The last two meetings between these teams were sloppy blowout games and neither team ended up having a good season. But this year both squads look to be back on track and the rivalry is being revived.

Last week, Michigan coasted to an easy 31-7 victory over Western Michigan, scoring all of their points in the first half. Freshman quarterback Tate Forcier solidified himself as the starter for the Wolverines while fellow freshman Denard Robinson flashed the speed and big play ability that quarterbacks in Rich Rodriguez’s system are known for having.

Rich Rodriguez’s spread option offense was effective against the Broncos, as Michigan racked up 242 rushing yards from 8 different ball carriers. The problem for the Wolverines is they are currently without a go-to running back. Backup quarterback Denard Robinson was the leading rusher with 74 yards.

In Notre Dame’s season opener, the Irish shut out Nevada 35-0 with Jimmy Clausen throwing for 4 TD’s. Claussen showed poise in the pocket, completing 15 of his 18 attempts.

Charlie Weis and the Fighting Irish look ready to make it back to another bowl game this year, and possibly even compete for a BCS bid. The offense that was in complete disarray two seasons ago is now finally coming together.

Saturday’s matchup between these two bitter rivals is an intriguing one. Both teams have shown vast improvement from last year, but this will obviously be the first real test for each squad with Rodriguez and Weis both seated firmly on the hot seat to bring their teams back to the elite level of college football.

Before we get into an analysis of the matchup, let’s take a quick look at the particulars:

#18 Notre Dame (1-0) at Michigan (1-0)

• Notre Dame-Michigan Date: Saturday, September 12th
• Notre Dame-Michigan Time: 3:30 ET
• Notre Dame-Michigan TV: ABC
• Notre Dame-Michigan Location: The Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Notre Dame-Michigan Point Spread: Notre Dame -4.5
• StubHub: Michigan-Notre Dame tickets for as low as $95
• StubHub: Michigan football tickets
• StubHub: Notre Dame football tickets
• StubHub: all College Football tickets

Notre Dame-Michigan Preview and Analysis

Notre Dame comes into the game a slight favorite and rightfully so. Clausen is starting to fill in the void that was left when Brady Quinn left for the NFL draft. (Side note to Notre Dame fans: please don’t treat Claussen like the “golden boy” as you did with Quinn. Thank you.)

To win the game, the Irish must provide strong pass protection for Clausen and allow him to spread the ball around. Michigan, on the other hand, needs to pressure Clausen and limit his ability to locate WRs Golden Tate and Michael Floyd down the field. If Michigan tries to get in a shootout with Notre Dame, the Wolverines won’t be able to keep up with the Irish’s high-octane offense.

If Claussen can put up 300-plus yards passing Michigan won’t have a chance. Tate, a speedy and talented young receiver, could be the X-factor with his big play potential.

Michigan needs to control the pace and the clock by running the football over and over. Forcier looked good passing the ball last week, although he only put the ball in the air 20 times. He completed 13 of those passes for 175 yards and tallied 3 TDs. You might look at those stats and think the Wolverines should throw more.

On the contrary, Forcier’s efficient passing was set up by 50 rushing attempts at 4.8 yards per pop. Michigan would do well to follow attain a similar run:pass ratio. Forcier will have to be smart with the ball again when passing plays are called. An improving Irish defense picked off two passes last week and will be licking their chops going up against a freshman making only his second start.

Notre Dame-Michigan Prediction

This game can go either way and will likely be decided by one or two key plays. Notre Dame comes in ranked #18, but when playing in the Big House all rankings go out the window. [Editor's note: as do Division 1-A and 1-AA classifications...right App State?]

Rich Rodriguez will have the Wolverines amped up to start the game and the Irish will have to take the fans out of the game early. Luckily for Notre Dame fans and the embattled Weis, the Irish have an experienced quarterback to rely on in Jimmy Clausen, who is no stranger to pressure, expectation, and hostile environments.  

In this high profile matchup between two of the all-time giants of college football, Clausen’s experience will most likely be the difference.

My prediction for this game: Notre Dame- 31 Michigan- 24

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* – Notre Dame / Michigan helmets image credit: The Onion

* – Charlie Weis photo credit: AP Photo/Carlos Osorio via WSBT-2

* – Denard Robinson / Tate Forcier photo credit: Said Alsalah/Daily via Michigan Daily

* – Jimmy Clausen in high school photo credit: Pre Pro Sports

As Alvarez’s hand-picked successor enters his fourth season as Wisconsin’s head football coach, Bielema must halt a steady decline in the program. Bielema’s Badgers were 12-1 in 2006, capping the season with a win over Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl to finish the year ranked fifth in the nation. A year later the record slipped to 9-4 and Wisconsin lost 21-17 to Tennessee in the Outback Bowl.

Then came last year’s miserable 7-6 season that saw the Badgers barely scrape by Fresno State, one-win Minnesota, and I-AA opponent Cal Poly. The season also included a two-point loss to a three-win Michigan team, and ended with an embarrassing effort against Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Every year under Bielema the Badgers have gotten worse.

Follow these links to StubHub for great deals on Wisconsin Badgers football tickets, Big Ten football tickets, and all NCAA college football tickets.

When he took over, they were a perennially ranked team. Now they enter the 2009 season just hoping to become bowl eligible.

Bielema is a defensive-minded coach, and was UW’s defensive coordinator under Alvarez. He must focus his attention on that side of the ball because Wisconsin has seen its points allowed average swell from 12 in 2006 to nearly 27 last season. Fixing that will go along way in reversing the downward spiral of Wisconsin’s record. It won’t be easy with just three returning full-time starters – safety Jay Valai, defensive end O’Brien Schofield and linebacker Jaevery McFadden – returning.

The inexperienced defense has talent though and is ready to accept the challenge.

“There are no excuses for us on defense to give up more points every year,” Valai told Madison.com. “We’d better reverse that trend because we have to. With the type of offense we have, we’re going to ground and pound and beat the mess out of you … so we’ve got to come through.”

Wisconsin has loads of talent at the skill positions on offense, but will have to get consistent play from first-year starter Scott Tolzien. The junior beat out highly touted freshman Curt Phillips and last year’s starter, senior Dustin Sherer, for the job.

Wisconsin lost some starters on the offensive line, but the one thing that has always been a constant in Madison is a good, big, strong offensive front. The Badgers play power football, and the big uglies up front should be able to reload and clear holes for a stable of running backs led by John Clay and Zach Brown.

Clay is the official No. 1, but Brown is a good change-of-pace back that has the ability to take 20 carries a game. Also in the mix is true freshman Montee Ball, a super prospect from Timberland High School just went of St. Louis. Redshirt freshman Erik Smith has blazing speed and good hands out of the backfield – both good for a third-down threat.

The Badgers bring back nearly all of their pass catchers. Travis Beckum’s injury last year opened things up for Garrett Graham to become the featured tight end. Returning at wideout are David Gilreath, Isaac Anderson, and Nick Toon, son of former Badgers great Al Toon. What that trio can’t afford to do is drop passes, something that plagued the unit a season ago.

