Big Ten vs MAC

Lately a hot topic has risen in college football. That is that the MAC is gaining ground or as tough as the Big Ten. Blogger Bill Simonson of The Huge Show on November 10th wrote a blog where he felt the MAC was just as good or better than the Big Ten top to bottom this season.

Simonson says "Tell me any Big Ten coach who would want to face Ball State, Central Michigan or Western Michigan this year."

Honestly who wouldn't want to play them. They may be the top of the MAC but put them against the top of the Big Ten and I'd wager that the Big Ten wins all three. The Big Ten is 9-4 against the MAC this season and Simonson likes to base his arguments on the fact that many MAC teams almost beat a Big Ten opponent. Well those almost wins are what makes the difference between the Big Ten and MAC. Although the MAC teams may hang in games or even have a lead they need to be able to finish games.

If Purdue can beat Central Michigan and Indiana can almost beat them I don't think any other coach is going to be scared to take on the Chippewas so don't even bring them up as a scary team.

But lets take a look at the top team in the MAC Ball State. They are a great team and should dominate the MAC. Congrats they beat Indiana this year. But who else? Absolutely no one worth mentioning. They would get worn down by Ohio State or Penn State and could probably get beat by Michigan State or Iowa as well. Now anything can happen any given day but I would put my bet on the Big Ten.

This whole thing is really not even worth arguing because it is absolutely ridiculous. I guess it just got under my skin because it was so stupid. Congrats MAC you are having some success this year but you aren't going to scare anyone from the Big Ten. Plus the MAC being as good as the Big Ten top to bottom. Are you kidding me? Lets look at the top 11 MAC teams matched up with their equal from the Big Ten.

1.Penn State vs Ball State
2.Ohio State vs Central Michigan
3. Michigan State vs Western Michigan
4. Northwestern vs Buffalo
5. Iowa vs Northern Illinois
6. Minnesota vs Bowling Green
7. Illinois vs Akron
8. Wisconsin vs Temple
9. Michigan vs Kent State
10. Indiana vs Miami(OH)
11. Purdue vs Toledo

I don't know about anyone else from the Big Ten but I'm not really scared by this schedule and I think there's a long ways to go before there is anything close to a shift in power.

Week 12 Picks

Last week I had a pretty solid week considering my previous disasters. Last week I went 4-2 and I was more than happy with that. This weekend could be one of the toughest weeks to pick because there is so much on the line for many teams. Penn State looks to rebound. Ohio State tries to keep a BCS bowl game in its reach while the Illini just try to make a bowl game. Then there is Minnesota trying to stop their losing streak while Wisconsin is also trying to secure a bowl bid. Also does Iowa have a let down following their huge upset of Penn State? All makes for an exciting weekend.

Ohio State at Illinois- The Buckeyes have plenty to play for this weekend. They will be seeking revenge after the Illini beat them a year ago and they still have a solid shot at a BCS bowl game. The Illini have been extremely inconsistent but they have the talent to beat anyone. They also are trying to make a bowl game. Juice Williams usually plays great in big games however, the Illini may be down after their loss last weekend to Western Michigan. I think the Buckeyes have too many weapons and the Illini defense will struggle to stop Pryor and Wells.
Ohio State 28, Illinois 17

Northwestern at Michigan- The Wildcats are already bowl eligible but they need to work to get into a better bowl game. The Wolverines on the other hand are playing for nothing but pride. They appear to have turned a corner last weekend against Minnesota where they finally played a complete game. The offense also seems to have improved as they have been much more consistent in putting points on the board. This will be Michigan's final home game and they will be looking to keep Northwestern from improving their bowl status.
Michigan 24, Northwestern 21

Indiana at Penn State- Not sure what to say about this game besides watch out Indiana. I really feel bad for them. The Nittany Lions return home after a devastating loss that destroyed their national championship hopes. Indiana has looked a little better than they did early on in the season but they just won't be able to stay in this game. Penn State will be highly motivated and look for Daryll Clark to have an explosive day after a very disappointing game against Iowa. Nittany Lions roll in this one.
Penn State 43, Indiana 21

Purdue at Iowa- Joe Tillers final away game will come in Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes will look to have a much better outing than a year ago on senior day. The Hawkeyes were able to pull off an unthinkable upset last weekend and need to make sure they don't come out flat. Iowa's defense has a history of struggling against the spread pass happy attack of Purdue. The Boilermakers on the other hand have had just a terrible season. The Hawkeyes are looking to push themselves into a New Years Day bowl game. I believe the Hawkeyes have a ton of confidence and that can mean only good things for the offense. Ricky Stanzi has to be sky high and then there is the always effective Shonn Greene. Hawkeyes win this time and send the seniors out right.
Iowa 27, Purdue 13

