Feldman: 10 teams that can win the BCS

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman breaks down ten team that have the best shot to win the BCS in 2009. There’s some familiar favorites on the list (Florida, USC, Oklahoma… yawn), but a couple of fresh faces on the list that are sure to raise some eyebrows.

Ole Miss: This may look crazy, but keep reading. The Rebels are fearless. They won at both Florida and LSU last season. They have a budding star at quarterback in Jevan Snead, some terrific receivers, and potentially the best D-line in the country. They also have the luxury of playing the softest nonconference schedule in the country, with two games against FCS teams, UAB and a Memphis team they beat every year. Better still, they get Alabama and LSU at home. Can the Rebs handle success and expectations now? We’ll see. A Thursday night trip to South Carolina appears to be the toughest road game.

OK. I’m not Nutts about the pick (ba-da-dum-ching!), but this is just crazy:

Oklahoma State: I love the Cowboys’ offense, and I think bringing in Bill Young to run the defense was a great move, but OSU has to go to Norman late and gets a visit from Georgia early. Also, playing Houston in Week 2 right after a big, physical Bulldogs team might be more treacherous than people think.

In my opinion, Feldman tends to fall in love with the personality of a team and that clouds his perception, but… he makes a strong case for several “dark horses”, including Virginia Tech and ((gulp)) Notre Dame.

Check out the whole thing over at Bruce’s blog.

© www.fanblogs.com

Comment on Feldman: 10 teams that can win the BCS…

Continue reading at Ohio State Football – Fanblogs.com

Lady Bucks’ still dancing

Ohio State’s sophomore center Jantel Lavender goes up for two of her 20 points against Mississippi State. (OSU Photo)
The Ohio State women’s basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16 after the Buckeyes defeated the 11th-seeded Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs, 64-58, in the second round of the NCAA tournament at Nationwide Arena in downtown [...]
Continue reading at The Best Damn Blog in the Land! BuckeyeBanter.com

Who are the nation’s greenest units?

The ESPN bloggers are getting into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit by breaking down the least experienced units in college football. Some highlights below, with links to the full reviews….

Graham Watson:

BYU offensive line: The Cougars will have to fill four of the five starting spots on the offensive line, but do have some depth there since several players received playing time due to injuries and some shuffling last year.

Boise State wide receivers: Boise State lost its three starting receivers, including Jeremy Childs, who left early for the NFL. Childs led the team in receiving yards and receptions last year and now quarterback Kellen Moore is going to have to break in some new playmakers.

Brian Bennett:

Louisville: The biggest bunch of newbies are at quarterback, where there are four candidates for the job but not one who’s seen any significant playing time at this level.

South Florida: Look no farther than the offensive line, where four of five starters need to be replaced.

Tim Griffin:

Oklahoma offensive line: The departure of starting center Jon Cooper, tackle Phil Loadholt and guards Duke Robinson and Brandon Walker means that Sam Bradford will have an inexperienced group protecting him next season. Trent Williams moves to left tackle and Bob Stoops likes his incoming talent, if not its early work habits.

Texas defensive line: The major question dogging the Longhorns’ national title hopes will be rebuilding a defensive front that loses All-American defensive end Brian Orakpo, defensive tackle Roy Miller, defensive tackleAaron Lewis and defensive end Henry Melton from last season.

Texas Tech offensive line: New quarterback Taylor Potts will be relying on a retooled offensive line protecting his blind side after left tackle Rylan Reed, left guard Louis Vasquez and center Stephen Hamby all departed from last year.

Chris Low:

Alabama: The Crimson Tide are replacing three-year starter John Parker Wilson at quarterback, but losing the threesome of Andre Smith, Marlon Davis and Antoine Caldwell on the offensive line leaves the biggest void. They were at the crux of just about everything Alabama did on offense last season.

Georgia: Much of the focus this spring will be on Joe Cox and the quarterback position, but the Bulldogs’ most glaring weakness is the lack of a dominant pass-rusher from the defensive end position. They’ve got to find somebody who can consistently get to the quarterback.

LSU: Jordan Jefferson started the final two games at quarterback last season as a true freshman and enters 2009 as the favorite to win the job. His main competition will come from another true freshman, Russell Shepard, who graduated early and is going through spring practice.

Heather Dinich:

GEORGIA TECH — Having lost three of four starters on the defensive line, it’s easily one of the greenest groups in the whole conference.

MIAMI – The Canes are still young everywhere, but remember quarterback Jacory Harris has only started two games and his backups have no collegiate experience.

