Blu Ox Bowl V

Fighting Farmers vs. Spitfires

Goodgers Face 2nd Must Win Game in as Many Weeks

What Would Happen if they Held a Blue Ox Bowl and the Goodgers Were Not Invited?

Hopefully, we'll never find out the answer to such a terrible and troubling question. Goodgers face rival Fighting Farmers in a must win game Saturday.

QB1 CJ Bacher
QB2 Curtis Painter
RB1 Mike Hart
RB2 Albert Young
WR1 Dorien Bryant
WR2 Devin Thomas
WR3 Dustin Keller
K Ryan Pretorios (dropping Mehlhoff)

Goodgers Must Win Out to Return to BOB

Painter
Bacher
Brown
Young
Dorien Bryant
Dustin Keller
Devin Thomas
Taylor Mahlhoff

Looking Backward 2007 Worst of BTFFL Draft

10 “Boom” Herron, John Clay, Nick Toon, 17^th, 9^th and 16^th Round, Halifax Spitfires, Halifax Spitfires, and Fightin’ Farmers. It’s never good to have a Red Shirt year in the BTFFL. All three of these guys have not, and will not, see the field this year.

9 Arrellious Benn, 3^rd Round, Fightin’ Farmers. I loved the pick at the time but Benn simply has not delivered enough to merit this pick this year. He certainly has soon skills and should be a keeper based on talent but in the end, this season, he has been a fantasy disappointment.

8 Greg Orton, 10^th Round, Halifax Spitfires. The last WR picked before both Wheelwright (the pick before) and Decker. Orton was supposedly set to be the #2 receiver in the pass happy Purdue offense but it has not panned out.

7 Jaycen Taylor, Amir Pinnix, 3^rd and 4^th Rounds, Golden Goblins and Fightin’ Farmers. Both of these backs had decent runs at the beginning of the season but have been slowed or stopped by injury. They are not the worst picks taken on their own (Pinnix is still in the top 10 RBs) but the problem is an old one on the worst of the draft list and that is they were snagged before Javon Ringer. Ringer should have been the first RB off the board and these guys went before him.

6 Todd Boeckmann, Brian Hoyer, 6^th and 7^th Round, Fightin’ Farmers and Halifax Spitfires. Boeckmann has been serviceable, Hoyer hasn’t cracked the Spitfire line up for quite a while. Worse still, CJ Bacher was on the board when this pick was made.

5 Andy Brodell, 7^th Round, Bucky’s Goodgers. If I ever pick another Wide Receiver with my first or second pick I should be shot. Brodell joins a notorious list – Jonathon Orr (taken over 2^nd choice Taylor Stubblefield), Herb Grigsby (taken over 2^nd choice Mario Manningham) and now Brodell (taken over 2^nd choice Brian Robiski). The Iowa offense never looked good, Brodell never looked good, and then he was injured.

4 Dion Butler, 6th Round, Golden Goblins. The earliest, worstest, WR picked in the draft. The Goblins had their choice of all the good ones – Arrington, Robiski, Wheelwright, and Decker. Instead choose the guy that is reliant on Schreech to get him the ball.

3 Jake Christiansen, 5^th Round, Golden Goblins. The second QB off the board, only outscoring the injured Chad Henne and the injured and often pulled Juice. He looks terrible and is no small part of the Goblins massive struggles this season.

2 and 1 (He gets 2 spots) AUSTIN SCOTT!!!!!!, 2^nd Round, Fightin’ Farmers. What a fitting end to a truly amazing career, the likes of which I doubt we will ever see again even if the BTFFL survives for the next 50 years. Let’s Review. Great Scott entered the BTFFL a highly regarded RB recruit to a tradition power, a tradition power running team and the question was simply, how great, how soon? Having never played a down, he was snatched up by the Goodgers in the 2003 in the 7^th Round. Typically, he teased that season. He had a 28 point game and a 16 point game to go with his 3 Zeros, 2 Ones and 1 Two point games. I think he was hurt at the end of the season, or in the doghouse, or, more than likely, both. He was a keeper in 2004. Game 1, 23 points – here comes Great Scott! He followed that 2004 debut with 0, 6, 0, 0, and 1 point games. My records end there for 2004. Dropped by the Goodgers, Scott is picked again in 2005. The lowest that he is ever picked – the 10^th Round. Less heralded Tony Hunt takes over at Penn State and Scott scores 22 fantasy points on the season. But he’s still too good to give up on, maybe as a senior he’ll figure it out, it will click, he’ll mature, and he’ll beat out this clearly limited Running Back Tony Hunt. Cut again, in 2006 he’s chosen in the 8^th Round. At this point, Scott has been a 7^th Round pick, a Keeper, a 10^th Round pick and an 8^th Round pick. Towards the end of the season, Shawn famously puts his finger right on it – has there ever been a bigger disappointment than Austin Scott in the BTFFL? Well, no. And yes! Because Austin Scott gets a Red Shirt season as Tony Hunt tears up the BTFFL in 2006 – the 2^nd highest scoring RB in the League! Only Scott can outdo Scott. In 2007, the buzz builds again. Scott is a Senior, Hunt is gone to the NFL, none of the other RBs on the Penn State roster looks at all good (who is Rodney Kinlaw, Evan Royster?), certainly Scott, with all that talent, will finally meet expectations. Remember Larry Johnson! He never saw the field before his huge senior year. Perhaps, Scott, who has looked good on occasion, can pull an LJ! As the 2007 BTFFL draft approaches, all the clear cut stud Running Backs will be kept, startable RB will be hard to get. Scott emerges as the Great hope for BTFFL franchises. He’s got the job, Penn State RBs are valuable, don’t share time and Austin Scott is the 1^st player off the board! Taken by Shawn (remember Shawn, the guy who first identified Scott as the biggest disappointment ever, oh the humanity) in the 2^nd Round in a draft where Matt cuts James Hardy in the hopes that Shawn passes on Scott so he can grab him. Austin has outdone himself! Scott has a decent, but not great, start to the season. It is not clear at all that he is outplaying the nobodies behind him, and then, to cap off a truly transcendent, no, transsplendent, BTFFL career, he is accused of rape and suspended from the team. Could it have ended any other way? I don’t think so. What will we do without him?

