The recent penalties handed down to Penn State will have a huge impact on the upcoming Big Ten season.  Penn State was expected to be a competitive team before this disaster struck, and now it will most likely not be that way for quite a while.

A number of players are expected to transfer at no penalty, and a number of them could potentially stay in the Big Ten.  The real loser in this situation besides the victims of child abuse is the Big Ten Conference.

Wisconsin can punch their ticket to the Big Ten Championship game with Penn State and Ohio State both being ineligible for post season play.  Wisconsin only has to beat out Illinois, Indiana, and Purdue to lock themselves into the Championship game.

Those three teams were not expected to be very good anyway, which makes this season even that much more boring for the Big Ten on the Leaders Division side.  The Legends Division should be exciting, but that won’t make up for the lost cause on the other side.

However, with Ohio State and Penn State both under the microscope it could generate short term media attention to head their direction to see how they attempt to overcome the recent situations.  This could potentially be very beneficial to the Big Ten.

The winners in this situation are the other schools in the Big Ten.  They now have a chance to not only swoop in and take current players off the Penn State roster, but for the next four or five seasons they are going to have their chance to get their hands on a number of recruits that will now be looking elsewhere.

There won’t be any special recruiting tools needed to lure a player away from Penn State.  All a coach has to attack is the chance to play in a bowl game and the lack of exposure Penn State will get due to the decline in the quality of their football and the poor reputation that has now been established.

Time will tell how if the penalties will be worse than the death penalty for Penn State.  However, the immediate impact will gear more towards the Big Ten and how the other football programs will be able to take advantage of the punishments handed down to Penn State.

During the past few games, the Buckeye’s haven’t really seemed to be playing like usual. Many fans have expressed that they don’t think that the men on the team have been putting forth all of their effort. They have been saying that it’s seemed like they are only using a part of their potential. The scores of the past few games have been a reflection of this. Tonight’s home game against Illinois though changed things. The Buckeye’s were able to get a good head start in the beginning of the game and end up with a win at their second to last home game. Granted, Illinois isn’t a ranked team, but they are also not a bad team.

Fans of both teams after the game said that the Buckeye’s really seemed to give it their all during tonight’s game. Buckeye fans said that it was a nice change from how they’ve been playing lately. All of the Buckeye fans are hoping that the team wins all of their remaining games of the season and does well during March Madness. The next home game will be the final home game of the season and is expected to be a big game. The Buckeye’s will be taking on Wisconsin on Sunday and seeing as how both teams have been doing very well in the rankings this season, fans are hoping that the team gives it all they’ve got and ends up with a win.

As for any school and sport no one wants their team to lose. All fans are hoping that the Buckeyes win the game against Wisconsin on Sunday just as they did against Illinois this evening. Winning the last home game of the season gives hope to fans that Ohio State could do well in March Madness and keeps them looking forward to the team playing next season. Tonight’s game proved that even though Ohio State did lose this past Saturday that they are not interested in having a losing streak. The players know that the end of the season is approaching fast and there is no doubt from fans that the team will be giving in their all in these final games coming up.

Do unto others what you would have them done to you–the Golden Rule.  It has applied and held true since the beginning of time, and continues to be a part of every day life to this day.  Just ask former Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl.

Pearl was fired this week, amid an NCAA investigation that he lied and misled the NCAA.  Pearl admitted to lying to the NCAA and has been very up front with the media and fans that he was wrong and any punishment he incurs is due to his mistakes.

If you feel like Pearl got a bad wrap for this recent incident that ultimately cost him his job, think again.  While I have been (and will continue to be) critical of the NCAA and some of their rules and decisions, it could be argued that Pearl got a nice dose of karma over the last year.

To most basketball fans, Pearl is known for the charismatic coach that has a great relationship with the media and has embraced the success of legendary women’s coach Pat Summitt, even showing up at one game in body paint to cheer with the students for the Lady Vols.

