NCAA Football

[Pentegarn]

A bit early to start the NCAA football talk, but I got pretty excited when I heard the other day that Terrelle Pryor has committed to OSU. How's that taste Toolverine fan?

Not only did the Buckeyes get Pryor, they got 3 top rated offensive linemen to commit as well. Maybe OSU is ready to leap into the 21st century and adopt a full spread offense. Maybe they will finally be able to keep pace with the SEC. It is early, but I can't help but feel optimistic about this development!

[Colonel Flagg]

That was pretty much of a foregone conclusion. Dad wanted Penn State, but apparently they were never even in the running. :-(

[WhiteRat]

A bit early to start the NCAA football talk, but I got pretty excited when I heard the other day that Terrelle Pryor has committed to OSU. How's that taste Toolverine fan?

Not only did the Buckeyes get Pryor, they got 3 top rated offensive linemen to commit as well. Maybe OSU is ready to leap into the 21st century and adopt a full spread offense. Maybe they will finally be able to keep pace with the SEC. It is early, but I can't help but feel optimistic about this development!

They might as well go with the spread. Northwestern, Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois all run a version of the spread. That seems to be the trend with many teams as of late so why not jump on the bandwagon.

I'm very very excited for this upcoming season. Minnesota finished 1-11 (even losing to 1-AA North Dakota State) with a new coaching staff, schemes, and several true freshmen starting in the secondary. Maybe if 3 defensive starters didn't rape a passed out 18 year old and film it, we would've went bowling. We lost 6 games by a TD or less!

Anywho, even with such a terrible record, coach Tim Brewster pulled in the 17th ranked recruiting class according to Rivals.com, and the 14th best according to recruiting guru Tom Lemming. We had a consensus top 20 class by virtually all major publications, finishing third in the Big Ten behind OSU and Michigan. It's widely considered to be the best class in school history.

QB MarQuise Grey from Indianapolis, IN was the crown jewel of the class. Grey was invited to the prestigious Elite 11 qb camp and played in the US Army All-American game:
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q15/JerkDouglas/MARQUEISEGRAYARMYACTION4405.jpg

Represent:
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q15/JerkDouglas/Skyline4.jpg

Next year will not be pretty as we lose All-Big Ten safety Dom Barber (Marion Barber's little bro) and two starting linebackers as well as WR Ernie Wheelwright (67 rec.). Our offense is led by reshirt sophomore Adam Weber who threw 28 TDs against 19 picks. The sky is the limit for that kid. If our defense plays marginally better (returning sophomores need to grow up quick) than last year I still think we can grind out 5 maybe 6 wins.

[Pentegarn]

Minnesota didn't corner the market on losing to 1-AA schools though, remember Michigan v App St? :lol

[WhiteRat]

Yeah, but at least Michigan can say they lost to a 3 time National Champion.

[Pentegarn]

Yeah, but at least Michigan can say they lost to a 3 time National Champion.

Still it was a 1-AA team. What was Michigan thinking when they set that up anyway? They had everything to lose and nothing to gain by setting that up. Meanwhile, App. St gets their biggest win of all time, and MU has to pay them crazy jack for the beatdown.

[WhiteRat]

Yes, they were a 1-AA team. They were also a team that happened to win three 1-AA National Championships in a row. North Dakota State isn't even a full fledged 1-AA team. They are in a provisional status as they were Division II only 3 years ago. Yes, Michigan losing to a 1-AA team was bad, but c'mon, when you give up over 200+ yards rushing to a slow fat white fullback from bum fuck North Dakota, that's not something be proud of.

[Pentegarn]

Yes, they were a 1-AA team. They were also a team that happened to win three 1-AA National Championships in a row. North Dakota State isn't even a full fledged 1-AA team. They are in a provisional status as they were Division II only 3 years ago. Yes, Michigan losing to a 1-AA team was bad, but c'mon, when you give up over 200+ yards rushing to a slow fat white fullback from bum fuck North Dakota, that's not something be proud of.

