God told Jim Delaney to expand the Big 10

Or it came to him in his own thoughts. Same diff in Delaney's world.



The Chicago Tribune reported today that the search firm hired by the Big Ten to explore expansion gave the league the thumbs-up on adding a school.

The basic premise? More teams be more better.

It doesn't hurt to know your audience either. This search firm probably did more research on Jim Delaney than Missouri.

Two sources told the Tribune that they believe the Big Ten will expand largely because Commissioner Jim Delany, who in 2008 signed a five-year contract extension, wants to add another accomplishment to his legacy.

Since taking the helm in 1989, Delany has added Penn State, helped form the highly profitable Big Ten Network and grown revenue from about $20 million a year to $220 million.

"What gets Jim going," said a source with ties to Delany, "is doing something bold."


Great, expansion for expansion's sake and to satisfy Delaney's massive ego.

So, get ready Jersey, nobody can wait for that first Indiana-Rutgers match up. It will have the New York TVs buzzing, I'm sure.

Color me jaded or a traditionalist. As far as I'm concerned the Big Ten can boot PSU and Northwestern and bring back the Maroons of U. of Chicago.

Big Ten gets more serious about expansion

While it comes as no surprise, the Big Ten has hired a firm to investigate the potential of possible expansion partners.

Spending big dollars to consultants seems to be the way of big-time athletics. But is it really necessary? Do Big Ten officials really need to spend millions for a consultant to tell them Rutgers has no football history (other than playing the first game ever), but it is near NYC?

A few interesting revelations that came out of the story are that Notre Dame remains an unlikely decision, that Texas isn't even mentioned among the initial 15 schools and that commissioner James Delaney may make a recommendation to the Big Ten presidents this summer.

Certainly the Pac-10 will follow suit soon. So where's the Big East and commissioner John Marinatto?

Bowl Preview: St. Petersburg Bowl presented by Beef O'Brady's

St. Petersburg Bowl
presented by Beef O'Brady's
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Date: Dec. 19
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Line: Rutgers -2.5

About Rutgers (8-4): The only thing worse than watching Rutgers play football is watching Rutgers play football against a team worse than Rutgers. Rutgers is so boring they make Ohio State look like the Harlem Globetrotters. Add 50,000 drunken, New Jersey-raised 20 year olds and every home game looks like an episode of "Jersey Shore" broke out.

Intangibles:
Watching "Jersey Shore" for ironic humor +2
"Oh shit, I'm still waching Jersey Shore" -6
Rutgers as "birthplace of collegiate football: +4
Rutgers football during Terry Shea "era": -4

About Central Florida (8-4): The Knights are still coached by the drunken Irishman George O'Leary (okay, it just looks like he's hammered.) O'Leary probably spent last week repeating the phrase "Brian F*ckin' Kelly" over and over in his sleep. The Knights are in Conference USA, which means next to nothing, and look like they bought their uniforms off Ebay from Purdue, circa 2002. They are constantly confused with South Florida and nobody really cares - at least I don't.

Intangibles:
Alma mater of Terrance Trent D'Arby: +7
Alma mater of Menudo member Angelo Garcia: +18
Located in Florida: +2
Not on beach: -7

Impact Player: Rutgers QB Tom Savage was coach Greg Schiano's first big-deal, five-star recruit. However, he tends to struggle when attempting to throw off his back. UCF can't do much, but they can rush the passer.

Bowl Slogan: "Suck it, Tampa."

Little Known Fact: I didn't even know what Beef O'Brady's was before I wrote this preview and now I know that Columbus has TWO of them. This bowl sponsorship has just paid huge dividends for you, Mr. O'Brady.

Second Little Known Fact: UCF's leading receiver and punt returner is A.J. Guyton, which seems like an odd job for 31-year old former Indiana basketball player.

Watchability scale (1-5): 1

The Pick: Rutgers 16, Central Florida 14

Picks of the Week: No. 12

Here we go again. Not too many more weeks to improve the overall record. So let’s see if we can find a little magic in this week’s picks.

