Terrelle Pryor Accepted Into NFL Draft

Terrelle Pryor

Michigan Thursday: Your In but Suspended

Raise your hand if your tired of Pryor news.  It has been non-stop for 4 years and it doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. 

Today comes the news he is in the NFL Supplemental Draft now re-scheduled for Monday.   The only catch is that Pryor will be suspended for the first 5 games of the season, which should only effect Pryor's bank account because he surly wouldn't be playing QB for any team that picks him in the first 5 weeks.   Heck, he maybe even more attractive to teams now they get a discount.   This is sort of like the NFL Draft meets TJ Maxx. 

Some have wondered if this the first step in the NFL working with the NCAA on rule breakers.  The answer is no, this is the NFL's way to try to persuade any other "Pryor's" from trying to work the system by not declaring for the NFL Draft and trying to land a better spot in the Supplemental. 

For the Pryor "shocker" of the day his "mentor" Ted Sarniak gave him and his mother money while he was at OSU.   Really?  I guess nobody thought that was important when everyone had to recruit Pryor through Ted.  Pryor's entire time at OSU should be stricken from the record.

• If you want to hear me preview the Michigan Offense please tune into the Michigan Man Podcast.  Part 1 is up and Part 2 is coming.   (I'm a little long winded)  Mike does a great job, so please check it out on a regular baiss or download it on your Ipod phone pad, etc. 

• If you haven't heard Mike Hart is done with the NFL and is a quality control assistant at Eastern Michigan for Ron English.  I expect Mike to be Michigan's RB coach as soon as Fred Jackson retires or moves to another offensive coaching position at Michigan.  On a side note, I like what Ron is doing for former Wolverines.  He also helped Tyrone Wheatley get his coaching career going, he is now with Syracuse.   Here is Mike talking about camp:  "I love it, and I have a lot more fun coaching in camp than playing in camp," Hart said, laughing. "Camp is camp. It's a grind for the coaches, it's a grind on the players, but my body isn't taking a beating. I just love working with young men and having an impact on them. I'm definitely having a lot of fun." Having Mike in and around Ann Arbor is a great thing!  It will be very strange for him to be on the other side of the field on 9/17.

Michigan Tuesday: Thinks There is a 30 - 30 Documentary at WVU

So how is that West Virgina Football Program doing these days?  The Bill Stewart hire after RR left for Michigan has to be considered  a very poor decision after he blew out Oklahoma with RR's players in the Fiesta Bowl.  I remember a prominent booster said something to the effect, "they just hired the JV coach" when Bill took over the program.

Back in December, I predicted the 1 year coach in waiting would not work.  In fact, it was the most bizarre college coaching situation I have ever seen.  The first day of business school they tell you partnerships don't work.  This one didn't even last 6 months before Bill tried to go project "National Enquirer" on Dana Holgorsen.

Well done Bill!  Your first head coaching job you got fired for a racially-insensitive comment.  You get fired from your second head coaching job because you tried to air your coach-in-waiting dirty laundry in the media. 

I see now why the WVU fans were so upset when RR left.   It set the the program back years.    He is available for hire if the Mountaineers current coach goes on another casino bender.

Think about all the drama this program has had the past 3 years. 

• A healthy QB thump (or finger I don't remember) away from the NC game
• RR takes the Michigan Job
• The RR shredding documents thing
• WVU blowing out Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl
• Bill Stewart gets the head coaching job
• RR fights the buy out
• Michigan pays most of the buy out
• NCAA investigates RR practice schedule at Michigan and WVU
• RR fails at Michigan
• Dana Holgorsen is hired to replace Bill Stewart in 2012 and will be coach-in-waiting in 2011
• Bill Stewart releases "dirt" on Holgorsen to the media
• Bill Stewart gets fired  resigns

This has to be a 30/30.

• Pryor signs with Drew Rosenhaus.  Shocker, I guess Rob Pelinka wasn't available?

• Kyle Dodson a 4 Star Offensive Line prospect spurns the Buckeyes and committed to Wisconsin last night.  Michigan was also recruiting Kyle.  Many had thought he was a Columbus lock.

• Love this quote from new Wolverine Erik Magnuson on taking other visits:  “I’m not sure. I will definitely be going to Michigan for an official visit, and if coach is ok with me taking an official visit to place where I have friends at, then I might do that, but if not then it’s not a big deal to me. I’m going to Michigan. I don’t care about any other school.”

