Is Ferentz set for life at Iowa?

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Iowa craves continuity among its football coaches, as evidenced by the fact that only two men have held the job since 1979. 

The university has every intention of keeping Kirk Ferentz in place for the foreseeable future, awarding the coach a new seven-year contract through 2015. Ferentz likely has survived his biggest hurdles at Iowa, namely the stretch of off-field incidents involving players who plagued the program in 2007-08. Though some fans want to see the recruiting upgraded and Iowa reach more BCS games, the school is more than content with Ferentz.

If he leaves Iowa City, it will be on his own terms.

The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette's Marc Morehouse has an interesting blog post about Ferentz's new contract, noting that Ferentz will be 60 when his deal runs out. Morehouse also dug up a revealing Ferentz quote from 2002, when those omnipresent NFL rumors had surfaced.

"I don't know what it would take to get me out of here," Ferentz said. "The NFL? If you pinned me down, maybe the NFL when I'm 58. If you get your butt shot off when you're 58, who cares? You'll be 60 soon. I'm not going to worry about it then. I know this: Players last an average of 3.3 years in the NFL, and head coaches are probably under that." 

The life of NFL coaches hasn't gotten longer since then, and Ferentz knows he'll have greater stability in Iowa City. Expect him to coach his son, James, a freshman offensive lineman for the Hawkeyes, throughout his time at Iowa. If the NFL bug is still in him four or five years down the road, he might bolt. 

But Iowa could also be his final stop. 

Go to Source

Dantonio discusses Michigan State’s recruiting

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

As decommitments, down-to-the-wire decisions and late pledges dominated national signing day, Michigan State quietly inked a recruiting class that head coach Mark Dantonio thinks can elevate the program to the next level.

The Spartans picked up a 23-man group rated by several recruiting services in the Top 25 nationally, and they did it without the drama many programs went through on Wednesday. The depth and location of Michigan State's class stood out, as Dantonio and his assistants addressed pressing and future needs at running back, wide receiver, linebacker and defensive back. They also did so almost exclusively with homegrown players, as 12 recruits hailed from Michigan and all but two from the Big Ten region.

I caught up with Dantonio on Thursday morning to discuss his latest class.

You graded this class an 'A.' Why?

Mark Dantonio: Well, [reporters] asked me. I labeled it an 'A,' maybe an 'A-minus,' basically because in four or five publications, we were ranked in the top 20. And the fact we filled so many needs. And when you really get down to it, we're the biggest evaluators of our players. We've worked with them personally, we've watched them play games in person, we've watched countless films on them. And when I look back, we made decisions to recruit a lot of these guys back in December of [2007] and spent over a year recruiting them. And 16, 17, 18 of these guys, we targeted in January and got 16 early commitments from them. And they stayed strong. I feel very good about them as people — we've got some excellent students — and also some outstanding football players.

You've been pretty realistic about your expectations for where you wanted the program to go: bowl game, New Year's Day bowl and then BCS game, Rose Bowl or whatever. Where does this class fit in to your short-term and long-term plan?

MD: It gives us a very solid foundation. The first class that we brought in here in '07, it was a class we had two or three months to work on. Six of those guys played and continue to be starters for us. This last year's class, six more played as true freshmen. This class will have every bit the numbers of young players playing, and this is the first class that really sets a foundation for us in terms of top to bottom, a full class. It's so balanced in the numbers: three linebackers, three DBs, four defensive linemen, a kicker, a quarterback, two tight ends, two running backs and four offensive linemen. So we sort of hit every position group, and we have excellent players at all of those areas.

When you get so many guys at so many positions, did you go into it with a set of needs, or were you trying to build depth across the board?

MD: No, there were key needs. We're relatively a young football team, graduated quite a few players the last two years. We took big linebackers last year that are growing into defensive ends, so we brought outstanding speed linebackers in this year. We had a need in the secondary for certain players, especially at safety with what we had lost in the last couple years. And next year, we have seven seniors in our secondary, so it's always important to bring in quality players at that position for the future. And then you look at the wide receiver position, we've got a good core back, but we needed to expand on our speed in that area.

