Unlike the National Football League (NFL), college football doesn’t have four-televised preseason games where fans can get their first glimpse at a rookie or a first-year player.
True freshman Cameron Heyward, from Suwanee, Ga., is expected to be one of the few true freshmen to see the field this season for the Buckeyes.
Recently, defensive lineman Lawrence Wilson was quoted by The Columbus Dispatch.
“He looks like a grown man,” Wilson said. “He’s got big size 18 feet, and when he comes off the ball, he comes off so hard and so powerful. That 295 (pounds), when he gets that running it’s hard to stop it.”
“When he hits you, you feel it. I think he’s going to be a big contributor to our defense.”
Heyward has a great chance to make an impact. Especially since 2006 starting defensive tackles David Patterson and Quinn Pitcock are currently in the NFL. The depth chart lists Doug Worthington and Todd Denlinger as the starters at DT.
Cameron, who is the son of Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, chose Ohio State over more than 40 other schools offering a scholarship.
Sadly, “Ironhead” passed away in May of 2006 after a seven-year battle with a brain tumor.
Earlier this summer, Ken Gordon of The Columbus Dispatch wrote a great piece on Cameron’s relationship with his father FOND MEMORIES OF FATHER, FRIEND . The story was published on Cameron Heyward’s second Father’s Day without his dad.
According to Scout.com, Heyward had offers from Florida, Georgia and LSU. He is listed at 6-foot-6 280 pounds and as a four-star defensive tackle. Rivals.com as Heyward listed as a four-star defensive tackle as well. The source ranks Heyward 13th in the nation among defensive tackles recruited in the 2007 class.
Heyward was the last commitment of ‘07 class to sign with Ohio State. He signed on January 31st.
Other notes: The Buckeyes signed another tight end for ‘08 recruiting class. Nic DiLillo signed with the Buckeyes on July 30th. According to Scout.com, he had offers from Clemson, Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Syracuse. I will take a closer look in the DiLillo signing soon.
In late June, I put together an ‘07 Ohio State football preview for the website SportProjections.com .
At the time, I was thinking that I would just do the preview and hope that it would link back to the ole Buckeye Lane .
However, I realized that I might as well toss it my site and not wait for SportProjections.com to launch their preview.
The blog was posted on Buckeye Lane in the first month of this site. It received more hits than any other blog in the inaugural month of Buckeye Lane .
Since it received a bunch of hits when the site was literally less than a month old, I wanted to show it again.
The idea came to me today when I saw that SportProjections.com finally had the preview along with previews from all 11 of the Big Ten football teams posted.
Contributor: Adam Kiefaber Web address:Buckeye Lane Last Year Record: 12-1 Last Year Summary: Ohio State won all 12 of their regular season games and was the favorite to win the National Championship. In the first 11 games, the Buckeyes outscored their opponents 394 to 86. Then in a classic match up, #1 Ohio State defeated #2 Michigan 42 to 39. The Florida Gators shocked the non-SEC football world and dismantled the Buckeyes by a score of 41 to 14 in the BCS National Championship. The question mark coming into the ‘06 season was the defense, which returned only two starters and lost stars OLB A.J. Hawk, SS Donte Whitner, OLB Bobby Carpenter, CB Aston Youboty, ILB Anthony Schlegel and FS Nate Salley to the NFL draft. However, MLB James Laurinaitis emerged and won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Also, CB Malcolm Jenkins and OLB Marcus Freeman were impressive. The offense was the strength of the team, led by QB Troy Smith, RB Antonio Pittman, WR Ted Ginn Jr., WR Anthony Gonzalez and true freshman Chris “Beanie” Wells. Returning Starters: 4 Offensive - 6 Defensive Players to Watch (possible awards) This Season: RB Chris “Beanie” Wels, MLB James Laurinaitis, OLB Marcus Freeman, CB Malcolm Jenkins, DE Vernon Gholston, OT Alex Boone, OT Kirk Barton Players to Watch (breakout players) This Season: A QB? (Todd Boeckman, Ron Schoenhoft or Antonio Henton), WR Raymond Small, OLB Larry Grant, DE Robert Rose, SS Jamario O’Neal, DT Doug Worthington, RB Maurice Wells Offensive Strengths: Running backs Sophomore Beanie and junior Maurice Wells will carry the load while the Buckeyes look for a consistent starting quarterback. Beanie is the power back and Maurice is the speed. Maurice Wells should have his best season yet. Also, Ohio State added two great RB recruits this year in Brandon Saine and Daniel “Boom” Herron. Offensive Weaknesses: Ohio State is losing their best quarterback of all-time in Heisman winner Troy Smith. Junior Todd Boeckman is the projected starter and knows the offense the best. Sophomore Rob Schoenhoft has the strong arm, while freshman Antonio Henton has the scrambling ability. All