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.

A Long Awaited Wisconsin Article

Many of you have been asking me about my thoughts on the Badgers this year, and more specifically about the coaching staff. Ross Gellar has sent a few emails, Sober sent a text or two, even my dad has been bugging me to put my thoughts down about the Badgers. Surprisingly, Fuzz has been noticeably absent in his phone calls and emails on Saturday mornings, but then again I haven't actually heard from him since he disappeared on Saturday night of Homecoming weekend in Madison. So, what do I think of Bret Bielema and the 2008 Wisconsin football team so far?

Keep your pants on folks, this season ain't over yet.

I think it's always a little ridiculous to start judging a team/coach in the middle of the year, because a million things can happen throughout the course of a college football season. With that said, for those of you calling for Bielema's head....shut up. This is not the SEC. We do not murder people over a football game. We do not fire coordinators 6 weeks into a season. We do not run coaches out of town when they are/or should be legends (technically, Lloyd Carr retired and was o.k. doing that). So for those of you calling for Bielema's head after the losses this year...shut up. The guy is a good football coach. He's learning how to be a great one. I'm willing to let him learn.

Now, has it been frustrating as ever to watch some of these games? Absolutely. I couldn't talk for a few hours after both the Michigan and Michigan State games. Both were just inexcusable losses. And yes, they can be blamed on the coaches. But neither loss was a fireable offense, especially when you're only 38 years old and have an absurd career winning percentage. Right now, Bielema is not the best coach in the Big Ten. In fact, he may be the second worst in the Big Ten this season, ahead of only an overmatched Bill Lynch at Indiana. But good things are happening around the program, and Bielema should get credit for those things too. It's all part of the humbling learning process that head coaches go through. Bielema just happens to be going through his on a much bigger stage than most.

So for now, keep your pants on Badger fans. This season is not over yet, and a 7-5 Alamo Bowl appearance is not the end of the world. So what is going well right now for the Badgers?

1) The receiving core is developing and turning into a force. Behind MY BOY! #85 David Gilreath, and my future BOY! #1 Nick Toon...the Badger receiving core is beginning to make some plays. Not too much was expected at the beginning of the year out of this group, but they sure have come on strong in recent weeks. Nick Toon finally got a chance and his play has earned him the opportunities that he continues to capitalize on every week. Gilreath showed tons of potential last year, and looked legit in the spring, but was slow out of the gates this year. But after his amazing touchdown catch at the end of the Michigan game, he has been nothing short of great for the Badgers. One thing to remember, is that this is an extremely young group, and while their development may have seemed slow this year, they are developing...and they will soon be an asset to the Badger O.

2) Injuries haven't crippled either side of the ball when they have occurred. Injuries are inevitable in college football, and in past seasons they have decimated the Badgers offense or defense (i.e. Anthony Davis back in the day, PJ last year, WR/CB/DL last year). This year, that hasn't been the case...and you can credit that to coaching and recruiting. Think about all the players that have missed time this year due to injuries. Jonathon Casillas, Mario Goins, Aaron Henry, Kirk DeCremer, Gabe Carimi, Kraig Urbik, Eric Vanden Huevel, PJ Hill, Chris Pressley, Lance Kendricks, Travis Beckum. That's quite the list. And while you can argue that the UW season has been disappointing and that with all those players healthy they would be better...that's just not realistic. In previous years, losing all those players (especially leaders like Casillas and Beckum) for any amount of time would have crippled the Badgers. That is not the case this year. UW is by no means a great team, but it is not because there has been a huge dropoff when backups have had to come in the game. The depth is much improved, and it is mostly young players providing that depth.

3) Wisconsin has a legit rivalry that is getting better and better by the minute this week. In case you didn't know, the most played rivalry in college football resumes this week...and finally, it has the feel of a rivalry again. Minnesota football is back, and Brewster is not downplaying the importance of this game. He tried to build it up last year, and while it didn't work out then, he set the foundation for the incredibly awesome back-and-forth that is going on this week. For the uneducated, last year Timmay! said that he'd be the first one to sprint across the field and grab Paul Bunyan's Axe when Minnesota won. After UW prevailed, Bret Bielema was the one sprinting across the field to shake Brewster's hand for about .2 seconds. Brewsters son talked trash after the game, even though he didn't play and his team lost. Bielema then came out and gave probably his best line to date as a head coach, "You want a rivalry? You got one!" Damn right Bret. That only set up this year, when Gabe Carimi said that he hates Minny, simply because he is from Wisconsin. Rumors are spreading that the Badgers may put the Axe behind Minny's bench (not the norm for the losing team to have it on their bench) just so the Badger players can sprint into the MN sideline and grab it again. Add in a few recruiting battles over the past two years, two competitive teams...and you've got yourself a rivalry.

Enjoy it Badger fans. And keep your pants on too.

