Rankings & Ramblings: Week #3.

 

Bama continues it’s reign at #1 in the AP Top25 after knocking down Texas A&M. Editorial Comment: Thank God, I can’t image a world where Johnny Football (barf) beats Alabama two years in a row,

As far as the B1G, not great news…

Ohio State remains at #4, but is nipping at Clemson’s heels.

Michigan drops from #11 to #15 after dang near losing to Akron. Is this a blip or is Michigan more flawed than people think?

Northwestern drops from #17 to #18 which kind of surprised me because they took care of Western Michigan pretty convincingly. I think squads like Ohio State and Michigan get the benefit of the doubt where squads like Northwestern just do not. It’s a historical thing.

Wisconsin fell from #20 to #24 after that bizarro-world ending. What was the deal there? Did the refs screw up or was it the Badgers? Both I think. Sucks when this happens to your team so I say “chin-up” to Wisconsin.

And finally, Nebraska dropped from the rankings after getting pummeled by UCLA. That second half was awful. But the Huskers are likely to pop back at some point so don’t count them out just yet.

In the almost-but-not-quite bracket, Michigan State is #26 and Nebraska is #31. The AP rankings can be a cruel mistress but they are the only barometer we have (besides the USA Today coaches poll which has MSU at #24) until the BCS rankings kick in.

One more week of non-con and then the real business starts. Hang on, this might get rough.

Go B1G!

Spartan Infographic.

Nice infographic (kind of) from the MSU Athetics…

B1G Results: Week #3.

Maybe not the best non-con week for the B1G, but there were fewer cupcakes this week so that’s to be expected. Five teams remain undefeated, six with one loss and then there is Purdue.  Let’s see how I did on my picks this week (not good) and how my 19-3 record looks after a crazy week…

Bowling Green @ Indiana – A lot of folks thought Bowling Green could steal a win from the B1G in this matchup, but I was confident in the Hoosier picking them to win by 14. Indiana won by 32. 20-3

Akron @ #11 Michigan – Ha ha ha. To think I picked Michigan by 42. Michigan won by 4 in an absolute nail-biter. Against Akron.. 21-3

Western Illinois @ Minnesota – Best wishes to Coach Kill. I predicted a romp with the Gophers winning by 28. Minnesota won by 17. 22-3

#16 UCLA @ #23 Nebraska – The popular pick was UCLA but I thought that this team in front of a packed Husker crowd could just maybe pull it out. In the first half I looked like a genius. But in the second half I looked a fool. UCLA won by 20. 22-4

Youngstown State @ Michigan State – As always, no pick for this one. The Spartan offense shows up big. Michigan State wins by 33. 22-4

Iowa @ Iowa State – Neither team is killing it this season but I figured the Hawkeyes wanted revenge against their in-state rival. I picked Iowa by 10 and it was Iowa by six. 23-4

UCF @ Penn State – I completely underestimated the Knights. Some folks picked this as an upset but I didn’t see it that way at all; not in Happy Valley. I picked Penn State to win by 35 no less. Oops. It was UCF by three. 23-5

#19 Washington @ Illinois – Although the Huskies are a ranked and good team, I felt like the Illini would have some swagger at home after their win against Cinci. This was another one where I had confidence in the B1G, I was wrong and everybody knew it. I picked Illinois by seven and it was Washington by 10. 23-6

#4 Ohio State @ Cal – Even without Miller I knew the Buckeyes could score. I picked Ohio State by 21 and it was Ohio State by 18. 24-6

#21 Notre Dame @ Purdue – I don’t think the Irish are great this year, but they are certainly better than Purdue. I just couldn’t see the Boilermakers winning this one, but they actually put up a good fight. I picked Notre Dame by 10 and it was Notre Dame by seven. 25-6

Western Michigan @ #17 Northwestern – The Wildcats are rolling this year and the Broncos were certainly not going to get in the way. I picked Northwestern by 21 and it was Northwestern by 21. Bam! 26-6

