Michigan State schedule news, spring game recap

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
Before getting to the Green-White Game, there was some exciting scheduling news Monday for Michigan State fans. 
The school agreed to home-and-home series with both West Virginia (2014-15) and Alabama (2016-17) and extended its contract with longtime rival Notre Dame through the 2025 season. Kudos to athletic director Mark Hollis for making the type…
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Florida, Oklahoma odds on favorites for 2009

The Wiz spotted BodogLife’s updated odds for the college football season. Long story short… it looks like the Gators and Sooners are the early picks, followed by USC, Texas, and Ohio State.

Here’s the complete rundown:

Alabama 22/1
Arizona 100/1
Arizona State 150/1
Arkansas 150/1
Auburn 150/1
Boise State 100/1
Boston College 100/1
California 60/1
Cincinnati 90/1
Clemson 60/1
Colorado 100/1
Florida 7/4
Florida State 30/1
Georgia 50/1
Georgia Tech 50/1
Illinois 80/1
Iowa 75/1
Kansas 75/1
Kansas State 175/1
Kentucky 125/1
Louisville 150/1
LSU 20/1
Maryland 200/1
Miami 35/1
Michigan 120/1
Michigan State 100/1
Missouri 90/1
Nebraska 55/1
North Carolina 45/1
North Carolina State 100/1
Notre Dame 30/1
Ohio State 17/2
Oklahoma 5/1
Oklahoma State 50/1
Oregon 20/1
Oregon State 100/1
Penn State 35/1
Pittsburgh 60/1
Rutgers 125/1
South Carolina 100/1
South Florida 80/1
Tennessee 100/1
Texas 8/1
Texas A&M 150/1
Texas Tech 60/1
UCLA 150/1
Utah 125/1
USC 5/1
Virginia 100/1
Virginia Tech 20/1
Wake Forest 80/1
Washington 200/1
West Virginia 75/1
Wisconsin 100/1
Field (Any Other Team) 20/1

And remember… entertainment purposes only… of course.

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Five Tests for Michigan to Pass in 2009

For Michigan fans, the good news is that the infamous, brutal, and humiliating 2008 season is over. More good news: Rich Rodriguez’s teams have a history of bouncing back in his second season at the helm.

The bad news is that more patience is going to be required before the Wolverines are again a top 10 or even a top 25 team. 

At West Virginia, his team went from 3-8 his first year to 9-4,…
Continue reading at Bleacher Report – Big Ten Football

Michigan Football’s Walk-On Class in Review

We all know that Rich Rodriguez was a walk-on at West Virginia and has a special place in his heart for guys that have to earn a scholarship. Since there has been a lot of news since signing day about Michigan’s preferred walk-on policy, I thought I would list all the walk-ons to date and give you my opinion on who might contribute down the line.

With three scholarships left for this year,…
Continue reading at Bleacher Report – Big Ten Football

Final Grades: A look back at the preseason AP poll

It’s time to pay the piper. Here’s a look back at the 2008 pre-season AP poll contrasted against the final 2008-2009 AP poll.

2008 AP College Football Poll Comparison – Preseason vs Final Poll

TEAM	FINAL RANKING	PRESEASON
Florida	1	5
Utah	2	NR
USC	3	3
Texas	4	11
Oklahoma	6	4
Alabama	6	NR
TCU	NR	NR
Penn State	8	22
Ohio State	9	2
Oregon	10	21
Boise State	11	NR
Texas Tech	12	12
Georgia	13	1
Ole Miss	14	NR
Virginia Tech	15	17
Oklahoma State	16	NR
Cincinnati	17	NR
Oregon State	18	22
Missouri	19	6
Iowa	20	NR
Florida State	21	NR
Georgia Tech	22	NR
West Virginia	23	8
Michigan State	24	NR
BYU	25	16

The big standout poll flops are Georgia (P-1 F-13), Ohio State (P-2 F-10), Missouri (P-6 F-19) and West Virgina (P-8 F-23). And — of course — the teams that never even made it to the final poll, including LSU, Clemson, Auburn and Wisconsin.

The Cinderella stories of Utah, TCU, Boise State, and Alabama surprised pollsters and fans alike. (Outside of Alabama, of course, who always expects the Tide to be #1… and they’re not afraid to tell you about it, as well. Still, I suspect there were more than a couple of surprised Bama fans out there this season when the Crimson Tide rose to the top of the polls.)

