SB Nation - Western Michigan Broncos

Jersey Contest: Week 14 - Blogger Picks

ntrebon — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:28:29 -0000

Well, this is it -- the final week of picks. If you haven't made your picks, you can do so here. The deadline is tonight at 11.59 PM PT.

Here are your weekly game picks from the ATQ bloggers. Only Jared and Dominic submitted comments this week.

	Cincinnati at Pittsburgh	West Virginia at Rutgers	Florida vs Alabama	Arizona at USC (-8)	New Mexico State Boise State (-44)
Jared	Cincinnati	West Virginia	Florida	Arizona	Boise State
Nick	Cincinnati	West Virginia	Florida	USC	New Mexico State
Dave	Cincinnati	West Virginia	Alabama	Arizona	New Mexico State
Dominic	Cincinnati	West Virginia	Alabama	Arizona	Boise State
Jeremy	Cincinnati	West Virginia	Florida	Arizona	Boise State
Paul	Pittsburgh	West Virginia	Florida	Arizona	New Mexico State

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh:

Jared: Can the Wanstache win the big game? I say no, even if Brian Kelly has one foot out the door. Pick: Cincinnati

Dominic: I like the Bearcats in this matchup, even in Pittsburgh. Cinci has been getting better and better throughout the year and even though this might be their one chance to slip up, I just don't see it. Oh, and Tony Pike is the man. Pick: Cincinnati

Jeremy: I just can't get the image of Pittsburgh's Sun Bowl against OSU out of my head. And more undefeated AQ teams just makes the BCS that much more flawed. Pick: Cincinnati

West Virginia at Rutgers:

Jared: West Virginia is not favored, but the S&P stats give them a 10 point advantage. When the disparity is that large, I gotta go with the Mountaineers. Pick: West Virginia

Dominic: I like West Virginia's gutsy win against Pitt last week and even though Rutgers has recovered from a horrible loss to Cinci early in the season, I think the Mountaineers pull off this one big. Pick: West Virginia

Jeremy: I'm trying to recall if I've seen Rutgers play even one game this year. West Virginia just feels like the safer pick. Pick: West Virginia

Florida vs Alabama:

Jared: For as much crap as he takes on this site, Tim Tebow is one of the best college players of the decade, and he can do it all. Both teams have great defenses, but Tebow will be the difference in the game. Pick: Florida

Dominic: The Tebow-era is finally coming to a close and no one is happier about this than me. Don't get me wrong, he's a great player but I'm just tired of the circus. Because I'm so tired of it, I don't want to hear about how great he will be when he wins "another national title". I want to see TCU vs. Florida in the Sugar Bowl so I'm rooting for the home team. Go Bama! Roll Tide! Pick: Alabama

Jeremy: Come on. This game is all about...Timmmmaaaay! He's gonna roll the Tide because Saban's a jerk and he's going to continue to get beat on the biggest stages. That, and because Lane Kiffin says "Alabama has better coaching". Lots of bad karma for 'Bama. Jeez, Kiffin drop the cry baby act with Florida already. Pick: Florida

Arizona at USC (-8):

Jared: I think Arizona has a great chance to win this game. They have an offense that can move the ball very well, and a stout defense. They are balance enough to take on USC (who they always play very tough). Pick: Arizona

Dominic: 8 points is a lot of points and the way Arizona has been playing as of late, I think they cover. They may not win but I can't resist taking the Wildcats in this pick. Pick: Arizona

Jeremy: USC's defense just isn't all that this year. Foles can put a nice Holiday Bowl wrap on his breakout year in the Pac-10. I also like the speed on UA's defense. The group of loser Wildcat fans who threw crap at Oregon don't deserve this, but their team has played well this year. Pick: Arizona

New Mexico State at Boise State (-44):

Jared: I literally flipped an internet coin on this one. Tails it is! Pick: Boise State

Dominic: 44 points is a lot but New Mexico State is not a good football team. I'm taking the Broncos. Pick: Boise State

Jeremy: One more chance for Boise State to make a statement. Of course it mostly falls on deaf ears, because, well, they're playing New Mexico State (aka Washington State according to one blogger who made me laugh earlier today). Pick: Boise State

Don't Bet On It!: National Game of Disinterest

T Kyle King — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:00:12 -0000

We have already gone around the SEC and taken a look at the national games of interest, which leaves us with just one game remaining . . . namely, the national game of disinterest.

The national game of disinterest is the one game each week that I refuse to pick because I cannot for the life of me find any compelling reason to root one way or the other, much less to hazard a guess as to the eventual winner. This week’s national game of disinterest is:

Temple Owls at Ohio Bobcats

Yes, I know . . . Temple is 9-2 overall and 7-0 in Mid-American Conference play, whereas Ohio (Ohio) sports an 8-3 record with a 6-1 ledger in MAC action, so this game has real implications for the league championship.

The problem is that the league in question is the Mid-American Conference.

The MAC is a Midwestern hodgepodge of Directional Michigans and glorified Buckeye State high school squads whose chief function is to serve as schedule fodder for the big boys in their neck of the woods. At best, the MAC is the Big Ten’s Conference USA; the MAC might as well be renamed the Snow Belt.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s nice work if you can get it. Take Tuesday night, for instance. I was working on the computer and I had the Ball State-Western Michigan game on in the background, but, because I was sick, I decided to turn in early. Even though the Cardinals and the . . . um . . . Broncos? Eagles? Chippewas? ah, what difference does it make, anyway? . . . were playing a competitive game, I had no trouble turning it off and going to bed without knowing which team won.

