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Pickin' on the Big Ten: Iowa Isn't Concerned About Your Scorn

Mark Hasty — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10

Every Thursday, Pickin' on the Big Ten runs down the weekend's games from inside a chicken coop, at least as far as you know.

Cue the inevitable anti-Iowa backlash. A team that barely got by Arkansas State and Northern Iowa is somehow No. 1 in the nation according to the computer polls the BCS uses. Don't like it? Line forms to the left. Kirk Ferentz even agrees with you.

Shouldn't the computers' top ranked team have at least some sort of offense? Yes, of course. But whose fault is that No. 1 ranking?

Yours, you loudmouth.

You, the whiny fan ready to overreact to every perceived slight, are the reason margin of victory no longer counts in the BCS computer polls. But that's another rant for another day.

I get it, though. You're tired of the Big Ten and its maddening ability to sneak into national championship games. You're totally convinced that a one-loss Big 12 team is better than a one-loss Big Ten team. You're beyond convinced that a four-loss SEC team is better than any undefeated Big Ten team. I'm totally convinced that once you get past Florida and Alabama the SEC is the Big 12 North with a better TV contract, but I digress. You don't want Iowa, or any Big Ten champion, to get to the title game.

Have you noticed that the Hawkeyes don't seem to care? Kirk Ferentz isn't lobbying the poll voters like Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer have done in the past. For the most part the Iowa players aren't talking about being disrespected. They just want to take care of business, even if there's a good chance they'll get iced out of the championship if they go undefeated.

This may seem hard to understand to you. Rationality left college football years ago, after all. What you have to realize is that, even though a large portion of their roster comes from out of state, the Hawkeyes have the character of the state of Iowa.

When you're from Iowa, you learn early in life that your home state is going to get ripped on by everybody. You can expect to hear the same stale cracks about corn, pigs, flatness, and winter within about 15 seconds of meeting a new person who discovers you're from Iowa. Unless you're talking to one of those indier-than-thou types, of course; they'll just bring up Slipknot and crystal meth. Eventually you realize that people are actually amazed you're wearing shoes, you use words with two or three syllables, and you haven't urinated in the houseplants.

Not that they know of, anyway.

The message all these non-Iowans want to send is something like "You're from a place we feel inherently superior to; therefore, we must be better than you as well." The message you form in your head is more like "These people will never be impressed by anything I do, so why do I care what they think?" Sometimes this manifests itself in an "I'll hurt myself before you get a chance to" attitude. We in the upper Midwest have perfected self-effacing humor. More often it comes across as a decision to define yourself on your own terms.

That's what the Hawkeyes are doing. You don't have to tell them they have trouble on offense, any more than you have to tell a Midwesterner that our winters are cold. Really? Gosh, that must be why the tomato plants keep dying. I'm glad you told me because I was planning to serve BLTs for Christmas dinner!

Right. The games.

MICHIGAN @ ILLINOIS

I told you Ron Zook wasn't going to get whacked.

Now let's see if the "we have no other choice so here's a vote of confidence" he got this week is going to have any effect on the team. With a certain loss looming at Cincinnati Nov. 27, the Illini are not technically bowl-ineligible yet but might as well be. The only thing left for them to do is sack up now that there's essentially nothing to play for, hoping to make some other team as miserable as they are.

Unfortunately, this will not be the week for that. Illinois ranks 102nd nationally in total defense. Michigan just had to face the nation's best scoring defense (Penn State) last week. It's going to look like the Wolverines hit up up down down left right left right B A Start. Michigan 52, Illinois 13.

INDIANA @ IOWA

Trap game?

Maybe.

Even though I just spent six paragraphs explaining why Iowa doesn't care about style points and public opinion, the Hawks know that the rest of the world sees this as an opportunity for them to earn enough of the former to sway the latter. They probably also know that one more close game against a team perceived as bad will knock them down in the human polls. Way down.

Now factor in that Iowa's starting running back Adam Robinson, who was only starting because the preseason starter Jewel Hampton was lost for the season in August, is now lost for the season himself. Now Brandon Wegher, whose hometown of Dakota Dunes, S.D., appears to be endlessly fascinating to play-by-play announcers, gets to be The Guy. Wegher has cooled off from his impressive start to the season; let's see what he can do without another back competing for touches.

Then there's Indiana, a team perceived as bad. They're actually not that bad, but they haven't shaken their penchant for losing games in the most humiliating fashion possible. Sandwiched around a win over Illinois were a pantsing at Virginia three weeks ago and a thoroughly improbable loss to a very average Northwestern team last week. That sort of stuff gets into your head, and that's unfortunate. The Hoosiers have a solid pass rush, which you would think would be exactly what a team facing Iowa would want to have.

The problem is that "make Ricky Stanzi beat you" could prove to be even less successful for IU than it has for Iowa's last 12 opponents. Indiana gives up more passing yards than any other team in the conference and flat out stinks at preventing their opponents from getting first downs. They're scoring the same 23.6 points per game that Iowa is. They're just giving up 12 more points than the Hawks on average.

I still think Bill Lynch deserves better than this. Iowa 26, Indiana 10.

MICHIGAN STATE @ MINNESOTA

Speaking of catastrophic, soul-shattering, season-altering injuries, Minnesota has lost wide receiver Eric Decker for the season. Which means Minnesota has basically lost its offense for the season.

The real question in this game will be Michigan State's resiliency. They almost played well enough to beat a top 10 team last week. Almost. Now, can they pull it back together, realize there's still a lot to play for, and take it to their opponents from here on out?

You won't know after this week. Minnesota is starting to take on that abandoned-car look which they so often had under Glen Mason. Michigan State 30, Minnesota 7.

PENN STATE @ NORTHWESTERN

Through the first half of the season no Big Ten team seemed more disappointing than Northwestern. (I say that because I didn't expect Illinois to be any good this year.) I mean, they lost to Syracuse. You know who else has done that this year? Akron. Oh, and Maine.

I still don't think they're a great team, though the rally to beat Indiana last week was impressive. NU is tough, but the parts just don't all seem to be there.

You know who's not having a lot of problems? Penn State. Their closest game all season, except for the Iowa loss, was an 18-point victory over Illinois. The Nits have just been blowing people up. I think NU can play this one closer than anyone else has, but they just don't have enough defense to stop Penn State. PSU 31, Northwestern 20.

NEW MEXICO STATE @ OHIO STATE

Give this to the NMSU Aggies: they're one of the most consistent teams in the NCAA. When they win, they win by three points. When they lose, they lose by at least 15.

Three guesses as to what sort of outcome is more likely in this game. Ohio State 56, New Mexico State 0.

Know Your Nonconference Tomato Can: New Mexico State University

Located a mere half-hour north of El Paso, Texas in the rapidly growing city of Las Cruces, New Mexico State University actually predates New Mexico by almost a quarter century. The former New Mexico A&M was founded in 1888; New Mexico didn't become a state until 1912.

NMSU is probably the only university in America whose founding charter specifies that it was to be located by a drainage ditch, but from those humble origins the university has grown to a comprehensive university with around 17,000 students. Agriculture and engineering are still strongly emphasized, however, and NMSU is known for being in the forefront of chili pepper research. It is one of the few places in the world where the Naga Jolokia pepper is grown; said pepper is anywhere from three to ten times hotter than a habanero.

New Mexico State can also plausibly claim to be the birthplace of card counting. Former math professor Edward O. Thorp literally wrote the book on this blackjack strategy. Thorp's Beat the Dealer was published in 1962 while he was teaching at NMSU.

NMSU alumnus Charley Johnson was a journeyman NFL quarterback in the 1960s and early 1970s. While playing in St. Louis, Johnson decided to further his education and in doing so became one of the very few NFL players to earn a PhD. He earned his doctorate in chemical engineering from the prestigious Washington University in St. Louis. Did I mention he did this while he was still playing in the NFL?

Johnson returned to Las Cruces after retiring from football. He joined the engineering faculty at NMSU, and he's still there.

PURDUE @ WISCONSIN

Wisconsin has had a week off since losing back-to-back games to Ohio State and Iowa. Purdue, of course, beat Ohio State -- though whether that happened because Purdue can beat anybody on the right day or because Ohio State can lose to anybody on the right day remains to be seen.

These two teams appear headed in opposite directions, with the Boilermakers finding a way to stop losing and the Badgers wondering if last season is about to happen all over. Most of the matchups in this game favor Wisconsin, however. The Badgers are just more talented and haven't been burned as often as Purdue has.

Wisconsin's offense has cooled off since their fast start, though much of that can be attributed to playing Ohio State and Iowa. They are still a dangerous team that can strike through the air or on the ground. They'd prefer to strike on the ground, though, and that happens to be the best place to hit Purdue. I like the coaching job Danny Hope has done in preventing his team from collapsing after a horrible start. If the Boilermakers can beat Ohio State they can probably beat anybody in this conference, though the Badgers probably won't give Purdue as much help as Ohio State did. Wisconsin 28, Purdue 24.

Next week's games:

Wisconsin @ Indiana: I actually expect this to be a very good game
Northwestern @ Iowa: Fitz always gives Iowa fits
Purdue @ Michigan: Pack your dinner, neither team plays defense
Western Michigan @ Michigan State: Dangerous game for MSU
Illinois @ Minnesota: Whatever it is, take the under
Ohio State @ Penn State: Possibly the best Big Ten game this season

Pickin' on the Big Ten: Iowa Isn't Concerned About Your Scorn originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clearing Up the Big Ten Picture

Mark Hasty — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:30:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10

While most of the world is still trying to figure out how the Iowa Hawkeyes stole the cheese out of the mousetrap -- again -- the conference title race is beginning to take a little more shape. Since neither Iowa nor Ohio State lost this past weekend, there's no shakeup at the top. Both teams remain equally in control of their respective destinies.

But what about the rest of the league? Is anybody new out of the hunt this week? Who's still alive but barely breathing? And where do things go from here in this crazy conference?

Still in Control

Iowa and Ohio State know the path is simple. Win out, you win the conference. Iowa doesn't need to win out if Ohio State loses one of its remaining conference games (at Penn State, Iowa, at Michigan). A single Buckeye loss would put Iowa two games up on Ohio State. The Hawkeyes already own a tiebreaker against Penn State. If OSU loses a game, Iowa can lose one too -- and it wouldn't matter which game either team lost.

Ohio State doesn't have to win out so long as Iowa loses at least three of its last four games (Indiana, Northwestern, at Ohio State, Minnesota). That's asking a lot.

A Little Help, Please

Penn State can still make it to the Rose Bowl if it wins out (at Northwestern, Ohio State, Indiana, at Michigan State) and Iowa loses twice. If the Nits lose to Ohio State, they can still win if the Buckeyes lose to Iowa and Michigan and Iowa loses twice. Penn State is eliminated by any three Iowa victories.

A Lot of Help, Please

Michigan State must finish with a better conference record than Iowa and Wisconsin. They would need at least one Badger loss and three Iowa losses. Because the Spartans don't play Ohio State this season they would also need to finish ahead of OSU in the conference or hope for New Mexico State to upset the Buckeyes. Then, so long as Sparty beats Western Michigan, they could tie the Buckeyes and hope the BCS rankings would go in their favor. It would be far simpler just to finish with a better conference record than OSU. Michigan State is eliminated by any two Iowa victories, or if Wisconsin wins out in the conference.

A Miracle, Please

(Note: All these teams must win out to have any chance at winning the conference.)

Northwestern would have victories over Penn State and Iowa if they won out. They would need Iowa to lose one more game, as well. The Wildcats don't play Ohio State. If Northwestern and OSU finished tied in the standings, the BCS rankings would thus be their tiebreaker, unless New Mexico State beats the Buckeyes in Columbus this Saturday. The Aggies are 3-5. Good luck with that. Since OSU would likely have the better BCS ranking, Northwestern would need to finish with a better conference record. That would require two Buckeye losses. Any two Iowa victories or Ohio State winning out would eliminate Northwestern.

Purdue doesn't play Iowa or Penn State this season. It would need three Iowa losses and two Penn State losses. The Boilermakers can finish tied with Ohio State since they beat the Buckeyes, but that requires one more Buckeye loss. They also need Northwestern to lose at least once more. They are eliminated by two Iowa victories, three Penn State victories, or Northwestern winning out.

Wisconsin needs Iowa to lose three times and Ohio State to lose twice. If OSU beats Iowa, the Buckeyes have to lose to Penn State and Michigan. If Iowa beats OSU, the Hawkeyes would have to lose their three remaining home games. It is very hard to see this happening. Wisconsin would be eliminated by two Iowa victories plus two OSU conference victories.

Michigan needs Iowa, Michigan State, and Penn State to finish with four conference losses and Ohio State (whom the Wolverines would beat in the process of winning out) to finish with three conference losses. Since Ohio State has to win one game in order for Iowa to lose out, that means that OSU would also have to lose to Penn State. Penn State would have to lose to Northwestern, Indiana, and Michigan State to give Michigan a chance. That scenario would also require Michigan State to lose to Minnesota and Purdue. In other words, the Wolverines aren't eliminated yet but might as well be. A single Iowa victory would eliminate the Wolverines.

Indiana, like Northwestern, would have victories over Iowa and Penn State if they won out. They would still need Iowa to lose twice more and Penn State once. Ohio State would have to lose all their remaining conference games, Northwestern and Michigan State would both have to lose once. This gives Indiana a situation similar to Michigan's. They're not eliminated but they're hardly alive. A single OSU conference victory or two by Iowa closes the door on IU.

Minnesota needs Iowa to lose three of its four remaining conference games. It also needs Ohio State to lose all of its remaining conference games. This means the Hawks would have to beat Ohio State but lose to everybody else. The Gophers would also need Penn State to beat Ohio State but lose to everybody else. Wisconsin has already beaten Minnesota so the Badgers would also have to lose twice and finish with four conference losses. The Gophers are eliminated by either an Iowa victory or a Penn State victory, so long as that win was over anyone other than Ohio State, or a single OSU conference victory.

Dude, Did You Know There's a Fork in Your Back?

Illinois was eliminated last week.

Impacts of This Week's Games

An Iowa win over Indiana eliminates Indiana and Michigan.

An Ohio State win over New Mexico State gives OSU an outright tiebreaker over Michigan State.

A Penn State win over Northwestern eliminates Michigan.

A Michigan State win over Minnesota eliminates Michigan.

Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota are eliminated if they lose.

Clearing Up the Big Ten Picture originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pickin' on the Big Ten: Sorting Saturday

Mark Hasty — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue

Every Thursday, Pickin' on the Big Ten answers the questions, questions the answers, and looks ahead to Saturday's games.

It's now indisputably late October. The leaves here in Wisconsin went from being Monet-like things of beauty to being a soggy ground-based nuisance in less time than it takes for a new Jim Tressel criticism to appear on the internet. It feels like the season just started but after this weekend it's two-thirds over.

There are so many questions yet to answer, however. I've already explored the various Big Ten title scenarios, so let's look at some of the other burning issues.

Is Terrelle Pryor actually a quarterback?

That's the talking point du jour here in flyover country after the Buckeyes' pants-blast against Purdue last week. Pryor isn't turning into the Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson he was supposed to be back when Rivals and Scout were trying to find ways to give him a sixth or seventh star. There have even been intimations from Pryor's high school coach that the OSU staff may have made some promises to Pryor that either aren't being kept or are being kept but shouldn't be.

The whole mess had made people finally realize that Todd Boeckman got a raw deal last season and Terrelle Pryor is getting a raw deal this season. Pryor simply isn't ready to be The Guy. Moving him to wide receiver, as some are suggesting, isn't going to make him better and isn't going to help the Buckeyes at all.

Pryor looked so good at times last season because he didn't have to do it all. Boeckman was always around when a more traditional quarterbacking style was called for. Benching Pryor now, or moving him to another position, would just transfer all that pressure to Joe Bauserman. Maybe if the Buckeyes lose another game, putting them decisively out of the Big Ten title race, it might be worth seeing if Bauserman can provide some mojo. Until then, the Buckeyes' best chance to win is with Pryor under center. It's just that those chances aren't as good as the chances OSU fans are used to.

When is Ron Zook going to get whacked?

Certainly not until the end of the season, and maybe not then, either. UIUC is in the midst of administrative chaos centered around an admissions scandal -- one which doesn't involve athletics. University Chancellor Richard Herman announced his resignation this week. University President B. Joseph White has also resigned, along with a number of trustees. That's a lot of decision makers to have to replace all at once. Obviously, someone will occupy all these offices on an interim basis, but do you think any of them will want to make major decisions?

Complicating things is the fact that Zook signed a contract extension this summer, which makes him more expensive to buy out. Athletic Director Ron Guenther may be forced to hit the gong anyway just to save his own job, but the timing couldn't be worse for Illinois.