#20 Wisconsin @ Arizona State – This was a tough pick and I labored over it for a while. I ended up picking the Badgers on the road and late at night because they can score and they defense has been exceptional. I was right to labor over this one because it was a back-and-forth game that came down to the wire. And then the Badgers screwed up what should have been a last second FG for the win. This was so poorly managed that I’m just going to write it off as first year coach SNAFU. Anyway, I picked Wisconsin by nine and it was Arizona State by two. 26-7

Ouch, I went 7-4 this week. I’ve got to get a bit more real with some of the B1G clubs and what they are really capable of.  I’m at 79% which is just off my goal of 80% for the season. I can pull it back in. I’m looking to go 100% next week and get this thing back over my goal before the conference schedule starts and there are only half as many games to pick.

Not you best week B1G, but nothing to get too down about. And there is always next week. Let’s get at it.

Go B1G!

Michigan State 55, Youngstown State 17; The Spartans are 3-0.

A beautiful day for… OFFENSE! I’ll gladly start with the offense this week.

It looks like Connor Cook is our man at QB moving forward. Cook started the game and held on to that spot until the game was safely in a place were back-ups could be brought in. Cook was 15-22 for 202 yards and an average of 9.2. He threw four TDs. Yes, four TDs. That’s four more than the Spartans have had all season. Cook also ran twice for 25 yards. Connor Cook had a great day. He led the Spartan offense confidently and effectively which is something we haven’t really seen since 2011.

Tyler O’Connor came in for the clean-up duty and although he didn’t throw a TD pass, he was effective in the air going 7-10 for 68 yards. Likely our second best QB performance of the year.

Those 22 completions were made possible by a receiver corp that found it’s mojo. MacGarrett Kings Jr. led the way four receptions for 61 yards and a TD, Aaron Burbridge had three for 44, Tony Lippett had four for 41, Bennie Fowler had two for 39 and a TD, Josiah Price had three for 28, Jamal Lyles had two for 19, Andre Sims Jr. had one for a 13-yard TD, etc. The Spartans spread it around to 10 different guys netting 270 yards and four TDs. The routes looked crisp and guys were getting open. What sticks with me the most is that most every ball that was possibly catchable was caught. It was fun to watch.

Coach Dantonio often talks about balance and how the run opens up the pass and pass creates opportunity for the run, and it makes sense. This game was the proof. The Spartans had 270 yards in the air and 277 yards on the ground. Nick Hill had nine carries for 83 yards and a TD. That’s a 9.2 YPC average. Excellent. Jeremy Langford had 15 carries for 68 yards and two TDs. Riley Bullough had 10 carries for 34 yards.

Overall, excellent execution, better play calling and a level of confidence and poise that has been missing for quite some time. The Spartans scored on their first three possessions and also dominated the clock by controlling the ball for 39:09. Nice job this week offense.

The Spartan defense had a good day holding Youngstown State to only eight first downs, 2-12 third down conversions, 121 yards passing and 51 yards rushing. MSU forced two fumbles and recovered both of them including one by our man Shilique Calhoun. The Spartan defense looked sharp and they played with more control with fewer mistakes and penalties.

Before moving on to next week, let’s check ourselves for a moment. This was not a B1G squad and not even an FBS squad. This was FCS Youngstown State. I’m certainly not saying they are a crappy team, they are actually very good. But Youngstown State good and Notre Dame / Michigan / Northwestern good are two different things. This game was not about two equal teams battling it out to determine a winner, it was more about Michigan State continuing to try things on offense until something gels. It did gel this week. MSU now has a bit of confidence and a reason to believe as the schedule ramps up from here. I’m pleased and inspired by what I saw this week, that’s the deal.

Next week is Notre Dame at 3:30pm in Southbend. That crowd will be nuts, the golden dome will be shimmering and touchdown Jesus will be bestowing his blessing on anyone who finds the end zone. The Irish lost to Michigan and had to come from behind to take down Purdue so it seems that with Tommy Rees at the helm they are not quite as dominate as they were a year ago. The last two games against ND have been blowouts so I’m hoping and praying (this means you touchdown Jesus) that MSU can bring the kind of game that we saw this week. If so, it’s going to be another great Spartan-Irish game.

