My Bowl Picks

Here's my bowl picks for the rest of the bowl season (starting with the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl). No confidence picks or picking with a spread, it's just strictly who I think is going to win the game.

Think you can beat me in pick'em? The ones I picked correct are in green and the incorrect ones are in red

Pizza Bowl: Ohio over Marshall

Car Care Bowl: Pitt over UNC

Emerald Bowl: Boston College over USC

Music City Bowl: Clemson over Kentucky

Independence Bowl: Texas A&M over Georgia

EagleBank Bowl: Temple over UCLA

Champs Sports Bowl: Miami over Wisconsin

Humanitarian Bowl: Idaho over Bowling Green

Holiday Bowl: Arizona over Nebraska

Armed Forces Bowl: Houston over Air Force

Sun Bowl: Stanford over Oklahoma

Texas Bowl: Missouri over Navy

Insight Bowl: Iowa State over Minnesota

Chik-Fil-A Bowl: Tennessee over Virginia Tech

Outback Bowl: Northwestern over Auburn

Capital One Bowl: Penn State over LSU

Gator Bowl: West Virginia over Florida State

Rose Bowl: Oregon over Ohio State

Sugar Bowl: Florida over Cinncinati

International Bowl: South Florida over Northern Illinois

PappaJohns Bowl: South Carolina over UConn

Cotton Bowl: Ole Miss over Oklahoma State

Liberty Bowl: Arkansas over East Carolina

Alamo Bowl: Texas Tech over Michigan State

Fiesta Bowl: TCU over Boise State

Orange Bowl: Iowa over Georgia Tech

GMAC Bowl: Central Michigan over Troy

National Championship: Alabama over Texas

RECORD: 11-15

The Last Paterno Post of the Day

Once again, Happy Birthday Coach, Hope to see you on the sidelines for many more years to come.

(Cake photo credit: Jay Paterno's twitter @JayPaterno)

The Joe Pa Birthday Tribute continues...

Other Great December 21 Moments

Here's some of the other great things that also occurred on Joe Pa's birthday...

-Pilgrims land on Plymouth Rock (1620)
-First cross-word puzzle publishes in New York World (1913)

Other Birthdays:
-Jane Fonda (1937)
-Samuel L. Jackson (1948)
-Ray Romano (1957)

Joe Pa twirls batons, sells donuts, and tells Presidents to "shove it"

Stuff that Happened in 1966 (The Year Joe Pa became head coach at PSU)

President: Lyndon Johnson

Cost of a Stamp: $0.05

Best Picture: The Sound of Music

Best Album: September of My Years, Frank Sinatra

Noteworthy events:
-Medicare begins
-The FDA decides that "the pill" is safe for human use
-The first "Star Trek" episode airs on television

Deaths: Walt Disney

Sports: Texas Western defeats Ketucky in the NCAA Basketball National Championship


(Source: infoplease.com)

COME TO PENN STATE!

The Injury and What's Older than Joe Paterno?

It's Joe Paterno Day on the Blog

In honor of Joe Pa's 83rd birthday today, it's going to be Joe Paterno day on the Football in the Heartland blog. I'm going to find the best Joe Paterno related quotes, tweets, video's, and photos.




We'll start with a couple tweets from his son and Penn State assistant Jay Paterno...


"Happy Birthday to Joe Paterno and here's to many more."


"Best birthday advice from Joe Paterno--If no one told you how old you were, How old would you be? "



So here's to you Joe Pa. You're the first person that I have devoted an entire day on the blog for.



(Photo Credits: color photo from nbcsports.msnbc.com, black and white photo from lesterlegends.com)

Alamo Bowl Preview

Michigan State vs. Texas Tech

When: Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. (central) on ESPN

Where: San Antonio, Texas

What to watch for: The Red Raiders boast the best passing offense in the Big 12, and the Spartans have the worst passing defense in the Big Ten. This should be the difference in the ball game. If Sparty doesn't stop the pass, they will not win this one. Another factor in this one is how the Spartans will react to not having eight of its players on the squad. Michigan State will be without WR's B.J. Cunningham, Mark Dell and Fred Smith, RB Ashton Leggett, CB Chris Rucker, LB/S Brynden Trawick, DT Ishmyl Johnson and DE Jamiihr Williams.

Cunningham and Dell rank second and third for the Spartans in receiving yards, respectively, whil Leggett had 125 rushing yards and four touchdowns for the Spartans.

Prediction: Texans always Remember the Alamo. There is just too much going against Sparty in this game. Texas Tech's offense is too prolific and the suspensions will hurt Mark Dantonio's squad. Red Raiders win this one, 38-14.

VS.

(Photo Credit: athlonsports.com)

Big Ten Network Breaks Down the Big Ten bowl schedule

Capital One Bowl Preview

Penn State vs. LSU

When: Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. on ABC

Where: Orlando, Fla.

What to watch for: This one should be a really interesting match-up. The Tigers are one of the worst in the SEC in total offense and middle of the road in terms of total defense. On the other hand, the Nittany Lions rank second in the Big Ten in both total offense and defense. The key for this one will be if Penn State QB Daryll Clark is able to step up and win a big game - something he has been unable to do in the past.

Prediction: I like the Nittany Lions in this one. Joe Pa picks up his 24th b

owl win by beating the Mad Hatter Les Miles and his Tigers, 27-24.

VS.

(Photo Credits: bleacherreport.com)

Final Project - Diving into a family tradition

Playing for dad can be tough on both the father and the child.

My dad coached my brother and I in just about every sport growing up, and our reaction from even the slightest bit of advice we received from him was like Jud Buechler giving basketball tips to Michael Jordan.

But this was merely youth sports, nothing compared to high school or collegiate athletics. Plus my dad didn’t know the ins and outs of the sports.

Not like Bob Rydze.

Rydze knows just about everything there is to know about his particular sport – diving. It’s a sport that has been a part of the family for generations.

