Sorry for the delay in posts lately. I guess things have just been busy at work and with life. At work we've been trying to get everything ready for the busy season, especially with the office being closed for two weeks between now and the first of the year. The rest of life has been busy trying to get ready for the holidays and working to get our wedding registry done (Macy's, Crate and Barrel, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond for those interested...some duplicate items on each, mostly because I know some people like to shop at Bed, Bath, and Beyond with their 20% off coupons). Luckily, today is a day where I've been able to hang out at home and watch some basketball (MSU beating IPFW, UofM losing to Kansas).
While, I know I write about sports a lot, I wanted to take a moment to discuss the smoking ban signed into law by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. It's a law that, in wording, bans smoking in work places. Most work places have already banned smoking, but this law will have a direct impact on bar and restaurant employees.
I have very mixed emotions on this law. There's a very large part of me that couldn't be more excited about this law. I love going out to the bar with friends on weekends, but I hate coming home and smelling like I've been surrounded by smoke all night. On top of that, I hate the knowledge that I'm breathing in second hand smoke the entire time I'm out. Some bars aren't so bad and you can get away from the worst of the smoke, but many of them are awful all around and you can't get away from it. Some would say you can just avoid going to bars and places that allow smoking. While that's one possibility, it doesn't really seem that likely at my age. Bars are popular hang outs for many people my age. It's a popular hangout for many people at all ages (at least those of legal drinking age). I'm a lot more likely to go out to the bar starting May 1, 2010 now that I know it'll be a smoke free environment.
Ok, that being said, if I was a bar owner I'd be very frustrated. Today, smoking is legal in Michigan (and America really if you want to stretch this that far). If I were a bar or restaurant owner, I have a hard time with the government telling me that something is legal to do, yet I'm not allowed to let it happen in my place of business. They're taking away my ability to run my business the way I choose. Now, if you want to ban smoking all together and make cigarettes and cigars illegal, OK. Then I'd be fine with them banning them from my business place because they are illegal. It's a very slippery slope. What is to stop the government from banning red meat in restaurants? What's to stop them from banning restaurants from using certain kinds of cooking oil that are bad for you? The government will never ban cigarettes and cigars. They receive way too much money in the high taxes on these items to ever make them illegal.
While I think it's a little far reaching to jump from the smoking ban to these items, it can be a slippery slope. The thing that makes smoking so different than my other two examples is how second hand smoke impacts the lives of others. The people who are not smoking the cigarettes are directly impacted by the smoker. In the case of greasy foods, it only impacts the person eating the food (and maybe their families in the long run if the person's life ends earlier than if they hadn't eaten those foods). So, I see the difference in these items, but I still think the government is telling these businesses how to run their operations, even though nothing they're doing is illegal if done outside or in your own home.
It also brings up one other item. The three Detroit casinos are exempt from the smoking ban. They claim they would lose business to the Native American run casinos in the rest of the state that would be exempt from the smoking ban because they're on the Native American land. While they'll probably lose some business, the majority of casino patrons in Detroit live in the Metro Detroit area. The closest Native American casinos to Detroit are the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant (a good two hour drive away) and the new Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek (90 minutes from downtown Detroit). It's hard for me to believe that most casino patrons would drive 90 minutes farther to gamble, just so they could light up at the gaming table. Most of the casino's research was based on the changes that happened at the Windsor Casino when Windsor banned smoking. They lost a lot of business to the Detroit casinos, but the driving difference between those two cities is about 10 minutes (unless there is a line at the border). There's a big difference between 10 minutes and 90 minutes. What it really comes down to is the state doesn't want to take any chances losing tax revenue from the casinos. So, they'll ban smoking from bars and restaurants because it won't change their customer base much (no alternatives), but when it might hurt the government, they make exceptions.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Don't Give Up. Don't Ever Give Up
Last night kicked off ESPN's Jimmy V week. For those of you not familiar, Jim Valvano was a college basketball coach from 1969-1990, mostly known for his time at North Carolina State at the end of his career. His time at North Carolina included winning the 1983 National Championship in one of the best finishes (and biggest upsets, over Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon's University of Houston team) in NCAA tournament history, followed by Jimmy V running around the court with his arms out just looking for someone to hug and celebrate with. He then went on to broadcast for ESPN and ABC after his coaching career was over, quickly becoming a fan favorite thanks to his exuberant personality and style.
In 1992, he was diagnosed with bone cancer that was fairly far along. That following spring, he gave a speech at the inaugural ESPY awards on ESPN. It's one of the best speeches I've ever heard. ESPN replays this speech once a year at the start of their Jimmy V week. I'm writing about it today because the speech was on again last night. If I had known ahead of time, I would have written about it earlier so everyone could have tuned in to see it. He gave the whole speech with no notes and just said whatever came to mind. At one point during the speech, one of the producers tried to tell him he had thirty seconds remaining in his time. To this, Jimmy V responded, "They got that screen up there flashing 30 seconds, like I care about that screen. I got tumors all over my body and I'm worried about some guy in the back going 30 seconds?" to which he got a loud round of applause from the live audience.
In his speech, he announced the founding of The V Foundation. The V Foundation raises money to support cancer research. Since 1993, the V Foundation has raised over $80 million. The one thing that I really like about the V Foundation is that 100% of every dollar raised by the V Foundation goes directly to fund cancer research, as everyone that works for the V Foundation works as a volunteer.
I'll leave you with something that always sticks with me from the speech. It's just something to think of when you think you're having a rough day. Many of us lead full, busy lives, but here's something to think about from Jimmy V:
I know money is tough for lots of people right now. If you're looking for a charity, and especially if your life has personally been touched by someone who has battled cancer, please check out the V Foundation: http://www.jimmyv.org
ESPN will continue it's Jimmy V week for the rest of this week and the early portion of next week as they continue raise money for cancer research.
In 1992, he was diagnosed with bone cancer that was fairly far along. That following spring, he gave a speech at the inaugural ESPY awards on ESPN. It's one of the best speeches I've ever heard. ESPN replays this speech once a year at the start of their Jimmy V week. I'm writing about it today because the speech was on again last night. If I had known ahead of time, I would have written about it earlier so everyone could have tuned in to see it. He gave the whole speech with no notes and just said whatever came to mind. At one point during the speech, one of the producers tried to tell him he had thirty seconds remaining in his time. To this, Jimmy V responded, "They got that screen up there flashing 30 seconds, like I care about that screen. I got tumors all over my body and I'm worried about some guy in the back going 30 seconds?" to which he got a loud round of applause from the live audience.
In his speech, he announced the founding of The V Foundation. The V Foundation raises money to support cancer research. Since 1993, the V Foundation has raised over $80 million. The one thing that I really like about the V Foundation is that 100% of every dollar raised by the V Foundation goes directly to fund cancer research, as everyone that works for the V Foundation works as a volunteer.
I'll leave you with something that always sticks with me from the speech. It's just something to think of when you think you're having a rough day. Many of us lead full, busy lives, but here's something to think about from Jimmy V:
"To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."
I know money is tough for lots of people right now. If you're looking for a charity, and especially if your life has personally been touched by someone who has battled cancer, please check out the V Foundation: http://www.jimmyv.org
ESPN will continue it's Jimmy V week for the rest of this week and the early portion of next week as they continue raise money for cancer research.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
First Thanksgiving in Michigan
I moved to Michigan in the fall of 2000 to start my college education at Michigan State. Since then, I have always gone back to my parent's home in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's always seemed like the best idea. Well, as most of you reading this know, I asked a wonderful woman to marry me last New Year's Eve. Even last year when we'd been dating for 8 or 9 months at the time, it was hard to leave Michelle for the holidays. As much as I wanted to see my family, there's something about being with that special someone for the holidays. This year, especially with her brother being in Korea for the holidays (see his blog here) , she thought it was very important to be with her family for Thanksgiving, as it was was the first major family gathering that Eric wouldn't be home for. This made perfect sense to me, so we stayed here for Thanksgiving.
There are definitely some differences between being in Wisconsin and being in Michigan for Thanksgiving. First of all, the local NBC station broadcasts the Detroit Thanksgiving Parade. It's probably the first time in my entire life that I haven't seen the Today Show personalities broadcasting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from New York (it was on, tape delayed at 4 AM Friday morning, and yes, I taped it with plans to watch it sometime this week). Second, I spent the afternoon watching the Lions-Packers game with Lions fans. This included an especially vocal and interested soon-to-be mother-in-law. I did my best to stay calm during the game and not be overly excited as the Packers managed a fairly easy victory over the lowly Lions. It was difficult though, as I'm used to watching it with my Dad who would always have cheered for the Packers with me. Third, as strange as it is, I missed the morning cinnamon rolls that my mom makes for the holidays. She doesn't make them often, and I'm sure they're terrible for you (lots of sugar), but I've always had them in the morning and Thanksgiving and Christmas. I guess sometimes it's just the little things that you miss.
But, all of that being said, I really do love my fiance's family. They know how to have a good time and have invited me into their family very early on in my relationship with Michelle. It's also always fun when her sister comes home from Connecticut for a few days. Kelly doesn't get home that often, so any time she's here it's nice. As usual, everyone ate too much, some of us drank too much, and all in all we had a great weekend.
I do miss my parents though. I guess that's part of growing up. With being about 400 miles apart and having Michelle in my life, there are compromises that need to be made. Hopefully there will come a time where I have a family of my own and I probably won't be traveling at all on the actual holidays. I grew up spending Christmas at home and getting the play with all my new toys all day and I hope I can provide the same opportunities for my kids in the future. Michelle is going to make the same sacrifice for Christmas that I made for Thanksgiving, so I do understand it goes both ways. Luckily at Christmas time, while we'll be in Wisconsin for the actual holiday, we both have a couple weeks off work, so we'll be able to spend time with both families during the holiday season this year.
There are definitely some differences between being in Wisconsin and being in Michigan for Thanksgiving. First of all, the local NBC station broadcasts the Detroit Thanksgiving Parade. It's probably the first time in my entire life that I haven't seen the Today Show personalities broadcasting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from New York (it was on, tape delayed at 4 AM Friday morning, and yes, I taped it with plans to watch it sometime this week). Second, I spent the afternoon watching the Lions-Packers game with Lions fans. This included an especially vocal and interested soon-to-be mother-in-law. I did my best to stay calm during the game and not be overly excited as the Packers managed a fairly easy victory over the lowly Lions. It was difficult though, as I'm used to watching it with my Dad who would always have cheered for the Packers with me. Third, as strange as it is, I missed the morning cinnamon rolls that my mom makes for the holidays. She doesn't make them often, and I'm sure they're terrible for you (lots of sugar), but I've always had them in the morning and Thanksgiving and Christmas. I guess sometimes it's just the little things that you miss.
But, all of that being said, I really do love my fiance's family. They know how to have a good time and have invited me into their family very early on in my relationship with Michelle. It's also always fun when her sister comes home from Connecticut for a few days. Kelly doesn't get home that often, so any time she's here it's nice. As usual, everyone ate too much, some of us drank too much, and all in all we had a great weekend.
I do miss my parents though. I guess that's part of growing up. With being about 400 miles apart and having Michelle in my life, there are compromises that need to be made. Hopefully there will come a time where I have a family of my own and I probably won't be traveling at all on the actual holidays. I grew up spending Christmas at home and getting the play with all my new toys all day and I hope I can provide the same opportunities for my kids in the future. Michelle is going to make the same sacrifice for Christmas that I made for Thanksgiving, so I do understand it goes both ways. Luckily at Christmas time, while we'll be in Wisconsin for the actual holiday, we both have a couple weeks off work, so we'll be able to spend time with both families during the holiday season this year.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The good, the bad, and the ugly
Ok folks, another week of the good, the bad, and the ugly here. With it being Thanksgiving week, there's likely to be more non-sports items in here. We'll see how it goes as I type this while waiting for my client to actually show up for a meeting this morning.
THE GOOD
- I haven't said much about them yet, but the Michigan State basketball team is off to a good start. Durrell Summers really appears to have taken a big jump from is sophomore year to his junior year. Not only is he finding new ways to score, he's also rebounding the ball better than ever. He might be MSU's next great rebounding guard (i.e. Charlie Bell). Kalin Lucas appears to be more aggressive with the ball this year, trying to get to the basket as often as possible and finishing the play more often than not. Draymond Green is playing like a man amongst boys at time. He plays much bigger than his 6'6" size and helps me be less worried about MSU's lack of experienced big men. Delvon Roe and Raymar Morgan have both battled injuries early this year but appear to be rounding into shape. Roe has definitely shown more explosion than last year as his knees continue to get healthier. The big tests continue this week with games against Florida and Rutgers/UMass out in Atlantic City and then the big match-up with North Carolina next week in Chapel Hill.
- Big Ten Basketball as a whole. MSU, Illinois, and Purdue are off to 4-0 starts. MSU has a big win over Gonzaga. Purdue has a big victory over Tennessee (a team that seemed to be able to score at will against everyone else). Wisconsin beat a good Arizona team out in Maui. The top 8 teams in the Big Ten are going to be very good and make this season one of the best Big Ten conference seasons in a long time. With everyone from the first and second team all-big ten teams returning from last year, it should be fun.
- Thanksgiving with the in-laws. I'm off tonight after work for a few days with the in-laws. Michelle's sister is home from Connecticut for the weekend and her uncle and cousin will be over tomorrow afternoon. Knowing the in-laws like I do, it'll be a fun mix of food, drinks, and conversation. We might even sneak in a good movie or two.
