Michigan Monday: Ranks the Big Ten and Other News

We all know that Minnesota travels to the Big House this weekend to play for the Little Brown Jug.   It looks like the Golden Gophers head coach Jerry Kill might not be with the team due to his treatment of seizures.  You might remember that Jerry suffered one on the sideline in week two and it seems his condition has not gotten better and that he continues to have them.   "The seizures continue to be a concern for me and my family," Kill said in a statement released by the school. "Rebecca (Kill's wife) and I have made the decision to do what it takes to find a solution. I hope to be back to work soon, but we believe that taking some time away to get a handle on this is the right thing to do."

Obviously, this is more important then a football game and I wish nothing but good health to Jerry and his family.  I hope the Mayo Clinic can figure out his situation and he is on the sideline soon.

•  Michigan is #19 in both polls

• Former Illinois assistant Mike Locksley was fired as the head coach of New Mexico.  His two year run included punching an assistant coach, sexual harassment allegations, giving his son's car to a potential recruit and 2 wins.   Even Rich Rod thinks that is a bad run.

• Michigan is favored by 20.5 against Minnesota

• 4 star Ohio DE and MSU recruit Se'Von Pittman visited OSU this weekend. 

• Not sure what happened here but the latest buzz on Danny O'Brien is that he will not be picking Michigan next week.  It seems he is down to Tennessee and MSU.  Does Michigan need that spot for another position?  Or has Danny warmed to another program?  Not sure.

Ranking the Big Ten Teams

This week starts the Big Ten season and there are a number of "great" games that will go along way to finding out who is going to make it to Indy for the championship game.    #8 Nebraska at #7 Wisconsin and MSU at Ohio State.

1. Wisconsin #7
2. Nebraska #8
3. Michigan #19
4. Ohio State
5. Michigan State
6. Penn State
7. Iowa
8. Illinois #24
9. Northwestern
10. Purdue
11. Minnesota
12. Indiana

It's pretty clear right now that it's Wisconsin, Nebraska and everyone else.  You could switch any team from 3-6.   I'm not sold on Illinois at all as they struggled to beat Western Michigan this weekend.  Iowa and Northwestern have semi-bad losses to Iowa State and Army.  Minnesota lost to North Dakota State on Saturday and Indiana traveled to North Texas and lost 24-21.

Side Note:  Can someone do a little research and find out, when the last time Michigan was ranked higher in the polls over all their rivals?  Ohio State, ND and Michigan State?  I was thinking 2006 but OSU was #1 most of the year that year.

Big Ten Preview Week 4

The best part of this weeks post is it contains 2 less games with Northwestern and Purdue having bye weeks.  This is a down week for the Big Ten with no high profile games.  Can someone tell me how SDSU vs Michigan slipped to the BTN?  With the list of the below games?

Big Ten Game of the week:

San Diego State vs Michigan (sorry you will have to come back on Friday for that one)


The Rest of the Games:

CMU at MSU:  Both lost games last weekend to rivals.  CMU is coached by former Michigan State QB Dan Enos.  Still they just don't have the talent to stay with MSU if they don't have a hang over from the Notre Dame Game where they were dominated.  I expect MSU to run the ball and asking the Chips to stop it.  MSU is favored by 21.5 points.  MSU 31 CMU 10

EMU at PSU: Ron English takes his team from the Big House to Happy Valley.  EMU showed they are a quality football team against Michigan, while JoPa struggled to beat Temple.  The line favors PSU at 28.5.  Take those points.  PSU 24 EMU 7

BCS Match Up Alert: Colorado at OSU: Ohio State might of had it's worst game in 10 years on Saturday.  They couldn't pass the ball at all.  They did find some success running the ball and the defense isn't too bad either.  Colorado is 1-2 and can't play with the OSU defense.  OSU -15.  OSU 28 Colorado 3

WMU at Illinois:  Illinois had a big win last week over ASU and is now ranked.  We know that Western isn't a joke and can move the ball down the field with QB Alex Carder.   The key to the game is can Zook's D hold up? Ill. -11.5.   Illinois 24 WMU 17

South Dakota at Wisconsin:  Really?  Wisconsin -42.5.  Wisconsin 61 SD 10

Louisiana-Monroe at Iowa: Looking at this game you would consider it a blow out.  LM played TCU tough in week 1 and can play a little defense.  Iowa is still trying to find themselves with a come back win last week and a loss in week 2.  Iowa -17 which is too much.  Iowa 21 LM 17

North Dakota State at Minnesota:  NDS can play football and a good FCS team.  Minnesota looked good in a loss week 1, lost week 2 and won week 3 over Ball State.   Minn is -9.  I will call an upset NDS 24 Minn 21

IU at North Texas:  Come on Indiana! Are you really traveling to North Texas?   You couldn't pay me to watch this game.  IU is favored on the road at -6.  IU 10 NT 3

Nebraska at Wyoming: Another travel game for a Big Ten team to a non-BCS opponent.    Nebraska is #9 in the country and Wyoming is 2-0.  I think Nebraska will struggle in the first half and then pull away.  Nebraska -23.  Nebraska 28 Wyoming 13

Wolverine Wednesday: How Come The Big Ten Isn't More Active?

Because, they like the stack of dollar bills they already have. 

The Big Ten likes its current position with the recent addition of Nebraska and the current revenue split.   If they added two more teams the pot of money gets smaller.   For Devil's Advocates sake lets take a look at a pair of teams that could be a nice fit:

The High Maintenance Couple:

Texas and Notre Dame:  These two are the prettiest girls at the party and they know it.  They each have their own TV contracts and want more money then the other schools if they agree to come to a conference.   These two are clearly big names but they come with way too much baggage and demands.   If they can't share, they won't get an invite.  That Longhorn network is already a mess and ESPN should shut it down.  ND says they would rather go to the ACC instead of the Big Ten, really?  Why?  ND is the girl friend you should never call again. 

Big 12 Raid:

Texas and Oklahoma:  We know the issues with Texas and Oklahoma doesn't have the academic record that the Big 10 is looking for.  But let's be honest, with MSU and OSU in the Big Ten, OK wouldn't be that much of an academic stretch.  The problem is OK travels with it's little brother OK State and there really isn't room for 3 and just the OK schools alone isn't really that attractive. 

Big East Raid:

I don't think any Big East schools make much sense for the Big Ten.  UConn and Rutgers Football Programs are too small.  Even though you would bring in the NY market, I'm not sure the risk is worth the reward for mostly a professional sports market.  You really don't relate NYC with college sports and I'm not sure the move to the Big Ten would make it a college football town.  It isn't a strong football recruiting area either.  They have a couple top prospects per year.    (Yuri Wright comes to mind)

The ACC has a $20M exit fee so strike that out. 

