ESPN College Football

After a year's hiatus, the Rose Bowl is back to its traditional self: A Pac-12-Big Ten matchup.

And it looks like a good matchup of good teams with contrasting styles.

Sounds like a good time for a blog debate!

Ted Miller: Well, Brian, we’re back to a traditional Pac-12-Big Ten Granddaddy and it looks like a good one: Midwest power versus West Coast flash. I’m a little surprised that Oregon is favored against Montee Ball, Russell Wilson and that mammoth group of biscuit and gravy eaters you call an offensive line. Give me an idea of what the Ducks are up against with the Badgers' offense. Is it all power football, or is it more sophisticated than that?

Brian Bennett: You'd better believe the Badgers have the baddest bunch of big uglies in college football, with an offensive line that outweighs many NFL units. Add in a couple of good tight ends, a senior fullback and Wisconsin's dedication to the ground game and you can see why the program has been one of the best running teams in the country for several years now. But it's not just all brute. The thing that makes these linemen stand out is that they are nimble and can really move, and I think many defenses are shocked by that combination of strength and athleticism early in games. Wilson has also given this team an entirely new dimension with his ability to make plays on the move and his outstanding accuracy. Opponents have no choice but to respect the run when playing Wisconsin, and that makes this offense the most dangerous play-action team in America. You'll see receivers getting huge cushions in the passing game, and Ball can break tackles even when the box is loaded.

That's why the Badgers average 44.6 points per game, just a tick below Oregon's 46.2 average. My question for you is, can the Ducks' defense handle this kind of offensive power, especially in a 3-4 scheme?

Ted Miller: Oooooo. I’m telling Chip Kelly that you said the Ducks run a 3-4! He hates that. No idea why. Coordinator Nick Aliotti will tell you that the Ducks throw a lot of stunts and looks -- 3-4, 4-3, 2-5, etc -- and crazy stuff at you. They are fast, underrated and bigger than many think. Their top four defensive tackles, who are in a regular rotation, weigh 321, 300, 283 and 286 pounds.

Oregon has faced big, powerful teams before. Stanford and USC the past two years, in conference, and Auburn and LSU out of conference. Forgotten in the talk about how Auburn and LSU slowed down the Ducks' offense is how the Ducks' defense slowed down both sets of Tigers. Oregon outgained LSU 372-273 but was done in by four horrible turnovers. The Ducks held Auburn and Cam Newton to 22 points, its second-lowest total of the season.

Sure, Oregon’s defense ranks 59th in the nation in total yards while Wisconsin ranks eighth. But they yield similar numbers on yards per play: Oregon 4.93, Wisconsin 4.85. And the Ducks are slightly better on third down. Oregon’s defense’s biggest problem is its offense, which scores a lot of points despite ranking LAST in the nation in time of possession. The Badgers' defense, with an offense that ranks 22nd in time of possession, only faced 786 plays this year. Oregon faced 1,005. That skews numbers.

Wait. Did I get all stats-y there? Sorry. My answer to the size question is what Oregon will say leading up to the Rose Bowl. It’s nothing new for them. They play their game, run their stunts, use their speed and see what happens. Stanford, which has two first-round NFL draft choices on its O-line, would be the most natural comparison with the Badgers. And for two years in a row, no team has played good enough defense to beat the Cardinal and Andrew Luck other than Oregon.

While Badgers fans expect Whisky to run over the Ducks with size -- Big Ten thinking! -- Ducks fans believe they can exploit the Badgers' defense with speed and misdirection -- Pac-12 thinking! What about some Brian Bennett thinking: Do the Badgers have the speed on defense to keep up with the Ducks? Is Bret Bielema going to use past blueprints to thwart Kelly?

(Read full post)

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Realistically, Nebraska had to beat Michigan State to have any chance of making the Big Ten title game.

The Huskers didn't just beat the Spartans -- they beat them up. In by far their best defensive performance of the year, they raced out to a 21-point lead in the third quarter and held on for a 24-3 victory.

