Green and White

Sorry that Sparty didn't show up to play the game last nite in EL (and win an important one for the B1G)... Was at the game with my family, weather was great, seemed to be a sellout at Spartan Stadium, crowd was in a great mood in the beginning, the new sound system and 13K sq.ft scoreboard was excellent... only thing MSU didn't do was show up and play any football... I haven't seen any replay or postgame comments but everything, I mean everything went wrong quickly, O-line, D-line, pass protection, blocking, tackling, missed assignments, dropped balls, etc. The list is too long and painful to go over. I didn't see this train wreck commin' !!! KUDOS to the Irish for retaining the megaphone trophy for another year.

Creed - I agree with you! Right now we have no 'elite' teams in the B1G but do certainly have 5 quality teams (Wisc, tOSU, NEB, UMich and MSU) that are all moving in the right direction! It'll just take time... something our respective fan bases will have problems with. This year we must bring back the Roses to the B1G (as a start in the right direction). After that we will need to see 2 - 3 of our B1G teams consistently in the top 10 of the national ranking polls. This will take a bit of time, but we will get there as a conference. One of the more interesting BTN programs this morning was BTN Live. On that show Revsine, Dinardo and Griffith intelligently discussed how the B1G can overtake the SEC and all agreed that more emphasis should be/has to be placed on in-state and especially out of state recruiting for the top HS talent. Seems the SEC has dedicated marketing programs (with significant budgets) targeting top HS talent for their Universities. Good Luck to the Huskers this week in SoCal !. Simply roadgrade UCLA !!!

OUCH !!! BTN chimes in and it's the Kiss of Death for Sparty! In all honestly, this should be an exciting season ahead for our Legends Div. With UMich, NEB and Sparty trying to dismember each other for a spot in Indy against Wisc. Is anyone truly 'elite' in the B1G right now??? Nope!!! Just 5 solid teams (NEB, UMich, MSU, Wisc. and tOSU) and a couple like Iowa and Purdue making some noise along the way this year. MSU will never just 'reload'... we never get a boatload of 4* or 5* freshman (I think Will G. was one of the few 5*'s to be recruited in recent memory)... the key is development of talent, something MSU has been very good at in recent years under Dantonio and his staff. It seems the scheduling gods certainly are not playing any favors to you, UMich or MSU with all of us having some brutal stretches ahead in conference play. Good Luck! to the Huskers, and let's start putting the B1G back into NC contention this year!

skersfan - with 'Max' you'll see a very composed QB, mobile, strong arm, accurate, intelligent, etc. but lacking a lot of game-time experience. Maxwell is a Junior... Below are a couple of ESPN video clips of Max during a Central Mich. game a while back: Clip that gives an idea on Max's mobility and arm: http://espn.go.com/v...clip?id=7012737 Clip of TD pass against Cent. Mich (again Max is quite mobile)... also to TE Dion Sims: http://espn.go.com/v...clip?id=7012793 Big question for Sparty is more consistent pass protection and run blocking (11th? in B1G in rushing (2011) is pathetic...) and if MSU can develop a talented group of Recv'rs and TE's quickly.

I can't wait to see too HuskerShark! The Sparty 'D' should be reasonable, but what has me concerned is not Maxwell running the offense but who will step up as our recv's corps. In Max, I think you'll see a composed QB with better mobility and a better arm than Cousins, but lacking gametime experience (and this might be clearly shown early in the season). Cousins gave us a consumate 'field general' attitude but we're gonna have to wait and see if Max develops in this area (and quickly)... Where I really have concerns is our WR's and TE's and wait to see if Dantonio can pull another 'reshuffle mix' out of the hat like he did last year with the O-line injuries early in the season. MSU could go anywhere from 6-6 to 10-2 but an 8-4 season record seems likely at the moment. *** Whatever team that wins the CCG MUST come home with the Roses this year !!!

