Big Ten - Week 2 Preview

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

USC @ Ohio St. -
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Notre Dame @ Michigan - Click to Read Preview

Central Michigan at Michigan State: Quarterback Dan LeFevour (18-for-31, 108 yards, one interception) was abysmal as the Chippewas lost to Arizona, 19-6. Watch him try to get back to potential while he squares off against the Spartans’ quarterbacking duo, Keith Nichol and Kirk Cousins. This will be a better barometer of the Spartans’ defense as well.
MSU 31, CMU 9

Syracuse at Penn State: Constant disrupter defensive tackle Jared Odrick was certainly the standout last week for Penn State, with the silver going to Daryll Clark (29-for-40, 355 yards, three touchdowns, one interception) and the bronze to Derick Moye, who stepped up big in the receiving corps (6 catches, 138 yards, touchdown). Look for much-improved run blocking this week (they better!) and the front seven forcing Syracuse’s Greg Paulus to make bounce passes through his earhole.
Penn State 37, Syracuse 9

Iowa at Iowa State: Which is worse: last week against FCS Northern Iowa, the Hawkeyes 1) were outgained 354 to 329 in total yards, 2) gave up 270 yards passing, 3) managed only 87 yards rushing, or 4) needed two blocked field goals to steal the win at home? That defense better more inspired, and the Hawkeyes must find a patchwork solution to their vacant rushing attack.
(Only because Iowa can’t start with an almost loss and then a loss)
Iowa 20, Iowa State 17

Purdue at Oregon: Do I dare set-up for the upset of the week? Disarray in Eugene, the loss of their starting running back for the season, and Purdue looking very strong out of the gate (52-31 over Toledo)? No. Purdue will not have an answer for quarterback Jeremiah Masoli in front of the Duck faithful.
Oregon 27, Purdue 14

Fresno State at Wisconsin: The home-and-home series returns to Camp Randall, where Northern Illinois almost stole one late from the Badgers. Call this one the Battle of the Bulge as Fresno State pounded the ball for 310 yards rushing and a 7.9 average versus the Zach Brown/John Clay tank brigade. If Clay healed this week, the Badgers will out-bruise in a close one.
Wisconsin 21, Fresno State 16

Air Force at Minnesota: The good–Adam Weber to Eric Decker looks like the passer-receiver combo of the conference. The bad–besides dedicating themselves to a physical rushing attack, the Gophers mustered only 112 yards rushing. The ugly–they almost lost to a team (Syracuse) with a point guard starting at quarterback and face an Air Force squad that put up 474 yards rushing last week. Home/Stadium-opening delight as Minnesota plays host outdoors to Air Force and squeaks by.
Minnesota 21, Air Force 20

Western Michigan at Indiana: Will the real Tim Hiller please stand up? Hopefully for the Hoosiers, he won’t do so this week. Will the real Ben Chappell please stand up? The Indiana quarterback threw for 326 yards on 27-for-36 passing and one touchdown. If that’s for real, then Indiana might be OK in the pistol.
Indiana 24, Western Michigan 21

Eastern Michigan at Northwestern: Coach Pat Fitzgerald has his team off to a good start as they easily handled Towson last week, 47-14. Eastern Michigan brings former Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English back to the conference. English’s debut wasn’t pretty, as his squad dropped a 27-14 decision to Army. Pssst–Coach Fitz…run-the-football. Central Michigan’s defense gave away real estate in fire-sale fashion, giving up 300 yards to the Black Knights.
Northwestern 33, Eastern Michigan 10

Illinois St at Illinois: As I picked Illinois as a potential contender for the Big Ten title (which of course is still in hand notwithstanding the drubbing handed out by Missouri last week in St. Louis), I now stand on shaky ground in understanding what to expect this week. It’s against Illinois State, who gave up almost 400 yards to Eastern Illinois last week and managed 20 yards rushing? Oh…
Illinois 56, Illinois State 3

Photos Courtesy of Robert Barclay/Central Michigan, University of Minnesota Athletic Communications

Big Ten: “Mark” My Words

By JOHN SEARS

Here is a team-by-team list of statistics that will indicate how well the conference performed by season’s end. Let’s re-visit these after November 21st to see how wrong I was.

Key Statistical Markers of Successful Season

Penn State: Pass defense must average less than 200 yards/game: This is obviously a nod to the depleted secondary, which must re-tool all four positions. The front seven will be solid against the run. Losing edge rushers will compromise the pass defense further. Since 2005, Penn State’s return to the top of the conference, they have given up an average of 203 yards/game through the air, including the 2006 season where they reloaded all four secondary positions. The pass defense can help solidify this team’s identity as a stifling, smash-mouth rush defense.

Iowa: Must finish in top four (Big Ten) in rush defense and at least top six in total offense: Nothing fancy here for the Hawkeyes, just good old Iowa City football–strong defense and solid offense. There’s no need to excel per se on either side of the ball for Iowa to win the prize, but there is a desperate need to reload the defensive interior. The pass defense will be there this year and, just like Penn State, if they can shore up the potential weakness (against the run) in their defense, Iowa will have a shot every week this season. Top half in total offense will indicate that the running game was established, despite the absence of the injured Jewel Hampton. If so, quarterback Ricky Stanzi’s job gets much easier, and the offense will click enough to put up solid, not sexy, offensive numbers.

Illinois: Must finish at least even in turnover margin and +10 in sacks: This will indicate to that the offense took care of the ball and more importantly, that Juice Williams continued to improve upon his touchdown to interception ratio. The +10 in sacks will show that 1) Williams’ blind side is protected well by Corey Lewis, a sophomore who emerged last year after dropping his red-shirt status and 2) that the Illini defense plays opportunistic enough to make plays. Altogether, this gives more opportunities for Illinois’ offense to be in better field position and eventually put up more points.

Ohio State: Rush defense must average less than 125 yards/game: We all realize that Terrelle Pryor is a tremendously gifted athlete, but it sure would help if the defense steps up and relieves some pressure from the offense. We’ve seen this as a classic recipe for the Buckeyes’ success in the past; it’s no surprise that Ohio State has held opponents under 100 yards/game five of the last seven years and coincidently has been in conference title contention (or champions). If the Buckeyes put up this kind of rush defense, they will have a much better shot at making another title run.

Northwestern: Must finish in top five in passing offense: Northwestern insists they plan on passing the ball this season, despite the fact that starting quarterback Mike Kafka’s strongest showing last year was as a running quarterback and the team lost 80 percent of its receiving offense from last year. Northwestern’s defense is already slated to be very strong, so the offense needs to step it up. If Kafka leads Northwestern to a top-five passing offense, it will convince me that the Wildcats will be complete on both sides of the ball.

Minnesota: Total offense must be split close to even: 55 percent pass, 45 percent rush yardage: Simple statistic, nuanced reasoning. As Minnesota shifts away from the spread and into a physical rushing attack, the rushing yards MUST be there. If so, this statistic will indicate that the newly installed offensive game plan was well adopted and that the defense held up its end of the bargain (there potentially wouldn’t be a need to pass, pass, pass if they fell behind).

Michigan State: The Spartans running backs must average over four yards a carry: Michigan State’s strength certainly lies on the defensive side of the ball. Led by Javon Ringer last year, the Spartans averaged only 3.3 yards/carry. A significantly higher rushing average will indicate that enough pressure was taken off the inexperienced quarterbacks, giving them more time to develop and then excel. This will also indicate more balance strategically, as the Spartans will be returning much experience at the receiver position, led by junior Mark Dell. This will force the opposition to come up with better game plans to stop Michigan State’s offense.

