2009 Big Ten Football Discussion

[buckeyemania11]

Brock, Lipscomb will not play at Minnesota - KIFI - Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Jackson WY - Weather News Sports-

Brock, Lipscomb will not play at Minnesota

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Associated Press - July 14, 2009 6:33 PM ET

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota lost two key players for next season when coach Tim Brewster announced that safety Tramaine Brock and star recruit Hasan Lipscomb will not play for the Gophers.

Brock started all 13 games last season after transferring from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He left school for academic reasons in January, but Brewster said then he expected the hard hitter to return in time to play this fall.

Lipscomb is a highly regarded running back from Houston who was expected to compete for time in the backfield. But academic issues will force Lipscomb to spend next season at a junior college.

Brewster also says recruit Josh Campion recently had surgery on an undisclosed injury and will miss the 2009 season.

 

[BB73]

The Buckeyes don't play MSU this year.

CFN.Sparty.Preview

CFN.Sparty.Offense

CFN.Sparty.Defense

CFN.Sparty.Depth.Chart

09/05 Montana State
09/12 Central Michigan
09/19 at Notre Dame
09/26 at Wisconsin
10/03 Michigan
10/10 at Illinois
10/17 Northwestern
10/24 Iowa
10/31 at Minnesota
11/07 Western Michigan
11/14 at Purdue
11/21 Penn State
11/28 OPEN DATE​

 

[VprHis]

{typical MSU Student, August}

OSU's gonna regret facing the SPARTANS! We're the best team EVER.




{typical MSU Student, October}

Wait 'till Basketball season. You'll get your asses kicked then




{typical MSU student, March}

Just wait till football season. This year's team is gonna beat your asses!



Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Just thought I'd let you know what it was like to spend 5 years in E.L. :)

 

[BB73]

{typical MSU Student, August}

OSU's gonna regret facing the SPARTANS! We're the best team EVER.




{typical MSU Student, October}

Wait 'till Basketball season. You'll get your asses kicked then




{typical MSU student, March}

Just wait till football season. This year's team is gonna beat your asses!



Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Just thought I'd let you know what it was like to spend 5 years in E.L. :)

Well, 'E.L.' is in the middle of HELL.

And HELL really does exist in TSUN, in zip code 48169.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I know Hoyer sucked but these guys are getting an awful lot of love for a team that loses its QB and Ringer.

Every year the media gets on a teams nuts pre season and they go out and do a triple lindy flop. I'm thinking Sparty is the one this year.

Love to see them ass rape scUM, ND and PSU though .

 

[VprHis]

I know Hoyer sucked but these guys are getting an awful lot of love for a team that loses its QB and Ringer.

Every year the media gets on a teams nuts pre season and they go out and do a triple lindy flop. I'm thinking Sparty is the one this year.

Love to see them ass rape scUM, ND and PSU though .

I like to think Dantonio is building a respectable program up there, though. The team's looked progressively better--from a focus/intensity standpoint, if nothing else.

I don't know that they'll ever work their way into 'perennial powerhouse' status, but I think 'frequent contender' would be an achievable goal--especially in the face of continued ineptitude over in the Whore.

 

[BB73]

The CFN guys talk about the Big Ten for 2009.

CFN

Matthew Zemek, CFN

Q: 5 Thoughts on the Big Ten.

A: After his untimely turnover a year ago against Penn State, and his distracted, nervous, run-out-of-bounds-before-the-marker performance in the Fiesta Bowl against Texas, Terrelle Pryor (now a sophomore) should take the Big Ten by storm. He possesses the charisma and presence of an A-list leader, and with one season of experience behind him, this battle-tested and defeat-hardened youngster should display the poise of a veteran in 2009. If Pryor fulfills his immense potential, Ohio State should march to the conference crown that avoided the Buckeyes' grasp last season.

Hunter Ansley, Publisher, DraftZoo.com

Q: 5 Thoughts on the Big Ten.

A: The poor Big Ten. It has a team make the national title game two years in a row and three times in the history of the BCS and it's called weak.

It gets two teams into the Bowl Championship Series in eight of the 11 years that system's been in existence, something the SEC has done on only six occasions, and it's labeled unworthy.

Ohio State nearly pulls off a huge upset of 'should have been in the title game' Texas, losing on a last minute touchdown drive, and just because they scored fewer points they were labeled losers.

Michigan and Penn State make the Rose Bowl in all the wrong years and end up rewarded with a tilt against perhaps the best team of the BCS era. And the Big Ten is said to be falling apart.

A few of its teams have gone out of their way to play marquee non-conference matchups, and yet all anyone can focus on is the weakness of the league slate.

It produces a consistent number of first round NFL Draft picks, and its fair share of NFL stars, and talking heads still shout about the lack of speed.

What exactly is the conference supposed to do? It's been head and shoulders above the Big East and ACC in recent years, and it's probably deeper than the top heavy Pac 10. Sure its teams have lost some primetime matchups to Big 12 and SEC teams recently, but they've done pretty well against the SEC in the middle-tier bowls. However, it's apparent now that no one is going to hand anything to the Big Ten. Which means it'll have to do it on its own. On the field. In the spotlight.

