Bowling with the Big Ten

The Big Ten squeaked two teams into BCS games this year, mostly due to how awful the Big East and ACC were, and with an assist to the bowl committee for the Fiesta Bowl screwing over Boise State a bit. The two BCS berths make 19 total appearances by Big Ten teams, more than any other conference in the 11-year history of the puzzling system. Overall, the Big Ten will send seven teams to bowl games, here's a look at the match-ups:

Champ Sports Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Florida State, Dec. 27

Wisconsin will return to Florida for the fifth straight season when they take on the Seminoles in the Champ Sports Bowl. This is the first game for the Big Ten and might be the conference's best shot at a win. It also carries on the tradition of the Big Ten playing what are essentially road games in the bowl season.

Alamo Bowl: Northwestern vs. Missouri, Dec. 29

The Wildcats will go down to Big 12 country to take on Mizzou in the Alamo Bowl. Tough draw here for Northwestern, but they've come up big all year when people have counted them out. Northwestern will be looking get its first bowl win since 1949. Now is as good a time as any to get your first bowl win on color television.

Insight Bowl: Minnesota vs. Kansas, Dec. 31

What a turnaround for Minnesota, going from winning only one game last season, to a bowl game this season. Another turnaround happened in the middle of Minnesota's season though. The Gophers went from the top of the Big Ten to four straight losses, including a 55-0 loss to end the season. Kansas and quarterback Todd Reesing did not live up to expectations this season, but should hand Minnesota its fifth straight loss.

Outback Bowl: Iowa vs. South Carolina, Jan. 1

Here is the other good chance for the Big Ten to win. Iowa has won five of six to end the season and will take on Steve Spurrier and South Carolina. The Gamecocks have beaten virtually no one this year and finished off their season with two lopsided losses. Iowa has taken down teams like Florida and LSU in the last five seasons in New Year's Day bowl games, so a win against South Carolina is not out of the question.

Capital One Bowl: Michigan State vs. Georgia, Jan. 1

Oh boy, this could be ugly. We have a Georgia team that was #1 to start the season and suffered through a disappointing year, culminating with a loss to Georgia Tech in their last game. Give them a month off to think about things and get ready for a bowl game. Add in the fact that Stafford and Moreno will want to show off for the pro scouts and Georgia becomes a team no one wants to see in a bowl game. Michigan State is not the team the Big Ten wants to send to match up, but there they are. The Spartans played well against Cal to start the year, but were blown out by the only other two good teams they played all year. It doesn't look good for MSU, but there is usually at least one big upset for the Big Ten recently, so maybe this one. Never know. Right? No.

Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. USC, Jan. 1

This game doesn't look favorable for the Big Ten either. Ohio State already went out to Southern California and got spanked this year, now it might be Penn State's turn. But hey, the Nittany Lions blew out Oregon State this year and the Beavers gave USC its only loss, so there is hope! Not much though. USC will be looking to make a statement that their crappy loss wasn't much different than Florida's crappy loss and maybe they deserved a little more consideration to play in the championship game. Penn State will be looking to make a similar statement, but I think they'd be thrilled with a 3-2 win.

Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Texas, Jan. 5

Ohio State and Texas are toward opposite ends of the BCS spectrum. Texas is feeling the wrath of the system because their win against Oklahoma was played in October and not November, while Ohio State underacheived and coasted through their schedule beating bad teams, only to be welcomed to the BCS party with open arms over Boise State. This makes four straight BCS bowls for the Buckeyes, but the task will be tall against an angry Texas team holding out hope for a split national title. The formula will be the same for Ohio State as it has been all season, hope that the defense can keep it close and rely on Chris Wells for the offense. A win for the Bucks could take some sting out of what was a down year for the Big Ten.

Week 13 Big Ten Wrap-up

We seemed to find out a little more each week about the Big Ten. Minnesota and Northwestern confused everyone with great starts, Wisconsin baffled onlookers with a dominant non-conference trio of wins, then tanked in conference play, and Penn State just wouldn't stop losing for most of the year. As the year went on, we figured out that Minnesota wasn't that good, Northwestern was for real, even without their star running back, Wisconsin was not nearly as good as everyone thought, and Penn State and Ohio State ruled the conference. All of these revelations left one team that we couldn't get a handle on.

