The New Big Ten

This year, is the first year of the new Big Ten. Now that the Nebraska Cornhuskers have joined, the Big Ten has 12 members. And now, the conference is split into two divisions. The Legends (Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Northwestern), and The Leaders (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin).

For the past few years, it has seemed like Ohio State has been dominant with winning the Big Ten Championship, until last year when they split it with Wisconsin and Michigan State (although now, OSU has had to completely wipe out their 2010 season, costing them their share of the title).

However, I don't believe the Buckeyes have a shot at the title this season. Although I am a die-hard Michigan Wolverines fan, that is not the reason I count the Bucks out.

Since all the offseason trouble has hit the Bucks, they have lost their all-star head coach, players, and recruits. I call it a downward spiral. But they'll be back.

I figure, at the end of this season, when the Big Ten has it's first Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium, we will see the Wisconsin Badgers face off against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Winner? Wisconsin.

I have a few dark horse picks as well. If the right teams lose, I think we could end up seeing Michigan State, Northwestern, or dare I say, the Michigan Wolverines in the Championship Game. The only teams I would count out for sure, are Minnesota, Indiana, and Illinois. But never say never! That's why they play the game every Saturday.

The Big Ten is definitely going to be different this season, and every other season from here on out. I think the change is going to be good for the conference. And being able to see a Big Ten Championship Game is going to be awesome.

Come on college football. Come on Big Ten football. I'm ready!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

#17 Michigan State at #18 Michigan

Who will win this matchup of Michigan unbeatens?

This Saturday, the undefeated Michigan Wolverines will face off against arguably the toughest opponents they've played yet this season, the also undefeated Michigan State Spartans. The Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy has been quite a rivalry game since it began in 1953. Michigan currently leads the rivalry, 34-21-2. But for the past two years, Michigan State has held onto the trophy, including last year's game which went into overtime, and was quite the heartbreaker for the Wolverines, and their fans. This Saturday, Michigan will have the chance to finally win the trophy back, and get vengeance for last years loss.

Both led by all-star quarterbacks, this will definitely be high-scoring, shoot-out of a game. Denard Robinson, Michigan's sophomore quarterback, has put up over 1,000 yards passing, and 900 yards rushing. He has 17 total touchdowns, between passing and rushing.

Cousins, also impressive, has put up 1,100 yards passing, and thrown for 9 touchdowns. Michigan State's running back Edwin Baker has also put up 536 rushing yards.

Denard is undoubtedly the most athletic player on the Michigan roster, and quite possibly could be the most athletic player in college football today. Although he puts up so many yards, and so many points for the Wolverines, every Michigan fan worries about Denard's health. Michigan fans all over know that if Denard goes down to injury, for a long period of time (unlike the Bowling Green game, which he went down in the 1st quarter, and still put up incredible numbers while he played), it could send Michigan's undefeated season crashing to the ground, and they could wind up with yet another year with no bowl-game.

But if Robinson stays healthy, and can continue to do what he does week-in and week-out, you almost have to bet on the Wolverines.

Michigan State's defense has been playing well as of late, which is completely opposite of Michigan, who has one of the worst defenses, if not the worst defense, in college football. Michigan has to heavily rely on Denard, and the offense to score as many points as they possibly can, as their defense will allow quite a few scores in a game.

As most of you know, I'm a die-hard Michigan Wolverines fan, so I obviously have to go with them this weekend. But I do know, this will be a tough game for both teams, and should be a shoot-out.

Michigan fans are worried, about the healthy of Denard, and how bad their defense will play, while Michigan State fans are worried that their defense won't be able to slow down Robinson, and will end up on the losing end, just like Indiana, UConn, Notre Dame, etc.

At 3:30, these teams will take the field in Ann Arbor, and will kick off a game that quite possibly be the game of the week, and the best game in the rivalry in a long, long time.

Denard Robinson...Heisman?!

Will Denard Robinson win the Heisman Trophy?

If you want excitement in college football. If you want to watch someone that will make you not want to blink, there's one name for you...Denard Robinson!