Looking Backward 2007 Best of BTFFL Draft

Honorable mentions

Adrian Arrington, 8^th round, Halifax Spitfires. Good pick, decent value.

Ryan Mallett, 12^th Round, Fighting Farmers. Mallett has been pressed into action and has performed reasonably as a Freshman. No doubt he will be Michigan’s starting QB in 2008.

And to the list:

10. Duane Bennett, 5^th Round, Halifax Spitfires. The first of 4 Gophers to appear on this list, Bennett certainly appears set to be the Gophers RB next season. As a freshman he has been impressive, might have even taken over the starting position if not for injury.

9. Kory Sheets, Omar Conteh, and Evan Royster, 6^th, 11^th and 17^th Rounds, Halifax Spitfires, Golden Goblins and Golden Goblins. This trio of Running Backs have one thing in common, the starters in front of them have been injured or lost the job for other reasons, they have all stepped in and played well. There is a bit of luck in these three but nonetheless, they have all paid dividends. They are the 9^th, 8^th and 16^th ranked Running Backs as of this week.

8. James Hardy, 2^nd Round, Golden Goblins. I hate to put high picks on this list but it always seems like one or two picks deserve it. And Hardy deserves it as he is the highest scoring WR in the League and the Goblins snatched him back with their first pick in the draft. Lucky thing Austin Scott was not available or the Goblins would be even worse.

7. CJ Bacher, 8^th Round, Bucky’s Goodgers. The Goodgers only pick on this list. Bacher has outplayed Christiansen (5^th), Boeckmann (6^th), Hoyer (7^th), and Henne (8^th), all selected before him. Eighth QB off the board, third highest scorer. Goblins agonized between Bacher and Kinlaw – choose Kinlaw.

6. Javon Ringer, 4^th Round, Golden Goblins. Ringer has been fantastic this season. He is the 4^th highest scoring Running Back behind only Hill, Mendenhall and Hart – all three were keepers. He was also the 4^th RB selected! Somehow, Scott, Taylor (inj) and Pinnix picked before Ringer.

5. Ernie Wheelwright, 10^th Round, Golden Goblins. Another Gopher. Wheelwright has been a reliable BTFFL WR this year. He’s the 6^th highest scoring WR and is outplaying a boatload of WRs selected ahead of him, including Benn (3^rd), Bulter (6^th), Beckum (7^th), Brodell (7^th), Arrington (8^th) and Orton (10^th).

4. Brian Robiski, 9^th Round, Fightin’ Farmers. Robiski has been fantastic. Taken just one round before Wheelwright, selected after the mediocre group of WR, he is the 4^th highest scoring WR.

3. Jehuu Caulcrick, 10^th Round, Fightin’ Farmers. 5^th Highest scoring RB, even after last week’s goose egg! Nonfactors like Austin Scott, Damien Sims, John Clay, Marcus Thigpen, and Brandon Saine selected ahead of him.

2. Eric Decker, 13^th Round, Fightin’ Farmers. Go Gophers! Decker is the 7^th highest scoring wide receiver in the BTFFL and he was picked after such duds as Butler, Brodell, Orton, Williams, Hubbard and Lymon.

1. Adam Weber, 5^th Round, Fightin’ Farmers. Wow! The Farmers have the top 4 best picks in the draft and it looks like they are headed to the Blue Ox Bowl because of it. Weber, along with every other Gopher drafted was scoffed at by this author. How much crow can one man eat? Weber is the 2^nd highest scoring QB (was 1 for much of the season) and is the biggest beneficiary of Brewster’s spread coast offense – although clearly not the only one. I guess he’s a keeper?

Grading the keepers

It's that time of year...

Fightin’ Farmers (Chris Wells) Wells has been something of a disappointment this year, although last week he performed as the Farmers maybe expected he would throughout the season. But clearly Beanie was a good keeper. You can’t really blame him – but this team cut Ringer and Caulcrick (both have outscored Wells to this point), as well as Wheelwright and Decker! Got Caulcrick and Decker back though. Grade: B-

Halifax Spitfires (PJ Hill, Kellen Lewis, Mario Manningham, Rashard Mendenhall) Well, Lewis is the high scoring QB, Hill and Mendenhall are 1 and 2 at RB and Manningham is a top 5 WR. I guess these were good keepers. Grade: A

Golden Goblins (Tyrell Sutton) Sutton is hurt. Cut Hardy, the #1 WR, but took him right back. Grade: C

Bucky’s Goodgers (Mike Hart, Curtis Painter, Juice!, Dorien Bryant, Albert Young) A few hits, a few misses. Hart, Painter, and Bryant performing well. Juice!, who walks on water, not exactly tearing up the league, as he is the 11^th highest scoring QB and Young, coincidently, the 11^th highest scoring RB. Bacher cut but got back. Grade: C-

Goodgers pushed out of 2nd place?!

Have switched to C. Brown, MI at RB

QB1 Bacher
QB2 Painter
RB1 ***C. Brown***
RB2 Young
WR1 Thomas
WR2 Bryant
WR3 Keller
K Mehlhoff

NW 52
EMU 14

IA 6
PU 35

NIU 14
WI 35

PSU 20
IU 10

NDSU 30
MN 31

MSU 7
OSU 28

MI 24
IL 17

How will they Finish the Season?

1. Ohio State (8-0, 12-0) BCS Bowl
2. Wisconsin (7-1, 11-1) Capitol One Bowl
3. Purdue (7-1, 11-1) Outback Bowl
4. Illinois (6-2, 9-3) Alamo Bowl
5. Michigan State (4-4, 8-4) Insight Bowl
Indiana (4-4, 8-4) Motor City Bowl
Michigan (4-4, 6-6) Champs Sports Bowl
8. Iowa (2-6, 5-7)
9. Penn State (1-7, 5-7)
10. Northwestern (1-7, 4-8)
11. Minnesota (0-8, 1-11)

I went through the entire remainder of the schedule game by game to come up with these.....so I'm pretty confident (roughly) in these predictions.