Knap - Without going into details, one of my very good friends (and neighbor) is a B1G FB official for our conference. He has been doing it for many years and loves this part-time job immensely! I've personally watched him officiate many MSU games and after reviewing (DVR) many of the close calls he made, I can honestly say he did a darn good job of being fair and honest for both teams on the field. We also discussed the 'pressure' that these guys are under when a critical conference game is on the field. I asked him if he plans on officiating again this year for the B1G and his eyes opened wide and said most definitely!!! He loves the intensity and atmosphere of game day as much as we do !!! As you can imagine, these individuals are under constant scrutiny by the conference and universities, and hold regular meetings to work out improvements for this sport we enjoy so much... Again, my own $0.02

Bucky - this is going to be an interesting year for Sparty... As you know we graduated a significant portion of our production on offense (QB, WR's and TE's)... Sparty returns with a truly 'killer' Defense, but we may have BIG questions on offense with inexperience (QB, WR's and TE's). Coach Dantonio (and his staff) will certainly have their work cut out for them on the offensive side of the ball.this season. Mark is a coach that bleeds Grn N Wht and the players believe completely in his philosophy. Sparty will probably never compete with an OSU recruiting level, but we do the best we can in developing our players to the fullest extent... We'll have to wait and see if his OC's can bring things together quickly this season. One thing is this certainly is goin' to be another very interesting year in the B1G! Ps. Saunder45 - God Bless your Grandfather... it's great to see you with him during this time... I have had both my parents in hospice and it is not easy for the family at all. Your Grandfather is in our prayers...

you really think its just the D? state is helping us out, they arnt running on us, they are sitting in a half court game and running the clock for us, izzo is a good guy and he could be up 50 if he wanted to, you can even see in his emotions throughout the game...he set up a game plan so we didnt get blown out, and all he said was good things after their win against us at home...i respect him for that Totally on Blackshirt007... Izzo isn't his normal self at all (no fire in him !!!), way too reserved as you picked up. Let's see when Izzo subs heavily. Huskers are playing with some emotion tonight...

Good luck to the Huskers at the Breslin Center today. If they can match the energy and desire the Huskers had when they played Indiana in Lincoln, it can be an interesting game to watch! The Breslin Center is a tough place to play in for the visiting team, but the atmosphere, IZZONE student section, noise, etc. makes for dynamic show to experience. If anyone is planning the trip to East Lansing, parking around the Breslin is easy to come by, and plan to have a great time! You're guaranteed to come away with your ears 'ringing'!!! As you know, the B1G is very strong this year in BB and could get 6 - 7 teams to the 'Big Dance'... Honestly, the B1G is strong every year in Basketball as you can imagine. This is why we simply enjoy basketball so much in this conference of ours. Enjoy the show tonignt...

Badgerfan - it's tough losing Cousins, but in the limited amount of time his replacement (Maxwell) was given this year, Maxwell is a version of Cousins (ie. intelligent, very accurate, etc.) but has the one variable that Capt. Kirk never had and that is good mobility. Will Maxwell he be able to lead his team ??? None of us have a clue... that by far will have to be seen. As you mentioned, the thing about Dantonio is he never, never gets 'flustered', actually his decision making seems to improve late in the game when all is on the line! Coach 'D's' low keyed style will help in the transition to Maxwell in building confidence in himself and for the team... Should be quite interesting next season !

I agree Creed in that it was kinda 'wierd' game to watch, but UMich won and that's all that counts... the B1G needed that win and our Michigan teams came thru for us. Congrats to UMich on the Sugar Bowl victory ! To me the corner end zone pass incompletion by VT was the correct call in that the ground 'aided' the catch IMHO... Gutsy call by the replay officials! And yes, the B1G seems to get bashed quite a bit in the sports press, but it is more interesting when I went over to the 'Dawgs' FB Forum yesterday and saw the reaction to their loss to a 'YANKEE' team. Simply makes my soul all warm and fuzzy inside... . . . . . .