Michigan's sophomore quarterback, Denard Robinson, not only leads the nation in rushing yards. He not only is ranked #3 when it comes to passer rating. He currently tops the Heisman Trophy list. Granted, there's still a whole lot of football to play, but Denard has came out every single game, played his heart out, and undoubtedly has proven to be the best athlete on the field in each game that he's played.

Some argue that he hasn't faced a tough enough defense. Some say the Wolverines have yet to play any tough teams. And that could all change come Saturday.

The 18th ranked Wolverines will host the #17 Michigan State Spartans on Saturday. Michigan State is going to be the toughest team the Wolverines have played this year, and this game seems like it should be a shootout.

Michigan State has Kirk Cousins, has an experienced backfield, and has possibly the best defense that Michigan has faced all season. But will it be enough to shut Denard Robinson down? Probably not...

Denard has led Michigan to two last minute, game-winning drives this season, and he looks to lead his team to the Paul Bunyan Trophy, this Saturday. If Michigan wins this game, it'll be the first win over Michigan State since 2007.

Is Denard in the lead for the Heisman? He definitely is!

Will he win the Heisman? No one knows, but if he can consistently perform the way he has been, there's no doubt in my mind, and there shouldn't be any doubt in anyone else's mind, he'll win the Heisman Trophy.

Playoff Game Tonight!

Can the Reds pull the upset over the Phillies?

Tonight, the Reds will play their first playoff game since 1995. They have a tough matchup, taking on the highly successful Philadelphia Phillies.

The Reds seem to have been already counted out by many people from the media, from the opposition, and even from some of their own fans. But not this Reds fan! It reminds me of 1990. The Oakland A's were supposed to wipe the floor with Cincinnati, and what happened, the Reds won it all!

Now to be honest, I think they've got a tough road ahead of them. Not only to actually make it to the World Series, but to even win this 5-game series against Philadelphia. But hey, that's why they play, because you never know who will win or lose. I feel that Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, and company, will play their best baseball, not only because of the passion, but because of the enthusiasm of finally making it back to the playoffs. I think that the Phillies will give the Reds a tough time, and it'll be a knock-down, drag-out fight, but I have to stand by my Redlegs!

The Big Ten

Are the Ohio State Buckeyes a shoe-in to win the Big Ten Championship?

Alright, so the NCAA football rankings are out now, and the Big Ten has four teams in the top 25 (not including Nebraska, who will join the Big Ten next July, and is ranked #9). Ohio State is ranked 2, Iowa is 10, Wisconsin is 12, and Penn State is 14.

The favorite to win the Big Ten this year, has to be the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are also in the running to go to the National Championship game. As long as they can get by the Miami Hurricanes in week 2, and of course other Big Ten matchups like their away games against Wisconsin and Iowa, and of course their home game closing out the season, against Michigan, a National Championship is definitely a possibility.

Many feel that the Buckeyes are a shoe-in to win the Big Ten, and although I'm a huge Michigan Wolverines fan, I have to pretty much agree. Coach Jim Tressel always seems to impress (except in bowl games, especially against SEC teams), and Terrelle Pryor is ready to take the NCAA by storm, and possibly win the Heisman Trophy this year. However, I also feel that if Wisconsin, or Iowa can have a strong season, they can indeed take the Big Ten Title, but most likely, they'd have to pull the upset against Ohio State, which Purdue proved last year, is possible.

Wisconsin seems to have somewhat of an easy schedule, notable games including a home game against Ohio State, away game the following week against Iowa, and an away game against Michigan. If Wisconsin can fair well in these games, and obviously win the rest of their Big Ten games (which could bring trouble, because you never know what can happen each and every Saturday), they could definitely win the Big Ten Title.

Iowa has about as many key matchups this season, with an away game against Michigan, and home games against Wisconsin, Penn State, and Ohio State. Just like I said about Wisconsin, if Iowa can beat Ohio State this year, and do well with the rest of their schedule, they can end up with the Big Ten Title.

