Future Buckeyes take the field in San Antonio, Orlando

If bowl games are too boring, or the performance of the Big Ten representatives too painful to watch, curious Buckeyes can always change the knob on their moving pictures box to another FCC-authorized television transmission carrier¹ to watch future Buckeyes take the field in the 2009 Army All-American and Under Armour games.

Traditionally, the United State…

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Reviewing my preseason Top 25 (things to watch)

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

It’s always fun at this time of year to look back at preseason thoughts and predictions. In August, I outlined 25 items I wanted to see during the Big Ten season. Several of them came true, others didn’t and some materialized in different ways.

Here’s a look back at the list to see what worked out and what didn’t. 

	AP Photo/Carlos Osorio
	Terrelle Pryor earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.

1. Terrelle Pryor lead an offensive drive — He might be a Tim Tebow-like weapon near the goal line, but I’m more interested in how the Ohio State freshman quarterback handles a real offensive series. Pryor’s athleticism is undeniable, but it will be important to monitor his passing accuracy and the way he leads older teammates.

The verdict: We had plenty of opportunities to see Pryor lead drives after he was named Ohio State’s starter in Week 4. Despite a few growing pains, Pryor held his own and displayed remarkable athleticism in winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. He also came up big in the clutch to lead Ohio State’s game-winning touchdown drive Oct. 4 at Wisconsin. 

2. Michigan’s quarterbacks — Rich Rodriguez has ushered in a new era in Ann Arbor and will turn to unproven players like Steven Threet, Nick Sheridan and possibly Justin Feagin to lead his spread offense. There will undoubtedly be growing pains, but if one of those three takes control, the Wolverines will surge.

The verdict: Oh, there were growing pains. Big ones. Threet and Sheridan struggled to fit into Rodriguez’s system, and Michigan finished the season ranked 109th nationally in total offense. Feagin likely will move to slot receiver in 2009, and incoming freshmen Shavodrick Beaver and Tate Forcier will compete for the starting quarterback spot. 

3. Jump Around at night — Camp Randall Stadium is intimidating enough during daylight hours, but the electricity will reach new levels this fall with back-to-back night games against Ohio State and Penn State. The Badgers haven’t lost at home under coach Bret Bielema, and they should have a tremendous home-field edge this fall.

The verdict: It was pretty cool to see Ohio State players jump in lockstep with the Wisconsin students on Oct. 4, but Camp Randall certainly lost its edge this fall. Wisconsin saw its home win streak fade against Ohio State and then suffered its worst home defeat since 1989 the next week against Penn State. Plus, the Badgers band was suspended from performing Oct. 4 after allegations of hazing surfaced. 

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Urban Meyer: ND Still "My Dream Job"

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article for FOXSports.com about possible replacements for Charlie Weis if he resigned or was terminated from Notre Dame. Urban Meyer was at the top of my list- he had the best odds.

Gators fans ripped me and called me “clueless”- Urban would not leave Gainesville for South Bend. Florida is his dream job, and why would he ever leave sunshine for snow? Blah blah blah.

Flash forward to this week. On Wednesday, Meyer told a Florida radio show that Notre Dame is “still my dream job; that hasn’t changed.”

Uh huh. I thought so. Some things are so obvious, they will never change. Here comes the proverbial I-told-you-so. Gators fans are in complete denial about their coach.

When everything is said and done in fifty years, Meyer will not be remembered for what he has accomplished at Gainesville.

Like it or not, this is fact- Florida has only recently become a football force after a long hibernation from gridiron greatness. Quick, tell me who was a Notre Dame coach in the 70’s? Or Ohio State in the 60’s? Easy, huh? Now tell me Florida’s coach.

You cannot deny the obvious- some football programs have such a storied past, that their coaches are remembered fifty years later- they are immortalized. Notre Dame has that power. Michigan has that power. Oklahoma, USC, Nebraska and Alabama have that power. Florida, does not. Yet.

Eight conference championships and two National Championships- the first being in 1996, the second in 2006 – do not a dynasty in college football make. It’s trendy. The Gators are new to all of this. Ten years do not compare to ninety years. It’s not even close folks.

Notre Dame has won a National Championship in every decade, except for in the 50’s and 90’s- 1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977 and 1988.

Winning a national championship at Notre Dame guarantees that coach eternal greatness and a probable throne behind the Pearly Gates. Notre Dame, whether you admit it or not, whether you’re in denial or not, is the most powerful football program in the country.

Urban knows that. NBC knows that. The bowls know that. God knows that.

So will he leave?