His father was the president of USA Diving at one time and had the opportunity to judge the 1976 Olympic Games. His brother Richard won a silver medal in the 10-meter tower at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. And now Rydze is the Chairman of the Board for USA Diving and is an extremely accomplished college coach.

As the head diving coach at the University of Iowa for the past 35 years, Rydze has received the Big Ten Diving Coach of the Year award three times, coached four Olympians, 31 All-Americans, nine Big Ten champions, and one NCAA champion.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of really good divers,” he said. “That is the secret to being a good coach – having good talent.”

The proud diving tradition continues in the Rydze family through his youngest daughter Veronica, although the elder Rydze was reluctant to get his daughter involved in the sport.

Rydze’s other two children weren’t divers, and after watching other coaches push their kids into the sport, he decided he wouldn’t force it upon his children.

Veronica, 21, excelled in numerous athletics growing up, including softball, track and gymnastics. She was the captain of her high school track team, leading the squad’s hurdle relay team to a win at the Drake Relays.

“I actually wanted my daughter to be a softball player or a track athlete in college,” Bob Rydze said. “She was really good at both sports.”

But the summer before her freshman year, Veronica told her father she wanted to continue the family tradition of diving.

Her decision to start diving had nothing to do with her family's background in diving or her father’s stature in the sport, she said, she just simply had more fun diving than she did in other sports.

Bob Rydze quickly figured out that he had something special when she stepped onto the board.
She was a two-time state champion in 1-meter diving in high school and a National Swimming Coaches Association All-American.

“I sort of kicked myself a little bit that I didn’t start her sooner because it’s really hard to start that late,” Bob Rydze said. “It takes six to seven years to become a really good diver, it’s a long process. It just doesn’t happen overnight.”

When it came time for Veronica to pick a college to attend, coach Rydze stayed completely out of the recruiting process, leaving it up entirely to Veronica and her mother, Elaine.

He would have been completely supportive had she chosen to attend one of the many other top diving schools in the country, he said, but she chose the University of Iowa as the place to continue her career on the diving board.

“I kind of always knew I wanted to come to Iowa,” she said. “My dad is just such a great coach. He has taught me so much and I just wanted that to continue.”

The success on the board has carried over from high school to college. Now a junior at Iowa, she’s posted the sixth best 1-meter and 10th best 3-meter scores in school history. Last season she and fellow Iowa diver Deidre Freeman placed seventh at U.S. Diving Nationals in the 3-meter synchronized event.

Despite her success, there have been frustrations along the way for both father and daughter. With Rydze teaching her how to dive, it was sometimes difficult to differentiate home life and life at the pool, he said. It wasn’t the coaching at the pool, but rather the coaching at home.

It got to the point where sometimes things that Veronica did would get magnified.

“If I see her eating some ice cream or if she stays out late at night one night,” he said. “I’m not upset that she stayed out late, I’m more upset with how that affects her training.”

He was also quick to point out that he sometimes wasn’t a good parent at her high school sporting events and would “give his two cents.”

Veronica recalled running track for Iowa City high school, and while the other parents cheered in the stands, her father was on the middle of the field with her coaches.

“It was more frustrating during high school than it is now,” she said. “It’s not too bad anymore, plus I’m more mature than I was back then. You just try to keep diving and family separate, which is what usually happens.”

There are times where it’s tough for the father, as well.

Veronica has battled through injuries during her collegiate career – she’s missed most of this season with a back injury.

Injuries are an aspect of sports that a coach must accept – it’s part of the game. But as a father, it can be tough at times.

“The injuries get you more emotionally involved,” he said. “As a father, you just want to see her healthy and able to compete. It’s a balancing act.”

Although there are frustrations, both said they have a great relationship both in and out of the pool.

Being the child of such a polarizing figure in a particular sport can provide added pressure or expectations that can be difficult to live up to.

Michael Jordan’s kids will never live up to the high-flying performance their father performed on the hardwood. Pete Rose's son could only muster two hits in his Major League Baseball career.

But that type of stuff doesn’t bother Veronica. For her, there is no added tension.

“I just have my own expectations of what I want to achieve,” she said. “I don’t really know if there are any other expectations out there.”

(Bob and Veronica Rydze photo credit: www.hawkeyesports.com)

Big Ten Twitter Pic - Check out this Cake!

This twitter picture comes from Penn State assistant coach Jay Paterno (@JayPaterno)

"Check out this cake the Penn State bakery whipped up for our recruiting dinner. Fantastic!"

The Unknown Heisman

There’s a name on the list of Heisman trophy nominees that I bet the average football fan doesn’t know.

The casual fan more than likely couldn’t tell what team he plays for, what position he plays, what statistics he has racked up, and how to even pronounce his name.

Johnny Cash knows his name.

It’s a boy named Suh – and he might be the most deserving Heisman candidate.

Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Still can’t pronounce his name? Let’s have the stats tell the story.

Suh dominated in the Big 12 championship game against Texas and fellow Heisman candidate Colt McCoy, recording four and a half sacks – a Big 12 championship game record.

The problem is that the Heisman award has become a beauty pageant.

I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to overlooking Suh. I knew of his star power on the defensive side of the ball, but I didn’t know his specific stats and his Heisman potential.

By the way, it’s pronounced En-dom-ah-ken Soo, and he racked up a total of 12 sacks this season.

His nomination is the first for a defensive player since 1997 when Michigan’s Charles Woodson became the only defensive player to ever win the Heisman (but even he returned punts and played a little wide receiver).

Hopefully this recognition for Suh’s efforts sets a precedent for non-“skill” players at getting a shot at winning the Heisman. Unfortunately, I don’t see it happening even though these players deserve the award just as much as any pretty-boy quarterback.

It has become socially ingrained in the world of football that the skill positions are the most important and most publicized players in the game.

The Heisman Trophy is supposed to go to the best player in college football.

The Heisman website notes that its mission is to “recognize the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.” There is no way that the most prolific player in college football is consistently year in and year out a quarterback, wide receiver, or running back.

