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Florida, Oklahoma odds on favorites for 2009

The Wiz spotted BodogLife’s updated odds for the college football season. Long story short… it looks like the Gators and Sooners are the early picks, followed by USC, Texas, and Ohio State.

Here’s the complete rundown:

Alabama 22/1
Arizona 100/1
Arizona State 150/1
Arkansas 150/1
Auburn 150/1
Boise State 100/1
Boston College 100/1
California 60/1
Cincinnati 90/1
Clemson 60/1
Colorado 100/1
Florida 7/4
Florida State 30/1
Georgia 50/1
Georgia Tech 50/1
Illinois 80/1
Iowa 75/1
Kansas 75/1
Kansas State 175/1
Kentucky 125/1
Louisville 150/1
LSU 20/1
Maryland 200/1
Miami 35/1
Michigan 120/1
Michigan State 100/1
Missouri 90/1
Nebraska 55/1
North Carolina 45/1
North Carolina State 100/1
Notre Dame 30/1
Ohio State 17/2
Oklahoma 5/1
Oklahoma State 50/1
Oregon 20/1
Oregon State 100/1
Penn State 35/1
Pittsburgh 60/1
Rutgers 125/1
South Carolina 100/1
South Florida 80/1
Tennessee 100/1
Texas 8/1
Texas A&M 150/1
Texas Tech 60/1
UCLA 150/1
Utah 125/1
USC 5/1
Virginia 100/1
Virginia Tech 20/1
Wake Forest 80/1
Washington 200/1
West Virginia 75/1
Wisconsin 100/1
Field (Any Other Team) 20/1

And remember… entertainment purposes only… of course.

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Final Grades: A look back at the preseason AP poll

It’s time to pay the piper. Here’s a look back at the 2008 pre-season AP poll contrasted against the final 2008-2009 AP poll.

2008 AP College Football Poll Comparison – Preseason vs Final Poll

TEAM	FINAL RANKING	PRESEASON
Florida	1	5
Utah	2	NR
USC	3	3
Texas	4	11
Oklahoma	6	4
Alabama	6	NR
TCU	NR	NR
Penn State	8	22
Ohio State	9	2
Oregon	10	21
Boise State	11	NR
Texas Tech	12	12
Georgia	13	1
Ole Miss	14	NR
Virginia Tech	15	17
Oklahoma State	16	NR
Cincinnati	17	NR
Oregon State	18	22
Missouri	19	6
Iowa	20	NR
Florida State	21	NR
Georgia Tech	22	NR
West Virginia	23	8
Michigan State	24	NR
BYU	25	16

The big standout poll flops are Georgia (P-1 F-13), Ohio State (P-2 F-10), Missouri (P-6 F-19) and West Virgina (P-8 F-23). And — of course — the teams that never even made it to the final poll, including LSU, Clemson, Auburn and Wisconsin.

The Cinderella stories of Utah, TCU, Boise State, and Alabama surprised pollsters and fans alike. (Outside of Alabama, of course, who always expects the Tide to be #1… and they’re not afraid to tell you about it, as well. Still, I suspect there were more than a couple of surprised Bama fans out there this season when the Crimson Tide rose to the top of the polls.)

The biggest surprise for me was how many of the teams were actually ranked consistently from pre-season to final poll. That shocked me, actually. I have long advocated not doing any polls at all until the fourth week of the season, but there’s enough balance between the good & bad of the pre-season poll to suggest that *some* of the pollsters might actually put some thought into this whole thing.

What stands out to you and where do you stand on pre-season polls — sacrosanct or sacrelidge?

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Mid-afternoon Monday wrap-up

Greetings everyone.  I’m sitting in my room here at Ceasar’s Palace in Las Vegas, and I finally got the time to update The BBC!  Plenty to discuss, so let’s get to it;

The Super Bowl

Hey, how about that Santonio Holmes?  Super Bowl MVP!  I wonder what university taught him to play like that?

