I just read an interesting piece by Andy Staples discussing some potential issues with the Longhorn Network. The major discussion point wasn’t the fact that the Longhorn Network is going to make the school truck loads of cash. or the fact that now with ESPN, ESPN has incentive for the Longhorns to do well and get ratings, blurring the line for unbiased News/Sports reporting on them.

No, the main issue discussed is how the Longhorn Network is going to be showing High School games featuring kids who have verbally committed to Texas. This could be an unfair recruiting tool for Texas. However, it is likely to be deemed ok by the NCAA.

This got me thinking, if the Longhorn Network is going to show two dozen high school football games a year, why doesn’t the Big Ten Network do the same thing? Instead of watching Friday Night Tailgate (which in 4 years went from (yr 1)mildly entertaining, (Yr2) Hey! They figured it out, this is a good show, (Yr3) This is awful, (Yr4) I can’t believe this should could get worse, but it did.) why not show Gunner Kiel’s game so the IU fans can get a look at their future QB, as well as 3 other players. You don’t think Ohio State fans would have loved watching Terrelle Pryor his last year in High School?

The advantage of the BTN showing High School games over the Longhorn Network is they can show a game the features players that are going to multiple schools. If there was a matchup that featured players going to 4 different Big Ten schools, it would bring in 4 times the amount of viewers.

I say if Texas is going to do it, why not the Big Ten. They already have the Network in place, let’s use it to our advantage.

Indiana Football Recruiting

Here is a quick update on Scout discussing Indiana's recruiting.

No, Gunner Kiel has not signed yet, but two of his teammates did. That could be helpful in beating out Alabama or Oklahoma for the highest ranked QB recruit. I personally think that Gunner wants to go to Indiana, but knows his talent level is too high to go there right now.

On the plus side if he comes, he can lead the team and potentially turn around the program. On the down side, he might not have any protection or people to throw the ball to which could hurt his draft stock compared to the other two power house programs. I still don't see him coming, but there's always hope.



Lastly. Indiana has started recruiting another Randle El. That's right, Antwaan's kid who plays WR.

DucksNational Title Unifrom

As a follow up to yesterday's article, here is the Ducks new Uniform here's Paul Lukas' Article found on ESPN.com



We've had the Ninja Ducks, the Storm Trooper Ducks, and now we have -- well, what should we call these? Canary-legged Ducks? Tron-sleeved Ducks?

That's the new Oregon uniform for the BCS National Championship Game that's just been been unveiled today. Auburn is the designated home team and will be wearing blue, so it was a given that Oregon would wear a white jersey. Surprising to see them going with white pants, though. And even more surprising to see those socks, which are straight out of the school's highlighter-yellow phase.
But wait, it looks like they're keeping their options open with black pants and socks, so this may end up being a one of those mix-and-match guessing games that continues right up until the Ducks come out of the tunnel on Jan. 10. Seriously, will anyone be surprised if Nikegon scraps this look altogether and comes up with something entirely different for the big game in Glendale?
My initial take: Could be worse, but could also be a whole lot better. I'll have a full point-by-point Uni Watch assessment, along with an in-depth look at the new bowl game uniforms that are also being unveiled today for TCU, Florida, and Boise State, here on Page 2 tomorrow. Meanwhile, post a comment to let us know what you think, because the whole point of this uniform is to get people talking.

I like them, I am glad they didn't stray to far away from thier uniforms of all year. It's defiently Oregon though.

It's Official, New Jersey's for Oregon in the National Title Game

Found this quick article by Paul Lucas on ESPN:


Why stop now?

That's apparently the thinking at Oregon and at the Nike offices. With the Ducks slated to appear in the BCS title game next month, Swoosh Inc. is planning to unveil a new Oregon uni design for the big game. The unveiling, which is scheduled for Tuesday, will also feature new bowl game uniforms for TCU, Boise State (maybe it will include this white helmet design that's been making the rounds?), and Florida. But it's safe to say that most of the attention will be focused on Oregon.



For all the chatter about Oregon's outlandish uniforms, their current set with the winged shoulders is actually one of the better looks in college football. Will their Glendale uniform continue this move toward visual respectability, or will they revert to their video game look of a few years ago? What do you think?