three should get snaps early on, but look for head coach Jim Tressel go with one by midseason. Defensive Strengths: Linebackers James Laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman and Larry Grant will start for a loaded line-backing core. Laurinaitis and Freeman are on the Bednarik watch list for this season. Grant, who was a big-time junior college recruit last year, is expected to have a breakout season. In the spring game, Grant had two sacks and forced two fumbles (One of those fumbles he recovered and returned 80 yards for a touchdown). Backup seniors Curtis Terry, Curt Lukens and sophomore Ross Homan are more than ready to step in. Defensive Weaknesses: The defensive line production could be down a little, but there are many highly recruited players that are ready to step up. Three starters DT Quinn Pitcock, DT David Patterson and DE Jay Richardson are now in the NFL. Little is known about sophomores Doug Worthington and Todd Denlinger, but both are expected to start at DT. The DE position is loaded with talent that includes junior Vernon Gholston, junior Lawrence Wilson, sophomore Robert Rose and junior Alex Barrow. 2007 Season Summary: The Buckeyes are blessed with a relatively easy schedule that includes Wisconsin and Michigan State at home. The challenging road games include Washington, Purdue, Penn State and Michigan. Ohio State should easily win home games against Youngstown State, Akron, Northwestern, Kent State and Illinois. If the Buckeyes get good production from their quarterback position it isn’t hard to believe that they could run the table and make a run at the National Championship. Coach Jim Tressel will try to run it down his opponents throats with the Wells duo. If I was to make an objective prediction for the Buckeyes in 2007: I predict OSU to start the season 8-0 before a loss at Penn State. Then Wisconsin will best OSU for the fourth straight time at the Horseshoe. The Buckeyes will follow that up with wins at home against Illinois and on the road against Michigan. Big Games of the Year: Oct. 27 @ Penn State, Nov. 3 vs. Wisconsin, Nov. 17 @ Michigan. 2007 Projected Record: 10-2 2007 Projected Bowl (if applicable): Capital One Bowl or Orange Bowl
Projected Victories and Conference Standings:
OSU Schedule
Youngstown St. (Win)
Akron (Win)
@Washington (Win)
Northwestern (Win)
@Minnesota (Win)
@Purdue (Win)
Kent St. (Win)
Michigan St. (Win)
@Penn St. (Loss)
Wisconsin (Loss)
Illinois (Win)
@Michigan (Win)
Conference Standings (projections)
1 Ohio State
1 Wisconsin
3 Michigan
4 Penn St.
5 Iowa
6 Purdue
7 Michigan St.
8 Illinois
9 Indiana
10 Northwestern
11 Minnesota
I was being to wonder when the Big Ten was going to figure out the schedule for the 2007-2008 season.
Finally it is here, however it isn’t complete and times are not official.
Three games stand out in the non-conference schedule. Those games are vs. North Carolina (Nov. 18th), vs. Florida (Dec. 22) and at Tennessee (Jan. 19).
Fans should remember when the Buckeyes played UNC at Chapel Hill last November. It was the first real opponent the Buckeyes had to play. OSU lost 98-89 in a very entertaining game.
OSU went on the road and got dismantled by Florida (86-60) two days before Christmas. Then OSU lost to the Gators again in the national championship. Both teams will look a lot different when Florida comes to Columbus on December 22nd.
One of the better games of last season had to be the Sweet 16 game between OSU and Tennessee. The Buckeyes won 85-84, despite trailing 49-32 at halftime. Also, Ohio State beat Tennessee 68-66 at home on January 13th.
As of right now this is what we know.
(Information from the Columbus Dispatch)
Date — Day — Opponent — Time, TV
11/12 — Mon — Wisconsin-Green Bay (NIT) — TBA, TBA
11/13 — Tue — Columbia or Delaware St (NIT) — TBA, TBA
11/28 — Wed — North Carolina — 9 p.m., ESPN
12/ 1 — Sat — at Butler — TBA,TBA
12/18 — Tue — at Cleveland State — TBA, TBA
12/22 — Sat — Florida — 3:45 p.m., CBS
1/ 3 — Thu — at Illinois — 8 p.m., ESPN
1/ 6 — Sun — Northwestern — Noon, BTN
1/ 9 — Wed — Iowa — 7 p.m., BTN
1/12 — Sat — at Purdue — 4 p.m., BTN
1/15 — Tue — at Michigan State — 7 p.m., ESPN
1/19 — Sat — at Tennessee — 3:30 p.m., CBS
1/22 — Tue — Illinois — 9 p.m., BTN
1/26 — Sat — Minnesota — 8 p.m., BTN
1/29 — Tue — at Penn State — 7 p.m., ESPN
2/ 2 — Sat — at Iowa — 6 p.m., BTN
2/ 5 — Tue — Michigan — 7 p.m., ESPN
2/10 — Sun — Indiana — 1 p.m., CBS
2/13 — Wed — at Northwestern — 9 p.m., BTN
2/17 — Sun — at Michigan — 1 p.m., CBS
2/23 or 24 Sat/Sun — Wisconsin — 2 or 4 p.m. ESPN or BTN
2/26 — Tue at Indiana — 7 p.m., ESPN
3/1 or 2 — Sat/Sun at Minnesota — 4 or 6 p.m., ESPN or BTN or CBS
3/4, 5 or 6 — Tue/Wed/Thu — Purdue 7 or 9 p.m., ESPN or BTN or ESPN2
3/9 — Sun — Michigan State Noon, 2 p.m. or 4 p.m., BTN or ESPN or CBS
3/13-16 — Thu-Sun at Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis BTN or ESPN or CBS
BTN— Big Ten Network
Note—Opponents and/or dates for at least four and as many as six games are not yet available.
