm back. I happened to skip probably the worst week for blogging, seeing as how there was some good comedic material after OSU's drubbing at USC, Michigan got embarrassed, Oregon hung tough, and Wisconsin won a nail-biter which I attended in Fresno. But alas, the college football schedule has moved on and so have I, here are some thoughts on the lackluster week 4 lineup of games that happened last weekend:

1) That One Guy is named Terrelle Pryor. We can call him by his name now. Two R's, Two L's, Terrelle. Get ready to hear it a lot. If you weren't sick of him from the recruiting hype...or the preseason hype...or the "he only got two series versus Ohio" questions...or the "can he start yet?" questions...well, America, get ready to be sick of Terrelle Pryor. In his first start at Ohio State he managed only four touchdown passes. I haven't confirmed it yet, but I believe ESPN has dedicated an award for him. Award Name suggestions welcome in the comments below.

2) Ringer to the Rescue. Where would Michigan State be without this guy? Seriously, it's a valid question this year. Brian Hoyer hasn't shown anything yet, and the defense is slowly improving, but Ringer is BMOC in East Lansing. After putting up over 200 yards against the Golden Domers, Ringer has many people talking Heisman for him. And you know what...this time I'm buying the hype. PJ Hill and Juice Williams I wasn't buying, but Ringer may just do it. If MSU lives up to the preseason billing and makes some noise in the Big Televen, it will be on the back of Ringer. And that could just earn him a trip to NYC for the ceremony. However, I will caution that he has to hold up the entire season. MSU is just starting the physical Big Ten play portion of the schedule, and don't expect Ringer to hold up if he rushes 39 times every game.

3) Congrats Joey T. For a guy who can't wait to get on a ranch in Wyoming, Joe Tiller sure is a heck of a coach. After winning his 85th game at Purdue, Tiller is now the winningest coach in school history. On behalf of F&BT, congratulations Joe.

4) "If you think you have two QB's, you probably don't have any". Iowa Hawkeyes...please take note. Kirk Ferentz is dying to give someone the starting job, and any time that Jake Christensen or Ricky Stanzi want to take it will be fine by him. Neither QB has been able to put together two good games in a row and Iowa will continue to struggle until one of them can. And until then, we'll say that they don't have a QB.

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 1

Christmas in August has come and gone, and week 1 wasn't too nice to the Big Televen. The conference's oddysey back to respectability will be covered in a later post. Instead, here are a few things that caught my eye over a glorious weekend of college football:

*Note: This past weekend was an anomaly in that it was a holiday weekend and I had a guest visiting for the weekend. WildHawk has been out of commission for a few days preparing for some "real life" stuff, but will be back tomorrow. Anyways, in the future we will have detailed reviews of some Big Ten games of the week/games we attended/our favorite games. Unfortunately, week 1 didn't give us the chance to do that, but we promise to have it in the future. And if not, well, we already reserved the right to be lazy...

1) Does Illinois call that defense? Granted, Missouri has a very talented offense and will put up a lot of points this season. But I just don't see them keeping their #6 ranking throughout the year. That Mizzou defense didn't scream #6 to me, and in fact, I think both teams will go in opposite directions this year. Last year's game featured two underrated teams that went on to have magical seasons...this year's game could be the opposite. I have a feeling that this loss to Mizzou won't look nearly as good as it did last year. As mentioned in the Illinois preview, Illinois lost a lot through the middle of their defense, and it showed in the Mizzou game as they gave up numerous big plays. It will be a long year if the defense can't pick it up a bit.

2) Bye Bye Beanie. Well, at least that's what the Heisman Trophy was saying to Wells as he hopped off the field with the help of coaches. Granted it's only week 1, but Wells will undoubtedly be held out next week, and his yardage total will suffer without two cupcake teams on the schedule. Also, and this is totally speculative, but I think he will be out for the USC game...or at least be severely limited. USC has a habit of taking advantage of severely limited players.

3) Bruising Badger Backs. Sixty three carries. 404 yards rushing. Welcome to the good ol' days of Wisconsin football. P.J. Hill, a player that I have thought was overrated for two years (fat, soft, and unathletic may or may not have come out of my mouth when describing him in the past), was nearly unstoppable. Zach Brown showed he can be a change of pace back. And John Clay, well, according to my buddy Fuzz, "If I had to develop a prototypical physical specimen of a running back...it'd be John Clay." Obviously, this was against a weak Akron team, but the Badgers showed a glimpse of what other Big Ten (11) teams can expect this year.

4) We're Not on YouTube Anymore Toto. Michigan rolled out a bunch of freshman at the skill positions on offense, including YouTube legend Sam McGuffie. Mission Backfired. The Wolverines offense was anemic and the running game was the reason. McGuffie and Co. couldn't run for more than 1.3 ypc and certainly had a hard time leaping over people. Granted they had an almost entirely new offensive line starting, but Michigan has been recruiting well for years...this much of a drop off was not expected. However, Michigan's defense didn't show up until the second half, juuuussst a little late to help the Wolverines cause. Coach DickRod should hope that someone learns his offense, anyone learns his offense, and learns it soon.

5) Optimism in Iowa. No Hawkeyes were arrested on Saturday, which itself should have promoted optimism. But Hawkeye fans had other reasons to celebrate...they beat someone. It was only an FCS (1-AA) team, but beat them they did. In true Iowa fashion, Lil' Bro #2 texted me following the win: "Remember the name Jewel Hampton, he's gonna run circles around you guys for the next 4 years." I tried my hardest to let him enjoy his win and newfound RB prodigy, but I couldn't help remember a similar text from two years back: "Jake Christensen is gonna tear you up once he becomes our starter." Good luck with that.