Rutgers (-9.5) over Syracuse
Syracuse is looking to avoid going winless in the Big East, but the Orange won’t pick it up a against a revitalized Rutgers team that is led by freshman QB Tom Savage, who has thrown 10 TD passes and only two interceptions. If the Scarlet Knights win out they’ll finish third in the league and own a 10-2 mark. The ‘Cuse have been ravaged by injuries and the defection of WR Mike Williams. First-year coach Doug Marrone has not given up on QB Greg Paulus, who has thrown 14 interceptions.
Pick: Rutgers 31, Syracuse 9

Temple (-10.5) over Kent State
The Owls are riding an eight-game winning streak and need a win here to remain on top of the East Division heading into a key showdown with Ohio. RB Bernard Pierce leads the Owls with a freshman record 1,308 yards and 15 touchdowns on 223 carries. The Golden Flashes are 5-5 and still have a chance to become bowl eligible. But it’s Senior Week at Lincoln Financial Field so the Owls will win and cover.
Pick: Temple 38, Kent State 20

Air Force (+10.0) over BYU
Air Force’s defense must be ready to stop the BYU passing attack to have a chance in this one. Stopping senior QB Max Hall (2,857 yards, 23 TDs) has not been easy this season. But the Falcons have held TCU (20 points) and Utah (16 in regulation) in close losses. That’s why this game should be closer than the spread. BYU’s defenses under Bronco Mendenhall haven’t fared well and this season is no different (ranked 78th nationally).
Pick: BYU 38, Air Force 35

Georgia (-8.5) over Kentucky
It’s not often these two enter this game at 6-4, but the Bulldogs have struggled on defense all season and Kentucky has been unpredictable. Both teams can secure a winning season with a win, but Georgia looks to honor the fallen UGA VII, who died this week. Another factor playing in Georgia’s favor is the improved running game the past four weeks. Let’s not forget this simple fact: Kentucky has not won in Athens since 1977.
Pick: Georgia 34, Kentucky 21

Upset of the Week
LSU (+4.0) over Mississippi
This is a tough pick because we still don’t know if LSU QB Jordan Jefferson will play or not. I don’t like LSU’s chances if it has to start Jarrett Lee. But let’s go out on a limb anyway. The Tigers can’t win the SEC, but there is still plenty to play for this season. Win out and LSU is probably a Top 8 team and will be favored to win the SEC next year. Then there is Ole Miss, who entered the season with astronomical expectations and it was easy to see a massive failure on the horizon. Jevan Snead has been mediocre this season and he’ll need a big game to win at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Pick: LSU 24, Mississippi 21

Last Week: 3-2
Season Record: 29-26

Rutgers to win Big East ... huh?

Every year the 'Eye claims Virginia Tech is the most overrated team in the preseason rankings. Most of the time he's right.

So when he spends his entire summer driving his friends nuts by espousing too often on a media darling who he feels is not as good as the hype ... people should listen. This summer it was Rutgers. He questioned and picked apart "the experts" who kept telling us Rutgers would win the Big East. The Scarlet Knights proved him right as Cincinnati looked every bit the defending champ and favorite to win it again this year.

Besides, any WVU fan will tell you there is no way Rutgers will win the Big East.

The Bearcats were dominant and have become the team to beat in the Big East (which should have been the case all preseason). Why? That's simple Tony Pike. The senior signal caller hit on 27-of-34 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns in just three quarters.

Greg Schiano has done an amazing job with RU, but outside of a program-making victory over an undefeated Louisville in 2006, his teams have been mediocre. The only positive in Monday's loss was the debut of freshman QB Tom Savage. He added some stability to the Knights offense and he'll probably be the starter for a long time now.

Podcast: Episode 38

You can tell by our voices in today's podcast that were more than ready for Thursday night's kickoff to College Football. However, how could we do a show without starting it off by talking about Practice Gate and the problems with Rich Rodriguez in Ann Arbor. No sympathy here.

