Big Ten Power Poll Week 5
by Sam @ WWAHT on Oct 6, 2009 10:01 AM EDT
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Print1. Iowa
2. Ohio State
3. Wisconsin
4. Penn State
5. Michigan
6. Michigan State
7. Minnesota
8. Northwestern
9. Indiana
10. Purdue
11. Illinois
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Yes, I am, in fact, aware that Michigan State topped Michigan in a battle that had me pulling my hair out, questioning whether Mark Dantonio really had lifted the Sparty curse with his disciplined, Tress-like manner of coaching and playcalling. For the record, I don't think he has, and I think Sparty will be fortunate to finish with more than 6 wins - even in this Big Ten - but 2-0 against RichRod is a very pretty thing to have on one's resumé should the natives get restless.
- Wisconsin really is 5-0, and it isn't a mirage; they're number two in the conference in total offense, 7th in total D, and +5, best in the conference, in turnover margin. They haven't played any teams I'd rate above "good", but they've won all their games, and they'll be playing for their season Saturday.
- Penn State's rushing game is finally clicking, which means everyone remaining on their schedule - including Ohio State - needs to watch. the freak. out. The defense has statistically been Ohio State's twin, and Darryl Clark can't really be worse than last year, can he?
- If you're still hung up about MSU/Michigan, which team do you - and be honest here - think will finish with a better record in '09?
- I have a feeling 9-11 will remain unchanged from here on out, and that Indiana and Illinois will both be looking for new coaches at the end of the season. Watch these hires closely, especially Illinois, because it will be a great way to gauge whether or not at least one mid-tier Big Ten team is actually interested in improving. If they hire a bright, young, innovative mind from one of the "name" programs around the country, they actually want to get better. If they hire another Zook-style retread that just won't excite the fanbase at all, expect more of the same, for both the program and the league. Next year could be huge in terms of hirings and firings, as really, only 3 or 4 coaches are genuinely safe - Tressel, Paterno, and (barring a meltdown), Rodriguez, maybe Fitzgerald - and everyone else will probably be fighting for their job. I'm not sure how much longer Big 10 fans at large will be willing to settle for below-average football at all but a few schools.
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Ferentz?
I think we can safely count him in the “safe” camp- Barring a meltdown, of course. I completely agree about the next coach for the Illini being a barometer for the conference as a whole. If they pursue Brian Kelly, Kevin Sumlin or one of their ilk, the Conference could seriously be heading in a VERY competitive direction.
Yeah, Ferentz too. My mistake.
Nevertheless, the point stands: the conference is due for an overhaul soon, and we’ll get a good idea of whether or not conference ADs are actually interested in getting better based on who they hire. Taking off the scarlet-tinted glasses, I think the RichRod hire was a good move not only for Michigan, but for the conference as a whole. At the very least, it signals an intent to move into the 21st century, and teams like Illinois and Minnesota are going to have to work very hard to play catch-up in a conference that houses two of the best coaches in the country at the two premiere programs.
I’m personally hoping for someone like Kevin Sumlin, Brian Kelly, if only because they’d be a change of pace, and they might shock the rest of the conference out of this continuing stagnancy.
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MSU-UM
I suspect the only real difference between Sparty and those carrion-eating mustilids will be a couple of bad play calls by Charlie Weis.
Their loss to MSU is the start of a 4 game Big Ten losing streak that will be abated only by their scheduling of Delaware. Their only Big Ten wins in 2009 will come by way of the Indiana schools. Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, and tOSU will all beat them by double digits.
If Roddy survives that, he will do much better next year; but, the whole myth that Michigan was back this year goes back to my first assertion, it was based on some clutch play calling mistakes by Coach Weis.
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