Thanks Badgerfan... I truly feel for you... I really wanted the Badgers to win the 'Rose' this year, but they fell a bit short... very, very frustrating. As you said, Coach Dantonio is steadly working on building Sparty into an 'elite' team and with his committment to his players and MSU. He should be in a good position to build upon the foundations he has layed for the future of the program. Hopefully we can keep Dantonio in EL for a long, long time... Personally, I think the B1G will quickly rebound with the B1G 'Blue Bloods' coming on strong in the next few years (minus the state of PSU program). We also need to have Wisconsin, MSU, Iowa, Illinois, etc. evolve into elite team status and have a strength of conference that is second to none!!!

Thanks Nexus ! We all needed that one for the B1G... Very hard fought game as you saw, and this year we were able to match up with the athletic talent of Georgia. We're quite proud of Cousins and you can imagine. Also, thanks Michiganball for the support... Personally, I want UMich to kick VT up and down the field. We need another win for the B1G !!!

Congrats to the Badgers on going the the Rose Bowl... I'm really down right now in that Sparty won't be able to make the trip to Pasadena, but wish the Badgers success in bringing back a Rose Bowl win !!! That's gotta get done this year. Ya hear me Badgers !!!!!!! Sparty had their chances, but the freshman RB (Hill) fumble on the Kickoff return hurt quite a bit... Worse was the coaching call for a 'Block punt' resulting in that flag late in the game... That call by Dantonio wasn't needed (and I think he knows it...). Again, now is the time for us to buckle up and get the job done in winning our Bowl Games. As Badgerfan mentioned, the one thing the B1G now does is root for our conference in all the Bowl games we're in... It's been like this forever in the Big 10 Conference. Truly a great Conference Champ. game and was fitting for two excellent and well fought battles by Sparty and the Badgers. Go Green... Go White !!!!

Ladyhawke - I'm very impressed with the class of the 'Huskers' and especially the way Coach Ron Brown gave his prayers to the players of both NEB and Penn State before the start of that historic game... I also noticed this when at the end of the NEB/MSU game a few weeks ago he also gave a 'prayer' and I carefully watched the MSU players listening intently to him.... (MSU performes a similar prayer in Spartan Stadium)...You are blessed to have a coach like Ron Brown that is not afraid/ashamed to express his faith in public and give life lessons to his most important audience... As Badgerfan put it well, we all need to be grateful for what we all have become accustomed to... and all the 'friends' we meet along the path...

Matthew - You might want to consider Northwestern more like Duke, Harvard and Stanford when it comes to ACT admission reqmts. 2010 ACT reqmts.: Composite 31/33, English 31/34, Math 29/34 and Writing 8/10. 2012 Admissions requirements will be in the 34 to 35 ACT Composite range (for a minimum).... believe me..... So you might want to think of Northwestern as our own little 'Harvard of the Big 10', cause Duke and Stanford have some great athletic pgms. as you know. GM_Tood - Good research my friend !!!

knapp - nice to see you grew up in the 'burbs of Chicago !!!. You know what I'm talking about with respect to the student base @ Northwestern then. For your enjoyment (and a better understanding of Northwestern in general) I thought I'd contact Brian (my nephew) and ask him directly what student life was like and his take on Northwestern sports... Brian was in the unique position from 2008 through 2011 to report daily as a student sports journalist on Northwestern sports (Football, basketball, tennis, etc.), and had direct access to Coach Fitz', and others.... Brian now writes for a major International Financial News firm in New York. Below is his response: " Hi Uncle! Similar to the academics at Northwestern, being a sports fan is a challenge. Our basketball and football teams have among the longest droughts in the nation when it comes to postseason success. But for me, having been a Cubs fan all my life, and going through some tough years with the Bulls and Bears, I wouldn't have it any other way. Everyone likes an underdog story, and NU is the underdog of underdogs. They might not be the biggest, fastest or strongest, but our players compete with heart, and that's what we sports fans come to love and appreciate. The campus culture does not lend itself to sports as much as other schools, because we're smaller, have a large out-of-state population and have a very demanding academic curriculum. But for people like me, it's a great way to bond with fellow students, even if it's through shared misery over another bowl loss. Northwestern has won the Big Ten before not-too-long ago, and its time will surely come again. In the meantime, my friends and I have paid our dues in the classroom and at internships to position ourselves well for career success, so one day we can afford season tickets to watch the Cats win the Rose Bowl! See you for the holidays, Brian " Hope some of this helps the 'Husker Nation' better understand the Northwestern student mentality !

