Big Ten Country

October 18 Game Summaries

Penn State 46 Michigan 17
It took longer then Nittany Lions were comfortable with, but after digging themselves a 17-7 hole, Penn State got rid of the Michigan jinx in grand fashion. The Wolverine passing game remains utterly appalling. They netted only 89 passing yards and even a Big Ten traditionalist like me isn't ready to see the days of that kind of offense return. It served to negate a nice game by Brandon Minor. The Lions exhibited a balanced attack, led up by Evan Royster who had 174 rushing yards and Darryl Clark again ran the offense with cool efficiency. From a defensive standpoint, Jeff Rice of The Centre Daily Times says the Lions unleashed the linebackers. Penn State is now set to go to the Horseshoe next week for the Big Ten's game of the year.

Ohio State 45 Michigan State 7
The Buckeyes will arrive for the showdown in great shape themselves. Jim Tressel's team played its most complete game of the year in a complete thrashing of a good MSU team. While Chris Wells had a big game, the OSU defense was the star of the show. They shut down Javon Ringer, ended the Spartan back's hopes for the Heisman and altered the course of the race for conference MVP along with it. It was the kind of game everyone expected from the Bucks back in August. Bob Hunter of The Columbus Dispatch declares they've arrived just where you would have expected.

Iowa 38 Wisconsin 16
The one team expected to challenge the OSU-PSU duo for supremacy back in August and September continued its implosion. The University of Wisconsin football program is now in a mad race with Wall Street to see who can have the most brutal autumn. The Badgers lost the turnover battle 3-0, and Shon Greene continued to be the league's most pleasant surprise for the Hawkeyes. Greene rushed for 217 yards and again carried the Iowa offense. It was a win that Kirk Ferentz needed to keep his bowl hopes on track. And to everyone's amazement, missing a bowl entirely is not only possible for the 3-4 Badgers, but likely given how they have regressed each of the last four weeks.

Northwestern 48 Purdue 26
One of the teams looking to take UW's place in the hiearchy is Northwestern. The Wildcats may not have beaten anyone good yet, but they took a significant step on Saturday in showing they could decisively handle a mediocre squad. The Boilers turned it over five times, negating a 168-yard effort by Kory Sheets. NU is at 6-1. Who would have thought that in mid-October we'd be looking at the Northwestern-Minnesota game as one that might have a January bowl game hanging in the balance?

Illinois 55 Indiana 13
The Juice was on the loose again in Bloomington. Both he and Aurelious Benn had big games in routing the Hoosiers. But the surprise in the Illinois attack was freshman running back Jason Ford, who racked up 172 yards. IU proved to be the salve Illinois needed after letting one slip away last week against Minnesota. As for Indiana, after making a bowl game last year, they are back to their normal state of affairs of welcoming the opening of basketball practice. Hoops isn't likely to bring the usual solace to Hoosier Nation, but Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star opines that at least the hallowed program is clean again.

Must-Win On The Undercard

Six teams are facing must-win situations in the Big Ten's undercard games this week. Foremost among them is a noon EST game in Iowa City where the Hawkeyes host the Badgers. Iowa finally showed some life last week in blowing out Indiana, but needing three more wins to make it to a bowl game won't be easy and they are going to have beat quality teams now. Of course the question of whether Wisconsin is such a quality team is now in serious doubt, with UW staring at an 0-3 conference record and a quarterback controversy on its hands. No announcement has been made, but Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that freshmen Dustin Sherer has been practicing with the first team. While I don't think Wisconsin is as bad is they looked last week (mainly because such would be impossible), I think it's naive for Wiscy fans to assume a quick resurrection to the season now that Ohio State and Penn State are passed. This is a struggling team and is traveling to a place that has not been friendly. I suspect Iowa's weaknesses are even more acute, so I'll pick the Badgers in a nail-biter, but this is a game with considerably less juice then might have been expected just a few weeks ago.

