Yardbarker: Kellen Lewis

Previewin': Indiana

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:00:11 -0500

via www.indiana.edu Maize n' Brew mercilessly drifts through another preview. This week is going to be a bit preview heavy as we lead into the season. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Indiana Hoosiers. Previously: Illinois, Northwestern, Penn State, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota Explanation and indemnifications found: here As I rush to get these things posted before the season actually starts - woo procrastinating! - this Hoosiers preview may be a...

2009 Opponent Preview: Indiana

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:24:29 -0500

Like always, please let me know if I have anything wrong. School websites aren’t always up-to-date post-spring, and there’s usually at least one thing I’ve missed. Indiana Offense QBs Kellen Lewis, who was without a doubt Indiana’s best quarterback over the past couple years, and probably the best wide receiver and running threat, is gone after several disciplinary [...]

2009 Big Ten Coaches Hot Seat - Part 1

Mon, 04 May 2009 12:36:35 -0500

Ahh, it's that magical time of year again! Time to dust off that old steno pad and see who's been naughty and see who's been nice. Welcome, my friends to the 2009 edition of the Big Ten Coaches Hot Seat! For a fuller, more richer user-experience, we have color-coded the hotness of each coach's seat... Safe for Now: Not getting fired, can have an off-year and still be okay. Needs a Good Year: Not getting fired, but needs to improve from 08. Needs a Great Year: 2009 could...

Links for 2009-04-29

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 02:13:22 -0500

BEILEIN RETURNS CORE; POINT GUARD JOB WIDE OPEN "[Vogrich] will step right in and become the team’s top perimeter shooter from day one. I saw him connect on nine trifectas once last summer." Attn Entrepreneurs: College Logo Breathing Masks someone is going to do this and become as rich as a really rich guy Kellen Lewis is done. QB turned WR now gone from IU; downgrade season projection for Hoosiers from "horrible" to "oh god is that Michigan 2008?" NV SF ...

Thursday Quick Hits: Michigan Adds Another Preferred Walk-On

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:44:50 -0500

Josh Bartelstein, a guard from New Hampshire, is going to be a preferred walk-on at Michigan next season. He joins Eso Akunne, who is also set to walk on to the team.There are still spots open for a tour of the new premium seating at Michigan Stadium. The tour will take place tomorrow afternoon.Kellen Lewis has been kicked off the Indiana football team. He was suspended for all of the spring in 2008 and switched from quarterback to receiver this year.Not that anyone probably cares anymore, bu...

CURIOUS INDEX, 4/9/2009

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:31:42 -0500

Antwaan Randle-Lewis. Student reporting on Indiana’s move of qb Kellen Lewis, their most productive player and best athlete, to wide receiver, where he can line up all over the field, make plays, and watch as his quarterback is sacked in plays he would get out of if he were playing qb. No, we’re not skeptical. [...]

Week 8 Big Ten Preview

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 12:47:07 -0500

My answers to The Daily Gopher's questions went live this morning, so check them out. TDG does a great job promoting a rising team in this conference.

Depending on what happens this weekend, I may be turning my attention to basketball more and more beginning on Monday. This is clearly our final chance to salvage anything out of this season., I am one of the dwindling few that thinks it can happen, let alone believes that it will. It's a damn shame too, because the seniors and Tiller himself deserve better than this. They deserve better, but for the most part it is their own making.

Our own struggles aside, this is likely the weekend where the Big Ten title is decided. Barring some major upsets along the way, the winner of Saturday night's Ohio State-Penn State game will represent the conference in the Rose bowl (or more?). The loser also stands a good chance of going somewhere because of an excellent record and devoted fanbase. That is good for our own fading postseason hopes. I don't want to say they are on life support, but by kickoff of the Ohio State-Penn State game we'll either be in improved condition or they will be calling family members in asking to pull the plug.

#24 Minnesota (6-1, 2-1) at Purdue (2-5, 0-3) Noon, ESPN Classic

The Gophers cracked every top 25 near the bottom this week including the CBS Sports blogpoll. I even had them ranked on my final ballot. That factor along makes me want to pick them by at least a touchdown given our own 0-17 streak. If we win, we not only give ourselves a temporary reprieve on the season, but we finally get that elusive win over a ranked team. Sure, it would be viewed as one of the cheaper wins over ranked team, but none was cheaper than Notre Dame's 2005 win in Ross-Ade over us (yes, we were ranked at kickoff).

Since this game is being played on ESPN Classic it is only fair that we get to use Drew Brees. Brees lit up Minnesota for more than 1,000 yards in his three games against them. He was so dominant that Glen Mason almost personally drove him to New York for the Heisman ceremony as a senior just so he wouldn't have to face him again. Despite a 9-1 record against the Gophers under Tiller, a win would only even the overall series at 31-31-3. It has also been 18 years since the Gophers won in West Lafayette. Unfortunately, that won't be a worry. This will come down to what both teams do best. Minnesota has confidence and doesn't make mistakes. We are not confident, and we make mistakes. Minnesota 31, Purdue 20

#22 Northwestern (6-1, 2-1) at Indiana (2-5, 0-4) Noon, Big Ten Network

Indiana joins Purdue and Michigan as teams at the bottom seeking a final shot at redemption his week. Their game is almost a mirror image to own, but everyone is giving them less of a chance to win. The Hoosiers have been about the only team worse than Purdue this season, so hopefully we can manage to get the bucket back where it belongs on November 22nd. The Hoosier defense has been non-existent and the offense almost as bad. I have a hard time seeing them pull this off.

Northwestern, meanwhile, gets another week to tune up for what could be a huge game with Minnesota next week. Advertisers may not like a Gopher-Wildcat showdown meaning big news in the Big Ten, but fans of parity (like myself) do. Tyrell Sutton should have little trouble getting going here. Northwestern will only struggle if their turnover problems from earlier in the season appear. A healthier Kellen Lewis at least gives Indiana the marginal threat of a running game, but not enough. Northwestern 38, Indiana 17

Illinois (4-3, 2-2) at Wisconsin (3-4, 0-4) Noon, ESPN or ESPN2

As part of our fading postseason hopes, I say go Illini. Part of the formula for a bowl game is getting as many teams in the conference as possible with seven losses so one of the Big Ten bowls has no choice but to take us. Illinois can help in that regard by beating a demoralized Badger team that seems to have given up on its season. If Wisconsin wins, we can likely forget about a bowl no matter what we do anyway because they will get to six wins and be a much more attractive choice.