We only had two quarterbacks on scholarship last year [Brian Hoyer and Kirk Cousins] that could play. Now again, two quarterbacks [Cousins and Keith Nichol], so it was important that we bring a solid quarterback in [Andrew Maxwell]. Our kicker [Brett Swenson] is a senior, so a guy that can kick off consistently into the end zone or to the goal line and a guy that can take over after Swenson leaves, all those things are important. Offensive line, we're losing players as well. So all these individuals have been recruited for a purpose.

Read more

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.

Go to Source

Best and worst from the Big Ten bowl season

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Before putting a sleepy Big Ten bowl season to bed, it's time to recognize some of the memorable moments from the last few weeks. Contrary to the 1-6 record, the Big Ten produced its share of highlights. And lowlights.

Here they are.

Best closing performance — Iowa running back Shonn Greene capped a tremendous 2008 season in fitting fashion with his 13th consecutive 100-yard rushing performance. Greene punished South Carolina for 121 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the Outback Bowl. The junior then confirmed what many had believed for months and declared for the NFL draft.

	Scott A. Miller/US Presswire
	Shonn Greene punctuated his college career with a victory over South Carolina.

Best catch — Ross Lane's leaping grab in the back of the end zone secured a 23-yard touchdown and gave Northwestern a 23-20 lead over Missouri entering the fourth quarter of the Alamo Bowl. Lane used his entire 6-foot-3 frame to make the reception and managed to get a foot down before tumbling beyond the end line. His catch would have been the signature image had Northwestern held on for the win.

Best catch by a quarterback — OK, Terrelle Pryor is the only Big Ten signal caller who qualified, but he showed impressive athleticism to haul in a 5-yard fade pass from Todd Boeckman for a touchdown. Ohio State's use of Pryor and Boeckman together gave the offense a boost at times, and Pryor's leaping ability had some wondering whether he would be better used as a wide receiver.

Best preview of the future — Michigan State backup quarterback Kirk Cousins continued to boost his stock for the 2009 season with a solid effort in limited action at the Capital One Bowl. Cousins spelled Brian Hoyer for a series and completed 4 of 5 pass attempts, leading Michigan State into Georgia territory and setting up a long field-goal attempt. Though he'll have to beat out Keith Nichol for the starting job in the offseason, Cousins looked game-ready this fall.

Best performance by a secondary — Iowa's back four continued to cause problems in the Outback Bowl, as they did throughout the second half of the season. Safety Tyler Sash recorded two interceptions and cornerback Bradley Fletcher had an interception and a forced fumble. Cornerback Amari Spievey added a pass breakup as the Hawkeyes flustered South Carolina's Stephen Garcia.

Best comeback: Had Ohio State held on to beat Texas, Boeckman would have been the top story. After sitting on the bench for the final nine regular-season games, Boeckman returned to meaningful action and gave the Buckeyes' offense a much needed boost against Texas. He sparked the offense with a 48-yard pass to Brian Robiskie and hit Pryor for the team's first touchdown.

Worst quarter — The Big Ten's second-quarter blues continued in BCS games as Penn State was outscored 24-0 in the second quarter of the Rose Bowl. Penn State had taken USC's first punch and mounted an impressive scoring drive, but the Nittany Lions committed out-of-character mistakes in the second quarter and couldn't stop Mark Sanchez and the Trojans, who took a 31-7 halftime lead.

Worst turnover — It seems hard to fathom given the final score, but Wisconsin outplayed Florida State for the first quarter of the Champs Sports Bowl and had the ball inside the Noles' red zone early in the second quarter. Quarterback Dustin Sherer attempted a lateral that fell incomplete, and Florida State's Derek Nicholson wisely picked up the ball and raced 75 yards to the end zone. Wisconsin players thought Sherer had thrown an incomplete forward pass and didn't bother to chase Nicholson. They would never catch Florida State.