Northwestern hosts Purdue in another noon game, this one on ESPN2. The Boilermakers might attribute their 0-2 league record to having drawn the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes to start conference play. Fair enough, but they weren't playing great in non-conference play as it was. The Wildcats were also a shaky 5-0 team that was undressed last week by Michigan State. As the Big Ten season unfolds in a chaotic manner, this might be one of the few places NU can turn to get the wins they need to get to a bowl. As for Purdue, Tom Kubat of The Journal Courier opines that getting the offense untracked is the key to a turnaround.

Illinois goes to Indiana in a prime-time 8 EST kick on the Network. Juice Williams says both teams desperately need the win, and he's right. But all desperation isn't created equal, and the Hoosiers do not have the defense to contain Williams. If the Illini don't beat themselves like last week, they will win easily. A more interesting test will be whether Ron Zook's defense plays well. They have not had a truly outstanding game yet, and Indiana did ring up the points against a comparable team in Michigan State. Illinois is one of several teams we're still waiting to really get a bead on and the defense is key to that.

Another Opportunity In Madison

Once again, the lights of prime-time shine on Madison as Penn State comes into Camp Randall to play Wisconsin in 8 EST kickoff on ABC. While the Badgers have been consistently good for 15 years now, this type of prime-time exposure is unprecedented and Bret Bielama wants to be sure his program doesn't miss the opportunity.

Missed opportunities are the story of the Wisconsin season thus far. A horrible quarter at Michigan and failure to recover two Ohio State fumbles on the game's decisive drive have turned a dark-horse national championship run into a must-win situation just to stay in contention for a BCS bid.

The fact the Badgers played even-up with a Buckeye team that has superior talent is testimony to their abilty to overcome the disappointment from the previous week. If they can do it two weeks in a row, they can finally get a Big Ten win and put themselves in position for a strong finish to the season. Penn State is very good, but not appreciably better then Ohio State and if Wisconsin simply matches last week's effort the odds would say the ball has to eventually bounce their way. One big bright spot for UW is the play of strong safety of Jay Valai, says Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Joe Paterno is having the kind of season he desperately needed, with a university president unwilling to grant him a contract extension. Regardless of what happens Saturday, PSU looks no worse then a 10-2 squad and that means Joe Pa will hold all the cards when it comes to the future of the program. The present is looking awfully sharp, with an offense that has real explosiveness and a defense that stepped up and made a statement against Purdue. It's important to keep a grip on national title hopes until the road trips Saturday night and to Columbus are out of the way. That's tough row to hoe for anyone. But Lion fans can't be blamed if they are having a hard time maintaining that grip, because this may be a game they can even afford to lose, provided a one-loss team will have a chance at the title game and the presumptive loss was very close. Penn State is the one team in the Big Ten that will get respect from voters. Jeff Rice of The Centre Daily Times reports on whether the old coach will still be in the press box for Saturday night.

Michigan State and Northwestern will be in the 3:30 EST slot on ESPN2. This will be a big game for both schools. NU is still undefeated and now has an opportunity to defeat a good team for the first time. MSU can continue to put itself in position for a tough late-season stretch run. C.J. Bacher added some fuel to the fire by saying that based on the last two shootouts the schools have played, this now qualifies as a rivalry. While you can't help but respect the Wildcats and what they've done, State is decidedly the better team in this one. Northwestern's offense hasn't been as explosive as in years past, and while the Spartans have to make some progress on defense, they are considerably more disciplined then previous teams were. And Javon Ringer should have no trouble keeping Bacher on the sidelines.

Notre Dame goes to North Carolina in another 3:30 ESTkick, this one on ABC. The Irish have come along nicely, but I think they are in over their heads in this one. The Tar Heels are one of the elite in the ACC, and in spite of their narrow loss to Virginia Tech, I'm sticking by my preseason pick of them to win their league and go to the Orange Bowl. The Heels are a little more complete, while the ND offense still comes and goes and Clausen is not yet adequately supported by enough of a running game. 

All Eyes On Florida

The race for the Big Ten's New Year's Day bowl bids in Orlando and Tampa looks as wide-open as it will be all season. At the start of the year, I saw the the trio of Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State being head-and-shoulders above the rest of the league. The Big Ten can reasonably assume an at-large bid to the BCS will go to its second-place team (for reasons that will be elaborated on when we get into regular bowl projections in a few weeks), so that allows room for a fourth team to jump into the New Year's party. Wisconsin's 0-2 start has knocked them off the pedestal, and while they remain a contender for either Capital One or Outback, they have fallen back into the pack.