Whatever the new design turns out to be, Page 2 will be on the case. I'll have an entry here on the Page 2 Blog soon after the unveiling tomorrow, along with a full-length Uni Watch column on Wednesday -- stay tuned

Weak Four in Big Ten Football

With ten out of the Big Ten's eleven teams in action this weekend, it's time for some exciting Midwestern football action, right?

Actually, not so much. Check out the schedule of B10 opponents this week. Spreads are from here. I'll do something fun with those at the end.

Two of those games could actually be decent. Penn State (-17.5) draws undefeated Temple - the Owls are leading the MAC after a convincing 30-16 win over UConn last week, and an overtime victory against Central Michigan in Week Two.

Speaking of the Chippewas, they are, sadly enough, the second best B10 opponent this week, and should give Northwestern (-9) as much of a challenge as Rice or Illinois State, at least.

The rest of the schedule makes me want to sleep in all day Saturday:

Michigan State vs. Northern Colorado (NL)
Wisconsin vs. Austin Peay (NL)
Ohio State (-42.5) vs. Eastern Michigan
Michigan (-23.5) vs. Bowling Green
Iowa (-28) vs. Ball State
Purdue (-13.5) vs. Toledo
Indiana (-21.5) vs. Akron
Minnesota (-4) vs. Northern Illinois

Meanwhile, the SEC is starting league play, as is the Pac-10. And we can't get a single major-conference opponent, anywhere?

On average (not counting the games without a line) the Big Ten is favored to win by SEVENTEEN AND A HALF POINTS PER GAME THIS WEEK! Can I get a nine-team parlay? (Screw you, Minnesota) Would it even pay me any money if I won it?

Big Ten Power Rankings, Week Three

This is just going to be a quick ranking, since the games start soon. Every Big Ten team is in action this Saturday. The top six teams are all undefeated.

1. No. 2 Ohio State (vs. Ohio) - The Buckeyes are fresh off a big win against Miami at home and get their in-state patsies at the Horseshoe. They'll be 3-0 by the second quarter, unlike two years ago, when they let the Bobcats (I think that's Ohio's mascot) hang in until almost the end of the game. Ohio already got their massive upset of the year when they beat Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament.

2. No. 11 Wisconsin (vs. Arizona State) - Ah, home cookin'. If Bucky Badger had to go to Tempe, this might be a more frightening matchup, but I expect Ball and Clay to run the ball about 66% of the time in this one, put us all to sleep, and leave Wisco undefeated at the end of the day.

3. No. 9 Iowa (at No. 24 Arizona) - The lone Big Ten team with a road game against a decent opponent this week, Iowa looks to prove itself and get a quality win that they can point to down the road.

4. Michigan State (vs. Notre Dame) - I know what the Noffkes will be watching. Prime time, ABC, 8 PM. After Sparty wins this one, I expect to get some offers on firebriankelly.com. Oh wait, I haven't bought it yet? Crap...

5. Northwestern (at Rice) - Dan Persa has looked like the real deal so far, as has the 'Cats defense and the new crew of wide receivers. The lack of a star running back will be NU's only Achilles heel this year. I expect a comfortable win against the Owls, even on the road.



6. No. 20 Michigan (vs. Massachussets) - Shoelace for Heisman? How ironic would it be if Denard Robinson beat out Terrelle Pryor for the trophy this year? Obviously UMass is a patsy, so you can expect the overhyping of Michigan to continue for another week, despite the fact that their defense is terrible and their offense is one-dimensional.

7. No. 22 Penn State (vs. Kent State) - Going from No. 1 Alabama on the road to Kent State at home is about the biggest dropoff in opponent quality I can imagine. This Nittany Lions team is one of the weakest I can remember, but they will look better today.

8. Indiana (at Western Kentucky) - Fred Glass has been so busy rebuilding the IU football culture (and doing a great job, by the way), that he forgot to schedule a Week Two game, and settled for a road date down in bluegrass country today. The Hoosiers had better win this game and stay undefeated.

9. Purdue (vs. Ball State) - They stink less than Illinois.

10. Illinois (vs. Northern Illinois) - Ron Zook gets a look at the type of team he'll probably be coaching next. A directional university, that is.

11. Minnesota (vs. No. 18 USC) - Who remembers Minny-Cal last year? Yeah, I'm expecting about the same. If the Gophers win this one, it would be one hell of a turnaround after losing to South Dakota State last week.