Wolverine Wednesday: The Evil Buckeye Empire is Crumbling

(sorry about yesterday's post, that real life stuff gets in the way sometimes)

When Michigan was going through its stretching and non-coaches coaching issues, I made a statement that if the media and NCAA come snooping around your campus they are going to find something wrong in your program.  A real life example is when your about to sell your home, the prospective buyer hires a Home Inspector for $400 to find things wrong with your house.  For $400 he will find something wrong with your home, no matter how big or small.

OSU now has every major media outlet in their backyard along with the NCAA and their foundation has cracked and water in the basement is starting to get pretty deep. 

The "shell game" that was Tressel reputation continues to unravel.  The Columbus Dispatch reported yesterday that The Vest communicated often with Pryors non-family members:  After Tressel received an April 2, 2010, email from a former player warning him of potential NCAA violations, the coach exchanged 77 calls and text messages with and spent a total of 4 1/2 hours talking on the phone with Ted Sarniak, the hometown mentor of quarterback Terrelle Pryor in Jeannette, Pa.



Their longest phone conversation - 18 minutes - happened on Dec. 21, two days before OSU announced Pryor and five others would be suspended for part of the 2011 season for violations.


The two also spoke for three minutes immediately after the Dec. 23 news conference benching Pryor, Daniel Herron, DeVier Posey, Solomon Thomas and Mike Adams for five games and Jordan Whiting for one game.


Tressel and Sarniak exchanged text messages on March 8, the day OSU announced that Tressel had known about the violations for months.

Tressel also sent 91 text messages to Roy Hall, the current Jeannette football coach and another of Pryor's mentors. Hall previously told The Dispatch that he was not aware of the investigation and had not talked with Tressel about it.
 
Again the man with the clean reputation was anything but.  His cover up for Tattoo-gate went far and wide, which leads me to wonder how many other times did he have similar type of events and covered those up  (successfully) as well.
 
Pryor 
 
Raise your hand if you first thought was "Doom" when Pryor went to Ohio State?  That decision alone basically cost Michigan fans one season with combo QB play of Nick Sheridan and Steven Threet.  
 
Now 3 years later, Michigan has Denard Robinson one of the best kids in College Football and Terrelle Pryor is considering the CFL.   Wow, things sure have changed in 3 short years.  
 
Funny as it may seem Pryor not picking Michigan might have been the turning point for Michigan to retain it's roots and get back to playing Michigan Football.   I will admit, I was not a big fan of the way the Michigan Program was heading in Carr's last year.  He had a talented football team that came out of the tunnel on opening day not ready to play and got beat by App. State.   Lloyd had stayed too long and his program showed it.  
 
RR came in as the new hot shot coach ready to change the world.  His teams didn't play any defense and finally the Michigan faithful had enough.  If Pryor was here would he had got into the same type of trouble?
Who knows and who cares?  We might of had a few more wins and RR still might have a job.  But sitting here on 6/8 I am pretty happy with the direction of the program lead by Coach Hoke, Coach Mattison and on the field by Mr. Robinson.    Thank you Mr. Pryor!
 
The news of Pryor leaving was not really news, the Buckeye Blogs had it a couple of weeks ago.  He just made it official yesterday.   The news from ESPN that he made $20K to $40K in autographs is a new one.
 
So while USC loses it's National Championship and Tennessee's AD quits you start to wonder about Ohio State's NC and Auburn's as well.   Not a great time for College Football as a whole, let's hope Michigan is on steady ground and ready to move in the right direction.

Wolverine Wednesday: Kids Don't Go to Ohio State to Study Public Relations

They clearly don't understand PR in Columbus.  They have made one mistake after another trying to manage tattoo-gate. 

Let's take a look at how poorly OSU has handled their Public Relations in this matter:

12/23/2010: AD Gene Smith:  “There are no other NCAA violations around this case,” Smith declared. “We’re very fortunate we do not have a systemic problem in our program. This is isolated to these young men, isolated to this particular incident. There are no other violations that exist.”

Really?  Why would you say "we do not have a systemic problem in our program" if you don't?  He knew they had one. 

3/8/2011: Tressel Press Conference after Yahoo report that he knew the players sold their gear.