The latest news is the PAC 12 is staying at 12 (they don't want to over pay Texas either).  Missouri is knocking on the door of the SEC and asking to join the party.   WVU was already been rejected by the SEC and this weekend they have a chance to take it out on Les Miles and LSU.   So the net of this is, the Big Ten feels good at 12 teams and probably won't consider expanding unless Texas or ND call them and drop their revenue demands. 

----------

• SDSU might be the best team, Michigan has played so far this year this year.   This game on Saturday worries me.  Pat Forde is picking SDSU 28-27.

• One advantage that Michigan has on Saturday is not only Hoke and Staff coaching them last year but the noon kick off.  It's a fact in the NFL that West Coast Teams that travel East for 1:00 kick offs do not do well.  Having the noon kick off plays in Michigan's favor.  Let's hope SDSU is sleep walking for the first half and Michigan gets off to a quick start.

• Vincent Smith has earned the start at RB and I agree.  He seems fully healed from his ACL from the Ohio game his freshman year.

• I have real concerns with Will Heininger and Nathan Brink on the defensive line.  I'm not sure the walk on experiment is working.   Richard Ash must be struggling and we might see more of former offensive lineman Q. Washington or some rush linebackers.  I continue to give Craig Roh a pass due to his health.

• Oops!  If I can get a press pass, I guess this guy could sneak in.  Michigan pulled his.  (I hope I am still on the list :)

Big Ten Week 3 Preview

I have to admit I was a little concerned for the Big Ten last Saturday.  Ohio was struggling with Toledo and both Iowa & Purdue lost games.  (Side note: Rich Rod did the Rice - Purdue game.  I was thinking how awkward was that? Purdue hates him while their former head coach dropped the "Snake Oil Salesman" on him and current coach Danny Hope introduced him to his player he got suspended when RR sent video to the Big Ten office.  Then of course on the other side of the ball was one of RR's most famous recruits that he was barley able to keep from Lloyd Carr's class, Sam McGuffie and then transferred) 

Penn State wasn't really competitive against Alabama and the rest of the games were just yawners.

So how does this week look?

Big Ten Games of the Week: (we have 2 this week)

MSU at ND:  Poor MSU they are in the worst possible situation this week.  They are 2-0 and ND is 0-2 and everyone is taking how good they are and that they just need to cut out the turnovers.   I actually see ND winning this game and winning this game big.  I think the chances of ND going 0-3 is pretty low compared to MSU going 2-1.  Vegas agrees that ND will win and has made them a 4.5 favorite.  ND 31 MSU 17

OSU at Miami:  OSU played terrible last week and Miami didn't play at all after a loss to Maryland the week before.  I think Ohio will play better then they did against Toledo but how well will Miami play?   The big joke in this game is that they won't be any referees on the field during the game because neither team plays by the rules.  Give an edge to the Hurricanes if they don't have a 100 turnovers.  Vegas has Miami as a 2.5 favorite.  Miami 28 Ohio 21

The Rest of the Big Ten:

Penn State at Temple:  That's right JoPa is taking his show on the road to a MAC school.  Last year this was my upset special of the week, it didn't happen but Golden turned a good season into the Miami job (many thought he would replace JoPa at PSU in 10 years or so).   I really think this could be another upset with Penn State still having their head down from last week.  Vegas has Penn State favored by 7.5 points.  I have no idea what Temple has this year but what the heck;  Temple 21 PSU 20

Pitt at Iowa is an interesting game.  Iowa lost an overtime game last week to Iowa State and Pitt is 2-0 but struggled with Maine last weekend.   Pitt has a new coaching staff including a bunch of former RR/Michigan assistants.  Neither team is playing well but the edge has to go to Iowa since they are at home and mad after last week performance.  Vegas has Iowa -3.  Iowa 24 Pitt 14

Arizona State at Illinois is another game worth watching.  ASU is Threet-less this year and has QB that is 6-9 throwing around the yard.   I have no idea what Zook has this year but we know their QB is very mobile.   Zook could use a win over a ranked team but does he have the players to do it?   Vegas agrees with me on this game and has Illinois -1.   This game is a toss up. Zook 31 ASU 27

Wisconsin vs Northern Illinois in Chicago = pain for the Huskies.  Wisky is only favored by 16.5 points.  It won't be that close.  Wisconsin 31 NI 10

Northwestern at Army:  Northwestern is the better team by don't sleep on Army, they are getting better.  NW is -7.5.   NW 17 Army 14

Washington at Nebraska:  I wish this was a better match up but Nebraska is much too physical for these Huskies. Black Shirts -16.5   Nebraska 34 Wash 7

Miami (OH) at Minnesota:  I'm not sure the Gophers coach Jerry Kill will be available for the game and there seems to have been a big letdown after the USC game.  Miami of Ohio isn't too bad either. 
Miami 28 Minn 24

South Carolina State at IU:  Indiana is favored by -15.5 and will get its first win of the season.  IU 28 SCS 12

You know the deal about the Michigan game but there are some interesting Big Ten games this week.  Ohio, MSU, PSU, Northwestern and Wisconsin are all on the road (or at neutral sites).  There are also 5 BCS school match ups, which is nice to see.

Big Ten Preview Week 2

Week one was like Big Ten's version of the NFL's preseason.   I am still in favor of each Big Ten team playing a preseason game against a D1A or a team not on the schedule so they can work the bugs out and give some guys some game experience (for example freshman wouldn't lose thier redshirt if they played).  Charge everyone $5 to get in and enjoy the show.   It would be great for revenue and maybe the first game of the year wouldn't be so bad if the kids got a chance to play a preseason game. 

Now on to the show................

GAME OF THE WEEK

Alabama at Penn State:  This was a miss match last year and I still think it's pretty close to one.  Bama has some young QB's but they still have a very strong defense and running game (even with Dee Hart out with an ACL).  Bama is ranked #3 in the county and Penn State is ranked #23.  JoPa's team is better then they were last year but Bama's defense is just way too strong and will be the difference in the game.   Bama is favored by 10.  Sabin 24 Jopa 10

The Rest of the games...........

