Every team in Division I basketball has now lost at least one game, as No. 1 Ohio State (24-1, 11-1 Big Ten) was taken down by Jordan Taylor and the feisty No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers in Madison Saturday, 71-67.

Interestingly, Ohio State was undefeated and No. 1 during college football season until visiting the Badgers.

Saturday, the Badgers (19-5, 9-3) opened up an early 24-19 lead before the Buckeyes started to click on all cylinders. The Buckeyes stormed into the half with a 9-2 run, taking their first lead of the game with a few seconds left on a brilliant up and under drive from David Lighty. This extended into the second half, as the Buckeyes eventually led 47-32.

That extended 28-8 run was coincidentally reversed by the home Badgers. Wisconsin outscored Ohio State 28-8 over the next few minutes, taking a 60-55 lead into a timeout. From there, the teams relatively traded buckets, with the margin lingering close to five points the rest of the way, and staying between three and seven.

Taylor led Wisconsin with 27 points and seven assists. He hit 5-of-8 3-pointers, including several big ones during the Badgers second-half run. Jon Leuer and Mike Bruesewitz added 12 each. Freshman Josh Gasser had 11 points on a dazzling shooting day. He made four of his five shot attempts, including all three 3-pointers. One of them was huge, tying the game at 47 and capping a 15-0 Badger run.

William Buford led Ohio State with 21 points. Freshman sensation Jared Sullinger contributed 19 points and 12 rebounds.

How it was won: Behind the arc. The Badgers made 12-of-25 from three while Ohio State only hit 3-of-9.

How it was lost: Ohio State simply didn’t keep its foot on the gas. With a 47-32 lead against a team that runs its offense at a snail’s pace, the game should have been over. But the Buckeyes’ offense grew stagnant and they simply couldn’t stop the bleeding once Wisconsin got momentum and the crowd on its side.

Inching closer: Jon Diebler is within an arm’s reach of the Big Ten 3-point record, but he only hit one Saturday. He needs two to tie the mark, held by former Penn State player Pete Lisicky.

Let the debate begin: There’s likely to be a new No. 1 in college basketball. The only question is who it will be. Duke? Kansas? Texas? Pittsburgh? Or maybe Ohio State should still retain the spot? After all, Wisconsin is now 150-11 at home under Bo Ryan and beat last year’s eventual national champion, Duke, at home. Personally, I’d leave Ohio State at the top. If you look at the body of work, the only other one-loss team in contention is Kansas, which lost a game at home. The road loss is better than the home loss.

“Overrated?” Granted, it’s not the entire fan base, but the Badgers student section was chanting “overrated” late in the game. Talk about devaluing your team’s hard-fought victory. If Ohio State was overrated, the Badgers shouldn’t have had much trouble beating it at home.

Where to from here: Ohio State will get the chance to get back to its winning ways Tuesday at home against the woefully underachieving Michigan State Spartans before another tough road trip next weekend (Sunday at Purdue). Wisconsin makes that trip to West Lafayette to face the Boilermakers Wednesday.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

In his first 2 1/2 seasons on the job, Tom Crean had led his Indiana Hoosiers past zero ranked opponents. Now he’s done it twice in a week.

Despite building a 16-point lead in the second half, the Hoosiers had to sweat it out late. Minnesota started to lock down Indiana on defense and started to hit some big shots. The Gophers got as close as one, 55-54, but Verdell Jones III scored five straight points to give his team some breathing room. A contested Blake Hoffarber 3-pointer was missed at the buzzer, as the Hoosiers prevailed 60-57.

The game was Jones’ first since Indiana (12-11, 3-7 Big Ten) lost to Wisconsin January 20. He missed the following three games with a knee injury. Of course, his return came on the same night Christian Watford was shelved after having surgery on a broken hand bone. The Hoosiers’ leading scorer and rebounder is out indefinitely. Maurice Creek — a starter at the beginning of the season — is also out with a knee injury.

Minnesota (16-6, 5-5) has faced its share of losing players as well, with Al Nolen out with a broken foot and Devoe Joseph having transferred.

Jones led the Hoosiers with 12 points — along with an unlikely fan favorite for the night. Tom Pritchard, long maligned by fans for much of his career, has been playing well lately and came through with one of the biggest games of his career. He hit all five of his shots for 12 points, also pulling down seven rebounds. He also hit both of his free throws (he entered the game shooting a putrid 20 percent from the line) and brought down the house with a thunderous put-back dunk in the first half.

Hoffarber led the Gophers with 15 points, but struggled, hitting just 4-of-12 shots and turning it over four times.

Key Stats: Indiana made 13 free throws to Minnesota’s 11. Of course, Minnesota attempted 22 while the Hoosiers only needed 15. Also, despite a really huge size advantage, the Gophers only out-rebounded the Hoosiers by one.

How it was won: Indiana played great defense, again, despite being undersized. Crean constantly switched from zone to man to even a box-and-one on Hoffarber. The different looks left the Minnesota offense stagnant for much of the game until the late rally.

How it was lost: Rebounds and free throws, as mentioned above — but the Gophers also failed to take advantage on the interior with big height advantages across the board, hitting just 14 of their 36 2-point attempts.

Freshman moment: After a stellar entry pass from Jordan Hulls, Victor Oladipo electrified Assembly Hall with a big dunk in the second half, but he hung on the rim screaming for a second or two — earning a technical foul.

Where to from here: The Gophers needed this one. They just lost at Purdue and now have to host No. 1 Ohio State. Unless some major improvements are made before Sunday, the Buckeyes won’t have their hands full.

Indiana has done this since Jan. 15: Blown out Michigan, taken Wisconsin to the limit at the Kohl Center, beat Illinois, taken Michigan State to overtime at the Breslin Center and beaten Minnesota. Oh wait, I left out getting worked at Iowa — which appears an anomaly at this point. As fate would have it, the Hawkeyes visit Assembly Hall Saturday. If this team has truly grown in the past month, we’ll see a blowout win.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The Indiana Hoosiers can’t catch a break. Heading into the season, the starting lineup looked to be: Guy-Marc Michel, Christian Watford, Maurice Creek, Verdell Jones and Jordan Hulls. Michel was ruled ineligible by the NCAA, Creek is out for the season with a knee injury (for the second straight season), Jones is currently on the shelf with his own knee injury and now Watford will join them.

The sophomore forward, who leads Indiana with 17.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, is going to be sidelined indefinitely after having surgery on a broken left hand. He was averaging more than 22 points per game in his last three, having found his stroke both inside and outside.

Watford injured the hand late in the second half in a loss to Michigan State Sunday evening. He briefly exited the game and appeared to be in pain, clutching his hand. He did re-enter the game and ended up playing all the way through the end of overtime.

Indiana (11-11, 2-7 Big Ten) went through a six-game losing streak a few weeks ago, but has shown signs of life recently — winning two league games and taking both Michigan State and Wisconsin to the wire on the road. But at some point, the injuries are going to take a severe toll on an already depleted roster.

The Hoosiers host No. 18 Minnesota Wednesday night.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Anyone wanna question Ohio State now?

The nation’s top-ranked team left little doubt Tuesday night in its superiority, beating Purdue 87-64 in a game it led by as many as 30. The Buckeyes never trailed and led by double digits for 34 minutes.

Sure, it was at home, but the Buckeyes thoroughly dominated the 12th-ranked team in the nation — a team coming off a resounding victory over Michigan State. Ohio State (21-0, 8-0 Big Ten) is clearly the best team in the country right now.

It was the very definition of a total team effort. Ohio State got six players in double figures in points, with no one having more than 19. It had five with at least four rebounds, with no one having more than eight, and five guys with at least a pair of assists — and none with more than six. The Buckeyes hit 11 of 19 from 3-point range, with five players hitting at least one. And on and on. Just look at the box score.

William Buford led the Buckeyes with 19 points. The junior nailed five of his six threes. Burly freshman Jared Sullinger had 17 points and seven boards.

JaJuan Johnson led the Boilermakers (17-4, 6-2) with 22 points and seven rebounds. E’Twaun Moore contributed 16 points, but wasn’t near his best.

How It Was Lost: Purdue seemed to implement the “let’s let anyone but Jared Sullinger beat us” defense early. That proved to be a mistake, because Ohio State is no one-trick pony. The Buckeyes have lots of weapons, and it showed. You cannot just leave Buford, Jon Diebler, David Lighty and Deshaun Thomas alone for jumpers.

How It Was Won: Pick your poison. Ohio State dominated every single facet of the game from the start. Offensively, defensively, on the boards, in transition, etc. It was just pure domination.

What We Didn’t Like: E’Twaun Moore had a good first half against Michigan State, but he has since resumed his shooting woes. The senior made only 1 of 7 from the floor in the first half and ended 4 of 13 on the game. He did get to the line eight times — making seven — to help his total points, but he has to shoot better for the Boilers to be an elite team. JaJuan Johnson can only do so much on offense.

More Than One: It’s easy to only concentrate on Sullinger. No one could blame the general public for that. But Ohio State has two other stellar freshman and it showed Tuesday night. Once Purdue realized it couldn’t continue to give up wide-open threes, Aaron Craft began to penetrate the Boilers’ defense and came through with a big game. The freshman point guard ended with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists. And by the way, he was being guarded by Kelsey Barlow, who is no Chris Kramer but still regularly shuts down his man (just ask Talor Battle or Kalin Lucas). Not to be completely outdone, Deshaun Thomas announced his presence with authority as well, pouring in 13 points and six rebounds.

With a trio of freshman, a trio of seniors and one star junior, the Buckeyes survive with the best group of seven players — not just one — in all of college basketball. Think about how we haven’t even mentioned Diebler’s 13-point, 8-rebound, 6-assist effort yet. Or Lighty’s lock-down defense and 10 points. Or Dallas Lauderdale‘s post presence on defense.

That’s what makes a No. 1 team. And not just a placeholder No. 1. Ohio State is the best team in the country. Period.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

… make it slow and we’ll come together fine. All we need is just a little patience …

We’re seven games into Tom Crean’s third season of Big Ten play as the Indiana basketball coach. The Hoosiers have not performed as well as most expected them to thus far in 2011, and many critics began to circle like vultures in early January. The past two performances prior to Sunday’s loss to Iowa may have quieted them for the time being, but a remaining Big Ten slate that is likely to yield only a handful more wins could ramp things up from the skeptics heading into the summer.

It’s just still so premature. In order to see this, one need only examine the special circumstances and what is potentially on the horizon.

Tom Crean took the coaching job at Indiana University April 1, 2008. What followed with the roster was nearly unprecedented in major college basketball. Defections, graduations and dismissals left Crean with just two returning players. Kyle Taber, who averaged 1.3 points per game as a junior, and Brett Finkelmeier, who brought back 1.6 minutes per game of experience. That was it.

Simply put, Crean was starting a program from scratch. In the Big Ten. You can talk about Indiana’s history all you want; that doesn’t mean anything. You can talk about how quickly John Calipari resurrected Kentucky, but he had Patrick Patterson to build around — not to mention the recruits who came with him and the fact that he wasn’t handcuffed by probation.

Really, the only recent situation even remotely comparable is what Scott Drew faced at Baylor. The events leading up to the coaching change were much different, but the rebuilding projects were similar. Actually, Drew had it much easier on that front. Baylor fans don’t expect what Indiana fans do. Not even in the same ballpark.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Take this web of round robin play with a handful of Big Ten teams. Minnesota beat Purdue in the waning seconds at home. Minnesota also lost to Wisconsin and Michigan State. Wisconsin lost to Illinois once and Michigan State. Illinois also lost to Wisconsin once, but beat Michigan State. Purdue needed a last-second shot to beat seemingly mediocre Penn State, but that same Penn State team beat Illinois and Michigan State, while also taking Ohio State to the wire. Purdue also lost at West Virginia — but then West Virginia lost to Marshall.

So how do you want to rank Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota and Michigan State? Good luck. There’s a hole to every single order. And you can do that with pretty much every team you’d consider for spots 11-16 in the power rankings.

What does this all mean?

It’s gonna be one hell of a Big Dance.

Ballots were tallied from college basketball editor Ray Holloman, editor Matt Snyder, national college basketball writer Terrance Harris and blogger Evan Hilbert. Points, listed in parentheses, were given in reverse order of rankings (16 points for a first place vote, 15 for second, etc.).

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

With 5.4 seconds remaining, the Purdue Boilermakers faced a home loss to Penn State. Trailing 62-61 after a big 3-pointer from Penn State‘s David Jackson, Boilermakers coach Matt Painter looked to his senior big man. JaJuan Johnson took the inbounds pass and coolly nailed an 18-footer. No. 14 Purdue (16-3, 5-1 Big Ten) had survived with a 63-62 win, snapping a two-game losing streak which had followed 10 straight wins.

Penn State (10-8, 3-4) likely leaves Lafayette with a pretty rotten taste in its mouth. Not only saddled with the loss, the Nittany Lions have a legitimate complaint with an officiating decision late in the game. On what could have been Purdue‘s final possession, E’Twaun Moore drove down the lane and lost control of the ball in traffic. It went out of bounds and was awarded to Purdue. Replays showed that Moore got a hand on the ball as it was on the way out. If he didn’t touch it last, he certainly touched it at nearly the exact same moment as the Penn State defender. The ensuing play was Johnson’s game-winner.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Prior to the 2011 Sugar Bowl, it was revealed that five Ohio State football players would be suspended for five games in the 2011 regular season for accepting improper benefits. The NCAA ruled the players could take part in the Sugar Bowl, and coach Jim Tressel told the fivesome they could all play in the game if they pledged to return for their respective senior seasons — instead of entering the NFL Draft one year early.

And they did. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor, wide receiver DeVier Posey, tackle Mike Adams, running back Dan Herron and defensive end Solomon Thomas all promised to return for 2011 and, in return, were allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl. All five had a big hand in the Buckeyes’ dramatic 31-26 win over Arkansas.

The move was met with a collective scoff from most of the TV, radio and Internet community. The pledge wasn’t exactly enforceable or legally binding. Was Tressel simply grandstanding just to get that elusive bowl win over an SEC opponent?

Apparently not.

All five players will return to the team in 2011, along with every other junior, according to the Columbus Dispatch. The NFL will release the final underclass list for the draft Wednesday.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

For the first time of the 2010-11 college basketball season, the Duke Blue Devils are not the consensus best team in the nation. They fell Wednesday night at Florida State, 66-61, and will have to give up the perch they’ve had all season — the No. 1 spot in nearly every poll out there. It goes without saying that shift takes place atop FanHouse’s power rankings, as the Blue Devils tumble to No. 4.

Ohio State slides into the top spot, but it wasn’t unanimous. Two of our panelists voted for the Buckeyes to be No. 1, while two liked Kansas. A single rating point separates the top slot from second here. With conference play kicking into high gear, we’re finally about to see some shuffling in a top five that had been stagnant for quite a bit.

Ballots were tallied from college basketball editor Ray Holloman, editor Matt Snyder, national college basketball writer Terrance Harris and blogger Evan Hilbert. Points, listed in parentheses, were given in reverse order of rankings (16 points for a first place vote, 15 for second, etc.).

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

On a day when the University of Michigan announced Brady Hoke as its new football coach — and Hoke stated the No. 1 goal was to beat Ohio State — it was fitting that Ohio State and Michigan squared off. Even if on the hardwood and not the gridiron, it seemed to fit.