NCAA Football Preview: Coaches Poll 1-9

So I debated about commenting on the pre-season coaches poll. As most of you know, I think pre-season polls are dumb, especially since they are used as a starting point to determine the national champion. However, I decided these 25 teams are the teams with the most storylines this year, so commenting on each team and not their rankings is acceptable

The third of three parts

Part 1: 15-25

Part 2: 14-10

Part 3: 9-1

9 Nebraska


Nebraska’s defense was one of the top units last year and was the main reason Nebraska played so well. They lost star D-Lineman Suh, but still return a very talented defense. The offense should be better this season, because it really can’t get any worse. Nebraska is looking to win the Big XII North and the Big XII in their last year in the league. The Texas game is the game circled on their schedule as they look to avenge the 1 second loss in the Big XII title game last year. I think Nebraska will lose 1 or 2 games this year, win the Big XII north, but ultimately lose in the Big XII Title Game.

8. Oklahoma

As I have mentioned before, Oklahoma is Phil Steele’s pick to win the National Championship. Their biggest weakness last year was O-Line is now a year older with more expierence. DemarcoMurray looks to have a break out year while
Landry Jones looks to build on his performance last year. Oklahoma needs to win the Red River Rivalry to advance to the Big XII title game. They have a big nonconference game in week 2 against the high powered offense of Florida State. I think Oklahoma will lose 1 game this year, but when the Texas game so it will advance to the Big XII Title Game where they will beat Nebraska

7. TCU

Gary Patterson should have another good team this year. In the past two years TCU has finished #6 (2009) and #7 (2008) in both AP and Coach’s pole. TCU’s defense should be just as good as last year which will lead them to a lot of victories. They have two tough non conference opponents in Oregon State week 1 (Cowboys Stadium) (which was a win) and Baylor week 3. They do get BYU at home this year, but have go to Utah in a game that could decide Mountain West Championship which I think they will win.

6. Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech is one of the many teams I could see winning the ACC. They have an awesome running game and a very experienced Quarterback in Tyrod Taylor. The defense is a little young and inexperienced but still talented enough to win. Last night’s tough lost to Boise State could cost them a shot at the National Title, but I still think every game on their schedule is winnable for them and predict them to win most.

5. Boise State

Boise State was one of two teams to finish last year undefeated. Boise is returning more starters than any other D-1 school, 21 of 22 with the only non returner being Kyle Wilson who went #29 overall in this year’s draft. Kellen Morre will lead a powerful Broncos attack and is actually my choice to win the Heisman trophy. Just like last year, Boise’s biggest game of the year is early in the season where they beat Virginia Tech in FedEx Field. Boise State looks like it only has one more road block between itself and an undefeated season coming when Oregon State comes to the Smurf Turf. If they get past that, then the debate will rage on about should they become the first non AQ to go to the National Championship game.

4. Texas



Maybe I’m crazy, but I think Texas is too high at number 4. I think Garrett Gilbert will be a good, if not great quarterback, but just because he played in the national title game last year doesn’t mean he won’t be making 1st year mistakes. Colt McCoy is a heck of a person to replace. I think a top 10 ranking is worthy, but not top 5. I do like how the team is stacked with Texas talent (all but 3 of the top 2 lines on the depth chart are from Texas) but will have to win the Red River Rivalry game if they want to win the South which I do not see happening.







3. Florida

John Brantley has the toughest job in college football this year. Replace Tim Tebow. The Gators faithful loved Tebow and it’s no surprise why, 2 National Championships (even though he was more along for the ride for the first one) 1 Heisman, 3 Heisman Finalist, 1 undefeated season, 2 undefeated regular season and a Sugar Bowl win. Not only will Brantley have to follow that performance, he will have to do it with a team that has lost a ton of talent. The team is still full of 5 star recruits, but lost a majority of its dominant defense. I see this Florida team winning the SEC east, but finishing the year with 2 losses. Still a good season, but not as good as three of the past 4.





2. Ohio State

THE Ohio State University is ranked highly again, and I’m sure a lot of people in the south really don’t want to see them play for another National Title. This OSU team has no one left from their back to back title game losses and shouldn’t be faulted by those teams. Pryor showed off his skill set in the Rose Bowl last year and is expected to make a run for the Heisman if Senator Tressell allows him to use all his abilities. Ohio State has 1 big out of conference game against THE U at home, but their two toughest Big Ten games will be on the road. I picked Ohio State to win the National Championship and I am sticking with it. I could see this team losing a game along the way and still making it in.