True, but at least MU's choke job eclipsed that to the point where nobody noticed. That is good news because you can recover from that.

[WhiteRat]

Yeah, that's true. No one gave two shits when we lost to NDSU as we were 1-6 at the time anyway. Michigan on the other hand....ouch.

[WhiteRat]

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q15/JerkDouglas/DHQEHJRCFRQMUUV20080328021139.jpg

Sweet jesus it's spring practice time!

[Colonel Flagg]

And to think MLB hasn't even started yet (except for those two games in Japan).

Football. :rock

[Pentegarn]

Football (American Football mind you) is king!

[WhiteRat]

Pentegran, I know you like your Buckeye action hot, hard, and raw so here's a juicy morsel of news that you may or may not find interesting:


Football-starved fans will have a unique opportunity to get a first glimpse of future Big Ten stars at 1 PM ET Saturday, April 19, during the 3½ hour BIG TEN TONIGHT: SPRING FOOTBALL SHOWCASE presented by Jimmy John’s. Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith will host the program from Chicago with live look-ins from that afternoon’s eight spring games in the Big Ten.

The show will take fans to Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. At each stop, the Big Ten Network football analysts will give their early opinions on the 2008 season, break down important position battles and discuss which players could have breakout seasons.

Fans who want to watch their team’s spring game without interruption can log onto to BigTenNetwork.com for a live web stream. The service will be provided free of charge by the Big Ten Network in conjunction with PlayON! Sports. Big Ten Network worked with PlayON! Sports last winter to stream 10 men’s basketball games on BigTenNetwork.com.

Three Big Ten schools Michigan, Minnesota and Northwestern will conduct their spring games on different dates, and the Big Ten Network also will be on-hand to cover those events. BigTenNetwork.com will stream the spring games for Minnesota (7 PM CT on Friday, April 25) and Northwestern (noon CT on Saturday, April 26). Due to stadium renovations, Michigan’s spring game will be held on Saturday, April 12, at Saline High School, near Ann Arbor. Highlights and interviews from the game will appear on that evening’s Big Ten Tonight as well as on BigTenNetwork.com.

Last fall, the Big Ten Network became the first network in cable or satellite television history to reach 30 million homes within its first 30 days. The network is available through distribution agreements with DIRECTV, DISH Network, AT&T U-Verse, Insight Communications, WideOpenWest, RCN, Service Electric and more than 240 other cable operators.

Mucho propos to BigTenNetwork for accomadating fans like myself who have no access to the network. It needs to be August already, I can't wait for next season.

[Pentegarn]

I will have to stream that. Very few cable providers have the Big Ten Network.

Got to see the spring game last year, it opened my eyes as to what a mistake snatching up Antonio Henton was for OSU.

[WhiteRat]

How many fans typically show up to OSU spring games? I think Minnesota hauls in around 15k...:\

[Pentegarn]

Around 60k or so usually show up. The spring game is a huge deal in C-bus.

Buckeye football is pretty much all anyone cares about around here.

[WhiteRat]

Florida coach Urban Meyer will give a scholarship to any Florida student who can outrun one of three Gator players. Personally I think this is a great way for the students to interact with the program and hell, even try to get a free scholarship:


GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida coach Urban Meyer is searching for the fastest student on campus.
He's quite certain it's one of his football players -- Louis Murphy, Chris Rainey or Deonte Thompson. But just in case, he's having a race Saturday to find out for sure.


And what happens if someone beats his speedsters before the team's spring game?


"They're on scholarship," Meyer said.


It would be a long shot, especially after school officials held 40-yard dash time trials and didn't exactly find any real burners. Of the approximately 225 students who tried out, two covered the distance in 4.47 seconds, one ran a 4.48 and another was clocked at 4.49.


The fastest 15 students advanced to the finals Saturday. They will be split into three groups of five. Murphy will race one group, Rainey another and Thompson a third.


The players aren't exactly afraid of the competition.
"I'll blow them out," Rainey said. "I love challenges and I've got confidence in myself."