Ohio State will play two games in New York in the NIT Season Tip-Off if it wins home games Nov. 12 and 13. It also has nonconference home games against Presbyterian College and Virginia Military Institute, according to other media outlets, and two other teams.
Recently, I broke down what an NFL offense would look like, that is if the roster was filled entirely with Ohio State players.
Overall, the offense is solid. The weaknesses include quarterback, running back and tight end.
The strengths would include the offensive line and the wide receiving core. Especially the wide receivers, imagine your favorite NFL team listing Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn, Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, Michael Jenkins, David Boston, Drew Carter and Roy Hall as their top nine receivers.
Even if Troy Smith isn’t NFL-ready, he still should put up solid numbers. I mean Jon Kitna threw for over 4,000 yards last year, how do you think he would’ve done with the Baltimore Ravens’ receiving core?
Now, I’m moving on to defense. Let’s see if this team would be good enough to make the playoffs.
DEs Will Smith (New Orleans) and Darrion Scott (Minnesota)- Both ends start and have had success at the NFL level. Rodney Bailey would be the top backup. Jay Richardson, Simon Fraser, Kenny Patterson would provide depth. OLB Mike Vrabel can line up at the end on passing downs. Also, DT David Patterson could play on the end on rushing downs.
DTs Ryan Pickett (St. Louis) and Quinn Pitcock (Indianapolis)- Pickett is a proven starter and Pitcock was a third-round pick in 2007 NFL Draft. Plus, you have to love the marketability of a duo called Pickett and Pitcock. Tim Anderson and Marcus Green would provide depth. You could always go out and sign Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson, who played for the Miami Dolphins in 2006.
OLBs A.J. Hawk (Green Bay) and Mike Vrabel (New England)- The Columbus Bucks might want to consider using the 3-4 with their depth at linebacker. Bobby Carpenter can play inside and outside. Na’il Diggs is a proven OLB that could be a starter on some teams.
MLB Bobby Carpenter (Dallas)- Plays inside as part of Dallas’ 3-4 defense. Anthony Schlegel, John Kerr and Matt Wilhelm are MLBs at heart, while Carpenter seems to better suited for the outside.
CBs Nate Clements (San Francisco) and Antoine Winfield (Minnesota)- Clements and Winfield provide you with a solid cornerback duo. However, Chris Gamble could win a starting job. There is great depth, Shawn Springs would be your fourth corner. Others would include Ashton Youboty, Antonio Smith and Dustin Fox.
FS Mike Doss (Minnesota) and SS Donte Whitner (Buffalo)- Whitner and Doss would make another nice duo. They would have a stellar backup in Will Allen. Also, Donnie Nickey has developed into a solid NFL player that seems ready for an opportunity to start. Nate Salley, Brandon Mitchell and Tyler Everett fill out the depth chart.
The Final Overview
Overall, I would rate the team as mediocre. Maybe a record ranging from 6-10 to 8-8 if they went out played this upcoming NFL season.
I like the offensive line, which would help out rookie running back Antonio Pittman.
The wide receivers are excellent, which would help Troy Smith look better.
The defense line is solid and the linebacking core is very good.
The secondary is excellent. Especially the cornerbacks.
Actually the defense should be in the top 10 in the NFL.
However, question marks at key positions on offense will limit the team’s chances for a Super Bowl run.
If this was a real team, you would have to like their future. Chris Wells will be on board in a couple of years. Some good quality linebackers are on the way. And two top offensive tackles will be ready very soon.
In the last 11 years, there have been 74 Buckeyes selected in the NFL Draft.
Currently, I counted 61 players that are still in league. On September 1st, NFL teams will cut their rosters down to 53 players. The abundance of Buckeyes in the NFL got me thinking, what if you had a team that was all OSU Buckeyes (let’s name them the Columbus Bucks)? Would they be able to compete for a Super Bowl?
You be the judge.
Offense Starters:
QB Troy Smith (Baltimore Ravens)- Smith might struggle at first, but will have a great receiving core to throw to. You would have to sign Craig Krenzel and Joe Germaine to be the backups (both are out of the NFL right now).
RB Antonio Pittman (New Orleans Saints)- This position is thin as well, but you could go out and sign Michael Wiley or Joe Montgomery as free agents. You could always give Maurice Clarett a second chance, ok he has had more than a couple of chances. Jonathan Wells could provide more experience.
FB Kevin Houser (New Orleans Saints)- Houser has experience. Stan White could serve as the backup on the practice squad. Also, Jamar Martin is a free agent.
