Another week has passed, the season is underway and it is time for week four of The Big Ten Blogger’s Round Table. This week’s questions come to us by way of Maze and Brew.
Let’s get it started:
1. Time to break out the crystal ball. I want to know what happens at the END of the season. Give me your offensive and defensive Players of the Year in the Big Ten along with Coach of the Year and why.
I’m going to go with a sympathy vote here and say that Sports Illustrated coverboy Mike Hart of Michigan will end up with something. I don’t know if it is offensive player of the year but there has to be a booby prize in there somewhere. Rarely could I give a shit about anybody on the Michigan team but Harts story has all the makings of a Shakespeare tragedy. They’ve got a quarterback that locked himself in the locker room and wouldn’t come out. When they get the snot kicked out of them next week against Penn State, he will relapse.
Michigan is in for a long, ugly season and Hart will get some sort of credit for staying on as a one man team.
Defensemen of the year?
I’m going to have to go with Ohio State D. They are improving every game and I think in the end they will prove to be on of the best defense’s in the country. I like James “Little Animal” Laurinaitis. He has a head for the game and is a great leader. Check out Laurinaitis’s comments on Northwestern from this week’s press conference and tell me he doesn’t have something good coming together.
Coach of the year?
Mark Dantonio of Michigan State. He is a class act and he is turning their program around. Remember the defense he put together at Ohio State. Now he is running the show. Even if Michigan State doesn’t have a great year, you will see a program on the rise and he will get credit for it.
2. With the upsets, close games, and head scratchers so far, every game we thought was going to be important has changed. Michigan State is 3-0, for Pete’s sake, and they look good doing it. Pick the three games on the Big Ten Schedule that will determine the Big Ten Champion. Bonus Points for not picking three games on your own schedule.
Sorry readers, this question does come from a Michigan blog. We need to clarify…every game Michigan thought was going to be important has changed. Before the season started it was exciting to see that there was going to be a round robin between the top three teams to determine the Big Ten champion. There still will be only this year, Michigan won’t be invited.
Penn State/Michigan will tell us a lot about Penn State. So far, Penn State’s wins against Buffalo and FCS schools doesn’t really mean much. I’m going to use the Chad Henne factor on this one. IfHenne locks himself in the locker room for the second half, we will know that Penn State may be for real.
Ohio State/Penn State will also be a key test. Penn State will try the white out but this time the Buckeyes will be ready. As I said before, I am sure that there is some sort of virtual “white out” practice room at that new training facility on Olentangy Road.
Wisconsin/Penn State and Wisconsin/Ohio State (finishing out the Round Robin is all).
It goes without saying that Ohio State/Michigan will be a big game this year. Although Michigan will tell you they still have a shot at the Big Ten, don’t believe it. This is about all they have left to play for. They have a graduating class that has never beaten Ohio State and it is the only thing that could buy LLLLLLoyd Carr another year. (Not that it will or anything)
3. How many games, this season, have you been to? How many games have you tailgated at? If you have tailgated, name your beverage of choice. If you answered no to the previous questions, hang your head in shame, or at least give a good story about watching the game in enemy territory and giving the bouncer the finger when he asked you to quiet down.
Fall Saturday’s are the loneliest time when you find yourself an ex patriot living in ACC country. Sat. morning’s in Clintonville used to begin with, “Time to make the punch,” and was followed by a bus ride to the stadium, bloody marys, brats and Miller Light (the beer to drink when you’re going to drink a lot). Now, however, I only get back for the big games. Last year it was the season opener, Michigan and BCS, the year before, Texas.
Here in ACC country they really don’t understand tailgating. I am forced to take desperate measures. Saturday’s start with the TBDBITL cd cranked at full volume on the stereo. Once the cooler, grill, lawn chairs, corn hole, and any other tail gating needs are assembled, we move to the driveway where I proceed to open the back of the family minivan, set up the portable T.V. and every now I make my daughter run across the street so that when I shout, “OH,” she can yell back, “IO,” as if she is at another tailgate a few RVs away.
As week four rolls around, the neighbor’s are starting to ignore me but there is no question, they are starting to worry about their property value.
Bitter/Angry Bonus Question!
4. As the Big Ten Season kicks off, the Conference is in somewhat of a difficult position nationally. Needing some momentum after a horrid BCS performance, the Conference needed some momentum early in the season. It hasn’t gotten it. The first three weeks have been abysmal. Is this just a down year for the Big Ten, is there a change Nationally that the Big Ten just hasn’t picked up on, is there some truth to the “Big Ten Style of Play” that everyone harps on, or has college football simply caught up? What so you think and why? I may be beating a dead horse, but no one looks good this year and I’m at a loss as to why.
Again dear reader, I must apologize. This question also comes from a Michigan fan.
If you’re looking at the world through maize and blue glasses, then yes, the world must seem pretty abysmal. As for the rest of us though, the Big Ten is coming along fine. We’ve got three teams ranked in the top 10, more than any other division.
Wisconsin isn’t coming out of the gate like I expected but I think we still have a lot to see from the Badgers.
You know Penn State and Michigan State have got to be happy with the sudden respect they are getting. Michigan State is looking at an easy 4-0 by the end of the weekend. If Purdue can find a defense to go with that quarterback…who knows where that would lead. They are starting to get noticed at least.
I will agree with Maize and Brew though, the Big Ten did need to build momentum to open the season. Unfortunately, with all the preseason hype geared toward Michigan, the Wolverines pretty much killed any chance the Big Ten had of getting early season respect. I’m afraid the stench in Anne Arbor has tainted us all. When you blow a top ranking like that in the first two games, it doesn’t matter what anyone else in the Big Ten did the last three weeks. Illinois could have beaten the Patriots and it wouldn’t have helped.
There’s no question Ohio State didn’t help the Big Ten’s image last Jan. but I think that was a reflection on Ohio State’s performance on that day, not the Big Ten. Every division has had their upsets, it doesn’t reflect on the entire league.