Around the B1G with K8, 9.12.14

By @ClvlndK8

It was a ROUGH weekend for the Big Ten, going a dismal 8-5 and losing some high profile games. But that's not the big news this week. Overshadowed by the Ray Rice Situation in the NFL, the announcement that Penn State's Bowl Ban was lifted and that all scholarships will be reinstated for next season broke with very little fan-fare.

After instituting the harsh penalties against the football program, Former Senator George Mitchell was named Integrity Monitor and, for five years, is in charge of monitoring the institution and reporting on their progress in changing the culture that led officials to cover up child abuse. He gives Penn State high praise for following the recommendations of the Freeh report and making an immediate impact on their culture.

Leadership Changes:  New president Eric Barron and new athletic director Sandy Barbour represent a clear break with the past and movement forward with a new culture. 

Compliance Program: A new compliance program is being implemented that puts the oversight of athletics outside of the Athletics department to ensure that University leaders and the Board of Trustees are aware of everything going on.

Office of Ethics and Compliance: the new OEC, lead by Regis Becker, is providing oversight, guidance and training on all Penn State campuses, not just for the athletic departments.  Athletics Integrity Officer Julie Del Giorno and Associate Athletic Director for compliance Matt Stohlberg both report directly to Becker, thus avoiding any conflicts of interest. Del Giorno monitors athletes, coaches and others and has investigated 11 compliance complaints during the past year. Four have been closed while seven remain under investigation.  Mitchell also noted that an increased in the number of violations being reported by Penn State shows the improvement in their process and bodes well for their efforts to follow NCAA and Big Ten rules.

After receiving Mitchell's report and his recommendation that Penn State's bowl ban be lifted and scholarships returned, the NCAA board of directors agreed and immediately announced the change in the sanctions.

"Penn State has made remarkable progress over the past year," said South Carolina president Harris Pastides, a member of the NCAA's board of directors. "The board members and I believe the executive committee's decision is the right one. It allows both the university and the association to continue to move toward a common goal of ensuring that educating, nurturing and protecting young people is a top priority."  


Now, as a fan of college football and especially the B1G, this is great news.  I like the fact that the university is taking what happened seriously, sharing in the responsibility for the cover-up and making changes. And I like the fact that the Big Ten gets back a school that has a really good football team for Bowl Season. And most especially I love the fact that QB Christian Hackenberg will get some positive attention this season and make a strong run for the Heisman. In fact, I haven't heard anyone complain about the sanction being lifted

Respectfully Submitted,

Cleveland Kate

Around the B1G with K8, 9.4.14

By @ClvlndK8



Welcome to Around the B1G with K8! It was a good weekend for the Big Ten... 12-2 ain't too shabby!  No conference games yet but they'll be here soon.

Wisconsin had an opportunity to earn big points on the national stage and instead, fizzled in the second half to LSU. Oh well, there's always #7 Michigan State vs #3 Oregon this weekend to see if the conference can move up in the estimation of a college football system that thinks we've gone soft.

Ohio State, while getting the win and covering the spread, made quite a few fans (and most of my twitter timeline) crazy with shaky first half play vs Navy. Everyone - including ME - knew they were going to run the ball with that triple option they run so well, but our defense seemed to have no answer for it until late in the game. While many fans are freaking out (they're panicking, I can hear them) I think it's too soon for that. Relax and let Urb do his thing, Buckeye Nation!

Maryland is dealing with some behavioral issues, violations of the school's student code of conduct. WR Levern Jacobs #8 and Safety A.J. Hendy #19 have been suspended for the entire season. Jacob's (junior) is the result of a second-degree assault charge that came down last week over an altercation back on July 19th. Hendy (senior) was involved in the same incident but, as of today, no charges have been filed against him. While Jacobs was their #3 receiver and Hendy the backup safety behind Anthony Nixon, they were still expected to have impacts on the Terrapins season.

Penn State faces a surprisingly good opponent this weekend in the Akron Zips. Now, since I have a daughter going to Akron, I'll be rooting for them. The Nittany Lions squeezed by UCF 26-24 last week and the Zips took care of Howard 41-0. Yeah, not exactly a juggernaut of talent at Howard but still, the Zips have some offensive weapons to watch out for. Quietly creeping up the polls (29th) and trying to overcome the NCAA sanctions that crippled this team, they need to make the most of their schedule and beating Akron would certainly keep them on track to prove they are back. Oh yeah, and QB Christian Hackenberg is a serious Heisman contender. I'll keep telling you that every week until you start to listen!

When the big news in Nebraska is a competition at the long snapper position, it's been a slow week. Seriously. Senior Paul Kelly expected to continue his role when along comes freshman Josh Faulkenberry from Colorado and, dude, he won the job. Cleanly snapping for 2 field goals, 7 extra points and 2 punts in their huge win over Florida Atlantic last week (55-7!), Josh is making a case to keep the job. And to make it even more strange... you can get a Josh t-shirt. I kid you not. I guess they do know how to have fun in Cornhusker Land!

Michigan travels to Notre Dame this week, should be a good game. And that's all I have to say about that.


Respectfully Submitted,

Cleveland Kate