It’s an entertaining enough spectacle if you have nothing else to do, I suppose, but it’s more a football-like substance than actual football. Accordingly, I don’t care what sort of implications Friday’s showdown carries for the league championship. This is, after all, the Methadone Addiction Conference, providing the faux football to hardcore fans who need something to ease the transition into the offseason.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Two Years Ago Today...

RossWB — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:07:59 -0000

Worst. Senior Day. Ever.

Funny how much can change in just two years. Two years ago today the Iowa football team suffered arguably its worst -- or most humiliating, at least -- defeat of the last decade. Oh, there have been more lopsided defeats and there have probably even been defeats to teams worse than the 2007 Western Michigan Broncos (who were a pretty middling outfit). Many of those defeats happened during the formative years of Kirk Ferentz's tenure, when his Iowa teams played hard but frequently lacked talent and/or experience. Or they happened against bitter in-state rivals or hyper-motivated conference rivals, so it was easy to rationalize the loss by saying "they wanted it more."

But the November 17, 2007 loss to Western Michigan didn't fit any of those easy categories. It was far from the most talented or most experienced squads of the Ferentz Era, but it wasn't completely lacking in those departments, either. It featured Albert Young and Damian Sims, who had been a dynamite combination in years past. The defensive front seven was pretty well-stocked with talent and experience, too, between Kenny Iwebema, Mitch King, Matt Kroul, Bryan Mattison, Mike Klinkenborg, and Mike Humpal. It wasn't as if the team had nothing to play for, either -- beyond the standard pride of Senior Day, they needed one more win to ensure themselves a trip to a bowl game (Western Michigan didn't even have that to play for; they were just acting as spoilers).

Defeat and misery that week wasn't exclusive to the action on the field, either. The week of November 17, 2007 also saw the first news reports of a sexual assault involving Cedric Everson and Abe Satterfield. Eight months later those reports would explode into a nightmarish scandal that threatened to paint Kirk Ferentz, the athletic department, and the University of Iowa administration as badly negligent and aloof at best and guilty of conspiracy and obstruction of justice at worst; it made Iowa football the leading example of "Programs Gone Wild." That was two years ago.

Today, it seems like a lifetime ago. On the field, Iowa went from a team that was pushed around by Western Michigan to a team that was a play or two away from beating Ohio State in Columbus, winning the Big Ten title, and going to the Rose Bowl for the first time in nearly two decades. That's a pretty remarkable transformation. (The fact that they did it with a team that was ravaged by injuries and missing most of its offensive leaders is even more astounding.) Could you have ever envisioned such a quick turnaround? Many of the guys who have emerged as leaders and key performers on this team were blooded in the painful slog of 2007, like Adrian Clayborn, Christian Ballard, A.J. Edds, and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. The transformation of DJK is a great example of Iowa's turnaround in general. My enduring memory of him from the Western Michigan game is of him seemingly quitting on a play and talking to some fans in the end zone while a Bronco defensive back was running back an interception. My enduring memories of him from the Ohio State game will be of multiple clutch catches and, of course, of the rally-igniting 99-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter when hope was slipping away. He's gone from a talented but raw and sometimes immature talent to an extremely reliable target in the passing game and an explosive playmaker in general.

Yes, he's totally checking out his runback on the Jumbotron.

But many of the top performers in 2009 would have never been predicted back in 2007. Pat Angerer, arguably the heart and soul of the 2009 defense, nearly quit football in 2007 after dealing with a serious of injuries and illnesses. Amari Spievey, one of the best cornerbacks in the conference in 2009, had washed out of Iowa in 2007 thanks to an inability to go to class. Brett Greenwood was, well, EPIC GREENWOOD back then; now he's a guy everyone was relieved to see take the field against the Buckeyes. The other defensive secondary spots were manned by the much-maligned Harold Dalton and the combination of Adam Shada (victim of the third indignity suffered by the Iowa football team that day/week, which was the betrayal of the Iowa fanbase as expressed through the boos directed at him) and Bradley Fletcher (who was burned more than a charcoal briquette back then) and there didn't seem to be much hope of better players in the program if they were the best we could send out there. (A year later, of course, Dalton was quickly replaced by Tyler "Motherfucking" Sash and Fletcher transformed himself into an NFL draft pick.)

Offensively, Iowa went from having one of the worst offenses in football in 2007 to having... well, a more timely offense, at least. Statistically, it's still not very good in most respects, but the ability of the 2009 Iowa team to come through in the clutch is almost unprecedented among other Ferentz Era teams. The 2007 team lost a pair of games in the fourth quarter (at Wisconsin and at Iowa State); the 2009 team has come from behind in the fourth quarter in four of its wins this year (and came from behind to send the game OT last weekend). A few of the faces remain the same from 2007 -- DJK, Tony Moeaki, Bryan Bulaga, Rafael Eubanks (to name a few) -- but experience and maturity have improved their performances tremendously.

Marvin McNutt owns the slant route and don't you ever forget it.

