Seth's 50 Centers

The CPA and I are back from beautiful Bermuda following a whirlwind weekend for us, and for fans of the Big Ten back here in the States.

I’m just now getting a chance to view the stunner between Appalachian State and Michigan and the No. 1 thing that comes to mind is TACKLING!

LLLLLLLoyd Carr’s crew couldn’t tackle to save its life and and that’s the top reason why the Mountaineers were able to get the job done.

Michigan’s only heart was in the form of senior running back Mike Hart, who tried to put his team on his back time and again only to have his defense let him down.

The fact all the talent back from last year’s two-loss team is on the offensive side was seemingly lost on all those prognosticators out there, and while I can’t say I expected them to lose to a I-AA team, I surely wouldn’t have had the Wolverines in the top five.

The lack of a defense, plus the terrible kicking game, spelled doom for Llllllloyd and his crew.

In the words of play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman:

“Appalachian State has stunned the college football world…”

Before the trip

The CPA and I are off to Bermuda in a few hours.

It’s a rough life, but someone has to live it!

We’re going for my college roommate Antwaan’s (AKA Randy) wedding.

Anyway, I’ve asked some of my friends to chip in and write a little bit about the upcoming college football season.

So far, Diesel and Brian are the only ones to contribute, but I’ll add more as time goes on. Here are Diesel’s picks:

Diesel’s picks

Early diesel predictions from around the country: (these are teams that will contend for the conference title)

Big Ten: Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
Big 12: Texas, Nebraska
Pac-10: USC (who else plays in the Pac-10???)
Big East: WVU, Rutgers
ACC: Who Cares?
SEC: Georgia, LSU

The national champion will come from north of the mason-dixon line. Texas will have a hell of a team, as will USC and LSU. West Virginia may sneak in there. Of course, the greatest conference of all time, the SEC, will just beat up on each other and knock themselves out of the national title picture. By the way, Big Ten and SEC went head to head in 3 bowl games last year. BIG TEN: 2 SEC: 1. Maybe it’s not the greatest of all time after all.

As far as predictions for Ohio State goes I think we will easily win our first 7 games. Then we got MSU, Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. We could lose all 5 or win all 5 of those games.

I think the toughest game all year will be the road game at Penn State (remember 2005). It’s a night game and that will add to the frenzy. I feel our better half will be the defense, special teams will rock, we will still have plenty of speed on offense but look for Tressel to change up the offense slightly, like he does every year.

We will probably utilize more I-formations and more double tight-end sets. Look for Boeckman or Schoenhoft to be better than predicted and for Chris Wells to do some great things (if he stays healthy and doesn’t fumble too much). Our toughness will return this year, replacing the swagger we developed last year.

You know I never liked the expression, “they have to get off to a good start”, that’s true but I’ve always believed the game is won in the fourth quarter, we need to play tougher and stronger and faster than the opponent in the 4th or else we will go 7-5. I think the sting from Florida has lingered all offseason and that has supplied plenty of motivation. Our guys will be well-conditioned and ready for the season, after all, games are won in the fourth quarter but championship teams are made before the season even begins. Look for a possible rematch with Florida in the Capital One Bowl, or even the Orange Bowl, wouldn’t that be sweet.

Summary on the last five years of the Tressel Era:
Overall Record: 55-9 (USC has a better record but not many other teams have been this good)
Record vs. Michigan: 4-1
Bowl Record: 4-1 (3-1 in BCS)
3 Big Ten Titles (1 outright)
1 National Championship
4 Top 5 finishes

I would take that for the next five years. Not to mention a team GPA last year of 2.93, I think that’s the highest currently on record. Of course this year we lose Antonio Smith and Anthony Gonzalez. Even without those guys I think we can get over 3.0.

Brian’s Picks

At the annual Big Ten football media day, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz suggested members of the press contingent really only gave proper attention to Ohio State and Michigan when typically making their preseason and postseason judgements about the power structure in the conference.

Perhaps if venerable Penn State coach Joe Paterno or another quality program master like Joe Tiller had spouted off in similar fashion, those on the outside would have had sufficient reason to give pause.

But the 2006 Hawkeyes, who began the campaign in the AP Top 20, accomplished their usual nose dive after being given lofty expectations. Iowa finished 6-7, was waxed by visiting Ohio State in an early season night showdown in front of national television audience and was irrelevant for the remainder of the autumn.