Unfortunately, Jekyl and Hyde Illinois is in line for a Hyde week. Two weeks ago turnovers cost them an unexpected loss to Minnesota. Last week the Illini could do no wrong against Indiana. It is a matter of which team will show up. Illinois has not been good, especially defensively, away from Champaign. They have gone 0-2 and have surrendered a ton of points. Those games were against Missouri and Penn State though. What Wisconsin does is anyone's guess. I say the Badger finally pull out a close one at home to stop the spiral. Wisconsin 20, Illinois 17

Michigan State (6-2, 3-1) at Michigan (2-5, 1-2) 3:30pm, ABC

This one could be quite delicious to watch. Michgian State is anxious to go into Ann arbor and silence the taunts of "Little Brother". Michigan is probably not going to a bowl game, but short of ruining Ohio State's title hopes at the end of the year they would love to have even more ammo in the "little Brother" debate by beating Michigan State. The Spartans also want to make amends for last week after Ohio State walked into their stadium, pulled their pants down, and spanked them in front of the most excite MSU crowd in years. It was worst than our blackout debacle against the Buckeyes a year ago.

On paper the Spartans should win handily. Crazy things happen in this rivalry though. Michigan State takes it more seriously than Michigan, and that is one of the reasons that "Little Brother" bugs Spartan fans so much. If Michigan pulls the upset I have hope that my tickets for the game up there in two weeks might be worth something. Basically, it is the annual "will Michigan state crumble" test. They passed it last year by crushing us in Ross-Ade, and I think they will pass it this year. Michigan State 30, Michigan 10.

#3 Penn State (8-0, 4-0) at #9 Ohio state (7-1, 4-0)

Abject terror are the words I would use to describe the thought of Terrelle Pryor playing in this conference for at least two more years. After what he did to a motivated Michigan State team in East Lansing last week I am sure I am not alone in thinking that. Ohio State has been at the top of the Big Ten mountain for several years now. If Penn State does not knock them off in Columbus Saturday night they will likely be on top for a long time to come. Even if they do, the Buckeyes won't need a long time to get back.

If this game were in State College I would probably go with Penn State more readily. They are probably playing for more because win also means a clear path to a national championship game. I won't even buy the argument a one loss Georgia team should get ahead of them. If Georgia was that interested in playing for the title ahead of another unbeaten team they should have beaten Alabama (of course, if they beat Alabama in the SEC title game that could be moot). I think Penn State has an edge because they are more balanced one both sides of the ball. I think that gives them an edge, but they won't crush skulls as they have in the eight games to this point. They have the defense to slow the running game and make Pryor throw. Penn State 17, Ohio State 16

Quickie national picks:

#6 Oklahoma State at #1 Texas - one team loses a shot at the national title until there are fewer than two unbeaten teams. Texas is at home, but if OK State pulls an upset it will be huge. Texas 31, Oklahoma State 24

#7 Georgia at #13 LSU - See above, only each team already has one loss and is done at this point. I always go with the home team in the SEC. LSU17, Georgia 13

#8 Texas Tech at #23 Kansas - The Red Raiders play a real team for once, and they get shocked on the road. Kansas 31, Texas Tech 30

Week 6 Big Ten wrap up (with blogpoll ballot)

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:28:47 -0500

Because of some changes in the new blogpoll procedure I am moving the Big Ten wraps up to Sunday nights. This will allow me to do some more research as I'll be at a computer with internet access. Hopefully, this will also improve the quality of the writing.

Second, there will likely be a major announcement about the blogpoll coming tomorrow. Basically, all of us voters are gaining legitimacy through and agency that I can't officially say right now, but it rhymes with PBS and they often have SEC games on Saturday's. It is because of this that I must have the blogpoll preliminary ballot posted by Monday morning at 10am. Also, I'll be posting the final results more regularly as well. It's not like Purdue has to be worried about being in this poll the rest of the season, but it is still fun to follow.

Week 6 Big Ten rankings:

11. (10) Indiana (2-3, 0-2) Result: Minnesota 16, Indiana 7 a?" Indiana moves behind Purdue this week because Purdue at least played a really good team to a two touchdown game. Indiana made Minnesota's defense look to be much more improved than it probably is. Indiana turned it over three times and only had the ball 22 minutes. The running game was virtually non-existent again, and the defense allowed a record day to Eric Decker. Basically, Indiana has taken a major step back. There is simply no excuse for an offense with a player like Kellen Lewis to score just seven points against Minnesota. This is the last game that I expected to be a defensive slugfest. Nearly a quarter of Indiana's yards came on the 77 yard scoring play to Marcus Thigpen.

10. (11) Purdue (2-3, 0-1) Result: Penn State 20, Purdue 6 a?" I don't think we really learned too much yesterday. Honestly, this was one of the dullest games I have ever been to. Purdue could have made quite a game of thing if not for its mistakes. Penn State simply didn't make any costly ones. I guess we should be encouraged that Purdue didn't thoroughly embarrass itself. That really doesn't say much. We now will be replacing our kicker with an unproven true freshman and everyone has given up on Curtis Painter. Two straight road games isn't the recipe to turn things around.

9. (9) Iowa (3-3, 0-2) Result: Michigan State 16, Iowa 13 a?" Iowa did what no one else has been able to do this year: they kept Javon Ringer out of the end zone. Turnovers were once again a problem. Shonn Greene wasn't. His 30 carries for 157 yards against a pretty good defense should give Iowa confidence that it can compete this year. Unfortunately, that makes three straight losses by less than a touchdown. They now face a critical game at Indiana. The Hoosiers have been surprisingly dominant the past two years, but it should be a good game since both teams need a victory.

8. (8) Michigan (2-3, 1-1) Result: Illinois 45, Michigan 20 a?" So much for the defense being the strength of the team. Juice Williams is not particularly known for his throwing ability, but he set a Michigan Stadium opponent records with 431 yards of total offense. The offense itself was better than it has been, but it is still not to the point that it can survive a 500 yard day by an opponent. They basically let a close game get away in the fourth quarter. At least the first quarter was pretty with Michigan leading 14-3. This week's game against Toledo will provide a good chance to work on things.