Thompson had a more detailed prediction.
"We should beat them by more than 5 (yards)," he said. "I think we will."
Percy Harvin was supposed to be the main attraction for the race, but he had heel surgery Monday and is out for two months.
That left Murphy, Rainey and Thompson as the fastest Meyer had to offer.
Murphy, a senior from St. Petersburg, caught 39 passes for 590 yards and six touchdowns last season. Rainey and Thompson, both redshirt freshmen, were two of Meyer's prized recruits in last year's top-rated class.
"I want to show the crowd a little sample of what I can do for the Gators," said Rainey, who is expected a play a significant role this fall. "I'm looking forward to it."


Although Meyer promised a full scholarship to any student who beats his players, the coach's reason for organizing the event wasn't to find a running back, receiver, defensive back or kick returner from campus.
The game will be televised on ESPN, offering Meyer a chance to spread his recruiting pitch about wanting to be "the fastest team in America," and having a race featuring three of his stars could help sell the school.


He also views the spring game as an opportunity for younger players to show their skills, meaning Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and other key starters probably won't get many snaps. So Meyer wanted to give fans something to look forward to while also giving back to the students.
"Our student body, you almost forget about them because they're (always) there," Meyer said. "You can't do that. Our first year, we went to every dorm, every sorority, every fraternity, just trying to give back because they're the home-field advantage, they're recruiting. Our kids meet the students on recruiting weekends. You can't forget them."
Florida also plans to hold a raffle that will allow one fan a chance to catch a pass from Tebow. Other winners will get to try to catch a punt, attempt a field goal and return a kickoff.


The highlight, though, will be the three 40-yard dashes.


"Anything can happen,' Rainey said. "But I don't think we're going to lose."

[Pentegarn]

I already saw this when they did that movie Mark Whalberg was in where he played the walk on that became part of the Philidelphia Eagles special teams. :lol

[Colonel Flagg]

"Invincible" about the true life story of Vince Papale. I lived through those times, when Vermeil was a rookie coach (with virtually no support among the fans) and the team sucked big time. Aside from the personal slant, the story was very accurate from the standpoint of the franchise.

Sorry, rant off.

On another note, Penn State just got dealt a HUGE blow with the loss of Sean Lee to ACL surgery. One of the top LB's in the country, and he'll be watching the '08 season from the sidelines.

We Are. Penn State. We Are. So Screwed.

[liquidstatik]

This forum is more confusing to me than the politics one :x

[Pentegarn]

This forum is more confusing to me than the politics one :x

Vote Quimby!

[WhiteRat]

Just a reminder that bigtennetwork will be streaming several spring games today free of charge on their website.

http://bigten.playonsports.tv/

[WhiteRat]

Minnesota released their new football jerseys today:
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q15/JerkDouglas/KIXEVEEBDCTQFNC20080422205214-1.jpg

Personally, I like the maroon on maroon best followed closely by the all white. Also, I dig the "Minnesota" across the front. The old ones had a tiny "M" around the collar. These are much better than the boring old ones:
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q15/JerkDouglas/CHCQJMOEFAUSGRI20080422205631.jpg

[Pentegarn]

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080424/SPORTS06/304240002

Oh my, Michigan. How did that taste?

[WhiteRat]

Wisconsin safety Kim Royston is trying to do the same thing by transferring to Minnesota, but supposedly the Minn staff can't comment whatsoever on Royston until he starts class in September. I don't understand how OSU's staff can blab to the press about Boren's transfer given that the circumstances appear to be the same.

[Colonel Flagg]

Oh my, Michigan. How did that taste?

Well, he must be serious, to give up the scholarship and a year of eligibility.

A friend of mine is a super-duper Wolverines fan, so maybe I'll ask him what the scoop was concerning the other side.

[Pentegarn]

Nobody likes watching MU suffer more than I do, but I am starting to feel kind of sorry for them. I actually want the rivalry to mean something, and if things keep going like this. It will be years before MU is a threat again.

[Esuohlim]

Yeah well I'm tired of us losing to UofM all the time. I think the last time we beat them it was on account of a fuck up of theirs at the last minute and not because of any sudden competence of ours.