Worst tackle — Safety Anderson Russell had been one of Ohio State's defensive standouts in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, recording an interception, a forced fumble and a pass breakup to go along with nine tackles. But unfortunately, Russell's lasting image will be a missed tackle on wide receiver Quan Cosby that allowed Texas to score the game-winning touchdown with 26 seconds left. Ohio State had tackled extremely well until the final minute, limiting big plays, but Cosby scooted by Russell and into the end zone.

Worst special teams play — Northwestern's Stefan Demos was supposed to punt the ball out of bounds late in the first half, but his kick instead went high and short, right into the hands of dangerous return man Jeremy Maclin. The Missouri star raced 75 yards to the end zone with a minute left in the half, and Northwestern went to the locker room tied at 10-10 after dominating the first 30 minutes. A missed extra point in the third quarter also stung the Wildcats in their overtime loss.

Go to Source

Big Ten can’t change sad script in bowl season

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

A miserable bowl season that ranked among the worst in Big Ten history underscored the biggest problem with the league this fall.

Nothing changed. 

The Big Ten entered the 2008 season hearing how bad it was, and despite ample opportunities to change its national perception, the conference only made things worse. The script played out exactly how the critics thought it would, never more so than in the postseason.

Of the seven Big Ten bowl teams, only Iowa was favored to win its contest. Though the Big Ten sent two teams to BCS games for the fourth consecutive year, co-champs Penn State and Ohio State entered the Rose and Fiesta bowls as heavy underdogs. 

Las Vegas turned out to be spot on, which meant bad news for the Big Ten. Iowa won its game, and the other six teams came up short. 

Much like Ohio State in the previous two BCS title games, Penn State fell victim to a disastrous second quarter against USC in the Rose Bowl and couldn't recover.

The league's bowl record nearly received boosts from Ohio State and Northwestern, both of whom were a play away from knocking off heavily favored Big 12 foes (Texas and Missouri). Both teams played solid defense and held acclaimed spread offenses in check, but Ohio State caved in the clutch and Northwestern committed inexcusable special-teams blunders. 

Ohio State's loss extended the Big Ten's BCS losing streak to six. Penn State's loss extended the league's Rose Bowl slide to five. Since its last winning bowl record in 2002-'03, the Big Ten has gone 15-28 in the postseason.

Is the Big Ten still relevant? From a marketing standpoint, absolutely. But after the recent on-field performances, particularly in bowls, it's a tough sell. 

Bowl locations and matchups undoubtedly make things tough, and the Big Ten could have benefited from sending only one team to a BCS bowl this year. Michigan State played hard but was overwhelmed by a superior Georgia team. Wisconsin and Minnesota looked totally overmatched against Florida State and Kansas. 

As commissioner Jim Delany said this week, "I'm not sure anybody plays up as much as we do. And we're not playing in our backyard, that's for sure."

But Delany admits those things aren't going to change.

There's an added urgency for the Big Ten to elevate its play and improve in both key nonconference games and the bowls. 

It's time for the league to change the script.

Right now, it reads like a tragedy.

Go to Source

Big Ten bowl wrap-up with Jim Delany, Part I

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

	Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
	Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany remains optimistic about next season.

His league has taken a beating on and off the field in recent weeks, and many are questioning the Big Ten's relevancy in college football. But league commissioner Jim Delany remains resilient, albeit realistic, about the recent struggles. The Big Ten went 1-6 in bowls this year, arguably the league's worst postseason performance ever. It extended the Big Ten's losing streak in BCS games to six.

Nine years have passed since the Big Ten won a Rose Bowl, and the league hasn't posted a winning postseason since 2002. I caught up with Delany on Friday to discuss the league's bowl performance and the future.

Obviously the Big Ten's record wasn't good, but how did you feel coming out of this postseason?