Now, Nebraska is tied with Michigan and Michigan State atop the Legends Division, and Iowa will join them in a four-way deadlock if it takes care of business against Minnesota tonight. It should be a fun November.

The Spartans were oddly listless on offense and sloppy on defense. Blame that brutal October schedule, which must have taken its toll. Or just blame it on having to play a re-energized Nebraska team in Lincoln, where it's awfully tough to beat.

Either way, the Big Ten race just took another turn.

Much more to come after postgame interviews, so stay tuned.

Big Ten blogger Brian Bennett looks at the weekend's four biggest storylines.

WolverineNation takes a closer look at the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry.

Chantel Jennings writes : Both teams, Wolverines and Spartans, ran wild in 2004, but in the end it was Michigan’s Braylon Edwards who stole the show in the fourth quarter and the third overtime.

Michael Rothstein writes: Four keys to the game include accounting for Spartans DT Jerel Worthy and using the short passing game.

Brian Bennett is in Columbus for the Spartans-Buckeyes game.

Michigan State and Ohio State both had bounce-back performances in Week 4 and returned to what they do best, says Adam Rittenberg.

I'm back to provide a few more Big Ten lunch links now that Adam is on his third (or is it his fourth?) week of vacation.

As I promised the last time, there will be no barbs directed the Big Ten's way and no cheap shots. That's not the way we roll in the SEC. One thing I would like to remind you of, though, is that everything in this correspondence should be treated as confidential and not shared with anyone. Glad we've got that cleared up.

Now, onto some links:

• Nebraska senior Austin Cassidy could end up staying at safety, but he's versatile enough to factor in at nickel, too.
• Wisconsin beats out several SEC teams, including Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee, to land a commitment from offensive lineman Dan Voltz of Barrington, Ill., for the 2012 class.
• Michigan's Denard Robinson will have to get used to taking snaps from under center in Al Borges' new West Coast-like offense.
• Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio says the two Spartans' players arrested last week following an incident at a Colorado bar have been disciplined internally.
• Ohio State coach Jim Tressel apologizes to the fans.
• A closer look at the Iowa defensive line heading into next season.
• Bob Flounders of The Patriot-News examines five hot-button items for Penn State heading into spring practice.

I come in peace.

Adam left me strict orders not to stir it up on his blog while he's out sailing around the world (only the Big Ten blogger could afford such a vacation), so I'm here solely to help while he's away. There are no hidden agendas. In other words, you're not going to hear me asking if the Big Ten is ever going to win another national championship or hear me dredging up Ohio State's record versus the SEC in bowl games.

Nope, I'm merely here to provide a few links, and here goes:

• A Lincoln, Neb., boy is an inspiration to his favorite athletes, including members of the Nebraska football team.
• A Q&A with future Minnesota speedster Marcus Jones, who will start out on offense for the Gophers.
• Ken Gordon of The Columbus Dispatch provides a few observations from Ohio State's workout Monday morning.
• Former Ohio State tight end/offensive lineman Andrew Miller decides to call it a career in football.
• Former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and former Michigan State players Lorenzo White and Gene Washington are on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.
• Penn State, with just about everybody returning in the secondary, is looking to settle a couple of starting spots.
• A recap of Purdue's spring practice: Day 3.
• Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald is eager to adjust the Wildcats' attitude.

Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3) vs. Michigan State Spartans (11-1)

Jan. 1, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Alabama take by SEC blogger Chris Low: National championships don’t come easily, and back-to-back national championships in college football are practically unheard of.

Alabama (9-3) fell short in its goal to repeat this season, which isn’t stunning given how rarely that’s happened in this sport. But seeing the Crimson Tide lose two of their last three SEC games was certainly different, especially when you consider that Nick Saban’s club had won 16 straight regular-season SEC games coming into this season.