Michigan State had a bit of an odd season. Sparty started off with a loss at Cal, then won 9 of 10 coming into the Penn State game and had a chance to share the Big Ten title with a win. On Saturday, Michigan State looked like a team that was happy to have that chance, not a team ready to take advantage of it. Penn State ran up 557 total yards and held Javon Ringer to 42 yards rushing en route to a blowout win. MSU put up some points late, but after losing 49-18, the Spartans lost to Ohio State and Penn State by a combined score of 94-25. Penn State is heading to the Rose Bowl to face either Oregon State or USC, while MSU will probably be in the Outback Bowl against an SEC opponent.

Early on it looked like Michigan may have been ready to make it a game against Ohio State. However, a stagnant offense and big plays from Ohio State turned this into the game many expected. Except the few times wide receivers ran wide open behind their safeties (Michigan should really think about renaming this position), UM shut Terrelle Pryor down. The freshman QB was 5-13 for 120 yards, but Chris Wells picked up the slack with big plays. Wells only rushed 15 times, but went for 134 yards and a score. Ohio State's defense held UM to just 198 yards and forced 12 punts. The 42-7 victory is the fifth win in a row for Ohio State, making it the longest streak for the Bucks in the history of the rivalry.

Northwestern had been more impressive than Illinois all season long, yet the Cats were still underdogs going into the match-up with the Illini at Ryan Field Saturday. The result was a 17 point win, denying Illinois a bowl berth, just a year removed from a Rose Bowl bid. The Wildcats will be pulling for Ohio State to get into a BCS bowl so they can grab a spot in a New Year's Day bowl. The 9-3 record makes this the fifth Northwestern team to finish with nine or more wins.

Wisconsin's disappointing season almost got a final kick to the face Saturday as the Badgers trailed almost the entire game and needed overtime and three missed extra points to beat Division I-AA Cal Poly Saturday. After a PJ Hill touchdown and a two point conversion run by Hill tied the game and Cal Poly missed a field goal, the game headed to OT, where the Mustangs scored on the first play, then missed the extra point. John Clay scored for UW from six yards and the extra point was good to win the game. We'll see where this performance lands Wisconsin for a bowl game. Probably Detroit.

Purdue blew out Indiana 62-10 and Iowa shut out Minnesota 55-0.

Week 13 Big Ten Preview

This is it for the Big Ten. The long, at times boring, occasionally exciting, a couple times shocking season is drawing to a close. I'll get unnecessarily nostalgic in the recap next week, but what will this last week hold for us? For one thing, we finally know what each of these teams is all about. Penn State and Ohio State rule the conference this year, while Michigan State has managed to not screw up their shot at taking down Penn State for a share of the title. There is a middle group including Northwestern, Iowa, with Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota confusing the hell out of everyone, then Michigan, Purdue and Indiana just lose a lot. And this is tough to say:

The game of the week has to be Penn State and Michigan State. I'll probably jinx the Nittany Lions by saying this, but until Michigan State in 2008 I've never seen a team accomplish so little and have a chance at an outright Big Ten Title in the last week of the season. They lost to a mediocre Cal team in the first week of the season and got blown out at home against Ohio State. They have zero impressive wins, but with just one they can win a share of the conference championship. The key to this game will be Javon Ringer vs the world Penn State defense. PSU is 10th in the nation against the run and the Spartans won't be able to beat them without Ringer going for at least 100. For Penn State, Daryll Clark has to take care of the ball and put Derrick Williams and Evan Royster in positions to make big plays. I don't believe that Michigan State has ever won in Beaver Stadium, so they'll look to break that trend along with their 10 game losing streak against ranked opponents. The game starts at 2:30 CST.

I can hardly believe that Ohio State - Michigan isn't the premier game of the weekend in the Big Ten. Regardless of the hype, this Jim Tressel said this is the most important game and the most important goal of the season for Ohio State. The Bucks have a chance to win their fifth straight game over Michigan, which would be the longest streak over the Wolverines in Ohio State history. It looked pretty likely throughout the year that it would be an easy win for OSU, but this week has made it look like a lock. Michigan will be without QB Steven Threet, RB Sam McGuffie, RT Steve Schilling, and still missing all their good offensive players ever and their defense's collective brain/self esteem. Terrelle Pryor throws the ball about 15 times per start, but he might not need to throw once to win. Key match-up is Pryor/Wells against tripping over their own feet. Michigan - Ohio State starts at 11:00.

