It’s kind of ironic to think that a team that made it to the BCS and lost actually gained respect, but in my book, that’s exactly what the Ohio State Buckeyes did. Yes, they lost a huge game to the Texas Longhorns, and yes, they gave them too much time at the end of the game, but other than the last drive of the game, the Buckeyes played stellar ball and gave Colt McCoy every bit he could handle. I am proud of being a Big Ten fan despite going 1-6 in the bowl season, and much of it is in due part to this game.

So call me a loser, call me someone who is relishing in defeat, but I look at it as a silver lining–Ohio State was given no chance in this game, not even by myself who supports the conference. But what they did was make every BCS promoter sweat until Quan Crosby crossed the goal line with less than 30 seconds left to give the Longhorns the victory.

Jim Tressel had them guessing–rotating Todd Boeckman and Terrelle Pryor? Putting Pryor at receiver? Those are things you just don’t normally do in a huge bowl, but that’s exactly what Tressel did, and the Ohio State defense rattled McCoy almost the entire first half and if it wasn’t for a huge adjustment that Mack Brown did in putting a hurry up offense in the second half that knocked the defense off balance, you may have been reading a different headline to this. Because that’s what it took to win the game over the Buckeyes–the Longhorns couldn’t beat them straight up, and had to adjust considerably from what they had done in the first half–which is ok, that’s what good teams do. But no one expected that McCoy and Co. would have to do as much to get the W.

Pryor was outstanding in an all-purpose way, the defense showed poise, Boeckman gained back the confidence he had lost, Beanie Wells looked solid, it was just a simple drive that beat the Buckeyes, and I know everyone will say “well if they were that good they should have won…” and you’re right. But to be sitting in bed watching this game to the final tics was enthralling and exhilirating to me.

Ohio State has nothing to be ashamed of; they came back from adversity and played their hearts out. It just didn’t turn out the way they really wanted it to in the end.

So after all that bellyaching about the Big Ten being weak, here we are with two teams in the BCS. Take that haters!

…or something….

Not that I am actually “proud” of this. Mostly because the Big Ten has only posted 1 freakin’ victory in the postseason and hasn’t really played all that great in between or been close to winning other games (other than Northwestern). So, do the Buckeyes have any chance? Read on, read on…

Looking at the Buckeyes schedule for 2008, they played 7 bowl teams, which in itself is something to not just scoff about…until it is seen that only 1 of those teams won in the postseason, which kind of HAD to happen since two were playing against each other (USC and Penn State). And the one that won that game–the mighty Trojans–shellacked OSU earlier in the year. Yeah, yeah, I know–that was without Terrelle Pryor manning the team and Beanie Wells wasn’t…well, just wasn’t. But to get smacked around 35-3 by anyone shows holes in your team–and coaching.

Which brings us to our next point; Mr. Jim Tressel, who has been kicked, spit on, chewed up, spit out, defecated on, and everything short of being called a good coach with the media and the anti-Big Ten football fans. He can’t win against good teams; his game plans are too predictable; he can’t compete outside of the Midwest. Well, that’s not so much the case as everyone would like to think, but there’s something to be said for the butt-whoopings he’s taken in the past 2 national championships to make you think–is Ohio State all that and a bag of chips?

Well, if you ask any Big 12 fan, they would actually answer you “No” after giggling hysterically for about 10 minutes. And again, it comes down to looking at the overall scheme throughout the country–the Big 12 and SEC are clearly the conferences that have withstood all comers, although the Pac 10 has made a good name of itself in the bowls. And while Pryor is a good QB with the “double threat” capabilities, there isn’t any player better in that aspect than the Texas QB Colt McCoy, who not only threw for 32 TDs and threw for almost 3500 yards, but ran wild with 576 yards and 10 TDS.

The Texas defense is good–allowing only 18 pts per game for the year in the score-happy Big 12. Ohio State gave up 13 per game which is a great stat, but we all know the scoring prowess for the Big 10 isn’t exactly staggering.

So, let’s just say it like it is…Texas is definitely the better team here, and with the odds sitting at the Longhorns being favored by 8 and a great majority of people betting this, it’s clear that I am not the only one with this sentiment. I hate to say it, but this brings to end a dismal showing overall for our fave conference, folks. And none too sooner. (Get it?)

The Big Tenet’s Prediction: Texas Longhorns 31 Ohio State 14

Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs had their sights set on a 2008 season finish in Florida. Problem is, they wanted to be in Miami–for the national championship. Well, that didn’t happen, and they didn’t even make the BCS. Michigan State, on the other hand, is basking in the glow of the best season in the 21st century. Ok, ok, I understand, the century is only eight seasons long, but it sounds good. So, we have a tale of two different teams–one that is disappointed to be there, another that is ecstatic. Will that make a difference in this game?

