Big Ten 2006

[Moodini31]

With the release of NCAA Football 2007, receiving my football preview issue of The Wolverine, and getting season tickets to The Big House, I'm already jacked up for college football, so I thought it was time to start the discussion.

Who will win the conference? Will Michigan and Michigan State contend? Who will be the offensive and defensive players of the year? Is Stanton a Heisman contender? Which no name cats will burst onto the scene out of nowhere? Which freshmen will have the biggest impact? Will Lloyd Carr run any cool plays?

Discuss.

[Artis Gilmore]

I think Illinois will go undeafted.


J/k. But I think Ohio State is highly overrated. They can win the big ten, but I'm not sure about the National title or even get there.

[UxKa]

as always, the p's got season tickets to camp randall stadium, with cushy seats to boot. my expectations arent too high for this year, but the defense should be stout and stocco (qb) altho not flashy, is a senior and doesnt make too many mistakes.

edit: how is bush still the poster boy for ncaa07? is there not anyone that will actually be playing this year they could use?

[Jethro34]

edit: how is bush still the poster boy for ncaa07? is there not anyone that will actually be playing this year they could use?

They always use someone who is gone. Otherwise they would likely have to pay royalites to someone still in school, thus making them ineligible.

[UxKa]

They always use someone who is gone. Otherwise they would likely have to pay royalites to someone still in school, thus making them ineligible.

ah good point

[Jethro34]

Afew things shooting from the hip:

1 - Ohio State has a nice offense but let's be serious, it's not one of the best ever and I'm a little sick of the media premature ejaculation over it. They won't score 50 a game and may struggle to do that in any one game. As for their defense, who knows? Ohio State almost always has a good D, but can they really be that good when they lost 138 starters from the defense last year? Yes, I really said 138. Deal with it.

2 - Penn State isn't getting enough attention. Anthony Morelli could be very good, and all those freshman are back, especially Williams who missed much of the year last year.

3 - Michigan sure as hell better bounce back in a big way. As always, the talent is there. If they stay healthy and the coaches get the crap out of the way and just let them play (that's one of the biggest IF's of all time) they could honestly run the table. They have more talent than anyone team they play with the possible exception of Ohio State, and even that is questionable. Yes, they have more talent than Notre Dame. Notre Dame only has 1.75 or so solid recruiting classes on their roster.

5 - Stanton will get preseason hype for the Heisman but zero postseason hype. First of all, I'm a hater so I obviously don't think he will put up the numbers most fans expect. But more than that, Heisman hype is reserved for players on winning teams, and I won't believe that is happening until I see it. Even a lot of Spartan fans that think Stanton has Heisman potential will admit he would have to win it in spite of his team's likely win-loss record. They likely hope the team will win 8 games so it could potentially be justified.

6 - Too many people are ignoring Javon Ringer. I've seen so many lists ranking the top Big Ten position players where he doesn't crack the top 5. That's just the type of motivation he needs to go off.

7 - Michigan running backs might seem overrated statistically. Why? Because there are at least 4 of them who legitimately deserve 8-10 carries per game. Even Michigan would struggle to consistantly run the ball 32-40 times per game, and how many RB's can really get off on less than 10 touches?

8 - Drew Tate gets a lot of attention and I don't know why. I hope people can find holes in his O-Line and leave him on his back more often than not.

9 - I hope Steve Breaston learns how to play a full season and a full game. If he does, he just might have the season people have been waiting 2 years for.

10 - I hope Northwestern has a good year and dedicates it to Walker. He was the best thing they had and it really was a tragedy for the family and the program. Reality is they will probably take a big step backward.

11 - Wasn't Illinois good just 5 years ago or so? Wow, what happened?

12 - Wasn't Indiana good just, uh, wow, they have never been good have they?

13 - I really don't know what to say about Purdue, Minnesota or Wisconsin. I just hope they don't trip up my Wolverines in a letdown game. I wish Maroney was still playing in Minnesota so we could plant one end of the M Club banner in his ass. I stick by my stance that players with flags on the opponents field are classless.

Good day.

[Jethro34]

Yes, I apparently skipped #4, deal with it.

[Unibomber]

I agree with Jethro on 1, 4, 10, and 12.

[Baker]

I'm not quite ready for this yet. End of August, I'll dive in full throttle as always.

Just a couple of thoughts so that you guys know I'm alive, but just too busy shooting pool and playing 360 to be stuck here on the computer.

1) I don't think OSU is overrated because their offense will be sick...IF Tressel can go away from his more conservative style and adjust to his personel. Great qb, amazing running backs, Ginn, and a decent O-line.

2) I don't know what to expect out of Michigan. I could see last year repeating with just different losses. Or I could see Lloyd trying to save his job and shock everybody with a more open offense.

3) I'm sick of hearing about Michigan's running backS. I emphasized the "s" because only Hart deserves the praise so far. Could Grady and Brown be good in the future, definately. But, I heard rediculous hype last year about him before he even stepped onto the field and he was average at best last year. Lets be realistic, unless injured Hart sees 85% of the meaningful carries.

4) Anybody that doubts Stanton is simply hating because of the jersey he wears. His numbers prior to the broken thumb NW game were unreal. Will he win the Heisman trophy? No. Not because of his team. His offense will be one of the best in the nation, just like last year. He won't win because of his defense.

5) I'm sick of MSU's O-line not getting any love. They've finished in the Top 2 in the Big Ten in rushing the last two seasons, yet they get no love in the post season awards and no love preseason. Ringer and the boys will be in the Top 3 in the big ten rushing again this year.

4) Penn St. is going to be very good again. Very good, but beatable. They won't light up the scoreboard.

5) Possible surprise? Minnesota

6) NW will crumble with the loss of their coach.

7) Drew Tate is really good in my opinion and I'm glad State doesn't play against him.

8) Wisconsin is going to suck. They sucked last year, teams like Michigan were just too stupid to plug a double spy on Calhoun. Off tackle Calhoun, Screen Calhoun, repeat UGH!

9) Since we are 99% MSU/UM fans. My surprises? Manningham will be 1st team All Big Ten. Nehemiah Warrick will be the first MSU defensive player in a long long time that every Big Ten team wishes they had.

10) J Scott is 40 receptions away from MSU's All Time Reception Leader and nobody knows him. Guys he's passing or passed: Plaxico Burress, Andre Rison, Gari Scott, Muhsin Muhammed, Charles Rogers, Derrick Mason, wow.

Predictions:
Let's stick with Tradition:
MSU surprises and then has a catostrophic mental collapse
Michigan breaks MSU's heart in the closing minutes
OSU beats Michigan, again.
Some team with not that cool of players (Wisc., Iowa, Minnesota, you fill in the blank) beats our teams and we're really pissed because we lost to a whack school with whack uni's and whack players
Lloyd Carr acts like a jackass and cries about losing a game he could have won with his eyes closed if he just used his talent
OSU, UM, and Penn St. are the best teams in the league as always

[SKelly]

I'm more excited about this football season then any other season before, because this is my first year of being a Spartan fan. Next year I'll be a freshman in East Lansing. Any advice from veteran Spartan fans on how to handle the many heartbreaks and dissapointments?