For the incoming class of freshman, if they have not already reported to school for summer sessions, they will be there within a week or two. In that time they will get acclimated with the rigors of being a student and being to work out with their new teammates. So if you’ve been busy getting your freshman ready for school…here is what you missed in the past week.

What we’ve been working on:

We once again went out and got you another quality guest for the podcast. ESPN’s Bruce Feldman joined us last week to talk SEC and Pac 10 football. The podcast is pretty USC heavy, but when you are annually one of the best teams in the country, who has won 7 straight Pac Ten titles, and have one of the hottest starting quarterback battles going on…well you are going to hear about it. For you SEC fans, Bruce has some interesting thoughts on the SEC West, which should be a fun race to watch this year.

Just so you don’t think we are going to rest on our past accomplishments, Adam and I have another great guest lined up for a podcast which will be ready for your listening pleasure tomorrow morning. We feel bad that we have neglected the Big XII, so tomorrow you will hear Adam and I, along with The Wiz from The Wiz of Odds, discuss the Big XII. On paper it looks as if both the North and South could go down to the wire again when deciding who will play in the Big XII Championship game. Also, we’ll pick his brain about some National News.

Adam has continued to countdown his list of Top 50 Best Non-BCS Players. In his latest installment, Bryan Anderson, a wide receiver from Central Michigan is his choice at #34. Something tells me that Anderson will have a pretty big effect on another player that has yet to be named on this list.

Navy only returns 23% of last year’s offensive yards with potentially NFL bound players Shun White and Eric Kettani gone. Adam sits down and talks with Bobby Doyle about the endless barrage of questions he and the other Navy slotbacks are getting on how they are going to replace 77% of last year’s offense which has now graduated.

For the second year in a row the Big East Conference looks to be wide open. A lot of experts think it is going to come down between Pittsburgh and Rutgers, but neither are very solid under center. Brian talks about which players have the leg up to win the quarterback battles at both schools.

What we’ve been reading:

On a sad note, yesterday was the 3 year anniversary of Randy Walkers passing. Over at Lake The Post they are asking for a moment of silence to remember his passing.

He will go down in history for the murder that he did did not commit, and will be forever known as Nordberg in the Naked Gun movies; but before all of that he was a Heisman Trophy winner. Prolate Spheroid rehashes OJ’s career at USC.

Bruce Feldman picks the top 10 toughest non-conference schedule. A few teams that I mentioned made the list. But one team you won’t find on that list, who is Phil Steele’s #1 surprise team, the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Adam has talked about reviving a countdown he started last year where he picked the Top 10 potential upsets of a FCS team over a FBS team. Double T Nation has an early preview of the Red Raiders game against the North Dakota State Fighting Sioux. I am fairly certain this game will not make Adam’s list.

The Georgia Bulldogs suffered a heartbreaking and somewhat surprising upset loss to their rival Georgia Tech last year. Paul Westerdawg of the Georgia Sports Blog gives his thoughts on how to defend Tech’s option.

The Quad continues their countdown from 120 to 1. Yesterday they previewed the Navy Midshipmen at number 64.

Annually one of the best offensive line units in the country resides in the state of Oklahoma. The Crimson and Cream Machine previews this year’s crop of linemen for the Sooners.

NCAA Football 2010 comes out for video game consoles on July 14th. Over the Pylon has a sneak peak of Ball State’s Scheumann Stadium and Kentucky’s Commonwealth Stadium.

When Coach Wannstedt first arrived at Pitt, he was pulling in one good recruiting class after another, but after only going to one bowl game in his tenure, he finds himself still chasing a 82 year old man who is stealing recruits out of his own back yard. Recently, Wannstedt and the Panthers got a commitment from TJ Clemmings, a defensive tackle from New Jersey. But according to Zags Blog and Clemmings he did not commit.

Finally, I leave you with a sign of the Apocalypse. Evan Berry the younger brother of Tennessee safety Eric Berry has verbally committed to the Vols. Did I mention that Evan was 13 years old?

The Big East is one of two BCS conferences, where in my opinion, the race is so wide open that up to 4 teams could win the conference and find themselves playing in a BCS Bowl. However, two of those teams, Rutgers and Pittsburgh, have a little uncertainty as to who will be taking the snaps from under center this fall.

Pittsburgh Panthers:
Candidates: Bill Stull, Pat Bostick, & Tino Sunseri

I said this a few times last season, if the Pitt Panthers had a quarterback that was even average, they would have easily won the Big East. With the departure of LeSean McCoy, that need for their quarterback to produce became even greater.

