Ohio State, Big 10 announce 2015, 2016 football schedules


ohio-state -cheerleaders

The Big Ten Conference released its 2015 and 2016 football schedules today and Ohio State will open each of those Big Ten campaigns with games against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Ohio State will play at Purdue Oct. 3 to kick off the 2015 Big Ten campaign and Purdue will come to Columbus Oct. 1 for the start of the 2016 conference slate.

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Michigan Wolverines, Big 10 announce 2015, 2016 conference schedules


michigan wolverines

The University of Michigan football team in conjunction with the Big Ten Conference announced today (Monday, May 21) the conference schedules for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

The Wolverines will open the 2015 and 2016 conference slate with in-state rival and Legends Division foe Michigan State.  U-M will travel to East Lansing on Oct. 3, 2015 and host the Spartans on Oct. 1, 2016 in Michigan Stadium.

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6 worst incidents of Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame tenure


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During his two years in South Bend, Brian Kelly has coached Notre Dame to a 16-10 record, and one bowl win. He’s been decent, but far from remarkable, especially by Notre Dame standards. The only extra attention he’s brought upon the most prestigious program in college football has been negative attention; mostly off-the-field variety.

In just two years at the helm, there have been six major incidences of extremely bad press to hit Kelly’s Fighting Irish team. Some of the negative publicity is more deserved, some less.  Three were essentially the same thing (underage alcohol citation/arrests) and two involved student fatalities.

We go through all six.

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ESPN U Reporter Niki Noto: Photos and Bio


Niki Noto is a University of Alabama graduate (Roll Tide!) After graduation she worked in the Tennessee Titans media relations and marketing department. In 2010, Noto moved to Atlanta and began working with the Atlanta Falcons as their “Inside Reporter.” In 2011, Noto’s duties expanded into the role of on field game host at the Georgia Dome.

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Illinois Alumni Association takes shot at Northwestern marketing slogan


illini logo

I received a mass email today from the Illinois Alumni Association.

The subject heading: ILLINOIS: Chicago’s Big Ten University

The message content:

Illinois alumni don’t need an expensive roadside billboard to let people know we’re the best public Big Ten university in Chicago!

Instead, make your case in your office space by displaying your loyalty for everyone to see. As we welcome 7,000 new graduates to the alumni family, we know that, together, we can uphold the greatness of our Alma Mater.

DOWNLOAD OFFICIAL ILLINOIS WALLPAPER

Yes another shot is fired across the bow. Hatfield vs. McCoys, Mozart vs. Salieri, Illini vs. Northwestern.

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Notre Dame wide receiver cited for underage drinking


davaris-daniels

Michael Floyd had three underage drinking offenses during his college football career at Notre Dame. He’s gone to the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL now, but a player expected to take his place on the field, his following his example off it.

DaVaris Daniels, a sophomore-to-be receiver, was cited for consumption of alcohol by a minor on May 13, according to police records in his hometown of Vernon Hills.

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2012 Ohio State Buckeyes football: first two deep roster


osu-hotty

The first official two-deep chart of the Urban Meyer coaching era at Ohio State was revealed today as Meyer presented it to a room of more than 40 reporters covering the news at the Woody Hayes Athletics Center.

With 18 starters returning from last season including both kickers, there are plenty of familiar names on the two-deep chart, including fourth-year starting fullback Zach Boren and three-year starters Jake Stoneburner (tight end), John Simon (defensive line) and C.J. Barnett (safety).

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Can Tim Beckman keep Illini Defensive Dominance going?


illini-rose-bowl

The Illini started to get defensive, real defensive in the 2010 Texas Bowl. In that 38-14 trouncing of Robert Griffin III and Baylor, they held RG3 and the Bears in check.

The man who would win the Heisman trophy and become the #2 overall pick in the NFL Draft the very next season was out of rhythm, out of sync versus the Illini in Houston. And that D carried over into 2011, when they Illini had a top 10 national defense.

A lot of that was the personnel, a lot of it was coordinator Vic Koenning, who unfortunately had to move on when Ron Zook was replaced by Tim Beckman.

Can they keep it going this fall, despite the coaching changes?

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Melvin Gordon is the future for the Wisconsin Badgers


It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the most impressive member of the Wisconsin Badgers football team this spring was a running back.

However, it’s slightly shocking that it wasn’t the 2011 Heisman Finalist Montee Ball or even the 2010 Big Ten Freshman of the Year James White, but rather a young red-shirt freshman named Melvin Gordon.

If you’re Head Coach Bret Bielema, is it time to find room for Gordon in a crowded backfield or let him simmer and learn behind the experienced Ball and White?

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Reviewing college football fan sites: Northwestern blogs


NU-football

Modern media publications review movies, television shows and rock albums, but no one reviews blogs, the question is why? Obviously, it’s easy to review static mass media items that aren’t changing once they initially are produced much more easily than the dynamic and the evolving world of blogs.

Of course, some aspects of certain blogs are pretty consistent, and with regular features running all the time, there is enough remaining the same so that one can accurately critique. Obviously, to do a feature like this, the number of blogs out there must be small, and the market size niche- like we have with Northwestern.

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Illini QB Nathan Scheelhaase: should he keep his job?


scheelhaase

In the 2012 Illini spring game, they seemed to have the same exact issue that they have during the final seven games of 2011- throwing the ball forward.

Perhaps part of the spring scrimmage m.o. was to hold back that part of the offense, but then again it’s a preseason exhibition why wouldn’t you let it fly?
Unless it’s simply because you can’t?

And the statistics for starting quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase were extremely putrid that rainy Saturday, continuing the regression that she showed the final seven games of 2011.

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Notre Dame QB derby: Everett Golson, the new front-runner


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It’s a four way battle to start at quarterback in Notre Dame, perhaps the most high profile position in all of college sports. But after upon further inspection, it’s most likely a two way competition this college football season.

Last year’s starter Tommy Rees had the inside track to regain the position this year, but all the charges he’s facing means he’s fallen down the depth chart.
Discipline problems like these are hard to ignore, and that will open up the door for the more inexperienced signal callers.

Everett Golson is perhaps the QB of the future, and the future could be this fall.

Golson was the talk of the spring game, as he turned in the best performance of the four quarterbacks, going 11-for-15 passing for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

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