That is why all across West Lafayette you could hear choruses of “…ever faithful, ever true, thus we raise our song anew; of the days we’ve spent with you, all hail, our old, Purdue!”

But just because Painter is staying a Boiler does not mean all is perfect. Many people question how Painter handled this situation, including Purdue’s own mascot Purdue Pete, which means Painter has some ‘splaining to do.

And in terms of winning championships, there is that tricky little situation going on at a previously harmless Horizon League “mid-major” that doesn’t seem so harmless, nor so “mid”, anymore.

Details of both aspects of the aftermath of Painter’s announcement are included in our latest photo story.

If for some reason the image does not load properly, click to view in new window

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Note: For IU and Purdue fans, click here to see and alternate ending! It’s the first alternate ending in the history of MSF Photo Stories, and trust me, it will be much more satisfying.

You can decide whether it will be true or not…

Fox 59 in Indianapolis is reporting that Matt Painter will indeed STAY at Purdue, rather than accept an offer from Missouri.

Here is the link so you can check it out for yourself.

Here is what it says:

BREAKING: Fox59′s Chris Hagan has learned Purdue Head Basketball Coach Matt Painter will be STAYING at Purdue University, despite reports saying he plans to leave for a job at the University of Missouri. Full report coming up on Fox59 News: First at Four. Updates coming on Fox59.com.

And I just checked Fox59.com and they have a similar report:

Contrary to numerous media reports a source close to Fox 59 says Matt Painter is staying put in West Lafayette. The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported today that Purdue head coach Matt Painter accepted the men’s basketball coaching position at Missouri. But, late this afternoon Fox 59 has learned otherwise.

Good lord!

I am not confirming any of this, because I don’t know. Just passing it along as the latest update.

As our buddy Travis of Hammer and Rails said:

If the Fox59 report is true its a damn Christmas miracle

Indeed it would be.

Stay tuned. If this proves true, thousands of male Purdue fans wearing plaid will be spontaneously experiencing their first orgasms this afternoon. And wouldn’t that just be terrific?

Update: Apparently Andy Katz is now reporting on ESPN Radio that Painter will stay at Purdue. Purdue’s Christmas miracle just may have happened.

Update: And now ESPN is saying it on ESPN.com as well.

Update: This supersedes everything you read below. It now appears that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was either full of it or misled or that Matt Painter had a last second change of heart. He is now reportedly staying at Purdue.

Not five minutes after posting my morning Matt Painter update did I stumble across this new information.

The title of this post contains the words of the highly esteemed Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post Dispatch (h/t @thebiglead), posted just a few minutes ago here.

I don’t want to steal all of his thunder, so click here to read the rest of his short post for yourself, and follow him on Twitter here for the latest updates.

He did add:

Don’t be surprised to see Painter at Busch Stadium Thursday to be introduced before the game.

Update: In an article just posted on STLToday.com, Miklasz says this:

Nothing is official yet and there haven’t been any announcements, but a source tells the Post-Dispatch that Purdue coach Matt Painter just called Mizzou AD Mike Alden to say he’s in as the school’s next basketball coach.

One of the most passionate and informed Purdue fans I know told me last night that if Painter leaves, he thinks it will set back the basketball program five, if not ten, years. I agree.

Uh oh Boiler fans.

I’ve thought all along he’d be staying. I’d still be shocked if he leaves, but I have to admit that the signs continue to worsen.

In today’s episode, we discuss: Painter’s Missouri/Purdue decision timetable; an unexpected apology from Ms. Passive Aggressive Nancy Cross; the Purdue student “rally”; and what Robbie Hummel will do if his coach heads west.

Update: I saw this report from Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch literally five minutes after making this post.

Uh oh Boiler fans.

Update: But then a few hours later we found out that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was either full of it or misled or that Matt Painter had a last second change of heart. He is now reportedly staying at Purdue.

Matt Painter’s Decision

According to Jeff Rabjohns of the Indianapolis Star, via USAToday.com, Matt Painter is expected to decide on Wednesday (today) whether or not he will leave for Missouri or stay at his alma mater Purdue. Here is the key bit of info regarding the deals Painter is pondering:

On Tuesday, Painter met with Missouri officials while on vacation in Florida.