• Jim never apologizes and just says he made a minor mistake not letting OSU know about the email.
• The school suspends Tressel two games against two weak MAC teams
• President Gordon Gee drops this line (regarding JT's job status) “No, are you kidding me? I’m just hopeful that the coach doesn’t dismiss me”

3/18/2011: Tressel extends his suspension from 2 games to 5 games under media pressure on 2 games being a joke

4/20/2011: AD Gene Smith calls the Tressel situation a nightmare in a interview


5/18/2011: During the Big Ten Spring Meetings:  AD Gene Smith gives his support to his head coach Jim Tressel

5/30/2011: OSU decided to fire ask Tressel to resign.  On Memorial Day when there was little to no sports activity.  No NBA finals or even the Indy 500.  A day with only a few baseball games.  

The reason for the timing was not for the respect for the Military or anything else you have read or heard.  It was because the SI article was due out the next day and OSU wanted to get in front of the article.  OSU was alerted about the article and potential violations on Friday.  Jim was on vacation and returned on Saturday.  Sunday they discussed the situation and Monday they made it public. 

5/31/2001: NCAA and OSU are investigating Pryor and his 8 cars in 3 years. 

Stay tuned I'm sure it will get worse.

Michigan Monday: Tressel is Done

Like I suggested months ago, Jim Tressel has decided to resign from Ohio State.   Many of you know the story and the crime, but do you?

Pultizer Prize winning SI writer George Dohrmann is about to release a story that is supposed to bring new allegations to light on the OSU program.   The story is expected to be released today/tonight.  The story was originally going to be released on Tuesday at 12:00.

So this firing/resignation was a clear attempt to get in front of that story. It seemed OSU was pretty intent on riding forward on the Tattoo-gate allegations with Tressel.

Is this a good day for Michigan?  I don't know.  It's clear our biggest rival hasn't been playing by the same rules.

Is Tressel's era at OSU a total fraud?  I think there can be a clear case for that.  His YSU allegations were known when OSU hired him.  OSU knew what they were getting when they hired him.  They danced with the devil and now they are in hell.

OSU has been owning the Wolverines for years and most years had the better team.  Now there will be an asterisk on all those games.  OSU and Tressel cheated and has been cheating for many years.  This isn't an isolated incident this has been going on for a number of years.

What is next for Tressel?  He is done in college football for a number of years.  He will get a "show" penalty from the NCAA and won't be able to coach in college until his NCAA suspension (TBD) is up.

Who is the next coach?  Luke Fickell will coach next year and then anything can happen after that.  A number of people are predicting Urban Meyer.   If I'm Urban why would I want to leave Florida for a school that is under a huge NCAA cloud?  I wouldn't count him out but I would be surprised if he took that job.   He has a new job at ESPN and will only work a couple of days a week.  He can work on his health and spend more time with his family with his current gig.  He turned down ND for Florida, I expect him to stay at ESPN for at least a couple of years.

I'm willing to bet Les Miles is trying to figure out at way to turn this situation into a raise or contract extension.  :)

How will this effect recruiting for the Wolverines in Ohio?  It won't hurt!  Expect the Wolverines to continue to do well in Ohio this year. 

Did he get fired or resign? Did Gary Moeller resign?  Clearly both were fired.  If Tressel was paid a "package" he was fired.  If OSU doesn't own him a dime he resigned.  OSU clearly wouldn't have to pay a severance package since Jim lied to the NCAA.

What makes me the most sick is Tressel came off as this high integrity, clean cut coach, who always did the right thing and clearly that was as far from the truth as possible.   

I will repeat my earlier statement:  OSU danced with the devil to beat Michigan and now they find themselves in HELL.

Last point to ponder:  Did Terrelle Pryor get two coaches fired?  Thank you for picking OSU TP, Thank you!

Is Jim Tressel Dirty?

(I know every Michigan blog in the world is on this topic today, so I thought I would chime in as well)

Does the Vest need a good dry cleaning? 