Unfortunately for the Wolverines, it was more of the same, as No. 2 Ohio State prevailed, 68-64.

Michigan (11-5, 1-3 Big Ten) actually either outplayed or played right with Ohio State for much of the game, though. A 12-0 Ohio State run after a 41-41 tie proved to be too much for the Wolverines to overcome. They scratched and clawed their way back to within two on three separate occasions in the final minute of play, but could never come up with the big takeaway or 3-pointer needed to get over the hump.

William Buford led Ohio State (17-0, 4-0) with 19 points and nine rebounds. David Lighty had 12 points and five assists, though his free throw shooting (just 6-of-13) left much to be desired. Star freshman Jared Sullinger had 12 points and seven rebounds, but he battled foul trouble and frustration throughout. He fouled out late in the game and at one point in the second half needed to be settled down by the officials.

Darius Morris led Michigan with 18 points and seven assists. Zack Novak had 16 points (including hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers), though he missed a crucial free throw late in the game that could have cut the Ohio State lead to one (it was the first of three free throws with Michigan trailing by four; he hit the next two). Evan Smotrycz added 14 points and six boards.

How It Was Won: Talent. Michigan probably played a better game, relatively speaking, but the Buckeyes are so good in so many different ways, they were able to overcome it. Buford was hot in the first half and many others hit big shots in the second, including big threes from Jon Diebler and Aaron Craft.

How It Was Lost: The Ohio State 12-0 run was actually sparked by Michigan. More specifically, Jordan Morgan‘s foul trouble. The 6-foot-8 sophomore was quite the match for Sullinger. Morgan pestered Sullinger to a first half of four points, two rebounds and three turnovers. Sure, there was double-teaming coming at Sullinger, but Morgan’s strength was making a huge difference. Once Morgan sat down with his third foul, Ohio State went on a 14-3 run (containing that 12-0 stretch). Without Morgan, the Wolverines had to spend much more manpower on Sullinger, which also created open looks from outside for the rest of the Buckeyes.

Where to Go From Here: Michigan played a top-three opponent at home for the second consecutive game. And for the second consecutive game, it made said opponent sweat quite profusely. There is no shame in this young team taking Kansas to overtime and then only losing to Ohio State by four. If the Wolverines play every team like these two, they’ll have a real shot at the NCAA tournament, which was not even a consideration entering the season.

On the flip-side, Ohio State has allowed Iowa, Minnesota (at home) and Michigan to hang around far too long in the past three games. Big leads have shrunk, and it could be alarming. It’s hard to worry when the team is 17-for-17 on the season, but at some point the Buckeyes need to go back to putting people away instead of relying on missed shots late to hold on.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Save for a stretch in the middle of the game and the last two minutes of regulation, No. 20 Wisconsin completely stifled the capable Michigan State offense with tough team defense and by slowing down the pace of play to near lethargic levels. But a near-complete effort wasn’t good enough in the Breslin Center, as the Spartans gutted out a 64-61 win in overtime.

The Badgers opened up a 19-9 lead by the under-eight minute timeout in the first half, but the Spartans used an 11-4 run to close the first half and head to the locker room down just three. Coming out of the gate in the second half, MSU scored the first five points, opening up a two-point lead. The two teams traded baskets for a bit until Michigan State fell victim to an extended field goal drought — it would last just over five minutes.

Give the Spartans credit for not going away the remainder of the game. But you also have to give the Badgers credit for answering the call several times. Keaton Nankivil hit a big 3-pointer with 8:18 left. Jordan Taylor hit a big three with 5:23 left and again with 4:10 remaining.

Those two were the stars for the Badgers, as Nankivil scored 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting (5-of-6 from three) and Taylor scored 21 while pulling down six rebounds.

But Michigan State just kept hanging around and finally got the chance to tie it after a furious run. A pair of Taylor free throws made it a nine-point lead for Wisconsin with 2:39 left. Michigan State got a Draymond Green three, two Kalin Lucas free throws and an emphatic Keith Appling dunk to cut the lead to three. After causing a turnover, Korie Lucious nailed a cool, game-tying 3-pointer from the corner — in front of his MSU bench.

The Spartans followed that with a great defensive effort, causing a shot-clock violation with 12 seconds remaining. A Kalin Lucas drive appeared destined for a Spartans game-winning layup, but Nankivil came from behind and blocked the shot off the backboard — sending the game to overtime, tied at 53-53.

Overtime was more of the same, as the two teams traded blows. Wisconsin trailed by one with 20.8 seconds left, but Jordan Taylor was forced to get off a contested jumper and it bounced off to the right. Lucas secured the rebound, was fouled and hit two free throws, giving the Spartans the 64-61 lead with 2.2 seconds left. A desperation 3-pointer from Taylor fell just short.

The win meant Tom Izzo upped his record to just 6-12 against Bo Ryan.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The BCS National Championship Game between Auburn and Oregon was a well-officiated game — as well it should have been. Sure, a game between two teams with the warp-speed styles is going to be tough, but college football has its biggest game of the season and you expect the powers-that-be to find the best officials they have to offer. We can’t be sure if those were definitely the best officials in the nation, but they certainly looked the part for most of the game Monday night.

Of course, I fully expect a decent amount of people to disagree because bashing the officiating has become the cool thing to do nowadays.

We’ll go through with a few quick-hitters and give explanations, but there really wasn’t anything legitimately big — exactly what you’d expect from a good, professional crew.

Oh, and in case you’re here looking for the score, it was 22-19 Auburn. The game story can be read by clicking here.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The BCS National Championship game between Auburn and Oregon was a well-officiated game — as well it should have been. Sure, a game between two teams with the warp-speed styles is going to be tough, but college football has its biggest game of the season and you expect the powers-that-be to find the best officials they have to offer. We can’t be sure if those were definitely the best officials in the nation, but they certainly looked the part for most of the game Monday night.

Of course, I fully expect a decent amount of people to disagree because bashing the officiating has become the cool thing to do nowadays.

We’ll go through with a few quick-hitters and give explanations, but there really wasn’t anything legitimately big — exactly what you’d expect from a good, professional crew.

Oh, and in case you’re here looking for the score, it was 22-19 Auburn. The game story can be read by clicking here.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Andrew Luck has released a statement saying he has decided to stay at Stanford for his junior year.

The quarterback, who won Orange Bowl MVP earlier in the week, would have likely been the No. 1 overall pick in this April’s NFL Draft, but he has decided to play his redshirt junior season for the Cardinal — and the reason appears academically related.

“I am committed to earning my degree in architectural design from Stanford University and am on track to accomplish this at the completion of the spring quarter of 2012,” Luck said in the statement.

Luck could also have unfinished business on the football field in the way of a Heisman Trophy and BCS Championship. He finished second in Heisman voting this season to Auburn‘s Cam Newton and his Cardinal are likely to end up fourth behind Auburn, Oregon and TCU in the final polls.

Luck threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 40-12 blowout win over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, garnering him the MVP honors.

For the season, Luck led Stanford to the best season in school history (12-1). The lone blemish came on the road against undefeated Oregon.

He threw for 3,338 yards and 32 touchdowns against eight interceptions while completing 70.7 percent of his passes. Only Kellen Moore and Cam Newton had better passer efficiency ratings. Luck also ran for 453 yards and three touchdowns.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

As we have slowly crept to the culmination of lengthy bowl season, there were three particular plays that caught my eye. I don’t see any reason to draw out any sort of wordy intro, so let’s dive in.

o. Arkansas‘ defensive line stuffs Ohio State‘s Dan Herron on about the one-yard line and drives him back several yards deep into the end zone. Herron then breaks away for a split second before being taken down in the end zone. The officials rule a safety.

To fans of either team, this doesn’t seem too complicated. People rooting for Arkansas think it was an obvious safety, because Herron broke away, thus resetting his forward progress. Those pulling for Ohio State may have thought the whistle should have been blown before Herron broke free or that his progress was always the point where the initial contact was made — thus a bogus call.

I’m just here to illuminate how difficult a position the officials are in on a play like this.

Say the officials blow the whistle right as Herron is breaking free and he streaks down the sideline with what may have been a big play? So did Ohio State really want a quick whistle?

Say Arkansas drives Herron back into the end zone, only to purposely let go and then tackle him in the end zone. Should his forward progress really begin again just because he was let go? Do you think the officials should start judging intent of the tacklers?

When you start to play with scenarios like this, you can see how complicated a call that is. It’s not black and white. It’s a total gray area on when to blow the whistle and where to rule the forward progress.

My personal feeling on the call is it could have gone either way, but I believe the crew got it correct. Herron legitimately broke free from the would-be tackler in the end zone on his own — which “resets” forward progress. A whistle any earlier would have been premature.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

There are many, many different sports played in collegiate athletics, but the national focus is basically on two particular ones: football and basketball. Considering the beating the Big Ten as a whole is rightfully taking for the recent performance on the gridiron, it would behoove league fans and schools alike to concentrate on the hardwood. After all, the Big Ten is arguably the best conference in college basketball. It has beaten the ACC in the annual Challenge and is ranked No. 1 by KenPom.com.

With four ranked teams and eight having a realistic shot at the NCAA tournament (sorry Penn State, Iowa and Indiana), this is a conference that has both depth and an elite upper echelon. There are four teams with enough talent to make the Final Four and six with enough to get to the Sweet 16.

Best Team: If not for Duke, there would be a national love-fest for Ohio State right now. It would be completely deserved. In fact, I’d take Ohio State over Duke in a seven-game series right now — and I don’t even think it would go seven games. The Buckeyes have no weakness. Not one. They can outscore you in a shootout, or slow it down and grind out a win. They can score from the inside or pepper you with threes. They can go deep into the bench or simply outshine you with star power. If the NCAA tournament started now, Ohio State would win it. I’m very confident in this.

Most Disappointing Team: It’s hard to come down on a team for losing to UConn (by three), Duke, Syracuse and Texas, but when you enter the season as the consensus No. 2 team, that’s a disappointing start. And that’s exactly where Michigan State finds itself. Perhaps the strong second half against Minnesota will be enough for Tom Izzo’s boys to straighten things out. And we know no one wants to face the Spartans come March.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Losing to Tulsa on Oct. 30 was easily the low point of the season for Brian Kelly’s first year as coach of Notre Dame. Since then, however, the Fighting Irish have come alive. The exclamation point was Friday’s 33-17 domination of Miami in the Sun Bowl.

With the victory, Notre Dame closes the season on a four-game winning streak and a record of 8-5.

Things came a bit easy on both sides of the ball from the get-go against the Hurricanes Friday. Miami quarterback Jacory Harris was picked off three times in the first half and was benched. Freshman Stephen Morris entered the game and threw yet another. Morris’ pick was to Harrison Smith — giving the senior safety his third interception of the game. He entered with just four picks in his entire career.

The takeaways helped the Irish build a 27-0 lead late in the first half, as the offense took full advantage of all the opportunities. The lead was 30-3 by the end of the third quarter before Kelly called the dogs off and Miami scored a couple late touchdowns. The Hurricanes actually outgained the Irish, but many yards came when the game was already decided.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Jordan Taylor scored 22 points and dished out seven assists as the Wisconsin Badgers (11-2, 1-0 Big Ten) took down No. 14 Minnesota (11-2, 0-1 Big Ten), 68-60.

The final margin was pushed higher at the free throw line, as it was within five points for the overwhelming majority of the game. The Badgers did open up a 10-point lead early in the second half, but Minnesota battled back — even taking a one-point lead with 6:58 left in the game.

Wisconsin stayed the course, however, using two big 3-pointers (one from Taylor, the other from Keaton Nankivil) and closed the game down with fundamentals. The Badgers hit 17-of-18 free throws and contested every single shot on the defensive end. The stifling defense of the home team caused the Golden Gophers to shoot just 39 percent from the floor.

Jon Leuer contributed 16 points and nine rebounds for Wisconsin.

Minnesota was led by four players in double digits — Devoe Joseph and Ralph Sampson III with 14, Blake Hoffarber with 12 and Trevor Mbakwe. Mbakwe had 11 rebounds while Joseph added seven assists.

How It Was Won: Wisconsin did what the Badgers do at home (in addition to winning, which they do pretty much every home game). They played stellar defense and hit their free throws.

How It Was Lost: Al Nolen was clearly either rusty or not fully recovered from his stress fracture. The senior point guard did grab six rebounds and dish a pair of assists, but he was 0-for-6 from the field and lacked his normally explosive first step throughout the game. He still found a way to get to the rim a few times, but was unable to finish. It was his second game back — and first test — since returning from a the injury.

Key Stat: Bo Ryan is now 144-11 in the Kohl Center. When you consider this and how poorly Nolen played, it’s amazing the game was this close.

What We Didn’t Like: The Badgers shot a similar percentage from the floor as Minnesota, yet were overwhelmingly outrebounded. If Nolen was 100 percent, we probably would have seen the rarity that is a home Wisconsin loss. And it would have been directly due to getting killed on the boards. That needs to get fixed by Bo Ryan’s team moving forward.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

As we sit through the quiet before bowl season in college football, I thought we’d take the opportunity here with the Zebra Report to discuss something that actually ends up giving high school officials across the nation some really funny stories. Yes, fellow Zebras, I’m talking about the fact that most people don’t know many of the rule differences used among the NFL, NCAA and NFHS (that’s the National Federation of State High School Associations).

If you’ve ever been up in the crowd at a high school — or lower-level — football game and screamed something like “he was out of the pocket” or “that ball was uncatchable” or a slew of other things you’ve seen or heard on TV on the weekends, you may want to read up.

You see, rule differences from high school to college to the pros in other sports are usually reserved for field dimensions or timing rules. Everything else is usually very similar, other than interpretation stuff (like traveling in the NBA or the strike zone in MLB). But in football, there are tons of rule differences among the three levels. What you’ll find many times is that high school and the NFL are different, and that college is with one or the other. Still others, all three levels differ.

So consider this a brief, layperson’s guide to making sure you don’t end up the butt of officials’ jokes — because to us there is nothing funnier than when being called an idiot by someone who doesn’t know the rules.

I’ll start with one of my favorite stories.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Mike Haywood, currently the coach at Miami (OH), will be the next football coach at Pittsburgh. Haywood confirmed the move to Graham Watson of FanHouse on Thursday night.

Haywood’s move was first reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Haywood was brought to the Pitt campus for a second interview and met with the chancellor and several other high-ranking University officials, the report stated. He is expected to be named the new coach as early as Thursday.

Haywood took over the Miami program in 2009 following a 2-10 campaign for the RedHawks. Haywood went 1-11 in his first season, which was his first as a head coach.

In 2010, however, Haywood led one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation. Miami is 9-4 and won the MAC championship over favored Northern Illinois. The RedHawks are headed to the GoDaddy.com Bowl to square off against Middle Tennessee Jan. 6.

Before taking the Miami job, Haywood was one of the offensive assistants under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, where he was once a wide receiver.

The 46-year-old will be taking over at Pitt for Dave Wannstedt, who resigned from the position Dec. 7.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

After giving Illinois a mild scare and Michigan State a pretty severe one, Oakland was facing Tennessee Tuesday night. It marked the third time in a six-day span that the Golden Grizzlies were facing a ranked team. Two of them were in the Top 10. Two games were on the road while the other was at a “neutral” site — though it was basically a duel-home game for both MSU and Oakland, being in Auburn Hills.