Purdue officials made an offer to Painter on Monday night and enhanced it Tuesday to include an increase in salary to the $2 million-a-year range and provide additional funds for staffing and day-to-day operations of the program.

Of course Purdue officials enhanced their offer to Painter. As I explained on Twitter last night, Painter holds all the cards here. Purdue needs him far more than Painter needs to Purdue.

With that said, I think Painter wants to stay at Purdue, but he needs assurances that the athletic department will a) pay him a salary commensurate with his ability and success relative to other Big Ten coaches; and b) give him the resources to win – including competitive salaries for assistants and more money for operations, which I would assume includes recruiting.

A “person who knows things” (to use a lame Bill Simmons device) told me that Painter met face to face with Purdue reps well into last night. I have to assume that cooler heads are going to prevail here and that Painter will stay.

For the record, every Purdue fan I’ve talked to has applauded Painter for taking this opportunity to leverage Purdue into giving the basketball program more support. Assuming he stays, I highly doubt there will be any hard feelings from anyone – except against the athletic department itself.

And perhaps that’s why this happened…

Nancy Cross Apologizes

Remember the letter I posted yesterday in which Purdue Associate AD Nancy Cross basically told members of the John Purdue Club that they were the reason Painter might end up leaving? Well after being thoroughly embarrassed on the Interwebs yesterday, it appears that Cross had a change of heart.

Today, another email sat in the inboxes of John Purdue Club members, and it apologized for the hasty, ill-timed remarks in the previous day’s email:

I think the toothpaste is probably already out of the tube on this one, but I at least give her credit for trying.

Purdue Fans Stage “Rally”

In the midst of yesterday’s frenzy about Painter, a group of Purdue students tried to organize a rally to show their support for their coach. Let’s just say that, for Purdue’s sake, I hope the athletic department is more convincing in their pleases for Painter to stay.

From the Purdue Exponent:

Andrew Newsome, a freshman in the College of Engineering, said it was disappointing to see such a small turnout when there was so much potential to make the students’ voices heard.

“I expected to see a lot of people come out who love the team and Painter,” he said. “This isn’t what you want Painter to see.”

The low turnout was especially surprising after over 300 Facebook users said they would attend.

Reports I’ve read put the total number of students between 11-15. Neither of those numbers is missing a zero at the end.

I’ve been pretty even-keeled and non-combative throughout this whole thing despite my staunch IU allegiances, and have even said that I want Painter to stay despite the fact that it would destroy Purdue if he left. But 11 people at a rally? Come on. Heck, 300 seems terribly small to me and that’s just a Facebook group. How were there not thousands?

For comparison’s sake, only a few hours after it was announced that Coach Knight had been fired over 5,000 IU students were at the steps of Assembly Hall. That’s how you do a rally. But then again, we’ve always been a little more nuts about our basketball in Bloomington.

What Would Robbie Hummel Do?

Finally, let’s quickly discuss Robbie Hummel. There has been a lot of speculation that if Painter leaves for Missouri that Hummel would go with him to play his senior year with the only college coach he’s known. I don’t know the exact transfer rules that would govern such a decision, but apparently it is possible. However, that same “person who knows things” mentioned above told me it wouldn’t matter.

He/she said that Hummel loves Purdue, has already applied for grad school, and wouldn’t leave. I cannot confirm any of that, and I only post it because this source has been spot-on about everything that has happened with Matt Painter so far. Take that as you will.

Whenever Painter makes a decision, I’ll be sure to post something about here or on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Tom Crean is probably somewhere locking up a top 5 recruiting class for 2015 right now.

Purdue fans are understandably in a panic, with reports indicating that Missouri representatives are set to meet with Painter today in Florida. Purdue apparently made proactive overtures to Painter last night, but the details have not been made public.

What has been made public, however, is a letter that Purdue Sr. Associate AD Nancy Cross sent to members of the John Purdue Club in an attempt to assuage the growing frenzy of Boiler backers.

The letter – which was forwarded to me by someone at Purdue, and which is pasted in full below – indicates that, from the athletic department and university’s standpoint, everything is being done to keep Painter in West Lafayette. It also suggests, not subtlely, that had more JPC club members stepped up with donations, the current predicament never would have materialized.