Florida Atlantic at MSU:  Sparty plays FAU at home even when they play them on the road (last years game was at Ford Field).   Sparty struggled in this game last year for some reason.  Vegas doesn't expect them to this year making them a 32 point favorite.  With MSU struggling with YSU last week, I would take the points and see what happens.  MSU 31 FAU 14

Toledo at Ohio State:  Bucky does a great job helping the Ohio economy by playing other MAC schools in the state.  It's just a way to give back instead of rigging raffles I guess.  This will be another bad game before OSU heads to Miami (no not Miami of Ohio but I see what you were thinking!) to play a real game.   If you watched the Akron game last week, just change the color of the jersey for the visitor and there you go.   Bucky is a 19 point favorite, which means Toledo can play a little bit.  OSU 28 Toledo 7

Iowa at Iowa State:  This is the annual game for that Corn Trophy that everyone hated.   So you got that going for you.  Iowa State is probably more concerned if they will be in Conference USA next year.   This is a road game for the Hawkeyes and this game is usually close even though ISU isn't that great most years.  Iowa is a 7 point favorite on the road.   Iowa 21 ISU 20

Oregon State at Wisconsin:  I have to give Wisky credit for scheduling a PAC 12 opponent on Saturday.  Most years this would be a really good game but OSU lost to a team that I didn't even know had a football team last week.  I always think a team is dangerous the week after an upset.  I would give OSU a better chance if Wisconsin had to travel across country, they don't and I don't think this one will be close.  Wisconsin is a 20.5 favorite.   Wisc 40 OSU 17

Fresno State at Nebraska:  Usually Fresno State has a pretty good team, I guess that is not the case this year as Nebraska is 28 point favorite.  I haven't seen either team this year but there is no way Fresno is going to be able to stop the running game of Taylor Martinez.  Neb 42 FSU 10

South Dakota State at Illinois:  I guess South Dakota was already booked for this Saturday.  This game is embarrassing to the Big Ten.  Are you kidding me?  Only one service has a line on this game and Zook is a 20.5 favorite.   Someone needs to give Zook the number to a few MAC schools.   Ill 45 SDS 3

Virgina at Indiana:  Neither team is very good but I have to credit IU for playing the ACC.  Back in the day this would be a good basketball match up but after IU lost to Ball State last weekend, I think the new coaches will install a countdown clock until Gunner Kiel is on campus.  Virgina is a 7 point favorite on the road.  IU 10 Virgina 7


Eastern Illinois at Northwestern:  The Wildcats had a nice win at BC last week without their starting QB.  I think Persa is still questionable and probably shouldn't play since Northwestern is a 30 point favorite and  Tony Romo isn't showing up for Eastern Illinois (he played there right?). NW 40 EIU 13

New Mexico State at Minnesota:  The Gophers played well at USC last week and almost left LA with an upset.  Jerry Kill is getting some good buzz as the Gophers look to be improved this year.    New Mexico has been a very bad program for the past few years.   Minn is favored by 20 points and it shouldn't be that close.  Minn 51 NMS 2

Purdue at Rice:  This game caught me off guard, I didn't expect that the Boilermakers were going on the road to play Sam McGuffie and Rice.   Sam only had one rush for 4 yards in the Texas game last week and is questionable this week with a leg injury.    Purdue struggled to beat Middle Tennessee State as they blocked a field goal to save the win.  This game has the smallest line of the week with Purdue favored by 1.   I think Rice at home will be tough to beat for Purdue.  I also expect that Texas might be 210 degrees.  Rice 24 Purdue 14

 
There are a lot of noon games this week, so pick the better match ups to watch.  I will pick the ND - Michigan game on Friday.

Big Ten Preview Week 1

Welcome to back to College Football my friends!  Tonight we tee it up for real.  The Big Ten even gets it going tonight as well.  Love it!

Tonight's Match Up:

UNLV and Wisconsin:  What a great match up between two teams that really can run the floor.  I expect Wisconsin to play tough physical defense and look for them to have the rebound edge.   UNLV will try to get out on the fast break.   Sorry, I guess I haven't figured out that we are in football season now. 

I'm glad they are playing this game tonight at 8:00 because it's usually at 10:00 on Saturday and nobody really watches it.  Wisconsin filled their QB void with NC State transfer Russell Wilson (he didn't marry Katy Perry right?) and it will be interesting to see how quickly he picks up the Wisconsin offense.  Then again all he has to learn is how to hand the ball off to a running back.   The Badgers are 35.5 point favorite, so expect lots of runs and not a very good game.   Wisconsin 41 UNLV 10
(best game of the night is Wake Forest at Syracuse)


Game of the Week:

Northwestern at BC:  This is a real football game and congratulations to The Wildcats playing a BCS opponent in week 1.  Both of these teams a evenly matched.  Northwestern showed glimpses of good football as well as some bad football yesterday.  BC is a bit more physical then Northwestern but both teams are well coached.  Northwestern's QB Persa is probably not going to play which will really hurt the Wildcats.   BC is favored by 3.  BC 21 NW 14


High School Game of the Week:

Youngstown State at MSU:  This game is on Friday night.  Yes, that's right Friday.   It makes me laugh how Dantonio is such a Tressel Slappy.  He even bought  brought The Vest's old school up to East Lansing for a pay day.  Tressel and Dantonio must have worked this out years ago. 

YSU used to be good when Tressel was paying players  was coaching there, those days are long gone.  The Spartans #1 goal in this game is to stay healthy so they can attend the prom later in the year.   Sparty is a 34.5 favorite in this game, so another Big Ten great game.  MSU 51 YSU 14


Akron at OSU:  Ohio State has it's first game under Luke Fickel and continues to help fund the other MAC schools is Ohio.  (Play Cincinnati every year!  They are a BCS school in your state!).  I expect OSU to start slowly on offense but play good defense.  There will be a punt block or a pick 6 and the blow will start.   Vegas has OSU -34.   I think it will be a bit closer OSU 28 Akron 7

Indiana State at PSU:  Is this a conference game?  No it isn't and the biggest question in this game will be if JoPA will be coaching on the sideline or in the press box.  Who cares!  PSU -37.   Penn State 44  ISU 17

Middle Tennessee State at Purdue:  Don't sleep on Middle Tennessee they can play some football down there.   I think Danny Hope's squad will win a close game as long as everyone has their ACL in tact.  Purdue -17 in this one.   Purdue 20 Tennessee State 10

Tennessee Tech at Iowa.  I guess the Big Ten is throwing some money into the Tennessee economy this weekend.  Which I am sure will help Bruce Pearl in his new "Marketing job".   Iowa -40.5  Wow these games suck!  Iowa 40.5 TT 0

Chattanooga at Nebraska;  Really?  Ok, this Tennessee thing has gone way to far now.  Something is up!  Does Delany have a hunting cabin in Tennessee? Nebraska plays it's first game as a member of the Big Ten and like any good member they follow the rules by blowing out school from Tennessee.   Nebraska -36.  Nebraska 64 Chatt 13

Minnesota at USC:  A real football game.  Congratulations!  I have heard Jerry Kill gets his teams prepared well and that they might give USC a run for their money on Saturday.  It might be closer then you think and USC hasn't had to cut their scholarships yet. Vegas has USC -28?   USC 28 Minn 17


Arkansas State at Illinois:  Some of said that Illinois is the team to watch this year in the Big Ten.  As Michigan fans we know they can score a few points but we also know they can give up some as well.  Zook's staff is now in year 2 and they should be better this year.   Vegas has Zook favored by 21.  I think it will be a bit closer then that.   Ill 31 ASU 21

Indiana at Ball State:  The battle of the state of Indiana!  It always makes me laugh when a Big Ten team goes on the road to a MAC School.  Could you imagine Michigan playing at Bowling Green?  I expect this is another close game.  Vegas has IU -6.   I think we might have an upset here, there will be a team full of kids had they didn't get an IU offer.   Ball State 21 IU 20.