Besides, who are you going to get to come in? Zook has a nice arsenal at Illinois and there are plenty of coaches out there who are experts at getting the most out of the talent they have. But would they be interested in Illinois? The last coach to leave Champaign with a winning record was John Mackovic who left for Texas in 1991. Since then the Illini are 88-123-2, and their overall winning percentage has dropped with each coach.

Is Iowa going to sneak into the national title game more or less by default just to get their doors blown off?

No, and I'll tell you why. It has nothing to do with the perceived weakness of the Big Ten and everything to do with the dramatic dropoffs found in other conferences.

Who's the third-best team in the SEC?

Who's the second-best team in the Big 12?

Who's the best team in the Pac 10?

We don't know the answers to any of those questions, which should tell you that Texas and whoever wins the SEC have the shortest route to Pasadena. At any rate, before the season I had Iowa finishing 10-2. I had them at 7-0 at this point in the season. I'm not bragging; I'm just saying that I do not actually see the Hawks running the table. So don't worry. Some other conference's champion will be embarrassing themselves in the title game.

Right. The games.

PENN STATE @ MICHIGAN

It's the fourth Saturday in October and this is Penn State's second road game. Nope, nothing wrong with your scheduling, PSU!

If the wheel of karma is spinning the way it ought to, the Wolverines are going to get crushed in this game. Their offensive line in the second half of last week's Delaware State game was made up entirely of sousaphone players from the marching band, for crying out loud. And was that Mary Sue Coleman, the president of the university, running back punts in the fourth quarter?

If ever a team could come in to The Big House and deliver karmic retribution to the Wolverines, it would be Penn State. Iowa is the only school to hold the Nits under 20 points, as well as the only team to score more than 17 on them. Otherwise the scores have been as gaudy as you would suspect. They just aren't as gaudy as they were last year.

Then again, you could make a case that Penn State hasn't faced an offense any better than Iowa's, and Iowa's offense is not exactly a benchmark of wonderfulness. Michigan's offense is quite a different story. Nobody has held them under 20 points, and iowa's defense is at least as good as Penn State's.

This game will come down to who has the better playmakers. Michigan wins that battle on offense, Penn State on defense. Since this is the year of Big D, I'm going with PSU. Penn State 28, Michigan 24.

IOWA @ MICHIGAN STATE

This is the game this weekend with the most implications for the Big Ten title. Both these teams are legitimately contending for it.

Kirk Ferentz has never won in East Lansing. In fact, the last time Iowa won at Spartan Stadium Ren and Stimpy were still on the air.

Michigan State has come a long way from their 1-3 start, but do they have enough to beat the Hawkeyes? It depends. No Big Ten team passes for more yards than Sparty, but that actually could be a liability. The Hawks have picked off every starting quarterback they've faced, with the exception of Northern Iowa's Pat Grace. Kirk Cousins is expected to get the start for Michigan State. He doesn't throw many picks, but Iowa has a way of making bad things happen.

So Sparty needs to get the running game going early before the Hawkeyes start dropping linebackers into coverage. Without a good running game they're just going to be too easy to defend. MSU hasn't put up more than 30 points all season.

Defensively the Spartans need to force Ricky Stanzi to throw, though as the season goes on that strategy works less and less. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Tony Moeaki are both hitting their peak now as receivers, which has cut down on Stanzi's struggles. Iowa probably won't be able to run the ball very well all afternoon, but neither, I fear, will Michigan State. In the end, Iowa's superior pass defense and MSU's inexperienced running backs will make the difference as Iowa wins. DEATH RIDES A PALE COW 30, OFFENSIVE WIZARD IN MY BACKYARD 23.

(You like that? A little old school POTBT for you longtimers. For the n00bs, that means I expect Iowa, a team from a state with a lot of cows, to defeat Michigan State, a school with offensive wizard Rich Rodriguez nearby, by a final score of 30 points to 23 points. Also it means I am a fan of the Dead Milkmen.)

INDIANA @ NORTHWESTERN

Both these teams deserve better seasons than the ones they're having. Indiana has finally solved its baffling offensive problems and actually has one of the best pass rushes in the conference. Yet somehow it's all for naught. The Hoosiers lost to Ohio State and Michigan in consecutive weeks, then went to Virginia the week after someone on Al Groh's staff decided to risk having to do 4,000 pushups by telling the coach the football season had actually started and all these games counted. They got over on Illinois last week, but that's sort of like bragging that you were only third in line at Starbucks.

Northwestern, meanwhile, can't put the pieces together . Their offense started off just fine but their defense was lost in space. Then the defense showed up at the same time the offense took a cookie break. If they ever get both units to show up for the same game they might really have something.

Since both these teams have the consistency of cafeteria soup it's hard to predict how things will go. I like Indiana's ability to run the ball better than I like Northwestern's. I don't trust Ben Chappell as much as I trust Mike Kafka. But I don't trust Mike Kafka all that much. I've picked the road team in every game so far, but they can't all win. Northwestern, in a game that's so ugly it'll belong on public access. Northwestern 14, Indiana 10.

MINNESOTA @ OHIO STATE

I'm tempted to make some lame quip like "Here's one road team I won't be taking" but if the Buckeyes can lose to a team as snakebit as Purdue, then anything can happen. Except for Minnesota scoring a lot of points. Or Ohio State not scoring a lot of points. I'll go out on a limb here and say that Terrelle Pryor won't need any lukewarm endorsements for at least seven days after this game. Ohio State 31, Minnesota 12.

ILLINOIS @ PURDUE

WTTW in Chicago is showing Mexico One Plate at a Time at 11:30 on Saturday. Rick Bayless will be making tortas.

I'm just sayin', that's all. Purdue 38, Illinois 21.

Next week's games:

Michigan @ Illinois: This ought to be good for a few laughs
Indiana @ Iowa: And this
Michigan State @ Minnesota: Not to mention this
Penn State @ Northwestern: Or this
New Mexico State @ Ohio State: That's not funny
Purdue @ Wisconsin: This is as close to a good game as we're going to get, I guess

Pickin' on the Big Ten: Sorting Saturday originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Ten Title Race Far From Over

Mark Hasty — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10

The Iowa Hawkeyes are the Big Ten's only undefeated team, both in conference play and overall. Right behind the No. 7 Hawkeyes stand a 5-2 team (Ohio State), a 4-3 team (Michigan State), and a 6-1 team Iowa has already beaten (Penn State).

The Hawks look to be in complete control of the conference race, with those 6-1 Nittany Lions nipping at their heels. But Iowa the only Big Ten team in control of its BCS destiny? No, no they are not. You might be surprised how little help some of the other teams need, too.

Let's take a look at who could still win the conference without any help, who needs a little help from their enemies friends, and who might as well start making other plans for New Year's.

Before we start, however, remember the Big Ten's tiebreaker policy, which goes in this order: Head-to-head result, overall winning percentage (i.e., nonconference record), and BCS standings. Will any of these be tiebreakers prove necessary? They just might.

The Contenders

Iowa and Ohio State play each other Nov. 14. Thus, if either team wins out, that team wins the conference. Ohio State's stunning loss to Purdue is nullified if they beat the Hawkeyes.

Winning out is a mighty big 'if' for both teams, however. Iowa plays at Michigan State this Saturday. Kirk Ferentz has never won in East Lansing. Ohio State travels to Happy Valley Nov. 7, and you'll see how that game fits into Penn State's plans a little later.

If the Buckeyes fall to Penn State, Iowa doesn't need to beat OSU to win the conference. It would be enough to beat Michigan State, or hope Sparty and Penn State each lose one more conference game.

If Michigan State beats Iowa, Ohio State doesn't need to beat the Hawkeyes as long as a.) someone else besides MSU does beat Iowa, b.) Michigan State loses at least one more conference game, and c.) the Buckeyes don't gack against New Mexico State. Otherwise ... well, it's easier to explain from Sparty's point of view.

Need a Little Help

Michigan State doesn't play Ohio State and thus far has a worse non-conference record than Ohio State. Nonetheless, Sparty can still win the conference if they win out, which would give them tiebreakers against Iowa and Penn State, and Ohio State loses one more conference game. If OSU loses to New Mexico State but wins out otherwise, the Spartans and Buckeyes would find themselves watching the BCS standings because those standings would decide the conference title. Ohio State is No. 19 in the current BCS standings. Michigan State doesn't appear in them. Advantage: Buckeyes.

Penn State can win the conference if they win out and Iowa loses twice. Ohio State and Michigan State would both finish no better than 6-2 in conference since they both still have to play Penn State. The Nits would be 7-1 in the conference under that scenario. If Iowa doesn't lose twice Penn State is eliminated from winning the conference.

Minnesota wins the conference if they win out, Iowa loses one other conference game, and Penn State loses once. The Gophers play the Buckeyes this week in Columbus. A Minnesota win would be OSU's second conference loss and the Gophers would thus own the tiebreaker over the Buckeyes. (I'm with you; I can't believe how little help the Gophers need.)

Need a Lot of Help

Wisconsin has lost to Ohio State and Iowa. They must finish with a better conference record than either team. That requires three Iowa losses and and two more Ohio State conference losses, plus Wisconsin running the table from this point forward. Since the Badgers beat Michigan State, they can finish tied with the Spartans and still go to the Rose Bowl. Of course, they can only finish tied with the Spartans if somebody else in the conference beats MSU.

Wisconsin doesn't play Penn State this season and the two teams have identical non-conference records. If Penn State loses once more the Badgers could also tie the Nits. Assuming Wisky and PSU are the only two-conference-loss teams in the Big Ten, the title would be decided by ... oh man. The title would be decided by the Wisconsin-Hawaii game on December 5th.

Purdue owns a tiebreaker against Ohio State but doesn't play Iowa or Penn State. The Boilermakers' 1-3 nonconference schedule requires them to finish with a better conference record than either of those schools, which would require three Iowa losses and two Penn State losses.

Michigan has lost to Michigan State and Iowa. Unless both those teams wind up with three conference losses the Wolverines can't win the Big Ten. However, if both those teams do lose three times and Michigan wins out, the Maize and Blue could still, theoretically, wind up in the Rose Bowl.

Northwestern needs two Iowa losses, two Ohio State losses (they don't play OSU this season), one Michigan State loss, one Indiana loss, and no more losses of their own.

Indiana needs to run the table and hope for three Iowa losses, two Ohio State losses, and one Michigan loss.

So okay, there's one team still unaccounted for. Illinois. Is all lost for the Illini?

All Is Lost

It is. Since Illinois doesn't play Iowa this season, they would have to finish with a better conference record than the Hawkeyes, which is only possible if Iowa loses the rest of its games. However, the Illini have already lost to Ohio State so they would need a better conference record than the Buckeyes as well. That's not possible if OSU beats Iowa. Therefore, the Illini have been mathematically eliminated from the Big Ten title race.

More's the pity. I was hoping there would be a chain of wreckage which would put them in the Rose Bowl, because that would be the death blow for the BCS. Some other year, some other conference.

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Members of the University of Connecticut's football team share stories about their teammate and friend Jasper Howard around a candle vigil at the spot where he was killed outside the Student Union on campus in Storrs, Conn., Monday, Oct. 19, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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A candle vigil is displayed at the spot where Connecticut football player Jasper Howard was killed outside the Student Union on campus in Storrs, Conn., Monday, Oct. 19, 2009. Twenty-year-old Howard, of Miami, a junior and starting cornerback, and a second person were stabbed during a fight early Sunday after someone pulled a fire alarm during a dance at the UConn Student Union, police said. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Kentucky quarterback Randall Cobb (18) finds the end zone around Auburn defensive back Daren Bates (25) during an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

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Arizona State receiver Chris McGaha celebrates his game-winning touchdown against Washington during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State won 24-17. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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Arizona State's William Sutton (90) and James Brooks (34) celebrate their team's win over Washington during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State won 24-17. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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A documentary is being produced on the Wichita State plane crash in Colorado from almost 40 years ago. The Star met with Howard Johnson, from left, father of one of the victims, Ron Johnson; one of the survivors, David Lewis, and the roommate of Ron Johnson, Gerry Gleissner. (Allison Long/Kansas City Star/MCT)

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A documentary is being produced on the Wichita State plane crash in Colorado from almost 40 years ago. The Star met with the parents of one of the victims of the crash; Howard, left, and Virginia Johnson. In the background is a picture and helmet of their son Ron Johnson. (Allison Long/Kansas City Star/MCT)

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A documentary is being produced on the Wichita State plane crash in Colorado from almost 40 years ago. Wichita State football player Ronnie Johnson, shown in family photograph, was 21 years old when he and 29 other people were killed. (Courtesy Johnson family/Kansas City Star/MCT)

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Big Ten Title Race Far From Over originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Purdue Exercises Pryor Restraint

Mark Hasty — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:22:00 EST

Filed under: Ohio State, Purdue

The Purdue Boilermakers were long overdue for a victory. They got one today, and it was huge. Purdue defeated No. 7 Ohio State 26-18 in West Lafayette in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated.

Boilermaker quarterback Joey Elliott sharpened his claws on Ohio State's secondary, going 31-of-50 for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Purdue's defense kept Ohio State's sputtering offense in check, with Terrelle Pryor looking particularly ineffective until a fourth quarter drive which pulled the Buckeyes within eight.
Pryor was 17-of-31 for 221 yards, throwing one touchdown and two picks. He also ran 21 times for just 34 yards.

Despite the lack of offensive production, Ohio State had several chances to win this game. The Buckeyes had a first-and-goal on Purdue's 3 yard line early in the fourth quarter but after a short run, an incomplete pass, and a penalty, they settled for a field goal. The decision left them needing two touchdowns to win and is sure to be talked about ad nauseum on Buckeye message boards this week.

Had OSU gone for it and failed, Purdue would have taken over around the 7-yard-line. Instead, the Boilermakers' Al-Terek McBurse, a freshman, returned the kickoff to the Purdue 45. A Carson Wiggs field goal put Purdue back up by 16.

OSU almost made a comeback with Pryor getting them to the end zone on a desperation pass to DeVier Posey. Pryor then ran in the two-point conversion. The defense stopped Purdue in four plays but on the ensuing drive Pryor failed to find a receiver on fourth and 14.

After taking over on downs, Purdue got stuffed on a third and 9 pass play. This is where the Boilermakers have usually snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, but this time it was Ohio State who went into brainlock. A 15-yard facemasking penalty gave Purdue a game-winning first down.

It was Purdue's first win since defeating Toledo the opening week of the season, bringing the Boilermakers to 2-5 overall and keeping their bowl hopes alive, just barely. For Ohio State, the loss takes them out of first place in the Big Ten and makes the upcoming Penn State game on November 7 huge. If they lose they have absolutely no hope for a fifth straight BCS bid. If they win, they'll still need to beat Iowa in Columbus the following week to stay alive for the conference title.

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Iowa's Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, left, and J.D. Griggs carry off the Heartland trophy after Iowa beat Wisconsin 20-10 in an NCAA college football game Saturday Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

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Iowa defensive tackle Adrian Clayborn holds up the football and celebrates an interception with teammates Shaun Prater (28), Pat Angerer and Jeff Tarpinian during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin Saturday Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. Iowa won 20-10. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham (55) leads teammates in singing the school fight song after beating Delaware State 63-6 in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)

Purdue head coach Danny Hope celebrates after Purdue defeated No. 7 Ohio State 26-18 in an NCAA college football game in West Lafayette, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Iowa running back Adam Robinson (32) cuts between Wisconsin's Chris Borland (44) and Aaron Henry during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. Robinson rushed for 91 yards in Iowa's 20-10 win. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

Wisconsin's Gabe Carimi hangs his head in the final minutes of play in their 20-10 loss to Iowa in an NCAA college football game Saturday Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

Wisconsin running back John Clay (32) and Kyle Jefferson (3) run off the field after Wisconsin's 20-10 loss to Iowa in an NCAA college football game Saturday Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

Purdue wide receiver Keith Smith, center, is tackled by Ohio State wide receiver Lamaar Thomas, left, and defensive back Devon Torrence during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in West Lafayette, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Purdue Exercises Pryor Restraint originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pickin' on the Big Ten: Teams for Sale

Mark Hasty — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10

Every Thursday, Pickin' on the Big Ten gives you the bottom line on the upcoming weekend's games.

Every team now has six games on the books. Well, Illinois doesn't, which is good news/bad news. Illinois fans have only had to watch five games so far; that's good news. They have seven games left to watch, which is not such good news.

This would be a perfect time for mid-term report cards, but letter grades are so one-dimensional, don't you think? There are more meaningful comparisons to be made. Make the jump and see every Big Ten team compared to ... well, just go and look.

Illinois is like the Whopper (or, if you prefer, any other reasonably complicated fast food burger). You see the ads and it looks fantastic. They talk about using the best-quality, freshest ingredients and it shows. You see a perfectly-cooked burger glistening with juice, deep red tomatoes, green lettuce that looks like it was just picked, all stacked high on a golden brown bun. You can't resist. This is going to be good.