The Grizzlies’ 89-82 win over the Vols was hardly surprising to those who had paid attention to the recent string of games. And now No. 2 Ohio State is on the schedule next week. Plus, Oakland has already played at Purdue.

That means before the turn of the calendar, Oakland — of the Summit League — will have played five ranked teams, three of which were in the Top 10 when the Grizzlies played them (assuming Ohio State doesn’t stumble before next week). Not many other teams in the country have faced that kind of a murderer’s row thus far. In fact, I believe only two teams outside the major conferences have faced anything comparable (you’ll see below).

Assuming the Grizzlies play up to their capabilities in league play, this is all something to keep in mind come March. We all like hitting that pick that busts the brackets of others.

This isn’t to say Oakland is alone in testing itself against a Goliath when it comes to the Davids of the world.

Even if the so-called little guy doesn’t win the games against the big conference teams, playing the games early in the season can give them an edge on their conference competition and then when it comes time to face a big boy in the Big Dance, the team won’t be intimidated. Take Butler from last season. The Bulldogs lost to Minnesota, Clemson, Georgetown and UAB in non-conference play before running the table in the Horizon League. After dropping the game to UAB, the next Butler loss wouldn’t come until the national championship game.

Here are a baker’s dozen small schools that are enduring strong early schedules. You’ll notice some familiar names on the list, which shouldn’t be surprising. Just don’t forget any of these come March — obviously to different degrees.

[Note: We have eliminated every team from a top-10 conference, according to KenPom.com, because we're searching for the true little guys. The excluded 10: Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, ACC, Pac-10, SEC, Mountain West, Conference USA, Atlantic 10 and Missouri Valley.]

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Christian Watford hit a 3-pointer for the Indiana Hoosiers with 9:43 left in the game to give his team a 57-56 lead. What followed was an 8-0 Kentucky run and an extended field goal drought for the Hoosiers (7-2). It would end up being the difference in what was, for 30 minutes, a see-saw battle between the interstate rivals. No. 17 Kentucky (7-2) would end up with the blowout win 81-62. The Wildcats closed the game with a 25-5 run.

With both teams still adjusting to having lost a 7-footer to eligibility issues — Enes Kanter for UK and Guy-Marc Michel for IU — the inside was ruled by Josh Harrellson of the Wildcats. He had 14 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Meanwhile, his counterpart, Tom Pritchard, had zero points, five rebounds and four fouls.

Watford led the Hoosiers with 19 points and nine rebounds, but he hit just 6-of-19 shots as he was suffocated late in the game by the UK defense. Maurice Creek, who hasn’t looked like the 2009 version since returning from a serious knee injury, was a paltry 1-of-7 from 3-point range. The Hoosiers did get a spark from freshman Victor Oladipo off the bench, as he contributed 10 points and three boards.

DeAndre Liggins led UK with 19 points and added eight rebounds. Brandon Knight scored 18 points while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. Terrence Jones, arguably Kentucky’s best player, struggled. The freshman hit just 3-of-11 shots from the floor and scored only 10 points. He entered Saturday averaging 20 points per game.

How It Was Won: Once Indiana took that one-point lead, the Wildcats completely dominated the remainder of the game with tough defense and by converting open shots and their free throws.

How It Was Lost: Indiana didn’t hit another field goal after Watford’s big three until there were 34.1 seconds left in the game. That’s a nine-minute-plus drought. It’s not too difficult to understand the final margin in light of this disappearance.

Key Stat: Indiana committed 31 fouls to Kentucky’s 17. That gave the Wildcats a 44-16 advantage in terms of free throw attempts. The 31 free throws made by UK to Indiana’s 12 equaled the final margin of victory.

What We Didn’t Like: Both teams fought foul trouble throughout the game, particularly two of the better players in the game — Jones and Creek. And the majority of the fouls on those two were due to mental errors. Jones did settle down after his third foul on the first possession of the second half, but it was still an issue for more than half the game. This needs to shape up for each team moving forward.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

For the second time in a week, Oakland gave a ranked Big Ten team a scare. This time it was No. 7 Michigan State, which escaped by the skin of its teeth with a 77-76 win in the Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Spartans came into the season ranked No. 2 but have had a bit of a disappointing go. Sure, all three losses for the 7-3 team have come at the hands of teams ranked in the Top 10 — and none were at home — but seeing three marks in the “L” column at this point isn’t exactly what the Spartans had in mind after two consecutive Final Fours and with most key components returning. A fourth one against a team from the Summitt League — no matter how feisty the Golden Grizzlies are — would have been disastrous.

Kalin Lucas, the diminutive former Big Ten player of the year, came through with a big game to help his Spartans avoid the upset with 25 points and five assists.

Larry Wright led Oakland with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Keith Benson added 17 points and 12 rebounds.

How It Was Won: Eventually Michigan State wore down Oakland with its tough defense and four talented scorers — Lucas, Keith Appling (12 points), Draymond Green (11 points) and Durrell Summers (11 points).

How It Was Lost: The Spartans simply have superior talent. In the end, that was just too much for the Golden Grizzles — even with how well Oakland played and how poorly MSU played for much of the game.

Key Stat: Oakland (5-5) shot itself in the foot by making only 11 of its 20 free throw attempts. That’s gotta be a tough pill to swallow in a one-point loss.

What We Didn’t Like: While Lucas soared, Korie Lucious sunk. The backup point guard (who really plays too many minutes to be considered a true backup) missed all eight of his field goal attempts and ended with just four points. In Big Ten play, Lucious has to play better than that or the Spartans won’t be coming away with wins.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Butler jumped out to a 12-5 lead at Xavier Thursday night. Shots were falling and things were looking good. That was with 16:17 left in the first half. Xavier answered with an 11-0 run, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. The Bulldogs would not hit another field goal until the clock read 2:57. In between, there were 13 missed field goals.

Who would have thought Xavier would only end up a 51-49 winner?

Butler‘s stellar free throw shooting and Xavier’s inability to hit a decent percentage of its own field goals meant the Musketeers never really pulled away. The biggest lead Xavier ever built was 10 points, on several different occasions. And an 8-0 Butler run in the second half closed the gap to just two — 41-39 — with less than six minutes left in the game. A Matt Howard 3-pointer with 3:53 left narrowed the margin to a single point, 45-44. And then a 3-point play by Andrew Smith knotted the game at 49 with 1:26 to play. It was the first tie since there was no score.

With 32.2 seconds left, however, Butler (4-4) missed its first free throw of the game. The timing couldn’t have been worse. In fact, Ronald Nored missed both of his foul shots, after the Bulldogs made their first 16.

On the other end of the floor, Nored committed a foolish foul with just 4.2 seconds remaining to put Mark Lyons at the line for Xavier. The sophomore had made only one of his 10 shots from the field on the night, but he had already converted 5-of-7 free throws. He coolly knocked both down to give the Musketeers (6-2) their eventual two-point margin of victory.

An open Shelvin Mack 3-pointer that would have won the game bounced off back rim at the buzzer.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Pretty much this entire Zebra Report stems from things Oregon does on offense and from one particular play in the Oregon-Oregon State Civil War game, but that doesn’t mean it’s Oregon-centric. These discussions are all things that apply to every team in football — starting with the unnecessary roughness penalty on Oregon State with 2:22 left in the second quarter.

For those who didn’t see the play, Ducks running back Kenjon Barner was running toward the sideline and was shoved out by the Oregon State defender seemingly right as he stepped on the out of bounds line. A penalty was called. ESPN’s Pat Forde tweeted that it was a “garbage” call and I’m seeing this as a common refrain from many fans who don’t regularly quack.

But here’s the issue: Barner was noticeably slowing down and running straight out of bounds. His intent was clear, in that he was going straight out of bounds (notice how much time was left in the half). Whether fans or the defense like it or not, it is part of the defense’s job to know where the sideline is and for all players to avoid unnecessary contact. If a ballcarrier is in the act of going out of bounds, he has to be allowed to do so without being shoved in the middle of the back.

Now, I know the arguments that commonly follow this logic. Let me use some telepathy and answer the forthcoming questions and complaints before they hit:

1. But, Matt, what if he changed his mind and cut back?
2. He wasn’t out of bounds yet when the defender touched him!
3. This is football! If he doesn’t like getting hit, he shouldn’t play.
4. I bet you never played a down in your life!

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

For nearly 20 minutes, Valparaiso was giving No. 19 Purdue a scare. The tiny gym that holds just over 5,000 people was rocking and the Crusaders were feeding off the emotion. Senior guard Brandon Wood got a hot hand and Valpo found itself right in the game. In fact, the Crusaders held a lead with 18:34 left in the game, 34-33. An 8-0 start propelled Purdue into the lead for good and the Boilermakers progressively tacked points onto the lead, cruising to an eventual 76-58 victory.

Senior guard E’Twaun Moore led the Boilers (8-1) with 23 points, while JaJuan Johnson and Kelsey Barlow added 13 apiece.

Wood led Valpo (6-3) with 20 points on 7 of 11 shooting.

How It Was Won: Purdue buckled down in the second half and started playing their game. The Boilers didn’t settle for quick shots and instead found open ones, using their superior athleticism to exploit the inferior foe. They also shut down Wood late, mostly by preventing him from getting an open shot, as he scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half.

How It Was Lost: There’s only so far tenacity and a fired-up home crowd can carry a team with so much less talent. Valpo simply ran out of steam and wasn’t able to keep up.

Key Stat: Sophomore Kelsey Barlow scored a career-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Since the opponent was only a Horizon League foe, we aren’t ready to anoint Barlow the Robbie Hummel replacement — but it’s certainly a positive sign for the Boilers.

What We Didn’t Like: It’s going to be nitpicking in an 18-point victory, but JaJuan Johnson was just 4 of 9 from the floor until a trash time lay-in. With so few other interior scoring options, even if Johnson was getting doubled. Purdue needs to see more from the big man — otherwise it might run into problems in Big Ten play.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Chris Allen was an integral member of the past two Michigan State teams — both of which made the Final Four — but this past offseason he was sent packing by Spartans coach Tom Izzo for reasons not disclosed to the public. We do know that Allen was suspended for the Big Ten tournament last season due to not being as good a teammate as was expected of him, according to Izzo. So Allen was granted his release and transferred to Iowa State, where he’s sitting out one season before becoming eligible for play for Fred Hoiberg’s Cyclones.

But that doesn’t mean Izzo holds any ill-will toward the now-departed guard.

“We’re not as good a team without Chris Allen,” Izzo told the Des Moines Register. “Don’t kid yourself.”

“I told Freddy (Hoiberg) he’s getting a helluva player,” he continued. “One kid that I’d like to have back in that respect. But could he stay on task to accomplish what we wanted to accomplish? That’s what I struggled with a little bit.”

It doesn’t come as a surprise that the No. 7 Spartans (6-2) could use Allen in the backcourt early this season. Korie Lucious has battled injury and suspension, while Kalin Lucas is still recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered last March. Keith Appling is bound to have a few inconsistency issues early in the season as a freshman making the transition.

Still, Michigan State’s only losses thus far have come to No. 6 UConn — in a game that could have gone either way — and No. 1 Duke on the road by five.

Considering the Spartans’ penchant to close the season much better than they open it, in addition to the fact that Lucas, Lucious, Appling and Durrell Summers — when healthy — comprise one of the most talented backcourts in the country, it’s safe to say Michigan State won’t be missing Allen near as much come March.

The Spartans will square off against No. 8 Syracuse in Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, continuing their brutal non-conference schedule, which has also included a win against No. 21 Washington.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Jon Embree has been named the new football coach at the University of Colorado. The announcement was made Monday in Boulder, Colo. by athletic director Mike Bohn.

Embree was an all-conference tight end for the Buffaloes during the 1980s, and beat out other members of the Colorado family like former standout running back Eric Bienemy and interim head coach Brian Cabral — both of whom are going to serve as members of Embree’s staff. Cabral took over for Dan Hawkins to lead Colorado to a 2-1 record to close the disappointing season, but will now take a step back to remain with the Buffs.

“It’s a family affair and we didn’t want to provide any type of erosion of that family affair,” said Bohn. “That was something we really worked hard at. We want to ensure we do everything we can to rally, because that is the most important thing for us to do. We’ve got to unite behind this coach, this staff and this program, and that’s going to allow us to be successful quicker than many people think we can be.”

Embree has signed a five-year contract reportedly worth around $1 million per season, not including incentives. He was the tight ends coach for the Washington Redskins, but left that job following their loss to the New York Giants Sunday to accept the CU job.

Hawkins went just 19-39 during his four-plus years with Colorado.

Colorado will leave the BIg 12 and join the Pac-10 next season — which will be called the Pac-12 by that time — along with Utah.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Heisman Watch is a look at 2010 Heisman Trophy candidates. It is not intended to serve as an opinion piece about who should win, instead it’s intended to be a gauge of how all voters across the country seem to be leaning.

With very few games — albeit some big ones — in college football’s Week 14 and the announcement of who is heading to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation right around the corner, let’s examine who is going and who is in the running for a trip.

New York Bound

Cam Newton, QB, Auburn: If voters go solely with on-field play in 2010, Newton has the Heisman in the bag. He was already the front-runner, but his emphatic statement (334 passing yards, four touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns) in the SEC Championship cemented his stranglehold on the best resumé in the country. The only remaining interest is to see how many voters avoid him due to the pay-for-play allegations.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

In the waning seconds of the first half, Auburn held a 21-14 lead over South Carolina in the SEC Championship game. And then everything changed.

Heisman Trophy front-runner Cam Newton let fly with a Hail Mary pass as time expired, and it was hauled in after a tip by Darvin Adams. The play was a 54-yard touchdown pass, and it was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. From there, the BCS No. 1 Tigers throttled the Gamecocks, closing with a final score of 56-17.

Newton was, as usual, the star of the game. He threw for a career-high 334 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He ran for 73 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns. The talent around him is solid, but much of the game Newton was an unstoppable one-man wrecking crew — whether with his arm or his legs.

Adams also had a huge game, catching seven passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns.

On the other side of the field, quarterback Stephen Garcia struggled at times, throwing two interceptions — including an absolute gift-wrapped touchdown to Auburn’s T’Sharvan Bell when under a heavy blitz. Star wideout Alshon Jeffery did score a touchdown, but was held by the Auburn defense to four catches for 36 yards. Stud running back Marcus Lattimore was limited to only 16 carries (gaining 84 yards) due to the big lead and what appeared to be a pass-heavy game plan in the first half.

But the game was all about Auburn, a team that is clearly with Oregon as the two best teams in the nation. Barring some sort of unrealistic insanity in the BCS formula, the two teams will meet in Glendale, Ariz. on January 10 for the BCS national championship.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

During the first 20 minutes of the Indiana-Boston College matchup Wednesday night, the home Eagles outhustled, outrebounded, outshot and badly outplayed the visiting Hoosiers. Boston College was hitting the outside shot, dominating the paint and getting nearly every single loose ball. It appeared the game would be a laugher — because it had been for 20 minutes — with BC taking a 14-point advantage into the locker room along with a swagger and the backing of the home crowd.