Michigan - WMU Preview will be up on Friday. 

Enjoy Tonight!

Big 10 Goes to 9 Conference Games in 2017

Three teams each from the Legends Division and Leaders Division will feature five conference home games during odd-numbered years, while the other three schools from each division will host five conference contests during even-numbered years. The 2017 schedule will include five conference home outings for Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska from the Legends Division and Illinois, Indiana and Ohio State from the Leaders Division. The 2018 schedule will feature five Big Ten home games for Michigan, Minnesota and Northwestern of the Legends Division and Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin of the Leaders Division.

Michigan Friday: Talking Heads

Brady Hoke spoke yesterday and people took notes. It was pretty much of what we expected, no news on Stonum and Kellen Jones is not enrolled. He expects everyone to be in shape and ready to compete at the start of practice on 8/8. He is all about Michigan and showing some swagger. Maybe Brady should be the next Old Spice Guy. Look at Me, Look at my Defense, now back at Me.

• Danny O'Brien had a online chat on Rivals last night and will announce his top 6 schools on Friday. He pretty much said he liked all the schools he is considering (Alabama, Tenn, Michigan, Florida, Iowa, MSU, Ark and others) and will visit them all and make a decision during the season or after. He did say he would like to play college ball with his best friend Matt Godin.
  
• Aaron Burbridge committed to MSU yesterday. He was planning to be at the BBQ at the Big House on Sunday so the timing was unexpected the result wasn't. Good luck to him in East Lansing.  

• Allen Trieu of Scouts tweeted that Ondre Pipkins might commit somewhere sooner rather the later "if he feels it". He is visiting Ann Arbor this weekend. Let's hope he feels it!

• Former Michigan QB commit Shavodrick Beaver is leaving Tulsa for Midwestern State University.  He was planning to be an academic redshirt this year for Tulsa.   Out of the 4 QB's that verballed to Michigan in that class it seems the last one was the best.  If you wondering who was the last one was, see the below video.

Your moment of Zen with Denard and that Million Dollar Smile....................

Michigan Friday: Wonders if Delany's hindsight is 20/20?

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany should be applauded for the work he has done with the Big Ten Network and bringing in Nebraska.  Many has criticized his approach with a number of topics including: logos, legends and leaders.  He also hasn't been very aggressive in discipline for players and coaches off field actions.  He usually allows the teams or the NCAA to carry the big stick. 

Now he is sitting with a huge mess with one of his biggest name coaches getting deeper and deeper into more trouble as time goes on.  What should he do?  Nothing or Something like the SEC did to Bruce Pearl?

Here is what he said, yesterday at the BCS conference:  "Based on what we knew, we just spoke on behalf of the kids and the NCAA made the decision it made," Delany said Thursday at the annual Bowl Championship Series meetings in New Orleans. "But I don't think anybody had the knowledge that we have now."

The only new news is that JT knew about it and kept it quiet.  Would that fact made you take action against the players?  Of course it would have regarding Tressel. 

Jim what do think will happen with JT and OSU?

"I'm concerned about it. I think it's a serious situation," Delany said. "The facts are fairly well known and I think the institution will get in front of the infractions committee and then they'll render their opinion in a timely way."

Jim did you stick up for the players last December?

"I spoke on the fact that it wasn't a recruitment issue -- it wasn't an agent issue, it was an extra benefit issue, and it was an extra benefit issue that to our knowledge was isolated and confined," he said. "So it was on that basis that I appealed on behalf of the school. But we didn't have the information we have today."

That makes sense, these guys just picked a tattoo guy in Columbus and struck this one time deal.  I'm sure this never happened before in Columbus.  Great Take, Jim. 

In fact, the Columbus Dispatch is now reporting that there were more items and players involved in the selling of grear and bowl gifts.  I guess that is what Jim is referring to as "new information".

My take is Jim seems to be a very good business man and sells the Big Ten very well.   I'm concerned about the other part of his job and his inability to see the forest through the trees and mostly when it comes to his big name coaches.   His silence or lack of punishment in this matter speaks volumes.   Let the NCAA or the institution handle it, is a pretty weak stance for a serious situation in his own backyard.

Michigan Monday: Coaches Play Contracts Like a Fiddle

We all know big time college coaches in football and basketball are hired to be fired.  It's the life and profession they picked.  

We also know that coaches when they have even a little bit of success can work the system like no other.  I truly believe when Les Miles retires he should start a Michigan scholarship fund for all the raises and contract extensions he has gotten from LSU due to "conversations" he has had with Michigan about their football openings.  

We all know the Les examples, but let's take a look two other examples that involve coaches at Missouri.   The first one was Purdue's head basketball coach Matt Painter who flirted with the opening at Missouri a couple of weeks ago.   Was Matt really considering leaving Purdue for Mizzu?  Of course not!  He just wanted a raise from Purdue and got one.  He was on vacation when this entire thing went down.  Not too bad to be near the pool, get a couple of calls and end up getting a big raise.   I hope he called the front desk and got his room upgraded. 

The second comes from Gary Pinkel, Missouri's head football coach.  He is quoted in this article (regarding why he didn't interview for the Michigan job) saying, “That was a really difficult situation just because I grew up in Ohio and my whole life I hear about Ohio State and Michigan. To have an opportunity like that is sort of a once-in-a-lifetime thing. For me it still boiled down to I just feel so much a part of Missouri now.”



“The reason I didn’t pursue it was because I feel so much a part of Missouri. I’m so committed personally to continue to build the opportunity I was given. And family, a combination of those things. So, I bowed out of it. I feel really good about it. I thought a lot about it. It got really close. But before I went to the interview, it was a matter of hours before when I decided I wasn’t going to pursue it and I wanted to stay at the University of Missouri. So, that’s kind of the conclusion I came to.”

Gary just signed a two year extension and is now under contract until 2017.   Shocker!  He didn't even talk to Brandon and still got an extension.  We don't know any details of the search but I'm willing to bet Gary's "people" reached out to David Brandon about interviewing for the open position in Ann Arbor.
 
These coaches and agents have some special talent when it comes to getting more money and extensions when they names are linked with any other jobs.   Bob Stoops should have Bill Gates money by now with all the jobs he has been linked to.

Michigan Tuesday: Welcomes MSU to the Reality of Roses

If you live in Ohio, you hate the State of Michigan even if your not a sports fan.   That's just the culture in the Buckeye State.  Some people won't even do business in Michigan because it's Michigan.   Which is a pretty narrow view of reality, mostly when it potentially could be costing you and your family a better living. 

