You can crank up the old school Eminem and Kanye West, because the early to mid 2000s are back! At least they are from a Big Ten basketball perspective. Yes, the Illinois Fighting Illini and Michigan State Spartans are once the class of the conference. Both were #1 seeds in the 2001 NCAA Tournament. Both made the Final Four in 2005. … [Read more...] about Illini #1, Michigan State #2, USC #3 in Big Ten Preseason Power Rankings
Nebraska Cornhuskers
ESPN College Gameday: From Transcendent Genius to Unwatchable Dreck
Happy College Football season to those who celebrate- to honor the occasion, re-booting this classic once again from 2018, enjoy! I absolutely loved ESPN College Gameday, about a decade and half ago when it was only one hour long, instead of three. Back in those days, it was not overrun with wall-to-wall native advertising, and it was much more about football than what's … [Read more...] about ESPN College Gameday: From Transcendent Genius to Unwatchable Dreck
When Bo Pelini Brought His Cat to Chicago for Big Ten Media Days
With Big Ten Media Days this week, we flashback and re-up some of the most memorable moments from past talking seasons. This Bo Pelini post originally ran on July 28, 2014. We learned today that Kitty Pelini is enjoying a nice slumber at a fine luxury hotel in Chicago during Big Ten Media Days. … [Read more...] about When Bo Pelini Brought His Cat to Chicago for Big Ten Media Days
2026 Big Ten Tournament (Men’s Basketball) Preview, Predictions
The 2026 Big Ten tournament is here! And this edition is bigger, bolder and longer than ever before, so we have no choice but to dive straight in to the schedule and predictions. With so many games to cover, there is no room for any preamble. … [Read more...] about 2026 Big Ten Tournament (Men’s Basketball) Preview, Predictions
Spring College Football “Games” Must be Re-Branded, and Here’s How
There is no such thing as a spring college football game. It is not a game. Period. It is an exhibition intra-squad scrimmage. I will die on this hill. I'll never accept the idea that there is such a thing as a college football "spring game." Not a "GAME," but practice. We're talking about practice (Ok now that I got my A.I. not artificial intelligence, but Allen Iverson, … [Read more...] about Spring College Football “Games” Must be Re-Branded, and Here’s How
Puppy Crawl: Greatest Halftime Show Ever
When it comes to Puppy Crawl, you can have a debate about it. That debate is: "was is is the greatest halftime show in Big Ten Tournament history? Or "was it the greatest halftime show in basketball history?" One can't say a lot good things about how the Illinois Fighting Illini played last night, in their 2023 Big Ten Tournament loss to Penn State. (We already covered that … [Read more...] about Puppy Crawl: Greatest Halftime Show Ever
Ex-ESPN Pres. John Skipper Predicted College Sports Reckoning in 2014
The total chaos that is unfolding right now in college sports may or may not have been predicted by John Skipper, then President of ESPN, back in 2014. The comments he made almost a decade ago, although vague, were prescient in the grand scheme of things. Let's flash back to that now, and then consider how those remarks stand up today, given what's going on in regards to … [Read more...] about Ex-ESPN Pres. John Skipper Predicted College Sports Reckoning in 2014
R.I.P. Rose Bowl, College Sports “Leagues” and “Conferences”
The Rose Bowl game will still go on, but in non-College Football Playoff years it will never be anything close to what it once was now that the Pac-10 (later the Pac-12) is officially dead. The whole concept of a Big Ten champion versus Pac 10 champion was ingrained in the very DNA of the Rose Bowl game. It will still be held, but when it's not in a CFP format will exist in a … [Read more...] about R.I.P. Rose Bowl, College Sports “Leagues” and “Conferences”
Former MLB COO Tony Petitti Takes the Big Ten Reins
Exactly two weeks from today, former Major League Baseball Chief Operating Officer Tony Petitti will take the leadership role of the Big Ten Conference. He becomes the league's seventh commissioner, replacing Kevin Warren, who has now become President and CEO of the Chicago Bears. Warren was on hand for Pettiti to greet the media, for the first time, on Friday. College … [Read more...] about Former MLB COO Tony Petitti Takes the Big Ten Reins
Every Big Ten Football Program as a Character from The Simpsons
The graphic below, of which we are uncertain the origin, serves as the centerpiece of this post. We first saw this on The Big Lead, many years ago, but that link is now dead. Enjoy as we try to decipher why certain Big Ten football programs were assigned certain characters, and others...well, we really have no idea about the analogy. … [Read more...] about Every Big Ten Football Program as a Character from The Simpsons