Jim Delany: I would rather have gone 6-1, but that's not what the predictors said we would be. I was optimistic going in. I thought we'd win more than we'd lost, but we did not, so it was disappointing. The margins in some cases were not good. In other cases, the games were more competitive. I've given it a lot of thought. I'm not sure I've arrived at any particular conclusions, other than we're playing elite teams. Certainly Southern Cal was playing at another level. That was clear to me. While Penn State got their way back into the game, [USC] really had their way by the half. I'd seen them play earlier against Ohio State and I saw them play last year [in the Rose Bowl] against Illinois. They're very good. They've got great athletes, they're well coached and they play at a level. We don't have a team that's playing at that level at this juncture. We just don't.

How do you think Big Ten teams competed in all the games?

JD: I saw the Michigan State-Georgia game and I saw the Missouri game, I saw the Ohio State game and I saw the Iowa game. Those games were more competitive. One we won and the other ones, we were definitely in the games. Obviously, our goal is to compete at the highest level. When you don't, you have to look internally. That's a football coach's role, to see exactly what needs to be done. We've got great coaches. I would say we have, probably more than people realize, five or six programs that are in the building stages. I don't think you can say anything other than that about Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Illinois and now probably Purdue and Indiana. So to be fair, a program that has got a coach in Year 1, 2 or 3, is different than a program that is in Year 5, 6, 7 or 8. So that has an effect, but that doesn't speak really to the issue. The last four or five years, we've played USC four or five times. We've gotten blown out a couple of times, we were competitive a couple of times, but we haven't been able to beat them. So clearly a better program. And while LSU and Florida got us on championship day, we've gotten them in other bowl games. Michigan got Florida last year and Iowa got LSU. So I'm not despondent about our ability to compete. But I think at the very highest level the last three or four years, we have not had a team. When Florida, LSU and Southern Cal have had championship teams, to me they have been the crème de la crème in terms of coaches, athletes, et cetera.

Read more

Sooners deserve same treatment as Buckeyes

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Fairly or unfairly, Ohio State has become the national whipping boy for its recent struggles in big games, especially the BCS championship.

Well, the Buckeyes have some company in the basement of blame.

Oklahoma deserves the same treatment Ohio State has received in recent months. The Sooners' 24-14 loss to Florida in the FedEx BCS National Championship Game on Thursday marked their fifth consecutive loss in a BCS game and their third straight in the championship. Last I checked, Ohio State has a more recent BCS bowl win (2006 Fiesta) than Oklahoma (2003 Rose).

The biggest reason why Oklahoma likely won't receive the same backlash as the Buckeyes is the nature of its losses. Three of Oklahoma's BCS losses came by 10 points or fewer, two in the title game (2009 and 2004), while Ohio State dropped the last two championship games by a combined score of 79-38. More people were entertained by Thursday night's championship than they were in each of the past two years. It's easier to lash out at Ohio State than Oklahoma. 

But sorry Sooners, a loss is a loss. Oklahoma has lost its ability to win big-time bowl games, and head coach Bob Stoops should be treated exactly like his Ohio State colleague, Jim Tressel. My guess is if the Big Ten had a championship game like the Big 12, Ohio State would win its share, just like Oklahoma.

Make no mistake, there are dozens of programs and coaches around the country that would give anything to be like Oklahoma, Ohio State, Stoops and Tressel. Those two programs have repeatedly found a way to reach the national spotlight. 

But both teams haven't achieved their final goals, and both should be viewed equally. 

Go to Source

Bet your house on Florida, and other things to discuss;

Lots to discuss, wasting no time here…..

Let’s start off with the big event in sports.  Tomorrow night’s BCS National Championship Game, Florida vs. Oklahoma.

There’s only one way to put this.  Bet everything you have on Florida right now.  It’s going to be a massive blowout.  I have about thirty reasons why this will happen, but here’s just the best reasons;

1) The Big 12 has been exposed as EXTREMELY overrated this year

Say what you will about the Big Ten and the ACC and the Big East all sucking, but the Big 12 should be VERY embarrassed with their overexposure and underwhelming bowl performances.