Go GREEN!!!

Cook & Terry are #1 and #2, at least for practice this week.

I like where this is going. I know Coach Dantonio doesn’t want to burn that redshirt unless it’s going to really be worth it, and I agree. But it sounds like Terry is getting the reps this week and if he is running the offense and making plays, we could see him come out against Youngstown State.

A good post from Brian Bennett at the ESPN B1G Blog covers the situation very well…

New Spartans QB order: Cook then Terry

Where there are reps, there is hope. Maybe.

Go GREEN!!!

B1G Week #3 Picks.

I’m sitting at 19-3 or a hair over 86% so far for 2013. The non-con is often the easier pick so I’m not ready to relocate to Vegas anytime soon. And my thinking on the score has not been particularly accurate either. Anyway, 19-3 is good and I’m hoping to improve on that in week #3.

Bowling Green @ Indiana – Noon on ESPN-U.  The Hoosiers loss to Navy last week kind of shocked me. I knew their defense was suspect but I thought the offense could more than make up for it. Nope, not against that crazy Midshipmen offense. The Falcons are much more vanilla and not really all that great. I’m taking Indiana by 14.

Akron @ #11 Michigan – Noon on BTN.  I hate Michigan, but the Zips have zero chance in this one. Michigan by 42.

Western Illinois @ Minnesota – Noon on BTN.  The Gophers will romp on the Leathernecks, no question. Minnesota by 28.

#16 UCLA @ #23 Nebraska – Noon on ABC.  This is going to be very interesting. Both teams are run-centric and damn good at it. But the Bruins can pass too; not so much for the Huskers. And UCLA has the better defense. But the game is at Memorial Stadium which is typically pretty damn hostile. I’m going out on a limb and picking Nebraska in a hard-fought 3 point win.

Youngstown State @ Michigan State – 2:00PM on BTN.  With any offensive production at all, this should be a total cakewalk for the Spartans. Unfortunately, that is a huge “if”.  But I know my Spartans and they will get the job done. Go GREEN!!!

Iowa @ Iowa State – 6:00PM on FoxSports1.  Fly-over rivals clash at Jack Trice Stadium. The Hawkeyes lost this game last year 9-6 at home, so they should be highly motivated. They Cyclones are not very good on paper, but then neither are the Hawkeyes. I don’t like that it’s an away in-state rivalry game, but I’m taking Iowa by 10 anyway.

UCF @ Penn State – 6:00PM on BTN.  The Knights are not as bad as you might think, but the Lions are going to break ’em down in Happy Valley. Penn State by 35.

#19 Washington @ Illinois – 6:00PM on BTN.  What’s with all of these 6:00PM games? Anyway, the Huskies are good, and they’ve beaten Boise State and had a week off already. On the other hand, the Illini beat Cinci thoroughly last week. The Illini can air it out and the game is in Chicago, so I’m taking Illinois by a score.

#4 Ohio State @ California – 7:00PM on Fox.  The Golden Bears have already lost to a very good Northwestern squad, but this game is at home and the Buckeyes have a banged-up, left-the-game-on-a-golfcart Braxton Miller, so this is interesting. What’s going to kill Cal is their absolute lack of a defense, and any Ohio State QB can pick them apart with the talent they have all over on that side of the ball. Ohio State by 21.

#21 Notre Dame @ Purdue – 8:00PM on ABC.  The Boilermakers are about to get schooled in front of their parents, classmates, alumni and a national, primetime TV audience. The Irish recover strong from last week and punch Purdue in the mouth just for being part of the B1G. I’d be happy to be wrong on this one, but Notre Dame wins by 10.