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 10

Another week, another Badger game that I don't want to talk about. It's becoming a theme this year...let's just move on. Although I will say, this was my favorite day of college football so far this season. You know it's going to be a good day when your team's game ends on a last second field goal at 1pm...and it's the 3rd best finish of the day so far. And to cap it off, Michael Crabtree went all superman on Texas' secondary with only a few seconds left. Was that not ridiculous? Not only were the idiot students running onto the field about 4 times, but the sheer enormity of the moment blew my mind. Against the #1 team in the country...at home...night game...lead all game and give it up with just over a minute left. As a Big Ten fan, it's hard for me to get real excited watching other games. But there I was, sitting in Lil' Bro #1's girlfriend's house, screaming at the TV..."NO F#*%ING WAY! NO F#*%ING WAY HE JUST DID THAT!" Yes. Yes he did. Props Mr. Crabtree. Here are some other ruminations on week 10:

1) I'd say that turned out "disastrous" to "quite disastrous". Tied at 17, under 30 seconds left in your own territory in a home game. Most coaches take the home crowd into overtime and use their stadium to their advantage. 25 yards in OT is a lot shorter to go than 55 yards in the last 30 seconds. But Timmay! couldn't resist. Go for the score, push the envelope, energize the fans in the stadium with a dramatic Homecoming win. Well, plan backfired. Backfired in a huge way. Backfired in probably the worst way possible. This had to be worse than the blocked-punt-for-a-touchdown-in-the-last-minute loss to Wisconsin back in 2005. This one will sting for ol' Timmay! and the Gophers for a while. Happy homecoming folks!

2) Joe Tiller has massive balls of steel. Looking toward his future home (almost, Idaho is close to Montana) for inspiration, Tiller channeled the Fiesta Bowl miracle and pulled off the ol' Hook n' Ladder to beat Michigan this weekend. The Wolverines never saw it coming, and why would they? No one has enough balls to call that play. Except Joe Tiller. Major, MAJOR props to Joe and the Boilermakers for pulling that off. It made me wish I was a Purdue fan. Alright I won't get that crazy, but it made me wish I was watching that game on television and rooting against Michigan.

3) Not the same old Sparty? I'm definitely biased in this case, because I was cheering against them, but how did Michigan State's performance not suggest that it was not the same old Sparty? Ringer never got on track. Yeah, he had two touchdowns, but they were gifts once the Spartans got inside the 2 yard line. Otherwise, he was held under 55 yards. The defense gave up over 200 yards rushing. The receivers had numerous drops. In fact, the only player that really seemed to be playing well for Sparty was Brian Hoyer. Had his receivers not dropped about 7 passes, his stats would look even better. Nothing about MSU screamed different to me. The only difference was the W. And that was a gift, courtesy of UW and it's overmatched coach Brett Bielema.

4) Bad week for a bye. Penn State got jumped in the BCS standings by Texas Tech after that ridiculous finish in Lubbock on Saturday. Penn State wasn't so much punished as Tech was rewarded, but it's hard to not think that voters easily forgot about Penn State while they Nittany Lions sat at home this week. Style points certainly went in Tech's favor, anti-Big Ten sentiment probably played a factor, but not having any highlights probably hurt PSU the most. Had the Spread HD been putting up 40 some points on an opponent last Saturday, I have to believe that PSU stays ahead of Tech. Either way, they're still in a good spot with a relatively easier schedule than the Red Raiders or Alabama the rest of the way.

Brewster: Hey, Everybody! Come See How Good I Look!

There has been no bigger surprise in the Big Televen this year than Timmay! Brewster and his Minnesota Golden Gophers football team, and it's about time that F&BT talks about them. This is hard for us to do, because the Goofers are a border state and BT rival of both WildHawk and my alma maters. But even for a rival, it's hard not to take notice of what the Gophers have done so far this year. It seems like ever since he has been hired, ol' Timmay! has been channeling his inner Ron Burgundy and begging people to come look at how good it is at Minnesota. Saying something about Big Ten titles and National Championships from the Paleozoic Era, Brewster was mostly selling hype. But sell he did, and a bunch of JUCO players were dumb enough to buy it. Dumb like a fox, as it turns out.

Taking advantage of a cast-off head coach, Brewster hired Ted Roof, the fired HC at Duke and formerly excellent d-coordinator, to come to Minnesota and revamp his defense. Roof gets a lot of credit here, as he should, but those dumb enough to sign on JUCO players have provided the biggest boost on that side of the ball. Brewster took the risk of alienating the current players by bringing in so many JUCO guys, yet he turned that into motivation for the current players to step up their game and in the process changed the culture at Minny. Suddenly, a potentially potent offense led by Adam Weber and Eric Decker have a half decent defense to help them out. Goodbye shootouts, hello consistent football.