7. (7) Minnesota (5-1, 1-1) Result: Minnesota 16, Indiana 7 a?" Minnesota has to feel good that a bowl game is definitely in sight. Minnesota probably had the most good happen to it this week. They know they can trust the defense to at least stop someone now. Eric Decker is a big time receiver. The running game is providing plenty of balance. The offense is also keeping other teams off the field with long drives. You cannot discount the play of their special teams either, coming through with three field goals to get the win. One win is all that is needed now to get to a bowl, and they should get it.

6. (6) Northwestern (5-0, 1-0) Result: bye
a?" Northwestern may have benefitted the most this week with Iowa, Purdue, Michigan, and Indiana all losing to help their bowl position. The game against Michigan State this week should be pretty big.

5. (4) Wisconsin (3-2, 0-2) Result: Ohio State 20, Wisconsin 17 a?" I talked at length about Wisconsin may have been the best closing team in the Big Ten after the way it played in the first three games. That clearly isn't the case now, as they have blown two straight leads. The defense has been unable to get a stop when it needed to. They are now out of Big Ten race, and a visit from Penn State won't help things much after this week. At least the last four games on the schedule are the easiest games of anyone to finish on.

4. (2) Michigan State (5-1, 2-0) Result: Michigan State 16, Iowa 13 a?" I think Michigan State had a win over Iowa much like Penn State over us yesterday. They did just enough to pull it off before facing a tougher opponent next week. Sometimes style isn't important as long as you have more points at the end of the game. I would certainly take that with Purdue right now. The Michigan State bloggers are calling it an ugly win, but that is better than no win at all. I only dropped them because the three teams above them had better wins this week.

3. (5) Illinois (3-2, 1-1) Result: Illinois 45, Michigan 20 a?" I am very thankful that we don't play Illinois this year. We have enough trouble as it is with dual threat quarterbacks, and Juice Williams demonstrated he is one of the best. The amazing thing is that Illinois got things done both running and passing. They made a pretty good Michigan defense look awful at home. They now have a pair of games at home against Minnesota and Indiana before traveling to Wisconsin. I wouldn't count them out of the Big ten race yet, but having already lost to Penn State hurts.

2. (3) Ohio State (4-1, 2-0) Result: Ohio State 20, Wisconsin 17 a?" the first test has been passed if they are going to win the conference again. Barring a major upset, only Penn State, Michigan State, and Illinois stand in the way. You never know how tricky the trip to Evanston can be at the end of the year either. I am really impressed by the amount of poise that Pryor is already showing this early in his career. A late drive like that in one of the most hostile night venues in the country is something most 5th year seniors can't lead. Pryor did it with ease.

1. (1) Penn State (6-0, 2-0) Result: Penn State 20, Purdue 6 a?" I don't know how much I would give Penn State's win to its defense. In the kicking game alone we handed them a full touchdown. A fumbled snap could have meant another four as well, since Purdue could have gotten a first down on that play and later a touchdown. Once the Nittany Lions got in front by two scores you felt like it was more than secure with that defense. It was a lot like the Ohio State game last year. I also like how they ground out the clock in the closing minutes to not even give us a chance after we scored. There was still enough time that a small miracle was possible, but we never got the ball again.

Blogpoll ballot:

There isn't much change at the top as all the top teams kept on winning. Among the more impressive teams were Texas Tech and USC who each won in games that could have been major challenges. I feel like North Carolina is a team on the rise while I would love to see Vanderbilt keep stealing games in the SEC. Maybe it's the colors, but I have forgotten what it is like to see a team wearing black and gold knock off a ranked team. Feel free to comment in the comments section (and yes, Jack, I would have moved UConn in had they beaten North Carolina).

RankTeamDelta 1 Oklahoma -- 2 Alabama -- 3 LSU -- 4 Texas -- 5 Missouri -- 6 Penn State -- 7 Texas Tech 1 8 Georgia 1 9 Southern Cal -- 10 Brigham Young -- 11 Florida 1 12 Utah 1 13 Vanderbilt 8 14 Ohio State 2 15 Boise State 3 16 Michigan State 4 17 Oklahoma State 9 18 Auburn 7 19 Virginia Tech 7 20 South Florida 6 21 Kansas 4 22 Ball State 1 23 Wisconsin 8 24 Northwestern -- 25 North Carolina 1
Dropped Out: Oregon (#19), Wake Forest (#22), Oregon State (#25).

Week 5 Big Ten Wrap

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:26:33 -0500

I will begin with my one Purdue positive this week. I felt that the Boilers could potentially have a 10 win season this year. The talent was there. There weren't any overwhelming games outside of a trip to Ohio State. The defense seemed to be improved enough to give an "improved" Curtis Painter a chance in every game. We must not lose heart because if that 10 win seasons till happens, however unlikely it is, we will be playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day. Wisconsin and Illinois, our two Big Ten no plays, already have a conference loss. To reach 10 wins we would have to go 8-0 in conference play, making us the undisputed champion.

Of course, that is not going to happen. I don't even give it a realistic shot of happening unless we drastically turn things around and pull a pair of upsets the next two weeks. Five things need to happen before we can dream of championships again, and pulling five wins out of the rest of the season for a bowl appearance would necessitate about three of these things.

1. Fire Brock Spack a?" I can understand one year of a bad defense after that great one of 2003 sent numerous players to the NFL. That should have happened in 2004. That defense was actually pretty good. It was not the impetus behind that season's slide, and it even came up with several big stops. Since 2005, the defense has been non-existent. To me, it is not a lack of talent (except in one area), but a lack of coaching. We simply refuse to believe that in game adjustments are even legal, let alone consider making them. A prime example, other than Saturday's game, was Michigan State's Devin Thomas catching slant pass after slant pass against us last season on third down. If I, a random blogger who never played a down of organized football in his life (I was always a basketball player) can recognize this need for adjustments it has to be a glaring issue.

2. Concentrate on recruiting real linebackers a?" Right now we have one serviceable healthy linebacker, and that is Anthony Heygood. Even he is a converted fullback. He's a good player, but imagine how good he would be if this wasn't just the second year he has ever played the position. Getting Jason Werner back will help, but this has been the overwhelming glaring weakness for us since Niko, Landon, and Gilbert left for the NFL. I think our line and our secondary are fine, but without good linebackers we're essentially playing 8 on 11. No matter who is D-coordinator we will struggle until this is fixed.