Michigan State's Program is just the opposite.  The best analogy I give for the Spartans is a golfing one.  I am sure many of you have heard the term "sandbagger".  If you haven't, in golf it means a player that "inflates" his scores so his handicap is higher then it should be.  So for example, a 15 handicap might really be a 7 handicap golfer.  Meaning he gets 8 shots in a match that he shouldn't.

If you play golf, there are also guys who are just the opposite.  Guys, who are really 15 but cut a few shots off each round and end up being a 7 just so they can brag they have a single digit handicap, even though they lose every time they play another good player.  They just blame it on playing bad, the weather, or whatever excuse they can come up with.   This guy is the Michigan State Football Program. 

Michigan State opened up their Spring Practice yesterday and Mark Dantonio did his regular "Spring" press conference.  "Now we begin to prepare for the Rose Bowl," Dantonio said Monday. "That's where we're at. I think the foundation has been laid. We've had enough success to go into every game thinking we're going to win, or at least these are the things we have to do to be able to win."


(from the Detroit News - Is it me or did Dantonio give his press conference from a TV tray?)  

Really?  Didn't MSU (similar to Michigan as well) get embarrassed by an SEC opponent earlier this year?  Wasn't the score 49-7?  I think setting goals is good and the Rose Bowl goal is probably where the bar should be set for the Spartans every spring but going Rex Ryan in March is going a bit too far.

Mostly when MSU has had a number of off field issues effecting the program including:

• Potential violations and suspension of an MSU Booster Club.
• The reinstatement of Dion Sims who pleaded guilty in September to receiving and concealing stolen property.
• The February arrests of TE Brian Linthicum and linebacker Max Bullough, who both will miss the first two days of spring practice.  Yes, two days.

This is why I love Michigan State.  Like Mike Hart coined years ago, they are the "little brother" that loves to talk and sometimes put together a couple of wins on the golf course, basketball game in front of the house, or even 3 instate wins in a row.  The problem is they just can't get out of their way when it comes to getting in trouble and talking smack after Alabama used them as their scout team.   Yes, MSU you had an 11 win season (didn't play OSU) and played decent football at times, but go take care of your business off the field and fix the problems on before you start talking about Roses of any color.

Wolverine Wednesday: 10 Things I like to see from Michigan before I buy a condo at the Villages

#10: A Wall of Fame, A Circle of Honor something that honors the great former Michigan football players.  I agree that retiring numbers may not be the right thing to do but there are so many great former Wolverines and there should be some lasting memorial somewhere at the Big House.  Name it the Gerald R. Ford Memorial: Circle of Champions.

#9:  Tom Brady gets close to U of M.   When Tom is ready to hang up his cleats, I would like there to be some type of partnership between Tom and U of M.  Is it a Tom Brady Scholarship? Is he the associate AD?  I don't know but having Tom close to the program has to be a good thing. 

#8: The Michigan Baseball team gets more TV exposure.  I have always thought there would be a nice fan base for the Michigan Baseball team if they got some more exposure.

#7:  Mike Hart on the Michigan coaching staff.  He seems the perfect candidate when Fred Jackson retires. 

#6: The Michigan basketball team makes an un-expected run to the Final 4.

#5: The Fab 5 plays an exhibition game against the current Wolverines for charity.  Maybe to re-open the "new" Crisler Arena?

#4: Michigan Football Dominates Midwest Recruiting. I want Michigan to be able to recruit like Texas does. Bring in all the top players in from Michigan, Ohio and neighboring states. Give the kids offers right there and then and give them 48 hours to accept or decline them. Michigan would have 70% of it's class full in a couple of days.



#3: Keith Jackson to do one more Michigan - Ohio State game in the Big House.

#2: Michigan goes on a new winning streak against MSU and OSU.

#1: Big Shocker Here:  Michigan has an un-defeated National Championship season where they beat OSU twice and USC in the BCS National Championship Game in the Rose Bowl      


Honorable mentions:  A night game at the Big House (next year), A huge music festival at the Big House with all the top bands,  Michigan and Michigan State play one or two games at Ford Field to help the downtown economy,  Zack Novak's number retired, Michigan signs the #1 rated high school prospect in either football or basketball or both!, an August pre-season exhibition football game against an opponent not on the schedule (yes I know this is more of an NCAA rule/issue) and Michigan doesn't need to hire a new football coach for the next 15 years!

I'm not Hoking: The Big Ten Doesn't hire Big Name Coaches

I will be the first to admit that in early January, I made statements like: "You don't fire Rich Rodriguez to hire Brady Hoke".   At the time, that hire didn't make much sense to me.  Why would you bring in a guy that had limited success at Ball State and San Diego State to replace a guy that has lead his team to BCS Bowls and was one win/a QB's hand a way from the National Championship game?  Brady's name wasn't in the same class as a Jim Harbaugh, Les Miles, Urban Meyer, etc.

I will also have to admit that I was wrong and that Brady has impressed me so far in building his staff, keeping players (mostly Denard), and recruiting hard to finish the 2011 class and the momentum he has built for the 2012 class.  The proof will be on the field but so far so good.

That got me thinking about the Big Ten and hiring Big Name coaches.   I also thought back to when Minnesota fired Tim Brewster during the 2010 Season.  The Minnesota AD stood up in front of reporters and said he wanted to make a Tubby Smith type hire for his football program.   Which means he wanted a big name coach to run his football program.  They hired Jerry Kill from Northern Illinois.   Not exactly Vince Lombardi was it? 

So what about other Big Ten Programs?  Let's start with that school down south.

Ohio State:  Jim Tressel was hired in 2001 to replace John Copper.  Jim had spent a couple of years in the 80's coaching Ohio State's QB's and WR's but in 2001 was the head coach of Youngstown State for 14 years.   Jim was very successful at his current job but was he ready to lead the Buckeyes?  I think we all now know the answer to that question but could you imagine Michigan hiring the Grand Valley's Head Coach?  At the time that was a pretty risky hire that worked out well for the Buckeyes.

Purdue:  Back in 1997 Purdue needed a new coach after they had let go Jim Colletto and hired Joe Tiller from Wyoming.  Joe had spent 6 years at Wyoming with a 39-30 record and was coming off a good year where they finished 10-2 and #22 in the both polls.  Joe ended up at Purdue for 12 years and retired after the 2008 season and was replaced by Danny Hope who was on staff.   Danny had been on staff at Purdue for 1 year as the Assistant HC and OL coach.  Danny had spent 5 years as Eastern Kentucky's head coach before joining Purdue, he was 35-22 at EKU.

Indiana has tried to find lighting in a bottle with their head coaches.  Back in the day they had coaches with the names you might recognize like Lee Corso (41-68-2), Sam Wyche (1 year 3-8), and  Gerry DiNardo (8-27).  This year they have hired Oklahoma OC for the past 8 years Kevin Wilson, who doesn't have any D1 head coaching experience and has struggled to keep his staff together only being on the job for a few weeks.  Can any coach win at IU?  That is the big question. 

