Shit, can't believe I missed this earlier in the week...

Loran Smith replaced as UGA sideline reporter

I was several deep when I posted that. Still, I guess "grossly" is over-statment and what I was probably going for is that I think they're in for a fall. I don't think they are at the level yet to go back to back and I have a hard time understanding the overwhelming #1 votes when they lost so much on the D. What, 9 of 11 starters? That alone should've made the votes a little more spaced out. There is no substitute for experience in the SEC and they had LOADS of it last year.

Don't get me wrong though, they're going to be a tough team to beat but with games against Penn St. and Florida this year and road games at Arkansas, at South Cack, at UT, and at LSU. That's a LOT to ask of a team. Then again, they could lose 2 of those and still get to Atlanta I think.

Ark and USC are gonna take a couple teams out (just hope it's not us, knock on wood).

Yeah, I missed it in the news but heard a brief mention on 790 at some point.

The butt of many a joke, and forever in Munson's shadow, but the guy did his thing for almost 4 decades and you won't find a bigger Dawg fan than him. For that, RESPECT.

Ahh, those Golden Girls. And I do mean ahhhhhhhh

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5515780

Mark Ingram of Alabama out for opening game with knee injury.
He had a "minor" surgery performed by renowned Sports medicine surgeon Dr. James Andrews.

http://cfbexaminer.info/2010/09/01/live-streaming-of-nike-pro-combat-uniforms/

Unveiling of Nike Pro Combat jerseys.

Watching live right now, and Michael Irvin is hilarious describing the new Miami jersey.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5519693

Those Penn State mascots really like to party.


Also rumor has it that the Big Ten will be announcing the division split for next year with Nebraska, Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota and Northwestern in one group and Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana and Illinois in the other group.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5519832

It is going to be the X and O Divisions for the time being until they come up with a new name and logo, Michigan and Ohio State will still play on the last week of the year and Minnesota and Wisconsin will continue to playe each other every year.
Nebraska's cross divisional rival is Penn State, which was pretty much a given with neither of them really having a long term rival in the conference.
Basketball won't be governed by the same system.

The Huskers Big Ten conference schedule for next year is:
10/1 @Wisconsin
10/7 Ohio State
10/22 @ Minnesota
10/29 Michigan State
11/5 Northwestern
11/12 @Penn State
11/19 @Michigan
11/26 Iowa
That's pretty brutal, since we get to play three of the toughest games on the road, and end the year with three highly regarded opponents

http://deadspin.com/5620076/the-2010-ha ... e=true&s=i

Deadspin's Top 25 Hater's guide to College Football in 2010.

My personal favorite is :

19. Penn State: Listen, I don't wanna say mean things about Joe Paterno. He's a national treasure and a sweet old man. But he's gonna poop himself on the sidelines this year. He is. Someone will ask him over the headset if he's happy with the defensive formation and he's not gonna hear them because he'll be too busy unloading into the cheesecloth he wrapped around his Jockeys. Then he'll have to stay still the entire half so that no one will know, with poop running down his gimpy old leg the whole time. Then he's gonna go into the locker room and be like, URRGH I SHIT MYSELF AGAIN, BOYS! Then they'll have to wipe him off and wheel him back out. I don't want that to happen. It's not right. Let the man go out with dignity. Cut his oxygen tank tube.

Paterno needs D-Pants

Malachi, & Huskerpunk as well, & how can I forget, Paper, is the Big 10's divisional alignment a little goofy to you?

It seems Indiana, Purdue, & Ohio State could easily be swapped for Nebraska, Iowa, & Northwestern -- I'm cool with the Paul Bunyan Axe match-up being an interdivisional affair; I've always had more hate for Northwestern than Minnesota (plus, NU & Illinois in the same division keeps an in-state rivalry in the same division) -- but that's not how the conference rolls, apparently.

Anyway, Nebraska is going to get its ass handed to it in Camp Randall next year.

I kind of like the way it was split up. And no comment on the Camp Randall statement, we do our talking on the field.

Could ESPN3.com possibly suck worse?

HERE WE GO HAWAII!!

