Checking in with Indiana’s Fred Glass, Part II

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Here's the second half of my interview with Indiana's new athletic director, Fred Glass. Part I is here.

You obviously have a lot of sports to oversee. Where do you put football in your list of priorities?

Fred Glass: I guess right at the top. Like in all programs, you've really got to look at the revenue sports, basketball and football. And at Indiana, I'm not telling any secrets when I say that basketball has been the franchise and the flagship and we've got to pay attention to our strength. So basketball is very high on our list, but I'd say football is right there as well, and [it] provides the greatest opportunity for us. We aren't selling out that stadium, and trying to compete in the Big Ten without a successful football program is like trying to fight with both hands tied behind your back because obviously, it doesn't create the resources that we need to be successful in our 23 other sports. So football is right there with basketball. They're the two top priorities because of their importance to the overall program. That's not to disrespect the other 22 sports. It's just a reality for them to be successful, football and basketball have to be successful.

You mentioned the tragedy with coach [Terry] Hoeppner passing away, but it seemed like you built some momentum with the bowl season in '07. Did you feel the momentum was lost last fall, and is this coming year crucial, given the stadium renovations, to get that momentum back?

FG: Yeah, we absolutely lost momentum. Everybody from coach Lynch on down would say it was disappointing we didn't build on a really emotional year. I don't think [the 2007] team has gotten the appreciation it ought to, the circumstances they fought through and the way they stuck together. This year was very disappointing. It's not what we expect, it's not what coach [Bill] Lynch expects. Coach Lynch is looking for improvement, and so am I.

What's your relationship like with coach Lynch? He's been around the state for a long time and now several years at Indiana. How well do you know him?

FG: We didn't have a personal relationship until I became his AD, but he grew up in Indianapolis and so did I. He was a Catholic school kid and so was I. He was a star in Catholic football and basketball circles when I was a kid. He went to Butler and starred there. I grew up in the shadows of Hinkle Fieldhouse, actually was a ball boy over there and a close follower of Butler athletics. So I have a great deal of respect for coach Lynch's abilities, the kind of person he is. I'm excited that he's at Indiana and I'm really looking forward to working with him.

You came out and publicly supported him before you officially took the job. There were some questions about his job. Why did you feel the need to speak out and reiterate your support?

FG: It truly was a recruiting issue because it was a real awkward time. I was the athletic director designate, but Rick Greenspan was staying in till the end of the calendar year. There were these rumblings because of the disappointing season that there might be a coaching change or something like that, and that might have been used as a negative recruiting tool by some of our competitors. And so even though it was awkward that I wasn't yet the athletic director, I really thought it was important to get out in front of that because I thought I was really the only person who could speak definitively about it. Rick was a lame duck, and if the president [of the university] said something about it, people might say, 'Well, that's him saying it. What happens when the new AD gets in?' So I thought it was really important to clear the air early so there was no misunderstanding that coach Lynch was going to be the football coach at Indiana.

Bill didn't really change his coaching staff this year while a lot of other coaches did. Does that go along with the continuity aspect you mentioned needs to be in place at Indiana?

FG: I'm going to leave that in coach Lynch's department because I think it's very valuable to have the same head coach and the same system. I'm not a micro manager by nature, and I certainly would be out of my element because I wasn't a D-1 football player or a D-1 coach or whatever. It's coach Lynch's team. He owns it. And his judgment about whether he wants to keep people in place or do something else is really his decision. I look to him to make those choices."

And just lastly, what are your expectations for 2009, for Bill and the team and everything around the program?

FG: I'm real optimistic. Very few things change last year, and we're bowl eligible, so there's some things to build upon. I think coach Lynch is excited. There's a lot of enthusiasm around the recruiting class and that sort of thing. So I don't have any kind of litmus test of, 'This many games will be a success and this many games will not be successful,' because there's a lot of ways to measure performance. But ultimately, it's going to be win-loss [record] and we're looking to be better there.

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Checking in with Indiana’s Fred Glass, Part I

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

It's fitting that the man in charge of a transitioning athletic department spends much of his time in transition.

	AJ Mast/Icon SMI
	New Indiana athletic director Fred Glass has big plans for IU –- and not just the basketball program.

Fred Glass officially took over as Indiana's athletic director on Jan. 2, and he's still settling in to his new life. Two of his sons are finishing school in Indianapolis, and Glass shuttles back and forth between home and a condo in Bloomington. He was en route to Indy on Friday afternoon when I caught up with him to discuss the state of Indiana football, which backslid last fall after a breakthrough bowl run in 2007. Unlike most Big Ten schools, Indiana doesn't call football its flagship sport and Glass, a 1981 IU graduate who previously served as a lawyer, will be judged largely on whether he and Tom Crean can repair the Hoosiers' once-distinguished and recently disgraced men's basketball program.