1. Alabama

Alabama is replacing a lot of talent on their defense, but their offense should be clicking. All last year I heard about how the backup running back Trent Richardson is actually better then reigning Heisman trophy winner Ingram. The QB Mcelroy has never lost a game in college or varsity high school football. Saying all that, I see Alabama losing 1 or 2 games this year because of how much turnover is on their D. Saban is known for his defense, so the unit could surprise and play good right away. If that’s the case, lookout cause, they will be tough to beat.

New Ole Miss Rebels Mascot

I know Fodor will love this

NCAA Football Preview: Coaches Poll 14-10

So I debated about commenting on the pre-season coaches poll. As most of you know, I think pre-season polls are dumb, especially since they are used as a starting point to determine the national champion. However, I decided these 25 teams are the teams with the most storylines this year, so commenting on each team and not their rankings is acceptable

The second of four parts (yes I added another part)

Part 1: 15-25

Part 2: 14-10

Part 3: 9-5

Part 4: 4-1


14. Penn State



Two Pennsylvania schools ended up next to each other in the rankings. I personally do not see Penn State being that good this year. The schedule is not too daunting, but they have a new quarterback and still need help on the O-Line. I hope they go into Tuscaloosa and beat the Tide, but I don’t see how that happens. (Also, if ‘Bama beats the snot of them, I really hope we don’t have to hear about how great the SEC is when it’s best team beat the Big Ten’s 4th or 5th best team). Joe Pa will be going to win 400 this year (394 currently) and the team should make it fairly easily. I am sure we will hear a lot about Joe Pa and this being his final year. I actually say he’s got one more run in him. I believe he will be the head coach for the first season of the Big Ten at 12 teams and then go off into the sunset.

13. Miami

Miami is Stewart Mandel’s “Sleeper” National Champion pick. I do think Miami will take a big step forward this year and could even win the ACC. I don’t see them winning the National Title because I don’t see them going into Columbus and beating Ohio State in the first meeting of these two teams since they played for the 2003 title. They do have a good out of conference playing some member of their old conference the Big East with games at Pittsburgh and home against USF. I see this team as having a good year, but is still one year away from player for a national title.

12. Wisconsin



On Wisconsin! Wisconsin will finish the year as one of, if not the best, rushing team in the nation. They return a stacked O-Line that will be moving people for RB Clay. The Defense should be sound as this team looks to build off their bowl victory over Miami last season. I see this team competing for the Big Ten Title, but ultimately falling short to Ohio State and Iowa. I heard an interesting comment about Wisconsin RB’s in one of Stewart Mandel’s recent Mailbags. QBs are often cited to be system QBs (think Hawai’i and Texas Tech), but why not Running Backs. Wisconsin runs the ball more than almost any team in the nation year in and year out which gets their Running Backs lots of stats. Have any of these Running Backs amounted to anything in the NFL? Dayne? Bennett? Not really, Clay might have a similar fate.

11. Oregon



Oregon would have been rated much higher had their QB Masoli not got kicked off the team. Chip Kelly will have to find a new QB to run his high octane offense if he wants to keep Oregon’s national title hopes alive. Oregon is looking to become the dominant team in the Pac-10 with Southern Cal suffering from NCAA sanctions. The game vs Southern Cal and in-state rival Oregon State should both be good ones with the latter potential determining the conference champion for the second straight year. I think Oregon will play well, but will ultimately fall short to Oregon State.

10. Iowa



Iowa is getting a lot of pre-season hype, and I for one am worried. Iowa returns almost their entire defense included Orange Bowl MVP, and potential Heisman dark horse, Adrian Clayborn. Clayborn will have a great year because teams can’t always double team him. SI had 3 of Iowa’s 4 defensive linemen as All-Big Ten choices. Tyler Sash is expected to have a repeat of last season, but I don’t see him getting as many turnovers. I think he will have a good year, but it won’t be as good as last year where he lucked into a couple of INTs. Teams will have problems scoring on the Hawkeyes, but I’m concerned about their O-Line. Only one member of the group has any experience heading into the season. Yes, Kirk Ferentz is a seems to specialize in O-Lineman, but replacing four guys could detrimental to Ricky Stanzi. This Iowa team reminds me a lot of last year’s Penn State team, albeit a better version. I see this team winning all but two games, which is actually a good season, but might not live up to the type of year Hawkeye fans had in mind.