3. Realize that other teams make adjustments and we're allowed to counteradjust a?" The game of football is incredibly fluid. What works one moment will not work the next. This is true on both sides of the ball. Our coaching staff for too long on both sides of the ball has been WAAAAYYY too rigid. Another example: In Tiller's first season we ran the bubble screen and it freaked people out. Not more than two years later a no-name linebacker for Central Michigan jumped on the play and returned it untouched for a touchdown. Other teams learn right now, we don't.

4. Attack another team's weakness a?" This may be the most maddening of all. Notre Dame cannot stop the run. We ran 17 times against them against 55 passes. Only once in almost every six plays did we actually attack a team's weakness. The rest of the time we banged our heads against their strength, trying to break through. Running the ball (without the blasted no huddle) keeps the clock moving, keeps the ball out of the other team's hands, and keeps our own weakness, the defense, off the field. It's a strength this year, so let's freakin' use it! The same is true defensively, where we knew going in that if we blitzed Clausen he had a tendency to make mistake. Sure we may not sack him, but we might get incompletions or interceptions. Part of this is because we have linebackers that are so weak, but we still rely too much on getting pressure from just four guys. They cannot rush the quarterback and help the linebackers contain the run at the same time. It becomes a guessing game there, and we often lose.
5. Don't panic a?" We are acting like John L. Smith's teams at Michigan State when we go el foldo after a disappointing play. We showed some resiliency Saturday by coming down the field after the pick six and scoring, but once Notre Dame rolled down the field in the second half it was over. One might even say the missed field goal in the first quarter was the impetus behind that. Imagine if we make that kick, then score after not throwing the pick six. Suddenly we're up 17-0 on the road. We cannot make mistakes, whenever they happen, affect us so dramatically anymore.

Simply put, it is up to coach Hope to fix these things. Only one involves personnel too.

At least the Cubs might win the World Series

Week 5 Big Ten rankings

11. (9) Purdue (2-2) Result: Notre Dame 38, Purdue 21 a?" And this is where we will stay until I am proven otherwise. Even Indiana put up a fight this weekend after falling behind Michigan State. The only thing that pulls us out of this ranking the next two weeks is an upset of the Nittany Lions or Buckeyes. That erases one of our losses.

10. (10) Indiana (2-2, 0-1) Result: Michigan State 42, Indiana 29 a?" I guess at this point I should say how every team ranked ahead of us would beat us. Well, with Indiana it is simple. They had a running game about as bad as Notre Dame a season ago and we refused to adjust to a simple halfback draw. This allowed Marcus Thigpen to gash us like Gale Sayers. Kellen Lewis is dangerous too, so we can forget tackling him. He is a better runner than LeFevour. Indiana doesn't have much of a defense this year, but their offense will win some games.

9. (8) Iowa (3-2, 0-1) Result: Northwestern 22, Iowa 17 a?" noted Iowa blog Black Heart Gold Pants said that Northwestern is the worst 5-0 team in college football history, but what does that make the Hawkeyes after losing to them? I can't see why we would lose to the Hawkeyes, except for the fact that we always play terribly in Iowa City. I'll be in Miami that weekend, anyway.

8. (11) Michigan (2-2, 1-0) Result: Michigan 27, Wisconsin 25 a?" I was very impressed by the way Michigan got off the mat Saturday. The offensive numbers weren't eye-popping and they were helped out by a huge pick six from the defense, but Threet as a running threat paid huge dividends. As they continue to improve, I will be proven more and more wrong about them.

7. (6) Minnesota (4-1, 0-1) Result: Ohio State 34, Minnesota 21 a?" I find it incredibly sad that Minnesota went on the road and played a better game in the 'shoe this week than we did at home with a better team against the Buckeyes a year ago. DeLeon Eskridge made some hard yards on Saturday. He is a good back for them to build a rushing offense around and the passing offense isn't too bad either.

6. (7) Northwestern (5-0, 1-0) Result: Northwestern 22, Iowa 17 a?" The curse of the pink locker room is broken? Iowa simply handed the game over with five turnovers and 19 unanswered points. The Wildcats might want to worry about their kicking game, as a missed PAT nearly cost them. They get a week off to host Michigan State in what should be a very interesting game. If they get past that a 9-0 start suddenly becomes realistic.

5. (5) Illinois (2-2, 0-1) Result: Penn State 38, Illinois 24 a?" I am still not quite sure what to make of the Illini. I watched a good portion of the Penn State game and they seem wildly inconsistent. One moment they look like they can do no wrong, the next they are getting burned by speedy receivers and can't move the ball themselves. The game with Michigan should be very good in terms of positioning for the bowls.

4. (1) Wisconsin (4-1, 0-1) Result: Michigan 27, Wisconsin 25 a?" Wisconsin choked. That's the only plausible explanation for blowing a 19 point second half lead. Wisconsin dominated nearly every statistical category, yet turned the ball over four times to negate Michigan's five mistakes. Their loss was a lot like ours to Oregon in that they had several chances to put the game away, but couldn't take advantage. Credit then goes to the Michigan defense.

3. (4) Ohio State (4-1, 1-0) Result: Ohio State 34, Minnesota 21 a?" I think the optimist in me has totally been burned away. Before Saturday, I was actually thinking Purdue had a chance of going to Columbus and winning. Even as Minnesota didn't get totally blown out I thought that. Now, I expect nothing less than the next game in which we roll over and die after playing unexpectedly close against Penn State this week. Excuse me while I break something.

2. (3) Michigan State (4-1, 1-0) Result: Michigan State 42, Indiana 29 a?" Jevon Ringer's worst game this season came in Michigan State's only loss at California. Even then, he had over 80 yards rushing and a pair of scores. Right now he is the conference's most legitimate Heisman candidate. If he stays healthy he will also be sleeping on a pile of money with many beautiful ladies at this time next year.

