As college football 2011 is on the literal VERGE of kicking off, I thought it would be fun to revisit what I think is one of the funniest posts of all time: My awesome friend Heather’s documented feud with Lee Corso a/k/a The Enemy of Fun, whereas WE we are FRIENDS OF FUN and, as you can see, freakishly devoted Trojan fans.

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You guys, my friend Heather is one of the most hilarious human beings you will ever encounter. Her sense of humor is wicked and quick and smart and so very awesome. Besides being a fellow die-hard Trojan fan, she is also a beloved sorority sister of mine. Check out Heather’s adventures raising her beautiful daughters at The Spohrs Are Multiplying.

This post is classic Heather, and originally ran on her site on September 15, 2008.

Corso vs Spohr

by Heather Spohr

Everyone needs an enemy, right? Some people are enemies with a neighbor, others with a boss or former classmate. My enemy? Lee Corso.

He wasn’t always my enemy. In fact, I used to find him charming and somewhat hilarious, acting like a crazy college kid even though he’s over 70 years old. We are big college football fans around these parts, so I watch him religiously every week.

It all started back in 2005, when the College GameDay crew came to the LA Memorial Coliseum for #11 UCLA vs. #1 USC . For those of you who don’t watch College GameDay, it’s filmed at a different college football town every week. The filming is open to all students and fans of either team. Pretty much everyone in attendance is die-hard for their chosen team, and many people bring signs to be seen on TV. I wanted to proclaim my ultimate fan status toward Corso. He is so enthusiastic and a little nutty, just like me. Clearly, we’re cut from the same cloth. I wracked my brain for a week, trying to think of a way to get his attention. And then it struck me the same way lightening struck Corso’s rental car:

This sign was on the broadcast several times (I didn’t have a DVR in 2005 so you’ll have to take my word for it). About 70 minutes into the show, a P.A. in sweat pants came over to me and said, “You’re going to have to take your sign down. It’s obscene. Corso doesn’t like it.” I said, “Obscene? What part of it is obscene? Wait…Corso saw my sign?! YAY!” My friend Chris (the one in the picture) then said, “There’s nothing bad written on this sign! It’s just implied. There is TOTALLY a difference.” The P.A. ran off, and we celebrated our victory. Until the P.A. came back with USC campus security. They tried to get me to hand them my sign. At this point, the crowd was egging me on. I refused to give them my sign, saying, “this isn’t the USC campus. You can’t confiscate my sign! It’s MY property! I’m not a student! You don’t have any jurisdiction over me!!!”

Then they got the L.A.P.D. The officers said something about discussing what my sign said down at the station. I gave them my sign. But my love for Corso? Destroyed. He was now Heather Enemy #1. Why didn’t he love me back?

The next year, Lee picked Cal to destroy USC in their meet up in Berkeley. Instead, USC dismantled Cal. The following week, the GameDay crew was at the Coliseum for #2 USC vs #6 Notre Dame. I made this sign, mocking Corso’s erroneous choice:

He didn’t have time to have me or my sign removed from the broadcast area – not that he had grounds for it – because as soon as my sign was on TV I got out of there.

In 2007, I was on bed rest during the entire football season, and I bet Corso breathed a sigh of relief. But this year, I am not on bed rest!! This past weekend, GameDay was once again at the Coliseum, this time for #5 Ohio State’s visit. For the weeks leading up to the game, everyone asked me what my sign would say. I knew I would have at least one sign – this one:

Even Flat Jackie! made an appearance!

It took me a while to think about my other sign. My tailgating crew and I wracked our tired brains, and then I decided to blame Corso for a crime I’d been the victim of nine years ago:

What? Can you prove he didn’t steal my bike? That’s what I thought.

My friends Brianne, Derek, Jack, Jeff, and Erin went over to the GameDay set, and we went for our usual spot behind Chris Fowler. When we got there we found a bunch of rowdy painted fraternity guys, so we knew we’d get on camera. And sure enough…

Another one of our signs (referencing the USC Quarterback’s slightly vulgar nickname) managed to make it on camera before it, too, was banned. Luckily my friend Derek was much more charming to the P.A., and he wasn’t threatened with legal action. Or maybe it was because Corso wasn’t afraid of his love. I prefer to think it’s the latter. If I know Corso (and I think I do), he’s already worried about the next sign I’ll greet him with.

When she is not stalking Lee Corso via College Game Day, Heather Spohr chronicles the adventures of raising her children  at her very popular website The Spohrs Are Multiplying.

College football season is a week away now and we can all sigh in relief. We’ve survived another long, hard off season. And what an off season it was. Drama filled the news from UNC to Ohio State to West Virginia, Oregon, and the mother of them all, the ACC’s very own Miami Hurricanes. What will become of all those NCAA investigations we will find out…in about five years if past slow enforcement processes are any indication.

Let’s dive into this ACC preview. What is there to say about the ACC? They’ve been a struggling conference since they decided to expand, if not earlier. Hoping to become more SEC –like with the addition of Boston College and Miami, instead they’ve floundered, perennially coming in fifth to the SEC, Big 12, Pac-12 and Big Ten.  In the past seven years of BCS bowl games, only one ACC team has emerged victorious from their bowl game and that was Virginia Tech.

The ACC in 2011 is rife with brand new men (or boys, as the case may be) under center. Six starting quarterbacks either graduated or left for the NFL including conference stand outs Christian Ponder from Florida State and Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor, who was 2010’s ACC Player of the year.

This year, Florida State and Virginia Tech look to be the contenders, but never rule out the whole grouping of teams in the middle of the conference as they could be better (or worse) than anticipated or play spoiler to the Seminoles and Hokies.

Let’s take a look at the Atlantic Division from worst to first:

Wake Forest

The Demon Deacons did not have the best 2010 season, to say the least.  A Nine game losing streak wasn’t even the worst of it. Within that awful stretch of their season, five of those losses came by 31 or more points.  2011 sees sophomore QB Tanner Price running the shotgun alongside RB Josh Harris.  Harris got the starting nod largely based on his 241 yards of rushing versus Virginia Tech last season. Wake has an advantage in a pair of wide receivers who are the fastest in the ACC. Chris Givens and Michael Campanaro are speedy but they are not going to get the ball if the shoddy offensive line doesn’t give Tanner Price some protection.

On Defense, senior safeties Cyhl Quarles and Josh Bush anchor the backfield while OLBs Joey Ehrmann and Kyle Wilber are the veteran leaders. The Demon Deacons secondary has eight players who have started at either safety or cornerback.

Maryland

With coaching changes and a brand new defensive scheme, the Maryland Terrapins will have a whole new look this year. Unfortunately, that is probably not going to help much as, with any big changes in coaching there will be an adjustment period.  New head coach Randy Edsall also brought in new offensive and defensive coordinators and reworked the Terrapin defense.  By the way, doesn’t Terrapin – a TURTLE – seem like an odd name for an athletic team whose success is largely based on how speedy they are? Hmmm.  Anyway,  QB Danny O’Brien returns for his sophomore season and continues to develop promisingly.  He’s got a weapon in RB Dave Meggett who racked up 700 yards last year despite never starting a game.