That’s the good and the bad. The yin and the yang. So what’s the prognosis?

Well, the schedule is managable.

Wisconsin opens at home Saturday with Northern Illinois, a 6-7 team a season ago. Then it’s two more home games against Fresno State and I-AA Wofford. So a 3-0 start is likely, but Wisconsin was 3-0 last year also.

Week four is the first real test, a home game against Michigan State, which is a team considered a dark horse to win the Big Ten. Win or lose, if the Badgers at least look crisp and focused against what is on paper a more talented team, then things could be looking bright. Last year’s contest in East Lansing was a 25-24 win for Sparty.

Another winnable game is in week five, but it’s also Wisconsin’s first road game. Minnesota was dismal last year, but the Badgers barely won to keep Paul Bunyan’s Axe – the best rivalry trophy in all of college football. Minnesota will be improved this year, so it will be no walk in the park inside the Gophers’ brand new stadium for the Badgers.

And this is when the schedule gets really tough.

Although Wisconsin played Ohio State tough last year, the Buckeyes still won, and a similar fate could await the Badgers this year. The Buckeyes are stacked and experienced.

The following week is homecoming in Madison, but it’s also against highly-touted Iowa. It sucks losing the homecoming game, but just think of all the comforting drinks that will be comsumed on State Street after the game.

So 4-3 is likely after seven games, but there might not be a loss on the schedule after that with home games against Purdue and troubled Michigan. The road contests are at Indiana, Northwestern and Hawaii.

A 9-3, or even an 8-4 record will reverse the trend of the last three years, and should save Alvarez from having to make a difficult decision.

Bret Bielema just might be able to stave off the “Fire Bret Bielema” calls for at least one more season.

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* – Barry Alvarez / Brett Bielema photo credit: Wisconsin Badger Sports Fan

* – Jay Valai photo credit: BadgerBeat.com

* – Brett Bielema photo credit: Wizard of Odds

Indiana flamed out in Round 1 with a pathetic performance against Arkansas that was indicative of their late-season collapse, Purdue bowed out in Round 2, and Michigan State and Wisconsin actually did the conference relatively proud by reaching the Sweet 16.

Still, criticism of the Big Ten came from far and wide and people wondered if the conference’s fall from grace was more permanent than just a one- or two-year struggle. Well, the Big Ten answered its critics in a big way this season, placing 7 teams in the 2009 NCAA Tournament with two in particular that many have predicted to make deep runs: Michigan State and Purdue.

The 5th seeded Boilermakers won their first round game against Northern Iowa and will face off against #4 seed Washington tomorrow. #10 seed Michigan also won yesterday, scoring a mild upset by beating #7 Clemson. #10 seed Minnesota and #5 seed Illinois both saw their seasons come to an end last night, not all that unexpectedly. The #2 seed Spartans open Tournament play tonight against Robert Morris and both #12 seed Wisconsin and #8 seed Ohio State also play their first games tonight.

I think tonight has a chance to be a very good night for the Big Ten conference.

A Big Ten sweep in tonight’s game would give the conference a 5-2 first round record, which is excellent. It would also mean that Ohio State wins a tough game against an underrated Siena squad that many people (including me in my official tournament bracket) think will win, and that Wisconsin becomes the latest #12 seed to make it out of the first round with an upset over Florida State. (For the record, I have the Badgers going to the Sweet 16.) Michigan State is heavily favored against Robert Morris, so it would be a real shocker if they did not advance.

Despite my system-based pick of Siena over Ohio State, I think a) that my system has proven to be crap, so I no longer trust it and b) the Buckeyes have a great chance to pull out a W. Here are some quick previews and predictions of tonight’s games:

#12 seed Wisconsin v #5 seed Florida State

Before I jump into my reasoning for why Wisconsin can upset Florida State, I would like to share a hilarious video with you. Many Big Ten and Wisconsin fans may have seen this already, as I believe this video is from 2007, but I saw it for the first time today. I am not sure that I can think of anything more ironic in college basketball than Bo Ryan dancing to the eternally awful song “Crank dat Soulja Boy”. I don’t even know if that’s the actual name of the song, and I don’t really care. House debris in a tornado has smashed together in more pleasant harmony than this “song.”

Either way, the video of Bo Ryan “cranking dat” (or however you say it) is pure gold:

Video: Bo Ryan Soulja Boy Dance

Now onto my reasoning for picking Wisconsin.

Bo Ryan has proven himself to be one of the most consistent tournament coaches in college basketball. When he coached at UW-Platteville, Bo Ryan’s teams made the NAIA and then NCAA D-III tournaments in each of his final 12 seasons there from 1987-88 through 1998-99. During that time, they only lost in the first round once and won four championships. While at Wisconsin, Bo Ryan and the Badgers have made the tournament for 8 straight seasons, and have only been bounced in the first round once (2006). He has led Wisconsin to two Sweet 16s and one Elite 8.

The Badgers play tough, hard-nosed defense, they do not turn the ball over, they make free throws, and they keep games within reach by imposing their plodding, deliberate style of basketball on opponents. I know that Florida State played well in the ACC Tournament and knocked off a Lawson-less North Carolina team, but the Seminoles only have one player who scores in double-digits: Toney Douglas.

Bo Ryan and the Badgers are masters at removing a team’s first option and making #2, #3, and #4 options beat them. Without a superb performance from Douglas, I don’t think Florida State can win a grind-it-out game against Wisconsin. Obviously if the game gets into the high-60s or 70s, the advantage goes to Florida State; but I think Wisconsin keeps the pace slow and low-scoring and gets one of their typical ugly but solid wins.

I am a little worried about the Badgers in round two, and fear that my apparent man-crush on Bo Ryan may have decieved me into thinking that they are a Sweet 16-caliber team, but I feel good about tonight.

Hey — the usual Red & White (or Cream and Crimson) I root for come tournament time is nowhere to be found this year. Old habits die hard. Thus, I’m getting behind Soulja Boy Bo Ryan and the Badgers. Perhaps this prediction is wishful thinking, but Florida State is by no means a juggernaut and a solid defensive performance from Wisconsin can create another 5-12 upset.

#8 seed Ohio State v #9 seed Siena

It’s an 8-9 game, so no one will be surprised no matter which way this game goes.

Siena obviously has a better record, but played in a much less competitive conference. Siena also plays a much more up-tempo, high-scoring style than Ohio State, which should create an interesting contrast in tonight’s game. The reason why I am waffling on my original prediction of Siena is that the Buckeyes will have the best player on the floor in Evan Turner (something my bracket-busting system did not take into account). Every time I see him play I get more and more impressed.

So often, the best player on the floor can tip the balance in a game between two evenly matched teams. If Evan Turner plays like the superstar we saw during Big Ten play, he may be able to give Ohio State the lift it needs to play on. This is one of the picks on my bracket that I did not “agree” with — but I had a system and I was sticking to it. (Damnit.) If I was putting money down on a game-by-game basis I would have a hard time picking against Evan Turner and the Buckeyes.