The biggest surprise for me was how many of the teams were actually ranked consistently from pre-season to final poll. That shocked me, actually. I have long advocated not doing any polls at all until the fourth week of the season, but there’s enough balance between the good & bad of the pre-season poll to suggest that *some* of the pollsters might actually put some thought into this whole thing.

What stands out to you and where do you stand on pre-season polls — sacrosanct or sacrelidge?

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Recruiting snapshot: Minnesota

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Minnesota marks our final recruiting snapshot for Thursday. Check Friday's blog for snapshots of the five other Big Ten teams. 

Number of recruits: 20

Key needs: Offensive line, defensive back, wide receiver/tight end

Highest-rated player (Scouts Inc.): Moses Alipate (No. 11 nationally among quarterbacks)

The quote: "This year's class is smaller, but the quality of the class is outstanding. We're in a position now where we're building depth and that's a very positive thing for our program. We won't be asking as many of these kids to step in and play and make an immediate impact as freshmen, although some of them will do just that." — Head coach Tim Brewster

Quick take: Minnesota had a greater sense of urgency in last year's class, which made waves nationally and included a whopping seven junior college transfers (very unusual for the Big Ten). This year's group hasn't attracted nearly as much attention, but it didn't really need to. Minnesota added players at the right spots, particularly both defensive back positions. The late signing of cornerback Michael Carter, a West Virginia commit, enhanced a class with one ESPNU 150 prospect (Alipate) and several skill players (running back Hasan Lipscomb, wide receiver Hayo Carpenter) who can make an early impact. After adding recruits from 16 different states in 2008, Minnesota improved its efforts within its borders and brought in some key pieces as it transitions back to being a power run team. 

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Top five signing day story lines in Big Ten

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

National signing day is in the books, and dozens of high school prospects have pledged to Big Ten teams. The Big Ten signed only one Top 25 prospect in Ohio State running back Jaamal Berry, but the league had reason to feel good about many of its recruits.

As we begin to digest the day, here are five key developments from the league.

1. Michigan's profits outweigh losses in return to top — The Wolverines had an eventful signing day, which included a few defections but more key additions, and the end result was a top 15 class that keeps Michigan among the nation's recruiting elite. As expected, Michigan added a second quarterback (Denard Robinson) on signing day and also landed top wide receiver Je'Rel Stokes. Though the team lost two defensive tackle commits, Michigan did well in Florida and seemed to build momentum toward signing day. After the worst season in team history, Michigan responded very well on signing day.

2. Illinois breaks even with East St. Louis wideouts — Rumors had increased leading up to signing day that high school teammates and Illinois commits Terry Hawthorne and Kraig Appleton would sign elsewhere. Turns out, Illinois went 1-1 with the East St. Louis, Ill., products, as it retained Hawthorne but saw Appleton sign with Wisconsin, giving the Badgers a much needed boost at the wide receiver spot. Keeping Hawthorne on board and convincing Justin Green to drop Ohio State for the chance to play running back in Champaign offset several decommitments late in the recruiting process. 

3. Minnesota lands cornerback Carter — The Gophers' 2009 class doesn't rival last year's haul in terms of size and overall talent, but Minnesota reminded the Big Ten that it remains a major player in recruiting by landing cornerback Michael Carter. The Florida native had committed to West Virginia but switched Wednesday to Minnesota, giving the Gophers an impact player in a secondary that made major strides last year with takeaways but still had a long way to go. 

4. Ohio State reaffirms recruiting dominance — The Buckeyes have dominated Big Ten play on the field this decade and continue to do so on the recruiting trail. Despite losing Green to Illinois and not landing wideout Marlon Brown, Ohio State welcomed a top-5 class that easily ranks as the best in the Big Ten. Berry and linebacker Dorian Bell headline a group that includes seven players ranked in the ESPNU 150. 

5. Spartans quietly ink stellar class — There was no drama Wednesday in East Lansing, just the affirmation of an excellent recruiting class that should continue to raise Michigan State's profile under head coach Mark Dantonio. The Spartans brought in a Top 25 class and had no late detractors from a group that addresses needs at offensive line, linebacker and wide receiver/tight end. Dantonio is very high on running backs Edwin Baker and Larry Caper, both of whom will compete for the starting job vacated by All-American Javon Ringer. 

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Appleton spurns Illinois for Badgers

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

It's barely 8 a.m. in the Central time zone, and there's already been a fairly major signing day development in the Big Ten. 