Since that loss to Western Michigan, Iowa has gone 18-6. That run has included a pair of upset wins over top-five teams (Penn State, twice), a program-best 9-0 start this year, wins over every Big Ten team but three (Ohio State, Illinois, and -ugh- Northwestern), a rare win over Iowa State in Ames, a 55-0 demolition of Minnesota in the final Gopher game ever played in the Metrodome, a dominant Outback Bowl victory, and perhaps more come-from-behind wins than in all the other years of the Ferentz Era combined. And while all six of those losses have been painful in their own way, there's something to be said of the competitive spirit that's been on display in all of them as well. The 2007 Western Michigan game was the fourth game that year that Iowa lost by nine or more points -- none of the six subsequent losses have been by more than seven points.

The journey of 2009 is far from over -- a 10-win season is still in our grasp, there's some Gophers to destroy, a big bronze pig to keep, and a bowl game somewhere warm to win -- but on this day, the anniversary of one of the darkest and most depressing moments in recent Iowa football history, it's worth taking a moment to stop and think about how far we've already come in such a short period of time. The pain of losing the de facto Big Ten Championship Game to Ohio State stings, but it feels a hell of a lot better than the ache of losing to Western Michigan and being lost in the college football wilderness.

Kenny bled to get that pig back, man. Floyd is ours, dammit.

Week Eleven BlogPoll Ballot Draft

T Kyle King — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:41:25 -0000

I’m not going to lie to you: I got home from Saturday night’s win between the hedges at 2:30 in the morning after what had already been a full week and a full weekend, so, this week, I started with the final draft of last week’s BlogPoll ballot and adjusted teams based upon their most recent performances. Accordingly, the up and down arrows have significance in this, the rough draft of my top 25:

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Alabama
2	Texas
3	Florida
4	Cincinnati
5	TCU	1
6	Boise State	1
7	Oregon	1
8	Ohio State	1
9	Iowa	2
10	Georgia Tech	2
11	Pittsburgh	1
12	LSU	2
13	Wisconsin	6
14	Houston	3
15	Oklahoma State	1
16	Penn State	1
17	Stanford	8
18	North Carolina
19	Virginia Tech
20	Clemson
21	Southern Cal	6
22	Miami (Florida)	9
23	Oregon State
24	California
25	Rutgers
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Arizona (#18), Auburn (#20), South Florida (#21), West Virginia (#22), Utah (#23), Brigham Young (#24).

The Alabama Crimson Tide (10-0) and the Texas Longhorns (10-0) won more convincingly than the Florida Gators (10-0), although all three played on the road and the Sunshine State Saurians faced the toughest test among the top three teams. Nothing that happened on Saturday persuaded me to rearrange these squads, although, of course, the Gators will have their opportunity against the Tide in the Georgia Dome.

The Cincinnati Bearcats (10-0) held off the hard-charging TCU Horned Frogs (10-0) for the fourth spot on the strength of Cincy’s wins over Oregon State and Rutgers, which together trump Texas Christian’s quality win over Clemson. The Frogs get minimal credit for clobbering an overrated Utah club and a BYU outfit that squeaked by winless New Mexico, but their performance against the Utes was enough to leapfrog TCU (sorry) past the Boise St. Broncos (10-0), who remain high on the strength of their season-opening victory but are unable to inch up because their resume otherwise consists of empty calories.

Boise State’s aforementioned season-opening victory, of course, was over the Oregon Ducks (8-2), who inched up a notch after the Ohio St. Buckeyes (9-2) edged the Iowa Hawkeyes (9-2). Because Ohio State won at home in overtime, I moved Jim Tressel’s crew one spot in front of Kirk Ferentz’s bunch.

I’m not any happier than you are about having to rank the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-1) in the top ten, but the Golden Tornado took the place previously held by the Pittsburgh Panthers (9-1) because the Ramblin’ Wreck’s triumphs over Clemson, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech collectively have more heft than Pitt’s wins against Navy, Rutgers, and South Florida. We simply live in a world in which a victory over the Duke Blue Devils on the road counts for more than a victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at home.

It is simply impossible to justify ranking any team in the teens as high as that team is ranked, but it’s just been that kind of year in college football. Giving the LSU Tigers (8-2) the No. 12 ranking after the Bayou Bengals trailed the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at halftime is enough of a stretch, but the Wisconsin Badgers (8-2), Houston Cougars (8-2), Oklahoma St. Cowboys (8-2), and Penn St. Nittany Lions (9-2) either looked good against a bad team, won unconvincingly against a mediocre team, or lost outright. The Cougs remained ahead of the Pokes due to the head-to-head result between the two teams and the fact that the second-best wins carded by each were close contests against Texas Tech at home.

Nos. 17 through 24 are a muddled hodgepodge of 7-3 squads from the ACC and the Pac-10; if you can sort ‘em out, you’re a better man than I am. The Stanford Cardinal---good call, Big Jon!---staked out the top spot among the thrice-beatens by virtue of back-to-back triumphs over Oregon and Southern California. Although their 55-21 home loss to the Cardinal caused the Men of Troy to land four spots behind Stanford, the USC Trojans remained ahead of Cal and Oregon State teams they defeated in October. The Oregon St. Beavers likewise edged the California Golden Bears because the former beat the latter at Berkeley on November 7.

A similar logic applied to the Atlantic Coast Conference clubs. Despite ugly losses to Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Virginia, the North Carolina Tar Heels rode last weekend’s win over the previously 13th-ranked Miami Hurricanes to a No. 18 ranking, one slot above the Virginia Tech Hokies. UNC beat VPI by a field goal on October 29. Both the 19th-ranked Gobblers and the 20th-ranked Clemson Tigers notched victories over the 22nd-ranked ‘Canes, with the latter winning by a little and the former winning by a lot.