Then you get one. You unwrap it. It doesn't look like the picture. It looks like somebody who had never seen a hamburger before made it by hurling ingredients at a bun from a good 15 or 20 feet away. You sit under a buzzing fluorescent light, gnawing away at it, hoping you forget this meal as soon as possible.

Indiana is like grapefruit juice. You want it to be good, yet no matter what you do it, it inevitably leaves a bitter aftertaste in your mouth. You run for the toothbrush of basketball season, only to discover that grapefruit juice plus toothpaste is a combination that belongs in the next Saw movie.

Iowa is IKEA furniture. Not many things are both trendy and popular, but IKEA and the Hawkeyes both are right now. IKEA because it's cheap; Iowa because a weary football nation sees the Hawkeyes as the last best hope for a Buckeye-free BCS. Thus millions are willing to overlook the common flaws of each: They're kind of funny looking, nobody is really sure how long either will hold up, and you're not sure you can believe them when they say that the STANZI coffee table goes with the FERENTZ armchair, the ANGERER TV stand, and the MOEAKI floor lamp.

Michigan is a BMW with the first-generation iDrive system. From the outside, everybody can see that you've got a Bimmer, and a fairly new one at that. It's easy to be impressed. That's good news for you, because you're sitting inside the car with absolutely no idea how to change the radio station or keep the defroster from running full blast all summer long. But you look like a player.

Michigan State is any article of clothing from the late Steve & Barry's. I loved Steve & Barry's, mostly because I am a horribly cheap individual. Buying clothes there was a bit risky, though. Some things would hold up as well as anything else you could buy. Some things fell to tatters the third time you wore them. You didn't know which you had until one day you were out walking and all of a sudden there's a little trickle of cold air in your armpit or your crotch or some other place where cold air is not supposed to be felt on a fully clothed body and OH CRAP IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN.

Minnesota is MTN DEW. New container, same product, same tendency to keep you up nights if you take in too much of it.

Northwestern is a gas station burrito. They're as tasty on offense as the burrito is in your mouth. Then they go on defense, the burrito hits your intestines, and all of a sudden you wish there was somebody around who could keep bad things from happening.

Ohio State is a Buick Century. Designed as an unhip car for unhip people, the Century couldn't outrun or outdazzle anything on the road. While at one time driving a Buick meant you were too rich for a Chevy and too humble for a Cadillac, those were different times and different Buicks. Your neighbors will tell you, "Hey, nice car." But you you know the minute they get in their Altimas and Passats they're laughing at you and your "ask me about my grandchildren" car.

Yet, no matter how much scorn and abuse gets heaped on it, it just won't die. It starts on the coldest, bleakest mornings. It may never run perfectly, but it'll run okay longer than most cars will run at all. It'll even keep running long after you yourself are sick of it. The only way to get rid of it is to drive around parking lots looking for an Anti-Buick you can park it next to, hoping that the violent explosion which follows doesn't ignite the entire universe.

Penn State is Beeman's gum. You thought it was gone, but it came back, looking like it had never left.

Purdue is the wretched combination of Adobe Flash and Windows Vista. It works well until it doesn't. Then your browser crashes, three other programs stop working, there are security alerts all over the place, and just when you really need Task Manager, CTRL-ALT-DELETE gets you ten seconds of a black screen followed by a dialog box telling you that Vista failed to create Security Options. You sit there wondering why they ever decided to do it like that.

Wisconsin is RC Cola. It tastes a little different. Some people like it. Some don't. Everybody agrees that it's not as big as Coke or Pepsi.

Right. The games.

ILLINOIS @ INDIANA

If either team wins this game, it'll be a miracle. Indiana 23, Illinois 20.

DELAWARE STATE @ MICHIGAN

Delaware State is a ~~Division I-AA~~ Football Championship Subdivision school. They are giving up, on average, almost 400 yards per game. They have scored, on average, a little over 14 points per game. Last week the DSU Hornets lost at home to Bethune-Cookman. It was Bethune-Cookman's first win of the season; they lost to ~~Division II~~ (oh, wait, it's still called Division II) Shaw in their season opener.

I thought that this, plus Michigan's explosive offense, would combine to make a game so stinky that not even the Big Ten Network would show it. I thought wrong. Oh well. Enjoy the game, Wolverines; you probably deserve something to smile about after last week. Michigan 66, Delaware State 7.

Know Your Nonconference Tomato Can: Delaware State

Located in Delaware's capital city of Dover, Delaware State University is part of America's proud tradition of historically black colleges and universities. DSU was founded in 1891 as the State College for Colored Students before becoming Delaware State College in 1947 and Delaware State University in 1993.

Despite being in the same state and same NCAA division as the University of Delaware, the two schools did not meet in football until 2007, and then only because both schools made the FCS playoffs. Earlier this season, they played their first regular season game.

DSU is a small school, enrolling only about 3,700 students.Its best known alumnus is Dr. Clyde Bishop, the US ambassador to the Marshall Islands. That sounds like a pretty good gig to me.

NORTHWESTERN @ MICHIGAN STATE

The story here is injuries; namely, how will Sparty react to losing starting running back Glenn Winston for the season with a torn ACL? Larry Caper appears ready to step in, but even he tweaked his knee in last week's Illinois game. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is expected to start this week after missing most of the Illinois game with a sore ankle.

Northwestern, meanwhile, is healthy, but their 16-6 loss to Miami (Ohio) last week was yet another unimpressive outing for the Wildcats. Things are bound to get better for NU soon, and a bowl game awaits, but they won't get any closer to it this week. Michigan State 30, Northwestern 17.

MINNESOTA @ PENN STATE

This is one of those games that looks dangerous on paper because the teams have similar records and their overall statistics aren't that far off. Where the teams differ is in overall talent and most particularly depth. Minnesota has come a long way from their 1-11 2007 season, but doesn't yet have all the parts to make a run at the conference title. There are individual Gophers who are as good as their counterparts on any Big Ten team (Eric Decker, for one, who I'm not sure is even human) but football is a team sport.

This is the first game of a brutal road trip for Tim Brewster's team, who travel to Columbus next week. Penn State will play three of its final five games on the road, but they won't face 30% of the challenges the Gophers will. The Nits are lying in wait for the Buckeyes; Minnesota's only real hope is that Penn State is thinking more about that game than this one. I wouldn't bet on that. Penn State 28, Minnesota 16.

OHIO STATE @ PURDUE

Two reasons not to be so glum, oh ye Purdubious: You probably won't lose this game in the last minute, and Illinois is coming to town next week. Ohio State 45, Purdue 20.

IOWA @ WISCONSIN

Here it is, the sole Big Ten game this week which can be described as "watchable." Wisconsin is still reeling from its "How did we lose that game?" performance in the Horseshoe last Saturday, while Iowa continues to whistle past the graveyard.

The Badgers' well-balanced, potent offense means that Iowa can't leave eight in the box, which is the usual defensive game plan for beating Wisconsin. Arkansas State and Michigan exposed some vulnerabilities in the Hawkeye pass defense; now it's up to Scott Tolzien, Nick Toon, and Garrett Graham to exploit them.

That's assuming that John Clay doesn't just take this game on his shoulder and run with it. If Clay has early success, he'll put the Iowa defense back on its heels and force Ricky Stanzi to play with urgency. The problem for WIsconsin is that you never know which John Clay you're going to get.

Wisconsin's defense gives up a lot of points, however, and that will help keep the Hawkeyes in this game. Nothing's going to be easy for Iowa this year, this game included, but somehow Kirk Ferentz will find a way to hold on. Again. Iowa 31, Wisconsin 30.

Next week's games:

Penn State @ Michigan: Key to UM's dreams of a good bowl is winning this game
Iowa @ Michigan State: Promises to be another wild shootout
Indiana @ Northwestern: Cats want revenge; IU kept them from Capital One Bowl last season
Minnesota @ Ohio State: Another week of Buckeye target practice?
Illinois @ Purdue: The Illini's last shot at victory?

Pickin' on the Big Ten: Teams for Sale originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pickin' On the Big Ten: Is the Peter Principle Making Illinois Ill?

Mark Hasty — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin

Every Thursday, Pickin' On the Big Ten stays late to run the TPS reports on the coming weekend's games.

In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.

The above statement is better known as the Peter Principle, and if it doesn't make sense to you, join the club. I didn't get it the first 1,378 times I read it. Now I recognize it for what it is. It's an overly intellectual way of saying "People who do a good job keep getting promoted until they wind up in a job they can't do."

So what does this have to do with Illinois, you ask?

Oh, come on. Like you don't know I'm writing about Ron Zook.

Look, I don't mean to pass judgment on Ron Zook the person. That's not my place at all. I don't even intend to pass judgment on whether Ron Zook can coach football or not. He obviously can; you don't rise to his level without having some coaching chops, after all. I'm just questioning whether he's actually meant to be a head coach.

On the surface that sounds ridiculous. Rip his name off the top of his resume and ask me if you would have hired him. He was personally associated with one of the best college football programs of the 1990s, serving on the staff of a coach widely thought to be at the top of his profession. Not only that, but he also had significant experience in the NFL, where he worked with Bill Cowher. Other coaches he had worked for? Try Johnny Majors and Frank Beamer.

Along the way he earned a reputation as one of college football's most energetic and tenacious recruiters. Was Florida nuts to give him the head coaching job back in 2002?

Well, sort of, given that he'd never been head coach anywhere at any level. Head coaching isn't the same as position coaching or coordinating. Not every great coordinator pans out as a head coach. Not every great head coach would make a good coordinator or position coach. They're just different skills.

Problem was, there was no place for Zook to go except into the head coaching ranks.

Three years later, was Illinois nuts to give Ron Zook the head coaching job? Not really. There just wasn't enough of a body of work available to judge his talents. He lost too many games, but the expectations in Gainesville were flying higher than Michael Crabtree's self-image. He did manage to win three straight road games against top-11 teams, and he beat 13-win teams in back-to-back seasons. Not everything was bad.

Now, well, we sort of know. He had one great season in which he got the Illini to the Rose Bowl. Otherwise, it looks like "head coach" is not the best job title for Zook to pursue. Give him a title like "assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator," then pair him up with some charm-free Xs-and-Os genius of a head coach. In that role Zook's worth at least $300,000 a year. But as a head coach? Not really. He's reached the level of his incompetence.

Right. The games.

MICHIGAN STATE @ ILLINOIS

Speaking of the Peter Principle, could it also apply to Zook's star recruit of all star recruits, Juice Williams?

You could make the case. As a freshman Williams showed incredible promise coupled with maddening inconsistency. As a sophomore who was just one of many weapons in the arsenal, he helped lead the Illini to the Rose Bowl. As a junior who had to carry water for the offense while the defense put the hurt on people, he was marginal. Now, as the only real playmaker on a team that was allegedly loaded with them, he's been benched.

As Williams' role got bigger, he was less and less able to meet expectations. Zook now won't even say how he's going to use Williams, except that he won't line up at running back or wide receiver. My opinion? Juice went to his coach and said, "Look, this season's lost, and I realize now I'll probably never play quarterback in the NFL. But maybe I can still make it to the pros. Give me a chance to run back kicks; maybe I'm the next Joshua Cribbs."

Given the way Illinois' defense is playing, and the way Michigan State's offense is playing, then if that's what Wiliams wants, he's going to get a good start on his highlight reel this week. Michigan State 38, Illinois 20.

INDIANA @ VIRGINIA

Virginia: Awful, despite beating North Carolina last week.

Indiana: Not awful, despite losing to Ohio State last week. Indiana 20, Virginia 6.

MICHIGAN @ IOWA

We could've had a real Game of the Century of the Week on our hands, but no, the Wolverines had to lose to Sparty last weekend. Tate Forcier can blame himself all he wants to, but no team comes down to just one guy, and no game ever really comes down to just one play. You still can't win in the Big Ten without a pretty good defense, and Michigan does not yet have one.

Of course, you can't win without an offense either, and you could argue that Iowa still doesn't have one. At the risk of negating everything I said in the previous paragraph, Arkansas State showed the best way to defend against the Hawkeyes: stuff the run and make Ricky Stanzi throw a lot. In the first half of last week's game, this looked like a profoundly stupid strategy. In the second half, it almost worked. I still think a team is a lot more than one guy, but 24 points isn't going to beat Michigan. If Stanzi comes out cold or falters for a quarter, the Hawks could easily lose this game, Kinnick Stadium magic or not.

Then again, Michigan hasn't faced a defense close to as good as the one it's about to face. Iowa 28, Michigan 26.

PURDUE @ MINNESOTA

Attention Purdue fans: Since I'm batting .000 when it comes to calling out coaches (the three I've called out this season have all won every game since), I want you to know that I'm now accepting offers to make Danny Hope the lead of next week's Pickin'.

You might not need to after this week, though. Purdue and Minnesota are basically the same team. They're both pass-wacky but can't defend the run at all. The only real difference between them? Purdue has a proven running back. Minnesota doesn't. Always go with the team that can strike at its opponent's weakness. Purdue 34, Minnesota 31.

FAKE MIAMI @ NORTHWESTERN

Fake Miami has lost 10 games in a row, all by at least 10 points.

Northwestern has been at least modestly disappointing in four of its five games this season. Last week Purdue turned the ball over six times and still came within one play of beating the Wildcats.

NU might get running back Stephen Simmons back this week. Simmons hasn't played since the second game of the season. If he does play, it will be in a limited role behind Arby Fields. I wouldn't play him, though. Why risk aggravating his injury in a game in which he probably won't be needed? Northwestern 35, Fake Miami 10.

WISCONSIN @ OHIO STATE

Ohio State has played lights out since losing to USC. It has been nothing short of dominant in its last three games. Of course, those games have been against Toledo, Illinois, and Indiana. Not exactly Murderers Row, you know?

But could you put Wisconsin on Murderers Row? Their 5-0 record would suggest that you could, and if it's possible to kill an opponent with passing, Scott Tolzien is just the man to do it. As long as John Clay can stay at the level he played at last week, there isn't a great defensive game plan to beat the Badgers.

Sometimes the best defense is a good offense, however, and OSU has one. Wisconsin, meanwhile has given up at least 20 points to every team it has played except for Wofford. The Badgers don't have the defense to go into Columbus and win, but there's a chance this could be the last time the Badgers lose this season. Ohio State 30, Wisconsin 27.

EASTERN ILLINOIS @ PENN STATE

Joe Paterno would like you to know that Eastern Illinois is a very good football team. They have a quarterback who transferred from Iowa and a running back who transferred from Michigan. They deserve nothing but the utmost respect and this is going to be a very, very tough game. People who think Penn State's nonconference schedule is a bit too soft just don't get it.

Count me among those who just don't get it. Penn State 41, Eastern Illinois 3.

Know Your Nonconference Tomato Can: Eastern Illinois

Yes, I know. Except for Wofford, this season's tomato cans have pretty much been teachers' colleges gone Hollywood. But hang on, here's one that actually sends people to Hollywood.

Located in the downstate burg of Charleston, tantalizingly close to the greater Mattoon metropolitan area, Eastern Illinois University can boast some big-name acting talent among its alumni. Three-time Oscar nominee Joan Allen has a degree from EIU, for instance. Then there's three guys who went to Eastern without graduating but still managed to make a name for themselves in Hollywood: Burl Ives, Jerry Van Dyke and John Malkovich.

But what does EIU have to do with football? Plenty. EIU is the alma mater of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who is pretty Hollywood himself. He's not the only Panther to make a name in the NFL, either. Current head coaches Brad Childress (Minnesota) and Sean Payton (New Orleans) also played football for Eastern Illinois, as did long-time Raider and Bronco coach Mike Shanahan. That's not bad for a school of 12,000 students located at least two hours from anyplace.

Next week's games:

Illinois @ Indiana: Amazingly, one team is guaranteed to win
Delaware State @ Michigan: I checked; DSU actually exists
Northwestern @ Michigan State: a/k/a Disappointment Bowl II
Minnesota @ Penn State: Potential trap game for the Nits
Ohio State @ Purdue: Potential trap month for the Buckeyes
Iowa @ Wisconsin: At least there's one game worth watching

Pickin' On the Big Ten: Is the Peter Principle Making Illinois Ill? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pickin' On the Big Ten: Wake Me Up When Spartember Ends

Mark Hasty — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10

Every Thursday, Pickin' On the Big Ten tries to make sense out of the upcoming weekend's games.

It was not supposed to be like this for Mark Dantonio and the Michigan State Spartans. Sure, they lost in the Capital One Bowl last season, but not by much, which is why many people tagged them as the Big Ten's third-best team going into this year. It was going to be hard to replace Brian Hoyer and Javon Ringer, but at long last things were looking up for Sparty.

