Illinois Fighting Illini

The first weekend of college football is nearly over; we've got the 2nd half of the Colorado vs. Colorado State game and tomorrow features Cincy vs. Rutgers and Miami vs. FSU.  I do have some interesting thoughts on the opening weekend. 

Continue reading "Random College Football Thoughts"

It’s an intriguing weekend in the Big Ten this week, as all five underdogs are at home.  That is quite the rare feat, and we know that somebody is going to jump up and pull off an upset at home.  So , which team will actually defend its home turf?  I’m going with Michigan, despite the fact they haven’t been doing such a great job of winning at home so far this year.  The three home losses this year have me thinking that the home-field advantage is less of a factor than is the Spartans’ one-dimensional offense.  Michigan’s three poor defensive performances have come against Brian Johnson, Juice Williams, and Daryll Clark.  Brian Hoyer is not on that level, and the Michigan front seven should be able to gang up on Javon Ringer and keep itself off the field.Otherwise, the other four road favorites should have enough in their arsenal to get wins.  That includes Penn State, who is capable of making a big statement in the de facto Big Ten Championship.  The offense hasn’t been slowed yet this year, and the Buckeyes will only be able to keep them in check for so long.

Continue reading "10-25 Big Ten Picks"

Quick -- name the 3rd best team in the Big Ten!  You might have to get your hands dirty.  You’re not sifting through grade-A football anymore.  But no worries, you’ll find something.  What did you come up with?... that can’t be right.  Minnesota? Northwestern? Michigan State?  Illinois?  Okay, just abort this grizzly mission, then.  Listen, I know it’s been awhile but what more can I say about this season now that most teams are already halfway through the conference schedule.  In the span of 10 minutes sitting in a bar in Madison, Wisconsin, I watched the winningest program in the history of the sport lose to Toledo at home, and saw Juice Williams throw for 440 yards yet lose at home to Minnesota.  A few hours later, I sat in Camp Randall Stadium to witness a once-Top 10 team that had lost 2 games at home in 4 years get beat by 41 points before a typically infamously raucous home crowd.  So what gives?This is truly a very topsy-turvy season for some of the more common reasons, and some deeper reasons as well.  While turnovers and poor quarterback play have been significantly responsible for the craziness that has occurred, it can not be overlooked that there are some serious tides that are changin’.  For anyone who wondered, Michigan football will never quite be the way it has been for the last 40 years.  I’m not saying they won’t be very good, and at times, better than they’ve been.  All I’m saying is 2008 Michael Jackson resembles 1980 Michael Jackson more than the 2008 Michigan Wolverines resemble the Bo/Carr Wolverines – and that’s even disregarding the Adidas logo on the unis.

Continue reading "Coming to Grips with the Big Ten"

Penn State is currently ranked #6 by both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll. The Nittany Lions are 5-0, including a 38-24 victory over then #22 Illinois. PSU is led by Junior quarterback Daryll Clark, who leads the Big Ten in passing efficiency. The high-powered offense of the Nittany Lions are averaging just under 50 points per game, and they have beaten their opponents by an average of 37 points. The team is showing the country that they should be considered a national power.

Continue reading "We ARE!...Overrated?"

FINALLY, college football begins today.  Well, specifically it began Thursday night with Oregon State’s shocking victory over USC.  While it might be impossible for today to match the drama of Thursday night, it is finally time when the FCS/Div I-AA/cupcakes go awayLast week was another successful one in general for the Big Ten.  Nothing too spectacular, but they avoided the disasters that have seemed to strike the Big East, Pac 10, and ACC on different occasions this year.  Purdue narrowly survived against Central Michigan, Michigan State dominated in the trenches against the Fighting Irish, and Minnesota surprisingly annihilated a struggling FAU team.  Despite two losses, neither were unexpected – Iowa lost to Pitt by a single point in Pittsburgh, while Ball State rallied around fallen teammate Dante Love and dominated an Indiana team that looks like the conference’s weakest link at this point.  Here are the Big Ten Big 11 Rankings, then some picks:

Continue reading "Big Ten Week 5 Blog, Sep. 27 Picks"

 Welcome to the maiden, bare-bones edition of my futile attempt to start a Big Ten Football blog.  Sure, we might not have a team capable of playing USC within 30 points, but that doesn't mean the league isn't worth talking or complaining about at least a little, eh? Anyhow, any feedback or comments readers have are always welcome.  I hope I don't test your patience as much as mine and Michigan diehards are being tested at the moment from our Wolverines....

Continue reading "Big Ten Week 3 Blog"