And here we are.

What could be the game of the year prior to bowl season, the fifth ranked Ohio State Buckeyes travel to USC to play the top-ranked Trojans in a game that has been hyped ever since the schedules have been released. While the game has lost a bit of luster as what people thought it would be (1 vs. 2), make no mistake–this game will be everything that it was built up to be.

Hopefully. Read the rest of this entry »

If a Lion and a Beaver fought each other, who would win? Well, in the VAST majority of situations, the Lion would be picking needles out of his tongue after he devoured the Beaver, and this weekend may end up with the same type of result as the Penn State Nittany Lions face off against the Oregon State Beavers in what is probably the Big Ten’s marquee match up of the week. Read the rest of this entry »

Random thoughts about the season openers for several schools, in no particular order:

• The jury is still out on Wisconsin’s QB situation. Allan Evridge seemed confident out there, and he completed 70% of his passes with a TD! Oh wait, he only threw 10 passes all game. Handing off to P.J. Hill continuously without fumbling was perhaps Evridge’s greatest achievement.
• What Kellen Lewis situation? The QB performed brilliantly against a decent Western Kentucky team, running for near 200 yards and passing for 2 scores. I am sure that Crimson and Cream fans are grinning this morning.
• Michigan State is the model for “close but no cigar”. The seven point loss to Cal marked the sixth straight game in which the Spartans lost the game by a TD or less. It also marked the 10th straight loss MSU has had to a Pac 10 team. Ouch.
• Minnesota’s defense is still suspect. I know Illinois gave up monster yardage to Missouri and MSU didn’t fare much better against Cal, but the Golden Gophers gave up nearly 400 yards to Northern Illinois? Minnesota wasn’t supposed to make a huge turnaround defensively, but coach Tim Brewster has to be concerned.
• Penn State’s running game seems downright scary. Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin came in with the pub, but Penn State came out with the stats–334 yards on the ground, with 5 guys getting 60 yards or more. Evan Royster only got 8 touches, but 3 TDs–now that’s a good day.
• Yes, I know it was supposed to be a blowout, but you have to give some recognition to the Iowa defense, who limited the Maine offense to 220 total yards, a field goal, 2 picks, and only 83 yards in the air. The Hawkeye defense is young but definitely looks pretty solid.
• Michigan’s running game looks pathetic. Going into the game, many were questioning the QB situation, and while Rich Rodriguez used a platoon situation, they still didn’t do terrible, but when you consider that Brandon Minor led the team with 21 yards on the ground and his longest gain was 21 yards…ummm…yeah….you get the picture.
• Did Northwestern throw more than they needed to? C.J. Bacher tossed the pigskin 35 times, but his running game was blowing up huge numbers behind him, with almost 270 yards on the day total. I don’t get it…but me suspects some stat-padding.
• As far as the biggest dissapointments from Week 1, Javon Ringer is up there, but he also faced a great defense–but people won’t look at Arrelious Benn’s numbers (7 catches for 92 yards) and think that he had a bad game–but believe me, he could have done so much more for the Illini versus an exposed Missouri secondary. He seemed like he was just going through the motions out there and dropped several passes. He better get his act together if the Illini are to bounce back in big games.
• I would not be surprised to see Utah get a bunch of votes for the Top 25. Not that they don’t deserve it, but the “aura” that Michigan carries with them everywhere will now have bandwagoners jumping on the Utes for simply going into Ann Arbor and winning. This isn’t your father’s Wolverine team.

Well, that’s enough for now. I could go on for several more bullet points, but….I digress….

Besides the Illinois-Missouri match up, the game between the Michigan State Spartans and the California Golden Bears is a close second in terms of great games to start off the year. When you look at the hype that Mark Dantonio’s team is starting to churn out as well as some great publicity that Cal is bringing, it’s definitely intriguing, to say the least. And when you break it down, this is really a classic struggle between a smash-mouth offense versus a staunch, hold-tight defense. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s not really groundbreaking news, but at least in the article by FoxSports they note that solid seasons from the middle rung teams like Penn State, Michigan State, and Purdue could push the Big Ten up to number three in the country. Read the rest of this entry »

The writing had probably been written on the wall for quite some time as Donald Washington and Jamario O’Neal had been withheld from practicing and there was rumors as to what had been going on with the players, but Ohio State made it official, suspending the two defensive players for the first two games of the season. Football coach Jim Tressel had already mentioned previously that the two players were going to have to “earn their car keys back”. Love the analogy…. Read the rest of this entry »

When the College football season rolls around, not only does this mean hype and preseason rankings, it also means where a bunch of “lists” of the best and worst things to expect. ESPN has come up with their top 10 football match ups for the upcoming season, and the September 13 clash of Ohio St. and USC tops the list.

This really isn’t any surprise, as this is being built into literally the “National Championship game before the National Championship” game. I know I will be tuning in with baited breath (what exactly does that mean anyways?).

Wisconsin going out to California to play Fresno State came in at number 9.  I wonder when the last time Ohio St-Michigan hasn’t made the list? Well, it didn’t make it this year. But don’t worry–I am sure it will be back next year

Jessie Palmer didn’t mince words. He came right out in an interview with Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. The transcript went as follows…

Palmer: “The Big Ten went 3-5 in bowl games last year. Ohio State obviously has lost the last two national championship games. What do you say to critics out there who say the Big Ten is a weak conference?”

Tressel: “Well, I think anyone that’s ever played against the Big Ten would refute that. The Big Ten is not a weak conference; it’s a strong conference.” Read the rest of this entry »

A recent entry by Detroit News columnist Jerry Green suggested that the Big Ten and Pac 10 conferences should embark upon an annual football challenge that would be set up similarly as the basketball challenge the Big Ten has with the ACC. There are several reasons why Green lists off why this would work, and it got me to thinking–would this in fact be good for the Big Ten, or both conferences? Read the rest of this entry »

While the NFL continues to change the landscape of the football game as we know it by adding different wrinkles and capitalizing on diversity in coach’s philosophies, the personnel that have filled these roles have been diversified as well. While it’s a decent bet that the majority of players that are drafted in the first or second round will have a decent career in the big leagues, there’s still no guarantee that pedigree necessarily equals success. Read the rest of this entry »