- Lions win. Everyone now loves Matt Stafford after complaining about him all year. I'm not sure what to think yet, but it was a heck of a performance to win at the last second against Cleveland this past weekend. He was also the youngest player (and first rookie) to ever throw five touchdown passes in a single game. I think the future is bright, I just hope the Lions find a way to provide him a better defense and a better offensive line. Now, with his injured arm still hurting, it appears no one will see him play this week as the Lions are on national TV for Thanksgiving and that's a shame.
THE BAD
- Coaching decisions at the college football and NFL levels. Let me preface this by saying, I have no problem with Bill Belichik going for it on fourth and 2 from his own 28 yard line with over two minutes left against the Colts. I have a problem with the play call. When you have Randy Moss and Wes Welker (maybe the best possession receiver in the history of the NFL) on your roster, how do you design a play for Kevin Faulk to run a two yard out pattern? When you need two yards, ever pattern should be run at least 4 yards down field. It just makes sense in case they have to cut a route short for some reason.
At the college level, you have the brilliant decisions of Les Miles last weekend. For Les Miles, how many times do you have to run a fade pattern near the goal line before you realize it's just not a high percentage play when you only have one chance? Then, you get the pass interference call the first time, so you do it again? I'm sorry, but on a two-point conversion play from the 1.5 yard line (after the penalty), you're telling me he doesn't have anything better than a fade route in his playbook?? Then, they somehow manage to recover the on-side kick. They get down in field goal range, take a sack, throw a screen pass that loses 5 more yards, and somehow manages to waste 17 seconds deciding if he should call time-out or not. With 9 seconds left now, he throws a deep pass that somehow ends with a first down in field goal range with 1 second on the clock. The clock is stopped because of the first down, but instead of running the field goal team onto the field for a last second field goal, he yells at his QB to spike the ball to stop the clock. THERE'S 1 SECOND LEFT!!!!! No play will last less than 1 second. I'm not saying LSU would have won the game if it went to overtime (if they make the 2 point conversion). I'm not saying their kicker would have made a rushed kick. But how do you not give yourself a chance?? Blame this one on the coaching staff. LSU played well enough to win that game.
- Thanksgiving away from home. For the first time in my 28 years of life, I won't be spending Thanksgiving with my family. Don't get me wrong, I love my fiance and her family, but when I wake up tomorrow morning, I can guarantee I'll miss my mom and dad and be sad that I'm not in Wisconsin. I know it's part of growing up and part of living 400 miles away from them, but that doesn't make it any easier. For those of you near your family for the holidays (even if it's rushing from one place to another to see both your family and your in-laws), enjoy your time this weekend.
THE UGLY
- And again this week, we feature the University of Michigan football program. News comes out that Rich Rodriguez gave the majority of the practice time with the number one offense to Denard Robinson the week of the Wisconsin football game. Then, who comes out for the first snap of the game? Tate Forcier. Does this make any sense to anyone? How do you not play the guy who practiced all week? This is just another example of how a team that started 4-0 managed to go 1-7 to end the year and finish last in the Big Ten. They're going to give Rich Rodriguez another yer to prove himself, but the seat is definitely getting hot in Ann Arbor.
- Glenn Winston and the MSU football team. Last year Winston was involved in an altercation that I won't even begin to talk about. I wasn't there and there are so many conflicting stories, I don't know who to believe. It ended with another MSU athlete in the hospital and Winston had to serve a multi-month jail term last summer. When he came back, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio gave him another chance to prove himself and Winston proved he was a valuable part of the football team and was doing things the right way off the field. Then he suffered a knee injury that ended his season and this week news came out that he's off the team for good.
The story going around is that Winston, Rod Jenrette (another football player) and a group of men were involved in a large altercation in the lobby of Rather Hall on the MSU campus. News reports say numerous individuals ended up at the hospital of emergency room to treat injuries and news has come out that Winston and Jenrette have been permanently kicked off the team. This is another example with an athlete who was given every chance in the world and completely blowing the opportunities placed in his lap. While I was conflicted when Winston returned to the team this past fall, I had big hopes for him on and off the field. Now he's completely proven he didn't deserve the opportunity. I hope he doesn't waste the rest of his life, but unfortunately we've seen it too many times with athletes who fail to capitalize on the opportunities presented to them.
THE GOOD
- I haven't said much about them yet, but the Michigan State basketball team is off to a good start. Durrell Summers really appears to have taken a big jump from is sophomore year to his junior year. Not only is he finding new ways to score, he's also rebounding the ball better than ever. He might be MSU's next great rebounding guard (i.e. Charlie Bell). Kalin Lucas appears to be more aggressive with the ball this year, trying to get to the basket as often as possible and finishing the play more often than not. Draymond Green is playing like a man amongst boys at time. He plays much bigger than his 6'6" size and helps me be less worried about MSU's lack of experienced big men. Delvon Roe and Raymar Morgan have both battled injuries early this year but appear to be rounding into shape. Roe has definitely shown more explosion than last year as his knees continue to get healthier. The big tests continue this week with games against Florida and Rutgers/UMass out in Atlantic City and then the big match-up with North Carolina next week in Chapel Hill.
- Big Ten Basketball as a whole. MSU, Illinois, and Purdue are off to 4-0 starts. MSU has a big win over Gonzaga. Purdue has a big victory over Tennessee (a team that seemed to be able to score at will against everyone else). Wisconsin beat a good Arizona team out in Maui. The top 8 teams in the Big Ten are going to be very good and make this season one of the best Big Ten conference seasons in a long time. With everyone from the first and second team all-big ten teams returning from last year, it should be fun.
- Thanksgiving with the in-laws. I'm off tonight after work for a few days with the in-laws. Michelle's sister is home from Connecticut for the weekend and her uncle and cousin will be over tomorrow afternoon. Knowing the in-laws like I do, it'll be a fun mix of food, drinks, and conversation. We might even sneak in a good movie or two.
- Lions win. Everyone now loves Matt Stafford after complaining about him all year. I'm not sure what to think yet, but it was a heck of a performance to win at the last second against Cleveland this past weekend. He was also the youngest player (and first rookie) to ever throw five touchdown passes in a single game. I think the future is bright, I just hope the Lions find a way to provide him a better defense and a better offensive line. Now, with his injured arm still hurting, it appears no one will see him play this week as the Lions are on national TV for Thanksgiving and that's a shame.
THE BAD
- Coaching decisions at the college football and NFL levels. Let me preface this by saying, I have no problem with Bill Belichik going for it on fourth and 2 from his own 28 yard line with over two minutes left against the Colts. I have a problem with the play call. When you have Randy Moss and Wes Welker (maybe the best possession receiver in the history of the NFL) on your roster, how do you design a play for Kevin Faulk to run a two yard out pattern? When you need two yards, ever pattern should be run at least 4 yards down field. It just makes sense in case they have to cut a route short for some reason.
At the college level, you have the brilliant decisions of Les Miles last weekend. For Les Miles, how many times do you have to run a fade pattern near the goal line before you realize it's just not a high percentage play when you only have one chance? Then, you get the pass interference call the first time, so you do it again? I'm sorry, but on a two-point conversion play from the 1.5 yard line (after the penalty), you're telling me he doesn't have anything better than a fade route in his playbook?? Then, they somehow manage to recover the on-side kick. They get down in field goal range, take a sack, throw a screen pass that loses 5 more yards, and somehow manages to waste 17 seconds deciding if he should call time-out or not. With 9 seconds left now, he throws a deep pass that somehow ends with a first down in field goal range with 1 second on the clock. The clock is stopped because of the first down, but instead of running the field goal team onto the field for a last second field goal, he yells at his QB to spike the ball to stop the clock. THERE'S 1 SECOND LEFT!!!!! No play will last less than 1 second. I'm not saying LSU would have won the game if it went to overtime (if they make the 2 point conversion). I'm not saying their kicker would have made a rushed kick. But how do you not give yourself a chance?? Blame this one on the coaching staff. LSU played well enough to win that game.
- Thanksgiving away from home. For the first time in my 28 years of life, I won't be spending Thanksgiving with my family. Don't get me wrong, I love my fiance and her family, but when I wake up tomorrow morning, I can guarantee I'll miss my mom and dad and be sad that I'm not in Wisconsin. I know it's part of growing up and part of living 400 miles away from them, but that doesn't make it any easier. For those of you near your family for the holidays (even if it's rushing from one place to another to see both your family and your in-laws), enjoy your time this weekend.
THE UGLY
- And again this week, we feature the University of Michigan football program. News comes out that Rich Rodriguez gave the majority of the practice time with the number one offense to Denard Robinson the week of the Wisconsin football game. Then, who comes out for the first snap of the game? Tate Forcier. Does this make any sense to anyone? How do you not play the guy who practiced all week? This is just another example of how a team that started 4-0 managed to go 1-7 to end the year and finish last in the Big Ten. They're going to give Rich Rodriguez another yer to prove himself, but the seat is definitely getting hot in Ann Arbor.
- Glenn Winston and the MSU football team. Last year Winston was involved in an altercation that I won't even begin to talk about. I wasn't there and there are so many conflicting stories, I don't know who to believe. It ended with another MSU athlete in the hospital and Winston had to serve a multi-month jail term last summer. When he came back, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio gave him another chance to prove himself and Winston proved he was a valuable part of the football team and was doing things the right way off the field. Then he suffered a knee injury that ended his season and this week news came out that he's off the team for good.
The story going around is that Winston, Rod Jenrette (another football player) and a group of men were involved in a large altercation in the lobby of Rather Hall on the MSU campus. News reports say numerous individuals ended up at the hospital of emergency room to treat injuries and news has come out that Winston and Jenrette have been permanently kicked off the team. This is another example with an athlete who was given every chance in the world and completely blowing the opportunities placed in his lap. While I was conflicted when Winston returned to the team this past fall, I had big hopes for him on and off the field. Now he's completely proven he didn't deserve the opportunity. I hope he doesn't waste the rest of his life, but unfortunately we've seen it too many times with athletes who fail to capitalize on the opportunities presented to them.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
If Gambling were legal....
...this is who I like this weekend. After what should have been an undefeated weekend (I should know better than to put any confidence in Ron Zook and Illinois), I'm feeling more confident in my Big Ten picks going into the last weekend of the regular season. Only five Big Ten games this week as Illinois takes a week off before their two final non-conference games of the season. (Side note: Who schedules two non-conference games AFTER the Big Ten season? While there's something to be said for having more time off during the early part of the season, this was an Illini team that struggled to find an identity all season and probably could have used a couple more non-conference games early in the season) Also, the Big Ten's bowl teams became clearer last week as two teams became bowl eligible (Minnesota and Michigan State) and three teams became eliminated from bowl contention (Purdue, Indiana, and Illinois). Michigan is the only team still fighting for bowl eligibility as they sit at 5-6, looking to get that 6th win and avoid missing the bowl season for the second year in a row. Without further ado, here are my picks (home team in CAPS):
#10 Ohio State -11.5 over MICHIGAN 12:00 ET ABC
The Michigan defense continues to be awful. The Ohio State offense is still struggling to consistently get their offense rolling. This week Pat Forde (of ESPN fame) called Jim Tressel the "Most conservative coach in America." He also noted that Tressel has no problem with that, and why would he? Tressel is 92-21 in his first 113 games at Ohio State. Tressel is 7-1 against Michigan, a team that beat Ohio State so often during the John Cooper era that it cost him his job. Hidden behind his conservative offensive game plan and his sweater vest apparel is the fact that his defense is outstanding. This is a game where Tressel will be able to let his offense loosen up while his defense shine. The Michigan defense has allowed at least 35 points in their last four games and the streak continues as OSU wins 38-17.
#13 IOWA -10 over Minnesota 12:00 ET ESPN
Last week Iowa proved it can still hold their own, even without QB Ricky Stanzi. It was a tough overtime loss at Ohio State for the Hawkeyes who battled back in the second half to force the game into overtime. As predicted here last week, Iowa back-up QB James Vandenberg looked much more comfortable after having a full week of practice with the first string Iowa offense. The Iowa offense was also aided by the return of running back Adam Robinson who missed the previous two games due to injury. On the other hand, Minnesota struggled last week with lowly South Dakota State from the Missouri Valley Conference, needing a field goal with 2 minutes left in the game to eek out a victory. This is a rivalry game for both teams and the Hawkeyes are fighting to stay in line for a premier bowl game this season that started so promising (9-0) before losing their last two games. In this case, the Hawkeye defense will keep the Golden Gopher offense under control while the offense will get enough big plays from Vandenberg, Robinson, and receivers Marvin McNutt and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos as Iowa rolls to victory 31-13.
#16 Wisconsin -7 over NORTHWESTERN 3:30 ET Big Ten Network
This has been a decent year for the Wildcats as they prepare for their second bowl game in as many years. Pat Fitzgerald is building a winning program and has a 26-22 record as a head coach since he took over under less than ideal circumstances after the unexpected death of head coach Randy Walker. That being said, their upset victory over Iowa two weeks ago was greatly aided by the injury to Iowa starting QB Ricky Stanzi. Northwestern plays solid, yet unspectacular football. Wisconsin, on the other hand, is having a much better than expected season and is fighting for a New Year's Day bowl game. With a game remaining at Hawaii after this week, Wisconsin is looking toward a 10-2 season with a couple more victories. Wisconsin's offense has gotten a big lift from freshman running back Montee Ball as Wisconsin now has a back-up to give Big Ten leading rusher John Clay a break from time to time. Without a doubt Clay is still the leader of the Badgers offense, but the somewhat reduced work load the last couple weeks has allowed him to be fresher in the second half and the Badgers have worn down opposing defenses. QB Scott Tolzien continued his surprising performance this year with a big game against Michigan last week (240 yards, 4 TD's, 197.33 passer rating). Wisconsin just has too much talent and too much to play for in this game, Badgers win 31-20.