Last year Bill Stull was the starter for the majority of the season, but his play was less than stellar throwing for 2300 yards but 9 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. So why not turn to Bostick? Well Bostick came in with a lot of fan fare, being ranked the #6 quarterback recruit in the 2007 class, but his lack of arm strength and mobility has kept him behind Stull. Bostick also has had trouble not turning the ball over; last year he throw 1 touchdown but had 4 interceptions.

The wild card in this scenario is redshirt freshman Tino Sunseri. Sunseri played locally at Pittsburgh Central Catholic and has a nice upside, but is he ready to be in the spotlight? This is a young qb that is solid in all aspects, will not make mistakes, but won’t exactly take the game on his shoulders and win games for you. This might be exactly the quarterback Pittsburgh needs for the future. I don’t expect Sunseri to win the starting job this fall, but if the Panthers begin a losing streak, the job might be given to him.

I feel that Stull will be the starter come the beginning of the season, however, one of the other two (Sunseri or Bostick) will get some reps.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights:
Candidates: Domenic Natale, Jabu Lovelace, D.C. Jefferson, & Tom Savage

Rutgers fans are really excited for true freshman Tom Savage, but they might have to wait another year for him to crack the starting lineup. Savage was at spring practice, but since he was still enrolled in High School, all he did was watch and attend film sessions. It will be very hard for any QB to unseat an upperclassman by just practicing in the fall.

Natale, a transfer from Michigan state battled Jefferson in spring practice, but neither were good enough to have head coach Greg Schiano come out and say that one was the starter. The other horse in this race, Lovelace, did not practice at all during the spring since he was healing from ankle surgery.

Schiano did state that Natale had the best spring and highlighted that since he did not turn the ball over in the spring game, he had a leg up over Jefferson who has a ton of athletic ability. With the uncertainty of Lovelace’s ankle, and the learning curve Savage needs to overcome, it could very well be Natale’s team to start the season.

Need your college football fix after a week off at the beach? No problem, we’ve got you covered - just as long as you promise to lend us you’re beach house for next weekend.

What we’ve been working on:

Matt Bracken of the Baltimore Sun joined us on the podcast on Thursday, filling us in on the state of recruiting in the Mid-Atlantic region. He let us know the teams and players to look out for as we head into the heart of camp and combine season, and even took some time to give us his outlook on the Maryland Terps heading into 2009. Brian and I also give him a rough time about Michigan at the end of the show, although Matt remains hopeful for a turnaround this year.

We continue our countdown of the Top 50 Best Non-BCS Players, taking a look at CMU defensive end Frank Zombo in our latest entry.

Army head coach Rich Ellerson told Adam that young people in this country are looking for a challenge, and that need to be tested will lead them to the banks of the Hudson and to Army. Adam would never question a coach like Ellerson, but openly wonders whether or not that need for a challange hasn’t led the vast majority of recruits to Annapolis, not West Point.

BRUCE FELDMAN joins the podcast this week to talk SEC and Pac-10 football, so do try to tune in if, you know, you’re into that sort of thing.

What we’ve been reading:

Phil Steele says Duke will be this year’s Vanderbilt.

Paul Myerberg of The Quad continues his season previews, reminding us why we tune into The Cosby Showon Nick at Nite by taking a solid and objective look at Temple.

Corn Nation looks at the strengths of the teams in the Big 12 North, making the case for why each member of the Division could win the title in 2009. Frankly, we’re in awe that writer Corn Blight could even come up with something for Iowa State.

Our good friend The Heisman Pundit is up to his yearly rankings, and he’s got the running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends covered in his most recent postings. Check the comment section for each of his rankings for our (and by ‘our’, we really mean Adam’s) thoughts.

T. Kyle King of Dawg Sports was seriously on ESPN radio. Like you know, as a guest. He rocks out in an interview right hyah. Careful though - once you actually listen to him speak you’ll find yourself trying to read his always insightful posts in a Georgia accent. Not recommended for Yankees like Brian and I.

Our friends at DraftDaddy.com sound off on their top senior tailbacks heading into 2009, with Kansas’ Jake Sharp making an appearance on the list. We like the inclusion of Sharp, who (as DD notes) is actually one of the fastest players in college football.

Our favorite misguided Notre Dame blogger (The Subway Domer) continues his crash course in introducing the college football world to the 36 Notre Dame players who he says will make an impact in 2009. His latest post spotlights RB/FB Robert Hughes and S Harrison Smith, although I could do without the photo of my good friend Ross Pospisil laying helplessly on the ground.

Jeremy from The Mountain West Conference Connection chimes in with a great post on what some are calling the “Riley Nelson Rule”, which could end up becoming an issue with the increasing number of LDS and Polynesian recruits we are seeing at the upper levels of the game.

