Take Three

Sorry, couldn't help myself

It'll be back to Orlando for the MSU Spartans to take on the Nick Saban-led Alabama Crimson Tide.  For all my band friends, I believe that would be "Go State, Beat the Tide."  Although many were hoping the BCS would realize MSU is more deserving of a bowl slot over Ohio State, it's hard to see someone turning down a higher payout from the OSU fanbase.  In any case, the Capital One bowl is the best non-BCS bowl out there.  Actually, it's probably better than 2 BCS bowls - expect UConn and VaTech to get blown out in the Fiesta and Orange bowls, respectively.
A brief history lesson for all you kids: Nick Saban was head coach at MSU between 1994-1999.  In 1999, after leading his team to a 9-2 record, Saban suddenly resigned after the last game of the season to take the head coaching job at LSU.  His name was in the media constantly with regards to his job, but several of his players have stated that Coach Saban had said he wasn't going to skip town suddenly....and then he did.  Saban has risen to the top of the coaching food chain, winning a national title at LSU and at Alabama.  Additionally, Mark Dantonio served as the Secondary Coach under Saban - that's where his original MSU ties come from.
I'll put up a solid analysis closer to the bowl, but the one interesting thing to watch will be the Spartan run defense against a very potent rushing attack from Alabama.  2009 Heisman Winner Mark Ingram (from Flint, MI) teams up with the speedy Trent Richardson to create one hell of a ground attack.  Greg Jones and Eric Gordon make up one of the best run-stopping duos in the country, so it'll be one of those unstoppable force vs. unmovable wall kind of games.
The other thing, off the top of my head, is to see what QB will make fewer mistakes.  Kirk Cousins has been banged up recently, but put up fantastic numbers in his final regular season game.  They may not look impressive on paper, but pretty damn good if you consider it was 30 degrees and windy that day.  Alabama's Greg McElroy is 4th in the country in completion percentage and has been very solid all year.  This will easily be the biggest test the revamped MSU secondary has seen all year.

In short, if you're feeling like MSU got snubbed, they did.  The best way to show that is if MSU shows up and wins this game so the pollsters take notice.  An MSU team that went 12-1 and beat Wisconsin and Alabama in the same season will do wonders for the Spartan brand identity and make the team much harder to pass over in years to come.  I hope many of you considering the bowl trip will pull the trigger on a plane ticket!  Also, a large congratulations to the senior class of the Spartan Marching Band that will be going to a 4th bowl game in 4 years - that has happened only one other time in the history of the band.  Enjoy, and Go Green!

Treadwell Interviews for IU Job

MSU Offensive Coordinator Don Treadwell has interviewed for the head coaching vacancy at Indiana University.  IU has been looking at a number of coaches after the firing of Bill Lynch and it's no surprise that Treadwell was on that list.  His name has come up a number of times for MAC job openings in recent years.

This is far from a done deal but it wouldn't be a shock if Treadwell took the job.  However, it should be noted that his son, Blake Treadwell, is currently a Defensive Tackle (and a pretty good one) at MSU currently.  Many speculate he'll stay until his son graduates, but I don't think the younger Treadwell would mind if his dad became a Big Ten Head Coach.  It would also be interesting due to the fact that Indiana becomes a protected rival of Michigan State starting next year.

OC Treadwell did a phenomenal job of heading the team in Dantonio's absence and also in recent recruiting, so whatever decision he makes, he'll be successful.  I would expect Treadwell to wait until after the bowl game to announce if he's leaving - that's a distraction the team does not need.  BEGIN TREADWELL WATCH 2010!!!

BCS-Worthy or Trapped in Orlando?

Happy Friday, everyone.  Students, it is now officially time to stop blowing all your money on booze and actually study for a few weeks.  Studying the college football landscape counts.  It's the last weekend of the regular season, which means conference championship games and upsets.  Almost every year, this weekend causes the BCS to go all out of whack and makes the guys at ESPN shit their pants with excitement.  Let's take a look:

Big Ten
We'll start with the Big Ten, naturally.  As I stated before, very little has changed in the Big Ten picture, BCS-wise.  Wisconsin is still ahead of OSU, who is ahead of MSU by two spots.  By Big Ten rules, Wisconsin would get the Rose Bowl berth, since they hold the highest BCS Ranking.  I'm not sure where that rule originally came from, but we use it because it's written on a giant stone tablet in a reinforced bunker underneath Big Ten headquarters in Chicago.
However, another BCS bowl will certainly pick a Big Ten team as an "at-large" and that selection has no restrictions.  MSU Athletic Director Mark Hollis has been lobbying hard to get MSU to a BCS bowl instead of Ohio State, the effects of which are showing up in the national spotlight.  However, Hollis is fighting an uphill battle, to say the least.  Ohio State has one of the largest fan bases in the country and have always shown up well for their bowl.  MSU's angle, however, is that they have gotten the highest ratings on ABC/ESPN games in the Big Ten (that means $$$$), plus they beat the supposed "best" team in the Big Ten.  The at-large spot will come down to the wire.  If MSU doesn't make the BCS, they will most likely be back in Orlando for the 3rd time in 4 years.

