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?

Linking Laziness

It's not that I'm lazy...well, sort of, but I reserved that right long ago...it's just that I'm still sick and this has been one hellacious week for yours truly. With that, I fully admit that the posting has been lackluster, and I'm a little surprised that most of you (if any) are still coming back to read this blog. Let it be known, it is greatly appreciated.

So instead of rocking your world with some crazy insight, I'm gonna get lazy and give you some links. Two to be exact...but they caught my eye.

First up, the Joey T. farewell tour has commenced in West Lafayette. The guys over at Boiled Sports have each given their thoughts on the Joe Tiller era at Purdue, and they've got some good stuff. Personally, I can appreciate J's Perspective in Part 3 the most, considering that I am a Badger fan and was at the game. Without a doubt the greatest college football play that I have ever witnessed, and probably only because my team won. J brings to light the devastation it caused for the losing squad that night, and how that carried over into the remainder of the Joe Tiller era.

Second, something that I've noticed has been missing this week but couldn't put a finger on it. Lake the Posts nails it for me, in describing how little fanfare the Illinois @ Northwestern game is getting in the Chicagoland media. Granted, Illinois is down this year and Northwestern headlines will rarely sell papers...but it has been silent this year, and especially this week. Even though I'm on the West Coast now, I still read the Chicago Tribune every day, and I'm gonna agree with LTP that the hype machine needs to get revved up. Love fests for each other don't fuel a rivalry, so get the mouths going and get fired up for that Sweet Sioux Tomahawk!

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.

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.

Straight Cash Homey!

Lee Evans is getting P-A-I-D. The former Badger wide receiver and current Buffalo Bill just signed a 4-year $37M deal to remain with the Bills, and be the 3rd highest paid receiver in the league. Evans is a Badger favorite and happens to be immortalized in the Wisconsin Football Offices to this day. As you get off the elevator to enter the Football Offices, you're greeted by a large picture of Evans running up the tunnel after a game with his arms spread, kind of like those old Michael Jordan posters, giving high fives to the students as he leaves the field. All the students are in black and white and Evans' uniform and helmet are in color. It's an awesome sight.

He also happens to be part of the second best Wisconsin football play that I've ever seen in person. The first is the Scott Starks fumble for a touchdown at Purdue in 2004. But Schabert-to-Evans on that beautiful out n' up in the rainy Madison night is a very close second. For all you Badger fans looking for a pick-me-up after the game last week, check out this story from Jim Polzin at the Capital Times which looks back at the last time Ohio State came to Madison.

After reading that, aren't you just fired up for Saturday night?

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.