“Meyer is working on a second national title with a quarterback who is running a second Heisman Trophy campaign,” according to the Orlando Sentinel. “Meyer said he was already ‘in the 11th hour’ with Florida when Notre Dame called.”

Wait a minute- “when Notre Dame called”?

Did Notre Dame put out some “feelers” to Urban Meyer after the Fighting Irish’s loss to USC? (note- this author believes they did) It reads that way. And it makes sense. That one week period after the USC loss was quiet. Too quiet.

When Fighting Irish AD Jack Swarbrick finally confirmed that Weis would be the coach, everyone assumed it was over. “He, I and the others involved in leading our football program are committed to doing everything necessary to ensure a successful 2009 season,” Swarbrick said. “We are examining every aspect of the program and will make changes wherever we think they are needed.”

OK…that’s a little muddled. But here’s the thing- what if Meyer, after the January 8th BCS Championship Game, decides he is done? If he wins the title, and Tebow bails, Meyer is going to have to start from scratch.

Notre Dame, however, is a different story. A roster filled with juniors and seniors, and a perfect quarterback to run his beloved spread- Dayne Crist. Buh-bye Jimmy Clausen, hello Dayne Crist. Would this not be the perfect time for Meyer to take over the reins?

Wouldn’t the timing be perfect? Weis is running around recruiting while Meyer is getting ready for the Oklahoma Sooners. If no one says anything, then everything is status quo and no player goes mental with the prospect of losing their coach.

After the bowl games, Weis is let go, and Meyer takes over. It’s perfect.

Meyer will have accomplished everything he could have ever wished for at Florida, and Notre Dame, his dream job, would be there plump full of recruits who are just dying to be coached up.

Do you think Jack Swarbrick would say ‘no” to Meyer if he called up and said, “I’m yours”?

Do you think he’ll say “no” to a coach who is 2-0 in BCS Bowls (and has possibly two NCs by next month)?

Could it be that Meyer is dropping hints about where is deep love is? Drooping hints that this is it- after this BCS Bowl, don’t hate me if I bail because ND is my dream job?

Set-up? Laying down the foundation? Avoiding “a Saban” by letting folks know that he will eventually want to coach at Notre Dame, so get used to the idea, Gator fans?

Count on it.

 

*special thanks to Orlando Sentinel’s 12/12/08 article by Jeremy Fowler.

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Ten Top 10s After Week 15 in College Football

Top Ten Teams

1) Utah: Undefeated, undisputed.

2) Boise: Proves it doesn’t matter what happens on the field—only matters how much your fanbase spends on road trips.

3) Texas: May be the best team in the country right now.

4) Oklahoma: When they win, they do it with style.

5) Penn State: Another fine job on and off the field by Joe Paterno.

6) USC: A defense that’s just fun to watch

7) Texas Tech: The odd man out.

Florida: A nice year, with one of the worst losses.

9) Alabama: Overachieved all year—just a great effort to get this far.

10) Cincinnati: It really came together for the Bearcats this year.

 

Worst Ten Teams

1) Washington: Pathetic.

2) Western Kentucky: Thanks for playing—we have some great parting gifts.

3) Notre Dame: How embarrassing does it really have to get?

4) North Texas: The Mean Green weren’t too mean.

5) Washington State: Horrible.

6) SMU: Wasn’t an instant turnaround for June Jones.

7) San Diego State: No, we didn’t forget the loss to Cal Poly.

Michigan: The worst season I can remember for this proud program.

9) Miami (OH): Preseason conference favorites finish dead last.

10) Tulane: Holy (Bob) Toledo, this team stinks.

 

Top Ten Most Improved This Season

1) Alabama: The pride is back in the Tide.

2) Cincinnati: Nice job all the way around.

3) Buffalo: Two words: Turner Gil.

4) Rice: Understated but overperformed.

5) Oklahoma State: If anyone wants to argue that they should be No. 1 on this list, I have no comeback.

6) Nebraska: Not over the hump, but at least to the hump—a big step forward.

7) Florida State: Respectable again.

NC State: Tom O’Brien’s finest job ever.

9) Miami: Showed signs of youth but a bright future as well.

10) Temple: 5-7 is a great season for these guys, and it could have been 7-5 or better with some luck.

 

Top Ten Underachievers

1) Notre Dame: “Soft” schedule just showed how soft they are.

2) Clemson: Talk about drinking the Kool-Aid.

3) Miami (OH): Not ready to let these guys off the hook.

4) Illinois: From Rose Bowl to no bowl.

5) West Virginia: They were thinking title game.

6) Michigan: The long bowl streak ends.

7) Wisconsin: Many had them winning the Big Ten.

Arizona State: Ouch.

9) Georgia: Not what they had in mind.