Possibly–but probably not.

Georgia has a monster defense and a legitimate star in Knoshown Moreno, and in the only three losses that Georgia has suffered, it’s been a reversal of these two powers–Moreno getting nowhere, and the defense getting run over. So, can Michigan State do the same thing? Well, when you consider that Michigan State boasts Javon Ringer, who is basically Mr. Everything to the Spartan offense, the Bulldogs will definitely have to key on him at all times. QB Brian Hoyer has the tools to move the ball down the field, but the offensive line for Michigan State may not be strong enough to hold back a very quick and talented front four from Georgia.

When you consider that Georgia’s losses came against extremely talented teams–Alabama, Florida, and Georgia Tech–and Michigan State lost to Cal, Ohio State, and Penn State, it’s not that these teams are really that far apart overall. But with the potential that Georgia has against any team–this game is just plain scary for Spartan fans. The Bulldogs are favored by 8 points, and I think they cover that easy.

The Big Tenet’s prediction: Georgia 31, Michigan State 17

Mark Dantonio has been known for having good programs in terms of personnel not getting into too much trouble. So when 2 of his football players officially were charged for an apparent attack on another student athlete, A.J. Sturges, it was kind of a surprise–but evidently the beating was so bad that the hockey player had to spend the night in the hospital with a head injury.

According to documents from district court in East Lansing, freshman running back Glenn Winston will be charged with three counts of misdemeanor aggravated assault, and walk-on freshman defensive back Mitchell White will be charged with misdemeanor assault and battery.

Both did not get hardly any playing time last year, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see these two booted off the team very quickly.

Remember Kansas? The cinderella from last year’s NCAA football season that didn’t go so quietly into the night? Well, they are back in the bowl season, and while the Insight Bowl was for sure below their hopes, it still gives them postseason promise for a school that is rock-chalk basketball all the way around. Continue making bowls and we will have to–gasp–consider Kansas an all-purpose school!

Minnesota, on the other hand, had a chance to play the same role that Kansas did last year, streaking out to an amazing 7-1 record with their sole loss to perennial Big Ten bully Ohio State. But then, seemingly with one fluke play, the Golden Gophers’ wheels fell off. Northwestern’s interception which gave the Wildcats the win almost knocked the full wind out of Minnesota and they then went on to lost 4 straight, backing into the Insight Bowl bid. While this team was still higher than almost everyone’s expectations after going 1-11 the previous year, after starting that hot, a 7-5 regular season finish was definitely disappointing to Big Ten fans and especially Gopher fanatics.

Looking at Minnesota’s schedule for the year, the 7-5 record shows the following statistics: all 7 wins were against teams that didn’t make bowls, and 4 of 5 were to teams that did. So, one could really surmise that while Minnesota is competitive, when facing an increased level of competition, the Gophers aren’t quite ready to face the national scene.  While it can be said that losing Duane Bennett for the season mid-October certainly hurt, the curious case of Adam Weber still has me scratching my head.  A double threat last year, his rushing yards this year were a third of what they were in 07-08. Now, something can be said for the fact that Weber had very little to hand off to last year, but you would think that it would then translate to more passing yards than the year before; this is not the case, and Weber has thrown 10 less TDs than during the 1-11 campaign. Sure, he cut down his interceptions, but through the last three games where the Gophers have gotten beat, his line:

Michigan, Loss 29-6: 105 passing yards, 0 TDS, 1 INT

Wisconsin, Loss 35-32: 202-3-1

Iowa, Loss 55-0: 127-0-2

That’s just plain awful. In order for Minnesota to have any chance versus the Jayhawks, Weber will need to step up and give Mr. Everything Eric Decker the chance to really show his stuff.They should have plenty of chances to do so against Kansas, which ranked 114th in passing yards allowed.

Kansas finished 7-5 as well, and only 1 of their wins came against a bowl team, while all 5 of their losses were to bowl teams. The Jayhawks are lead by Todd Reesing, Jake Sharp, and Dezmon Briscoe, who are QB, RB, and WR respectively, to form an offensive juggernaut that is 8th in the nation in terms of passing yards and averages nearly 33 points a game. While the Big 12 isn’t exactly a defensive stalwart of a conference, it’s still notable.  The ‘Hawks come into the Insight on a high note, eeking out Missouri 40-37 to take Auntie Mo’ on to their team in this match up of 7-5 teams.