There's a big chance looming for the Midwest when those impossible Trojans visit Columbus on September 12th. No better time to start earning some respect than then.


Cont'd ...

 

[BB73]

CFN predictions of all games. They foresee a 38-6 non-conference record.

Predicted records (and losses) by team:

Ill (10-2) - at tOSU, at Minny
Ind (4-8) - at Va, all conference games except Purdue
Iowa (8-4) - at PSU, at Wisc, at MSU, at tOSU
TSUN (6-6) - ND, at MSU, at Iowa, PSU, at Ill, tOSU
MSU (10-2) - at Wisc, at Ill
Minn (6-6) - Cal, at NW, at PSU, at tOSU, MSU, at Iowa
NW (7-5) - at Purd, at MSU, PSU, at Iowa, at Ill
tOSU (10-2) - USC, at PSU
PSU (10-2) - at Ill, at MSU
Purd (3-9) - at Oregon, ND, all conference games except NW
Wisc (8-4) - at Minn, at tOSU, TSUN, at NW

CFN

 

[BB73]

Unit rankings within the Big Ten. They give a nice compliment to tOSU's backup QB, but call him Todd Bauserman.

tOSU Offense(1), QB(1), RB(4), Recv(2), OL(2)

tOSU Defense(2), DL(1), LB(4), DB(3)

tOSU Special teams (4)

CFN

 

[BB73]

Team capsules for everybody in the conference.

Projected conference standings:

7-1 - tOSU (loss at PSU)
6-2 - Illinois
6-2 - MSU
6-2 - PSU
4-4 - Iowa
4-4 - Wiscy
3-5 - TSUN
3-5 - Minn
3-5 - NW'ern
1-7 - Ind
1-7 - Purd

CFN

1. [SIZE=-1]Ohio State | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart
[/SIZE]
Predicted Record: 10-2 Conf. Record: 7-1
Best Offensive Player: QB Terrelle Pryor, Soph.
Best Defensive Player: DE Thaddeus Gibson, Jr.

Offense: The OSU offense took a left turn last season when Terrelle Pryor took over the attack with less deep passing and more running, but things should be more balanced this year. Pryor worked hard this offseason to become a more polished passer, and now there should be more long balls and more chances taking after he dinked and dunked with safe passes throughout the second half of last season. While much will be made about the major losses at running back and receiver, there's more than enough speed and talent to step in and produce. There's no power in the running game, but Dan "Boom" Herron and Brandon "Zoom" Saine can fly. The receiving corps might turn out to be a strength with DeVier Posey about to become a superstar and with Dane Sanzenbacher, Ray Small, and incoming freshman Duron Carter all good enough to put up big numbers. The key to the offense should be the line, which wasn't bad for the ground game last year but struggled mightily in pass protection and didn't have a nasty enough attitude. The addition of Michigan transfer Justin Boren at left guard should make a big different for a group that should emerge as the Big Ten's best with a little time.

Defense: It's hard to call the nation's 14th best defense a disappointment, but it wasn't quite the killer it was supposed to be. However, the Buckeyes allowed a mere 13.92 points per game and gave up more than 21 points to two teams, USC and Texas. This year's D loses all the star power at linebacker, and All-America corner Malcolm Jenkins, but it comes back loaded on the defensive front, especially on the ends. Thaddeus Gibson is about to blossom into a superstar pass rusher on one end, while Cameron Heyward has first round draft pick potential on the other side. Three starters return to the secondary led by corner Chimdi Chekwa, who should be the star now that Jenkins is gone. The spotlight will be on the linebacking corps that loses James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman, and while there aren't any stars, Austin Spiller and Ross Homan lead a rock-solid group that should be more than fine.

Cont'd ...

 

[BB73]

CFN's All-Big Ten team and top-30 players.

Off POY - T. Pryor, tOSU
Def POY - N. Bowman, PSU

tOSU 1st team offense: T. Pryor, M. Brewster, J. Boren
tOSU 1st team defense: K. Coleman, R Small (as PR)

tOSU 2nd team offense: D. Posey
tOSU 2nd team defense: T. Gibson, C. Chekwa (somehow Stevie Brown made 1st team)

Top 30: #1 T. Pryor, #23 T. Gibson, #24 J. Boren, #29 C. Heyward

CFN

 

[BB73]

Overall preview, by Pete Fiutak.

CFN

The Big Ten is fine. Really, it's fine.

Penn State and Ohio State have reloaded in a hurry and should be players on a national stage once again, Iowa and Michigan State should improve even more after resurgent seasons, Illinois should be closer to its 2007 form than the 2008 version, Michigan should take another step forward (but the program still needs another year), Northwestern will be as strong as it's been in over a decade, and even Indiana and Purdue, likely the bottom feeders, have some major strong points (like the Hoosier D line and the Boilermaker secondary). But none of the positives matter if the league can't make a bigger splash on a national scale.

