Yup. Still a thing.

I was recently asked to do a conference preview of the Big East for the upcoming season.  Go ahead and laugh.  We drew straws, and I got the shortest one, so here I am, writing about the Big East, a conference that only has eight teams competing in football.  I know this conference’s football doesn’t inspire a lot of excitement, but hey, you never know, Louisville could come out and win a national title for all we know (doubt it).  So now, with all jokes aside, I give you our Big East football preview.

Where does the conference fall in the national rankings – how likely are they to have a team in the Title game?

With the departure of West Virginia, Louisville is the cream of the crop in this conference. They are currently the only team ranked in the AP Top 25, and the conference has no ranked teams in the USA Today Poll.  The Cardinals are coming off a 2011 campaign where they went 7-6. Yes, the strongest team in the conference was 7-6 last year, so that should tell you a lot about how the conference compares to others nationally.

Behind Louisville, the next best team is likely Cincinnati, a team that went 10-3 last year, but the Bearcats lost some key players on offense, including quarterback Zach Collaros and running back Isaiah Pead.  Past those two teams, it’s Pittsburgh and everybody else.  Expect Louisville to get the at-large automatic BCS Bowl bid come bowl season.

In terms of conference strength, I’m going to be blunt. It’s the weakest BCS conference.   Put these teams up against any of the other power conferences, and it makes for an ugly comparison… there just isn’t any other way to put it.

Who is the best team in the conference? Who will play for the conference title game (if there is one)? Read More

Tags: Big East, Big lEast, Charlie Strong, Cincinnati, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Ray Graham, Syracuse
Categories: College Football

Just a friendly warning that there are only four more days to borrow money from your pops so you can buy him a gift. If you’re looking for ideas, check our friends at The Buckeye Room… And now, the news.

Buckeye 411

• 

  For The Guy Who Has Everything

  We Hardly New Ye- Well, it wasn’t news to us, as we’d heard for a while that Brian Bobek was looking to transfer, but earlier this week the University made it official. Potential landing spots could be the University of West By God Virginia, and a B1G program yet to be named. Brian’s got family across the conference, so we wish him luck in all of his games except one. A bit of a sad note, since he was supposed to be “next up” after Brewster graduated; however he was jumped on the depth chart in the spring, including being passed up by the latest in the Boren Legacy (just an incoming freshman). Again, godspeed!

• Now That’s What I Call Trolling- News early Tuesday was that Urban Meyer and the staff were going  to… Michigan? Seems that the staff at TTUN was being a bit slow in responding to requests to be a part of a clinic in the Southfield area, an event that has had the tenor of a UM/MSU pep rally in the past. When the staff of the event reached out to Coach Meyer, he jumped at the opportunity and will bringing the entire coaching staff with him to work with the campers on drills and build relationships with the folks in Hoke’s backyard.  Great move, if you ask me… although I’m certain that he’ll refrain from purchasing any gas in that god-forsaken state.
• Check Out The Big Brain On Brad!  Coach Smith took to the twitters on Tuesday and gave love to the receivers who had excelled in the classroom… and we found out that, for Spring Quarter, Philly Brown managed to achieve a 3.9.  Heck, that’s practically Krenzel-esque.
• Congrats!- First and foremost to our own Joe Dexter (and apologies to his bride) who tied the knot on Tuesday.  Second, Buckeye Mark Titus was betrothed over the past weekend as well… Oh, to have been a fly on the wall at the reception, which was sure to be a “who’s who” of OSU hoops.
• And Condolences- Go out to Jake Ballard, who saw his breakout season with the world champion New York Giants end with an injury and a release from the team this week. Obviously, his recovery is not going as quickly as the team wanted… He landed on his feet, though, and was picked up by the Patriots on Tuesday. It’s uncertain what this means, as they’ve extended Gronk’s contract long term and have Aaron Hernandez as well… but it’s good to have another person in Foxboro to ensure that this continues to happen. Oh, and since we’re talking about the G-Men… imagine lining up on the opposite side of the line from this.
• Try And Beat This! Tuesday night, our friends at OSU Rugby were able to surpass 2000 followers on Twitter, and will “occupy” the Michigan Rugby Twitter page for one week.  Be sure to give them a follow, if you’re of the tweeting kind.
• Luke, I Am Your Father… Where’s My Card?- Well, it’s with great fanfare that we welcome the Buckeye Empire into the BBN- be sure to check out their daily take on Ohio State sports and coverage with a bit of a sideways twist.  I’m excited for this new project, but hope the guys don’t go and get a big head.