Confident Spitfires take Field at Mid-Point of Season

tentative starters:

qb - Kellen "50 pts this week" Lewis
qb - Brian Hoyer
rb - P. J. "the lumberer" Hill
rb - Rashard "badger killer" Mendenhall
wr - Adrian "someone has to get the ball" Arrington
wr - Greg Orton
wr - Luke "the disappearing" Swan
k - Kevin "the kicker" Kelly

Eastern Michigan - 20
Michigan - 34

Minnesota - 24
Indiana - 49

Wisconsin - 20
Illinois - 17

Ohio State - 20
Purdue - 16

Penn State - 13
Iowa - 16

Northwestern - 17
Michigan State - 31

Goodgers push for 2nd Place!?

QB Painter
QB Donovan
RB Hart
RB Young
WR Bryant
WR Thomas
WR Jefferson
K Mehlhoff

NW 20
MSU 31

WI 27
IL 21

MN 21
IN 42

MI 38
EM 14

IA 13
PSU 20

PU 20
OSU 28

Do you know that Iowa doesn't have to play Michigan or Ohio State this year? Could be their year -- watch out!

I'll Update Those Rankings

1. Ohio State (5-0)
2. Purdue (5-0)
3. Wisconsin (5-0)
4. Michigan State (4-1)
5. Michigan (3-2)
6. Illinois (4-1)
7. Indiana (4-1)
8. Penn State (3-2)
9. Iowa (2-3)
10. Northwestern (2-3)
11. Minnesota (1-4)

The First-Place Spitfires Start......

QB - Kellen Lewis
RB - P. J. Hill
RB - Rashard Mendenhall
RB - Kory Sheets
WR - Mario Manningham
WR - Adrian Arrington
WR - Luke Swan
K - Kevin Kelly
D - Wisconsin
D - Illinois

1/3 of the way rankings

1. Ohio State (4-0)
2. Purdue (4-0)
3. Wisconsin (4-0)
4. Iowa (2-2)
5. Michigan (2-2)
6. Michigan State (4-0)
7. Penn State (3-1)
8. Illinois (3-1)
9. Indiana (3-1)
10. Northwestern (2-2)
11. Minnesota (1-3)

Goodgers Battle for 1st Place

QB Curtis Painter
QB Juice Williams
RB Mike Hart
RB Dan Dierking (assuming I got him in the weekly pick ups, if not, Albert Young)
WR Dorien Bryant
WR Dustin Keller
WR Devin Thomas
K Taylor Mahlhoff

Big Ten Predictions:

Illinois 34, Indiana 20
Northwestern 3, Ohio State 31
Michigan State 21, Notre Dame 7
Penn State17, Michigan 21 (I've been thinking PS will win this game all week but I can't write it down.)
Iowa 10, Wisconsin 28
Purdue 52, Minnesota 21

Goodgers Back to Winning Ways

Week 3 Starters:

Curtis (6 TDs) Painter
CJ (The only Night Big Ten Game) Bacher
Mike (MI only hope) Hart
Albert (One half worth a whole game against ISU) Young
Dorien (My Ankle Hurts) Bryant
Dustin (TD machine) Keller
Devin (Deep Threat) Thomas
Taylor (I'm the Kicker) Mehlhoff

Alternates:

I am really tempted to start

Donovan vs. The Citadel!
Juice vs. Syracuse (Actually would start him except that there are way too many games at 11:00)
Zach Brown (Listed as 2nd RB, I believe he's going to get a long look Satuday)
Damien Sims (Probably end up with more work than Young by the end of the ISU game)

(Delayed and likely ignored) Week 2 Thoughts

Michigan: I called for Carr to be fired 2 years ago when they lost 5. Carr’s National Title run appeared to vindicate him last season. He should have left before this fiasco. He should have been fired before, he should be fired now. How many games will Michigan win this season? Will Brewster bring home the Jug in his first year?

Minnesota! Wow. What a difference a week makes. This week the Gophers take another MAC team to OT but win. Adam Weber is the top BTFFL player after 2 weeks! He reminds me a lot of Drew Stanton when he runs – not pretty but effective. And this week his passes hit the mark. Unfortunately, this is also a matter of no matter how much things change they stay the same. While the Gophers looked better against Miami, they still needed a bad call and OT to win. The Big Ten schedule still won’t be kind to them. But a win is a win, right?

Wisconsin. Badgers path to Big Ten title seems clear. Michigan is winless, Ohio State has looked unimpressive. So the Badgers look like winners. Well, they sure didn’t look like Big Ten Champions against UNLV. I hate to say it but I’m starting to wonder about PJ Hill’s long term fantasy value. The good news for the Spitfires is no one is getting any meaningful carries other than PJ. John Clay has yet to see the field. I have to think if we get to the Big Ten season and he has not played, we are looking at a Red Shirt.

Ohio State: Again, not impressive in the win. No running game to speak of. Wells’ yards almost all come at the end of the game on, like, 3 runs. Boeckmann again looks ok, clearly locks on to Robiski. Shoencroft sees some action again – he sucks again. Will Henton get a shot?

Iowa: Christensen appears to take a leap forward – Syracuse doesn’t bother to cover TE, that helps. It could be ugly for universally loved Iowa State this week.

Illinois: Juice still has not put it together but he’s close. Mendenhall looks very good – so does his back up, Daniel Dufrene! Go DD. Benn and Williams will have a good run though.

Indiana: Don’t you wish your team had offered Kellen Lewis as a QB? I know I do.

Penn State: Screech returns to form. He’s apparently satisfied with his play -- "I don't know how I didn't have a good game," Morelli said. "We won the football game. So many people are so caught up on stats. Stats are so overrated. I'm so tired of hearing about it. It's so ridiculous. It's just unbelievable. No one's ever satisfied with a victory." PSU gets laugher in Buffalo this week.