Conference Championships/Rivalry Games
There's some interesting football on the way this weekend.  Oregon (ranked #2) visits rival Oregon State this weekend.  Regardless of rankings, Oregon has normally struggled in Corvallis - between 1997-2007, the Ducks didn't get one win on the Beavers home turf.  I recommend watching that one - Oregon State's fans are absolutely nuts for this game.  SEC Championship puts Auburn up against South Carolina, with the Tigers being an overwhelming favorite.  Auburn has plenty of motivation - they win, they go to the championship game.

Automatic BCS berths are on the line in the ACC and Big 12 Championship games, as well.  Florida State - Virginia Tech and Oklahoma - Nebraska should both be great games.  Finally, feel free to watch UConn at South Florida.  It's hilarious how mediocre the Big East Conference is this year - the same UConn team that got trampled by barely-bowl-eligible Michigan goes to a BCS game if they win.  Make sure you play Yakety Sax at least 4 times during the game.  I promise it will be appropriate.

I'll leave you with my predictions for the Big Ten Conference Bowls.  The selection show is this Sunday at 8pm, I believe, for BCS games.  The rest of the bowls should be online at the same time:

Rose (Pasadena, CA): Wisconsin
Sugar (New Orleans, LA): Ohio State
Capital One (Orlando, FL): Michigan State
Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL): Iowa
Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL): Michigan
Insight Bowl (Tempe, AZ): Penn State
Texas Bowl (Houston, TX): Northwestern
TicketCity Bowl (Dallas, TX): Illinois

Now is the winter of our discontent...

Discontent doesn't begin to describe my hatred of the BCS as the regular season of college football expires and the postseason preparation begins.  Wisconsin, Ohio State, and MSU are dead even at the top of the Big Ten standings: 10-1 overall, 6-1 in Big Ten play.  This Saturday is the last game for all 3.  Wisconsin has Northwestern at home, OSU has Michigan at home, and the Spartans head to Happy Valley to take on Penn State.  Here's a quick breakdown about all the tie-breaker nonsense, in case you missed it:

1. If all 3 win, Wisconsin gets the Rose Bowl, OSU goes to a different BCS game, MSU gets nothing special.
This is the most likely scenario.  No team has much success in Camp Randall, very low chance that a floundering Michigan team upsets a strong OSU team in the Shoe.  Wisconsin wins the Rose Bowl tiebreaker because they are highest in the BCS polls.  Great system, right?

2. If one of the three teams stumble, the tie-breakers shift slightly
If OSU loses, MSU wins the new tie-breaker.  If Wisconsin loses, OSU goes.  No reshuffling happens if MSU loses, as they are the lowest down the totem pole currently.

3. On the off chance that all 3 are defeated this weekend, you might as well start praying to whatever god(s)/people/forces of nature you believe in.
In that case, the BCS poll would again determine the Rose Bowl representative, but depending on what team loses worst in the voters eyes, the order of the 3 teams could change.  Too much crazy.


NOW THAT'S OUT OF THE WAY.  Here's what to watch for in the PSU - MSU Matchup.

RUNNING WILD
Both teams had high hopes for their running games early on.  PSU's Evan Royster had earned a lot of buzz before this season as one of the Big Ten's best returning RB's.  However, a restructured offensive line has prevented the talented back from being a force in the PSU offense.  Don't expect that to change much against an MSU front seven that has been well-prepared against the run.  On the other side, MSU's running game looked spectacular in the early season, but the wear and tear of the season has shown itself constantly in the MSU OLine - less holes have opened up and freshman phenom Le'Veon Bell has all but disappeared.  It'll be interesting to see if MSU can get their ground game going.

ALL BANGED UP
Kirk Cousins has been banged up for the back half of the season.  He's taken quite a few hits in the last month of so and it has shown.  The "throwing off the back foot" problem that has led to several bad passes and interceptions are a result of a lingering ankle injury as well as a diminished confidence in his pass protection.  His effort in the Purdue game was nothing short of heroic - he put up fantastic numbers in the second half of that game, despite hardly being able to walk on one leg.  He described his ankle pain as "excruciating" during the game and simply refused to stay out of the game.  It'll be very clear early in the game whether Cousins injuries have subsided a bit, or if he's going to have to turn in another heroic game to get the W.