Ohio State and Penn State look headed into the BCS, and that holds true even if the Lions falter in Madison & Columbus (can anyone really picture a 10-2 Lion team not getting a major bowl bid?). On the opposite side of the conference, Indiana looks locked into the #11 spot this year. Minnesota has clearly progressed, but it would be a big stretch to put them in Florida on January 1. Northwestern is sitting on 5-0, but against a soft schedule and their season is going to be defined by a scramble to get the extra wins they need just to make any bowl. Iowa & Purdue haven't played at the level that would justify any confidence in their ability to make a major run.  That leaves four teams in a race for two spots. Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois.

Wisconsin can re-assert itself as the leader of this foursome with a win over the Nittany Lions on Saturday night. The Badgers have only played one bad quarter since Big Ten play started (albeit perhaps one of the worst quarters in the history of Michigan Stadium). If their psyche stays in good shape, they could easily win out, or at least get to 5-3 in the conference (9-3 overall). With their good reputation for travel and what would be a strong finish, they'd be an attractive team to a bowl. But the way they lost to Michigan and Ohio State won't be easily overcome. Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that defensive chaos prevented the defense from stopping OSU's winning touchdown.

Illinois has its offense in full gear, an achievment that makes Juice Williams an MVP candidate. With 69 points against Penn State & Michigan, no lead will be safe against the Illini. They have two easy home games against Minnesota and Indiana coming up and can continue the roll they started in Ann Arbor. But they will need to start playing D, or they will fall victim to the kind of unexpected loss that puts a team in the Champs Sports Bowl rather then the Capital One. Herb Gould of The Chicago Sun-Times says the players aren't looking ahead. They have the Gophers on their minds.

Michigan State is taking on the personality of its coach. Mark Dantonio is gritty and hard-nosed, and he's turned the Spartans into the same. The talent base is not yet high enough to avoid losing a few games in league play, but previous MSU teams would have lost in the face of a strong challenge at Indiana and not been able to slug past Iowa. An interesting test case will be when they host Wisconsin (interesting for both teams). Overall, the Spartans have to be consistent enough to outlast a more explosive Illinois team in the race and to finally overcome their problems against Michigan. One team MSU couldn't stop last year was Northwestern. Shannon Shelton of The Detroit Free Press looks at the D's preparation for the rematch on Saturday.

Michigan is only in this group based on reputation, quite frankly. They've played one noteworthy quarter since the season started and still have games with Ohio State & Penn State ahead. If they lose those two, they'd have to sweep the rest to get into the New Year's party. As troublesome as the offense is, given the transition to the spread, I'm waiting to see the defense play a good game against conference competition. They did not play well against Wisconsin, though they made enough key stops to make the comeback possible. And they were blistered by Illinois.

The prediction? I'll say Wisconsin and Michigan State get onto January 1. The Spartans are able to outlast Illinois in a close race for the Outback slot, while the Badgers go Capital One.

Both bowls are Big Ten vs. SEC matchups. If you look at prospective SEC opponents, you can also assume two teams from that league will go to the BCS, and then Cap One and Outback start making their picks. Right now, we can look at LSU, Alabama, Florida and Georgia as being the lead candidates to fill the BCS & New Year's slots. Auburn would be right on the outside looking to break in. Right now, I'd project Florida in the Cap One and Georgia in the Outback.

October 4 Game Summaries

Ohio State 20 Wisconsin 17
The prime-time battle in Camp Randall was everything it was supposed to be. This was a game as nearly even as you can get. Total yardage was a virtual dead heat, and neither team had an appreciable edge running or passing. Third down conversions were about 50 percent each way. And if Wisconsin would have had a few more seconds at the end of the first half to try another play or two after getting to the 3-yard line, they might have a touchdown instead of a field goal and had the margin of victory. The Badgers can also point to two OSU fumbles on the final game-winning drive that bounced safely back into Buckeye hands.