I truly hate the Steelers, but I’ve gotta give it up for a former Buckeye putting in a performance like that!

I didn’t think the excitement of Giants/Patriots could be topped, but damn that was incredible.  The last 8 minutes will go down in history as the most exciting SB I’ve ever seen.

Of course, you can read all about that in a million other places online.  Me, I wanna discuss how I think it was the worst officiated game in Super Bowl history.  They officiated the game as if they were afraid of the Steelers.  My personal observations;

• A 15-yard penalty for a late hit on Roethlisberger (while his arm was still in a downward motion)
• James Harrison punches a guy in the back and head three times…and doesn’t get ejected from the game.  The penalty ends up costing Pittsburgh zero yards, as the ball was already on the half-yard line.
• That penalty actually began before the ball left the punter’s foot….possession should have stayed with Arizona.
• Willie Parker has his progress stopped in the end zone and his knee hit before he stretched the ball to the 1.  No replay, and a horrible spot to benefit Pittsburgh.
• Finally, it may have been inconclusive, but why didn’t the replay booth at least TRY to review the game’s final play.  I think Warner’s arm may have been coming forward, but in the sport’s biggest game, shouldn’t they have at least tried to stop the game and look at the call?

Oh, well.  Maybe I’m just bitchin’ too much.

Pro Football Hall Of Fame

On Saturday, my hometown landmark, the Pro Football Hall Of Fame announced their 2009 inductees.  The Buckeye Battle Cry finds it to be a complete travesty that WR Cris Carter is not on the list this year.  This was Carter’s second year of eligibility, and he should be in the hall by now.

Last year I felt that a first-year entry denial was forgivable, especially with Art Monk on the list.  It’s rare to see two high-profile receivers in the same class.

But this year, they’re letting in WR Bob Hayes over Carter?  WTF?

Hayes was a world-class athlete and is worthy of the Hall.  No knock on him, he’s incredible.  But to keep Carter out while putting Hayes in, I just can’t see a reason for it.

Carter’s numbers;

• Receptions – 1,101
• Yards – 13,899
• Touchdowns – 130
• 8-time Pro-Bowler
• 3-time All-NFL
• Elected to the NFL All-1990s team

These are not pedantic numbers.  Shutting Cris Carter out twice is not acceptable.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Hot damn, did you see how they took over that game yesterday?  The Cavaliers were shooting poorly at best for three quarters, and entered the final stanza down by 8 points in a loud Palace in Auburn Hills.  The Detroit Pistons are a team looking for relevance in an era that is fading fast for them.  Beating the Cavaliers would have allowed them to hold their place while they try to rebuild a successful pattern.

But Boobie Gibson and LeBron James wouldn’t let them (that must sound familiar to Piston fans, circa 2007).

The Cavs outscored Detroit 32-14 in the fourth quarter and left the Palace with a comeback victory, 90-80.

But which is bigger for the respective team?  The Cavaliers win or the Pistons loss?

The Cavs win puts them at 37-9, tied for second best record in the NBA (and that’s only because Boston has played three more games and stands at 40-9).  They’re on track to win about 65 or 66 games and will spend the rest of the season battling Boston and Orlando for the top seed.

The Pistons loss puts them at 25-21 and tumbles them to the 6th-seed in the NBA Eastern Conference standings.  They’ve now lost 9 of their last 12 and have failed in their last four home games.  Right now they are a mere shell of the team they once were.  It turns out that trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson was the biggest mistake the franchise has made in a decade.

Since Iverson has begun playing for Detroit, the Pistons are 21-21.  Meanwhile, Billups’ new team, the Denver Nuggets, are third in the West.

Yesterday’s game could have been relief for a failing Piston organization.  Their win would have meant a great deal, but the loss means so much more.

Oh, and it’s yet another example that Ohio owns Michigan.  Bow down, bitches.

Mike Brown

Congrats to Head Coach Mike Brown!  He and his staff will be coaching the Eastern All-Stars during the All-Star game in two weeks.  While most of the team will be home resting, he and LeBron will be lighting up the arena, before taking charge down the stretch run to the playoffs!