Iowa: Hyden Fry was a Big Ten legend when he retired.  He had been at Iowa from 1979 -1998 with a overall record of 143-98-6.   So in 1999 who did the Hawkeyes turn to?  Baltimore Raven's offensive line coach Kirk Ferentz.  Kirk's only head coaching experience at the time was two years as Maine's head coach.   Before hired at Iowa Kirk had spent 5 years as an OL coach in the NFL.   I would say this Risk = Reward as Kirk is one of the highest paid coaches in college football and has been rumored to been a candidate for a number of NFL jobs and Michigan's last two openings.  Recently, Kirk has had a number of off field issues with his players. 

Wisconsin:  Does any of these names ring a bell?  1986 - Jim Hilles, 1987-1989 - Don Morton?  Those were the two coaches before Barry Alvarez was hired.  Barry was Notre Dame's DC for 2 years before taking the Wisconsin job.  Barry had spent 7 years as Iowa's LB coach before moving to ND to coach the LB's for 1 year and then 2 as the DC.   Barry moved to Wisconsin's AD position in 2006 and Brett Bielema took over.  Brett was on Barry's staff for 2 years has his DC coming over from Kansas State where he was the DC for 2 years as well.  I guess Wisconsin likes those 2 year DC's.

Penn State: Does not hire new head coaches.  They have had the same head coach for 44 years.

Michigan State:  We all know that Nick Saban spent 5 years in East Lansing but his coaching success came after he left the Spartans.  Since Nick left the program in 1999 the Spartans have struggled to find it's next head coach.  Bobby Williams was there for 3 years, then John L. Smith for 4 and now Mark Dantonio.  Mark came to State from the University of Cincinnati where he spent two years has head coach with a 18-17 record.  Before UC Mark was the DC at OSU for 2 years and before that 5 years as MSU's DB coach.

Illinois has probably the closest "Big Name Hire" outside of Rich Rodriguez when they hired Ron Zook who was just fired as Florida's head man in 2007.   Illinois must like Ron's because Zook replaced Turner.  Ron Zook has had an up and down stint at Illinois with an overall record of 28-45 (really?) with one Rose Bowl appearance which was a 49-17 loss to USC.   Before Ron took over at Florida he was the New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator for 2 years.

Northwestern:  Sadly, Randy Walker (former head coach of Miami of Ohio) died unexpectedly in June 2006 of a heart attack.  At the time, Northwestern hired LB coach and recruiting coordinator Pat Fitzgerald as it's head coach.  We all know Pat was a famous LB for Northwestern but his coaching experience before joining NW included 1 year as Maryland's LB coach, 1 year as Colorado's LB coach, and 1 year as Idaho's LB coach.   Pat was NW's LB coach for 5 years before took the head coaching job.

Minnesota:  Had some famous named coaches that didn't stay very long.  Names all Michigan fans will remember like: Fitz Crisler 1930-31 he had a 10-7 record and  Lou Holtz for another 2 year stint from 84-85.  Lou went 10-12 in two years.  Recently, Glen Mason was the Golden Gophers coach for 10 years and a 64-57 record.  I guess Glen's record wasn't good enough and they hired Tim Brewster in 2007.  Before Minnesota Tim was the TE coach for the Denver Broncos, before that he was the TE coach for the Chargers.  His college experience came in 1998-2001 as Texas's TE coach and 87-89 as North Carolina's TE coach.  I'm not a coaching expert but it seems to be this guy is a good TE coach.   After Minnesota fired their good TE coach, they hired Jerry Kill from Northern Illinois who was 10-3 in MAC last year.  Jerry has been the head coach of Saginaw Valley State, Emporia State, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and now Minnesota.

So to net it out, it seems Big Ten coaches who are successful and who are not successful usually don't come from other Big Time programs as head coaches.   It also seems some of the more successful hires were assistant coaches (at some point) at the programs they now run.

We all know Bo was from Miami of Ohio and the rest of Michigan's hires were internal before RR.   So maybe the Brady Hoke hire was the perfect fit for Michigan now and long term (the proof will be in his win loss record) and maybe the reason Rodriguez didn't do well at Michigan was because a Big Name + Big Program + Big Ten = Big Problems.

Michigan Tuesday: The Goal is Indy in 2011

During Hoke's first press conference it was clear that beating Michigan's rivals and winning the Big Ten Championship was the top priority for this program.  But was is the priority for next year?  Rebuilding right?
Nope.

Brady Hoke sat down with Detroit News columnist Bob Wojnowski.   Bob asks a number of questions, like what's his favorite food and book, repairing the Michigan Nation, all the questions you would expect.  The one question (and follow up) that I thought was valuable was: 

Q. You have 18 starters back next year, including the Big Ten offensive player of the year. I'm thinking an 8-4 record, minimum. What do you think?
A. If we don't win the championship, we failed, period.

Q. Have you looked at your roster closely and assessed how good you could or couldn't be?
A. No. If we don't win the championship, we failed.


Q. So I suppose it's possible then?
A. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't.

A question you might be considering is: Do we really think that is possible?  It's possible but not probable.  What I really like to hear is the goal is in the right place.  We are not talking about a winning season or a bowl game.  We are talking about the goal being a Big Ten Championship and playing in Indy in December.

• The worst kept secret is the hiring of Jerry Montgomery to coach the DL and Curt Mallory to coach the DB's was made official on Monday.    Both are good coaches, but I'm the most excited about the hiring of Jerry who is a young guy and can develop guys like Big Will, Richard Ash, and Terry Talbott.   Many coaches will tell you, all good teams start with the offensive and defensive lines.  Michigan is looking great on the O-Line and the D-line (outside of Martin) needs work.

• 2012 Ohio DE Ifeadi Odenigbo got offered by Michigan yesterday.  He is 6'4 and 210 pounds and was ranked #24 on the State of Ohio rankings.   He seems like a good student and has offers from Stanford, BC, Northwestern, and many other Big Ten Schools.  He has not been offered by OSU yet. 

•  Here is another Michigan 2012 defensive hot list.  I am a big fan of the name of Trotwood, Ohio safety Bam Bradley.   Michigan has 3 players currently on the roster from Trotwood.

Michigan Tuesday: Shines a Light on the Positive in the form of Denard Robinson

In a world where most of us can only talk about whether Rich Rodriguez is getting fired or not, sits a very humble young man with another piece of hardware from his first season as Michigan's starting QB.  

I don't know Denard, but I have watched him close up this year after he has left the field in a win and a loss.   In a win he is the happiest guy on the field, hugging his friends and teammates.  You would of thought the young man had just won the lottery or was a 7 year old  kid again on Christmas morning.   He has a smile from ear to ear.