WRs Joey Galloway (Tampa Bay Bucs) and Terry Glenn (Dallas Cowboys)- Galloway and Glenn provide leadership and each had 1,000-yard seasons last year. The depth is impressive- Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, Michael Jenkins, David Boston, Drew Carter, Roy Hall and Brandon Childress.
TE Darnell Sanders (Detroit Lions)- Sanders will have to battle Ben Hartsock, but the NFL Buckeyes will be better off using three or four wide receiver sets.
OTs Orlando Pace (St. Louis Rams) and Shane Olivea (San Diego Chargers)- Two proven starters to say the least. Tyson Walter will provide depth.
Gs Rob Sims (Seattle Seahawks) and Adrien Clarke (New York Jets)- Both players have little experience starting, but both are young. Sims is expected to start for Seattle this year. Rookie T.J. Downing could develop into a starter. Also, centers LeCharles Bentley and Alex Stepanovich could provide depth.
C Nick Mangold (New York Jets)- If Bentley is healthy, you could move him or Mangold over to guard. That would leave you with a top-notch O-line. Rookie Doug Datish could develop as a backup center or guard.
I remember getting goose bumps when I was watching this intro to the Michigan @ Ohio State game last year.
I’m sure everyone remembers OSU entered the game ranked #1 in the nation while Michigan was #2. Both teams were undefeated and the game was dubbed as the national championship.
The game was so entertaining that many argued that there should be a rematch for the BCS title game. It didn’t happen and Ohio State lost to Florida.
However, it makes you wonder if the Ohio State @ Michigan game this year could be a repeat of last year’s undefeated #1 vs. #2.
If that would happen, Michigan would be ranked #1 this time around.
Michigan will have to get through tough home games against Oregon, Notre Dame, Penn State and Purdue. The only tough road game is Wisconsin.
Ohio State has a much easier schedule with the toughest road games being Washington, Purdue and Penn State. The only challenging home game seems to be Wisconsin.
So there is a chance that the Buckeyes and the Wolverines will each be undefeated come November 17th.
If you didn’t already know, the countdown for the regular season has begun.
There are only 20 days until the season kicks off.
On August 30th, teams like Rutgers, Louisville and LSU will take the field.
Big Ten teams will have to wait till that Saturday on September 1st.
Here is a quick breakdown of the Big Ten games.
Northeastern at Northwestern @ noon- on the Big Ten Network
Northwestern is predicted to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten Standings. Lindy’s Big Ten Preview has Northwestern finishing eighth, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has them finishing tied for eighth and the Sporting News has the Wildcats in last. They do open their season against a D1AA team in Northeastern, so that should be an easy win, right? Last year, Northwestern lost to the New Hampshire Wildcats (34-17), who happen to be in the same conference as Northeastern. In 06, New Hampshire lost a heartbreaker to Northeastern, 36-35 in overtime. Northwestern should be improved this year with 16 returning starters and will roll over Northeastern. Final Score: Northwestern 28-10
UAB at Michigan State @ noon- on ESPN2
Michigan State is not expected to do great things in 2007. Lindy’s Big Ten Preview has MSU finishing ninth in the Big Ten Standings, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has them finishing tied for eighth and the Sporting News has the Spartans in ninth. This is a good year to play UAB, the Blazers are coming off a disappointing 3-9 season where he return only eight starters. UAB is 1-15 in their first road game since ’91, while MSU has won eight straight home openers. Expect Michigan State to not have any trouble against UAB. Final Score: Michigan State 27-9
Appalachian State at Michigan @ noon- on the Big Ten Network
Michigan is the popular pick to win the Big Ten in 2007. Lindy’s Big Ten Preview has the Michigan winning the Big Ten as does the Sporting News. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has the Wolverines finishing in a first-place tie with Penn State. Appalachian State has won back-to-back D1AA National Championships. Last year, the Mountaineers finished with a 14-1 record, with their only loss coming in the opener at N.C. State. If there was ever a college football game that reminds me of #1 seed vs. #16 seed in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, this is it. The #1 seed, Michigan in this case, always wins. Final Score: Michigan 35-10
Youngstown State at Ohio State @ noon- on the Big Ten Network
Ohio State is predicted to finish near the top of the Big Ten standings. Lindy’s Big Ten Preview has Ohio State finishing third, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has them finishing third and the Sporting News has the Buckeyes in fourth. Jim Tressel used to be YSU’s head coach from ’86 through ’00, there he had a record of 137-57-2 and won four D1AA National Championships. Last year, YSU finished 11-3 and lost to Penn State 37-3. OSU should have no trouble with the Penguins. Final Score: Ohio State 28-7
Florida International at Penn State @ noon- on the Big Ten Network
Penn State is another team that is expected to compete for the Big Ten title. Lindy’s Big Ten Preview has Penn State finishing fifth in the Big Ten standings, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has them tied for first and the Sporting News has the Nittany Lions in third. Fortunately for Penn State, the Golden Panthers finished the ’06 season with a 0-12 record. Penn State will easily take care of Florida International. Final Score: Penn State 45-3