Defensively, Maryland’s duo of senior CBs Trenton Hughes and Cameron Chism return – which is good as the secondary needs help.  LB Kenny Tate was moved from safety to take advantage of his size and speed.

Maryland has the talent to repeat their second place finish in the Atlantic Division, but the new coaching staff and defense could be a stumbling block in repeating 2010s successful season for the Terrapins.  They get Miami, West Virginia and Clemson at home and don’t have to face Florida State until midway through the season, giving the team a chance to gel with the new coaches and defensive scheme.

Clemson

The best news for Clemson’s offense is that RB Andre Ellington, who spent much of last season injured, is healthy and ready to play. Eight starters return to the Tigers’ offense which is run by former Tulsa OC Chad Morris.   Sophomore QB Tajh Boyd has been impressive in summer practices and scrimmages. In fact, in Clemson’s two scrimmages this summer, Boyd has completed 20 of 27 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers.

Defensively, Clemson is depleted.  Star DL Da’Quan Bowers is gone, as is Jarvis Jenkins and three of the four on the secondary.  Top LB recruits Tony Steward and Stephone Anthony should step in and make a difference, but there is no disputing that Clemson’s D last depth, a dangerous place to be in.

Boston College

Boston College has been floundering for a number of seasons now, and in fact, seem to be getting worse with each passing season. They’ve never quite found their footing since Matt Ryan left for the NFL in 2007. This year, the Eagles have a new offensive coordinator in Kevin Rogers – who should be able to make real strides with QB Chase Rettig.  The second year QB has the arm and the speed to be a dual threat QB out of the pocket and Rogers guidance should get this offense humming along.

Defensively, the Eagles can shore up their struggling offense with the D, especially All-American MLB Luke Kuechly, LB Kevin Pierre-Louis, CB Donnie Fletcher and DT Kaleb Ramsey.  The BC defense finished first in the ACC in rush defense.  The defense should be able to keep games within reach as the offense gels.

North Carolina State

The Wolfpack is breaking in a new QB in Mike Glennon (former QB Russell Wilson is now at Wisconsin), and head coach Tom O’Brien has made comparisons to Matt Ryan (who he coached at BC).  Glennon’s style of play and his efficiency as a pocket passer should work well with TE George Bryan and RB Mustafa Green – who is currently injured and no prognosis has been issued by North Carolina State as of yet.  NC State lost three of their four receivers from last year’s squad so the race for wideout will be an interesting one to watch.

Defensively, the 2010 Wolfpack held opponents to 114.3 rushing yards per game and the returning secondary is the most experience in the ACC with three starters coming back including lead tackler Earl Wolff. The run defense gets a boost as well with the return of Terrell Manning and Audie Cole.  Defensive End Quinton Couples returns as well and should have a breakout season, setting up his NFL draft pretty well.

Florida State

As Jimbo Fisher heads into his second season as head coach of the Seminoles, he has to be breathing a sigh of relief. With a 10 win season and bowl victory, his first year at the helm of Florida State can be declared a success by any measure.  Florida State returns a whopping 18 starters for 2011, making them the hands on favorite to win the ACC title and head to a BCS Bowl – perhaps even the championship.  Junior QB E.J. Manuel takes over for Christian Ponder, and the Seminole fanbase has to be wondering if he’s improved. He went 4-2 last season when he filled in for the injured Ponder.  The good news on the Seminole offense is that their top three running backs – Chris Thompson, Ty Jones and Jermaine Thomas – have returned for 2011. This, along with the Seminole’s strength at the wide receiver position should help Manuel transition into his starting role with little trouble. He will have a lot of weapons to get the ball to.

Defensively, the Seminoles have one of the top Defensive Ends in the nation in Brandon Jenkins. In 2010, he has 13.5 sacks on a defense that had the most in the entire country with 48. The good news is that while the FSU secondary has had some issues in the past,  returning CBs Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes will shore up this squad and elevate it to the top of the ACC.

The Seminoles have a huge test early in the season when the Oklahoma Sooners come to Tallahassee on September 17^th. With a win there as well as against Florida on November 26^th, it is not a stretch to think this Florida State team could be undefeated and head to the BCS Championship.

Welcome to a new feature here on Gridiron Goddess!

Every Friday, I’ll check in for 4th down Friday and run down the happenings of the week such as news, elsewhere you can read my sports writing goodness, what’s coming up, and other randomness.

This week:

I published two original pieces over at Bleacher Report:

• The 50 Most Historically Significant Games in College Football – which is closing in on 20,000 reads

• I attempted to Power Rank the 50 Hottest College Football Games to Watch, which is not easy people. First of all, coming up with 50 compelling match-ups is no damn joke.

My friend and fellow Trojan Vic Orly and I were interviewed by USC’s student newspaper the Daily Trojan about the petition Vic launched (and I helped write) asking the NCAA to immediately dismiss the sanctions against USC in light of former Miami Athletic Director Paul Dee being the head of the Committee on Infractions during the USC hearing while at the same time, at Miami, booster Nevin Shapiro was running a huge pay-for-play program with the Hurricanes football and basketball teams.  In the DT piece, Vic and I basically come out as radically opposed to the position of USC’s AD Pat Haden and University President Max Nikias on the NCAA mess.

Coming up this weekend is the 2011 ACC Preview. Maybe even much later tonight, we’ll see. I am also researching my Monday Bleacher Report piece The One Player All 120 College Football Teams Can Least Afford to Lose This Season.  Which, let’s face it, is a lot of work.

I am working on the 2011 Pac-12 preview for mid week next week. I can’t believe its only a week until the season’s kickoff!!

By next Friday’s 4th Down Friday I may have some cool news to share. Well, I have it now, but I need to make sure it is signed, sealed and delivered first.

Have a fantastic weekend football fiends and check back for the 2011 ACC Preview!

Hey Football Fiends,

Mozy on over to Bleacher Report, where I am a brand new Featured Columnist, and take a look at my latest piece:

The 50 Most Historically Significant Games in College Football History

I’ll be writing two to three pieces a week over there in addition to the usual in-season load here at Gridiron Goddess.

Here’s a little taste of what you can find in today’s piece:

1970 Sam “Bam” Cunningham & the Trojans bring integration to the Deep South

When:  September 12, 1970

Who:  USC Trojans vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

Why: USC opened their 1970 season with a trip to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama. Legendary USC coach John McKay faced off against legendary ‘Bama coach Bear Bryant.  USC was the very first fully integrated team to play in the state of Alabama.  Bryant was the catalyst in scheduling the contest, which did not turn out well for his team with USC dominating the Crimson Tide 42-21.  All six touchdowns the Trojans scored were by African-American players, with two by QB Sam “Bam” Cunningham, against an all-white Alabama team.  This game set the ball rolling for racial integration of football at Alabama and across the South.