And finally, the Wizard of Odds takes some time to “philosophize” on BCS conference teams and their hunger for cupcakes.

That’s all for now. Check back later today at ITB for the continuation of our Best of the Non-BCS Countdown!

There has been a lot of talk lately about how with the BCS, college programs are looking to go the easier route with their out of conference scheduling. Some teams claim that their conference schedule is hard enough and they just want to have a few cupcakes on their schedule, while other claim they need the 7 or 8 home games a year to fund the rest of their sports. I did a quick glance and found a few schools that should be proud of their scheduling.

In the Pac 10, a move was made a few years ago, once the 12th game was added, to play 9 conference games. Therefore, that leaves only 3 games on the out of conference slate to fill in. Both USC and Oregon filled them up with some quality opponents.

The Trojans have their yearly tilt at the end of the year against Notre Dame, who many thing will be top 10 material this year. Including the Domers, the Trojans also travel to Columbus to play Ohio State. Their final OOC game is San Jose State, which is not a tough game for them, but after playing two (potential) top 10 teams, I can let this one slide.

Oregon opens up the season traveling to the blue turf at Boise State and has other out of conference games with Utah and Purdue. I have to give the Ducks credit because those are three quality schools. Purdue will be a bit down this year but the games at Boise State and against Utah are better than the majority of the teams that can schedule 4 OOC games.

If you listened to the Phil Steele interview we had on Monday, you’ll remember how he mentioned that BYU controls their own destiny when it comes to making the BCS Championship game. You heard it right, not just a BCS Bowl, but the BCS Championship game. They open the season versus Oklahoma, and have Florida State later in the year. Those are two quality programs to go along with an increasingly tougher Mountain West and you have a difficult schedule for the Cougars.

Sticking in the Non-BCS conference, the Bulldogs of Fresno State once again loaded up their out of conference scheduling. If you remember last year they played both Rutgers and Wisconsin in back to back weeks. This year they play Wisconsin, Cincinnati (defending Big East champions), and Illinois all on the road. I won’t get on them too much for scheduling UC Davis because of what they have to face in the other 3 games.

Remember last year when there was a big deal made about Georgia finally leaving the south to play an out of conference game against Arizona State? Well hold on to your hats, the Dawgs are going west again to play the Oklahoma State Cowboys. It should be interesting to see how the Dawgs can handle the Cowboys’ high scoring offense. Besides the Cowboys, Georgia has a return game against Arizona State at home and travels to play Georgia Tech in their yearly rivalry match. With those three games, I give them a free pass (much like with Fresno State) in playing Tennessee Tech.

Finally we come to the Hokies of Virginia Tech who are no strangers to scheduling tough out of conference opponents. A few years ago they opened up with USC in our Nation’s Capital, this year they have a neutral site game against Alabama. I am really looking forward to this game. Alabama will have some holes to fill but Nick Saban has had some great recruiting classes, and Virginia Tech is clamoring to be the favorite in the ACC. A win here by the Hokies would do wonders for the ACC’s image. The Hokies also have a home game against Nebraska, who many think is the favorite in the Big 12 North, and take a trip to play East Carolina who surprised them last year. I’m sure that loss to the Pirates last year will not be forgotten when that game comes around.

As college football fans we’d love to see more games and schedules like the ones I mentioned above. For the most part, a lot of these schedules are made 6 or 7 years in advance, and that’s plenty of time for teams that were once good to go south and stink. But having said that, you never know what games or teams will come up to bite you. Who thought last year that East Carolina would beat both West Virginia and Virginia Tech? Just because it doesn’t look good on paper, does not mean it won’t be a quality game.

It’s a bright and sunny Saturday here in central Maryland. By all accounts I should be outside cutting the grass or grilling up some thick cut of red meat while blaring a Kenny Chesney song in the background. But I’m not doing any of those things.

In fact, I’m currently in a dimly lit room of my basement staring back and forth between my computer screen and a much too difficult to read, will-surely-destroy-my-eyesite-by-the-time-I’m-30 magazine page informing me about the correlation between yards per point and offensive success.

It can only mean one thing.

That’s right college football fans. Call it Christmas in May, because today Phil Steele Magazine arrived in good old West Friendship, Maryland. Needless to say, this makes Adam a very happy young man.

Brian and I will of course have much more in lead-up to our interview with Phil Steele next week (to be posted here at the ITB website and on Itunes on Monday, June 8^th), but for now I thought I’d drop some initial first impressions. Your ridiculously obsessive and personal questions are of course welcomed to these otherwise random notes. Enjoy!