While on paper this game looks decently matched, the Jayhawks are currently a 9 point favorite and people are betting very heavy on Kansas to cover the spread. I concur. Minnesota is certainly a good team and has impressed me, but they are way overmatched in this game.

The Big Tenet’s prediction: Kansas 41, Minnesota 24

By the accounts of the polls, Northwestern is ranked #20 and Missouri #23. So the Wildcats should win, right? Not so fast my friend. In fact, this could end up being one of the more lopsided contests in the 2008-09 bowl season. Sorry to sound so glum off the bat, but it is what it is.

Missouri, by most accounts, was a legitimate national title contender through the first several games of the season. With Heisman Trophy candidate Chase Daniel at the helm and arguably one of the best receivers in the country in Jeremi Maclin, the Tigers were primed to hang with the other teams in the Big 12. Problem was that while Mizzou was a very good team, many of the other teams made such huge strides in the talent department that it proved to be a lethal combination in Missouri’s season; considering that their 4 losses were against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Kansas, 3 of those 4 losses were against teams that were ranked in the top 5 at one time and 1 that is playing in the national title game. Sure, they got bombed in the Big 12 title game, but that doesn’t underscore how good this team is.

Boy, it sure seems like I am a Big 12 fan, doesn’t it?

Well, I am not. I am a Big Ten fan. And if anyone has been following my posts this year, you know that I have great admiration and respect for the Northwestern Wildcats.  In fact, one may surmise that I am always crushing on Pat Fitzgerald’s crew.  C.J. Bacher is still a very good QB, but his stats are a fraction of what they were the year previous, and he only has 14 TDs and 14 INTs. Not exactly the ratio that a coach likes. Yes, he had some injury issues, but that is an issue in itself.  Losing Tyrell Sutton for the season was devastating to the overall offensive scheme since he kept defenses honest. Granted, the Wildcats are 9-3 and own wins against Minnesota, Iowa, and…..ummmm…..uhhh…Illinois? Michigan? Yeah…that’s about it.  Considering that NW didn’t even play Penn State or Wisconsin and lost to the other 2 top teams by a combined 82-30, the 9-3 record doesn’t look so shiny.

Missouri is currently a 12 point favorite and the money is hot and heavy after the Tigers. I wouldn’t be surprised if the ending line is well over 2 TD by gametime….and they should cover this with ease.

The Big Tenet’s prediction: Missouri 42 Northwestern 21

Well, in the College Football scene, there doesn’t seem to be as much emphasis on having neutral sites as it does on the basketball scene, as when I am looking at the entire scheme of things, there are a bunch of games with teams playing in their own backyard (for example, the worst is the Notre Dame-Hawaii match up being played in Honululu. What’s wrong, Rainbows? Couldn’t get Maine to make the trip?) And the Wisconsin-Florida State is another example of this situation.

In this, the Badgers and Seminoles will be facing each other in the Champs Sports bowl, being played in Orlando. While it’s become common for Wisconsin to head to the Sunshine State for their bowls, facing a team like Florida State, which probably could have been in the Gator Bowl if they hadn’t gotten shellacked by Florida in the final game of the season, does not bode well for Bret Bielema’s team.

Why? Well, for one, the Badgers are a team still of mystery. They came in as one of the front-runners in the Big Ten race and on the national scene, and then promptly started the conference season 0-4, which is basically unheard in Madison in the 21st century.Then they finished strong in the conference, but their wins were not against exactly “great” competition, with only one against a bowl team, that being Minnesota. And while they finished with 3 wins in a row, their last was an OT nailbiter (at home) against football powerhouse Cal-Poly. (Who?)

The Badgers have only won 2 games on the road this season–at Fresno State and Indiana. Yes, Fresno is tough at home and give them credit, but that was a different time and a different place for this Badger team that has undergone a ton of transformation since then: for one, Mr. Everything Travis Beckum is out for the year. Second, their has been a QB switch since then, as Dustin Sherer replaced journeyman Allan Evridge against Illinois and has never looked back.

On paper, these two teams look pretty even, including offensive passing, rushing, points scored, and points allowed. But there’s that little intangible called competition that could be once again a huge Achilles’ heel for the Badgers.  Florida State has played 9 games against bowl teams, Wisconsin 6. Of the 8 bowl teams that FSU has played, they are 5-4. Wisconsin is 2-4. Not to mention that the ACC is overall a better conference than the Big Ten, and there is just too much to overcome from the UW standpoint.