AND

First “Game of the Century”

When: November 2, 1935

Who: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame

Why: Though the phrase “Game of the Century” is worn out nowadays, with every season seeming to bring a new “Game of the Century,” this 1935 game was the very first time a game was designated as such.  The 1935 game between Ohio State and Notre Dame was played before a then record crowd of 81,018 at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State led 13-0 going into the fourth quarter before Notre Dame rallied with three late touchdowns to pull out the win.  Tickets for the game sold for a then astronomical $50 ($785.82 today, adjusted for inflation), and officials were quoted as saying they could have sold 200,000 tickets if they had the room for the fans.

AND

Catholics vs. Convicts

When: October 15, 1988

Who:  Notre Dame vs. University of Miami

Why: Heading into this game at Notre Dame stadium the two teams were undefeated. Miami was the current defending national champion and held the No. 1 ranking.  Notre Dame was ranked No. 4.  The game was preceded by a fight between the two teams in the stadium’s entrance tunnel and has often been named to lists of the greatest college football games of the period.  The game was close and Miami scored a touchdown with 45 seconds left in the game to bring the score to 31-30 in favor of Notre Dame.  Miami coach Jimmy Johnson did not want to tie (at the time, college football games ended in ties, there was no OT yet), he wanted to win, so he eschewed the PAT in favor of a two point conversion.  The pass was knocked down and Notre Dame snapped Miami’s 36 game winning streak.  Notre Dame would go on to beat No 2. USC and No. 3 West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl to win the 1989 National Title. Miami went on to win out and finish No. 2 behind Notre Dame.

(This post was originally featured on Bleacher Report on August 20, 2011)

The inaugural AP Top 25 Poll came out this morning and it is notable for a few reasons.

Oklahoma is number one. Again. Will this be the year they live up to their pre-season hype?  The Sooners have been #1 in the pre-season poll a record 10 times. However, during this period, they’ve only won one national championship, despite four appearances in the title game.  ( Side note: I will not capitalize the MNC. When the governing body of NCAA football comes up with its own NC, then and only then, will it deserve capitalization)

Will this be the season the Sooners become the third team to go wire-to-wire as the AP #1 and win the national championship? (Florida State did it in 1999, USC in 2004) Only time will tell for these Sooners – but a clarifying moment will come on September 17^th, when the Sooners head into Tallahassee to take on #6 Florida State.  The Seminoles have a lot of buzz heading into the season and are considered by many to be a contender for the MNC.  Could the Seminoles knock the Sooners out of the game this early in the season? Absolutely.

Last season’s national champion, the Auburn Tigers, check in at #23 – hardly surprising for a team that lost the bulk of its stars including Cam Newton and Nick Fairley.  Their opponent from the BCS title game – the Oregon Ducks – check in at #3, just one spot behind the formidable Crimson Tide of Alabama. While this disparity between the Ducks and the Tigers makes absolute sense, it is still rather amusing to see. When was the last time the previous season’s champion started the next season near the bottom of the top 25?

Alabama is looking good at number two.  All they have to do is win, and wait for either Oklahoma to lose or for the AP to elevate them based on their own merits. With eight SEC teams in the top 25, Alabama controls its own destiny. Just. Keep. Winning.

The top four will start the season off with a shake up.  On September 3^rd, the  Oregon Ducks face the LSU Tigers in Dallas for the college kick-off special.  These are two wildly different teams. Oregon is fast and flashy and likes to put a lot of points on the board.  LSU, on the other hand, digs in and practices the type of monster defense that frequently results in those wonderfully exciting 6-3 SEC final scores.  Will LSU be able to stop Oregon similarly to how Auburn did in the BCS title game? Or have the Ducks learned from that experience, gone back to the drawing board (as well as the Nike R&D lab) and come out with a plan to run their hurry up offense against a tough defense?  In two weeks, the top four will look entirely different as one of those four teams will have a loss to start the season. My money is on LSU for the win. Typically Oregon sputters out of the gate. (See Boise State 2009.)

Stanford checks in at #7 and I have one word for you: Overrated.  Andrew Luck and the rest of the Cardinal are going to see a big drop off this year from last year.  I expect the Cardinal to enter the season with a bit of swagger and fall on their face. The key to the fluke season Stanford had in 2010 was Jim Harbaugh. Specifically, the chemistry between QB Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh.

Mark my words, Stanford will struggle.  Stanford faces their Pac-12 North foe Oregon on November 12^th in Palo Alto.  If they get that far into the season without a loss, look for them to stumble here. However, I believe they will lose on October 29^th at #25 USC.  The Trojans are hungry for some Cardinal blood. That will be an ugly game.

From #8 through 25, it is less clear on all but a few fronts.  Wisconsin has a pretty clear shot at an undefeated season,  with UNLV, Oregon State, South Dakota, Nebraska and Indiana at Camp Randall for five of their first six games in 2011 and the sixth game versus Northern Illinois at Soldier Field.  Realistically, the Badgers could have a championship run and undefeated season.  The trick will come in the latter half of the season versus Michigan State.  Penn State and Ohio State could present themselves as spoilers, especially if the Badgers don’t stay healthy.

Notable at #16 is Notre Dame, who is ranked for the first time since November 2009.  Notably absent from the top 25 is Texas, who has not entered the season unranked since 1998.

Perennial poll favorites Ohio State and Florida check in at #s 18 and 22, respectively. This is no surprise for two teams who have undergone coaching changes and have QB issues to resolve. Expect Ohio State to fall as they struggle to find an identity in the wake of the scandals, while Florida rises to the middle of the pack.

Two weeks until kick off, football fans! The long cold off season is almost over!

I have not yet picked my mouth up off the floor after the explosive Yahoo story broke regarding  the University of Miami and former booster Nevin Shapiro.

Let’s be clear, people, near or at the center of this brouhaha lies Paul Dee, who was AD at Miami during most of the years that Shapiro was doling out money, gifts, prostitutes, booze, abortions, and crash pads at his beachfront mansion and million dollar yacht.

For Trojan fans and alumni this situation is nothing short of Dee-lightful, Dee-licious,  and Dee-lectable.  Why?

Paul Dee was the head of the NCAA Committee on Infractions during the USC hearings.

Let’s clarify for a moment, friends.

USC’s football case was about one person: Reggie Bush

USC’s basketball case was about one person: OJ Mayo

Miami’s case involves 72 players over nearly a decade of willful disregard for NCAA rules.

So, to quote the inimitable Alanis Morrisette: “Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think?”

Isn’t it ironic that Paul Dee was the Athletic Director of Miami during what NCAA investigators have called the worst violation of the rules they  have ever seen?

A sidebar for a moment: Both the Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo issues at USC involved agents trying to lure their patronage once these vaunted players went pro. This, I, and many other pundits, remain is NOT A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.