I’ve bolded the accusatory section, which ever the fine, partisan folks over at Boiled Sports and Hammer and Rails took exception with:

Dear John Purdue Club Members:

Thanks for the outpouring of support for Matt Painter and for your concern for our Purdue men’s basketball program.

In an effort to allay many of your concerns and dispel much of the misinformation by “unnamed sources”, Athletics Director Morgan Burke has asked me to share with each of you that he is working diligently with President France Córdova and our Board of Trustees to ensure that Matt remains our head coach for many years to come.

Proactively they have made an investment in Matt that was communicated last evening, clearly reinforcing their continued commitment to him and to our championship program.   They did not wait to counter anyone else’s offer.  It is my hope that the words and actions of our President, our Board and Morgan will encourage Matt, Jerri and their family to remain with Purdue.

Personally, I have been overwhelmed with the number of e-mails pledging to join the John Purdue Club or increase support.  Ironically, I believe we would not be in this situation had more than 11% of our current membership participated in the Mackey Challenge and more than 150 of our nearly 9,000 members recruited at least one new member. More of the Big Ten television revenues could have been allocated for compensation for the basketball coaching staff members and less toward the critical path of updating Mackey Arena.

As a self-supporting university auxiliary, we can spend only what we raise, so everyone’s participation will ensure that we retain Matt and provide championship-quality experiences for every single one of our Boilermaker student-athletes.

Thanks for your continued loyal support and passionate commitment….stay tuned!

BOILER UP, HAMMER DOWN, and HAIL PURDUE!

 

Nancy L. Cross
Sr. Associate Athletics Director-Development and Sports

For now, Purdue fans seem to be somewhat hopeful but mostly skeptical that its athletic department can or will do what is necessary to maintain their coach. Boiled Sports summed up the reaction I’ve seen on Twitter and scouring some message boards, blogs, and email threads with some Purdue folks.

For one, if Burke is indeed making this sort of an effort and attempting to let Matty know how much he means to all of us, then that’s good and I am happy Burke is doing so. Should it have gotten this far? Probably not. But all any of us can do is look forward and do what we can from this point onward. If this is accurate, that’s what Cordova and Burke are doing.

If I sound a bit skeptical, it’s because I am. There’s also the possibility that this is smoke being put out by Purdue to soften the blow they will surely receive from irritated Purdue fans and JPC members with deeper pockets than the wealthy and handsome Boilerdowd. Yes, it could be propaganda.

It appears as if judgment day is here, so we should know one way or the other soon. If Painter leaves, the Purdue athletic department is going to have a hard time explaining the last 72 hours to its own fan base.

Of course, if those miserly JPC members had just ponied up more of their hard earned money, this situation wouldn’t have happened. Right? Actually, it very well might be right. Purdue does have a fiscally responsible athletic department, though that certainly is not always conducive to winning. Still, right or wrong, there is a time and a place. Now was not the time nor the place to point out to terrified Purdue fans that it is their own financial responsibility that may lead to Matt Painter not being given what it will take to keep him.

Something tells me Nancy Cross will come to regret those words…

Update: I sent the post to a national writer I respect, and here was his response:

“She might regret it, but I kind of like it. She has 10,000 fans screaming at her, but we all know money rules the world, and at THAT level, the extra money often comes from boosters. So she’s saying: Don’t scream at us if you guys have been cheap over the years.

I say all that assuming, but not knowing, that multi-million-dollar salaries, or assistant salaries, are given a boost from the booster club.”

He makes a good point, as I figured he would. And I don’t necessarily disagree. I just think the timing is idiotic and poorly thought-out.

Update: Screenshot of the letter, just for clarification:

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As we motor forward during March Madness 2011, here are the leading candidates for the top coach in college basketball for 2011.

Matt Painter (Purdue)

When you consider the Boilermakers were on their way to a one seed last February – the seed Duke eventually received to make their path to the title — before Robbie Hummel’s season-ending injury, Purdue was stacked and hungry this year and arguably could’ve been ranked #1 preseason.

Then Hummel went down again…for the season.

Did Purdue sulk and slip into mediocrity? No. All The “Paint Crew” did was get better as the season progressed, go undefeated at Mackey Arena for the first time in more than four decades, finish on a long win streak that’ll eventually push their season win total near 30, and make their case for a one seed — though as of now, they are likely a two at worst.

