B1G Power Rankings- Week 1

September 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Well we have our first week over and done with in the B1G. There were some real high points (Wisconsin, Northwestern, and TTUN). We also had some real low points (Purdue, Iowa, and Nebraska). So lets get to the point of this post and list these bad boys top to bottom based on this weekends games.

1.) Ohio State- Beat Buffalo 40-20. After opening up a big 1st qtr lead of 23-0 and showing a lot of new wrinkles on offense the team went vanilla for 3 qtrs making sure not to show too much of their playbook. The defense played most of the game with 10 new players and played a ton of 1st time players. They gave up 258 yards and 14 points. Not to bad in my opinion. Certainly I hope we see more like the 1st qtr then the last 3 qtrs for the rest of the year.

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Filed Under: B1G Football

B1G Week One Review

September 3, 2013 by 1 Comment

Week one is officially in the books for the B1G Conference. Overall it wasn’t a bad start to the 2013 season, but there were some obvious great spots and weak spots. Let’s get to it.

Indiana 73 Indiana State 35

When this game first started I thought Indiana was going to have another close game with the Sycamores. But then the second quarter started and all doubt was erased. The Hoosiers scored 24 (38 unanswered after the first Indiana State touchdown) and it was 45-7 with a minute to go until halftime. Several players saw the field for the Hoosiers, including 3 different quarterbacks. Nate Sudfeld had the best night among the three, throwing for over 200 yards and four touchdowns. Indiana got a lot of playing time for its backups in this game and the Hoosiers started the season off with a definitive win.

Minnesota 51 UNLV 23

Minnesota got the win, but it wasn’t pretty. In fact it was quite ugly at times for the Golden Gophers. I thought they were going to lose at one point. But then the Minnesota defense and special teams came alive in the second half and saved them from an embarrassing defeat. Only up 16-13 to start the second half, Minnesota’s Marcus Jones returned the third quarter kickoff 98 yards for the touchdown. Later in the quarter Martez Shabazz blocked a Rebel field goal attempt and returned it 51 yards for the score. The Minnesota offense was mediocre throughout and I would be concerned about it if I were a Golden Gopher fan.

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Filed Under: B1G Football

College Football is Finally Here: B1G Preview for the Weekend Ahead

August 30, 2013 by 1 Comment

After many long months of waiting college football season has finally arrived! As much as I love baseball, college football holds a special place in my heart. I especially enjoy watching B1G football.

Every year the B1G is expected to step it up and produce some impressive results on the field, with this year being no different from the rest. Last year the conference was hurt by two of its most illustrious programs, Penn State and Ohio State, being punished with bowl bans. Now that the Buckeyes have served their penalty, high expectations return to Columbus. Ohio State is the consensus favorite to not only win the conference, but run the table and play for it all in Pasadena. As far as the next best team in the B1G? That’s anybody’s guess.

In the Leaders Division Wisconsin lost Montee Ball, but have 10 other Wisconsin-like running backs waiting in the wings (namely James White and Melvin Gordon). Penn State is in year two of their bowl ban and break in two new quarterbacks. Indiana has a lot of starters returning to the team and the pressure is on head coach Kevin Wilson to get the team to a bowl game. Illinois head coach Tim Beckham is already on the hot seat in Champaign, despite the fact that its only his second season with the program. Purdue breaks in new head coach Darrell Hazel (former Buckeye coach) and look to begin rebuilding their program.

In the Legends Division Nebraska has Taylor Martinez return for what feels like his 10th year in the program, but their defense is a huge question mark. Michigan State is the exact opposite of Nebraska. They have a great defense, but four different players competed for the QB position. Northwestern is receiving the most preseason hype in decades, but many are unsure if they can handle the high expectations. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has been getting bashed by the media and fans all offseason and looks to silence the doubters. Minnesota looks to continue to build off their 6-6 season last year and move up the ladder in the conference. And the team up north finally has an actual quarterback again, but do they have enough to be considered an elite team?