But really I'm not a big college football fan. If I was I wouldn't willingly attend MSU and subject myself to that torture.

[Pentegarn]

Yeah well I'm tired of us losing to UofM all the time. I think the last time we beat them it was on account of a fuck up of theirs at the last minute and not because of any sudden competence of ours.

But really I'm not a big college football fan. If I was I wouldn't willingly attend MSU and subject myself to that torture.

At the rate it's going, you'll get your win over MU this year.

[WhiteRat]

Highly touted 2005 QB recruit Ryan Perriloux of LSU was booted off the team today for failing a drug test. This kid had all the talent in the world and was slated to start for the defending national champions and he threw it all away, this being his third team violation in as many years. What a bum.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/ncaa/05/02/perrilloux.dismissed.ap/index.html

[Pentegarn]

It seems to just keep getting worse for MU. At first I was sure the coach change would mean big things for the Wolverines. But it seems to be a big mistake hiring Rich Rodriguez.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080507/SPORTS0201/805070365

Now he is screwing with agreed upon established traditions. I expect that the MU alumni and boosters will have a few words to say to Rodriguez as well.

[WhiteRat]

Wow, as much as I hate Michigan, that actually irks me a bit. College football is based on tradition, and for ol' Dick Rod to fuck with something like that (especially when there is a $500,000 scholarship involved) is just ridiculous. Dick Rod is a joke.

[WhiteRat]

In honor of camps opening in 2 months, I present to you a ridiculously bizarre story about a HS player who so desperately wants to play big time college football that he lies about his entire recruitment process. It's as you say, "out of this world!"

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/2008-02-06-reno-confession_N.htm

[pac-man]

I remember reading that story when it broke in February. Dumb bastard, did he think he was gonna pull a Willie Mays Hayes move and just show up and be on the team?

[Pentegarn]

In honor of camps opening in 2 months, I present to you a ridiculously bizarre story about a HS player who so desperately wants to play big time college football that he lies about his entire recruitment process. It's as you say, "out of this world!"

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/2008-02-06-reno-confession_N.htm

I remember when the kid said, I only said I was being recruited by Oregon because I really wanted to play for Oregon and thought if I said that it might come true.

In that vein, let me tell you the story about the day I hit the lottery, saved Aerosmith's lives, and had sex with Natile Portman... :P

[Colonel Flagg]

A propos of nothing in particular, I once was in line at a 7-11, and this nutso dude approached me, gave me a card and said if I chanted the card's imprinted words over and over (and over and over and over ....) my fondest dreams would come true. Or perhaps you'd be so nutso yourself by that time that you'd convince yourself that your fondest dream HAD come true (or that your fondest dream would be to STOP ALL THAT DAMNED CHANTING ALREADY!).

Maybe that kid should have tried this first, rather than go straight to the media.

In case nutso was right, I'll repeat the words for you all to "chant" at your leisure:

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO

Have fun. :hypno

[WhiteRat]

The Gophers took a huge blow today with news that one of their top recruits, 4 star LB Sam Maresh has a heart murmur and is likely done playing football for good:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps/19717374.html?location_refer=Homepage

This really really sucks as Sam was one of the top linebackers in the country as a prep and was likely to get signifigant playing time as a true frosh. SHITTY.

[Pentegarn]

Big news on the RB front for OSU

http://columbusdispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/06/22/osufb.html?sid=101

I especially like that we got him and the SEC didn't

[WhiteRat]

Seems like a nice catch. Rivals has him as a 4 star and curiously has him listed as the number 2 fullback in the nation.

http://ohiostate.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=76569

[WhiteRat]

Interesting article about Mr. Sweater Vest and some curious going-ons at Ohio State. Pent, care to weigh in on this?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1919258

[Pentegarn]

Interesting article about Mr. Sweater Vest and some curious going-ons at Ohio State. Pent, care to weigh in on this?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1919258

In my line of work I get to see a variety of things in a variety of businesses. If autographed memoribilia signed by multiple Buckeyes were around, I would have seen some of it by now.