Instead, Indiana stormed out of the second-half gate and turned the game into a battle for the next 16 minutes. The final score, 88-76, was not indicative of how close the game appeared it would be for much of the second half.

The Hoosiers made things interesting with an 8-0 run to open the second half and maintained the high level of play for 4/5 of the half. They looked like a different team, hitting open looks, grabbing loose balls and playing with much more physicality and confidence. They especially buckled down on defense with a 2-3 zone. Perhaps most impressive was the fact that Indiana took better care of the ball during that 20 minutes than it had all season.

But it wasn’t good enough to topple the Eagles. Every time the Hoosiers could get momentum going by cutting the lead to two, three or four points (even to one point twice), the Eagles would respond with a big shot, usually with a big 3-pointer, to take the wind out of the sails of the visiting team. Danny Rubin in particular hit several daggers from behind the arc. BC used a late 12-1 run (from 66-64 with 4:37 to play) to pull away and cruise to victory.

Both teams can take something good from the game. Boston College showed it can stave off a furious run while maintaining composure. The Eagles have also now sufficiently buried the embarrassing early loss to Yale by beating three teams from different power conferences. The only loss since then was to a good Wisconsin team. Indiana hadn’t yet played a major school or left the comfort of Assembly Hall, so the game was a big test. The Hoosiers didn’t win, but showed they can be competitive against quality competition, at least for about 18 minutes. The key now is to play a complete game.

BC (5-2) was led by Reggie Jackson (27 points on 9-of-14 shooting) and Biko Paris (19 points) in the backcourt, Corey Raji‘s tame stat line (nine points, five rebounds) doesn’t illustrate how tough he played in the interior, as he was also a key cog for the winners.

Indiana (6-1) was led by Christian Watford, who scored 27 points. Maurice Creek added 11 — though he hit just 1-of-7 from 3 — while Jordan Hulls scored nine points on 4-of-7 shooting and ran a solid point guard in the second half in the losing effort.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Illinois and North Carolina came into the season each with a highly-touted freshman forward. For the Tar Heels, Harrison Barnes was accruing national recognition, including a preseason All-America nod. Jereme Richmond was well-known in recruiting and Big Ten circles, but probably not much outside of that. At least not yet.

In watching the two play Tuesday night, you wouldn’t know it.

For the better part of the past four games, Barnes had struggled mightily, and UNC’s 79-67 loss to Illinois Tuesday night was no different. He hit just 2-of-9 shots from the floor and ended with eight points and six rebounds.

His counterpart, Richmond, has been steadily improving through his smaller amount of minutes in the early going and put forth a very solid effort Tuesday night, scoring 12 points and pulling down five rebounds. He wasn’t great, but he was easily better than Barnes — which is a perfect illustration for this game. The Illini were simply better — top-to-bottom and start-to-finish — than the Tar Heels.

It was a balanced, team effort. on both ends of the floor for Illinois As can be expected most games, the trio of seniors — Demetri McCamey (17 points, eight assists), Mike Tisdale (14 points, five rebounds) and Mike Davis (20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals) — led the No. 20 Illini (7-1). Sophomore guard D.J. Richardson added 11 points, including hitting all three of his 3-point attempts.

It was a complete effort for Illinois, as it took care of the ball, shot well — especially from outside (8-of-13 from 3) — and kept everyone but Tisdale out of foul trouble.

John Henson led UNC (4-3) with 16 points and six rebounds while Tyler Zeller added 10 points and four rebounds. The Tar Heels have far more questions than answers at this point in the young season, however, having beaten only non high-major teams, Lipscomb, Hofstra, Charleston and UNC-Asheville, while losing to the three power conference teams they have faced.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Last time Ohio State visited the state of Florida, the Buckeyes blew away the Florida Gators with an unstoppable offense. This time, they would have to deal with the tough defense of Florida State. The No. 2 Buckeyes were versatile enough to fight through it and come away with a 58-44 victory.

Ohio State led nearly throughout the entire game, and pushed the lead into double-digits a few times, but never was able to fully pull away from the pesky Seminoles, who continually kept their deficit in the high-single digits to mid-double-digits range. The Buckeyes even had to battle through limited minutes due to foul trouble from starting guard William Buford.

No matter, as Ohio State continues to assert itself as one of the elite teams in college basketball early in the season. The Buckeyes can slow it down or speed it up. Against the tough FSU defense, it was certainly a grind. The talented and well-rounded roster for OSU was able to pull away a bit at the end.

Ohio State shot just 32.2 percent from the floor and were only 4-of-20 from three-point range. The Buckeyes did outrebound FSU 39-30 and win the turnover battle by seven.

Senior guard Jon Diebler led a balanced scoring effort with 12 points (though he was only 3-of-12 from the floor), followed by freshman big man Jared Sullinger’s 11 pionts (the power forward added 13 boards). David Lighty was the third Buckeye in double figures with 10.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The first half was Iowa‘s. The second half was Wake Forest‘s. More accurately, the second half was J.T. Terrell‘s.

The freshman guard scored 32 points and hit a dramatic — and deep — game-winning 3-pointer to lift the Demon Deacons to a 76-73 win in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

He ended the half just as strong as he started it. Terrell led the Demon Deacons on a second-half charge to turn a 12-point deficit at the break into a 10-point lead with nine minutes to play.

The Hawkeyes wouldn’t go away.

An 18-8 Iowa run tied the game with 3:19 remaining, and set up a see-saw, mostly defensive finale.

At least, until Terrell took over again.

Holding the ball for the last shot of the game, The Deacons cycled the ball to Terrell, who fired up a long three on line with the hash marks.

The ball found nothing but the bottom of the net. Iowa’s inbound play was disrupted and somehow the Deacons, who lost at home to Stetson earlier in the year, turned in the most rousing early performance of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Terrell hit 9-of-16 , including 7-of-11 from behind the arc. Only a freshman, and in Jeff Bzdelik’s first season at the helm for Wake Forest (4-3), he’s the kind of player that could excite the fan base for the near future of a team who had looked pretty poor up to this point.

Iowa (3-4) was led by sophomore guard Eric May, who scored 17 points and added six steals, three rebounds and two assists.

Credit the Deacons’ interior defense late in the game as well. Though they struggled on the defensive glass in the final two minutes, Wake blocked four shots on Iowa’s final four possessions.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

In the two biggest rivalry games Saturday, each had an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty assessed that drew the ire of the masses. We’ll start with the Iron Bowl incident — which would have been much more highly publicized had Auburn not come back and won — since it was a bigger game this season in terms of BCS implications.

Auburn’s Nick Fairley sacked Alabama‘s Greg McElroy on a pivotal third and eight late in the first quarter. As he got up, he celebrated, but he was facing his own sideline and no Crimson Tide players. It was a bit of a dance, but a brief one.

Bama obviously collected the 15 yards and the first down that came with them, and proceeded to drive down the field and make the score 21-0. We know what happened the rest of the way, but if Auburn loses we’re hearing cries from Auburn fans — and not “War Eagle” — all week this week. And probably the rest of the season.

The SEC released a statement this week saying Fairley was penalized for a violation of Rule 9-2-1.a.1(d), which says, “any delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed act by which a player attempts to focus attention on upon himself” is a foul.”

I’d disagree about delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed. I think Fairley was just excited and the action was immediate and seemingly unplanned. I also believe he stopped within a few steps. Of course, he was definitely attempting to focus the attention on himself, right? But don’t guys do that all the time without repercussions?

The rule is there, and everyone can read and interpret the wording with the play how you see fit. I’m not going to get into all that. What I instead want to do is provide a possibility many fans wouldn’t consider.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

College football’s regular season is coming to a screeching halt, but the TV schedule for Week 14 isn’t barren. There are some marquee matchups, including some rivalries and conference championships.

The big ones are obviously atop the BCS Standings.

BCS No. 1 Auburn will square off against South Carolina in the SEC Championship. It is the last hurdle for Auburn to get to the national championship game for for Cam Newton to win the Heisman Trophy. The game will be a rematch of Auburn’s 35-27 win back in September, but that game was at Auburn. This one is on a neutral field. As for on the tube, you’ll find it on CBS at 4 p.m. Eastern.

BCS No. 2 Oregon only has to beat a 5-6 Oregon State team to advance to the BCS championship. Of course, it is the Civil War and a road game for the Ducks, so anything can happen. LaMichael James will try to take the Heisman from Newton while helping his team advance to the big one. That game will be aired on ABC just a half hour prior to the SEC title game.

As for the rest, you’ll find the list below. Surprisingly a good amount of watchable games despite the number of games from which to choose.

All times p.m. and Eastern

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Bill Lynch has been fired as football coach at Indiana University. The move was announced at a press conference by athletic director Fred Glass.

Lynch’s tenure at Indiana was four full seasons, though he also coached a few games in 2006 when the late Terry Hoeppner was battling the illness that eventually claimed his life. Lynch gained steam as the head coach after the 2007 season, when the Hoosiers went 7-6 and to the Insight Bowl. It was the first bowl game for the Hoosiers since 1993, under Bill Mallory.

Of course, the flip side to that is the 2007 team was basically Hoeppner’s. Lynch was handed the team after the untimely death of the very popular coach. Since that season, the Hoosiers have gone 12-24, with a 1-7 conference record in each of the three seasons.

The move wouldn’t have been surprising at all had the Hoosiers not won at Purdue Saturday to bring back the Old Oaken Bucket. Still, the 5-7 (1-7) record just wasn’t enough progress for Lynch after having four seasons.

The chore now for the Hoosiers is to find a coach who can thrive in the shadow of the historic and beloved basketball program. The facilities have been significantly upgraded in the past few years and there’s a good amount of football talent to grab in the midwest. Of course, there is the problem that football will never be better than No. 2 at Indiana and you’re competing with Notre Dame and Purdue in state, as well as several midwest football powers in the area like Ohio State. Cam Cameron and Gerry DiNardo failed before Lynch did the same. Hoeppner’s brief stint should illustrate there is some hope to at least be a lower-tier bowl team, however.

A name like Brady Hoke at San Diego State, who previously succeeded at Ball State in Muncie, Ind., comes to mind as a fit, but anything beyond Lynch being gone is pure conjecture at this point.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Heisman Watch is a look at 2010 Heisman Trophy candidates. It is not intended to serve as an opinion piece about who should win, instead it’s intended to be a gauge of how all voters across the country seem to be leaning.

With a huge weekend in the books, we have a bit more clarity on the Heisman Trophy situation. If Kellen Moore was going to seriously challenge for the Trophy, his Boise State Broncos had to run the table. With the loss to Nevada, his chances plummet. And with the big Auburn comeback in the Iron Bowl, Cam Newton has definitely solidified his place atop the Heisman world.

The Front-Runner

Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
Last week: Auburn got stomped in Alabama for almost an entire half, and then came back to stun the Crimson Tide and likely catapult itself into the BCS Championship. Newton three for 216 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown in the effort. The rushing TD gave him the Auburn school record (meaning a quarterback surpassed Bo Jackson and Cadillac Williams). He now trails Moore by just 5.2 points in efficiency rating (and no one else is within 20 of Moore) and is tied for second in rushing touchdowns.
Remaining: vs. South Carolina (SEC championship)
Chances: Let’s bottom line this. If there was no off-field controversy, there wouldn’t even be a need to vote. The only way someone doesn’t vote for Newton is if a) a voter doesn’t want to fall into a Reggie Bush situation and have the Trophy given back a few years (if that) down the line, or b) a voter is incredibly biased for a different candidate or against Newton/Auburn. I honestly don’t even think his performance against South Carolina has any bearing on this.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

On the strength of a balanced offensive effort and strong defense throughout the first three quarters, the Michigan State Spartans left Penn State with a 28-22 victory.

More importantly, the Spartans have finished the 2010 regular season with an 11-1 record. The only blemish was a loss at Iowa. With Ohio State’s win and Wisconsin facing Northwestern (a team that lost its starting quarterback just two weeks ago to injury), however, it appears the Spartans will be left out in the cold. There is a three-way tie atop the Big Ten standings. The tiebreaker used by the league is the BCS rankings, and MSU has trailed both Ohio State and Wisconsin for weeks — and it’s unlikely Saturday’s win changed anything.

The Spartans were solid but not overly impressive in taking down a 7-5 Penn State team. They were outgained by the Nittany Lions 396-331, though many of those PSU yards were gained in the late desperation rally. Michigan State turned it over twice while PSU only did so once. Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 152 yards and two scores, while completing 17 of his 22 passes and nary a turnover.

The Spartans were paced offensively by running back Edwin Baker, who carried the ball 28 times for 118 yards and a touchdown. Wideout B.J. Cunningham caught both of Cousins’ touchdown passes.

The 11-win season for Michigan State marks the best season in Mark Dantonio’s coaching career and the most wins in school history. The senior class is the winningest in Spartans history as well.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The previous record for Division III was five overtimes. According to a press release from Skidmore, Cincinnati and Bradley (Division I) equaled the total of seven OTs in 1981, as did Yankton and Black Hills (Division II) in 1956. No other men’s college basketball games have ever lasted so long.

The final score was 128-123 with Skidmore coming out on top.

“Words are hard to describe what I just witnessed,” Skidmore coach Joe Burke said to the school’s website. “It was completely a battle of wills and both teams refused to give in. We won the game but really there are no losers in a game like that. Both teams played ’til complete exhaustion.

“I kept telling the guys as each overtime passed to really enjoy the moment. They will never be involved in anything like that in their lives again, I kept telling them, ‘This is fun, isn’t it?’ But by the 6th overtime, I think that wore out.”

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Heisman Watch is a look at 2010 Heisman Trophy candidates. It is not intended to serve as an opinion piece about who should win, instead it’s intended to be a gauge of how all voters across the country seem to be leaning.

The Front-Runner

Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
Last week: Auburn was idle.
Remaining: at Alabama, vs. South Carolina (SEC championship)
Chances: As I’ve said the past several weeks, if voters go simply with on-field performance, Newton is your clear-cut winner. It’s not even close right now. And he has the toughest remaining schedule of the competition (though Justin Blackmon‘s could be very tough as well). If Auburn wins two more games with Newton playing well, the only way he doesn’t win the Heisman is if the voters go on morals.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

When the No. 11 Michigan State Spartans saw an injury-riddled, 4-6 Purdue team coming into East Lansing, they likely didn’t think it would be this difficult. But after a 35-31 victory, the Spartans are probably left breathing a collective sigh of relief.

The Boilermakers opened up a 21-13 halftime lead and extended it to 28-13 after three quarters.

Michigan State used a Chris L. Rucker interception to jumpstart a touchdown-scoring drive and close the gap to 28-20. Purdue answered with a 52-yard field goal, but the Spartans drove the length of the field for a Kirk Cousins to Mark Dell touchdown pass and added a two-point conversion. The Purdue lead was just 31-28 with with 6:54 remaining.

On the ensuing possession, Michigan State held the Boilermakers and then blocked the punt. A Cousins rushing touchdown just over two minutes after the Spartans’ previous score would put them up for good.

Purdue, on the strength of a late hit penalty, did have a shot on the final drive to win the game, but Chris Norman intercepted an errant Rob Henry pass.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Illinois may have a trio of talented seniors, but Thursday night in Madison Square Garden belonged to the Texas youth.