But make no mistake, Glass also has big plans for the football program, as you'll see in our conversation.

Generally, what's your vision for the football program coming into this job, your short-term and long-term vision for that sport?

Fred Glass: My vision is Rose Bowl. I want to be a Big Ten champion in all of our sports, especially our premier sports. And I want to go to the Rose Bowl and win it in football. I'll leave that to you on whether it's a short-range or long-range vision. I acknowledge it's probably not going to happen in the immediate future, but that's what I want to build toward. It's not good enough for me to sort of be competitive or middle of the pack. Obviously, it'd be great to be bowl eligible and regularly go to bowl games. I obviously want to do that. But where I want us to be heading is Pasadena.

As far as getting there, I know you guys have made a stronger commitment to facilities with the stadium renovation. Are there other things that you think need to happen to get yourself in a position where you can make a run to Pasadena?

FG: I think so. I really believe we can do that because every other team has figured it out. Really every team has had its golden time, its time in the sun, and some of them are still in it, teams that used to be looked upon a lot like Indiana. They've figured it out. Everybody has their challenges, and I've heard all the challenges that Bloomington and Indiana have, but I really think we can do it. We need to have some continuity, we need to have good coaching. It's always going to be about good coaching and our student athletes, but I believe it's a real copout to suggest there's nothing we can do as a department to help support the program when we aren't winning games. Winning games is the most important thing, I get that. Marketing only goes so far, and I'm not naïve about that. But I'm also not going to take the easy way out and say, 'Well, geez, I can't do anything until they start racking up some victories.' So we're going to try and do some new things, build some new traditions. We've horseshoed in our stadium. We're going to try to treat that as a new stadium, new traditions and things to get people excited about coming to the games and staying for the games and create the kind of atmosphere where kids want to come to Indiana and be successful.

You mentioned marketing. Do you focus on current Indiana fans and fans of other Hoosiers sports or do you need to build new fans as well?

FG: I think we need to build new fans because we just candidly don't have enough of them right now. And a lot of our most strident people have been fans for a long, long time. We need to keep those folks coming but also build our pipeline and try to appeal to all of the above. We need students to come out and stay in greater numbers. We need our alumni to come out. We are the state university of Indiana, so we need the people that maybe didn't go to IU but they consider IU to be their school, for them to come out. So we've got a lot opportunity there across the board, and there's some things we can do to make people say, 'Hey, a Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana, organized around a football game, is a pretty good way to spend your weekend,' and get more and more people to do that.

As someone who has been around the program for a while as an alum, how have you viewed this program? Have you wondered why it's been so hard to have success and sustain success in football, given that it's a Big Ten program and you've had success in other sports?

FG: One of our real challenges has been continuity and stability. I'm the fifth athletic director in eight years, so how do you build stability and continuity and a strong base when you've got that kind of turnover? During that same eight years, we've had three different presidents. I'd have to go back and count up how many football coaches, including a larger-than-life figure [Terry Hoeppner] who tragically died of brain cancer. The football program specifically and the athletic department at Indiana has taken a few torpedoes that might have sunk a lot of ships. It's a real testament to our tradition and our strengths that our ship hasn't sunk. We've continued to be very successful in a lot of our programs. So my hope is that because this is the last stop I will ever have — I'm an IU guy, I'm not looking to build a résumé to go somewhere else — that I can be the start of some continuity, coach [Bill] Lynch gets some continuity and we can build from there. I do kind of think we're a sleeping giant because we have a lot of resources, we're in the Big Ten, we're the quintessential college town, we're at a world-class university that naturally attracts some of the best student-athletes. So we've got a lot of strengths to build upon, and I'm real bullish on the future of Indiana football.  

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Filling out the Top 10 Big Ten games of 2008

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

The response has been excellent for my list of the top five Big Ten games this season, so I’ve decided to extend the rundown to 10. Many of you made compelling arguments for games that should have been included in the top five, but I’m comfortable with my list.

I do think some other memorable contests should be recognized, so here’s the full rundown.

Recapping the top five (actually six):

1. Penn State at Iowa, Nov. 8, Kinnick Stadium (Iowa wins 24-23)
2. Penn State at Ohio State, Oct. 25, Ohio Stadium (Penn State wins 13-6)
3. Northwestern at Minnesota, Nov. 1, Metrodome (Northwestern wins 24-17)
4. Ohio State at Wisconsin, Oct. 4, Camp Randall Stadium (Ohio State wins 20-17)
T-5. Wisconsin at Michigan, Sept. 27, Michigan Stadium (Michigan wins 27-25)
T-5. Minnesota at Wisconsin, Nov. 15, Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin wins 35-32)

And here are games 6-10.