Western Michigan at #17 Northwestern – 9:00PM on BTN.  The Broncos just cant seem to get on TV this year, and they can’t seem to win either. The Wildcats are going to have their way with them, no doubt about it. Northwestern by 21.

#20 Wisconsin @ Arizona State – 10:30PM on ESPN.  I’ll probably be snoozing before this one really gets going, but I’m sure folks in Madison will be up late getting hammered and going nuts. That late Pacific-time kickoff will be a detriment to the Badgers though. But are the Sun Devils any good? Hard to say at this point when they have only played Sacramento State, who they shut-out.  But then again, the Badgers have shut out not one but two crappy teams. Hmmm. The Badgers can run the ball. I’m going with Wisconsin by 9.

Best of luck to all of the B1G this week, especially Purdue and Illinois.

Go B1G!

Rankings & Ramblings – Week #2.

 

The AP Top25 continue to have Alabama at #1 followed by Oregon and Clemson. In the B1G…

Ohio State drops from #2 to #3 even after a convincing win. Maybe it’s Braxton Miller’s knew injury?

Michigan jumps from #17 to #11 following their win over Notre Dame; the Irish fell from #14 to #21 btw.

Northwestern again climbs from #19 to #17 after taking down Syracuse; the Orange is now 0-2 thanks to the B1G. That’s two quality non-con wins for the WIldcats.

Wisconsin goes from #21 to #20 which is mainly vacuum effect.

Nebraska continue to drop from #22 to #23 I guess because they just don’t look that good.

In the almost-but-not-quite bracket, Michigan State is at #27, Illinois is at #34 and Penn State is at #37.

It is certainly interesting to see how the press votes. The Coaches seem to be a little more giving to the B1G in the USA Today poll, maybe because many of them have or will have to face a B1G school this year.

Go B1G!

 

B1G Results: Week #2

Almost a clean sweep as the B1G finished 11-1 this week. Let’s see how everyone did and how I came out on my picks. FYI, I’m 10-1 coming out of week #1.

South Florida @ Michigan State – No pick but the Spartans win 21-6 leaning on their defense heavily. 10-1

Eastern Michigan @ Penn State – I felt like the Nittany Lions would would cruise by the Eagles without much fuss. I was right. I picked the Penn State by 24 and it was Penn State by 38. 11-1

Tennessee Tech @ #21 Wisconsin – I called this a “Total Cupcake. Chum in the water.” and I was right (not that it was hard to figure). I had Wisconsin by 45 in a shutout and it was Wisconsin by 48 in a shutout. 12-1

Cincinnati @ Illinois – This one was a might more difficult to pick. Illinois is often a crapshoot and Cinci looked very tough against Purdue last week so I picked Cincinnati on the road by 10. And I was wrong. It was Illinois by 28. 12-2

Missouri State @ Iowa – A cupcake. I picked Iowa by 27 and it was Iowa by 14. 13-2

Indiana State @ Purdue – I didn’t see the Boilermakers beating up on the Sycamores the way the Hoosiers did last week, but I thought they could take care of business none the less. I took Purdue by 10 and it was Purdue by six. 14-2

San Diego State @ #3 Ohio State – I didn’t think the Buckeyes would really have to work all that hard to beat the Aztecs and I had them winning by 21. The Buckeyes lost Braxton Miller to a knee injury but still rolled hard. It was Ohio State by 35. 15-2

Syracuse @ #19 Northwestern – I was a bit nervous picking this game mainly because of questions with the Wildcat’s defense. I cautiously picked Northwestern by seven. It was Northwestern by 21. 16-2

Navy @ Indiana – I know Indiana can score and I figured they could score on Navy. I picked Indiana by 14 and it was Navy by six. Dang it. 16-3

Southern Mississippi @ #22 Nebraska – Defense and air attack be damned, I picked the Huskers to win this walk-through-the-park by 27. It was Nebraska by 43. 17-3

#14 Notre Dame @ #17 Michigan – Did I mention that I hate Michigan. The Big House in a “Maze Out” makes me want to vomit; so hideous. Anyway, hatred aside, I picked the Wolverines by three because of a more balanced offense, a solid defense and 115,000 screaming assholes. It was Michigan by 11. 18-3

Minnesota @ New Mexico State – I like Coach Kill (best coach name ever) and I feel like the Gophers are going to be better than the 2012 version. I picked Minnesota by 17 and it was Minnesota by 23. 19-3

I went 9-2 this week bringing my total to 19-3. Illinois and Indiana got me this week, not Northwestern or Michigan as I suspected. No matter, i’m averaging 9.5 picks out of a possible 11 and I’m okay with that.