In an exciting back-and-forth (at least during regulation) 90-84 overtime victory, Texas used big-time efforts by a freshman and sophomore mixed with some clutch shooting from yet another freshman to take down No. 13 Illinois.

Tristan Thompson (pictured right), a 6-foot-8 freshman forward, ended the game with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks. Jordan Hamilton, a 6-foot-7 sophomore swingman, added 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. The young duo combined to hit 17 of 27 shots from the floor and scored exactly half of the Longhorns’ points.

The Illini came into New York City armed with seniors Demetri McCamey, Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis. Big men Tisdale and Davis lost their battle with foul trouble and were largely ineffective, but McCamey nearly overcame their shortcomings with a yeoman effort of his own and the help of some youth himself.

The senior point guard had 22 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, but missed a pivotal shot late in regulation that could have put Illinois ahead. The Longhorns responded with a clutch jumper from freshman Cory Joseph — who only connected on two of his nine field goal attempts the entire game. Illinois then tapped their own fountain of youth, using McCamey as a decoy, when star freshman Jereme Richmond (11 points, 5 rebounds) drove and connected to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Once it went to overtime, however, the Longhorns took over with their youth connection. They scored the first eight points of the extra period and wouldn’t look back. A Bill Cole 3-pointer did bring Illinois to within three with just over a minute remaining, but Texas was able to stave off the Illini.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

A.J. Moye, a former Indiana basketball player, has suffered a stroke at the age of 28.

According to a report from Eurobasket.com, Moye collided heads with another player on Monday. That night, Moye’s stepfather reported Moye had problems speaking. Tuesday, he noticed what he termed abnormal behavior. Moye was then taken to the hospital as his symptoms became worse and was diagnosed as having suffered a stroke.

Moye was a cult hero during his time at Indiana, from 2000-2004. The 6-foot-3 guard always played bigger than his size, pulling down 6.4 rebounds per game as a senior. But for Hoosiers fans, it wasn’t the stats that would be remembered.

It was his pivotal blocked shot on Carlos Boozer in the upset victory over Duke during the 2002 Sweet 16. He was part of the insane 3-point barrage to open the Hoosiers Elite Eight victory over Kent State. He was the player who played with as much heart as any college basketball player in recent memory, at least to Hoosiers fans. He was the guy with palpable zeal on the court and even more from the bench, as he cheered on teammates. In fact, the excitement from this fan favorite seemed to be infectious, making him an unforgettable and irreplaceable member of the last Indiana team to play in the Final Four.

Hat-Tip: Hoosier Scoop

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

During the Auburn-Georgia game, there was a punt that was inadvertently touched by a member of the punting team before it had come to rest. As the ball was still bouncing around, the color commentator started screaming at the receiving team to pick the ball up and run because it had “nothing to lose.”

And he was right.

In a case like this, the receiving team has absolutely nothing to lose (well, assuming it hadn’t already committed a penalty).

Technically speaking, the punt team is not permitted to touch a punt until the receiving team has touched it. Now, hear me out before going crazy because of how often you’ve seen this happen without a penalty flag. It’s a violation, not a penalty. With the violation, the stipulation is that the receiving team gets the privilege of taking possession of the football where the punt team touched it. It’s one of those formalities we all kind of take for granted in most cases, because it’s usually downed at it’s furthest point downfield and that’s it.

But what about when a punt hits a member of the punt team and bounces much farther toward the end zone? It’s not automatically whistled dead, and everyone who watches football knows this. You may also notice the officials mark this spot with a beanbag, and that’s for a specific reason. That’s the spot of first touching. No matter what happens the rest of the play — again, assuming there’s no penalty on the receiving team — the return team will have the option to take the ball at that spot.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Michigan State led throughout the overwhelming majority of the game, but feisty South Carolina wouldn’t go away. Despite a 17-point halftime lead, the Spartans were only able to stave off the Gamecocks 82-73. The deficit for South Carolina hovered in the teens throughout most of the second half, but it was trimmed progressively down to six with 2:12 remaining. Free throws and a big 3-pointer from Austin Thornton helped Michigan State stay in a comfort zone.

Senior guard Durrell Summers was the best player on the floor, scoring 22 points and adding six rebounds. He was active and energetic, showing off his immense jumping ability on several occasions.

In a scare unrelated to the scoreboard, Summers’ fellow senior, Kalin Lucas, turned his left ankle with 10:13 left in the second half. He missed the remainder of the NCAA tournament last season after rupturing the Achilles tendon in his left leg during Round 2. He laid on the floor temporarily while the crowd chanted his name and coach Tom Izzo noticeably worried. Lucas did miss just a few trips down the floor before checking back in. On the floor, the 2008 Big Ten Player of the Year wasn’t himself, however. He scored just five points on 2 of 9 shooting. He did have seven assists, but also three turnovers.

Forwards Draymond Green and Delvon Roe contributed solid games for the Spartans to complement Summers. Green had 18 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and a pair of blocks while Roe added 15 points and six boards. Freshman center Adreian Payne pulled down eight rebounds himself.

Where Michigan State (2-0) really struggled was at the free throw line, where the Spartans hit just 17 of 34 attempts.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

If anyone questioned whether or not heavily-hyped freshman Jared Sullinger was as good as advertised, it’s been put to rest. The 6-foot-9 freshman led Ohio State with 26 points and 10 rebounds in the No. 4 Buckeyes’ blowout victory, 93-75, at No. 9 Florida. It was as big a statement as you’ll see in a true road game early in the season from a power conference team.

On the strength of Sullinger (13-of-17) and senior David Lighty (also 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting), the Buckeyes shot a scorching 62.9 percent from the floor. They shot 70.6 percent from the floor in the second half, even amazing their own coach.

“That’s ungodly,” Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said. “We did a great job finding the open man.”

Florida actually played with the Buckeyes for a while, holding a three-point lead at halftime (41-38) and was within two as late at 11:48 left in the second half. From there, however, the Ohio State offense was just too much for the Gators. They simply couldn’t keep up the pace.

“They started jumping on us,” Florida’s Chandler Parsons said. “They started hitting some shots. We didn’t start executing. We weren’t very disciplined on offense. It’s early and it’s a learning experience. To play a team that good early on, hopefully it turns out to be a good thing for us.”

The combination of Sullinger on the inside with the slashing of Lighty and a pair of outside shooters made the well-rounded offense for the Buckeyes virtually unstoppable. Junior guard William Buford had 14 points and eight assists while senior forward Jon Diebler hit 4-of-7 3-points on his way to a 14-point night.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

When No. 18 Baylor looked at the schedule a few months ago and saw La Salle at home for Tuesday afternoon, it likely wouldn’t have brought much fear. After all, the Bears were an Elite Eight team last year and returned several key components along with a solid recruiting class.

Of course, All-American candidate LaceDarius Dunn has been suspended for his offseason arrest in connection with a felony assault charge.

La Salle did provide Baylor with a fight, but the Bears escaped with a 74-64 victory.

The Explorers actually traded leads with the Bears throughout the first half and only trailed by three points at halftime. They refused to go quietly in the second half, as Baylor’s largest lead was 12. La Salle was only down three points with seven minutes left in the game before the Bears pulled away, ever so slightly.

La Salle was led by star center Aaric Murray, who had 17 points, nine rebounds and five steals. Senior forward Jerrell Williams added 15 points and nine rebounds.

For Baylor, forward Quincy Acy did the heavy lifting in Dunn’s absence, scoring 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He also pulled down 11 rebounds and blocked two shots. Acy was joined in the paint by highly-touted freshman Perry Jones, who poured in 12 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

No. 2 Michigan State (28-9, 14-4)

In: G Keith Appling (Fr.), G Russell Byrd (Fr.), C Adreian Payne (Fr.),
Out: F Raymar Morgan, G Chris Allen (transfer)

Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers are entering their fourth season together in East Lansing — one that almost wasn’t in the cards.

Lucas might have jumped to the NBA Draft had he not ruptured his Achilles tendon in last season’s NCAA tournament. Summers briefly mulled leaving school early to enter the draft as well, deciding he could use another year of seasoning. The close friends from Detroit have accomplished almost everything during their three years as Spartans.

Almost.

After consecutive trips to the Final Four — losing in the finale to North Carolina two seasons ago and in the semifinal to Butler last season — anything short of Tom Izzo’s second championship won’t be good enough. The 2010-11 basketball season for Michigan State, particularly its two senior leaders, is about unfinished business.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The Front-Runner

Cam Newton, Auburn, QB
Last week: Completed 12 of his 15 pass attempts for 148 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns, leading Auburn to 49 points and yet another victory.
Remaining: Just the Iron Bowl and the SEC championship. That’s two high-profile games where he can cement his status as the leader of the pack.
Chances: He’s second in passing efficiency, fourth in rushing yards and tied for first in rushing touchdowns in the entire nation. He’s passed for more than 2,000 yards and rushed for more than 1,200, and still has two games to go. He’s the quarterback of an 11-0 team — one that lost five conference games last season without him. What do you think Newton’s chances of winning the Heisman Trophy are? If voters concentrate simply on on-field performance in 2010, there’s no question Newton will win. Will they? We’ll see in a few weeks.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The Wisconsin Badgers came into the game a heavy favorite against Indiana. Sitting at No. 6 in the AP poll and No. 7 in the BCS standings, with an 8-1 record and facing a team that hadn’t yet won a conference game at home certainly figured to be easy for the Badgers.

And, boy, was it — to the tune of an 83-20 victory (no, that’s not a typo).

After one drive for each team the score was knotted, 7-7, following a Ben Chappell-to-Tandon Doss touchdown pass for the Hoosiers. Indiana then tied the score again, 10-10, on a 48-yard Mitch Ewald field goal. From there, however, things got incredibly ugly. Fast.

Wisconsin scored four unanswered touchdowns to head to halftime up 38-10. The scoring barrage continued throughout the entire second half, as the Badgers scored six touchdowns and kicked a field goal. In all, Wisconsin racked up 598 yards of total offense and scored 10 touchdowns.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Cody Zeller, a star power forward, and consensus top-20 recruit will play at Indiana this fall, the Hoosier state native announced Thursday. His decision came down to North Carolina (where his brother Tyler currently plays), current national runner-up Butler and Indiana. Zeller chose to head to Bloomington and will play for Tom Crean’s Hoosiers.

The decision was made via live streaming video on several news outlets from Zeller’s high school gym.

Zeller is a 6-foot-11 power forward who can post up or shoot the ball from the outside. He averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds last season in leading his team to a state championship in 3A (Indiana’s second-biggest class).

The significance of the win for Crean is more symbolic than anything. Since taking over with basically an empty roster, Crean has gone 16-46 in two seasons for Indiana. Even worse is his 5-32 conference record. But with a strong sophomore class and talented freshman Victor Oladipo, you can see the beginnings of a rebirth. Adding a recruit like Zeller only strengthens the cause.

Sure, landing a top-20 recruit is huge, but when trying to rebuild from the program from the depths to which it had sunk, one player isn’t going to make that big a difference on his own. Wins like this need to begin to snowball before the program as a whole can take bigger steps forward. Zeller is a five-star recruit, and the last one at Indiana was Eric Gordon. But Zeller more signifies some momentum for Crean and the Hoosiers.

Teaming the Zeller signing with the 2012 class — where Crean has already landed top-10 center Peter Jurkin and top-10 power forward Hanner Perea — in addition to the young players already on the roster, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for one of college basketball’s historic programs. It’s realistic to see the Hoosiers back in the NCAA tournament in 2012. Just saying that used to not be good enough at a school where five national title banners hang, but when building from dregs, babysteps must be taken.

Zeller’s oldest brother, Luke, also played Division-1 basketball. He graduated from Notre Dame in 2009.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes (29-8, 14-4)

In: C Jared Sullinger (Fr.), F Deshaun Thomas (Fr.), G Lenzelle Smith, Jr. (Fr.), G Jordan Sibert (Fr.), G Aaron Craft (Fr.), F J.D. Weatherspoon (Fr.)
Out: F Evan Turner, G Jeremie Simmons, F Walter Offutt, G P.J. Hill, C Kyle Madsen, C Zisis Sarikopoulos

Ohio State reached the Sweet 16 last year as a No. 2 seed, but lost the Wooden Award winner in Turner. So Thad Matta’s Buckeyes are worse, right?

No, they are actually better.

This is no indictment of Turner or one of those “addition by subtraction” claims. I’d have ranked Ohio State No. 1 on my ballot if Turner decided to play out his senior year. It’s just that last year’s Buckeyes lacked a few things this year’s team doesn’t.

Depth and an inside scoring presence.

Let’s start with the latter.

Last season, the Buckeyes’ only true inside presence was Dallas Lauderdale. The barrel-chested senior is a mammoth 6-foot-8, 255 pounds. Unfortunately, he’s not a scorer. He’ll hit the layups and dunks he gathers under the hoop — he shot 77 percent from the floor last season but only averaged 6.5 points a game — but that’s the extent of his scoring prowess. He’s in the lineup to intimidate the opposition, affect shots on the defensive end and rebound.

Basically, the Buckeyes’ generated offense via Turner’s penetration and either scoring on his own or kicking out to a trio of capable scorers from the outside.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

It didn’t take long for Illinois to rocket past overmatched Toledo.

The Illini made their first 10 shots, springing out to a 25-5 lead and never looked back,on their way to an easy 84-49 victory over the Toledo Rockets.

It was highly-touted freshman Jereme Richmond who saddled the dubious distinction of breaking the perfect shooting display, as he missed a 3-point attempt with 13:23 left in the first half.

The end of the lights-out shooting display didn’t much help the hapless Rockets, though, as the No. 13 team in the country had its way with the MAC opponent all night long. From the first possession to nearly the last, this was a dominant effort on both sides of the floor.

Leaving Illinois’ hot shooting start aside, the Illini might have been more impressive on the defensive end. They collected 10 steals, forced 23 turnovers and held the Rockets to just 35.6 percent shooting from the floor. The Illini outrebounded the Rockets 38 to 19. They were too simply too big, too athletic and far too well-disciplined for the Rockets to handle.

As will happen quite often this season, Illinois was led by its trio of senior leaders. Demetri McCamey got things started with a mid-range jumper nine seconds into the game and ended with 13 points and seven assists. Mike Davis had 12 points and six rebounds while Mike Tisdale added 10 and eight. Freshman center Meyers Leonard was the only other player in double figures, scoring 10. Sophomore guard Brandon Paul impressively filled the stat sheet, going for eight points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists.

All 11 Illinois players who appeared in the game scored at least three points, and six scored at least eight in the balanced offensive effort.

Now, it is important to keep things in perspective here. The Illini are expected to be a darkhorse in the Big Ten — arguably the strongest conference in the nation. Toledo was picked to finish dead-last in the West division of the MAC — a mediocre mid-major conference. This one should have been ugly, and it was. You have to at least give credit to Illinois for taking care of business.

Illinois (2-0) will host Southern Illinois Saturday.

Things don’t get much easier for Toledo (0-1), as the Rockets will head to No. 21 Temple Sunday.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Greg Smith has been suspended for a total of five games by Colorado State.

The 6-foot-6 sophomore forward was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of harassment and domestic violence stemming from an Oct. 31 incident involving his 19-year-old girlfriend and another 19-year-old woman.