INDIANA +3 over Purdue 3:30 ET Big Ten Network
Indiana's offense has been competitive all season long. Purdue has been the epitome of the up and down team all year. They looked like world beaters taking out Ohio State this year. Their offense showed up and looked outstanding against Oregon and Michigan State, but the defense struggled in the two losses. This is a rivalry game as the two Indiana teams compete for possession of the Old Oaken Bucket. This is the equivalent of a bowl game for both these teams as their seasons will be over by 7:30 on Saturday evening. With it being senior day and a rivalry game, Indiana will come through and outscore the Boilermakers in a high scoring affair in Bloomington. Indiana wins outright, 38-34.
MICHIGAN STATE +3 over Penn State 3:30 ET ABC
I've gone back and forth on this game at least 5 times. It's really a question of which teams shows up to play for Michigan State. Will it be the team that played with Iowa until the final play of the game? Will it be the team that held a fairly explosive Michigan offense to 6 points for 55 minutes of their game? Or, will it be the team that allowed Minnesota to score 42 points? The team that gave up 38 points at Wisconsin? The team that allowed Purdue to score 37 points? The one common factor I see in all these games is that the defense has played much better inside Spartan Stadium.
Penn State has proved themselves to be very good against the teams they should beat and mostly average against tougher competition (see their two losses to Iowa and Ohio State). Their offense is lead by Darryl Clark who was first team All-Big Ten last season and Evan Royster who was a first-team All-Big Ten preseason pick this year. On defense their lead by linebacker Navorro Bowman, the most recent star from Linebacker U.
Call it a gut feeling. Call it intuition. Call it me being a Michigan State homer. MSU wins outright, 34-31.
Record last week: 3-1-1
Overall record: 8-8-1
#10 Ohio State -11.5 over MICHIGAN 12:00 ET ABC
The Michigan defense continues to be awful. The Ohio State offense is still struggling to consistently get their offense rolling. This week Pat Forde (of ESPN fame) called Jim Tressel the "Most conservative coach in America." He also noted that Tressel has no problem with that, and why would he? Tressel is 92-21 in his first 113 games at Ohio State. Tressel is 7-1 against Michigan, a team that beat Ohio State so often during the John Cooper era that it cost him his job. Hidden behind his conservative offensive game plan and his sweater vest apparel is the fact that his defense is outstanding. This is a game where Tressel will be able to let his offense loosen up while his defense shine. The Michigan defense has allowed at least 35 points in their last four games and the streak continues as OSU wins 38-17.
#13 IOWA -10 over Minnesota 12:00 ET ESPN
Last week Iowa proved it can still hold their own, even without QB Ricky Stanzi. It was a tough overtime loss at Ohio State for the Hawkeyes who battled back in the second half to force the game into overtime. As predicted here last week, Iowa back-up QB James Vandenberg looked much more comfortable after having a full week of practice with the first string Iowa offense. The Iowa offense was also aided by the return of running back Adam Robinson who missed the previous two games due to injury. On the other hand, Minnesota struggled last week with lowly South Dakota State from the Missouri Valley Conference, needing a field goal with 2 minutes left in the game to eek out a victory. This is a rivalry game for both teams and the Hawkeyes are fighting to stay in line for a premier bowl game this season that started so promising (9-0) before losing their last two games. In this case, the Hawkeye defense will keep the Golden Gopher offense under control while the offense will get enough big plays from Vandenberg, Robinson, and receivers Marvin McNutt and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos as Iowa rolls to victory 31-13.
#16 Wisconsin -7 over NORTHWESTERN 3:30 ET Big Ten Network
This has been a decent year for the Wildcats as they prepare for their second bowl game in as many years. Pat Fitzgerald is building a winning program and has a 26-22 record as a head coach since he took over under less than ideal circumstances after the unexpected death of head coach Randy Walker. That being said, their upset victory over Iowa two weeks ago was greatly aided by the injury to Iowa starting QB Ricky Stanzi. Northwestern plays solid, yet unspectacular football. Wisconsin, on the other hand, is having a much better than expected season and is fighting for a New Year's Day bowl game. With a game remaining at Hawaii after this week, Wisconsin is looking toward a 10-2 season with a couple more victories. Wisconsin's offense has gotten a big lift from freshman running back Montee Ball as Wisconsin now has a back-up to give Big Ten leading rusher John Clay a break from time to time. Without a doubt Clay is still the leader of the Badgers offense, but the somewhat reduced work load the last couple weeks has allowed him to be fresher in the second half and the Badgers have worn down opposing defenses. QB Scott Tolzien continued his surprising performance this year with a big game against Michigan last week (240 yards, 4 TD's, 197.33 passer rating). Wisconsin just has too much talent and too much to play for in this game, Badgers win 31-20.
INDIANA +3 over Purdue 3:30 ET Big Ten Network
Indiana's offense has been competitive all season long. Purdue has been the epitome of the up and down team all year. They looked like world beaters taking out Ohio State this year. Their offense showed up and looked outstanding against Oregon and Michigan State, but the defense struggled in the two losses. This is a rivalry game as the two Indiana teams compete for possession of the Old Oaken Bucket. This is the equivalent of a bowl game for both these teams as their seasons will be over by 7:30 on Saturday evening. With it being senior day and a rivalry game, Indiana will come through and outscore the Boilermakers in a high scoring affair in Bloomington. Indiana wins outright, 38-34.
MICHIGAN STATE +3 over Penn State 3:30 ET ABC
I've gone back and forth on this game at least 5 times. It's really a question of which teams shows up to play for Michigan State. Will it be the team that played with Iowa until the final play of the game? Will it be the team that held a fairly explosive Michigan offense to 6 points for 55 minutes of their game? Or, will it be the team that allowed Minnesota to score 42 points? The team that gave up 38 points at Wisconsin? The team that allowed Purdue to score 37 points? The one common factor I see in all these games is that the defense has played much better inside Spartan Stadium.
Penn State has proved themselves to be very good against the teams they should beat and mostly average against tougher competition (see their two losses to Iowa and Ohio State). Their offense is lead by Darryl Clark who was first team All-Big Ten last season and Evan Royster who was a first-team All-Big Ten preseason pick this year. On defense their lead by linebacker Navorro Bowman, the most recent star from Linebacker U.
Call it a gut feeling. Call it intuition. Call it me being a Michigan State homer. MSU wins outright, 34-31.
Record last week: 3-1-1
Overall record: 8-8-1
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
A break from sports....to complain about work
As you all know (and when I say all, I mean the four of you that might actually read this regularly) this is where I normally write my thoughts on sports, specifically MSU sports. For the moment, I'm going to use this area to complain about my job...
So, one of my clients a couple weeks ago decided that instead of paying their bills, they'd just file for bankruptcy protection. This actually makes lots of sense as they owe about twice as much as they expect to take in during the next 9 months. They also have an extreme shortage in the cash department and were going to struggle to keep paying their employees. Now they can continue paying their employees, but they get a break on paying their suppliers and such.
In the process of researching bankruptcy issues for other companies in my client's industry, a partner at my firm realized I was working on the issue AND that there was about to be a conference out west that was going to cover handling clients that have recently filed for bankruptcy. I was swamped at work, but when the boss says jump, you really don't have much of an option.
Now here I sit. In the past two days I've spent 4 hours on an airplane and 12 hours in classes. Here's the real question: How I learned anything new? The answer: No. I'm starting to think that this is going to be a meaningless conference. Others here may actually be getting something out of it, but it's covering things that I learned in the first 5 days working with my client back in Detroit.
This would have been a great class to take back this summer when things were really slow at work and I had lots of free time. It also would have prepared me for client's unfortunate situation. Right now though, it's not really the best time to be sitting here bored. I have 5 projects sitting back home waiting for me that I can't do anything about right now. I have to fill in my hours for this week as classroom learning time to get my continuing education credits (a firm and CPA requirement). I'd love to actually go back to my hotel room and do some work related items, but I also have to bill that and we're being lectured right now to avoid working more than 45 hours a week at almost all cost.
So, not only am I away from home, jet lagged, and not sleeping well, I'm also frustrated with the fact that I'm feeling very unproductive. I get back Monday and I'm supposed to take Friday off (because Monday and Thursday count as at least 12 hour days when you could travel time and class time, putting me well over 45 hours this week), but I know next week is a short week because of Thanksgiving. I just feel like I'll never get caught up on things because of this week away.
Oh well, at least the MSU basketball team managed to pull off a win tonight.
So, one of my clients a couple weeks ago decided that instead of paying their bills, they'd just file for bankruptcy protection. This actually makes lots of sense as they owe about twice as much as they expect to take in during the next 9 months. They also have an extreme shortage in the cash department and were going to struggle to keep paying their employees. Now they can continue paying their employees, but they get a break on paying their suppliers and such.
In the process of researching bankruptcy issues for other companies in my client's industry, a partner at my firm realized I was working on the issue AND that there was about to be a conference out west that was going to cover handling clients that have recently filed for bankruptcy. I was swamped at work, but when the boss says jump, you really don't have much of an option.
Now here I sit. In the past two days I've spent 4 hours on an airplane and 12 hours in classes. Here's the real question: How I learned anything new? The answer: No. I'm starting to think that this is going to be a meaningless conference. Others here may actually be getting something out of it, but it's covering things that I learned in the first 5 days working with my client back in Detroit.
This would have been a great class to take back this summer when things were really slow at work and I had lots of free time. It also would have prepared me for client's unfortunate situation. Right now though, it's not really the best time to be sitting here bored. I have 5 projects sitting back home waiting for me that I can't do anything about right now. I have to fill in my hours for this week as classroom learning time to get my continuing education credits (a firm and CPA requirement). I'd love to actually go back to my hotel room and do some work related items, but I also have to bill that and we're being lectured right now to avoid working more than 45 hours a week at almost all cost.
So, not only am I away from home, jet lagged, and not sleeping well, I'm also frustrated with the fact that I'm feeling very unproductive. I get back Monday and I'm supposed to take Friday off (because Monday and Thursday count as at least 12 hour days when you could travel time and class time, putting me well over 45 hours this week), but I know next week is a short week because of Thanksgiving. I just feel like I'll never get caught up on things because of this week away.
Oh well, at least the MSU basketball team managed to pull off a win tonight.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
If Gambling were legal....
So, I got completely crushed last week in my football picks. Crushed like Jared takes down a Subway Sub. The only bright side was my upset pick of Michigan not only failing to cover against Purdue, but Purdue actually winning outright. But, that being said, I still went 2-4 last week and it brings my overall record down to 5-7. I'd like to blame my record on the fact that I picked the games at 11:30 AM last Saturday morning, but looking back on things, I don't think I'd pick anything different now. The only thing I didn't factor in was the resurgence of Illinois as an offensive powerhouse after they destroyed Michigan and then put 35 on Minnesota last week. We'll have to see if the folks in Vegas have taken into into consideration for this week. Minnesota hosts South Dakota State this week and there is no line for this game, so I'll just skip it and say, no way Minnesota loses this game. Without further ado, here are the picks:
Big Ten Games - Home Team in Caps
Indiana +25.5 over #18 PENN STATE 12:00 ET Big Ten Network
Penn State has something to prove. They were pushed around by Ohio State last weekend and really struggled to get anything going in their 24-7 loss. If Darryl Clark and Evan Royster are going to be considered an offensive stars, they need to put up more than 161 yards of total offense between them. Credit the OSU defense for their gameplan, but two players that drew comparisons to Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook last week (yep, a newspaper in Pennsylvania actually made that comparison), you have to show up for what was arguably the biggest game of the season for your team.
This Indiana offense is pretty good. They've managed to put up 33 points against Michigan (granted Michigan is like the campus slut, everyone scores on them), 24 on Iowa, 28 against Northwestern, and 28 against Wisconsin. They even managed 14 against an Ohio State defense than held Penn State to 7 points last week. I'm sure Penn State win this game. They probably even win by 3 touchdowns, but I think they get off to a slow start against the Hoosiers (call it a hangover from last week's loss), but they'll come through in the 2nd quarter and 2nd half and easily roll to victory...but fail to cover. Penn State wins 38-17
#20 WISCONSIN -8.5 over Michigan 12:00 ET Big Ten Network
Michigan's defense is terrible. If Wisconsin fails to score 35 points in this game, it's because their offense turns the ball over multiple (read: 3+ times). John Clay was injured in their game against Indiana last week, but is fully expected to play this week. John Clay and Montee Ball have turned into a great 1-2 punch for the Badgers running game. On top of that, early in the season, Wisconsin QB Scott Tolzien proved he has the ability to make plays when he has time to throw the ball. I expect big games from Clay, Ball, Tolzien, and TE Garrett Graham against a weak Michigan defense. Also, something to watch for all Badger fans is the growth of freshman linebacker Chris Borland. Borland was a stand-out on special teams and rushing the QB early in season and his production has only gone up since he's stepped into the Badgers line-up after injuries struck the defense. Look for him to keep an eye on the Michigan QB's this weekend and cause trouble for Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson all day on Saturday.