Missouri vs. Illinois (in St. Louis) @ 3:30- on ESPN2
Illinois is a popular pick to be one of the surprise teams in all college football and not just in the Big Ten. Lindy’s Big Ten Preview has Illinois finishing sixth in the Big Ten standings, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has them finishing seventh and the Sporting News has the Fighting Illini in eighth. Illinois has 17 returning starters and another great recruiting class coming in. Missouri, on the other hand, is expected to compete for a BIG 12 Championship. The Tigers seem to be the pick to win the BIG 12 North division. The Tigers QB Chase Daniel is among the best in the country. Final Score: Missouri 28-17
Iowa vs. Northern Illinois (in Chicago) @ 3:30- on ESPNU
Iowa was disappointing last year and finished with a 6-7 record, after starting the year 4-0 until a 38-17 loss to Ohio State. However, Iowa did beat Northern Illinois last season 24-14, and the Huskies are losing a lot of talent this season. Lindy’s Big Ten Preview has Iowa finishing fifth in the Big Ten standings, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has them finishing tied for fourth and the Sporting News has the Hawkeyes in fourth. I expect Iowa to improve its record to 7-0 against NIU. Final Score: Iowa 35-21
Washington State at Wisconsin @ 3:30- on ABC
Wisconsin had a great season last season finishing 12-1, now they return 16 starters and should compete for the Big Ten title. Lindy’s Big Ten Preview has Wisconsin finishing second in the Big Ten standings, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has them finishing tied for fourth and the Sporting News has the Badgers in second. I expect Wisconsin to win their 10th straight season opener, but they can’t look past the Cougars who had impressive road wins against Oregon State and UCLA last year. They also beat Oregon and played powerhouse USC close, losing 28-22. Final Score: Wisconsin 21-10
Purdue at Toledo @ 7:00- on ESPNU
Purdue quietly finished with a 8-6 record in ’06, however they didn’t have play to Michigan or Ohio State. Lindy’s Big Ten Preview has Purdue finishing seventh in the Big Ten standings, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has them finishing tied for fourth and the Sporting News has the Boilermakers in sixth. Toledo finished a disappointing 5-7 last year. This season, you have to expect an improvement, but the team has a question mark at quarterback. I expect the Rockets to be a good team, however Purdue is lucky that they play them in week one. Final Score: Purdue 42-35
Indiana State at Indiana @ 8:00- on Big Ten Network
Indiana will have a lot of emotions when they open the season without coach Terry Hoeppner. I remember I interviewed Hoeppner before his Miami (Oh.) Redhawks took on this same Indiana State football team. You could tell Hoeppner was pumped up and eager to prove that his team belonged in the Top 25. The previous year, Miami finished #10 in the Top 25, when they had that magical season with Ben Roethlisberger. Indiana has consistently improved since Hoeppner came on as head coach. The 16 returning starters will have a lot to play for and will beat up on the Sycamores. Lindy’s Big Ten Preview has Indiana finishing last in the Big Ten standings, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has them finishing 10th and the Sporting News has the Hoosiers in 10th. Final Score: Indiana 35-7
Bowling Green at Minnesota @ 8:00- on Big Ten Network
Minnesota new coach Tim Brewster will have his team ready to go in their opener against Bowling Green. Lindy’s Big Ten Preview has Minnesota finishing 10th in the Big Ten standings, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has them finishing last and the Sporting News has the Golden Gophers in seventh. Bowling Green won’t be a pushover, I think QB Anthony Turner will finally breakout and have a big season. However, Minnesota is my surprise pick in the Big Ten, so I can’t pick against them already. Final Score: Minnesota 28-21
Most of opening weekend Big Ten games will be extremely boring. I would imagine that only the true fans will watch their favorite team’s game and that will be it.
Elsewhere there will be some pretty good games during the opening weekend: Below is my Top Ten:
Week One
September 1st
1) Tennessee at California (ABC- 8:00 p.m.)
2) Wake Forest at Boston College (ABC- 3:30 p.m.)
3) East Carolina at Virginia Tech (ESPN- noon)
4) Georgia Tech at Notre Dame (NBC- 3:30 p.m.)
5) Oklahoma State at Georgia (ESPN2- 6:45 p.m.)
6) Kansas State at Auburn (ESPN- 7:45 p.m.)
7) Florida State at Clemson (ESPN- 8 p.m. Sept. 3rd)
8) Western Michigan at West Virginia (3:30 p.m.) 9) Washington State at Wisconsin (ABC- 3:30 p.m.)
10) LSU at Mississippi State (ESPN- 8:00 p.m. Aug. 30th)
Last week, the Big Ten was supposedly thinking of adding a 12th team to its league by August 30th.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has now said that the idea is on the “back burner” and that it could be a “long-term possibility.”
On Tuesday at the Big Ten Media Day, Delany said, “You might [have thought] that the Big Ten was announcing it was going to expand, and really that was not the case. Every three to five years we look at expansion and we’ll continue to do that.”