Miami, on the watch of Paul Dee, on the other hand, is involved in an eight year, 72 (by Shapiro’s count, 73 by the NCAA’s) booster pay-for-play scandal that involved all the blithely aforementioned activities as well as BONUSES FOR BOUNTIES on competition such as Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and a three year standing bounty on Florida State quarterback Chris Rix.

Digest that for a moment.

Oh wait, one more Paul Dee tidbit.  Dee is the biggest hypocrite in sports in recent memory, if not ever.   The eight year reign of Nevin Shapiro’s pay-for-play scandal, which involved so many violations it is staggering and hits the NCAA’s BIG LIST, apparently flew under big Paul Dee’s radar as he was he quoted by the newspaper in Palm Beach as saying:

“We didn’t have any suspicion that he was doing anything like this,” said Dee, UM’s athletic director from 1993 to 2008. “He didn’t do anything to cause concern.”

Trojan nation, I feel you, the hypocrisy is STAGGERING.  As SI.com’s Stewart Mandel said:

“Still, it seems only fair he should spend a day at USC’s Heritage Hall wearing a sandwich board with the word “Hypocrite.”"

Oh sorry, yet one more Paul Dee tidbit – he took  willful flaunting of the rules to new levels, after all. This eight year scandal qualifies for repeat offender status as Dee was AD at Miami during the Pell Grant scandal of the 1990s.

Now, consider the fact that Paul Dee, as Chairman of the NCAA Committee on Infractions, sat in judgement of USC when they presented their case for leniency before the NCAA in the matter of Reggie Bush.  USC’s now much mocked defense was that we (loosely) “did not know, could not be expected to know.”

I KNOW! Go punch a wall, I will wait, I’ve stocked up on wine and trust me, every expletive that can be uttered has been in my house in the last 24 hours.

Shall we revisit the things Paul Dee said about USC? I mean, why not pour salt in our wounds at this point, right? In light of this info, this shit almost feels good.

Dee, who famously sat on the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions WHILE THIS WAS HAPPENING AT MIAMI famously told USC that even though the extra benefits a wannabe sports agent paid to Reggie Bush’s family happened in San Diego, some 130 miles from campus, USC “should have known” it was happening.

Go read the YAHOO investigative report if you haven’t. Read about how blatant Shapiro’s support of Miami football and basketball players was right under Dee and University President Donna Shalala’s noses. Read about how Shapiro got into a physical fight with the U’s director of compliance in the press box at a Miami football game and still Dee & Co. claim they did not know.  Read about how he paid for Devin Hester’s girlfriend’s engagement ring, how he got the stripper another player got pregnant an abortion, how he made his home and his yacht available for parties and provided cars and clothes and cash and VIP club access and…

Paul Dee stated that the USC case was “three feet high” – referring to how high the evidence would stack if you laid all the paperwork up into a pile.

Well now. If ever there was a more pitch perfect case of  “eating crow” I have never, in my entire life, been witness to it before now. Because the evidence against Dee, “U” president Donna Shalala, numerous coaches both with and no longer with Miami and, well, 72-73 players might actually be able to be laid end to end and stretch from the Coral Gables campus of  the University of Miami to the downtown Los Angeles campus of the University of Southern California.

And that, my friends, is way more than “Three feet high.”

by Amy Lamare, Gridiron Goddess

Tonight we continue our Big Ten preview for 2011 with the Leaders Division.

LEADERS

The members of the oddly named Leaders Division have to be breathing sighs of relief at Ohio State’s predicament.  With Tressel and Pryor gone, the Buckeyes are expected to be a shadow of their former Big Ten dominating self this season.  Sanctions are coming in the form of recent news that the NCAA is STILL investigating the goings on in Columbus.  This saga is far from over.

Let’s take a look at these so-called “Leaders,” from worst to first:

Indiana – Indiana is a basketball school.

What? You wanted more? What more is there to say? The Gridiron Hoosiers went 5-7 in 2010 (1-7 in the Big Ten) and that can be considered a wildly successful season for this program.  This is a program, for context, who has gone to nine bowl games. In 120 seasons.   Last season’s 5-7 is probably as good as it is going to get for this program for a number of years.   Indiana’s starting QB and star receiver are gone. (Ben Chappell and Tandon Doss, respectively).

The Hoosiers, after a brief moment of mediocrity will return to being the Big Ten’s punching bag, which is good news for Minnesota fans. They aren’t alone down there in the cellar.

Purdue –   The Boilermakers, coming off a 4-8 season (2-6 in the Big Ten), have a lot of questions to answer with just three weeks to go until the 2011 season kicks off.  For one thing, who is their quarterback? Coach Danny Hope has not indicated whether Robert Marve, last season’s starter who went down with a season-ending knee injury in week 4, or Rob Henry –who took over — will get the starting job.  Hope has made some ominous statements to the press that may indicate he’s thinking about rotating the two.  Which? NO. When has that EVER worked? Jeff Tedford tried it and crashed and burned. Dennis Erickson tried it and saw extreme mediocrity in results. And Cal and ASU are better teams than Purdue is.

The good news is 16 starters return to the Boilermakers this season, including the entire secondary.  This is a 5 or 6 win team, at best.

Illinois – Coach Ron Zook is 18-30 in five seasons at Illinois.  This could be his final stand if the Fighting Illini don’t produce results.  One thing is clear: fans and Illinios’ Athletic Director expect better than 7-6 records (4-4 in the Big Ten), and Zook has been mediocre for pretty much his entire tenure in Champaign.  That is the fact.

But what is also a fact is that the Illini made tremendous strides on offense last season and return nine players from that squad. They return five defensive starters.  They have a lot of raw talent.

The problem is in converting that raw talent into an actual winning record and major bowl appearance. This has been Zook’s stumbling block at Illinois. As a result, there’s no telling whether this team is going to sink or swim until play is underway.  This could be a very potent and dangerous team. Or it could continue to flounder in mediocrity.  One thing is for sure: if the Fighting Illini face another season of mediocrity, Ron Zook better start polishing up his resume and Mike Leach should look into moving to the Midwest.  Leach could take the awesome athletes that Zook has recruited and turn this into a contender, a LEADER, if you will, in the Big Ten’s Leaders division.

It will be interesting to see what happens in 2011 in Champaign.

Ohio State – This is tough. It’s neck and neck between Ohio State and Penn State for third place. Only the chaos the Buckeyes have experienced in this off season and the ongoing NCAA scrutiny have me ranking them below the Nittany Lions.  Without Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor, and with those four tats for memorabilia starters suspended for the first five games, this team is in chaos.

However, they are still Ohio State. Which means not only are they talented, but they also have a cupcake out of conference schedule. They should be able to get past Akron, Toledo, and new Pac-12 member Colorado with ease. Then they face Miami – with a true freshman starting under center in Braxton Miller. And there is no way this team is winning all three of the following games: Michigan State, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

After going  12-1 in 2010 (11-1 in the Big Ten), this looks to be a 9-4 or 10-3 (if they beat Miami or Michigan State) team this season. At best.