1. (2) Penn State (5-0, 1-0) Result: Penn State 38, Illinois 24 a?" The Nittany Lions are now a top ten team. They are the only team from the conference that has a somewhat realistic shot at the national championship. If true chaos were to reign, the Boilers would somehow bottle the magic from the great 1999 Michigan State game and pull off a huge upset this Saturday. The more likely of scenarios is that this team will play out of its mind for three quarters, suck me in again, then crush my heart, leaving me to drive back to Indianapolis and watch the tape of Miami-Florida State we'll have in silence that evening as I write another tirade and wait for basketball season.

Blogpoll ballot:

There is some big news brewing in regards to the blogpoll. It is news that I can't publish at the moment, but it will mean a lot more exposure for Off the Tracks. It was some very good news to hear today as today was also my grandmother's funeral. There were a huge number of changes to this week's ballot because of the number of upsets. My preseason tirade against Nick Saban and Alabama makes me look like a complete idiot, but I can accept that. After all, I predicted Purdue could win 10 games this year. Here is this week's preliminary ballot. Feel free to comment in the comments.

RankTeamDelta 1 Oklahoma 2 2 Alabama 11 3 LSU 1 4 Texas 2 5 Missouri 2 6 Penn State 5 7 Georgia 5 8 Texas Tech 1 9 Southern Cal 8 10 Brigham Young -- 11 Auburn 1 12 Florida 7 13 Utah 1 14 South Florida 2 15 Wisconsin 7 16 Ohio State 2 17 Kansas -- 18 Boise State 1 19 Oregon 4 20 Michigan State 2 21 Vanderbilt 5 22 Wake Forest 7 23 Ball State 2 24 Northwestern 2 25 Oregon State 1
Dropped Out: TCU (#20), Clemson (#21), Miami (Florida) (#24).

Big Ten week 2 review (with blogpoll)

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:54:20 -0500

This week was a very good week for the Big Ten. If you picked a Big Ten team to win, you were right. Sure, a number of teams didn't exactly impress much in said wins, but each team is now assured of not having a winless season. Because I picked Minnesota to lose I lost my perfect record in the Big Ten Bloggers' pick 'em contest, but I am still comfortably in first place.

This was also a good weekend to check out the rest of Purdue's competition. All three of our remaining non-conference opponents were in action. I'll talk about them a bit after I work my way through the conference. Also, while I'll be posting this week's blogpoll ballot for critique, the power rankings will be officially on hold until the week before the conference season starts. This allows me to get a better handle on all 11 teams since people like Indiana, Purdue, and Iowa haven't really played anyone yet.

Minnesota 42, Bowling Green 17 ? I wanted to start with the Gophers because they had probably the most impressive week of anyone based solely on their expectations coming in. I picked them to lose because of how well both teams performed in week 1. Instead, the Gophers thumped a team in their house that had beaten them in Minneapolis a year before. If Minnesota can get past Florida Atlantic at home, another team that beat them a year ago, they will likely have a 4-0 non-conference record. That makes them a bowl threat with just a couple of conference wins. Next up is a perceived layup against Montana State.

Penn State 45, Oregon State ? The injuries on the defensive side of the ball are not slowing them down so far. The Nittany Lions dominated at home for the second straight week, all but assuring their own 4-0 non-conference record. Oregon State was supposed to be a sleeper team in the Pac-10. They need to wake up. Evan Royster, with 141 yards and three touchdowns, is beginning to look like a pretty good back for the Lions. This will most likely be our most difficult home conference game. Penn State now has one of the easiest BCS opponents in all the land with a trip to Syracuse.

Wisconsin 51, Marshall 14 ? They kept showing this one on the scoreboard and it looked like Marshall was going to put quite a scare into the Badgers. The Wisconsin ran off an astounding 51 unanswered points. Akron had a similar fate last week with a fast start before Wisconsin dominated the second half. It certainly looks like if the Badgers are going to lose a team will have to put them away early. In the second half of both games they have outscored opponents 55-7. They may be the best closing team in the conference right now. A little bit of everyone is contributing, but it will be interesting to see how they handle a tricky trip to Fresno State.

Iowa 42, Florida International 0 ? The Hawkeyes got another big win with a dual?headed monster at quarterback, but both must be viewed with the competition in perspective. Maine is terrible and FIU might be even worse. Things get much tougher this week with their annual struggle with Iowa State before a trip to Pittsburgh. Until I see how Iowa performs in both I have to give them a grade of incomplete. They have taken a step forward in a sense that the offense is running smoothly against inferior opponents. That wasn't the case a season ago.

Indiana 45, Murray State 3 ? The Hoosiers are 2-0 for the fifth straight season. They have never been able to boast such a streak, though the most difficult opponent they have faced in these ten games is the same Oregon team we face this week. They also have to be pleased that they received production from the ground game other than Kellen Lewis. There is little question that the Hoosiers are much better than in the past. They are annihilating teams they should annihilate. Next up is a bye before a home game against a pretty good Ball State team that knows it can compete with the Hoosiers. The Cardinals have never beaten a BCS conference foe, but have come close several times lately.

Illinois 47, Eastern Illinois 21 ? I loved the throwback uniforms that the Illini wore on Saturday. They re-dedicated Memorial Stadium after the renovations were complete in style with a big win. I sure hope they took care of the concourse size and restroom problems, as it was the worst of the seven Big Ten stadiums I have visited. While this was never in doubt, the Illini have to be concerned about their defense. Giving up a ton of points to Missouri is one thing, but 21 points to a 1-AA team we shut down last year? They can do better.

Michigan State 42, Eastern Michigan 10 ? I said that Michigan State needed to work on its running game and defense in last week's preview. Please place a checkmark next to both. Javon Ringer is already in midseason form with more than 200 yards and seven touchdowns on the year. If he keeps up those numbers Michigan State will have a very successful season. A Florida Atlantic team that can throw a bit is next and should provide another good test for the defense before Jimmy Montana comes to town.

Purdue 42, Northern Colorado 10 ? It was far from an unmitigated disaster, but the Boilers still showed a lot of room for improvement. After had a fairly healthy camp we ended up missing 40% of our offensive line and maybe our best linebacker were hurt. Three key defensive players sat out with suspensions that were expected to play. Brian Waggener showed why he was a Florida recruit too. Just because he transferred doesn't mean he can't play ball. All of those players should be back against the Ducks, and I have a suspicion that, at least as far as the injuries go, they were held out as a precaution. Purdue also maintains an incomplete grade.