Read More

Tags: Alabama, Big 12, Big East, Brady Hoke, Brian Bobek, Buckeye Bloggers Network, Clemson, Dabo Swinney, Florida State, Jake Ballard, Jerry Sandusky, Mark Emmert, Mark Titus, Mike Leach, Missouri Tigers, North Carolina, Penn State, Philly Brown, Playoffs, Rugby, TCU, Tennessee, Urban Meyer, Zach Smith
Categories: Conference Expansion, Humor, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football, Recruiting

Time for the hump day look around the world of college sports, with a soundtrack from a reunited legend. We look at playoffs, SEC controversy, NCAA hypocrisy, and other items this week.

There's Your Problem

Buckeye 411

• Props- No, not the side bets before the Super Bowl, the recognition of two Buckeyes who are now World (excluding everyone outside of the USA) champions as the NY Giants defeated the Evil Tom Bradys.  Great photos abound, but check out Jake Ballard at the parade, Jim Cordle with the key to the city, and the Jake holding the trophy. Ohio State, where tight ends go to catch as many passes in their career as the NFL will have them catch in a season… we help them build slowly.
• Crutches- Speaking of Ballard, the unfortunate word is that his exit from the game was not so he could get Madonna’s number (thank God), but due to a torn ACL. Thoughts and prayers, big man.

Playoffs?

• Seeing Reason-  The news this week was about the B1G looking at options for a four team playoff at the end of the NCAA season, with the possibility of higher ranked teams hosting home games in the first round.  This would be a huge win across the board, since it means that a) We’d finally get to have a playoff, b) Northern schools might actually have a home game, c) It may also keep the Rose Bowl tie in (unless a B1G or PAC team is in the MNCG, they could play in Pasadena). While some were quick to point out that this might not be an automatic “come play in the cold!!!” win for the B1G, it should be noted that it’s better than the possibility that the conference has had over the past 14 years. Things to be worked out- if there are 5/6 power conferences, who gets the 4 spots?  It’s got to be “conference champions only”, right? Anyone really excited about a four team playoff with four teams from the ACC or another conference?
• Not So Fast- Lots of folks pointed at the Giants win over the Patriots as being an argument against playoffs, since the GMen worked hard and got hot at the right time rather than being the best all season long. Team Speed Kills shot holes in this argument, and gave us our SBP discussion question of the day:
• In the comments, give us your thoughts: Is “champion” a team who is the “best” over a season, or the team who wins a prescribed end of season event?  You probably know my thoughts on this- “champion” is an arbitrary designation, and as such should be acknowledged that delineation as such is valid no matter the circumstances or criterion.

Read More

Tags: Alabama, Big East, ESPN, Gene Smith, Jake Ballard, Jerry Sandusky, Jim Cordle, Lane Kiffin, Memphis, NCAA Investigations, ParagonSC, Playoffs, SBP, South Carolina, Super Bowl, Trent Richardson, UConn
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Humor, NCAA Investigations

For once, SBP could serve as a public service announcement, particularly for the folks in the Zanesville area.

No afternoon presser today, so here’s all the non-exotic animal related news… unless you count John Simon as his own overly evolved species of critter.