How the NCAA decides to rule on its second notice of infractions, we will know in time. And that result will give us a glimpse into the next 4-5 seasons of Buckeye football, if not more. Lack of institutional control  and repeat offender violations could decimate this program.

Penn State – Despite the #2 spot in this division, I am not all that sure this Nittany Lions squad is going to be all that great.  Last year was a surprising 7-6 (4-4 Big Ten) season where Joe Paterno’s team went 0-4 against ranked teams. Not only did they lose to the ranked teams they played, they did so by an average score of 29-11.

The boys from Happy Valley come into the 2011 season with sophomore QB Rob Bolden and three receivers that last season had a combined 113 catches, 1,700 yards and 10 TDs.  The defense looks fierce with the entire D-line and secondary returning.  There will not be a lot of scoring on this Nittany Lion team.  And that, is why I elevated them to 2^nd over Ohio State. Defense wins games.  And this is going to be one solid defense.

Penn State’s schedule is pretty forgiving with Indiana State, Temple, Eastern Michigan, Indiana and Iowa for five of their first six games.  The sixth? The Crimson Tide of Alabama comes to State College. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

Wisconsin – The Badgers had a hell of a season in 2010, going 11-2 (7-1 in the Big Ten) overall, with one of the most exciting games of the year at Camp Randall—the Badgers vs. Arizona State. Wisconsin won 20-19 in a thrilling game that came down to the final moments.  The Badgers also beat Ohio State at Camp Randall, where they are 43-4 since 2004.  There are eight home games in Madison this season.

Although the Badgers lost QB Scott Tolzien to graduation and RB John Clay, All-American O-linemen Gabe Carimi and John Moffit to the NFL draft, this should not prove to be a stumbling block for Wisconsin at all.  Their stellar running game, a signature of this program, is intact with James White returning. Last season White rushed for 1,052 yards and 14 touchdowns. In his freshman season.  Sophomore Jon Budmayr is the projected starting quarterback.

Wisconsin has a pretty easy schedule, with UNLV, Oregon State, South Dakota, Nebraska and Indiana at home at Camp Randall for five of their first six games in 2011 and the sixth game versus Northern Illinois at Soldier Field.  Realistically, the Badgers could have a championship run and undefeated season.  The trick will come in the latter half of the season versus Michigan State.  Penn State and Ohio State could present themselves as spoilers, especially if the Badgers don’t stay healthy. But I fully expect this to be an 11-1 regular season for the team from Madison.

The Big Ten, which hasn’t actually been 10 teams for a number of years, expanded to 12 this year with the addition of Nebraska to its conference. But did the Big Ten finally change their name now that they have 12 teams? Hell no. Not only are they still calling themselves the Big Ten, but conference commish Jim Delaney picked the most ridiculed division names in the history of college football.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Big Ten’s Legends & Leaders.

The jokes practically write themselves.

But seriously, Legends and Leaders? What in the hell was Delaney thinking?  Or, more precisely, what was Delaney and the supposedly hot shot consulting firm thinking? My guess is the consulting firm floated it by him as a total joke, thinking:  let’s see how he reacts to this bit of bullshit.

In June, Nebraska joined the Big Ten, and to me, it felt like they always should have been a member of this conference.  Plus, in order to compete with the SEC (and to a lesser extent the ACC as well as deprive the Big XII) and other conferences, the Big Ten decided they needed to hold a championship game.

According to Delaney, the divisions were created by taking into consideration three basic (on record) requirements: competitive equality, maintaining rivalries and logical geographical boundaries. An off record requirement – which, can be explained away in the official considerations, but let’s be REAL – Michigan and Ohio State could not be in the same division.

As it was decreed by His Holiness Jim Delaney, each team will play five games against the other teams in its division, with at least one definite inter-divisional game.  He hopes to add a ninth conference game by 2017.

Starting this season, the Big Ten divisions are:

Legends: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern

Leaders: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin ( I will spare the Tressel jokes for the moment):

Of course, the Big Ten ( or 12) is not the only NCAA conference to experience expansion (or contraction) during this offseason. The Pac-10 is now the Pac-12, the Big 12 is now, ironically, the Big 10 though still, in a bit of kismet, calling themselves the Big 12, and the Mountain West and WAC have made changes as well.

Whew. Have you digested all of that?  Now let’s get to the team previews, eh?

OK sorry, one more Legends and Leaders comment. Doesn’t Legends sound like teams whose legacies lay in the past while Leaders denotes the favored few? NO? Is it just me?  For the record, I prefer the Legends division as  friends and family members went to all of those schools.  Meanwhile over in the leaders, only Illinois, Purdue and Wisconsin (for the same reasons as Legends schools) garner any favor with me. Remember, football fiends, while I have called Los Angeles home since 1987, I am originally from Chicago.

LEGENDS

Alright, let’s get down to it.  We’ll start with the bottom of the division, since, that team is my alma mater’s first game of the season. Democracy in action people.

Minnesota -  The Golden Gophers went 3-9 overall last season and 2-6 in the Big Ten, although they ended their season on an upswing with a two game winning streak against Iowa and Illinois.  This was largely due to QB Adam Weber who threw for 389 yards, two TDs and had zero interceptions in those two games.  But he is not the Golden Gophers QB this season. Weber was drafted by the Denver Broncos where he remains an unsigned free agent rookie behind Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn. Still, his plight is better than his alma mater’s this season who will be lining MarQuies Gray up under center. Gray has completed a total of eight passes in his career. Yes, this will go well.  Defensively, the squad returning was no great asset either, allowing 33 points per game last season.  New  Golden Gophers defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys has what looks like an insurmountable climb ahead of him to get this defense in shape.

With a three win 2010 season, one would be tempted to think there is nowhere to go but up for the beleaguered Golden Gophers.  However, it would not be shocking if this team won just one game this year.  In fact, a zero win season is entirely possible.  It’s going to get worse before it gets better for Minnesota.

The Golden Gophers faces USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 3^rd.

Iowa – It wasn’t THAT long ago that Iowa was hovering near and in the top ten teams in the nation.  That will not be the case this year as graduation and attrition has decimated this team.  In 2010, the Hawkeyes went 8-5, (4-4 in the Big Ten) losing their last three regular season games against Northwestern, Ohio State and Minnesota. This was after getting off to a 5-1 start and sparking hope in the hearts of the Iowa faithful.  Iowa averaged 20.6 points per game over its last five games of 2010.

This year, the Hawkeyes face a rebuilding year losing their star QB Ricky Stanzi as well as six other offensive starters.  Tailback Adam Robinson,  tight end Allen Resiner, wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and fullback Brett Morse are all gone. The good news is most of the offensive line is back, giving their new QB a chance to find his footing but expect this offense to struggle in finding its identity this year. The news is not much better on the defensive side of the ball, with the Hawkeyes returning just five players.