Let’s examine a quarterback that we’ll call “Exhibit A” as an example. This person is 57th in completions, 49th in passing yards, tied for 39th in passing touchdowns, 61st in total rushing yards, and tied for 24th in rushing touchdowns.

Without knowing who this person is and by looking at sheer stats alone, would he be considered to be one of the best players in college football?

Everyone should offer a resounding, “No!”

The above stats belong to none other than Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who will almost without a doubt beat out Suh in the Heisman running, even though he probably shouldn’t be nominated.

The players, voters, and fans need to put aside any preconceived notions that certain positions can’t win college football’s biggest honor.

It’s about time that defensive and even special teams players got the recognition they deserved as the best players in football.

If he wins the Heisman, everyone will know his name.

But until then, life ain’t easy for a boy named Suh.

(Photo Credit: Bleacherreport.com)

Outback Bowl Preview

Northwestern vs. Auburn
When: Jan. 1 at 11 a.m. (central) on ESPN
Where: Tampa, Fla.

What to watch for: I really think the Outback bowl got this one right. Northwestern deserved to be in this game over Wisconsin, and the comittee went with the better team as opposed to possibly taking a worse team with a better fan base. The Wildcats come into this game as one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten.

Northwestern won its final three regular season games, two of them against ranked opponents (Iowa and Wisconsin). Led by QB Mike Kafka, the Wildcats boast one of the best passing offenses in the Big Ten.

This will be a big test for Gene Chizik's Auburn Tigers, who rank eighth in the SEC in pass defense. Auburn comes into this match-up with a two game losing streak.

Prediction: I like the Big Ten to pick up its first bowl win of the season in this one. Pat Fitzgerald is going to have his team ready to go, and Mike Kafka is going to have a big, BIG game for the Wildcats. Northwestern picks up its first bowl victory since 1949 by beating the Tigers, 31-27.

Vs.

Photo Credit: espn.com

Insight Bowl Preview

Insight Bowl

Minnesota vs. Iowa State

When: Dec. 31 at 6 pm (central) on NFL Network

Where: Tempe, Ariz.

What to watch for: On paper, this game doesn't appear to be one of the more exciting bowl games of the season. Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads did a hell of a job to get the Cyclones to its first bowl game since 2005. Both squads are 6-6. Minnesota has one of the worst offenses in the Big Ten, while Iowa State has one of the better rushing offenses in the Big 12. Alexander Robinson (below) leads the Cyclone rushing attack with 1,058 yards. The crucial blow for Minnesota is that the Gophers will be without their top receiver Eric Decker.

Prediction: This game will not be high scoring, but the Big Ten moves to 0-2 in the bowl season after this game. Iowa State wins its first bowl game since 2004 and its third bowl game ever, knocking off the Golden Gophers, 17-10

Vs.

Photo Credit: Athlonsports.com

Bowl Tweets

It's bowl season, so that means it's time for the final round of tweets around the Big Ten...

Penn State assistant Jay Paterno:

"I can't help but wonder: if Joe Paterno coached at LSU would their cheer for him be "When I say JeauxPa, you say Terneaux"."

"Congrats to Daryll Clark on winning the Silver Football-Big 10 MVP-the 3rd PSU QB to win since PSU joined in 1993 more than any school"

"The Capital One Bowl will be a showcase of the greatest tailgaters on the planet--Penn State & LSU fans. Can you put kielbasa in gumbo?"

Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald:

"Get your tickets for the Outback Bowl http://tinyurl.com/yge49ca - let's fill up Raymond James Stadium with Purple! GO CATS!"

"Our staff is starting to game-plan for the Outback Bowl today [Dec. 7] - we have a LOT of work to do between now and January 1st! GO CATS!"

Penn State Assistant Tom Bradley:

"This afternoon and tonight [Dec. 5] is all about recruiting...we have a great group of players and people on campus this weekend"

Sizing up the Big Ten Bowl Games

It's that time of year again, time to go bowling. Seven Big Ten squads received bowl bids this year, and we're going to break down all seven of the match-ups - one by one. Lets start with the first Big Ten bowl.

Champs Sports Bowl

(#15) Miami vs. (#20) Wisconsin

When: Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. (central) on ESPN

Where: Orlando, Fla.

What to watch for: This one should be a really interesting game. The two squads haven't faced each other since 1989, and Miami is 2-1 in the all-time series against the Badgers.

Big Ten offensive player of the year John Clay will face a Miami rushing defense ranked third in the ACC. Clay racked up 1,396 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns this season.

One positive for the Hurricanes is they are playing in their home state. The Hurricanes ability to run the football will be key against the Badgers, who rank second in the Big Ten in rushing defense. Turnovers could be the key to this game. Miami QB Jacory Harris threw 17 interceptions this season, while Badger QB Scott Tolzien has thrown only 10 picks this season.

Prediction: I like Miami in this game. The Hurricanes will get just enough done running the football to set up the pass. Jacory Harris will have a big game and the 'Canes defense will limit John Clay's rushing yards. Miami wins this one, 27-17.

Vs.

Photo Credit: Athlonsports.com

A call for diversity in response to Richard Lapchick study

It’s a man’s world in the realm of sports media. Actually, it’s a man’s world in all forms of the media in today’s society, more specifically a white man’s world.

Let me preface by saying that I don’t think this is right. Women and minorities should have the opportunity to work in sports media, or any media they so desire, just as much as anyone else.

But studies sadly show this isn’t the case.

Richard Lapchick’s 2008 study of gender and race in the APSE newspaper and media staffs sheds light on something that is more than likely known by many in the media.

The results aren’t shocking, especially when it comes to sports writing – 94 percent of sports editors are men, and 94 percent of sports editors are white.

Women make up only 11.5 percent of total APSE staffs in 2008, down from 12.6 percent in 2006.

One downside to this study is that it fails to mention how many minorities or women applied for these positions in 2008. I would imagine that the majority of people applying are white males, which obviously gives them a better shot of being hired.

Many American sports are dominated by minorities – African Americans in the NBA and NFL, and Latin Americans in MLB, etc. So where are the minorities when it comes to reporting on these sports?

In a perfect world, one could say that the people doing the hiring and interviewing of candidates aren’t biased, but I just don’t believe that to be the case. Something needs to be done to get these voices heard.

Women and minorities can possibly bring creative new ideas and perspectives never before seen in the sports media world.

As a sports reporter for a college newspaper, I’ve seen this firsthand.

There are only three female sportswriters on our staff of about 15 people or so, but I will be the first to say that these writers are some of the best we have on staff. The best enterprise sports story I’ve ever read in our paper came from a current female sports reporter last year.

What needs to be implemented in newspaper and other media jobs is some sort of rule similar to the “Rooney Rule” in the NFL. This would force editors to interview at least one minority and one female for each position, possibly giving them more opportunities to have their voice heard in the media.

There are some positives that show that things may be slowly changing. The percentages of African-Americans increased as sports editors, columnists, copy editors and
support staff/clerks, and the number of Asians increased, as well. The number of women is increasing in some positions as well, but at a very slow rate.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favor of having the best candidate get the job. If the best candidate for a certain position is a white male, then so be it.

But the Rooney Rule has helped get more minority coaches more opportunities to be hired in the NFL.

A rule like this is the media world would do the same thing.

Good Tweet, Bad Tweet

The twitter phenomenon is something that looks like it's going to stick around for quite some time.

But with so many people on Twitter - athletes, celebrities, regular joes, and media members, it begs the question about how Twitter is used for "good" and for "bad"

I'll admit, I thought Twitter was pretty stupid and pointless when I first discovered it. But since I've become a member of the media, working as a sports reporter for the Daily Iowan, I've discovered its importance.

Twitter is the fastest way to get news out to other people - whether it's Tiger Woods crashing into a tree, Allen Iverson retiring, or Minnesota head football coach Tim Brewster urging fans to vote the Gophers for the Alamo Bowl.

I've used Twitter on this blog numerous times to report the latest tweets from Big Ten coaches. This is an example of when twitter is used for "good." Twitter is a great way to get inside access to coaches, athletes, celebrities for newsworthy things that reporters might not otherwise discover. I also use Twitter to market my articles that I've written for the Daily Iowan, another good way to use Twitter to further gain readership.

But there can be another side of Twitter.

It can be an avenue for malicious rumors to spread extremely easily. I didn't follow this very closely on Twitter, but I would imagine if someone tweeted that Tiger Woods had died in his car crash, it would have been "Re-Tweeted" millions of times.

The problem is that you can't silence people from tweeting and re-tweeting whatever they want, so how does this problem get solved?

Twitter users just need to be able to distinguish "good" tweeting from the media. Many twitter users in the media provide links to their stories or another person's story, this is a great way to use Twitter.

It's not just the followers fault, but the media members fault, as well. The members of the media that are on Twitter need to realize that they are being followed by sometimes hundreds of thousands of people. People are going to believe what a reputable member of the media says. Take Fox Sports writer Jason Whitlock, who tweeted during the Tiger Woods coverage...

"El broke the back window out with a golf club in an attempt to "save' Tiger. this is getting good. good thang i'm on a diet. im ready baby!! My thoughts and prayers are with El and her young child as they struggle to get through this troubling time.. I'm here if you need me."

This is bad tweeting. Whitlock is not only making light of the Tiger news (granted he might have been tweeting what many people were thinking), he is a member of the media and he is making the story about him just as much as it is about Tiger.

All in all, Twitter is used generally for good in the media, but followers just need to realize the good, the bad, and the completely malicious and untrue.

What I'm Thankful for...Big Ten Football Edition

The day after stuffing my face with good food and spending quality time with family, I decided to compile a list of the things I'm most thankful for this Big Ten season.

I'm thankful for...

-Northwestern getting an eight win season: Pat Fitzgerald is a tremendous coach and sometimes doesn't get the respect or the media coverage he and the Wildcats deserve. But Fitzgerald has done a fantastic job, leading the Wildcats to 17 wins in the past two seasons, 10 of those wins coming in Big Ten play.

-Bill Lynch's tirades: He provided me entertainment throughout the season. Especially this one against Michigan.


-Illinois's Struggles: Maybe it's because I'm a Cubs fan and I'm sick of hearing White Sox fans talk about a World Series victory from four years ago. I feel the same way with Illinois. I'm tired of hearing about your Rose Bowl berth a couple years back.

-"In Kirk We Trust": Kirk Ferentz is just an absolutely amazing coach. He has been through player troubles and the media criticism a couple years ago to lead this team to back-to-back succesful seasons (9 wins last year and 10 so far this year). Despite not having any highly touted recruits out of High School, he makes the most of what he has. He led the Hawkeyes to a 9-0 start, their best start ever in school history.

-Purdue and Danny Hope: At the beginning of the season, I didn't think Purdue would get more than two wins. But with a new coach and a lot of new players, they surprised me a lot this year. Despite struggles and losing a lot of close games, they had a pretty damn good year. They knocked off Ohio State and the future looks bright for Danny Hope and the Boilers.

-Iowa's wild and crazy season: Two consecutive blocked Field Goals against Northern Iowa, a blocked punt by Adrian Clayborn in Happy Valley, Stanzi to McNutt against Michigan State, Tyler Sash's 90+yard interception that ricocheted off of five or 6 players, a redshirt freshman QB taking Ohio State down to the wire at the "Horseshoe." It's been an incredible ride and I am so thankful that I was able to experience it.

One pick and One tweet

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Here's my pick for the lone game this week and tweet for for ya, as well.

Friday Game:
Illinois vs. Cincinnati
Game Time: 11 a.m.
Prediction: The Bearcats head into this game undefeated and poised for a BCS Bowl Berth. Defeating Ron Zook and the Illness shouldn't prove to be too difficult. Bearcats down the Illini, 30-10.


Tweet:
Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster appears to be trying to gain support for his club through twitter.

"Help the Gophers get to the Alamo Bowl...Vote for Minnesota on the Alamo Fan Poll http://bit.ly/1nLIjn"

It looks like Brewster's tweeting is working thus far. Minnesota leads the fan poll with 53% of the vote. Michigan State is behind the Gophers with 33%

Big Team on Campus Rankings

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

The Latest Big Ten Tweets

Coaches should have more time to tweet now that their regular season's are over. Let's see who's tweeting around the Big Ten...

PSU Assistant Tom Bradley: "Nows its time to get on the road this afternoon and start recruiting"

"Wow that third quarter was awesome [Saturday]. It was a great way to end up and hopefully we can get a BCS bid"

PSU Assistant Jay Paterno: "Congrats to Penn State's 6 First Team All Big-Ten Selections. Daryll Clark becomes the First Two-Time 1st Team All Big 10 QB Since Drew Brees"

"On the road for a whirlwind day of recruiting"

Lets hand out some hardware...time for the Big Ten Awards

It's been one fantastic regular season of Big Ten football (I know it's not quite over yet, but it's close enought). It's time to hand out some awards. Who will walk away with the highest accolade given out by the media...the Football in the Heartland end of season awards!

Offensive Player of the Year - And the award goes to....Wisconsin running back John Clay. Clay ranks first in the Big Ten and 14th in the nation in rushing with 1,224 yards. His 13 touchdowns are also first in the Big Ten and put him in a tie for 14th in the country. He rushed for 100 yards or more seven times this season and had his best effort against Minnesota where he rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns.(Photo credit: athlonsports.com)

Defensive Player of the Year - I'm going to give co-players of the year for this one. It's a pair of linebackers - Iowa's Pat Angerer and Michigan State's Greg Jones. Jones recorded 140 tackles (61 solo), as well as nine sacks. The 140 tackles is good for second in the country, while his nine sacks puts him in a tie for 13th. Angerer recorded 135 tackles (good for third in the nation), along with a sack, two forced fumbles, and an interception.

Coach of the Year - No brainer here, it's gotta be Hawkeye head man Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz led Iowa to it's first ever 9-0 start, ultimately finishing the season 10-2. The squad came from behind in eight of the 10 wins. Ferentz should be the National Coach of the Year, no question about it. Iowa doesn't get the five-star recruits like Florida, USC, etc. Ferentz gets the best out of his players and it showed this season.

(Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com)

Most disappointing team - Illinois. The Illini were poised for a big season with preseason All-Big Ten QB Juice Williams at the helm, but the Illini underachieved all season long.

Here's my first-team offense and defense...

OFFENSE

QB: Daryll Clark, PSU

RB: John Clay, Wis

WR: Eric Decker, Minn

WR: Blair White, MSU

WR: Keith Smith, Pur

TE: Tony Moeaki, Iowa

K: Brett Swenson, MSU

DEFENSE

DL: Adrian Clayborn, Iowa

DL: Ryan Kerrigan, Pur

DL: Jammie Kirlew, Ind

DL: Jared Odrick, PSU

LB: Pat Angerer, Iowa

LB: Greg Jones, MSU

LB: A.J. Edds, Iowa

DB: Tyler Sash, Iowa

DB: Kurt Coleman, OSU

P: Zoltan Mesko, Mich.

Best Plays from Week 11

Week 11 Picks

South Dakota State vs. Minnesota
Prediction: Although the Gophers are Decker-less right now. They will win this game and become bowl eligible. Minnesota 27, South Dakota State 10

Indiana vs. Penn State
Prediction: The Lions may not be able to smell the roses, but they're certainly going to keep playing hard and try to make another BCS bowl. Season's over for Bill Lynch and the Hoosiers as the Lions roll, 35-7.

Michigan vs. Wisconsin
Prediction: This is a HUGE game for Rich Rod. A must-win since they play Ohio State next week. That being said, I think Bielema and Tolzien will win this one. Wolverines miss out on a bowl for the second-straight year as the Badgers jump around to the tune of a 24-14 victory.

Michigan State vs. Purdue
Prediction: I never would have thought that Purdue would be two wins away from bowl eligibility. Honestly, I think the Boilers have this one in the bag. Sparty has struggle since losing to Iowa and is coming off an easy win over a MAC opponent. I don't think they will be ready for Danny Hope and the Boilers. Purdue wins it, 21-17.

Northwestern vs. Illinois
Prediction: Northwestern is coming off a huge win at Iowa and I think they will continue to build off of that win when they head to Champaign. Pat Fitzgerald and his squad get it done for a second-straight week, beating the fighting Zooks, 17-14.

Iowa vs. Ohio State
Prediction: It's a game for all the roses. James Vandenberg is going to have to shoulder the load for the Hawkeye offense and not make mistakes. Call me biases, call me a homer, I honestly believe Iowa will win this game. It's going to be a low-scoring defensive effort and the Hawks are going to rally around their young QB. Iowa wins in a close one, 10-7.

Tweets from Around the Big Ten

Howdy everyone. Now that I've mentally recovered from Iowa's loss to Northwestern, it's once again time for some more tweeting from around the Big Ten.

From Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald: "CATS WIN!! Thanks to all the NU students and fans who made it to the game! GO CATS!!"

Purdue Coach Danny Hope: "Great job Joey Elliott, just named Big 10 Offensive Player of the Week! Finished 28-39 for 367 yards and 3 TD's in HUGE win over Michigan!!"

Indiana running back Bryan Payton (right): "It kills me how fans boo when they can't do anything close to what we do on the field every day...They should check themselves"

(Photo credit: heraldtimesonline.com)

Scott Chipman, Big Ten Assistant Commissioner of Communications: "Congrats to NU football on being named the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week after their win over IOWA"

Week 10 Picks

Northwestern vs. Iowa
Prediction: The Wildcats are tough at Kinnick and Mike Kafka is back at QB, but I still like the Hawkeyes to win this one, 31-17

Wisconsin vs. Indiana
Prediction: Indiana has blown its past two games. They won't win this one either, Badgers jump around, 35-13

Western Michigan vs. Michigan State
Prediction: Michigan State needs a game like this to get them back on track. Kirk Cousins and Blair White both have big games as Sparty rolls, 40-7

Purdue vs. Michigan
Prediction: Boilers aren't losing hope, but they will lose this game as Rich Rod rights the Wolverine ship. 30-21

Illinois vs. Minnesota
Prediction: Brewster and the Gophers will be bowl eligible after this one. Minnesota beats Illinois, 23-14

Ohio State vs. Penn State
Prediction: Daryll Clark finally wins a big game. Joe Pa and the Lions celebrate with big 27-24 victory

Week 9 Picks

New Mexico State vs. Ohio State
Prediction: I think non-conference games in week nine are silly. Ohio State wins this one with strong QB play by Pryor, 40-10

Indiana vs. Iowa
Prediction: Hawkeye running back Adam Robinson is out and the Hawkeyes are 17.5 point favorites. I'm going with the Hawkeyes to keep their streak going, but I don't think they will cover the spread. Iowa wins it, 24-13

Purdue vs. Wisconsin
Prediction: Purdue really seems to be finding its stride this year, but Camp Randall is definitely a tough spot for them to play. That being said, I like the Boilermakers in this game. QB Joey Elliott, RB Ralph Bolden, and WR Aaron Valentin will all have solid games and a Carson Wiggs field goal will be the difference. Boiler Up, 27-24

Michigan at Illinois
Prediction: The only thing that is worse than the swine flu is the Fighting Illness. Michigan wins it and Juice will throw at least two picks and get sacked four times. Wolverines win it, 36-10.

Penn State vs. Northwestern
Prediction: The Lions are simply have more talent than the Wildcats. Daryll Clark will have a big game and the Nittany Lions will roll, 24-9.

Michigan State vs. Minnesota
Prediction: An Eric Decker-less Gopher team is definitely going to struggle the final four weeks of the season. Michigan State needs this one to rebound from that heart-breaking loss to the Hawkeyes last weekend. I think that Sparty will do just that, winning this game 28-10

Vincent Response

Professor John Vincent’s study “Equitable Media Coverage of Female and Male Athletes: Is there a solution?” discusses the many inequalities in the representation of male and female athletics.

Vincent notes that many female athletes receive the coverage that they do because of socially constructed sex and gender role stereotypes. A prime example of this is Anna Kournikova and Danica Patrick. These two female athletes are often portrayed in the media because of the way they look as opposed to how good of an athlete they are.

Going along with the socially constructed roles, Vincent also notes that females that play in what are considered to be more “gender appropriate sports” receive more media coverage as opposed to girls that play sports that are considered to be more aggressive and masculine.

Vincent talks not only about sports, but also about the field of sports journalism. He discusses how there are very few female sports reporters, as well. I think that the field has also been socially constructed, specifically on television. Most female sports journalists are “sideline reporters” as opposed to broadcasters or commentators. Very few women have yet to bridge the gap and move from the sidelines up to the press box.

The problem facing women’s athletics is its lack of tradition in the history of sports in the United States. Male dominated sports have been around so much longer than female sports that it is difficult for women’s sports and female athletes to establish themselves in our extremely socially constructed society.

The problem is even when an extremely talented female athlete comes around, society still fails to market that person to the fullest extent. An example of this is Candace Parker. She is probably the best female basketball player of our time, yet I don’t see her very often in advertisements.

It’s not that I feel that females are lesser athletes than men, it’s that male sports are more popular to the masses and have more tradition. The media needs to show what the people want in order to be successful, continue to make money, and gain readership.

Trojan hoopsters hope to build on lack of experience

The best way to describe Iowa City West’s women’s basketball team is with two words - short and inexperienced.

Two things that could definitely hold the squad back if they hope to compete in the Mississippi Valley Conference and make another deep run in the state tournament.

The team finished 16-6 last season and made a postseason run to the sub-state final, losing to Ankeny. But the core of that team has since graduated.

The Trojans lose about 60 percent of their scoring from last year, including top-two scorers Emma Kittle Krieger and Madison Sadecky.

Although team captains have yet to be decided, all indications point to seniors Kristin Fomon, Reed Mackenzie, and Courtney Fritz to be called upon to lead the Trojans.

The trio combined for only 14.6 points per game last season, less than Kittle Krieger’s 15.3 individual effort last season.

West head coach B.J. Mayer said he hopes sophomore Tatum Klein will also make an impact and anchor the team on the defensive end.

The major pitfall will be the team’s lack of height.

“It’s definitely one of our weaknesses,” Mayer said. “We will probably rely more on the three-point shot this year.”

The Trojans plan to implement a new offense this season, switching to a more up-tempo style.
On defense, the team will look to use a lot of trapping and pressing, while at the same time, using a combination of zone and man-to-man.

“We want to try to wear teams down,” Mayer said. “We also want to cause a lot of chaos on defense.”

With Linn-Mar, Cedar Rapids-Kennedy, and Iowa City High returning most of their top players from last year, the Trojans will need to get off to a solid start and continue to gain experience as the season progresses.

West opens up its season on Nov. 24 against Fairfield.

“It is very important to get off to a good start and give our young players some confidence,” Mayer said.

Big Plays from Week 8

Week 8 Picks

Illinois vs. Purdue
Prediction: Boilers get their first win streak of the season, knocking off the Illness 24-20

Indiana vs. Northwestern
Prediction: Hoosiers win in a big game for bowl implications. IU wins 20-17

Minnesota vs. Ohio State
Prediction: Buckeyes get back on track and defeat Eric Decker and the Gophers, 30-14

Penn State vs. Michigan
Prediction: Penn State takes down Forcier and the Wolverines in a close one, 27-24

Iowa vs. Michigan State
Prediction: Hawkeyes win in East Lansing for first time since 1995, but once again, it's going to be a close one. 21-20.