Illinois travels to Northwestern Saturday and will try to become bowl eligible. Hey, guess what the key to the game is...Juice Williams vs. turnovers! The Illini certainly have the talent to beat Northwestern, but the Cats have shown great mental toughness this year and have a great chance to win at home.

Minnesota hosts Iowa in a battle of teams going in opposite directions. Shonn Greene will have a chance to set Iowa's single season rushing record, and probably will.

Wisconsin takes on Cal Poly (wooo!) and Indiana and Purdue face-off in a game someone has to win. Let's go to the picks:

Indiana 24 - Purdue 31
Cal Poly 10 - Wisconsin 38
Iowa 27 - Minnesota 13
Illinois 27 - Northwestern 28
Michigan 10 - Ohio State 27
Michigan State 13 - Penn State 28

Did Iowa Really Help the Big Ten?

Before Iowa's game with Penn State and while it was playing out, I was going back and forth on the issue of what was best for the Big Ten. At first I thought it would be great for Penn State to run the table and make the National Championship, putting a Big Ten team in for the third straight year. Then I kept hearing how embarrassing it would be to lose three years straight, and while I realize the Nittany Lions could pull the upset, this would probably be the case.

The last two years sucked while everyone was bashing on the conference, with Ohio State and Michigan losing big bowl games two years ago and Ohio State and Illinois getting stomped last year. Sure, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan have eased the pain a bit with postseason wins over the SEC the last two years, but another loss would be unbearable. Especially since the past two years most of the hate has been directed at the Buckeyes, which is fine with me.

So Iowa won and the Big Ten was eliminated from the National Championship picture. But did this really give the conference a chance at postseason success?

It seems like knocking everyone down a peg in the bowl games would give all the teams a better shot at winning, but based on BCS rules and the ugly football being played in the Big East and ACC, things may shake out exactly the same. Since only two teams from each conference can make it to the BCS, we're probably looking at an SEC/Big 12 BCS Championship game, so each of those conferences get one more team. Then you take the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, and Pac Ten champs and you have two spots left. Unless Oregon State wins out and wins the Pac Ten, they don't get a team other than USC, while the ACC and Big East have almost no chance to get an at-large. That leaves three teams going for two spots: Boise State, Utah, and Ohio State.

Bosie State should win out and Utah has a tough game against BYU to end the year. Even if both teams run the table, I think Ohio State gets an at-large berth. The Buckeye fans travel as well as any in the country (they all drive semis) and will be a bigger draw for any of the bowls than Utah or Boise State.

So really, if Ohio State gets an at-large bid nothing changes. Penn State would go to the Rose Bowl, with Ohio State playing a major conference opponent like Texas, Oklahoma, or Alabama in a BCS bowl. Michigan State would go to the Capital One Bowl and draw someone like LSU or Georgia. Slaughter.

This all leads to the conclusion that Ohio State needs to drop a game in the last two weeks. Your play Illinois.

Big Ten Week 11 Wrap-up

"It will be the last game away from Beaver Stadium and a possible trap game for Penn State." Sometimes I know what I'm talking about when I do these things. Of course, then I go against my gut and pick PSU to win. What a great win for the Hawkeyes, even though their fan base showed it learned nothing from the Texas Tech fans last week and rushed the field with time on the clock. Shonn Greene needed to be great and he had 117 yards and two scores; Stanzi had to come through and he did, leading the Hawkeyes down the field, setting up the game-winning kick with a pass to the Penn State 15 with under 20 seconds to play. The final drive started when Daryll Clark overthrew Derrick Williams for an interception at the Iowa 29 with 3:46 left in the game. After the 24-23 loss, the Nittany Lions dropped to 8th in the BCS and saw hopes of giving Joe Pa another national title fade into the Iowa night.