But, I have yet to.

Problem is that most of the players "coming out to accuse Tressel of improper behaivior" are all malcontents who are in trouble for various shady acts. They get punished by OSU and Tressel, thhink that is the end of it, then, when they have to be indicted for their crimes, they try to take Tressel down because he "didn't have their back". I think anything from these characters is suspect at best.

[WhiteRat]

Yeah, I found it amusing that the players that were "outing" OSU were cast-offs and miscreants. I'm sure that this whole deal is nothing more than the usual shady and borderline back door dealings that all NCAA schools turn a blind eye to.

[Pentegarn]

There could very well be much back door shady goings on. I think in this case though, a lot of these "perks" that the players get are given without Tressel's knowledge. I am sure he eventually finds out, but if a car company agrees to give for instance, Maurice Clarette a car to use for an autographed jersey, and Tressel doesn't hear about it until weeks later, other than a slap on the wrist or a brief suspension what can really be done about it? This city has a fever about the Buckeyes that matches Green Bay's fandom toward the Packers. It borders on fanatical worship, and when that happens, people here want to give out perks withot thinking, "hey, this might violate NCAA rules"

[Pentegarn]

http://blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/2008/07/carson-palmer-r.html

Carson Palmer is a freaking ass.

Guess NOT winning the national championship (or for that matter, not even getting to play for it) in the 2002 season really got to him. Here's a clue Palmer, if they sucked so bad, why didn't YOU beat them? Oh that's right, you couldn't even win all your games in a season, so you didn't get to go to the national championship.

[Dirge]

Buckeye homers are such whiners.

[Pentegarn]

Buckeye homers are such winners.

Fixed

[WhiteRat]

16 days until the first saturday of what shall be another glorious season of pigskin porkin' pandemonium.

[Colonel Flagg]

I'm countin' the minutes .... :rock

[Pentegarn]

Yes the sports drought that happens between the end of March madness and September is at last coming to a close. :)

[WhiteRat]

Damn, it's been nearly 5 months since the Madness came to an end. Seems just like yesterday that my bracket exploded, sending shrapnel into the right side of my face.

I'll be at my local watering hole 11am central on the 30th, beer in hand.

[Pentegarn]

Oh so that was YOUR bracket's shrapnel that made my bracket fall over!

That sounds better than, 'my picks are not what I had hoped'

[WhiteRat]

Here's the AP Top 25 Poll:

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. So. Cal.
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. Missouri
7. LSU
8. West Virginia
9. Clemson
10. Auburn
11. Texas
12. Texas Tech
13. Wisconsin
14. Kansas
15. Arizona State
16. BYU
17. Va. Tech
18. Tennessee
19. South Florida
20. Illinois
21. Oregon
22. Penn State
23. Wake Forest
24. Alabama
25. Pittsburgh

I agree with most of it besides Texas Tech at #12 and Penn State at #22. Actually, I would probably rank ASU a little higher and drop Kansas into the 20-25 range, but other than that it's a pretty good list.

[Pentegarn]

Look Ma, no Wolverines!

[WhiteRat]

Look Ma, no Wolverines!

And rightly so.

[Pentegarn]

And rightly so.

You ain't kidding there. I wonder what I would have said if someone had told me back when Rich Rodriguez was hired that it would hurt MU because he would lose his mind and start trying to make all the wrong changes. I would have probaly not believed that at the time, but look at what has happened since.

I think this will be a very inteeresting college football season.

[WhiteRat]

I think Michigan will struggle this year not because of DickRod himself but because of the switch to the spread offense. Michigan has a lot of talent, but the QB's they have now aren't necessarily what you look for in a spread QB, ie a mobile runner who can make plays just as much out the pocket as in. It's a transition season for Michigan but give DickRod a few seasons and Michigan will be contending for a National Championship.

[Pentegarn]

I can't disagree with that. the only question is, will the MU alumni tolerate what he is doing untill that happens?

[WhiteRat]

If he beats Ohio State, the alumni won't give two shits for whatever he does.