At one point, there were multiple teams from the Big 12 ranked in the Top 10.  It was getting ridiculous, and the AP voters and TV announcers ate it up like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.  “Every week is like a bowl game in the Big 12″ they would say.  Bullshit, I say.  They were all pretty average.  Here’s how their bowl games turned out;

Texas 24, Ohio State 21 – In a game that EVERYBODY said would be a 20-point blowout, it took a miracle drive, bad tackling, and some questionable officiating to put Texas in the end zone to win the game.  Somehow along the way, hitting a Longhorn QB in the shoulder pads became a 15-yard penalty.  In the end, the team that cried their eyes out claiming they were robbed out of the title game proved that they did not deserve any titles at all.  Texas went in thinking they would run up the score and pick up some first-place votes found themselves without a TD (and only 3 total points) for the entire first half.

Overrated?  Texas was ranked #1 in the nation at one point this year, Ohio State was given a 9% chance to win the game.  Yes, Texas was overrated.

Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34 – Ole Miss is an average SEC team, always finishing in the middle of the pack.  Texas Tech was another team looking to destroy their bowl opponent, this time to prove that they should have gotten in a BCS game.  Mission failed.  Badly.  After getting off to a fast start, the Red Raiders proved that they deserved absolutely nothing when they allowed Ole Miss to go on a 38-7 run and blow out their Big 12 foe.

Overrated?  Texas Tech was ranked #2 in the nation earlier this year.  Ole Miss lost to Vanderbilt and South Carolina…both at home.  Yes, Tech was overrated.

Missouri 30, Northwestern 23 (OT) – Despite the wishes of the Big 12’s most popular brother-sister team (otherwise known as Chase Daniel’s parents), Missouri looked like crap against the Big Ten’s 8th-best pass defense.  Northwestern should have won this game, but some late miscues handed the game to Mizzou.

Overrated?  Missouri was once ranked #3 in the NCAA.  Northwestern lost a game by 35 points this year.  Yes, Missouri was overrated.

Oregon 42, Oklahoma State 31 - Okie State started off fast, but couldn’t maintain themselves against a rushing attack from the Ducks.  Two Oregon players would break the 100-yard mark on their way to 307 yards team rushing.  Oregon also racked up a total of 565 yards aginst Okie State.

Overrated?  Oklahoma State was once ranked #7 in the nation.  Yes, Okie State was overrated.

Nebraska 26, Clemson 21 – In the Gator Bowl, Nebraska was trying to recapture some of their historic greatness, and their prospects were large, playing against a team that only won 7 games in the pathetic ACC….a team so bad, they fired their coach mid-season.  And they barely escaped with the win, when a Tigers TD was overturned by instant review.

Overrated?  Well, Nebraska was never rated.  But they barely beat a bad, bad team.

Kansas 42, Minnesota 21 – The lone bright spot for the conference so far, Kansas doubled up on Minnesota, who were bowling to the shock of everyone not in a Gopher uniform at the start of the season.  As the season wore on, Minnesota’s weak schedule was exposed by the Big Ten, and the regular season ended mercifully with a 55-0 Minny loss.

Overrated?  Kansas was actually ranked as high as #13 this year.  Minny lost a game 55-0.  Yes, Kansas was overrated.

The point of all this is simple – the Big 12 was NOT the meat-grinder that the media told us it was over and over and over again.  Oklahoma’s not ready for this game.

#2) Florida IS ready for this game

A bad performance by Tim Tebow once this year nearly cost Florida a shot, but they came back in a dominating way.  Since their loss in Week 4, they have been unstoppable.  Take a look at this;

• Week 5 – 31-point win against Arkansas
• Week 6 – 30-point win over then-#4 LSU
• Week 7 – 58-point win over bowl-bound Kentucky
• Week 8 – 39-point win over then-#6 Georgia
• Week 9 – 28-point win over bowl-bound Vanderbilt
• Week 10 – 50-point win over bowl-bound and then-#25 South Carolina
• Week 11 – 51-point win over The Citadel
• Week 12 – 30-point win over bowl-bound Florida State
• Week 13 – 11-point win over then-#1 and BCS-Bowl bound Alabama

Yeah, they’re ready.