Indiana: Must lead the conference in sacks and win time of possession battle: It’s tough to find ways to indicate a successful season when you’re positioned at the bottom of the conference. However, Indiana returns their top-three sack masters from last year (DEs Jammie Kilrew 10.5 and Greg Middleton 4.0, and LB Matt Mayberry 5.0). Kilrew and Middleton have combined for 35 sacks the last two seasons, and stand to be the two biggest playmakers for the Hoosiers this year. Without having standout talent on the offensive side of the ball and moving to the pistol offense and a downhill physical running style, the offense will slow to a more ball-control style–quite fitting for the qualities Ben Chappell possesses taking snaps. These statistics will indicate the playmakers made plays and that the offense was able to take control of the game.

Wisconsin: Must finish at least 5th in the conference in total defense: Wisconsin is very difficult to predict. Their offense carries so much firepower...but only if newly designated starting quarterback Scott Tolzien, gives them consistency. Running back John Clay is ready to have a monster year running, and Wisconsin returns tight end Garrett Graham, David Gilreath, and Nick Toon as their veteran receiving unit. The yards and points will be there, but can they stop anyone? Last year, their 26.5 points/game against were the worst the Badgers have put up in their last seven years. They return five starters on defense, but the front seven seems awfully inexperienced on paper. A top-five total defense indicates, well, that the defense gave the offense the chance to win games.

Michigan: Must finish season with a positive turnover ratio: The Wolverines’ -10 turnover ratio was the only ratio in the red the last seven years, and was a difference of -24 versus their best turnover margin season, which came in 2006. A positive turnover ratio will indicate tons: the quarterback play will be improved, special teams won’t fork over the ball on every other attempted return, and the defense will be flying around the ball. Quite simply, losing the turnover battle loses games to begin with, and Michigan gave themselves no chance last year with the number of giveaways they committed.

Purdue: Must finish mid-conference in passing offense and rushing defense: Purdue’s strength lies in their pass defense, which last year gave up a conference-leading 183 yards/game through the air. They look as strong or stronger in the defensive backfield this year. However, they were dead last against the rush, averaging 175 yards/game against. So it’s obvious where the improvement needs to be for them to have a successful overall defense. On offense, not much experience returns at quarterback with senior Joey Elliott. Furthermore, Purdue lost most of their receiving playmakers (Desmond Tardy, Greg Orton), so the stage is not set well for Purdue to make a splash passing the ball.

Photos Courtesy of Mike Dickbernd, IU Athletics & Iowa Sports Information

Q&A: Shonn Greene, RB, Iowa

Shonn Greene, former Iowa running back, was interviewed on The All Access Football Friday on April 10 2009 show by Daniel Mogollon, Ralph Mancini and Rodney Towe.

The Draft is now 15 days away. Have you done any private workouts and if so, for whom?

Greene: I was worked out by the Jets. I went out to San Diego and then to Arizona with the Cardinals, so I’ve been here and there.

We just had Ian Johnson on, talking about the Combine process and the whole drafting process. What is your take on this process?

Greene: I think it is huge for those NFL guys to determine how we perform under pressure in a situation where we are uncomfortable, not knowing the surroundings and things like that. I think it measures that and teams like to see how you’re going to perform under pressure.

How stressful is it...is it stressful?

Greene: It can be if you let it, but I think if you focus on doing what you need to do and just having fun with the guys you’re around it is mush easier on you as opposed to worrying about running fast and things like that. You want to be focused but then again, you want to be relaxed and be yourself.

If we went back a year ago from today and we were talking to you as you were in spring practice and we told you in a year you would be getting ready for the NFL Draft, would you be surprised, or did you think this was a possibility, this soon?

Greene: I would be surprised. I don’t doubt myself. I know what I am capable of and I know the things that I could do but the way (how fast) things have happened is surprising to me.

Before my buddy Ralph comes in with a question I wanted to mention that he’s a Penn State fan. Talk about that big win you guys had and how great it was to knock off that undefeated team in the Big Ten.

[Ralph] “Oh no, come on” (laughs all around)

Greene: Oh man, that was a great feeling right there. You couldn’t ask for anything better in football. You have a top-ranked team, I believe they were ranked third in the nation at that time. It was a home game, it was cold, it was flurrying, snowing, and it was just a great football atmosphere. Our fans were into it and it was a great game. Both teams competed very well, we got after each other and the outcome, fortunately, went in our favor, so it was a good experience.

What was the atmosphere like after that win? Was everybody in Ames (IA) crazy for the whole week?

Greene: It was crazy, man. After the win, the fans came onto the field and I was getting hit over the top of the head by so many different people. I couldn’t see where my teammates were. It was just crazy.

I heard that your kicker could probably run for mayor and win the election if he decided to.

Greene: He probably could. That was probably the play of the year as far as Iowa is concerned. Props out to him (the kicker), he did a helluva job with all that pressure on him and still making the kick.

[Ralph] “You had enough, Dan? Have you got it all out of your system?” (laughs)

Your former coach, Kirk Ferentz, indicated that your attitude and determination are two things that make you a special player. Can you elaborate on that? What type of attitude do you bring to the table?

Greene: I think just being dedicated and hard working, having goals and things in life you want to achieve and to do those things, you have to be dedicated to what you’re doing. You have to want to do what you need to do. You have to have the mindset of not letting anything bother you. You have push through everything that comes up and I think that’s what I put in, as far as my attitude. Whatever comes my way, I’m going to handle it and get to where I want to go.

You took a long, winding journey to where you are today. As a matter of fact, for the people who don’t know this, you were ruled academically ineligible to play back in 2007 and you weren’t allowed to play football, basically. That must have been tough on you. How did you fill that void during 2007, when you couldn’t go out and play?

Greene: That was a big moment in my life. Football is everything to me and when that was taken away from me, I went to community college to get my grades up. I worked at a furniture store to pay rent and then to pay for my classes. I just worked to get my grades up so I could get back to Iowa and get back on the team. I think that whole year was a big turnaround for me and it matured me much more as a man.

Whenever I’ve watched you play, the thing that I really admire about you is you have excellent vision on the field and that allows you to hit those cutback lanes that you’re very good at. Walk us through what you’re thinking and what you’re looking for when the quarterback hands you the football. Does everything sort of slow down for you or do you just act on instinct?

Greene: I think it’s a little of both. Being a running back, I think everyone acts on instinct. In the Iowa offense we run a lot of zone plays, so we are basically taking our zone reads and looking for the opening and we’re following our offensive line and we’re cutting off of them. Some linebackers tend to overrun the play and that’s where you get the cutbacks. Having vision is a key and I think that’s a great ability for me and separates me from a lot of backs this year.

When you first got to Iowa your former coach Kirk Ferentz said that you would be an awesome linebacker, but back then you also had guys like Chad Greenway and Jonathan Babineaux playing the position. Do you think you really could have been a linebacker or played another position on defense?

Greene: I think so, but I’m not going to put my all out into that because I think I was running back at heart. That being said, I was a football player too so I think just being able to compete and get on the field I was going to do whatever. I liked the contact. That’s what linebackers do. They hit people and there’s a lot of contact. I think I could have made the transition but fortunately I stuck at running back and it turned out beautifully.

We talked about that winding road and it began back in New Jersey, where we are, in the northeast. We’ve had several guys from Jersey on. The Garden State looks like it is going to be represented well in the upcoming Draft, particularly at the running back position. Some of the guys you will be competing against for draft positioning are Knowshon Moreno and Donald Brown. Do you know any of those guys or any other Jersey guys, like B.J. Raji, who are going to be high picks in this Draft?