A closer look at Pearl’s past, however, shows a completed different side of the former head coach.  Back in 1989, Pearl was an assistant coach at Iowa.  Pearl, known for being a great recruiter, was involved in the recruitment of blue chip recruit Deon Thomas, who was Mr. Basketball in the state of Illinois.

When Pearl lost the prized recruit to rival Illinois, without Thomas’ permission or knowledge, Pearl recorded a phone conversation with Thomas that bordered on entrapment.  In the conversation, Pearl coaxed the star recruit into allegedly admitting that he was offered a Chevy Blazer if he signed to play for the Illini. 

Pearl promptly submitted the recorded conversation, along with a memo to the NCAA.  Thomas would later tell investigators that he said the things he said to get Pearl off the phone with him, and after going as far as taking a polygraph, it was determined that Thomas was telling the truth, when he told investigators that he was not offered the vehicle.

Still, the damage was done.  When the NCAA investigates nearly any major athletic program, they’re going to find something.  I mean, let’s face it–any team that is competitive at the major revenue-producing sports of football and basketball is, at the very least, pushing the envelope and testing the grey areas of the NCAA rules.  Illinois was no different.  Although the investigation into Illinois found no violations with this particular issue with Thomas, it uncovered other minor violations, and a major violation in 1990.

Fast forward twenty years.  In case you haven’t been following Pearl’s struggle with the NCAA for the last several months, we will fill you in on why he was questioned by the NCAA in the first place.  Recruiting violations.  

Do unto others….well, you know the rest, right?

With Spring Football officially in the books and summer workouts right around the corner, College FootBlog is taking a conference by conference look at the upcoming 2010 football season.  In last week’s edition, we provided a breakdown and power ranking for each division of the ACC (see links for Atlantic and Coastal).

In this week’s two-part article, we take a look at the Big Ten, giving insight and analysis from last season, what we learned from the spring and what the outlook will be for this fall.  In Part I of the Big Ten breakdown, we rank the preseason #6-#11 teams, which will be immediately followed by our top five.

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald coaches with the same emotion with which he played (google images)

6:  Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald does more with little than any coach in the FBS.  His Wildcats will once again be counted out by most pollsters, but don’t be surprised if they exceed expectations again in 2010 (even in our poll).  NU loses seven wideouts from last year’s team and must also replace quarterback Mike Kafka.  Filling the role of trigger man for the NU offense will be Dan Persa, who had a solid spring and has more running ability than Kafka.  The defense should be decent, led by a couple of senior linebackers, Quentin Davie and Nate Williams.  Regardless of depth and overall talent, Coach Fitzgerald will have his team playing hard and smart, and that should be enough to get them to another bowl game this fall.

7.  Purdue: The Boilermakers should be an interesting team in 2010.  This year, former Miami Hurricanes’ quarterback Robert Marve is eligible and will get his opportunity to be the starter.  If they are going to keep this power ranking, they must improve on their defense against the run, which gave up more than 170 yards on the ground per game.  The Boilermakers proved to Ohio State last year that they can play well in West Lafayette, and with visits from Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana, Purdue will have a great opportunity to finish above those programs at season’s end.

8.  Michigan: Rich Rodriguez is going to be coaching for his job this fall.  After a 4-0 start last season, the Wolverines dropped seven of their last eight games, and the defense was…well…not good, ranking 82nd nationally in a conference that did was not known last season for having explosive offenses.  Tate Forcier is a very exciting player at QB, and Denard Robinson gives defenses a change of pace, but all the offense in the world will not be enough unless the defense improves dramatically this season.

9.  Indiana: Quarterback Ben Chappell returns for his senior season and despite throwing for nearly 3,000 yards last season, he must improve his TD/Int ratio, which was 17/15 last fall.  The Hoosiers travel to Ohio State and Wisconsin this year and play host to Iowa and Penn State.  Barring a huge upset, they will be 0-4 in those games, and it will be all they can do to escape the cellar of the conference.  IU ranked 88th in total defense last year, and unless something changes in a big way, they will have a similar defense this time around.  A bad defense and an offense that turns the ball over will make it difficult to stay above water in the Big Ten in 2010.