Minnesota at Wisconsin- The Badgers currently have a 5-5 record and are looking to make themselves bowl eligible. The Gophers on the other hand are trying to finish their season strong however, they have struggled without wideout Eric Decker that has been out with an injury. The Badgers know 7 wins will seal a bowl birth and with Cal Poly next week being pretty much a for sure win this game holds a lot of importance in where the Badgers end up come bowl season.
Wisconsin 37, Minnesota 21

Season Record: 37-18

The Great Football Memories

High school football at Joliet Catholic Academy in Joliet, Illinois was probably one of the greatest times of my life. Being on a good team probably made it easy to like but the practices and joking around were right up there with the state championships and all. I decided to ask my friend Chris Clancy who currently plays football for Ball State a few questions about high school and some of his best memories.

First question that came to mind was just how he remembered high school football?

Chris responded....
- "The packed stadium and lights are the things I will always remember."
- "In high school it's so much fun and we were always able to pull off pranks on coach."
- "It seemed more like play than college is I guess."

Second question; what do you miss most about high school football?

Chris......
- "The team. Everyone seemed to get along and just always being with my friends. You get that feel that everyone is together in college but high school everyone gets closer. It's one of those things where in high school you're in class with each other and you always hang out even when football season is over. That's what I'd have to say I miss the most."

Third question; I'm sure there are many good memories but what are some of the best?

Chris.......
- "Well, my favorite is always messing around and listening to Coach Sharp yell "Shit" really loud non stop and then watching him spit when he got really pissed off. Yeah that happened a lot."
- "Winning state junior and senior year I think is one everyone would agree on. Junior year was cool being the first one but going out on top as seniors makes it so much better."
-"I think another great memory from senior year would be getting named captain and then getting to take the stage and receive the state trophy."
-"Sitting on top of the bus through J-town (Joliet) yelling at everyone as we came back home from state and heading back to the school gym for the party."
-"Those would probably be some of my tops along with just having fun at practice every day."
-"Can't forget the pre-game chant either. That always got everyone fired up and was just something that can't be explained but you know what I'm talking about."

Alright so what is something you definitely do not miss?

Chris.....
-"Definitely don't miss the two-a-days in the summer when it was like 100 degrees outside. I guess things aren't too much different now but that's something I'll always not miss."
-"I guess that's it. I'd say getting yelled at by coach but that was pretty funny most of the time."

What's something from high school football you always brag about or still talk about if anything?

Chris....
-"Well having those state championships are something I can say I have that some people don't. I also kind of bring up how we have the most state championships in the state."
-"Just stuff like that because it's fun to talk some smack every once in a while with other guys that brag about their schools."

After that Chris had to get going and he wanted to make sure I put in here that he has a lot to do to make sure they finish undefeated and get in the BCS. I guess I'd have to say that I agree with pretty much everything Chris said about our team and the type of relationship we had. The high school football experience was great and will always be something I'll remember.

Here's a link to the chant/prayer we said before every game. This one is a little different wording just because it was at the pep rally following state. http://joliet.faithsite.com/makewax.asp?UKEY=26955

49ers vs Cards Glog

7:22- It's eight minutes until game time and this NFC West match up features the Card's which are 1st in the division at 5-3 while the 49ers are sitting at 2-6. The game is at Arizona so I'm gonna pick the Card's dominating this game. Well all of the ESPN analysts agree with me so I could be in good shape.

7:30- Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Tony Kornheiser will be calling the action. This is one three man crew that I can actually stand to listen to. Never realized how much Kurt Warner got screwed over in his career until they started talking about it. First St. Louis then NY Giants, and then Arizona tried by drafting Leinart. Leinart just didn't produce enough and now Warner's in charge.

7:34- Got to love Brett Farve's Wrangler jeans commercial. Every time I see that commercial I'm attracted to his gray hair.

7:40- Finally here's the kickoff. The 49ers will receive and Allen Rossum has the ball and he is gone. No one is going to catch him. 49ers up 7-0. So much for my pick I'm about ready to change my mind.

7:43- Lets see Arizona receives and not much excitement there. Here comes the old man Warner. He can still play but he just seems so old.

7:48- Card's drive but couldn't finish the drive and will have to settle for a field goal try. Neil Rackers nails it. 7-3 49ers.

7:51- Back after no exciting commercials. Lets see if the 49ers can pull another miracle. Short kick and the 49ers will take over at their own 19.