According to the Coloradoan, Smith was trying to get his car keys from his girlfriend, who refused to give them back to him due to the fact that she believed he had been drinking.

During the altercation, Smith allegedly shoved both women while his girlfriend slapped him and tore off his shirt. Both women told the police officers on the scene they didn’t wish to press charges, but since the responding officers were already present, Colorado law leaves the decision up to the district attorney’s office when the alleged crime involves domestic violence.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

A few weeks ago, Arkansas was on the losing end of a conference battle with Auburn, and many fans took issue with a few calls in the game. Namely two calls that involved whether the play was a fumble. Just as any group of fans would have been after that game, the Razorbacks supporters were unhappy.

Fast-forward to this past Saturday, and many fans were likely having flashbacks on a play in the second quarter. On a first-and-goal from the six, Jerry Franklin came on a blitz and got to Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia in the backfield. As Franklin spun him around, Garcia attempted to pass the ball. Instead, Franklin knocked the ball loose before Garcia’s arm came forward — which happened about a split-second after the picture here (right) was taken.

Obvious fumble, right?

Well, no. At least not according to our friends — the SEC officials — working the game.

There was no whistle until the ball hit the ground, but nearly immediately thereafter the referee began blowing his whistle and signaling Garcia was down.

Huh?

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The Front-Runners

Cam Newton, Auburn, QB
Last week: Maybe Cam heard the cries of people who don’t think he can throw the ball. He tossed four touchdowns as part of his first 300-yard game of his career. He also added his 15th rushing touchdown — second in the nation. The Tigers defeated Chattanooga to run their record to 10-0 and remain part of the national title picture.
Remaining: vs. Georgia, at Alabama; possibly SEC championship
Chances: If the voting took place now and there were no off-field issues, I believe Newton would have this thing in the bag. He’s second in passing efficiency, fourth in rushing yards and second in rushing touchdowns while quarterbacking one of the nation’s two undefeated teams from AQ conferences. That’s the recipe for a winner. Of course, Auburn still has a few tests left and as the weeks mount, so do the allegations levied in Newton’s direction. To debate whether or not these things should factor in on the Heisman voting is one thing, but it would be a complete folly to believe they’ll have no impact on the actual voting. If the Tigers do run the table with Newton playing well and he emerges relatively unscathed from all the allegations, however, he’s got the best shot at the award.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

No. 9 Purdue Boilermakers (29-6, 14-4)

In: G Terone Johnson (Fr.), G Anthony Johnson (Fr.), F Travis Carroll (Fr.)
Out: G Chris Kramer, G Keaton Grant, F Robbie Hummel (torn ACL), G Mark Wohlford

It’s been just over three weeks since the Purdue Boilermakers found out they lost star forward Robbie Hummel for the entirety of the 2010-11 season. In the aftermath of the injury, Purdue is going to have to show how it can replace the 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, outside shooting and leadership he brought to the table.

You can start with the senior duo JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore. They combined to average 31.9 points a game last season and will certainly be able to shoulder the heavy-lifting offensively.

Label the two an inside-outside combo if you wish, but it’s not entirely accurate. Johnson is plenty capable of knocking down the 15-footer when the inside is overloaded or he’s rolling off a pick. He can post up on anyone in college basketball, too. Moore is looking to become the fifth player in Purdue history to top 2,000 career points. He’s a solid three-point shooter, but just as effective using the bounce to free up a mid-range jumper.

Expect these two to be 40 percent of the Big Ten’s First-Team all-league selections come late February. They aren’t variables. The supporting cast will determine how far the Boilers go in 2011. Each of the most important cogs will fill a hole left from that pesky little “out” row above while bringing something new to the table. The questions, as of yet, are still unanswered; even coach Matt Painter acknowledges that.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

No. 14 Butler Bulldogs (33-5, 18-0 in the Horizon League)

In: F Khyle Marshall (Fr.), F Eric Fromm (Fr.), G Chrishawn Hopkins (Fr.)
Out: F Gordon Hayward, G Willie Veasley, F Avery Jukes

They were everyone’s favorite flavor of the month last March, the Cinderella story, the Little Engine that Could, David to every large conference’s Goliath, last year’s fluky national runner-up: the Butler Bulldogs.

And if you believe any of that, you haven’t been paying attention for the past decade-plus.

Last year’s deep tournament run by Butler was no fluke or just a group of seniors stringing together for just one strong run. It was only a matter of time with this program. And a return in the near future isn’t a longshot. In fact, had Gordon Hayward not jumped to the NBA, the Bulldogs would have been one of the top three teams in the nation, alongside their two opponents from Lucas Oil Stadium last April.

But that doesn’t mean this cupboard is bare, not by any stretch.

Coach Brad Stevens returns three starters, two others who logged significant minutes last season and also brings in a possible star recruit for the 2010-11 version of the Bulldogs.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

It wasn’t the Big East or the ACC. It was that conference in the Midwest that, more often than not, opposing fans gleefully label “overrated.” Yet, the Big Ten put three teams into the NCAA tournament’s second weekend. Michigan State made it to the Final Four for the second straight season, even without its best player after the second round. The Purdue Boilermakers also dealt with a loss of their best player, making it to the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual champion Duke. Ohio State nearly made it an all-Big Ten regional final in the Midwest before losing to Tennessee by three points.

Over the summer, there were losses to graduation, the NBA and transfer, but most teams have enough talent returning for the 2010-11 season that they’ll be even better this time around. In fact, it’s a very bad time for teams like Northwestern, Minnesota and Indiana to try and move up the ranks — because the top of the conference doesn’t appear to be budging.

Heading into 2010-11, the Big Ten has the makings of the best conference in the nation. With two teams, Michigan State and Ohio State, that that look like Final Four threats now, and perhaps two more, Illinois and Purdue, that could develop into Final Four-caliber teams, as well as six probably good enough for the Sweet 16 and at least seven having a shot at the Big Dance, the Big Ten is certainly both talented and deep.

The reason for this stockpile of talent is three-fold.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Ever hear the term muffed punt and wonder what it meant? Did you know that a punt can hit off a returner’s shoulder pads, bounce high into the air, be caught in midair and taken into the end zone by the kicking team — and not be a touchdown?

It’s all part of the many things us back judges have to remember and interpret during any given game.

Anyone watching the Baylor-Texas game this past Saturday would have seen a great example of how confusing — and even unfair, to some — these rules can be. Early in the second quarter, Baylor punted deep into Texas territory. The Longhorns’ returner muffed the football, resulting in a scrum in areas surrounding the end zone. A Texas player then recovered the ball in the end zone and fumbled again, at which point Baylor recovered at the one and dove into the end zone.

The initial ruling on the field appeared to be a Baylor touchdown, but it was overturned and Texas was given a touchback — the reason being that Texas had recovered the ball in the end zone and the player was ruled down before he fumbled again. Now, you can debate all you want about whether the ball carrier was conclusively down in the end zone. I’m not going to worry about that.

Instead, I’m here to discuss how the rule is interpreted on this play.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

No. 18 Illinois (21-15, 10-8)

In: Jereme Richmond (Fr.), Meyers Leonard (Fr.), Crandall Head (Fr.), Joseph Bertrand (RS Fr.), Kevin Berardini (RS Fr.)
Out: Dominique Keller, Alex Legion (transfer), Jeff Jordan (transfer)

In April of 2005, Bruce Weber was sitting pretty. After two seasons in Champaign, he had gone 63-9. He was coming off a national runner-up season in which he won national coach of the year from nearly every outlet that named one. After the following season, things weren’t much worse. Sure, the Illini were bounced in the second round of the NCAA tournament, but the team still went 26-7 with an 11-5 Big Ten mark — and after the losses they sustained, you couldn’t expect much better.

Since then, however, Weber’s stock has dropped about as far as a coach’s can without losing his job. The Illini have missed the Big Dance twice in the past four seasons and not been out of the first round. Weber’s yet to win as many games as he did in any of his first three seasons. And when this happens, we start to realize those magical first two years were achieved with talented, veteran teams that were recruited by Bill Self.

On the other hand, the 2009 first-round exit in the tourney could be blamed on Chester Frazier’s injury. Weber has still won over 20 games in every season except the 2007-08 debacle — where his prized recruit was basically stolen late in the process.

So which is it: did Weber simply ride Self’s coattails to establish a resume as a big-time college coach, or has he been a victim of bad fortune the past few years?

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse’s college football staff provides you with a personal quarterback. We do the primary and secondary reads for you so you can properly start your day

1. We’ve seen lots of names tossed around as contenders for the Heisman Trophy this season, just like every season. I had yet to see the name of Iowa’s scrappy quarterback Ricky Stanzi, however, until Monday. I don’t know what it is about Stanzi, as he’s a solid player, but seeing the words “Stanzi” and “Heisman” together just looked completely outlandish at first.

The thing is, the Des Moines Register columnist actually has a salient point: Look at Stanzi’s numbers. He’s thrown 19 touchdowns to just two picks while completing 68.5 percent of his passes and averaging 240-plus yards through the air per game. He also has two rushing touchdowns. His rating is over 180. If he kept up this pace and Iowa won out (meaning the Hawkeyes beat Ohio State in a few weeks), he’d have a decent resumé. The problem so far is the two losses, even if they weren’t his fault, but it’s definitely not outlandish to discuss — especially for an Iowa-based writer.

And before anyone prepares to tar and feather the writer without reading the whole story, I feel compelled to point out he said Stanzi’s a complete longshot and lower in the article listed Cam Newton, LaMichael James and Kellen Moore, respectively, as his current top three.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Wisconsin Badgers (24-9, 13-5 in the Big Ten)

In: C Evan Anderson, G, Ben Brust, F Duje Dukan, G Josh Gasser
Out: G Trevon Hughes, F Jason Bohanon

Let’s have a little talk about the Bo Ryan era in Wisconsin basketball.

The worst the Wisconsin Badgers have ever finished in the Big Ten under Ryan was tied for fourth place. They have never missed the NCAA tournament. They haven’t ever lost more than 13 games or won less than 19. In three of the nine seasons, they’ve made the Sweet 16. Last season, Ryan won his 100th Big Ten game in his 140th attempt. The only coach in league history to get to the century mark faster was this guy named Bob Knight (who did it in 131 games). Oh, and you want to win in Kohl Center? Good luck. Wisconsin is an absurd 136-11 in home in the Ryan era. If there is one drawback, however, it’s that the Badgers are decidedly average on the road under Ryan.

For the 2010-11 season, the Badgers will look to replace two of their three best players from last year’s squad that was bounced in the first round of the Big Dance. Replacing Trevon Hughes and Brian Bohannon is a tall order, sure, but the Badgers always find a way to replace solid players without having a down year. This time around, senior Jon Leuer is going to be the primary reason. He missed a large chunk of the Big Ten season in 2010, but begins 2010-2011 in full health. The 6-foot-10 senior averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 boards and 1.3 blocks a game last season and can eat you inside or out.

And Leuer didn’t spend the summer on the couch. He earned numerous plaudits for his play against Team USA during the club’s Las Vegas workouts.

Yet while Leuer certainly isn’t a question mark, a lot behind him is.

If Wisconsin is in for another sort of year the Badgers have grown accustomed to, Jordan Taylor will have to form a two-headed monster with Leuer.

After these two players, a relatively modest recruiting class and returning supporting cast will need to be shaped into the ultimate team in order for things to come together.

Fortunately, they have the right man at the helm to make it happen.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Fortunately, there wasn’t much national controversy in terms of officiating miscues this past week. We even managed to get through a big SEC game that wasn’t marred — once everyone figured out it really shouldn’t have been a delay of game, that is.

The above statements, however, don’t mean we have nothing to do in this space. Quite the contrary, material always seems to appear. In the Notre Dame-Navy game, for example, there was an incident worth discussing along with the other team having trouble dealing with a certain blocking technique.

Notre Dame linebacker Kerry Neal delivered what many are calling a cheap shot to Navy slot back John Howell. You can watch the video — with a perfect slow-motion shot — below.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Bobby Petrino was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in 2007. Mike Zimmer was the defensive coordinator. That season, the Falcons went 4-12, but the bad record was the least of what happened in the eyes of many — Zimmer included. Petrino left the team after 13 of the 16 regular season games to take the head coaching job at the University of Arkansas.

When asked by the Cincinnati Enquirer about returning to the scene — the Bengals visit Atlanta this weekend and Zimmer is the Bengals’ current defensive coordinator — Zimmer had more than a few choice words for his former boss. And he did not hold back one iota.

“I was never even there,” he told the newspaper. “As far as I am concerned, I never even was there. When a coach quits in the middle of the year and ruins a bunch of people’s families and doesn’t have enough guts to at least finish out the year. I am not a part of that.”

A little tame so far. There’s more.

“He is a coward. Put that in quotes,” Zimmer urged the Enquirer reporter. “He ruined a bunch of people’s lives, a bunch of people’s families, kids, because he didn’t have enough nuts to stay there and finish the job. That’s the truth.”

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

We’re roughly halfway through the college football season, and — as will always be the case — there’s been loads and loads of complaining about the officiating. But I’m starting to notice the biggest legitimate gripes are coming from the vaunted SEC. This is the third straight week where the highest profile officiating controversy came from the boys in the southeast.

Now, just because there are complaints from groups of fans — especially those whose team came up on the losing end of a close game — doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with the officiating. It’s much easier to blame a third party than to hold our favorite team accountable. I get it; I’m a fan, too. It’s just that most of these biased complaints aren’t overly legitimate.

But the screaming about the SEC officiating has been deafening this season. Well, at least as much as Internet chatter can be physically heard. And it seems that some of it is legitimate. That’s what really raised my eyebrows.

The subject this week, in case you didn’t already know where we were headed, is the Arkansas-Auburn game.

Before we move forward, I feel compelled to point out that generally when your team loses by 22 points, it’s awfully difficult to believe the officials were the sole reason you lost. Arkansas has to bear some responsibility in losing a football game in which it allowed 65 points.

Anyway, let’s look at the two heavily scrutinized calls.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

When Robbie Hummel went down last February, the injury derailed a potential championship season. Purdue was cruising to a No. 1 seed and would have had a legitimate shot to make some serious noise at the Final Four in nearby Indianapolis. Instead, Purdue bowed out in the Sweet 16 to eventual national champion Duke. Then, in a cruel twist of fate, it happened again this past Saturday. Purdue was a consensus top-three team and certain national championship contender. Now, they’re once again somewhere a tier or so below the nation’s best.

With this in mind, this week’s Tuesday Team is a sad trip through memory lane. We’ll look at what might have been for certain teams and players.

We’ve sorted through losses incurred by teams that prevented each team from going as far as it could have in March. Here are 12 players — with a very special team captain — whose teams missed them quite a bit, even to the point that a national championship could have been lost with the injury.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

When Robbie Hummel went down last February, the injury derailed a potential championship season. Purdue was cruising to a No. 1 seed and would have had a legitimate shot to make some serious noise at the Final Four in nearby Indianapolis. Instead, Purdue bowed out in the Sweet 16 to eventual national champion Duke. Then, in a cruel twist of fate, it happened again this past Saturday. Purdue was a consensus top-three team and certain national championship contender. Now, they’re once again somewhere a tier or so below the nation’s best.