Whetst1 brought this up in the comments on a previous post, but looking at the Fighting Timmay's! schedule...what game isn't winnable? Standing at 6-1, the Gophers go to a Purdue team that is struggling this week, followed at home by a Northwestern team whose offense isn't its usual explosive self. That is followed up by the reincarnation of 2007 Notre Dame...err Michigan...at home. Three W's in those games puts them at 9-1 with their two rivalry games ahead, @ Wisconsin and vs. Iowa, both of whom are not as good as they have been in the past. While you can never count on season records in a rivalry game, you have to think the Gophers would be fired up to get back at their rivals for the losses in the past few years. Scary to say it, but can we really be looking at an 11-1 Minnesota team?

For the love of Lake Minnetonka, I sure as hell hope not. That would put Minny in either a BCS or Jan 1 bowl game vs the SEC...scenarios which appear disastrous any way you put it. I know the Big Ten is down, but having a 1-11 team from a year ago reverse their record and go 11-1 and be 1st or 2nd in the league would just be embarrassing. It kind of happened last year with Illinois, and we know how that Rose Bowl turned out. Anyway, I don't think Minny has it in them to go 11-1. And here's why...do you trust them?

I mean really, really trust them? I don't. At some point they'll have to come back to earth, or they'll give up a few turnovers and have an off day. Plus, for a team so down last year, how will they handle success? If they keep winning, eventually they'll get noticed nationally and I don't trust them enough to handle that pressure. I'm thinking 9-3 for the Gophers with losses to Northwestern and Iowa, but ideally they'd be 8-4 and my Badgers could beat them too. Either way, the Big Ten is officially on notice that Timmay! is selling more than hype now, and the Gophers are looking to make a splash.

Cannonball!

Ruminations on Week 7

The hangover was something fierce on Saturday, but at least I wasn't alone. The entire Wisconsin team looked like the last two emotional losses had caught up to them as the Nittany Lions embarrassed them on national television. I took solace in the fact that my buddy Fuzz was having a worse day than me...he attended the Arkansas at Auburn game where his first team lost; he watched the Badgers get embarrassed by Penn State for the second year in a row, and Mizzou got upset by a team coached by a man who is 40. Rough day for sure...drink it off Fuzz, and remember that next week is only 7 days away.

Here are my other ruminations on week 7 in the Big Ten:

1) The Spread HD is an elite offense this year. According to Lil' Bro #1, it's even better in person. The one question mark heading into the season was the quarterback position, and Daryll Clark has provided answer after answer. He looks like the most dynamic player in the offense and is the reason the Spread HD runs so clearly. Sure, the Big 12 has some great offenses and the SEC has some great athletes...but Penn State's offense can run with the best of them this year.

2) Minnesota didn't get the message. They were supposed to be terrible this year, but apparently no one told the Gophers. Yours truly even picked them to go winless in the Big Ten. Yet here they stand, 2-1 in conference games and bowl eligible 7 weeks into the season. Props to Timmay! and his Gophers. You did to Illinois what the Illini did to the Big Ten last year, and you've earned the respect of the conference, and this blogger, in doing so.

3) Sparty isn't sliding this October. Not yet at least. In the most important game of the Big Ten last week, Michigan State again rode the money-makers of Javon Ringer over an undefeated Northwestern on the road. Ringer wasn't alone this week though, as Brian Hoyer showed some veteran savvy and poise that gave Michigan State's offense a much needed second dimension. Ohio State looms on the horizon as MSU has one of the biggest October home games in recent history next week.

4) How did we lose to them? Really Michigan? Really? You're going to let a bad Toledo team do that to you in your house? How did this team beat Wisconsin? Things have certainly hit rock bottom in Ann Arbor as Michigan can't seem to put things together yet. Worse yet, they have yet to show any significant improvement from the start of the season. Other than a great 2nd half against Wisconsin (which will haunt Brett Bielema for a long time), Michigan really has yet to play consistent football.

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

The Journey: J Leman Refuses to Give It Up

Am I wrong? Is it not weird that he's all over this show? The guy was a great player last year, and certainly deserved to be honored as one of the school's 10 best linebackers on Saturday...but what in the name of Glenn Mason is he doing on this TV show again? (sidenote: Glenn Mason is an announcer for the BTN now. Do you think he rubs it in people's faces in Minnesota when he eventually goes there for a game? Do you think the BTN ever assigns him to a Gopher game? I would definitely watch Mason talk about how far Minny has fallen since he left and Timmay! took over.) Anyway, the interview with Leman wouldn't have been bad at the alumni luncheon...if that was the first time we saw him. But good ol' J managed to make his own uninvited, incredibly awkward entrance in the scene where the equipment manager was comparing the old-school helmets to the current ones. Leman just sort of walked into the picture, out of nowhere, stood there, smiled, and gave his qualified approval of the old-school uniforms. All this after showing up in the intro of the first episode to talk about the 2007 season and what he expects from the 2008 Illini. My big thing is, why?