Finally, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-2) found their way into the poll following a 31-0 throttling of the South Florida Bulls, whom I had in the top 25 at the time. Thursday evening’s Rutgers-USF tilt was among the weeknight fare I took in last week, along with Tuesday’s Buffalo-Ohio (Ohio) affair, Wednesday’s Central Michigan-Toledo outing, and Friday’s Cincinnati-West Virginia matchup. Parenting duties on Saturday kept me away from my television---I told you it was a full weekend!---so I saw only snippets of the Notre Dame-Pittsburgh and Florida-South Carolina contests at the praise-winning Tent City tailgate before I attended the Georgia-Auburn game. On Sunday night, just for good measure, I watched the East Carolina-Tulsa tussle.

As always, this is a draft ballot and I have until Wednesday morning to make corrections. Feel free to point out inconsistencies, argue for alternative placements, defend omitted teams, or otherwise offer feedback and constructive criticisms of my top 25. Like Frasier Crane, I’m listening.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Boise State Broncos go public with athletic program, will sell stock shares to anyone, everyone

Kevan Lee — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:42:01 -0000

Boise State University announced today that the athletic department is for sale, specifically as a non-profit corporation that is selling shares to the public starting right now. Want to make decisions as they relate to Boise State athletics? Then mortgage your future and get to an ATM, my friend.

Details and reaction after the jump.

KTVB has extra details on the announcement. Thanks to Don Day for being on top of things.

For $100 per share, anyone can buy stock in the new corporation, and will have the ability to vote on a board of directors that will oversee and make decisions related to the school's athletics programs - including football and other programs. The initial share offering will be $20-million.

Money raised will go to facilities, not staff or coaches.

Boise State Broncos, Inc. will be modeled on a similar idea put forth by the Green Bay Packers of the NFL.

Shares of stock are already for sale on the Bronco Athletic Association office.

As a Bronco fan, how does this make you feel? Are you going to buy shares? Is it just another money-grab for the athletic department? Let's talk about it in the comments.

Update: My immediate reaction: Are the Broncos that hard up for money? Don't get me wrong; I love the idea of being able to own stock in my favorite college team. But this seems like a very strange way to raise money.

As far as I know, this is unprecedented in college sports. Most college teams lean heavily on rich boosters rather than create an IPO. Boise State has a lot going for it, but an announcement like this shows that surviving in college football is a very expensive undertaking, even for teams who seem to be at the top.

Of course, it is just as important to note my second reaction: How can I free up $100? I am totally going to buy into this thing because of one very important aspect of the announcement:

the ability to vote on a board of directors that will oversee and make decisions related to the school's athletics programs

That's right. Stock owners will be able to decide on the people who decide what to tell the people who ultimately decide. Democracy WIN! And who's to stop me from nominating OBNUG commenters for the board of directors. Nobody, that's who.

Even if there is little chance that my opinion will change the course of Boise State football history, I like the idea of being able to say, "I am a shareholder in the Broncos. Now give Doug Martin more carries." The going public idea is genius inasmuch as it gives diehard fans the sense that they are making an impact. Oh, how I envy rich people at this time.

Update: KTVB says that the funds will initially be used to improve the basketball lockerrooms and Bronco Stadium track removal and seat expansion. Yay.

No More Drama - Michigan State 49, Western Michigan 14

Pete Rossman — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Al Goldis - AP

Welcome back swagger. We've missed you.

Browse more photos »

This football season has been a season to remember for all the wrong reasons. There was the onside kick recovery against CMU and the game-killing interception against Notre Dame when a field goal would've sent the game to overtime. There was the curb-stomping Wisconsin gave and the slant Iowa ran with two seconds left. Most recently, there was the kick return to start the Minnesota game and one of the most improbable incomplete passes/laterals/touchdowns I've ever seen. The only key play that's gone MSU's way this season was the Caper run in OT to win the Michigan game.

For all of these reasons, that's why few things felt more refreshing in the past few months than an old-fashioned butt kicking. Which is exactly what Michigan State did yesterday, eliminating all modicums of suspense and causing me to name an article after a Mary J. Blige album.

Where to start with the compliments? Let's start with the breakout player of the game, running back/pride of Muskegon and the OK-RED Ashton Leggett. I narrated the first big play of the game thusly to a friend over the phone: "Yeah, the MSU game should be under one of the Big Ten Network side channels...keep looHOLY CRAP LEGGETT JUST RAN 70 YARDS FOR A TOUCHDOWN." After a few weeks of MSU getting denied on nearly every goal line run, it's nice to have a 230 lb. bruiser to pound the ball in. Strange stat - Leggett's the first Spartan RB to have a 100 yard game this season.

22-25, 353 yards, 2 TDs. That's all that needs to be said. Nearly everyone would admit that Kirk Cousins is the best quarterback on the Spartans, but now it's time to start talking about him as the best quarterback in the Big Ten. He leads the Big Ten in passer rating (149.3 to Daryll Clark's 142.0), he has the fewest interceptions of any Big Ten quarterback (5, tied with... Tate Forcier? Weird.), and has the highest completion percentage of any quarterback who does not participate in an offense consisting of eight-yard curls (63.7% to Mike Kafka's 66.2%).