So there you have it: official fence-straddling. I have become what I despise: the Mike Golic of bloggers. Bracket says one thing, this post says another. Screw it, my bracket is already toast — I’m rooting for and predicting an Ohio State victory.

Indiana is isn’t in the tournament so I’m Big 10 all the way.

#2 seed Michigan State v #15 seed Robert Morris

There is not much to say about this game in terms of a prediction. The Spartans have been a little inconsistent this year, but I think even the “bad” Spartans could score a victory against Robert Morris. If they find a way to become the next #2 seed to infamously bow out in round one, I and many other people will be ripping up their brackets and lighting them on fire.

I’ve got the Spartans going all the way to Detroit, and I think it starts tonight with a rout.

All things considered, if the Big Ten can get out of round one with a 5-2 record it would be a smashing success for a conference that so many have disparaged over the past few years. Even 4-3 would be a good step in the right direction. It’s up to Ohio State and Wisconsin to make that happen. The Badgers have won 7 out of 10 coming into tonight and the Buckeyes have won 4 out of 5. Both of their first round games are there for the taking, and I think Big Ten Nation will be able to walk away from tonight very pleased with the results.

Virtually identical, I couldn’t find any serious differences in numbers and percentages while I scoped the official Minnesota Wisconsin box score from last night. I read up on the game, watched the highlights and still couldn’t find a serious statistic or problem that would point to how Wisconsin fell to the Gophers at home, after taking an 11 point lead before the half. It had to exist in the intangibles, and it does.

Since he left Kentucky, the SEC has suffered, but the Big Ten has added one of college basketball’s best minds to match Tom Izzo. There’s a reason that he will be in the Hall of Fame one day. Tubby Smith knows how to create a team that wins. He has done that in Minnesota and we can look towards the Wisconsin game for why.

Every good coach has to “sell his system”, when the W’s come, the troops get on board. Tubby Smith has his entire team on board with his system. Not just his assistants, not just starters, not just the sixth man; I mean the whole team. That’s because everyone is involved.

Bo Ryan worked a rotation of primarily 7 players, maxing out starters with each one close to 40 minutes for the Badgers last night. While some of the best squads in the country are primarily looking at 7 player rotations – Duke, Wake Forest, Michigan State, UConn. The minutes lean heavily on 5 starters and two players coming off the bench, for the most part.

7 players came off the bench last night for Tubby Smith. That means 12 players got minutes in a hard fought, OT battle, in the heat of conference play. 9 players saw more than 15 minutes in the game. The whole team got a win. Not just 7 guys and there’s value in a having a long bench in college basketball and it extends beyond conventional sports thinking

Putting guys on the floor, and having a deep bench doesn’t just keep legs fresh and defense active, it creates intangibles. It creates a new definition for team game. Tubby Smith has 9 players averaging 15 minutes, more than 5 points and 2 rebounds. No those numbers aren’t staggering but at the minimum everyone is contributing, positively. To have accountability and 9 players that you can trust on the floor isn’t something every coach in the country has or wants to risk.

That’s a decision by the coach, to get every member of his squad on board, to get every man minutes, to create a culture of belief around your program. Taking risks on young players in college, at the peak of their development breeds confidence and hunger in a team and a locker room. When virtually every player on Minnesota’s team has contributed something to their start, players are all in. It shows, too. They’ve won 16 games and they are 4 wins away from the magic 20 and gaining that invitation to dance in March.

We all know that college basketball is an emotional game. One that champions a team game played with commitment, toughness, and a never-die attitude. The Gophers showed that last night overcoming a huge second half deficit. They showed swagger and depth on the road. They showed that their record is not a fluke, and that they have the moxie to challenge Tom Izzo’s team for the Big Ten title. (By the way, Feb. 4 is the date when the two see each other again in East Lansing.) All this, thanks to a new face on the sidelines. Tubby Smith has created a team in the Barn that is enjoying unseen success, and challenging the hockey team for headlines due to selling his brand of team basketball.

Far-fetched? Maybe, if you’re a numbers guy, or one that just believes in talent. Though, for those who have been part of a scrappy locker room, jumped around in warm-ups as part of confident bench, or get a little choked up during “Rudy”, it makes sense. When your coach calls your number more often than not, you’re that much more willing to fight for that team, that fight will win games in college basketball.

]]> http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2009/01/minnesota-basketball-tubby-smith-has-a-whole-team-running-towards-tourney/feed/ 0 http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2009/01/big-ten-hoops-roundup-hot-start-gophers-wolverines/ http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2009/01/big-ten-hoops-roundup-hot-start-gophers-wolverines/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:04:59 +0000 Kaner http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/?p=1212 Trying to stay on top of college basketball is a full time job, a full time job that people like Jay Bilas get paid for. I’m not Jay Bilas, but I’m going to try and break down the week in Midwestern college basketball.

There were some interesting headlines, but the ball being played here in the heartland isn’t getting the press that the ACC or Big East sees; yet it’s clear that there are some contenders this year, namely Michigan State and Minnesota. Michigan is back on the rise and we’ll see if Purdue can battle back from injury woes and early losses to pop out of a slump.

One of the teams that hasn’t been in the news for a number of seasons may soon have fans in Ann Arbor smiling about something. Michigan got three quality wins this week against Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. The Wolverines are 3-1 in the conference and are starting to show their depth and talent. An emotional win last Sunday against the Illini started the week, then an overtime victory over the Hoosiers, topping it off with a win against Iowa is making Big Ten coaches and fans take note. Remember, this team beat Duke early in December. If they can stay hot in conference play, the legacy of quality Michigan basketball might be alive and well again.

Across the state, the Spartans are putting Tom Izzo back on the minds of basketball fans. Izzo has always been among the nation’s elite but recently hasn’t gotten past the Sweet 16 since 2005. Izzo’s high intensity team got two wins this week, one over Ohio State and another out of conference at Kansas. This year’s team seems to be emerging as the favorite to win the Big Ten, with the cooling off of the Boilmakers.

Which brings me to Purdue.

The preseason predictions had these guys making serious waves, but they aren’t making the kind of headlines they want to. They already have two in-conference losses and dropped an away game against the unranked Nittany Lions early in the week. Without starters Robbie Hummell and Chris Kramer, the Boilmakers offense stalled in the first half and couldn’t crawl back. They bounced back to beat Wisconsin but have put themselves in an early hole.

In The Barn, though, the Gophers are making some serious noise. Minnesota has only one loss on the year, to Michigan State, their first in conference game. The Tubby Smith era has just begin but they have got to be happy with three conference wins already. They took care of the Buckeyes, squeaked out a comeback against Iowa, then went into Happy Valley and wiped the floor with Penn State. This team will challenge for the Big Ten title for sure; they are confident and have a coach in place who has proved that sometimes a change of scenery can be a good thing.