Great job this week B1G, let’s keep it up.

Go B1G!

Michigan State 21, South Florida 6; The Spartans are 2-0.

What to do? How do you fix this?

Two non-con, not-that-tough games in and the Spartan offense has scored a total of 17 points. That’s two rushing TDs and a FG. No passing touchdowns.

As a team, MSU is completing 47.5% of passes and 3.44 yards per attempt. After two games, only 210 yards through the air which puts MSU at #117 in the NCAA. Is it the QBs? The receivers? The o-line? Yes, it is all of them. It’s a concert out there and our band hasn’t figured out how to play together. They’ve got the spirit but they just don’t seem to have the skills.

A-ha! So, who’s really to blame in year two of awful offense is the coaches. What we need is the Pat Narduzzi equivalent on the other side of the ball. We’re not going to get it this year, so we’ve got to ride our broken-down show pony to the finish line as best as we can, but then we have to make some changes. Start putting your feelers out now Coach D. because you are the only person who can fix this. And the right person to take the heat if you don’t.

End of rant.

Let’s hear it for the Spartan defense! another amazing display of skill and toughness. Not perfect, but damn fine. MSU held FSU to net 89 yards rushing and 66 yards passing allowing no TDs and only two FGs for a total of six points. Awesome!

And you’ve got to give it up for Michigan State’s number one scorer: Shilique Calhoun  who had a fumbler recovery for a TD and a pick-six. The Bane facemask seems to be working.

And a moment of silence for the Spartan offense as they continue to fight their inner demons which have left them a broken shell of their former selfs.

Once again, Jeremy Langford was the only Spartan to score which brings his (and the Spartan offense’s) TD total to two. The ground game is actually not bad, but they will always be running uphill when the passing game is this bad. Nick Hill had nine carries and netted 63 yards, and he looked good squeezing his way through the tiniest of tiny seams. Langford also had nine carries for 38 yards and a TD. Riley Bullough had six bruising carries for 36 yards. Overall, 38 carries for net 171 yards.

Why are we not using Bullough on third-and-short or goal line situations? He’s the bruiser. He’s the freight train. Bring the power when power is needed.

In the air we went 12-24 for 94 yards. Let’s leave it at that for today, it’s too soon.

Special teams was good/bad. Mike Sadler had a great day with four of his seven punts settling inside the 20 (and really it seemed like inside the five). Saddler is really getting the job done. Kevin Muma on the other hand missed his only FG attempt from 25 yards on what was just a lame kick. Muma is 2-3 on FGs this year. And there was Andre SIms‘s fumbled punt return.  Come on Andre, you’re better than that.

Oh yeah, we had an hour weather delay before opening kickoff that required Spartan Stadium to be evacuated again. That’s twice in two weeks. Amazing. And I’m sure a major headache for the MSU staff as well as all of the fans in attendance. Better safe than sorry though.

Next week is Youngstown State in East Lansing (and then Notre Dame, holy shit). This is our last tune-up game and the offense is still sputtering and belching black smoke. Frankly, I’m baffled. I don’t even have any good arm-chair head coach input. I’m hoping Coach Dantonio can just make it a little better each week.

No matter what, I’m with you guys. Spartans Stand Together is what the shirt says, and I’m down with that.

Go GREEN!!!

B1G Week #2 Picks.

