Friday Big Ten mailbag

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Jake from Indianapolis writes: Adam, I recently moved to Indiana from Michigan, and the love for football in the Hoosier State clearly lies in the NFL. However, I still love my college football. I've adopted IU as my in-state team to watch and cheer for. Given their past and present situation, what does IU football have to do to become a contender in the Big10? Could they ever become the Kansas of their conference?

Adam Rittenberg: Always root for the underdog, Jake. Indiana has taken a few steps toward becoming a contender, though 2008 was a big step back. The stadium renovations certainly should help, but Indiana must upgrade its recruiting and make some improvement on defense. I've harped on this even after the bowl run in 2007. Indiana won't be a relevant Big Ten program until it consistently fields a decent defense. The numbers for the last decade have been really poor. There's talent on that side of the ball with Greg Middleton, Jammie Kirlew and Matt Mayberry, but they've got to put it together.

As far as recruiting, Indiana has recruited the state decently, even though the talent might not be as strong as other states. The other thing is continuity in coaching. As new AD Fred Glass noted in our conversation last month, there has been way too much fluctuation on the Hoosiers staff.

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Jason from Unionville, Mo., writes: I don't know if you're a draft person or not but I have a question about Shonn Greene and Scouts, Inc.'s analysis. They give him average at elusiveness and center of gravity. My question is were they not watching the Wisconsin or Purdue game? Greene spun a defender out of his shoes against Purdue and ran for a 75 yard touchdown. And only average at Center of Gravity? Come on. I just wanted to know if you had any thoughts on this. Thanks for the blog, I really enjoy reading it and think you do a great job!

Adam Rittenberg: The guys at Scouts Inc. are much stronger evaluators than yours truly, but having watched Greene for much of the season, I tend to agree with you, Jason. He runs slightly upright but has the ability to juke defenders and maintain his balance on tough runs. Loyal Big Ten blog readers know all about my man crush on Greene, and my only concerns with him are things that Iowa didn't ask him to do, like catching the football out of the backfield. I think he could improve his stock with a strong performance at the combine.

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Joe from State College, Pa., writes: You did a great job with the blog this year, Adam. Do you think with Ohio State having the top recruiting class and Penn State coming in at number 10, along with a weak Michigan team coming in at number 13 (according to Scout.com), that the Big Ten is on the upswing? Ohio State was seconds away from beating a team that many believed deserved to be in the National Championship game, and with Penn State holding USC to 7 points in the second half of the game, while scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter, I feel like the Big Ten is highly underrated. What will it take for the Big Ten to finally get some recognition?

Adam Rittenberg: Thanks, Joe. The consensus on Big Ten recruiting this year seemed to be the league did a solid job despite not landing many of the super elite prospects. Michigan's recruiting class coming off the worst season in team history certainly was encouraging, and Ohio State brought in an excellent group. Penn State also answered needs with its class. Getting recognition is simple: win your bowl games. Though Ohio State regained some national respect in the Fiesta Bowl, playing Texas tough or, in Penn State's case, limiting damage against USC doesn't win too many points nationally. The Big Ten desperately needs a bowl season of .500 or better this year.

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The Big Ten’s Bowl Battle for Respect

Drew Thurman (12:55 pm)

Turn on College GameDay almost any Saturday morning, and you will hear “overrated” chants when the Big Ten is mentioned. The media and other conference fans have been hard on the Big Ten, but can you blame them? In the last decade the conference actually has a losing record in bowl games, including a 3-5 record a season ago.

So, do things improve this season?

The signs seem to be pointing to a big no! Looking at the bowl schedule this year, it looks as if the Big Ten will need a few upsets just to try to match the record from a season ago.

Here are the matchups.

Champs Sports Bowl
Wisconsin vs. Florida State

Alamo Bowl
Northwestern vs. Missouri

Insight Bowl
Minnesota vs. Kansas

Outback Bowl
Iowa vs. South Carolina

Capital One Bowl
Michigan State vs. Georgia

Rose Bowl
Penn State vs. USC

Fiesta Bowl
Ohio State vs. Texas

Analysis?

The non-BCS bowls look much better than the matchups in the BCS bowls for the Big Ten. I feel Iowa can handle South Carolina, and Minnesota can beat an overrated Kansas team, because I have little respect for the Big 12 North. Then there is Florida State, who doesn’t blow anyone out, so Wisconsin should be able to hang around.

Outside of these three games, though, it is going to be an uphill battle for the Big Ten!   

Northwestern and Michigan State both have their hands full against teams that are more stockpiled with talent, especially the Spartans, who are going to have to play their best game ever on defense to have a chance.