Speaking of the Michigan defense, it's been written everywhere (including this blog) how terrible it has been this season. The real question on the matter is whether it's a talent issue or a coaching issue. Personally, I think it's a combination of things and you can't blame either side entirely. The bigger question is the Rich Rodriguez experiment. I was going to write an entire blog entry on this subject, but I don't want to come across as a Michigan State fan taking cheap shots at the Michigan football program when they're down. If I have some free time tonight, maybe I'll put something together. That being said, I just don't see the Michigan defense putting a stop to the Wisconsin offense. It's a Wisconsin offense that bases their game on ball control and running the football. They'll keep the Michigan offense on the sidelines and win by at least 10. Wisconsin wins, 38-28.
ILLINOIS -4 over Northwestern 12:00 ET ESPN Classic
I just have no feelings for this game. It's like a guy with a hot sister. He knows she's hot, but she's still his sister and doesn't think of her that way (even when all of his buddies are trying to hit on her). I just don't have any interest in this game. I guess Illinois wins. Their offense seems to be coming around (scored 38 against Michigan and 35 against Minnesota) Northwestern pulled off a major upset beating Iowa last weekend, but I think the injury to Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi was as much a factor in that game as was the play of Northwestern's defense. I also think there could be a letdown factor for the Wildcats this weekend coming off the big victory last weekend. I know I've always said never trust a Ron Zook coached team, but in this case I'll give the points and take the Illini at home in the in-state rivalry game. Illinois wins 27-20.
Michigan State -3 over PURDUE 12:00 ET ESPN
Probably the second biggest Big Ten game of the weekend. 4-6 Purdue is playing to keep their bowl hopes alive. 5-5 MSU is playing to become bowl eligible with a tough game against Penn State awaiting them next weekend. Purdue started the season 1-5, but that 1-5 record included a tough 38-36 loss at Oregon, a close 24-21 loss to Notre Dame. They surprised Ohio State and scored the 2nd biggest upset of the Big Ten season with a 26-18 victory at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette. Since then, it's been a collection of up and down performances for the Boilers. After being destroyed 37-0 by Wisconsin, the Boilers rebounded with a strong second half performance to beat Michigan 38-36 in a game they trailed 24-10 at halftime. QB Joey Elliott has proved to be very solid and RB Ralph Bolden is third in the Big Ten in rushing. Elliott leads the Big Ten in passing yards, is second in touchdowns, but is also second in interceptions. That being said, I still think their offense will have a couple of missteps against a MSU defense who should come out with something to prove and looked much better last week against a much inferior opponent in Western Michigan.
There's no question about the Michigan State offense. They're going to score some points as Blair White and Kirk Cousins will always keep this offense moving. The Spartans are hoping Larry Caper can return this week and continue what has been a decent freshman campaign for the Battle Creek native. One good thing to come out of the Spartans game last week was Ashton Leggett's performance. The seldom used running back who started the season fifth on the depth chart showed his nose for the endzone. Coming into the game Leggett had one carry for zero yards. Against Western Leggett had 14 carries for 110 yards and four touchdowns. While his 71 yard touchdown run was impressive, his ability to punch the ball in near the goaline was more impressive to me. Let's face it, looking at his long touchdown, almost any running back playing division 1 football takes that to the endzone. Western pushed all their defenders up the middle as MSU ran to the outside. Leggett, who is not known for his speed, jumped outside and was gone. There was no one on the field between the left hashmark and the sideline and Leggett has a wide open field in front of him. On the hand, the Spartans have struggled this season to get the ball in the end zone when it's 1st and goal inside the five. The offensive line has struggled to get a solid push and the freshman running backs (Caper and Baker) have struggled to find the endzone. When healthy, Glenn Winston was the guy near the endzone, but since his knee injury Caper and Baker have not been able to match his production. This set-up Leggett for what he did last weekend. At 5'11" and 230 pounds, he's exactly what MSU needs. The knock on Leggett coming into the year was his ability to hang on to the ball, but it appears he's worked on that problem and the coaches trust his ability near the endzone.
The Spartans will give up some points, but win the turnover battle. The defense will keep Bolden under wraps and put pressure on Elliott. Larry Caper will come back healthy and the Spartans will take care of business in West Lafayette this weekend. MSU wins 34-27.
#10 Iowa +17 over #11 OHIO STATE 3:30 ET ABC
I don't get this line. I know Iowa is playing without Ricky Stanzi. I know they're on their fourth string running back after injuries have crushed their running game this year. As bad as freshman QB James Vandenberg looked last week for the Hawkeyes, I expect him to be much better after a full week of practice with the starting unit. Also, this is still the Hawkeye defense that has given teams fits all year long.
That being said, Ohio State looked very good against Penn State last week. Their defense managed to shut down a very good Penn State offense. I still don't trust Terrell Pryor against a good defense. Iowa's strength on defense is their run defense. If they can prevent Pryor from completing the long pass and force him to be accurate throwing the ball short, I think they can keep the Ohio State offense under wraps. Pryor is still not very accurate in the 8-12 yard passing game. He's got a great arm and throws a great deep ball. If he has time to line-up and throw it 40 yards down the field, he'll complete 3/5 which is a great number on deep balls. That being said, he's lucky to complete 3/5 on short out patterns and crossing patterns.
There's no coach in the Big Ten that I trust more than Kirk Ferentz. He's like the anti-Ron Zook. He game plans well and his teams are almost always ready to play. I think he finds a way to keep this close even with all the injuries facing the Hawkeyes. Ohio State wins, but Iowa keeps it close with a couple of big plays from wide receivers Marvin McNutt and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. OSU wins 24-17.
Record Last week: 2-4
Overall Record: 5-7.
Big Ten Games - Home Team in Caps
Indiana +25.5 over #18 PENN STATE 12:00 ET Big Ten Network
Penn State has something to prove. They were pushed around by Ohio State last weekend and really struggled to get anything going in their 24-7 loss. If Darryl Clark and Evan Royster are going to be considered an offensive stars, they need to put up more than 161 yards of total offense between them. Credit the OSU defense for their gameplan, but two players that drew comparisons to Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook last week (yep, a newspaper in Pennsylvania actually made that comparison), you have to show up for what was arguably the biggest game of the season for your team.
This Indiana offense is pretty good. They've managed to put up 33 points against Michigan (granted Michigan is like the campus slut, everyone scores on them), 24 on Iowa, 28 against Northwestern, and 28 against Wisconsin. They even managed 14 against an Ohio State defense than held Penn State to 7 points last week. I'm sure Penn State win this game. They probably even win by 3 touchdowns, but I think they get off to a slow start against the Hoosiers (call it a hangover from last week's loss), but they'll come through in the 2nd quarter and 2nd half and easily roll to victory...but fail to cover. Penn State wins 38-17
#20 WISCONSIN -8.5 over Michigan 12:00 ET Big Ten Network
Michigan's defense is terrible. If Wisconsin fails to score 35 points in this game, it's because their offense turns the ball over multiple (read: 3+ times). John Clay was injured in their game against Indiana last week, but is fully expected to play this week. John Clay and Montee Ball have turned into a great 1-2 punch for the Badgers running game. On top of that, early in the season, Wisconsin QB Scott Tolzien proved he has the ability to make plays when he has time to throw the ball. I expect big games from Clay, Ball, Tolzien, and TE Garrett Graham against a weak Michigan defense. Also, something to watch for all Badger fans is the growth of freshman linebacker Chris Borland. Borland was a stand-out on special teams and rushing the QB early in season and his production has only gone up since he's stepped into the Badgers line-up after injuries struck the defense. Look for him to keep an eye on the Michigan QB's this weekend and cause trouble for Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson all day on Saturday.
Speaking of the Michigan defense, it's been written everywhere (including this blog) how terrible it has been this season. The real question on the matter is whether it's a talent issue or a coaching issue. Personally, I think it's a combination of things and you can't blame either side entirely. The bigger question is the Rich Rodriguez experiment. I was going to write an entire blog entry on this subject, but I don't want to come across as a Michigan State fan taking cheap shots at the Michigan football program when they're down. If I have some free time tonight, maybe I'll put something together. That being said, I just don't see the Michigan defense putting a stop to the Wisconsin offense. It's a Wisconsin offense that bases their game on ball control and running the football. They'll keep the Michigan offense on the sidelines and win by at least 10. Wisconsin wins, 38-28.
ILLINOIS -4 over Northwestern 12:00 ET ESPN Classic
I just have no feelings for this game. It's like a guy with a hot sister. He knows she's hot, but she's still his sister and doesn't think of her that way (even when all of his buddies are trying to hit on her). I just don't have any interest in this game. I guess Illinois wins. Their offense seems to be coming around (scored 38 against Michigan and 35 against Minnesota) Northwestern pulled off a major upset beating Iowa last weekend, but I think the injury to Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi was as much a factor in that game as was the play of Northwestern's defense. I also think there could be a letdown factor for the Wildcats this weekend coming off the big victory last weekend. I know I've always said never trust a Ron Zook coached team, but in this case I'll give the points and take the Illini at home in the in-state rivalry game. Illinois wins 27-20.
Michigan State -3 over PURDUE 12:00 ET ESPN
Probably the second biggest Big Ten game of the weekend. 4-6 Purdue is playing to keep their bowl hopes alive. 5-5 MSU is playing to become bowl eligible with a tough game against Penn State awaiting them next weekend. Purdue started the season 1-5, but that 1-5 record included a tough 38-36 loss at Oregon, a close 24-21 loss to Notre Dame. They surprised Ohio State and scored the 2nd biggest upset of the Big Ten season with a 26-18 victory at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette. Since then, it's been a collection of up and down performances for the Boilers. After being destroyed 37-0 by Wisconsin, the Boilers rebounded with a strong second half performance to beat Michigan 38-36 in a game they trailed 24-10 at halftime. QB Joey Elliott has proved to be very solid and RB Ralph Bolden is third in the Big Ten in rushing. Elliott leads the Big Ten in passing yards, is second in touchdowns, but is also second in interceptions. That being said, I still think their offense will have a couple of missteps against a MSU defense who should come out with something to prove and looked much better last week against a much inferior opponent in Western Michigan.
There's no question about the Michigan State offense. They're going to score some points as Blair White and Kirk Cousins will always keep this offense moving. The Spartans are hoping Larry Caper can return this week and continue what has been a decent freshman campaign for the Battle Creek native. One good thing to come out of the Spartans game last week was Ashton Leggett's performance. The seldom used running back who started the season fifth on the depth chart showed his nose for the endzone. Coming into the game Leggett had one carry for zero yards. Against Western Leggett had 14 carries for 110 yards and four touchdowns. While his 71 yard touchdown run was impressive, his ability to punch the ball in near the goaline was more impressive to me. Let's face it, looking at his long touchdown, almost any running back playing division 1 football takes that to the endzone. Western pushed all their defenders up the middle as MSU ran to the outside. Leggett, who is not known for his speed, jumped outside and was gone. There was no one on the field between the left hashmark and the sideline and Leggett has a wide open field in front of him. On the hand, the Spartans have struggled this season to get the ball in the end zone when it's 1st and goal inside the five. The offensive line has struggled to get a solid push and the freshman running backs (Caper and Baker) have struggled to find the endzone. When healthy, Glenn Winston was the guy near the endzone, but since his knee injury Caper and Baker have not been able to match his production. This set-up Leggett for what he did last weekend. At 5'11" and 230 pounds, he's exactly what MSU needs. The knock on Leggett coming into the year was his ability to hang on to the ball, but it appears he's worked on that problem and the coaches trust his ability near the endzone.
The Spartans will give up some points, but win the turnover battle. The defense will keep Bolden under wraps and put pressure on Elliott. Larry Caper will come back healthy and the Spartans will take care of business in West Lafayette this weekend. MSU wins 34-27.
#10 Iowa +17 over #11 OHIO STATE 3:30 ET ABC
I don't get this line. I know Iowa is playing without Ricky Stanzi. I know they're on their fourth string running back after injuries have crushed their running game this year. As bad as freshman QB James Vandenberg looked last week for the Hawkeyes, I expect him to be much better after a full week of practice with the starting unit. Also, this is still the Hawkeye defense that has given teams fits all year long.
That being said, Ohio State looked very good against Penn State last week. Their defense managed to shut down a very good Penn State offense. I still don't trust Terrell Pryor against a good defense. Iowa's strength on defense is their run defense. If they can prevent Pryor from completing the long pass and force him to be accurate throwing the ball short, I think they can keep the Ohio State offense under wraps. Pryor is still not very accurate in the 8-12 yard passing game. He's got a great arm and throws a great deep ball. If he has time to line-up and throw it 40 yards down the field, he'll complete 3/5 which is a great number on deep balls. That being said, he's lucky to complete 3/5 on short out patterns and crossing patterns.
There's no coach in the Big Ten that I trust more than Kirk Ferentz. He's like the anti-Ron Zook. He game plans well and his teams are almost always ready to play. I think he finds a way to keep this close even with all the injuries facing the Hawkeyes. Ohio State wins, but Iowa keeps it close with a couple of big plays from wide receivers Marvin McNutt and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. OSU wins 24-17.
Record Last week: 2-4
Overall Record: 5-7.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
My quick thoughts from last weekend. They're kind of random, kind of all over the place, but well, they're just some quick hits from the last week or so.