6. Wisconsin at Michigan State, Nov. 1, Spartan Stadium

I came very close to including this among the top five, but the fact that Michigan State played pretty poorly for the first 50 minutes or so kept it out. Still, the Spartans’ comeback and the Badgers’ collapse, which included a rare penalty on a head coach (Bret Bielema), made the game pretty memorable. Wisconsin dominated most of the game and was a holding penalty away from closing it out, but Michigan State capitalized on its final chance, driving 56 yards for the game-winning field goal with no timeouts remaining. Spartans kicker Brett Swenson went 4-for-4 on field goals, including a 50-yarder and the decisive 44-yarder in the fourth quarter as Michigan State prevailed 25-24.

7. Michigan at Purdue, Nov. 1, Ross-Ade Stadium

In a league dominated by defense and running backs, Michigan and Purdue produced a game that would make the Big 12 proud. The teams combined for 90 points and 822 total yards. Michigan scored three touchdowns of 45 or longer (one rush, one pass, one punt return), and Purdue backup quarterback Justin Siller sizzled in his first career start. The game also produced arguably the Big Ten’s Play of the Year, as Purdue executed a hook-and-lateral from Siller to Greg Orton to Desmond Tardy, who scored with 26 seconds left to give the Boilers a 48-42 win.

8. Iowa at Illinois, Nov. 1, Memorial Stadium

It was a pretty sloppy game on both sides, but the final 21 minutes featured several edge-of-your seat moments. Illinois took control with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Fred Sykes and a seven-yard fumble return to the end zone by cornerback Dere Hicks. But Iowa struck back to tie the score at 24-24 on a Shonn Greene run with 2:46 left. It set the stage for Illinois to drive 54 yards in 12 plays, setting up a 46-yard field goal by freshman Matt Eller that secured a 27-24 win.

9. Illinois at Penn State, Sept. 27, Beaver Stadium

If you liked big plays and tremendous athleticism, this was the game for you. The teams combined for four touchdowns of 21 yards or longer, and Penn State wide receiver/return man Derrick Williams stole the show with 241 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns (one rush, one pass, one return). Illinois stayed close for most of the way behind quarterback Juice Williams and wide receiver Arrelious Benn, but Penn State’s Williams proved to be too much on a “Whiteout” night in Happy Valley.

10. Minnesota at Illinois, Oct. 11, Memorial Stadium

The Golden Gophers completed their turnaround from 1-11 to bowl eligible with a tremendous defensive performance against Illinois. Minnesota senior defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg had arguably the league’s best individual defensive effort of the season, recording three sacks, a forced fumble that was returned for a touchdown and a pass deflection that led to an interception in the fourth quarter. Minnesota held off Illinois’ big-play passing attack to win its first Big Ten road game since 2006.

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What to Watch for – Saturday December 20

It’s the most, wonderful time, of the year.  Apologies to Eddie Pola and George Wyle, but bowl games are the real reason for the season.  If I could, I’d scrap the pretense of the Bowl Championship Series and return to the greater bowl anarchy we had back in the days… and all on the same day too¹.  That, and I’d bring back the T-Formation, Wing-T and Notre Dame Box… and probably even single-platoon football.  All of this, of course, is a topic for another conversation.

Since I’m on vacay, and because all these games are on national television, I think I’ll get to watch every single bowl game.  I usually do.  The problem, though, is the prevalence of crappy teams from uninteresting conferences that occupy Week 1.  Still, each bowl game — with all its corollary corporate advertisement dross — is like a present… even if the present is like a pair of Christmas-themed socks that you would never wear otherwise.  So, what do we have to look forward to this next week, up to Saturday?