Who are the Iowa Hawkeyes?

[Full Disclosure: I graduated from Iowa]

If I were to personify the Iowa Hawkeyes, I'd see the team as either The Riddler from Batman or Matthew Lesko, the "get free money from the government" guy because this team is literally covered in question marks. Can Jake Christensen live up to his recruiting hype? Does the offensive line actually exist? Who, if anyone, will emerge at running back? Can any of the receivers stay healthy (or on the team)? Is the defense good enough to carry the offense? Over/Under .500 in field goal percentage?

I remember the high point of New Year's Day 2005. The Hawkeyes had just beaten an LSU team with the likes of JaMarcus Russell, Joseph Addai, Early Doucet, and Dwayne Bowe on a hail mary to win the Capital One Bowl. And, only a month later, the Hawks would sign one of the best recruiting classes in the nation (and certainly in school history). Iowa fans were on cloud 9 and believed it was time for Iowa to go from a respected member of the BigTen, competing for a conference title every now-and-then, to a powerhouse, joining Michigan and Ohio State in the conference's upper echelon.

Oh how things have changed. The Hawkeyes are 19-17 since then. And that illustrious 2005 recruiting class...a total bust. The majority of the class doesn't even play football for Iowa due to academic problems, transfers, and career-ending injuries. From there, the problems only get worse. You name it, it's gone wrong in Iowa City:

Sex Scandal? Check.

Theft/Credit Card Fraud? Check.

Numerous Underage Drinking Violations? Check.

Natural Disasters? Check.

To be honest, if not for some real cupcake opponents since 2004-2005, the Hawks wouldn't be anywhere near .500. So where do they go from here? Kirk Ferentz insists the off-the-field issues are being dealt with, and so far, there haven't been many new problems (having said that, the old ones are still pending).

So what's in store this year for Iowa? I have no idea...no one does. Sadly, they really remind me of the Chicago Bears. Despite my hopes and dreams, I have a sick feeling that Jake Christensen just is not a BigTen quarterback. He gets happy feet in the pocket, is too short to see over his o-line, has limited mobility, is inaccurate, and generally showed NO signs of improvement last year. I know he had a bad line and receivers with no experience, but even when the blocking was okay and someone was open, I felt like Jake missed more than anyone in the conference. Hell, some of his throws were so bad, even the defense couldn't get them. [Also, I know this might be total crap, but don't trust left-handed, white QBs. Besides Steve Young and Mark Brunnell, none that I can remember have been much better than average]. Just about everyone on the offensive line returns, but after last year, I'm not convinced that's a good thing. LT Bryan Bulaga could be the next Hawkeye great on the line, but after a freshman year with injuries, who knows? As for three 5-stars from the '05 class, OT Dace Richardson's career is over, OG Dan Doering cannot live up to his hype, and OG/C Rafael Eubanks was moved to guard because he isn't even the best center on the team now. Center Rob Bruggeman could be a bright spot, but OG Seth Olsen is overrated and OT Kyle Calloway basically sucks (he got consistently beat like a ginger step-child last year). Also, like my Bears from the NFL, the Hawkeyes have no proven running back (sure Shonn Greene looked like a stud in '06, but can he survive a full year and avoid fumbleitis?). The receivers are average, don't let Hawk fans tell you otherwise. Andy Brodell is finally healthy, but who can forget all of his game-changing (and game-blowing) drops from years' past. If people want to polish his knob because he had one good game against Texas in the Alamo Bowl that's fine with me, just don't act surprised when he gets cement hands. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos has the athleticism to be a star, but can he get open and hang on? Trey Stross is insignificant because he's always hurt. Lastly, Paul Cheney and Colin Sandeman have shown flashes, but the jury's still out. I can only hope the addition of WR coach Erik Campbell (from Michigan, where he coached David Terrell, Braylon Edwards, Mario Manningham, etc.) will help, but until a game is played, I'm not going to assume that's the case.

Sadly, for how bad the offense sounds, the defense could be really good. DTs Mitch King and Matt Kroul are proven and highly regarded. Plus, much like my gut feeling that Jake isn't a D1 QB, I think DEs Adrian Clayborn and either Christian Ballard are the real deal and will be playing on Sundays. LB A.J. Edds might be as good as Chad Greenway when his career is over, but for now he remains vastly underrated. Whoever claims the other linebacker spots will be a little green but incredibly athletic. As for the secondary, I hope CB Amari Spievey will surprise. He worked his ass off to get back to Iowa City (grades), and was a JUCO All-American in his year away. CB Bradley Fletcher is experienced but beatable, and CB Jordan Bernstine (if healthy) can be a star. The safeties are really solid but not too flashy.

As for punting, P Ryan Donahue has the leg to be All-BigTen. Kicking, however is a different story. As far as I can tell, Daniel Murray sucks. My money is on freshman Trent Mossbrucker to take over, but who knows how that'll turn out?

All-in-all, this team is a total mystery. The schedule doesn't get much easier, so that's a plus. If the o-line can make improvements from last year, Shonn Greene can live up to his potential, and Jake Christensen (or his replacement!) can manage something from the QB position, the team could win 8, 9, or even 10 games. But, that's a lot of "if"s. Say things go wrong and the offense looks like it did last year, then some serious changes will have to be made in the off-season. My prediction is 7-5: a lower-tier bowl game, a step in the right direction , and something to build on.