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Brent Yarina's Bio: BigTenNetwork.com editor Brent Yarina takes you around Big Ten athletics, on and off the court. |
Week 12 in review: Ohio State's uniforms and the at-large BCS berth
| Nov 21 2009, 4:35 PM | Topic: Talking Big Ten | ||
I liked them. I thought the pants and socks made for a real sharp look -- you rarely ever see socks in the college game. As for the helmets, I'm a fan of the plain look with nothing but a player's number, a la Alabama. The jersey, well, it was simple and there was little to complain about there. From what I read on the message boards, however, I'm not sure everyone felt the same way. I know tradition is important, especially at a place like Ohio State, and that the uniforms weren't a perfect reflection of the 1954 edition, but they weren't an Oregon-like disaster. Overall, the look was slick. Now, to more important things .... Who's it going to be, BCS? Wisconsin is out of the picture following a loss at Northwestern. Iowa and Penn State both remain in it, thanks to victories over Minnesota and Michigan State, respectively. So which 10-2 Big Ten team will be awarded a BCS berth? It's no guarantee either receives it, actually, but the teams' record, conference and strong fan base make them enticing options. So, let's take a look at the criteria the BCS execs will be considering and see who has the edge, at least in my mind: Record: Draw Head-to-head: Iowa Strength of schedule: Iowa Quality wins: Iowa Butts in the seats: Draw Final impression: Penn State Eyeballs on the set: Penn State Assuming one Big Ten team receives the at-large berth, Iowa has to be the choice. If not for the head-to-head win, then for taking conference champ Ohio State to overtime in Columbus one week after the Buckeyes gave it to the Nittany Lions in Beaver Stadium. Unfortunately, the last item from the breakdown above could end up costing Iowa. Honestly, does the nation want to watch the Hawkeyes? It isn't fair, but Iowa's style of play, not to mention its ugly, fortunate wins, have been analyzed and reanalyzed so much that people aren't altering their schedules to watch the Hawkeyes. It makes sense if you suffered through Saturday's win over Minnesota, a game that featured more punts (17) than points (12). Dominant Buckeyes: Ohio State's 21-10 victory over Michigan gave Jim Tressel an 8-1 clip in "The Game" and marked the Buckeyes' sixth straight triumph in the heated rivalry. The latest win was never really in doubt despite the close score. Ohio State dominated on the ground, rushing for more than 225 yards for the fifth straight contest, and Tate Forcier continued his erratic play, to be polite, tossing four more interceptions. You hate to fault the true freshman, but as good as he looks sometimes, his mistakes are that much worse. The game, for all intents and purposes, was decided on his first-quarter fumble that Cameron Heyward jumped on for a score. In RichRod they distrust: Rich Rodriguez is right when he says, "It's not like a I took a stupid pill when I came here." Fact is, Michigan fans aren't exactly the most patient, and rightfully so. With Saturday's loss, Michigan finished 5-7, its second straight sub-500 season, a first for the program since 1962-63. Rodriguez feels his job is safe, and it should be. No coach should be canned after two years. That isn't enough time, particularly when you hired the coach knowing he would be implementing an entirely new system. As weird as it sounds, Rodriguez's early season-success could be the thing that comes back to bite him. Had Michigan started, say, 2-2 instead of 4-0 and not entered the polls, expectations would have never gotten as high as they did, making it possible for fans to view a 5-7 season as a step in the right direction. Still, there's no excuse for losing seven of the final eight and finishing tied for last place. Where's the offense: Yes, I know, Eric Decker is hurt and Iowa has a very nice defense, but how does a team get shut out by the same opponent two years in a row? Though this wasn't last year's 55-0 disaster, Saturday's 12-0 loss at Iowa was about as ugly as it gets. Quite simply, the Gophers -- who actually had more total yards than Hawkeyes (201-171) -- couldn't get any big plays en route to becoming the first Big Ten team to be shut out by the same opponent in consecutive seasons since Michigan blanked Northwestern in 1983-84. I don't know, but it might be time to rethink this whole pro-style offense approach. Speaking of 0's: Not only has Tim Brewster been shut out in his last two games against Kirk Ferentz and Iowa, but the coach is now 0-9 in trophy games. Worst of all, it's a run of futility that Minnesota has shown little signs of halting. That's a statement: Penn State finished the regular season without a win over a ranked foe, believe it or not. In what many would call a disappointing season, Saturday's victory at Michigan State might go down as the best. The victory was emphatic, thanks to Daryll Clark's second straight 4-TD, 0-INT performance versus the Spartans, and it might have been enough to earn the Nittany Lions an at-large BCS berth. Evan Almighty: Though it hasn't been the season Penn State's Evan Royster probably envisioned, he finished strong, with a 114-yard day against Michigan State. Even better, that performance makes Penn State 13-0 when Royster eclipses the 100-yard plateau in his career. WEEK 12 SUPERLATIVES Offensive Player of the Week: QB Daryll Clark, Penn State - When Clark is on, there's no better Big Ten quarterback. The Penn State senior proved this again Saturday, compiling his second straight four-touchdown performance against Michigan State in a 42-14 victory at Spartan Stadium. Oh, and Clark also threw for 310 yards. Defensive Player of the Week: LB Pat Angerer, Iowa - It's time Iowa's tackling machine gets the respect he deserves. Angerer totaled 16 tackles and was all over the field for the Hawkeyes in a 12-0 shutout of struggling Minnesota. Special Teams Player of the Week: K Stefan Demos, Northwestern - It seems like Demos is the recipient of this award just about every other week, but on the heels of a three-miss day last week, Demos was perfect on four kicks, including a pair of 45-yarders, to help Northwestern knock off Wisconsin, 33-31. Play of the Week: Northwestern's Sidney Stewart TD reception - You have to love the trickeration, and the Wildcats pulled it off perfectly on a second-quarter play that saw QB Mike Kafka lateral to WR Zeke Markshausen, who then chucked to Stewart for a 38-yard scoring strike. Game Ball of the Week: RB Jaycen Taylor, Purdue - Taylor had a frustrating end to his career, with the season-ending injury last season followed up by losing his starting gig to Ralph Bolden as a senior. However, Taylor stayed positive and was rewarded in his final collegiate game, rushing for 110 yards and catching seven passes for 59 yards and a score in the finale at Indiana. |
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