Vegas, Baby, Vegas!

If you’ve ever been to Vegas, you know what it’s like here.  But even if you’ve visited here before, I urge you to come during a championship game in a major sport.

Yesterday I was in the sports booking area at Ceasar’s Palace for the Super Bowl.  They lined up extra rows of chairs the night before and people began saving them at 6am.  We were fortunate enough to grab a couple of seats in the front row for the Cavs game, and towards the end (as Super Bowl time approached), we began getting cash offers for our chairs.

We gave them up to Marshall, a nice guy who let us sit while his sons were on their way from gambling.  We got to sit for our game, they got to sit for theirs.  Worked out perfectly.  We did see a guy get 300 bucks for two seats in the VIP area though.  Nice.

We gambled for a while at the Pussycat Dolls tables right next to the booking zone.  But it was hard not to watch the game, especially with all the screams coming from 20 feet to our left.

By halftime, we were eating at Mesa Grill, and grabbed a window table, so we got to see the rest of the game in comfort.  But we made our way into the crowd for the final moments, and it was the most fun I’ve ever had watching the game without actually being AT the game.

Seriously, book a trip for the NCAA title game or the NBA Finals.  It was wild and worth every penny!

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the Cavaliers are 2-1 odds to win it all.

Story By The Buckeye Battle Cry

Recapping the Big Ten coaching changes

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Purdue's hiring of defensive coordinator Donn Landholm on Monday likely marks the end to the major coaching moves in the Big Ten this year. 

There have been no head-coaching changes — Danny Hope was named Purdue's head coach-in-waiting last year — and unless Iowa's Kirk Ferentz bolts for the Kansas City Chiefs, which isn't likely, all 11 teams will have continuity on top. But there were several key changes among coordinators and key position coaches. 

Here's a summary. 

ILLINOIS

Offensive coordinator: Mike Locksley left to become New Mexico's head coach. Illinois hired TCU offensive coordinator Mike Schultz as his replacement. 

Defensive line: Ron Zook fired Tom Sims and hired Cincinnati's Keith Gilmore. 

Offensive line: Eric Wolford left for the same post at South Carolina, and Zook hired Houston's Joe Gilbert as his replacement. 

Notes: Arguably Illinois' biggest coaching move was one that didn't happen. Zook offered Penn State defensive line coach Larry Johnson the chance to be Illinois' defensive coordinator, but the ace recruiter opted to stay in State College. 

INDIANA

No changes.

Notes: Despite a 3-9 season that saw regression on both sides of the ball, head coach Bill Lynch said he didn't expect to make any staff changes for 2009. 

IOWA

No changes.

Notes: Ferentz is being mentioned as a candidate for the Chiefs' head-coaching vacancy because of his ties to new general manager Scott Pioli, but it appears likely he will remain at Iowa for an 11th season. He will hold a signing day news conference scheduled for Feb. 4 and has talked with athletic director Gary Barta about a contract extension.

MICHIGAN

Defensive coordinator: Scott Shafer resigned and later took the same job at Syracuse. Michigan hired former Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson as Shafer's replacement.

Notes: Head coach Rich Rodriguez took his time with the search, and Robinson actually reached out to him about the defensive coordinator vacancy.

MICHIGAN STATE

No changes.

Notes: Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell was in the mix for several head-coaching spots (Miami University, Boston College) but will stay put for 2009.

MINNESOTA

Offensive coordinator: Mike Dunbar resigned Jan. 6 to pursue other professional opportunities. Minnesota hired former Denver Broncos wide receivers coach Jedd Fisch as Dunbar's replacement.

Defensive coordinator: Ted Roof resigned Jan. 6 to take the same post at Auburn. Gophers head coach Tim Brewster hired former Nebraska and Wisconsin defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, who will share coordinator duties with defensive backs coach Ron Lee.