Stay off the Grass!

A brief message to fellow Hawkeye fans: When will you learn?

Once again, in front of the bright lights of ABC’s national audience, thousands of Iowa students poured over the stands and onto to the field to celebrate the 30-28 Homecoming victory over Michigan.

Are you kidding me?

There was absolutely no fathomable reason at all that Iowa fans should have stormed the field.

Let me remind you that the undefeated, then 12^th-ranked Hawkeyes were favored against the unranked Wolverines. But being favored hasn’t stopped fans in the past. I can recall in 2007 when a number of fans stormed historic Kinnick Stadium after a five-point victory against Minnesota.

Great, we won the Floyd of Rosedale, but here’s the catch. Minnesota had one win the entire season!

I understand that it’s exciting that the Hawkeyes are 7-0 for the first time since before most students we’re born and that the game was nationally televised , but if Iowa is going to be taken seriously as the No. 7 team in the country (No. 6 in the BCS) and as a Big Ten title contender, fans need to act like we’ve been here before. Storming the field every time Iowa wins a game is utterly unacceptable.

Storming the field makes our fans and our team look like we don’t compare to the upper-tier teams in the Big Ten and in other major conferences. It gives off the impression that we as fans weren’t expecting the win the game.

Think about how many times fans of USC, Florida, or Texas have stormed the field. Storming the field is meant for teams like Rutgers, Temple, Iowa State (gasp), and Florida International.

Let’s be associated with the former and not the latter.

So here you go Hawkeye fans, here’s the proper field storming etiquette. When you’re thinking about heading down to the turf, revert back to these three rules.

If it doesn’t fall under one of these categories, stay in the stands.

1) If you’re an underdog: Case and point the Penn State game in 2008. It’s fine to storm the field when you’re team is unranked and they knock off the No. 3 team in the country.

2) Last second victories: This one needs a little bit of explaining. This is for game winning plays against teams of equal or greater playing field. No storming the field when it takes an unprecedented play to save us from a major upset – i.e. Northern Iowa (at least we did that one right).

3) Capping off a historic season: In 2002-2003, Iowa went into its final home game with a record of 9-1, competing for a spot in BCS. In the final home game, Iowa defeated Northwestern 62-10, and fans poured onto the field to celebrate with the team that eventually earned a bid to the Orange Bowl. If the Hawkeyes are undefeated or even a one-loss team heading into the final home game (knock on wood), feel free to join Pat Angerer, Ricky Stanzi, and Adrian Clayborn on the turf to celebrate the magnificent season.

If we want to be taken seriously as a year-in, year-out contender and not just a one-hit wonder, keep it in the stands fans, keep it in the stands.

BTOC: Week 7

This was a very interesting week in the Big Ten, we have a new #1 in the BTOC Poll. Of course, it is the Hawkeyes. So here they are 1 through 11

1. Iowa Hawkeyes
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
4. Michigan Wolverines
5. Wisconsin Badgers
6. Michigan State Spartans
7. Minnesota Golden Gophers
8. Indiana Hoosiers
9. Northwestern Wildcats
10. Purdue Boilermakers
11. Illinois Fighting Illness (I mean Illini)

Big Plays from Week 7

This is a new weekly segment where I will compile a 60 second video clip of some of my favorite plays from around the Big Ten each week. I'm able to do this thanks to Big Ten Network's video mashup. It's a great feature that they offer on their site.

Time for Week 7 Picks

Another installment of pick'em. Now that I'm in a self-described "Pick'em War" against ESPN Blogger Adam Rittenberg, I'll post his picks for you as well. But first, here's my picks

Deleware State vs. Michigan
Game Time: 11 a.m. on Big Ten Network
What to watch for: Should be an easy game for Michigan to get themselves back on track, let's see how Tate Forcier plays after being roughed up by the Hawkeyes (and after being yelled at a lot by Rich Rod).
Prediction: Wolverines roll 38-10
Rittenberg's Pick: Michigan

Iowa vs. Wisconsin
Game Time: 11 a.m. on ESPN
What to watch for: It's the battle for the Heartland Trophy. The Hawkeyes hit the road for the next two weeks to see if they can continue their undefeated season.
Prediction: Stanzi plays better, Hawkeyes win in a close one, 24-21
Rittenberg's Pick: Wisconsin

Northwestern vs. Michigan State
Game Time: 11 a.m. on ESPN2
What to watch for: Michigan State's QB play and how the Sparty defense plays against the Mike Kafka offense.
Prediction: In a slight upset, I'll take the Wildcats, 27-24
Rittenberg's Pick: Michigan State

Ohio State vs. Purdue
Game Time: 11 a.m. on Big Ten Network
What to watch for: Let's see if Purdue can even compete in this game
Prediction: Purdue has, what I would say is a 0% chance of winning, and I think I'm being generous. Buckeyes crush the Boilers, 40-7
Rittenberg's Pick: Ohio State

Minnesota vs. Penn State
Game time: 2:30 p.m. on ABC
What to watch for: If the Gophers have any chance, Adam Weber and Eric Decker need to have damn good games.
Prediction: Penn State keeps it going, winning this one 30-13
Rittenberg's Pick: Penn State

Illinois vs. Indiana
Game Time: 6 p.m. on Big Ten Network
What to watch for: Battle of some bottom feeders. Illinois needs to limit the turnovers if they wi this game (Good luck with Juice and Magee at QB).
Prediction: Indiana will pull of the upset in this one, and the Fighting Illness will prepare fireronzook.com. Hoosiers win 17-14
Rittenberg's Pick: Illinois

So as you can see, this is a BIG week for me to either jump ahead of Adam Rittenberg or for him to catch up to me. Only time will tell. Let's just sit back and watch some Big Ten Football

COME TO PENN STATE!!!