10) Auburn: Nothing short of a disaster.

 

Ten Who Are “In”

1) Manny Pacquiao: The pound for pound king is still the king.

2) Tim Tebow: Heisman hunt and National Title game—not a bad year.

3) Turner Gill: Who doesn’t want to be his agent?

4) Julio Jones: It’s official—Bama fans are the only ones not waiting for this guy to go pro. Awesome.

5) Oklahoma: Not sure how the math works, but either way they are in.

6) Brian Kelly: In style.

7) Virginia Tech: In another BCS Bowl game.

Utah: In the BCS against the big boys this time.

9) Gator Assistant Coaches: In the running for Head Coach jobs.

10) Skip Holtz: Syracuse?

 

Ten Who Are “Out”

1) O.J. Simpson: Out of favor but “in” prison.

2) Plaxico Burress: Out of the Giants and not in Mensa either.

3) Texas: Out of the title game.

4) Boise State: Out of the BCS.

5) Michigan: Out of a bowl game.

6) Charlie Weis: In a job but out of style.

7) Percy Harvin, DeMarco Murray, and Dominic Goodman: We’ll be hearing this names a lot in the next few weeks.

Tommy Tuberville: Say what?

9) Jimbo Fisher: Maybe not the next Head Coach of the Noles?

10) Chop Blocking: This needs to be even more out than it already is.

 

Top Ten Things I’ll Do Between Now and the Bowls

1) Holiday Parties: After a while they all blend together.

2) Work on improving my websites: Hopefully The College Football Place has some bothers and sisters shortly.

3) Home Improvement: My prized Orchids aren’t looking too good these days.

4) Work on my Book: You all will see this first as a series of articles.

5) Chat it up in the Forums:  How fun has this been?

6) Holiday Shopping: Anyone surprised I’m not done yet?

7) Improve my videos: Long overdue.

Start my NFL Draft preview: No rest for the weary.

9) Preview the games: Most on the site, others in the free newsletter.

10) Relax: Time to catch my breath—it’s been a fun but exhausting season.

 

Ten Things We All Can Do This Holiday Season

1) Give: Better than receiving.

2) Help someone: Same as giving.

3) Be thankful: Give thanks.

4) Get in touch with someone you haven’t talked to in a while: Tell them thanks for being part of your life.

5) Smile: It can be infectious.

6) Laugh: One of my personal favorites.

7) Don’t take life so seriously: See No. 6.

Pick a charity: There is always someone less fortunate than you.

9) Enjoy them: If the holidays stress you out, you aren’t doing them right.

10) Tell someone you care: They might have started to think you didn’t.

 

Ten Best Teams to Not Make a Bowl Game

1) Auburn: Better than some that are going.

2) Duke: Maybe next year?

3) Illinois: If someone can figure this team out, give Zook a call.

4) Virginia: Had their chances.

5) Stanford: I thought they had a chance.

6) Tennessee: Too much talent to not make it.

7) UCLA: My guess is we don’t see them on this list for a very long time.

Arizona State: This season was a bust—we’ll see if they recover.

9) Arkansas: Having Texas, Alabama, Florida, and others on the schedule isn’t always a great thing.

10) Baylor: Going to be fun to watch next year.

 

Top Ten Bowl Matchups

1) Oklahoma Vs. Florida: Not sure they got the teams right, but love the matchup.

2) Boise Vs. TCU: If you don’t think this is a great game, you didn’t watch enough College Football this year.

3) Alabama Vs. Utah: Going to be a better game than people think.

4) Penn State Vs. USC: Joe Paterno started the game plan two weeks ago.

5) Georgia Vs. Michigan State: Two teams you wouldn’t think of as playing one another.

6) Texas Tech Vs. Ole Miss: Both of these teams beat top three teams this year.

7) Georgia Tech Vs. LSU: The ACC has done a nice job against the SEC so far this season. Does it continue?

Western Michigan Vs. Rice: Under the radar choice as most exciting game.

9) Oregon Vs. Oklahoma State: The Holiday Bowl is usually a pretty good one.

10) West Virginia Vs. North Carolina: Toss a coin as to who will win.

Visit Mitch anytime at his site: The College Football Place

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Big Ten lunchtime links: Leach fires up Michigan

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

After a lean week, there are plenty of good links around the league today. Hope you brought your appetite.

• What if Notre Dame had joined the Big Ten along with Penn State and the league held a championship game the last 16 years? It’s fun to dream, and The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Doug Lesmerises does exactly that in this entertaining blog post. Not sure if I agree with his division alignment — Ohio State and Michigan in opposite divisions — but it would be pretty entertaining. 
• Michigan’s football banquet was shorter than usual after a historically bad season, but former Wolverines quarterback Rick Leach provided quite a highlight, John Heuser writes in the Ann Arbor News. 

