Chicago Athlete of the Year (Nominees)

Time of the year to do the fun lists like, Chicago athlete of the year, I have a few ideas of who I would put in the rankings, but before I release my pick, I want to hear what you out there think. Please let me know who I am forgetting and why they should be nominated.

Chicago Bears:

Lance Briggs: Took over as leader on Defense, likely only Pro Bowler from starting 22
Robbie Gould: Most accurate kicker in NFL through 13 weeks

Chicago Bulls:

Derrick Rose: 2009 ROY, NBA Rookie record for points in the first round playoff game.
Ben Gordon: Leading scorer on 2009 Bulls.

Chicago White Sox:
Mark Buehrle: Pitched a Perfect Game

Chicago Cubs:
Am Ram: Once he got went down, so did the Cubs

Chicago Blackhawks:
Patrick Kane: Hatrick in 2nd round of playoffs
Toews: Captain of the Western Conference runner up.

Chicago Fire

Jon Busch: Goal Keeper of the Year Runner Up
Cuauhtemoc Blanco: Best player on Semi-finalist team


I am debating about throwing in High School and Colleges (aka Depaul and Northwestern, U of I does not count) If you want to add some of them feel free.

Steve

Big Ten To Explore Expansion

According to this article on espn.com, the Big Ten is exploring expansion options. Must have read my article.

[Add-on from MF: Stewart Mandel has his take up on CNNSI.com, readable here. Important note: The negative effect adding a twelfth team would have on every school's shared revenue, as well as the probability of losing the 2nd BCS bid that the B10 has had 9 out of 12 years. And Mandel's pick for expansion target: Nebraska. I still think Mizzou fits better geographically, but no doubt the 'Huskers are much more prestigious in football history.]

Hilarious

I don't normally read or enjoy Steve Rosenbloom, but he mined this gem today...
----
Former Packer and former Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung told the "Mully and Hanley’’ show on WSCR-AM 780 [actually, it's 670 - thanks Shark!] why he left Florida quarterback Tim Tebow off his Heisman ballot: "I wanted to vote for Tebow. I had for the last two years. He's a great kid, but I don't think you need to cry after a football game. That just killed me when I saw that."
----
Way to go, Tebow.


And just for the record, this is what a *real* Heisman Trophy winner looks like, apparently...

Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings

It may be early in the college basketball season, but the Big Ten pecking order has already begun to take shape. Star-laden Purdue is no surprise at the top of the rankings, but they are joined by a Wisconsin squad that is better than anyone expected, and Northwestern, after losing senior star Kevin Coble and sixth man Jeff Ryan for the season, has been impressive in victories over Notre Dame, Iowa State, and NC State.

The entire conference got a major prestige boost last week by winning the Big Ten/ACC Challenge 6 to 5, the Big Ten's first victory in the decade-old series. Wisconsin and Illinois clinched the win with inspiring efforts against Duke and Clemson.

These power rankings are based on the votes of seven Bleacher Report featured columnists. Thanks to Dan Karell, Tim Cary, Nick Mordowanec, Kevin Lindsey, Aaron Morse, and Jameson Fleming for contributing votes and commentary! If you are interested in voting, please send me a message.

Here are the rankings. Numbers in parentheses reflect a team's ranking in the B/R Top 25, Pomeroy Index rating (go to www.kenpom.com for more - a great site for basketball fans!), and record.


1. Purdue (#5 B/R, #8 Pomeroy, 7-0)

Mark Fodor: Purdue has lived up to the hype, with big wins against Tennessee and Wake Forest headlining an unbeaten start. An upcoming road game at Alabama is the Boilermakers' sole remaining test before the start of conference play, although West Virginia comes to West Lafayette on New Years Day for what should be a great matchup.

Veterans E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson, Robbie Hummel and Chris Kramer have been playing together for years, and have their sights set on a Big Ten title.


2. Wisconsin (#21, #37, 6-1)

Nick Mordowanec: Wisconsin had a nice win against Duke in the Challenge, although I think the Blue Devils weren't that great to begin with.

MF: Predicted to finish ninth in the Big Ten before the season began, the Badgers have taught us all an important lesson; you can never count out a Bo Ryan team. Do-everything guard Jason Bohannon and senior Trevon Hughes have paced Wisconsin to a strong start including quality wins against Duke, Maryland, and Arizona.


3. Ohio State (#13, #6, 7-1)

MF: An upcoming road game against #20 Butler (Saturday, noon) will tell us exactly how much Thad Matta is going miss Evan Turner this season.

Kevin Lindsey: The loss of Turner to a broken back will undoubtedly hurt, but the Buckeyes stay high on the list as the cupboard in Columbus is not bare. Jon Diebler will lead the way, and three other players are averaging over ten points a game.