Is it time to start worrying about Greg Jones going pro a year early? He had eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and two quarterback hurries. He's now tied for second in the Big Ten in sacks, and looking more and more like the front-runner for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

It took a year and a half, but Keshawn Martin is finally becoming a playmaker. Cousins hit him in stride for Martin's TD reception, and it's getting harder to tell which WR should sit in MSU's base set. Cunningham, Martin, and Dell are all very good wide receivers prone to cases of the dropsies, and that's to say nothing of the tight ends yet.

Lastly, after the defense got keelhauled last week against Minnesota, they responded by allowing only 211 yards to the Broncos. Nice show gentlemen, and you spare me the sight of FIRE NARDUZZI all over the internet this week.

State's now one game away from being bowl-eligible, and Saturday's match against Purdue will be the easier of the two opportunities to get the win. I feel a lot less confident about this game than I did a month ago, now that Purdue showed it's capable of beating good teams. The game in West Lafayette will be one of the biggest in Mark Dantonio's head coaching career at Michigan State. Win, and MSU will be going to bowls in three straight years since God only knows. Lose, and this officially becomes the most frustrating season in Spartan history.

As for now though, let's just celebrate a win where things went as well as could possibly be hoped for.

Preview: Michigan State vs. Western Michigan

LVS — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:13:59 -0000

More photos » by Al Goldis - AP

In happier times.

Browse more photos »

Your MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS vs. the WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS
SPARTAN STADIUM, EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN
NOON (ET), BIG TEN NETWORK
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY AND VERY WINDY (18-20 MPH), 55 DEGREES.

Every week's preview introduction seems to warn of ever-more-dire consequences if we lose the game on that particular Saturday. Well, this one's easy: lose this game and:

we'll suffer the indignity of being the first Michigan State team EVAR to lose to two MAC opponents in one season;
we'll suffer the indignity of those two MAC teams being freaking Central and Western;
our season will essentially be over; and,
I will cry.

So, now that we have that out of the way, let's get to the preview! This week with extra malaise!

Western has had an up-and-down season, to say the least. They're 4-5; the losses are an opening-week blowout at Michigan, a close road loss to Indiana, another blowout at the hands of Northern Illinois, a home loss to Central Michigan, and a defeat last week at Kent State. WMU was expected by many to challenge for their conference title, so a 4-5 record is a pretty huge disappointment for Bronco fans. (Sound familiar?) Nonetheless, this is an experienced team led by an accomplished senior quarterback. After the CMU game, I doubt that there was any chance we'd look past WMU . . . but if we somehow do, the Broncos may be talented enough to take advantage.

WHEN MICHIGAN STATE IS ON DEFENSE: Given the state of our defense, this advice probably will apply to all of our remaining games, but none more than this Saturday's: sell out to defend the pass, and make them beat us with the running game. Brandon West is the primary Bronco running back, and while his numbers (161 carries, 824 yards, 5.1 ypc) aren't terrible, the majority of those yards have come in three games: two against two middling-to-bad MAC rush defenses (Buffalo and Toledo), and one 1-AA opponent (Hofstra). As a team, WMU's rushing offense is 10th out of 13 in the MAC, averaging only a shade over 100 yards per game. Our rush defense has been good. We should have no problem stopping their rushing attack; in fact, every time they hand the ball off, it's essentially a win for our defense.

But the WMU passing offense . . . that's a bit different. WMU is 3rd in the MAC in passing offense (284 yards per game) and 6th in pass efficiency. Tim Hiller is obviously a standout and a potential NFL prospect; by the time he leaves Kalamazoo, he'll be the owner of every significant WMU career passing record. He's big (6'5" and 234 pounds) and not a real scrambling threat; this is disturbing only because that's the mold of most QBs that have given MSU real trouble this year (Clausen, Tolzien, Weber, etc.). In his other two starts against Big Ten defenses this season (and mediocre ones at that--Michigan and Indiana), Hiller was decent:

ATT COMP COMP % YARDS TD INT RATING

MICHIGAN 22 38 57.9 258 1 2 113.31

INDIANA 28 43 65.1 266 1 0 124.75

The Michigan stats are greatly inflated by a 73 yard garbage-time touchdown pass. The Indiana stats aren't terrible, but almost certainly won't be enough to win the game for WMU on Saturday.

Statistically, Hiller hasn't been as good this season as he was last year. His rating is way down, as is his completion percentage, his yards per game, yards per attempt and completion, and his TD-INT ratio. (All of this probably has lots to do with the fact that WMU's top two receivers in 2008 both graduated.) However, his sacks are up -- 16 already this year, against only 14 for the entirety of last season.

Hiller's main targets this year are Robert Arnheim and Juan Nunez, but the main thing that's notable about the receiver corps is how deep it is and how well the Broncos spread the ball around: 5 receivers have more htan 30 receptions on the year, and a sixth has more than 20. This could pose problems for an MSU secondary which is thin and has looked utterly clueless in countless instances this season.

Basically, the WMU pass offense isn't spectacular, but it's decent, and it's really the only thing that can keep WMU in the game. Nonetheless, given MSU's laughable track record against one-dimensional passing offenses this season, there's no guarantee of success on our part. The Broncos have allowed a fair amount of sacks this season, so we should really put an emphasis on getting to the quarterback and disrupting Hiller's rhythm. Beyond that, uh, we should cover their receivers? I think we all understand far too well at this point the areas which need improvement.

