B1G Undefeated Today

Submitted by Marley Nowell on

B1G has two games tonight and both ended victoriously.  Minnesota did not look all that impressive (and barely threw to Maxxxx Williams) but they did eventually blow out their opponent.  

Rutgers looked much better than i expected.  Nova played pretty well and they look to have a legitimate player int RB Paul James.  They are typically the team to muff a punt late to lose a game, not capatalize on one which is a nice change for them.  Hopefully the B1G continues its unbeaten streak through Saturday.

stephenrjking

August 29th, 2014 at 1:58 AM ^

I think the Rutgers win tells us more about Washington State (hey, look, a Pac 12 team that opponents will look forward to playing!) than Rutgers, but it's still a very good win. Frankly, beating a major conference team on the road like that is almost always a good win, more so when a team is expected to struggle as much as Rutgers is.

Rutgers will still have trouble in the B1G season, but at least they know they can run the football; this can net them a couple of wins and they have a chance to be bowl eligible. Friedgen might be the guy to keep them competitive.

Gulogulo37

August 29th, 2014 at 2:30 AM ^

How good was Wazzou expected to be? I know they were picked low in the standings, but the Pac12 runs pretty deep. Just expected to be meh? Not good but also not Purdue?

LSAClassOf2000

August 29th, 2014 at 7:04 AM ^

The preseason projection from Massey, which is based on past data so take it as you will, would predict 6-6 for Washington State, which would probably make them a comfortable ninth or tenth in the whole of the Pac 12. It seems about right, if last night's performance is any indication, but as it is only one game, all the normal qualifiers apply - after all, Massey would have predicted a win for WSU last night too. 

MBloGlue

August 29th, 2014 at 2:35 AM ^

I find it interesting that many of my SEC friends actively root for the rest of the SEC during non-conference match-ups, even to the point of rooting for arch rivals. I don't see that as much among B1G fans. Unless they're playing ISIS, I have a hard time ever seeing myself root for Ohio.

Felix.M.Blue

August 29th, 2014 at 5:07 AM ^

I used to never root for any B10 school. 

I'm sick of hearing how bad the conf. is and how great the sec or any other conf. is so I've changed my stance a little. I would never root for ohio in anything. I rooted for msu in the B10 Champ. game last year. It made me sick but I did it.

Rage

August 29th, 2014 at 6:47 AM ^

When our conference wins against other major conferences, it makes us look better.  That could easily be the difference between going to a playoff game and not.  

Also, and I'd have to think about this for a while, I might hate the SEC as much/more than I hate Ohio State.  At least in the last 8 years.  

Rage

August 29th, 2014 at 7:39 AM ^

but look at our record vs. any decent team 2008.  

Ohio State 1 - 5

Michigan St. 1 - 5

Penn St  0 - 4

Iowa 1 - 4

SEC 0 - 2     (Florida being from 2007 season)

At least we had the Irish (6-2 since 2006).  My point being that it wasn't so much that OSU was great, it's that we just haven't been very good.

I sure hope this year is the year it finally turns around.  

 

alum96

August 29th, 2014 at 9:10 AM ^

I can't put my finger on it but I just dont feel any strong dislike for Iowa or PSU.  Maybe because Carr depanted Paterno almost every single game they faced off.  And Iowa is Iowa...hard to get emotional about them.  Maybe if you are a UM fan for 5-6 years you have a different viewpoint than me since all you know is failure against those programs.  Hayden Fry was actually one of my fav non UM coaches back in the day.

And if you live out of state - like many UM fans do, MSU is just another Big 10 team I guess no different than Minnesota.  If you live in state being around MSU fans is insufferable and OSU has owned us for over a decade now and I wont root for either - sorry.  Both teams recent national success in light of us sucking for so long also makes me not root for them. Kudos to those who do.

tmzenn

August 29th, 2014 at 12:28 PM ^

I am from Ohio, and I have always hated OSU. When it comes to MSU, maybe it is because I frequent these boards or because I have read some of the posts by MSU fans, but I can't stand MSU!

In addition,because the Big 10 has had such bad reputation, I try to root for Ohio and MSU when they are playing teams from other large conferences. However, I can't help but feel an extreme happiness watching them lose. 

maizenbluenc

August 29th, 2014 at 8:48 AM ^

where the SEC is just as much despised by ACC fans. Instead all we hear about is how awesome ACC basketball is.

Anyway the Big Ten has been a running joke since 2006. So beleaguered B1G fans get along - sort of. There are still smug Ohio fans - talking a good game about how important our rivalry is, but knowing they have the upper hand. And I take stuff from State fans, and a guy I know who went to Illinois. But in general we all root for the B1G, even when it is hard to.

bighouse22

August 29th, 2014 at 10:34 AM ^

A strong conference means opportunity!  It helps in national perception, which in turn helps in rankings.  Rankings and perception aid in the playoff selection and strength of schedule.  This is what aids MBB with seeding and number of teams in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Root against Conference rivals when we play them, but for them in every other case.  Beating an undefeated OSU or MSU is sweeter than beating a bad team.

The SEC has benefitted from the bias that they are the strongest conference for years.  SEC teams like South Carolina, Mississippi (which will collapse) are overranked to start the year.  This in effect artifically boosts up their SOS and higher season ending rankings.  It is a viscous cycle, but it works.

d_ronii

August 29th, 2014 at 6:05 AM ^

I was just thinking about the start time, I'm sure playing 10pm game on the west coast is pretty difficult on an east coast team. I hope we don't get that late of a start when we play at Utah next year.

Amutnal

August 29th, 2014 at 6:26 AM ^

Kinda OT for this thread...but after seeing Kenny Hill demolish Manziel's school record for passing yards and go 44-60 AT South Carolina as a sophomore starting his first game, if Shane Morris the real deal he should produce from game 1 next year. There have been so many fr and so QBs the last few years who have performed well, so why not expect that from Shane? The reason I bring this up is that people have posted that next year can't be "special" because it will be Shane's first year.b If not this year, next year WILL be special because I believe or at least foolishly hope everything will come together. This year could be great too if the OL is competent. That's all.

alum96

August 29th, 2014 at 6:53 AM ^

Yes I see a lot of "2015 will be great but we can't expect much from Shane in his first year".  Utter nonsense when you watch what is happening across college football.  Shane was a 5 star recruit much of his career and still a good 4 star who has been in the system 2 years.  If you are a fan base who thinks only sr QBs can succeed or QBs in their 2nd full year starting it means you have a bad coaching staff who doesnt prepare players.  And it means you are only allowing yourself to have a very successful season (which relies on a good QB) in a QBs 2nd and/or last year starting at school.  Utter crap and another sign of how expectations have been dragged down around here.  Shane will have so many friggin tools around him, an OL full of 4/5 stars, 4(!) RBs of 4/5 stars, a sickening array of WRs, an All Big 10 starting TE plus Bunting plus hell Clark plus depth guys. Along with one of the easiest schedules in CFB Big 5 in 2015.

 I don't want to hear "guys we cant expect much with Shane this year; I mean its only his first year."  It will be his 3rd year in the system and 2nd to last year of eligibility.  He doesnt have to be Kenny Hill but you can see how bad Big 10 QBs are versus the "system QBs" (if you want to call them that) of the SEC Big 12 and Pac 12.  It is a very low bar to be a successful Big 10 QB.  No reason he cannot be a top 4 QB in this league in year 1.  We have almost no NFL QBs in our league.

Maize and Blue…

August 29th, 2014 at 7:26 AM ^

sure doesn't make you an NFL QB either.  You may put up some gaudy stats in college but how far did that get the Florida "fun and gun" QBs or June Jones QBs from Hawaii or Case Keenum (at least he is still in the league) for that matter?  

All Hill's numbers did was make me wonder how good Manziel really is?  Reality is, Hoyer was servicable at MSU and is coming off of an injury.  He has never been a full time starter though he may have ended up that way last season if he hadn't gotten hurt.  With all the "Johnny Football" hype did you really expect him to get beat out by a guy who was never even a Big Ten all conference player yet alone a Heisman Trophy winner.

saveferris

August 29th, 2014 at 7:07 AM ^

Maybe we should wait to see how Kenny Hill performs over the course of a few games or a season before declaring that Shane Morris deserves no grace period when he takes the QB helm (probably) for Michigan next season.  If there's one thing you can say about young college quarterbacks, is they tend to be inconsistent.  See Drew Henson, Chad Henne, Tate Forcier, and Devin Gardner.

Hill's performance last night was impressive, but it wouldn't shock to see him have some outings that don't go so smoothly this season.  Manziel was a massive exception to the rule.

alum96

August 29th, 2014 at 8:47 AM ^

I am not saying Shane will even have 1 game like Kenny Hill last night.

  Nor need to have.  I am just saying I am already reading people saying we can't expect much out of Shane in his 3rd year in the system. RS FR and RS SO are doing well at QB across the country - yes with ups and downs.  As Shane will have.

A Chad Henne freshman type season is not asking for the moon from Shane Morris.  (25 TD, 12 INT, 60% completion) And Shane will be in year 3 of college football versus Chad's year 1 and will be an annointed starter starting Jan 1, 2015 unlike Chad who was thrown in a week before the season began without practice reps Shane will enjoy all next spring and fall.

Tate also started earlier in his career than Shane will.  Drew was not even focused on football half the time he was here.  Devin is probably the only comparable of that group in terms of years on campus.  And Shane won't be facing any world beaters non conf next year either - there is no Florida or Alabama or even Notre Dame to deal with.

 

Take away Hackenberg, Cook, and whoever Indiana throws out there and who is Shane competing with in the conference to be a top 4 QB?  There is not much out here - Tommy Armstrong? Jake Rudock?  The guys from Minnesota and Rutgers barely look like MAC QBs in terms of passing ability.  He will have more talent at skill positions around him than any QB in America other than maybe 3-4.

PhillipFulmersPants

August 29th, 2014 at 10:32 AM ^

is that Shane won't have to be All World next year for the team to be really really good.  Put me in the middling range of expectations for him.  Like you say, 3 years into college, he should have a good understanding of what's going on and it will be somewhat dissapointing if he isn't among the better QBs in the B10.  He may kill it. I hope he does.

But let's face it - most college quarterbacks don't kill it, highly rated or not.  And even fewer young, inexperience guys do pull off the kind of stuff Manziel, Taj Boyd, Mariotta types have early. Shane could easily end up a Jeff Driskel, David Ash or Phillip Sims as he could a Christian Hackenberg, There are a lot more guys in the former catergory.  

tbeindit

August 29th, 2014 at 6:31 AM ^

With the current state of the Big Ten, any non-conference wins are good (excluding MSU and OSU). Minnesota played a nobody and didn't look good, so that one doesn't mean much, but it got them a win toward bowl eligibility at least. The Rutgers win matters more. It wasn't huge, but a win is a win.

alum96

August 29th, 2014 at 6:58 AM ^

We'll be facing a similar team to WSU at home in a few weeks in Utah.   Unless we have Rutgers level talent we should show well.  If not it says a lot about the state of things. And I am one who is worried about Utah due to their ability to stand in with STanford in the trenches.

WSU beat a troubled USC by 3 last year, beat Rich Rod, and beat Utah.  Their other wins were against hapless Cal that OSU went to visit and destroyed to open 2013, and 2 non conf nobodies.  They got crushed by Stanford, Oregon, and ASU.  They are not a good squad but can score points with their gadget offense but yes we face a similar game a year from now in Utah. 

Blue in Time

August 29th, 2014 at 7:12 AM ^

Nice win for the conference, with Rutgers shocking a lot of people. Now we need Wisconsin to get the job done tomorrow and silence the SEC types, at least for the time being.



The trend toward playing tough opening games could pay real dividends for the B1G now.