• Texas and Florida in the National Title. I know: Phil really went out on a limb here, didn’t he?
• Notre Dame is Phil’s pick to make it to the Gator Bowl, to face off against Clemson (!?!)
• Bradford, Tebow, and McCoy are Phil’s top three quarterbacks. CMU’s Dan LeFevour, Ole Miss’ Jevan Snead, Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick, and (here’s the shocker) Arkansas’ Ryan Mallet round out the top seven.
• For the first time in which I can ever remember, Phil has included FCS players in his player rankings.
• Phil’s Conference Rankings based on last year (in descending order): SEC, Big 12, Pac-10, MWC, ACC, Big 10, Big East, CUSA, IND, WAC, MAC, Sun Belt.
• Phil says Illinois will be the most improved team in the country this year.
• Surprise Team Top Five: 1) Penn State 2) Rutgers 3) Cal 4) Notre Dame 5) Illinois.
• Preseason Top 10 you ask? Here we go: 1) Florida 2) Texas 3) USC 4) Oklahoma 5) Penn State 6) Mississippi 7) Notre Dame 8 ) Alabama 9) Cal 10) Ohio State.
• Phil likes BYU to win the MWC, UTEP and Southern Miss in CUSA, Boise in the WAC (seven of his nine power rankings call for Boise to go undefeated), CMU and Ohio in the MAC, and Troy in the Sun Belt.
• Florida has Phil’s highest +/- rating at 140.00. NMSU has his lowest at 90.80.
• Phil has revised his experienced charts. Army and Navy and Air Force are no longer at the top on a yearly basis. This year’s most experienced team is Minnesota. Missouri is his least experienced team.
• From the Turnover=Turnaround charts. Oklahoma, Florida, Buffalo, Wake, and Ohio State “going down?”. Washington St, Wyoming, Washington, North Texas, and Army “going up?”
• Same two girls as always modeling bikinis. How old are those ads?
• Lettermen Returning Indicator: Toldeo, UAB, and Stanford have an 89% chance of improved record. Navy, Missouri, and South Carolina have 82% chance of weaker or the same record.
• Phil picks Georgia Tech to outrush Navy in 2009. Dammit.
• Phil likes Tebow for the Heisman.

I need oxygen. Keep those questions coming!

For some of you who were wondering, and also for those of you who weren’t, yes I am still alive. Thanks to Adam for dropping in his 2 cents here and there along the way while I recover from real life duties and real life injuries that included a separated shoulder. It’s hell turning 30. Speaking of injuries, I’d like to wish Spencer Hall from EDSBS a quick and speedy recovery as he hurt his back from a pull up accident. No word on if those pull ups were in attempt of actual exercise or to get the last beer off the top shelf.

Special thanks to Dr. Montgomery for taking good care of me!

Getting to the world of college football; as Adam mentioned, the bible of college football otherwise known as Phil Steele’s College Football Preview will be out in stores on June 9th. If you have never heard of Phil Steele, you must live under a rock because his magazine is THE BEST preview magazine and it is a must have for all statistical junkies like myself. Nothing is confirmed yet but hopefully we will have Mr. Steele joining us on a podcast in the near future.

Speaking of Adam, be sure to head over to GoMids to check out some of his latest work. Yesterday he got to talk to Navy’s defensive coordinator Buddy Green and the turnaround in his defense from the 2007 season to the 2008 season.

In the news of transfer quarterbacks not named Greg Paulus, our friends over at Boiled Sports have posted that former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Robert Marve will choose the Boilers over Tennessee. Joel at Rocky Top Talk is not as confident that Marve will pick the Vols, but he is not ready to throw in the towel just yet. The official announcement will come this Friday.

The College Football Cafeteria has an interesting piece about my favorite college football coach, Joe Paterno. Recently Paterno went on record saying that the Big Ten needs to get a 12th team in order to have a conference championship game and stay relevant in the voters minds later in the season. Yes this is all true, but I really believe the Big Ten brass is still holding onto a pipe dream that Notre Dame will some day join the conference, and with the new deal that they just signed with NBC a year ago, I do not see that happening anytime soon.

On second thought his release is a bit wide

Other schools such as Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Rutgers were also bounced around. You all know how I feel about the Big Ten, but when you look at Big East basketball, really only the ACC rivals it. I cannot see either Pittsburgh or Syracuse leaving the Big East since they are such strong basketball schools to move to the Big Ten. Rutgers might be a good idea if they are looking for a team, but does the Big Ten, which still is having trouble accepting Penn State because of their Eastern Ties, want to bring in a school that is even further east? I really think not.

