Posts Tagged ‘Michigan State’
The Big Ten’s 2012 Non-Conference Schedule
By Paul Myerberg // Feb 22, 2012
After looking at the non-conference schedules found in the SEC, let’s turn our attention to the Big Ten, where every school but one, Nebraska, has filled out its dance card for the coming season. The Cornhuskers are close: three games down, one to go. And considering how Nebraska’s scheduled trio of games look, there’s little doubt that the program will look to fill that open date with the easiest, most cupcake-like opponent available on that particular Saturday — that would be Sept. 22, by the way, if you’re a lower-level program looking to plop a six-figure check in the school coffers. And the F.C.S. is certainly in the conversation: Nebraska has played one such school in each of the last two years after not doing so from 2007-9.
Tags: Big Ten, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, MAC, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, SEC, Wisconsin
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All’s Fair in Love, War and Recruiting
By Paul Myerberg // Feb 3, 2012
Forget about the fact that Urban Meyer has only been at Ohio State for two months, because it doesn’t matter. Ignore the fact that he’s still seven months away from actually leading the Buckeyes onto the field in a game that counts, because it doesn’t mean a thing. Meyer may be new in town, but that hasn’t stopped him from climbing into the head of nearly every coach in the Big Ten, thanks to a national signing day haul that left all but Michigan’s Brady Hoke in the dust. It’s Hoke, after all, who went toe-to-toe with Ohio State’s newly-minted recruiting giant and more than held his own; it’s also Hoke, reached for comment yesterday, who told an Ohio television station that recruits who have given another program their verbal commitment are still fair game.
Tags: Brady Hoke, Bret Bielema, Mark Dantonio, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Recruiting, Urban Meyer, Wisconsin
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P.S.R. 1-120: Final Re-Ranking
By Paul Myerberg // Jan 11, 2012
With the season in the books, here’s a look at how the country ranks — using the original rankings as the starting point, with the year’s results as rationale for any movement. The top 25 teams land a one-sentence breakdown. The rest? Not so much. Part of the perks of being one of the best. Think your team is too low? Feel another team deserves more credit, less credit? Let’s hear it below. It’s a delicate ranking process, but with the year completely in the books, this is as good as it’s going to get.
Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Boise State, Georgia Tech, Iowa, L.S.U., Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Stanford, Texas, U.S.C., West Virginia, Western Kentucky
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Bowl Travesties, from V.T. to W.K.U.
By Paul Myerberg // Dec 5, 2011
The Hokies should have been given one easy path to the B.C.S.: defeat Clemson, go to the Orange Bowl. A two-loss Virginia Tech team that beat East Carolina by a touchdown and Duke by four points should not be part of the B.C.S. bowl slate. In addition, the nation’s second-weakest B.C.S. conference should not be sending two teams to B.C.S. play. In selecting Virginia Tech, the B.C.S. selection committees passed over four teams, Boise State and Kansas State, ranked in the top 10 of the final B.C.S. standings. The Hokies were ranked 11th.
Tags: Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State, Oklahoma, T.C.U., Urban Meyer, Virginia Tech, Western Kentucky
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Wisconsin Bounces Back From October
By Paul Myerberg // Dec 3, 2011
Like all great teams, Wisconsin rebounded from a midseason stumble by playing football as if nothing had gone wrong. This ability to withstand adversity stems from two of Wisconsin’s most advantageous traits: one, the Badgers are good as any team in the country; and two, the Badgers know they’re as good as any team in the country. Call it cockiness, though that’s likely going a step too far. It’s confidence, not cockiness, and it’s the sort of well-deserved and well-earned confidence that comes with the knowledge that as good as they were in 2010, the Badgers are even better in 2011.
Tags: Bret Bielema, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin
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My 2011 Defensive All-American Ballot
By Paul Myerberg // Nov 15, 2011
Picking all-American teams isn’t easy, believe it or not. You only have so many slots to fill: 11 starters on a defense, 11 players you can pick. So it’s only natural that a player or two — or three, or four — fall by the wayside, and for every 11 players you pick for your team it’s only natural that there are at least another 11 players worthy of heavy consideration. There is no second-team on a voters’ ballot; just 11 guys, and pick ‘em as you see ‘em. I filled out the defensive half of my all-American ballot yesterday — three days late for the deadline, so it may not even count. Here are the picks:
Tags: Alabama, Bacarri Rambo, Boston College, Devon Still, Dont'a Hightower, Dre Kirkpatrick, Frank Alexander, Georgia, Illinois, Jerel Worthy, L.S.U., Lavonte David, Luke Kuechly, Mark Barron, Michigan State, Nagurski Award, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tyrann Mathieu, Whitney Mercilus
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As if Picking the Teams Isn’t Hard Enough
By Paul Myerberg // Nov 2, 2011
I’ve never tried my hand at projecting the entire F.B.S. bowl slate; I have enough trouble with the five B.C.S. games, in my mind. But it’s worth a shot for one week, even if I mess up the various tie-ins, conference affiliations and so forth. Not to mention choose teams that end up staying home during bowl play. Well, here goes. Remember: those numbers signifying which team slots where in its conference are very arbitrary — to a point. The No. 7 team isn’t vaulting the No. 3 team, but No. 6 could be No. 4, No. 5 could be No. 7 and so on. And not every conference can meet its allotted bowl tie-ins; in that case, a substitute team is selected.
Tags: Air Force, Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Auburn, B.Y.U., Baylor, Boise State, California, Cincinnati, Clemson, East Carolina, Florida, Florida International, Florida State, Fresno State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Houston, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas State, L.S.U., Louisiana-Lafayette, Miami (Fla.), Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, S.M.U., San Diego State, South Carolina, South Florida, Southern Mississippi, Stanford, Syracuse, T.C.U., Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Toledo, Tulsa, U.C.F., U.C.L.A., Utah, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington, West Virginia, Western Michigan, Wisconsin, Wyoming
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Ten Themes for Saturday: Week 9
By Paul Myerberg // Oct 29, 2011
Ten teams, themes, players and games to watch on Saturday. Pretty straightforward. Here we go:
Par for the course This is pretty typical for the Pac-12 in 2011: all 12 teams are in action, but only one game, Stanford at U.S.C., pits two teams with a winning record. The rest is a minefield of potentially unwatchable football. Washington State, 3-4, heads to Oregon, 6-1, and the results will be ugly — nice for Oregon, disastrous for the Cougars. Colorado, 1-7, heads to Arizona State, 5-2, and the same said of Washington State can be said of the Buffaloes. Then there’s 4-3 California at 3-4 U.C.L.A.; the latter is a train wreck. Oregon State’s playing better football, but at 2-5, the Beavers — who visit 3-4 Utah — are facing an uphill climb to bowl eligibility. This is just another weekend in the Pac-12, where the great teams are really great but the bad teams… well, they’re pretty bad.
Tags: Ball State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Houston, Iowa State, Jared Barnett, Maryland, Michigan State, Navy, Nebraska, Pac-12, Paul Rhoads, Pete Lembo, S.M.U., Steele Jantz, Tulsa
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