And so now the buzz around the league is that a slew of hopefuls – Penn State , Iowa and Wisconsin in particular – are poised to knock the defending champion Buckeyes and perennial BCS participant Wolverines from their respective perches atop the Big Ten food chain.

In the immortal words of one Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend.”

Mark it down, here is what will transpire:

1. Michigan: While it makes my blood boil to think LLLLLoyd and his crew will actual reach their potential for once, it is difficult not to think that the Helmet will finally get it done with quarterback Chad Henne (0-6 combined vs. OSU and bowl opponents), tailback Mike Hart, wideout Mario Manningham (to enter the NFL draft early) and offensive lineman Jake Long all facing the end of their prospective collegiate careers. should also be noted that the Wolverines get their hated rivals in the Big House. Even with a patchwork defense, if Carr & Co. fail to win that one, then I frankly think a change needs to be made at the top.

2. Ohio State : Although a valiant effort will be given, the Buckeyes lack the credible weapons (save for stud tailback Chris Wells) to claim a third consecutive title. While the offense will be able to grind it out with Wells rumbling behind behemoths like future pros Alex Boone, Kirk Barton and Steve Rehring, quarterback Todd Boeckman is an unknown factor and wideouts like Brian Robiskie, Brian Hartline and Ray Small proved against Florida in the BCS Championship Game that they are valuable corollary players, not necessarily top-flight game breakers. A soft schedule, strong strategic decisions by coach Jim Tressel and a stingy defense (featuring three future first-rounders in linebacker James Laurinaitis, defensive end Vernon Gholston and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins) will help OSU, contests at Penn State and at Michigan will simply be too much to overcome.

3. Wisconsin : After a stellar one-loss debut by coach Bret Bielema, the Badgers are picked by many to win the conference. There is no question that running back P.J. Hill is a beast, the departures of mammoth tackle Joe Thomas and quarterback John Stocco can not be understated. They have solid skill position players and a credible defense led by secondary specialist Jack Ikegwuonu, but Ohio State rotates back on the schedule (on the road) and the Badgers have proven time and time again that Michigan has their number.

4. Penn State : Two years removed from a Big Ten crown, the Nittany Lions will mean business in Paterno’s 782nd year in Happy Valley , but they lack the depth to be a serious contender. Signal caller Anthony Morelli should be improved and flanker Derrick Williams seems to be 100% again, but the loss of workhorse back Tony Hunt will be impossible to overcome. Linebacker Dan Connor and cornerback Justin King will suit up on Sundays in the near future, but the rest of the defense is suspect. Like everybody else, Penn State can never seem to sweep both the Buckeyes and Wolverines and will go 0-2 against the national powers this year.

5. Purdue: You have to respect Tiller for being able to consistently go Bowling but they just lack the horses to give it a serious run. Wideout Dorien Bryant has skills, as does linebacker Dan Bick, but the Boilermakers are destined for the middle of the pack.

6. Iowa : Even though they avoid the bid kids of the conference on the schedule, the Hawkeyes are a perennial pretender who fails to win big games. That being said, there is some available talent in tailback Albert Young and defensive end Ken Iwebema but several disappointing seasons in a row show that Iowa folds in important spots.

7. Illinos: Consider the Illini a bit of a darhorse under coach Ron Zook, who has put together back-to-back above average recruiting classes. They are still too young to make a serious bid at the title, but quarterback Juice Williams and lineback J Lehman give Illinois a definite excitement factor. They will pull an upset or two.

8. Michigan State : Mark Dantonio takes over a woebegone program that has become used to losing. Give the Spartans time and they could become something, especially with able performers like running back Javon Ringer and defensive tackle Justin Kershaw. But a give-up nature is tough to shake immediately.

9. Northwestern: Another young and aggressive coach can be found in former Wildcat All-American Pat Fitzgerald, but slow and small athletes can only get back so much with fire and intensity. You have to like tailback Tyrell Sutton and middle linebacker Adam Kadela to help pull off an upset or two, but the Chicago club is destined for mediocrity at best.

10. Indiana : You have to root for the Hoosiers and coach Bill Lynch after the sudden death of beloved coach Terry Hoepner. But Indiana , after all, is still Indiana despite able quarterback Kellen Lewis and star wide receiver James Hardy. A bowl bid is probably out of the question.

11. Minnesota : First-year coach Tim Brewster inherits a mess that includes an off-season rape charge that produced the dismissal of several starters. The best Golden Gopher players are tailback Amir Pinnix and gigantic wideout Ernie Wheelright, but the rest of the roster is left wanting. It will be a long season in Minneapolis .