Then there are the two BCS matchups for Ohio State and Penn State, and neither looks pretty. In a year where most BCS conferences were top-heavy, the Big Ten was a free-for-all. This leaves the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions the task of facing the best the Big 12 and Pac-10 have to offer.

All in all, the Big Ten could easily be looking at a 2-5 or 3-4 record, and that is if things go well. Not to be pessimistic, but I don’t think this is the year for the Big Ten to improve its reputation. I may be wrong, but the bowl battle for the Big Ten doesn’t look pretty on paper!

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Big 12 and Big 10 Comparison

Watching College Gameday and seeing Corso and company in front of a Big 12, or SEC stadium every week can become aggravating for the fans of teams outside of the two “powerhouse” conferences in College Football.

But can you blame them for camping out on the campus of either conferences schools 10 of the 14 weeks this 2008 season?

The Big 12 is sure to be a high scoring, fun to watch game, that if the other teams defense is able to make a stop on the first drive of the game the game may already be over. Meanwhile the SEC has the great defenses, and of course the “SEC Speed” that was able to hand The Ohio State University, back to back losses in the 2007 and 2008 National Championship games, hence allowing the College Football world label the Big Ten as one of the “weak”  conferences. Illinois’ blowout loss to USC didn’t help the Big Ten’s image much either.

Although Ohio State still had a lot to play for coming into this season. Ohio State was a National Championship favorite with a load of talent coming back for their senior year when many could have been drafted high coming out as juniors. And Jim Tressel was able to get the relatively under the radar recruit Terrelle Pryor to sign on as a Buckeye in the off season.

Pryor, of course, was supposed to be the Tim Tebow to Ohio State’s Chris Leak; Todd Boeckman. The offense that worked so perfectly in the Gators 06 season, and what was able to dismantle the Troy “Mr. Heisman” Smith lead Buckeyes in the 07 National Championship Game, was what Tressel was going to use to get back to the National Championship for a third time in three seasons.

Then came the trip to USC for the Buckeyes that spoiled all plans for Ohio State’s championship run with an embarrassing 35-3 loss, furthering the idea that the Big Ten was weak. 

In the midst of Ohio State falling flat in the past two National Championship Games, there was another losing trend going on to an overwhelming favorite the same two years. Oklahoma lost 43-42 to the undefeated, non-BCS conference “BCS Buster” Boise State in a stunning thriller game in 2007, and in 2008 proceeded to lose 48-28 to West Virginia. Somehow this has failed to not be brought up much during the Big 12’s successful year.

Could it be due to the fact that the Big 12 plays a tough out of conference schedule? Hardly. The Big 12’s premier out of conference games this year were Cincinnati’s match-up at Oklahoma, and Missouri’s game against Illinois on a neutral field. Cincinnati representing the Big East conference was crushed by the Sooners 52-26.

But Illinois representing the conference that was in much question after its best team was destroyed in back-to-back Title games only lost to the Heisman Favorite, Chase Daniel lead Big 12 North/Big 12 favorites 52-42. At the time that score seemed about right, but as the season unfolded Illinois showed many signs of missing the 2007 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Rashard Mendenhall who bolted early for the draft, and ended the season 5-7.

So does this mean that I’m saying the Big Ten is under-rated? It’s definitely is not over-rated! But what I’m getting at is how naive the media and pollsters are. 61-41, 45-35, 58-35, do they actually have defense in the Big 12? They may as well not even waste the scholarships on defensive players!

What I’m saying is why should the Big Ten be getting treated as if they’re pathetic while the Big 12 just continues to rack up the “style points” against each other because they don’t play defense, but when the two conferences played head to head, the game was close between the Big 12 North Champ, and Bowl Ineligible Illinois. 

As a PSU fan I began to find it hard to watch as everyone began to say that it would be a matter of time before one loss Oklahoma, or Texas would hop over an unbeaten PSU team, and thankfully for my sanity PSU lost to Iowa, and I didn’t have to watch what would have been another undefeated PSU team lose out on the Title game.

So why aren’t we hearing the same about Big 12 teams, as they play a rather weak out of conference schedule, and the Big 12 winner the past two years has fallen just as hard on their face as Ohio State has in their Bowl Games?

It’s time to wake up and see that just one team can’t define a whole conference, and that it can’t be done with select conferences either, just because the media is sick of them. Personally I’m more sick of the SEC hype more than anything in this world, and hope to see the Big 12 team in the title game hand them a loss.

But if it’s another SEC lopsided win, prepare yourselves Big 12 fans, because that’s when the media will wake up and begin to point out Oklahoma’s embarrassing losses in the Fiesta Bowl the two years prior, and it’s an annoyingly long, media infested, bumpy road that will begin to give your conference a bad name.

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Week #9 Open Thread

Here is this week’ Open Thread for available for your commenting pleasure. What’cha watching? Who looks good, who doesn’t?