Believe me, I get it. Yes, this is a Michigan blog and yes, I don’t wear Buckeye Red colored glasses but there is a lot of evidence that Jimmy has been dancing around this issues for a number of years. (I also know Michigan is under probation for a stretching violation and having non-coaches coach, we are doing our time and that head coach is on a fishing boat somewhere in Florida)


It even goes back to his time at YSU. Jim Tressel while coaching at Youngstown State was close to a booster named Michael "Mickey" Monus who at the time was the CEO of Phar-Mor, Inc. and the head of the board of trustees. Jim had a star QB at YSU named Ray Isaac who was a local kid that decided to stay home and play at YSU. Jim introduced Mickey to Ray and you pretty much can guess the rest of the story, can’t you? Mickey gave Ray thousands of dollars and used cars provided by Monus.

A few years later, Mickey gets brought up on Federal Fraud charges for embezzling $10M from Phar-Mor and the entire relationship between Mickey and Ray comes to light. Of course, Jim denies ever knowing anything about it. Mickey went to the “other Big House” and the NCAA took away a few scholarships and sited YSU with a “lack of institutional control” and Jim skated to Columbus as he just landed the Ohio State job.

Since that time there have been consistent similar events happening within Jim’s program. Brian at Mgoblog lists them here:

2003:

• Clarett’s expensive “dealership” car was robbed of over $10K of stuff.

• Clarett also claims his grades were fake, got free rent, and people would hand him money all the time.

2004:

• OSU Booster gives Troy Smith $500 for a fake job, Chris Gamble also was employed by the same booster.

2005:

• Nick Mangold and AJ Hawk have their apartment robbed of $3000 in cash, 2 Xbox’s, Play Station, $500 Watch, and a bunch of movies.

• Former Agent Josh Luchs said he paid Santonio Holmes during this period.

2010:

• Pryor is pulled over 3 times in cars registered to Auto Direct a local dealership.

• Pryor and others are suspended 5 games for selling their Ohio State gear for free “Ink”.

2011:

• Oops!  Was this was important? I just thought it was an Easter message.



Another fact that OSU fans will consider “more icing then cake” is the 375 secondary NCAA violations between January 2000 and May 2009. This happens to be more secondary violations than any other division 1 school.

So I will go back to my original question: Is Tressel dirty? I will even add one more question; OSU had to of known of the YSU investigation when they hired Jim. Did they know about it and overlook it or did OSU hire a guy they knew could bend the rules to get an advantage and were OK with it?

I can tell you that there really aren’t too many secrets in college football. Everybody and their brother knew about USC and the Reggie Bush stuff is probably just a little bit of what went on there. If there was a situation at YSU, I guarantee Ohio State knew the details and whether Jim was involved or not.

So what do you think? I think there is enough here for a full NCAA black coat investigation in to the Ohio State Football Program that spends more on football than any other school in the country at a tune of $31.7 Million last year.

There is too much smoke here not to be some fire.

Wolverine Wednesday: Zettel's Decision leaves The Michigan Nation Unsettled

By now you know instate OL/DE 4 star prospect Anthony Zettel picked Penn State last night over long time favorite Michigan.   Michigan had been Anthony's leader since his recruiting process started and AZ had been to just about every Michigan home game this year and a number of other events like the Big Chill and Barbecue at the Big House.

So what happened?  How did he pick Penn State over Michigan during the quiet period when he had publicly stated his announcement was coming in January just days ago?

This is what AZ had to say about Michigan after his last visit earlier this month:  "I felt really good with the players and really enjoyed all the people," Zettel said. "They gave me insight on all of it and I asked every question I could about the school, whether it was a good fit for them, what they like about the school and what they don't like."

As you know, I like to do a Tale of the Tape when it comes to previewing a Michigan opponent.  Let's use that same format to weigh some the "recruiting factors" into Anthony decision between the 2 schools. 

Zettel's Tale of the Tape:  Michigan vs Penn State:

Head Coaching Stability:  Push.  One program is run by an 84 year old figure head that was rumored to be in the hospital all week.  The other program has a coach the needs AD David Brandon to "Lift him up or out" after the Gator Bowl.

State of the Program:  Push.  Yes, Penn State handled Michigan in Happy Valley this year but both finished 7-5.  Depending on what happens with the Bowl Games, I expect them both to be improved next year.

Location:  Advantage Michigan.  U of M is hours from home and of course in Ann Arbor, ranked one of the best places to live in the US routinely.  Penn State is in a Valley of happiness that got nearly 2 feet of snow this week or to quote the widely known wordsmith Terrelle Pryor, "The middle of nowhere".