4. Michigan State (#11, #44, 7-2)

NM: The Spartans drop to number four after playing poorly against North Carolina.

MF: For a team that wants to return to the Final Four, Michigan State has not looked good early. Their best win was a close one against Gonzaga in East Lansing, and that young UNC team dominated most of the way against a more experienced Spartans squad.


5. Northwestern (#32, #77, 6-1)

MF: The Wildcats are the surprise of the Big Ten season in early play. After battling their way to an NIT berth last year, Northwestern expected to play well, led by star forward Kevin Coble. It didn't quite work out that way. Coble was lost to a season ending foot injury in practice, but the 'Cats haven't even thought about folding in his absence.

Senior point guard Michael "Juice" Thompson has stepped up big time, averaging over 17 points a game and pacing a feisty group of no-name Wildcats to a strong start including wins against three major-conference opponents and the Chicago Invitational Tournament title.


6. Illinois (#26, #75, 7-2)

KL: The Illini's 23 point comeback against Clemson in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge was epic and historic. Freshman D.J. Richardson and Brandon Paul have shown maturity beyond their years.

MF: Despite an epic fail in the Las Vegas Invitational, where Illinois fell to Utah and Bradley, those freshman and double-double machine Mike Davis are giving this team some fight. Good size and a veteran point guard in Demetri McCamey make this a squad that will contend in Big Ten play.


7. Minnesota (#33, #12, 6-3)

KL: Nice comeback with a blowout of Brown at home. C Ralph Sampson III had his best game of the season, and Gophers fans hope it is a sign of good things to come.

MF: Tubby Smith's Minnesota squad may have been overhyped in the preseason, when they were ranked in the top 20. A win over Butler in the 76 Classic gives them an out of conference victory to hang their hats on, but their next three games against decent opponents (Portland, Texas A&M, Miami) resulted in losses.

With four in a row against soft opponents at home (starting with a win tonight against Morgan State), Minnesota has a good chance to get it together heading into conference play.


8. Penn State (N/R, #143, 6-3)

MF: Penn State and G Talor Battle finished last year with an NIT title. That's the bright side. They also lost a ton of scoring as seniors Jamelle Cornley, Stanley Pringle, and Danny Morrissey all graduated. That's the not-so-bright side. The result is a young team in flux. They did beat Virginia in the Challenge, but followed that victory up with a road loss at Temple in which they scored only 42 points.

The Nittany Lions will go exactly as far as Battle can carry them.


9. Michigan (N/R, #121, 4-3)

MF: The Wolverines were ranked #15 by ESPN in the preseason. Manny Harris is a great player, and Michigan has some good talent around him. But after a few early wins against weak opposition, Harris and Co. got crushed by Marquette in the Old Spice Classic, starting a three-game losing streak that included narrow losses to Alabama and Boston College.

They play Utah tomorrow, and go on the road to Lawrence, Kansas to face the nation's #1 team on Dec. 19. Utah is a must-win, and just avoiding a blowout against the potent Jayhawks may be a moral victory.


10. Indiana (N/R, #173, 4-4)

MF: Tom Crean's Hoosiers are stacked with young talent, and got a huge 74-64 win tonight against Pittsburgh in the Jimmy V Classic. Freshmen Christian Watford and Maurice Creek have legitimate major-conference skills, and junior Georgetown transfer Jeremiah Rivers looks like the real deal as a big, smart, physical point guard. Indiana also benefits from a deep bench - there are at least ten players who can contribute, and possibly more.

The key for them is going to be hanging tough both in games, where they tend to lose focus late, and in the lengthy conference season. Can Rivers and senior guard Devan Dumes emerge as vocal leaders for this team? If they can, and the young fellas can keep scoring, Indiana may surprise some people.


11. Iowa (N/R, #151, 3-6)

KL: The Hawkeyes haven't had two consecutive wins this season. They face both Northern Iowa and Iowa State this week.

MF: Iowa just got blown out by Northern Iowa 67-50. UNI is a good team, but you never want to lose state bragging rights to a directional school. On the upside, coach Todd Lickliter is out of the hospital after surgery yesterday. He might have wanted to stay in there, the way this team is playing. You can pencil in the Hawks for the #11 spot all season long.

There you have it. Thanks again to everybody that voted and sent in comments! We'll do it again before Christmas.

PS- Armchair Superstars - I would also love your votes in this... Snuffles, Ryan, Tim, this means you!

New Bears Offensive Coordinator

While I think it is high time Lovie and Co. get the hell outta Chicago, I'm not sure that the McCaskey's are ready to do that just yet. Recent reports of Charlie Weis and Mike Martz have been flying around as the rumored next offensive coordinator of the Bears. Listen, if the Bears are going with Lovie Smith than all but four coaches need to be fired, and that includes Lovie firing himself as the Defensive Coordinator. The four guys are:

Darryl Drake WR Coach - He doesn't draft them, he just coaches them, and I'd say he's done an excellent job considering what he is working with.