Northwestern: That was sweet. Great game winning drive for Bacher. I also recall a long discussion about who Sutton’s back up is at the draft. Always worthwhile backing up your studs.

MSU: Ringer finds the End Zone this week.

Purdue: Everyone is going to score on that offense, especially Curtis Painter!

Goodgers Take field in an unfamiliar position

QB Curtis Painter
QB Juice
RB Mike Hart
RB Albert Young
WR Dorien Bryant
WR Devin Thomas
WR Andy Brodell
K Taylor Mahlhaff

Thoughts from week 1

Michigan! Unbelievable. There is no excuse for this. Lloyd Carr should be fired. I don't care if this was the D2 champion -- no D2 champion should be able to hang with a top 20 D1 team much less a top 5 team. 1st game, 7 new starters on defense, who cares? You could mandate this on the schedule for the next 50 years, D2 champion vs. preseason #5 and it might happen once in that 50 year period. Once again, the talent of Mike Hart is demonstrated and the horrible play of Henne is on display. Hart nearly wins the game single handedly -- Michigan offense just is not the same with Brandon Minor as with Hart. Henne can't create any scores or 1st downs on his own.

Minnesota: Brace yourselves, it is going to be a long, bumpy ride. I can't believe that you guys talked me out of taking Clint. Weber looked horrible. As long as they were trying to play within the spreadcoast and throw the ball, they couldn't do anything. Kind of reminds me of NW last season before the arrival of someone who could throw the ball in CJ Bacher. In the second half, the team abandons the pass for the strength of Mason's teams, run blocking, and the offense produces. Weber adept at handing of to Pinnix, or faking hand off to Pinnix and getting 5 yards, if he has to throw, well, the result was pretty much random (I didn't see the 4th quarter but I'm guessing it wasn't as if Weber transformed himself in that period).

Pinnix is going to be a quality BTFFL player, Duane Bennett looks like a reach as does every other Gopher taken in the draft. They might still want to redshirt Clint, but it ain't going to be pretty against real defenses. Zero Big Ten wins looking more likely than 1 or 2.

Wisconsin: Donovan was impressive, PJ Hill, Lance Smith, Zach Brown and the defense not so much. John Clay does not play. He probably looked better than any of the other backs, all things considered. There was some positive things said about Lance Smith on the tubes, but I didn't see it. He looked like he was dancing out there to me. This gave me hopes for Brown to come in and do something. I guess at least he did not fumble. Washington State not a good team but not a complete push over either, so probably an ok start.

Ohio State: Not terribly impressive but since Michigan lost to AS the win is the win. Boeckmann looked pretty good. Shoencroft comes in early, which I think means that at least before this game the OSU coaching staff was not certain about TB. But shoencroft looked horrible so Boeckmann is probably safe -- Henton only in to mop up. Beanie looked surprisingly pedestrian. I am happier to have Brandon Saine today than I was on draft day. Robiski=good pick, Hartline=bad pick.

Iowa: Another meh performance. Christiansen adequate (in real football terms, bleh in fantasy terms)I like the combo of Young and Sims. Andy Brodell? Trey Stoss? I should just stop picking WRs entirely.

Illinois: The one guy I don’t want to back up is Juice! They aren’t going to be able to do anything without Juice. Juice walks on water. Eddie McGee won’t be able to make that offense run. Well, at least they say Juice’s injury is not serious. McGee didn’t look bad. Benn looked good from what I saw. Too bad for Illinois, I believe they win this with Juice, McGee filled in admirably but gave away the game with his fumbles.

Indiana: James Hardy was dropped. Where is Demetrius McCray?

Penn State: Really beat up on a bad team. Is this Morelli’s best outing of the season or will it be typical of the season. Spitfires want to know. Austin Scott can only get 46 yards in a game where state scores 50. I didn’t see much of the game but who has Evan Royster and Rodney Kinlaw?

Northwestern: Speaking of Kinlaw, CJ and the Northwestern offense looked like their typical selves. NW will push towards a Bowl berth this season.

Michigan State: I know there are believers among the Gopher 3. I’ll get flak for this but I think things look good for Ringer. I know Caulcrick had 4 TDs. That ain’t gonna happen every week.

Purdue: A boring 50 point performance. Everyone is going to score on that offense.

Expansion Talk

Unlike Andy, I think expansion is more likely to happen over the next 3 years than not. I'd put it at about 60/40 [80/20] right now, maybe even a bit more. It seems like money and the Big Ten Network are driving this so my guess is it happens. If it does, the most important thing will be (besides what school comes in) will be the divisions in football. What do you think is the best way to divide the divisions in the Big Ten? Why? What should the divisions be called? What do you think will happen.

Here's my first blush attempt:

Ameche Division (or Nagurski)

Illinois
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Wisconsin

Hayes Division (or Schembechler)

Indiana
Northwestern
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
New team

_____________________________________________________

What will happen:

East

Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
New team

West

Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Minnesota
Northwestern
Wisconsin

Best Fantasy Players of the last 3 years

This is a rough ranking, although I hope I didn't miss anyone completely.