Rick Pitino (Louisville)

I won’t even delve into his personal nightmares last offseason, but this was supposed to be a rebuilding year along the banks of the Ohio River. However, playing in the awesome new KFC YUM! Center (where an NBA franchise should move soon), the Cards have won a dozen games in America’s toughest conference, over 20 wins total, and should find themselves rewarded with a three or four seed in March Madness. Good work, Rick.

Steve Lavin (St. John’s)

The loquacious Lavin, finally removed from the broadcast booth and back on the bench, did not underachieve in his first year on Broadway (as he was often known to do while in Westwood); in fact, the Johnnies are arguably the biggest surprise of the season. Surely they have more “quality wins” than nearly any school: Notre Dame, Georgetown, Duke, Connecticut, Pitt and Villanova. Therefore, the Red Storm, like the Cardinals, should receive a three or four seed, barring a mishap over the next week or so.

Dave Rose (BYU)

Sure he has The Jimmer, and yes, they were mauled last night by New Mexico, but if you actually watch this team, you realize the Cougars are very balanced — not to mention athletic, intelligent and tough. A 27-3 record (as of today) places Brigham Young behind only Ohio State, San Diego State and Kansas for best winning percentage this season. And playing in the Mountain West – nation’s fourth best conference, and maybe 2nd or 3rd, truly – is not easy, especially on the road. In their two biggest games, BYU rolled San Diego State by 13 each time. Those were the Aztecs’ only two losses this season! BYU has also beaten conference leaders Saint Mary’s, Utah State and Arizona. Duke, for comparison’s sake, doesn’t have half the quality wins

Steve Fisher (San Diego State)

This is not a force or stretch either. The Aztecs lost in the first round last March, and while they were expected to be better, no one looked for 20 consecutive triumphs to begin the season, and 28 wins in 30 games so far. As I’ve written before, a lot of Fisher’s legacy at SDSU depends upon this season, since the Aztecs still have not won a tournament game in the former Michigan coach’s decade atop Montezuma Mesa. We shall see.

Honorable mention (and in a normal year, all these guys could be in consideration for top 5):

• Mike Brey (Notre Dame)
• Bill Self (Kansas)
• Mark Turgeon (Texas A & M)
• Sean Miller (Arizona)
• Jamie Dixon (Pitt)

What do you think?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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* – Matt Painter photo credit: Michael Conroy/AP via New York Times

With 90% of national radio talk and darn near 100% of local talk being football-driven (which, along with fantasy/gambling, accounts for the preponderance of the sport’s popularity), I don’t foresee this occurring anytime soon, yet I still think it’s the proper course.

After all, the Colts season is done. I realize that’s harsh, so I’ll put it another way: Their 2010 destiny is ‘scripted’ for them. This is unfortunate because, when healthy, Indianapolis can beat anyone. But they’ve simply suffered more key injuries than any team in the NFL this season (starting running back, two starting receivers, top tight end, best linebacker, all-pro defensive backs, offensive line, etc), which cannot be overcome.

As I’ve said on twitter recently, the best team does not usually win the super bowl; it’s the team that avoids injuries. For better or worse, football — with all the vicious and unnecessary hits by beastly, juiced-up men — has become a game of attrition. Keep players healthy and you’ll succeed. The Colts have not, therefore they have little chance in December/January following a three-loss November.

Should Indianapolis manage to take three or four of their final five games, they have a good chance to outlast Jacksonville and others to hold off a mediocre AFC South. This would even enable them to cpature a home game – turning the tables on two years ago when a 12-4 Colts team had to play on the road at an 8-8 Charger team due to NFL’s backwards rule of rewarding ‘winners’ of garbage divisions over true winners. San Diego triumphed in that tilt, and in many ways, the 2010 season is becoming redolent of 2008.

Indianapolis would then likely host a Jet/Patriot/Raven/Steeler team with 11 or 12 wins. Maybe they’re healthy, and maybe Peyton Manning gets some help (he’s had none as Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz astutely pointed out this morning), and perhaps the Colts win? After all, coming into the evening of November 28, 2010, Indy has not lost a home game that’s mattered since September 2008.