Another MAC team brought down a Big Ten foe as Western Michigan beat Illinois 23-17 at Ford Field Saturday in what might be the only win for the home team in Ford Field for years. The MAC's four wins against the Big Ten is the most ever. Illinois will need a win against either Ohio State or Northwestern to earn bowl eligibility. Ron Zook's thoughts: "We can fold our tent and put it away if that's what they want to do. Obviously, the coaches are going to preach and demand and push, but still, they're going to need to step up and play the way they're capable of playing." Pitch that tent and secure a return trip to Ford Field for the Motor City Bowl!

Michigan's 29-6 win against Minnesota has fans wondering where this team has been all season. Even with walk-on Nick Sheridan starting at quarterback, the Wolverines outgained the Gophers 435-188. Michigan retained the Little Brown Jug and since Minnesota will be moving out of the Metrodome, the Wolverines clinched a perfect 12-0 record in the rotten venue.

Michigan State kept its conference championship hopes alive with a 21-7 win over Purdue Saturday. The Spartans will have a week off before going to Happy Valley to take on Penn State in the final week to play for at least a share of the Big Ten Championship and a possible Rose Bowl berth. Ugh, please no.

Northwestern kept it close with Ohio State early, then Ohio State opened up a big lead and didn't slow down, winning 45-10. Wisconsin had three running backs top 100 yards Saturday as the Badgers beat Indiana 55-20.

Your Week 11 Big Ten Preview

All 11 teams are in action this week as they'll try to follow up last Saturday's theatrics. The conference has really started to take shape now as you can clearly see that Penn State and Ohio State are the class of the league, with MSU, Northwestern, and Minnesota separating themselves from the bottom of the conference.

As Penn State pushes toward a possible shot at the BCS title game, the Nittany Lions will take on Iowa this week. It will be the last game away from Beaver Stadium and a possible trap game for Penn State. Quarterback Daryll Clark will be ready to go after suffering a concussion against the Buckeyes. For Iowa this is a chance to make their season and the Hawkeyes will look to star Shonn Greene and will need a hell of a game from their own first year starter at quarterback. Penn State might have to do more than just win the next few weeks to silence a lot of whining that is sure to come from the Big 12 and SEC (I'm looking at you Urban).

The only other fun game this week features Ohio State and Northwestern. There is some grumbling going on in Columbus as some of the seniors are upset they came back to see the offense handed over to a freshman QB, who has led the Bucks to 10th place in total offense. That wouldn't be so bad nationally, but I'm talking 10th in the Big Ten. Ohio State has outscored Northwestern 112-17 in Fitzgerald's first two games in the series as NW's head coach.

Michigan travels to Minnesota to battle for the Little Brown Jug, possibly the ugliest trophy in sports. It sounds like quarterback Steven Threet will be out for the Wolverines, meaning limp-armed walk-on Nick Sheridan will probably start, and lose.

Michigan State hosts Purdue with a chance to clinch their best season in recent memory with a win. Even if the Spartans can't upset Penn State, they would be on their way to a 9-3 finish...without one impressive win.

Illinois plays Western Michigan and Wisconsin travels to Indiana. Time for picks.

Wisconsin 30 - Indiana 17
Western Mich. 21 - Illinois 38
Purdue 13 - Michigan State 35
Michigan 14 - Minnesota 27
Ohio State 28 - Northwestern 10
Penn State 31 - Iowa 17

Your Week Nine Big Ten Preview

Coming into the year this may have looked like the best week of Big Ten football of the season. Now? Not so much, but there are still some intriguing games, including what is without a doubt the game of the year.

Penn State will travel to Ohio State in what will be its biggest test on the way to a 12-0 season. Penn State has not won in Ohio Stadium since joining the Big Ten in 1993. That's a 7-0 mark in favor of OSU. Both quarterbacks will be starting in their first OSU-PSU game and both have passed early season tests. Daryll Clark has led the Nittany Lions to an unblemished record and Terrelle Pryor has shown he is the man to lead Ohio State's offense. Both won games on the road at Wisconsin (not that cool this year) and Pryor picked up another road win last week at MSU. Pryor has been asked to make plays with his legs and not make mistakes with his arm. Penn State will likely sell out against Wells, in an effort to make Pryor win through the air. Other than the QB position Ohio State has the edge in experience and I think this will be a tough one for Penn State to win.