With this in mind, this week’s Tuesday Team is a sad trip through memory lane. We’ll look at what might have been for certain teams and players.

We’ve sorted through losses incurred by teams that prevented each team from going as far as it could have in March. Here are 12 players — with a very special team captain — whose teams missed them quite a bit, even to the point that a national championship could have been lost with the injury.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

When Robbie Hummel went down last February, the injury derailed a potential championship season. Purdue was cruising to a No. 1 seed and would have had a legitimate shot to make some serious noise at the Final Four in nearby Indianapolis. Instead, Purdue bowed out in the Sweet 16 to eventual national champion Duke. Then, in a cruel twist of fate, it happened again this past Saturday. Purdue was a consensus top-three team and certain national championship contender. Now, they’re once again somewhere a tier or so below the nation’s best.

With this in mind, this week’s Tuesday Team is a sad trip through memory lane. We’ll look at what might have been for certain teams and players.

We’ve sorted through losses incurred by teams that prevented each team from going as far as it could have in March. Here are 12 players — with a very special team captain — whose teams missed them quite a bit, even to the point that a national championship could have been lost with the injury.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Robbie Hummel tearing his ACL on the first day of practice was about the biggest possible news that could have come out of college basketball in mid-October. We’re talking about arguably the best player on a team that has been waiting for four years to see this trio of star seniors lead the Boilermakers to a national championship. Obviously, the waiting game rarely works, due to injuries, transfers and myriad other factors, but Purdue was there. This was it.

Then, it was all taken away.

Only it really wasn’t — at least not for the team itself.

If you immediately counted Purdue out of national relevance, you aren’t paying attention. The Boilers still have two of the nation’s best players in JaJuan Johnson (probably the best big man) and E’Twaun Moore. There are several other reasons to believe Purdue is still easily a Sweet 16-caliber team — for the third straight season — and many were outlined by Hammer and Rails. Being a Purdue blog, it’s definitely a best-case scenario picture being painted in that post, but none of it is unrealistic or unreasonable. When I went to rework my preseason rankings, I bumped the Boilers from No. 2 to No. 10.

As for within the Big Ten, Purdue still has a very legitimate shot to take the league championship. Let’s take a look.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Robbie Hummel‘s knees must be cursed. For the second straight season — and the second time in the past eight months — the Purdue star has suffered a torn ACL. He injured the knee in the Boilermakers’ first practice of the 2010-11 season. He had missed the last several weeks of the 2009-10 season with the exact same injury, as he tore his ACL on February 24 against Minnesota.

Purdue was headed to a No. 1 seed last season until Hummel went down and was expected to be ranked in the top three in the nation headed into this season. Losing Hummel will change things significantly.

“This is obviously disappointing for Robbie, as well as our team, since he worked so hard to return from the tear he suffered in February,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter told the Purdue student newspaper. “As he begins his rehab and recovery, we’ll persevere together and provide Robbie with all the support possible. I have no doubt he’ll continue to play a pivotal role this season as a leader of our team.”

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Once again, LSU is center stage when it comes to controversy. It almost seems like part of Les Miles’ place in college football lore is being cemented based upon thriving through controversial calls.

Last weekend, it was on a fake field goal that it seems only the “Mad Hatter” would have the cajones (or lack of brainpower, depending upon whom you ask) to run. Let’s dive in.

First, click here to watch the YouTube and pay attention to the fake field goal at the 43-second mark.

Now, we need to decide if this was a forward pass or backward pass. From the rulebook (emphasis is mine): “a forward pass is determined by the point where the ball first strikes the ground … all other passes are backward passes. When in question, it is a forward pass rather than a backward pass when thrown in or behind the neutral zone.”

And, again, in clause (c) of the rule: “When in question, the ball is passed and not fumbled during an attempted forward pass.”

This was really, really close to me. In fact, it appeared the pass was directly horizontal from the holder, meaning — at least in my interpretation of the rule — that it’s “in question,” and therefore should have been an incomplete pass. If that was the call, LSU would not have been allowed to advance the ball and would have lost possession, and likely the game.

But it’s so close I’m not going to blame the officials on the field for calling the pass backward.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

As Jim Calhoun and Connecticut‘s basketball team currently sit under the microscope of recruiting violations, I figured I’d take the opportunity to reflect on just how well Calhoun has recruited since being named the head coach of the Huskies some 25 years ago. As I looked through the UConn All-Century team, list of All-Americans and the number of players who went through the Huskies program and to the NBA, it’s incredibly impressive. So impressive, in fact, that I’m gonna put together four units.

This week’s Tuesday Team is the Jim Calhoun All-Stars — all 20 players.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

With 6:37 left in the first quarter Saturday, Texas Tech knotted the score 7-7 against the Baylor Bears. On the ensuing kickoff, coach Tommy Tuberville elected to try and catch the Bears off-guard with an onside kick.

One problem: the kick didn’t go 10 yards, so the Red Raiders could not legally recover the football.

Thus, the Tech kickoff team basically just stood there staring at the ball. Having the presence of mind to realize it was still a live ball, Baylor‘s Terrance Ganaway scooped it up and ran 38 yards for the touchdown.

NCAA record books do not list shortest kick returns, but the shortest we could find in FBS was a 35-yarder for Rutgers in the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl. The next shortest we found was 42 yards, which happened multiple times — and, coincidentally, happened to Texas Tech last week when Iowa State accomplished the feat against the Red Raiders.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

After last Saturday’s crazy finish to the LSU-Tennessee game, there was rampant discussion across the Internet about the officiating in the waning moments of the 16-14 LSU victory. This week’s Zebra Report covered several aspects of this, but we then received an e-mail asking why LSU wasn’t required to try the extra point at the end of the game. The answer in nearly every case with a last-second touchdown is easy: teams are not required to attempt tries that have no bearing on the game.

In this case, however, the extra point should have been tried.

LSU had a two-point lead. By explicit NCAA rule (8-3-2), the “try” is an opportunity for each team to score one or two points. For example, if LSU had lined up to kick, and Tennessee came away with the ball somehow (via fumble, blocked field goal, interception, etc.), the Volunteers would then be able to return the ball for a two-point score and tie the game.

So did the officials botch this ruling? Not according to the SEC.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

I’m going to spare any extended introduction here, because there have been many words penned about the LSU-Tennessee finish this week. Let’s dive right in. You can watch the action on YouTube by clicking here.

1. The pass interference call was an easy call, and it was correct. The UT defender was pushing back on one of the receiver’s arms while not playing the football. This fits the description of one of the tenants of pass interference to a T. In order for this to have not been interference, both players had to have been “making a simultaneous and bona fide attempt” to play the ball. Sorry, no way you can make that argument for the UT defender. Some are arguing uncatchable, but the rule explicitly states “when in doubt, the pass is catchable.” It wasn’t far enough out of reach to deem uncatchable. And if it was, maybe don’t interfere? Oh, and the rules don’t change based upon the time remaining on the clock.

2. Did LSU give Tennessee enough time to change personnel? Yes. There was a bit of a mad scramble for a second, but you’ll notice the umpire did run up to stand close to the football — which should be construed as him making sure LSU does not snap the ball until Tennessee has the personnel it wants on the field. By the time LSU was ready to snap the ball, not one Tennessee player was still moving — every one was lined up where he wanted to be. That means Tennessee had sufficient time to get the personnel on the field.

3. UT clearly had 13 players on the field. You can’t argue this fact. I don’t even understand how it’s possible people are complaining about this. We’ll move on.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

LaceDarius Dunn has been suspended indefinitely from the Baylor basketball team following an arrest in Waco, Texas, the team announced via press release Tuesday. No further details were made available by the school.

According to the Waco Police Department, Dunn was arrested for aggravated assault after causing serious bodily injury to his girlfriend during a domestic dispute.

On September 27, police officers were called to Hillcrest Hospital to investigate an assault. The victim was Lacharlesia Edwards, 21, and she had a broken jaw. According to the police report, Dunn and Edwards had gotten into an argument, leading to Dunn punching her in the face.

The Associated Press, however, is reporting this may not have been what actually happened — according to the alleged victim’s father.

“Somebody down there is trying to make a story out of nothing,” Charles Edwards told the AP.

“If something would have happened to my daughter, I would probably be in jail right now in Waco because I probably would have done something to that young man,” he said. “In this case, she said they were playing, and that’s it.” (UPDATE: Edwards has also denied the allegations against Dunn.)

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

For this week’s Tuesday Team, we are visiting a great rivalry in college hoops. The Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines share a state, conferences and varying degrees of success on the hardwood.

I had initially decided to simply go with the Tom Izzo-era All-Star team in light of my most recent column, but a few things weighed on my mind. First, it seems All-Star teams with the biggest programs might not be as great as you’d think when compared to run-of-the-mill teams — simply because the best programs are true “teams” and lesser programs sometimes have major stars. Look at LSU, which could trot out Pete Maravich, Bob Petit and Shaquille O’Neal, yet has never won a national championship (tournament era).

From there, I realized Michigan has had a good amount of star players, even if the team hasn’t fared quite well of late. Plus, it’s this weekend that the two schools face each other on the gridiron.

Let’s set for a starting lineup and a nine-man bench for each team, and then try to surmise which group is stronger (or how much stronger State is, right?).

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

There’s a storm of negativity brewing around East Lansing right now, and I’m here to say the Michigan State basketball team is still going to be one of the three best teams in the nation this season. The Spartans will weather this adversity. And they will do so because of two simple words:

Tom. Izzo.

June 15 must seem like a long time ago in East Lansing for the die-hard Michigan State basketball fans. Remember that day? The glee that emanated from Sparty was almost palpable. Who could blame them?

One of the best coaches in college basketball — who would get my vote for the best — nearly left for the NBA, but instead announced he was going to stay in East Lansing to coach Michigan State for the rest of his career.

For several weeks leading up to the announcement, MSU was on the brink of losing Izzo. But in a press conference the evening of June 15, he said he was going to stay.

Coming off a Final Four appearance, the second consecutive one, seeing the great progress being made by Kalin Lucas and knowing Durrell Summers decided not to leave early for the NBA Draft, it was a damn good time to be a Spartan.

Since then, however, things have gotten a bit rocky.

Chris Allen departed the program — though, in fairness, he was booted and nearly everyone around the program was pretty happy to see him go. Still, it was a good player leaving the program. That’s never completely a great thing. Fortunately, the backcourt was deep enough to withstand the hit.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Purdue starting quarterback Robert Marve reportedly suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in the first half of last Saturday’s loss to Toledo. He underwent an MRI and ESPN.com is reporting the orthopedist has confirmed it is torn. This is the second straight calendar year Marve has torn his left ACL, as he also suffered the same injury in July of 2009.

Marve appeared in 11 games as a freshman for the University of Miami and then transferred to Purdue in the following offseason. He would have been forced to sit out 2009 anyway, due to transfer rules, but he was busy recovering from the first ACL tear.

This season, he looked to lead the Boilermakers to what could have been a solid campaign. Instead, Purdue lost its top receiver, Keith Smith, to injury and now Marve follows him to the injury ward. In four games, Marve threw for 512 yards and three touchdowns while completing 67.7 percent of his passes with four interceptions.

Coach Danny Hope’s Boilers went 2-2 in non-conference play and will look to pick up the pieces without their two most important offensive players. The good news is Purdue has a bye this weekend and will have an extra week to prepare. The bad news is the remaining schedule is pretty stacked, featuring four ranked teams — No. 2 Ohio State, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 19 Michigan and No. 24 Michigan State — in addition to Northwestern and Indiana, both of which are currently undefeated.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

I wasn’t watching the game, but I received an e-mail pointing me to the first half of the Notre Dame-Stanford game this past Saturday.

Apparently there was a play where a receiver caught a pass going toward the end zone and had a little encounter with everyone’s favorite orange friend: the pylon.

Like the foul-pole in baseball, it’s a boundary marker that signifies something is in play, instead of out. (Other than on kicking plays, but let’s ignore that for now)

Anyway, on this particular play, I was told the receiver’s foot hit the pylon while he had possession of the football and was on his way to the ground. The ruling, which was correct, was an incomplete pass. The reason it was the correct ruling was that the receiver caught the pass in midair and hadn’t yet hit the ground. The distinction is that, while the pylon is used to signify being inbounds in many cases, touching it does not equal touching the ground — as it is technically positioned out of bounds. Had the player gotten one foot down before kicking the pylon with his other — as long as he had possession of the ball and the ball was breaking the plane of the end zone, of course — it would have been a touchdown. Instead, he didn’t get one foot down inbounds, even though he hit the object that often signals inbounds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

They aren’t the first sets of father-son tandems to each play at a high level — not even close — and they certainly won’t be the last. Doc Rivers already has one son at Indiana and his second son, Austin, is one of the most highly sought-after recruits in the nation. We all know about Michael Jordan’s sons at Central Florida — thanks for that Vegas text, Marcus — and even relative unknowns like Darrell Elston make the list (his son, Derek, plays with Jeremiah Rivers at Indiana).

With all this in mind, this week’s Tuesday Team is the second-generation variety. With all the different angles here, we’ve had some fun and strayed from traditional units — though we do have a few of those as well. And, yes, we plan on giving you a new one each Tuesday. If you have ideas for future teams, feel free to drop an e-mail.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse’s college football staff provides you with a personal quarterback. We do the primary and secondary reads for you so you can properly start your day.

1. It’s probably a longshot, but the Pac-10 reportedly is including Las Vegas among the possibilities for a conference championship game — which will now be played after the 2011 regular season, since the details of Colorado’s departure from the Big 12 were finalized this week.

The other places specifically mentioned were Glendale, Ariz., Seattle and Los Angeles. All three of those places have a football stadium that can house the kind of crowd the Pac-12 championship game would likely garner. In Vegas, you’d be looking at Sam Boyd Stadium, with a capacity just over 40,000.

Of course, what about the fun fans would be able to have when the game isn’t being played? Please factor that in, Larry Scott, because I’m thinking I’ll have to cover that game in person come December of 2011 …

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Saturday night, Notre Dame lost to Michigan State on a very exciting fake field goal that ended up going for a game-winning Spartans touchdown. In the aftermath, in what seems far too frequently the case nowadays, the masses had to find a way to rain on the MSU parade.By the way, when you say “not taking anything away … but … “ you most certainly are trying to take something away. Otherwise you wouldn’t say anything.

Basically, there are several still photos bouncing around that show the play clock at zero before Michigan State snapped the ball.

Having been trained in the same manner collegiate officials are trained — and being a back judge, which is the position responsible for watching the play clock — my immediate reaction was the still-photo wasn’t good enough. I wanted to see the replay in live motion. And my thoughts were confirmed: the ball was snapped just milliseconds after the picture was taken.

If delay of game was called like the game clock, or like a shot-clock in basketball, that would have been a penalty.

But, in football, the way the NFL, most NCAA conferences and most high school associations teach officials to approach the penalty, that is not delay of game. The Big East explained as much the next day.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse’s college football staff provides you with a personal quarterback. We do the primary and secondary reads for you so you can properly start your day.

1. Being an Indiana grad, I found myself going through the schedule in the weeks leading up to the season — just as millions of fans do. Except, with the bar being so low, I was trying to envision a scenario where the Hoosiers could reach a bowl game. With there being only 119 FBS schools eligible and 35 bowls total, a Big Ten team need only go 6-6 to make a bowl.