As much as I’d like to see Wisconsin march into the Magic Kingdom and beat up on the Seminoles, I just see this being way too much in favor of Bobby Bowden’s speedy team.

The Big Tenet Prediction: Florida State 31, Wisconsin 17

Last year, it was the upsets of all upsets in college football. Illinois marched into Ohio State as a heavy underdog against the nation’s number 1 team, and came out smelling like roses–literally. While Ohio State still made it back to the BCS Championship, it will always be a story that Illini fans will tell for a long time.

This year, the storyline isn’t quite as big: Ohio State still has a very good team–at 8-2 with their only losses to Penn State and USC–but they don’t have the gaudy ranking. Illinois, on the other hand, could easily be 7-3 but couldn’t get the job done when the wins were on the line. For what it’s worth, though, Illinois has not lost back to back game this year, so it seems that they ride that roller coaster at 5-5 like no other team, and if they follow suit, this means a W this week.

But this is a different Ohio State team than last. First off, they are much more mobile with Terrelle Pryor at quarterback, and Illinois does not do well against mobile offenses (See Chase Daniel and Darryll Clark), and the defense for Illinois hasn’t exactly been stellar by any means. Meanwhile, Ohio State’s defense continues to be staunch and still, in my opinion, is one of the better ones in the country. Combine that with the fact that Juice Williams, while showing signs of brilliance this year, has also been frustratingly inconsistent, throwing 14 picks and at the most inopportune times.

The Buckeyes come in with revenge on their mind and still fighting for a BCS berth. Illinois is merely fighting for a bowl period. While these are big time motivating factors, the Bucks are 10 point favorites and nearly 70% of experts think that OSU will cover. Add me to that list.

Ohio State 31 Illinois 14

These are two teams I just don’t get. Michigan has a 3-7 record yet 2 of those wins came against ranked teams and the last win was behind Nick Sheridan, who pretty much has been left at the side of the road for most of the season. It also was on the road against a good Minnesota team.

Northwestern has looked every bit as good as the majority of teams in the conference pretty much game in and game out. They were able to survive their big name QB C.J. Bacher and RB Tyrell Sutton in upsetting Minnesota (notice a theme here?) but then got blown out by Ohio State the next week.

And now, they get Bacher back, but yet Michigan is favored to win this match up of these two mystery teams, and people are betting heavily on the Wolverines. I don’t get it–yes, the Maize and Blue are playing at home, but we’re still talking about a team that, while improved, still is largely erratic. Northwestern hasn’t exactly been the picture of steadiness either, and their offense–which they rely upon the vast majority of time–is still suspect without Sutton. The fact is–without a miracle INT return against the Gophers, they would be on a losing streak on the cusp of this game.

So which teams show up at this game? Is it the improved Wolverines who have a new found “life” with Sheridan at the helm? Or will they fumble around like the letdown against Illinois where they got blown out at the Big House? Will Northwestern jump back on the winning bandwagon with Bacher throwing darts, or will the void of Sutton prove too much for him to handle against a good Michigan defense?

To me, looking at the money being bet on Michigan being favored by a field goal, I just have to look at some different points, and while Michigan COULD have a decent day against a Northwestern defense that is marginal at best, there’s no consistency to assume this will happen; meanwhile, Bacher is the kind of leader who can step up, and coach Pat Fitzgerald is very much some one who can get his team up for this game. I’ll go against the grain and take the Wildcats 21-17.

Some people have been saying online that the win the Iowa Hawkeyes was pure luck, that it was basically the Penn State letdown and not the play of Iowa that necessarily won the game. I would challenge anyone who watched the last drive that Penn State had where Darryll Clark was intercepted and the ensuing drive that Iowa had, lead by phenom Ricky Stanzi and Shonn Greene, and ask them again–did Iowa win that game or did Penn State give it away? I’ll take the former every single time.

Watching the game, you got a sense that something special was going to happen. Penn State was solid as usual on the ground, but they really couldn’t get anything going in the air, as the Iowa secondary defended several passes and frustrated Clark all day. While the offense wasn’t spectacular, Greene had a great game and Stanzi was efficient overall. As the fourth quarter started, I just had a feeling about the game, and even basically turned off the Alabama LSU game just to watch the rest of everything with PSU-Iowa.

And it was totally worth it. While I am saddened by the fact that the Big Ten won’t have a team playing in the national championship game, maybe it was more of a blessing than anything, where perhaps the match ups can be a bit more even and hopefully some more teams can get victories and therefore earn a bit more respect back for the conference. I’d rather have that than a 49-17 thumping by (Big 12 or SEC team name here).