Notes: Fisch will call the offensive plays, but he must collaborate with Tim Davis, the team's new offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Davis, who replaces Phil Meyer, was hired in late November to transform Minnesota's run game and return the team to its roots as a dominant rushing attack.

NORTHWESTERN

Offensive line: Bret Ingalls left for the New Orleans Saints. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald told me he's not concerned about naming a replacement until after signing day, but indications are Adam Cushing, the H-backs coach and recruiting coordinator, will be promoted to line coach. 

Notes: Athletic director Jim Phillips wants to work out a contract extension for Fitzgerald and likely will announce one in the coming weeks or months.

OHIO STATE

No changes.

Notes: Some expected offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Jim Bollman to get the axe, and while it still could happen, head coach Jim Tressel is the primary play-caller and responsible for the unit's success. Co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell was mentioned as a candidate for the head-coaching vacancy at Bowling Green.

PENN STATE

No changes.

Notes: Penn State retained Larry Johnson despite Illinois offering more money and a coordinator position. Longtime defensive coordinator Tom Bradley also remains despite some rumors that he was a candidate for the top job at Syracuse.

PURDUE

Offensive coordinator: Ed Zaunbrecher was fired and replaced by Florida Atlantic offensive coordinator Gary Nord. 

Defensive coordinator: Longtime Boilers defensive coordinator Brock Spack left to become Illinois State's head coach. Hope hired his former Eastern Kentucky staffer Landholm as Spack's replacement. 

Running backs coach: Joel Thomas left for the same job at Washington, and Hope hired former Kansas State assistant Cornell Jackson as his replacement. 

Offensive line coach: Hope handled the line in 2008 and hired his former Eastern Kentucky staffer Shawn Clark to replace him. 

Special teams coordinator: Hope moved Mark Hagen from special teams to linebackers and promoted graduate assistant J.B. Gibboney to this post. 

Notes: Tight ends coach John McDonnell was not retained for 2009, and a replacement hasn't been named. Terrell Williams will once again coach the entire defensive line this fall after working strictly with the ends in 2008. 

WISCONSIN

No changes.

Notes: After firing veteran defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz and seeing offensive line coach Bob Palcic leave for UCLA last year, head coach Bret Bielema is keeping his staff in place despite a very disappointing 2008 season.  

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Big Ten recruiting roundup

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Ohio State will learn Tuesday whether it will earn the services of standout prep quarterback Tajh Boyd. Defensive end Craig Drummond has, in fact, picked Mississippi after originally committing to Illinois. Iowa had a big weekend recruiting haul, while other Big Ten schools are racking up commits. 

Here's the latest from ESPN Scouts Inc.'s national recruiting director Tom Luginbill. 

ESPNU 150 Craig Drummond picks Rebels over Illini

Craig Drummond, DE

Chicago, IL

Morgan Park H.S.

Scouts Grade: 81

ESPN150 Rank: 99

Position Rank: 7

Defensive end Craig Drummond of Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.), rated No. 7 nationally among defensive ends and No. 99 prospect overall in the Class of 2009, has chosen Mississippi.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Drummond had originally picked Illinois over Wisconsin, but was wavering on his choice.

Among others, Drummond was also offered by Miami-Florida, Tennessee, Ohio State, Southern California, Florida, Michigan State and Minnesota.

Drummond, who was an all-state and all-area selection as a junior after recording 22 sacks, did not play his senior season because of a foot injury.

---

ESPNU 150 Tajh Boyd to choose on Tuesday

Tajh Boyd, QB

Hampton, VA

Phoebus H.S.

Scouts Grade: 82

ESPN150 Rank: 59

Position Rank: 5

Tajh Boyd of Phoebus (Hampton, Va.), rated No. 5 among quarterbacks and No. 59 prospect overall in Class 2009, plans to make a final decision among Clemson, Oregon and Ohio State on Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 27).

Among many others, Boyd was also being recruited by Florida State, Boston College, Virginia and Penn State.