“I’ll make you a promise before I go,” he said. “My promise to you is, I know that day’s coming. Maybe you had your fun and got your pound of flesh out of Michigan after 33 years. I don’t care if it’s Mark Dantonio, Charlie Weis or — you better believe it — Jim Tressel. Your freakin’ day is coming.”

• Penn State must wait to learn whether USC is officially its Rose Bowl opponent, while USC transfer Vidal Hazelton likely won’t be heading to State College, Bernard Fernandez writes in the Philadelphia Daily News. Bad news for Penn State’s mascot, who was recently arrested on DUI charges and will be suspended until 2009. 
• Logic says Northwestern should earn a bowl invitation before Iowa, but dollars trump logic when it comes to bowl games, Mike Hlas writes in The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette. Still, Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips is doing his best to get the Wildcats in a good bowl.

“I don’t know why there’s a misconception that we don’t bring a lot of fans to bowl games,” Phillips said. “I think it’s because we have a smaller season-average and people think we don’t travel well. It’s just the opposite. We’re not a regional institution. We are a national and international institution, with alums all over the country. And they’ve not only come to bowls in numbers, they’ve spent an awful lot.”

• Wisconsin could be suffering from a case of bowl burnout as it prepares for a possible fifth consecutive trip to a Florida bowl game, Tom Mulhern writes in the Wisconsin State Journal. 
• Former Penn State defensive lineman Chris Baker still watches Nittany Lions games and maintains he was unfairly targeted during two off-campus fights that led to his dismissal from the program, Justin Verrier writes in The Hartford Courant.

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Big Ten lunchtime links: JayPa in mix at Toledo?

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Bowl practices will resume later this week at several schools, and the selections are only four days away. Here’s what’s happening around the league. 

• Penn State head coach Joe Paterno returned to work barely a week after undergoing hip-replacement surgery, but his son Jay could be in the mix for the Toledo head-coaching vacancy, Bernard Fernandez writes in the Philadelphia Daily News. 

“Several Web sites reported that Jay Paterno, a 1990 Penn State graduate who has been on his father’s staff for 14 years, could be in line to be interviewed by Toledo athletic director Mike O’Brien. Jay Paterno did not return telephone calls from the Daily News, and Toledo officials would neither confirm nor deny that the school had been in contact with him.”

• Former Iowa coach Hayden Fry has high praise for star running back Shonn Greene and head coach Kirk Ferentz, Steve Batterson writes in the Quad City Times. 
• Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez should take lessons from the case of Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, Drew Sharp writes in the Detroit Free Press.  
• Here’s an interesting piece on the salaries and bonus incentives for Purdue’s football coaching staff, courtesy of The Exponent.  
• Minnesota has its sights set on a sunny bowl game, either the Champs Sports or Insight, Marcus Fuller writes in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. 

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Impact of Charlie Weis’ return on Big Ten

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

So it looks like Notre Dame will give head coach Charlie Weis another chance to make the football program relevant again after a disappointing 6-6 regular season.

Like it or not, Notre Dame and the Big Ten always will be linked, so the decision to retain Weis impacts the 11 teams in the conference everyone thinks Notre Dame should join (but never will).

Though Weis has struggled on the field since 2006, he continues to do well on the recruiting trail, which will affect Big Ten teams vying for the same prospects. Weis has lost several coveted players to the Big Ten in recent years (Arrelious Benn, Terrelle Pryor), but he also gets his share of prospects from Big Ten country (Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph).

I cringe a bit as I type this, but the Big Ten should want Weis to succeed in 2009. The Big Ten needs Notre Dame to be good again, if for no other reason than to boost its nonconference strength of schedule. Three Big Ten teams play the Irish every year — Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue — and Notre Dame should present the opportunity for a quality victory. Michigan State’s win against Notre Dame on Sept. 20 has lost a lot of value since the Irish sputtered down the stretch.

Notre Dame shapes public opinion more than any other FBS team, and when the Irish are down, it fuels the growing belief that Midwest football is slow, unathletic and out of touch. Those claims are largely unfounded, but when Notre Dame is 6-6 and the Big Ten is losing BCS bowl games, that’s what the rest of the country is led to believe.

The Big Ten will be better off when Michigan vs. Notre Dame means something again, when a Michigan State win at Notre Dame Stadium results in a boost up the Top 25 rankings. So while I’m sure many of you are laughing at Notre Dame today and rooting for Weis to fail, think about the impact Notre Dame has on the Big Ten.

