Ruminations on Week 12

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up, I've been sick with a cold since Sunday. I wish I could say that I saw a bunch of the Big Ten games this weekend, but I really only saw 7/8ths of the Battle for the Axe in Madison. I spent my Saturday at the wine country bus tour of all bus tours, and have been paying the price since. It actually was a ton of fun, but it did cause me to miss most of the Saturday games. I did DVR the Badger game however, and I got to see most of it. But with all the injuries (thank the Lord that Kyle Jefferson is ok) and penalties, my DVR cut off the game with about 5 mins left on the clock. This frustrated me like crazy, because I purposely set the DVR to record for an extra 30 minutes...plus I didn't get to see if Bielema gave a repeat performance of last year. Anyways, here are some ruminations for the Big Ten this week...

1) Great Comeback for the Badgers. WildHawk (remember him?) texted me this while on my Bus Tour, so I knew the Bagers were doing something good on Saturday. Alas, their performance on Saturday was a great comeback, but it also signaled more than that. It solidified their comeback not just from a 21-7 halftime deficit, but from a season that looked lost just 4 weeks ago. The college football season really is a marathon, and it reminds us that all judgements on a season should be withheld until after the season. Four weeks ago, fans throughout the state were calling for Bielema's head. This week, they're feeling great about their Badgers and hoping that there's a way to get to the Alamo Bowl. Thank God I kept my pants on.

2) Penn State is in trouble if Daryll Clark doesn't shape up soon. I know that the Nittany Lions have more playmakers than VH1 does terrible reality shows, but Clark is the one that makes them click...and he hasn't been clicking for a few weeks now. In the beginning of the year, he was limiting mistakes and B'ing his L all over the competition's T's. Now, he's a turnover waiting to happen and taking the term "my own worst critic" to a whole new level in the press. The guy needs to calm down, let his playmakers make plays around him, and assert his leadership positively in the huddle. If he does, MSU is in for a sticky day in Happy Valley. If he doesn't and PSU falls behind, the hook could be quick this weekend.

3) How many times has Terrelle Pryor "established" himself this season? Yes, that is a serious question. I know that he was a crazy-famous recruit and was bound to live in the spotlight for most of his career, but this has really gotten ridiculous. Let me be clear, I think Terrelle Pryor has been great this year, and OSU wouldn't be as dangerous as they are without him. But this media lovefest is out of control. First, he proved that he "wasn't scared" in the USC game that was a blowout. Then, he proved how composed and "big-game" he could be in the comeback at Wisconsin. After his shaky performance against Penn State, he proved that he "can handle adversity" against MSU. This week, he had his "coming out" party against Illinois. Really? It's taken all season for his coming out party? I would argue that the UW game was his coming out party...and the rest has been a typical year for a college freshman quarterback. I think Pryor is ridiculous....but he's trumped by the media coverage that deifies him every week.

4) I'm not ready to say goodbye. Approaching week 13 means one thing...this season is almost over. For fans like me, this is always the hardest time of the year. On one hand, it it usually the most exciting. On the other, it means that my Saturdays will be empty for the next 7-8 months. And this year in the Big Ten, it means saying goodbye to the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Joe Tiller in West Lafayette, and possibly...though I sure as hell hope not...to Joe Pa in Happy Valley. The Metrodome is a shithole that most won't miss, but I had some great times there in college, they still served beer there during games, and my Badgers were crazy successful there. Tiller revolutionized the Big Ten by bringing back mustaches, introducing the Spread offense, and making Purdue relevant. And Joe Pa...well...we all know what he's done at Penn State. And it's not just Penn State, it's what he's done for the Big Ten, and more importantly, for College Football in general. We all can't thank him enough...and that's why I'm not ready to say goodbye. Here's to hoping JoePa gets a new hip and a new contract for 2009.

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 9

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

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

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

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

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

Ruminations on Week 8

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.