Greene: I didn’t know any of them leading up to this point, but at the Combine I met a couple of those guys and talked to them. I know a couple of them. Me and Knowshon talked a lot because he was at the College Football Awards and I was there and then the Doak Walker (Award) thing, so I know him pretty well. I saw Donald on a visit and we talked a little bit. I didn’t know them beforehand.

So you guys kind of gravitated towards each other at these different events, coming from the same part of the country?

Greene: Yes, absolutely. I think those kind of events brought us together. At first I didn’t know Knowshon or Donald were from Jersey. When those events started coming around and you hear where they’re from, you’re like “Wow, we’re all from Jersey!”

I believe you are the only running back to run for at least 100 yards in all of his games. What happened this year? Was it just that you got an opportunity to play?

Greene: I think that is the main thing. I got an opportunity to play along with a great offensive line here at Iowa. Those guys busted their chops and blocked their behinds off for me and they did a good job the whole season. That’s why I was able to get 100 yards in every game along with getting the opportunity to show what I could do. This past year was the first year I got to show what I could do on a starting basis every game.

Time for three-and-out: First down: Your favorite basketball player of all time?

Greene: Kobe Bryant.

Second down: Your favorite baseball player? It is baseball season...

Greene: That’s a really tough one because I don’t watch baseball like that. I have to go with Mike Schmidt.

Whoa, Mike Schmidt, old school. Third down: If you were in “Dancing with the Stars” or “American Idol” which competition would you do better in?

Greene: Probably “Dancing with the Stars”.

You've got some moves? Donald Brown said the same thing. I guess you Jersey guys have some moves, huh?

Greene: Yeah, you know, I like to keep it "nice and smooth”. (laughs all around)

Photo Credit: College Press Box (Iowa)

Q&A: Mitch King, DT, Iowa

On location interview with Iowa product Mitch King in New York with Daniel Mogollon. Click to Listen.

So how’s it going? New York City, the Big Apple and my hometown. How do you like it so far?

King: It’s nice. A lot of tall buildings and a lot of drivers going crazy. I’m not used to it, but it’s nice.

Is this your first trip into the big city?

King: It is. I’ve never been to New York.

When did you get in and how long have you been here?

King: I’ve been here about 24 hours. A little over 24 hours and I leave tomorrow morning.

There’s not much you can see during that time. What have you had a chance to see so far?

King: We went the Brooklyn Bridge. Obviously the Statue of Liberty is out my window. I have a great view here. You know we've been going to different venues and doing photo shoots and things like that. So I’ve got to see the little knick knacks of New York and things like that. So it's pretty nice.

When you walk outside on the street, is it shocking at all? I remember last year I spoke with Jay Lehman, a former Illinois linebacker, and he said, “I’ve seen more fur coats and high heeled boots in the last hour than I’ve seen in my life”. What stands out to you?

King: Obviously the congestion of everything. You know, I’m from Iowa. It's not real urban...not so many tall buildings like we see out here. So that’s the biggest difference I see. I like this and it’s something that would fit my style, the big city kind of thing. So it’s not to shocking to me but the buildings and the congestion is the big difference.

Now if you make it back to the Big Apple, which I'm sure one day you will, what is something you would like to see?

King: Obviously, the Statue of Liberty. I’d like to go on top of that and see everything and I’ve heard big things about that. More knick knacks. I’m not that into sightseeing, but I love the things like we went to the River Café today and Franks Chop Shop today and saw little things like that. So it was nice just seeing things like that and seeing the regular people and not just the big showcase sightseeing things.

Actually, it’s funny because the typical New Yorker probably hasn’t been to the Statue of Liberty. I’ve only been there once myself. I do think it is something that people from out of town check out more. But it’s something to check and see once. It’s a cool experience. What’s the best thing you had to eat here?

King: Room service, actually.

(Laughs) Ah, no, don’t say that.

King: (Laughs) I’ve been under the weather so I haven’t ventured out and seen the culture of New York at night. So I’ve ordered room service a couple times. Salmon and things. Being under the weather has kind of hampered my experience.

Before you go, try to grab a piece of pizza or something. Something on the street, maybe like a hot dog on the street...but I would recommend the New York City pizza. I would give it a try before you leave.

King: Is that where it’s at, the vendors on the street?

They got the people on the street selling the hot dogs. They got hog dogs, pretzels. But you pretty much can’t go two or three blocks without there being a pizzeria somewhere in Manhattan. Try to grab a slice and check that out. I’m sure you will like it. I’ve spoke with Ian Johnson from Boise State and Jarrett Dillard, the Rice wide receiver. They are trying on all these different clothes. What are your plans for tomorrow?

King: I have an early flight and I’m going back to Iowa. Going to start training when I get back. Continuing my training obviously. Just being back in Iowa with family and friends and things like that. It’s probably going to be a low key month with a lot of training, getting into football shape instead of Combine and Pro Day shape.

I hear that. I was asking the guys how they compared the Combine to the days where you have to fly somewhere for a photo shoot and do that kind of stuff. What would you rather do—the Combine again, or this photo shoot?

King: Obviously, I would love to do the photo shoot thing any day over the Combine. That’s pretty nerve racking to go on top of everything that goes into the Combine. Your evaluation is tough and this is pretty low key and we just had fun. We joked around all day long and I had a good time with the guys that were here (Johnson, Dillard, Graham Harrell and Marcus Freeman) and just experienced New York. At the Combine, you're pretty much scheduled for things and don’t see a lot.

Now this is something that we the media debate all the time—what's the value of the Combine? How much stock do you put into these types of numbers? You mentioned you can’t wait to get back to "football training" as opposed to "Combine training", is that something you guys even wonder about? Like, “Hey, am I training for a Olympic event...I wonder what the scouts are getting out of this?” Thinking, “Haven’t these scouts seen me play the game?”

King: Yeah. I think they want you to see what kind of athlete you are, obviously. And in a pressure situation like that, they want to see your attributes. But they say they don’t put a lot of stock in it. But they do, and that’s what kind of sucks. For me, I consider myself a football player. I’ve started for four years and a lot of things can get overlooked when a guy jumps higher, benches more, or runs faster than you, but he might not be a football player.

I definitely agree with that. People downplay the Combine, but teams count on that. They count on those numbers, there’s no doubt about that. Let’s talk a little pop culture.

King: Alright.

When you're not playing football and not training for the Combine or flying to some city getting ready for some photo shoot, what do you like to do during your down time?

King: I’m a pretty low key guy. I know that’s not the answer you're looking for but I love just hanging out with my friends and family. We go to the casino, often we go out to eat and watch movies. During this time it’s pretty low key for me. I'm just trying to get in the best shape I can for the Draft and mini-camp and OTA’s, things like that. I don’t do too much strenuous activity or anything that could hurt me. But I’m about family and friends first and I spend the majority of my time with them.

I’m a family man myself. What kind of movies do you like to watch?

King: I’m more of a government agent, prison type movie guy.

Bourne Identity, stuff like that?

King: Not so much. More like Casino. I don’t know. I could throw out all these movies. You know I love watching movies and it’s all different genres. From chick flicks all the way to the hard core James Bond movies.

What’s your favorite chick flick?

King: PS, I Love You.

PS, I Love You? I don’t even know what that is. (Laughs) That went right over my head.

King: (Laughs) I got suckered into seeing that one, but it turned out to be pretty good.

Sometimes the ladies get it right.

King: Tell me about it.

Now you talked about going to the casino too. What's your game?