But it's Ohio State who got out of this one with a win because they had more playmakers. Terrell Pryor's final numbers aren't spectacular, but they don't reflect the way his speed changed the game, and the way he came through at every key point when the Bucks had to move the ball. A long touchdown drive just after UW had taken the lead with six minutes left answered any questions as to whether he was ready for high-pressure situations. And Chris Wells rushed for 168 yards on 22 carries and was another game-changing player that the tandem of P.J. Hill and John Clay wasn't for UW. Though the latter two played well, neither has Wells' explosiveness. Thus, Ohio State is on track in the Big Ten and hoping for a rejuvenation of national title hopes, while Wisconsin has to try and recover and see if they can play their way back into the New Year's Day bowl picture. Bob Hunter of The Columbus Dispatch writes about how OSU exorcised some demons in Madison with their winning drive.

Penn State 20 Purdue 6
It wasn't the kind of win that will reverberate through the college football establishment when they read through the scores. But it was exactly the kind of performance Penn State needed. They were efficient on offense, getting strong games from both Darryl Clark and Evan Royster. Most important, their defense stood up and shut down Purdue. The Lions' road tests get stricter the next two weeks in Madison and Columbus. But PSU fans can enter those games knowing they have a complete team. Jeff Rice of The Centre Daily Times says the D knows how to defend the Boilermaker spread.

Illinois 45 Michigan 20
Those of us who said Michigan's win over Wisconsin was no turning point, but the product of a Badger collapse were vindicated in the last three quarters on Saturday. The Illini spotted the Wolverines a 14-3 lead and then just exploded in UM's face. Juice Williams lit up the Michigan defense for 431 all-purpose yards. Even though Steven Threet had his most productive game at quarterback, he wasn't going to keep up with this onslaught.

Between this game and a near-miss at Penn State, Illinois has put itself back on the agenda as a player in the race for the January 1 bowl invites. As for Michigan, there is no excuse for the defensive performance. This is a veteran defense that is not learning a new system. This was the kind of game they were reasonably expected to carry the load in, and it's not happening. They've given up 60 points in two Big Ten games. Rich Rodriguez is right when he says that this is ridiculous.

Michigan State 16 Iowa 13
The Javon Ringer Express was slowed down in East Lansing. 91 yards on 25 carries isn't exactly shabby, but he was upstaged by Iowa's Shon Greene, who rushed for 157. MSU was still able to get out to a 16-3 lead and then hold on. It wasn't a statement win, but it kept the Spartans moving forward. It wasn't a bad loss, but it keeps the Hawkeyes struggling. Andy Hamilton of The Iowa Press-Citizen opines that the Hawks were their own worst enemy.

Minnesota 16 Indiana 7
Neither team had any running game to speak of, and both quarterbacks played a good game. But Gopher QB Adam Weber had Eric Decker to throw to and that was the difference. The Minnesota wide reciever hauled in 13 catches for 190 yards, and his team was able to get three second-half field goals to break up a 7-7 tie at intermission. It's been a long time coming, but more then two years after Glen Mason's firing, Minnesota has again won a conference game. Rachel Blount of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune gives credit to Decker and his toughness.

Notre Dame 28 Stanford 21
After each of the last three Notre Dame wins, I've had the same reaction. Nice win, but nothing to get too excited about. And taken individually, that's true. Michigan, Purdue and Stanford are nothing to get worked up about, especially given they were all in South Bend. But taken collectively, it's a mark of how ND is progressing. No one more so then Jimmy Clausen, who threw for 347 yards in a career-best day. The Irish will have to improve their running game as the schedule gets tougher, but at 4-1, there's again reason for hope under the Dome.

Decisive Tests Waiting

The mid-afternoon 3:30 EST slot will be juicy this Saturday, as Wisconsin visits Michigan on ABC and Purdue renews its rivalry with Notre Dame on NBC. And then in prime-time Penn State-Illinois will be one of the regional games shown by ABC.