• EagleBank Bowl (Wake Forest v. Navy) [11:00AM ET, ESPN].  The EagleBank Bowl is a new addition to the bowl season with its inaugural game to be played on Saturday morning.  This game does several things right, and several things wrong.
  • First, here’s what it does right:
  • It gives both service academies (Army, Navy) a tie-in to this game, a tie-in that alternates season-by-season.  In its inaugural kickoff, Navy was the service academy tie-in in the event they were bowl eligible.  Next year, it’ll be Army… which probably means the bowl will have to go looking for someone else.
  • It gives the Big Ten a tie-in that it lost when one of the Music City Bowl was no longer interested in the conference.  As far as I know, the agreement among conferences for the bowl game is primarily an ACC v. service academy matchup, but the Big Ten enters into the conversation if there’s not enough bowl eligible ACC teams or the service academy in question is ineligible
  • It puts a bowl game in Washington DC.  In a time when so many inappropriate places jockey for a bowl *cough*Boise*cough*, a predicament made more absurd by the cost of transportation and the tanking economy *cough*Boise*cough*, a bowl game in the nation’s capital is both economically prudent and unmistakeably American.  Now, if we can go about resurrecting the Gotham Bowl…
  • Buuuut…
  • It’s a repeat matchup.  I love bowl games and I wish to turn back the clock on the college football offseason, even if it means having the UPI wire in its pick for national champions before the bowl game is even played because even that is less absurd than the BCS.  But, repeat matchups are the bane of the system because of the disingenuity inherent in Round 2².  In this specific context, Navy derailed Wake Forest’s train earlier in this season in Winston-Salem, thus souring national perception of what was expected to be an ACC Championship-caliber team.  Turnovers were the story that game as Riley Skinner had 4 INTs.  You can spin it as “Wake Forest looking for payback”, but it’s just not that interesting.
  • Corporate sponsorship has sullied what is otherwise a triumphant move for college football into Washington DC.  When it was first conceptualized, it was originally supposed to be called the Congressional Bowl.  This is an awesome choice.  However, once EagleBank wanted to get involved, it rechristened the bowl in its own honor.  This is most definitely not an awesome choice.  Again, the same guy writing this post is the same guy who wants the damned Gotham Bowl back.  With very few exceptions (see: Bacardi Bowl), corporate sponsorships screw things up… and I’m definitely looking in your direction, Capital One.
  • I’m not sure Navy has assured college football fans everywhere that it won’t wear those monstrosities it whipped out for the Army-Navy game earlier this month.  Sweet Jesus those were ugly uniforms worn by both sides.

• New Mexico Bowl (Colorado State v. Fresno State) [2:30PM ET, ESPN].  Fresno State’s punishment “reward” for falling short well short of its preseason BCS aims is a trip to New Mexico to play in the New Mexico Bowl.  The bowl game is fielding just its 3rd ever installment in 2008 and, yes, the first one without the University of New Mexico playing.  For those unaware, the bowl game is played on site at the University of New Mexico, giving the Lobos something of an unfair advantage.  In lieu of the Lobos, the Colorado State Rams will be representing the Mountain West.  The Rams are a screwy team, having almost beaten Brigham Young and having almost lost to San Diego State in the sam season.  Interest factor in this game is about a 4 on a scale of 10 with high values corresponding to high user interest.  The biggest interest comes in the bowl game being in New Mexico. New Mexico is a state that you almost forget is part of the continental United States until you’re presented with a visual reminder.  Such was my drives through Albuquerque en route from Los Angeles to Columbus, Ohio for school way back in the day.
• magicJack Saint Petersburg Bowl (Memphis v. USF) [4:30PM ET, ESPN2].  Corporate sponsorship of bowl games fails because it often times does not intuitively correspond with the location or theme of the bowl game itself.  The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and Tostitos Fiesta Bowl are exemplars of intuitive corporate sponsorship.  Corporate sponsorship of bowl games fails disastrously when, on top of the previous point, no one knows what the hell the corporation in question is.  This is the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl.  I had to look it up, but magicJack is an internet telephony service.  Given that this bowl game is an inaugural matchup and given the reviews of the corporate enterprise itself, I don’t see this sponsorship deal lasting any more than a year or two.  For what it’s worth, USF’s punishment reward for failing to win the Big East like it was expected to do is a trip across the street to host its own bowl game.  This will become fair precisely when there becomes such a thing as the Buckeye Bowl in Columbus, Ohio.  I’m waiting.
• Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl (Brigham Young v. Arizona) [8:00PM ET, ESPN].  The Mormons are rounding up their Postum and their name tags, hopping on their bicycles and trippin’ over to Las Vegas to spread the word of Heavenly Father and play a Pac-10 team in the Las Vegas Bowl for the 4th consecutive year.  It’s no doubt a disappointment for a team with visions of Sugar dancing in their head earlier this season.  On the flip side, it is no doubt a reward for Mike Stoops’ ‘Cats, making their first bowl appearance under his tutelage, and the first in the program since 1998.  Consequently, a lot of analysts are speculating that this might be the first upset of the bowl season.  Until that point is clear, there’s things we know right now.
  • First, the high in Las Vegas is expected to be in the mid-40s.  Yes, mid-40s.  The area has been blanketed by snow in the past day.
  • Second, David Hasselhoff will be singing the national anthem.  Yes, the ‘Hoff.  Singing the national anthem.  Click that link, I dare you.  Apparently his daughter attends U of A, and hence the relationship between the bowl participants.
  • Third, I’m going to be reciting lines from Orgazmo all the while watching this game.  You won’t be around me as I do this.  You won’t be able to hear me do it, nor will you be able to stop me.  Rest assured, though, it will happen.  Anything involving Mormons is going to trigger that movie playing in my head.