Illinois travels to Wisconsin this week and will try and send the Badgers to 0-5 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin has officially moved Allan Evridge out of the starting spot and given the job to Dustin Sherer. For Illinois the key will be to get up early on the Badgers, much like Iowa did last week and force Sherer to put the ball in the air to come back. Illinois can score with the best of them, but they don't want to get into a grinding ground war with Wisconsin, I don't care what their record is.

Coming off a deflating loss to Ohio State, there is no better game for Michigan State to play next than Michigan. The Spartans should have no trouble getting up for this one, as it represents their best chance to beat the Wolverines in a long time. I think the game comes down to which quarterback will suck less. If Steven Threet is healthy for Michigan, they have a chance. With Threet at the helm, Michigan had a great start to the Penn State game, but as Threet broke down, so did the offense. Michigan's defense will obviously be keying on Ringer, giving Hoyer the chance to make a difference.

Northwestern is at Indiana and Minnesota is at Purdue. Picks?

Picks:

Northwestern 42 - Indiana 14
Minnesota 21 - Purdue 24
Michigan State 21 - Michigan 23
Illinois 38 - Wisconsin 17
Ohio State 24 - Penn State 20

Your Week Seven Big Ten Preview

Really there is just one major game this week in the Big Ten. For the second week in a row the game of the week is in Madison, Wisconsin at night. The state will cease the production of cheese for a few hours while another Big Ten favorite comes to town, this time the Nittany Lions of Penn State.

Penn State's transition back to a spread attack reminiscent of Michael Robinson's days at Happy Valley has gone very well and they'll need to keep it on track against a tough Wisconsin defense. PSU's defense meanwhile hasn't been bad either, giving up only six points last week to a solid Purdue attack. The Badgers will need to run the ball well early to open things up for quarterback Allan Evridge. I can't decide which team to pick here. I'll write about some insignificant games first.

Actually, I'd be lying if I called Michigan State and Northwestern an insignificant game. I've been hyping it since last week, and as we learned yesterday, J Leman will be in the booth! Pressure for both teams to impress there. These teams have combined for about 200 points over their last two meetings and it will probably be more of the same this week. MSU struggled against Indiana's spread "offense" and Northwestern can execute the spread as well as anyone. For MSU, Ringer could run wild this week and MSU's hopes ride with him. As always.

Purdue travels to Ohio State this week hoping to catch the Buckeyes looking ahead to back to back games against Michigan State and Penn State. Probably won't happen, but I hope it will.

Illinois takes on Minnesota and will try and avoid a letdown after a big win in Ann Arbor. Shouldn't be much of a problem, but the Gophers have played pretty good defense this year, including an impressive showing at Ohio State a few weeks ago.

Michigan hosts Toledo and Iowa takes on Indiana. Picks?

Picks:

Penn State 24 - Wisconsin 27
Northwestern 42 - Michigan State 38
Purdue 13 - Ohio State 30
Minnesota 17 - Illinois 38
Toledo 16 - Michigan 28
Iowa 21 - Indiana 14

Big Ten Week Five Wrap-up

Did Penn State prove me and the rest of the doubters wrong Saturday night against Illinois? Yeah, mostly. Illinois did keep the game close, trailing 31-24 with about 13 minutes left in the game. Illinois lost their second game of the year, but both losses came to teams who now sit in the top six in the nation. And both losses were largely a result of one playmaker tearing them apart. First it was Maclin and this week it was PSU's Derrick Williams catching a touchdown, running another, and taking a kickoff 94 yards for a third score. Sound familiar? A reporter actually asked Juice after the game if it was time to start thinking about basketball season for the Illini fans. Ridiculous.

Michigan had two weeks to get ready for Wisconsin after the Wolverines fumbled the Notre Dame game away, but the offense didn't skip a beat in the first half, turning the ball over five times to the Badgers. Then something happened in the second half. UM didn't find the endzone until the 2:22 mark in the third, but didn't waste much time after that. Another TD drive in the fourth was followed with an interception return for a score as Michigan put up 13 points in three seconds to take a 20-19 lead. After another Michigan score and UW fumble in the red zone, the Badgers made a gutsy drive that would have tied the game had Travis Beckum not lined up wrong on a successful 2-point try, but after the penalty the do-over failed and Rich Rodriguez got his first big win in Ann Arbor.