The rest of ‘em? Well, Illinois and Wisconsin are the ones to watch, but they have proved to be hot and cold. We can wait for the news on those.

I’m no Jay Bilas, but at least this way you know who won what.

Tonight’s Penn State game has the potential to be one of our greatest victories of the season.

Sorry T-Mill, and you Boilermaker fans out there, but the Boilermakers were unable to get it done on the road against an upstart Penn State team playing very good basketball right now.

And with the Boilermakers’ loss tonight, Indiana fans everywhere were provided with the perhaps the greatest bit of pleasure they will have during what is sure to be an ugly and difficult Big Ten season. This screen capture says it all:

Yes, for perhaps the only time in this Season of Great Expectations for Purdue, and this Season of No Expectations for Indiana, the Hoosiers are above the Boilermakers. Look, am about as die-hard a Hoosier fan as you will find. (As an example, my girlfriend surprised me this Christmas with what she hyped as the “greatest Christmas present ever.” What was it? An autographed Washington Bullets Calbert Cheaney jersey. That’s right, I’m old school IU.) But not even if I am foolish enough to think that this year’s inexperienced and undermanned Indiana team can compete with Matt Painter’s solid Purdue bunch.

So I will enjoy standings that look like what you see above for as long as humanly possible. And get your licks in now Boilermaker fans — you may be better than the Hoosiers this year, but we’ll give you a battle in Bloomington and you know that Crean-Painter will be as competitive as Knight-Keady was within two years.

So what went wrong tonight for the Boilers in their loss to Penn State?

Well for starters, preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Robbie Hummel and Chris Kramer did not play. And then not scoring a field goal for the first five minutes of the game didn’t help either. Nor did the 13-0 run that Penn State went on in the second half. Amazingly, Penn State only shot .387 from the field and .565 from the free-throw line, as opposed to .458 and .846, respectively, for Purdue. Just looking at those numbers, you’d think Purdue won going away.

But those are the quirks of conference play. Purdue was also whistled for 9 more fouls that Penn State, leading to ten more opportunities from the line for the Nittany Lions. That helps to explain the final three point differential as well as anything.

At the end of the day, the Boilers were ranked #14 coming into this game and will now be knocked from their perch as Big Ten favorites. Starting out 0-2 sucks, sure — and the last time it happened to Purdue the finished 3-13 in the Big Ten — but the Boilers took advantage of the fact that they could sneak up on people last year. Now they are the ones being hunted. With Hummel and Kramer back in the lineup Purdue will resume being one of the best teams in the Big Ten and will no doubt finish in the top 3 or 4.

And when that happens — and IU is sitting at the the bottom of the standings with whatever paltry number of victories we have — I’ll always have the screenshot of the standings pictured above to remind me of the one moment during this season when the Hoosiers were over the Boilermakers.

The ACC has already boasted 4 teams in this week’s AP poll with UNC clearly at the top followed by Duke (7), Wake Forest (19) and Miami (22). After this weekend and Carolina’s impressive performance in the Maui Invitational, beating Notre Dame easily in the championship game, they will certainly remain atop the standings. Wake Forest may slide up the rankings as well after a quality win against Conference USA’s UTEP, keeping them undefeated in the out-of-conference portion of their schedule.

The Big Ten, on the other hand, suffered a few tough losses during the pre-season tournament schedule but grabbed some key wins. While Big-Ten front runner, Purdue, knocked off Boston College in the second round of the NIT invitational, they lost a hard fought battle against Oklahoma in the championship game. Michigan State reversed that trend losing to an ACC contender, Maryland, then knocking off Oklahoma State.

What do we learn from all this? There’s still a lot of basketball to be played until March. Teams looked hungry. Both the Big-Ten and ACC showed a quality field of contenders that will lead to some great conference play down the road.

We will certainly continue to learn about the these teams in the next three days, with the upcoming Big Ten/ACC challenge coming up. Here’s the schedule:

Monday, Dec. 1

Wisconsin at Virginia Tech

Both teams are expected to make a quality run this year. Wisconsin more than the Hokies. Look for Bo Ryan’s squad to play with pace and confidence, as they always do. VaTech has always run the court but they have already suffered two losses to Xavier and Seton Hall. The Hokies need the win, but I like the Badgers.

Tuesday, Dec. 2

Duke at Purdue

This is the marquee matchup, the ESPN commercial maker, the talk of the town. Purdue is clearly the best team in the Big Ten and Coach K always has his team in top form. Both teams are a benchmark for each conference. The winner here will determine the quality of ball being played within the conference this year.

Clemson at Illinois
- Not a headline matchup, but both of these teams will not be overlooked by anyone they see. Clemson is still seeing votes for the top 25 and sits at 7-0, they have been beating up on local neighbors like Charlotte and Savannah State, not too impressive but they haven’t slipped. Illinois has only played 4 games but beat Vanderbilt during that time and will certainly look to jump into the polls this winter.

Ohio State at Miami
- OSU made the NIT interesting last year but haven’t done anything this year. Their schedule will really jump into first gear in quality when they face the Canes (they see ND and Butler in the week after Miami). The Canes are expected to do big things this year with quality leadership from a roster loaded with Juniors and Seniors, they still have yet to prove themselves as a contender in the ACC.

Virginia at Minnesota
- Nothing terribly exciting here, but look for a quality matchup between two teams that could play spoiler in conference play.

Iowa at Boston College
- This game means a lot more for Boston College than it does for the Hawkeyes, the young Eagles is high on prospects but low on confidence. The team has one leading senior in Tyrese Rice, but has to balance their attack to contend this year. Iowa hasn’t seen a quality opponent except West Virginia, who they lost to. Hard fought battle for potential bubble teams.

Wednesday, Dec. 3

North Carolina vs. Michigan State (Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan)
- Another marquis matchup that will show the quality of each conference. Trouble is UNC will roll. Michigan State is a team that relies on momentum and feisty defense. UNC has their way with anyone, they will have their way with Izzo’s squad, unless they go real cold from the field.

Indiana at Wake Forest
- A rebuilding year in Indiana this year will be tough to swallow for Hoosier fans. The Demon Deacons, though, are looking at the potential of a powerful young roster. Look for Wake to start turning heads during this game.

Michigan at Maryland
- Maryland is a team that can always go either way. Gary Williams always seems to have his team in contention but never close to domination. Michigan hasn’t even made a news reel in recent memory but stole a win over UCLA early. As we speak, though, they are down by 20 at the half to Savannah State…?

Florida State at Northwestern
- I have a feeling we won’t see any serious news come from this game. The Noles were an athletic contender last year and are at 6-0 this year, we will see what they are made of in Saturday’s matchup against Cal. I have a hard time believing that the Wildcats will be able to keep up. Noles roll.

Penn State at Georgia Tech
- The Yellow Jackets have been squeaking out wins against some pretty weak opponents lately, Mercer took them into OT and they beat Jacksonville by 3. They are hanging by a thread but at least they have a thread. The Nittany Lions, however, have had some decent wins so far. I like the boys from Happy Valley.