Rod Marinelli D-Line Coach - He does seem to have this team getting pressure more consistently. I think actual talent would help him. And I think Tommie can return to form next year as long as he stays healthy for the rest of this year and doesn't require any offseason surgery. That way he can work out and regain some of that power he once had, and stay in shape.

Bob Babich LB Coach - I would not have wanted him back after last year's performance as the D-coordinator. However, considering that he just got done with a game where his linebackers played darn good and there were 0 starting LB's from earlier this season, I'd say he's done a darn good job.

Dave Toub Special Teams Coach - This guy is awesome. I understand he called that lousy fake field goal, but if it weren't for great discipline by the Rams player Greg would have taken that to the house. Also, you run a fake what? Like once or twice a year? His special teams consistently are one of the best in the league, thus he deserves to stay.


That means the remaining spots are open for next year.

Defensive Coordinator
Offensive Coordinator
Defensive Backs Coach
Offensive Line Coach
QB Coach
Running Backs Coach
If there is a tight ends coach than him too.


Now, as to what this article was truly about. While the rumors have been swirling about the Bears' next offensive coordinator (Weis or Martz) a third name will be uncovered tonight, on Monday Night Countdown by Adam Schefter. So far he has given us hints: it is a college coach with NFL experience and current ties to some Chicago Bears players. The likely guy I think is Jeremy Bates, but the thing about him is that he will likely go where ever Shannahan goes. But who knows.

Northwestern Gets Auburn in Outback Bowl

Bowl matchups were finalized tonight, and the Wildcats jumped Wisconsin in a surprise move, landing in the Outback bowl against the 7-5 Auburn Tigers and their first-year head coach Gene Chizik.

I'm very excited about this matchup. For one, it's the best bowl the 'Cats have played in since '97 (Citrus Bowl vs. Tennessee). For two, Auburn and Northwestern have never played each other. And third, this is a winnable game. I'm sure Auburn will be favored, since they are from the almighty unstoppable SEC, but I have faith in my Wildcats.

Fitz will have the guys ready to go. And Auburn doesn't do anything particularly well this year.

Anyway, it's a New Years Day game, so it will be one heck of a showcase for Northwestern, especially if they can pull out a W. More analysis coming soon.

The other Big Ten bowls:

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Orange Bowl: Iowa vs. Georgia Tech
Capital One Bowl: Penn State vs. LSU
Outback: NU vs. Auburn
Champs Sports Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Miami
Insight Bowl: Minnesota vs. Iowa State
Alamo Bowl: Michigan State vs. Texas Tech

Glory Week: Heisman Hopefuls Come To Play

What a great week of College Football matchups. I really wish the Big Ten would suck it up, add a twelfth team, and go for the title game setup, because it has now been two weeks of college football action with no sort of Midwestern coverage (well, except Wisconsin @ Hawaii, Illinois @ Cincinnati, Illinois vs. Fresno State).

On that note, Wisco @ Hawaii is tonight at 11:30 on ESPN2. Sweet.

Anyway, the slate of championships and huge games this weekend includes the final regular season games of many Heisman hopefuls. Let's take a look at who's in action and what they've done to state their cases for Heisman hardware.

The Civil War: #7 Oregon vs. #16 Oregon State, Thursday. Oregon won 37-33.

This was a great game to watch. The Beavers led through much of the evening, and were hoping to get revenge for last year's drubbing at the hands of the Ducks, who denied them a Rose Bowl berth.

No such luck. The Pac-10's second leading rusher, sophomore Jacquizz Rodgers, went for 64 yards and a touchdown, giving him twenty TDs and 1,377 ground yards on the season. Rodgers was a trendy dark horse Heisman pick in the preseason, and has had a great year. However, I don't think this showing was nearly enough for him to leapfrog fellow Pac-10 running back Toby Gerhart for a spot in the top four Heisman finalists.

Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, another Heisman dark horse, had yet another solid game in passing for 201 yards with a TD and an INT. His yearly totals look pretty good, with 2,066 passing yards, a 15:5 TD:INT ratio, and another 12 touchdowns rushing to go with an impressive 659 yards.

Still, I think his team's strength at running back, with freshman LaMichael James (166 yards against the Beavs, over 1,400 on the season) and The Mad Puncher, LeGarrette Blount, have hurt his chances, because he's had to share the ball so much. Still, with a 10-2 record and a Rose Bowl bid coming, Masoli is a lock to battle Stanford's Gerhart for the Pac-10 MVP award.