King: I play poker. I think that the odds are more in your favor. Obviously the casino doesn’t have any odds at poker because you're playing against another person. I feel like it’s more under my control rather than the casino’s humongous odds against you in the table games and roulette and playing craps and things like that. I’m low key and don’t spend much money at the casino. I just like having some fun with my friends and going down there and joking around.

You're definitely right. If you're playing against the casino, if you have a good chance at winning, they aren’t going to play that game. You know what I mean. But you're right. At poker, you're playing against other people and it’s like an American pastime. I think everybody likes to play a little poker now and then. How about sports? You a big sports fan?

King: Growing up I swam and played baseball and ran track. When I got to this level and the competition, I had to sacrifice. I kind of fell out of watching too many sports. I kind of got drained out of sports. It’s not that I don’t watch the Final Four and the Tournaments and the National Championship Game if I’m not in it. Things like that, I enjoy that stuff. I just wouldn’t sit down and do that once I get home from practice. I’m going to flip on the basketball game and watch it because I’m drained from the sports aspect.

I know that’s something people on the outside don’t realize. Once you get into it and even though you love it, it still becomes a little like a job, whether you’re a player or in the media. Sometimes it's like I’ve been doing sports all day and it’s all I do. How about growing up, who were some of your favorite athletes?

King: In football there was Dan Marino, Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor and I was obviously a huge Miami Dolphins fan. Still am. Just growing up and seeing those type of players. You know, Brett Favre, the icons of the game, the tough people. They say Dan Marino isn’t the best quarterback but he is, by the way. Ever.

You don’t by into the Super Bowl ring thing?

King: No.

Why not? Because this is something we talk about a lot. Even within our company we always have these debates and discussions that this guy is better, no that guy is better but he never won. Tell me from a football player's perspective, why not? Would that be too much emphasis on winning, even for a quarterback?

King: Okay, you look at your quarterback. He is supposed to lead and he can win games. Take Troy Aikman, for instance. How many offensive linemen are going to be in the Hall of Fame with those three Super Bowls? The running back, the wide receivers, and how many players on defense? Dan Marino had some players around him, some pretty good players, but he didn’t have those all stars that most of these guys did. You talk Patriots and Tom Brady. He didn’t have an all-star cast like that and he is a great quarterback and some people might say he’s the best ever with all those Super Bowl rings. But he had the best situation ever. He had everyone working for each other. In a lot of experiences you have a lot of individuals play for themselves and not the team. Tom Brady fell into a situation where everybody played collectively for each other. And that’s how I feel about it. I’m not taking anything away from any other quarterbacks or Tom Brady or anything like that because they are amazing football players and I’m a little bias. Dan Marino is the man.

I must say I’m a New York Jets fan so I don’t know how much love I have for Dan Marino over the years, throwing for 300 yards against my team. There's that fake spike game against Pete Carroll where we got embarrassed as Jet fans yet again...but hey, I've got to give the man his due. That man could throw the rock. I actually had one player tell me that Dan Marino was his favorite player because of Ace Ventura. (Laughs) Not even because of his playing days.

King: (Laughs) He made as much as he could out of the little that he had. You know he never really had a superstar running back his whole career. You look at the majority of great quarterbacks, they had a great running game. He didn’t have really an all star running back to help him.

And he had good receivers, but like you said, not Hall of Famers. Not like Jerry Rice, Randy Moss or Michael Irvin. He had nobody at that level. Fair enough. Sticking with this theme a little bit, I asked the other guys—if you had the first pick in this draft, who would you take? You’re a pass rushing guy, right?

King: Yep.

So would you take the quarterback or that left tackle to stop guys like you from getting to the quarterback?

King: You know I’m not the best guy to ask. I don’t know because I haven’t played against all those guys, or watched film. I’m just going off of guys like you hyping these guys up and seeing the highlights on SportsCenter. So I don’t know the down and gritty things about these players that would change or solidify my pick at that number one. So that’s a tough question but ah, I think you have to be a lineman or something like that in my opinion. I think drafting a quarterback or a wide receiver or DB, it's kind of risky. Because it could be make or break on a position like that, that’s just my opinion.

So you would go with a guy like Jake Long last year who you played against.

King: Yeah, or Joe Thomas.

Another guy you played against.

King: But you also had guys that haven’t had that great of success coming from the line. The guys that everyone thought were going to be solid players that turned out to be busts. You wonder how those little details slip through the cracks even though they are number one picks.

Alright Mitch, before we let you go we like to close things out with a segment we call three-and-out. I came into the room and Dancing With the Stars was on. Which show would you go further in, Dancing With the Stars or American Idol?

King: I don’t watch either. That’s strange it happened to be on. I would have to say American Idol because it’s more funny.

What’s something on your iPod that you might be embarrassed to admit you have on there?

King: Hmm. Maybe Fergie. Maybe a little bit of Fergie.

A little bit of Fergie. Fair enough. Who would you say is the toughest player you went up against in your college career?

King: You know, I started for four years so I played against Ohio State my freshman year and Nick Mangold. He’s okay. (Laughs) I’m kidding. But I was just a little kid back then. So he did a number on me. So I would have to say him.

Alright, Nick Mangold. I’m happy with that choice.

King: Yeah, he was tough and maybe I’m a little biased because I was younger and a little smaller. But it might be a different story today. I don’t know.

Photo Credit: Iowa Sports Information

Outback Bowl: Iowa vs. South Carolina

By J.J. PESAVENTO

JANUARY 1, 2009 * 11:00 A.M. * ESPN

Iowa and South Carolina took different paths to the Outback Bowl after missing the post-season a year ago. South Carolina was an impressive 7-3 before they dropped their final two games while Iowa was a mediocre 3-3 before winning five of their last six games.

When the Hawkeyes have the ball

Don't expect anything flashy from the Iowa offense, just a heavy dose of the running game. Running back Shonn Greene took home several honors, including the Doak Walker Award, after rushing for over 100 yards in all 12 games this season. Greene is a physical runner with deceptive speed and the Gamecocks will undoubtedly key on him by loading up in the box. However, they will be without leading tackler safety Emmanuel Cook, who has been declared academically ineligible for the game. That will put added pressure on spur-backer Darian Stewart, who will move into the strong safety position, as well as Dion LeCom, who will take over for Stewart at Spur. When Iowa does pass, Ricky Stanzi will target wide receivers Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Andy Brodell or tight end Brandon Myers. Iowa will roll Stanzi out a lot since he is more comfortable on the move. Considering South Carolina ranks third in the nation vs. the pass, that may be the best way to protect him from linebacker Eric Norwood, who tied for the SEC lead in sacks this season with nine.

When the Gamecocks have the Ball

The Gamecocks are the exact opposite of the Hawkeyes as their offense relies heavily on the passing attack. Stephen Garcia will get the start over Chris Smelley at quarterback. Garica has seen action in seven games, throwing for 753 yards with six touchdowns and five picks. He's also contributed on the ground with two rushing touchdowns. His primary targets will be Ken McKinley and Jared Cook. Cook is a tight end with wide receiver talent who will be a challenge for the Iowa defense in coverage. South Carolina will have to stop an Iowa defense led by All-American tackle Mitch King. Garcia will have to beware of linebacker Pat Angerer and defensive back Amari Spievey, both of whom were among the conference leaders in picks. When they do run, Mike Davis will get the call but he will be running up against a defense that ranks 10th in the nation against the run. Led by King, the front seven--including Matt Kroul, Adrian Clayborn and Angerer--are almost impossible to run on.