The ACC has dominated the history of this inter-conference challenge. I don’t see much difference this year, at least amongst the Big Dogs. Duke and UNC should win, look for the shakeups and buzzer beaters to come from the middle of the pack games on Tuesday. The momentum is what’s key now, teams need to gather speed, confidence and poise early in the year before they go into conference play. Young ACC teams are looking for serious growth and Big-Ten bubble watchers would love a good win in November to strengthen their case in March.

This post was written a few weeks ago, and included the wishful thinking of an Ohio State fan who wanted the Buckeyes to make it to the Rose Bowl. Follow the link to view the 2008 college football schedule, which will be filled in with all the matchups once they are set.  You can also view the updated BCS Bowl projections, with Ohio State likely going to the Fiesta Bowl.

We are down to the final two weeks of Big Ten football play and I am pretty sure every fan believes their team underachieved this year. This probably doesn’t include Michigan State, Northwestern and Minnesota but all three got destroyed by Ohio State (30 plus point losses). All three teams probably lost a lot of their fan base before this year. Speaking of losing a fan base, I look at Indiana and Purdue in last place and Notre Dame barely bowl eligible and Ball State is the only exciting team in Indiana.

Anyway, moving on to the top of the Big Ten we virtually have a three way tie for first. Michigan State sits atop at 6-1 and they have a bye this week to prepare to go to Happy Valley for the Penn State rivalry game November 22nd.

Penn State is playing at home against IU this weekend and it could get ugly since they are coming off the last second FG loss at Iowa. The sports media world took a collective sigh of relief because they were not ready to cover a national championship game where a Big Ten champ gets their asses handed to them for a third straight year. Plus one model should be the motto for the future of the Big Ten conference so they can have a championship game.

THE Ohio State University Buckeyes go to Illinois for a noon game (ESPN) and they have revenge on their minds after last year’s 28-21 loss in Columbus. The Illibuck Trophy is up for grabs in Champaign which will be playing in freezing temperatures, maybe some flurries, before they get the Wolverines at home in The Game November 22nd. Now on to Bowl projections:

ROSE BOWL (Jan 1st) – Ohio State v. USC - The Buckeyes have a not so outside shot at a rematch against USC with a Michigan State win at Penn State. If the Spartans do win, Ohio State couldn’t be happier going to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1997 when they beat Jake “The Snake” Plummer’s Arizona State team 20-17. If Penn State wins out look for the Buckeyes to be in the BCS at-large game (Fiesta or Sugar) against maybe Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Utah, or even Ball State.

CAPITAL ONE BOWL (Jan 1st) – Michigan State v. Georgia - The Spartan faithful would enjoy a trip to the Capital One Bowl with a win at Happy Valley. Javon Ringer would go pro after this game if can run wild on the recently porous Georgia defense. The last four #2 Big Ten v. #2 SEC match ups have gone to the Big Ten squad in this January 1st Bowl game. Michigan, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, and Iowa over Florida, Arkansas, Auburn, and LSU respectively.

OUTBACK BOWL (Jan 1st) – Penn State v. South Carolina – Joe Pa versus the Ol’ Ball Coach. Sounds ironic considering Spurrier is about 30 years younger right? Anyway, who knows who will show up in this 11am New Years Day bowl. Then again it is premature to discuss this potential game two weeks before the season is over and since I am probably underestimating Penn State who could get their starting QB back for the MSU game.

ALAMO BOWL (Dec 29th) – Iowa v. Missouri - Most would look at the QB match up here and would check the spread for Chase Daniel’s Tigers, bet their savings, and laugh all the way home. But Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeyes always stay competitive (or win) in these Bowl games that they are supposed to be over matched. They almost beat Texas last year, came close to Florida before that, and beat LSU and Florida respectively the previous years before the close losses.

CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL (Dec 29th) – Northwestern v. Miami (FL) - Two private schools, North versus South (or Thugs vs. Dorks whichever you prefer). Both programs are young and on the rise so if they meet here, the winner could build off the momentum and be pretty tough next year. The loser could as well.

INSIGHT BOWL (Dec 31st) – Illinois v. Nebraska - This is a coin flip between Minnesota and Illinois but I think Illinois will get the nod based off of fan base. It is unbelievable to me that the Fighting Zooks even have a chance to make a bowl after tanking it against WESTERN Michigan last weekend. Illinois has to beat Ohio State or Northwestern to even become eligible.

MOTOR CITY BOWL (Dec 27th) – Minnesota v. Ball State - The Gophers had a pretty good year but a lot of their Bowl eligibility has to do with a horrible non-conference schedule. Ball State is probably better than their non-conference and half of their Big Ten schedule. If Ball State runs the table while Utah and Texas Tech lose, then you would see Ball U in a BCS game and Central Michigan here against Minnesota.

However, while there was very little at stake on a national scale, the action on the field ended up being pretty exciting in every game. Let’s get to the rundown:

Michigan State 25 | Wisconsin 24

If someone had told you at the start of the season that Michigan State would enter this week’s game against Wisconsin with a 4-1 Big Ten record, you would have thought that this would be a big game at the top of the Big Ten standings. However, Wisconsin came into the matchup with a 1-4 Big Ten record that has led for some Wisconsin fans to call for the firing of coach Bret Bielema. I doubt that today’s results will quiet those calls at all.

Take a quick look at the stat sheet and you’d think Wisconsin would have won going away. Javon Ringer was held to 54 yards rushing, while Wisconsin had two players rush for more than 100 yards. However, those totals don’t tell the full story. Wisconsin was penalized 12 times for 121 yards, with even Bielema getting in on the action and drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at 9:19 in the 4th quarter with the Badgers up 11. A lot of the Sunday morning quarterbacks will also be debating Bielema’s decision to call timeout as Michigan State was setting up for the final field goal; he was ostensibly trying to ice Spartan kicker Brett Swensen, but mostly just enabled the Spartans to have time to setup properly and relaxed.

Northwestern 24 | Minnesota 17

This was the “marquee” matchup of the day in the Big Ten, at least from the standpoint of it featuring two teams in the upper half of the standings. I guess you could say the game lived up to its “billing” because it certainly featured an exciting ending. With the game time at 17 with less than a minute to go, Northwestern’s Brendan Smith returned an interception 48 yards to score the winning touchdown for the Wildcats. QB Mike Kafka led Northwestern with 2 passing TDs to go along with 217 rushing yards. Simply put, he was awesome (minus his two picks). And as long as the Gophers still play in that god-awful dome that is not meant for college football, I vow to never give them more than one paragraph in any of these rundowns.

Purdue 48 | Michigan 42

Michigan sucks. Purdue sucks. They played a game today, someone won, someone lost, blah blah blah.

The only really important note about this game is that Michigan is now guaranteed to have their first losing season since 1967. In related news, Rich Rodriguez sucks.