The Heisman Pundit is back writing again and I could not help but get a chuckle from his new one where he discusses how Tim Tebow is working on his throwing motion for the NFL. Here is probably THE best player of the past two seasons messing with his throwing motion. Why fix what isn’t broke? I can’t exactly see Urban Meyer jumping up and down at the possibility of Tebow starting the season trying the work out the new kinks of throwing the ball differently.

Finally it is never too early for Preseason Polls right? Well, yes it is too early, but they are fun to debate. Mark Schlabach over at ESPN puts out his 3rd version (to date) of the 2009 Preseason Poll. I do have a few critiques…in my opinion, no Big Ten team should be ranked in the top 10. They ALL have way too many holes to fill. My other gripe is with Virgina Tech, why all the love for Tyrod Taylor? I just don’t see it and I do not see the Hokies finishing higher than 15th this year.

Sports Illustrated’s Cory McCartney recently revealed his list of “players poised to become college football’s next household names.” Nice list Cory, but you weren’t exactly going out on a limb in selecting guys like Baylor’s Robert Griffin or Michigan’s Brandon Minor now, were you? Here’s a few more under-the-radar names (and some familiar faces too) to add to the ridiculously early preseason hype list.  

QB Ricky Dobbs, Navy- Ask any Navy fan and they’ll tell you there is just something special about the junior-to-be quarterback. While maybe not the most technically sounds Navy quarterback to command the option offense in recent years, Dobbs shined in the few opportunities he had to play in 2008, sparking Navy’s unthinkable comeback against Temple while powering the Mids past SMU and Northern Illinois. He’s a physical runner inside who isn’t afraid to take on linebackers, while his arm strength and accuracy in the passing game give Navy’s run heavy offense another dimension. If he can continue his progress in learning the option reads he should be in for a monster year in 2009.

RB Joe Martinek, Rutgers- It may be all too easy for some fans and media members to stereotype the 6-foot, 215-pound redshirt sophomore as your run-of-the-mill ‘fullback’, but New Jersey’s all-time leader in prep rushing yards was among the leaders that sparked the Scarlet Knight resurgence during the second half of last season. Not just a bruiser, Martinek averaged 5.3 yards per rush in limited duty last season, and recently ran for 124 yards on just 18 carries in a Rutgers spring scrimmage. He’s the most complete rusher on the Scarlet Knight roster and despite the likelihood of having the split carries with two other backs should earn the starting job come September.

WRs David Nelson/Riley Cooper, Florida- On a team known for a battering ram quarterback and the dangerous presence of a bunch of shifty “little guys” who allegedly run in the 4.2 range, it’s not hard to see why the 6′5” David Nelson and the 6′3” Riley Cooper are often overshadowed when one begins a conversation of the Gator offense. But don’t overlook either of these receivers, as both return for their senior seasons in 2009. Nelson and Cooper combined for just 30 catches a year ago, but the two seniors also sported eight touchdown grabs between them. With Tim Tebow looking to refine his passing game and Percy Harvin moving on to the NFL expect Urban Meyer’s offense to look more to their senior leaders on the outside next season.

RB Jewell Hampton, Iowa- Replacing Shonne Greene is not going to be easy, but the Hawkeyes do have a proven role-player from last year’s squad ready to step in full-time in sophomore running back Jewell Hampton. While undersized at only five-foot, nine inches tall, Hampton runs with deceptive lower body strength and a tremendous burst which make him difficult for defenders to tackle. He finished last year with seven rushing touchdowns in limited duty, and should be the go-to playmaker for the Iowa offense next year.

FS Harrison Smith, Notre Dame- Let’s just get this out of the way; Harrison ‘Hayseed’ Smith was good as a “hybrid” defender in Notre Dame’s defense last year, but this guy is way too athletic to just be a situational player. The fact that he recorded 57 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and seven passes defended was certainly impressive given the fact that he wasn’t playing his natural safety position, making this year’s move to free safety all the more conducive to his continued success. He should have no trouble reminding Irish fans of a bigger and more athletic version of former Domer standout Tom Zbikowski.

WR McKay Jacobson, BYU- Perhaps as if to follow in the footsteps of another impact receiver at BYU who took his two year mission trip for the LDS church following a fantastic freshmen campaign, Jacobson returns to Provo this season just as Austin Collie departs for the NFL. BYU already has an All-American tight end candidate in Dennis Pitta, a fact which should allow the 5′11” Jacobson (who is among the fastest players on BYU’s roster) to flourish as an immediate weapon for returning quarterback Max Hall. Jacobson averaged 19.5 yards a catch as a freshmen in 2006, and despite coming off of his mission trip should be poised to put up big numbers in 2009.