1. Remember when January 1st was like a bowl orgy? It was like the first two rounds of the NCAA hoops tournament
2. …and it’s not a problem that a playoff system would fix.  If anything, it might make it more disingenuous.

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Minnesota Golden Gophers season recap

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

The first eight games of the 2008 season showed how far Minnesota has come. The last four games showed how far the Gophers still need to go.

Minnesota responded well from the darkest season in team history, which featured only one victory and new lows for defensive futility. The Gophers surged to a 7-1 start behind opportunistic defense, intelligent quarterback play and discipline on both sides of the ball.

Head coach Tim Brewster not only blended several key junior college players into the mix but saw improvement from holdovers like quarterback Adam Weber, defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg and cornerback Marcus Sherels. First-year defensive coordinator Ted Roof oversaw a unit that led the Big Ten with 30 takeaways, boasting seven players with multiple interceptions or forced fumbles. Weber and wideout Eric Decker formed the league’s most consistent passing combination and Minnesota won three of its first four road games.

The closing stretch exposed some weaknesses Minnesota had masked for the first two months. A shaky offensive line and a nonexistent rushing attack hamstrung the unit, and turnovers and defensive breakdowns began to pile up. The Gophers imploded against archrival Iowa, suffering their worst loss (55-0) in Big Ten play.

Still, a 7-5 record exceeded most expectations for Minnesota, and a young core raises hope for 2009 and beyond.

Offensive MVP — Quarterback Adam Weber

Like the rest of the team, Weber had his struggles down the stretch, but he made several important strides this fall. The sophomore ranked third in the Big Ten in passing average (215.4 ypg) and threw only two interceptions in the first seven games. He helped Minnesota to a road win against Illinois just six days after undergoing knee surgery. Decker also deserves a mention here after leading the Big Ten with 76 receptions.

Defensive MVP — Defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg

VanDeSteeg showed that with two healthy wrists, he’s one of the Big Ten’s most ferocious pass rushers. The senior earned first-team all-conference honors from the media after leading Minnesota with 9.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss. He was named National Defensive Player of the Week after recording three sacks and a forced fumble that led to a touchdown against Illinois.

Turning point — Oct. 11 at Illinois

The Gophers came in at 5-1 but hadn’t registered a signature win. They were searching for their first Big Ten road victory since Nov. 11, 2006. Facing Juice Williams and the high-powered Illinois offense, Minnesota forced three turnovers and received a strong performance from running back DeLeon Eskridge (124 rush yards, 2 TDs). The Gophers became bowl eligible and earned a national ranking.

What’s next

Minnesota heads to the Insight Bowl as a heavy underdog against Kansas, but an upset of the Jayhawks would take the sting off a rough closing stretch. The future definitely looks bright for the Gophers, who return several standouts on both sides of the ball and open their new stadium on Sept. 12, 2009. If new offensive line coach Tim Davis can improve the play up front and some holes are filled on the defensive line, Minnesota should take another step forward next fall.

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Jim Delany talks Big Ten bowls, Part I

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Jim Delany has seen the point spreads, and he knows the odds are against his league this postseason. The Big Ten commissioner also doesn’t downplay the significance of the seven bowls that will feature Big Ten teams (Iowa is the only Big Ten squad favored to win). 

After going 0-4 in BCS games the last two seasons, the Big Ten has taken its lumps nationally. Ohio State’s selection to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl elicited grumbling from those who were thoroughly unentertained by the Buckeyes in the last two BCS title games. But as Delany knows, public perception can change quickly, and Big Ten victories in the Rose and Fiesta bowls could put the league back among the nation’s best.

I caught up with Delany this afternoon as he was driving from New York to New Jersey to visit family. Here’s the first of my two-part interview with the Big Ten commissioner.

What was your initial reaction when the Big Ten bowl pairings were announced?

Jim Delany: We’re fortunate that everybody that’s bowl eligible has a good game, a challenging game. The matchups are great. I noticed we’re not favored to win many, but that’s sort of the nature of what we do. You’ve got to play the best, whether it’s Southern Cal or the SEC or the best in the BCS. So it will be a challenging schedule but one that we could have some success. But it’s big stage, big risk, big reward. If we do well, we’ll get due credit. If not, we’ll probably take some criticism because we’ve had a couple years where we haven’t performed well on the big stage. If we do do well, that will go a long way. A few years, we were 8-5 in the BCS and we were leading the way. And after going 0-4, we’re in a different situation. The only thing that’s going to cure that is winning games.

You mention high risk, high reward. Is this a critical bowl season for the Big Ten?

JD: I think it is, more than normal. If you’re on a four-game winning streak, nobody really mentions much. And when you’re not, it’s mentioned often.

