The Big Ten Network! Do'h!

The Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday two separate media agreements, including the creation of its own network, that should generate more national exposure and money for its 11 members.

The conference announced a landmark 20-year agreement with Fox Cable networks in the creation of the Big Ten Channel. The channel, which will be distributed by DirecTV starting in August, 2007, will feature sports programming as well as non-athletic programming 24 hours a day. League commissioner Jim Delany and Fox Sports Networks President Bob Thompson said the channel will also be available to cable distributors throughout the Big Ten coverage area as well as nationally.

The Big Ten also extended its relationship with ABC/ESPN in a 10-year agreement that reportedly is worth $50 million per year.

new background

Coaches Challenges Coming to College Football

The NCAA will allow a football coach to challenge one ruling by officials per game and have it reviewed by replay, provided his team has an available timeout.

Under a proposal approved Tuesday by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel that goes into effect this season, if a coach's challenge is successful, no timeout will be charged.

"This revised proposal achieves the intended result of the rules committee to incorporate a challenge into the video replay system," panel chairman John Cochrane said.

The NCAA allowed the use of video replays at all schools and conferences last season, and nine of the 11 Division I-A conferences used some form of replay. The revision to include the challenge by coaches was proposed by the Football Rules Committee.

Georgia coach Mark Richt was initially against the change, saying "it's one more thing to worry about." But he also thinks it could come in handy.

"I'm sure there will be a time or two that I'll be glad that it's in place," Richt said Tuesday. "The thing I don't like about it is not really knowing for sure when to throw it. I haven't lived through it. The fans may be booing or a player may be like, 'Throw the flag,' or I might in my heart want to throw the flag. But if I throw it at the wrong time, I lose the possibility of that for the rest of the game. I wish I had a good way of knowing when I ought to throw the darn thing. But I guess we all have the same problem."

The panel also approved a revision of the rule on the length of halftime in football. The recommended time is 20 minutes, but it may be lengthened or shortened with the consent of both schools.

Motor City Bowl, Big Ten extend deal

DETROIT (AP) -- The Motor City Bowl on Wednesday announced a four-year extension with the Big Ten to send a bowl-eligible team to face a Mid-American Conference team for the game at Ford Field.

The new agreement will send a seventh bowl-eligible Big Ten team to Detroit, beginning with the 10th Motor City Bowl on Dec. 26, 2006.

The Big Ten has been an affiliate partner with the Motor City Bowl since 2002. The bowl has matched a team from the Big Ten against a MAC team once in 2003, when Bowling Green beat Northwestern.

Greatest Game Ever Played

Ranking the Big Ten WR's going into Spring practice

I only got 4?

1. James Hardy
2. Dorien Bryant
3. Ted Ginn, Jr.
4. Derrick Williams
5. I don't know

Gopher Spring Game Set for Saturday, 1960 Replica Jersey to be Unveiled

April 20, 2006 - The University of Minnesota Golden Gopher football team will hold its annual spring game this Saturday, April 22, beginning at 11 a.m. Admission to the game is free to the public, with doors opening at 9:30 a.m. Fans will be able to enter the Metrodome through either Gate F or Gate H on the west side of the Metrodome or Gate D on the southeast corner. Interactive games and prizes for kids will be available on the main concourse from the time the doors open until the start of the game. Also included in the festivities will be the unveiling of the Gophers’ 1960 replica uniform that will be worn during Minnesota’s game with North Dakota State on Oct. 21. The uniform will be displayed in the main concourse. The 1960 Gophers captured the school’s sixth national championship and third Associated Press National Championship with an 8 -2 record, while reaching the Rose Bowl for the first time in school history. Following Minnesota’s game with NDSU, the uniforms will be available for sale to the general public through an auction.

Mr. Instant Impact

• Laurence Maroney, running back, Minnesota: First off, our apologies to USC's Reggie Bush, whose impact potential is so obvious it seems redundant to even point it out at this late date. But after Bush goes No. 1 overall to Houston, which first-round running back has the best chance to pay early dividends? Folks I talked to like Maroney, who is thought of as either the third- or fourth-highest-rated ballcarrier in this year's draft.

"I think he's going to be a shocker to a lot of people,'' Merriman said. "I think he'll come out and perform right away. He reminds me a whole lot of Edgerrin James. He's a complete back who can do a little bit of everything and get it done for you.''

One personnel man said he has Maroney ranked only behind Bush in terms of NFL readiness and adds that there are doubters out there when it comes to DeAngelo Williams' and LenDale White's ability to quickly adjust to the mental demands of the pro game.

Purple People Hater

Uni Watch's in-box nearly overflowed on March 15. The reason? This report out of Minnesota, which says the Vikings are planning new unis, with an increased purple presence, for next season.

Based on what Uni Watch has heard, it's a good bet that the Vikes will be reviving their long-lost purple pants (which most fans have only seen in the highlight video of Jim Marshall's famous 1964 wrong-way run). That would be bad enough, but there's also talk that the team may go purple-on-purple.

