Around the Big Ten

[entropy]

Nebraska is f'd now..

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/ncaa/08/16/big-ten-preview/index.html?xid=si_ncaaf

[Hannibal]

Iowa and NfW aren't going 5-3 in the conference.

[lineygoblue]

Stewart Mandel uses strong hallucinogens.

I hate ohio as much as any other B1G fan not from ohio, but there's no way they are going 4-4 in conference play, and 7-5 overall. Pryor may be gone, but they still will have one of the best defenses in the conference, if not in the country. And I'm spitting when I say that because any praise of ohio from me leaves me feeling nauseated... So, I hate Mandel for making me stick up for ohio.

And PSU at 5-3 and 8-4? ... yeesh ...

I might buy Wisky at 6-2 in conference play if they can settle their QB position.

... and finally, ... MSU ain't going 9-3. Bank on it.

[WM Wolverine]

I agree Iowa; they might win 7 games thanks to a generous OOC slate. Talent level there looks awfully low to me; might struggle to win a 4th B10 game...

NW; they return most everybody from last years squad that went 7-6. Schedule is soft w/ road games @Ill, @Iowa, @Ind, @Neb and home games w/ M, PSU, Min & MSU... I've got them going 5-3/8-4...

PSU? I don't like their talent but they have a favorable schedule (they miss M, MSU) till their last three; Neb, @OSU, @Wisc... They could easily be 7-2/4-1 entering those three games...

OSU? They could go anywhere from 11-1 to 7-5; I see a lot of question marks but they've recruited well enough that they can probably plug guys in at most spots. They play an awfully tough schedule (they miss Iowa, NW, Minn) and they have those suspensions early in the season against MSU, Miami, Colorado... I've got them as going 8-4/5-3 with a lot of assumptions they'll get decent production out of lots of positions I have as question marks...

I like MSU's talent a lot, they just play a brutal schedule with a convenient bye before M but otherwise they play @ND, @OSU (without tat 5), @Neb, @Iowa, @NW... Get M, Wisky, Minn, Ind at home... I wouldn't touch an over/under at 7.5 wins...

Ill looks very low at 4 wins, 6-7 wins imo but at best only 3 B10 wins...

Nebraska's B10 schedule probably gives them a 3rd loss; @Wisky, @Minn, @PSU, @M w/ OSU, MSU, NW & Iowa at home... 9-3 w/ a 4-0 OOC record...

[Jamie H]

Most of SI's college football writers are idiots (at least Maisel and Mandell are). I read SI mostly for the character stories now. Anything related to actual games on the field they are terrible at (outside of taking great pictures).

[iam416]

I question SI's "investigative journalism," too. Heh.

But, yeah, they seem way off on those predictions.

[Hannibal]

Interesting in the Miami case

One of the players being implicated is none other than newly minted Purdue QB Robert Marve. Poor Purdue. They just can't catch a break.

[WM Wolverine]

They don't deserve one, Hope got canned in my NCAA PS3 dynasty; hope the same happens IRL.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Interesting in the Miami case

One of the players being implicated is none other than newly minted Purdue QB Robert Marve. Poor Purdue. They just can't catch a break.

Yeah, saw that. I just don't know if this is happening soon enough to impact players playing this season

[WM Wolverine]

I'd expect punishments for many of the players involved to be similar to OSU's.

[Hannibal]

When is the BTN doing their practice tour?

[Jeff Buchanan]

I think it was on Thursday this week and will air on Monday the 22nd at 10P.

Reportedly, Denardo is going to rip on the defense and Howard Griffith is going to pump up the Denard for the Heisman hype. Apparently, Griffith thinks the M offense is going to be #1 in the league and in the top 10 nationally. Denardo thinks the defense will keep M out of the B1G championship game. At least that's the talk on the Rivals board.

[Hannibal]

I think it was on Thursday this week and will air on Monday the 22nd at 10P.

Reportedly, Denardo is going to rip on the defense and Howard Griffith is going to pump up the Denard for the Heisman hype. Apparently, Griffith thinks the M offense is going to be #1 in the league and in the top 10 nationally. Denardo thinks the defense will keep M out of the B1G championship game. At least that's the talk on the Rivals board.

99% chance that they are saying this entirely based upon last year's game films.

[Jeff Buchanan]

99% chance that they are saying this entirely based upon last year's game films.

Probably ..... word has it that practices are pretty much closed. Media gets in for 20 minutes or so, gets to see some action and then gets booted.

I think that's a good plan for Hoke. The open door to the Fort, which I at first liked about RR, turned out to be a disaster for him.

Hoke doesn't need the media sniffing around and then making comments about who is practicing well and who isn't. He also doesn't need to have his style in practice compared to RR's.

[lineygoblue]

And two ESPN pooh-bahs said we'd finish no better than 6-6.