Now, after a heart-shattering 1-3 start, things are still looking up, if only because "up" is the only direction left. Now it's time to pull the wreckage of this season out of the ditch to see what can be salvaged.

The news isn't all bad. There isn't an unwinnable game left on the schedule, and all the really good teams they still have to play are coming to East Lansing. The Spartans have proven they can score points, which was a huge concern in the preseason.

But ugh, that defense. Everybody's throwing on the Spartans. The numbers have got to be killing Dantonio. Try a 65.2 percent opponents' completion rate for starters. How about giving up five touchdown passes for every interception? And only 17 schools have given up more first downs on passing plays than MSU has. Fortunately, two of those schools are Western Michigan and Purdue, who are still on the schedule. A bowl game certainly isn't out of the question. Getting back to New Year's Day probably is at this point.

Is Michigan State the Big Ten's biggest disappointment of September? Probably. You could make a case for Illinois, since the Illini have been all but useless against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents. However, in order to be a disappointment, people first have to expect something of you, and I didn't expect anything from Illinois this season. Likewise, not many had Northwestern pegged as a .500 team at the end of September. I thought their defense would be a lot better than it has proven to be.

Okay, now, before we get on to the games, let me just address one little topic. A number of you have been wondering what happened to the funny team names. The guys at Black Heart Gold Pants had me as a guest on their podcast this week and asked that very question. I'll tell you what I told them. After 11 seasons of writing this column, I'm just plain out of ideas for the team names. Dropping them was nobody's decision but my own. Besides, I know they were confusing some of you.

This is where you come in.

I'll make a deal: If one of you comes up with team names for one game every week, I'll come up with names for one game as well. You can scroll down to the bottom of the page to see next week's games. Give it your best shot and send the results to me at pickbigten@gmail.com. The winner gets immortalized in the column, which is my polite way of saying that I don't have any prizes to give you.

Right. The games.

PENN STATE at ILLINOIS

For Penn State, there are two possible ways they can play in their first game after yet another season-altering loss to Iowa. They're the same two options any team has after a letdown. Option A is to recognize that the season is far from over, there are still many things to play for, and this is the first game of their undefeated last two-thirds of the season. Penn State is a team which doesn't lack leadership and talent. Ohio State can be had. They got them last year in Columbus, didn't they? With a little help from the rest of the conference, another Rose Bowl bid could be theirs. All they have to do is TCB from here on out.

Option B is to collapse in a giant cloud of fear, panic, feathers, and clucking, sort of like when a chicken truck overturns on the freeway during rush hour. This is the option Illinois appears to have chosen during the first quarter of the Missouri game.

Possessors of enough offensive firepower that they could have a seat on the UN Security Council, the Illini have scored a grand total of zero touchdowns against FBS opponents. It isn't enough to say that their passing offense, despite the presence of Juice Williams, is the worst in the Big Ten. It's the fifth-worst in the nation. Granted, they've played one few game than most teams, but who's further down the list than they are? The three service academies and Eastern Michigan.

Given these facts, what are the odds that Illinois can get anything at all done against the Big Ten's statistically-best defense? About the same as a runaway chicken's chances against six lanes of Buicks, I'd say. Penn State 28, Illinois 3

OHIO STATE at INDIANA

The last person to score on the Buckeyes was USC's Stafon Johnson, who I sincerely hope is doing well. Let us not forget that the USC game was in week two, and it's now week five.

However, I predict that the scoreless streak ends this week. Indiana's offense has really come together since their opening-night scare from Eastern Kentucky, but what is making the difference right now for the Hoosiers is the one biggest question everybody had about them in the offseason: the run defense. Of the two teams in this game, one has allowed fewer yards on the ground than the other. Ohio State is not that team.

Of course, one reason why is because IU's pass defense is a little soft. It's not bad. It just isn't great. That should help OSU improve some of their passing numbers, which are among the very worst in the Big Ten. (Wasn't Terrelle Pryor supposed to change all of that?)

The Buckeyes will learn what Michigan did last week: Indiana is no gimme. I don't think Ohio State loses this game, but you might have a hard time finding a unopened bottle of Pepto-Bismol in Columbus after this one is over. Ohio State 24, Indiana 10

ARKANSAS STATE at IOWA

Give Iowa credit: At least they're playing a good Sun Belt team.

The Red Wolves are a run-first kind of team. Tailback Reggie Arnold has scored seven touchdowns in three games and sits third among Sun Belt running backs in yards per game. Arkansas State was in a total dogfight last week with Troy, losing only because they bobbled a punt midway through the fourth quarter. That's not bad when you consider Troy outgained them by more than 200 yards. That's a testimony to the stoutness of ASU's defense, which held Nebraska to just 136 yards on the ground. It would be dangerous for Iowa to overlook the Red Wolves, particularly because the Hawkeye offense hasn't exactly been wonderful thus far.

(Seriously, Hawkeye fans, you know I'm one of you, so believe me when I say this: You do not want to go to a BCS game with this offense.)

Despite ASU's run-stopping ability, the Red Wolves have not intercepted a single pass this season. This could be a good game for Ricky Stanzi to build some confidence in the pocket, particularly since Iowa's defense is going to give him a big, big cushion to work with. As long as Iowa isn't looking ahead to next week and Michigan, they should easily win this game. Iowa 38, Arkansas State 0.

Know Your Nonconference Tomato Can: Arkansas State

Located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, atop the geological oddity known as Crowley's Ridge, Arkansas State has grown from its original role as a regional agriculture school to become a full-fledged university offering doctorates in biomedical sciences, educational leadership, environmental science, and something called "heritage studies."

With over 11,000 students, ASU is Arkansas' third-largest university and boasts a proud heritage in football. The Red Wolves (formerly the Indians) just moved up to Division I-A in 1992 but before then had already produced two players familiar to many NFL fans: New York Giants running back Maurice Carthon and linebacker Bill Bergey, who spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, went to four Pro Bowls, and was at one point the NFL's highest-paid defensive player. Other notable ASU alumni include current Arkansas governor Mike Beebe and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Cleo Lemon.

MICHIGAN at MICHIGAN STATE

Revenge Week was supposed to be last week, but go ahead. Tell Rich Rodriguez and his team. I dare you.

We've already detailed Sparty's struggles in the intro to this column. I'd like to believe that Mark Dantonio can get his team up for this game, but MSU just has too much inertia to overcome in a single week. Tate Forcier should be able to shred the Spartan secondary.

That's a good thing, because Michigan State's Two-Headed Quarterbeast ought to be able to do the same to Michigan's "is this really a Michigan defense?" defense. One of these weeks the Wolverines are not going to be able to score 30 points, and then they'll be in trouble. It won't be this week, but until the Michigan defense gets better, defeat looms in the relatively near future. So enjoy your revenge, Wolverines. Michigan 45, Michigan State 41.

WISCONSIN at MINNESOTA

Now that Minnesota has an outdoor stadium, shouldn't they be playing this game in November?

Wisconsin is a good team which could be a great team if only their defense would stop letting opponents back into games. One of these days John Clay is going to wake up and realize he's the next great Wisconsin running back, but until that day, Scott Tolzien and his cadre of overlooked receivers are more than good enough to keep the Badgers in their games. If Wisconsin can force Minnesota into using their nickel package, that should open up enough space for Clay to bring the pain.

Tim Brewster seems to have calmed down some of his playcalling aggression, so he might be able to resist the temptation to make the Badgers run the ball. If he does, he'll find plenty of cracks in the Wisconsin defense and should be able to create scoring opportunities. So, unless Tim Brewster loses his mind and sells out the run defense to stop Scott Tolzien, Bucky's inability to put an opponent on ice should finally lose a game for them. Minnesota 27, Wisconsin 24.

NORTHWESTERN at PURDUE

The first of what figures to be many Disappointment Bowls in the Big Ten this season, this game features two teams that are absolutely being let down by their defenses. That's a shame, particularly for Northwestern. They brought back one of the most experienced units in the conference, a defense that was expected to help out an offense which more or less had to start from scratch. Instead, Mike Kafka's incredible start to the season is being overshadowed by their inability to hold most teams under 24 points.

The story is much the same at Purdue, but let's not ignore the elephant in the living room. I too have no idea why Danny Hope called that time out against Notre Dame last week. Situationally, it looked like the wrong thing to do. Before you come crashing down on Hope's head, though, remember that no football game actually comes down to a single play. Games are always won and lost before the last few plays of the game, even if those last few plays wind up changing the lead. You can always find a few coulda-woulda-shouldas earlier in the game which may have changed the outcome. So cut Hope a little slack, okay? But only a little, because it sure didn't make sense to me either.

This game boils down to a question of which stinky defense can stink the least. The two offenses are essentially interchangeable, so who do you trust? I'll trust the team that didn't just lose at home by eleven points. Purdue 37, Northwestern 28.

Next week's games:

Michigan State at Illinois: A momentary reprieve for somebody
Indiana at Virginia: This could be the game that finally gets Al Groh fired
Michigan at Iowa: Front-runner for Overhyped Big Ten Game of the Year
Purdue at Minnesota: This might actually be a good game
Fake Miami at Northwestern: This, however, will not
Wisconsin at Ohio State: Buckeyes playing three trap games in a row?
Eastern Illinois atPenn State: Why? Seriously, why?

Pickin' On the Big Ten: Wake Me Up When Spartember Ends originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pickin' On the Big Ten: V for Vendetta

Mark Hasty — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:45:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin

Every Thursday, Pickin' On the Big Ten previews the weekend's action, settling the scores before the scores are settled.

Penn State has declared that Saturday night's game with Iowa will be a "whiteout" game. That distinction is usually reserved for games of the utmost importance, and if you don't know why this game is so important to the Nittany Lions, you must not remember what happened last year in Iowa City. A Daniel Murray field goal put the Hawkeyes on top and ended any hopes Penn State had of ~~getting blown out by Florida~~ playing in the BCS National Championship Game. It's time for revenge.

Penn State, however, is not the only Big Ten team with a little revenge on its mind this weekend.

In Columbus, Ohio State has a score to settle with Illinois. The last time the Illini came to Columbus, back in 2007, Ron Zook's unranked team knocked off the No. 1 Buckeyes, 28-21. The loss didn't prevent Ohio State from ~~getting beat by LSU~~ playing in the BCS National Championship Game but it was an unwelcome humiliation that exposed some weaknesses. Would the Buckeyes like to exact revenge on the wobbling Illini? You don't need a Magic 8 Ball to tell you the answer.

Elsewhere in the conference, several teams aren't looking to settle old scores but do find themselves with things to prove. There's even another matchup of undefeated teams and oh boy, did we not see this one coming.

INDIANA @ MICHIGAN

The last time the Hoosiers beat the Wolverines was in 1987. That's a long time ago. The last time they beat the Wolverines in Ann Arbor was twenty years before then, in 1967. Jimi Hendrix was still alive; Kurt Cobain was seven months old.

After an eye-wateringly bad performance against Eastern Kentucky in the season opener, Bill Lynch's team has turned a corner of sorts, beating Western Michigan in a thriller and going on the road to Akron to win in an impressive performance last Saturday. The Hoosiers have installed a triple-threat running attack like they said they wanted to, but most impressive has been IU's improvement on defense.

Michigan, meanwhile, you know about. They didn't need any dramatics to beat that same Western Michigan team. They got a clutch win against Notre Dame, and they roughed up Eastern Michigan, who gave Northwestern more fight than the Wildcats were hoping for. They're off to a great start as well.

I'd like to think that Indiana has a real shot in this game. The improved defense along with a running game that is just starting to roll will probably make this game a little closer than Michigan partisans will be hoping for and may cause some reassessment of just how far "back" the Wolverines have come. However, the Hoosiers just haven't faced an offense with the kind of firepower Michigan can bring. As long as the Wolverines don't screw themselves over with turnovers and penalties, they should get some separation on IU in the second half. Michigan 34, Indiana 17.

MINNESOTA @ NORTHWESTERN

Northwestern lost to Syracuse last week. That could be my whole preview for this game.

Okay, so Syracuse doesn't look quite as dreadful this season as they have in recent years. It's kind of sad, though, that Northwestern's defense got caught in the lurch as many times as it did last week. That effectively negated a truly amazing performance by NU quarterback Mike Kafka, who was darn near brilliant last week (35 of 42 for 390 yards; 3 TDs against 1 INT, plus a touchdown reception). Still, how do you hold a team to 2 of 12 on third down, as Northwestern did last week, and still let the Orange get in position for a game-winning field goal? Northwestern has a lot of growing to do on defense.

Minnesota lost last week as well but it wasn't a bad loss, as if any loss was ever good. They hung with California, a legitimate top-ten team in my eyes, well into the fourth quarter. If Jahvid Best hadn't been in the game the Gophers might easily have won.

So far Tim Brewster's efforts to reestablish Minnesota as a rushing team haven't exactly panned out. The Gophers haven't rushed for more than 112 yards in any game and were held to just 37 yards last week by Cal. Good. Less running means more passing, which means more Eric Decker, which means more times when we all wonder how this guy slipped under so many radar screens when he was in high school. It's hard to think of a college team Decker would not start for.

Northwestern's faltering defense leaves the offense with little margin for error. That's not such a good thing when you're facing a team which just had to deal with the best running back in the country. NU will have to throw to beat the Gophers, but then, Mike Kafka is coming off an incredible week of throwing the ball and the Minnesota secondary can be beaten. This game could turn into a shootout; if it does, I think that favors the Gophers. Minnesota 38, Northwestern 31.

ILLINOIS @ OHIO STATE

As previously mentioned, Ohio State has a score to settle with Illinois. Nobody comes into the Horseshoe and wins without becoming a target. Some targets the Buckeyes can't hit; some they can. Illinois? Very hittable.

The Illini have only played two games, losing big to Missouri and having an easy time with Illinois State prior to taking last week off. Juice Williams was hurt early in the Illinois State game but is expected back. He hasn't attempted a pass since September 5, and that might be a bigger concern.

Meanwhile, Arrelious Benn is expected to return from the high ankle sprain he suffered against Missouri. Rejus has caught only one pass this season. Look for him to be a much larger part of the offense this week, assuming he's healthy.

Illinois will also have to do without middle linebacker Martez Wilson, lost for the season with a neck injury. Wilson was expected to anchor the Illinois defense but had come under criticism in some corners for not being aggressive enough, particularly in tackling. Regardless, Wilson would have helpful in defending against Terrelle Pryor's mobility, so he'll be missed.

As for Ohio State, they certainly worked out their frustrations against Toledo last week, blanking the Rockets 38-0. By now Jim Tressel probably has his team's confidence back at an acceptable level. Blowing up Illinois would go a long, long way towards getting the Buckeye swagger back. With Illinois having questions on defense and injuries on offense, and Ohio State looking for payback, well, kaboom. Ohio State 31, Illinois 10.

IOWA @ PENN STATE

I don't care that Keith Jackson is 80 years old and retired. He should be broadcasting this game. It's his sort of game. Two teams known for the strength, size and prowess of their "big uglies," two teams with quite a recent history between them, the two longest-tenured coaches in the conference, going at each other in the first game of the conference season in front of the whole nation. That's a situation that just calls for Keith Jackson. Plus there's at least a slight chance we'd get to hear Keith say the name "Derrell Johnson-Koulianos." How brain-flipping awesome would that be? Answer: very.

These two teams are known for the stoutness of their defenses, and that's where all the intrigue will be in this game. The outcome will depend on which team can force the other team's offense to do something it really doesn't want to do, before that offense forces the defense out of its comfort zone.

For instance, Iowa has been almost impossible to pass on so far this season. If Penn State can find a way to move the ball through the air, that should open up the running lanes for Evan Royster and his backfield brethren. But if the Hawkeyes can make it clear that Daryll Clark's passing isn't going to beat them, they'll have the luxury of selling out to stop the run and watching Penn State go three-and-out over and over again.

On the other hand, Iowa really doesn't want to run the ball. I mean, they want to run the ball, but they know they're not experienced and haven't faced a front seven like Penn State's. Penn State can probably leave eight in the box and keep the Hawkeyes from going anywhere.

Thus we have the key to success for each offense. Penn State needs to attack Iowa's known liability, the underneath crossing routes. The sooner they force Iowa to keep a linebacker back from the line of scrimmage, the sooner Evan Royster can really start pounding the rock. Iowa needs essentially the same thing. If they force the Nits to leave a fourth man in coverage, their two-tailback scheme might soften up and confuse that front seven. Even though the strength of each defense is different, the strategy for moving the ball is essentially the same and the first team to get the passing game going will have a huge advantage.

That is not good news for the Hawkeyes. Ricky Stanzi plays like Peyton Manning in the second half of games, but in the first half he plays like Ryan Leaf. You hate to think that a team's chances in a game this big come down to one guy, but if Stanzi comes out as cold as he's come out in every game this season, Iowa doesn't have much of a chance. Daryll Clark and his cadre of disrespected wideouts will find a crack or two in the Hawkeye pass defense, but it won't be easy.