WHEN MICHIGAN STATE IS ON OFFENSE: . . . we should dominate a Western defense which has struggled mightily against the pass. The Broncos are 13th in the MAC in pass defense (dead last!) and 9th in pass efficiency defense. They have the second-fewest sacks in the MAC. At the beginning of the year, Tim Sullivan at mgoblog said this:

If Western's run defense was pretty bad last year, their pass defense was downright terrible. Facing the same motley crew of offenses, they finished #102 in the nation in pass defense. They were a more respectable #62 in pass efficiency defense.) That indicates they were in lots of shootouts last year (a couple) and games in which the opponent was trying to mount a comeback (a couple more).

The Bronco defense soared to those heights despite two players selected in the NFL Draft in Louis Delmas (2nd Round to the Lions, still technically in the NFL) and EJ Biggers (7th Round to the Buccaneers). I think it's safe to say that you can't expect WMU to replace two NFL-caliber players at one position group. Ohio State they are not. The lone returning starter is strong safety Mario Armstrong.

They've been as bad as advertised. And, For what it's worth, WMU's rush defense hasn't been much better: opponents are averaging 176 yards per game, good for 94th in the country. This also might be a game to see if Baker and Caper can break a few big runs and get some confidence.

This is a very, very short offensive preview for a reason: there's not much to say other than Western is a bad defense, and we should rack up a lot of yards and a lot of points against them. The fewest points WMU has allowed to a 1-A school this season is 23 (to Indiana, no less); overall, they're averaging more than 27 points allowed per game, good for 80th nationally. This. Is. Not. A. Good. Defense. And if we don't score at least 30 points . . . we'll (a) have either called off the dogs in a blowout, or (b) have played terribly on offense.I hate the "we can only stop ourselves" cliche, but here, it's true.

FINAL PREDICTION: I actually really agree with what Graham Couch of the Kalamazoo Gazette said, in an article KJ linked to earlier today:

If Michigan State hadn’t lost to Central Michigan already this year, a WMU win wouldn’t feel so farfetched. But it’s hard to imagine an uninspired effort from the Spartans considering that loss and how much they need this game. That said, the prospect of bowl-eligibility didn’t help Iowa or Illinois get up for the Broncos either of the last two years. Here’s the difference: Both Iowa and Illinois were bad offenses; Michigan State is not.

MSU the better team here, and we desperately need this win to keep ourselves in contention for a bowl berth. After losing to CMU earlier this year, there's no way we (should!) look past this game. In 2007, we lost a heartbreaker to Michigan, and then came back to beat Purdue and Penn State to clinch a bowl berth. This year, the task is substantially easier: beat WMU and Purdue and we're in a bowl. While last week's debacle clearly shows that this team is capable of losing nearly any game, I really doubt it happens here. 41-21, MSU.

And if it does happen here, I mean, last week's thread of shame is going to look like the post-Michigan discussion by comparison. Please, football team of my beloved Alma Mater, do not let this happen.

Week 10 Big Ten Preview

BoilerTMill — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:48:46 -0000

Clearly the biggest game this week is Ohio State at Penn State. The winner will still be alive for the BCS, while the loser is done. We also avoided the apocalypse this week at the Indiana-Wisconsin game. No, I don't mean that it has any bearing on the league race. The announcement that Bob Knight would not return to Bloomington for his IU Hall of Fame enshrinement prevents the world from ending. It's too bad, too. If he had announced he was coming IU might have had their elusive sellout in the expanded stadium. I am boycotting their ridiculous ticket prices for the Bucket game by waiting until the game, then scalping half price tickets.

Purdue (3-6, 2-3) at Michigan (5-4, 1-4) Noon, Big Ten Network.

(No Michigan blog has posted a preview yet, so pick your favorite.)

Well, this is it. Ironically, we carry an identical 3-6 record into the state of Michigan with fleeting bowl hopes just like last season. Unfortunately, everyone under 40 has memories of us actually winning at Spartan Stadium.

I don't like this game. People can try to talk it up and give us every chance possible, but I am beyond the point of believing we can win at Michigan. I have seen too many very good Purdue teams go up there and accomplish nothing. I don't care how bad Michigan has looked lately. There are few constants in this league, and Purdue not being competitive at Michigan Stadium is one of them.

What's so frustrating is seeing so many other teams that are worse than us go up there and have success. Illinois has two wins there in the last 10 years. Indiana played a close game there this year. Toledo, Applachian State, Utah, Oregon (far from being worse than us). All were given one chance to win there and they succeeded. We've been given 17 chances and can't even come close. We are more than capable of competing, even winning up there, but it is to the point where I won't believe it until I see it. Michigan 37, Purdue 10

Western Michigan (4-5) at Michigan State (4-5) Noon, Big Ten Network

SpartyMSU preview

The Broncos will try to avoid a last place finish in the pseudo-Big Ten. Syracuse and Notre Dame are the non-conference teams that have played three Big Ten teams each. With losses to Indiana and Michigan, Western Michigan will now become the third. The Broncos were supposed to be better than their 4-5 record behind quarterback Tim Hiller, but they got drilled by Michigan, had a late fumble against Indiana, and have also lost big to Northern Illinois.