Analysis

Iowa lives and dies by the running game and with Emmanuel Cook out for the Gamecocks, the Hawkeyes may have even more success than originally expected. Look for them to pound the ball with Greene and be fairly conservative in the passing game. The games they lost during the regular season were due mainly to costly turnovers by Stanzi. South Carolina will have no success running the ball and they give up an alarming amount of sacks. They also had 33 giveaways in 2008, worst in the SEC. Against an aggressive Iowa front; they will have to find a way to protect Garcia and the ball if they plan on winning. Iowa has the edge on offense and the Gamecocks do not have the firepower to dent the Iowa defense. Iowa comes in the hotter team and gets the win.

Prediction: Iowa 27, South Carolina 17

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Iowa Hawkeyes
Pass--Ricky Stanzi (1,809 yards, 13 TDs)
Run--Shonn Greene (1,729 yards, 17 TDs)
Catch--Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (43-621 yards, 3 TDs)

South Carolina Gamecocks
Pass--Chris Smelley (1,743 yards, 13 TDs)
Run--Mike Davis (571 yards, 3 TDs)
Catch--Kenny McKinley (48-556 yards, 4 TDs)

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media, College Press Box (Iowa University)

Big Ten - Best Clutch Performance

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

1c. Penn State versus Ohio State: Penn State needed a win in Columbus to keep their undefeated season alive, but they hadn’t won there since a year after I was born (long enough). Daryll Clark suffered a second half concussion and was not allowed to return to the field. After a huge defensive stop, Pat Devlin took the offense down the field and put the Buckeyes away with a quarterback keeper for a touchdown.

1b. Iowa versus Penn State: Penn State’s only loss came at the hands of their nemesis – Iowa…with assists from Kinnick Stadium and Mother Nature. With winds whipping up to 30 mph, Penn State could have sealed the victory with a late fourth quarter touchdown, but an interception breathed life back into the Hawkeyes. Cool and collected (and wind-burned), they were able to march down the field and leave a chip shot for Daniel Murray to steal the night, 24-23.

1a. Ohio State versus Wisconsin: Freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor gained his first starting experience in the Big Ten at Camp Randall Stadium, an intimidating place to most. Late in the fourth quarter with a touchdown needed to win, Pryor led the troops down the field, converting two third downs and surviving two fumbles. On the last play of the drive, Pryor took an option keeper to the corner of the end zone, reducing the “Jump Around” faithful to a heaping slump of red silence. Unbelievable.

Bonus - Best Atmosphere:

3. Penn State at Ohio State: The Horseshoe battle for conference supremacy; a night game between storied programs and a rabid fan base which clung to hope right until Pryor’s last pass.

2. Illinois at Penn State: Happy Valley’s Big Ten opener was against Illinois. The Lions’ fans never fail to give us a show--the white out is one of the best sites in college football, and Penn St. one of the top home field advantages in the nation.

1. Ohio State at Wisconsin: Camp Randall fortifies for the Buckeye invasion, crescendos after P. J. Hill’s fourth quarter touchdown, and is finally silenced by Pryor winning score.

Photo Credit: College Press Box (Iowa)

Big Ten - Biggest Team Turnaround

4. Indiana: No doubt the 2007 campaign by the Hoosiers was in honor of their late coach Terry Hoeppner. They finished the season bowl eligible and took the Old Oaken Bucket with a last-second field goal victory against rival Purdue. They finished 7-6. This year the magic was gone and injuries took their toll on the team’s record as they finished a paltry 3-9

3. Michigan: By far and away the worst turnaround season on the losing front. Forget last year. This year Michigan lost to rivals Michigan State, Notre Dame and Ohio State, lost their consecutive bowl streak, failed to register back-to-back wins all season, and wound up with an obscene nine losses. It was a forgettable season to say the least.

1b. Minnesota: Last season they were 1-11. This season, they have notched at least seven wins, which is fantastic. A late season four-game losing streak tarnished their Disney movie season, but it was a formidable one nonetheless.

1a. Northwestern: 9-3 for 2008 in Pat Fitzgerald’s third season. He was 4-8 his first year, then 6-6, and now his Cats are eyeing the best season in Northwestern history – 10 wins, including the bowl game.

Bonus - Biggest Surprise:

5. Michigan State fell just short, losing to Penn State in their effort to gain a share of the Big Ten title.

4. Ohio State losing convincingly to USC 35-3

3. Michigan at 3-9 and losing to Toledo

2. Indiana topping Northwestern (the Wildcats’ only other losses were to Michigan State and Ohio State)

1. Wisconsin ranked as high as ninth then falling, falling, falling.

Tomorrow: Best Clutch Performance

Photo Credit: University of Minnesota Athletic Communications

Big Ten - Just For Kicks

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

Honorable Mention: Michigan vs. Utah (opening day) – It was indeed a woeful season for Michigan, but who would have known that 1) Utah would be BCS-bound and 2) the Wolverines’ season could have had a dramatically different outcome (OK, at least four wins) if Utah’s Louie Sakoda didn’t blast four field goals from 28, 43, 41 and 53 (the eventual game winner). As if that wasn’t enough, Sakoda moonlighted by placing punt after punt deep in Michigan territory averaging 40 yards a boot.

3. Illinois vs. Iowa: Iowa made the game interesting by clawing back with two touchdowns late in the fourth. Then Juice Williams led his offense down field, setting up a 46-yard game-winning field goal attempt for Matt Eller, which he nailed for the win.

2. Michigan State vs. Wisconsin: Michigan State’s Brett Swenson saved the day in a mid-season clash with the Badgers, hammering home a 44-yarder as time expired to finish the Spartans’ fourth-quarter comeback.

1. Iowa vs. Penn State: The shot heard ‘round the world, or more likely, mostly in Happy Valley and some BCS computer microprocessors. Freshman Daniel Murray took down the mighty Lions from 31 yards out in 31-mph winds -- Penn State’s only loss. Iowa, baby…Iowa.

Tomorrow: Best Turnarounds/Surprises

Photo Credit: College Press Box (Utah)

Big Ten - Best 1-2 Punch: Defense

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

5. Trey Simmons and Marcus Sherels (Minnesota): They combined as the top two defenders against the pass, tallying a conference-best 24 pass break-ups and 6 interceptions. And they’ll be back next year.

4. Pat Angerer and Amari Spievey (Iowa): Nine interceptions with one returned for a touchdown between the two. OK, not bad. But, they also combined for 166 tackles (101 from Angerer).
3. Aaron Maybin and Navarro Bowman (Penn State): The epitome of playmakers for the Penn State defense. Maybin took first place in sacks with 12, third in tackles-for-loss (19) and tied for third in the Big Ten with three forced fumbles. Navarro Bowman complemented him from the linebacker position by adding 98 tackles (seventh best in the Big Ten) with 11.5 of them tackles-for-loss.

2. James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman (Ohio State): True ball-hawks. The two linebackers quite simply terrorized defenses (OK, after the USC game), accumulating 7.5 sacks and 197 tackles.


1. Brit Miller and Martez Wilson (Illinois): Tackling machines Miller and Wilson seemed to allow the orange fan base to forget about 2007 graduate and star middle linebacker, J Leman. Miller took home top honors in tackles with 132, while sophomore WILL tacked on another 73—that’s a whopping 205 combined. Oh, and they also sacked the opposition nine times between the two.

Tomorrow: Best Kicks

Photo Credit: College Press Box (Penn St.)