After we spend way too much time talking about the team up north, we get on with other important topics such as Pete Carroll's love affair with Matt Barkley and if the Cincinnati-Rutgers game on Monday could provide the Big East with some relief. 'Eye and 'Eer also make their Heisman picks, as well as give you a game this weekend that you should care about.

Big East is MIA

Bloggers and columnists are signaling the end of the Big East since no conference team is in the USA Today Preseason Top 25 Coaches poll. All that really tells me is preseason polls are meaningless.

Boise State (16), TCU (17), Utah (18) and BYU (24) are all ranked. Seriously, does anyone think all four of these teams will be in the Top 25 at the end? Does anyone remember Clemson last year? The Tigers were ranked in the top 10 and considered the ACC's premiere team. How did that work out for Tommy Bowden?

Cincinnati is the highest ranked Big East team at No. 29, followed by Pitt (30), West Virginia (31) and Rutgers (32).

My guess ... Pitt, WVU and Rutgers are all in the final Top 25. But really, what does that mean today?

Scheduling malfunction

I guess the Big Ten really does need that 12th member.

Word out of Ann Arbor and Michigan blog MVictors.com is the Wolverines asked conference peer Minnesota to come to the Big House in 2010 to play a non-conference game. The Gophers turned Michigan down despite a potential huge payday.

I love what Minnesota AD Joel Maturi had to say on the matter. "I’m not a real brilliant guy, but I'm not so sure it's in the best interest of Minnesota football to play Southern Cal and Michigan in back-to-back weeks. Non-conference, so-to-speak."

What's going on at Michigan? Since when can't the Wolverines find someone willing to take their money to play at the Big House? It's not like Michigan is that intimidating these days.

This failed attempt to get Minnesota to play a non-league game has the feel of some out-of-the-way high school begging schools to come play them.

I would normally rip on RichRod and Michigan AD Bill Martin for trying to pull this off. But look around and you'll see it's getting tougher for the big programs to get teams to make a road trip for a butt-whipping. Even Mid-American Conference schools are demanding $800,000 to travel.

So don't be surprised when conference teams start playing each other in a non-conference game. Or JoePa's expansion talk would help. How would Rutgers or Pitt look in this spot on the schedule?

Preseason: Big East rankings

Ugh. The Big East: sucking the fun out of football for the past 10 years! Just kidding, just kidding. Mostly.
Okay, enough pestering. Prediction time. It should be a competitive race this year as I don’t see any team dominating.

1. Cincinnati
Key returners: QB Tony Pike, WR Marcus Gilyard, WR Dominic Goodman, DT John Hughes
Predicted record: 8-4
While I think UC ends up with a worse overall record than WVU, I think they take the conference, as long they can win the season finale at Pitt. Big losses on defense will hold the Bearcats down a bit early in the year, but Brian Kelly knows how to get his offenses to score points. Tony Pike is back at QB and Marcus Gilyard at WR. UC has a new defensive coordinator and is supposedly switching to a 3-4 look.

2. West Virginia
Key returners: QB Jarrett Brown, RB Noel Devine, RB Jock Sanders, OG Josh Jenkins, DT Scooter Berry, LB Pat Lazear
Predicted record: 9-3
While the ‘Eers wll miss Pat White, Jarrett Brown is a talented backup who might be a better fit in WVU’s post-Rodriguez offense. Noel Devine is a home run threat at running back, but should get a few more carries per game. Replacing four starters on the offensive line could hinder WVU’s offense. The defense has some experienced players back and should be solid. The book is still out on Bill Stewart, though.

3. Pitt
Key returners: QB Bill Stull, QB Pat Bostick, WR Jonathan Baldwin, OT Jason Pinkston, TE Nate Byham
Predicted record: 8-4
The Panthers could win the Big East, but not just yet. I know Pitt fans were celebrating the departure of OC Matt Cavanaugh back to the NFL, and for good reason, but the questions at quarterback are still there. With a good offensive line, good receivers and solid backs, there’s no reason Pitt’s offense shouldn’t excel regardless. But I’ve heard that before.