Academics: Both are good schools but the advantage has to go to Michigan if that was an important factor to Anthony.  Some recruits talk about academics being a key factor but truly it isn't that important.

Playing Time:  Advantage Michigan:  Michigan is losing seniors on the defensive line (rumored to be where he wants to play) and would probably looking at a redshirt if he picked the offensive line.  I'm not familiar with PSU's depth chart but from a quick count of their roster they have 14 DE's or DT's that are currently Juniors or below.  There are also 2 other DE's in the 2011 class.

2011 Recruiting:  Advantage Michigan.  Penn State got off to a very slow start but has benefited from a coaching change at Pitt.  It should be a close race to signing day.   Tim at Mgoblog ranks the Big Ten recruiting classes and currently has Michigan at #4 and Penn State at #12 (he includes ND in the rankings due to ND fishing for the same pond as many Big Ten schools).

So to net it out, Anthony picked Penn State over a place that is closer to home so his family could attend every home game, has a quicker path to playing time, been a lifelong fan of, and currently has a better 2011 recruiting class.  Makes sense to me, does it to you? 

I'm guessing the status of Rich Rod and staff played a big role in his decision, that couldn't have waited 7 more days.   Which is too bad.  Maybe after the coaching situation clears up the Wolverines can take another run at the young man.  Penn State we are now even for Michael Shaw. 

Another alarming trend is that 4 top instate prospects (Thomas, Arnett, Zettel, and Showers) all have either gone out of state or Thomas to the Spartans.  Michigan has 5 instate kids in it's 2011 recruiting class including Rivals #84 player in Justice Hayes and 4 star prospect Brennen Beyer.

Michigan Friday: More Hardware for Denard

Last year, Brandon Graham won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football Award which is basically known as the Big Ten's MVP award.  This year Denard Robinson has won the award barley edging out Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor.  Congratulations Denard!

Speaking of Pryor and if you watched the College Football Awards show last night, Cam Newton might be on your mind as well.  Aren't you glad Denard is at Michigan?  I'm sure am.  We all know about Cam and his potential problems but Pryor seems to seriously need a PR class or 2.  There was his comments a couple years ago about Mike Vick, his recent attack on former Buckeye QB Kirk Herbstreit, and now this:

"I'll put it like this: You put me in any of their offenses — any of them — and I'd dominate," Pryor said, when asked about the attention afforded the likes of Newton, Robinson and Persa. "I'd dominate the nation. What those guys do, that's what they're supposed to do in their offense."

Really?  I guess he forgot that he had an opportunity to be in any of those offenses and decided that "the Vest" gave him the best chance to be an NFL QB.  TP has been successful at Ohio State and has lost 4 games in 3 years.   So you have been successful but if your passing doesn't approve next year, you might be a WR/TE at the next level.

I know that TP picking OSU might have put Michigan's program back at least a year, but I would rather have Denard right now.

--Should the Gator Bowl be re-named the "Lame Duck" Coaches Bowl:  Both Rich Rodriguez and Dan Mullen were in Jacksonville yesterday to do the Gator Bowl Press Conference.  All the media wanted to know was if Dan was going to Florida and if Rich was still going to be in Ann Arbor in January.   RR even used humor to lighten up the situation: 

Rodriguez laughed heartily when apparently asked about his interest in the Florida job.
"There may be some people who want me to be interested," Rodriguez said, laughing.

"I'd personally like to thank Dan, my good friend, for taking all the heat on speculation off of me, putting it squarely on his shoulders," Rodriguez said. "That's good."

Rodriguez also joked when asked about Mullen moving on to another job.


"How dare you put me on that spot," Rodriguez said. "I think Dan ought to leave tomorrow. Somewhere.

• Former Michigan kicker Brandon Kornblue who now trains high school kickers is having his annual kicking competition on 12/18 in Florida.  Last year, more than 30 kickers and punters went on to sign with NCAA Divison I schools after attending a Kornblue event. More than 50 of the country’s top-rated kickers fro Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia and Florida are scheduled to attend.  Any chance a Michigan coach or two might be on hand for this event?  They better be. 

• One visitor I missed for this weekend is SMU commit and CB James Richardson. 