The Good
- The MSU football team did exactly what they were supposed to do this past weekend. They came out against Western Michigan, jumped out to a big lead and never looked back. I'm not 100% sold on Ashton Leggett as an answer to Michigan State's running game (I still feel that the offensive line is a big part of the problem), but he might be an answer near the end zone. I think Caper is a better all-around back and Baker provides a speed element that no one else can match, but Leggett runs with authority and it's something MSU needs in short-yardage situations. Glenn Winston filled this role before he blew out his knee earlier this year, but hopefully Leggett can fill that role in MSU's remaining games (at Purdue, Penn State in East Lansing, and hopefully a bowl game)
- College basketball officially started this week, as North Carolina tipped off against Florida International and Ohio State took on Alcorn State last evening. Not exactly thrilling match-ups, but exciting none the less. MSU opens the regular season Friday with a match-up at the Breslin Center with Florida Gulf Coast (Who??). They're a little banged up early in the year with minor injuries (slight concussion for Delvon Roe, a couple minor injuries for Chris Allen and Durrell Summers, and possibly a worse injury for Raymar Morgan), but most should be healed by Friday. Hopefully Morgan will be back by the time MSU plays Gonzaga (November 17), but Tom Izzo is taking a wait and see approach. One good thing to come out of the exhibition games against Northwood and Grand Valley is the emergence of Draymond Green. Not only is he still rebounding well, but he's also showing an outside shooting touch and some very strong leadership. MSU will miss Travis Walton's leadership skills at times this year, but it sure seems like Green is stepping into that role very early into his sophomore season.
- The NFL season is still going strong. The New Orleans Saints came from behind this weekend to stay undefeated. Indianapolis needed a missed field goal by Houston's Kris Brown to stay undefeated. The Colts host the Patriots next Sunday evening and you have to wonder if they were slightly looking past the Texans and towards their match-up with the Patriots.
The Bad
- The Detroit Lions are 1-7 through 8 games and Matthew Stafford threw 5 interceptions this weekend at Seattle. Remind you, this was a Seattle defense with only 3 interceptions this season heading into last weekend. While there are signs of improvements and more skilled players on this team, there are still major question marks. The offensive line still struggles to give Staffard time or open holes for the running game. The defensive line struggles to put any pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Kevin Smith is not the answer at running back. He just doesn't show a burst even when the line manages to give him a hole to run through. There is some young talent on this team (Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew, Louis Delmas, and even Sammie Lee Hill), but they're a long way from being a competitive team.
- The University of Michigan Defense. Rich Rodriguez brought in Greg Robinson this year to improve their defense from last year's disaster. This year, they're 89th in the nation in total defense, giving up almost 400 yards per game. In games against Divison 1 opponents, they're giving up over 28 points per game. If you remove games against MAC opponents, they're giving up over 33 points per game. It makes you wonder if it's a lack of talent or poor coaching. I'd have to assume it's some of each, but with players like Donovan Warren and Brandon Graham, they shouldn't be this bad. The folks in Ann Arbor are getting restless as Michigan is 1-5 in the Big Ten this season and staring 1-7 directly in the face with their remaining games being at 7-2 Wisconsin and home against 8-2 Ohio State. So much for that 4-0 start, huh?
The Ugly
- It's been discussed almost everywhere lately, but if you haven't seen video of New Mexico female soccer player Elizabeth Lambert, you should see it. It's unbelievable and completely uncalled for to act the way she did. Soccer can be a physical sport. Anyone that has watched a soccer game played at the high school level and beyond would agree with that statement. That being said, there is never any reason to yank down a competitor by her pony tail or intentionally kick a soccer ball into the face of a fallen opponent. While Ms. Lambert has apologized, her actions are something that can not just be swept under the rug with a simple apology.
The Good
- The MSU football team did exactly what they were supposed to do this past weekend. They came out against Western Michigan, jumped out to a big lead and never looked back. I'm not 100% sold on Ashton Leggett as an answer to Michigan State's running game (I still feel that the offensive line is a big part of the problem), but he might be an answer near the end zone. I think Caper is a better all-around back and Baker provides a speed element that no one else can match, but Leggett runs with authority and it's something MSU needs in short-yardage situations. Glenn Winston filled this role before he blew out his knee earlier this year, but hopefully Leggett can fill that role in MSU's remaining games (at Purdue, Penn State in East Lansing, and hopefully a bowl game)
- College basketball officially started this week, as North Carolina tipped off against Florida International and Ohio State took on Alcorn State last evening. Not exactly thrilling match-ups, but exciting none the less. MSU opens the regular season Friday with a match-up at the Breslin Center with Florida Gulf Coast (Who??). They're a little banged up early in the year with minor injuries (slight concussion for Delvon Roe, a couple minor injuries for Chris Allen and Durrell Summers, and possibly a worse injury for Raymar Morgan), but most should be healed by Friday. Hopefully Morgan will be back by the time MSU plays Gonzaga (November 17), but Tom Izzo is taking a wait and see approach. One good thing to come out of the exhibition games against Northwood and Grand Valley is the emergence of Draymond Green. Not only is he still rebounding well, but he's also showing an outside shooting touch and some very strong leadership. MSU will miss Travis Walton's leadership skills at times this year, but it sure seems like Green is stepping into that role very early into his sophomore season.
- The NFL season is still going strong. The New Orleans Saints came from behind this weekend to stay undefeated. Indianapolis needed a missed field goal by Houston's Kris Brown to stay undefeated. The Colts host the Patriots next Sunday evening and you have to wonder if they were slightly looking past the Texans and towards their match-up with the Patriots.
The Bad
- The Detroit Lions are 1-7 through 8 games and Matthew Stafford threw 5 interceptions this weekend at Seattle. Remind you, this was a Seattle defense with only 3 interceptions this season heading into last weekend. While there are signs of improvements and more skilled players on this team, there are still major question marks. The offensive line still struggles to give Staffard time or open holes for the running game. The defensive line struggles to put any pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Kevin Smith is not the answer at running back. He just doesn't show a burst even when the line manages to give him a hole to run through. There is some young talent on this team (Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew, Louis Delmas, and even Sammie Lee Hill), but they're a long way from being a competitive team.
- The University of Michigan Defense. Rich Rodriguez brought in Greg Robinson this year to improve their defense from last year's disaster. This year, they're 89th in the nation in total defense, giving up almost 400 yards per game. In games against Divison 1 opponents, they're giving up over 28 points per game. If you remove games against MAC opponents, they're giving up over 33 points per game. It makes you wonder if it's a lack of talent or poor coaching. I'd have to assume it's some of each, but with players like Donovan Warren and Brandon Graham, they shouldn't be this bad. The folks in Ann Arbor are getting restless as Michigan is 1-5 in the Big Ten this season and staring 1-7 directly in the face with their remaining games being at 7-2 Wisconsin and home against 8-2 Ohio State. So much for that 4-0 start, huh?
The Ugly
- It's been discussed almost everywhere lately, but if you haven't seen video of New Mexico female soccer player Elizabeth Lambert, you should see it. It's unbelievable and completely uncalled for to act the way she did. Soccer can be a physical sport. Anyone that has watched a soccer game played at the high school level and beyond would agree with that statement. That being said, there is never any reason to yank down a competitor by her pony tail or intentionally kick a soccer ball into the face of a fallen opponent. While Ms. Lambert has apologized, her actions are something that can not just be swept under the rug with a simple apology.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
If Gamlbing were legal....
...this is who I like this weekend. Short and sweet because it's Saturday morning and I'm just getting around to this. Call it a busy week. Oh, and for the rest of the year I'm not going to pick national games. I just haven't watched enough national football this year
Big Ten Games - Home Team in Caps
#21 Wisconsin -13.5 over INDIANA
Lots of losses for Indiana this year where they keep it close early and end up losing at the end (see their loss to Iowa last week)
MICHIGAN STATE -20.5 over Western Michigan
A non-conference game for the Spartans in the middle of the season is always a chance for the team to get healthy and work out the kinks. Watch the Spartans roll and win by 30 today.
Purdue +7 over MICHIGAN
Purdue is a young team that struggles on the road (lost 37-0 at Wisconsin) but excels at home (beat Ohio State at home). Not only do they cover, Purdue wins this game outright.
MINNESOTA -6.5 over Illinois
A game between two teams still looking for an identity. Illinois looked very good running the ball against a bad Michigan defense last week. Minnesota proved they can still pass the ball even without Eric Decker in their win over Michigan State on Halloween.
#4 IOWA -15 over Northwestern
Iowa's defense is very solid. Northwestern's offense is a little banged up. Iowa came out flat against Indiana last week, but I don't see it happening two weeks in a row. Hawks roll this week.
#11 PENN STATE -5.5 over #16 Ohio State
I still don't trust Terrell Prior in any game where he's forced to throw the ball to move the Ohio State offense. Penn State is very solid on the defensive side of the ball and they won't let Prior beat them with his legs. I wouldn't want to give Ohio State more than a touchdown, but at 5.5 I'm pretty comfortable picking the Nittany Lions is what should be the best Big Ten game of the day.
Big Ten Record against the spread last week:
3-3
Big Ten Games - Home Team in Caps
#21 Wisconsin -13.5 over INDIANA
Lots of losses for Indiana this year where they keep it close early and end up losing at the end (see their loss to Iowa last week)
MICHIGAN STATE -20.5 over Western Michigan
A non-conference game for the Spartans in the middle of the season is always a chance for the team to get healthy and work out the kinks. Watch the Spartans roll and win by 30 today.
Purdue +7 over MICHIGAN
Purdue is a young team that struggles on the road (lost 37-0 at Wisconsin) but excels at home (beat Ohio State at home). Not only do they cover, Purdue wins this game outright.
MINNESOTA -6.5 over Illinois
A game between two teams still looking for an identity. Illinois looked very good running the ball against a bad Michigan defense last week. Minnesota proved they can still pass the ball even without Eric Decker in their win over Michigan State on Halloween.
#4 IOWA -15 over Northwestern
Iowa's defense is very solid. Northwestern's offense is a little banged up. Iowa came out flat against Indiana last week, but I don't see it happening two weeks in a row. Hawks roll this week.
#11 PENN STATE -5.5 over #16 Ohio State
I still don't trust Terrell Prior in any game where he's forced to throw the ball to move the Ohio State offense. Penn State is very solid on the defensive side of the ball and they won't let Prior beat them with his legs. I wouldn't want to give Ohio State more than a touchdown, but at 5.5 I'm pretty comfortable picking the Nittany Lions is what should be the best Big Ten game of the day.
Big Ten Record against the spread last week:
3-3
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Busy, busy, busy days
So life's been pretty busy lately, but that's not really a bad thing. I've barely had time to sleep, let alone write in here. Here are just a few quick hits on the weekend and random sports over the past week or so.
The Good
- Halloween is always fun. I hope some day, when Michelle and I have kids and are in a house of our own, we can have a neighborhood that's as busy as Tim and Colleen's on Halloween. Michelle and I had a lot of fun out there this weekend with all the trick-or-treaters and their neighbors who went all out on their front yard decorations.
- The Red Wings managed to go 2-2-1 on their West Coast/Canada trip the last couple weeks. Not a great record, but I'll take it for a team hurt by injuries and the flu bug recently. With Franzen and Filppula (possibly the Wings most consistent player so far this year) out with significant injuries, and then Rafalski and Ericsson out with the flu, the Wings really aren't at full strength at all right now. On top of that, no matter what they say, their early season trip to Sweden throws off the whole first couple months of the season (it does it for everyone that travels to Europe early in the year, just see last year's New York Rangers for proof).
- The World Series goes on, and I'll be the first to admit I've barely watched any of it. I have an interest in who wins, but I'm not really sure I feel like watching a 4 hour baseball game between two teams I don't really care about. As much as I don't think it's going to happen, I'd love to see the Yankees blow their 3-1 lead and the Phillies win games 6 and 7 in New York City.
- The NFL still continues to surprise me every week. New Orleans and Indianapolis are as good as we thought. The Giants are probably not as good as everyone thought. I still can't stand Brett Favre wearing purple. I wouldn't want to play Tom Brady and the Patriots in the playoffs.
The Bad
- The officiating in the Big Ten seems to always find a way to get in the middle of a Michigan State football game, and not in a good way. If there's anyway that wasn't a catch and a fumble in the 4th quarter against Minnesota Saturday night, I don't know what is. It never should have been that close in the first place, but there's no reason for the officials to miss that call with instant replay.
- The Big Ten Network is charging people $2.99 to watch Big Ten teams play exhibition basketball games against Division II and Division III teams (i.e. MSU against Northwood University and Grand Valley State University). They're then replaying the games on regular television at 4 AM the following morning. Is the "classic" football game they're showing at 4 PM on Sunday really a bigger draw than a live men's basketball game? Thanks, but no thanks Big Ten Network. I'll tape the 4 AM coverage and watch it the next day over paying for an online stream that doesn't even have a clear picture half the time.
- The Detroit Pistons opened their season 1-2 against 3 teams that probably won't make the playoffs (the team former known as the the Sonics might make a playoff drive behind Westbrook and Durant). I don't see it getting much better. They don't play any defense. They don't have any inside offense (Charlie Villanueva spends as much time outside as he does inside and you can't rely on Ben Wallace or Kwame Brown to ever score more than 4 points per game). Their two best players (Rip Hamilton and Ben Gordon) play the same position and don't really fit together well on the court at the same time. Their top draft pick from last year (Austin Daye) plays the same position as their 29 year old prospect who has never really gotten better since his first two years in the league (Tayshaun Prince, who will never be better than a 13,5, and 3 guy) It's going to be a long year for Piston fans.
The Ugly
- I don't remember there being this many bad teams in the NFL in one year, maybe ever. The Browns, Rams, Lions, Bucs, Chiefs, and Raiders are just not very good football teams. I haven't seen attendance and television blackout figures lately, but it's hard to believe people in the cities of Cleveland, St. Louis, Detroit, Tampa, Kansas City, and Oakland are actually paying to watch those teams play.