LB Malcolm Smith, USC- The Trojans lose arguably one of the best linebacking corps in Pac-10 history with the departures of Brian Cushing, Ray Mauluaga, and Clay Matthews, but a new generation of USC linebackers looks primed to step up. A former running back, Smith should fill in nicely as the weakside ‘backer in USC’s defense, as the 6′2” junior possesses outstanding athleticism and lateral quickness which make him a playmaker against the run and the pass. He has been the most noticeable standout thus far for USC’s defense in spring ball, and should continue his success into the season. 

QB Andy Schmitt, Eastern Michigan- The Eagle signal caller has been one of the MAC’s best kept secrets for some time, but despite going into his senior season in 2009 has never garnered much attention outside of Ypsilanti. That all should change come September, as Schmitt returns fully healthy to lead new head coach Ron English’s EMU offense. Schmitt is an elite athlete for his size and one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the ranks of the non-BCS, and could be the difference between another losing season and a breakthrough campaign for the Eagles.

QB Bo Levi Mitchell, SMU- It’s not easy coming into an FBS school and starting at quarterback as a true freshmen, which is exactly what June Jones’ rookie signal caller found out last year in the Mustangs’ disastrous 1-11 campaign. Despite his struggles Mitchell still completed 56% of his passes for over 3000 yards a season ago, and with receivers Alderick Robinson and Emmanuel Sanders back in 2009 Mithcell should only get better. With a season of June Jones’ run-and-shoot system under their belts expect Mitchell and the Mustang offense to put up Hawaii like numbers in 2009.

WR Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M- The Big 12 South loses its most high profile target in Michael Crabtree to the NFL, but look for another physical and athletically gifted wideout to step out of the Lone Star state in A&M’s Fuller. He was a Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection as a true freshmen a season ago, and set an Aggie receiving record with nine touchdowns on the year. At 6′4” he has the frame to be an elite red zone threat, while the continued progression of quarterback Jerrod Johnson under Mike Sherman’s guidance should lead Fuller to an even better sophomore season.

The 2008 season was one that many Wolverine fans want to forget. The start of the year was very promising, when Michigan defeated Florida in the Capital One Bowl, sending their head coach Lloyd Carr out as a winner. But after that moment, everything snowballed downhill.

Rich Rodriquez came into Ann Arbor, as well as the baggage from a turmoil filled divorce with his former school, and alma mater, West Virginia. Rodriquez began making enemies not only at other schools, but also his own as he completely changed the offense and defense.

All of that could be brushed aside with a few wins, but the Wolverines started the season with a home loss to Utah. Next week was a bit better with a win over Miami (OH), but that was 1 of 3 total wins that the Wolverine fans would see. Overall, Michigan went 3-9 and in the middle part of the season rode a 5 game losing streak. It was all capped off with another loss to their rival Ohio State, in embarrassing fashion, and Rodriquez’s comments that Michigan fans need to “Get a Life”.

Now enter into the 2009 season where hope is aplenty. Another recruiting class under the belt of Rodriquez, and two new quarterbacks come into Ann Arbor ready to revitalize this program. Both freshman, Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson, are ready to do battle for the starting quarterback job in 2009. With Steven Threet gone the way of a transfer andNick Sheridan out injured; it will be either Forcier or Robinson under center when the season starts in September.

Michigan had their spring game recently and one would have to think that Forcier has the upper hand; only because he has a spring practice under his belt and Robinson will not be enrolled till this summer. Word from the spring game shows a lot of optimism about the offense, but does that say much for a team that was anemic at best last season.

I can understand the excitement that Wolverine fans are having, but they have to be realistic. They did not exactly have the best offensive line nor defense last year. And if they expect to have a running quarterback, they better hope that Forcier and Robinson are durable enough to take the physical abuse that they will get in the Big Ten.

Saying that I expect the Wolverines to go bowling again this season. With the way the Big Ten is shaping up, no team is a clear cut favorite and a lot of the top teams have huge holes to fill, I think that a 6 or 7 win season is within reach for Michigan this season, but not a Big Ten title.

Even with the impending cold front which could bring snow threatens the northeast, it isn’t enough to damper my excitement of the spring games that happened this weekend. For the most part the the majority of the teams have their games in the latter part of the month, but we were able to get a glimpse of at least 1 team that could have title implications in their game this past weekend.

Spring is in the air

The Texas Longhorns concluded their spring practice with an offense vs defense scrimmage. It wasn’t too long ago that Mack Brown and the rest of his staff were coming into the 2008 season worried about their secondary. Well in their scrimmage Sunday, it was their secondary that played the best.