4. Rutgers
Key returners: OT Anthony Davis, LB Ryan D’Imperio, LB Damaso Munoz, RB Kordell Young
Predicted record: 7-5
Mike Teel is gone, leaving a big hole at quarterback that could be difficult to fill. That’s the bad news. The good news is eight players are back on offense including four starters on a good offensive line and RB Young. Rutgers also has a cake non-conference schedule with the exception of Maryland. I just don’t quite see the talent there for the Knights who are a year away from being back at the top of the league.

5. Connecticut
Key returners: RB Jordan Todman, DE Marcus Campbell, DE Lindsey Witten, LB Greg Lloyd
Predicted record: 7-5
Notre Dame transfer Zach Fraser was anointed the No. 1 quarterback in the spring, which unfortunately doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence for one of the worst passing offenses in college football last year. Donald Brown is also gone. Questions abound on offense and defense, but it’s tough to question Randy Edsall’s ability to at least get this team back to a bowl game.

6. South Florida
Key returners: QB Matt Grothe, WR A.J. Love, DE George Selvie
Predicted record: 5-7
Offseason coaching turmoil is rarely a good thing and Jim Leavitt brought plenty of that on himself with dissension among the assistants and a couple firings. The Bulls will once again start the year hot, but there is a tough non-conference schedule with FSU and Miami and too many trips north late in the year.

7. Syracuse
Key returners: QB Ryan Nassib, CB Dorian Graham, S Kevyn Scott
Predicted record: 4-8
Don’t get me wrong, the ‘Cuse is still bad. Despite the record, the ‘Cuse will tie Louisville for the bottom. New coach Doug Marrone isn’t a miracle worker. Rob Spence’s spread, short-passing offense could help the Orange be more efficient on offense. But this is another rebuilding year for Syracuse. Marrone might want to skip the games to recruit.

8. Louisville
Key returners: DE Greg Scruggs, WR Josh Chichester, RB Victor Anderson, S Richard Raglin
Predicted recorded: 3-9
I like Steve Kragthorpe. I think he’s a good football coach. But this whole Louisville thing has been a nightmare scenario from the start. It won’t get better this season, mostly due to the brutal early schedule. After opening with Indiana State, Louisville faces Kentucky, Utah, Pitt, Southern Miss and Connecticut. That’s a potential 1-5 start, a lame duck Kragthorpe and a serious bottoming out in the pizza place.

Old Italian man whines to media

Joe Paterno's talking about stuff again. That means it's time for the national media to get in a tizzy and everyone else to roll their eyes. He's kind of like the Marge Schott of college football. The more he talks, the crazier you know it's going to get.

So, old Joe says it's time for the Big 10 to add a 12th team.

And preferably someone from the east, such as Rutgers, Syracuse or Pitt. Wow, Pitt fans must be scratching their heads since Paterno won't bother to schedule the Panthers at all, effectively destroying a once-great rivalry. Maybe Joe wants to run it up on poor ol Rutgers like the golden days.

But the best part of the story is this, as Paterno discusses the reaction of Big Ten higher-ups to his suggestions:

"You know, it's a conference that's dominated by a couple of people," Paterno said. "If I start talking, they're polite, but they snicker.

"They don't know I know they're snickering, but they're polite. ...I wish I were younger and going to be around [another] 20 years."

Nice paranoia there, Joe. This guy is treated like Jesus H. Christ incarnate and he thinks everyone is laughing at him. (Okay, well maybe I'm laughing.)

No, Joe, the Big 10 doesn't need a 12th team and it doesn't need a championship game. The only thing it needs is for you to retire and let Tom Bradley rightfully be the head coach at Penn State. You know, the job he's already doing.

Bowl Preview: Papajohns.com Bowl

Papajohns.com Bowl
Legion Field, Birmingham, Ala.
Rutgers vs. N.C. State
Date: Dec. 29
Time: 3 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Line: Rutgers –6.5

About Rutgers: Ray Rice is in the NFL, which means that his crazy Mom who wore the helmet and got her mug on TV every time he carried the ball is also gone. Thank God for small miracles. The Scarlet Knights started out the season as if they were unfamiliar with the game of football and the rules and regulations, losing frequently. By the end of the year, they were pretty damn good. That pains me to say because people from Rutgers are generally obnoxious.