After a loss it's just the opposite.  He walks with his head down like the entire loss was his fault and knowing he has to address the media in a few minutes.  I'm pretty sure the last place on earth Denard wants to be is in a small room at Crisler Arena addressing what went wrong in this painful loss.   When he takes the podium you see the emotion in his eyes.  The loss is hurting him more then the other players.  He feels he has let his coach and his teammates down by making a mistake that most any first year sophomore QB's do.  He answer questions quietly and sometimes with one word answers.  He will say the "offense came out flat" but doesn't give a reason why.  He talks about his interceptions as bad reads or poor throws.  He spends 5 un-comfortable minutes with the press and then heads back to be with his teammates.   A place where he is comfortable.

Denard is a quiet competitor, he prefers to lead with his actions and not his voice.  Many players even say they have to look to sideline for the correct call because they just can't hear Denard when he is saying the play in the shotgun.   You also see him take a moment to give thanks, when he scores a touchdown.  He is not showing a logo on his gloves or jumping into the stands, he is just taking a second to give thanks to his higher power that gave him the skills to be able to play this great game.

Sometimes, I think the important things get away from us when are looking at this program with Rose Bowl colored glasses.  We miss the special opportunity we have to watch a special young man transform the QB position not just at Michigan but for the entire country.   Denard broke the all time QB NCAA Rushing record in the Wisconsin game and it was just a footnote.  A guy in the press box said to me that he still has one more game to play.  I actually corrected him and said, 2 with the bowl game.  He could destroy that record with a big day on the ground in late December or early January.

So yes, we are all worried about whether RR will keep his job in Ann Arbor when we should be celebrating Denard being named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, but again nobody really notices.   I could barley find the story on the Detroit News website.  Which is perfectly fine with Denard.

Big Ten Preview Week 12

With the holiday on Thursday, I know your week wouldn't be the same without my Big Ten weekend preview.  So I will bring it to you a day early and you now can rest easy on Thursday and enjoy your Turkey.


Big Ten Game of the Week:

Michigan State at Penn State:  Michigan State fans this week have become Wolverine fans for just one week.  They want Michigan to upset the Buckeyes so they can go to the Rose Bowl.   Which is funny on a number of levels: #1 Michigan State almost lost to Purdue last week #2 Ohio State is a 17 point favorite  #3 MSU hasn't played well on the road after their victory in Ann Arbor.   Sparty take care of business on Saturday and then see what happens.  I would actually like to see the Sabin Bowl 2 in the Capital One Bowl on New Years Day:  Alabama vs MSU rather then watching State get blown out in the Rose Bowl by TCU or Stanford. 

JoPa announced last night he is not ready to move to Florida and is coming back for another year.   Which will get the Penn State fans pumped up.  Beaver Stadium will be full of fans wanting nothing more then to ruin Spartys co-Big Ten Championships hopes in Happy Valley.   BTW:  This rivalry that the Big Ten forced on us, never did play out.   Penn State started to find it feet before they started throwing "picks" in the second half against Ohio State.  MSU on the other hand has struggled to win games against lesser opponents.   JoPa is a two point dog at home.  It wouldn't be that close.  Penn State 28 MSU 14


Indiana at Purdue:  Wow, this is not a good game.  IU hasn't had a Big Ten win this year and Purdue even though playing well last week in East Lansing is on a 5 game losing streak.   I know this is one of the rivalries that the Big Ten wanted to protect, are they sure they want to do that?  Purdue is favored by 3 at home.   This game has a coach with a mustache vs a coach that throws his gum. Stache wins Purdue 17 IU 10

Iowa at Minnesota:  Iowa has had a disappointing year.  The schedule set up for them, they won their toughest conference road game in Ann Arbor and still will end up 8-4 this year.   Iowa clearly had a chance to run the table in the Big Ten and didn't.  Minnesota on the other had also had a chance to run the table in the Big Ten but they beat Illinois two weeks ago.  The Golden Gophers just want the season to end so they can continue their coaching search.  The Hawkeyes just want to book their travel to the Outback Bowl.   Iowa is a 14.5 favorite.  Iowa 42 Minnesota 10

Northwestern at Wisconsin:  This would be a game if Northwestern had their QB.  They don't so it won't.  I'm guessing the Badgers start off slow in this game as they start thinking at the Rose Bowl but pull away for a the comfortable win in the second half.  Wisky is favored by 23 points.  Wisconsin 41 Northwestern 28

 Illinois is off this week and travels to Fresno State next week. 

I will preview the game in Columbus on Friday.

Michigan Monday: Looks Forward and Back

7-5:  Many of us predicted in August this would be the Wolverines record at the end of the season.  The Wolverines are 7-3 right now and won't be favored in the next two weeks.  IMO, Michigan's best chance at an upset is against Wisconsin this week.  For some reason the Badgers don't play well at the Big House and RR and Steven Threet beat a top10 Wisconsin team two years ago.   So anything can happen.

Bowl Game Baby!:  Right now it looks like the Insight Bowl against a Big 12 team.   Gator is the next possibility. 

Big Ten Last Weekend:  It's clear that Northwestern does have some special mojo against Iowa.  I don't know what it is but they have it.  Dan Persea is pretty darn good and I'm sad to hear about his injury.   I didn't see the Illinois - Minnesota game but what happened there?  Did Illinois have a hang over from last week?  It sure sounded like it, if they lost to the worst team in the Big 10.  Does this put Zook back on the hot seat?  Which is funny because just two weeks ago, RR's seat was "hot" and Zook's was stable.  As they say on the field, REVERSE!

Wisconsin 83 points?  I didn't think that was possible.   Michigan fans were really thinking that loss to Penn State wasn't that bad if they watched the first half of the Ohio State game.  Then we changed our minds in the second half.  Michigan should have had at least one pick in the Penn State game.

Big Weekend for the Big Ten coming up:  OSU at Iowa,  Wisconsin at Michigan, MSU vs Easy Schedule, Illinois vs Northwestern at Wrigley, Penn State vs IU at FedEx Field.  What's the deal with neutral fields this week?  ND plays Army at Yankee Stadium as well.

Big Recruiting Weekend for Big Blue:  This is the last home game for the Wolverines for the year and what I have as Michigan's #1 un-committed target Kris Frost is expected to make his official visit with his family.   I hope it's warm but does a guy named Frost really care?   Jack Tabb a TE from NJ is also expected to visit this weekend.  The Michigan coaches really want a TE in this class.  The Michigan TE's basically were the difference in the game on Saturday.   The next big recruiting weekend is 12/3 visitors include:  Wayne Lyons and Blake Countness both highly ranked DB's.    The Big Chill would be another good weekend. 


RR Press Conference Today:  Will need a big update on injuries.  We need to know the status of Mike Martin, Jonas Mouton and Mike Shaw.   Michigan will need Martin and Mouton against Wisconsin and Ohio State.