But all joking aside, congratulations to Joe Tiller on guaranteeing that he won’t go winless in his final Big Ten season. Until we find someone who will write about Purdue sports, I can officially say that we do not support Purdue athletics here at Midwest Sports Fans. (Well, at least those of us who are IU grads.) We do, however, support mustaches and their magical omnipotence. Joe Tiller is one of the worst big game coaches I have ever seen, but he came through today (in a meaningless game, of course). I’d give the credit to Tiller and his players, but we all know that the credit goes to his magic mustache.

Illinois 27 | Iowa 24

It’s not often that we get the joy of having two of the five most overrated coaches in college athletics dueling it out on the same field, but that is exactly what we were treated to today. Illinois coach Ron Zook and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz have their teams in exactly the position this season that their coaching abilities would suggest: middle of the pack in a mediocre conference. But, this game did feature three of the most exciting players in the Big Ten, so we won’t hold it against them that their coaches suck.

Shonn Greene, RB for Iowa, finished with 103 yards rushing on 21 carries with a touchdown. Illinois’ dynamic duo of Juice Williams and Arrelious Benn also had solid days. Williams threw for 272 yards and a TD, while Benn had 7 receptions for 96 yards. But the player of the game for Illinois was probably Matt Eller, the kicker who drained a 46-yard field goal with :24 left to seal the win for Illinois.

Central Michigan 37 | Indiana 34

Ah yes Michigan and Purdue fans — this is where the douche bag IU fan gets his comeuppance. Yes, the mighty Hoosiers lost to another MAC school today. Now, in the Hoosiers’ defense, this is not just any MAC team. These are the mighty Central Michigan Chippewas! Second only to the Spartans in the state of Michigan! Plus, Central Michigan has a potential NFL quarterback in last season’s MAC Player of the Year Dan LeFevour.

Wait a minute. What? LeFevour didn’t play? But Central Michigan’s QB threw for 485 yards and 4 TDs. And Indiana is supposedly a BCS conference team. And the game was in Bloomington, where the Hoosiers always indefatigably “defend the rock.”

And you’re trying to tell me that Central Michigan won and Dan LeFevour didn’t even play???

Yes folks, in another moment in Indiana football history, the Hoosiers gave up 485 passing yards to Central Michigan and its backup quarterback in a 37-34 home loss. Also, this became the first Indiana team in school history to lose twice to MAC teams in the same season (they lost to Ball State earlier this year). Again, in IU’s defense, Ball State is actually a top 25 team this year.

But when you’re defending a Big Ten team for losing twice to MAC teams by touting the success of said MAC teams — well, you know it hasn’t been a very good season.

So glad I saved the IU blurb for the end. Now I’m in a bad mood (not to mention Phil Fulmer and the Vols lost to Steve Spurrier and South Carolina 27-6 today — the Browns better come through tomorrow or I’m leaping out of a ten-story window).

Enjoy the standings:

Big Ten Football Standings

[tags]big ten, college football[/tags]

But not even the aggregate of all of this positive news could compare with what I just found out when I went to the Big Ten Network’s official website: Gus Johnson has joined the Big Ten Network to announce mens basketball games for the 2008-09 season.

Let me try to express how I feel about this:

There is absolutely no one on earth who makes watching a sporting event as fun as Gus Johnson. Hell, this blog has been for about three months and I’ve probably posted the video above twice already before.

One video that I have not yet posted is of my favorite Gus Johnson call of all-time, during the NCAA Tournament a few years ago when Ohio State and Xavier staged their epic down-to-the-wire battle that was won on a Ron Lewis three pointer. I’ll let Gus do the rest of the talking:

I don’t know how many IU games Gus Johnson will be doing this year, but I hope it is every single one. I have tons of IU basketball memories, but I don’t have one yet that includes the indelible sound of Gus Johnson screaming with excitement. Every sports fan should have at least one memory of Gus Johnson calling an exciting moment for their team. Like Gonzaga fans do — the slipper still fits!

I think I could spend all night watching Gus Johnson videos on YouTube. Wait a minute…KVB and I have done that before. More than once. Anyone want to experience the most exciting 3:48 of your life? Click play on the video below:

Honestly, the Big Ten Network getting Gus Johnson is a huge coup for the network. There were many things about the Big Ten Network that pissed me off last year, and one of the main ones was the absolutely mediocrity of the announcing teams that were trotted out on a nightly basis. There is absolutely nothing mediocre about Gus Johnson. He is a very good technical announcer, does a good job of calling the game, and makes even the most exciting moments seem exponentially more exciting.

I was excited for the start of college basketball before, but now the season can’t come soon enough. Gus Johnson joining the Big Ten Network is the most exciting thing to happen to Big Ten sports since…since…? Hell, I can’t think of anything. Ha-ha! Gus Johnson! On the Big Ten Network! THIS is MARCH MADNESS!

[tags]big ten, big ten network, college basketball, gus johnson[/tags]

Purdue was picked to finish first and the recently punched-in-the-balls by Kelvin Sampson IU program was selected to finish dead last in the Big Ten.

Here are the results (first place votes are in parenthesis):

1. Purdue (10)

2. Michigan State (5)

3. Wisconsin

4. Ohio State

5. Minnesota

6. Illinois

7. Penn State

8. Michigan

T9. Iowa

T9. Northwestern

11. Indiana

The Pre-season all Big Ten team is:

Robbie Hummel (Purdue)

E’ Twaun Moore (Purdue)

Marcus Landry (Wisconsin)

Manny Harris (Michigan State)

Raymar Morgan (Michigan State)

Hummel was also selected as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. He is the first Purdue player to be selected since Chad Austin in 1997. Purdue was also selected to win the women’s Big Ten title as well if you are interested in Jump Balls, falling down and traveling violations.

I think this is pretty fair considering that it is a Preseason poll and it is pretty much based on last years results. Obviously Indiana was hurt by the mass exodus that occured last spring summer from their much maligned basketball program. I still think Tom Crean is a good enough coach to get them out of the basement of the Big Ten this year.

But, one thing should be clear: I absolutely think that Rich Rodriguez will win games, and plenty of them, at Michigan. That is why I was not surprised to read this article on ESPN.com regarding Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin voicing full support for Rich Rodriguez despite a 2-4 record and a home loss last weekend to Toledo.

(Note: in an effort to be fair to Rich Rodriguez considering the posts I’ve written the past few days, this article from mgoblog.com gives a good overview of Rich Rodriguez’s history at West Virginia and how it likely portends good things for the on-field success of Michigan in the future.)