The Good
- Halloween is always fun. I hope some day, when Michelle and I have kids and are in a house of our own, we can have a neighborhood that's as busy as Tim and Colleen's on Halloween. Michelle and I had a lot of fun out there this weekend with all the trick-or-treaters and their neighbors who went all out on their front yard decorations.
- The Red Wings managed to go 2-2-1 on their West Coast/Canada trip the last couple weeks. Not a great record, but I'll take it for a team hurt by injuries and the flu bug recently. With Franzen and Filppula (possibly the Wings most consistent player so far this year) out with significant injuries, and then Rafalski and Ericsson out with the flu, the Wings really aren't at full strength at all right now. On top of that, no matter what they say, their early season trip to Sweden throws off the whole first couple months of the season (it does it for everyone that travels to Europe early in the year, just see last year's New York Rangers for proof).
- The World Series goes on, and I'll be the first to admit I've barely watched any of it. I have an interest in who wins, but I'm not really sure I feel like watching a 4 hour baseball game between two teams I don't really care about. As much as I don't think it's going to happen, I'd love to see the Yankees blow their 3-1 lead and the Phillies win games 6 and 7 in New York City.
- The NFL still continues to surprise me every week. New Orleans and Indianapolis are as good as we thought. The Giants are probably not as good as everyone thought. I still can't stand Brett Favre wearing purple. I wouldn't want to play Tom Brady and the Patriots in the playoffs.
The Bad
- The officiating in the Big Ten seems to always find a way to get in the middle of a Michigan State football game, and not in a good way. If there's anyway that wasn't a catch and a fumble in the 4th quarter against Minnesota Saturday night, I don't know what is. It never should have been that close in the first place, but there's no reason for the officials to miss that call with instant replay.
- The Big Ten Network is charging people $2.99 to watch Big Ten teams play exhibition basketball games against Division II and Division III teams (i.e. MSU against Northwood University and Grand Valley State University). They're then replaying the games on regular television at 4 AM the following morning. Is the "classic" football game they're showing at 4 PM on Sunday really a bigger draw than a live men's basketball game? Thanks, but no thanks Big Ten Network. I'll tape the 4 AM coverage and watch it the next day over paying for an online stream that doesn't even have a clear picture half the time.
- The Detroit Pistons opened their season 1-2 against 3 teams that probably won't make the playoffs (the team former known as the the Sonics might make a playoff drive behind Westbrook and Durant). I don't see it getting much better. They don't play any defense. They don't have any inside offense (Charlie Villanueva spends as much time outside as he does inside and you can't rely on Ben Wallace or Kwame Brown to ever score more than 4 points per game). Their two best players (Rip Hamilton and Ben Gordon) play the same position and don't really fit together well on the court at the same time. Their top draft pick from last year (Austin Daye) plays the same position as their 29 year old prospect who has never really gotten better since his first two years in the league (Tayshaun Prince, who will never be better than a 13,5, and 3 guy) It's going to be a long year for Piston fans.
The Ugly
- I don't remember there being this many bad teams in the NFL in one year, maybe ever. The Browns, Rams, Lions, Bucs, Chiefs, and Raiders are just not very good football teams. I haven't seen attendance and television blackout figures lately, but it's hard to believe people in the cities of Cleveland, St. Louis, Detroit, Tampa, Kansas City, and Oakland are actually paying to watch those teams play.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
College Football Picks - Art form or dumb luck? We'll see
It's common knowledge that one of the reasons sports are so popular is because so many people bet on them. This is especially true with football. Odds are listed everywhere. There are numerous online sites from which you can place a bet (betonus.com, bodog.com, etc). Every casino in Vegas has a sports book where you can bet on anything from football to horse racing to boxing to the Academy Awards.
At lunch today, my co-workers and I were talking about this weekend's Big Ten football games. It reminded me of exactly how the odds makers in Las Vegas set the lines each week. Every week the line is set in hopes that 50% of the money will be bet on one team and 50% on the other. For those of you that don't know, the casino makes money in this situation. To win $100, you have bet $110. If you win, you get your $110 back plus the $100 you won. If you lose, the casino keeps your money. So for example, say there is $5500 bet on Team A this weekend and $5500 bet on team B. The casino collects $11,000 before the game begins. Now say team A wins. People that bet on team A will receive their $5500 back plus the $5000 they won, and the casino will keep the extra $500. So, just by having a betting window open, the casino makes $500 on the game. This is always the casino's goal.
At lunch today, Matt and Karl disagreed on every game. It's a bookie's dream scenario. You get guys to bet 50% one way and 50% another. It got me thinking though. It's been a long time since I've bet on sports. Personally, I like to have some control over any activity in which gambling is taking place. I don't want the outcome controlled by 53 people I don't know personally (as is the case for any NFL football game and the 53 members of the team I bet on). That doesn't even factor in some of the bonehead coaching decisions that have been made over the years that completely ruined great bets I was involved in.
But on that note, I've decided to keep a running total of my thoughts on college and NFL football the rest of the season. For college football, I'll only touch on Big Ten games and games between two teams ranked in the top 25. I'll post those picks on Thursday. For the NFL, I'll pick every game and post those picks on Friday or Saturday. I'll keep a running total at the bottom of every column. So, without further ado, here are this week's college picks.
National - Home Team in Caps
#14 OKLAHOMA STATE +8.5 over #3 Texas - 8:00 ET ABC
In my first upset pick, I believe Oklahoma State will win this game outright. It's a night game, at home, against one of their bigger rivals. It's a game they've been looking forward to all season. Even without their top player Dez Bryant (who is suspended for the rest of the year by the NCAA), OK State finds a way to top the Longhorns and stay in the Big 12 title hunt.
Oklahoma State 31 - Texas 27
#5 USC -3 over #10 OREGON 8:00 ET ABC
Love him or hate him, Pete Carroll does his best coaching in big games. Just like you can always count on USC to blow one game a year against a weaker opponent (At Washington this year, at Oregon State last year), he always has his teams ready to play for the big games. Also, freshman quarterback Matt Barkley is halfway through his freshman year and has experience in tough road football games (at OSU this year), so I don't see him getting rattled by the Oregon fans. Oregon has won 6 in a row since an opening night loss to Boise State that featured the ugly incident with RB LeGarrette Blount punching a Boise State player and then threatening to fight opposing fans as coaches and security had to escort him to the locker room following the game. Oregon head coach Chip Kelly seems to have really turned things around since that game and has his team playing very good football. That being said, they haven't seen a defense like USC all year and their 6 game winning streak comes to an end this week.
USC 30 - Oregon 24
Big Ten - Home team in caps
New Mexico State +44 over #17 OHIO STATE - 12:00 ET Big Ten Network
Ok, here's the deal. New Mexico State is awful. They lost earlier this year to Idaho. They lost by 38 to Louisiana Tech. They'll probably lose by upwards of 35 points to Ohio State. That being said, Ohio State's offense is not what it used to be. Terrell Pryor is still trying to become a quarterback and not just an athlete. As much as I'd like to pick OSU in this game, they haven't scored 44 points in any single game all year. I just don't think their offense has the ability to score that much.
OSU 42 - New Mexico State 7
WISCONSIN -7 over Purdue - 12:00 ET ESPN2
Even though their offense has struggled the the last two weeks (10 points against Iowa and 13 against Ohio State), those games were against two of the better defensive teams in the Big Ten. Purdue, on the other hand, is a better team than their 3-5 record would make you believe. They've won 2 in a row, including a victory over then #7 Ohio State. That being said, this game is being played in Madison and it's a very tough place for opposing teams to play I think Wisconsin jumps out to an early 14 point lead in the first half and hang on to win by 10.
Wisconsin 27 - Purdue 17
#4 IOWA -17 over Indiana - 12:00 ET Big Ten Network
Iowa is 8-0 and coming off a dramatic victory on the last play against Michigan State. Indiana is 4-4 and is coming off a crushing lost to Northwestern in which they held a 28-3 lead in the first half and lost 29-28. Indiana is just not a very good football team. Two of their four wins were narrow victories against Eastern Kentucky and Western Michigan by a total of 9 points. Their defense is average at best and their offense will struggle against a very good Hawkeye defense. Iowa is working toward an undefeated season and a match-up in two weeks with Ohio State, but their coaches won't let them overlook the Hoosiers.
Iowa 31- Indiana 6
Michigan -7 over ILLINOIS - 3:30 ET ABC
Illinois is a sinking ship. Ron Zook has no clue who his starting QB is from week to week. One week it's Juice Williams (the career leader in yards from scrimmage at Illinois), the next it's Eddie McGee, and now there's talk of Jacob Charest getting some snaps on Saturday. While this means more for a defense to plan for, there's also less continuity between the QB's and WR's as they don't get as much practice time together each week. There's also talk of Eddie McGee playing some wide receiver again. All and all, Zook is pulling at strings and there's just nothing going right for the Illini. While they always give Michigan a tough game, this year things might be a little different. It pains me to say this, but this game won't even be competitive. The Michigan defense isn't very good, but the Illini offense is worse.
Michigan 38 - Illinois 14
#12 Penn State -14.5 over NORTHWESTERN - 4:30 ET ESPN
All season long, Northwestern has played up or down to the level of their competition. This includes narrow victories over Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), and Indiana. It also includes close losses to Syracuse, Minnesota, and Michigan State. While I think they'll keep things close for a while with Penn State, the overall talent of the Nittany Lions will be too much for the Wildcats to handle on both sides of the ball.
Penn State 34 - Northwestern 17
Michigan State -3.5 over MINNESOTA
In just another example of how Vegas works, this line started the week with MSU as a 7 point favorite. As the week has gone on, that line has slowly moved down. That means more and more money is going on Minnesota and they're trying to even things out. Some will tell you MSU will collapse after the crushing defeat last week. In previous seasons with previous coaches, I would have felt this way too. That being said, this is not the same old Spartans. Coach Dantonio finds a way to get MSU ready to play every week. On top of that, Minnesota lost their biggest offensive weapon this week as Eric Decker (their leading wide receiver the last two years) went down with a season ending injury. I say MSU starts out slow with a little bit of a hangover from last week's game, but by halftime they'll be back on track and will take over in the 3rd and 4th quarters. The defense will come to play and will keep down a Minnesota offense that has struggled of late, scoring just 7 points total in the last two weeks.
MSU 27 - Minnesota 13
At lunch today, my co-workers and I were talking about this weekend's Big Ten football games. It reminded me of exactly how the odds makers in Las Vegas set the lines each week. Every week the line is set in hopes that 50% of the money will be bet on one team and 50% on the other. For those of you that don't know, the casino makes money in this situation. To win $100, you have bet $110. If you win, you get your $110 back plus the $100 you won. If you lose, the casino keeps your money. So for example, say there is $5500 bet on Team A this weekend and $5500 bet on team B. The casino collects $11,000 before the game begins. Now say team A wins. People that bet on team A will receive their $5500 back plus the $5000 they won, and the casino will keep the extra $500. So, just by having a betting window open, the casino makes $500 on the game. This is always the casino's goal.
At lunch today, Matt and Karl disagreed on every game. It's a bookie's dream scenario. You get guys to bet 50% one way and 50% another. It got me thinking though. It's been a long time since I've bet on sports. Personally, I like to have some control over any activity in which gambling is taking place. I don't want the outcome controlled by 53 people I don't know personally (as is the case for any NFL football game and the 53 members of the team I bet on). That doesn't even factor in some of the bonehead coaching decisions that have been made over the years that completely ruined great bets I was involved in.
But on that note, I've decided to keep a running total of my thoughts on college and NFL football the rest of the season. For college football, I'll only touch on Big Ten games and games between two teams ranked in the top 25. I'll post those picks on Thursday. For the NFL, I'll pick every game and post those picks on Friday or Saturday. I'll keep a running total at the bottom of every column. So, without further ado, here are this week's college picks.
National - Home Team in Caps
#14 OKLAHOMA STATE +8.5 over #3 Texas - 8:00 ET ABC
In my first upset pick, I believe Oklahoma State will win this game outright. It's a night game, at home, against one of their bigger rivals. It's a game they've been looking forward to all season. Even without their top player Dez Bryant (who is suspended for the rest of the year by the NCAA), OK State finds a way to top the Longhorns and stay in the Big 12 title hunt.
Oklahoma State 31 - Texas 27
#5 USC -3 over #10 OREGON 8:00 ET ABC
Love him or hate him, Pete Carroll does his best coaching in big games. Just like you can always count on USC to blow one game a year against a weaker opponent (At Washington this year, at Oregon State last year), he always has his teams ready to play for the big games. Also, freshman quarterback Matt Barkley is halfway through his freshman year and has experience in tough road football games (at OSU this year), so I don't see him getting rattled by the Oregon fans. Oregon has won 6 in a row since an opening night loss to Boise State that featured the ugly incident with RB LeGarrette Blount punching a Boise State player and then threatening to fight opposing fans as coaches and security had to escort him to the locker room following the game. Oregon head coach Chip Kelly seems to have really turned things around since that game and has his team playing very good football. That being said, they haven't seen a defense like USC all year and their 6 game winning streak comes to an end this week.