3) The Heisman Curse

Sam Bradford won the Heisman this year.  Heisman winners usually suck in bowl games, especially National Championships (we know, we know).  Only twice in the past 30 years has the Heisman winner gone on to win a National Championship.  No, Tebow didn’t win it the year Florida took the title (Troy Smith won it).

4) Oklahoma pretty much sucks at BCS bowl games

For all the whining and crying you hear about Ohio State’s recent bowl losses, you just don’t hear those kind of attacks leveled at the Sooners.  And believe me, they’re much worse.  In their last 4 BCS bowls, they are 0-4 and have been blown out more than once.

• 2008 – Lost to West Virginia 48-28
• 2007 – Lost to Boise State 43-42
• 2005 – Lost to USC 55-19
• 2004 – Lost to LSU 21-14

If they make it 0-5, we’d better NEVER hear about our own shortcomings again.  Especially since they’ll have lost two national championships in that time frame.

Convinced?  Call Vegas ASAP.

——————————–

Last night, the Cavaliers overtook the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference when Boston lost.  The Cavs now have the best record in the NBA.

Tonight, the Cavaliers beat the living daylights out of Charlotte, 111-81.  Boston’s loss last night?  It was to that same Charlotte team.

The Celtics come to The Q Friday night.  It should be insaaaaaane!

——————–

Speaking of the Cavaliers game, there were many highlights to go over.  But the best was watching former Michigan Fab-Fiver Juwan Howard get tossed from the game while sitting on the bench.

By the way, did you know that the Fab Five never won a single title in college?  No national titles, no Big Ten titles, nothing.  Just thought I’d mention that.

———————

In the “what the hell” category, Boobie Gibson also got a technical foul tonight.  For having an untucked shirt.  No, I’m not kidding.

———————-

The Cleveland Browns hired their new coach tonight.  Eric Mangini, former Jets coach, and former ball boy for the Browns, will call the plays next year.

Makes sense to me.  Hell, there were CURRENT ball boys that could have done better with the Browns this season.

———————–

Last week, it was announced that Michigan’s only offensive threat, Sam McGuffie, has left Ann Arbor and will enroll at Rice next year.  McGuffie was rumored to have been struggling with depression and on medication.  Being closer to home will be better for the kid.

Also better for him will be not having to deal with decapitation at the hands of Ohio State special teams players.

——————–

Finally, in the most laughable news you’ll ever hear, Michigan Head Coach Rich Rodriquez recently said he has “always taken the approach that you should look at each job as your last.”

Yeah, he actually said that.  With a straight face, no less.

Story By The Buckeye Battle Cry

Final: Texas 24, Ohio State 21

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Texas needed one final push against a staunch Ohio State defense that had kept Longhorns receivers in front of it all game.

The Longhorns got it from wideout Quan Cosby, who wriggled free of Ohio State safety Anderson Russell and sprinted to the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 16 seconds left. Quarterback Colt McCoy led a masterful drive, as Texas marched 78 yards in 11 plays without using a timeout. Cosby had a huge performance in his final game in a Longhorns uniform.

Though Texas failed to make the statement it needed for split national title, the favored Longhorns survived to notch their fifth straight bowl victory and third in a BCS game.

Ohio State mounted an impressive fourth quarter comeback behind quarterbacks Todd Boeckman and Terrelle Pryor, who hooked up for a touchdown with 7:26 left. The Buckeyes’ ground attack secured the lead despite a hamstring injury to Chris Wells, but a defense that has stepped up all game couldn’t get the final stop.

The Buckeyes weren’t embarrassed like the last two seasons and had control for most of the game, but they ended up dropping their third consecutive postseason contest. The Big Ten did absolutely nothing to improve its national reputation after a 1-6 bowl record, arguably the worst postseason performance in league history. The league has lost six consecutive BCS bowls.

Go to Source

Buckeyes hope to reverse Big Ten bowl slump

Story By Buckeye Buzz

Next Page »