Western also dropped a game to Central Michigan, who has a nice victory over Michigan State this year. If Sparty loses they will join us and possibly Illinois with a 1-3 non-conference record. Michigan State played an awful game last week against Minnesota, but I don't think they'll be that bad this week. I think Sparty wins to salvage bowl hopes for another week, making Purdue a huge game for them. Michigan State 31, Western Michigan 14

#21 Wisconsin (6-2, 3-2) at Indiana (4-5, 1-4) Noon, Big Ten Network

Crimson Quarry Preview

Bucky's 5^th Quarter Preview (Not yet posted)

This is the third of four games on the Big Ten Network this week. Living in Indy, I am going to be pretty pissed off if I get this game instead of Purdue-Michigan. Hopefully the overflow channels will be working. A Wisconsin win would all but end any IU bowl hopes, as the Hoosiers will not win at Penn State. Truth be told, Indiana should have about four more wins already if they could close games and beat awful teams *cough* Virginia *cough*.

Wisconsin was one of the most physically dominating teams I have seen in some time. They exerted their will on the first drive against Purdue last week and the Boilers folded. Will Indiana do the same? The Hoosier have a similar makeup with a solid defensive line, multi-faceted offense, and a shaky (at times) back seven. Ultimately, Indiana cannot close a game, and that will cost them. Wisconsin 27, Indiana 17

Illinois (2-6, 1-5) at Minnesota (5-4, 3-3) Noon, Big Ten Network

Hail to the Orange Preview

The Daily Gopher Preview (Not yet posted)

It is probably a sign of how crappy the Big Ten is, but both teams are coming in as some of the hottest in the league. Illinois for their "where the hell was THAT all year" win over Michigan, and Minnesota for the same reason on a smaller scale. I honestly think the Gophers are creating a bit of a home field advantage at TCF Bank Stadium. They are 3-2, but have played the better teams they have faced close.

Ultimately, this game will be decided by what Illinois team shows up. The Illini finally played like they were capable of playing last week. If they keep it up, they can probably win at least three of their remaining games and have some positive momentum going into next season. While they found a running game, Minnesota found a passing game. The Eric Decker injury may be a blessing in disguise. It has forced Adam Weber to look for other receivers and he spread the ball around well last week. That will be the difference as Minnesota has finally discovered the forward pass. Minnesota 27, Illinois 24

Northwestern (5-4, 2-3) at #4 Iowa (9-0, 5-0) Noon, ESPN

Black Heart Gold Pants Preview

Lake the Posts Preview

I love this game because there is some serious bad blood between the teams. Iowa won't admit it is a rivalry, but the Hawkeyes have struggled lately against the Wildcats, losing three of four. On the other end, a miserable Iowa team upset Northwestern in 2000 the day Purdue blew a game at Michigan State, denying the Wildcats the Rose Bowl and giving Purdue a reprieve. Iowa refers to them often as "Just Northwestern", which is about as bad as "Little Brother" in the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry.

Seriously though, do you want to pick against Iowa this year? They could easily be about 3-6, but they are 9-0 and on the short list of national title candidates. They were down to the final second at Michigan State, but somehow pulled it off. No margin is too steep for them. No injury is too much to overcome. I am not going to rip them for their close games. Instead, I am going to praise them for having the guts of a burglar. They are the Mariano Rivera of college football at the moment. Iowa 24, Northwestern 23

#16 Ohio State (7-2, 4-1) at #11 Penn State (8-1, 4-1) 3:30, ABC

Eleven Warriors Preview

Black Shoe Diaries Preview

This feels like the only game of any substance this week. Sure, Iowa-Northwestern will be exciting because the Hawkeyes are incapable of a ho-hum win. Minnesota-Illinois is intriguing because Illinois couldn't run until last week while Minnesota couldn't pass. The other games have serious blowout potential. This game, however, has some good storylines. To the winner, a possible BCS berth and Big Ten title if Iowa stumbles. It may be the first game in the Big Ten this year where both teams were ranked at kickoff.

Normally I would trust Penn State at home in a night game, but their struggles against Iowa jaded me. Ohio State has shown some semblance of an offense lately too, even if it was against Minnesota and New Mexico State. If they can keep that momentum going forward I like Ohio State's chances.

Penn State has been playing awfully well though. The Michigan win was particularly impressive given their own struggles in Ann Arbor. They have been on a mission since losing to Iowa, winning every game by at least 18 points. Since Iowa must lose two of its final three for Penn State to win the Big Ten that dream is probably gone, but an at large BCS is not at 11-1 (and let's pray they steal one from a possible 10-2 Notre Dame). Penn State 21, Ohio State 17

Week 10 in the Non-Con: What I Want

Bama Hawkeye — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:15:25 -0000

We have favorites and we have loyalties, but if the Big Ten is going to climb out the national perception doldrums, we're going to have to do it together. That means that we have to all be pulling in the same direction. Here's what I want to see from each Big Ten team in their non-conference battles this week. These columns are really short this time of year...

Michigan State (vs. Western Michigan

I want to see Greg Jones play with ferocity that he showed against Iowa. I want the offense to settle into a rhythm early and maintain it through the end. I want the defense to play more aggressively than their schemes.

Imagining each ball carrier is Graham Filler makes the game more fun.

Make sure to go back and submit your picks for Week 10 of the Obligatory Predictions Contest. Weekly winners get a chance to write 500 words on the site.