Boyd had first committed to West Virginia, but had second thoughts following the Mountaineers' offensive struggles early in the season. He then chose Tennessee, but decommitted following a conversation with newly hired coach Lane Kiffin who warned him that he might not be happy with the Vols' pro-style system.

As a junior, Boyd passed for 2,059 yards and 25 touchdowns, and also rushed for 500 yards and seven scores. He tore his ACL in the third game of his senior season and is set to have surgery next month.

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What are the most prestigious college football programs?

ESPN has taken the lead in trying to rank the most prestigious college football programs since the inception of the AP poll in a psuedo-scientific fashion. It’s really more of a “which current FBS programs have lived in the spotlight” list, because it doesn’t take into account teams that aren’t currently in FBS and doesn’t attempt to match them one versus the other, per se.

First, the method to their madness:

ESPN’s Prestige Rankings are a numerical method of ranking the best FBS college football programs since the 1936 season. Point values were assigned for certain successes (win a national title, earn 25 points) and failures (get your program banned from the postseason, lose two points). The research department ran all the numbers through the computer to come up with the No. 1 program (and Nos. 2 to 119) of the past 73 seasons.

The full breakdown of how points were accumulated (and deducted) is online as well, with the “biggies” being National Championships, major bowl berths, major bowl wins, Heisman winners, and points for various finishes in the AP top twenty five poll.

The results are… pretty interesting. In fact, it’s really hard for me to quibble over all but a few positions – and even that might be subjective.

ESPN COLLEGE FOOTBALL PRESTIGE RANKINGS

1. Oklahoma
2. USC
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Nebraska
6. Alabama
7. Texas
8. Michigan
9. Florida State
10. Miami
11. Penn State
12. Tennessee
13. LSU
14, Georgia
15. Florida
16. UCLA
17. Washington
18. Georgia Tech
19. Arkansas
20. Texas A&M
21. Auburn
22t. Clemson
22t. Colorado
24. Ole Miss
25. BYU

Click here for positions 26 – 119

Again, this is more of a prestige spotlight list than a comparison of team A versus team B. That’s obvious when you look at the criteria, and then also compare the rankings above with head-to-head records, for example. Case(s) in point… Oklahoma has a losing record all-time against Texas, but is ranked ahead in prestige. Florida State has a losing record all-time against both Miami and Florida, but gets the presige nod. The Noles have a winning record over both top five Notre Dame and Ohio State, but I digress.

Even still, it’s hard for me to look back at the history of college football and not put the Sooners at or near the top of the list. Certainly Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame, and Nebraska all deserve to be near the top as well. You can debate where everyone falls (ie should “x” be #6,#7, or #8) but it’s hard to see someone in the top 25 that doesn’t belong.

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Jumping Ship: Who’s leaving early for the NFL?

The good folks at ESPN’s data center have the updates on which college football underclassmen are leaving school in search of huge bags of money a career in the NFL. Here’s the updated list, with a few notable talents highlighted.