Northwestern 24, Duke 20 ? Much was made about how Northwestern almost lost to Duke again. The Blue Devils had a game-winning touchdown called back on a penalty and gained nearly 500 yards in the loss. The most important figure is still the score. Northwestern is not going to play for the national championship. Their goal is a bowl game and the fact they won places them a step closer to that goal. Facing Ohio this week suddenly looks a lot tougher after the Bobcats went into the 'shoe and fought the Buckeyes hard.

Michigan 16, Miami (OH) 6 ? I've received a lot of comments about being an anti-Michigan blog lately. I do not hate Michigan. Far from it, in fact. I respect the Wolverines as one of the greatest college programs in the nation. Unlike other great programs of the past, Michigan is still relevant to the modern college football world. All I have done is raise some honest questions instead of bowing in awe before this mystical force that is the Rich Rodriguez spread offense. So far, those questions have not been answered. The Wolverines struggled again this week, but still got the W. They will get better each week, but until that offense can really get going even bad teams will have a shot at them.

That being said, I will definitely be a Michigan fan this week.

Ohio State 26, Ohio 14 ? The Buckeyes are way too talented for one player to make that much of a difference. Unless they were holding back a lot in Milton Berle fashion the Buckeyes must play a whole lot better against USC. I don't even think it was so much a case of Ohio State winning the game as Ohio losing it. In the future, I think Ohio state should make any game with an in-state opponent (since they haven't lost such a game since 1921) be a game for the THE in THE Ohio State University. Can we make this happen?

Notre Dame 21, San Diego State 13 ? I think I will leave most of the scathing rhetoric on the Irish to my friend J Money over at Boiled Sports. San Diego State was mere inches (and some would say they got those inches) from putting this game away at 20-7 with a fourth quarter touchdown. I'll give the Irish credit for maintaining their composure to come back and win this, but they still struggled against a team that got dominated by a 1-AA team just a week ago. What's going to happen when they face a good defense or a good offense that can take advantage of all those mistakes? They could change my mind by beating Michigan this week (who has a much better defense), but as of right now I don't think Notre Dame is much better. CFN and ESPN have to be smoking a big fat bag of crack if they think Notre Dame is worthy of a New Year's Day Bowl on anything but name recognition alone.

Oregon 66, Utah State 24 ? The Aggies are one of the worst 1-A teams in the country, but good criminy the Ducks looked good in smoking them. The running game had over 400 yards and seven touchdowns. Instead of one guy in Johnathan Stewart we get to stop two great backs in Jeremiah Johnson and LaGarrette Blount. Oregon now has the best offense in the country yardage ?wise.

Eeeep.

To have any chance at winning this week we have to slow down their running game, not bite on their fakes, and make them throw the ball. We will get multiple looks at both running back and quarterback, meaning we have to be totally alert defensively. I have a bad feeling about this now.

Georgia 56, Central Michigan 17 ? Had the Chips played a better game in Athens I would be very concerned. Central Michigan continued its regular season tendency of getting blown up by non-MAC teams, however. This is still a dangerous game in two weeks and must be treated as a must win game. Assuming a loss to Oregon (which is looking more and more likely) we cannot afford to lose a game to them.

Blogpoll ballot:

There are not a ton of changes this week as there weren't many upsets outside of East Carolina over West Virginia. Though the Hurricanes fell at Florida Saturday night, I was impressed that they played a very good game for three quarters before running out of gas. They didn't roll over and die like they did so many times last year, sot hey are turning a corner. Feel free to discuss the poll here before I finalize the ballot late tomorrow night.

Also, there will be dual roundtables on Wednesday before a Thursday Oregon preview and Friday Big Ten preview. Somewhere in there I may be interacting with the Oregon blog Addicted to Quack once again.

RankTeamDelta1Southern Cal-- 2Georgia 1 3Florida 3 4Oklahoma-- 5Missouri-- 6Ohio State 4 7LSU-- 8Auburn-- 9Texas-- 10Wisconsin 1 11Penn State 2 12Kansas-- 13Texas Tech 2 14Alabama-- 15East Carolina 11 16Oregon-- 17Arizona State 2 18South Florida-- 19Utah 2 20Fresno State 2 21California 3 22Wake Forest 2 23West Virginia 13 24UCLA 2 25Brigham Young 8
Dropped Out: South Carolina (#23), Miami (Florida) (#25).

Big Ten week 1 wrap-up

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:27:01 -0500

After seeing yesterday's college football results I realize that I should probably stick to covering the Big Ten. At the end of the week's preview I went on a diatribe about Alabama, and specifically coach Nick Saban, being overrated. The Crimson Tide crushed Clemson, and officially shut me up from saying anything about the man again.

As far as the Big Ten goes, Things went almost exactly as planned. Only Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois went down to defeat. Those were defeats that were somewhat expected, even mildly in Michigan's case. The other seven games were the blowouts that we expected.Teams that weren't supposed to have problems with their opponents did not. Teams that were expected to have some problems did. The glaring exception was Minnesota, which pulled out its game, but will likely continue to have defensive issues. Perhaps the worst thing is that The Big Ten went 0-2 in its biggest games this week, further weakening the stature of the conference at large.

There's no real change in the power rankings this week. This is mostly because there isn't enough evidence yet to necessitate a change. There will be after next week when there are some better games and Purdue finally joins the party. What follows is a quick wrap up of each team in order of its original ranking.

Ohio State 43, Youngstown State 0 ? The goal of these games is obviously just to keep everyone healthy. Ohio State probably was not going to lose unless it committed about 15 turnovers and generally played the worst game in its history. As a result, they simply wanted to avoid injury. Since the story of the game was Beanie Wells getting hurt that is a fail.

Wells looked impressive from what little he played, but if it is indeed turf toe/Lisfranc/a sprain it is the kind of nagging injury that can derail a season. The Buckeyes face another near certain win this week, so it may be best to rest him before the showdown with USC (which looked awfully good on the road against a team with a pulse). Like many games yesterday, this one simply went as expected aside from Wells' injury.

Wisconsin 38, Akron 17 ? This was likely a little too close for comfort with it only being 17-10 at the half. As we were driving toward Wrigley Field yesterday (a small benefit of Purdue not playing, I must say) my wife was checking scores and I was surprised to see it so close in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin's depth, experience, and talent took over in this one and made it the expected margin by the end.