NCAA Football Preview: Coaches Poll 15-25

So I debated about commenting on the pre-season coaches poll. As most of you know, I think pre-season polls are dumb, especially since they are used as a starting point to determine the national champion. However, I decided these 25 teams are the teams with the most storylines this year, so commenting on each team and not their rankings is acceptable

The first of three parts

Part 1: 15-25

Part 2: 14-7

Part 3: 6-1


Others Receiving Votes

Duke is not listed, Steve Spurrier used to rank them 25 every year until their first loss as a thank you for giving him his start. USA Today told him to stop because it was effecting the credibility of the poll.

Texas A&M

I forgot to list Jerrod Johnson as a player to watch out for this fall in my NCAA preview column.

25. West Virginia


Noel Devine should have an outstanding year this year in Morgantown. I see this team finishing 2nd in the Big East finishing around 8 wins. Their two biggest games of the year are both on the road. They are going to Death Valley at LSU at night as well as at Pittsburgh for the Backyard Brawl.

24. Utah

Utah’s last year in the MWC before moving to the Pac-12 should be a good year for the team. They get both BYU and TCU at home. Pittsburgh (AP and ACSS pick to win the Big East) at home to start the season should be a good game. They do travel to South Bend to play Notre Dame, that could be a good game or a blow out.

23. Auburn

I think Auburn is going to struggle this season. I don’t think it has as much to do with the team, as it does with who they are playing. Auburn, like most SEC teams, have a pretty soft non-conference slate with 1 AQ conference school in Clemson; however they do play in what I feel will be the toughest division in football the SEC West and ending the season vs Georgia and @ Alabama will be a tough way to close out the season. Besides going to Tuscaloosa and Oxford, all their tougher games will be at home, which should help.

22. Oregon State



Oregon State needed a victory in the Civil War to win the Pac-10 and go to the Rose Bowl last year. They should be in the running to the end again. The Rodgers Brothers are another year older and should be one of the top duo’s in the nation this year. I do have to give Oregon State’s AD a lot of credit this year for out of conference scheduling (Yes I know these are done years out, and no one knows how good teams will be, but a schedule like this still deserves praise). Oregon State scheduled two of the premiere no AQ schools along with AQ school Louisville. Home vs TCU to start the year, home vs Louisville, and @ Boise State before heading into the Pac-10 round robin (last season for this). Oregon State will be in a lot of good games this year, so they should be a fun team to watch.

21. Georgia

Georgia should be able to rack up some wins in the down SEC East, I actually am predicting they beat Florida in the World’s Largest outdoor cocktail party on 10/31 in their biggest game of the year. Mark Richt has been a good coach, but has yet been able to develop a team that can get to the national title game. I don’t think this year will be the team, but I think that he has the potential to.

20. Florida State

Florida State should have a pretty good year based solely on their Offense. They will be one of the higher scoring teams, but how well they do in the ACC will depend mostly on their Defense. I could see them winning the ACC, but I feel better about 2 or 3 teams. They have a tough early trip to Oklahoma which should be a good barometer test for how the season will go, as well as a good game.

19. Arkansas


Arkansas is my sleeper team in the SEC West even if ESPN Radio College football junkies Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo disagree. QB Ryan Mallet should have a great year and will keep this team in games they shouldn’t be in. The defense will need to get better, but I like Bobby Petrino as a coach, he took an average at best Louisville program and had them one win away from playing in the NCAA title game. The schedule looks tough mainly from playing in the SEC West. They do get ‘Bama and LSU at home, but have to travel to UGA and Texas A&M

18. North Carolina

Come on and raise up (Petey Pablo anyone?). Butch Davis has done a great job recruiting for this school. I have heard a lot of people predict that they could be the team that wins the ACC. I think they will have a good, but not great year centered around good, fundamental defense. They kick off their season in what should be a great game with LSU coming to Chapell Hill at night.

