Here we go again! This week’s questions are brought to you by Lake The Posts, a blogger for the first-place-in-the-Big-Ten Northwestern Wildcats (I just had to write that, how many more chances will I get for that?).
Let’s get started;
1)The national media is using the Big Ten Conference as a punching bag in 2008 ranking us somewhere between the Big East and the MAC. Based on Ohio State’s no-show, Purdue’s “APPLE!!!” and Michigan’s debacle, it is redemption week in Big Ten Country. However, several teams have very respectable, yet no-name teams (ie. Troy, Central Michigan, Ball State). Tell us how the Big Ten will respond this week in the final week before conference play.
The conference will bounce back strong, but it won’t be based on anything more than average competition. As for the three teams that lost in the Big Ten last weekend?
- Purdue faces Central Michigan for the third time in two seasons, and they are a much better team than CMU. I expect them to atone for their loss last week.
- Michigan will not win. I guarantee it. They have a bye. Rich Rodriquez released a statement this morning, stating that the team will head into the Wisconsin game on a high after their Week 4 non-loss.
- Ohio State will bounce back strong. Over the past 4 seasons, the Buckeyes have six losses….all six teams made BCS bowls that same year (provided USC makes a BCS bowl, and is there any doubt on that?). In other words, this team has defeated every team that it should have over the past four seasons. Troy falls into that category.
2)The conference standings look like someone took the 2007 results and flipped it upside down. Which of the undefeated teams are contenders and which are pretenders (another way of saying which teams have put lipstick on a pig)? Recalibrate your preseason rankings and tell us who the conference favorites are now.
The conference favorites are still the same for me….Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Penn State. Before the season began, I pegged those three as the top of the Big Ten, and I still have them as such. Next week, the winner of the PSU/Illinois game will knock that list down to three teams (and PSU should worry…they’ve been 0-1 in conference play 6 of the last 7 years).
The pretenders remain the same. Northwestern, Minnesota, and Iowa will still finish near the bottom of the Big Ten, but they’re racking up wins that will give them a chance at bowl eligibility, and that’s a positive. If we send 8-10 teams to bowls, it can only be a good thing.
I’m still on the fence about the overall quality of Indiana and Michigan State, but they’re likely to win 7 or 8 games each.
3)Javon Ringer has emerged as the early season best-bet Heisman hopeful from the Big Ten. Real deal or non-conference smoke screen? Does anyone from the Big Ten have a prayer for the Heisman, or is it too late?
Non-conference smoke screen. Michigan State doesn’t have the hype machine in place to promote Ringer for the Heisman anyway. Beanie Wells was the only player in the Big Ten with the power to win the Heisman, and he might be out of the running unless he returns this weekend with 200 yards. Very unlikely.
4)After three weeks it is time to give your team a new slogan. What is it and why is it what it is?
Ohio State football – We beat Miami in 2003, so shut up.
5)By now, you’ve likely adopted a favorite non Big Ten team to watch. Flex your football worldliness by convincing your fellow Big Ten kool-aid drinkers to watch your “other” team.
Nope, sorry. I am a fan of one team and I have no second-best team.
But I do love college football and I can get involved in whatever game is on TV. Shortly after switching a game on, I’ll pick sides and silently cheer for them, but I have no week-to-week favorites aside from the Buckeyes.
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