NORTH CAROLINA — The Tar Heels lost their top three receivers and will be counting heavily on inexperienced players to replace Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Tate and Brooks Foster.

Ted Miller

Arizona State — QB: Combined starts of the five candidates to replace Rudy Carpenter at quarterback? Zero.

Oregon – DT: Both starting defensive tackles are gone and this unofficial depth chart shows 14 combine tackles for seven potential replacements.

Oregon State — DE: Sackmasters Victor Butler and Slade Norris and their 41.5 combined sacks over the past two seasons are gone. Sophomore Kevin Frahm and senior Ben Terry, who split two sacks between themselves in 2008, are in.

Adam Rittenberg

Ohio State’s offensive line — Don’t be shocked if Ohio State enters 2009 with three sophomores (Mike Brewster, Mike Adams, J.B. Shugarts) and a transfer (Justin Boren) on its starting line.

Penn State’s defensive ends — Jerome Hayes should be back from another knee injury, but Penn State will be on the lookout for a proven pass rusher after losing Aaron Maybin, Maurice Evans and Josh Gaines.

Purdue’s wide receivers — New coach Danny Hope made wide receiver a peak priority in his first recruiting class after losing Greg Orton and Desmond Tardy, who combined for 136 receptions and 1,596 yards last year.

Wisconsin’s defensive line — The Badgers lose three multiyear starters (Matt Shaughnessy, Mike Newkirk and Jason Chapman) and don’t return many proven players aside from ends O’Brien Schofield and Dan Moore.

And — of course — everyone’s favorite green unit:

© www.fanblogs.com

Comment on Who are the nation’s greenest units? …

Continue reading at Ohio State Football – Fanblogs.com

SB: Homeruns Rule in Buckeyes’ Shutout Wins Over Mississippi State and Hofstra

Ohio State improves to 14-3 after defeating Bulldogs, 7-0, and Pride, 2-0
Continue reading at Ohio State Women’s Basketball Headline News

Early schedule snapshot: Wisconsin

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The schedule snapshots finish up with Wisconsin, which will end the regular season later than any other Big Ten team. 

NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Sept. 5 Northern Illinois

Sept. 12 Fresno State

Sept. 19 Wofford

Dec. 5 at Hawaii

My take: Wisconsin's decision to move back its series with Virginia Tech took something away from a nonconference slate that still features a few challenges. The Badgers' win at Fresno State last year lost some luster after the Bulldogs struggled down the stretch, but Pat Hill's squad is usually solid and a Wisconsin victory this fall should mean more. Northern Illinois is on the rise under head coach Jerry Kill and will provide Wisconsin's new starting quarterback with a decent opening test. Hawaii is always tough at home, as Big East champ Cincinnati found out last year, and Wisconsin will need to put up points to beat the Warriors in Honolulu. 

BIG TEN SCHEDULE

Sept. 26 Michigan State

Oct. 3 at Minnesota

Oct. 10 at Ohio State

Oct. 17 Iowa

Oct. 24 Open

Oct. 31 Purdue

Nov. 7 at Indiana

Nov. 14 Michigan

Nov. 21 at Northwestern

Byes: Penn State, Illinois

My take: The Badgers are the only team with a bye in the middle of the Big Ten schedule — Illinois likely will have one before league play opens — and it comes at a good time. The opening stretch is brutal with trips to rival Minnesota and Ohio State bookended by tough home contests against Michigan State and Iowa. Wisconsin can do some damage during the second half of the conference slate, but it needs to avoid another slow start after dropping its first four league games in 2008. Road games at Northwestern and Hawaii could go a long way toward determining Wisconsin's postseason fate or bowl destination.   

Go to Source

Brown Stays South, Passes On Bucks

Despite early reports indicating he would don the Scarlet and Gray, Memphis Harding WR has elected to play his college football in Athens, Georgia for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Brown announced his decision on ESPNU at 345. He had a Tennessee and Georgia hat in front of him and opted for the Dawgs.

Brown would [...]
Story By Dotting The "I"

Big Ten prestige in the BCS era

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Before putting ESPN's Prestige Rankings to bed, I thought it would be interesting to see how Big Ten teams stacked up during the BCS era (1998-present). The overall Prestige Rankings measured teams from 1936 to now, so programs like Minnesota (No. 33) and Michigan State (No. 26) finished fairly high despite no longer holding powerhouse status. 

Here's the BCS-era top 25, which includes four Big Ten teams:

2. Ohio State (428)
They may be in a bit of a slide recently in "big games", but as a program the Buckeyes are still as big as it gets since '98. Ohio State has more Top-5 finishes in that time than the rest of the Big Ten combined (6-3).