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH/TIME TO MOVE ON
Is Joe Pa ever going to leave? He's 84.  The guy WILL die either at practice or at a game.  He announced last week that he will return for the 2011 season, provided his bionic heart/kidneys/liver/legs are still working. Can't say I blame him, I hate the idea of retirement, too.  This game will mark the final installment of the "Land Grant Trophy" battle as the Big Ten moves to divisions next year - MSU and PSU are in separate groups.  PSU has been a nightmare for MSU, so personally, I'm happy to see it go.

There you have it.  Hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving and the time away from work.  Here's the broadcast info for the two games Spartans should watch (sorry, but you're going to have to root for Michigan if you want the Rose Bowl.)  Go Green!

UM at OSU: 12pm, ABC/espn3.com
MSU at PSU: 12pm, ESPN2/espn3.com

And here they come, down the stretch

Not much to wrap up for the Minnesota game.  MSU cruised, doesn't prove much except Edwin Baker is a stud and the Spartans are 9-1.  I've gotten a couple questions about what the Big Ten's situation is for bowl games, so I'll do my best.  Here's some tidbits about the bowl-bound teams to look for:

Michigan State
Why not start with the Michigan Staters? The Rose Bowl tiebreakers were elaborated on in an earlier post, but it  may get extra messy in the home stretch.  Wisconsin, OSU, Iowa, and MSU are tied at the top.  Wisconsin and Iowa win out, MSU goes to the Rose Bowl.  However, if OSU beats Iowa in a few weeks, an 11-1 MSU team in the top ten nationally may not get to a BCS bowl.  Only two teams from each conference can go to BCS games - if Wisconsin and OSU win out, both will be ranked ahead of MSU so the BCS would make the logical choice.  I believe riots are warranted if that happens.

Michigan (Skunkbears)
Bowl eligible in the worst kind of way.  Pretty sure Bo rolled over in his grave and Woody laughed like hell on Saturday, when the Wolverines won a 67-65 nailbiter in Ann Arbor.  This basketball score brought to you be Terrible Defense! I will give credit where credit is due - Denard Robinson went out with a head injury, and Forcier came in and played a solid game.  The Big Ten will likely get 8 bowl-eligible teams, so Michigan should start looking at plane tickets for Florida or Texas.

Ohio State
These guys again? Stop hogging all the glory.  Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan still on the schedule.  The Bucknuts have been anything but flashy this season, with Terelle Pryor seemingly being held back a bit.  OSU fans have been criticizing Tressel quite a bit over the years because he's still playing smashmouth, grinding football without letting Pryor run wild as much as possible.  OSU can hope for a BCS bowl, but not the Rose Bowl (unless Wisconsin craps the bed).

Wisconsin
They beat Iowa and Ohio State.  That's impressive.  MSU's win against the Badgers looks that much more impressive late in the season.  They've got a relatively easy schedule remaining - Indiana, Michigan, and Northwestern - so they're hoping for Ohio State to win out, which would lead to a Badger trip to Pasadena

Iowa
So close to the elusive Rose Bowl...but can't quite get there.  Unless they beat OSU and Wisconsin and MSU both drop one, Iowa's best argument is Capital One Bowl.  They'll be ranked high, but once again the two-teams-per league rule is in effect.

Penn State/Illinois/Purdue/Northwestern
I lumped these 4 in together because they're in the same boat - three are at 6 wins with Illinois likely to get one more against Fresno State in the season finale.  They'll contend for a better bowl slot - the Capital One bowl and Outback will be taken, but there will be a giant clusterfuck to determine what team goes where.  If someone accurately guesses this week, you get 10 dollars from yours truly.

Minnesota
Flailing right now.  Head Coach fired, staff is likely not going to be around after the season.  Gophers don't have much hope to get another win so they're playing for dignity in their last two games.

Indiana
Gotta feel for the Hoosiers.  Ben Chappell is one of the best QB's in the Big Ten and they've got the best WR corps as well.  They have yet to win a Big Ten game, with 3 games slipping through their fingers.  Quite literally, in regards to the most recent game.  4th and 10 with the game on the line, a well-placed pass to the end zone was caught...but subsequently bobbled and dropped.  A catch would have certainly meant Indiana getting one of the biggest wins in recent memory, upsetting the Big Ten leading Hawkeyes.  They need two wins out of Purdue, Penn State, and Wisconsin to go bowling - doesn't look good.

There you have it.  Football 101 on Tuesday.  I'm going to summarize the ridiculous controversies and headlines from the season so far.  See you then!