Best Video Game Performance

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

Performances that can only be believed if they were played out on a controller with too many buttons:

5. Terrelle Pryor scrambling, against Northwestern: It’s interesting how comparisons between college football players and video games have hit the mainstream media (see Kirk Herbstreit on various occasions). But sometimes it’s fitting when superior athletes such as Terrelle Pryor make the improbable look routine just by hitting their mental circle button to spin out of a tackle, right joystick right juke, now back, R2 to sprint left, right joystick juke again, now connect on a touchdown strike -- 45-10 over 9-3 Northwestern.

4. Mike Kafka rushing, against Minnesota: Here’s another video game classic – you knock out the star starting quarterback (in this instance C.J. Bacher) and the back-up (Mike Kafka) comes in and starts moving the ball downfield like he’s Joe Montana in Super Bowl XXIII. In this instance, nobody but the Northwestern defensive practice squad saw Kafka’s Big Ten quarterback rushing record of 214 yards coming.

3. Juice Williams doing everything, against Michigan: How about when the computer walks into one of the stadiums you have built as one of the “toughest places to play” (Michigan Stadium) and the opposing quarterback simply breaks the stadium record for total yards? Williams cashed in with 431 (310 passing, 121 rushing) to be exact and ran up the score with two scores rushing and two passing. Not bad for a road game in a “tough place to play”.

2. Wisconsin rushing, against Indiana: Another video game classic – where you are expected to put up monstrous numbers, like 400 yards offense against the computer, and somehow it just doesn’t work out. But for the Badgers it did – Hill, Clay and Gilreath combine for 406 yards rushing and six touchdowns.

1. Iowa, against Penn State: The “There’s no way in hell you are beating the computer” game where everything goes wrong (I certainly acknowledge Bill Simmons for describing this circumstance in his past columns). Severe winds so your offense can’t move the ball in the air, the computer’s (Iowa’s) defense making all the right calls at the right times, making big play after big play, then taking away the ball late in the fourth quarter with an interception and capping it all off with a suddenly unstoppable offense that finds just enough room to get in field goal range and kick the winning field goal with almost no time left. Where’s the *bleeping* reset button?!

Tomorrow: Best One-Two Punches

Photo Credit: College Press Box (Iowa)

Big Ten - Best Single-Game Performances

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

6. Eric Decker (Minnesota) against Indiana: 13 receptions and 190 yards, both conference season highs. (For Michigan and Illinois: lucky we are excluding non-Big Ten opponents for best receiving performances).

5. K.C. Lopata (Michigan) against Minnesota: five field goals and two PATs gave the Michigan man 17 points single-handedly. Minnesota finished with one-third (6) of the total output by Lopata in a lopsided victory for Michigan (?!) for the Little Brown Jug. Did that really happen?

4. Juice Williams (Illinois) against Michigan: Williams single-handedly brought down the [Big] House with a stadium record of 431 total yards of total offense and four touchdowns, only to be out-done next week by…

3. Juice Williams (Illinois) against Minnesota: This time, Williams accounted for a whopping 503 yards of offense (conference high)--462 passing (also conference high) and 41 rushing. That’s 924 yards and six touchdowns in two weeks. Unfortunately, these great numbers came in a losing effort.

2. Shonn Greene (Iowa) against Wisconsin: 217 yards and four touchdowns in by far and away his best performance of an already celebrated, accomplished season. He accumulated at least 100 yards rushing in every game, and finished with a second-best 17 touchdowns.

1. Daryll Clark (Penn State) against Michigan State: When all the Big Ten marbles and a ticket to Pasadena were at stake, Clark achieved personal season bests for yards/attempt (13.1), rating (222.5), yards (341) and touchdowns (five).

Tomorrow: Best Video Game Performance (Performances that can only be believed if they were played out on a controller with too many buttons)

Photo Credit: Illinois Sports Information

Heisman Watch

The round robin between Graham Harrell, Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford is finally complete, but are we any closer to finding a winner, with closing time upon us? Like separating their respective teams, differentiating the three quarterbacks requires a yoda-esque wisdom. Bradford leads the Big 12 in touchdown passes with 42 and pass efficiency (193.8), Harrell leads in yards with 4,438, while McCoy is completing a record setting 77.2 percent of his passes.

Sam Bradford led the Sooners to a 65-21 thrashing of the Red Raiders, completing 14-of-19 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. It was the Oklahoma City native’s third straight game with at least four touchdowns and more than 300 yards, earning him Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. Bradford was brilliant, displaying his accuracy, soft touch, powerful arm and deep touch – making him the most complete passer in the nation. The only thing lacking in his resume is a “Heisman moment”.

AHEAD: at Oklahoma St. (Nov. 29). Bradford gets the national stage once again this week when the Sooners make the trip to Stillwater. Not only can he help vault Oklahoma into the Big 12 Championship game, the sophomore signal caller can take a step closer to adding a special piece of hardware to his mantel.

Colt McCoy, who has completed over 70 percent of his passes in nine of eleven games this season, was off last week. Harrell came back to him in the Heisman race, but Bradford may have passed the Texas quarterback in the eyes of many voters. Like the fate of his ‘Horns, McCoy is at the mercy of others…a potential Big 12 Championship game appearance could change all that.

AHEAD: vs. Texas A & M (Nov. 28). While you’re going for seconds (or thirds) on Thanksgiving night, McCoy will look to put his best foot forward against the ‘Horns’ in-state rival. Texas will do their best to put on a show, but how much will voters be impressed by an onslaught of the lowly Aggies?

Graham Harrell threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns in Norman, but most of the numbers were put up after the game was over. Harrell struggled when the game was on the line, the first time he was faced with consistent defensive pressure this season.

AHEAD: vs. Baylor (Nov. 29). There is not much Harrell can do this week to impress voters.

Michael Crabtree does not have a legitimate chance at the prize, but could very well be the best player in the country. His touchdown streak was halted in Norman, the first time the sophomore was kept out of the end zone all season.

AHEAD: vs. Baylor (Nov. 29). With 18 scores, Crabtree needs two more to reach the hallowed 20 touchdown mark.

Shonn Greene set the Iowa record for rushing yards in a season with his 144-yard performance, upping his season total to 1,729 yards. The powerful runner has run for over 100 yards in all 12 games this season and crossed the goal line 17 times.

AHEAD: Regular season complete.

Heisman Watch Prediction
1. Graham Harrell
2. Sam Bradford
3. Colt McCoy
4. Michael Crabtree
5. Shonn Greene
6. Tim Tebow

Photo Credit: OU Athletics Department

Big Ten Preview - Rivalry Week

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

And down the stretch they come! The chase for the Big Ten crown looks like a three horse race – Penn State (6-1), Michigan State (6-1, loss to Ohio State) and Ohio State (6-1, loss to Penn State) neck-and-neck…and-neck. Penn State’s road to the Rose Bowl is most straight-forward: win and they pack for Pasadena as they will have beaten the other two. Ohio State needs Michigan State to beat Penn State, but that’s not all. The Buckeyes then need to avoid slipping over distractions in Columbus to take care of business against the sickly Wolverines (Ohio State then owns the tie-breaker with their head-to-head win over the Spartans). Michigan State has the biggest battle on their hands: beat Penn State on the road after Michigan beats Ohio State after a reversal of the magnetic north and south poles. Where are we when Ohio State needs to root for a team from Michigan (the Spartans) to win, while Michigan State will become the Wolverines’ biggest supporters as their in-state rivals try and knock off the Buckeyes? And by the way, five other teams are jockeying for bowl positioning. How’s that for the last week of the season in the Big Ten?

On to the games…

Michigan State (6-1, 9-2) at Penn State (6-1, 10-1) [Battle for the Land Grant Trophy]: Penn State is looking for their 800th win, all under Joe Paterno. OK, yes, I exaggerate…Michigan State is looking for their first win in Happy Valley since Lucky Debonair took first place in the Kentucky Derby back in 1965.