Central Michigan 20, Ohio 10

Okay, let's talk about real dark horses. Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour has led the Chippewas to an 11-2 season and, by the way, is also the NCAA all-time leader in combined passing, rushing, and receiving touchdowns with 148. He broke Chad Pennington's (from??) mark in this game.

LeFevour gets no Heisman love because he plays in the MAC. But you have to give him some credit for beating Michigan State earlier this year and playing tough games on the road at Arizona and Boston College. Not to mention, CMU beat good MAC teams - Temple, Ohio, Bowling Green and Northern Illinois all have winning records, and all felt the wrath of the LeFevour this season.

His final stats? 3,043 pass yards on 285-401 attempts (71.1%). 27 touchdowns versus 6 interceptions. Oh, and 174 rush attempts, yielding 701 yards (4.0ypc) and an impressive 14 TDs. Those numbers stand up against anybody in the country.

SEC Title Game: Florida 13, Alabama 32

This was a game featuring two true Heisman threats in Florida's Tim Tebow and Alabama's Mark Ingram. Tebow, who already has one stiff-arm trophy in his display case, didn't play terribly. He totalled 247 passing yards and 63 on the ground, with a touchdown and a pick.

But this game illustrated Florida's problems with the running game beyond Timmy, as nobody else carried the ball more than twice. Tebow will not be repeating as the Heisman winner, but at least he has a BCS bowl in his immediate future to make his case to NFL scouts.

His 30:4 TD:TO ratio for the year is extremely impressive, and between that and his name, I wouldn't be surprised if he is one of the finalists.

Mark Ingram, on the other hand, took advantage of this Heisman showcase. Already touted as a possible winner, the sophomore carried 28 times for 112 yards against a supposedly stout Florida defense, racking up three TDs. He also broke a huge 69-yard pass play on a dumpoff near the line of scrimmage, one of his pair of receptions in this game.

You can go ahead and pencil Ingram in for a spot in New York. His stats on the year?

221 carries for 1,429 yards, a 6.5 ypc average. 28 receptions for 289 yards, an 8.8per average. Fifteen total touchdowns. No fumbles. All while sharing time in the Crimson Tide backfield, and against tough competition including the SEC and Virginia Tech. This kid is for real.

*IN PROGRESS*
Big 12 Title Game: Nebraska vs. Texas

It's too bad Nebraska has no offense, because their defense has been suffocating all night. At the end of the 3rd quarter, the Huskers are finally driving and trail 10-6.

Golden Boy Colt McCoy has less than 100 yards and two interceptions, but he does have Texas' lone TD on a rush near the goal line. Ten rushes for -24 yards and a TD is nothing to write home about, however.

Season stats: 3,328 yards, 27 TD:9 INT, 71.8 completion pct., 561 rush yards, 11 rush TD.

I don't think Texas has been all that impressive in their undefeated run thus far, and Nebraska's D is giving Colt fits tonight. But is he a Heisman finalist? Probably. He could even win, if enough people vote on name recognition.

Meanwhile, Nebraska's amazing DT Ndamukong Suh, the keystone to the Husker's #3 ranked defense, has eight tackles and 3.5 sacks tonight. Shining on the biggest stage is the best way to impress Heisman voters.

Suh is approaching 80 tackles, at least 16 for loss, with at least 11 sacks, a forced fumble, an INT, and multiple pass deflections on the year. Oh yes, and 22 quarterback hurries. He's going to be a top-ten NFL pick. Heisman finalist? Maybe. He has a better chance if he can make a game-changing play in this fourth quarter. Really, Nebraska's entire defensive line is full of NFL prospects.

Georgia Tech 33, Clemson 27 (ACC Title Game)

The only Heisman hopeful in this one is Clemson's superb RB C.J. Spiller. If I had a vote, this is the guy that gets it. Even though his Wildcats are trailing tonight, Spiller is the reason they're still alive. He has FOUR touchdowns, on rushes of 3, 41, 36, and 9 yards. He is averaging almost ten yards per carry.

For the season, Spiller's pure rushing stats may not look that amazing. Including this game so far, he has 11 TDs and close to 1,100 yards. But C.J. is really a triple threat. He also has 32 receptions for 440 yards and four TDs, and has taken an amazing five kicks to the house.

If you're counting, that's over 2,000 all purpose yards and 20 TDs. Spiller IS Clemson this year.

I've gone way over my word count and haven't even mentioned Houston's Case Keenum, who lost at East Carolina today. Quite a weekend for college football!!

If you've made it all the way through this post, thanks for your patience. I swear, I'll get some pictures up soon. For now, it's time to watch the exciting conclusions of the Big 12 and ACC title games!

My Heisman Finalists:

Mark Ingram
Ndamukong Suh
C.J. Spiller (just made another HUGE run midway through the fourth! 54 yards all the way inside the 10-yard line!)
Colt McCoy/Tim Tebow