USC 30 - Oregon 24
Big Ten - Home team in caps
New Mexico State +44 over #17 OHIO STATE - 12:00 ET Big Ten Network
Ok, here's the deal. New Mexico State is awful. They lost earlier this year to Idaho. They lost by 38 to Louisiana Tech. They'll probably lose by upwards of 35 points to Ohio State. That being said, Ohio State's offense is not what it used to be. Terrell Pryor is still trying to become a quarterback and not just an athlete. As much as I'd like to pick OSU in this game, they haven't scored 44 points in any single game all year. I just don't think their offense has the ability to score that much.
OSU 42 - New Mexico State 7
WISCONSIN -7 over Purdue - 12:00 ET ESPN2
Even though their offense has struggled the the last two weeks (10 points against Iowa and 13 against Ohio State), those games were against two of the better defensive teams in the Big Ten. Purdue, on the other hand, is a better team than their 3-5 record would make you believe. They've won 2 in a row, including a victory over then #7 Ohio State. That being said, this game is being played in Madison and it's a very tough place for opposing teams to play I think Wisconsin jumps out to an early 14 point lead in the first half and hang on to win by 10.
Wisconsin 27 - Purdue 17
#4 IOWA -17 over Indiana - 12:00 ET Big Ten Network
Iowa is 8-0 and coming off a dramatic victory on the last play against Michigan State. Indiana is 4-4 and is coming off a crushing lost to Northwestern in which they held a 28-3 lead in the first half and lost 29-28. Indiana is just not a very good football team. Two of their four wins were narrow victories against Eastern Kentucky and Western Michigan by a total of 9 points. Their defense is average at best and their offense will struggle against a very good Hawkeye defense. Iowa is working toward an undefeated season and a match-up in two weeks with Ohio State, but their coaches won't let them overlook the Hoosiers.
Iowa 31- Indiana 6
Michigan -7 over ILLINOIS - 3:30 ET ABC
Illinois is a sinking ship. Ron Zook has no clue who his starting QB is from week to week. One week it's Juice Williams (the career leader in yards from scrimmage at Illinois), the next it's Eddie McGee, and now there's talk of Jacob Charest getting some snaps on Saturday. While this means more for a defense to plan for, there's also less continuity between the QB's and WR's as they don't get as much practice time together each week. There's also talk of Eddie McGee playing some wide receiver again. All and all, Zook is pulling at strings and there's just nothing going right for the Illini. While they always give Michigan a tough game, this year things might be a little different. It pains me to say this, but this game won't even be competitive. The Michigan defense isn't very good, but the Illini offense is worse.
Michigan 38 - Illinois 14
#12 Penn State -14.5 over NORTHWESTERN - 4:30 ET ESPN
All season long, Northwestern has played up or down to the level of their competition. This includes narrow victories over Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), and Indiana. It also includes close losses to Syracuse, Minnesota, and Michigan State. While I think they'll keep things close for a while with Penn State, the overall talent of the Nittany Lions will be too much for the Wildcats to handle on both sides of the ball.
Penn State 34 - Northwestern 17
Michigan State -3.5 over MINNESOTA
In just another example of how Vegas works, this line started the week with MSU as a 7 point favorite. As the week has gone on, that line has slowly moved down. That means more and more money is going on Minnesota and they're trying to even things out. Some will tell you MSU will collapse after the crushing defeat last week. In previous seasons with previous coaches, I would have felt this way too. That being said, this is not the same old Spartans. Coach Dantonio finds a way to get MSU ready to play every week. On top of that, Minnesota lost their biggest offensive weapon this week as Eric Decker (their leading wide receiver the last two years) went down with a season ending injury. I say MSU starts out slow with a little bit of a hangover from last week's game, but by halftime they'll be back on track and will take over in the 3rd and 4th quarters. The defense will come to play and will keep down a Minnesota offense that has struggled of late, scoring just 7 points total in the last two weeks.
MSU 27 - Minnesota 13
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Fantasy Sports and America's Love of the NFL
On the opening night of the 2009 NFL football season, over 17.5 million people watched the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Tennessee Titans. For NBC's weekly Sunday Night Football broadcast, advertisers pay an average of $339,700 per 30 second commercial. According to ESPN's Colin Cowherd, over 27 million people play fantasy football annually, with many participating in multiple leagues (including myself). Heck, even television network FX this week will debut a half hour sitcom based around guys who are in a fantasy football league. Football has become America's sport.
I now have a reason to cheer for the Miami Dolphins (Ricky Williams), the New Orleans Saints (Pierre Thomas), the Houston Texans (Andre Johnson) and the Indianapolis Colts (Dallas Clark). Growing up in Wisconsin, if you're a sports fan, you're a Packers fan. On Sunday afternoon, you watch the Packers. We went to church every Sunday at 11:15. On the way home, we listened to the radio broadcast because the first quarter had already started. It was just a way of life during football season. I had no reason to really pay much attention to the rest of the NFL. Sure I'd keep an eye on other teams in the NFC Central (now minus Tampa and called the NFC North), but I really didn't care what else was going on in the NFL until the playoffs rolled around. Now with Fantasy Football, I almost always have someone to cheer for or against in every NFL game each week.
It creates an interesting dynamic. Two weeks ago, in my bigger fantasy football league, I was playing against a team that included Greg Jennings of the Packers. I still love the Packers. It's one major alliance I haven't lost since moving to Michigan. Even if the Lions were a good team, I'd still maintain my allegiance to the Packers. So, two weeks ago I settled in Sunday afternoon to cheer for the Packers. Then, as Greg Jennings was running free after catching a pass, I found myself cheering for the other team. I was cheering against my Packers. I wanted them to win, but I needed them to do it without the help of their star wide receiver. Was I really cheering against the Packers??
What as a guy to do? Cheer for his favorite team or cheer for his fantasy football team? Then I remembered watching Brett Favre and Reggie White in Super Bowl XXXI. I remember Favre hitting Andre Rison for a long touchdown pass early in the first quarter. I remember each of Reggie White's three sacks of New England QB Drew Bledsoe. I remember Desmond Howard's MVP performance that included a 99 yard kick return for a touchdown. I was 15 years old and I could still to this day tell you the 22 starters for the Packers and their kicker and punter that day. At that point I realized, my fantasy football team could go 0-14 this year, and I'd be the happiest man in the world if the Packers were to win the Super Bowl (or even just make it to the Super Bowl). My love of the fantasy football will never outshine my love of the Packers.
I now have a reason to cheer for the Miami Dolphins (Ricky Williams), the New Orleans Saints (Pierre Thomas), the Houston Texans (Andre Johnson) and the Indianapolis Colts (Dallas Clark). Growing up in Wisconsin, if you're a sports fan, you're a Packers fan. On Sunday afternoon, you watch the Packers. We went to church every Sunday at 11:15. On the way home, we listened to the radio broadcast because the first quarter had already started. It was just a way of life during football season. I had no reason to really pay much attention to the rest of the NFL. Sure I'd keep an eye on other teams in the NFC Central (now minus Tampa and called the NFC North), but I really didn't care what else was going on in the NFL until the playoffs rolled around. Now with Fantasy Football, I almost always have someone to cheer for or against in every NFL game each week.
It creates an interesting dynamic. Two weeks ago, in my bigger fantasy football league, I was playing against a team that included Greg Jennings of the Packers. I still love the Packers. It's one major alliance I haven't lost since moving to Michigan. Even if the Lions were a good team, I'd still maintain my allegiance to the Packers. So, two weeks ago I settled in Sunday afternoon to cheer for the Packers. Then, as Greg Jennings was running free after catching a pass, I found myself cheering for the other team. I was cheering against my Packers. I wanted them to win, but I needed them to do it without the help of their star wide receiver. Was I really cheering against the Packers??
What as a guy to do? Cheer for his favorite team or cheer for his fantasy football team? Then I remembered watching Brett Favre and Reggie White in Super Bowl XXXI. I remember Favre hitting Andre Rison for a long touchdown pass early in the first quarter. I remember each of Reggie White's three sacks of New England QB Drew Bledsoe. I remember Desmond Howard's MVP performance that included a 99 yard kick return for a touchdown. I was 15 years old and I could still to this day tell you the 22 starters for the Packers and their kicker and punter that day. At that point I realized, my fantasy football team could go 0-14 this year, and I'd be the happiest man in the world if the Packers were to win the Super Bowl (or even just make it to the Super Bowl). My love of the fantasy football will never outshine my love of the Packers.
The Trouble With Being a Sports Fan
There comes a point in a sports fan's life where you have to take a step back and consider the following: Are sports part of your life or do sports run your life? I would argue they're a large part of my life. My fiance would tell you they run my life. I'm not really sure who is right on this one.
I started to ponder this last night as I looked forward to this coming weekend. Saturday is Halloween. The Michigan State football team plays at Minnesota at 8 PM. My fiance and I have been invited to a Halloween party that is taking place at the same time. Normally, I'm all for Halloween parties. People getting dressed up, drinking a little too much, and having an all-around good time. Before we had a chance to discuss it (one friend invited her and another invited me while we were separated at our tailgate this past weekend), "we" had agreed to go to the party.
When I was invited to this party, my first thought was of course: THE GAME! How can I miss such an important game? MSU's remaining games, in order, are at Minnesota, home against Western Michigan, at Purdue, and home against Penn State. Three or four wins in those four games means a bowl game in a warm place in late December or early January. Two wins most likely means a trip to the MotorCity Bowl in Detroit (Good for the city, not exactly the best tourist destination for Spartan Fans). To me, the Minnesota and Purdue games will make or break this season. I expect a win against Western. I'm not so positive about the Penn State game. Win at Minnesota and Purdue and off to warm weather we go. So obviously, the Minnesota game is huge.
Ok, so that brings up the obvious solution. Go the party and hope the game is on TV. Seems like a nice solution to the puzzle. The first problem is, I don't really know the people throwing the party. Are they sports fans? Are they MSU fans? Will they understand how important this game is to guys like me? The other problem (and bigger general problem) is that I really hate watching important football games with large groups of people. Any more than 6 and I feel like I'm missing something. People talk over the announcers. People walk in front of the TV. If anyone gets hurt, I have almost no chance of finding out if he'll come back or if he's out for the game. When the game on TV is something I don't care about (i.e. the Super Bowl most years), this stuff doesn't bother me. I could watch the Super Bowl with 50 people and have a great time. You know why? Normally I have a team I'm cheering for, but I really don't care that much about the outcome. Last year I found myself always cheering for whoever was losing, because I wanted to see an exciting game (and that's exactly what we had between Arizona and Pittsburgh) But, this is different. This is Michigan State. This is my Spartans.
So, after racking my brain, I've come to this conclusion. There is one Halloween every year. There are (at least) twelve Spartan football games every year. To the party I go (now I need a costume). I'll hope it's on TV and I can make the most of it. If not, I might just try to not hear anything about the game all night and watch my recording of it when I get home. (That option never works well. Someone will be following their game on their phone and want to tell me updates. Someone will watch the game then come to the party and want to tell me all about it) In the long run, I'll have fun at the party. More important, my future wife will have fun at the party.
I started to ponder this last night as I looked forward to this coming weekend. Saturday is Halloween. The Michigan State football team plays at Minnesota at 8 PM. My fiance and I have been invited to a Halloween party that is taking place at the same time. Normally, I'm all for Halloween parties. People getting dressed up, drinking a little too much, and having an all-around good time. Before we had a chance to discuss it (one friend invited her and another invited me while we were separated at our tailgate this past weekend), "we" had agreed to go to the party.
When I was invited to this party, my first thought was of course: THE GAME! How can I miss such an important game? MSU's remaining games, in order, are at Minnesota, home against Western Michigan, at Purdue, and home against Penn State. Three or four wins in those four games means a bowl game in a warm place in late December or early January. Two wins most likely means a trip to the MotorCity Bowl in Detroit (Good for the city, not exactly the best tourist destination for Spartan Fans). To me, the Minnesota and Purdue games will make or break this season. I expect a win against Western. I'm not so positive about the Penn State game. Win at Minnesota and Purdue and off to warm weather we go. So obviously, the Minnesota game is huge.
Ok, so that brings up the obvious solution. Go the party and hope the game is on TV. Seems like a nice solution to the puzzle. The first problem is, I don't really know the people throwing the party. Are they sports fans? Are they MSU fans? Will they understand how important this game is to guys like me? The other problem (and bigger general problem) is that I really hate watching important football games with large groups of people. Any more than 6 and I feel like I'm missing something. People talk over the announcers. People walk in front of the TV. If anyone gets hurt, I have almost no chance of finding out if he'll come back or if he's out for the game. When the game on TV is something I don't care about (i.e. the Super Bowl most years), this stuff doesn't bother me. I could watch the Super Bowl with 50 people and have a great time. You know why? Normally I have a team I'm cheering for, but I really don't care that much about the outcome. Last year I found myself always cheering for whoever was losing, because I wanted to see an exciting game (and that's exactly what we had between Arizona and Pittsburgh) But, this is different. This is Michigan State. This is my Spartans.
So, after racking my brain, I've come to this conclusion. There is one Halloween every year. There are (at least) twelve Spartan football games every year. To the party I go (now I need a costume). I'll hope it's on TV and I can make the most of it. If not, I might just try to not hear anything about the game all night and watch my recording of it when I get home. (That option never works well. Someone will be following their game on their phone and want to tell me updates. Someone will watch the game then come to the party and want to tell me all about it) In the long run, I'll have fun at the party. More important, my future wife will have fun at the party.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Agony in defeat
I wasn't even going to write about this. It was too much to relive. Then I realized, I can't label my blog MichiganStateDoug without talking about Michigan State sports, even if it was a disaster.