Stanzi has never started in a road game this big before and no, the Iowa State game doesn't count. I'm not saying I don't believe in him; I'm just saying I don't trust him to come out firing on all cylinders. Penn State 20, Iowa 17.

NOTRE DAME @ PURDUE

"I don't think anybody has an answer for Ralph Bolden," I wrote last week. Well, Northern Illinois sure did, holding Purdue's leading rusher to just 64 yards on 12 carries. What was their secret? Ball control. Bolden can't rush the ball if he's not on the field.

Notre Dame figures to go to the running game a little more often this week now that Michael Floyd has been lost for the season. Their run defense will have to improve somewhat if they want to keep this from being too much of a game. The Irish allowed both Nevada's Vai Taua and Michigan's Brandon Minor to go over 100 yards. If Bolden gets even a sniff of that sort of success, the Boilermakers could make it an uncomfortable afternoon for Charlie Weis.

Purdue can't win this game, however. They don't have the defense to slow down the Irish, who have far more talent than they do. The Boilers can make a game of it, perhaps even through three quarters, but Jimmy Clausen is just getting too good. Notre Dame 34, Purdue 24.

MICHIGAN STATE @ WISCONSIN

Technically every game is a "must-win" for both teams, but man, Michigan State needs a win in the worst way. Back-to-back soulcrushing losses have many people writing the Spartans off. And why not? No one in East Lansing is happy with how the team has looked this year. Some fans are even turning on starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. Yes, he's only hitting on 65.7 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and one interception. Clearly, he's the problem. Can't be the league's second-worst running offense and absolute worst pass defense.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, is 3-0 but hasn't been impressive in any of its victories. Not even last week's scheduled beatdown of Wofford. The Badgers fumbled the ball six times against the Terriers and are lucky they only lost three of them. A better question, though, is why they're running the ball so much. Sure, they're Wisconsin, and that's what they do. They're not doing it as well as they used to, however. And what is this, a Wisconsin quarterback who can actually throw the ball well? Yes, that would be Scott Tolzien, currently second in QB rating among Big Ten starting quarterbacks. Who is he behind? You guessed it. Kirk Cousins. How dare he only lead the conference by 2.5 rating points!

Generally speaking it's a bad idea to pick a desperate, struggling team in a must-win game on the road. I think I'll stick to that logic. Wisconsin 27, Michigan State 26.

Next week's games:

Penn State @ Illinois: Trap game?
Ohio State @ Indiana: Definitely not a trap game
Arkansas State @ Iowa: A little bread and circus for the masses
Michigan @ Michigan State : Speaking of vendettas
WIsconsin @ Minnesota: A better game than you think
Northwestern @ Purdue: Fighting to stay alive in the race for Detroit

Pickin' On the Big Ten: V for Vendetta originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big Ten Suspends Zach Reckman

Michael David Smith — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:27:00 EST

Filed under: Purdue

The Big Ten announced on Wednesday that it has suspended Purdue offensive lineman Zach Reckman for one game as a result of a cheap shot following the final play of the Boilermakers' loss to Northern Illinois on Saturday, making it the second consecutive week that the conference has handed down a suspension for on-field misconduct.

The conference issued the following statement:

The Big Ten Conference office announced that it will impose a one-game suspension on Purdue University football student-athlete Zach Reckman for violating the Big Ten Sportslike Conduct Agreement during Purdue's game against Northern Illinois on Sept. 19, 2009.

The Big Ten determined that Reckman's actions at the end of the Northern Illinois contest violated Big Ten Conference Agreement 10.01.1.A.1 - "Striking or attempting to strike or otherwise physically abusing an official, opposing coach, spectator or athlete." The conference office also publicly reprimanded Reckman for his actions.

"We appreciate Purdue's and head coach Danny Hope's attention to this issue and feel a one-game suspension is appropriate," Commissioner James E. Delany said. "The behavior of Zach Reckman at the end of the Northern Illinois game is unacceptable and could have triggered a larger incident."

The Big Ten Conference considers this matter concluded and will have no further comment.

Reckman delivered a nasty hit on Northern Illinois's Sean Progar after the final play of the Boilermakers' loss, when Progar recovered a Purdue fumble and slid to the ground in front of Reckman. With Progar was already down, Reckman jumped on top of him -- and hit Progar's ribs with his right hand for good measure.

The Big Ten is clearly trying to send a message that it won't tolerate cheap shots on the field. Last week the conference suspended Michigan's Jonas Mouton for punching a Notre Dame player after a play.

Big Ten Suspends Zach Reckman originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Big Ten Suspend Purdue's Zach Reckman for Game-Ending Cheap Shot?

Michael David Smith — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:05:00 EST

Filed under: Northern Illinois, Purdue

Last week the Big Ten suspended Michigan's Jonas Mouton for punching a Notre Dame player after a play. But if the conference was trying to send a message that cheap shots won't be tolerated, not everyone got that message. Because Purdue's Zach Reckman delivered a nasty hit on Northern Illinois's Sean Progar after the final play of the Boilermakers' loss.

Progar recovered a Purdue fumble and slid to the ground in front of Reckman, clinching the win for Northern Illinois. After Progar was already down, Reckman jumped on top of him -- and hit Progar's ribs with his right hand for good measure. This wasn't a hard tackle, it was a blatant cheap shot after time expired.

Now the question is whether Reckman, a three-year starter for Purdue, will be suspended. Last week Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez refused to suspend Mouton, and that's when the Big Ten stepped in. If Purdue coach Danny Hope doesn't suspend Reckman, the Big Ten should.

Do you think he should be suspended? Tell me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith. Video via The Wiz of Odds.

Will Big Ten Suspend Purdue's Zach Reckman for Game-Ending Cheap Shot? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pickin' On the Big Ten: Jim Tressel Is Not On the Hot Seat

Mark Hasty — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10

Every Thursday, Pickin' On the Big Ten previews the weekend's action, or lack thereof.

There are weeks when many of us would trade lives with Jim Tressel. This is not one of those weeks.

Not only did his Buckeyes fail to finish USC when they had the Trojans on the ropes, Tressel also saw "Tresselball" ripped apart by Chris Brown of Smart Football, faced a fan base who want him fired three days ago, had to lash back at some of those same fans, discovered that one of USC's touchdowns may not have happened, and now he has to face a Toledo team that just mashed Colorado into goo.

Yes, there are a lot of reasons why you wouldn't want to be Jim Tressel this week, but "because he's on the hot seat" isn't one of them.

Here is what you have to do to stay off the hot seat at OSU: beat Michigan, and win the Big Ten a lot. Yes, these big-game losses sting, but all is forgotten in the October haze of thrashing all the Big Ten's darkhorse contenders.

Conversely, what do you have to do to get fired in Columbus? You must either (A) lose three or more games eight seasons in a row like Earle Bruce did, (B) lose to Michigan 10 times in 13 tries like John Cooper did, or (C) punch out a Clemson linebacker like Woody Hayes did.

It's hard to imagine Jim Tressel punching anybody, so let's forget about that. At Tressel's current rate of losing to Michigan once every eight years, he'll need until 2079 just to lose to them ten times. He'll have to go the Earle Bruce route before he gets canned. Even then it'll take until 2016 at the earliest.

Maybe Ohio State fans are cursing themselves, and their team, with low expectations. Maybe they're just realistic about what they can expect. Who knows? Bucknuts will be happy to tell you that they're the most dominant team in the Big Ten, even if the rest of the college football world thinks that's like saying you're the best-looking person at the truck stop. Pride is pride, and as long as there's something to brag about, everything is fine in Columbus.

Now, on to the games.

INDIANA @ AKRON

The Hoosiers finally got their ground game going against Western Michigan last week, with Demetrius McCray running for 134 yards and a touchdown. Now they're off to Akron as the first big-name opponent in the Zips' new InfoCision Stadium. Akron was pretty much useless against Penn State in the season opener but responded by blowing up Morgan State last weekend. Indiana is a little bit closer to Morgan State's level than it is to Penn State's level, but the Hoosiers should still be good enough to pull off the road win. Indiana 23, Akron 17.

ARIZONA @ IOWA

If you're only going to watch one Big Ten game this weekend, this should be it. On the face of things it looks like a total yawner: two defense-oriented teams, one with an offensive identity (Arizona), one without (Iowa). Sounds like a formula for a 7-6 punting festival, and that's how this could turn out.

There's tremendous backstory involving Arizona coach Mike Stoops, a former Hawkeye defensive back who had to coach for his job last season and succeeded. He and his little brother Mark, who is Arizona's defensive coordinator, now come back to Iowa City to try to get a signature road win for their ascending program.

Dee Stoops, mother of the Stoops brothers, is making the trip to Iowa City. Back in the 1980s, the Stoops family used to park their car at Kirk Ferentz's house on game days. I'm guessing that probably won't happen now; from what I gather, it's quite a walk from Kirk's new digs to Kinnick Stadium.

The Hawkeyes don't lose many games at Kinnick these days. Arizona is a solid team that just needs a little more offense, but you can ask Central Michigan about the Arizona defense. The Chippewas didn't get a touchdown on their trip to Tucson; East Lansing proved a bit friendlier.

Arizona has struggled to establish a passing game. Iowa is not the team you want to try to establish a passing game against. What Amari Spievey doesn't shut down, Tyler Sash and Brett Greenwood will intercept. Zona should stop Iowa's fragile rushing attack, but Ricky Stanzi is far more likely to get a hot hand than Arizona's Matt Scott. Welcome back, Mike; sorry things couldn't be more accomodating. Iowa 17, Arizona 10.

EASTERN MICHIGAN @ MICHIGAN

The Wolverines' stay in the top 25 could be short-lived if they can't beat EMU more convincingly than Northwestern did last week. NU needed a last-second field goal to beat Ron English's crew, who seem intent on letting everybody know they're tired of getting kicked around.

The Eagles haven't faced anything like what they're going to see from Rich Rodriguez's offense. Army is an option team, and they beat the Eagles. Northwestern is still rebuilding its offense, and they beat the Eagles. Michigan is getting pretty good at the spread option and, well, they're going to beat the Eagles too. Michigan 45, Eastern Michigan 7.

MICHIGAN STATE @ NOTRE DAME

I thought Mark Dantonio had made the Spartan's trademark Nonconference Brain Fart Game a thing of the past, but I guess not. Cultural change is a gradual process, after all.

The good news for Michigan State is that the old Bobby Williams/John L. Smith Spartans almost always followed up their annual Nonconference Brain Fart Game with a game where they played at near-apocalyptic levels of intensity. They will need that in South Bend against a Notre Dame crew eager to prove that they might belong in the top 25 after all.

This will be the best defense Michigan State has faced this season, though truthfully, Notre Dame's offense is probably on a par with Central Michigan's. That's not to say the ND offense is weak; CMU just has a pretty good offense. I've always had confidence in Mark Dantonio's ability to coach up a defense, but I'm a little less sure after MSU couldn't get big stops when they really needed them.

Nobody really wants to admit that Jimmy Clausen is getting better week by week, but he is. His experience will be the difference in this game. Notre Dame 28, Michigan State 24.

CALIFORNIA @ MINNESOTA

One week after it opened, TCF Bank Stadium gets its first big game. California is coming to town, bringing its scary good running back Jahvid Best. This is not what a team that beat Syracuse by a field goal really wants to see. Factor in that Cal has dropped half a hundred on both of its first two opponents (Maryland and Eastern Washington) and it's pretty hard to imagine Minnesota even coming close in this game.

But ... do you believe in TCF magic? Do you think the football gods will smile on the Gophers for going back outside, where football is meant to be played? Do you think Nate Triplett can play out of his mind once again and frustrate the usually reliable Cal offense? Do you think that a team which held Air Force under to 261 yards of rushing can do the same to Jahvid Best? Do you think that maybe, just maybe, the need to defend their new stadium will motivate the Gophers to shock the world and beat a top ten team?

Yeah, I don't think so either. I do think they'll hold the Bears under 50, though. California 38, Minnesota 13.

NORTHWESTERN @ SYRACUSE

So far Syracuse has played more Big Ten games than any Big Ten team has. This will be their third, and it's actually hard to predict what's going to happen here. It wouldn't have been so hard if Northwestern had been able to take care of business against Eastern Michigan last week. The Wildcats looked like anything but a great team last week, however.

Not only that but -- get this -- Syracuse actually scored a touchdown on Penn State last week. Sure, it was late and against the scrubs, but the fact that it happened at all represents considerable progress from last season.

It's still not enough, though. Northwestern should ride its running game straight into, and out of, the Carrier Dome. Northwestern 34, Syracuse 10.

OHIO STATE "@" TOLEDO (game played at Cleveland)

You've already had enough talk about Tresselball this week, and so have I. So let's talk about Toledo and their chances of running with the Buckeyes. Through two games, the Rockets are averaging more than 550 yards of offense and 34.5 points per game. Toledo quarterback Aaron Opelt has already thrown for almost 750 yards with a TD/INT ratio of 7/2.

This performance has come against Purdue, who has some serious defensive issues, and Colorado, whose defense is a figment of Dan Hawkins' imagination. More to the point, Toledo has given up almost 500 yards a game as well. Purdue's offense is clicking and Colorado's isn't quite as terrible as you might think, while Ohio State has looked like a team with some work to do.

Here's a good chance for them to do that work. This won't be a big enough blowout to placate all the Ohio State fans, but it should put an end to Aaron Opelt's Heisman campaign. Ohio State 35, Toledo 17.

TEMPLE @ PENN STATE

If you're wondering when this ridiculously soft nonconference schedule is going to rear up and bite the Nittany Lions, next week would be a good place to start. Give Joe Paterno credit, though; he's holding down the scores so his offense doesn't get overconfident, while making his defense work as hard as it will have to down the stretch. That's what have to you do when your AD signs a contract with Dolly Madison to provide your nonconference opponents. Penn State 34, Temple 0.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS @ PURDUE

The Boilermakers were two points and several dozen mental errors away from beating Oregon on the road last week. The Huskies played Wisconsin tough and blew out Western Illinois last Saturday. To win here they'll have to find an answer to the question "How do we slow down Ralph Bolden?"

I'm not sure anybody has an answer to that question yet. Purdue 45, Northern Illinois 21.

WOFFORD @ WISCONSIN

Wisconsin is 2-0, but it's a soft 2-0. The Badgers have been unimpressive in both of their victories, letting Northern Illinois back into the game in the fourth quarter and needing double overtime to beat Fresno State.

If there's anything hopeful for the Badgers, it's that the passing game has been there when they needed it, unlike the last couple seasons, and that John Clay responded to his demotion the way you would hope he would have: by playing like a man with something to prove. Clay was brilliant last week against Fresno State. He busted a 72-yard touchdown run en route to 143 yards of total rushing. The defense, however ... yikes. It's going to be a long season if the Badgers don't find a way to stiffen up their D.

Right now Bret Bielema needs a solid, convincing win to get the fans believing that this year will be better than last year was. A visit from Wofford would seem to be just what they need, but Badger fans still haven't forgotten last season's near-loss to Cal Poly. If the Wofford game is like that, they'll be calling for Bielema's head all the way from Oshmilwaunamoc to Lake Winneboognish.

Wofford has absolutely no passing game, so the Badgers should prevail. Wisconsin 34, Wofford 3.

Know Your Nonconference Tomato Can: Wofford

Of all the colleges playing Division I football, one of them has to be the smallest, and here it is. Wofford College enrolls just 1,450 students, or about as many as the typical freshman biology lecture at a Big Ten school.

Located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Wofford College was founded in 1854 with money from the estate of Rev. Benjamin Wofford, a Methodist minister. The entire 170 acre campus is on the National Register of Historic Places. Wofford is highly ranked by US News and World Report and The Princeton Review. It shows in a student body with high grades and SAT scores. 58% of Wofford students graduated in the top 10% of their high school classes.

For such a small school, Wofford has made a couple notable contributions to the world of sports. Longtime Air Force Academy football coach Fisher DeBerry (pictured) is an alumnus, as is Jerry Richardson, owner of the NFL's Carolina Panthers. Not bad for a school that was in the NAIA as recently as 1988.

Next week's games:

Indiana @ Michigan: Sure hope the Hoosiers enjoyed being undefeated
Minnesota @ Northwestern: Return of three yards and a cloud of dust
Illinois @ Ohio State: Has Zook got one more upset in him?
Iowa @ Penn State: Somebody's dreams get crushed in this one
Notre Dame @ Purdue: Boilers' first experience against a good defense
Michigan State @ Wisconsin: Only one of these teams is for real

Pickin' On the Big Ten: Jim Tressel Is Not On the Hot Seat originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pickin' On the Big Ten: Can Anybody Here Coach This Game?