Michigan  – The Wolverines find themselves once again breaking in a new coach with Rich Rodriguez all but run out of Ann Arbor and former San Diego State coach Brady Hoke welcomed into the Big House.  With a 7-6 record (3-5 in the Big Ten) in 2010, it is hard to believe this was a season that was considered a success – in comparison to 2008 and 2009, that is.  It took years for the Michigan program to integrate Rodriguez’s showy spread offense and now, just as his recruits are fully stocking the team, he’s out.  You just can’t go into Michigan and go 15-22 in three seasons and expect to keep your job.

Hoke is also a devotee of the spread offense, though his version operates on a pass-first principle. And while the transition to yet another new style of offense should not be as long or as rocky as it was under Rodriguez, it’s not going to be a picnic either.  The Michigan faithful need to be prepared for another couple of years of mediocrity.  Ten starters are back on offense, including QB Denard Robinson who last season, started to show signs of greatness. He passed for 2,570 yards in 2010 and rushed for 1,702 yards – making him the very FIRST player in the entire history of the NCAA to rack up over 1,500 yards each in passing and rushing.  If Robinson has a weak spot, and every QB does (See: Tebow, Tim when he can’t run the offense from the shotgun) it is in passing efficiency.  Robinson has been more accurate when he does not have to rely on the passing game. Which was not a problem under RichRod, but could be under Hoke. This season will show the world just what kind of an athlete Robinson is.

Defensively, things are…interesting. On the one hand, eight starters return. On the other hand, those eight starters were part of a squad that allowed 35 points per game last season. I am sure that is some sort of record at Michigan.  Greg Mattison, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, takes over the Michigan defense in the hopes that he can restore it to the type of squad that the Michigan faithful are used to seeing.

Northwestern – This team is a bit schizophrenic.  They went 7-6 last season (3-5 in the Big Ten), after getting off to a 5-0 start and exciting Wildcat fans across the country. This isn’t a program that traditionally wins, at least consistently.  As the 2010 season wore on, Northwestern won just two of their last seven games.  But that is the end of the bad news as far as this team goes.

Pat Fitzgerald’s ‘Cats return nine starters on offense including QB Dan Persa who, in 2010,passed for 2,581 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 519 yards and nine TDs.  2011 marks Persa’s senior season and he’s also getting his favorite receiver, Jeremy Ebert back. Ebert had 62 catches for 953 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

Defensively, this squad allowed 29 ppg last year and return seven starters. They should be improved, but Northwestern wouldn’t be Northwestern without a few nail biters due to the defense’s inability to stop the ball.

Michigan State – The Spartans had an amazing regular season in 2010, going 11-1 in the regular season before falling to Alabama in the Capital One Bowl.  This season should be another exciting one for Spartan fans. QB Kirk Cousins is back as is the Michigan State trio of running backs who combined, ran for 2,000 yards last season.  Receiver Mark Dell, tight end Charlie Gantt and three offensive lineman are gone. On defense, six starters are gone.  That said, look for the Spartans to make a BCS Bowl run, which would be beloved coach Mark Dantonio’s very first trip to a BCS Bowl.

Nebraska – The new kid on the block is going to win their division.  The fact is, after a few down years, the Cornhuskers are coming off their first back to back ten win seasons in a decade. (10-2 overall in 2010)  And make no mistake, they will be looking to make a big impression in their new conference.  Sophomore QB Taylor Martinez is the perfect Big Ten smash mouth style quarterback. Martinez passed for 1,631 yards, with 965 yards of rushing and 22 touchdowns last season.  He is going to light the Big Ten defenses on fire.  The offense is missing some key players from last year’s  squad, but while the new O-Line gets its footing, the scary Nebraska D will be holding its new conference foes to low scores.  Teams will have an enormously difficult time running the ball on the Nebraska D-line, which returns star tackle Jared Crick.  Coach Bo Pelini has brought a winning attitude back to the Cornhuskers and they will take their swagger right to the heart of the Big Ten’s Legends division on their way to a possible BCS bowl appearance.  (More on that after the Leaders preview runs)

(This piece was researched and written by Matt Lowry and edited and additional comments by Amy Lamare)

Oh happy days the off season is almost finally over!!! Spring Ball is out the way and the days are getting closer and closer for the kick off of what looks to be a wild 2011 College football season.

First of all, let’s talk about the name Big 12. This division no longer has 12 teams after Nebraska bolted for the Big Ten –which was the  Big 11 calling themselves the Big Ten and is now the Big 12 calling themselves the Big Ten – and Colorado headed for greener pastures west of the Rockies in the Pac-12.  The Big 12 has 10 teams. No more conference championship for this AQ conference. But we digress…

Last year the Big 12 was pretty wild. Texas who went to the BCS Title game in 2009,  failed to qualify for a bowl in 2010. Texas lost to far inferior teams such as UCLA, Iowa St, and Baylor.  On the other hand, Nebraska lived up to expectations and won the North, thoroughly demolishing their North division rivals. In the south,  Oklahoma won the division but not without dropping games to Texas Tech and Missouri and having to slog it out with Oklahoma State to get a win.  In the end OU and Nebraska fought it out for the last time in Dallas with OU taking the Big 12 title.

This year the Big 12 will be experiencing a lot of change this season due to the conference realignments. Due to the departures of Nebraska (Big Ten) and Colorado (Pac 12) The Big 12 will now have every team in the conf play each other for the first time since the old Big 8.  As a result, the  Big 12 conference title contenders may be different  very as well. Today I will break down the Big 12 as well as reveal my favorite to win the Big 12.

Oklahoma State

Let’s start this Big 12 preview with a bold prediction.  The Oklahoma State Cowboys area my favorite to win the Big 12.  Each of the past few seasons has been an  improvement on the one before it, which is the sort of positive momentum a team needs to build a winning program.  OSU has lost Kendal Hunter but still has Justin Blackmon who filled in so competently for Dez Bryant. This Oklahoma State team is long overdue for a win over their in-state rivals – the Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma State gets the Sooners in Stillwater which is a huge plus for them. The running game is a big question for the Cowboys this season and if it doesn’t gel early they could find themselves in trouble as there will be games where they will have to run the ball.

Oklahoma State has 14 guys who didn’t really start last season that will see more playing time this season. Ladies and Gentlemen this isn’t your Grandfather’s Oklahoma State team. They are for real and looking to show their Big 12 competition that they are a dangerous team. If the Cowboys play their cards right,  a BCS National Title is very possible but for now a Big 12 Title works just fine.

(Amy says: this is a BOLD prediction by Matt and not one I necessarily agree with. Yes, the Cowboys have been making strides in their program but IMO, they are more of a “spoiler” in their conference than a contender. That said, Nebraska exiting the Big 12 certainly makes the path a bit easier for those who traditionally finished below the Huskers.  However, I don’t see Oklahoma State beating the Sooners OR A&M, or, at the least beating BOTH of those teams.)