The more I type, the more I want to talk myself into the thought that the Big Ten Title is pretty much up in the air. Especially since the season hasn't even started, and every team currently has a record of 0-0, but I still have to say that if I had to predict the winner of the Big Ten Championship this year, it would be the Ohio State Buckeyes.

But like I expressed in this blog, there are many honorable mentions. The Wisconsin Badgers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Michigan State Spartans, and dare I say, the Michigan Wolverines could all surprise the nation, and the conference, and with an impressive season, could steal the limelight from the Buckeyes, and take the title.

Either way, it looks to be an interesting year this year. With everyday that passes, the excitement grows. College football will be here soon!

Can Anyone Beat Brock Lesnar?

Can anyone stop Brock Lesnar?

I have followed Brock Lesnar since he was in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). So when he left after WrestleMania 20, I continued to follow. He tried out for the Minnesota Vikings, to no avail. He also thought about making a return to professional wrestling, even wrestling in Japan. Then, he decided to take on mixed martial arts. And boy did he ever!

Lesnar lost his first UFC fight by submission, to Frank Mir. But he looked dominant, only making a rookie mistake that Mir capitalized on. Brock came to his next fight ready, dominating Heath Herring. Brock also dominated Randy Couture, winning the UFC Heavyweight Title. He also ended up beating Frank Mir, this time more being more experienced than the fight he lost against him.

Most recently, Brock, after being dangerously ill, took on his biggest task yet. Shane Carwin. Carwin, had never lost. Carwin, had never been to a second round. He would knock out his opponents before it got that far. Many counted Brock out of this fight. Boy were they wrong!

First round, Carwin gave Lesnar everything he had. But it came at a price. Although he took Brock down, and hit him with punch after punch to the skull, Lesnar took it all, fighting back and intelligently protecting himself. He knew Carwin was going to wear himself out. And that is what happened.

Second round, Brock, who has fantastic stamina, and was a two-time NCAA wrestling champion, made it look easy. He took Shane down, hooked him in a choke, and tapped him out. Carwin, who had never lost, got taken into the second round, and submitted!

It wasn't easy for the Heavyweight Champion. Brock got rocked pretty good by Carwin. But once stamina came into play, it was all over.

Brock is a beast. He's huge, he's fast, he's strong. He very well could be unstoppable. His next fight is against Cain Velasquez. Although Cain has experience, and is undefeated (just like Shane Carwin was before fighting Brock), in my opinion, he looks like no match for Brock. In fact, I'm not sure there are that many out there that can beat him. His hands are like paint cans, and when he gets a hold of you, it's all over.

Can anyone beat Brock Lesnar? Yes, I'm sure someone can. But as it looks right now, he should be on top of the MMA world, for a long, long time.

The Reds are for Real!

So anyone who knows me, knows I'm a big Cincinnati Reds fans. And although, I'm very much looking for the college (and pro) football seasons to start, that doesn't mean I'm not pumped about how well the Cincinnati Reds have been playing.

As of today, the Reds are only a half a game back with the St. Louis Cardinals. I have an inkling that this battle for the top spot in the NL Central won't stop until the season is over. These two teams are playing very well.

Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, and Scott Rolen are just three of the many reasons that the Reds are playing as well as they are. I had wondered if they needed a homerun hitter on their team. I thought maybe they needed a replacement for Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr. But seeing how they're playing right now, they are doing just fine with what they have.

Usually, it seems that the Reds can get all of our hopes up, only to crumble either right before, or right after, the All-Star break. That is not the case this year, as they have been consistent pretty much all year.

The only concerns I would have, is once they get into the playoffs, playing these top teams, like the Atlanta Braves, and St. Louis Cardinals. And of course, if they do make it to the World Series, them having to play a team like the New York Yankees, would definitely be intimidating.

However, the Reds have proven that they are for real. They have proven that they can play with the big boys, and they can even make it to the All-Star game!

With only a couple of months until the playoffs start, I can only hope that the Reds will continue to play consistently, and play consistently well. Their team looks good. Their pitching doesn't look bad. I really think they've got the team to do it this year. We'll see what happens.