17. Georgia Tech

Paul Johnson is probably my favorite NCAA coach there is. The one issue I see with his Triple Option system, is a good defense that properly prepares, can shut it down, and they have no second option. Saying that, they are still my pick to win the ACC this year. They do get Miami at home, but have to travel to Virginia Tech and North Carolina

16. LSU


Look, another SEC west team. LSU is going to have to find a way to win games against some pretty tough competition, and I don’t see that happening. I see LSU losing 3-4 games. On top of the SEC West, one of their crossover SEC games is @ Florida. They are also going to UNC and have West Virginia coming to them. Lucky for them ‘Bama is coming to Death Valley at night, one of the toughest places and times to play in NCAA. This is probably why all their home games are night games. Actually looking at their schedule, any game time that is not TBD is a is a night game. So get ready to watch a lot of LSU games while you are going out to the bars on a Saturday night. Biggest question for LSU this year is how the Mad Hatter Les Miles will handle the clock this season.

15. Pittsburgh


Pittsburgh is my pick to win the Big East. Dave Wannstedt has one of the best backs in the country in Dion Lewis who should be putting up big stats again behind a solid offensive line. They have road games at Utah and Notre Dame while getting Miami at home. In Big East Play they get West Virginia at home in the Backyard Brawl, while they are on the road for the river city rivalry against Cincinnati. I see them winning around 10 games this year along with the Big East Title.

08/05/10 Numbers

White Sox Magic Number





Days Until College Football

Big Ten Power Rankings (Early Edition)

There's some easy parts and some tricky parts about deciding who the favorites are in Big Ten football this year. The easy? Well, you know Ohio State's gotta be the favorite. And you know who the top also-rans are -- it's Penn State, Iowa, and Wisconsin in some order.

Oh, and Illinois is terrible.

But the tough part? Deciding what to do with rankings number 5 through 10. Here's how I think the Big Ten is looking going into the 2010 season. Just for fun, I'll throw Nebraska in there too.

1. Ohio State - Terrelle Pryor is the conference's best Heisman candidate, although there are several others worth consideration.

With WR Dane Sanzenbacher back (and I didn't even look up that spelling!) as well as Rolle at linebacker, the Buckeyes are what we always expect them to be - a great team with great depth who won't spend any time outside of the Top Ten nationwide.

2. Iowa - Adrian Clayborn was the best defensive player in the Big Ten last year, and proved it with his highlight reel field goal block and TD return against Penn State. He's back this year to make his case as a top five NFL draft pick.

Ricky Stanzi? I'm not quite as sold. But the Hawkeyes are aiming for ten wins and a BCS game.

3. Wisconsin - John Clay is the Big Ten's best running back and a dark horse Heisman candidate - think Toby Gerhart, but Clay does it against better defenses. Wisco is coming off a big bowl win and looking to improve.

4. Penn State - Even though they lost a ton of players, JoePa recruits better than anyone not named Sweater Vest in the conference. Plus, that home field advantage at Happy Valley is awesome.

5. Northwestern - My love for Pat Fitzgerald is well-documented. He's Joe Paterno in diapers. The Wildcats are marketing Chicago hard this year, with hopes of improving attendance at Ryan Field, and I believe there are plenty of wannabe fans in the area that should flock to what is a thoroughly enjoyable gameday experience.

Dan Persa is more than capable at quarterback. The biggest question is whether the 'Cats can rely on Arby Fields to actually gain yardage at RB. Northwestern hasn't really had a good running back since Damien Anderson. Finding one would be a huge plus.

5a. Nebraska - That defense was one of the best in the nation last season, but loses Ndamukong Suh and Barry "Bears Practice Squad" Turner, and their offense is nothing to write home about.

However, cornerback Prince Amukamara (yes, I cheated here) is a superstar in waiting, and I expect the Blackshirts defense to make the Huskers' last season in the Big 12 a memorable one.

6. Michigan State - Kirk Cousins returns at quarterback, and is probably the Big Ten's biggest darkhorse Heisman hopeful as a junior. But Sparty has had a ton of offseason controversy and I just don't see them sneaking up on anyone.

7. Purdue - Miami transfer Robert Marve (QB) is carrying the hopes of Boiler Nation. Danny Hope is a good solid coach, but I don't know that Purdue has the depth or talent to do much more than hope for six wins.

8. Indiana - With Ben Chappell back at QB, and probably the best wide receivers in the entire Big Ten, Indiana figures to score a ton this year. Fred Glass has done a great job getting butts in seats at Memorial Stadium.