The keys to the game:
1. Penn State’s Clydesdales versus Michigan State’s Clydesdale: Michigan State star and heart of the offense, Javon Ringer (1,548 yards, 20 touchdowns) needs to show up big to have a chance. Penn State boasts the number one overall (259 yards/game) and rushing defense (102 yards/game). On the other side, Evan Royster (1,123 yards, 12 touchdowns) leads the Nittany Lions’ rushing charge (first in the conference, 218 yards/game). However, Royster’s rushing between the tackles has been less successful compared to earlier in the year—he’s broken 100 yards only once in the last five games (Michigan, 174 yards). Further, coaches seem to be holding Daryll Clark back, perhaps due to the concussion he suffered in the Ohio State game. Clark hasn’t scored on the ground since, well, Michigan (two touchdowns rushing). The team with more rushing yards has the best chance of winning because…

2. Air Clark and Air Hoyer have lost their wings lately: Clark has not thrown for 200+ yards since Wisconsin (244), and that was five games ago. His last two outings have included interceptions, doubling his total from the previous nine games combined. Nitpicky? Maybe. But Penn State has, like most teams, shown they struggle when they turn the ball over. Brian Hoyer, on the other hand, has thrown touchdown passes only once in his last four games (against…Michigan, three) and tossed two interceptions to Purdue last week. Further, Hoyer’s completion percentage has surpassed 60% only twice this season (at Northwestern October 11th and against Eastern Michigan, September sixth). Championship caliber play comes with mistake-free football, which means being smart through the air. The quarterback who makes the least amount of mistakes regardless of yards or touchdowns will give his team the best chance to win.

PREDICTION: Penn State is better equipped for this type of game – better defense, more options on offense, better leadership at quarterback. White roses signify purity, innocence, and sympathy--sorry Michigan State.

Penn State 30, Michigan State 17

Michigan (2-5, 3-8) at Ohio State (6-1, 9-2): So “The Game” billed up as the greatest rivalry in all of sports is on fall break this year as the Wolverines’ season was put out to stud after their bad loss to Toledo…or Penn State…or Michigan State…The Buckeyes, on the other hand, play host while playing their best football to date.

The keys to the game:
1. Michigan’s arms vs. Michigan’s hips: The tackling by Michigan’s defense outside of the Minnesota and perhaps Wisconsin games has been egregious. Attempting to arm tackle 6’1” 237 lbs of Chris “Beanie” Wells or the slippery 6’6” 235 lb Terrelle Pryor will only lead to bad things in the yards after contact statistic. The Wolverines need to tackle solidly to have any chance of preventing small plays from turning in to big gains, something they’ve been unable to avoid this season.

2. The safety dance: In the same vein, Michigan’s safeties must realize their “safety dance” is a series of maneuvers best executed when there is no partner behind them. Stevie Brown, Brandon Harrison and company may have the most simplistic recipe for success – keep everyone in front of them, hug your “partner” and do not let go.

3. Trench Warfare: Ohio State is ranked third in rushing offense (188 yards/game) and defense (115 yards/game) and second in total defense (287 yards/game). Furthermore, the time of possession battle sways heavily in the Buckeyes’ favor (31:55 vs. 27:29). Controlling the line of scrimmage typically is and will be paramount for either team’s success in the “Big Game”; it looks like the scarlet and gray carry significant advantages in the trenches, in case you needed any statistics to show the lopsided nature of this year’s contest.

PREDICTION: My prediction? Painnnn…in a Clubber Lang sort of way.
Ohio State 37, Michigan 13

Iowa (4-3, 7-4) at Minnesota (3-4, 7-4) [Battle for the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy]: Certainly the under-card, but a contest that will help separate those teams jockeying for higher bowl bids. With a Northwestern loss, Iowa can jump the Wildcats and finish fourth in the conference if they beat the struggling Gophers. If Minnesota prevails, they will hop Iowa in the standings but can only secure fifth place (Northwestern owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Minnesota). The Gophers’ magical season came to a screeching halt in November and they’re winless in their last three tries. Galloping toward a January bowl game has quickly turned in to a limp towards the finish line. An eight-win season would be nothing less than magical after a single-win season last year, but it will take some heavy lifting against a hot Iowa squad. The Hawkeyes have won four of their last five, including the stunner over Penn State, and it all starts (and finishes) with tough running (Shonn Greene -1,585 yards, 15 touchdowns) and tough defense (third in scoring defense and total defense, second in rushing and red zone defense). Iowa wins a close contest, which will be in their control most or all of the game

PREDICTION: Iowa 27, Minnesota 21

Illinois (3-4, 5-6) at Northwestern (4-3, 8-3) [Battle for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk Trophy]: This is a meeting between two teams moving in opposite directions. Illinois is a win shy of bowl eligibility, having failed in their last two attempts (Western Michigan, Ohio State) to reach their sixth win. The big talk from the Illini camp after the Iowa win seems like it happened many moons ago as players and coaches alike seemed optimistic about the last three weeks of the season. Well, so much for that. Northwestern stands in the way (20 points/game against) defensively, led by junior defensive end Corey Wootton. No one seems to be discussing Coach Pat Fitzgerald’s job in his third year in charge of the Wildcats--four wins in 2006, followed by six last year, and now at least eight and possibly 10 this year speaks volumes for the coach’s mettle (and if Iowa loses, they secure fourth place in the conference). Northwestern wins this one old-school, middle linebacker style – with defense and grit.

PREDICTION: Northwestern 27, Illinois 23

Indiana (1-6, 3-8) at Purdue (1-6, 3-8) [Battle for the Old Oaken Bucket]: So as it breaks down here, if Purdue wins and Michigan loses…wait…whatever.

PREDICTION: Purdue - Old Oaken Bucket, Indiana – the comfort of last place in the Big Ten again.

Cal Poly (8-1) at Wisconsin (6-5, 3-5): Cal Poly’s undefeated season was dashed early in the year by none other than Montana (30-28), but the Mustangs have steadily improved and now hold the third spot in the FCS polling (James Madison first, Appalachian State two). Short of those aforementioned magnetic poles reversing Saturday afternoon, the Badgers will tidy up their record and finish with a seven-win season.

PREDICTION: Winner - Wisconsin, Losers – Cal Poly and college football fans tired of seeing fat cat FBS schools filling in their 12th game with FCS opponents.

Photo Credit: Michigan State Athletic Communications

Big Ten Preview - Redemption-packed match-ups

By JOHN SEARS - BIG TEN INSIDER

The penultimate week of the season brings the chill, the snow, the flu and the redemption in the Big Ten. A closer look at this week’s action proves that teams are playing for a little more than an extra notch in the win column.

Ohio State at Illinois: Mr. Juice Williams, welcome back to the Ohio State defense you single-handedly scorched in a clutch performance (four touchdowns, 60 minute drive to seal the game in the end) to stifle the Buckeyes’ undefeated run. Mr. Laurinaitis and Mr. Jenkins are waiting. If a 6-4 Illinois team coming off a convincing victory over Western Michigan were playing host, this game would have even more, well, juice to it. As it stands, the Illini will be very motivated to redeem themselves after last week’s loss and the Buckeyes will certainly be ready to avenge last year’s loss.