Fortunately, Uni Watch has been preparing for this catastrophic possibility for years, and the impregnable concrete bunker -- fully able to withstand the effects of WMDs (that's wardrobes of monumental disgustingness) -- should be completed and fully stocked with water, canned goods and striped socks by the time the NFL season opens.

But mark Uni Watch's words: If the Ravens also add purple knickers, and if they then play the Vikings in a purple-pants smackdown, it'll take a lot more than a subterranean bunker to save us.

New Ohio State Uniforms

If your official school colors are scarlet and gray, shouldn't those colors be on your uniform?

The folks at Ohio State apparently didn't get that memo, at least judging by their new jersey. Like, if they want to change the width or spacing of the sleeve stripes, that's fine, but why get rid of the gray? Yes, the jerseys were gray-less for a while back in the 1950s, but so what? Those jerseys were also made out of cotton, didn't have the players' names on the back, and didn't have the OSU logo on the collar, and you don't hear anyone talking about going back to those design features.

The rest of the changes, though, aren't so bad. Moving the auxiliary uni numbers from the shoulders to the sleeves is a welcome move, if only because it reinforces the fact that the jersey actually has sleeves -- a near-revolutionary concept in an era when most football players just wear a gaping armhole and a scrap of fabric strrrretched over their shoulder pads.

Besides, the real story here is that OSU dodged a bullet: The school is outfitted by Nike, which is slowly imposing its wraparound bib design on more and more teams -- including OSU's archrival, Michigan. So relax, Buckeye fans -- it could've been a lot worse.

-- Paul Lukas | Uni Watch Archive
(Photo courtesy: Ohio State University)

Buckeyes fans uniformly disdain jersey changes

One year of the BTFFL Website

Well, its been 1 year(almost) with the BTFFL up and running, and I thought it was time to sit back and reminisce about the site itself...starting with the photos. I don't know how long the archived scores pages will keep thier photos...(I may have to delete the past photos and start fresh with a new season to simplify things, or I may keep everything for one more season..we'll see)...so I thought I'd look back at my favorite BTFFL web photos from the past year. Here are a few of my favs in no particular order....

Ranking the Big Ten RB's going into Spring practice

1. Tyrell Sutton, Northwestern
2. Mike Hart, Michigan
3. Albert Young, Iowa
4. Chris Wells, Ohio State
5. Kory Sheets, Purdue
6. Tony Hunt, Penn State

Thoughts?

Time to get things going again on the Blue Ox with Spring practice starting.

Micah Rucker to Eastern Illinois

Minnesota wide reciever Micah Rucker is leaving the program and transferring to Eastern Illinois.

Gophers Add Colorado in 2012 & 2013

January 26, 2006 - The University of Minnesota has reached an agreement for future non-conference football games with the University of Colorado, Minnesota Director of Athletics Joel Maturi announced today. Minnesota will host Colorado in 2012 on Sept. 8. The Gophers will return the favor by traveling to Boulder, Colo., to face the Buffaloes in 2013 on Sept. 7. The 2012 game will mark the first time the two schools have met since Colorado defeated Minnesota 21-20 at the Metrodome in 1992. The Gophers and Buffaloes have played three times overall with the other two games coming in Minneapolis in 1972 and in Boulder in 1991.

Dorien Bryant Arrested

Purdue wide receiver Dorien Bryant was arrested early Monday morning on a suspicion of battery following an incident during a party at a West Lafayette apartment.

According to the Lafayette Journal & Courier, Bryant, 20, allegedly struck Jermaine L. Reed, 19. Reed was treated for a possible broken nose at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Lafayette.

Bryant was booked at 5:30 a.m. Monday and spent nearly 12 hours in jail. He was released after posting a $250 bond.

Bryant was Purdue's leading receiver last season with 80 catches for 960 yards and four touchdowns.

He is the fourth member of Purdue's 2005 team to be arrested since the season ended.

Fullback Anthony Heygood and defensive back/punt returner Lance Melvin were arrested in December for an alleged drug law violation; Melvin was subsequently dismissed from the team.

Former Purdue linebacker Kyle Williams faces multiple felony charges of assault following alleged attacks on two women in November. Williams had left the team earlier that month, Purdue officials said.

Kirsch to NFL...hahaha!

Well the exodus continues, but this one is baffling. What an idiot! What NFL team would touch this guy with a 10 foot pole. He can't even make it at Purdue.

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Max Martin transfers to Alabama

Madison native and Michigan running back transfer Max Martin enrolled at the University of Alabama on Tuesday, athletic department officials confirmed.

Michigan transfer enrolls at Alabama

Drought?

Calhoun opts for NFL

UW tailback to skip senior season

By JEFF POTRYKUS

Posted: Jan. 9, 2006

Madison - After pouring over all the available information from NFL personnel and examining what he had accomplished in his one season at Wisconsin, including helping send coach Barry Alvarez off with a bowl triumph and a 10-victory season, Brian Calhoun’s next move became clear: NFL or bust.

Fallow Farmers? Holmes gone, is Calhoun next?

Out with a bang: Holmes going pro.

No Lo Mo for Bucky -- maybe The Amalgamated?

It was the longest of shots but now it's official.