Mark Hasty — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10

Every Thursday, Pickin' On the Big Ten previews the weekend's action, even when the truth is ugly.

It was a bad week for vowels.

The seven Big Ten schools whose names start with consonants played anywhere from OK to brilliantly this past weekend. The four that start with vowels -- Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio State -- all dropped a pantload on the field.

Illinois gets a partial pass because Missouri has been on a nice run lately. Ohio State played a Navy team that usually goes bowling. Indiana struggled with a ~~Division I-AA~~ FCS school, but they're Indiana; you kind of expect these things from them after a while.

That leaves one school. Iowa. And if I was an Iowa fan ... wait. I am an Iowa fan. Make the jump and see what has me feeling punchy. I promise I'll get around to the games eventually.

The most galling thing, to me at least, is found by taking a look at Northern Iowa's roster. It would be one thing if Iowa had melted down against one of those tricky, speedy teams with a plethora of players from Florida, Texas, Georgia, and all those other states where quick athletes seem to grow like zucchini. I counted two Panthers from Florida, one from Arkansas, and two from Oklahoma. Otherwise, that roster is made up of Midwestern kids, the overwhelming majority of them from Iowa or a bordering state. These are all kids who should have been and probably were on Iowa's recruiting radar, but either weren't offered scholarships or felt they'd never get on the field.

UNI quarterback Pat Grace was a Rivals two-star recruit out of Sioux City. Carlos Anderson, the running back who outgained any of Iowa's backs, came out of the Kansas City area with two Rivals stars attached to his name. I could go on.

Mark Farley, Northern Iowa's head coach, made a little more than $205,000 last year. Kirk Ferentz made about $33,000 more than that per game last year. One coach had his team ready for the season opener. One apparently didn't.

Northern Iowa just about beat Iowa in Kinnick Stadium, with the players the Hawkeyes didn't really want, and after the game Ferentz couldn't say much besides "Gosh, they're a pretty good football team." Yes, it's clear that a pretty good football team could be assembled from Iowa's leftovers, so long as they were actually ready for the first game of the season and didn't fall to shreds if they lost their top running back.

(Oh, and by the way, Northern Iowa was also without its top running back. Derrick Law, the Panthers' leading returning rusher, was suspended and didn't play a down this past Saturday. Like the injured Hawkeye Jewel Hampton, Law wasn't the feature back last year either. Carlos Anderson redshirted last season and had never played in a college football game before.)

Go read what The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette's Mike Hlas wrote about Farley's postgame comments. "It's not a matter if UNI will beat Iowa," Farley said. "It's a matter of when it's going to happen. It should have happened today and we didn't make the play at the end. That's football." I don't doubt him. I just wonder why you so seldom hear Big Ten coaches say anything like that.

It's time to kill the whole notion that talent is what's holding the Big Ten back. It's not talent. It's coaching. There are just too many coaches who can't quite seem to put all the pieces together. It's not every coach. It's just too many of them.

Right. The games. I did promise you, after all.

ILLINOIS STATE @ ILLINOIS

Three words describing Illinois last week: Stink, stank, and stunk. You can make the argument that they lost Arrelious Benn and running back Jason Ford early and didn't have their other main running back, Daniel Dufrene, at all. I can make the point that none of those guys play defense.

Illinois State is coached by longtime Purdue defensive coordinator Brock Spack, who came into town with Joe Tiller and left with him too. During Tiller's tenure, Purdue was 6-2 against Illinois. Don't go expecting miracles, however. Illinois State is a couple years from hanging with the Illini for even a half.

BROCK	3
MOCK	48

Know Your Non-Conference Tomato Can: Illinois State

As with last week's school, Northern Iowa, Illinois State is a teachers' college gone big. Located about two hours southwest of Chicago, Illinois State has grown into a university which enrolls more than 20,000 students.

Teacher training is still a primary focus at ISU, which is one of the top ten producers of teachers in the United States. The art education program in particular has received multiple national honors. ISU is also home to one of two collegiate circuses in the United States.

Illinois State's best known alumnus is probably Richard Roeper, the Chicago Sun Times columnist who replaced Gene Siskel as Roger Ebert's partner on "At the Movies" after Siskel died. Roeper sometimes gets to review movies starring other Redbird alums, who include Gary Sinise, John Malkovich, Judith Ivey, and Gary Cole, who won't let you watch this game because he really needs those TPS reports.

WESTERN MICHIGAN @ INDIANA

The squeaker over Eastern Kentucky last week wound up not being the Big Ten's most humiliating performance of the weekend against an FCS team, but nobody would have guessed that Thursday night. Bill Lynch wanted to emphasize "downhill running" this season. How did that work out for the Hoosiers? They ran for 73 yards against EKU.

Last year, in their season opener, they ran for 297 yards against Western Kentucky. Those are two different teams, I know. Still, when you work to install a new wrinkle on offense and don't get any better results than that, maybe your plan wasn't quite as brilliant as you first thought.

Western Michigan made Michigan look fantastic last week, though once the Broncos got their offense booted up in the second half, they were able to make a few big plays against the Wolverines. The Hoosiers got killed by big plays last week. It'll happen again this week, except this time IU won't win the game.

WHAT'S A CUBIT?	31
HEY, WE'RE THE ONES BUILDING THE ARK	24

IOWA @ IOWA STATE

I've already harped on the Hawkeyes enough. In their defense, that was a patchwork offensive line they put out there last week. Guard Dace Richardson found himself playing tackle as Kyle Calloway spent a game in the Naughty Chair. Guard Julian Vandevelde wasn't fully recovered from surgery and still isn't, but he is expected to see some action. The unit should perform much, much better this week.

The Hawkeyes have not won in Ames since 2003. The visiting team has lost the last five games in this series. As with mutual funds, past performance is no guarantee of future results, but for Iowa, the omens aren't good. Iowa State did not struggle in their opening game, dispatching a respectable FCS team in North Dakota State, 34-17. Cyclone quarterback Austen Arnaud flourished in his first game under Paul Rhoads, who said he wanted to spread the field, and did. Arnaud threw for 227 yards and is always a threat to take off and run.

The Clones had trouble controlling NDSU's rushing attack. The Bison actually outrushed ISU, 210-204. This is not great news for Iowa unless they can establish a run game early, however.

I'm guessing that Iowa learned from its mistakes, isn't actually as bad as they looked last week, and will come out markedly improved with its offensive line closer to normal. Will it be enough to break the nightmarish road streak?

No.

WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS	13
SOMEBODY USUALLY DOES	17

NOTRE DAME @ MICHIGAN

All the renewed enthusiasm for both teams has to be tempered by the harsh reality that they beat Nevada and Western Michigan respectively. Last year's Irish team wouldn't have pitched the shutout, however, and last year's Wolverines wouldn't have won at all.

Neither team faced a defense which was anywhere near as good as the one they'll be facing this week. Do you go with Jimmy Clausen's greater experience and notable improvement? Or do you go with the poise of Tate Forcier and the catch-me-if-you-can speed of Denard Robinson? Who's going to be the first to find a crack in the defense that will probably stymie both offenses in the first half?

Denard Robinson will be the first, which is why I like Michigan in this game.

YEAH, BUT AT LEAST WE DON'T ... OH, WHO CARES?	10
NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS WE'RE GOING TO BE	16

CENTRAL MICHIGAN @ MICHIGAN STATE

Sparty was wonderful last week, but it was against Montana State. All the Spartans did is exactly what you would expect them to do against their first ever FCS opponent.

Central Michigan has a highly touted quarterback in Dan LeFevour, who is sort of like Tim Tebow, except he probably owns a parka. Last week Arizona absolutely shut down LeFevour and the rest of the Chippewa offense, holding them to 182 net yards and no touchdowns.

With all due respect to Mike Stoops, I think Mark Dantonio has his team playing slightly better defense than Arizona overall . Sparty's going to make it look easy again.

THE ONLY CURE IS LESS COWBELL	6
TOUGH LUCK; WE'RE THE AG SCHOOL	37

AIR FORCE @ MINNESOTA

This is it, the debut game for TCF Bank Stadium, the first new football venue in the Big Ten since, um, the Metrodome.

It's impossible to know right now if barely escaping Syracuse in the Carrier Dome is a bad sign for the Gophers. The 'Cuse looked better than they did at any point in the Greg Robinson era, so it's probably not all bad. The defense did manage to shut down the Orange for the entire second half, after all.

Meanwhile, Air Force was Air Force last week, piling up almost 500 yards of rushing in a 72-0 rout of Nicholls State, an FCS school which has been trying to install an Air Force-style option attack. This game will depend on how quickly the Gopher defensive line can assert itself, which should be quite quickly indeed given their size advantage. Minnesota opens their new stadium with a win, but don't get any bright ideas about Cal next week.

OFF WE GO	12
WHAT'S THAT BLUE STUFF OVER US?	28

EASTERN MICHIGAN @ NORTHWESTERN

Pat Fitzgerald, along with Joe Paterno and Mark Dantonio, is a distinct exception to the jaundiced view I currently hold of Big Ten coaching. He's maintained the high level of performance Gary Barnett established while holding on to the winning culture Randy Walker wanted to instill in the Wildcat program.

Last week's game against Towson taught us little about what the Wildcats can actually do. It's tempting to say that this week's game won't shed any more light, given that Eastern Michigan lost to Army last week. However, that was the first game for new Army Rich Ellerson, who was at Cal Poly last season. Go ask Wisconsin fans if Ellerson can coach. He just might be the guy to get Army going again.

As for this game, it'll be another laugher.

WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE YPSILANTI	0
BROUGHT TO YOU BY LITTLE DEBBIE	44

USC @ OHIO STATE

"I don't want to write this," he said, but he had to, even though Buckeye fans are about as sensitive as a rug burn.

You want something to give you hope? Okay, here it is: For one quarter against San Jose State, the Trojans looked about as unready and unsure of themselves as the Buckeyes did against Navy. Heck, USC was even down 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.

They were up 28-3 at halftime.

Believe me, I'd dearly love to be wrong about this, but I just don't think OSU has an answer for Southern Cal's explosiveness. Yeah, the Horseshoe is intimidating for the visiting team. Yeah, it's a rare chance to get one of these gol-danged smart-mouth Pac-10 teams on the Big Ten's home turf. If Navy's offense, which is as predictable as an episode of Dora the Explorer, skunked your defense, what are you going to do about USC?

The fans will be up for this one, until USC's up by two scores, which may not take long. Enthusiasm alone isn't going to get it done.

NOW, PLEASE GO AWAY	27
WE WERE ABOUT TO TELL YOU THAT	7

SYRACUSE @ PENN STATE

Unlike last week, Greg Paulus will be going against a team that historically has taken defense very seriously. Also unlike last week, Doug Marrone's defense will not be going up against a school that just changed its offensive scheme during the offseason. Not only that, but the game's in Happy Valley. If last week Syracuse fans found out how far they've come under their new coach, this week they'll find out how far they still have to go.

YOU'RE LUCKY THIS ISN'T BASKETBALL, JOE	6
THIS ISN'T BASKETBALL, GREG	31

PURDUE @ OREGON

Last week was a nice story for Purdue, a nightmare for Oregon. This week Purdue rolls into Autzen Stadium to face a Duck team that has something to prove -- to the nation, to their fans, and most of all to themselves.

Buried in all the warm fuzzies flowing from West Lafayette last Saturday was the undeniable reality that the Rockets threw the ball almost at will on the Boilermakers, who gave up 423 yards and two touchdowns through the air. The Oregon offense was comically bad in Boise; they'll look a lot better in front of the home crowd this week as Purdue stumbles into a nest of angry Ducks.

BACK TO LIFE, BACK TO REALITY	10
THE FIFTH DIMENSION USED TO WEAR OUR UNIFORMS	38

FRESNO STATE @ WISCONSIN

The Badgers' offense looked darned good against Northern Illinois last week, as quarterback Scott Tolzien was deadly accurate and Wisconsin's standard multipronged rushing attack was in evidence. The opener of what is widely assumed to be Bret Bielema's make-or-break season would have been an unqualified success but for the fact that the defense let NIU back into the game during the fourth quarter, getting burned on pass after pass. So the win has to be qualified.

Fresno State is fresh off a tuneup against UC-Davis and is known as a team that always plays to the closing whistle. The Bulldogs have fallen off from the level they were at a few years ago, but they're still a dangerous team and the Badgers will have their hands full. Fresno State wasn't challenged last week, though, and Wisconsin was. The Badgers are sure to have learned from the experience and aren't about to let what happened last week happen again.

DIDN'T YOU USE TO BE PAT HILL?	14
DIDN'T YOU USE TO BE BARRY ALVAREZ?	24

Next week's games:

Indiana @ Akron: Go to the sports bar and ask them to put this game on the big screen, I dare you
Arizona @ Iowa: Homecoming for Mike Stoops
Eastern Michigan @ Michigan: Homecoming for Ron English
Michigan State @ Notre Dame: Homecoming for demoralized Irish squad
California @ Minnesota: Got a bad feeling about this one
Northwestern @ Syracuse: Just join the conference already, Syracuse
Ohio State @ Toledo: Yes, AT Toledo
Temple @ Penn State: Al Golden won't want any more homecomings
Northern Illinois @ Purdue: Strangely, a must-win for Danny Hope
Wofford @ Wisconsin: Who comes up with this stuff?

Pickin' On the Big Ten: Can Anybody Here Coach This Game? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pickin' On the Big Ten, Week 1

Mark Hasty — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10

Every Thursday, Pickin' On the Big Ten previews the upcoming weekend's action in The Conference Everybody Loves to Hate.

Oh, it's here. It's finally, finally, finally here. No more depth-chart speculation, no more arguing about who is the best SAM in the conference, and only one more week until the game that will either restore the Big Ten's swagger or send it sobbing into the bathroom. The teams are ready, the stadiums are ready (well, except for Minnesota's), the cheerleaders and bands are ready, the vast charcoal forests of northern Michigan have been shaved to the ground, the beer cows of Wisconsin have been "milked" into millions of brown glass bottles ... it's time for some football, y'all.

So, grab a beverage, throw some cheddarwurst on the grill, and let's take a look at this weekend's action-packed slate of games, shall we?

Okay, who am I trying to kid, besides myself? You know and I know that the opening week schedule is always full of games you wouldn't be watching if it hadn't been almost nine months since you saw any college football. With one exception, maybe two, these games are such foregone conclusions that a trained baboon could pick them. It wouldn't even have to be a particularly smart baboon. Still, this weekend's games will answer many of the lingering questions from the offseason, so let's get right down to it.

ILLINOIS vs. MISSOURI (@ St. Louis)

This, by the way, would be the one definite exception to the Baboon Rule above. So let me deal with this game before I turn things over to Mr. Tibbles, okay?

Right now, these are both the Show Me States. Missouri is because, first of all, Missouri is always the Show Me State, and second of all, because they now have to try to fend for themselves in an improving Big 12 North without the electric combination of Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin. Illinois is the Show Me State this year because it's Juice Williams' senior year and the Big Ten might be a little more up for grabs than usual.

It would be wrong to assume that Moo Moo Mizzou is set to take a giant leap backwards this year. Blaine Gabbert, the Tigers' new quarterback, was highly sought after as a recruit. Unlike his predecessor, he is not short. The Illinois secondary has plenty of experience, but any secondary that loses Vontae Davis gets at least a little bit worse by default. The Illini pass-slappers will be tested early and often, establishing a theme for the season.

Will Illinois be able to keep up? Missouri returns ten starters on defense, but last season's defense was a weak one in a conference which didn't exactly distinguish itself defensively. (Sean Weatherspoon excepted, of course.) I'd feel a little more confident if Illinois had more of a running game, but I think the Illini can keep pace with the Tigers and have just enough more on defense to take this game.

IT'S NOW OR NEVER	38
ARE YOU THROWIN' SOME TONIGHT?	28

EASTERN KENTUCKY @ INDIANA

For Indiana, this game is sort of like dating the nerdy friend of the person you really want to date. Eastern Kentucky was the last school new Purdue coach Danny Hope was at, so playing them early in the season might give the Hoosiers a slight glimpse of what this year's battle for the Old Oaken Bucket will be like.

Eastern Kentucky is a pass-oriented team, which won't help IU determine if their laughable run defense from last season is gone or still remains. Bill Lynch has said that he wants to move the Hoosiers to a more run-based offense, which could have something to do with the lack of experienced pass-catchers on his roster. Kellen Lewis is gone, of course, while Ray Fisher has been converted to a cornerback.

This won't be the blowout Indiana faithful would like to see as the new IU rushing game tries to find its way, but the Hoosiers should prevail against a lower-division opponent.

WE DON'T KNOW DANNY	17
WE DON'T KNOW HOPE	24

NORTHERN IOWA @ IOWA

Jewel Hampton wasn't going to play much beyond the second quarter of this one anyway.