Michigan - Ohio State Preview

Time: 12:00 EST
Location: The Shoe
TV: ABC
Line: -16.5 OSU
Weather:  Partly Cloudy 40/25

Today is Black Friday and tomorrow Michigan and Ohio State renew their yearly rivalry, which for the last 6 years has been one sided in favor of the Buckeyes.    These long win streaks for each side are not good for the rivalry in my opinion, I much prefer when both teams are evenly matched.   This match up used to be called: "The Game", which it really hasn't been since 2006.

This year Ohio State is ranked #8 in the country and over a 2 touchdown favorite over the 4 loss Wolverines.  So the big question is; does Michigan have a chance to win in this mis-match on paper?

Let's take a look at what Michigan will have to do if they want to stay in this game:

• Cam Gordon will have "spy" Pryor and play the game of his life.   After watching Wisconsin run all over the Wolverines last week.  Tressel will run, run, run, and then throw the deep ball.   Cam needs to be able to stop OSU's running backs and when Pryor keeps the ball on scrambles or designed runs.
• Michigan can't turn the ball over at all.  
• Michigan can't come out Flat again.   This has been a troubling trend in games against; MSU, Penn State, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
• The game needs to be a "shoot out".  OSU will score and score often on Michigan's defense and Michigan will need to match them on offense.  
• A "few" breaks for the Maize and Blue.  A blocked kick, a pick 6, or a key fumble recovery.  Michigan has to have a big break to be in this game late while they try to pull the upset. 
• Play 60 minutes.  Penn State came in to the Shoe and was winning at half time to only get blown out in the second half.   
• Denard needs to be great and healthy for the entire game.

So there you have it.  Those are my "keys" to a Wolverine upset.   I expect the "The Vest" to play this one close to the Vest and run the ball as much as he can.  Ohio State will try to power the young Wolverines off the ball and don't want to risk throwing the ball even against the Michigan freshman defensive backfield.

Tressel will take his shots deep and try to get a lead early, so he can run out the clock in the cold weather in Columbus.  Michigan on the other had will try to do anything they can to keep Ohio State out of the end zone on defense and will try to score quickly on offense with lots of Denard.

Sing Hail to the Victors if................... 

• If Denard goes for 300 in the air and 200 on the ground
• No turnovers
• Michigan can hold OSU to field goals instead of touchdowns
• Ohio State has "overlooked' the Wolverines on their way to a BCS game
• This game is still in doubt in the 4th quarter

Is it really 7 in a row if.....................

• Pryor is mistake free
• OSU finds big holes in the Michigan D in the running game
• As soon as Michigan sits on the run, OSU goes deep
• OSU gets up 2+ scores on Michigan in the first half

This game worries me that it could be ugly early.   Michigan needs to play a flawless game on offense to stay close and even that might not be enough.   Michigan hasn't really played on complete game on both sides of the ball since UConn whose skill set is probably equal to OSU's second or third team.   I believe Greg Robinson is coaching for his job and even though some have reported Rich might be as well, I don't believe he will be fired even if Michigan goes down by 40.  My hope is Michigan does not come out flat and plays hard for 60 minutes and has a chance to win in the 4th.  My heart doesn't match my head.  Michigan 14 OSU 42

Go Blue!

Big Ten Week 6 Pick and Previews

There is clearly one big time game this weekend in the Big Ten.  That game will get reviewed by me tomorrow in my regular Michigan game preview. 

Here are the rest of the games:

Indiana at Ohio State:  Indiana's offense looked un-stoppable at times against Michigan's defense last week.  Terrelle Pryor banged up his leg in an un-inspiring win over Ron Zook at Illinois last Saturday.  At first glance, I think IU's Pistol offense could give the Buckeyes some trouble but then I think about the 2009 season when IU and Michigan played a similar game and then IU won only one Big Ten game the rest of the year.  If IU doesn't turn the ball over, I think this becomes another shoot out but I honestly think Ohio State's defense will slow or stop IU's attack a number of times.  Which is all they need since, IU's defense is pretty poor.  Ohio State is favored by 3 touchdowns or -21.5.    OSU 42 IU 24

Minnesota at Wisconsin:  Both teams are coming off big losses.  The Golden Gophers had a chance  to turn around their season with a home win against NW last week and lost by 1 point.  If this trend keeps up I don't think Tim Brewester is going to make it to Halloween and most definitely not past Thanksgiving.  Wisconsin on the other hand went from Big Ten Champ contender to after thought after their loss at East Lansing.  I think Wisky will start slow in this one, thinking about Sparty but will pick it up in the second half.  We have another big line with Wisconsin favored by 22.5 points.    Wisconsin 28 Minnesota 14