Texas A&M

I have the Texas A&M Aggies at 2^nd in this preview as I feel this year they may finally have the talent to be major contenders for the conference title. Last year the Aggies had a pretty good year defeating teams like Oklahoma and Texas, showing that their time is coming. This year Texas A&M has a chance to prove that this is it for them.  The Aggies have 18 starters returning, and with this experience, they should be set up well to run the table. The offense lost Jerrod Johnson at QB but the Aggies look to be fine at QB with Ryan Tannehill  who returns after having a pretty good year last year. Almost everyone is back on the Aggie offense. This looks to be a loaded offensive team. On the defensive side of the ball, the linebacker position took the biggest hit with the departure of Von Miller and Michael Hodges but the secondary comes in with a lot of experience and talent.  Coryell Judie returns at CB and was the team leader in INT’s last season. Look for him to make a big impact.

Overall this Texas A&M team has tons of talent on both sides of the ball. This could finally be Texas A&M’s year. If they can get past Oklahoma in Norman and Oklahoma State than you can consider the Aggies BCS Bound.

(Amy says: I think A&M is the Big 12 champion this year.)

Oklahoma

I know what you’re thinking. “Matt, you’re crazy with the Sooners at 3 in your Pre-Season Preview!”  Yes the Sooners may be the consensus Pre-Season Number 1 but the talent throughout the entirety of the Big 12 is loaded. Oklahoma returns 13 Starters from a team that won the Big 12 Championship as well as the Fiesta Bowl last season. Oklahoma will have the service of Landry Jones who’s being considered a Heisman contender for this season. Last year he led the Sooners to a Fiesta Bowl win over the UConn Huskies out of the Big East. Not only will they have Jones but also WR Ryan Broyles who could have a big year for the Sooners. The loss of DeMarco Murray  (Amy says: an alum of my high school!) may hurt them a little but whoever starts at RB will have a loaded O-Line to block for them. The defensive side of the ball and the Oklahoma Football team suffered a big loss with the death of Austin Box. Box was projected to be a starting LB with the Sooners. His death was very untimely and sudden. Moving past the sad news,  the Sooners Secondary looks to be a weakness due to their inexperience.

The Sooners are the PRE-SEASON Number 1 but they have a tough road starting with a game against projected BCS Title contender Florida State. With Texas A&M having their number and Oklahoma St overdue for a victory over them,  the Sooners could finish the season with 2-3 losses.

(Amy says: I really have nothing against the Sooners, yet I am inexplicably happy when they lose.)

Missouri

The Missouri Tigers had a really good season last year , going 10-3 with QB Blaine Gabbert playing like a Heisman contender. This year Missouri looks to have the same success but has plenty of questions to answer as well. The Tigers return 16 starters with some weapons on both sides of the ball. The Offense will have a new signal caller as James Franklin was named the starting QB for the Tigers. There isn’t much experience after Franklin due to the transfer of Tyler Gabbert from the program. Franklin will have weapons to work with at the receiver and running back position as both TJ Moe and Wes Kemp return. The defense doesn’t look to bad either with the defensive line being the strength. The secondary will be a weakness from the looks with only one starter returning.

Missouri’s offense looks to be enough if James Franklin’s play can get them through. The defensive line will have to carry the load for this team. Good news:  no Nebraska to worry about anymore. Bad news: facing teams like Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma who love to throw the ball will put tons of pressure on the belabored Tigers secondary. The verdict? Missouri can sneak up if the defense gels early but for now, there doesn’t seem to be enough fire power to do it.

(Amy says: and what a mess that Gabbert situation is. He leaves Mizzou for Louisville, then a week later, leave Louisville.  Is he another Tate Forcier, who left a prestigious program at Michigan and attempted to transfer to, among other places, USC and Hawaii, only to end up at also-ran and perennial underdog San Jose State?)

Texas

Oh the Texas Longhorns at 5^th and what a very odd place this is for them. Last year they took the biggest drop off anyone has ever seen. The Longhorns went to the BCS Title game the year before only to totally implode in 2010. It all started with the Longhorns losing to UCLA in Austin – a stunning loss no one could have predicted. That loss put the Longhorns into a downward spiral through the season to a 5-7 record. During the off season Mack Brown shook everything up on the coaching staff. Texas returns 10 starters to the team but those 10 have a lot of talent. The offense will be a huge question that needs to be answered. Garrett Gilbert was the starting QB last year and struggled a lot at the position which lead to a QB battle in the spring between Casey McCoy (Colt McCoy’s Brother) and Gilbert.  The receivers are pretty talented as are the running backs but the major question for the whole offense will be leadership. Last season there was no leadership among the offense or team, which showed in the Longhorns play and record. The defense on the other hand will look to try to carry the load for the whole team once again. Last year the Longhorns were in the top 5 in almost every statistical category of the conference – but the Big 12 doesn’t really play defense. Linebackers Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho return and look to make a big impact for the team this year. The one area that I question is the secondary. Regardless of the talent, experience will be key which is something they lack due to departures. They also bring in a new defensive coordinator  in Manny Diaz. Will Muschamp left to become Florida’s Head Coach and that will hurt this Longhorn defense a lot because Muschamp was the soul of the coaching staff.

Texas will have a lot of pressure on them to recover from last season’s dismal record.  The Longhorn faithful will not stand for two losing seasons in a row.  With the new Longhorn network, new coaching staff and so on it will be lot for this Texas team to digest, especially early in the season. This will be a rebuilding year but expect a much better season than they had in 2010. IMO, the best Texas can finish is 4^th in this loaded conference.

Texas Tech

Here’s where it starts to get tough. The Texas Tech Red Raiders are at 6^th in my preview. Last year Texas Tech managed to make it to a bowl game under Tommy Tuberville and managed a victory over Northwestern to finish 8-5 in the Big 12 in 2010. There are a lot of questions on the offensive side of the ball starting with the QB. Last year’s main man under center,  Taylor Potts, will have to be replaced. Seth Doege will have the pleasure of replacing Taylor Potts for the Texas Tech offense. The Running Back and Wide Receiver position will also have brand new starters which could bring some issues to this Red Raiders Squad. On the other hand, the Red Raiders offense returns all starters on the offensive line which can make inexperienced QBs, RBs and WRs shine. The defense returns 5 players but those  5 players are in the secondary. The Texas Tech Front 7 will have brand new starters,  while the secondary will have 3 players at safety and two corners returning to the team. The Red Raiders also move to the 4-2-5 which is better suited for a defense at that talent. (Amy says: agreed.)

Texas Tech may have a brand new starting offense and is switching to a new defense as well. But the 4-2-5 suits the talent that Texas Tech has very well.  The Red Raiders could be in place to go to another bowl game under Tommy Tuberville – but it’s all up to the offense to put the points on the board.