Reports say Charlie Weis will be back with the Irish in 2009.
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Big Ten lunchtime links: Bowl bonanza

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Bowls, bowls, bowls. When a league exits the spotlight before Thanksgiving, there’s not much else to write about right now. Not that I mind. Who doesn’t love bowl banter this time of year?

• Here’s a good breakdown of Ohio State’s BCS at-large scenarios, with the Fiesta Bowl as the likely destination, Doug Lesmerises writes in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.  
• Wisconsin appeared to target the Insight Bowl weeks ago, but after the events of last weekend, the Badgers might be in line for the Champs Sports Bowl and a fifth straight trip to Florida, Tom Mulhern writes in the Wisconsin State Journal.

“Steve Hogan, executive director of the Champs Sports Bowl, said Monday it looks like his bowl could be picking between the bitter border rivals, the Badgers (7-5) and Gophers (7-5).

Naturally, Hogan didn’t come out and say which Big Ten team he would prefer. But when laying out the cases for both schools, he made it clear head-to-head matchup is important.

“All things being equal, you like to look at head-to-head,” Hogan said. “I think head-to-head, [the Gophers] lost to another team we may be picking against.”

• Penn State isn’t getting much respect for its likely Rose Bowl matchup against USC, which could work in the Lions’ favor Jan. 1, David Jones writes in The Patriot-News. Penn State players have avoided the police blotter in recent months, but the team’s mascot is not so fortunate and might miss the Rose Bowl. 
• Iowa needs to wait for the BCS picture to clear up before learning whether it heads to the Outback Bowl, Andy Hamilton writes in the Iowa City Press-Citizen. 
• I wouldn’t read into this too much, but Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is being mentioned as a potential candidate for the Notre Dame job if the school dumps Charlie Weis. Fitzgerald grew up wanting to attend Notre Dame but never got a scholarship offer and ended up leading Northwestern to a win over the Irish in 1995. I highly doubt he’d leave his alma mater for a messy situation in South Bend, but anything’s possible. 

The Chicago-Sun-Times’ Rick Telander writes:

“I know a coach who might work.

Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern.

With even harsher academic standards than Notre Dame has, Fitzgerald has led the Wildcats to a 9-3 record and a bowl game. Remember when Fitz was a Northwestern middle linebacker and his 1995 NU team came to South Bend and stunned the Irish in the season opener, when everybody was wearing those ”Shake Down the Thunder” T-shirts and blabbing about a sure-fire national championship?”

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Big Ten lunchtime links: Bowl lobbying continues

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Bowls are the main course today, with a side of links, as always. 

• Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips hopes bowl representatives look past the school’s poor home attendance and recognize a good history of traveling to bowl games, Shannon Ryan writes in the Chicago Tribune. 

“The biggest challenge we have is our home attendance record,” Phillips said. “They look at numbers. It’s about selling tickets and people spending money. But [we're saying,] ‘Look at how we’ve traveled over the last five bowls, where Northwestern has done a great job of over-delivering.’”

• Wisconsin likely won’t be in the mix for the Alamo Bowl, making a fifth consecutive trip to a Florida bowl game (Champs Sports) a possibility, Jeff Potrykus writes in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

“The Champs Sports Bowl (Dec. 27, Orlando, Fla.) picks after the Alamo Bowl and it appears the choice will come to UW or Minnesota (7-5). UW won the teams’ meeting this season, 35-32; the Gophers lost their final four games, including a 55-0 home drubbing against Iowa; and Minnesota fans travel in small numbers unattractive to bowl scouts.”

• Penn State most likely got what it wanted: no Rose Bowl rematch with Oregon State. Now the Nittany Lions likely face the daunting task of matching up with USC in Pasadena, Bernard Fernandez writes in the Philadelphia Daily News. 
• The Chicago Tribune’s Teddy Greenstein names his favorite games and passes out his cleverly named awards for the Big Ten season. My personal favorites: The Charlie Weis “Underachieving” Award (Wisconsin) and The Lovie Smith “In Denial” Award (Illinois head coach Ron Zook). Sorry, but I’m still miffed about that Bears game last night. Feel free to score from first-and-goal at the 1.
• Here are 25 reasons why Illinois’ once-promising 2008 season went down the drain, Bob Asmussen writes in The [Champaign, Ill.] News-Gazette. There’s some very interesting stuff here, including two under-publicized traffic stops involving quarterback Juice Williams and wide receiver Arrelious “Rejus” Benn.
• After a miserable season, Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez wants less drama and more progress in the offseason, Joe Vardon writes in The Toledo Blade.

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"The Man" Angered By Obama: College Football and Sylvester Croom Pay The Price

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