Week #1 was telling, but Week #2 is where patterns start to emerge. I’m 10-1 in my picks thus far so I’m feeling pretty good. Let’s take a look at the non-con match-ups shall we…

South Florida @ Michigan State – Noon on ESPN-U.  The Spartans may not have had the offensive outing that we were hoping for, but they dominated on defense and they did win. Not so much for the Bulls who lost 53-21 to FCS McNeese State. I don’t think we should take this or any other game lightly, but I do think that MSU can work out some QB-WR issues without too much risk. Go GREEN!!!

Eastern Michigan @ Penn State – Noon on BTN.  The Lions should handle the Eagles pretty easily. Eastern isn’t bad, but they just don’t have any real spark. Penn State is good and they showed it last week by taking down Syracuse. I say Penn State by 24.

Tennessee Tech @ #21 Wisconsin – Noon on BTN.  Total cupcake. Chum in the water. Wisconsin by 45 and maybe another shut-out.

Cincinnati @ Illinois – Noon on ESPN-2.  I think the Fighting Illini are going to have their hands full with the Bearcats who come in with a big head of steam after beating Purdue handily last week. The Illinois offense is one-dimensional (pass) and their defense doesn’t look all that tough. Cinci’s offense is solid and their defense is very good so I see them with the advantage, even on the road. I’m going Cincinnati by 10.

Missouri State @ Iowa – Noon on BTN.  The Hawkeyes are the best team on the Bears schedule, and that kind of says it all to me. Iowa struggled a bit last week but I think they have very little issue this week Iowa by 27.

Indiana State @ Purdue – Noon on BTN.  The Hoosiers hung 75 points on the Sycamores and I believe that even the Boilermakers can have their way. At least I hope so. I do think it will be a closer game though. Purdue by 10.

San Diego State @ #3 Ohio State – 3:30PM on ABC/ESPN-2.  The Aztecs threw the ball pretty well last week but still lost to Eastern Illinois. I just don’t see them fairing very well against the Buckeyes. Ohio State wasn’t that impressive last week, but I think it’s because they simply didn’t have to be. And they probably don’t have to be all that impressive again this week. Ohio State by 21.

Syracuse @ #19 Northwestern – 6:00PM on BTN.  The Orange are a good team and they put up a good fight against a good Penn State team. Northwestern is a better team than Penn State I think, but my concern is their defense. I’m taking Northwestern by 7, but I’m a little nervous about it.

Navy @ Indiana – 6:00PM on BTN.  This is the first game for the Midshipmen so we know nothing about how they’re looking. The Hoosiers flexed some offensive muscle last week with 73 points, so you’ve got to think they’ll find the end-zone. I’m thinking Indiana by 14.

Southern Mississippi @ #22 Nebraska – 6:00PM on BTN.  The Golden Eagles pose very little threat to the Cornhuskers. Coach Pellini needs to lock down the defense and improve at the passing game, but the running game is working gangbusters. It’s Nebraska by 27.

#14 Notre Dame @ #17 Michigan – 8:00 on ESPN.  A must-watch for the weekend, no question about it. One of these two teams will be 1-1 and that is worth the price of admission right there. The Irish looked pretty good against Temple, especially in the air and on defense. But the Wolverines have a much better defense and a very balanced offense – and the game is in the Big House. I think Michigan has a very slight edge as much as it pains me to say it. I’m reluctantly going Michigan by three.

Minnesota @ New Mexico State – 8:00PM.  The Aggies got crushed by the Longhorns last week so they should have a chip on their shoulder. The Golden Gophers beat up on UNLV so they should have some swagger and momentum. I’m not sure the Gophers know what to do with swagger and momentum, but I think Coach Kill (best coaches name ever) will figure it out. I see Minnesota winning this one by 17.

Outside of the Big Ten Network, not a lot of coverage for the B1G this week. I’m, of course, watching the Michigan State game and I’ll check in on Illinois often, and then the Notre Dame-Michigan game in primetime is a must too. Best of luck to all of the B1G this week, let’s keep the momentum going.

Go B1G!