The UW-Michigan is going to be a decisive test for the Wolverines. For all the talk about the struggles they expected to encounter as they transitioned to Rich Rodriguez's spread offense, this is still a program that returned a good amount of defensive talent. This is still a program that is playing on its home field and should be able to compete with--and beat--all but the very best teams in the country when they're in Ann Arbor. As long as they are focused.

Which begs the question--will they be focused? Does Michigan believe in itself enough to embrace the new start conference play gives, just as Lloyd Carr got them to do last year. Do the players have the pride necessary to rise up and give a superior effort against a Wisconsin team that aspires to replace them in the conference hierarchy? If Michigan can't get up for this game, I can't imagine they'll be able to for too many others.

For Wisconsin, this game starts an unprecedented stretch of playing the Wolverines, Ohio State and Penn State in succession to open the conference schedule. Because of UM's struggles and the subsequent two games being under the lights in Camp Randall, there may be the tempation to write this game off as the least significant of the trifecta. But the opposite is the case. This is the game Wisconsin must win to be viable as BCS team if they don't win the conference championship. As far as national title aspirations, UW would best be served by simply putting off discussion of that until the trifecta is behind them. If they're still unbeaten at that time, then go for it. For now, they need to focus on just winning two of three and while the next two are at home, it would be preferable for Bret Bielama not to face must-win games against the Buckeyes & Lions. One thing Wisconsin is doing well right now is protecting the passer. Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel extols the virtue of the O-Line's work.

Saturday afternoon will also provide a benchmark test for another proud Midwestern program. Notre Dame has to get its offense going eventually. I think Jimmy Clausen is progressing fairly well, but the sophomore QB has absolutely no support. I was having a conversation with my brother-in-law earlier this week about the Irish, and I just began to analyze the problems. After I had gone through piece-by-piece and just said well, they don't really come off the ball and make holes, the backs aren't that good, there's no playmakers among the receivers and the defense isn't that good. At which point he laughed and said "What else is there?" Good question. If Charlie Weis is an offensive guru, he needs to start showing it. If it's not going to be against Purdue and it's traditionally weak defense, where does it happen? Although Purdue defensive coordinator Brock Spack defends his unit against its poor standing in the national defensive rankings.

I think Spack might be a little carried away in how well the defense is playing, but the article linked to does bring up a fair point. Purdue's defense is on the field for a lot of plays. But what's true of the ND offense and the Michigan program also apply to the Purdue D--if they can't succeed this week, where pray tell, do they expect to in the weeks ahead?

The prime-time show in Happy Valley looks to be a changing of the guard at the top. Illinois has looked the part of a rebuilding team after its Rose Bowl run last year. Penn State has the look of a team ready to re-ascend to the top of the league and into the BCS. I'm staying cautious on the Nittany Lions because I did jump on their bandwagon too quickly at this time last year. And with the Illini rebuilding, I don't know that winning this game will prove much. But how decisively PSU can win will be a key indicator as to what we can expect the rest of the way. Jeff Rice of The Centre Daily Times reports that Illinois will be trying to contain the Lions offensive gamebreakers.

Rough Seas Ahead

Based on what happened on the field on Saturday, it looks like we can get ready for another long year of Big Ten-bashing. Though very few teams (if any) could have stepped on the field at the Coliseum and stayed with USC, it's Ohio State who dared to try and it came at a time when the conference in general and the Buckeyes in particular had precious little goodwill in the bank.

USC completely shut down the OSU running game, as the visitors netted only 71 yards on the ground. As good as Chris Wells is, that also means the Trojans were winning the battle up front. A combination of how bad the loss was, on top of the political environment this year, means Tressel has no shot at a third straight BCS title game appearance. In spite of his past success, gratitude can run cold in a hurry. Ray Stein of The Columbus Dispatch checks his mailbag and reports fan anger at the coaching staff.

Michigan turned in an embarrassing performance at Notre Dame. As I sat on the couch at my niece's birthday party watching the game with relatives, I could only note that both teams played down to their reputation. For two proud programs, it was a very poor display of football. While Charlie Weis is in no position to turn any kind of name victory away, it's appropriate that the defining feature of this rain-soaked game was six UM turnovers.