For a team like Ohio State, do you see this as a big opportunity for the Buckeyes after being criticized heavily the last couple years?

JD: They’re kind of in line with the conference because they won a national championship in 2002, they won two Fiesta Bowls, they handily took care of Kansas State and Notre Dame. They were swimming along like we were as a conference, which was more than holding our own at the top of the heap from 2000-05. The last two years have been tough for us. It’s not we haven’t won games. We have won big games. But at the highest level, we haven’t been as competitive as the coaches want, the players want and the fans want. So whenever you’re not competing at the level you want to, all you can do is go compete harder [laughs]. There’s nothing else you can do. You don’t stop competing.

As someone who covered the league, I felt that this fall, Penn State in some ways paid the price for the league’s BCS failures the last couple years in terms of getting national respect, BCS rankings, et cetera. How did you view that situation?

JD: I don’t know, I’m sure there’s some spillover, but it would have been interesting to see how it would have played out [had Penn State gone undefeated]. They were clearly third [in the BCS standings]. I would say that because we haven’t won big the last two years, there are certain impacts on other teams. If you look at Penn State, they’ve won three bowl games in a row. They defeated Oregon State handily. They had a good, competitive game with Ohio State. You’d have to ask the people who are voting whether or not there’s spillover. Maybe they just thought they were the eighth-best team in the country. 

Does the league’s bowl performance shape the next season going into it, as far as hype? 

JD: It does because voters, especially in the Coaches’ Poll — not so much in the Harris Poll because it comes out [five] weeks into the season — there’s no doubt that the teams that win national championships, if you looked at Michigan in ‘97 or Ohio State, any of those polls, when you have a poll that occurs before you play a game, what else do you have but past performance? So we’ve got four, five games at the top of our ledger. The coaches get it, fans get it, players get it. The only people who walk away feeling good are the guys who win. The other guys just go back and work harder and compete harder.

A lot of people saw this as a transition year for Michigan, but from a league perspective, how important is it for Michigan to be good, just for the way the league is looked at nationally?

JD: They’ve been to 33 straight bowl games. They’ve won x number of football games, a very winning program. So there is a level of measurement [for the league], but when I look around the country during that timeframe, I’ve seen USC way down. It doesn’t mean the Pac-10 couldn’t execute. I’ve seen Oklahoma way down, Texas way down, Notre Dame way down, Alabama way down, Florida way down. So if you’re a reasonable person looking at the Big Ten or any of those conference and you see a program like Michigan that has never been down — they’ve had one season since they lost to BYU in ‘84 where they won fewer than eight games — I think they’ll bounce back. It’s a great program, great tradition, great history. They lost four or five players to the NFL off the offensive side, changed systems. They had transfers. I expect [improvement] if not next year, the following year. I don’t expect Michigan to be without players, and I know that [Rich] Rodriguez is a very good football coach. He’s proven that over a decade. I don’t expect [the struggles] to be long lived.

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Games That Shaped College Football Bowl Season 2008

While a lot of people on TV and at the big media outlets will try to make you believe that the conference championship game or the feature game of the week in prime time were the games that defined the postseason, digging not so deep we found a series of games that had a much bigger effect across the entire landscape of the postseason.

While I will be sending out my entry forms for my free bowl picking contest in the next few days, there is some homework that will undoubtedly be done when people are making their choices. While teams’ records are sometimes an indication of the quality of the team and season some have had, I am finding this to be the case a lot less often.

I read no less than 20 articles during the first few weeks of the season regarding cupcakes. I even read one about calling them candy bar names (really fresh clever stuff by the way). But while we laughed at the time, no one is laughing now.

While we hoped these would go away, looking at the facts, they aren’t. The facts point to most teams having at least two cupcakes on the schedule in the future.

While I will be doing a follow-up, as I barely scratched the surface on the meaningful games we don’t even remember, I concentrated on games that padded schedules, though I threw in a few key losses just to keep it interesting.

In any event, as we hear the announcers and networks gush on about the tradition of the bowls, let’s remember how we got to these games and matchups. Trust me, you aren’t going to be reading about any pageantry and glorious wins they want you to believe it took to get there.

 

Stanford 36, Oregon State 28: Aug. 28, 2008

In a game of horrendous calls, where Oregon State was yet to find out their identity and Quizz Rodgers wasn’t even on the radar, this year’s Rose Bowl was decided before we even hit September, as a Beaver win in this one would have gone a long way towards giving them the Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl berth.

 

Memphis 31, Nicholls State 10: Sept. 20, 2008

Tommy West’s Memphis Tigers finished the season 6-6. Had they not had this I-AA cupcake, do they even make the grade? Many stats people eliminate stats from games against non D-I teams, but apparently the bowl selection committee doesn’t.