The story stemmed from the comment Delany made to the Des Moines (Iowa) Register, “I think we need to look at it [expansion] in the next year. “The broader (the Big Ten Network) is distributed, the more value (expansion) has. We have eight states. With expansion, you could have nine.”
So, Delany might have been thinking of his baby (Big Ten Network) again, which seems to be an obsessing thought for the commissioner.
My question is, who in the world would’ve been the Big Ten’s 12th team?
The two schools brought up the most are Rutgers and Syracuse of the Big East Conference. Other names that were being thrown around were Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, West Virginia and Louisville.
You have to figure that the first place Delany would look is in the Big East Conference. Also, remember what he wanted, “We have eight states. With expansion, you could have nine.”
Okay that rules out Pittsburgh and Cincinnati of the Big East. Their football teams might not be ready to compete yet in the Big Ten, however the schools would be able to build up their teams and rivalries. Cincinnati has been on the Ohio State schedule many times in recent years. Also, Pittsburgh and Penn State could be a nice matchup.
Louisville and West Virginia are good enough to compete for a Big Ten title right now, but who knows if they would want to leave. A move to the Big Ten could hurt the recruiting those teams receive. I know that seems crazy, but Penn State legendary coach Joe Paterno has complained ever since his team entered the Big Ten (in ‘93) that many in-state recruits were being lost to Big Ten staples Ohio State and Michigan.
Rutgers makes sense, since it is in a different state and has a successful football program. However, the football program hasn’t been successful for a long period of time. The school’s basketball program is average at best. If Rutgers would join the Big Ten, they could get beat up in football up by the big-four teams in Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan. All of sudden, Rutgers rise to respectability will be derailed and they will become the Rutgers of old.
Syracuse? This team is expected to finish last in the Big East this season. The school has the tradition similar to that of a Big Ten school. Great basketball program and a rich running-back history. However, the football program finished 4-8 last season and 1-10 in ‘05. Syracuse could be the only school that might want to go to the Big Ten, since it has every thing to gain and nothing to lose since the team is already a loser.
Kevin Weiberg joined the Big Ten Network, after he had left his position as the Big 12 commissioner. That is how the rumors began about Nebraska and Colorado entering the Big Ten. The conference would love the addition of Nebraska, however it is hard to believe that they would leave their already established rivalries. However, a move for Nebraska to the Big Ten is not out of the question. My guess is the Big Ten tried to get Nebraska and failed, that is why Delany is trying to play it cool. I don’t know how Colorado fits.
Missouri was brought up for two reasons. First is, the Big 12 connection and second it would add another state to add to the Big Ten. It fits the Big Ten’s midwest layout, you would have Missouri fitting snug in there with Iowa and Illinois.
Many people don’t want the expansion since Notre Dame doesn’t want anything to do with it. Also, because it would depreciate the value of the last game of the season. Mainly it would hurt the national audience that tunes in for the Michigan-Ohio State game.
The expansion would give the Big Ten a championship game and it would place teams in two separate divisions.
Personally, if they would add a team to the Big Ten you would have to be happy with Louisville, West Virginia or Nebraska. Also, I wouldn’t mind seeing Cincinnati or Pittsburgh in there. Missouri and Colorado just wouldn’t look right. However, Missouri fits geographically and is expected to have a good season this year. Rutgers isn’t ready. Syracuse would never be ready.
Other names I’ll throw out there (just for fun): Kentucky: Football team is improving, but the basketball tradition will keep them in the SEC. However, if I were the Wildcats I would want to get away from the Florida Gators and they could be a nice fit in the Big Ten. Memphis: Not close to being ready on the football front, however like Syracuse they would start to see better recruiting classes just by being in the Big Ten. Main reason for the team to join is that they have no real competition in basketball as part of the C-USA. An Ohio or Michigan MAC Team: None of these teams are Big Ten ready, but could complete with the lower half of the conference. The state of Texas has the Longhorns, Texas A&M and Texas Tech and each perform well year in and year out in the Big 12. Also the conference has Baylor, which is a team that continues to improve. Why not put another Ohio team in the Big Ten. Toledo, Akron, Miami (OH), Bowling Green or Ohio would love to make the jump. Any of which will struggle from the start, but eventually the team will be able to steal a few recruits from Ohio State and be able to compete for a title once in every 10 or so years. Just not to be biased, they could add a Michigan team in either Western Michigan, Central Michigan or Eastern Michigan.
This week the Roundtable for Big Ten Bloggers was created.
You can see the new feature that was added to Buckeye Lane on the right part of the screen. Under the Big Ten Bloggers logo, there is list of the most recent stories from the newly created network.
The association was started to try to increase the volume of sports blogs Big Ten fans take in. We don’t want Buckeye fans just visiting the Ohio State sites, especially as it becomes closer to the season. Information on our rival Big Ten schools is just as important.
I will put up links to the Big Ten Blogs shortly.
However, our first round of questioning as begun and can be found at Badger Tracker. At that site you should be able to find answers from the other Big Ten Bloggers.