QUARTERBACKS
1. Troy Smith - Ohio State
2. Kyle Orton - Purdue
3. Curtis Painter - Purdue
4. Michael Robinson - Penn State
5. Drew Stanton - Michigan State
6. Kellen Lewis - Indiana
7. Chad Henne - Michigan
8. Brett Basanez - Northwestern
9. Juice Williams - Illinois
10. Drew Tate - Iowa
11. John Stocco - Wisconsin
12. Bryan Cupito - Minnesota
13. Anthony Morelli - Penn State
14. Blake Powers - Indiana
15. Matt LoVecchio - Indiana

RUNNINGBACKS
1. Brian Calhoun - Wisconsin
2. Anthony Davis - Wisconsin
3. Mike Hart - Michigan
4. Laurence Maroney - Minnesota
5. Marion Barber - Minnesota
6. Tyrell Sutton - Northwestern
7. P. J. Hill - Wisconsin
8. Noah Herron - Northwestern
9. Albert Young - Iowa
10. Tony Hunt - Penn State
11. BenJarvis Green-Ellis - Indiana
12. Tony Pittman - Ohio State
13. Gary Russell - Minnesota
14. Pierre Thomas - Illinois
15. Jason Teague - Michigan State

WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Taylor Stubblefield - Purdue
2. Braylon Edwards - Michigan
3. James Hardy - Indiana
4. Mario Manningham - Michigan
5. Santonio Holmes - Ohio State
6. Ted Ginn - Ohio State
7. Dorian Bryant - Purdue
8. Anthony Gonzales - Ohio State
9. Logan Payne - Minnesota
10. Deon Butler - Penn State
11. Derrick Williams - Penn State
12. Ed Hinkel - Iowa
13. Jared Ellerson - Minnesota
14. Brandon Williams - Wisconsin
15. Clinton Soloman - Iowa

KICKERS
1. Mike Nugent - Ohio State
2. Josh Huston - Ohio State
3. Taylor Mahlhoff - Wisconsin
4. Kyle Schlicher - Iowa
5. Garrett Rivas - Michigan

Ranking the Stadiums of the Big Ten

1. Beaver Stadium (Penn State)
Haven't been here, but it sits on top of a hill, and looks amazing on TV. The stands are very close to the field, and it seats over 80,000. Amazing stadium!










2. Spartan Stadium (Michigan State)
Another great one that I haven't been to. The field barely fits because the stands are so close. I love it! Looks like great sight lines too. The atmosphere isn't the best from what I've seen, but that could be due to the quality of the team recently.









3. Kinnick Stadium (Iowa) saw 1 game here! ('99 v. MN)
Stadium itself is not very impressive(looks like a bunch of bleachers), but the sight lines inside the stadium are great! and the fans are right on top of the field. Stands are very close to the sidelines and fans in the endzones actually have their feet on the field grass!









4. Camp Randall (Wisconsin) saw 1 game here! ('03 v. OSU)
Not very impressive from the outside, especially with the expansion. Stadium looks great from inside, sight lines are pretty good, but the distance between the stands and sideline is way too big. There is no concourse, fans walk behind the benches along the sidelines to get up to the stands with a medal fence separating them from the field. (remember the incident of the early 90's?)









5. Michigan Stadium "The Big House" (Michigan)
Stadium is actually built into the ground, so is not impressive at all from the exterior. Sight lines seem okay, but the large bowl makes most seats near the top or in the corners not even worth sitting in. Plus that flagpole on the field is well....shitty and stupid! Most overrated stadium in the Big Ten.









6. Ohio Stadium "The Horseshoe" (Ohio State)
The lore of the horseshoe helps tis one out a bit. It's a very sweet looking stadium both inside and out, but the field is SO far away from the stands, with that old track going around it, that it ruins the whole look of the stadium. It's okay, but again, overrated.










7. Ross Ade Stadium (Purdue)
Nothing spectacular, but it is a horseshoe, and the stand seem close to the field. Always looks fairly attractive on TV.









8. Memorial Stadium (Illinois) saw stadium in '05, no games
It actually looks very cool from the outside, but on the inside it's really just 2 large stand on the sides of the field. I couldn't figure out how they get 70,000 in there. When the finish the improvements and close in one end it will jump up a couple spots.









9. Metrodome (Minnesota) saw ~70 games here! ('86-'06)
I know, I know, its the Dome. But it's really no that bad a place to watch a game. The stands are way too far away from the field, and the atmosphere cam be pretty stale, but when it gets fairly full it can be loud and a lot of fun.









10. Ryan Field (Northwestern) saw 2 games here! ('96, '99 v. MN)
Its outdoors....it's old, etc. But it's really not that impressive. It's kind of a stale atmosphere. It doesn't feel like a Big Ten stadium. It feels like you're at a MAC game.









11. Memorial Stadium (Indiana) saw 1 game here! ('05 v. MN)
Yuck, not a good stadium. No atmosphere at all. The stands are strange...almost vertical. 2 open ends is not good, although with the new improvements it will jump ahead of the Dome and Ryan Field. I do like "the rock" addition from Heoppner.

Top (Fantasy ) Freshmen Prospects for 2007

These are just my early impressions before any of them have had an official practice. I'm not rating them based on this year alone, but on what they may do over their career. Basically I'm weighing their draft value going into this season. Maybe i shouldn't be sharing my secrets, but it's June.....so I assume a lot will change.

1. Arrelious Benn, WR, Illinois - 5 star - #5 WR (instant impact?)
2. Brandon Saine, RB, Ohio State - 4 star - #5 RB (backup to Beanie?)
3. Clint Brewster, QB, Minnesota - 3 star, #17 QB (starter?)
4. John Clay, RB, Wisconsin - 4 star, #4 RB (if he's eligible)
5. Ryan Mallet, QB, Michigan - 5 star, #2 QB (starter next year?)
6. Andre Tate, RB, Minnesota - 3 star, #30 RB (playing time this year, much more next year?)
7. Deries Hodge, RB, Illinois - 2 star, NR (backup to Rashard Mendenhall?)
8. Toney Clemons, WR, Michigan - 4 star, #12 WR
9. Malcolm Harris, RB, Purdue - 3 star, #19 RB (they need a RB, could get lots of time?)
10. Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin - 4 star, #22 WR (they need receivers)
11. Andre Anderson, RB, Michigan State - 3 star, NR
12. Vince Helmuth, RB, Michigan - 3 star, #9 RB
13. Avery Horn, RB, Michigan - 3 star, #13 RB
14. Taurian Washington, WR, Ohio State - 4 star, #25 WR (they need receivers)
15. Mark Dell, WR, Michigan State - 4 star, #21 WR (they need receivers)
16. Daniel Herron, RB, Ohio State - 4 star, #18 RB
17. Troy Pollard, RB, Illinois - 3 star, #53 RB
18. Colin Sandeman, WR, Iowa - 3 star, #48 WR (they need receivers)
19. Martell Webb, WR, Michigan - 4 star, #29 WR
20. Junior Hemingway, WR, Michigan - 3 star - #38 WR

My New Scaled Down Playoff System Proposal

8 team playoff rotating in the 4 BCS Bowl Games (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta). Each Bowl would get 2 games except for the rotating Bowl that gets only the national championship game. The games would be played over a 4 week period from early December thought the first week in January, with the 3rd week (probably Jesus weekend) being the bye before the national championship game. The 6 BCS conference champions would get an automatic bid, with the other 2 at-large bids being determined by the BCS rankings. Here's an example for the 2007 season. (all times Central!)