I guess this is what they talk about when they say rewarding a team for a great season. If the Tigers lose this one (they are double-digit dogs), they finish with a losing record anyway.

 

Notre Dame 21, San Diego State 13: Sept. 6, 2008

San Diego State stormed into South Bend as 20+ point underdogs after losing the prior week at home to Cal Poly. This game was nip and tuck all the way, and the Irish trailed at halftime. ND pulled it out in the end, and this went a long way to their 6-6 finish, making them bowl eligible.

If they lose to Hawaii, Notre Dame is just another bowl team that finishes the season with a losing record.

Florida Atlantic 29, Louisiana-Monroe 28: Oct. 25, 2008

FAU was down as much as 21-0 in this one and scored an improbable TD with 20 seconds left to go to pull out the squeaker. The Owls finished 6-6 after a 1-5 start which featured games against Texas, Minnesota, Michigan State, and a final play, one-point loss to Middle Tennessee State.

 

Kentucky 38, Norfolk State 3: Sept. 6, 2008

Another 6-6 team that makes a bowl by beating a I-AA team—pretty sad in this case. I’ve been as big a Rich Brooks fan as there is, but on top of this travesty is that the Wildcats’ two SEC wins were by a combined two points.

South Carolina 23, Wofford 13: Sept. 6, 2008

While the Gamecocks finished 7-5, this one spares the “mighty” SEC the embarrassment of having a New Year’s Day Bowl team with a 6-6 record. The Gamecocks enter this game with a full head of steam, losing their last two games against archrivals by a combined 67 points and their QBs throwing 24 interceptions this season.

 

Clemson 45, Citadel 17: Sept. 6, 2008, and Clemson 54, South Carolina State 0:  Sept. 20, 2008

Take your pick, or even better, both. Clemson goes 7-5, including these two I-AA games, and gets a New Year’s Day Bowl game when it’s tied with other teams who didn’t play any cupcakes at all or played just one. I’m mad at Clemson all over again. What a joke.

 

Read about more meaningful 2008 College Football games.

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Revised Big 10 Bowl Predictions

Here are the revised DTI Projections of where we see all the Big-Ten bowl eligible teams ending up, who their opponent will be, and what the result of those games will be.

Penn State (11-1)

Bowl: Rose Bowl Opponent: USC Result: USC wins 24-14

Analysis: With USC reaping the benefits of the Oregon State loss, the Trojans face up with the Nittany Lions. PSU’s offense is no match for the big-game Trojan defense, who stop Daryl Clark & co. for only 14 points.

Ohio State (10-2)

Bowl: Fiesta Bowl Opponent: Texas Result: OSU wins 31-27

Analysis: The Buckeyes come up big in Arizona once again and upset the Longhorns. After splitting the series two years ago, the rubber match goes to the Buckeye, who will play stellar defense and slow down Colt McCoy and the Horns offense, which is used to scoring in the 30’s and 40’s.

Michigan State (9-3)

Bowl: Capital One Bowl Opponent: Georgia Result: UGA wins 34-17

Analysis: MSU would have faired better in the Outback bowl, but instead get Knowshon Moreno and the Bulldogs in Orlando. The Dawgs will be hungry for a win after an embarrassing loss to rival Georgia Tech, and Sparty’s games against OSU and PSU this year should serve as examples of how this game will play out.
Northwestern (9-3)

Bowl: Alamo Bowl Opponent: Oklahoma St. Result: OK. State wins 34-14

Analysis: Northwestern is another school that has overachieved this year and their true colors will come out against a very good Cowboys attack.

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Big Ten bowl projections: BCS double play?

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

The Big Ten was dark this weekend, as regular-season play wrapped up Nov. 22, but the league’s bowl picture appeared to get a whole lot brighter.

As Big Ten players, coaches and fans quacked at their TV sets on Saturday night, the Oregon Ducks proceeded to pound Oregon State in the Civil War. The Oregon State loss appears to clear a path for Ohio State to earn the final BCS at-large spot. USC still needs to beat rival UCLA and earn the Pac-10’s BCS tiebreaker, which likely puts the Trojans in the Rose Bowl against Penn State.

Should the Trojans prevail, the final BCS at-large berth would come down to Ohio State and Boise State. Despite a worse record (10-2 vs. 12-0), the big-name Buckeyes likely would get the nod, giving the Big Ten two BCS entries for the fourth straight season. It also would move all the other Big Ten bowl-eligible teams up a notch. The Motor City wouldn’t be filled by a Big Ten team for the fifth time in seven seasons.

