Around the B1G with K8 10.23.14 #B1G #BigTen

By @ClvlndK8

The B1G Power Rankings are out and - WOW - there's some new faces in the Top Five...

5. Maryland Terrapins: The Might Turtles are looking (relatively) good! At 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the

WR Stefon Diggs, MAR

conference, their addition to the B1G has been pretty successful for them. While they are trying to be the New Oregon with their fancy uniforms and their new deal with UnderArmor, they actually have a decent football team. And maybe I think they look more like NASCAR Drivers then they should, QB CJ Browns is ready to step back in vs Iowa this week. The Buckeyes had his number on Saturday so he was benched in the 2nd half for Caleb Rowe but don't think that means anything. Head Coach Randy Edsell still has faith in him and he'll be back under center this weekend.

4. Minnesota Golden Gophers: They lead the Western Division at 6-1, 3-0, and boast Defensive Player of the Week Cedric Thompson & Special Teams Player of the Week Ryan Santoso as belonging to them. Hitting crucial field goals (52 yarder!) and making interceptions that seal a victory are definitely a recipe for success. And frankly, they have no real challenges on the schedule until they face Ohio State on 11/15.

RB Ameer Abdullah, NEB

3. Nebraska Cornhuskers: largely overlooked (by me) they're putting together a nice season, 6-1,2-1,
right behind Minnesota. It's that one conference loss that hurts them. Ameer Abdullah is still the King, rushing for yet another 100-yard game and is on pace to see over 1,000 yards this season.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes: you know it's crazy but each game we score 50+ points in make me even more pissed off about that loss to Va-Tech. I know, I need to get over it, but still... JT Barrett looking better and better each week. A few tough games on the horizon but they may overtake Sparty yet!

AND....

No Surprise Here...

1. Michigan State Spartans: preseason favorites, still looking good. They've got inner-state rival Michigan this weekend so I'm predicting they'll improve to 7-1, 4-0. Head Coach Mark Dantonio seems to think he works for OSU and is trying to create a huge rivalry out of this game. Yes, they've won 5 of the last 6 meetings, but as we all know, kicking someone's butt every single year does not really make it a rivalry....  Then again, the whole world is UM's rival this season and it's still sad.

Respectfully Submitted,

Cleveland Kate

Around the B1G with K8 10.8.14

By @ClvlndK8

As we finally start seeing some conference play, the B1G is gaining momentum in the polls.
The latest power rankings from BTN are out and there are a few surprises...

1. Michigan State - well, no surprise here. They were touted as the Team To Beat when the season started and nothing has changed.  A rough loss in week two vs the Oregon Ducks is the lone bad mark on their record. However, with the Ducks losing to Arizona, that loss may haunt them in the final season standings and playoff chances.

2. Ohio State - this one surprised me! I know the offense is just killing it and as JT Barrett gets more comfortable as the starter, the offense gets better each week, but if they don't fix their defensive woes, beating a bunch of mediocre teams won't get them to the playoffs.

3. Nebraska - I'm telling you, keep an eye on the 'Huskers! They got off to a slow start vs Michigan State last week which hurt them but I fully expect them to be in the B1G championship game representing the west.


4. Northwestern - who-da-thunk-it? The Big Purple Machine is looking good and safety Godwin Igwebuike is a large part of that.

...and now I'll skip to a few teams worth noting at the bottom of the list...

10. Penn State - this was the real surprise for me. I had high hopes for this team and Heisman Hopeful QB Christian Hackenberg but, when compared to the rest of the conference, they are not holding up their end of the bargain. Yeah, it's early in the season, but they need to work on their "style point."

12. Purdue - jumping up two spots this week after beating Illinois (yeah, that's impressive) the fact that they are ranked over Michigan speaks VOLUMES to the problems in Ann Arbor.

13. Michigan - and speaking of Ann Arbor, the mess that is Wolverine football is getting to be too depressing even for a die-hard-hater like me. Where's the fun in beating a bad team? Who likes to pull the wings off of flies or kick puppies? Not me. I like to beat a team that thinks it's got a chance to win and these players show serious doubts in their coaches and their program. Sigh.

That's it for me this week... More B1G matchups this weekend including what could lead to riots in Brady Hoke's neighborhood as Penn State travels to Michigan. Sad, just very sad.

Respectfully Submitted,
Cleveland Kate

Around the B1G with K8, 9.17.14

By @ClvlndK8

Well, friends, it was a brutal weekend for the Big Ten, winning only 4 games out of 11. Yikes. This is not the way to show the nation that we are a power conference! Any way... Penn State and Nebraska are unsurprisingly leading their divisions with 3-0 records at this point and just may be the teams to beat.


Indiana: The Hoosiers lost a shoot-out to Bowling Green and their backup QB 45-42. While their offense looked good, their defense was horrendous. Their were 9 touchdowns scored in the second half! Coach Kevin Wilson is taking a lot of heat and rumor has it his job in on the line. When your record shows 14 games that were decided by a TD or less, and you lose 11 of those, you can't expect fans to be very happy with you.



Northwestern: The Big Purple Machine will be wearing their White Helmets this Saturday when they face off against the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks. Uh, yeah. Ok. That's really the top story this week in Evanston? I guess it's better than talking about the underwhelming performances from the offense. The transfer of Venric Mark to West Texas A&M has left them without the services of their All-American punt returner and one of the top running backs in the Big Ten. He missed most of last season with an injury but big things were expected for him this year. Then he gets suspended for the first two games of this season for "violating team policy" and suddenly, wah wah wah, he's leaving NW and moving on. Add to that the season-ending knee injury to their best WR Christian Jones and you've got the makings of an offensive disaster. While they have quite a few promising kids to take on the RB role, namely Treyvon Green and Stephen Buckley, they just haven't gotten it done behind a pretty awful offensive line. I've always had a soft spot for Northwestern and seeing the mess going on for them this year just makes me sad.



Illinois: From Brian Hamilton (@BrianHamiltonSI) we have the story of infighting and trolling amongst the many esteemed football programs in the state of Illinois. Ok, I'm being a bit sarcastic, but it seems the alumni association of Northern Illinois University took out a full page ad in the Chicago Tribune to poke a bit of fun at our B1G Illini. Better watch out, Huskies, or you'll be the one getting bitten!







Respectfully Submitted,

Cleveland Kate