Northwestern made a 14 point comeback in Iowa City to beat the Hawkeyes Saturday and improve to 5-0. Barring a Mets-like collapse, someone owes me an apology for making fun of my bowl prediction for the Wildcats. C.J. Bacher was great Saturday throwing for 284 yards and three touchdowns, while leading Northwestern to its best start since 1962.

Michigan State beat Indiana, Ohio State topped Minnesota, and Purdue lost at Notre Dame 38-21.

Your Week Five Big Ten Preview

Conference play has finally started in the Big Ten! Well, not until Saturday but still...!!! Two big games this weekend with Big Ten Championship implications.

The premier game of the weekend in the Big Ten is Illinois at Penn State. This is a night game in Beaver Stadium, so it won't be easy for Illinois to go in there and come out with a win. But the Illini showed last season that they can win big games on the road when they won in the toilet seat in Columbus. Last I saw, the line on this game had Penn State giving about 15 points. I've said before I think Penn State is overrated based on its cupcake schedule so far. Look for Illinois to keep this one close by putting a lot of points on the board, then pull off the upset in the end.

Wisconsin, the highest rated team in the Big Ten, travels to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines. In the last 17 games played at Michigan Stadium, Michigan is 16-1. The times they are a changing though, and Wisconsin comes in as about a touchdown favorite, sporting a 3-0 record and a top-ten ranking nationally. Michigan has a top five defense in the country against the run this year, but sack yardage accounts for most of the success. Stopping P.J. Hill and company behind Wisconsin's line of athletic Manginos will be the key to the game. For Wisconsin, the key will be slowing down the spread offense, which the Badgers have struggled with in the past, and forcing turnovers to set up a short field for the offense.

Purdue travels to Notre Dame in the Irish's third straight match-up with the Big Ten. Notre Dame looked awful last weekend against MSU, with an offense consisting of runs for little to no gains, followed by prayers lobbed up to receivers downfield by Jimmy Clausen. The only time ND was productive was with short, quick passes. Those quick strikes hurt Purdue last weekend against CMU, so if Notre Dame comes out with a good gameplan, they have a good chance. But hey, it's Weis. Purdue wins.

Northwestern travels to Iowa, the Buckeyes will host Minnesota, and Michigan State plays at Indiana. Picks?

Picks:

• Illinois- 38 Penn State- 34
• Wisconsin- 27 Michigan- 21
• Purdue- 30 Notre Dame- 16
• Northwestern- 20 Iowa- 27
• Ohio State- 42 Minnesota- 17
• Michigan State- 38 Indiana- 14

Big Ten Preview: Penn State

College football season is approaching and for the next couple of weeks I'll be giving you some quick previews of the Big Ten. All ten....ummm eleven teams will be featured. Today, the Nittany Lions of Penn State.

Okay, so Joe Paterno forgot to retire again. He's old, it happens. Penn State has gone through its share of problems in the offseason, losing running backs Rodney Kinlaw (graduation) and Austin Scott (rape charges), quarterback Anthony Morelli, and various other players to graduation and the slammer.

Wide receiver Derrick Williams is the top returning player on an offense that will break in two new quarterbacks to replace Morelli. Penn State has flirted with the idea of the spread offense, which it used in its successful 2005 campaign, but shockingly JoePa has decided to play it conservative with the smashmouth game. Williams' fellow wideout Deon Butler will also be an impact player, assuming one of these new QBs can throw.

Defensively, Penn State is seemingly always strong, but attrition along with injury will test the team this season. On the line they lose a couple DTs who had a knack for beating the shit out of fellow students, but DE Maurice Evans returns and he is the real deal. As for the linebackers, Sean Lee was in line to be the next great white MLB hope, but tore his ACL. In the back, the Lions lose CB Justin King, but return All Big Ten Overrated 1st Team Safety Anthony Scirotto.

Oregon State is the only moderate test in the non-conference schedule, but we'll see what this team is all about when they host Illinois September 27th under the lights in Happy Valley. Other notable games are night games at Wisconsin and Ohio State and Michigan at home to try and snap that horrendous losing streak before JoePa retires.

Overall, it's about the quarterbacks and linebackers. If one of the new signal callers steps up and a replacement for Lee is found, Penn State will easily finish in the top four or five in the Big Ten.