Illinois at Penn State:  Another game with both parties coming off losses.  Penn State lost at a good Iowa team and Illinois lost to a good Ohio State game.  Both of these teams are struggling and Penn State is just a better team on defense.   This will be a game that only PSU fans will like. JoPa is favored by 7.5 points.   Penn State 20 Illinois 10 

Purdue at Northwestern:  I'm not sure Purdue has enough healthy players to fill out the travel team.   Northwestern on the other hand is quietly un-defeated with wins over teams like Rice, Minnesota, Vandy, and Central Michigan.  Danny Hope's mustache gives his team a slight edge but that can't beat a balanced Northwestern team by itself.   NW is rated #23 in passing yards nationally and #29 in the nation in points against at only 18 points a game.   The line has NW - 9.5.  Northwestern 28 Purdue 7


Iowa is off.


A thought for the day:  After last weeks game, many Big Ten fans are feeling that Indiana might be a decent team this year (at least on the offense side of the ball).   Bowl bound right?  Well, after this weeks game in Columbus they host Arkansas State at home.  Then they only have 2 more home games in the Big Ten.  How does that happen you ask?  IU sold one of their home games to FedEX Field against Penn State.  Which might have back fired.  PSU is not as good as they have been the past couple of years (which means PSU fans might not pay top dollar to watch them play Indiana) and IU would have a great chance to beat them if they left the home game alone.  Oops.


Like mentioned above:  I will preview the Michigan - Michigan State game on Friday.

Big Ten Preview Week #5: Big Ten Play Begins

In golf, they call the pre-season the "silly season" because the guys really don't practice they just go to a couple of tournaments play ok and cash a few checks.   For some college football teams, they just finished the silly season.  For others, Big Ten play is their only hope of having a successful year.   This week starts the second or real season for Big Ten schools.  I also like it because I don't have to preview 11 different games.  So it works out for all of us!

Big Ten Game of the Week:

Wisconsin at Michigan State:  When the season began, I would have bet a $1 that the Penn State at Iowa game would be this week's BTGOTW (big ten game of the week) but with Dantonio's mild heart attack (is any heart attack mild?) but returning to coaching in the press box and both teams undefeated, this is clearly the better game.  Both are power teams that like to run the ball.   Both have good running backs and good non-conference wins (ND and ASU).    I think this will be a very close game and believe it or not MSU is a home dog getting 2 points. I usually side with a home team is a close game, but I have a strange feeling that Wisconsin is the better team.  Wisconsin 24 MSU 21


More Big Ten Play:

Northwestern at Minnesota:  The Golden Gophers really need a win and Northwestern is quietly un-defeated this year.   Could Tim Brewster be gone before the end of October?  He could, if the Golden Gophers don't start playing better football.   This is another home dog scenario where Northwestern is giving 5.5 points.   It won't be that close.   Northwestern  28  Minn 14

Ohio State at Illinois:  Illinois has given Ohio State fits in the past but this team lead by Ron Zook doesn't really have much to offer to stop Mr. Pryor and company.   Ohio State always has a Big Ten sleeper game on the road (last year it was Purdue) but not in this game.  Guess what another home dog game:  OSU is favored by 17 points.   Seems about right.  OSU 31 Illinois 10

Penn State at Iowa:  Both team has high hopes for a Big Ten Championship.   Iowa's schedule set up nicely for them being able to host PSU, MSU, and OSU during Big Ten play.  Both teams have already lost a game on the road in 2010.  Penn State got man handled by #1 Alabama and Iowa got down quickly to Arizona and wasn't able to recover.   Penn State's offense will struggle against Iowa's defense.  I see this game as a defensive battle with not a lot of points scored.  Iowa is favored by 7 points.   Iowa 17 Penn State 7

Purdue has a bye.

I will preview the Michigan - IU game on Friday.

A thought to ponder on a Thursday afternoon:  How big would next weeks Michigan - MSU game be if both teams were undefeated?  Story lines:  Dantonio's heart condition, RR trying to beat his instate rival for the first time, two really good running teams,  MSU's first time in the new Big House, and I'm sure there will be a little brother reference or two.  (note: MSU does not play OSU this year)