1a. The press and the coaches will be predicting the Big Ten champ at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago on Wednesday. That’s fine, but overdone. In lieu of boilerplate predictions of who will come out on top, which Big Ten team will be the most surprising? Remember, surprises can be good or bad; the underdog who comes out of nowhere to share the title is just as surprising as the favorite who winds up with five losses and no bowl bid.
Everyone seems to agree that the top four teams in the Big Ten will consist of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin (in some sort of order). I don’t see any of those teams having losing seasons, so that can’t be the surprise. The popular pick has to be Illinois, but I can’t pick a team that a lost home game to Ohio University last season. Phil Steele’s College Football Preview and second to last in Lindy’s Big Ten 2007 Preview. Minnesota returns 15 starters and loses the fewest lettermen in the Big Ten (12). The main reason came to me when I was watching the Big Ten Media Day on Tuesday. New head coach Tim Brewster seemed as though he was the only Big Ten coach with a pulse. One could tell that he is extremely excited for upcoming season. Also, an easy non-conference schedule includes Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Florida Atlantic and North Dakota State (that should be four wins). I expect at least three wins in the team’s eight Big Ten games- so that is a 7-5 record and a bowl game. That’s somewhat surprising.
Also, sometimes a record is misleading due to who you play and who you don’t play in the Big Ten, but it still can get you in a bowl game. Lookout for Indiana and Iowa because both don’t have to play Michigan or Ohio State. Also, Northwestern doesn’t have to play Penn State or Wisconsin.
1b. Imagine it’s December, and the consensus in the media is that your team’s season was “surprising.” Is this a Good Thing or a Bad Thing? What would have to happen for you to consider your team’s season surprising?
That can mean two different things. The good-thing perspective would include a national title run for the Buckeyes. People expect the Buckeyes to contend for the Big Ten title, but questions at some key offensive positions has many members of the media picking the Buckeyes to be third or fourth in the Big Ten. If a QB steps up and the Buckeyes run the table, that would surprise people. The bad-thing perspective would include a QB controversy where all three frontrunners (Todd Boeckman, Rob Schoenhoft and Antonio Henton) all disappoint. It could cause the Buckeyes to miss a bowl game for the first time since ‘99.
2. A preseason player of the year will also be dubbed in Chicago. For your team to succeed, which player or unit is going to have to put forth a “player of the year” performance? What’s the one position that would take your team to the next level if it performs above expectations?
Obviously, the answer in Ohio State is the QB position. If the Buckeyes can get a solid performance from their QB then there is no limit to what this team could achieve. Boeckman is a fifth-year junior, who hopefully knows the system by now. Schoenhoft is a strong-armed sophomore, who is my personal favorite right now. And Henton is a Troy Smith clone, who didn’t appear ready in a ugly spring game performance. See Quarterback Question? for my breakdown on the Buckeyes QB position.
3. Which Big Ten team’s out-of-conference schedule would you most want to have this year? Why? Do you think your team will have out-of-conference losses this year?
I will take the Wisconsin’s out-of-conference schedule. They have three home games against Washington State (Sept. 1), The Citadel (Sept. 15) and Northern Illinois (Oct. 20). The Citadel should be cake. NI lost a bunch of talent, but are still a solid MAC team relatively close to Wisconsin. I like the Washington State game to open the season. WSU is not one of the best teams, but besides Illinois it will be the only team from the Big Ten to open against a BCS conference school. The main reason I like the Badgers’ non-conference schedule is because their one road game is in Las Vegas, against UNLV. I’m always looking for an excuse to go there.
Ohio State out-of-conference schedule is weak. After playing Texas the last two years and about to be playing University of Southern Cal for the next two years, this year is kind of a joke. No way the Buckeyes lose to Youngstown State, Akron or Kent State at home. The only loss that could happen would be a visit to Washington, but the Buckeyes should be heavily favored in that game as well.
4. Here’s a chance to look like a complete genius in a few months: pick the biggest in-conference upset that will happen this season. Justify your prediction!
This upset will blow your minds- Minnesota will defeat Wisconsin on November 17th (last week of the season). The previous two weeks, Wisconsin visits Ohio State and then plays Michigan at home. Then without anytime off, the Badgers will take a deep breath and jump on a bus and head to Minnesota. I don’t care how the Badgers did in the previous two games, they will relax and expect an easy win over their Gopher rivals. New coach Tim Brewster will have his team pumped up and wanting to take back the Paul Bunyan’s Axe. The Gophers lost last year 12-48 to Wisconsin, so this is a big upset.
5. Say something nice about the Big Ten school whose name precedes yours alphabetically. Say something mean about the one that comes after.
I have to say something nice about Northwestern and something mean about Penn State.