Like I said on Tuesday, losing Hampton hurts, but it probably isn't the aHawkolyptic event some are painting it to be. That being said, Northern Iowa could be just the team to pants the Hawkeyes -- not in the sense of beating them, but in the sense of exposing their vulnerabilities. The Panthers have been to the 1-AA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in five of coach Mark Farley's eight seasons, reaching the finals once and being eliminated by the eventual champion two other times. Unlike the Hawkeyes, the Panthers have plenty of experience at running back and will probably go right at Iowa's revamped defensive line.

Of course, there's not much of a chance that Northern Iowa's offensive line, good as it is, can match up against the Hawks for very long. I think this game will be closer than Kirk Ferentz wants at the half, leading to lots of angsty gum-chewing in the third quarter, but eventually Ricky Stanzi will take over this game.

NORTH END OF I-380	10
SOUTH END OF I-380	45

Know Your Non-Conference Tomato Can: Northern Iowa

Located on the Cedar Falls side of the small Waterloo/Cedar Falls metropolitan area of northeastern Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa began as a teacher-training institute and still retains teacher education as one of its primary focuses. UNI now enrolls nearly 13,000 students and is one of only a handful of schools to offer the Doctor of Industrial Technology degree.

UNI's best known alumnus, at least to sports fans, is two-time NFL MVP and razor antagonist Kurt Warner, who chose Northern Iowa after former Iowa head coach Hayden Fry offered a scholarship to current NFL Network host Paul Burmeister instead of Warner. The school has also produced many a journeyman NFL player, along with Entertainment Tonight cohost Mark Steines and United States Senator Chuck Grassley.

Robert James Waller is a former UNI basketball player and marketing professor who wrote the best-selling novel The Bridges of Madison County. Waller's books are popular with readers but get no love from critics, with the notoriously dyspeptic Joe Queenan calling him "the biggest dips**t in the history of American letters." I have no idea if this bit of criticism hurt Waller's feelings, but if it did, he probably dried his tears with a $100 bill.

WESTERN MICHIGAN @ MICHIGAN

It's never a good sign when your coach is in tears mere days before the season opener, and there were already some things that weren't very good signs.

This game is the most important one Rich Rodriguez will coach all season, because it's going to set the tone for more than just week 2 or the rest of the season. Obviously, there's nothing the Wolverines can do on the field to end the investigation or change its findings, but how the Michigan administration reacts to it is still up in the air.

University president Mary Sue Coleman was in office when the Ed Martin scandal broke and famously said, "I am determined that nothing like this will ever happen again at Michigan." That doesn't bode well for RichRod. It's possible that he's doomed even if he wins ten games this year. He's certainly doomed, however, if he doesn't get the Wolverines back to a bowl game. Michigan isn't going to stand for all this fooferaw and another losing season.

He could have a better opponent to try to silence his critics. Western Michigan got back on track last year, winding up in the Texas Bowl, which is soon to be a Big Ten property. They like to pass and have a pretty good quarterback in Tim Hiller. Defense, however, is a huge iffy spot for the Broncos, who return only three starters from a mid-pack unit. If Rodriguez's modus operandi is still in effect and the off-the-field issues aren't too great of a distraction, Michigan should be able to walk the Broncos.

SLOUCHING TOWARDS KALAMAZOO	17
BOHICA	21

MONTANA STATE @ MICHIGAN STATE

Meanwhile, up the road a piece, there's another ripple effect from the Jewel Hampton injury. With most people lowering their expectations of the Hawkeyes, it'll be up to Mark Dantonio to show that Sparty isn't Sparty any more by putting together back-to-back great seasons. There are many, many questions about the Spartan offense, like "will they have one?", but as with Iowa this team stands on the shoulders of its defense.

And what a defense it is. Greg Jones is the best linebacker Sparty has had in a long time, and he's just one of many playmakers on the Michigan State defense. Montana State also has a solid defense but many new players on offense. This is the first time ever that Michigan State has played an FCS opponent; the outcome of this game will not leave them clamoring for more.

YEAH, BUT OUR SKIING'S BETTER	7
THAT'S NOT SAYING MUCH	38

MINNESOTA @ SYRACUSE

With TCF Bank Stadium (the conference's first title-sponsored football venue) still a week away from opening, the Gophers find themselves in a strange place. No, I don't mean Syracuse, though that is where they'll find themselves. I mean playing in someone else's domed stadium against a first year head coach nobody knows much about, facing a quarterback who played college basketball last season for a different school.

Tim Brewster has stated that he wants the Gophers to get back to their power running roots. This makes perfect sense, since he has one of the conference's best wide receivers and one of its most accurate and experienced quarterbacks. Does he not realize that he has the same problem Glen Mason had: a defense that seems mostly like an afterthought?

Small matter. Doug Marrone can't stop the Cuse's Robinsonian rot in a single season, though this might be more of a game than the Gophers are hoping for.

TIMO SABE	27
MARRONE RANGER	14

TOWSON @ NORTHWESTERN

Ick.

INSERT BETTER OPPONENT HERE	0
YOU'D THINK WE'D KNOW BETTER	56

NAVY @ OHIO STATE

If I'm an Ohio State fan, this just is not the game I want to see as my squad's week-before-USC tuneup. Not that there's really any doubt about how the game will turn out; it's just that facing Navy and its "death before passing" offense isn't going to tell me very much about my team. Not only that, but the Navy defense will have significant trouble even slowing down Terrelle Pryor, let alone stopping him. This game will give me absolutely no idea of how my team is going to match up against SC next week. And right now, that's what I really want to know.

Navy's eccentricity should keep the Buckeye defenders back on their heels for a half or so, but Terrelle Pryor and the rest of the offense won't have any trouble outscoring Navy. In fact, I'm guessing that Pryor has such a huge day that, come Wednesday or so, we'll all be sick of hearing about him as a potential Heisman spoiler.

IN THE NAVY	6
T-O-SU	42

AKRON @ PENN STATE

Not only did I drink the Spread HD Kool-Aid last year, I banged my glass on the table and asked for a second helping. I should have known when the playcalling turned a little too conservative against Ohio State. Actually, I should have known when the Nits struggled against Purdue, a team whose defense couldn't stop water from flowing uphill. Why was I so easily persuaded? Because Penn State played a bunch of games like this one.

Sure is nice to see Sean Lee back, though.

ZIPS	3
ZAP!	54

TOLEDO @ PURDUE

This, then, is where it starts for Danny Hope, facing another team breaking in a new head coach. The new rocket man is Tim Beckman, formerly Mike Gundy's defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State.

Of all the games in this opening weekend, this one has the strongest "anything can happen" vibe surrounding it. No one really knows what to expect from Purdue, though it's known that Danny Hope favors an aggressive offensive scheme and puts a high value on quickness.

Purdue's real problems last season were on defense, however. Toledo will be with out its leading rusher Morgan Williams, which should mitigate the Boilers' squishiness somewhat. I don't really know if Purdue is going to make a dramatic turnaround, or score a lot of points, or anything like that. Really, this is the most interesting game of the weekend to me, just for those reasons.

GLASS CITY GLADIATORS	16
YOU LOOK FAMILIAR, COACH	20

NORTHERN ILLINOIS @ WISCONSIN

The theme for Wisconsin this year is, or at least had better be, discipline. Last year even the coach staff frequently acted like a bunch of third-graders who had to stay in from afternoon recess. That led Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez to send his protege Bret Bielema a rather unsubtle message: It's one thing to get beat, but it's something else entirely to lose because you were throwing a hissy fit on the sidelines.

In fact, the whole just seemed to me like they had their minds on something other than football last season. I almost signed them up for a 30-day trial of one of those informercial pills that's supposed to help you think more clearly.

Right. The game. Maybe I need those pills too, huh?

Wisconsin is inexperienced at most of the offensive skill positions but has enough of a defense to offset that somewhat. Northern Illinois has come a long way from the days when the Huskies were every Big Ten team's homecoming date. Jerry Kill enters his second season in DeKalb off a trip to the Independence Bowl last year (they lost). Kill has been successful everywhere he's been.

That's potentially a problem for Bielema, because winning this game in a squeaker isn't going to help him at all. Ideally, his faith in quarterback Scott Tolzien and running back Zach Brown will be rewarded with breakout performances. More likely, it'll be rewarded with non-disastrous performances. That'll be good enough for now, but Bielema and the Badgers are going to have to blow somebody up to win back some of their eroding fan support.

ON THE RISE	10
DESTINATION UNKNOWN	13

NEXT WEEK'S GAMES

Illinois State @ Illinois: Tecmo Bowl with a concession stand
Western Michigan @ Indiana: Potential season-ruiner for IU
Iowa @ Iowa State: I don't trust Paul Rhoads; he seems sneaky
Notre Dame @ Michigan: The Battle of Who Could Care Less
Central Michigan @ Michigan State: Tough test for MSU's D
Air Force @ Minnesota: Hello, TCF Bank Stadium!
Eastern Michigan @ Northwestern: Lick the frosting off your fingers, Wildcats
USC @ Ohio State: Somebody's season basically ends here
Syracuse @ Penn State: Conference opener in Bizarro Big East
Purdue @ Oregon: This will end badly for the Boilers
Fresno State @ Wisconsin: Doesn't have the clout it would have had a couple years ago

Comments? Questions? Need this column translated into English? Email Mark at pickbigten@gmail.com.

Pickin' On the Big Ten, Week 1 originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As Season Starts, January Jinx Still Looms Over Big Ten

Mark Hasty — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10

Big Ten Media Days are now under way in Chicago, hot on the heels of the goat auction that was SEC Media Days last week. This is sort of like chasing a shot of Glenfiddich with a can of room temperature Diet Squirt, but we press on regardless. The Big Ten's fortunes are muddled and murky, but the conference still matters, and not just in the Midwest, either.

Thus, it behooves us to look at some of the bigger questions surrounding ~~The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight~~ Big Ten football in 2009. Can anybody from the conference make a run at a national title? Are there any dark-horse Heisman candidates out there? And aren't these awfully heady questions to be asking of a conference that went 1-6 in bowl games last season? Make the jump and find out.

Is there a national title contender in the Big Ten this season? The media has already established the 2009 Big Ten season as a two-horse race between Ohio State and Penn State. This is probably accurate. Whoever wins the conference will almost certainly play in Pasadena ... on January 1, that is. Barring a complete meltdown in the SEC and Big 12, it's difficult to see the coaches and the Harris Poll voters giving either team a shot at the title. Ohio State has simply gacked once too often, and Penn State fared poorly in last season's Rose Bowl against the toughest competition they faced all year. Either team would have to run the table and hope that nobody gets out of the SEC and the Big 12 without at least two losses. Then it might happen. Maybe.

Okay, how about a Heisman candidate? If there is one, it will be a situation like Iowa's Brad Banks in 2002, where a player simply comes out of nowhere and puts up numbers that can't be ignored. Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor would be the most likely person to do so, but it's a crowded field of quarterbacks out there. I mean, there are two guys playing this season who already have Heisman Trophies. If Pryor accounts for 40-plus touchdowns, throws fewer than 10 interceptions, leads OSU to the national title, and foils a major terrorist plot, he might get 30 percent as much attention as Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford.

At any rate, I don't even think Pryor is the best offensive player in the conference. Illinois' Arrelious Benn (pictured right) is, but wide receivers aren't eligible for the Heisman any more, apparently.

Gee, Mark, you sound optimistic. So what are the stories we should follow in the Big Ten this season? I can see four things you should definitely keep an eye on.

First, there's how the conference performs in its big non-conference games. Not that there will be many of these, but when the rest of the college football world has been going all Harlem Globetrotters on your conference in the postseason, you need to prove that the teams in your conference can't just beat up on each other.

Ohio State-USC Sept. 12 is the game everybody has circled, with few outside of Columbus expecting the Buckeyes to prevail even though the game is in the Horseshoe. A "success" here might mean keeping the game within two touchdowns. Illinois could make a statement in Week 1 with a victory over a regrouping Missouri team, and the Iowa-Arizona game Sept. 19 could prove to be more of a dogfight than anyone thinks. Meanwhile, the Michigan-Western Michigan season opener will let us know just how far Rich Rodriguez might go in his second season.

That, by the way, is the second thing you should watch for. Michigan has been all but written off by everyone, with a few pundits predicting an outside shot that they might go to the Motor City Bowl or something. RichRod took West Virginia from a 3-8 team his first season to a 9-4 team in his second. Before you say "that was in the Big East," please remember that Miami and Virginia Tech were also in the Big East in 2002, and they were at least as good then as Ohio State and Penn State are now.

The third thing to watch for is that venerable Big Ten institution, the sort-of-good team that skips one or two of the conference's best teams. That team this year would be Michigan State. The Spartans don't play Ohio State and get Penn State in East Lansing for the season closer in the battle for the trophy the Big Ten found in a dumpster behind the Salvation Army store. (Behold, the Land Grant Trophy!) It's entirely possible Sparty comes into that game undefeated, ranked in the top 10, and the subject of much bawling from the fans of whatever two-loss SEC team just fell out of the top 10.

Of course, Northwestern could find themselves in a similar situation, as they also don't play the Buckeyes, and Penn State is coming to Evanston as well. The Spartans and Wildcats square off Oct. 17 in East Lansing. You might want to make a note of that.

The last thing to watch for will be the performance of two coaches who probably should be on the hot seat but aren't. Illinois' Ron Zook just signed a one-year extension and thus is now more expensive to get rid of. He can recruit national title-level talent. Just ask Urban Meyer. Zook has not shown that he can win consistently with that talent, and his top assistant, Mike Locksley, is now the head coach at New Mexico. Another subpar season might hurt his vaunted recruiting classes, and if Juice Williams goes from "all-everything high school quarterback" to "undrafted free agent," which is a distinct possibility, that's going to hurt the Zooker in the recruiting zoo as well.

Likewise, Wisconsin's Bret Bielema started circling the drain last year, though Barry Alvarez is still pleased with his protégé's performance. The Badgers' schedule is very friendly, with a trip to Columbus looming as the only Insta-Loss. Eight regular season wins plus a bowl victory would probably keep the Mad Town fans from spending the offseason crying into their Spotted Cows.

So there is a quick and dirty overview of the Big Ten's big picture. This remains a conference with a lot to prove to college football fans outside the Midwest, but there are enough compelling stories and enough good-to-very-good teams to keep things interesting. There may not be a lot of surprises in the Big Ten this season, but the football will be better than you think.

As Season Starts, January Jinx Still Looms Over Big Ten originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Purdue QB Robert Marve Picks Perfect Time to Tear ACL

Mark Hasty — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:15:00 EST

Filed under: Purdue

Robert Marve, the former University of Miami quarterback who transferred to Purdue, will miss the entire season with a knee injury, specifically a torn ACL.

Marve suffered the injury three days after announcing his plan to join Danny Hope's squad in West Lafayette. (He had been widely expected to walk on at Tennessee.) He underwent surgery and hopes to be medically cleared by the end of December.

This is just the latest chapter in an ongoing hard-luck story for the star-crossed quarterback who was Florida's Mr. Football in 2006. Marve missed all of the 2007 season after a car crash and couldn't hold the starting job in 2008.

The injury will have little to no effect on the team, since Marve doesn't hold the clipboard with his knees. Marve is required by NCAA rules to sit out this season before using his last two years of eligibility. The blank slate that is Purdue football right now should give him a chance to (re-)make a name for himself in 2010.

Purdue QB Robert Marve Picks Perfect Time to Tear ACL originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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QB Robert Marve Chooses Purdue for Some Reason

Mark Hasty — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:48:00 EST

Filed under: University of Miami, Purdue

Okay, so Danny Hope isn't the only hope in West Lafayette, Ind., this spring. Former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Robert Marve (pictured at right) ended the speculation about his next address Thursday, confirming that he will transfer to Purdue for his final two seasons of eligibility. Marve will have to sit out this coming season but will be eligible in 2010 and 2011.

Marve was Florida's Mr. Football in 2006 but missed all of his freshman season due to a car accident. His numbers from 2008 were not stunning, and when Jacory Harris was named the starter, Marve decided he wanted out.

There's nothing wrong with that, of course. Football players play football, and if Marve didn't want to stand around holding a clipboard, it's his right to walk away. Your head knows this and agrees with it. Your heart, however, is saying something like "Yeah, but ... Purdue?" O ye of little knowledge.

First of all, the history of Purdue quarterbacks goes back a lot farther than Kyle Orton and Drew Brees. The rest of the team hasn't always been world-beaters, but Purdue almost always has one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten. Len Dawson and Bob Griese went from Purdue to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and if they ever establish a Pro Football Hall of the Pretty Good, you'll find Jim Everett and Gary Danielson in it. Purdue is historically a pretty good place to be a quarterback.