But after losing DEs Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton, LB Matt Mayberry, and safeties Austin Thomas and Nick Polk, the Hoosiers will have some serious issues on defense. Can the Replogle Brothers become the faces of a retooled D? They'll put up great stats, but IU looks to be giving up 28+ a game this year in the Big Ten.

However, soft out of conference matchups (Arkansas State is the best of the four) should guarantee at least four wins, or else Bill Lynch is a goner. Is it wrong to say that my heart wouldn't exactly be broken by that?

Whatever, I bought my season tickets.

9. Michigan - I thought Rich Rodriguez was amazing at West Virginia. What happened? It's looking more and more like Carr should have stayed in Ann Arbor, and Rich Rod should have stayed in Morgantown. Capital One Bowl > No Bowl.

10. Minnesota - If you can't win with talent like Eric Decker, you can't win without talent like Eric Decker. Tim Brewster is gone after this year.

11. Illinois - After a train wreck in 2009, Illinois isn't looking a whole lot better in 2010. It may be a long year in Champaign. And, by the way, I do expect Ron Zook to join Brewster on the firing line.

Two Important Numbers

Armchair Superstar is going to begin the countdown of two major numbers


White Sox Magic Number




Days until College Football starts

College Football Preview

As I have already stated, I hate pre-season rankings. I think in a sport with such high turnover, it is dumb to try and predict who is going to be good the coming year. The worst part about this, is pre-season rankings can have an impact on the National Title game. I personally don’t think any rankings should be produced until at least week 6. Will this happen? No, because pre-season rankings sell magazines and produce hits on websites. So instead of ranking teams, I am going to discuss teams and players who you should keep an eye on for next season as well as pick my conference champions.



ACC

I think the ACC, along with the Pac-10, will be the most competitive Automatic Qualifier (AQ, AKA the improper term BCS) conference this season. I could see any team winning the conference and see any number of teams winning either division. Georgia Tech is the defending champion and my pick to win the conference. Paul Johnson has gotten better each season in Atlanta and has one of the toughest offense to prepare for. UNC is a popular pick to win it as Butch Davis has settled in with some great recruiting classes. Miami, Clemson, Va Tech and FSU (needs a D though) should all be better this year. I could see any of these teams winning it. The one thing I expect from the ACC this year is a lot of close entertaining games, so the real winner (get ready for the lameness) will be the fans.

Champ: Georgia Tech

Big XII

The last year of the Big XII before it loses two members should be a good one. Nebraska, on its way out to join the Big Ten, is predicted to win the Big XII north based on the strength of the blackshirts even with the loss of Suh. Bo Pelini needs to find more ways to score then last season as the offense was the reason they didn’t win more. Phil Steele (One of College Football’s best prognosticators) has Oklahoma as his #1 team in the year. Who am I to disagree with him. The biggest weakness from last year’s team was O-Line is now one year better. Landry Jones (hopefully he will still be rocking his awesome mustache) also has a year of experience under him in a Bob Stoops offense that has never struggled to score points. Texas should be good again, but will suffer a drop off after losing the QB with the most wins in NCAA history in Colt McCoy. The team is stacked with Texas talent (all but 3 of the top 2 lines on the depth chart are from Texas) but will have to win the Red River Rivalry game if they want to win the South. Baylor will not be competing for the Big XII title but will be a team to watch because they have my personal favorite player in NCAA this year Robert Griffin.

Champs: Oklahoma

Pac-10 Football Promo

I dislike the Pac-10 as much as any good Big Ten fan does. Saying that, I thouroughly enjoyed this new Pac-10 video



I found it in this great article about Pac-10 rebranding by Andy Staples. BTW yes the Pac-10 is invadeing New York and your TVs on ESPN as part of this rebranding.

Football Is Upon Us

I am not going to try to out do my Ode to College Football (a must read if you haven't already and love college football) but here are some of the things I have been thinking about the past few weeks.



Script Ohio. My personal favorite college football tradition








Howard's Rock (Great Piece on it)



Ralphie running onto the field. I would not want to be one of the four guys that runs with him.



Tailgaiting on Lake Washington




Boise State



Running through the T



And of course, IU FOOTBALL!



I love this clip for various reason. My favorite part is at the 1:12 mark you can see me getting up from a big pile up of people I created after I tripped on my way onto the Field. I am all the way to the left of the screen in a white hoody and have a red whig on.

College Football is Coming!