I think they probably could have went with East/West Divisions in the Big Ten, especially with the Top 25 rankings of the teams this year, but everyone in the Big Ten seems to believe that Michigan and Ohio State will once again dominate the conference in the near future and doesn't fully seem to give Iowa or Wisconsin their due. Overall, I think they did a fairly decent job of splitting the conference and keeping most of the relevant rivalries going for the next few years. They certainly didn't fuck things up as bad as the Big 12 did in 1995.
Nebraska leads the all-time series against the Badgers 3-2, but lost the final match up 21-20 in 1974 when they played in Madision.
I'll have to wait and see how the Huskers actually finish this season and find out how many people will be coming back on the Badger Offense before I actually make a prediction. The Huskers could be coming off a BCS bowl game appearance and will basically reload rather rebuild next year.

Dear lord what a turd this South Carolina game is.

2nd year in a row they've opened the CFB season and it's been a shitball game.

Switch it over to the Utah/Pitt game--coming down to the wire.

Why shouldn't they think that? I think it's only been something like 10 times in the last 50 years that Ohio St or Michigan hasn't either won the Big 10 outright or won a share of the title.

Splitting up teams based on traditional power programs is much better than doing it based on current rankings which can swing wildly from year to year. As long as they keep traditional rivalries I think it's the way to go.

Ohio State has basically dominated the conference for the last decade and much of the last 20yrs, if you are counting shared titles and Rose Bowl appearances. Michigan not so much, especially in this decade. Also, I'm not usually a fan of counting ties or shared titles, although in the Big Ten it was sort of a necessity with their system. To me it is like counting a shared divisional title in the Big 12 or SEC, when you didn't actually play in the conference title game.
I'll wait and see how Rich Rod finishes out the year and if he gets another season to prove how good he is before making a final judgement call on the immediate future of the Wolverines, but should they can his ass and fail to get Les Miles, etc to come up to Ann Arbor it might take a while for them to return to glory. There are those already that view the Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa region to be much weaker than the Penn State, Iowa, Wisconsin region and they might have gained more competitive balance with the directional split.

Wow, my Cyclones didn't completely choke last night (although it looked like they were going to in the 3rd quarter).

And as far as the Huskers schedule next year being brutal, that's what you get when you're a money-grubbing institution. I never have liked the Huskers, growing up near Omaha, but now I really hope they take it on the chin in a big, bad way.

It shows that more often than not, they're in the hunt. Point is that things in the Big 10 still run through Ann Arbor and Columbus with the Big 10. The ACC did the same thing when they expanded by splitting up Miami and FSU. There was a reason for that.



I find it funny that you're hung up on how down Michigan is right now and letting that have weight with you on how things are split. This from the guy who endured the Callahan years.

I agree that there should be some semblance of a balance of power but I just think you're splitting hairs. Things change. Teams go up and down.

IMO, it should be via traditional powers, keep rivalries, and if possible keep it geographically close. That goes for any conference.

Also, can we please somehow regulate this thing that's been going on for a few years now where coaches call timeout in a ref's ear right before a kicker kicks a game winning field goal??

That shit with Pitt/Utah last night was ridiculous. I realize there is nothing that says you can't do it but something about it just feels wrong and cheap after a hard fought football game.

I believe you are referring to Texas, not Nebraska... but whatever. It's because of Texas that the Big XII will be gone in a couple of years, Nebraska just got out before it all comes crumbling down (due to Texas' money-grubbing).

Congrats to Georgia State (with the great Bill Curry as coach) for winning the first football game in the program's history. I never went there but I fully support them finally fielding a team.

Good crowd too apparently.

Story

Hey, I'm sorry that Iowa State is one step away from becoming a MAC school, especially with the Iowa legislature tightening the screws on subsidizing collegiate Athletic Departments, but we were no more money grubbing then Mizzou, Texas, OU and A&M in all of this, and decided to take a good deal after consistantly being out voted 11-1 on most things involving the Big 12 hierarchy and overall structure of the conference.
I actually like the schedule breakdown for the next two years. If everything remains consistent, it will be a lot like playing in the SEC West this year. It's like the old Ric Flair adage, to be the best you got to beat the best, so I'm glad we aren't really ducking a challenge.

Derris, I actually agree with most of what your saying and I am definitely splitting hairs, it just sort of rubbed me wrong how one of the commentators on the Big Ten Network they kept referring to Michigan and Ohio State as "The Two". That's sort of like the old Big Eight days when it was simply Nebraska and Oklahoma beating on everyone else and when their annual rivalry game meant the winner went to the Orange Bowl and most likely played for a national title. Both of those days are dead. The ACC thing brings up a great point too, How many times have FSU and Miami met in the ACC title game?