But that’d be it. They’d then travel to one of the four aforementioned solid teams with little chance of victory. (They’d have to do it again the following week to win the super bowl). Others locally may be more sanguine, but in my view, the Colts’ 2010 team is not capable of such feats.

So we in central Indiana should all move our sports attention to basketball. It only makes sense.

A perfect starting point is with the NBA’s Pacers – a laughingstock since I relocated here nearly five years ago, considering they’ve had zero playoff appearances while the Colts have rightly dominated the headlines.

But while the area’s football squad has been lackluster this fall, Indiana’s basketball team is coming off a week where they mauled Miami in south Florida, demolished Cleveland, should’ve beaten Oklahoma City, and then won at Staples Center against the Lakers for the first time ever. Even the national media has reluctantly noticed this is not the same Pacers team as past years. I’ve heard that cliché before, but today it’s actually true.

No more thugs, decent young talent (Darren Collison, as expected, a huge addition; Roy Hibbert made Pau Gasol look a fool last night and improves daily; and Danny Granger is still all-star caliber), and a ton of heart. This made be sacrilege, but I wish the Colts were such a clean, hard working group. These are not your 2005-2009 Colts; nor are these your 2006-2010 Pacers, thankfully.

And collegiately, Notre Dame is unbeaten coming off an impressive eight team tourney win in Orlando.

Indiana, despite playing no one, is undefeated, which is important coming off the worst few years in school history.

Purdue, even without Robbie Hummel, should be one of the three best teams in the nation’s premier conference.

And oh yeah, despite early struggles, Butler is coming off a national title appearance, and is still the Horizon League’s best squad, and a top 25 team most nights who should improve throughout the season as they regularly do.

This post and all of our March Madness coverage this year is sponsored by Armorex Exterior Coating, the company that helps keep you inside watching sports went you want to be…not outside re-painting your house. Do it right the first time, for a lifetime.

Update 3/13/10: This post was originally published on February 28th, 2010. The table below has been updated with all results leading up to Sunday’s title game between #1 Ohio State and #6 Minnesota.

Click here so you never waste a weekend re-painting your house, when you could have done it right the first time, for a lifetime!

Prior to the season, the Big Ten was expected to be a Michigan State-Purdue battle for the top, and aside from Ohio State’s stellar play, it has been.

On Feb. 9, the Boilers demolished the Spartans in East Lansing, making the top of the conference a veritable log jam (pardon the cliché). But Feb. 28, while most of the naton focused on a classic gold medal hockey game, Purdue laid (perhaps an expected) egg in a disheartening, sloppy payback loss to “Sparty.”

Earlier in 2010, the Spartans were rolling along undefeated, with a huge conference lead through January, but an injury to a star player (Kalin Lucas) and three early February losses in a row opened the door for defending tourney champ Purdue, as well as the red-hot Buckeyes, Wisconsin, and the erstwhile surprising Illini of Illinois — to join them among the conference’s upper echelon.

Update: Now the question is how will the injury to Robbie Hummel affect the end of the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament?

The Big Ten’s top five teams may be good as any group in the nation, setting up what should be a thrilling 2010 Big Ten Tournament.

Here is the TV schedule and matchups for this year’s Big Ten Tournament, along with links for great deals on Big Ten Tournament tickets.

Big Ten Tournament Tickets and TV Schedule

• StubHub: Big Ten Tournament Tickets – All Session Pass
• StubHub: Individual Big Ten Tournament Tickets
• TicketMaster: Big Ten Mens Basketball Tournament Tickets – All Session Pass
• TicketMaster: Individual Big Ten Mens Basketball Tournament Tickets

2010 Big Ten Mens Basketball Tournament Bracket and TV Schedule

Of course Purdue, the defending Big Ten Tournament champion, is now without star forward Robbie Hummel. But don’t forget, the Boilers can still play with anyone. They were undefeated and impressive non-conference, ranked as highly as fourth nationally then, before losing three of their first five Big Ten games.

Prior to Sunday’s setback inside Mackey Arena, the Boilers had rebounded quite nicely over six weeks, winning at Champaign, Bloomington, Columbus, and beating the Badgers in West Lafayette. They capped their run off with the aforementioned win at East Lansing. After beating Penn State Saturday afternoon in State College, Purdue finished tied with MSU and OSU for a share of the regular season conference crown.