Buckeye 411

• Injury update: Again, nothing huge, but Coach Fickell said today that Travis Howard was running without problems, and that Braxton also looked pain free in the Buckeye’s 45 minute practice.
• Can’t Bye Me Love: Coach Fickell was adamant that he’s not a “bye week” kind of guy, and that this week gives them the opportunity to get healthy and work on some of the things that they’ve struggled with. “Getting better”, “men of action”, and so forth.
• That Being Said: Zach Boren seemed excited for the break, and mentioned that he played around 50 plays against Illinois on Saturday. Defensively, Johnathan Hankins also got in about 60 snaps or so; these guys have more than earned a little break of sorts.
• Captain, My Captain: No captain announcement du jour, but major kudos to tBBC favorite John “Sandman” Simon for being named the B1G defensive player of the week. Hankins called him the perfect teammate, and said he’s “not a normal guy”. See earlier comments. Read More

Tags: Big East, Big Integer, Braxton Miller, Carlos Hyde, Conference USA, John Simon, Mike Adams, Missouri, MWC, Nike, Rod Smith, SBP, Time and Change Clothiers, Travis Howard, Uniforms, Zach Boren
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football

On Friday, tBBC turns 5.  Or, as Jeff says “we’re old enough to be in kindergarten!” which will come as no surprise to all eight of our regular readers. You’ll also be happy to know that we’ve officially stopped eating paste.

You guys lasted five years?

So, to celebrate we “veterans” are taking a look back and re-posting our favorite articles from our time on the intertrons. Since I’m going first, I’m going to reach deep into the archives to pull up something from our time at SBN- my suggestions for “fixing” the BCS via conference realignment/expansion.  Building on some of the “Bowl Crap” series that I did, I was working with Rob Harley’s ideas and those of a faithful reader, but it’s interesting how close to this is to what might be happening over the next week or so.

Granted, my idea included 6 conferences and not 4; but it did forsee a situation where the conference championship games were the first round of the tournament.  Looking back… I think I like where we’re headed better.

Oh, and this was originally a two part post, so if you print it for “reading” at “work”, be warned that it may be a longer trip to the lounge than usual.  Enjoy!

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For The Sake Of Argument: Playoffs

For the record, I’m not a proponent of playoffs. I actually liked the way things used to be with conference bowl tie-ins and such; arguing about who was #1 back in the day was a part of the enjoyment of the game, in my opinion.

But, since you asked me, if we were going to have a playoff this is what it should look like. Unlike some people, I’m not going to tell you what won’t work- I’m taking a flier on what would ooze awesomeness. Caution is advised; some items may shift during the duration of this posting. Read More

Tags: ACC, BCS, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten Conference, Bowls, PAC-10, SEC, tBBC Rewind
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion

Now that the proverbial dust has settled from the 2010-2011 men’s college basketball season, it’s time to reflect a bit on the season past and pick out of a few of the headlines, highlights, or otherwise newsworthy items that seemed to define this season.  Obviously it was a great season for Buckeye fans, and one item of note for college basketball fans in general was the play of our team, and particularly Jared Sullinger, but for now we’ll save the Buckeye-centric comments and take a broader view.

There is always a lot of chatter about the different major conferences, comparing their strengths and weaknesses, arguing for which conference is the toughest, and celebrating wins over teams from other conferences early in the season.  This season was no different in terms of the boasting, but in a number of ways this really was the Season of the Big East.  This isn’t an argument for the Big East’s superiority – just an observation that week-to-week the Big East was getting a lot of attention due to its number of quality teams.  Certainly the Tournament Selection Committee bought into that impression, granting 11 NCAA Tournament berths to teams from the conference, including a #1 seed for regular season Big East champion Pittsburgh.  Although three of the four most highly seeded Big East teams lost in only the second round of the tournament (Pitt, Notre Dame, Syracuse), it was Big East Tournament winner UConn that took care of business, claiming the NCAA Tournament title as well. Read More

Tags: 2011 NCAA Tournament, Big East, Connecticut Huskies, Jimmer Fredette, Kansas State Wildcats, Kemba Walker, Michigan State Spartans, San Diego State, VCU
Categories: College Basketball, Miscellaneous