7:56- Alright the 49ers just lined up in the Wildcat set with ex-Penn State star Michael Robinson lining up at quarterback. Is this some sort of hot item this year? I swear I've seen it more the past two days than the whole 21 years of my life. Okay I lie I may have seen it but just not as often but it was a thought.

8:05- Issac Bruce. He's another guy that has been around forever. I'm learning so much from this game. I haven't watched the NFL enough to know that so many older guys are still playing. So, since I last posted the Card's yet again couldn't get anything done on offense. I'm getting worried. The 49ers are terrible this year but so is their whole division so who knows how good the Card's are really.

8:18- This game has absolutely nothing going on besides two offense moving a little and then punting. Well it's the end of the first quarter and the score is still 7-3. To save your time here's a recap. The 49ers' Allen Rossum returned the opening kickoff 104 yards for a TD and then on the Card's following possession they kicked a field goal. That's about it, so let's hope for a more exciting rest of the game. 49ers' open the 2nd quarter with the ball on Arizona's 35.

8:23- 49ers TD pass as Shaun Hill tossed a beautiful pass to Josh Morgan. San Fran now up 14-3. My pick continuing to suck. Go figure.

8:30- Well look here. The Card's finally put something together. A quick 4 play drive that lasted 2 min 25 sec. A TD pass from Warner to Boldin from 13 yards out to get the lead back to 4. The score is now 14-10. The Card's just forced a 3 and out and the 49ers are about to punt.

8:42- Arizona is on the drive again. Warner has hit on his last 7 throws and seems to be getting the offense going. This is what I've been expecting throughout this game. Arizona's Hightower fumble's the football and and there is a pile up. The ball is given the to the 49ers but it looked like Hightower was down and this call should be challenged and it is. This should be obvious but I guess you never know. The referee comes back and rules that the runner was down. I was really worried there for a while. Right when things look up for me I thought they were just taken away.

8:50- Two conservative play calls. 2nd and 10 and they call two draws. What a joke. Warner had a much better chance by throwing the football. Rackers lines up for the 33 yard attempt and the kick is good. San Fran 14, Arizona 13. 4:41 left in the half.

9:05- San Francisco is driving again. They now sit at the Arizona 31 with about 1 minute to go in the half. From what little I've seen San Francisco play this year their offense has been able to move the ball a lot better tonight. TD San Franciscon with 29 seconds left in the half. TD pass from Shaun Hill to Vernon Davis. San Fran leads 21-13.

9:10- Arizona runs one pass play and lets the clock run. Halftime. I'd like to reflect on the first half here for a while. What is going on? Arizona's offense has been inconsistent and San Francisco had a few bad drives but other than that they've had no problem. The quarterback change seems to be working out just great for San Francisco as Shaun Hill is 8-17 for 117 yards and 2 TD's. Not too bad for a guy I've never heard of. Is it terrible for me to change my pick at the half? Just kidding. I'm not going to be like that. Arizona is only down 8 and anything can happen. See you when the second half gets started.

9:25- The second half kickoff and Arizona will start with the ball. In the second half I'm looking for Kurt Warner to start playing the way he has all year. Some see him as having a good shot at the MVP this year. He needs to get the offense going because so far the 49ers have been playing much more aggressive football. As I speak Warner is firing the ball around and Arizona is driving.

9:30- The Cardinals face a 4th and 1 from the 5 yard line. TD pass Warner to Fitzgerald. Now that's the way I thought the Cardinals would be playing the whole game. San Fran still leads 21-20 with 11:37 to go in the game.

9:36- Short kickoff again. The Cardinals definitely look scared after the opening kickoff return for a TD. Gives San Fran great starting field position from their 43 yard line.

9:40- Perfect example for why I like college sports more than pro. Hill threw a perfect pass and Vernon Davis got behind the defense. Davis barely reached out his arms to try and catch the ball. He could have at least made a dive at it and he probably would have had a TD. Even if a college player isn't close at least they will dive. Now San Fran faces a 4th a 1 and they will go for the field goal from 41 out and the kick is good. 24-20. The funny thing about that was seeing head coach Mike Singletary and offensive coordinator Mike Martz getting into it as Martz was calling to go for it but didn't get his way. The look on his face when Singletary completely over ruled him.

9:50- Arizona is driving again. Very questionable offensive call gets the Cardinals backed up and not they are just looking to get into field goal range. They call another draw? I can't believe the play calling. They bring out the punter. Arizona needs to start giving themselves a chance and stop calling the draws. Fair catch is called for at about the 49er's 10 yard line.