The Boilermakers, winners of 10 straight between mid-January and February’s final evening, will happily play in front of partisan crowds with the conference tourney at Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, 65 miles from their campus. They would love to return a few weeks later for the Final Four across town at Lucas Oil Stadium.

We’ll find out next month whether or not Purdue can overcome adversity and add their name to the following table one more time. Here is the complete (though brief) history of the Big Ten Tournament: champions, runners-up, and Most Outstanding Players.

Big Ten Tournament History: Past Champions, Runners-Up, MOPs, and Sites

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* – Matt Painter photo credit: Darron Cummings / Associated Press via CourierPress.com

Midwest Sports Fans (MSF) Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that MSF makes a small percentage of anything purchased upon a click-through. That said, MSF only writes about stories that we believe will interest our readers, and we only link to and endorse sites and services that we would use or have used ourselves. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

We all know that Jerod Morris purports himself as a big time Hoosier but I have uncovered some evidence that would suggest that Jerod Morris may actually be a fan of the Purdue Boilermakers. I have indisputable video evidence that Jerod Morris is no doubt a fan of Matt Painter if not anything else.

Without Further ado I would like to invite you to view the evidence of Jerod Morris and Matt Painter.

How can you argue with this kind of proof?

Clearly this never really happened, it is a JibJab you see.

Nearly a decade later, the Final Four returns to Indianapolis and the Spartans are hoping for a case of dèjà vu.

Last season the Spartans almost fulfilled a dream season but fell just short of winning a national championship in Detroit. Unfortunately for MSU, the North Carolina team they faced was truly the better team.

Now the Spartans are a much different team from a year ago.

State comes into the season with a #2 national ranking and is favored to be Big-10 champions for the second year in a row. Center Goran Suton and point guard Travis Walton may have both graduated, but new players are ready to step into their roles.

The Spartans will likely start three guards with Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen, and Durrell Summers. Forwards Raymar Morgan and Delvon Roe will likely complete the starting lineup.

• Lucas will be the team leader at the point guard position and is emerging as one of the top floor generals in the nation.
• Morgan is the only senior in this starting lineup and will be depended on heavily for points in the paint.
• Allen is the sharpshooter of this squad, providing a dangerous outside threat.
• Summers will use his explosiveness to drive at the basket and also can spot up and shoot from outside.
• Sophomore Delvon Roe will be given the oppurtunity to show why he was recruited so heavily as an extremely athletic forward.

Off of the bench, sophomore Korie Lucious will be a sparkplug with his lightning quickness and high energy play. Sophomore Draymond Green is continuing to get himself in better physical shape, making himself an even more dangerous player off of the bench.

Freshman centers Garrick Sherman and Derrick Nix will see a lot of playing time, to help prepare them for tournament time when MSU will need a post presence off of the bench.

The Spartans will get a rematch against North Carolina this season and will also face an always tough Gonzaga team early in the year.

Michigan State’s toughest non-conference matchup however, at least based on preseason projections, will be against #3 Texas. The Spartans have had the Longhorns’ number the last three seasons. Similarly, top ranked Kansas looks like they could go wire-to-wire this season, but the Spartans beat the Jayhawks twice last season.

My season prediction: Michigan State has a lean and athletic squad this year that will be one of the more exciting teams in the country. Size in the frontcourt is a weakness for the Spartans, but that didn’t stop them from reaching the Final Four last season. The Spartans will edge out Purdue for a Big-10 Chamionship and will be a Final Four team.

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* – Tom Izzo photo credit: AllBigTen.com

I waited until Friday to post this preview of the clash in the coliseum. Mostly because the X-factor in this game is the health of Beanie Wells. He plays effective and gets his normal 20 carries than Ohio State wins. If he cannot play or plays ineffective because of the nagging foot injury, USC will win…Big.

As of yesterday before the Buckeyes got on their flight from Columbus to Los Angeles, Jim Tressel told the media the Heisman running back is “doubtful” for Saturday night. I can only speculate but I think it is “doubtful” Beanie doesn’t start the game for Ohio State. That is what the attitude coming out the mouth’s of his teammates as well.