I’ll be putting my thoughts below the fold, so I don’t clutter up the front page.

College Gameday
Seriously, LeBron? “This red and gray team”?

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Week #9: Penn State University – Open Thread

Let’s do this thing!

Let’s get this out of the way: we Big Ten fans think this game is pretty much as good as it gets. The “Big Ten Bashers” see this as a worse-case-scenario. An Ohio State victory puts them in good shape to climb the ranks as attrition claims other teams above them. This is pretty much everyone’s nightmare. Maybe even for a few OSU fans.

I’m not exactly sure where I stand with that whole ball of wax.

No need to worry about that now, there’s a game to be played tomorrow night. Let’s look at some previews. First, from the other side of the field: A couple previews from Black Shoes Diary, one statistical, one not so much. And just to get things riled up, here are a couple PSU blogger predictions: PSU 24, OSU 21; PSU 30, OSU 24. I think everyone is looking forward to a close, hard-fought game.

Now, a few previews from the good guys’ side of the field. As always, Buckeye Planet has the match-ups and low-down on the game. The O-Zone has the depth chart and Tony Gerdeman’s preview. My paranoia level was pretty high yesterday, but after reading Tony’s preview, my nerves were actually calmed a bit. A couple nuggets:

Penn State has faced three conference opponents who run the ball. Against those three opponents (Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan), they gave up an average of 180 yards rushing. The Buckeyes come into this game with the top rushing attack in conference play, averaging 201 yards rushing per game.

The amazing thing is that those three opponents put up that average while getting blown out. How much better would those numbers have looked had Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan been able to run the ball all four quarters?

That sound you hear? That’s Beanie licking his chops (and sharpening The Stiff Arm of Justice®)

Michigan attacked the Penn State defense by running Steven Threet, but they mainly stayed within the hash marks with him because he didn’t have the speed to get outside. Pryor has the speed to attack Penn State all over the field, but he must do it quickly. Like last week, go forward as quickly as possible and get positive yardage.

Confidence rising.

The QB match-up is interesting for numerous reasons. Clark wanted to come to OSU and Penn State wanted Terrelle Pryor. Clark helped with the recruitment of Pryor. There are other match-ups, but what if it comes down to junior Daryll Clark vs. freshman Terrelle Pryor?

The weather. Does it play a factor?

There’s no need to hype this game anymore. College Gameday will be in Columbus tomorrow. LeBron James will be there. Primetime, Horseshoe, National TV.

Long waits.

Your completely random change of pace link: Baconnaise.

So it’s prediction contest time once again. This week we’re giving away a copy of 100 Things Buckeyes Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die (Available at Triumph Books and Amazon.com)Currently, the line is favoring Penn State 2.5 points. Who you got? (I know the answer, but I have to ask). Which defense rises up to the challenge? Does Ohio State’s defense hold Penn State’s offense to a smaller number than Penn State holds OSU’s?

Let us know! And let us know how you’ll be passing the time waiting for the 8 o’clock kick off.

el Kaiser’s prediction:
OSU: 30
Penn State: 24

Ohio State’s defense wins the battle, but still gives up chunks of yards early.

sportsMonkey’s prediction:
GAH! This is hard hard hard. I am absolutely befuddled about this game. Penn State owns the stats coming in. But they haven’t won a road game against a ranked opponent in six years. Every year there’s supposed to be a “great” matchup, it ends up being an OSU blowout.

The only constant in all these games is that everyone is always surprised at something. So I guess we’re doomed from the outset at trying to make predictions.

One thing is likely: a PSU win would probably put them in position for the BCS title game. OSU would then likely be selected as an at-large for the Rose. A win against Penn State would put OSU in position… to go to the Rose. So OSU won’t have the same pressure that Penn State is going to have, since win or lose, the Rose Bowl is (right now) the likely destination for this team.

Earlier this week, I was planning to pick PSU by 10 points, but as the week has progressed… (I can’t believe I’ve convinced myself of this…)… I’m thinking OSU wins 23-17. Here’s two reasons why:

1. PSU’s (relative) weakness is primarily the rush defense. They’re going against the best rushing attack in college football. The offense has played inconsistent through Beanie’s absence and recovery, but if there’s one shining, awesome fact about Ohio State over the past three seasons, it’s that Beanie plays his best in big games. And they don’t get any bigger than this, in this type of environment (home/night/conference championship on the line).
2. For whatever reason, Tressel seems to have JoePa’s number recently. True, it’s a different year, but the players, coaches, etc. are still the same from the past two years, when OSU cruised to easy victories.

So there you have it. I’m probably wrong, though. But like I said, the one consistent thing about this mini, diet-flavored rivalry (sorry PSU fans) is that the outcome usually surprises us somehow.