11. Michigan (209)
The Maize and Blue has not been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll since 1997.

14. Wisconsin (168)
The Badgers would've crept into a tie for 13th place here if not for their "shoegate" incident in 2000 that brought NCAA penalties that cost the school 8 Prestige points the next year.

18. Penn State (133)
The Nittany Lions were 23rd on this list before this past season that saw them win the Big Ten for just the second time in the BCS era.

Some interesting stuff here.

Whether you love or hate Ohio State, you must acknowledge the Buckeyes' dominance during the BCS era, particularly during Big Ten play. The Buckeyes are the only Big Ten team to win a national title during the BCS era, and they produced a Heisman Trophy winner in 2006 (Troy Smith). 

Michigan is about where I expected it to be. The Wolverines simply haven't gotten over the hump enough since their last national title, despite boasting some excellent players. 

Wisconsin became a Big Ten power in the late 1990s and continued its success for much of the BCS era. This past season hurt the Badgers a bit, but their ability to consistently reach New Year's Day bowl games certainly helps their prestige. 

Penn State has been a mixed bag: great in 2005 and 2008, solid in 1998, 1999, 2006 and 2007, and lousy from 2000-01 and 2003-04. The Lions are a little higher than I thought they would be. 

I was slightly surprised Iowa didn't crack the top 25. The Hawkeyes were one of the nation's top programs from 2002-04. Then again, they really struggled from 1998-2000 and were average at best from 2005-07. 

For what it's worth, here are my Big Ten Prestige Rankings for the BCS era.

1. Ohio State

2. Michigan

3. Wisconsin

4. Penn State

5. Iowa

6. Purdue

7. Minnesota

8. Northwestern

9. Michigan State

10. Illinois

11. Indiana

Go to Source

Missed chances in first half doom Spartans

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Michigan State had the lead at halftime, but the Spartans didn’t have the momentum they needed in the Capital One Bowl against No. 15 Georgia.

	Matthew Emmons/US Presswire
	The Georgia defense never allowed Javon Ringer to get on track.

A more talented but seemingly disinterested Georgia team gave No. 18 Michigan State numerous opportunities to take control of the game. The Spartans ran 26 plays in Bulldogs territory in the opening half but produced only six points. That’s nowhere near good enough. Michigan State easily could have been ahead by double digits.

The missed opportunities wound up costing the Spartans in a 24-12 loss.

Credit Georgia’s much-maligned defense for shutting down Spartans star Javon Ringer (47 yards) and putting quarterback Brian Hoyer under constant duress. The game was won at the line of scrimmage, and Georgia’s speed in the defensive front proved to be the difference. Michigan State (9-4) needed a strong performance from its offensive line to spring Ringer, and it didn’t get one.

In many ways, the Capital One Bowl mirrored another near miss by a Big Ten team. Like Michigan State, Northwestern dominated the first half against Missouri in the Alamo Bowl but found itself tied at the break because of a few miscues. The Wildcats went on to lose.

Put bluntly, this year’s bowl matchups were terrible for the Big Ten, but both Michigan State and Northwestern had opportunities for upsets and neither team could convert.

Credit Michigan State coordinator Pat Narduzzi and a defense that came to play today. Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford looked bewildered during the first half, and the Spartans frustrated Bulldogs star Knowshon Moreno.

With a bigger lead entering the third quarter, Michigan State’s defense might have continued to surge. But Stafford got things together and made several brilliant throws to rally his team. By the time Michigan State got in the end zone, Georgia’s talent-stocked offense was rolling along.

Despite the loss, Michigan State made major strides this season and head coach Mark Dantonio got everything out of his players. The program is on the upswing.

The Spartans must make upgrades throughout their offense — quarterback, wide receiver, line — and find a way to replace Ringer’s production. They really could have used a game-changer like Devin Thomas today. The defense loses only three starters and should be much stronger in 2009 behind Greg Jones and Trevor Anderson.

The Big Ten falls to 1-4 in bowl games and remains on pace for the worst postseason in its history. Iowa looked dominant and both Michigan State and Northwestern had bright spots in defeat, but the Big Ten desperately needs a BCS win from Penn State or Ohio State.

Go to Source

Bowl picks for Outback, Cap One, Rose, Fiesta

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

So far, I’m 1-1 in bowl picks, though I should have had more faith in Northwestern and a lot less in Wisconsin. Despite an 0-2 start to the bowl season, the Big Ten can redeem itself in January. A BCS bowl win or two would go a long way toward repairing the league’s national image, though it won’t be easy at all.