Either way it will be running back by committee. Look for redshirt freshman Boon Herron to get a majority of the carries with Wells and watch out for Brandon Saine’s speed and big play ability out of the backfield.

Prediction: Beanie Wells plays, Ohio State 27 USC 23

Notes:

I will be at the Purdue Boilermakers game in a cool looking match-up with the Oregon Ducks. The start is 3:30pm on ABC and the weather is supposed to have some nasty rainy thunderstorms. I will not bring my best plaid outfit for this one and suggest a poncho and the same for you if you are going.

KVB

This morning while sitting on the throne and taking care of business (I ate a huge meal at Chili’s last night…fyi) I read something in the Sporting News that made me want grab the plunger and plunge the wooden handle into my eye socket: Curtis Painter, senior quarterback at Purdue, has an official Heisman Trophy campaign.

What? Really?

The only reason I tell you that I was near a toilet while reading this story is that my first reaction should have been to dump the entire magazine into the crapper and flush immediately. Unfortunately, as if passing a car wreck on the side of the road, I simply could not resist the urge to read on.

Apparently, Purdue has invested money in creating DVDs and calendars entitled “Painting a Masterpiece” that promote Curtis Painter’s storied career at Purdue University. It includes all of his big game performances, clutch TD passes against top-ranked teams, and the leadership qualities he has displayed in leading Purdue to Big Ten titles and BCS appearances.

If you did not get smacked in the face with the sarcasm of that last statement, you’re a moron. If that were actually true, Purdue promoting Painter’s big game performances, it would be a pretty short DVD. The only one “painting a masterpiece” in this story is me while I was taking the Browns to the Super Bowl as I was reading.

What the hell is the world coming to? Curtis Painter is being heavily promoted for the Heisman Trophy? I always thought the criteria was “most outstanding player in college football”, not “senior quarterback on a mid-level BCS conference team who racks a bunch of stats against Eastern Illinois and South Idaho Tech…but he’s a senior quarterback, so why not?” Apparently this is what Purdue’s crack Sports Information Department thought.

Quick…name for me a memorable Curtis Painter performance that mattered.

Waiting…

Waiting…

And DO NOT say that he was MVP of the Motor City Bowl. Heisman Trophy candidates do not play in the Motor City Bowl! Ever! And this guy has an official Heisman campaign?

Purdue may as well promote Matt Painter or Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent…who I’m sure could complete a “bubble screen” and would at least provide some mobility when the pocket collapses…and yes, I’m stereotyping. Get over it.)

If Curtis Painter has a Heisman campaign, then there are a lot of other senior quarterbacks around the country who are completely undeserving based on merit but should now feel slighted. What about Todd Boekman for Heisman? He’s a senior quarterback on a team that is actually good and even though he sucked at the end of last season he played decent in some big spots last year. Oh wait…they have Beanie Wells, a legitimate Heisman candidate who has talent and doesn’t pee all over himself against good teams.

It got me to thinking though…if Curtis Painter is now a candidate for the Heisman trophy (he’s not in reality…but just for the sake of argument) who else now deserves consideration for major awards? How about Travis Hafner for AL MVP? Or Kelvin Sampson for Coach of the Year? Maybe Paul Walker will get an Oscar campaign someday. Perhaps John Edwards for Husband of the Year? Or how about we send out calendars and DVDs promoting Beano Cook for “Most Attractive Neck.”

The sad thing is that there is precedent for a turd like Curtis Painter being a legitimate Heisman candidate. What do Gino Torretta, Jason White, and Eric Crouch all have in common? Aside from the fact that they did nothing in the NFL (something Curtis Painter will share with them), they were all senior quarterbacks who won the Heisman Trophy even though there were clearly better players in college football that year.

However, there is one big distinction between them and Curtis Painter: THEIR TEAMS WERE GOOD! National championship good! Purdue will be a second-class citizen in a conference that isn’t all that good or deep in the first place. And his coach has a stupid mustache. Seriously…name the last player to play for a coach with a stupid mustache that won the Heisman trophy. This is yet another in the litany of strike against the Curtis Painter for Heisman campaign.