I'm sure you've all seen it. But I just had to get this video up on the blog. Everytime there is a mention of Joe Paterno, the first thing I hear is "COOOOMME TO PENN STATE!!!!! If I were a recruit, that's all I would need to sign my letter of intent.

BTOC: Week 6

1. Iowa: 6-0

2. Ohio State: 5-1

3. Penn State: 5-1

4. Wisonsin: 5-1

5. Michigan: 4-2

6. Minnesota: 4-2

7. Michigan State: 3-3

8. Northwestern: 4-2

9. Indiana: 3-3

10. Illinois: 1-4

11. Purdue: 1-5

Big Ten Tweets

Time for some more tweets. Sorry that I haven't been able to blog quite as much lately. Its been a busy time with stories for the Daily Iowan and schoolwork.
But I digress, lets check out some tweets...

Penn State assistant Tom Bradley: "Players took care of business on Saturday.Minnesota brings in a heck of an offense this week.Tough to prepare for.Wow Eric Decker can play!"

Indiana RB Bryan Payton: "I apologize for our performance tonight. We're gonna get things fixed"

Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald: "CATS WIN!! The game ball goes to Northwestern's newly inaugurated President Morton Shapiro! GO CATS!"

Purdue head coach Danny Hope: "Purdue University is now the 87th ranked university in the WORLD, moving up 12 spots from last year. Boiler Up!"

No time for any big analysis, just some quick picks

Sorry all, I'm in Chicago covering the Marathon for the school newspaper so I don't have much time. I just have enough time to give you my picks real quick.

Miami (Oh.) vs. Northwestern
Prediction: Northwestern 30-10

Eastern Ill. vs. Penn St.
Prediction: Penn State 40-7

Michigan St. vs. Illinois
Prediction: Michigan St. 23-14

Purdue vs. Minnesota
Prediction: Minnesota 27-17


Indiana vs. Virginia
Prediction: Indiana 17-14

Wisconsin vs. Ohio State
Prediction: UPSET ALERT, WISCONSIN 27-24

Michigan vs. Iowa
Prediction: Iowa 21-17

The BIG Ten Video of the Week

Time for a another new middle of the week feature that I'd like to call the BIG TEN VIDEO OF THE WEEK!

Each week, I'll scour the internet in search of the best, craziest, hilarious, and occasionally insightful videos from the Big Ten within the past week. This one comes from right in my backyard, historic Kinnick Stadium, from last week's game against Arkansas State. I'm not sure what this guy was thinking, but he did get the crowds attention with his dazzling moves.

Taking a look at Frank DeFord's "The Rabbit Hunter"

I know this isn't Big Ten football related, but for my sports writing class we have to take a look at Frank DeFord's 1982 article, "The Rabbit Hunter."
It is a piece about former Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight. It is very well written but also very unorganized.

The problem with the piece is that DeFord jumps around way too much, which especially isn't good for a longer article such as this. The article is divided into six sections, here's how I would change them around. In parentheses is the section of the article that DeFord placed it.

I: Rabbits (1)
II: Older People (3)
III: Coaches (2)
IV: Players (5)
V: Women (4)
VI: More Rabbits

I felt that "Older People" needed to be placed higher up because it gave background knowledge about Knight's upbringing, a part of the story that I feel is important to be placed closer to the beginning.

"Coaches" and "Players" tie in together and should follow one another because they discuss his playing career and transition from playing to coaching. That's why I felt that these two sections should not be seperated.

"Women" really was the section that I was completely unsure of where to put. It goes into more detail about Knight's altercation at the Pan-American games, which is something that was already briefly mentioned. Honestly I think that the "Women" section should have been broken up completely and DeFord should move certain sentences and paragraphs and add them to other sections of the story.

All in all, DeFord did a really good job of writing the piece, it just needed to be unscrambled.

10 Big Things about Week 5: Let's call it Juice Williams's swan song...

1. Juice benched: How the so-called mighty have fallen. The Big Ten preseason first-team QB has been benched in favor of junior Eddie Magee. Juice had an interception and a fumble in the loss to the Nittany Lions. I have to admit, I do have a slight bias, being that I am a big Juice hater (Williams that is - not the drink), but its a shame we won't see more of this the rest of the season.

(Photo Credit: ChicagoNow.com)

2. John Clay: The Badger running back makes his second appearance on 10 Big Things. He simply dominated, with 32 carries for 184 yards and three touchdowns in Wisconsin's win over the weekend.

3. Sparty back on track: Michigan State stepped it up when it was most needed with their overtime win against the Wolverines. One thing that is worrisome is the quarterback play, however. Kirk Cousins tossed two interceptions in regulation, which forced head coach Mark Dantonio to play backup Keith Nichol in overtime.

4. Tyler Sash: Honestly, this guy is just an interception machine. Sash picked off another one this past weekend, giving him five on the season. He's tied for first in the NCAA in interceptions and has seven INT's in his last eight games, dating back to last season.

5. Daryll Clark: The Nittany Lion signal-caller was solid this week, bouncing back after their home loss to Iowa. Clark completed 17 of 25 passes for 175 yards and also rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns.

6. Boiler Butter Fingers: Purdue turned the ball over six times this weekend, five on fumbles and one on an interception. Purdue already has 17 turnovers this year and their -8 turnover margin is dead last in the Big Ten.

7. Marvin McNutt: McNutt had a career day at wide receiver on Saturday. The former Hawkeye third-string quarterback caught four passes for 121 yards and had a pair of touchdowns in the Hawkeye's win over Arkansas State.

8. Terelle Pryor: the Buckeye sophomore threw three touchdowns and ran for another in the Ohio State victory over Indiana

9. Northwestern mounts comeback over Purdue: Northwestern outscored Purdue 24-0 in the last 31 minutes of the game to defeat Purdue 27-21

10. Larry Caper: The Spartan RB had 13 carries for 39 yards, including the 23-yard game winning run in overtime to upset the Wolverines.