ROUND 1:

ROSE BOWL Saturday December 15th, 7pm
1. Oklahoma (12-0; Big 12) - 41
8. Louisville (10-2; Big East) - 30

FIESTA BOWL Saturday December 15th, 3:30pm
5. Florida (10-2; SEC) - 24
4. Miami (11-1; ACC) - 10

FIESTA BOWL Friday December 14th, 7pm
3. Wisconsin (11-1; Big Ten) - 22
6. Texas (10-2; at-large) - 21

ORANGE BOWL Saturday December 15th, Noon
2. USC (11-1; Pac-10) - 33
7. Michigan (10-2; at-large) - 37

ROUND 2:

ROSE BOWL Saturday December 22nd, 6pm
1. Oklahoma -28
5. Florida -32

ORANGE BOWL Saturday December 22nd, 2:30pm
3. Wisconsin - 23
7. Michigan - 27

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP:

SUGAR BOWL Saturday January 5th, 7pm
5. Florida - 31
7. Michigan - 34

I know this isn't the best possible playoff system, but it seems like something realistic that the NCAA might actually get to.

Favorite Teams outside the Big Ten

1. Iowa State
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2. Oregon
3. Washington
4. Missouri
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5. California
6. Kansas State
7. Colorado
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8. Hawaii
9. Oregon State
10. Washington State
11. Rutgers
12. West Virginia

TOTALS:
5 - Pac 10
4 - Big 12
2 - Big East
1 - WAC
0 - SEC; ACC; Mtn West; MAC; Sun Belt

Favorite Teams in the Big Ten (A ranking)

I know we've done this before, but I think my rankings have changed some since we last did this.

1. Minnesota
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2. Northwestern (pompous, but just so bad at sports they're lovable)
3. Illinois (good school, great campus, democratic state, great colors, offensive mascot & nickname)
4. Michigan State (fans are pretty nice, the same with all schools above; just all around inoffensive and slightly likable in every way)
5. Penn State
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6. Indiana (hate the school and state, but I like em in football because they've sucked for so long...I root for em)
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7. Ohio State (meh, dont knoe how to feel; jerk fans though)
8. Purdue (I hate Purdue for reasons that are unclear even to me, I think its Joe Tiller)
9. Michigan (hate em!)
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10. Iowa (terrible fans, school, and state)
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11. Wisconsin (most hated team of all, no words)

Big Ten Predictions (June)

It's really early, and summer is long and boring. SO why not go through the entire Big Ten schedule and come up with some early predictions? I did!

1. Ohio State 12-0 (8-0) BCS Bowl
2. Michigan 11-1 (10-1) BCS Bowl
3. Wisconsin 10-2 (6-2) Capitol One Bowl
4. Iowa 10-2 (6-2) Outback Bowl
5. Penn State 8-4 (5-3) Champs Sports Bowl
6. Illinois 6-6 (3-5) Alamo Bowl
7. Michigan State 5-7 (3-5)
8. Minnesota 6-6 (2-6) Motor City Bowl
9. Indiana 6-6 (2-6) Insight Bowl
10. Purdue 5-7 (2-6)
11. Northwestern 4-8 (0-8)

Some Way Too Early Player Rankings

As long as we're flooding the blog today, and I'm doing absolutely no work, I thought I'd give my position ranking coming out of spring practice. While I understand this will inevitably change as we head into fall, this is roughly how I valued these players for fantasy purposes about a month and a half ago.......discuss.....

QB
1. Kellen Lewis, Indiana, So - will pass for some scores to Hardy, but is a great runner and will pile up yards and rushing TDs like a RB.
2. Curtis Painter, Purdue, Sr - passing yards and TDs galore from an established veteran.
3. Juice Williams, Illinois, So - going to be a star, but still has some problems making decisions. If he grows up this year he could be the #1 QB
4. Brian Hoyer, Michigan St., So - will be a good QB if MSU can put a decent team together.
5. Anthony Morelli, Penn St., Sr - boring, this offense sucks, an ok #2 QB.
6. Jake Christensen, Iowa, So - he could be good, but again, needs the offense to be better around him.
7. Tyler Donovan, Wisconsin, Sr - solid QB, solid offense, too bad he'll be handing it off all the time. could be an OK #2 QB.

RB
1. Mike Hart, Michigan, Sr - solid, solid #1
2. Chris Wells, Ohio State, So - could be the MVP of the BTFFL this year.
3. Albert Young, Iowa, Sr - solid back, but playing time uncertain.
4. P. J. Hill, Wisconsin, Jr - great Wisconsin back, but freshmen John Clay could take away lots of carries.
5. Tyrell Sutton, Northwestern, Jr - he'll look better this year, but will never be the same as his freshman year.
6. Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois, Jr - its his backfield this year. If Illinois gets their offense going, hell succeed.
7. Austin Scott, Penn State, Sr - someone has to get the ball at Penn State.
8. Jay Thomas, Minnesota, Jr - great spread back, but will split carries.
9. Amir Pinnix, Minnesota, Sr - not a great spread back, but will get many carries & probably TDs.
10. Kory Sheets, Purdue, Jr - could be losing his job to Jaycen Taylor?