[Pentegarn]

As things stand now, I don't think he can beat OSU. His negative publicity will cause him additional problems as well. It will be at least a year before people will start to forget the bad press and the students quitting on him.

[WhiteRat]

The college football season officially started tonight as several teams faced off on their respective gridirons. Personally, I enjoyed watching South Carolina put the whoopin' on NC State, Stanford give it to Oregon State, and Troy hold off Middle Tennessee State. Big time college football is fun to watch but I love to watch the lower tier conferences like the Sun Belt. Honestly, I enjoyed the Troy/MTSU game more than the others.

Zeus bless college foosball!

[WhiteRat]

Can someone explain to me why Beanie Wells was still in the game against YSU while up 33-0, and getting carted off with a leg injury?

[Colonel Flagg]

Can someone explain to me why Beanie Wells was still in the game against YSU while up 33-0, and getting carted off with a leg injury?

Tressel was obviously trying to run up the score. :x

I hope Wells is OK, but man, leaving your star tailback in the game at that juncture was a boneheaded move by the coach.

[WhiteRat]

Sweater Vest was trying to give him some Heisman cred and it almost backfired. Maybe the sweater was too tight?

[Pentegarn]

I kind of wondered why Wells was in there myself. The back up RB would have been just as effective in that situation. However I did read an article this morning that Wells was still upset about how he preformed in the YSU game last year. Maybe Wells wanted to make up for it. Maybe the decision to keep Wells in at that point wasn't all Tressel.

On a side note, he was taken out via the assist and not carted out on a cart. That is always a good sign.

[WhiteRat]

I kind of wondered why Wells was in there myself. The back up RB would have been just as effective in that situation. However I did read an article this morning that Wells was still upset about how he preformed in the YSU game last year. Maybe Wells wanted to make up for it. Maybe the decision to keep Wells in at that point wasn't all Tressel.



Are you serious? Do you really think last year's 130-3 YSU game really was on his mind? Puh-lease, don't kid yourself.

Michigan lost today, which is always a good thing. Gotta love the expressions on the fans' faces as defeat once again slams into them.

Minnesota squeaked by Northern Illinois today 31-27. Not going to get into details but a win is a win I guess.

Lastly, here's the greatest fight song in NCAA history:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A7ll0xE5c0

[Pentegarn]

Didn't say he was upset about the teams preformance, I said he was upset with his personal preformance. He ran for under 50 yards in his premier game as starting RB. The Dispatch talked about it with him in an article

Found it. http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/08/30/osufb30.ART_ART_08-30-08_C1_6FB6ASR.html?sid=101

Also, I called the MU loss to my friend but the call conversation went like this...

Friend: Michigan hasn't played yet.

Me: Who are they playing

Friend: They are playing Utah I think

Me: Oh yeah, they're definitely gonna lose that one

Friend: You would have said that no matter who I said they were playing wouldn't you?

Me: Yes

[Pentegarn]

Here's the AP Top 25 Poll:

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. So. Cal.
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. Missouri
7. LSU
8. West Virginia
9. Clemson
10. Auburn
11. Texas
12. Texas Tech
13. Wisconsin
14. Kansas
15. Arizona State
16. BYU
17. Va. Tech
18. Tennessee
19. South Florida
20. Illinois
21. Oregon
22. Penn State
23. Wake Forest
24. Alabama
25. Pittsburgh



Too bad for Tennessee. Losing to UCLA? Didn't the horrible '07 Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat them? :lol

Details here:
http://uclabruins.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/090208aaa.html

[WhiteRat]

Minnesota will win the National Championship this year.

MARK MY WORDS!





ps kidding!

[Pentegarn]

It would be worth losing to Minnesota on the 27th just to see them go undefeated, win the BCS and piss off every SEC and Pac 10 honk out there. Just think of the laundry list of excuses you would hear from them.

[pac-man]

Sucks that East Carolina lost. I love BCS busters.

[WhiteRat]

BYU and maybe Utah are your best bets for a BCS game this year.