Let’s get out all the mean stuff about Penn State. Okay, the Buckeyes could have had RB Curtis Enis, but thought it would be funnier to send him a recruiting letter entitled ‘Curtis Penis.’ Oh wait, that really isn’t mean, as it is true. As a Bengals’ fan the name Ki-Jana Carter makes me feel like I just got ripped of on a $50 steak that tasted like bologna. The school known as ‘Linebacker U’ should change their nickname to ‘Linebacking Disappointment’- Brandon Short had 62 tackles his rookie year in the NFL, but hasn’t come close to that for the rest of his career (159 tackles in last four seasons- that’s just less than 40 tackles a season)- LaVar Arrington was a freak in college, I actually thought he would be the next great linebacker, but look at his stats LaVarr’s Stats from ESPN.com. His numbers are terrible and he isn’t even on a team right now. Paul Posluszny is next, have fun in Buffalo. Here is a good stat, since Arrington and Short were drafted in 2000, no other PSU linebacker was drafted in the last six entire NFL Drafts.
Northwestern is a good school academically. Also, they have a good running back in Tyrell Sutton. Sutton won the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year in 2005 when he rushed for 1,474 yards. Last year, Sutton topped the 1,000-yard mark again.
The Wildcats won two of their last three games last including a 21-7 win on the road against Iowa. And they do return 15 starters.
Sorry that was the best I could do for Northwestern.
6. USC: great football program, or greatest football program? Also, how about that SEC? Damn, those guys are fast!
USC is a great team. SEC will always be the strongest conference.
(stay tuned for more Big Ten Roundtable of Bloggers Questions)
“He looks like a grown man,” Wilson said. “He’s got big size 18 feet, and when he comes off the ball, he comes off so hard and so powerful. That 295 (pounds), when he gets that running it’s hard to stop it.”
At the time, I was thinking that I would just do the preview and hope that it would link back to the ole 
Offensive Strengths: Running backs Sophomore Beanie and junior Maurice Wells will carry the load while the Buckeyes look for a consistent starting quarterback. Beanie is the power back and Maurice is the speed. Maurice Wells should have his best season yet. Also, Ohio State added two great RB recruits this year in Brandon Saine and Daniel “Boom” Herron.
Three games stand out in the non-conference schedule. Those games are vs. North Carolina (Nov. 18th), vs. Florida (Dec. 22) and at Tennessee (Jan. 19).
Overall, the offense is solid. The weaknesses include quarterback, running back and tight end. 
OLBs A.J. Hawk (Green Bay) and Mike Vrabel (New England)- The Columbus Bucks might want to consider using the 3-4 with their depth at linebacker. Bobby Carpenter can play inside and outside. Na’il Diggs is a proven OLB that could be a starter on some teams.
Currently, I counted 61 players that are still in league. On September 1st, NFL teams will cut their rosters down to 53 players. The abundance of Buckeyes in the NFL got me thinking, what if you had a team that was all OSU Buckeyes (let’s name them the Columbus Bucks)? Would they be able to compete for a Super Bowl? 
The depth is impressive- Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, Michael Jenkins, David Boston, Drew Carter, Roy Hall and Brandon Childress.
Youngstown State at Ohio State @ noon- on the Big Ten Network
Indiana State at Indiana @ 8:00- on Big Ten Network
(the Big Ten Network) is distributed, the more value (expansion) has. We have eight states. With expansion, you could have nine.”
The two schools brought up the most are Rutgers and Syracuse of the Big East Conference. Other names that were being thrown around were Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, West Virginia and Louisville.
Syracuse? This team is expected to finish last in the Big East this season. The school has the tradition similar to that of a Big Ten school. Great basketball program and a rich running-back history. However, the football program finished 4-8 last season and 1-10 in ‘05. Syracuse could be the only school that might want to go to the Big Ten, since it has every thing to gain and nothing to lose since the team is already a loser.
You can see the new feature that was added to Buckeye Lane on the right part of the screen. Under the Big Ten Bloggers logo, there is list of the most recent stories from the newly created network.
Phil Steele’s College Football Preview and second to last in Lindy’s Big Ten 2007 Preview. Minnesota returns 15 starters and loses the fewest lettermen in the Big Ten (12). The main reason came to me when I was watching the Big Ten Media Day on Tuesday. New head coach Tim Brewster seemed as though he was the only Big Ten coach with a pulse. One could tell that he is extremely excited for upcoming season. Also, an easy non-conference schedule includes Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Florida Atlantic and North Dakota State (that should be four wins). I expect at least three wins in the team’s eight Big Ten games- so that is a 7-5 record and a bowl game. That’s somewhat surprising.
Let’s get out all the mean stuff about Penn State. Okay, the Buckeyes could have had RB Curtis Enis, but thought it would be funnier to send him a recruiting letter entitled ‘Curtis Penis.’ Oh wait, that really isn’t mean, as it is true. As a Bengals’ fan the name Ki-Jana Carter makes me feel like I just got ripped of on a $50 steak that tasted like bologna. The school known as ‘Linebacker U’ should change their nickname to ‘Linebacking Disappointment’- Brandon Short had 62 tackles his rookie year in the NFL, but hasn’t come close to that for the rest of his career (159 tackles in last four seasons- that’s just less than 40 tackles a season)- LaVar Arrington was a freak in college, I actually thought he would be the next great linebacker, but look at his stats