Wide receiver Kraig Appleton of East St. Louis, Mo., has signed with Wisconsin after committing to Illinois in late November. There had been increased rumors that Appleton and his high school teammate, wideout Terry Hawthorne, will head elsewhere after committing to Illini head coach Ron Zook.

But according to the live blog at uwbadgers.com, Appleton sent in his letter to Wisconsin at around 8 a.m. 

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Appleton, ranked as the nation's No. 15 wide receiver by ESPN's Scouts Inc., is a huge find for Wisconsin at a position where it needs help. The Badgers' wideouts dropped too many passes last season, and the departure of former All-American tight end Travis Beckum creates a void in the passing game as the team prepares for yet another quarterback competition this spring.

Illinois, meanwhile, has lost some recruiting momentum in recent days. If the Illini lose Hawthorne as well, it could be a very long day for Zook and his staff. 

In other Big Ten news, Minnesota bolstered its defensive backfield with cornerback Michael Carter, who originally committed to West Virginia before changing his mind. 

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Big Ten recruiting winds blow to the south

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

When Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster checked into his hotel Tuesday morning in Shreveport, La., the woman working at the front desk spotted the Golden Gophers logo on his shirt and smiled. 

"The coach from Michigan just left," she told him. 

Both Minneapolis and Ann Arbor, Mich., are located more than 850 miles from Shreveport, making it an odd place for Brewster and one of his Michigan counterparts to cross paths. But these days, Big Ten coaches are just as likely to bump into one another in Shreveport, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale and Houston as they are in Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Detroit.

When Purdue head coach Danny Hope called ESPN.com on Wednesday afternoon, he was navigating a road near Bay City, Fla. An hour earlier, Wisconsin defensive line coach Charlie Partridge phoned in from the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area. 

The Big Ten recruiting range is expanding far beyond the Midwest, and coaches are spending much of their time in the fertile states of the south and southeast.

"There's certainly great, great players in the Midwest, but just in terms of numbers, all you have to do is look at Division I signing day and the number of kids who play Division I out of this region here," said Partridge, who has recruited the Florida area for Wisconsin, Pitt and Iowa State, among others. "You can come down and get 2-3 kids who can have an impact on your program.

"People are recognizing the value of recruiting down here." 

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Big Ten recruiting roundup

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Ohio State will learn Tuesday whether it will earn the services of standout prep quarterback Tajh Boyd. Defensive end Craig Drummond has, in fact, picked Mississippi after originally committing to Illinois. Iowa had a big weekend recruiting haul, while other Big Ten schools are racking up commits. 

Here's the latest from ESPN Scouts Inc.'s national recruiting director Tom Luginbill. 

ESPNU 150 Craig Drummond picks Rebels over Illini

Craig Drummond, DE

Chicago, IL

Morgan Park H.S.

Scouts Grade: 81

ESPN150 Rank: 99

Position Rank: 7

Defensive end Craig Drummond of Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.), rated No. 7 nationally among defensive ends and No. 99 prospect overall in the Class of 2009, has chosen Mississippi.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Drummond had originally picked Illinois over Wisconsin, but was wavering on his choice.

Among others, Drummond was also offered by Miami-Florida, Tennessee, Ohio State, Southern California, Florida, Michigan State and Minnesota.

Drummond, who was an all-state and all-area selection as a junior after recording 22 sacks, did not play his senior season because of a foot injury.

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ESPNU 150 Tajh Boyd to choose on Tuesday

Tajh Boyd, QB

Hampton, VA

Phoebus H.S.

Scouts Grade: 82

ESPN150 Rank: 59

Position Rank: 5

Tajh Boyd of Phoebus (Hampton, Va.), rated No. 5 among quarterbacks and No. 59 prospect overall in Class 2009, plans to make a final decision among Clemson, Oregon and Ohio State on Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 27).

Among many others, Boyd was also being recruited by Florida State, Boston College, Virginia and Penn State.

Boyd had first committed to West Virginia, but had second thoughts following the Mountaineers' offensive struggles early in the season. He then chose Tennessee, but decommitted following a conversation with newly hired coach Lane Kiffin who warned him that he might not be happy with the Vols' pro-style system.

As a junior, Boyd passed for 2,059 yards and 25 touchdowns, and also rushed for 500 yards and seven scores. He tore his ACL in the third game of his senior season and is set to have surgery next month.

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