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OSU-PENN STATE

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Penn State-Ohio State: What To Expect From Ohio State’s Receivers

The ESPN College GameDay crew heads to Columbus, Ohio on Saturday for the Big Ten showdown between the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions and the No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes. The undefeated Nittany Lions are also ranked third in the BCS Standings, which were released Sunday.

Ohio State enters the game tied with Penn State in the conference (4-0, 7-1 overall) with its lone loss to USC early in September. It has rebounded well following the road loss in Los Angeles with conference wins over current-No. 25 Minnesota, Wisconsin, Purdue, and then-ranked No. 20 Michigan State.

This game will reveal which team is in the driver’s seat in terms of winning the Big Ten championship. Not to mention, both teams have legitimate chances to play for the national championship.

In terms of the visiting Nittany Lions, their “Spread HD” offense has received much recognition thus far this season and has turned this team into a big surprise on the national stage.

Quarterback Darryl Clark leads the explosive offense, which also highlights playmakers Evan Royster at running back and receivers Derrick Williams, Jordan Norwood, and Deon Butler. All of this production is anchored by an offensive line that boasts four seniors.

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes’ offense features freshman sensation Terrelle Pryor at quarterback alongside preseason Heisman-favorite Chris “Beanie” Wells at running back in the backfield.

Much is publicized about each team’s defensive unit as well. Penn State is famously known as “Linebacker U;” the 2008 defensive unit has yet to allow 100 total points. The host Ohio State consistently owns one of the best defenses in the country.

What is not known about this game is how Ohio State’s receivers will be able to contribute. On the same token, not much is known about the Penn State secondary.

What can we expect from this matchup on Saturday?

For Ohio State, the receiving corps is led by senior Brian Robiskie, who leads the team in catches and touchdown receptions. After Wells became healthy following a toe injury, the Buckeye running game was more of the focus.

As a result, Robiskie has caught only two passes in each of the last three games. If the offensive coaching staff chooses to utilize the passing game more on Saturday, look for Robiskie in short-yardage and red-zone situations.

Next in line for the Buckeyes is junior Brian Hartline, who leads the team in receiving yards and yards per catch, and owns Ohio State’s longest reception of the season. Hartline succeeds on long passes down the sidelines and crossing routes over the middle of the field. Expect Penn State to blitz often on Saturday, which could leave both areas open for Pryor to find Hartline.

Other options for Ohio State include wideouts Ray Small and DeVier Posey, who could be utilized for flanker screens because of their speed and explosiveness. Also look for tight ends Rory Nicol and Jake Ballard in terms of play-action and goalline situations.

On the opposite side of the ball in the secondary for the Nittany Lions, it features an all-senior secondary with significant experience. Each player is a collection of speed, size, and power.

At cornerback, Tony Davis and Lydell Sargeant defend the perimeter (both are three-year starters). At safety, Anthony Scirrotto patrols one half of the field and Mark Rubin the other.

(Rubin was featured on College GameDay earlier this season because his claim to fame was he beat olympian Michael Phelps in a swimming match prior to playing football at Penn State.)

In summary, the victor is this battle of units will depend on the extent to which Ohio State wishes to rely on the passing game. The Buckeye receivers are more than capable of running good routes and catching the football. Also capable is the Nittany Lion secondary, which bleeds experience.

Expect Penn State to blitz a lot on defense, which will force its secondary to play primarily man coverage against Ohio State’s receivers. Success for Ohio State hinges on Pryor’s ability to manage the pressure and make smart throws down the field.

If for some reason Penn State chooses not to constantly bring pressure, look for Ohio State’s receivers and tight ends to make contributions to the running game by blocking downfield for Pryor and Wells.

And who knows, maybe they will contribute and even run the ball themselves.

Regardless, expect a great game from both teams that is surrounded by a tremendous atmosphere in Ohio Stadium on Saturday night.

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Buckeyes Crack Top 10 In 3 Polls

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As Ohio State moved up to tenth in both the AP and Coaches’ polls, they were placed in even better position in the season’s first BCS ranking.

The Buckeyes came out ninth in the first Bowl Championship Series ranking this season, and will host third-ranked Penn State for their homecoming match-up this Saturday night.

Beating Penn State would give OSU the inside track at the Big Ten title, while moving the Buckeyes closer to a once seemingly impossible shot at the National Championship.

“We’ve learned, this season especially, not to worry about what people think about us,” senior cornerback Malcolm Jenkins said. “We just want to keep winning games and hopefully win the Big Ten; after that, we can look up and see where we are as far as the rankings.”

At the end of the season, the top-two teams in the BCS rankings will play for the National Championship.

ESPN’s College GameDay will be on campus for Saturday’s big game, which will kick off in the Horseshoe at 8 p.m.

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