WR
1. Mario Manningham, Michigan, Jr
2. James Hardy, Indiana, Jr
3. Dorien Bryant, Purdue
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4. Deon Butler, Penn State - uff-da, too high, but I dont have time to change it now, I need to go home.
5. Derrick Williams, Penn State - uff-da, too high, but I dont have time to change it now, I need to go home.
6. Dominique Douglas, Iowa - which Iowa will show up?
7. Arrelious Benn, Illinois, Fr - watch out for this guy.
8. Eric Decker, Minnesota, So - Minnesota receivers get more valuable in the spread.
9. Ernie Wheelwright, Minnesota - he'll get his share of catches in the spread.
10. Nick Toon, Wisconsin, Fr - someone has to catch the ball.

Goblins Claim Conspiracy

In response to the growing controversy as to the whereabouts and condition of the Blue Ox, Goblins coach and AD Carhart issued this statement from his bunker:

the Goodgers and the commissioners office have conspired against the Goblins and prevented us from receiving the championship trophy and credit we so richly deserve. It is a well known fact inside the league and among the general public that the Goodgers have always thought and behaved as though they had some sort of divine right to the trophy and the league title. It is also a well known fact that the commissioners office is directly tied to the Spitfires, perhaps our most jealous rival. It does not require a great deal of imagination to conclude that the spoiled and bitter Goodgers conspired with the jealous and petty Spitfires to withhold the Blue Ox from us for this long and they continue to do so. And judging from the recent photos, it appears as if the Goodgers are even willing to stain and break the trophy in order to prevent us from having it. The commissioners feeble and half-hearted response to the Goodgers clear disrespect for the league's members and its blatant violation of league rules and protocol only serves to demonstrate the tacit approval the commissioners office has given to the embarrassing behavior of the Goodgers. If anyone doubts there concerted actions let them refer back to last year when the defeated Goodgers tried to claim victory in the Blue Ox bowl and the commissioner refused to certify and confirm our championship for weeks! Both parties 'failed' to congratulate us on our amazing season, and since then, neither the Goodgers nor the commissioner have lifted a finger to present us with the trophy. If this is not a deliberate act of collusion and sabotage against the Goblins then both the Goodgers and the commissioner should explain their hostile behavior toward the Goblins and submit their apologies. I expect neither is forthcoming, but rest assured the Goblins do not need hollow symbols to remind us of our greatness, we know we are the champions and the best!

Row over Ox Continues: Goodgers have own charges

Bucky's Goodgers Coach/AD Wendelberger responded to accusations from the commissioners office with a few of his own!

"If the Commissioner wants the Ox, he can come and get it any time," Wendelberger said. "It's right here."

Rather than defend his own actions, Wendelberger accused Commissioner Carhart of some negligence of his own. "You know, we won the Ox in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. But the Ox I have only says 2003 and 2004. The Commissioner has assured me that due to the condition of the Ox, a new trophy was in order. So our 2005 and 2006 championships have never been honored. I don't feel bad for me, but it's the kids that earned that Ox, who can't show it off now that they have moved on that concerns me. Think of the kids. And that Ox was damaged before we ever got it. Something about the Commissioner passing the trophy around to his friends."

Message from BTFFL Commissioner

BLUE OX TROPHY MISSING!!


The commissioners often has learned that the traveling trophy that goes to the yearly champion of the Blue Ox Bowl, The Blue Ox, has not been received by the 2006 Blue Ox Bowl Champions, the Golden Goblins. It is believed that the Blue Ox is still in storage with the 2003-2005 Champions, Bucky's Goodgers. It is also the understanding of the BTFFL office that the Blue Ox was damaged while in the possession of the Goodgers. The BTFFL laws state that "Any damage that the Blue Ox trophy incurs while in the possession of a team is the sole financial responsibility of that team."

If you have any information on the location or condition of the Blue Ox, please contact the BTFFL office immediately!

Big 10 Gang

Most of this was written a long time ago, waiting to be published after Matt finished his Big Ten neighborhood postings.

Okay, it’s a neighborhood alright but you’re a little off on the socio-economic status of the hood. The Big Ten and the rest of college football is a like being in your neighborhood gang. And yes, just like any other gang there is a hierarchy – the toughest, strongest, wealthiest, and smartest gang members are the ones that are the gang leaders. Those that are not so tough, strong, wealthy or smart are on the bottom. Gang relationships can be violent and bitter but in the end, these guys are all in it together.

Let’s look at the gang called the Big Ten. Michigan is without a doubt the biggest, baddest Motherfucker on the block. Michigan has seen it all and done it all. An old gang member who is still tough as nails, it seems that Michigan’s age has given it a fair amount of wisdom. Michigan is recognized not just on your block as one of the best institutions in gangland but is on every block recognized as an almost mythical gang figure. Michigan can compete with other gangs that have no interest in some of the things Michigan is interested in. Michigan isn’t just interested in being strong, having the better weapons, but Michigan is a gangster that reads philosophy and has posters of Che Guevara, Public Enemy, John Brown and WEB Du Bois on his wall. Other gangs, like the SEC, Big 12, PAC-10 and ACC have few members that can match Michigan’s physical strength and academic excellence and political commitments. They are mostly made up of brutes whose heroes remain segregationist, classist, elitist bastards. But when they come to your door, you better hope Michigan is around to go toe to toe with them. Michigan doesn’t always win but he wins his share against opponents that don’t live up to his lofty standards when it comes to politics and education. Oh yeah, there are other gang members that are as erudite as Michigan but most of them just get their asses kicked week in and week out. In fact Michigan may be unique in its combination of desirable attributes.

Ohio State thinks it’s tougher than Michigan and for that reason it seems like these two brutes don’t get along. Ohio State isn’t nearly as smart or politically committed as Michigan. In that respect, Ohio State resembles some of the other gangs in the College Football world. But every gang needs a tough. And for a tough, Ohio State is pretty smart. OSU is certainly smarter than Nebraska, Oklahoma, Alabama, FSU and Miami.