Asher Allen CB 5-1 198 Georgia
Chris Baker DT 6-2 298 Hampton
Kenny Britt WR 6-4 215 Rutgers
Eben Britton OT 6-5½ 310 Arizona
Donald Brown RB 5-10 210 Connecticut
Everette Brown DE 6-4 252 Florida State
James Casey TE 6-4 245 Rice
Jeremy Childs WR 6-0 196 Boise State
Glen Coffee RB 6-1 198 Alabama
Austin Collie WR 6-2 206 BYU
Emanuel Cook S 5-10 203 South Carolina
Jared Cook TE 6-5 243 South Carolina
Michael Crabtree WR 6-3 214 Texas Tech
Andrew Davie TE 6-5 266 Arkansas
Nate Davis QB 6-1¾ 217 Ball State
Vontae Davis CB 5-11⅞ 203 Illinois
Josh Freeman QB 6-5½ 238 Kansas State
Shonn Green RB 5-10¾ 233 Iowa
Percy Harvin WR 5-10¾ 187 Florida
Darrius Heyward-Bey WR 6-1⅞ 203 Maryland
P.J. Hill RB 5-11 236 Wisconsin
Greg Isdaner OG 6-4 322 West Virginia
Ricky Jean-Francois DL 6-3 289 LSU
Paul Kruger DE 6-5 265 Utah
Jeremy Maclin WR 6-0 198 Missouri
Sen’Derrick Marks DT 6-0⅞ 289 Auburn
Aaron Maybin DE 6-3½ 250 Penn State
LeSean McCoy RB 5-11 205 Pittsburgh
Gerald McRath LB 6-3 220 Southern Miss
D.J. Moore CB 5-10 184 Vanderbilt
Knowshon Moreno RB 5-10¾ 207 Georgia
Captain Munnerlyn CB 5-9 185 South Carolina
Hakeem Nicks WR 6-1 215 North Carolina
Kevin Ogletree WR 6-2 189 Virginia
Jerraud Powers CB 5-9 191 Auburn
Mark Sanchez QB 6-2½ 225 USC
Andre Smith DT 6-4⅞ 341 Alabama
Sean Smith CB 6-2½ 212 Utah
Matthew Stafford QB 6-2½ 235 Georgia
Brandon Williams DE 6-5 246 Texas Tech
Chris “Beanie” Wells RB 6-1 235 Ohio State

Of course, it’s worth mentioning a few standout players who are not going pro this year:

Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida
C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson
Greg Hardy, DE, Mississippi

Equally notable, FSU S Myron Rolle will leave the Noles, but isn’t going to the NFL… yet. Rolle accepted a Rhodes Scholarship and will study medical anthropology at Oxford. Rolle was expected to be a top 50 or better pick, but will instead look to enter the 2010 NFL draft.

The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 26th and 27th in New York City.

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Putting a bow on the Big Ten season

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The end result wasn't what most Big Ten fans had in mind, but 2008 still brought plenty of intrigue around the league. Before putting the season to bed, here are some moments that stick out in my mind.

Terrelle Pryor takes over — Pryor came to Ohio State with unparalleled hype as the nation's No. 1 recruit, but most expected him to sit out most of the season. Everything changed after the USC loss, and Jim Tressel's decision to start Pryor in Week 4 marked a significant shift for a program that usually sticks with its seniors. Pryor had some growing pains along the way, but he also showcased incredible talent and the potential to take Ohio State a long way in the years to come.

Joe Paterno keeps on winning — Despite a bum hip that needed to be surgically replaced in November, Paterno gutted his way through the season and proved once again that he knows exactly what he's doing. Despite spending the final nine games in the press box, including the Rose Bowl, Paterno helped Penn State to a co-Big Ten title and won Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. The 82-year-old signed a three-year contract after the season and will be back in 2009.

Holy Toledo — Michigan had never lost to a MAC team in 24 tries, but this season was anything but ordinary in Ann Arbor. The low point for Rich Rodriguez and the Wolverines undoubtedly arrived Oct. 11, when a subpar Toledo team came into the Big House and beat Michigan 13-10. Michigan went on to lose a school-record nine games, posted a losing season for the first time since 1967 and missed a bowl for the first time since 1974.

The collapse at the Coliseum — The most anticipated game of the season turned into a disaster for the Big Ten and Ohio State, which got steamrolled 35-3 by USC. Ohio State couldn't stop Mark Sanchez, committed uncharacteristic errors and didn't score a touchdown for the first time since 1996. The loss reinforced the perception that Ohio State struggles in big games, a reputation the Buckeyes helped restore in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Murray kicks Penn State out of title game — Penn State seemed destined for a date in the BCS Championship Game until it ran into an inspired Iowa team on Nov. 8 at Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes rallied from a 9-point fourth-quarter deficit and won the game in the final seconds on a 31-yard field goal by Daniel Murray, an Iowa City native who had lost his starting job seven weeks earlier. Head coach Kirk Ferentz went back to Murray in the clutch, a decision that paid off.