Enough chatter, let’s get to the opening week games:

Thursday, August 29

Indiana State @ Indiana – If this was a basketball game taking place in the 70’s, with Larry Bird lacing it up for the Sycamores, I would be pretty psyched about this game. But instead it’s a football game in 2013. Even though I’m not thrilled about this match-up, these two actually played a tight game last season in the opener. Indiana only won 24-17 and only led by a touchdown at halftime also. I expect Indiana to learn from last season and dispatch Indiana State with ease.

UNLV @ Minnesota – This is another non-conference rematch from last season. And it was even closer. Minnesota needed triple overtime to defeat the Rebels, 30-27. Close games like this are what make the B1G look bad. B1G teams aren’t supposed to have close games with teams like UNLV. I hope the Golden Gophers win this game, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is another close game.

Friday, August 30

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B1G Power Rankings- Pre-Season

August 27, 2013 by 2 Comments

Well it is finally here GAME WEEK. After what seems to be par for the norm for OSU fans an extremely long off-season we are at that point where we will see posts about actual football games. This post is to discuss the B1G Power Rankings and I will try to be as unbiased as possible :)…

1.) Ohio State- What can I say about OSU that hasn’t already been said 1000 times? Nothing is the answer. The only team on their schedule that could beat them is themselves. Sure there are a couple of tough games but on paper they are head and shoulders above everyone else.

2.) Nebraska- Nebraska is returning most of their offense from lasts years team. They have great talents at QB, WR, and RB. The OL is corn fed. The defense has to have gotten better then they were the last few years, right?

3.) Northwestern- Pat Fitzgerald is the second best coach in the B1G IMO. He has 2 really good QBs and knows how to use them. Venric Mark is the perfect Scat Back for his offense. They are better on defense then most will admit. Can they take the next step is the biggest question.

4.) Wisconsin- Wisconsin is Wisconsin. They will be starting a veteran QB although he won’t be great. The RBs are STACKED and run 3-4 deep most would start on any other team in the country let alone B1G. Jared Abbrederis is a blue collar WR who will make plays and be under covered. The Defense is an area of concern IMO>

5.) Michigan State- Mark Dantonio is a Tressel coaching descendant. He will play awesome defense and have a good running game. He may have a bit of a QB controversy right now but I think you will see a lot of both QBs early on.

6.) Michigan- Here is the thing for me… I know most will say I am just being an OSU homer and my bias has blinded my judgement. Maybe it has maybe it hasn’t. Truth is They have lost their best defensive player and offensive player from last years team. Jake Ryan is due back but how effective will he be? The WR corp lost its biggest member in Amara Darboh to a foot injury for the year. Hoke signed 11 really high ranked OLmen in the last 2 years and took until today to name all 5 starters and one of them is a walk-on. Devin Gardner has to stay healthy and play even better then he did last year. Stud freshman RB recruit Derrick Green showed up to school and was overweight and out of shape and he is now the 5TH STRING RB. Without Jake Ryan the LBers are less than impressive. The DBs are great on paper and will need to keep performing that way. The DL is good on the ends but the middle has been soft so that needs to change as well. Brady Hoke also needs to get his team to play better on the road.

7.) Indiana- Offensively this team will put up a ton of points on just about everyone. The problem will be and always has been the defense. If they want to move up this list they need to play better defense.

8.) Penn State- Last year PSU played inspired and determined. They lost a lot of senior leadership though and need a lot of young guys to step up and buy into Bill O’Brien’s program.

9.) Iowa- This is most likely Kirk Ferentz last year. The running game will be good and so will the defense. The QB is young and inexperienced.

10.) Purdue- I really hope Darrell Hazell can rebuild the Boilermakers but I think he is a few years away still. He does have some talent though to work with and could surprise some teams for sure.

11.) Minnesota- Jerry Kill needs a miracle and a ton of new players this team needs heck I don’t even know. They need Glen Mason back he seemed to know how to make the Gophers decent and a bowl eligible team.

12.) Illinois- Poor Tim Beckman he should have never taken the job with the Illini. He has 18 year starter Nathan Scheelhaase is this the year he isn’t horrible? They need to play better at every aspect of the game.

I am sure many will have opinions about this so feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section of this post and next week when I do this again I will take them into account or maybe I won’t you never really know with me.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, Ohio State Football
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