Michigan State is Peaking at the Right Time

0 comments by Phil Harrison on 11/28/2015

It took a while, but the Michigan State Spartans are beginning to round into form. Isn’t this what champions do? They win first and foremost, but as the season goes on, things begin to click until the chances for really big things ramble up to the doorstep. That seems to be what’s happening in East […]

After routing Michigan, is Ohio State playoff-worthy?

0 comments by Phil Harrison

Things just got really interesting in the race for the next College Football Playoff. Left for dead last week after getting blitzed in a driving and windy rainstorm by Michigan State, Ohio State met a very uncertain situation against Michigan. The Game was thought to be an equivalent of a World Cup soccer consolation game. However, on […]

IOWA CITY, IA – OCTOBER 10: Defensive lineman Nathan Bazata #99 of the Iowa Hawkeyes puts pressure on quarterback Wes Lunt #12 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first half of play at Kinnick Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images).

Illinois announces 2-year deal for Bill Cubit as permanent head coach

0 comments by Phil Harrison

One coaching search has ended in the Big Ten, and it’s in Champaign, Illinois. The athletic department released the following today: * The University of Illinois announced today Bill Cubit and the school have agreed to a two-year agreement making Cubit the Head Football Coach, pending approval by the U of I Board of Trustees. […]

Big Ten Steak and Eggs – Week 13

0 comments by Phil Harrison

It’s the last week of the Big Ten season, and the stakes couldn’t be higher in Columbus, Ann Arbor and East Lansing, but there are also other storylines to keep your nose into. Each week as the season winds down, Phil Harrison takes a look at some thoughts and key things to watch as you […]

MADISON, WI – OCTOBER 03: Head Coach Kirk Ferentz of the Iowa Hawkeyes stands on the sidelines during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on October 03, 2015 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)

It’s time to give the Iowa Hawkeyes due respect

0 comments by Phil Harrison on 11/27/2015

I’ll admit it. I’m done. I’m done discounting this Iowa team. Week after week, I keep looking for it to stumble and prove me right, showing that a team without the type of athlete that passes the eye test can’t continue to do what it does week, after week, after week. Yet, it never happened. […]

Big Ten Football: What Every Team is Thankful for… and Not

0 comments by Phil Harrison on 11/26/2015

It’s Thanksgiving, which means there’s plenty to be reflect on. It’s no different in Big Ten football, but the things each program is grateful for change by location. So dive into the turkey and pumpkin pie, unloosen your belt, and kick back and enjoy this wonderful holiday by looking at what each team in the Big […]

EAST LANSING, MI – OCTOBER 25: Montae Nicholson #9 and Byron Bullough #38 of the Michigan State Spartans makes the stop of Dennis Norfleet #23 of the Michigan Wolverines during the fourth quarter of the game at Spartan Stadium on October 25 , 2014 in East Lansing, Michigan. The Spartans defeated the Wolverine 35-11. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

The B1G Uglies – Which Division Leader Might Stumble?

0 comments by TSS staff on 11/25/2015

Three writers that can’t quite agree on anything are ready to sling mud at one another once again in a three part weekly roundtable after a way too long hiatus.. It’s time for Phil Harrison, Bart Doan, and Terry Johnson to solve the world’s problems one first down at a time in the heartland. It’s […]

COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 21: Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs into Damon Knox #93 of the Michigan State Spartans and Riley Bullough #30 of the Michigan State Spartans at the line of scrimmage in the second quarter at Ohio Stadium on November 21, 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

The B1G Uglies – Hot Potato Topics in Big Ten Football

0 comments by TSS Staff on 11/24/2015

Three writers that can’t quite agree on anything are ready to sling mud at one another once again in a three part weekly roundtable after a way too long hiatus. The topic? Ohio State. It’s time for Phil Harrison, Bart Doan, and Terry Johnson to solve the world’s problems one first down at a time […]

If the conferences are given autonomy in their ability to stage championship games, we could see the end of split-division conferences. We could also see conferences decide to make the conference title game a flex-game entity in which the conference champion might not play in it. For instance, the Big Ten could have chosen this year (under a liberalized structure) to anoint Ohio State as its champion. The conference title game slot this Saturday could have beloned to Michigan State and Wisconsin, the second- and third-place teams. Ohio State would love the ability to rest and heal for the bowls. Michigan State and Wisconsin could gain a quality win. Shouldn’t conferences have the freedom to be able to do this? They might… if legislation makes its way through an NCAA board in April.

Ohio State vs Michigan: Everything You Need to Know About “The Game”

0 comments by Phil Harrison on 11/23/2015

Ohio State. Michigan. You can’t think of one program without having visions of the other flash across your memory of tapestry. The Yankees are more of a cultural icon because of the Red Sox, Ali is a legend largely because of Frazier, and Duke and North Carolina have a mystique linked together with emotion and […]

Was the Ohio State Quarterback Situation a Curse?

0 comments by Phil Harrison on 11/22/2015

You know the saying; “If you have two quarterbacks, you actually have none.” That trend was supposed to be bucked with Ohio State this season, and there was good reason to believe so. Except in Ohio State’s case, rather than two, the Buckeyes had a trio of signal-callers, all with proven track records. Back was […]

EVANSTON, IL – OCTOBER 17: C.J. Beathard #16 of the Iowa Hawkeyes evades the tacke of Max Chapman #1 of the Northwestern Wildcats during the second quarter at Ryan Field on October 17, 2015 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)

Iowa Clinches the West, but Bigger Prizes Await

0 comments by Phil Harrison on 11/21/2015

This Iowa story just keeps going. Head coach Kirk Ferentz was squarely on the hot seat coming into this season, but no longer. An afterthought coming into 2015, all the Hawkeyes have done is win with defense, balance, and solid leadership under center. Game, by game, by game. As for that hot seat? It has […]

Big Ten Steak and Eggs – Thoughts for Week 12

0 comments by Phil Harrison

You know what they say; breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If that’s true, then maybe getting your Big Ten football fix first thing Saturday morning will get your metabolism going to grind through all the college football action in the heartland. So pull up a chair, grab a fork and let’s […]

Urban Meyer, a superstar head coach and a national figure in college football, spoke at Big Ten Media Days on Monday in Chicago. Big Ten Network did not provide live coverage of his session with the media. ESPN deserves plenty of criticism for how it elevates the SEC and undercuts the levels of exposure it gives to conferences such as the ACC and Big 12. However, when BTN can’t provide live coverage of Meyer, Mark Dantonio, and the coaches of its other big-name programs, the collection of factors that feed into conference bias becomes a lot more complicated. It’s not just about ESPN loving the SEC too much; it’s about BTN and Pac-12 Networks being markedly inadequate when covering their own conferences. Conference bias is, in other words, a two-way street and a multi-source problem. ESPN’s competitors have to do a better job.

5 Reasons Ohio State Will Beat Michigan State

0 comments by Phil Harrison on 11/19/2015

Whoever said patience is a virtue apparently wasn’t a college football junkie, or a sports fan in general. Finally, mercifully, the big one is almost here. We’ve been looking forward to the Ohio State-Michigan State game since the kickoff of the college football season, and although it’s lost a little of its mojo because of […]

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