Ugh. Their website and fanbase has spewed more derp and ignorance about realignment than OrangeBloods.com. The only thing they got right is when they stated Nebraska was on the Big 10's radar. And the wife and I are looking to traveling to their stadium next fall--wife hasn't been to Chicago, figured it would be easy to get tickets at their stadium--win/win. Matthew - you should have an awesome time in ChiTown next year for the game. Make it a short vacation, spend time in Chicago (museums, resturants, lake front, music, etc.) and then travel a few miles North to the Campus... Ryan Field is small, quaint (read 'quite old') and parking is horrible so plan to come early. A walk around the Northwestern campus in the fall is very, very nice...

scarletNcream - as BadgerFan, Badger_HB and others will probably agree, Northwestern students view themselves a bit differently than most the rest of us. Case at point.....my nephew graduated this spring from Northwestern (Summa Cum-laude, Medill School of Journalism) and I asked him at his graduation ceremony party what is Northwestern really noted for academically??? Medicine, natural sciences, etc. ??? He looked at me for a few moments and said emphatically "Uncle, Northwestern is excellent at EVERYTHING !!!"...... Hmmmmmmmm..... OKayyyyyyyyyyyyyy....... I thought to myself......... Kinda like the mentality at ND as you can imagine. Coach 'Fitz' has improved the FB program by leaps and bounds as you can imagine, but sports is generally not front and center in the minds of a Northwestern student. Go kinda easy on the 'Cats', their D hasn't shown up too much this year... They're more interested in the probabilities of NCAA Football Mega-conference reallignment outcomes...

Um I don't know what you were watching last January but the spread burned us... Urban Meyer damn near wrote the book on the Spread and UF ran it to beat PSU. Mullen brought the spread from UF and has been working it well in Starkville, or at least he did last year against the Wolverines. Tuberville has it at Tech and beat the Wildcats. TCU runs a derivation of the spread and hooked UW. Then look at the Razorbacks, they don't really run the spread and OSU was able to win...and to say bama doesn't run the spread is also deceptive. They're a very talented offense and Saban has incorporated it in many games (see SEC CG two years ago) LSU used to run it but they didn't play a Big Ten team so I dunno what you were saying with that. I don't remember who played who last January. That's why I was asking. The only examples I could remember off the top of my head were the ones I already mentioned, and Michigan State (who got smoked by Bama, right?). But what Bama runs is not the spread. Anybody can have a spread package as part of their offense (like Nebraska does now, even though we're not currently a spread offense), but what Alabama ran with McElroy was basically a pro-style offense, much like what you see in the Big Ten, except better. What I remember is the Big Ten getting hammered last January, pretty much regardless of the style of offense the other team played. Congrats to the Huskers on a well played game and the D stepping up and took control of the game from the beginning... Sparty had no life and was totally confused (the coaches also seemed to be sleepwalking)... I was embarrased, but have to give credit where credit is do and the Huskers proved the much better team yesterday. One of the critical reasons why Sparty was blown out of the 'bama game last bowl season was the fact that Sparty was simply blown off both sides of the line, couldn't establish any rushing attack, and was lucky Cousins wasn't put into the hospital by the dominance of the 'bama D fence. No rhythm... no nuthin'.... If you listened to Dantonio afterwards, he acknowledged that his primary concern was BOTH the O and D lines and had to improve for this year. The problem is, Sparty has a hard time recruiting 4 and 5 star down linemen. This year early injuries to the Sparty O line required moving some of the Defensive players to the Offense to try to build some balance. It shows we're still a ways away from dominating every Sat. and Capt. Kirk has the ability to 'lay an egg' and did it again yesterday (like the Iowa game late last year). With the Badgers, Hawkeyes, Sparty all losing... the road to Indy has just become a lot more interesting ! Again, great game by the Huskers and hope we can improve a bit for next year in EL.