Today we got a dispatch from Iraq (thanks, Alec) reminding us at the Superstar that while it may be 90 degrees outside right now (okay, maybe a bit hotter over there), we're not too far away from September in the grand scheme of things.

And you know what September means, boys and girls.
(that's right... three wins and high hopes for Indiana that will inevitably lead to heartbreak. The annual Bill Lynch tease.)

I digress. Here's a nice article from Hail to Purple regarding Northwestern's preseason rankings in the major magazines and online. Interesting tidbit: Because the big mags (like Athlon) tend to market to bigger audiences, NU almost always gets screwed over.

Also, more evidence that Mark Schlabach is an idiot; he "called NU one of the teams most likely to 'freefall' in 2009 vs. 2008 and predicted no bowl for the 'Cats."

I'm thinking we will have our own college football preview out soon, so let us know what you want to read about.

Thank Goodness IU is in the Big Ten

After all the hype and guess work followed by intense lobbying and jockeying for position it appears that the conference realignment has settled down for now. I for one have enjoyed most of the talk and am glad that the Big Ten landed Nebraska, my number one choice all along. I think what made the experience even more enjoyable was know my alma mater wasn’t going to be moving anywhere. It’s a good thing Indiana is in the Big Ten already, the reason why? Security.

All the major moves or attempted moves by conferences were clearly about 1 thing and 1 thing only. Football. As we all know Indiana is not a football power house. Of the Six Power conferences I’d say Indiana is the third worst football school. Duke is a clear choice for number one followed up by Iowa State who has never won the Big 8 or the Big XII North. I have Indiana at three but would be willing to listen to arguments about Vanderbilt and Baylor.

Secondly, Indiana is not a school with an extremely desirable television market that conferences might ignore whether the school has been successful on the field, like Rutgers. Indiana is in third place in football in the 16th most populated state and doesn’t exactly carry the TV markets of its two closest metropolitan areas which are Indianapolis (25th nationally) or Louisville (50th). No conferences are going out of their way to try to get a school like this.

If there was a bidding war for Big Ten teams, I see Indiana playing out much like Kansas. Yes the school is a huge brand name for basketball, but without the football to back it up, nobody really cares. Kansas was going to be left on the outside looking in, and I fear Indiana would have been in the same situation.

In all honesty, I think that’s the reason I enjoyed the conference realignment talk so much, cause I knew my school was safe. I think if I had been in a situation like Kansas, K-State or any other school that could have been left on the outside looking in, I would have been terrified about every rumor I heard. Needless to say, I’m glad Indiana is already in, because there would be no invitations coming if they weren’t.

Mandel on College Football Expansion

My favorite college football writer, Stewart Mandel, wrote a pretty good piece with lots of excellent links on his thoughts on Expansion.

It seems that this week is the big week for expansion as the Big XII has given and ultamtum to Nebraska and Mizzou about whethere they are in or out and needs an answer by th 15th. The Big XII (mainly Texas actually) needs this answer soon to decide whether the confrence will remain, or if 6 of thier schools will expect an invitation to join the Pac-16.

Mandel goes in much more detail and I recommend everyone read it. He also lists out 16 scenarios (some a lot more realistic then others as he admits) for expansion.

IU Football Recruiting Update

A few weeks backed I mentioned the fast start that "Wild" Bill Lynch was having on the 2011 recruiting trail, and while there have been no more commitments since then, there is a bit of news on the recruiting front today:
IU officially has a 4 star and top 250 in the nation recruit committed - At least according to rivals.com. (One important thing to note is that signing day isn't until next February...and IU has seen their fair share of 4 star recruits burn them in the past...but it is still news-worthy today.)
The only info that I have on the kid (his name is Zach Shaw) is that he is a 6'3" 218 pound OLB from Coshocton, OH. According to rivals.com his only offers to date are from MAC teams which would make him an "under the radar" type prospect...but the numbers don't lie.

His profile on Rivals lists him with some remarkable stats as a Junior this past season: 228 tackles (228!) and 8 interceptions - he definitely fits the mold of athletic linebackers with incredible ball skills (4.84 40 yard dash, 4.47 short shuttle).

Mark me down as someone who doesn't completely buy into stars and their translation to college success (part of that stems from being an IU fan and convincing myself that there is reason for optomism each year), but this is still a nice development. Seeing this early recruiting success is good for the program.