10:  Minnesota: After a solid 2008 season, quarterback Adam Weber took a step backwards last season, throwing more picks (15) than he did touchdowns (13).  The Gophers sported the Big Ten’s worst offense, and only managed 13 rushing touchdowns all season.  They now have their third offensive coordinator in three years, which makes it hard to believe things will change for the better in 2010.  Defensively, the entire front seven from last year’s middle-of-the-pack defense is gone.  Final verdict–things are not looking good for the 2010 campaign in Minneapolis.

11.  Illinois: The Ron Zook experiment will likely come to an end this season.  Zook has always been an elite recruiter, but he has once again proven that he cannot put a championship football team together, despite having enough talent to compete with anyone in his conference.  The departure of Arrelious Benn takes away the Illini’s only legitimate playmaker from last year’s team.

Look for our Top 5 Preseason Teams from the Big Ten tomorrow!

Even though it is only March, there is already some buzz around college football about head coaches at some prestigious programs who could be coaching for their jobs next fall.  College FootBlog takes a look at five coaches that will have a lot of eyes on them during the 2010 season.

Mark Richt needs to compete for an SEC title if he wants to keep the heat off in 2010 (google images)

5.  Mark Richt/Georgia

Unfortunately for Richt, the SEC, more than any other BCS conference, is a “what have you done for me lately?” league.  Despite a stellar record of 90-27, since taking over for the Bulldogs, to fans and boosters in Athens, Richt still has not been able to win the ‘big one,” and a repeat performance of last season’s 4-4 conference record could send him job hunting next January.  Of all the coaches on this list, Richt makes the least sense, but ask Ohio State’s John Cooper if a great overall record is enough to keep a job at a bigtime college football program.

4.  Steve Spurrier/South Carolina

“The Old Ball Coach” has made a very small splash since returning to the SEC five years ago.  Long gone are the days of his “fun ‘n gun” offenses he had when he led the Florida Gators to their first National Championship.  The Gamecocks expected big things from Spurrier, and although his overall record since taking the helm in Columbia, his SEC record is a very unimpressive 18-22 in his five-year tenure.  He could be one more .500 season away from a forced retirement.

3.  Dan Hawkins/Colorado 

Hawkins has faced criticism since his arrival at Boulder, and the rumblings from boosters and fans only intensified when he named his son, Cody as the starter at quarterback for the Buffs.  Many thought last season would be his last at CU after his team produced a dismal record of 3-9.  In Hawkins’ time there, he has managed a 16-33 record and a 10-22 record against Big 12 opponents.

2.  Ron Zook/Illinois

Like Hawkins, many were surprised that Zook still had a job this January.   Zook brought his excellent recruiting skills with him to Champaign, but other than his first third full season there, his Illini teams have never finished better than 8th in the Big Ten.  Take away his lone winning season in 2007, and Zook’s record is an absolute train wreck at 12-35.  A slow start in 2010, and Zook could easily be replaced during the season this fall.

In two seasons in Ann Arbor, Rodriguez has just eight total wins (google images)

1.  Rich Rodriguez/Michigan

After a good start in 2009 with a 4-0 record, including a thriller against rival Notre Dame, Rodriguez’ squad managed just one more win the rest of the season.  The Wolverines lost back to back games by 25 points versus Penn State and Illinois, and many folks in Ann Arbor were calling for his head before Thanksgiving.  Rodriguez has fallen victim to the same stubborn attitude that Bill Callahan brought to Nebraska. 

In Callahan’s case, he immediately instituted a West Coast offense with old school, smash-mouth option-style personnel.  Rodriguez, on the other hand, immediately forced his spread option offense on a group of athletes who had come to Michigan because of Lloyd Carr’s pro-style attack.  Callahan wore his welcome very quickly in Omaha.  Rodriguez could easily follow suit. 

Let the Les Miles rumors begin!