9:58- Wow a safety lined up offsides to negate an INT return for a TD. Some nice acrobatics however by Antrel Rolle after he thought he had a TD and does a back flip. But wait QB Shaun Hill gets ran into by his guard and he fumbles the ball. Arizona recovers at the 7 yard line and will take over there to start the 4th quarter.

10:08- Arizona does absolutely nothing. The ref's are driving me nuts with all the flags getting overturned. In the meantime Arizona settles for another field goal to make the score 24-23. It's nice to see the ref's ultimately getting the call right but don't throw the flag unless know it happened. Arizona continues to not capitalize and keep settling for field goals.

10:20- Ya know Tony Kornheiser just made an interesting comment that the Cardinals need to win this game to have credibility in this league. Really? I don't know how anyone will give them more credibility for beating a 2-6 team. I think they should just win this game because they are better. Don't worry not much else going on in the game so I'm forced to listen to the announcers talk about things.

10:31- INT by Arizona and they return it to the 5 yard line. Lets see if they can finish this one. 5:00 left in the game. TD pass to Boldin on the bubble screen to give the Cardinals the lead and they will go for two to try for a 7 point lead. Two-point conversion failed and the lead is 5 as Arizona leads 29-24. Plenty of time for San Francisco to come back as there is still 4:16 left.

10:44- Arizona could have had San Fran at 4th and 2 but a stupid late hit gives San Fran a first down and that could cost them the game. Now an offsides as a defensive end jumped before the play. Right now it looks like Arizona is trying to give them the game.

10:50- Too many penalties are now moving the 49ers farther away. As I type the last sentence they get a huge play and now a manageable 3rd and 3. Hill tries a shovel pass and it is picked off by Adrian Wilson. 2:24 to go in the game.

10:53- Two minute warning and the Cardinals face a 3rd and 2 when action continues. Hightower gets stuffed for a 3 yard loss. San Francisco will have good field position with no timeouts and about a minute to go.

10:57- San Francisco gets the ball at Arizona's 42 with 1:06 to go. Hill pass for the first down and out of bounds. 57 seconds to go ball at the 29. Pass to Jason Hill to the 15 yard line and out of bounds again! 1st and 10 from the 15 with 52 seconds to go. Arizona has to protect the sidelines. Another pass to Jason Hill and the ball is at the 1 with 30 seconds ticking. Spike the ball with 20 seconds to go. 2nd and goal from the 1. Time out Arizona.

11:02- Here we go. Run with Gore and he gets tripped up and they spike it with 2 seconds to go. Play is under review to see if Gore went down because of contact. A defender did tag him on the back so the play should stand as called that he was down. San Francisco tries to run the ball on the final play and they don't make it!

11:05- Questionable play call but Arizona escapes with a 29-24 win.

-Kyle

Week 11 Picks

Alright so I'm looking to do much better than last weekend because that was just pathetic. This weekends games look extremely competitive and anything could happen in most of these games. But here we go and I will hope for the best.

Ohio State at Northwestern- This match up between two ranked teams could be close as Northwestern's spread offense attack can give anyone troubles if it is on top of its game. I believe Chris "Beanie" Wells and Terrelle Pryor will be too much for the Wildcat's defense. Northwestern may be able to put points on the board but they will not be able to stop the Buckeyes.
Ohio State 37, Northwestern 24

Purdue at Michigan State- Can Purdue's offense continue where it left off versus Michigan last weekend? That is the big question mark around this game. If they can then they can definitely beat Michigan State. The problem is that last weekend was the only game they did anything. Michigan State is at home and will not look past the Boilermakers as they still have Big Ten Title hopes. Too much Javon Ringer and enough passing by Hoyer to put the Spartans on top.
Michigan State 27, Purdue 17

Wisconsin at Indiana- The Badgers need this win to have bowl hopes. Wisconsin is the much better team but they haven't been able to play up to the expectations. The Badgers should be able to control the game on the ground. Indiana just doesn't have enough weapons to beat Wisconsin.
Wisconsin 35, Indiana 20

Michigan at Minnesota- Can Minnesota rebound after being knocked off by the Wildcats last weekend. Michigan was able to put up the points against Purdue but still fell short. This is a tough pick because Michigan's defense is strong enough to stop Minnesota but will Michigan's offense be able to get things together again. I see the Wolverines knocking off the Gophers as the Michigan defense limits the Gophers.
Michigan 24, Minnesota 17