Akron had no answer for P.J. Hill. That's not a surprise considering that few teams will have an answer for him this season. The running game as a whole generated 404 yards. That's just a staggering number. 75 passing yards from Allan Evridge is far from a concern if they can keep putting up numbers like that, but more balance will be necessary. Still, if a team can find a way to slow down Wisconsin on the ground they have a chance. I am incredibly thankful that is a question we won't have to answer until 2009.

California 38, Michigan State 31 ? I am not surprised that Michigan State lost. It's hard to begin the season with such a long road trip. Traditionally Big Ten teams struggle when they go on the road to face the Pac-10 early in the season. The last time I think a Big Ten team won such a game was our win at Arizona in 2005 and Ohio State at Washington last year. What is a concern is that Javon Ringer and the vaunted running game did so little. Ringer did find the end zone twice, but had to work hard for his 81 yards with 27 carries.

Brian Hoyer also had the type of game that fans hate to see: a ton of passing yards but not a lot of production. Of course, two of those drives were ended by Ringer TD runs, so it wasn't a total wash. Spartan fans have to be concerned that the defense gave up a lead early and just couldn't quite get the one stop it needed to turn things around. Cal did a good job of keeping the lead comfortable throughout. Michigan State is one of the conference's best teams, but they still have a couple of steps to go.

Penn State 66, Coastal Carolina 10 ? Everyone expected a blowout, but probably not of this caliber. Everyone got in on the act for the Nittany Lions, including a peanut vendor, a Make-a-Wish Foundation kid, and four cheerleaders if you look at the box score. Like Ohio State's win, it's hard to take much else from this one because of the margin. At least for a week Paterno pulls even with Bowden in the battle to see who blinks first. Since Florida State has not one, but two 1-AA opponents this year I think it is an unfair advantage.

Purdue 457, Dreaded Bye Week 3 ? We had another good scrimmage on Friday afternoon. Coach Tiller also seems to think the defense will be very good. I agree with him, but because Northern Colorado is quite punchless I don't expect to find out for myself for another two weeks when Oregon comes to town.

Speaking of Oregon, once we got settled into our hotel last night I was able to watch a good portion of their game against Washington. The first thing of note was that Justin Roper did not play much at all after getting banged up in the first half. Washington had it close for awhile, but they were unable to offer any protection for Jake Locker against Oregon's pass rush. Three quarterbacks ended up playing, and all three are dangerous on the ground. Running back Jeremiah Johnson looked especially imposing with 124 yards and two scores.

This was a close game (14-10 at the half) that Washington let get away late with 30 unanswered points in the second half. I don't know if it was a case of Oregon being that good, or Washington's defense being that bad. Honestly, it was probably a little of both. The Duck defense did a very good job of containing Locker, but he doesn't have as many weapons as Painter. They face a meek Utah State team next week, so they won't have another good opponent until they face us. We'll need to be ready to face multiple speedy quarterbacks.

Northwestern 30, Syracuse 10 ? The Wildcats passed their toughest test of the non-conference season, but that is not saying much. Their preseason schedule makes Indiana's seem rough. At least the Hoosiers are playing two really good MAC teams. Northwestern has four godawful teams to open against. The Wildcats actually trailed in the second half of this one, but went to the ground game like Wisconsin to dominate behind Tyrell Sutton.

Getting Sutton to the 100 yard mark in each game will be critical to Northwestern's success. If he does that, the Wildcats have the balance that good teams need in order to win. Look at Michigan State this week. They had over 300 yards passing but didn't hit 100 yards rushing and lost. If you can generate about even numbers in each phase of the game it makes things much easier. Northwestern did that yesterday and won comfortably.

Missouri 52, Illinois 42 ? The Illini are clearly not ready, at least nationally. They have an offense that can do a little bit of everything, but their much talked-about defense didn't even slow down Chase Daniel. If you have a good defense you should at least be able to force a Heisman candidate like Daniel work for his yardage. Illinois did not do so. For good measure they also surrendered a kickoff and interception returns for scores.

Missouri achieved the balance mentioned above and won going away. Illinois only gained 17 fewer yards, but barely gained anything on the ground by comparison. A ton of passing yards don't equal wins. Just ask Drew Brees in against Wisconsin in 1998 and Brady Quinn against Purdue in 2004. Illinois' defense failed it on this day.

Utah 25, Michigan 23 ? I found this very interesting perspective on the Utah-Michigan game through CFN. Essentially, it states that Most of Michigan's points came off of mistakes that Utah made. They are the types of mistakes that Michigan won't get, at least in terms of total volume, the rest of the year. Teams will play sharper as the season goes on. The Big Ten is also better than the Mountain West, meaning better athletes will also factor in.

I still like Michigan to win their other three non-conference games. Despite everything, the Wolverines do not lose games against the MAC. That means Toledo and Miami should be wins. I still also favor them against Notre Dame, though it could be as big of a cripple fight as last year. I can't help but think the Wolverines will have trouble, however, when they meet the better defenses of the Big Ten.

Indiana 31, Western Kentucky 13 ? I know it was only a game against a team that's not quite Division 1-A, but Kellen Lewis looked awfully good yesterday. Like Antwaan Randle El a few years ago, the Hoosiers are a much better, and more dangerous, team than they have been in a long time. I refuse to join my Purdue brethren that continues to cut them down. This is a good football team that can use this season to springboard into a very promising future. If we're not careful, they will pass us.

Indiana has taken that critical next step where it is learning to dominate the games they should win. It used to be they would struggle somewhat, but still beat these types of opponents. Now they are learning to take care of business early, which is a very necessary skill if you're going to become a good football team. They still must develop a ground game outside of Lewis, but if they do they will be dangerous.

Minnesota 31, Northern Illinois 27 ? I was surprised that Minnesota had so much trouble with the Huskies, but the 10 game losing streak is at least officially history. They cannot be happy that Bowling Green took out a ranked Pittsburgh team on the road, but I am sure Gopher fans are happy to have any win after last season.