This isn't 2007. I feel bad for Leman that he's not on an NFL roster right now, but showing up on a BTN program at your old school on a weekly basis is like going on The Surreal Life to revive your acting career...it's nothing but downhill. Just like the Surreal Life cast members are pretty much doomed to only appearances on other terrible VH1 shows (Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, anyone?), J Leman may be doomed to nothing more than a college legend that couldn't let go. This guy should be working to shape the next phase of his career or life, not hanging on to a team and program that is clearly moving on without him. And that's what it seems like Leman is doing, hanging on. It's fine if he is there to work out while waiting for another shot at the NFL, or if he's getting enough credits for his degree. But J, please...please!...try to avoid the cameras that are following the team. It makes you look a little sad, and takes some of the luster off your great college career.

On the other hand, I almost would love the show even more if the BTN kept showing him every week...kind of in the way that you cheer for crashes in NASCAR.

Other quick-hit thoughts from this weeks show:
1) Juice Williams is a dad? I legitimately did not know this. Also, did anyone else get the feeling that his girlfriend let him get away with not doing many of the chores just because she knows a payday is coming sometime soon?
2)The Zooker says "dad-gum" quite often. Pretty much in every speech he gave, it was "dad-gum this" or "dad-gum that". Does he never swear in general or is he simply just aware of the cameras?
3) Those throwback unis were sweet. I feel like this is true for a lot of teams, and makes you wonder why some teams ever upgraded in the first place?
4) The Zooker was dead-on in his speeches at halftime and after the game. The guy is a great motivator and certainly knew exactly how to handle those situations. Props.

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.

Minnesota Football: Nowhere To Go But Up!

Tim Brewster can sell a ketchup popsicle to a lady in white gloves. That's the only way I can rationalize the recruiting classes he has pulled in the last two years. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Gophers have hauled quite their share of 4 star recruits, largely due to Brewster and his relentless optimism.
"Coach, how many games did you lose last year?"
"Doesn't matter, we don't live in the past. But did you know that Minnesota football has won 18 Big Ten Championships, had um-teen All-Americans, and won 6 National Championships?"

For a coach that doesn't live in the past, Timmay! Brewster is quick to pull out the glory statistics from prior to the 1950's. Whatever he's selling up there, it's working...kind of. His class last year ranked in the Top 20 in the country. But this week, reports came out this week that Minnesota's freshman football players had the lowest ACT average of all the Big Ten teams with a 17.2 average. 17.2! That is patently absurd, and will be covered in a later post. Also, some of the highly ranked recruits have had trouble staying on campus thus far. Arguably the star of this year's class, QB MarQueis Gray has yet to pass the NCAA Clearinghouse. Three others from this year's class are not with the team either, two of which did not gain admission to the University. Five out of the 8 recruits Brewster added to last year's class are no longer with the team either. And for icing on the cake, Brewster brought in 8 JUCO players who are traditionally academic risks (thus why they went to JUCO in the first place).

Why take such risks on players with great football talent but probably will struggle academically? Because Minnesota football was absolutely terrible last year. T-E-R-R-IBLE. While 2008 looks better, it's only because it can't possibly be worse. The Golden Gophers return a legit quarterback in Adam Weber, and a rising star in wide receiver Eric Decker. The duo will be the pulse of the offense for the gophers, and where they go, the gophers go. Complementing Weber and Decker, Jack Simmons returns for a 5th year at tight end. (True Story: he played on my little bro's bball team as a youth. One day I scrimmaged with them, and when guarding Simmons he dribbled through my legs before scoring. Slightly embarrasing...and I was older than him)

On the defensive side of the ball, welcome to Junior College. Former Duke coach Ted Roof will look to improve the nation's worst defense from last year with the help of numerous JUCO players. DT Tim McGee, DE Cedric McKinley, LB Simoni Lawrence, CB Tremaine Brock, and S Trae Simmmons will all be counted to play extensive minutes, if not start. They may not be worst in the nation this year, but they certainly won't be the best. Expect another long season if the defense can't find ways to get off the field on 3rd down.

And to be honest, this defense will have trouble getting off the field on 3rd down. This defense will have trouble getting off the field on any down. So much so that when I play against them in NCAA 2009, I don't think I have ever punted. Not once. And that's how I think the season will go for the Gophers this year. Weber and Decker will put up some points, Brewster will provide insane amounts of hilarious quotes, and the defense will give up points. On the bright side, they have the potential to increase their win total by 400%. That's not a typo, it's just a matter of them only winning one game last year. Look for the Gophers to sweep their non-conference games...and get swept in their conference ones. Better luck next year Timmay!