Earl Thomas and Nolan Brewster each had a pick; and Thomas took his to the house. Colt McCoy didn’t have his best game, but Mack Brown doesn’t feel the need to worry. McCoy went 11-of-24 for 95 yards. The folks over at Barking Carnival have a nice recap of the Longhorns’ spring game highlighting both the offense and the defense.

Most of the news on the Florida State Seminoles has not been good. Just a few weeks ago the NCAA came down on sanctions against the school which included stripping them of 14 wins and losing some scholarships.

Coach Bowden was hoping that the players put that behind them to have a successful spring. In their scrimmage he was really impressed with the work of the defensive secondary. During most of the spring the offense had the upper hand, but it was the defense who forced 5 turnovers on fumbles and won the scrimmage 39-27 in front of 36,000 people.

Ty Jones who has had a good spring, did not have a good spring game fumbling the ball four times. Unfortunately the bad news for Florida State did not end there; wide receiver Rod Owens was arrested after the game and charged with driving under the influence.

Moving out west, the Air Force Falcons had their spring scrimmage, and even after it coach Troy Calhoun is still not sure who will be his starting quarterback. Tim Jefferson, who started last year as a freshman and fellow classmate Asher Clark will both head into the fall fighting for the job.

Can Griffin turn Baylor around?

The reason behind Calhoun’s indecision is that neither quarterback had enough practice time to get fully evaluated. Jefferson only participated in 5 practices due to academics and Clark had a knee injury that required surgery. Calhoun was force to go with untested junior-to-be Ben Cochran and sophomore-to-be Connor Dietz for most of the spring.

If you watched any of the TCU Horned Frogs last year, you could not help but to come away impressed with their defense. Even with some holes left due to graduation, the Horned Frogs still look impressive on that side of the ball. In their spring game, they only allowed the offense to score on one occasion, and coach Gary Patterson came away with a feeling of ease that his defense could be back to its 2008 form.

Linebacker Tanner Brock, who had 625 tackles in high school impressed everyone in his first scrimmage. Brock ran with second-team defense Saturday after earning reps with the first-team ‘D’ during spring practice.

If I were to guess, I think Baylor’s time as being the Big 12 whipping boy is coming to an end. Quarterback Robert Griffin is developing into a star, and he took one more step towards stardom in the Bears’ spring game.

Griffin completed 19-of-25 passes for 310 yards, with touchdown passes of 60, 35 and 43 yards to three different receivers. He also ran for 41 yards and a touchdown. Griffin wasn’t the only star as running back Jarred Salubi had a nice day gaining 40 yards on 12 carries.

At Arizona, head coach Mike Stoops decided to do things differently this year. He allowed two of his captains to have a draft and pick the teams for this year’s spring game. Most of the concern for the Wildcats is; who will replace Willie Tuitama. Tuitama left the school as the career leader in passes, attempts, yards and touchdowns, and capped his career by leading the Wildcats to a 31-21 victory over BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl in December.

The two candidates in line to replace him are Sophomore Matt Scott who completed 11 of 20 passes for 206 yards with one interception. Scott was the backup to Tuitama last season. Nick Foles is the other guy. Foles is a sophomore transfer from Michigan State, led the Blue team going 16-for-24 for 183 yards with no picks.

It was Nick Scott who got the last laugh as he completed a touchdown pass on the last play to lead his team, the White Team, to a 23-21 victory. Stoops likes what he sees from both Scott and Foles but is not ready to name a starter yet. He even went as far as saying he would ponder the idea of rotating them during the season until one stood out.

What does Ron Zook do with Juice Williams?

Juice Williams is a great talent at quarterback for the Illini, but he just can’t seem to take that step to elite status. In his sophomore year he was so inconsistent that Ron Zook actually pulled him in some games in favor of Eddie McGee. It was the same year that Illinois played in the Rose Bowl.

Last season Williams kept a firm grasp on the starting job, but could not duplicate the success that the team had in 2007. Williams has always been a dual threat both with his arm and feet, but he is best served when Zook does not have to rely on him throwing the ball to win the game.

Juice is very erratic with his pass accuracy and in 10 games where he has attempted 30 or more passes, the Illni’s record is an eye popping 1-9. I don’t think that it is the attempts that are hurting him, it is the scheme. Zook needs to roll out Williams so he has that pass-run option. Keep the patterns short and simple, and you will see the Illinois offense succeed.

Is there hope for Michigan fans this year?

Anything has to be better for Wolverine fans who saw their team go 3-9 and miss a bowl game for the first time in 34 seasons. Most of the fans I talk to have high hopes for incoming freshman quarterback Tate Forcier. All I say to them is that I hope he is made of steel.