Intangibles:
The Sopranos: +4
Coach looks like muscle guy from The Sopranos: +2
Not New York: -41


About N.C. State: Tom O’Brien has all the personality of a mayonnaise sandwich. SOB can coach though. At the beginning of the year, NC State knew one play. They ran it a lot. By the end of the season, they knew something like four plays. Now that’s progress. O’Brien has been good enough to take the Pack’s fans minds off of basketball.

Intangibles:
Research Triangle: -4
Not Duke, UNC or Wake: -3
Not arrogant like Duke, UNC or Wake: +3
Fired Coach Soprano: +2


Impact Player: Rutgers QB Mike Teel. There are times when Mike Teel looks like the worst QB to pick up a football since Chris Rix. Then there were the last six games of the season. Which one shows up? Got me.

Bowl slogan: “Have fun at the game and lock up when you’re done, y’all. Saban radio show is on that day.”

Little known fact: It took years of negotiation for the Papajohns.com Bowl to land the coveted Monday afternoon TV slot, competing with Oprah reruns. nice move, dickwads.

Little Known Fact #2: Papa Johns pizza is not good. At all. But if you dip it in that garlic sauce they send you, it's edible.

Watchability (1-5): 4

The Pick: Rutgers 27, N.C. State 21

Observations from Saturday's Games (Nov. 15)

Don't tell me the Big 12 is better than the SEC. Watch Florida for a quarter, or Alabama play defense and it's clear where the best talent is in 2008. Saturday's lame schedule proved to be a pretty good day. Here are some observations from Saturday's action:

1. Heckuva a team. The Florida Gators have amazing talent. I'm still trying to figure out how they lost to Ole Miss at home. With the Ol' Ball Coach returning for just the second time at South Carolina, the Gators put a good ol' fashioned butt-whipping on the Gamecocks, 56-6. That's impressive considering, South Carolina had won six of seven and its defense ranked third in the nation. That defense held strong for a little while, but Spurrier's inept offense put them in so many holes it was impossible to compete with the Gators.

2. Wacky ACC. Where do you start? North Carolina State is like the Pittsburgh Pirates in September. The games don't mean much, but you can play a spoiler role. The Wolfpack did just that with a win over Wake Forest. Then there is Maryland. One week after getting manhandled by Virginia Tech, the Terps squeak by ACC favorite North Carolina 17-15. And right now Florida State is losing to Boston College at home.

3. USF Bulls(hit). Would someone tell South Florida that the season is 12 games, not six. After reaching the lofty status as a Top 10 team earlier this season, Jim Leavitt's boys have imploded again. Don't tell me Rutgers is that good. I picked the upset, but the Scarlet Knights pummeled USF 49-16 in Tampa.

4. Reality check for Tommy. Doesn't it look like Auburn's Tommy Tuberville is coaching like a guy who knows he's about to be fired? He got a little whiny on Saturday as his Tigers fell to Georgia 17-13 (which is also sad that UGA is so inept on offense). So who tops Auburn's wish list right now?

5. Rose Bowl rematch? If Oregon State gets two more wins it could happen. If Penn State downs Michigan State next week it could happen also. If those two possibilities happen, the Beavers and Nittany Lions will play in the Rose Bowl -- an unlikely rematch. In the first meeting Penn State rolled 45-14 in State College. This odd rematch remains alive because Oregon State defeated Cal 34-21 Saturday, while PSU rolled past Indiana 34-7.

6. First 8-loss season. Hey Michigan, you're just one week away from your first 9-loss season. Think Ryan Mallett could have helped a little this season?

7. Not your father's A&M. Remember when Texas A&M was a legitimate Top 10 team and when the Aggies played Texas it was usually a good game and A&M could be favored? Mike Sherman's first year in College Station has been a disaster and nothing makes that point any clearer than a 41-21 loss to Baylor.