What I Want

I want Michigan State to put the last two deflating losses behind them and beat Western by two touchdowns.

What I Expect

MSU to move to within a game of bowl eligibility.

What We've Got So Far

The Big Ten is 29-10 (.743) out of conference. The league is 5-8 against BCS Conference teams (plus Notre Dame). Indiana's loss to Virginia guarantees that the Big Ten can finish with no better than a .500 record against the other BCS schools. The league has two losses to non-BCS teams (Northern Illinois over Purdue and Central Michigan over Michigan State).

Gameballs for Boise State versus San Jose State

Kevan Lee — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:56:01 -0000

The Broncos cruised to a 45-7 win over the Spartans on Saturday thanks to strong performances across the board. Which players earned a gameball? Find out after the jump, and feel free to name your own winners in the comments.

Reader's choice award for player of the game

Kellen Moore

In a landslide, the Heisman Trophy token small conference QB was voted by you all as player of the game. Was there really any other choice?

Technically, there were three other choices, but Moore's play on Saturday made the competition irrelevant. Hammered and beaten for large portions of the first half, he still found a way to put up his typical, machine-like numbers: over 60 percent completion rate and three scores. And he's totally taking it to Pittsburgh's Bill Stull in the Davey O'Brien fan voting.

What really impressed me with Moore on Saturday was his third down efficiency. Just before his TD pass to little brother Kirby, Kellen converted a 3rd and 7 to Austin Pettis. He converted 3rd and longs to Matt Kaiserman and Tyler Shoemaker that led to touchdowns, and he found Richie Brockel on 3rd down for a 23-yard gain on a drive capped off by a Pettis TD. I dare say Moore was better than he had been all year, proving that getting consistent pressure on him only makes him mad.

Performance most likely to remind fans of Boise State's offense from last season

8 total rushing yards in first half for Broncos

The only thing missing was Ian Johnson with his hand on the back of a lineman, waiting for a hole to open.

Friend to degenerate gamblers everywhere

Doug Martin

Mad Doug's 36-yard TD parade with 20 seconds left in the game provided the Broncos with the winning 38-point margin. But more importantly, degenerate gambler got paid. The Broncos came into the game as 35-point favorites, so Martin's TD was the score heard round the deadbeat bars. Martin may never have to buy a drink in Reno for as long as he lives.

via media.idahostatesman.com

Best impersonation of Byron Hout

Byron Hout

Think back to the beginning of the season. Go ahead. Think back. What Boise State defensive lineman were you most excited about seeing? Also, while you're back there, did you ever think we'd be seriously discussing whether Oregon would pass BSU despite the fact that the Broncos beat the Ducks on opening weekend?

But back to that defensive line thing. Hout was the player on most fans' minds, considering the way that he closed out last season as a true freshman. He was awesome in 2008. He has been oddly quiet in 2009. Ryan Winterswyk and Shea McClellin are the clear-cut No. 1 and No. 2 defensive ends, and Hout has kind of been lost in the shuffle. Well Saturday was Hout's reminder that he can be every bit as dominating as he used to be. He finished with two TFLs and a sack, and he was noticeable for the first time in a long time. Here's hoping it is a sign of things to come.

Defensive MVP whom no one noticed

Aaron Tevis

Quietly, Tevis led the team in tackles, making a couple shoe string stops that prevented big gains. Shhhhh. Don't tell opposing offenses that he's good, bordering on great. It's best if they don't know that.

Breakout performance of the game

Kirby Moore

Moore led the team in receiving yards and nepotism on Saturday, prompting the following questions: Would Aaron Burks have looked so good at this point in the season? Will Kirby be a starter going into next fall? Do the Moores have a third, less athletic brother like Cooper Manning?

Mitch Burroughs catch of the game

This one

via media.idahostatesman.com

I thought it looked funny when I saw it live. The Mitch Burroughs Experience is really doing a number on the wide receiver position.

Play of the game

Jason Robinson's FF and FR

Robinson's strip of Lamon Muldrow with under a minute left in the first half marked the beginning of the end for all those optimistic San Jose State fans. Boise State went on to score and take a 24-7 halftime lead in a game that should have only been 17-7 at the half with SJSU holding faint hopes of keeping it close in quarters three and four. Not on Jason Robinson's watch. He lives for late-second-quarter heroics.

Least enjoyable facetime

Officials

The replay booth was a happening place on Saturday, as the on-field refs chose caution over clarity with several close calls. In the end, the refs got all the decisions right, but most of them were decisions that could have been made with the naked eye as it happened. If my officiating is going to be inept, I at least want it to be inept and not waste my time. The bygone WAC official had that down to a science.

Technical awards:

Least talked-about game of the season: The San Jose State game. Seriously, I wouldn't have known it happened if I didn't watch it with my own two eyes.

Best on-air name-dropping during a KTVB broadcast: Tom Scott. Many thanks to Tom Scott for giving OBNUG a proverbial rec during the broadcast. He didn't have to do that. (ed's note: Yes, he did. I blackmailed him.)

Most excitable high five: The girl on the right.

via media.idahostatesman.com

Least enjoyable theme. Doug Martin on the bench. I don't like it one bit.

	ATT	COMP	COMP %	YARDS	TD	INT	RATING
MICHIGAN	22	38	57.9	258	1	2	113.31
INDIANA	28	43	65.1	266	1	0	124.75