Last week, Buckeyes’ quarterback Terrelle Pryor (9-14, 197 yards, three touchdowns) and running back Beanie Wells (28-140, two touchdowns) helped light up Northwestern’s vaunted defense (16 points/game scoring defense before Ohio State’s 45 last week) and showed the conference the potential of their dual-threat offense. Illinois is mostly a one-sided team--the offense is tops in passing (278 yards/game) and total offense (448 yards/game) and second in scoring (31 points/game). Their defense has stacked up a conference-leading 32 sacks so far. If Illinois has more sacks than giveaways they have a chance, but Ohio State looks to be strong [as usual] down the stretch, outscoring opponents 90-17 in their last two wins. The Buckeyes best chance at winning is if Wells and Pryor combine for at least 200 yards on the ground in tough Midwest fall conditions (rain/snow/wind, high in the 30s). Buckeyes roll.
PREDICTION: Ohio State 30, Illinois 17

Northwestern at Michigan: Northwestern is in desperate need of redemption themselves, coming off a bad loss to Ohio State last week 45-10. They showed that teams having their number in the recent past are able to continue their dominance over the injury-plagued Wildcats. Not good news for those favoring purple – Northwestern has also taken their historically recent shots from Michigan. The Wildcats still seek their eighth win of the season, a tally unattainable since 2000 (Michigan had outscored them in 5 straight wins 161-66 since) which was when they last beat Michigan, in a wild 54-51 shootout. Michigan’s redemption is not directed towards Northwestern and is rather evident at this point in the season. They played like “the Michigan of old” against Minnesota last week and will continue to prove the team is on the rise.

Sloppy conditions are predicted for the Wolverines’ last home game of the season. Due to injuries for both teams at their starting quarterback and running back positions, this contest will likely come down to who gets the lucky bounce of the ball
(off the turf). Whoever holds onto the ball will have the best shot at winning. I am hesitant to give the edge to Michigan on that factor alone, but I believe the seniors on defense will carry themselves to victory in front of their home crowd.
PREDICTION: Michigan 25, Northwestern 20

Minnesota at Wisconsin: The Gophers are in need of redemption after their stunning loss of the Little Brown Jug last week against Michigan. On offense, they couldn’t move the ball (188 total yards) sans an injured Eric Decker and surrendered 435 yards to the anemic Wolverines…with their backup quarterback. In order to prove their success this season was not a gift from the scheduling gods, Minnesota must stop a two-game skid against the much-improved Badgers. If that does not motivate Minnesota, perhaps a recap of the last 35 seconds of their shocking 2005 defeat at the hands of the Badgers will do (38-34 on a punt block for touchdown). Wisconsin needs redemption from the beginning their season when they were ranked as high as ninth…now they’re clawing for bowl eligibility.

Wisconsin has steadily improved after their Michigan/October implosion, winning two of their last three. Last week, the offense ran and ran and ran for over 400 yards versus Indiana, so expect similar things this week. Minnesota is eighth against the rush (142 yards/game), but still tops in takeaways (27) and turnover margin (+15). Thus, if the Gophers can force Wisconsin in to passing situations, where they are second in interceptions (14), Minnesota may give themselves some short field situations to put up some points. But my feeling is that they will not, as they have managed on average just 17 points/game against Big Ten foes.
PREDICTION: Wisconsin 27, Minnesota 20

Purdue at Iowa: Iowa seeks redemption after last year’s 31-6 thrashing at the hands of three Curtis Painter touchdown passes in West Lafayette. Purdue seeks redemption on behalf of Coach Joe Tiller’s quite forgettable closing season. Iowa’s defense stifles Purdue and Shonn Greene (1,374 yards and 13 touchdowns) and runs wild on Purdue’s abysmal rush defense (175 yards/game), leading the Hawkeyes’ quest towards a major post-season bowl bid.
PREDICTION: Iowa 27, Purdue 10

Indiana at Penn State: Redemption? Practice? We’re talking about redemption? No need here.
PREDICTION: Penn State 41, Indiana 14

Photo Credit: Illinois Sports Information

Between the Hashes: BCS Mess or BCS Yes?

BCS MESS — legitimate criticism or hyperbole?

Any criticism of the BCS system the past few days has been completely out of bounds – for one Saturday in November at least. Just because the BCS is college football’s favorite punching bag, let’s not lump it in with the John McCain campaign, capri pants for men or the designated hitter.

The BCS has made the bowl system – imagine undefeated Texas Tech playing in the Orange Bowl and undefeated Alabama playing in the Sugar Bowl – less broken. It did not create the chaos. If anything, the BCS brings relevancy!

Did your palms get a little sweaty flipping between Penn St.-Iowa and Alabama-LSU on Saturday? Did your heart race a little faster when Iowa kicker Daniel Murphy’s field goal attempt sailed through the uprights in Kinnick Stadium and Alabama’s Leigh Tiffin’s didn’t in Tiger Stadium?

You can thank the BCS.

If a spot in the BCS champion-ship game wasn’t on the line, would you really have spent a good portion of your Saturday afternoon watching undefeated Penn St. play a four-loss Iowa team? Not in a playoff world.

Penn St. still controls its destiny in the Big Ten and will win it if they take care of Indiana and Michigan St. at home. In terms of a Big Ten Title, not much was on the line in Iowa City. However, because of the BCS, everything was on the line when the Nittany Lions made the trip to the Hawkeye State.

The same can be said about Nick Saban’s return to Cajun Country. Sure, all of Acadiana would have been up in arms regardless, but would the college football nation have tuned in without the BCS? Was it the fact the SEC West title was on the line that sucked you in? Didn’t think so.

How about this week’s game between Florida and South Carolina? It’s a pretty big one – on CBS and is CFI’s game of the week – because of the BCS. The Gators are going to play Alabama in the SEC Cham-pionship game regardless of what they do this Saturday against the Gamecocks or when they visit Tallahassee to take on the Florida St. Seminoles in two weeks.

These games provide the potential for drama and what else can one say? Will Tim Tebow pull off his first career fourth quarter comeback? Will he have his 2008 Heisman moment to match Graham Harrell’s? Or will South Carolina’s Eric Norwood step up and make a game-changing play to knockoff the No. 3 Florida Gators?

Isn’t this why we watch sports?

In a playoff system, the Gators and the Crimson Tide would be slotted into a playoff-play-in game on December 6, making the next three weeks almost irrelevant.

There is nothing worse in sports than knowing the outcome before you see the event take place. It’s why you do everything in your power to not know the score of game you’ve recorded on your TIVO. Sports are about possibilities.

Think of all those fun NFL games in weeks 16 and 17 when teams cannot help their playoff chances. How much would Tim Tebow and John Parker Wilson play this Saturday? Or next? Headmen Saban and Urban Meyer would at least have to think about resting their quarterbacks, as well as other key players. Wouldn’t they?

Please let’s not compare it to college basketball, which has evolved into a three-week sport – how many American sports fans even know who the players are until the NCAA Tournament begins? While we’re at it, college hoops has a tournament – not a playoff – with men getting together in a room to decide the participants, seed teams and create match-ups. That…is not a playoff as we know it.

President Elect Barack Obama said if he could change anything in the sports world, it would be to replace the BCS with an eight-team playoff. With all due respect Mr. Obama, you have a bigger mess ahead of you – there’s no need for a clean up in aisle BCS.

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

College Football Insiders Radio

CFI WEEKLY - MONDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2008

Get the answer to all your college football questions: Who's No. 1? Who's the best one loss team? How could Texas Tech's win help Oklahoma? How could Penn St.'s loss hurt Michigan St.?

SPECIAL GUESTS

QB John Parker Wilson, Alabama
LB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest
QB Brian Hoyer, Michigan St.
Announcer Gary Dolphin, Iowa

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Photo Credit: Brian Westerholt of Sports on Film