Perception is reality, and while the Big Ten has suffered a bad rap for having problems with USC (hardly an exclusive club), major gaffes like Michigan losing to Toledo, Illinois losing to Western Michigan, Indiana losing to Ball State and Central Michigan, and Wisconsin needing a miracle to beat Cal Poly (before getting destroyed by Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl) didn't help the cause. There have been some excellent moments for the conference, but they've been overshadowed by Ohio State's national title losses, the Rose Bowl problems, and the lack of enough flash to overcome the negativity. And now it's a problem.

The aren't enough big non-conference games to change the minds of SEC and Big 12 fans tired of the publicity and the benefits of the doubt the Big Ten gets, and that means Ohio State has to beat USC in Columbus on September 12th and Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue have to combine to go 2-1, at the very least, against Notre Dame. If that doesn't happen, it'll be tough when it comes to the BCS discussion.

...

One Bold Prediction
Terrelle Pryor will look every bit the superstar prospect everyone's been waiting for. He was terrific last season despite being handcuffed by a vanilla passing game (put in to limit the true freshman's mistakes), but now he has improved his passing and his effectiveness enough (at least in practices) to start pushing the ball down the field more. He could be the type of player who puts the entire team on his back. Can he pull off a win over USC? If he does, the Heisman talk will kick in full force.

Coach on the Hot Seat
Bret Bielema, Wisconsin - Rich Rodriguez has to have Michigan pointed in the right direction, but he'd likely be able to survive another bad season if there appears to be hope for 2010. Bielema is the Big Ten coach who has to win right now or else. The expectations were sky high going into last year, but a bad collapse against Michigan, a heart-ripping last minute defeat to Ohio State, and horrific performances against Iowa and Florida State got the fan base grumbling. Hand picked by Barry Alvarez, and considered to be one of the hot coaching prospects when he was locked up a few years ago, Bielema has to come through with a big year and his team has to stop the slide into mediocrity.


Cont'd ...

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

(somehow Stevie Brown made 1st team)

 

[Evan]

Not exactly a news flash

EDSBS taking it to Jim Delany:

ASK THE BIG 10 COMMISH: LAID-BACK ADVICE FROM THE UNFLUSTERABLE JIM DELANY

Worried about the Big 10?s recent habit of face-planting in high-profile out-of-conference games? Jim Delany isn?t:
?In any particular time frame, could be three years, could be five years, could be two years, you could get your ass kicked, OK?? Delany continued. ?It can happen. We?re not playing Little Sisters of the Poor. We?re playing the best football teams in their region.
?So were we 1-6 (in bowl games) last year? Yeah. Were we 0-6 in the BCS in the last (three years)? We were. Those are the facts. But take me from 2000 or 1997 to 2005; I remember when Michigan played Ohio State [in 2006]. We were the toast of the town, one versus two, game of the century.?

Jim Delany?s not too worried about it, really. He wouldn?t worry about it. Don?t worry about it. He?s not worried at all.
Sounds like a reasonably nonchalant response to the issue, even if, as Doc Saturday humbly points out, it?s a problem that isn?t likely to resolve itself this season no matter what Delany says. For all the criticism we?ve heaped on the Big 10 commissioner over the past couple years, he sounds like a guy who takes a level-headed, matter-of-fact approach to problems instead of panicking, which is the kind of trait you?d want in not only a conference commish but also . . . an advice columnist:
Dear Big 10 Commish,
My husband and I have three children: a son who is in college and two daughters, a 16-year-old and a 10-year-old. My older daughter was an A student all through elementary and middle school, but her grades have deteriorated markedly since she started high school. She has a boyfriend now and has been spending a lot more time with him and his clique of friends, and a lot less time studying or helping out around the house; she hasn?t been particularly combative toward me or my husband, but that?s mainly because we hardly ever see her at all. A couple weeks ago I found what looked like the remnants of a marijuana cigarette on our back patio; I asked her if she knew anything about it and she said she didn?t, and that she had never tried marijuana or any other drugs. Can I trust her? Is it time for me to put my foot down and make her stop spending as much time with her boyfriend, or will that only drive her further away?
Concerned Mother in Battle Creek...

It keeps going and the "funniest" bits are on the site

 

[zwem]

CFN predictions of all games. They foresee a 38-6 non-conference record.

Predicted records (and losses) by team:

Ill (10-2) - at tOSU, at Minny
Ind (4-8) - at Va, all conference games except Purdue
Iowa (8-4) - at PSU, at Wisc, at MSU, at tOSU
TSUN (6-6) - ND, at MSU, at Iowa, PSU, at Ill, tOSU
MSU (10-2) - at Wisc, at Ill
Minn (6-6) - Cal, at NW, at PSU, at tOSU, MSU, at Iowa
NW (7-5) - at Purd, at MSU, PSU, at Iowa, at Ill
tOSU (10-2) - USC, at PSU
PSU (10-2) - at Ill, at MSU
Purd (3-9) - at Oregon, ND, all conference games except NW
Wisc (8-4) - at Minn, at tOSU, TSUN, at NW

CFN

4 teams with a 10-2 record?.........don't think so.