Coordinators take off — The Big Ten had no head-coaching changes this year, but several of the league's top assistants left following the season. Illinois offensive coordinator and chief recruiter Mike Locksley left to become New Mexico's head coach. Minnesota lost both of its coordinators, as Mike Dunbar stepped down and Ted Roof left for the defensive coordinator spot at Auburn. Michigan defensive coordinator Scott Shafer resigned after only one season.

Another bowl flop — The league needed a boost in the postseason after dropping four consecutive BCS games and four Rose Bowls. Instead, the Big Ten's national perception took another blow as the conference went 1-6 in bowl games. Despite a dominant Outback Bowl win by Iowa and encouraging performances from Ohio State and Northwestern, the Big Ten lost two more BCS games and another Rose Bowl.

Rodriguez sounds off — His comments were largely misrepresented, but Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez didn't do himself any favors during a Nov. 17 news conference. Speaking about outlandish comments on fan message boards, Rodriguez said, "You almost want to tell them, 'Get a life.' There's a whole lot bigger problems. Look at the economy." Though the comments weren't directed at Michigan's fan base, they made headlines around the Big Ten and added to the woes for the first-year coach.

Northwestern's Smith stuns Minnesota — No play symbolized Northwestern's renaissance on defense more than Brendan Smith's 48-yard interception return for a touchdown with 12 seconds left to beat Minnesota 24-17 on Nov. 1. Defense was the story for Northwestern during a 9-4 season, as first-year coordinator Mike Hankwitz revolutionized one of the conference's worst units. Smith's return also signaled the beginning of the end for Minnesota, which dropped its final five games after a 7-1 start.

Dantonio gets rewarded with new deal — Mark Dantonio's stock is on the rise at Michigan State, and the university rewarded him before the Capital One Bowl with a restructured contract. Dantonio's salary raise puts him on par with other Big Ten coaches, and he will receive a million bonus if he's still coaching Michigan State on Jan. 15, 2016. The Spartans have made upgrades in facilities and recruiting, and if they can keep Dantonio, they'll consistently be in the mix for league titles.

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Cosgrove, Lee to coordinate Gophers defense

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Minnesota has hired Kevin Cosgrove as co-defensive coordinator and promoted defensive backs coach Ronnie Lee to co-coordinator.

Cosgrove and Lee take over the Gophers' defense after coordinator Ted Roof left Tuesday for the same post at Auburn.

Head coach Tim Brewster planned to move quickly with this hire, and Cosgrove emerged as the favorite. Cosgrove served as Nebraska's defensive coordinator from 2004-07 after overseeing Wisconsin's defense from 1995-2003.

Both Cosgrove and Lee have extensive experience in the Big Ten, with Lee making previous stops at both Michigan and Wisconsin. Lee and Cosgrove worked together in Madison for Cosgrove's final year there (2003).

"Coach Cosgrove brings a wealth of experience in the Big Ten as both a coach and recruiter," Brewster said in a statement. "Plus, he possesses a long track record of developing outstanding defenses. But, perhaps more importantly, Kevin is a great person and an outstanding fit on our staff. … Ronnie Lee has done a tremendous job since joining our staff here at Minnesota.

"I'm very pleased to reward him with this promotion. Ronnie has proven himself to be an excellent coach and recruiter."

Recruiting certainly was a big factor in this move. Several incoming Gophers recruits seemed surprised by Roof's departure, and having Lee move into a bigger role creates continuity. Lee's secondary keyed a defense that led the Big Ten with 30 takeaways this fall.

Cosgrove's defenses got progressively worse at Nebraska, bottoming out with a unit that finished 112th nationally in 2007 (476.8 ypg allowed). His hiring likely will create mixed emotions among Gophers fans, but the guy can recruit and had a lot of success at Wisconsin and early on at Nebraska.

Roof did an excellent job helping the nation's worst defense in 2007 become respectable this fall. It's up to Cosgrove and Lee to take the unit one step further.

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