After these two unquestioned leaders come the rest. They all have their strengths and weaknesses but generally they maintain a degree of education and political commitment that binds them together in the Big Ten Gang. Purdue, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois are probably the next toughest and smartest of the group. Most certainly, Wisconsin is as smart as Michigan and has, on occasion, risen to Michigan’s level of toughness. Wisconsin is even more politically committed to radical thought than Michigan. Iowa is pretty darn smart too. Purdue is like Ohio States little bother. Penn State, what can you say about Penn State. Penn State used to be on the same level as Ohio State and it still somehow maintains a rep on the street but everyone knows that PSU isn’t as bad as PSU used to be. Or maybe it is?

Minnesota is always talking about the “good ol’ days.” There was a time, a long a time ago, that Minnesota was the top dog in the gang. Those days are long gone and now Minnesota clings to that past and hopes for a return to glory.

Michigan State and Indiana are simply not as tough as the previous group.

And then there is Northwestern. Northwestern doesn’t belong in the gang at all. He’s a rich little snob that almost always brings nothing to the fight. He’s smart but he doesn’t belong in a gang like the Big Ten … send him off to the Ivy League or something. But he lives in the right neighborhood, no one in Chicago can be in the gang anymore, so Northwestern will have to do.

The fortunes of the eight other members rise and fall over the years. But they always measure themselves against the fortunes of the gang leaders, dreaming that they to could be as strong and powerful as Michigan and OSU. And they can occasionally challenge the supremacy of the two – these rivalries appear to be the most important. But the real enemy is always the other conferences. Winning a Big Ten championship means the greatest prize of all – playing in the Rose Bowl (or, nowadays, the Championship game)

Now this is a gang, does Michigan and OSU come over and kick your ass once a year just for the hell of it? Yes. Do they seem to take an inappropriate amount of pleasure in embarrassing you in front of all your friends, relatives and women? Yes. But that is, unfortunately, life in a gang. It’s extremely hierarchical, based on reputation and violence and sometimes terribly disruptive and unpredictable.

In the end, though, the most important thing to do is defend your turf, defend the Big Ten against the other College Football gangs that are out there. And that is the measure that matters in the hood. When Florida and its punk ass coach complain that they deserve the National Championship, it is the duty of the head of the gang to go and teach Florida a lesson. It is not go and get your ass handed to you and make the SEC the strongest, wealthiest gang in College Football.

Early Bird Preview

Oh, BTFFL competition is just around the corner. Spring has come and gone, summer will only be a blink of an eye. Let’s take a look at the way the keepers and draft are shaping up.

First, the likely keepers.

We’ll start with Blue Ox Bowl champion Golden Goblins.

Definite: Tyrell Sutton, James Hardy

Probable: MN RB Amir Pinnix or Jay Thomas

Unlikely: Kory Sheets, Damien Sims, Adrian Arrington, Deon Butler

Halifax Spitfires

Definite: PJ Hill, Kellen Lewis, Mario Manningham

Probable: Rashard Mendenhall

Unlikely: None

MN Fightin’ Farmers

Definite: Chris Wells

Probable: None

Unlikely: Javon Ringer, Derrick Williams, Todd Boeckmann

Bucky’s Goodgers

Definite: Mike Hart, Curtis Painter, Isiah Williams, Albert Young, Dorien Bryant

Probable: None

Unlikely: None

Why and what it means:

GG – Sutton and Hardy both had somewhat disappointing seasons in 2006 but they are undoubtedly keepers for 2007. Both could be the #1 fantasy scorer at their position and Sutton might challenge for the top overall scorer if all goes right for him and NW. Pinnix was one of the bargains of the BTFFL last season, scorned by the rest of the league, he was a reliable second Running Back. The only catch is will Pinnix be the starter or will the more talented late season star Jay Thomas take over? And if Matt knows who the week 1 starter is, will the coaching change make Gopher Running Backs less attractive to BTFFL Schools? Unless I’m mistaken, none of the remaining players will be strong enough to keep – Sheets maybe.

HS – This team is loaded and was robbed! PJ Hill returns from an overall #1 BTFFL season in 2006. Kellen Lewis has to be the surprise player of 2006. Indiana’s QB 4^th best BTFFL QB and a top 10 overall performer! Touchdown! will be the #1 WR in the BTFFL for the second year in a row. Rashard Mendenhall will likely be kept – after Juice took over, the Illinois Offense suddenly looked good and Mendenhall produced.

MNFF – “Beanie” should make the Farmers competitive this year. He looks like a monster in an offense that will be looking for an identity. If Antonio Pittman could look good behind that line, I suspect Wells will very quickly be a Heisman hopeful. The rest of the players are marginal and difficult to see as legitimate keepers but one could become sold on any one of them.

BG – Last year’s regular season champ (6 weekly high scores) brings back every major contributor but QB Drew Stanton. None of these guys are really questionable, although Albert Young did split time with Damien Sims last season and likely will again. This core means that the Goodgers will likely again emerge from the draft as the favorites to win the BTFFL.

Keeper breakdown by position:

3 QB
6 RB
3 WR

For the first time in several years, there is not a clear cut player to be taken with the number one pick. Last season it was Hill, the season before, an even better Badger back, Brian Calhoun. This season, unless something strange happens between now and the draft, there will not be that kind of BTFFL stud available.

But there will be other similarities to last years draft. Like last year, there will be a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the Quarterback position. There will be 5 brand new starters this season (OSU, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan State). Of that group, some are bound to be valuable BTFFL starters for years to come, others will certainly disappoint their owners. Don’t want to take a chance on a new starter? The returning unkept starters are not without serious warts: Michigan’s Henne, Northwestern’s Bacher, and Penn State’s Morelli.

At the same time, there will be even less talent at Running Back than last season. No PJ Hill, no “Beanie” Wells. There will likely be a group of suspect but potentially serviceable Running Backs – the Kory Sheets/Jaycen Taylors, Javon Ringers/Jehuu Caulcricks and Austin Scotts of the world.

That leaves the WR pool. Last season, the top 4 WR were not keepers – Manningham, Ginn, Gonzalez, Payne. It seems likely that something similar will happen again this season – this is where the value will be.