Now, obviously Bill Martin will express support because Rich Rodriguez was his hire. And we’re only halfway through the first season of what Bill Martin and the Michigan faithful hope will be a long and glorious Rich Rodriguez era in Ann Arbor. Furthermore, the style that Rich Rodriguez plays will compel him to recruit the kind of speed and up-tempo athletes that the Big Ten has been lacking in recent years. With a couple of years to get his spread offense properly installed, and to acquire the right talent to run it, Michigan will again be a legitimate contender with Ohio State for Big Ten supremacy

All this being said, I still think Michigan has made a deal with the devil; and being an Indiana basketball fan, and enduring the short and destructive Kelvin Sampson era, I think it is necessary for Michigan fans to at least be cautious. I have found nothing online about Rich Rodriguez being involved in specific recruiting violations, as Kelvin Sampson was before IU foolishly hired him. But Rodriguez and Sampson do seem to have the common trait of not minding playing guys who are prone to getting in trouble. Rich Rodriguez has proven that he will recruit and play unsavory characters (Pacman Jones, Chris Henry) in the name of winning. As a lifelong Big Ten fan, that seems to me to be in contrast to what Michigan has stood for over the years.

So I think it is great and absolutely expected that Bill Martin is supporting Rich Rodriguez. It’s only Year One of the Rich Rodriguez Era, so there is no need to panic about the product on the field. Michigan will be good; maybe not by the end of this year, but soon enough. The dilemma for Michigan fans, and perhaps down the road for Bill Martin, is will the wins come at the cost of the integrity and traditional values of Michigan football and the university itself.

Rich Rodriguez is a devil of a coach, a damn good one who has a proven track record of success. For Bill Martin and Michigan, they just have to hope that their deal with this devil does not end up burning them in the end; or that the actual price of success was the soul of a program.

[tags]michigan wolverines, rich rodriguez, college football, big ten, ncaa[/tags]

(Photo Art by Midwest Sports Fans)

Coming into the 2008 college football season, Joe Paterno was one win behind Bobby Bowden (as of March 1, 2008 at the date of linking) on the all-time NCAA Division 1 college football coaching wins list. He was also at the center of a firestorm surrounding off-field issues with members of his Penn State Nittany Lions football team, as chronicled ESPN’s Outside the Lines. The controversy, combined with the Nittany Lions pedestrian 9-7 Big Ten record over the 2006 and 2007 seasons, led to whispers coming into the 2008 season that it might be time for Joe Paterno to step down.

You remember these whispers. They were the same ones that cropped up after the 2004 season when Paterno and the Nittany Lions were reeling after posting losing records in 4 out of 5 seasons, culminating with back-to-back 9th place finishes in a Big Ten conference not known for its depth of competition. But in 2005, the winning tradition was resurrected in Happy Valley as the Nittany Lions went 11-1 and finished 3rd in the nation after an Orange Bowl victory.

Once again, Joe Paterno has proven to be an immortal coaching phoenix. Joe Paterno, the Nittany Phoenix, has risen from the ashes once again to lead a Penn State team that currently sits at 7-0 (3-0) and ranked 3rd in the nation as they prepare to take on the hapless Michigan Wolverines in Happy Valley this weekend.

Oh, and as for being behind Bobby Bowden? Joe Paterno, as of this posting, now sits atop the list of NCAA D1 college football coaches with 379 wins. Bobby Bowden has 377.

Can Joe Paterno get win number 380 this weekend? All signs point to yes except one: Michigan has beaten Penn State nine straight games, by an average victory margin of two touchdowns. But if there was ever season for the streak to be broken, this is it. The Penn State Nittany Lions are clicking on all cylinders, outscoring their seven opponents this season 317-77. Michigan, on the other hand, led by Midwest Sports Fans whipping boy and certified egomaniac Rich Rodriguez, has been outscored by its six opponents 113-149.

So Penn State is averaging 45.3 points per game (good for 7th in the nation) while the Wolverines and their offensive genius of a coach are racking up a whopping 18.8 points per game against the likes of Toledo and Miami (Ohio). (Actually, Michigan underperformed their average against these historic football powerhouses, scoring a combined 26 points while going 1-1.)

All you whiny Michigan fans can come in here making excuses about they lost all those seniors, and they are playing a bunch of freshman, and they are adjusting to a new coach, and blah blah frieking blah. This preview is not a 5-year projection for Penn State and Michigan. It is a preview and prediction for this weekend, in Happy Valley, against a Penn State team that is actually playing competent football. Do you really think that Steven Threet and Sam McGuffie can go into a Happy Valley blackout and compete with Penn State?

Nine straight victories might suggest using caution. However, eyes that watched the games and seen these two teams play wonder if the Big Ten conference should just invoke a mercy rule and not subject the proud Michigan program to the beatdown that awaits them in Happy Valley on Saturday. Penn State’s top two running backs, Even Royster and Stephfon Green (the name is spelled correctly, don’t worry), come into the game averaging better than six yards per carry each. And how about their offensive balance? Penn State averages 488 yards per game, 235 on the ground and 253 through the air. What do you take away? Umm…you take away any chance that Michigan might have of getting their third win of the season.

Joe Paterno has proven throughout his coaching career that when fans and the media doubt him, he has an uncanny ability to rise to the occasion. He stands behind his players, perhaps to a fault sometimes; but I have to think that the trust he builds with each individual player also compels them to take it up a notch when their coach is taking a beating in terms of the opinions outside the Penn State locker room.

This offseason was filled with turmoil for Joe Paterno and the Penn State Nittany Lions. So far, the season on the field has been filled with nothing but good old fashioned butt whoopings administered by a Nittany Lions team that appears poised to knock Ohio State from their perch as owners of the Big Ten penthouse.

While I am officially guaranteeing a Penn State victory over Michigan this weekend (suck it Rodriguez), I’m not ready to anoint Penn State the 2008 Big Ten champs just yet. They still have to travel to Columbus next weekend to take on an Ohio State team that is still very good but flying under the radar after the ass kicking by USC. Obviously, the winner of that game controls their own destiny for the remainder of the season.

I have to say, as a college football fan who grew up in Big Ten country, I am happy to see Joe Paterno finding success in the twilight of his career. I don’t know enough about the off-field issues to pass judgment on them, but I do know that Joe Paterno has given his life to college athletics and to grooming young men at Penn State University. I firmly believe that no one explicitly “deserves” anything on an athletic field — you go out and earn it. However, Joe Paterno certainly deserves the success that his Nittany Lions are earning on the field this Fall.

And on Saturday against Michigan, that success will all be contained in one very concise statement leading to the showdown at the Horseshoe: 8-0

Yes indeed, the Nittany Phoenix has risen again.

[tags]joe paterno, penn state nittany lions, college football, michigan wolverines[/tags]

Being the ACC man that I am, I ensure that I will maintain a fair and balanced approach to the game (because I don’t believe in the Big-Ten that much. We will discuss that come bowl season.)

The Cats show up 5-0 but let’s run down the opponent list – Syracuse, Duke, Southern Illinois, Ohio and Iowa. Had the Cats dropped any of those games no one would have been shocked, but they haven’t. They won all of those games. They have proved to be a consistently higher caliber but those aren’t great teams.