Here’s how I see the last four bowls shaping up.

OUTBACK BOWL — Iowa 24, South Carolina 14

The Hawkeyes are the better team and ended the season strong, while South Carolina stumbled down the stretch. Both teams are solid on defense, ranking 12th (South Carolina) and 13th (Iowa) nationally. The difference is Iowa found an offensive identity toward the second half of the season, while South Carolina’s search continues. Hawkeyes running back Shonn Greene has another big game on a national stage, and he’ll get plenty of chances because South Carolina is so strong against the pass. Iowa defensive tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul will stuff the run in their final collegiate game, forcing South Carolina to throw against a defense that generates a ton of turnovers. Unless quarterback Ricky Stanzi regresses, Iowa will get the Big Ten a bowl win.

CAPITAL ONE — Georgia 37, Michigan State 21

Mark Dantonio and his staff did an amazing job to get everything they could out of their players this season. But looking at how Michigan State struggled against elite offensive teams, there’s little to suggest the Spartans can slow down a Georgia offense stocked with future NFL players. If Spartans star running back Javon Ringer controls the clock and Michigan State’s defensive line puts pressure on Matthew Stafford, an upset isn’t out of the question. Georgia hasn’t defended the run well at times this season, and the Bulldogs will get a heavy dose of Ringer. But the Bulldogs have too many weapons, and they’ll pull away down the stretch to snap the Big Ten’s Capital One Bowl win streak.

ROSE PRESENTED BY CITI — Penn State 17, USC 14

There’s really no reason to pick against USC in a big game, especially one in Pasadena. But there’s something special about this Penn State team: the way they overcame offseason turmoil, the way they blitzed through most of the season and the way they made improvement in every facet of the game. So after a lot of thought, I decided not to play it safe in the Rose Bowl Game. USC has to lose one of these games, and Penn State has what it takes to beat the Trojans, especially on defense. There won’t be a lot of points, but special teams proves to be the difference for Penn State. Derrick Williams breaks off a big return and specialists Kevin Kelly and Jeremy Boone both step up as the Lions prevail in a defensive struggle.

TOSTITO’S FIESTA — Texas 30, Ohio State 21

Texas was supposed to be a year away, while Ohio State entered the season stocked with seniors and major contributors. But the Longhorns have evolved into the more complete team. Ohio State’s identity, particularly on offense, took a long time to develop. The Buckeyes are definitely playing their best football, particularly along the defensive line, and freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor won’t flinch in the national spotlight. If Ohio State’s defensive front puts pressure on Colt McCoy and heralded linebacker James Laurinaitis makes a huge play, the Buckeyes could pull off the upset. But Ohio State’s offense is too reliant on the big play, and an offensive line that struggled for most of the season won’t hold down Brian Orakpo and a Texas defense that leads the nation in sacks.

Postseason record: 1-1 (50 percent)

Regular-season record: 71-17 (80.7 percent)

Go to Source

Spartans brace for Georgia’s cast of stars

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi didn’t help his conference in the never-ending Big Ten-SEC debate when he provided his scouting report of Georgia’s offense to head coach Mark Dantonio. 

“Their skill guys, their receivers, their running back, their quarterback, it’s like the Big Ten All-Star team that we get to play against,” Narduzzi told Dantonio.

Georgia wide receivers A.J. Green and Mohamed Massaquoi matched or surpassed any pass-catching combo Narduzzi saw in Big Ten play this year. Bulldogs quarterback Matthew Stafford trumped first-team All-Big Ten quarterback Daryll Clark of Penn State. 

And while Narduzzi, like everyone associated with the Spartans football program, thinks the world of Javon Ringer, Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno isn’t too shabby. If Georgia has a weakness on offense, it’s the offensive line, and that’s largely because of youth. 

“It’s obviously going to be a challenge for our defense,” Narduzzi said. “Everybody’s got to step up. Certainly, if you’re looking at something that might be their weakness, you look at their O-line. I don’t know what they see as our weakness, but obviously pressure on the quarterback and pressure at the line of scrimmage by our linebackers and defensive line is going to be a key in the game.”

Narduzzi’s unit lacks the headliners of Georgia, but it has helped Michigan State to nine wins and a Capital One Bowl appearance Thursday against the preseason No. 1 team (ABC, 1 p.m. ET).

This fall, the Spartans held eight teams to 24 points or fewer, including two bowl champions (Notre Dame and Florida Atlantic).  What happened in the other four games, though is a cause for concern.

Michigan State struggled against elite offensive competition, allowing a combined 94 points in losses to Ohio State and Penn State. 

Read more

Next Page »