Still, the story was the same. The defense gave up an alarming number of big plays to an opponent that is nowhere near the talent level that the Gophers will face the rest of the year. Northern Illinois scored three touchdowns from farther than 50 yards. Two of those came as Minnesota already held a lead, a rarity in itself from last year. This is not a good sign for the future of the season.

Iowa 46, Maine 3 ? This is another incomplete game, as any marginally good Big Ten team should beat a 1-AA opponent by a similar margin. Iowa continues to do what I hate, and that is not settle on a quarterback and stick with him. The dual quarterback system, unless you're Florida, NEVER works. You might win a few games with it, but in the end it is more likely that you won't have a ton of success. Nothing really stands out from this one.

Since this is another team that has the perfect schedule to build some confidence. Florida International will provide better competition next week, but not a lot better. We likely won't have a full handle on iow until the end of the non-conference season.

College Football Punchlines: Is Michigan State's Football Program More Stable Right Now Than Michigan's?

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:27:10 -0500

Sean Glennon will start at QB for Virginia Tech and it is possible that as a result the Hokies could redshirt Tyrod Taylor. Should they do that? (Washington Post)

The other day we learned that FSU tapes their practices. Today we read five things you might not know about the 'Noles. (Tampa Trib)

Will the Big Ten ever expand? Some candidates for that 12th team could include Rutgers, Boston College, and Notre Dame. (Post-Gazette)

Oh don't get it twisted, UCLA will beat Tennessee, and here is how. (OC Register)

Can David Cutcliffe put Duke football on the map? He certainly has them believing that. (Tennessean)

Minnesota went 1-11 last season. They promptly lowered their academic standards while recruiting this year's frosh class. (Star Tribune)

Florida lineman returns for his fifth-year after suffering 3 ACL tears in 3 years. (Miami Herald)

With all of the suspensions Miami's young players will be showcased in the season opener because, well, they have no choice. (Miami Herald)

UCLA's ad campaign may be a little ambitious, but isn't it good that they are a little feisty towards their rival? (L.A. Times)

After his performance last year vs. the Illini, Mizzou's Jeremy Maclin will be a marked man on Saturday. (KC Star)

Despite being suspended for spring practice Indiana QB Kellen Lewis will start for the Hoosiers. (Indy Star)

We are not buying that Michigan St. is a more stable football program than Michigan. (Detroit Free Press)

It's official: Cincinnati QB Ben Mauk's request for another year of eligibility has been denied by the NCAA. (Cincy Enquirer)

Chase Daniel, Martez Wilson is coming for you. (Sun-Times)

Did South Carolina make a mistake when they left the ACC after the 1970-71 season? (Charlotte Observer)

Off the Tracks Big Ten Preview

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 21:55:21 -0500

Everyone in the blogosphere wants to rank things before they even have anything to rank. This was absurd even before App State made the exercise even more ludicrous a year ago. I should have learned my own lesson when my pick to finish last in the Big Ten at 2-10 overall and 0-8 in the conference ended up beating us at home badly and playing in Orlando. Though I am a fast learner, this is an area where I remain slow.

What follows is my Big Ten preseason rankings and predicted order of finish for the 11 teams. This means absolutely nothing at the moment, but to save myself some face I am not going to bother predicting records or anything. Things can change so rapidly that predicting a preseason record is meaningless. I believe a 10 win season is possible for Purdue, but injuries or suspensions in key areas can limit that quickly. Even our talent, despite how good of a training camp Tiller said we had, can limit it. The same is true for the other 10 teams in the conference. What happens to Illinois if the Juice gets pulped? What about Indiana is Kellen Lewis gets suspended again? These rankings are just a guess, and can easily be proven wrong for almost everyone.

11. Iowa

Indiana University Football: Slightly Improved

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 08:11:55 -0500

Sports have taken a bit of a downward turn in the last few months at Indiana University. First, the beloved football coach died and then a prized basketball recruit went into business for himself, as it were. Never fear, Indiana fan, the football team is here! Is Wednesday too early to hype up a Saturday matchup? Maybe. Is October too early to start talking bowl berths? Definitely. Not that it's going to stop us or Yahoo! Sports. The football-playing Hoosiers are 4-1 after beating Iowa on the road 38-20 last week. Mind you, this is one of the most historically hapless major conference teams in football. Things have gotten so bad in recent years that you may not have even known that IU is 4-1 or that they still play football at all. Hell, Lee Corso was actually our coach at one point! IU has taken advantage of an extremely easy early-season schedule to get to their current record. Their wins have come over Indiana State, Western Michigan, Akron, and Iowa with the one loss coming at home to Illinois. They don't play Michigan or Ohio State this season and have a hapless, 1-4 Minnesota team coming to the crib this weekend. They also have the best quarterback/receiver combo in the conference in Kellen Lewis and James Hardy. That's right, I said it. They're better than Henne to Manningham partially because Michigan runs the ball too much, and partially because the Hoosiers are forced to throw due to the total absence of a running game. Oh and the Hoosiers didn't lose to Appalachian State (yeah references to that game aren't ever going to go away). Still, the point is the Indiana Hoosiers are no longer an easy game for anyone on their schedule. And James Hardy is sick. Why are we bringing this up, other than because we're homers? Because the Purdue-controlled media want you to notice. They're everywhere, just look at Bob Griese with his shifty eyes and terrible quarterback of a son. They let articles like the Yahoo! Sports one show up early in the season so that the Hoosiers will start to feel the pressure to get that sixth win, thus gaining bowl-eligibility for the first time since 1993. In their perfect world, the Hoosiers' chances at a bowl will come down to the season-ending game against Purdue in Bloomington. Then the Boilermakers will hand the Hoosiers and their fans a painful loss and trot into whatever meaningless bowl they made. This is how Purdue fan thinks, people, they're that petty. It's a vast conspiracy and we won't just sit here and take it. We're blowing the lid off it right here, right now. Down with the Boiler-led media! So we rebuke those who would hex our Indiana Hoosiers. This is a great start and the team isn't going to get stuck thinking about the future yet. It doesn't matter how many positive articles get written or how good a story the team is since they're playing this season for Terry Hoeppner, they have Minnesota this weekend and that's that. Plus, Purdue is totally getting killed by Ohio State this weekend, Troy Smith or no Troy Smith. God a bowl game would be awesome. I'd totally go. But we're not thinking about that right now. Nope, not at all.