Illinois at Western Michigan- After last weekend, I wonder if Illinois' defense can keep it going. Also can the offense rebound after doing absolutely nothing last weekend against Iowa. Juice Williams should be able to dominate the Bronco's defense but the defense will need to have another solid showing. Another thing working against the Illini is that they have not been able to put together back to back victories. I think Illinois continues to play better and play a complete game.
Illinois 48, Western Michigan 32

Penn State at Iowa- The Nittany Lions look to continue their quest towards the National Championship. They are coming off a bye week which hasn't been a good thing for Big Ten teams this season. The Nittany Lions have a lot of weapons and this game could be on the shoulders of Penn State's defense. If the Hawkeyes want to pull off the upset they are going to need to shut down the Nittany Lion's offense. The atmosphere in Kinnick Stadium will be electric but not sure if that's enough.
Penn State 28, Iowa 17

Look back at Week 10 Picks

This week absolutely sucked. Go figure I talk of Minnesota getting knocked off and they do when I pick them to win. Illinois' defense finally shows up to play a complete game and knock off Iowa. The only real good thing I had going for me was Central Michigan beating Indiana. Besides that it was an awful week and my first losing record for a week at 2-3. Lets take a look.

Northwestern vs. Minnesota- I thought Northwestern would struggle without Bacher and Sutton. However, the defense stepped their game up and returned an INT for a TD with 12 seconds to go for the win. Backup QB Kafka played good enough to win as he was able to rush for 217 yards and threw for 2 TD's.
My Pick: Minn 27, NW 17 Score: NW 24, Minn 17

Wisconsin at Michigan State- I knew this game would come down to the wire. Like every other game in the Big Ten it came down to the final moments as Michigan State kicked a 44 yard field goal with 7 seconds to go. Ringer struggled to 54 yards and may be slowing down after all of the carries he has piled up early in the year.
My Pick: MSU 24, Wisc 21 Score: MSU 25, Wisc 24

Central Michigan at Indiana- I expected Central Michigan's offense to be too much for Indiana but the game ended up closer than I thought. The game was tight until Central Michigan was finally able to get the W with a TD run in the 4th quarter.
My Pick: CM 35, Indiana 20 Score: CM 37, Indiana 34

Michigan at Purdue- For the way Purdue and Michigan have struggled on the offensive side of the ball I thought this game would come down to defense for sure. However, there was no defense to be found in this game. Purdue looked like the offense I expected to see all year long and this was with their backup QB Justin Siller that was able to throw for 3 TD's and no INT's. Purdue finally wins and snaps a 5 game losing streak.
My Pick: Mich 17, Purdue 10 Score: Purdue 48, Mich 42

Iowa at Illinois- I expected the Iowa defense to be able to limit the Illini offense. The thing I didn't expect was the ability of Illinois' defense to play a complete game. Shonn Greene got his 100 yards but it was nothing to brag about. He was shut down the entire game until late. The turnover bug came back to bite Iowa's offense and once again they can't finish when they get in the red zone. Iowa came back to make it close but Illinois was able to get the victory with a late field goal.
My Pick: Iowa 27, Illinois 17 Score: Illinois 27, Iowa 24

Season Record:33-16

A Look at Penn State

With Penn State coming to Iowa City this weekend many sports analysts say that this could be Penn State's last hurdle before rolling past their remaining opponents. Of course the Hawkeyes will be down after their defeat to the Illini so how long will they be able to hang on in this ball game? It is possible that they upset Penn State if the offense plays better but that could be a big IF. Penn State's defense is much tougher than the Illini's. The only positive is that the Illini have a similar offensive scheme like the Nittany Lions and the Hawkeye defense was able to pretty much shut down the Illini offense besides the final series where Illinois practically walked down the field. However, Penn State does have more playmakers than the Illini.

But what about their remaining opponents Indiana and Michigan State?

I don't think Indiana has a chance because for one they have to travel to Happy Valley. They have been way too inconsistent and there is no way their defense stops the Nittany Lion offense. Daryll Clark and Co. will have their way against Indiana.

Then there is the season finale against Michigan State which is also in Happy Valley. This could be tough with it being the Nittany Lions final home game of the season. They could be one win away from the National Championship and they will be heavily motivated to win. Michigan State however, is a veteran group that could take it to Penn State. If they are able to dominate time of possession with the running of Javon Ringer they have a chance. Hoyer will be forced to make plays but I think if Michigan State is able to pass to set up the run they could hang around for a while. Of course who knows if Michigan State's defense is capable of stopping Penn State's offense at all. Should be interesting.

Who do you think has the best chance of knocking off Penn State if anyone?