The reason I’m using Indiana as an example is this: the Hoosiers play two Sun Belt opponents, one MAC opponent and an FCS team in non-conference play. That should mean a 4-0 record in those games — and they are already halfway home at 2-0.

Should the Hoosiers win those four games, a 2-6 conference record is good enough for postseason play.

And, as ridiculous as that sounds, it may actually soon be “good” enough to go 1-7 in league play, because the NCAA is reportedly discussing the possibility of allowing 5-7 teams into bowls. Why? Necessity, of course. With FCS teams having already won six games and maybe being able to grab a few more, there are less wins to go around in FBS. Plus, if there’s more parity among the average (or slightly below average), you’ll end up with a lot more 6-6 and 5-7 teams.

I’m sorry to say it — because of personal allegiance — but having 58.3 percent of your teams qualifying for “postseason” games is a good way to cheapen the entire experience.

Then again, are we really surprised? The NCAA is the same organization that tinkered with 96 basketball teams in the Big Dance (and will probably revisit the idea quite soon).

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse’s college football staff provides you with a personal quarterback. We do the primary and secondary reads for you so you can properly start your day.

1. The Texas Tech student government has decided to persuade the Red Raider student section to use an odd form of fandom in order to intimidate the Texas Longhorns this Saturday. Let’s just let the quote from the Dallas Morning News blog speak for itself here:

“They’re used to someone yelling at them,” said Drew Graham of Texas Tech’s student government. “You can boo as loud as you want, but if we really get the stands to be completely silent, that has got to be more threatening to any team than anything else.”

Did I wake up in a place where “threatening” means “confused, but in a humorous way?” Because I imagine if I walked out of a tunnel and there were thousands of people sitting there in dead silence in hopes to take me off my game, I might start dying laughing at the thought. Especially knowing it was a plan — as Texas does by now.

Then again, maybe that’s the goal. We’ve heard of killing someone with kindness. Now the Tech student government wants to kill you with silence. And it might just be funny enough to work.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse’s college football staff provides you with a personal quarterback. We do the primary and secondary reads for you so you can properly start your day.

1. I kind of wish I would have seen this last week, with the nine-year anniversary of 9/11 coming up, but there’s never a bad time to point out some good old fashioned patriotism in our great country, now, is there?

Check out the Iowa football team poster by clicking here.

Pretty cool, huh? I personally love it.

Apparently, it stems from the entire senior class being overly patriotic — including quarterback Ricky Stanzi — according to fullback Brett Morse.

“We love America and we thought that’d be an excellent theme for our 2010 senior poster,” Morse told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. “There’s an American flag in the background. I think a lot of Hawk fans should like it.”

Not a Hawk fan, Brett, but I love it. Kudos on a job well done, and I’d think that every Iowa fan in the nation would love to get their hands on one of those bad boys.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to venom directed at football officials is when someone says something along the lines of: if airline pilots/doctors/engineers/(insert important job) only got about 90 percent of their job correct, what would happen?

My answer: people would die.

Does that happen when an official misses a call?

Comparing apples to oranges doesn’t do anything but waste time in an argument. So when a group of officials misses a judgment call due to any of a number of possible reason. The two most frequent reasons are no one having a good angle or none of the seven officials seeing one of the 22 players doing something illegal.

If you want a quasi-apples to apples comparison (red apples to green apples, perhaps?), it would be that it is inexcusable for an officiating crew to misapply a rule. The entire crew has time to discuss what the foul was on each play, meaning there are seven guys in the huddle who are supposed to know the rulebook (which is incredibly extensive, yes, but that’s the job) before proceeding with the enforcement. This is when there should be a 100 percent success rate. And it’s usually at or close to that mark in college football. There was, however, one instance this past weekend where that wasn’t the case.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to venom directed at football officials is when someone says something along the lines of: if airline pilots/doctors/engineers/(insert important job) only got about 90 percent of their job correct, what would happen?

My answer: people would die.

Does that happen when an official misses a call?

Comparing apples to oranges doesn’t do anything but waste time in an argument. So when a group of officials misses a judgment call due to any of a number of possible reason. The two most frequent reasons are no one having a good angle or none of the seven officials seeing one of the 22 players doing something illegal.

If you want a quasi-apples to apples comparison (red apples to green apples, perhaps?), it would be that it is inexcusable for an officiating crew to misapply a rule. The entire crew has time to discuss what the foul was on each play, meaning there are seven guys in the huddle who are supposed to know the rulebook (which is incredibly extensive, yes, but that’s the job) before proceeding with the enforcement. This is when there should be a 100 percent success rate. And it’s usually at or close to that mark in college football. There was, however, one instance this past weekend where that wasn’t the case.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to venom directed at football officials is when someone says something along the lines of: if airline pilots/doctors/engineers/(insert important job) only got about 90 percent of their job correct, what would happen?

My answer: people would die.

Does that happen when an official misses a call?

Comparing apples to oranges doesn’t do anything but waste time in an argument. So when a group of officials misses a judgment call due to any of a number of possible reason. The two most frequent reasons are no one having a good angle or none of the seven officials seeing one of the 22 players doing something illegal.

If you want a quasi-apples to apples comparison (red apples to green apples, perhaps?), it would be that it is inexcusable for an officiating crew to misapply a rule. The entire crew has time to discuss what the foul was on each play, meaning there are seven guys in the huddle who are supposed to know the rulebook (which is incredibly extensive, yes, but that’s the job) before proceeding with the enforcement. This is when there should be a 100 percent success rate. And it’s usually at or close to that mark in college football. There was, however, one instance this past weekend where that wasn’t the case.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to venom directed at football officials is when someone says something along the lines of: if airline pilots/doctors/engineers/(insert important job) only got about 90 percent of their job correct, what would happen?

My answer: people would die.

Does that happen when an official misses a call?

Comparing apples to oranges doesn’t do anything but waste time in an argument. So when a group of officials misses a judgment call due to any of a number of possible reason. The two most frequent reasons are no one having a good angle or none of the seven officials seeing one of the 22 players doing something illegal.

If you want a quasi-apples to apples comparison (red apples to green apples, perhaps?), it would be that it is inexcusable for an officiating crew to misapply a rule. The entire crew has time to discuss what the foul was on each play, meaning there are seven guys in the huddle who are supposed to know the rulebook (which is incredibly extensive, yes, but that’s the job) before proceeding with the enforcement. This is when there should be a 100 percent success rate. And it’s usually at or close to that mark in college football. There was, however, one instance this past weekend where that wasn’t the case.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to venom directed at football officials is when someone says something along the lines of: if airline pilots/doctors/engineers/(insert important job) only got about 90 percent of their job correct, what would happen?

My answer: people would die.

Does that happen when an official misses a call?

Comparing apples to oranges doesn’t do anything but waste time in an argument. So when a group of officials misses a judgment call due to any of a number of possible reason. The two most frequent reasons are no one having a good angle or none of the seven officials seeing one of the 22 players doing something illegal.

If you want a quasi-apples to apples comparison (red apples to green apples, perhaps?), it would be that it is inexcusable for an officiating crew to misapply a rule. The entire crew has time to discuss what the foul was on each play, meaning there are seven guys in the huddle who are supposed to know the rulebook (which is incredibly extensive, yes, but that’s the job) before proceeding with the enforcement. This is when there should be a 100 percent success rate. And it’s usually at or close to that mark in college football. There was, however, one instance this past weekend where that wasn’t the case.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse’s college football staff provides you with a personal quarterback. We do the primary and secondary reads for you so you can properly start your day.

1. UCLA was embarrassed Saturday night by Stanford, 35-0. The Bruins turned the ball over four times and the passing attack was brutal under sophomore signal-caller Kevin Prince. He connected on six of 12 passes for just 39 yards, threw a pick and botched a handoff — the last act prompting head coach Rick Neuheisel to yank him from the game.

But that wasn’t enough for Prince to lose his job.

In fact, he apparently did something right.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Neuheisel named Prince the Bruins starter for this weekend’s contest against Houston after reviewing the game film. The coach had initially said he’d wait to name a starter until after practice this week, but the film review changed his mind.

Richard Brehaut, who replaced Prince, completed five of nine passes for 42 yards — though he also threw an interception.

It’s pretty likely Neuheisel is choosing the lesser of two evils here, and it’s also likely to be a long season in Pasadena.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

On the heels of a pretty huge day in college football — one that ended up producing several blowouts instead of great games — Week 3 appears to be a bit of a letdown.

Still, there are battles worth watching, just as there are every week. Plus, who knows when a major upset (James Madison, anyone?) will pop up from seemingly out of nowhere? That’s why you’ve gotta have that TV on all day Saturday, ready to pounce on any of the handful of games that are playing simultaneously.

Here’s your Week 3 lineup for nationally televised games. Print it out or keep that laptop screen handy while taking in all the action.

All times are eastern and p.m.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse’s college football staff provides you with a personal quarterback. We do the primary and secondary reads for you so you can properly start your day.

1. Now that Boise State has cleared one of two real hurdles to a possible national championship run, Internet message boards and talk radio stations have been a battle ground between two sides: one that believes the Broncos have no business in the BCS Championship regardless of record, and one that believes they deserve to go if they go undefeated and no more than one other team does.

Not surprisingly, Alabama’s Nick Saban — head coach of the defending champs and a member of the mighty SEC — falls into the former camp.

On his radio show Thursday night, Saban pointed out the Crimson Tide beat Virginia Tech last season, but also at least six other teams that were as good or better than the Hokies.

“It’s the full body of work,” he said, according to Birmingham News. “It’s not just that you can beat one team, but if you have to beat six or seven other teams and have to play with consistency to do it, I think that goes a long way in saying a lot about what kind of football team that you have. And that’s no disrespect that you have, because they may certainly be able to do the same thing if they were put in that circumstance.”

And therein lies the issue. While it’s become a big boys vs. little guys war of words, the real culprit here is the BCS. If there was an eight- or 16-team playoff, we wouldn’t even be bothering with this debate. I think even SEC chest-thumpers would admit Boise is probably among the 16 best teams in America and would deserve a chance in the tournament, should it win the next 11 games this season.

Instead, we either run the risk of having one or two undeserving teams as the only two with a shot at the championship come January. Whether one of those teams comes from the SEC, Big Ten, WAC or Sun Belt makes no difference. In this system, there’s no way of really knowing the two best teams are meeting in the title bout.

The BCS will tell you the regular season is the tournament. But it’s really not. It can’t be if teams can run the table and still not have a shot.

Whatever side you’re on, don’t hate the team (Boise State) or conference (any of the automatic qualifiers). Hate the system.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse’s college football staff provides you with a personal quarterback. We do the primary and secondary reads for you so you can properly start your day.

1. Say what you want about Terrelle Pryor — who is quickly becoming one of college football’s most polarizing players — but he definitely is not scared to stray from popular opinion. Take his stand for Michael Vick last season, for example. Next up, he’s defending LeBron James to the Buckeye faithful, many of whom are Cleveland Cavaliers fans — you know, the group who feels betrayed and now loaths “King” James?

Pryor has exchanged messages with the self-proclaimed King and believes Mr. James will be in attendance when the Buckeyes take on Miami this Saturday. And he’s got the man who is taking his talents to South Beach’s back.

“If LeBron does come, just treat him with respect and respect his decision,” Pryor told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Please, no name calling or booing or anything like that. Please. That’s my mentor, and I’ve got a lot of respect for him and a lot of love for him.”

Pryor went on to say James is “a Buckeye.”

Basically, either Pryor thinks LeBron went to Ohio State or every single person from Ohio is a Buckeye. So Charles Woodson is a Buckeye?

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Allow myself to (re)introduce … myself.

Obviously you can see my name in the byline, but if you’re a college football-only reader, chances are you have no idea what this particular column is all about. For the past two seasons, I have reviewed controversial (at least in the minds of the football public) calls in the NFL section of FanHouse. You can check out the archives by clicking here.

The rationale behind the series is this: I am in my 10th year of officiating high school football (yes, varsity). I constantly see people complaining about officials on message boards and comments sections across the Internet — and that’s OK. It’s part of the job of officials to take criticism, even when it’s not totally due. What I’ve found, however, is that most rational people are appreciative when they learn the actual nuances of how a game is called.

Am I qualified to officiate college football? Absolutely not. But neither are fans screaming at their TV every Saturday. The difference between me and the average fan is I know I’m not as good as the college officials, but I know what they are doing out there. I also have a collegiate rulebook, so we’ll lean on that this season as we delve into specific plays. One advantage I have is I’m well-versed in the rules, but I’m not tied to the NCAA or any specific conference. So you don’t have to worry about me toeing some company line.

Finally, I don’t think these two items mean anything, but people seem to think they matter, so I’ll note that I did play high school football and I went to Indiana University. You can draw whatever conclusions you want about any possible biases, but I can tell you right now my only initiative is to promote a better understanding of what it takes to officiate.

Now, onto some of the Week 1 plays that drew ire of the masses.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

First things first. Yes, Ohio State was playing a veritable preseason game in a 45-7 thrashing of Marshall. It wasn’t a real test at all for the No. 2 Buckeyes, especially as they look to host the Miami Hurricanes next week in the Horseshoe.

Still, when we see an actual football game played by one of the best teams in the country, it’s certainly worth drawing conclusions. And I’ll gladly throw this one out there: while Heisman hype machine Terrelle Pryor was good, he wasn’t nearly as good as the defense or running game of Ohio State.

There’s no need to jump to Pryor’s defense, as he was quite good. Great, in fact. The touted junior was a cool customer in the pocket, hitting on 17-of-25 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns — most impressive was a perfect strike on a 65-yard touchdown to Dane Sanzenbacher to quickly answer the Thundering Herd’s only score. Entering the season, the detractors of Pryor’s would point to his inability to be a pocket passer. So if this game is any indication, he’s made huge strides (he only carried the ball eight times for 17 yards).

But, again, Pryor was not the best thing about his team on Thursday night. And Buckeye faithful likely agree with this sentiment. This is one complete football team.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

FanHouse’s college football staff provides you with a personal quarterback. We do the primary and secondary reads for you so you can properly start your day. FanHouse will do a Five-Step Drop several times a week during the summer and then daily once preseason practice starts.

1. It’s been nearly eight months since we saw a college football game, but the wait is over. When Presbyterian and Wake Forest hook it up at 6:30 p.m. ET, another season will be underway. It’s not just an ordinary night of Thursday football either, as there are 18 games involving FBS teams — including No. 2 Ohio State, No. 13 Miami, No. 14 USC and No. 15 Pitt.

Let’s also remember one of the greatest things about college football season beginning is that it represents another entire season of tailgating. Between the great food, the camaraderie, the partying, the chants and everything in between, tailgating truly is a great American pastime and makes the spectating more fun. Pictures like the one here (at Mississippi State) can be taken all over the nation every Saturday. Great times.

Oh yeah, no link in here because it was all me. Since Five-Step is predicated on linking, I’ll give one with a short take: if you’re going to complain about the Big Ten division alignment, please be smart enough to do so without saying you don’t like it because Ohio State and Michigan playing each other in the last regular season game “all but” eliminates a rematch the following week. It does nothing of the sort. The teams are in different divisions and when they play has no bearing on the standings — I don’t care what two teams you’re talking about.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments