saturday night observations
Kept getting confused watching other BIG games today when announcers said "Denard" and it was not UM out there. Turns out we will see Darqueze Dennard for MSU in two weeks, then Alphonzo Dennard for Nebraska in November. Heads up!
Loved how Herbie called Wisco out for their weak OOC schedule at the end of their game tonite, synching with board posts here earlier this week.
MSU always seems to somehow schedule their bye week before the Michigan game, eh?
GO BLUE!
October 1st, 2011 at 11:58 PM ^
Wisky looked absolutely juggernaut on offense vs. a strong Nebraska defense.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:34 AM ^
I would hold off on calling Nebraska a good defense. They have given up over 25 points in 3 of thier 5 games. Nebraska is a one dimentional team and thier defense gives up big plays!
October 2nd, 2011 at 1:25 AM ^
I really don't see anyone beating Wiscy. Russell Wilson is definitely "for real." Thanks to a loophole and an incredibly moronic move by the NCSU coach, Wiscy could end up with a BCS title game berth in what should have been a rebuilding year. It sorta sucks in a way, but it would be good for the B1G.
October 2nd, 2011 at 6:35 AM ^
October 2nd, 2011 at 10:24 AM ^
True, but without Wilson they are not capable of winning a national title. Without him, an LSU or Alabama would be able to shut down their run game.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:01 AM ^
I'm drunk and up up and away.
We kicked Goldy's sorry ass today, thanks again for the jug.
Neb blew chunks. N'Wstrn' d blew. Sparty O blew. Bring em on.
College football is a beautiful thing.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:06 AM ^
I like your style. No beating around the bush.
October 2nd, 2011 at 4:39 PM ^
Why is drunk mtlcarcajou not on Gameday? I know one more viewer they'd gain.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:08 AM ^
During the closing quarter of the Wisky game, I noticed the bottomline flash the score for UCLA - Stanford as UCLA 99, STAN 0, 8:36 1st. Error much?
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:48 AM ^
yea the ticker for ESPN was fucked up all night.. Said Matt Barkley set new USC record going 32-29 on his passes
October 2nd, 2011 at 11:55 AM ^
I would rather have that than listen to the B1G Network guys making frustratingly stupid comments.... (after Gibbons hits his 6th PAT) "Gibbons has accounted for 12 points today, going 6-6 on PATs and 3-3 on FGs!"
Everybody knows that adds up to 14 points...
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:10 AM ^
Second-tier Pac-12 football is really boring to watch.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:14 AM ^
My observation. Nebraska is vastly overrated. Big 12 was even more of a joke that made them look a juggernaunt. Welcome to the B1G my friends. It's not the cake walk you thought it was going to be. Next question. Will there actually be an offensive yard next week in the nebraska osu game? I feel like osu line is so bad that Nebraska could get 10 sacks but on the other hand osu defense should kill martinez. Might as well go all snow bowl and punt it like 1000 times like we did.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:18 AM ^
load the box, blitz, and laugh when OSU attempts to pass. On offense if Martinez doesn't throw three picks the Huskers will score enough points to win.
October 2nd, 2011 at 7:25 AM ^
Ohio gets their starting left tackle back this week. I don't know if this allows whoever started there the first five games to start at another position or not. If it does that's an upgrade at 40% of the Oline. They also get their best WR and RB back. They will be better on offense next week so I would hold off on any predicition of how Ohio will do against Nebraska.
Sparty finally plays them again and gets the Buckeyes shorthanded. The run of luck starts again.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:20 AM ^
I've been fighting that battle with my OU fan buddy for years. I have an entire Big 12 theory and it all revolves around very mediocre top 10 teams playing each other even though they really should be lucky to be in the top 25. Big 12 sucks and is always way overrated.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:35 AM ^
Um...these bow losses immediately come to mind:
Remember that 2005 Rose Bowl game where B1G champion Michigan played Texas and lost? How about the December 2005 Nebraska Alamo Bowl win over us? 1995, Texas A&M 22, Michigan 20...
Yeah. We also won a few gainst the Big 12 teams. But my point is that the Big 12 is a pretty strong conference.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:41 AM ^
True, but I do think the crappy BigXII teams would get destroyed most years by the crappy Big Ten teams. Despite the terrible returns this year, the Big Ten is usually a deeper conference than most and our trio of M/OSU/PSU would probably have good results against UNL/Texas/Oklahoma in a lot of years. With Nebraska gone that hurts them even more.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:54 AM ^
sort of an outlier: Young was good enough to lead UT to a W over a pro team.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:53 AM ^
You should expect the 3 seed from the big 12 to beat the 6 from the big 10. Sure the big 12 has stomped big 10 teams but bowl matchups are very rarely evenly ranked teams
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:15 AM ^
So who the hell cares now? The real test have started an Wisco looks like they're up to the task. So why does the OOC matter? If they run the big 10 and take the championship in Indy they'll play in the BCS and will Herbstreits comments about the OOC matter? Not in the least. It's not like ours was a beast so let's not throw stones.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:19 AM ^
His comment was in reference to their OOC hurting them vis a vis the BCS championship game. (And hurting the Big 10's perception because the best team doesn't play anyone OOC).
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:22 AM ^
It's not going to matter, it never does. When was the last time a big 10 champ (or any major conference for that matter) was held out of the BCS game because of their OOC. It's not an issue.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:34 AM ^
It will matter a great deal if both the SEC champ (LSU or Alabama) and Oklahoma stay undefeated. UW won't pass either of them. And if Georgia is East champ at 10-2 and Boise stays undefeated, I'm not sure UW passes Boise either. Badgers don't have a win in OOC to hang their hat on.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:49 AM ^
Let me know. Have you ever followed a college football season before. That was a horrendous hypothetical series of events. I'll put the odds at at least 3 Billion to one
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:53 AM ^
Name a game where LSU/Alabama and Oklahoma won't be favored. That seems to indicate that people think it's more likely that they win out than not. Starting behind those schools in the polls (partially due to their crappy OOC schedule) can definitely come back to bite them in the ass. Ask Boise every year, 2004 Auburn, ect.
October 2nd, 2011 at 2:29 AM ^
Not to be an ass, but that isn't how probability works. If a team has a 60% chance of winning each game - and it has at least two games left - then it is more likely than not to lose at least one game.
October 2nd, 2011 at 2:36 AM ^
I wasn't making a comment on the probability, I was saying that it's tough to find a loss as they're both favored in the rest of their games. They're more likely to win than lose in each individual contest from here on out.
I'd imagine that running a program doing probabilities would result in a >50% chance in running the table (for one of those two teams) before bowl season, because in a lot of those games they're probably favored at 75-80%, not something like 60%.
October 2nd, 2011 at 3:15 AM ^
75 percent chance of winning each game
<br>7 games left
<br>.75^7 = 13.3% chance of running the table
October 2nd, 2011 at 8:33 AM ^
assumes independence of events.
October 2nd, 2011 at 7:59 AM ^
but it is worth mentioning that Wisconsin's chances of passing an undefeated Oklahoma (preseason #1) and the SEC champ, no matter what Wisconsin's OOC was, would be slim to none.
With that said, I hope we have three undefeateds from BCS conferences and one gets shut out. It would be a another huge mark against the system that is in place.
October 2nd, 2011 at 4:19 PM ^
But still don't think we'll see 3 undefeated teams--4 1 loss teams is more likely
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:27 AM ^
Did any teams in other conferences take their already tough schedule from last year and then add the likes of a Nebraska to it? I'm all for having good teams play each other early but if nobody is going to do it, why should Big 10 teams sacrifice their potential BCS chances just to satisfy Herbie's hard on for a tough OOc schedule?
October 2nd, 2011 at 1:08 AM ^
No one else is doing it?
Oklahoma played at Florida State
LSU went to West VA and played Oregon in a neutral site game.
Alabama went to PSU.
Wisconsin hosted Oregon State. In addition, they have one team that's presently ranked on their remaining schedule.
October 2nd, 2011 at 1:29 AM ^
Bama--Penn St--unranked their other non con play=Kent St and North Texas
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<br>FSU--was most overrated team in the country and win will mean basically nothing. And they only play because of Stoops and put on the schedule when FSU was an unranked disintegrating program--other non con=Tulsa and Ball St.
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<br>LSU played northwestern St. In other noncon play.
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<br>LSU definitely has the most credentials and if they run the table they'll have the best case but Wisconsin rolled through a top 10 team in basically the same manner as all their "cupcake" noncon games. If you think they won't jump Boise, you're wrong. And if you think that OU, LSU and Bama will all run the table, you're also wrong
October 2nd, 2011 at 1:34 AM ^
- Nobody thinks LSU/Alabama will both go undefeated. One of them has to lose in November.
- What would be a "good" nonconference game? All of those teams are traditional powerhouses to some extent and most were ranked in the top ten.
- The SEC has had an undefeated team two years running, I would not be surprised at all to see them do it a third year in a row, plus Oklahoma has a good shot at remaining unbeaten.
October 2nd, 2011 at 8:04 AM ^
FSU was all hype. Big recruiting classes since Jimbo took over, but lacking serious results yet. Not to mention they are trying to break in a new QB.
WVU plays in the Big East enough said. We stomped the Big East Champs last year. Is it really that big of an accomplishment? I do give them credit for the Oregon win, but Dallas is as nuetral for that game as it will be for our game next year against Bama.
Penn St. still hasn't found a QB and are middle of the pack Big Ten at best.
October 2nd, 2011 at 1:16 AM ^
For the top three schools:
-LSU played Oregon and West Virginia (#3 and #16 respectively when they played)
-Oklahoma played #5 Florida St. in Tallahassee
-Alabama didn't play anyone particularly good, but they did play Penn St. at least.
Wisconsin scheduled only one BCS conference team with Oregon State (who looks like they are on their way to an 0-4 start)
[EDIT: wow. so i typed this up, and immediately after posting i saw Needs beat me to the punch with an startingly similar post]
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:18 AM ^
Bama, LSU, andf Homa aren't going anywhere and could still be at the top of the bcs even with a loss
Ohio is in for a world of hurt
Sparty aint so great
Wisconsin is going to win the leaders and Wilson could have a case for heisman
ND is a decent team, not only becasue their win but they beat a good Pit team last week
WMU is a very good mac team, beating uconn
October 2nd, 2011 at 2:18 AM ^
Homa? Do people really use that?
October 2nd, 2011 at 2:22 AM ^
I thought he was one of our 2012 recruits?
October 2nd, 2011 at 6:46 AM ^
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:18 AM ^
Washington and WSU are good. Michigan seems to be very good again. When was the last time all three were good in the same year? Did we get in a Delorian to 1992?
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:43 AM ^
1. Wisconsin is Dominant and is going to steam roll the B1G.
2. OSU is horrible on offense, still good on defense, and an average big 10 team.
3. Kirk Cousins needs an effective running game to be good with his passing, if not he really struggles. MSU's offense is extremely predictable. Run power. Run play action off power. Mattison should be able to game plan for them well. MSU will load the box and blitz Denard all day when we play them like they did to Miller. He must be able to pass efficiently in that game in order to win.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:47 AM ^
my grandparents had 8 sons. they named them all Jack except for Dave, they named him Paul.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:47 AM ^
That team has given up a large amount of yardage and points in their ooc games to teams not close to smelling the top 25. They're young and will be good, but they've got a lot of learning to do. You had to realize how inexperienced their secondary is.
That is not meant to take anything away from WI, however. Beilema has built a very good program, and with Wilson falling in his lap this year, they seem to have made a seamless transition to an even more potent offense, due in large part to probably having the best combination of RB, QB and WR they've had in recent memory. Wilson adds a dimension to the offense they've never had before. Bollinger was an effective runner and an effective passer, but Wilson is a great passer and a great runner and their year round trainining program of giant OLmen in regard to technique has made their assignements second nature and of a few occasions, even running man blocking, they simply pushed the Husker front 7 to the opposite side of the field of the ball carrier, leaving nothing but grass. He has taken WI fb up a notch, but Barry had better start going out of his way to get them some respectable games if they wish to participate in the biggest party of them all.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:49 AM ^
Observations:
Michigan is improving, and on its way to becoming Michigan again. I'm starting to believe that Brady Hoke will be a coach capable of molding championship teams.
I don't really care how strong or weak the B1G is, I only want to see Michigan win it, and/or at least make the title game.
What Barry Alvarez and Co. have built at Wisconsin is really an achievement. I date back to being in college in the days of Michigan 60-something to Wisconsin 7, blowouts. No one could have imagined such a perennial bottom-feeder becoming one of the toughest teams in the Big Ten, ever.
Does Michigan State suck offensively, or is OSU simply still a good defensive team?
October 2nd, 2011 at 1:24 AM ^
I think Hoke has changed the tide on the rivalry. Hell people in Ohio are starting to believe him. Never in a million years I would have thought that. Selling Michigan jerseys is a good start.
October 2nd, 2011 at 1:03 AM ^
Found out what I knew all along, Virginia Tech is overrated. That, and further confirmation that their fans (even though I go to the school, I'm not a fan) don't know shittttt about football. Who knew that losing most of the game meant 'dominating them the whole game and squeekint out a 23-7 win'?
October 2nd, 2011 at 1:18 AM ^
Knocked up is playing on USA right now...here is my plan for achieving happiness in life.
Phase 1: impregnate attractive woman.
Phase 2: incredibly sturdy relationship forms as a result of pregnancy.
Phase 3: Profit.