More than that, however, is what Purdue offered Marve: opportunity. The Boilermakers are coming off a 4-8 season and have a brand new coach. Danny Hope has already proved he'll run the program his own way. How else to explain that his first recruiting class included 13 kids from Florida and exactly none from Indiana?

For Marve, who considered lots of options, Purdue gave him the best chance to be The Man when his one-year mandatory ineligibility ends. Walking on at Tennessee might seem like a better chance to most football fans, but Marve is at a point in his career where conventional wisdom no longer holds. Will he pan out? Nobody knows for sure. But at this moment, Robert Marve is probably no worse than the fourth-best quarterback in the Big Ten.

QB Robert Marve Chooses Purdue for Some Reason originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 21 May 2009 23:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marve Might Walk on With Vols, but How Much Will He Matter?

Clay Travis — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona State, University of Miami, Nebraska, Purdue, Tennessee, ACC, SEC, Prospects

As a high school senior in Tampa, Fla., in 2007, Robert Marve passed for 48 touchdowns and over 4,000 yards. The final pass of his prep career was a touchdown with 17 seconds remaining in the state title game. With big numbers and clutch performances, Marve was one of the top quarterback recruits in the country, fielding scholarship offers from Alabama, Purdue, Miami and Michigan State and a host of others. Initially Marve committed to the Crimson Tide, but after Mike Shula's firing, he reopened his recruitment and ended up signing with Miami.

Less than six months later, Marve was a passenger in a car driven by one of his Miami teammates. The car slammed into a guardrail on I-95 after the driver fell asleep, and Marve's left hand was badly injured, leading him to redshirt his freshman season. This past season, Marve returned to start 11 games for the Hurricanes, throwing for nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions. But in December he decided to transfer. Which leads to an interesting question, how often have college football quarterbacks transferred and actually been successful at their new destination?

Initially, Miami announced that Marve would not be granted his release to transfer to any SEC, ACC, or Florida colleges. After a hearing, those restrictions were amended to include, from the SEC, only LSU, Tennessee, and Florida, schools that Miami believed improperly tampered with their player. Marve withdrew from school for the spring semester in order to make a decision, now the Tampa Tribune is reporting that Marve plans to walk on at Tennessee. Why walk on? Because unless Miami releases him he can't accept a scholarship to Tennessee.

While paying tuition at Tennessee rather than accepting a scholarship from Purdue, South Florida, Nebraska, or Arizona State (the other schools Marve visited) might not make financial sense, it makes an awful lot of football sense. The quarterback depth chart at Tennessee features just two scholarship quarterbacks, senior Jonathan Crompton and junior Nick Stephens. Having three years between quarterbacks is virtually unheard of at a major college program, and Lane Kiffin has hit the recruiting trail attempting to turn this lack of depth into a major selling point for potential signal callers.

If Marve were to enroll at Tennessee, he'd be eligible beginning with the 2010 season (with an additional year after that) and would find himself competing with only Stephens, whichever freshmen Tennessee might sign in the class of 2010, and former pro baseball player Mike Rozier for the starting job. As far as major programs go, those odds are pretty golden. Not surprisingly, when reached for comment by FanHouse Tennessee officials were mum on the potential transfer, but it appears that Marve's decision has come down to Purdue and the Vols.

Will Marve turn down a scholarship at a Big Ten school to pay to play at an SEC school? The decision could come as soon as Friday. In the meantime, it's important to keep in mind that the Marve family isn't exactly struggling for cash. His father, Eugene Marve, played 12 years in the NFL. And, in a key move, Marve has already spent a semester out of school since leaving Miami. So the Marve family would actually only have to pay for one semester of tuition, the fall of 2009, before the one-year scholarship limitation runs out that is keeping Marve from transferring to any school of his choice.

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Josh Halter is swarmed by family and friends after being named the drum major for The Ohio State University Marching Band in Columbus, Ohio, Tuesday, May 5, 2009. (Jeff Hinckley/Columbus Dispatch/MCT)

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Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, speaks to the media in Arlington, Va. on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno speaks to reporters in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, speaks to the media in Arlington, Va. on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Taylor Stokes wears his letter jacket on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, May 1, 2009. Stokes was the first black scholarship football player at Vanderbilt, and has returned 40 years later to finish his degree. He will graduate on May 8. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Taylor Stokes wears his letter jacket on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, May 1, 2009, in front of a statue of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the founder of the university. Stokes was the first black scholarship football player at Vanderbilt, and has returned 40 years later to finish his degree. He will graduate on May 8. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner and Bowl Championship Series coordinator John Swofford, left, and West Mountain Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson, right, are sworn in before giving their testimony before the House Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee hearing on the football Bowl Championship Series on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, May 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner and Bowl Championship Series coordinator John Swofford, left, testifies before the House Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee hearing on the football Bowl Championship Series on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, May 1, 2009. Also testifying on the panel are, from left, West Mountain Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson, President and CEO of Valero Alamo Bowl Derrick Fox and Boise State Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Boise State Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier, right, testifies before the House Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee hearing on the football Bowl Championship Series on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, May 1, 2009. Also testifying on the panel are, from left, Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner and Bowl Championship Series coordinator John Swofford, West Mountain Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson, and President and CEO of Valero Alamo Bowl Derrick Fox. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner and Bowl Championship Series coordinator John Swofford testifies testifies before the House Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee hearing on the football Bowl Championship Series on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, May 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

I can think of a couple of other examples of players who have transferred to schools they weren't released to and gamed the system like this. Brent Schaeffer, who started for the Vols as a freshman in 2004, did it. Tennessee refused to grant him a release to transfer in conference, as is typical, but Schaeffer played for a year in junior college and then enrolled at Ole Miss with two years of eligibility remaining.

Marve could have also done what Luke Recker did, and transfered out of the conference for a semester only to transfer back in, though the circumstances of Recker's return might've had more to do with personal circumstances than gaming the system. Still, Recker left Indiana, transferred to Arizona for a semester, and then transferred from there to Iowa without playing a game for the Wildcats.

The point is that Marve and his family will probably only have to pay for one semester of tuition at Tennessee, which isn't the huge barrier that some have made it out to be given the relatively limited cost of attending Tennessee and his family's financial status.

But here's the real question. For all the attention paid to Marve's transfer, how many quarterbacks transferred from one big school to another big school and won a conference championship? Troy Aikman led UCLA to a share of the Pac-10 title in 1987 after transferring from Oklahoma and Colt Brennan left Colorado to lead Hawaii all the way to the Sugar Bowl in 2007-08, though Hawaii isn't a BCS-level school. Surely there are others, but my point is a quarterback leaving and finding success in different college football pastures is pretty rare.

But maybe all the Marve transfer frenzy isn't so much about winning the SEC as much as it is a sign of how desperate every single one of us is for college football season to return. In the meantime, Marve is on the clock.

Marve Might Walk on With Vols, but How Much Will He Matter? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 14 May 2009 13:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spring Storylines Abound in Big Ten

Mark Hasty — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10

It's barely spring here in the Midwest but spring football is well under way, and there's abundant intrigue in the Big Ten conference. Coming off what seems like the 46th consecutive disappointing bowl season, including a Rose Bowl where Penn State's Daryll Clark (right) did his best but the Nittany Lions still couldn't beat Southern Cal, nobody will be expecting much from the conference or its teams when fall rolls around. Somebody has to win it, however, and now is when the jockeying for position really begins.

"Position" is the key word in understanding the current state of affairs in the conference, since a number of departures have left some of the conference's traditional powers more than a little vulnerable. Who's in? Who's out? Is there hope for any team in the league everyone else loves to slag on? Check it out below.

At Illinois the key departure hasn't happened yet, but it's going to color the whole season. This is Juice Williams's last season of eligibility. So far Ron Zook doesn't have a lot to show for Williams's efforts. Apart from a gutty win over Ohio State and a curbstomping by Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl, it's been a festival of mediocrity. The lack of a running game harmed the Illini last season, but the departure of cornerback Vontae Davis may be the critical influence on Illinois's 2009 season. If they can't maintain a credible pass defense, it won't matter if the Illini develop a second offensive weapon.

Indiana must be reeling, and not just from basketball season. After a huge breakthrough in 2007 when the school earned its first bowl bid since Bill Clinton's first year in office, 2008 was an unwelcome retreat. The Hoosiers didn't excel at anything last season, and it's hard to see where they're going to improve for 2009. Moving Kellen Lewis (right) from quarterback to wide receiver might be the spark the offense needs, but the defense has to get a lot better for any hope of getting back to the postseason.

Iowa will miss Shonn Greene, and wouldn't you? The Hawkeyes will miss defensive tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul even more, though. Their replacements can assume they'll be attacked early and often. Meanwhile, the off-the-field problems which dogged the team after the 2007 season have returned, though thankfully not to the magnitude of that dreadful year.

Michigan fans should be careful not to assume that things can only get better. The quarterback situation is far from settled, and the defense isn't quite ready to shoulder such a heavy burden. The possible arrival of Duke basketball player Greg Paulus to compete for the quarterback job might overshadow everything else that happens in Ann Arbor, though.

Michigan State finished 2008 strong but couldn't turn that momentum into a bowl victory. If Sparty is going to make a run at its first Rose Bowl since the late 1980s, this could be the season. Somebody's going to have to step up in the all-new offensive backfield to replace the well-seasoned Brian Hoyer and Javon Ringer. The defense should pick up right where it left off last year, though.

Minnesota opens its shiny new stadium this fall, but the real question is which Gopher team will occupy it. Will it be the team that started 7-1, or the one that finished 0-5? Wait, what do you mean they're the same team? Eric Decker, the Gophers' most effective weapon last season, is currently pondering whether he'll return for his senior year if he's drafted in the MLB draft this June. Losing him would set the Gophers back. Is there anybody on the roster who can step up?

Northwestern was one inexplicable loss to Indiana away from a New Year's bowl last season. The Wildcats lose their go-to quarterback, C.J. Bacher, but the job will go to Mike Kafka, and you can ask Minnesota if he's any good. So long as the defense can remain tough, things look bright for Pat Fitzgerald's team this spring.

Ohio State has to replace every player you've ever heard of except for Terrelle Pryor (right). The plan is for Pryor to run less and throw more in 2009, and the Wildcat formation will figure into Jim Tressel's plans too. With a raw offensive line and unproven players all over the field, Pryor might spend a good part of the season running for his life. The Buckeyes look vulnerable, at least early in the season.

Penn State needs to recover from the disappointing end to a season that almost brought them back to glory. Graduation barely touched this team, so there is hope to regain some momentum. The State College police blotter has been relatively free of Nits lately, which is always a good sign.

Purdue starts from scratch with a new hope -- Danny Hope, who replaces the now-retired Joe Tiller. Danny may be their only hope at the moment, as the only quarterback with any meaningful experience, Justin Siller, has been kicked out of school for violating academic policies. Of course, it's not like anybody is clamoring for a repeat of the Boilermakers' 2008 offense anyway. Hope is something of an X factor, so people will be watching Purdue a little more closely than usual.

Wisconsin will face the music this fall. Nobody in Mad City is happy with how last season turned out, and a number of off-the-field questions have followed them around since December. Fans are increasingly questioning whether Bret Bielema is the right person to keep Barry Alvarez's legacy going. He hasn't missed a bowl game yet, but all the trends are pointing down. If Bielema's not cracking the whip this spring, he ought to be.

Spring Storylines Abound in Big Ten originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Signing Day: Big Ten Recruiting Notes

Mark Hasty — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Big 10, National Signing Day 2009

Signing day has come and (nearly) gone, filled with celebration and upheaval. Sort of like life. We're here to parse what can be parsed and detail the recruiting classes that were for the major conferences.

While recruiting services Scout and Rivals differ widely in their overall assessments of this year's Big Ten recruiting classes, they're both impressed by many of the same things. Of course, they're also unimpressed by many of the same things.

But hey, you're a smart person. You can figure things out for yourself. You want to know who helped themselves. You want to know who shot themselves in the foot. You want to know if the talent-rich got richer, like Michigan did with defensive end Craig Roh (pictured). Make the jump, grasshopper; all will be revealed.

Illinois wasn't severely affected by its disappointing 5-7 season. No matter what else people may think of Ron Zook and his staff, they have proven they can recruit with the best of them. Their class is led by offensive tackle Andrew Carter, who had offers from all the Florida schools and cornerback Justin Green, who picked the Illini over Ohio State. Other highly regarded recruits include quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase and wide receiver Terry Hawthorne. Hawthorne's high school teammate Kraig Appleton had given Illinois a verbal commitment but opted to sign with Wisconsin this morning. If there's a knock against their class, it's a failure to address the running back situation.

Indiana fans should not be expecting a huge, immediate turnaround in their team's fortunes. Both Rivals and Scout place the Hoosiers ninth in the conference. This is a team with needs everywhere, but they couldn't persuade most of the state's best players that they could be part of something special. The Hoosiers' offense-heavy class will bring some needed speed. Wide receiver Duwyce Wilson and running back Nick Turner both run a 4.4 40. However, Bill Lynch's team had the worst defense in the conference last season and did little to stop the bleeding.

Iowa let the state's top prospect, offensive tackle David Barrent, slip away to Michigan State. That was a disappointment. Nobody outside of Iowa is deeply impressed by the Hawkeyes' signees, but this was a young team without a lot of glaring weaknesses. Wide receivers Keenan Davis (pictured right) and Jordan Cotton should provide some depth and stability at the position, which is something the Hawks have lacked recently. Running back Brandon Wegher was a hot commodity Kirk Ferentz's staff were able to land.

Michigan did well despite coming off their worst season since Bo Schembechler was in kindergarten. That reflects the tradition of Michigan football, Rich Rodriguez's recruiting prowess, and the blatantly obvious fact that every position on the field is up for grabs. Their big coup was grabbing Ohio's top recruit, defensive back Justin Turner. Defensive tackle William Campbell passed up three good SEC schools to sign with Michigan. He's a Detroit native, which makes him something of a rarity among this year's Wolverines-to-be. Most of the state's top prospects signed elsewhere.

Michigan State is that elsewhere, in case you were wondering. Mark Dantonio absolutely cleaned up in Michigan this year, landing seven of Rivals' top ten players from the state. Sparty looks to be getting quicker, with 4.4 running backs Edwin Baker and Larry Caper and 4.4 wideouts Bennie Fowler and Patrick White. The class could have been a little longer on top defensive prospects, but that's just a quibble. The Spartans did much better than most outsiders would have expected given their somewhat modest recent history.

Minnesota was already a freakishly young and talented team. Tim Brewster and his staff made it a little more so with a class that both Rivals and Scout regard as mid-pack. While the state's top prospect, wide receiver Bryce McNeal, signed with Clemson, the Gophers gobbled up most of Minnesota's top-ranked preps. The team needs immediate help on defense, so signing defensive back Michael Carter counts as their greatest accomplishment. Carter chose Minnesota over Florida, Georgia, and Miami. Quarterback Moses Alipate (pictured above) should love the passing atmosphere in Minneapolis, too.

Northwestern obviously can't recruit just anyone, so take their lower-division finish with a grain of salt. Pat Fitzgerald loaded up on defense, signing five linebackers, two defensive ends, and a pair of defensive backs. Offensive lineman Patrick Ward leads the class, however. Quarterback Evan Watkins hints at a passing attack yet to come.

Ohio State, by general acclamation and to the surprise of no one, had the best class of any Big Ten school. Scout says the Buckeyes had the best class of anybody, period, while Rivals says "Not so fast, my friend," but still rates them No. 4 nationally. Linebacker Dorian Bell and defensive back Corey Brown were Rivals' top two Pennsylvania prospects. The Buckeyes also locked up seven of the top ten preps in their home state. It's not a speedy class, wide receiver James Jackson excepted. It's more of a classic Tresselball class, with big bruising running backs and powerful linemen on both sides of the ball.

Penn State cracked Scout's top ten but Rivals was significantly less impressed. The Nittany Lions didn't recruit Pennsylvania very well this year. Ohio State, Michigan, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers fared much better. The Nits did get a lot of speed, however, and landed Eric Shrive, Scout's second-ranked tackle. Quarterback Kevin Newsome will get thrown into the 2010 quarterback mix for sure.

Purdue was hoping for a better start to the Danny Hope era. Nobody's in love with their smallish batch of signees, though running back Al-Terek McBurse passed up Miami and Nebraska for West Lafayette. In what must be a first for any Big Ten school, the Boilermakers have not yet signed a single player from the state of Indiana.

Wisconsin benefited greatly from wide receiver Kraig Appleton's last-minute change of heart. Their class will build on traditional Wisconsin strengths and the Badgers did an admirable job of keeping home-grown talent at home. They landed all five of Rivals' top five Wisconsin preps. The class is thin in the offensive backfield, however.

FanHouse takes you into the belly of the college football beast that is recruiting. We'll be around before, during and after Signing Day '09.

Signing Day: Big Ten Recruiting Notes originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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