To recap the Big Ten bowl landscape:

Bowl eligible (7): Penn State (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten), Ohio State (10-2, 7-1), Michigan State (9-3, 6-2), Northwestern (9-3, 5-3), Iowa (8-4, 5-3), Minnesota (7-5, 3-5), Wisconsin (7-5, 3-5)

Staying home (4): Illinois (5-7, 3-5), Michigan (3-8, 2-5), Purdue (3-8, 1-6), Indiana (3-8, 1-6)

Big Ten bowl tie-ins (in order): Rose/BCS, Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports, Insight, Motor City

Now for the team-by-team projections:

PENN STATE

The Nittany Lions didn’t want a Rose Bowl rematch against Oregon State, and they likely won’t get one. Penn State miniscule hopes for a trip to the BCS title game also vanished Saturday with victories by Oklahoma, Florida, Alabama and others. Head coach Joe Paterno and his team will head to Pasadena for the first time since Jan. 1, 1995.

Possibilities: Rose

Prediction: Rose

OHIO STATE

The Buckeyes were the biggest beneficiaries of Oregon State’s loss, which should put them in a BCS bowl for the fourth consecutive season. The Fiesta Bowl is the likeliest destination, where a reunion with Texas most probably awaits Jim Tressel’s crew. Should the BCS throw a curveball Sunday night and pick Boise State, Ohio State would head to the Capital One Bowl.

Possibilities: Fiesta, Sugar, Orange, Capital One

Prediction: Fiesta

MICHIGAN STATE

Here’s another team that cheered when Oregon beat Oregon State. Should the Big Ten get two BCS bowl entries, the Spartans are virtually assured of a New Year’s Day trip to Florida. It would be hard to see the Capital One Bowl bypass Michigan State for Northwestern or Iowa, two teams the Spartans beat. If Ohio State somehow gets left out, Michigan State probably will head to the Outback Bowl.

Possibilities: Capital One, Outback, Alamo

Prediction: Capital One

NORTHWESTERN

Athletic director Jim Phillips is working hard to convince bowl representatives that Northwestern’s history of traveling to bowl games trumps the school’s lousy home attendance. If his pitch works, Northwestern could go to the Outback Bowl as long as Ohio State gets a BCS at-large berth. Despite a better record and a head-to-head victory, Northwestern will have a hard time beating out Iowa in the bowl selection order.

Possibilities: Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports

Prediction: Alamo

IOWA

Oregon State’s loss might put Iowa into the Outback Bowl, which would be an amazing end to a season that looked extremely shaky in early October. The Hawkeyes are a hot team with the nation’s best running back (Shonn Greene) and a large, willing-to-travel fan base. Those factors should help bowl reps look past an 8-4 record.

Possibilities: Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports

Prediction: Outback

WISCONSIN

The Badgers are probably least affected by Oregon State’s loss. They seemed pegged for the Insight Bowl after four consecutive postseason trips to Florida. Wisconsin still could be ticketed for Tempe even if the Big Ten gets two BCS entries. But it will be hard for the Champs Sports Bowl to pass up the Badgers in favor of Minnesota, which lost four straight games to close the regular season. The Alamo Bowl isn’t seriously considering Wisconsin.

Possibilities: Alamo, Champs Sports, Insight

Prediction: Champs Sports

MINNESOTA

Spending Christmas in Detroit with a matchup against undefeated Ball State team in the Motor City Bowl didn’t seem too appealing for the Gophers, who likely were saved by Oregon State’s loss. If the Big Ten gets two BCS entries, Minnesota will be heading to a much warmer climate, either Arizona or Florida. Should Ohio State get left out of the BCS bowl mix, the Gophers are going to Motown.

Possibilities: Champs Sports, Insight, Motor City

Prediction: Insight

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Michigan Honors Buffalo Bulls, Declines to Become Bowl Eligible

Fifty years ago the Buffalo Bulls sent a message to the backwards-thinking Orlando High School Athletic Association and to racial prejudice by declining a bid to the Tangerine Bowl.  The OHSAA would not allow interracial play, and thus the Bulls’ two black players would not be allowed to play in the game.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the declination.  Prolific university and football factory Michigan has decided to honor Buffalo’s decision with its own protest.  The school declined to reach a 6-6 record, which would have made the Wolverines bowl eligible.  

Rich Rodriguez told reporters, “The Buffalo story is an amazing story.  Fifty years ago, a team stood up to real adversity.  We’d like to honor those guys by declining to make it to a bowl this year.“

When asked why he didn’t inform Michigan fans or officials of the decision, the coach told reporters to “Get a life” and stormed out of the press conference.

Note: To this date, the bid is the only one the Bulls have ever received (the team is 7-4 right now and will be receiving bids soon).  This is a true story—ESPN’s Eric Neel wrote a piece for Outside the Lines, and the story should be appearing on OTL’s TV show soon. The article can be found here.

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