With Steven Threet transferring and Nick Sheridan suffering a leg injury in spring practice, Forcier is now the #1 quarterback by default. In the fall he will be joined by fellow true freshman Denard Robinson, but it seems for now that it is Tate’s job to lose.

It is going to take a few years for Rich Rodriquez to get his players in place for his system, but will the Michigan faithful wait that long. Defensively they should get a little better, but that is not enough in my opinion. They are very green at the skilled positions on offense, and their offensive line isn’t exactly stellar. Luckily for the Wolverines, the Big Ten will be down a little this year so they should be able to win more than 3 games this year.

Can Purdue and Wisconsin rebound from disappointing 2008 seasons?

Last year many thought that the Wisconsin Badgers were one of the sleeper teams that could rise up and win the Big Ten. Well we found out that you cannot win the Big Ten without a defense and a quarterback, and now with PJ Hill Jr gone, you can add running back to that list.

The Badgers were once a team with a strong offensive line and a solid, but not spectacular quarterback. They come into this year with the same questions (as last year) at quarterback, will it be Dustin Sherer? Can John Clay be an every down back now that Hill is gone?

The Badgers have a VERY young offensive line with a lot of inexperience, which doesn’t bode well for developing quarterbacks. I expect a lot of the same struggles for the Badgers as last year; as well as a middle of the pack Big Ten finish.

Purdue didn’t have quite the same high expectations, but having Curtis Painter come back for his senior season was suppose to solidify their offense. But in Joe Tiller’s last season, Painter went on to have a very lack luster senior season, and now it is up to Joey Elliott and Justin Siller to duke it out for for the starting job.

Also gone is running back Kory Sheets but hopefully replacing him is senior Jaycen Taylor who has some experience for the Boilermakers. Taylor missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in preseason practice.

Besides the defensive ends and secondary, the Boilermakers are going to have a new look come 2009, that includes the head coach Danny Hope. Unfortunately for Purdue fans, this program will take a few more steps back before it breaks into the upper half of the Big Ten.

Will Ohio State be able to reload enough to go to its 5th straight BCS Bowl game, and 7th in 8 years?

Yeah you read that correct, Ohio State has gone to a BCS Bowl game 6 times out of the last 7 years, a feat that is pretty impressive if you ask me. Coming into 2009, however, they have to replace a lot of fire power on offense; as well as most of their offensive line, secondary, and linebackers.

Their quarterback situation with Terrelle Pryor, is locked up for the next two years at least, but Beanie Wells is gone…and so are Brian Robiskie and Hartline. Potentially it could be a problem in Pryor’s development if he doesn’t find receivers to throw to, and expect him to take more of the load running the ball also.

What the Buckeyes’ have going for them is their stellar recruiting. They have been in the top 10 each of the past few years, and Coach Tressel made a point last year to go out and recruit a ton of stud linemen. It’ll be up to him and his staff to quickly develop this talent to become a Big Ten contender.

The beginning of the season could be a little rocky; particularly the USC game, but with the way the Big Ten looks to be shaping up in 2009, there is no reason why the Buckeyes can’t finish on top of the Big Ten or even high enough in the BCS Standings to warrant another BCS Bowl invite.

Does the Big Ten have any legitimate National Title contenders this season?

For those who read the blog regularly, you know I am a Big Ten fan…so it might mean a little more when I answer this question with an emphatic NO!

Due to the fact that the Big Ten has taken some huge public relation hits the past 3 seasons, for any team in this conference to go to the BCS Title game, they would have to be undefeated. Right now, I cannot say that any team in this conference is completely enough on both sides of the bowl to go through the season unscathed.

I’ve talked about Ohio State’s issues; last year’s champion Penn State will be replacing 3 wide receivers, 4 offensive linemen, most of their secondary, and two All-American defensive ends. Michigan is 2 to 3 years away from contending, Minnesota has too many questions on defense, Michigan State has too many questions on offense (replacing Hoyer and Ringer), and Iowa doesn’t have the consistency at quarterback.

I expect another year of the pundits making fun of the Big Ten for not being elite anymore. Meanwhile it might be best for the conference to only get 1 team in the BCS Bowls. That way they match up better down the line and restore some of the image they lost.

2009 is going to be an interesting season in the Big Ten. I expect the champion to have at least 2 conference losses, and it could be a year where a Minnesota or Michigan State finally break through and win the Big Ten. For their sake, however, they better hope USC is in the BCS Title game.

Big Ten Spring Game Dates
Illinois (April 25)
Indiana (April 18)
Iowa (April 18)
Michigan (April 11)
Michigan State (April 25)
Minnesota (April 25)
Northwestern (April 25)
Ohio State (April 25)
Penn State (April 25)
Purdue (April 18)
Wisconsin (April 18)