8. Best backfield? Maybe many of you would choose Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin. But Ohio State's Beanie Wells and Terrelle Pryor are as good as any tandem in the country right now. The Buckeye duo combined for more than 250 rushing yards and two scores in a 30-20 victory at Illinois.

9. Bayou trouble. Not watching the game, but it seems every Score Update on Troy at LSU is another score by the Trojans. Last check it was 31-10 in the third quarter.

10. Better than expected. All week and all day everyone kept talking about the weak slate of football games today. Of course, there weren't the great matchups of ranked teams that we'd like to see. Just look at the primetime game of Boston College and Florida State. But it was still a great day of games. Stop complaining and just enjoy each week.

Picks of the Week

OK. My little experiment last week was a complete and utter failure. I took four huge favorites, and not a single one covered. I also went with Marshall at East Carolina, and despite the Herd's best effort they fell in OT (however, they did cover but I can't count it).

This week I'm going back to a more traditional selection method (flip a coin). If that doesn't work, I'm asking my 3-year-old next week to help. So here are this week's picks.

Connecticut (-9.5) over Syracuse
Syracuse's season has sort been up in smoke. Thank that's a stretch? Did you see where two Orange players opened a hookah bar and the grand opening was Friday night. UConn's players are a little more focused than this. The Huskies win big in the Carrier Dome.
Pick: Connecticut 32, Syracuse 9

UCLA (-7) over Washington
OK, maybe this isn't fair. Picking against another team with a coach who won't be back next year. You'd think the Huskies might get fired up to play against former coach Rick Neuheisel. Only problem, the current UW players have no idea who Slick Rick is. UCLA should execute better and pull out an easy win in Seattle.
Pick: UCLA 21, Washington 3

South Carolina (+22.5) over Florida
Not picking the straight up upset, but the Gamecocks have one of the nation's best defenses. If Steve Spurrier could learn to coach an offense again South Carolina could be a factor in the SEC. Tim Tebow will lead the Gators to a win, but it should be a slugfest in The Swamp.
Pick: Florida 28, South Carolina 10

Nebraska (-6) over Kansas State
If Bo Pelini thinks the defense deserves the Black Shirts again (despite giving up 35 last week) then I'll bite. If the Cornhuskers defense lives up to the Black Shirt tradition they should rolle past K-State in Manhattan.
Pick: Nebraska 32, Kansas State 14

Upset of the Week
Rutgers (+8) over South Florida
This is a match up of teams going in opposite directions. The Bulls know a Big East title is out of reach now, but they've been talking all week about finishing with 10 victories. But the numbers don't lie. USF has lost 3 of its last 4, while the Scarlet Knights have won three straight. Also, Matt Grothe is so overrated. Not only does Rutgers cover, but they upset the Bulls in Tampa.
Pick: Rutgers 18, South Florida 15

Last Week: 0-5
Season: 17-23

Rumble in Piscataway

Since when did QBs start taking cheap shots at defensive players ... on his own team? I guess Rutgers' Mike Teel is a bad ass. Looks like Greg Schiano thinks this type of behavior is OK.

"In my eyes, it could be a great teaching opportunity, as what not to do when frustration sets in and bubbles over," Schiano said. "But Mike has apologized for what he did. There's no excuse for what Mike did. It was inappropriate behavior and not something I or my coaching staff condones. But to make that the reason [to suspend Teel] doesn't make sense. We're a close-knit group and it was just an event that bubbled over. There is no reason to make any change."

Opening 0-3 makes the folks in New Jersey a little crazy.

Real Life

Sometimes reality and passion don't mix.

I had planned to watch North Carolina-Rutgers last night. Really. Then something called child-induced exhaustion set in. So instead of watching Butch Davis and the Tar Heels embarrass Rutgers (and continue the embarrassing start for the Big East), I went to bed early.

My extended slumber was a personal bonus, but I feel an obligation not to miss games. I'll do my best in the future, but if someone knows how to convince two little ones not to make up at 5:30 every morning I'm listening.