The Iowa win was big, but the Hawkeyes coughed the ball up 5 times, giving up their 14 point lead. One of those came on a Wildcat punt, right before the first half. Iowa mishandled the punt on the 33 yard line with a minute to go. Northwestern managed to get 7 on the board right before the half, and cut the deficit in half. You can’t underestimate that momentum change going into a locker room. If Iowa could have kept NW on the ropes until halftime, the home team may have had the confidence to finish the game. They didn’t. Iowa needs to put in a call to Rich Rodriguez for the memo he already received: you can’t win games when you don’t have the ball.

The Cats are certainly an opportunistic team, a balanced team with a quality quarterback in CJ Bacher and a running game that averages almost 5 yards per carry. Really, they can manage to win games. This isn’t Oklahoma we’re talking about. So the defense is the real question for the Cats. Can they hope to stop, or even slow Javon Ringer?

Off the top of your head you would say, “Have you seen Ringer? There’s no way.” That’s not an unreasonable claim. He is a horse, he has three 200 yard games. Those came, though, on an average of 40 plus carries and against ND, Florida Atlantic and Indiana.

The reality is the Wildcats could slow him down. Iowa did it last week. Ringer touched the ball 25 times and only went for 91 yards. The Spartans came away with the W, but if the Cats can limit the time of possession for MSU and play with a lead this week, then State will be forced to give the ball to QB Brian Hoyer rather than Ringer.

Then again, the Wildcats secondary has to stop Brian Hoyer, who, while he has only found the end zone 4 times this year, has thrown for almost 1200 yards this year. He can move the ball. He’s not Juice Williams or Terrelle Pryor but he’s a quality QB. If the Spartans can convert first downs and get in the red-zone you can be sure Ringer will do his best to find the end zone, he has 12 times this year.

On the other side of the ball, defense has had quite a bit to do with the 5-0 record of Northwestern. They haven’t given up more than 20 points this year and on average give up on 12 points a game. They did however allow 400 plus yards of offense for Iowa and I’m sure Hawkeyes fans agree, if Iowa held on to the football like they should have, the Wildcats would be sitting at 4-1.

Let’s cut to the chase. Northwestern has been tough to this point but if the Northwestern defense slips and Hoyer and Ringer get a lead then Dantonio’s Spartans won’t fall in Evanston. On the other hand, if Fitzgerald’s boys get on the board early, and scrap for some turnovers than the Wildcats could come out 6-0. It will be a battle, but I say look for mistakes, letting up big plays or turnovers are what will decide the game.

Personally, I’m siding with Ringer, any dude that is 5’9” and can carry a workload like his, has my respect. I say he brings his lunch pail to work gets 130 on almost 30 touches and breaks one for at least 40 yards. That breakout is the difference maker.  21-13, Spartans win.

After Ohio State’s whooping in the coliseum even more heads turned. That came hours after Michigan dropped a game to a Notre Dame team which is shaky at best. A few hours later, though, the Badgers went came up big out of conference. There were mixed reviews before then, but even more after the fact. The real question is, who will rise to the top from this conference?

When the teams play amongst themselves, like last week, you see high powered squads that look like they can run with the SEC or Pac-10. Penn State and Illinois showed up in Happy Valley to beat up on each other and went blow for blow showing off some high powered offense and big play capabilities in the second half. This week will certainly provide some quality matchups inside the conference. Either the cream of the Big Ten will rise to the top, or they will keep battling amongst themselves keeping fans wondering who will be scheduled to play after New Year’s in the BCS.

The first one you have to see has the Badger faithful gearing up the grills and gamefaces trying to get a big win over the Buckeyes who travel to UW tomorrow. Coming off a total collapse in the Big House, Madison has to be feeling the heat. People around the country think that the Bucks could easily lock this up…especially now that the Wisconsin band is suspended from serenading Camp Randall on pending hazing charges.(You blew it, band. You jerks.) They have high expectations for this team at UW, and it lies outside of how many appearances the horn section makes, but if after week five they have two losses to a beatable Michigan team and Ohio State they would have to run the table to be a top team in the conference. That seems a tough hill with Penn State and Illinois still on the schedule.

The key for the Badgers will be the running game. They must keep Pryor and Wells off the field. Beanie is out at 8 yards per carry and is certainly going to find his rhythm after that brief break in week 2. Pryor is averaging 6.2 per carry and has found the end zone 3 times with his feet. Not only that, Pryor has tossed the ball for 5 TDs. If the Badgers can keep those two off the field with their running game, the defense will stay fresh and will be able to contain that high powered offense. You know that Ohio State will score but the question is how much?

The Badgers proved they could score against Akron and Marshall but only posted 13 against Fresno State but had trouble finding the end zone against Michigan settling for 4 field goals on many short field opportunities and fumbling the ball on the Wolverines 5. The running game has to be able to produce first downs, and although PJ Hill has not been that dominant, they are 12-0 when PJ touches the ball 25 or more times. The backfield is deep, too, John Clay and Zach Brown have made the most of their touches providing an offense that can have a lot of different looks, but relies on the run as their bread and butter. The Ohio State defense will certainly put up more of a fight than Akron or Marshall and if Badgers can’t control the line and stay on the field, their defense might not be able to stay fresh enough to chase down Beanie and Terelle. If points start flying a shootout favors the Buckeyes with an offense that can go deep with weapons.

To me it reeks of the Washington-Dallas matchup, if Evridge can play Jason Campbell, manage the game and avoid any INTs, while the defense steps up to shut down Marion, I mean Beanie, the Badgers could pop up in the polls on Monday.

The second matchup that deserves serious attention is Illinois-Michigan, both teams sit at 2-2 heading into the Bighouse. It’s a do or die game for both squads. Both need the win to compete for that second tier spot. Both teams are serious threats in the Big Ten to upset any season but each one doesn’t want to suffer a loss they want to hand them out. Michigan comes off a big win against Wisco and stays comfy at home where the 12^th man helped mount a comeback against the Badgers. Defense stepped up big in the second half for the Wolverines, scoring 6 points and fending off a late Wisconsin charge by snatching an Evridge fumble forced by a Brandon Graham sack.

Illinois proved their offense could hang with anyone, they ran the ball extremely well going yard for yard with Penn State posting 189 yards as a team. Quarterback Juice Williams posted a rating of 147 and can move his offense at will and has backed up the threat through the air with 9 TDs on the year. He has thrown 6 interceptions, though, and you better believe the Michigan secondary knows that.

If the Illini want to score, they will have to do it against a defense that is coming into its own. Michigan’s defense seems to finding a rhythm and commented that Wisconsin’s offense in the second half had “no push”. They are fierce at home creating 5 turnovers this year but the offense gives the ball up more easily. Almost 3 times more easily, Rich Rodriguez’s squad has coughed it up 14 times this year. If they want to keep Juice off the field they better keep the ball under their own center.

The results of these games will give us signs of who really might come out of the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. Ask me, I like the “underdogs” I say the real football weather and home-field advantage get wins for the Badgers and Wolverines in games where defense wins.

(Oh, and flip over to the Iowa-Michigan State game, I say Ringer breaks a couple big ones and keeps the Hawkeyes on the ropes.)