On the upside, Wisconsin came up with a clutch win at Fresno State. A rock-'em, sock-'em defensive battle was decided by 112 rushing yards from P.J. Hill and a key fumble recovery on a punt. It was a win that sets the Badgers up to make a splash on the national stage. But even granting the Bulldogs all their respect (which they have earned), the harsh reality is that the Big Ten's signature moment of 2008 has been a three-point win over a non-BCS school. We're settling into conference play in a couple weeks, so any chances at restoring the league's reputation nationwide are pretty well done, but hopefully things will improve by bowl season.

We'll look at the Big Ten's three big games of this past Saturday in more detail in a subsequent post, before jumping into next week's previews.

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Iowa rose up and turned in an excellent defensive performance, and was able to pull away with two fourth quarter touchdowns in securing a 17-5 win over Iowa State. An 81-yard punt return by Andy Brodell was the killer blow. Out east, Penn State put the hammer on Syracuse 55-13. This lopsided game featured a 560-159 yardage advantage. The Nittany Lions join Wisconsin as the one team entering league competition still in position to make its mark on the national title race.

Purdue suffered a disappointing loss to Oregon. While not as hyped as USC-Ohio State, this was the tougher blow of the games between Big Ten & Pac-10 schools. Purdue was at home against a good, but beatable team and had a 20-3 lead in the first half. They were also close to getting the winning touchdown in the first overtime before settling for a tying field goal, and ultimately defeat in the second extra session. The run defense was the principal culprit, as the Ducks ran all over West Lafayette for 306 yards.

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In the games against no-name competition, Illinois' problems were another harbinger of trouble in the conference overall. The Illini barely escaped with a 20-17 win over Louisiana-Lafayette at home. 96 yards of penalties didn't help. And Minnesota had its hands full with Montana State before prevailing 35-23.

Northwestern beat Southern Illinois 33-7 behind another good outing from Tyrell Sutton. But it was another back who was the star of the day in the low-profile games. Javon Ringer racked up 282 yards on 43 carries against Florida International. Ringer is shaping up as a lead figure in the conference MVP race, and it will be interesting to see what he does next week when Notre Dame comes to town.

UW-Fresno: Overcoming West Struggles

It's a sign of how things have changed that Wisconsin-Fresno State is a significantly more important non-conference game then Notre Dame-Michigan. But that's the brave new world we're in for 2008, and the Badgers trip west has serious implications for the BCS. With a win, UW becomes a major threat for a bid to one of the big bowls even if they don't win the Big Ten. On the Fresno side, if they put a win here on top of their impressive throttling of Rutgers, they're poised to become the latest midmajor to crash the BCS party.

Wisconsin has shown their traditional power running game against Akron and then followed it up by showing off an impressive air attack against Marshall. They will need both to beat Fresno. The Bulldogs play solid defense and have been well-coached for many years now by Pat Hill. They came to Madison back in 2002 and nearly upset UW.

More relevant then these teams' last meeting six years ago is what's happened on Wisconsin's recent trips west. They nearly lost to UNLV last year, and they barely got by a bad Arizona team in 2004. UW always brings a lot of fans to games in these tourist-friendly locations, but one wonders if the players don't lose their focus a bit. That can't happen on Saturday night (10:30 EST, ESPN2), as Fresno is the best non-conference opponent they've had in several years. One player who could help a lot would be Travis Beckum. Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes that the All-American tight end is itching to get on the field in the wake of his hamstring injury.

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Purdue will have a big test when Oregon comes into town for a 3:30 kick on ABC. The Ducks have piled up 110 points in a pair of easy wins, including one over Washington. Tom Kubat of The Journal & Courier reports that the Boilers are wary of the Oregon speed trap.

Penn State has what should be an easy game at Syracuse, also on ABC at 3:30. But Jeff McLane of The Centre Daily Times says the suspensions have left the Lion D scrambling for replacements.   

High Noon On The Network

At high noon The Big Ten Network will usher in the 2008 season. The conference's three best teams will all be on display with opening week tuneups, as BTN carries the games involving Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State.