Big Ten Weekend Preview Week 10

Last week had a bunch of not so exciting match ups that turned into some pretty exciting games.  Michigan and Illinois put up a basketball score, JoPa got #400 by coming back from 21 down, and Indiana had an upset of Iowa in their hands but couldn't hold it. 

Let's hope this week is just as exciting with the better match ups:

Big Ten Game of the Week

Penn State at Ohio State:  Penn State has a 3 game win streak under it's belt and Ohio State is doing what it does every year, winning Big Ten games.   On paper Ohio State clearly has an advantage in talent and playing at home.  Vegas agrees and has made them an 18 point favorite.   Matt McGloin is now the starter at QB for JoPa and has the confidence of beating Michigan and a come back win over Northwestern under his belt.  That will help the PSU stay close early but Michigan's and Northwestern Defense isn't close to Ohio State's.  Look for Matt to throw a couple of picks and the final score won't reflect a pretty close game. OSU 31 Penn State 13

Iowa at Northwestern:  This is a strange game for me.  Northwestern seems to play really well each year against the Hawkeyes and I'm not sure what causes that.  On the other hand, Northwestern had Michigan State and Penn State beat and let them both off the hook.  Iowa should have lost at IU last weekend but got a W after a dropped touchdown pass.   Will Northwestern continue to play it's best football against Iowa and will Iowa sleep through another road game?  Vegas has Iowa a 2 score favorite at 9.5 points.   I think this will be a close game but Iowa is clearly the better team.  Iowa 24 NW 20

Minnesota at Illinois:  I feel sorry for the Golden Gophers.  They don't have a Big Ten win and don't have a head coach.  They are also walking into a Gopher trap on Saturday.  Illinois is really mad after their top 20 defense in the country gave up 67 points and all most 700 yards to the Wolverines last week.  The Gophers are the perfect medicine for Zook and company to be bowl eligible. Illinois is favored by 21.  Illinois 42 Minn 17

Indiana at Wisconsin:  Wisky started a bit slow against Purdue last week but found their mojo and got in the winners circle.  IU almost had their biggest win of the season but dropped the ball.  Indiana doesn't play well on the road in the Big Ten and Wisconsin pretty good at home.  Look for 400 yards from Wisconsin on the ground.  Wisconsin is a 21.5 favorite.  Wisconsin 38 IU 21

I thought this weekend had better match-ups then last weekend but the lines are 9.5, 18, 21, and 21.5 points.  I guess I'm wrong.

MSU is off and I will preview the Michigan - Purdue game on Friday.   
 

Big Ten Week 9 Previews

With all the NCAA news breaking, I all most forgot to give you the most anticipated post of the week.  My thrilling Big Ten Preview.   I know, it's exciting.   Which is just the opposite of the Big Ten match ups this weeks.   Not one good match up.  That's right not one. 

On to the show........................

Minnesota at Michigan State:  Not much to say it this one.  It's the Big Ten's last place vs the Big Ten's first place team.  MSU got embarrassed at Iowa after MSU's head coach allowed a player to leave a jail cell and step right into practice and play on Saturday.  Sometimes karma is a B*tch, right coach?  Back to the game.  This one won't be close and the Spartans are a 24 point favorite.   MSU 42 Minn 10


Iowa at Indiana:  I am officially off the IU train.  Michigan has made them out to be something they are not the last two years.  Here is another game that won't be close with Iowa favored by 17 points.  I expect Iowa to be a bit asleep early since this game comes after the Michigan, Wisconsin, and MSU stretch.   It will be closer then we think.  Iowa 28  IU 17


Wisconsin at Purdue:  Wow, here is another miss match.   Purdue is struggling without a healthy QB and  made news this week as Danny Hope complained about Zook running up the score on the Boilermakers last week.   The last Big Ten head coach that made a statement like that was Tim Brewster against Wisconsin and now Tim is out of a job.    I sure hope The Badgers keep it within 30 points.  Wisconsin is favored by 20.  Wisconsin 38 Purdue 3.  Can you ever get enough of this guy?  I can't

Northwestern at Penn State:  This is the most even match up of the weekend.  Penn State is coming off an impressive offensive performance against Michigan's dazed and confused defense last weekend.  Northwestern got by Indiana 20-17 to get to 6-2 this year.  This game could be JoPa's 400th win and the reason it's the 3:30 game.   This game will be really close since Northwestern is a bit under rated and Penn State after last week might be a bit over rated.  JoPa is favored by 6 points. Northwestern 30  Penn State 24 


I will preview the Illinois at Michigan game on Friday.

Big Ten Weekend Preview Week #9

Wow, nine weeks sure do fly bye when your having fun.   When I previewed the season, I got a couple of things right like Iowa losing at Arizona and Wisconsin beating Ohio State.  I also go a lot wrong like saying MSU would go .500 this year.   I thought they would lose to Michigan and Wisconsin but they have gotten through both games. So how will they do this week?

Big Ten Game of Week:

Michigan State at Iowa:  The Hawkeyes had it's table set for a Big Ten Championship with it's win in Ann Arbor and home games against: Wisconsin, MSU, and OSU.  Well, something strange happened on the way to dinner table and Kirk Ferentz went Les Miles and miss managed the clock and cost his team at a shot at least overtime.  After the Michigan game, MSU has struggled against Illinois and Northwestern before pulling both games out late.  The BCS has MSU ranked #5 but some folks are still not buying the Spartans.  You can put "Vegas" in that category and has the Spartans all most a touchdown underdog (6.5) in this game.    This is a put up or shut up game for the Spartans.  If they win this game they will win the Big Ten and go un-defeated this year.  Could Sparty really play for the BCS Championship?  Nope.   Iowa 31  MSU 21


The other games:

Northwestern at Indiana:  I think Northwestern is a decent Big Ten football team and should of had a win over Sparty last week.  Every year Michigan makes IU look really good and then they fall apart.  I was very surprised how they laid down at Illinois last week.  I am off the IU band wagon. NW is a 3 point favorite.  Northwestern 42 IU 28

Purdue at Illinois:  At the beginning of the year, I expected Purdue to be playing pretty good football by now and Illinois heading for a last place finish in the Big Ten.  Well, they have reserved roles and Purdue doesn't have any healthy QB's and Ron Zook is saving his job at Illinois, who has been the surprise of the Big Ten this year (outside of Sparty).  Ron's boys are a 17 point favorite in this game.   This game won't be close either.  Illinois 28 Purdue 7

Ohio State at Minnesota:  How is this a prime time game?  The TV executives whiffed on this one.   This is a match up between the most talented team in the Big Ten vs the least talented team in the Big Ten.  It won't be close.  OSU is favored by 25 points.   OSU 42 Minnesota 10


Wisconsin has a bye week.

I will preview the Michigan at Penn State game on Friday.