Baylor

Like I said, picking the order of finish for the Big 12  wasn’t easy but Baylor made it to 7 on the preview. Last year the Baylor Bears made some noise with Robert Griffin by becoming bowl eligible for the first time in a long time and they look to build off that success this year.  Last season, Baylor managed to knock off Texas, and came close to beating Texas Tech.  This year’s team returns 13 starters with an offense that looks to make some noise and a defense that doesn’t look too bad. Robert Griffin,  who comes into the season once again as a starter , will look to take the Baylor Bears to bigger and better places in the Big 12. Griffin will have the offensive line and some speedy receivers in Lanear Sampson and Kendall Wright.  The defense, who returns some fire power on the defensive line,  will look to make life hard on teams to want to run the ball on the Bears. The defensive line looks to be a big strong point for the Baylor defense but they will need some support at the linebacker position. The secondary only has one returning starter in Corner Chance Casey.  This year Phil Nennett is looking to make strides to help Baylor get to the next step.

As of now I have Baylor at 7 but the winner of the Texas Tech/Baylor game should provide a good shootout for that 6^th spot. Baylor caught Texas by surprise last year and if the defense shapes up and the offense goes all out then watch out for Baylor this year.

Kansas State

I have Kansas State is at 8 in the Big 12 preview  and it was another tough one to place. Kansas State,  under Bill Snyder,  had a roller coaster of a season last year. The Wildcats started out 4-0 and developed some swagger before getting dismantled by Nebraska. After that, the Wildcats were up and down for the remainder of the season.  Kansas State managed to make it to a Bowl game and arguably was robbed after a  bad call took the 2 pt conversion back and cost them the game.  This year Kansas State looks to do a lot better than last season’s 7-6 record.  Twelve starters return to the team this year and they have one transfer coming in.  QB Collin Klein had some playing  last year, but keep in mind he was also the leader in rushing (of returning players), making him a threat both through the air and on the ground.  Klein won’t have to do the majority of the rushing with former Tennessee running back Bryce Brown coming to the team. The Wildcats rushing game could be pretty deadly with this tandem threat. The defense returns 7 starters but those experienced players are spread out. The strength looks like it will be at the secondary with the return of safeties Ty Zimmerman, Tysyn Hartman, and Corner David Garrett. With those three players, Kansas State will try to make life hard on teams who pass. The Linebackers and DE will need others to step up big time to help the secondary out.

Consistent play from the Wildcats can get Kansas State to better places. Anything less will keep them at 8^th The good news for  Kansas Stat: No more Nebraska.

Iowa State

The Iowa State Cyclones come in at 9^th in this preview of the Big 12 conference. Last year Iowa State had some moments that demanded attention – like beating Texas in Austin and their near victory over Nebraska. Iowa State returns just  12 starters, so expect this team to have growing pains this season. The offense will be breaking in a new QB, running back and center. The WR position will be a strength on offense with the return of Darius Darks and Darius Reynolds. The defense returns seven starters but it won’t be much help for them this year. Last year, the Cyclones gave up a lot of points in both wins and losses. The big question will be can Iowa State stop teams from scoring a lot of points on them. My guess is no.

Iowa State is in for a huge step backwards unless the Offense and Defense can get going.

Kansas

I have the Kansas Jayhawks in dead last in my Big 12 preview.  Last year, their new coach Turner Gill has some people in Lawrence thinking Kansas could finally become a two sport school. They surely didn’t expect to go 3-9. Last year, the Kansas season got off to a really bad start with a loss to FCS Foe North Dakota State. What was the final Score? Well, it was a very exciting (NOT) 6-3. This year Kansas returns 13 starters for Gill’s 2^nd year but don’t expect this to be much help. Kansas will have a QB  battle between Jordan Webb and Brock Berglund.  Whoever wins the QB battle will have a lot of work to do. The defense will also need tons of help s well to improve from their horrible season last year. This defense couldn’t stop anyone from scoring on them and if Kansas wants to make strides they’ll have to stop someone and not rely on a team’s epic debacle get into games (COLORADO!)

Pressure will be on Turner Gill to improve the football team and get this team to a winning record. I can say one thing,  Kansas can’t afford any more field goal battles with FCS opponents during the first week of the season.  If the Jayhawks can eke out four or five wins, the Jayhawks can consider the season a success.  However, a three win season is entirely possible.

Overall this will be a crazy Big 12 Season, as the conference returns to a round robin system where every team meets up during the season.  The top four teams and how they end up is anyone’s guess at this point. Prevailing wisdom says the Big 12 title is Oklahoma’s to lose, but I tend to disagree.

Last week, I wrote a guest post for The Sports Bank about USC’s 2011 team. Here it is:

USC, facing another year of sanctions, thanks to their unsuccessful NCAA appeal, won’t be looking to reinvent the wheel this season. That said, expect improvement from last year’s 8-5 squad (5-4 in the Pac-10) thanks to maturation from key players Matt Barkley and Robert Woods.  Offensively, the Trojans have every reason to improve on last year?s decent effort as the players have a full year of Lane Kiffin’s system under their belts.  The biggest question comes on the O-Line and true freshman Cyrus Hobbi and Aundrey Walker will likely be tapped to make a big impression early on in their careers at Troy. Last year?s dismal kicking game can only improve under wunderkind Andre Heidari. Legends of his leg have infiltrated the entire Trojan network.

Defensively, the Trojans enter the season with a number of serious questions to answer. Last year’s defense was amongst the worst in the school’s venerable history.  Trojan Alumni and Fans want to know:

• Will we be able to stop the run, any run this year?
• Is there any (or enough) depth at linebacker?
• Is there enough depth in the secondary?

Last season, the defense had several painfully memorable 4^th quarter collapses. Depth is going to continue to be a problem for this sanctioned team for a number of years, so how long the D remains healthy is going to go a long way towards determining what kind of defense USC puts on the field this year. During the Spring, several veteran players were still out rehabbing injuries, most notably linebackers Chris Galippo, Shane Horton and Devon Kennard. DT Christian Tupou’s knee was still bothering him and these injuries were part of the depth problem in 2010.  If this defense can stay healthy, fans should be happy to see a return to Pac-12 dominance.  The Trojan faithful are just not used to other teams hanging 30+ on us nor do we have any intention of getting used to it.

Questions surely remain. We have no idea if the kicking game is going to be there. Surely this highly touted Heidari kid was so recruited for a reason, but we just won’t know until he gets out there and wows us. USC will play in the Pac-12 South, facing off against division opponents UCLA, ASU, Arizona, Colorado and Utah as well as annually playing Cal and Stanford (an effort to preserve the natural inter-state rivalries between the Bay Area and Los Angeles schools. Out of conference, SC faces Minnesota, Syracuse and Notre Dame.

Honestly, I think this will be a 9-3 season. Optimistically, maybe even 10-2.  Troy may be down, but the swagger is still there, it just needs to be reignited.