That was a fun game to watch last night and the Badgers have nothing to feel ashamed about... RW is the real deal, you're OLine is great, Defense is solid (secondary needs to tighten up a bit though) and the game was played without any extra cirricular activities on both sides (which was good to see). Seems every year there are gonna be a couple of 'upsets' within the power teams in the B1G and that is what makes this conference worth watching! Play last nights game in Madison and probably a different outcome. Sparty is very hard to beat in EL as you saw. Both teams are very well coached and ended up being a typical trench warfare - a good ol' slobbernockin' battle !!! Also I have to give KUDOS to the forum members on HuskerBoard, very classy ! Seems topics can be discussed here w/o all the 'flaming' that was occuring on the UM, RCMB and Badger MB's. last week... Should be a good game in Lincoln next week.

The winds here in the upper Midwest today were in the 25 - 30 mph range with gusts to 40 mph ... Not good for either QB. Basically, what you saw was a typical MSU vs. UM game... Hatred for each other which dates back to the beginnings of both Universities... These games are not pretty to watch 'cause both teams want to simply beat each others brains out, with numerous penalties, cheap shots, etc. These two schools are 'a rock throws distance apart' that are locked in mortal combat like the Hatfields and McCoys !!! Great fun !!! As BadgerFan and True to the Red mentioned, Sparty has a pretty good defense (athletic, very quick, and very well coached). The Badgers coming to East Lansing next week should be a good matchup between an outstanding Badger team (under the control of Wilson) coming to grips with the Spartan D. Should be a good game....

Just my observation... there seems to be a whole lotta B1G teams this year scrambling to put the pieces together... (Winconsin pretty much excluded from this discussion)... Watching the tOSU game (minus 4 - 5 of their starters) they certainly have a defense, but are stuck with a true Freshman QB to run the offense and it showed, Sparty is hurting on the O-line (again !!!) and we have trouble establishing the run because of this to help protect Cousins and develop a 'balanced attack' that Sparty needs to be effective. Northwestern needs Persa to be able to contend and it seems he possibly reinjured himself in the loss to the Illini. PSU is still trying to find a QB (Hmmmmmm..... does this sound familiar for many of the B1G teams ???) and it shows in their execution (or lack thereof). The one takeaway I got from the Husker/Badger game was Bo Pelini controlled himself and didn't blow a head gasket!!! I was really impressed (did TO put a lock-down on him this year???). I feel sorry for the Huskers to have to listen to Bo this week... not good for the eardrums or in self-confidence. It seems at times the team is afraid to make a mistake, or they will come under intense scrutiny. Still the season is young and there is alot of great football to be played...

Ya gotta admit, this is going to one helluva fun week leading up to great matchup at Madison!!! I haven't seen this much excitement in a looooooong time in the Big 10... B1G.... (or whatever they call our conference anymore) ... Old fashioned 'trench warfare' at its finest. Sprinkle in two exciting QB's, a hugh Badger offensive line, an extremely athletic/quick Husker D-line, and some fine special teams play (Husker's Maher (sp?) could play an extremely important part in the outcome of this game) makes for great recipe. I hope/pray that we see an instant BTN Classic with both teams playing up to their total capabilities... and the coaches finally opening up their playbooks. It'll be neat seeing how both Coaches make needed 'adjustments' to the play on the field. Sat. nite can't come too soon!!! Dang! let's see a great game !!!!

Very solid on the offensive side of the ball. I was a little surprised about UNLV being able to move the ball on them a bit though. After watchin' the game last nite it seems UW has definitly added a new dimension to their offense with RW at the helm... Typical UW OL play... But..... their defensive LB crew will have to step it up quite a few notches and not wait around for the play to develop... Plus the size/wt. of their LB's will be mismatched by other top tier conference teams. The UW secondary will once again be stout. Opportunities await for a strong run package against em' ... that was shown over and over again last nite with very poor containment on the 'ends' !!!