Wisconsin's game with Akron is the most intriguging of the trio, simply because the Zips aren't that far removed from significant success. The program won the MAC title back in 2005 and returns a veteran offense. Head coach J.D. Brookhart studied under Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos and his team should be able to move the ball. It is unlikely his team plays enough defense to actually come out of Madison with a win, but this will be a good measuring stick for the Badger defense--have they improved sufficiently after a somewhat disappointing effort in 2007? Bret Bielama already made some lineup changes to the secondary, with strong safety Aubrey Pleasant being demoted in favor of Jay Valai. He'll know quickly if those changes bore fruit. Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has the book on Akron. 

UW also made the most significant decision any of the contenders faced in preseason. They settled on a quarterback. As expected, senior southpaw Allan Evridge got the job. He will wear #4. It's fair to say that Evridge probably never guessed he'd end his career as the most beloved active quarterback wearing #4 in the state of Wisconsin.

Ohio State plays host to Youngstown State. These opening two games (Ohio is the other) aren't going to do a lot to get conversation in Columbus and about the Buckeyes generally off their worthiness to play in national championship games. They'll have to win at Southern Cal on September 13 to do that. In the meantime, Rob Oller of The Columbus Dispatch opines that SEC arrogance is getting tiresome.

Penn State will play Coastal Carolina. If you've never heard of the Chanticleers (did you even know they were called the Chanticleers?), you aren't alone. Coastal's lone contact with the Big Ten came back in 1991 when their basketball team nearly upset Bob Knight's #2 seed Indiana squad with Calbert Cheaney. Getting close enough for another near-miss against another Big Ten coaching legend is, to put it mildly, unlikely. Jeff Rice of The Centre Daily News features Maurice Evans, the best player on what is a very talented defensive line.

There are two other noon games that will be carried on BTN. Indiana hosts Western Kentucky, while Iowa welcomes Maine to the heartland.

Football Preview: Wisconsin

At this time last year, Wisconsin fans had high expectations. And the Badgers had a good year, going 9-3 and reaching a New Year's Day game for the fourth straight season. But a tough loss to Tennessee seemed to symbolize a year that wasn't bad, but wasn't quite what it could have been. This time around, UW again looks strong and is hungry to reach a major bowl for the first time since 1999.

It always starts up front with the Badgers and 2008 is no different. The offensive line is big and experienced. Four returning starters. Three of them are seniors. Four of the starters are 6'6: or taller. They all tip the scale at 300 pounds. There won't be any problems clearing room for junior running back P.J. Hill. one of the top backs in the league. And just like Tyrell Sutton and Javon Ringer, who've gotten positive press here the past few days, Hill needs to be on the watch lists for league MVP.

Bret Bielama has to break in a new quarterback, and it looks like senior Allan Evridge will be the man. Sophomore receiver Kyle Jefferson is back at one flank, but the primary passing targets in Madison are at tight end. Travis Beckum is one of the best nation, and backup Garrett Graham gives Evridge a potent duo to use off play-action and keep defenses honest.

The defensive line is looking as strong as their offensive counterparts. Matt Shaughnessy, Mike Newkirk and Jason Chapman all return to anchor a unit that Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says is seasoned just right. They will be backed up by a linebacking unit that returns all three starters. Secondary may be a bit of a problem, as shutdown corner Jack Ikegwounuu must be replaced, but the other corner is still ably manned by Allen Langford.

The schedule has an interesting non-conference test on September 13 at Fresno State. The Badgers have never played well in early trips out west (see 2004 in Arizona and 2007 at UNLV), and unlike previous previosu trips, the opponent this time is good enough to beat them. Big Ten play begins with Michigan, and then has back-to-back prime-time home games with Ohio State and Penn State. A road trip to East Lansing serves as a trap game in November. But no matter what, UW will finish strong. They play Cal-Poly for November 22's Senior Day festivities. This has to be the most uninspired finale in the history of Badger football. But then, maybe the athletic department just loves the old Tom Cruise movie All The Right Moves, where Cruise's character ends up playing football at Poly.

Wisconsin is one of the few teams capable of beating Ohio State and taking the conference championship. They won't do the latter, but they will come up with 9-10 regular season wins and earn an at-large invite to the BCS.