It just shocks me that a public university like Purdue could be allowed to throw away money like this. There are so many other positive things that the money could have been used for. Cancer research. Charitable donations. Even campus beatification. And think about all of the male Purdue students in bars wearing their plaid shirts tucked into jorts and trying to spit game on the lovely Purdue co-eds (and this case lovely is actually a synonym for “not lovely”) and getting shot down mercilessly. If the money used for “Curtis Painter for Heisman” had gone to purchasing these guys some decent clothes they might get ass once in a while. Then all the guys in West Lafayette wouldn’t walk around like they have sticks up their butts and they might get over the fact that their teams never win anything of significance and they might realize their error in consistently considering just being decent to be some sort of achievement.

So, consider this post to be the first of many official votes in the column of “Curtis Painter Has No Chance And Shouldn’t Even Be Considered for The Heisman Trophy.” After he cleans up against Purdue’s inferior non-conference schedule and Purdue is 4-0 and ranked #23 and all of their fans have dickjaurons (this is an inside joke term among the writing team of Midwest Sports Fans that means a very tiny erection, by the way) some idiot like Mark May will probably list Curtis Painter among their Heisman candidates. But then Purdue will lose a succession of big games and Painter will play terrible and we’ll never have to hear “Curtis Painter” and “Heisman” in the same sentence again.

Until then, just try your best not to impale yourself with the wooden rod of a plunger. I resisted the urge…somehow…after reading about this completely unnecessary and unwarranted Heisman campaign…and I’m sure you can too.

On another note, does anyone know when the Kellen Lewis for Heisman Campaign will officially begin?

by KVB

Often I read my college friend’s Off The Tracks Purdue blog and he has gotten the attention of the Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable for his site on the Boilermakers. If I’m not mistaken he got slammed last year by readers for crossing the line in a rant about Notre Dame Football, but otherwise he’s a great writer and Notre Dame still sucks.

Soon maybe Midwest Sports Fans could have some writers in the Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable (even though I got rejected by the MAC Conference Bloggers) but until then below I answered their preseason questions. Keep in mind I’m wearing a sweatervest with no pants right now….

1. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg recently ranked the top 5 rivalries in the Big Ten and there were some controversial results (Illinois v Ohio State as #3?). Clearly Ohio State vs. Michigan is the #1 rivalry in the Big Ten, but give me your next three. It is obvious the Illinois upset over the undefeated Buckeyes last year made that a sexy pick at #3; as well as the game being in Illinois this year and probably on ESPN/ABC. But the ugly wooden “Illibuck” turtle trophy and Ohio State’s 60-30-4 all-time advantage make this not so sweet. The Wisconsin-Minnesota Paul Bunyan Axe gets the award for best trophy. Also, if you are a Big Ten fan you love every stadium in conference except the house that Kent Hrbek built, so be glad for the new outdoor Gopher football church set to be used on Saturday’s in 2009. Anyway…

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Michigan-Michigan State – Some players say these inter-state rivals mean a lot more to them than any others (i.e. Florida-Florida State, Alabama-Auburn, Texas-Texas A&M, USC-UCLA). This is definitely attributed to those same in-state players feeling they got shafted in the recruiting process by “the bigger school” or players at said bigger school feeling embarrassed if they lose to the “weaker program.” Especially at the states big on high school football like Texas, Florida, and California.

Penn State-Ohio State – The Buckeyes took the all-time advantage (12-11) in this one after last year’s beat down in Crappy Valley, 37-17. Before joining the Big Ten, Penn State beat Earle Bruce’s squad 31-19, in the 1980 Fiesta Bowl. Compared to Joe Pa’s 7-12 career record, The Nittney Lions got 4 wins against Ohio State before Joe was the man, obviously pre-leather helmets era. I myself have a “Michigan Sucks, Penn State Swallows” t-shirt. Going through my head: I hope I don’t get reamed by the editor for mentioning a state outside of the cornfields.

5. Brian at MGO was kind enough to post a diary entry which gives us and new coach Rich Rodriguez a list of Michigan traditions that maybe we were not all aware of. This has inspired two final questions…

Similar to the succulent Buckeye candies (a peanut butter ball dipped in hot fudge to look like the buckeye tree nut); there is the lesser known, Michigan Cookies! Easy to make too! Put them in a big Bowl and beat them for three hours. Note: Despite the first game on January 1^st, the Outback Bowl in not a big bowl.

KVB