Some would call it a disaster. Some would call it bad coaching. Some would call it a defensive mistake. I think Bill Simmons (AKA ESPN's The Sports Guy) would say it best. In his levels of losing, the third worst loss is "The Stomach Punch." As described by Simmons, "Now we've moved into rarefied territory, any roller-coaster game that ends with (A) an opponent making a pivotal (sometimes improbable) play or (B) one of your guys failing in the clutch. ... Usually ends with fans filing out after the game in stunned disbelief, if they can even move at all. ... Always haunting, sometimes scarring." (Levels of Losing 2.0)
With 1:37 left in the 4th quarter on Saturday, MSU scored on a 30 yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Blair White. It's the first touchdown by either team in the game and MSU leads 13-9. This play doesn't happen without an amazing play call and execution on a hook-and-ladder play 2 plays earlier. On third and 18, MSU ran one of the best plays in MSU football history as Cousins hit TE Brian Linthicum on the hash mark about 10 yards out. Almost immediately after catching the ball, Linthicum pitched it to a crossing Blair White who scampered down the sideline for 27 more yards to set-up Cousins scoring pass to White two plays later.
It should have been over. Iowa's QB Ricky Stanzi had been 7-18 in the first 58 minutes of the game. MSU's defense had given up some rushing yards, but had kept the Iowa passing game under control. With 1:37 left, they'd have to pass the ball to win. For all intents and purposes, the game should have been over. Then the MSU defensive coordinator took over.
For the first 58 minutes of the game, MSU had rushed at least 4 guys after Stanzi on every play. While MSU only had 2 sacks Saturday, they constantly had pressure on Stanzi and forced him to either throw the ball early or throw the ball away. When Iowa took over on their own 30 yard line with 1:32 left, MSU came out with only 3 down lineman rushing Stanzi. It was then that I started to cringe. Part of me felt it coming. On the first play Stanzi completes a pass for 16 yards while having all the time in the world to throw. 3 plays later he hits another wide receiver for 21 yards as he had all the time he needed to pass as MSU rushed 3 and dropped 8 in coverage. 2 plays later, Stanzi hits the same guy for another 16 yards.
In the first 58:28 Stanzi had 78 yards passing. In the last 1:32 Stanzi ends up with 60 yards passing. 53 come with MSU rushing only three down lineman and never blitzing. With first and goal at the 7 yard line, 15 seconds left in the game, MSU finally starts blitzing and sending more guys after the QB and Stanzi threw 3 straight incomplete passes.
4th down, :02 on the clock, Iowa ball at the 7. MSU decides this is a good time to send the house at Stanzi, leaving 3 corners on islands against the Iowa WR's. Marvin McNutt makes a stutter step move, cuts inside on Chris L. Rucker, and Iowa wins the game 15-13. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. I think this is the first game I've attended in person where I've had this feeling. I don't think I've ever been punched in the stomach, but I can imagine this is what it feels like. Top off the night with a disaster of a ride home (bad accident on the only major highway back to Detroit, went 6 miles in 2 hours with no exit/turn-around to make a U-turn in) and it was pretty much one of the worst nights to be an MSU fan.
People will blame the officials for a bad call on a big hit by Jeremy Ware with 7 minutes left in the game. People will blame the officials for the holding call on Chris L. Rucker with 15 seconds left in the game (contact happened in the first 3 yards, otherwise I'm sure it's called pass interference instead of holding as Rucker basically knocked the guy to the ground). What it really comes down to is, MSU played it safe on defense from the 1:32 mark in 4th quarter until the last 0:15. Then with Iowa working with limited space, they decide to blitz and open up more space for them to work with. 2 linebackers standing on the hash marks near the goal-line takes away the slant pass. They could still have rushed 6 and dropped 5. As it turns out, rushing 8 still let Stanzi make a play and Iowa's magic run continues.
All wasn't lost for MSU fans on Saturday night though. The resurgent MSU hockey team defeated then number 1 in the country Miami (OH) down in Oxford....oh who am I kidding, how many people actually follow college hockey anyways...
Some would call it a disaster. Some would call it bad coaching. Some would call it a defensive mistake. I think Bill Simmons (AKA ESPN's The Sports Guy) would say it best. In his levels of losing, the third worst loss is "The Stomach Punch." As described by Simmons, "Now we've moved into rarefied territory, any roller-coaster game that ends with (A) an opponent making a pivotal (sometimes improbable) play or (B) one of your guys failing in the clutch. ... Usually ends with fans filing out after the game in stunned disbelief, if they can even move at all. ... Always haunting, sometimes scarring." (Levels of Losing 2.0)
With 1:37 left in the 4th quarter on Saturday, MSU scored on a 30 yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Blair White. It's the first touchdown by either team in the game and MSU leads 13-9. This play doesn't happen without an amazing play call and execution on a hook-and-ladder play 2 plays earlier. On third and 18, MSU ran one of the best plays in MSU football history as Cousins hit TE Brian Linthicum on the hash mark about 10 yards out. Almost immediately after catching the ball, Linthicum pitched it to a crossing Blair White who scampered down the sideline for 27 more yards to set-up Cousins scoring pass to White two plays later.
It should have been over. Iowa's QB Ricky Stanzi had been 7-18 in the first 58 minutes of the game. MSU's defense had given up some rushing yards, but had kept the Iowa passing game under control. With 1:37 left, they'd have to pass the ball to win. For all intents and purposes, the game should have been over. Then the MSU defensive coordinator took over.
For the first 58 minutes of the game, MSU had rushed at least 4 guys after Stanzi on every play. While MSU only had 2 sacks Saturday, they constantly had pressure on Stanzi and forced him to either throw the ball early or throw the ball away. When Iowa took over on their own 30 yard line with 1:32 left, MSU came out with only 3 down lineman rushing Stanzi. It was then that I started to cringe. Part of me felt it coming. On the first play Stanzi completes a pass for 16 yards while having all the time in the world to throw. 3 plays later he hits another wide receiver for 21 yards as he had all the time he needed to pass as MSU rushed 3 and dropped 8 in coverage. 2 plays later, Stanzi hits the same guy for another 16 yards.
In the first 58:28 Stanzi had 78 yards passing. In the last 1:32 Stanzi ends up with 60 yards passing. 53 come with MSU rushing only three down lineman and never blitzing. With first and goal at the 7 yard line, 15 seconds left in the game, MSU finally starts blitzing and sending more guys after the QB and Stanzi threw 3 straight incomplete passes.
4th down, :02 on the clock, Iowa ball at the 7. MSU decides this is a good time to send the house at Stanzi, leaving 3 corners on islands against the Iowa WR's. Marvin McNutt makes a stutter step move, cuts inside on Chris L. Rucker, and Iowa wins the game 15-13. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. I think this is the first game I've attended in person where I've had this feeling. I don't think I've ever been punched in the stomach, but I can imagine this is what it feels like. Top off the night with a disaster of a ride home (bad accident on the only major highway back to Detroit, went 6 miles in 2 hours with no exit/turn-around to make a U-turn in) and it was pretty much one of the worst nights to be an MSU fan.
People will blame the officials for a bad call on a big hit by Jeremy Ware with 7 minutes left in the game. People will blame the officials for the holding call on Chris L. Rucker with 15 seconds left in the game (contact happened in the first 3 yards, otherwise I'm sure it's called pass interference instead of holding as Rucker basically knocked the guy to the ground). What it really comes down to is, MSU played it safe on defense from the 1:32 mark in 4th quarter until the last 0:15. Then with Iowa working with limited space, they decide to blitz and open up more space for them to work with. 2 linebackers standing on the hash marks near the goal-line takes away the slant pass. They could still have rushed 6 and dropped 5. As it turns out, rushing 8 still let Stanzi make a play and Iowa's magic run continues.
All wasn't lost for MSU fans on Saturday night though. The resurgent MSU hockey team defeated then number 1 in the country Miami (OH) down in Oxford....oh who am I kidding, how many people actually follow college hockey anyways...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Miss my uncle, bring on the Hawkeyes
When I was in college, I used to write all the time. Call it a journal. Call it random thoughts. Call it what you want, but sometimes I just felt like writing. Now that I'm in the working world, I find a don't have time to write very often. I'm going to try and change that. I don't know who will read this or how often I'll post an entry, but I think it's about time that I start writing again.
This week Michigan State takes on Iowa in a match-up pairing two of the hottest teams in Big Ten Football. Iowa hasn't lost since November 1, 2008. They've won 11 in a row and are looking to make it 12 at Spartan Stadium this Saturday evening. Michigan State has won 3 in a row and is in the process of turning around their season that got off to an unexpectedly slow start with three losses in a row after opening with a drubbing of Montanta Sate to start the season.
I can't attend an Iowa football game without thinking about my Uncle Jerry. My Dad and his family grew up in the small town of Clinton, Iowa. Jerry was the biggest Hawkeye fan I've ever met. He raised his kids to be Hawkeye fans. One of his sons went to Iowa State and I wasn't sure Jerry would still consider him part of the family any more. Jerry lived and died with Iowa football on fall Saturdays.
Growing up in Wisconsin, there wasn't an Iowa-Wisconsin football game that didn't include a family gathering of Iowa Petersens and Wisconsin Petersens. Uncle Jerry and Aunt Rita would put the four kids in the car and drive the two hours up to Madison every other year. In opposite years, Mom and Dad would put my brother and I in the backseat and drive down to Iowa City. Uncle Jerry always made sure I had some sort of Iowa paraphernalia for these games. One year it was an Iowa shirt. The next it was a Hawkeye football. He'd do everything he could to get me to say, "Go Hawks!" but I couldn't drop my love of the Wisconsin Badgers. After spending 5 years at Michigan State University, the Spartans are my team, but those of you that know me well know that I still have a love for the Badgers deep inside.
For the first 10 years of my life, Iowa and head coach Hayden Fry were by far the better team in that match-up. Wisconsin was stuck in a downward spiral with coaches who couldn't seem to get the team more than 3-4 wins per year. Then Barry Alvarez (a former Hayden Fry assistant) became the Wisconsin head coach and things really turned around for the Badgers. The games with Iowa became more and more competitive and Wisconsin got the best of the Hawkeyes in the 90's.
When I was in high school, my Uncle Jerry died. I still remember my Dad coming into my bedroom early in the morning. It was strange because Dad was almost always at work long before I woke up for school. He sat down on the edge of my bed and I could tell something was wrong. He told me his brother had suffered what was believed to be a brain aneurysm and was in the hospital. They really didn't think he was going to make it. Two days later, Jerry passed away after all of his kids had been able to travel to Cherokee, Iowa (a small town in the far Northwest corner of Iowa) to see him one last time. We drove through a massive snow storm to be there for the funeral and it was more of a celebration of his life than anything else.
Uncle Jerry would have been 71 this year. When the Hawkeyes take the field in East Lansing this weekend, in my head I'll hear him yelling, "Go Hawks!" and I know he'll be watching from above.
This week Michigan State takes on Iowa in a match-up pairing two of the hottest teams in Big Ten Football. Iowa hasn't lost since November 1, 2008. They've won 11 in a row and are looking to make it 12 at Spartan Stadium this Saturday evening. Michigan State has won 3 in a row and is in the process of turning around their season that got off to an unexpectedly slow start with three losses in a row after opening with a drubbing of Montanta Sate to start the season.
I can't attend an Iowa football game without thinking about my Uncle Jerry. My Dad and his family grew up in the small town of Clinton, Iowa. Jerry was the biggest Hawkeye fan I've ever met. He raised his kids to be Hawkeye fans. One of his sons went to Iowa State and I wasn't sure Jerry would still consider him part of the family any more. Jerry lived and died with Iowa football on fall Saturdays.
Growing up in Wisconsin, there wasn't an Iowa-Wisconsin football game that didn't include a family gathering of Iowa Petersens and Wisconsin Petersens. Uncle Jerry and Aunt Rita would put the four kids in the car and drive the two hours up to Madison every other year. In opposite years, Mom and Dad would put my brother and I in the backseat and drive down to Iowa City. Uncle Jerry always made sure I had some sort of Iowa paraphernalia for these games. One year it was an Iowa shirt. The next it was a Hawkeye football. He'd do everything he could to get me to say, "Go Hawks!" but I couldn't drop my love of the Wisconsin Badgers. After spending 5 years at Michigan State University, the Spartans are my team, but those of you that know me well know that I still have a love for the Badgers deep inside.
For the first 10 years of my life, Iowa and head coach Hayden Fry were by far the better team in that match-up. Wisconsin was stuck in a downward spiral with coaches who couldn't seem to get the team more than 3-4 wins per year. Then Barry Alvarez (a former Hayden Fry assistant) became the Wisconsin head coach and things really turned around for the Badgers. The games with Iowa became more and more competitive and Wisconsin got the best of the Hawkeyes in the 90's.
When I was in high school, my Uncle Jerry died. I still remember my Dad coming into my bedroom early in the morning. It was strange because Dad was almost always at work long before I woke up for school. He sat down on the edge of my bed and I could tell something was wrong. He told me his brother had suffered what was believed to be a brain aneurysm and was in the hospital. They really didn't think he was going to make it. Two days later, Jerry passed away after all of his kids had been able to travel to Cherokee, Iowa (a small town in the far Northwest corner of Iowa) to see him one last time. We drove through a massive snow storm to be there for the funeral and it was more of a celebration of his life than anything else.
Uncle Jerry would have been 71 this year. When the Hawkeyes take the field in East Lansing this weekend, in my head I'll hear him yelling, "Go Hawks!" and I know he'll be watching from above.
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