Inconsistency plagued the Crimson Tide, who had trouble putting four quarters together. Never was that more apparent than in the final regular-season game when they built a 24-0 lead on No. 1 Auburn in the first half, only to unravel across the board and drop a bitter 28-27 decision at home.

This is still an extremely talented team with three guys who will probably go in the first round of the NFL draft next April. Nonetheless, the Crimson Tide’s inexperience in the secondary caught up with them this season. They will be even more inexperienced in the bowl game. Junior safety Mark Barron underwent surgery for a torn pectoral muscle after being injured in the Auburn game and won’t be able to play against Michigan State.

Senior quarterback Greg McElroy suffered a concussion against Auburn, but he should be fine for the bowl game. Probably the most surprising thing about this season for the Crimson Tide was that they weren’t able to run the ball better, although Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson battled injuries.

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Michigan State take by Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg: A BCS bowl appearance would have been huge for Michigan State, but a matchup against Alabama in the Capital One Bowl is the next best thing.

As expected, the Spartans were snubbed from the big bowls despite a BCS-worthy résumé: a team-record 11 wins, a co-Big Ten championship, a victory against Rose Bowl-bound Wisconsin. Instead, they get an opportunity to prove just how worthy they are against the defending national champions, who are led by a man who used to coach in East Lansing.

The Nick Saban-Michigan State connection certainly adds intrigue to arguably the nation’s best non-BCS bowl. Saban coached the Spartans from 1995-99, compiling a 34-24-1 record before bolting for LSU before the 2000 Citrus Bowl (now Capital One Bowl). Current Spartans coach Mark Dantonio served as Saban’s secondary coach in East Lansing.

The game pairs two of the nation’s smartest and classiest quarterbacks in Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins and Alabama’s Greg McElroy as well as two of the nation’s most accomplished defenders in Michigan State’s Greg Jones and Alabama’s Marcell Dareus. Jones and the Spartans’ run defense face arguably their biggest test of the season against reigning Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, a native of Flint, Mich., as well as dynamic sophomore Trent Richardson.

After setting so many milestones this fall, Michigan State aims for one more. The Spartans look for their first bowl win since 2001 and their first Jan. 1 bowl win since the Citrus in 2000.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Five lessons from the week that was in the Big Ten:

1. Iowa is foolproof in the clutch -- After a long stretch of heartbreaking losses from 2006-2008, Iowa has won its last five games decided by five points or fewer. The Hawkeyes have fallen behind in both of their Big Ten games and rallied behind tremendous special teams play, opportunistic defense and a resilient quarterback in Ricky Stanzi. Since upsetting Penn State last November, Iowa has displayed a team-wide confidence when things get close. The Hawkeyes might not be able to live on the edge much longer given their schedule, but they're a good bet when the score gets close late in games.

2. Ohio State's defense is the Big Ten's best unit -- Jim Heacock's defense once again has made the Buckeyes the team to beat in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes rank seventh nationally in points allowed and 11th in total defense, and they're forcing more turnovers than they have in past years. No Big Ten offense comes close from a talent and execution standpoint, and while Iowa's defense has been solid, Michigan exposed some weaknesses Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. Despite losing several national award winners, Ohio State's defense repeatedly makes big plays and rescues an offense that still hasn't found its rhythm. Sure, the Buckeyes allowed yards to Wisconsin, but they forced major mistakes and didn't wear down despite being on the field for 42:47.

3. Minnesota can run the football -- Tim Brewster wants to restore Minnesota as a rushing powerhouse, and the Gophers took a big step Saturday. Eight players combined for 207 rush yards and four touchdowns in Saturday's victory against Purdue. Redshirt freshman Kevin Whaley provided a spark off the bench, and quarterback Adam Weber got more involved in the run game with nine carries and a touchdown. Weber only attempted nine passes in the victory, two of which were intercepted. Wide receiver Eric Decker might be the Big Ten's best offensive player, but Minnesota knows it needs to run the ball to win Big Ten games.

4. Big Ten getting defensive -- It's very clear midway through the season that the Big Ten won't be an offensive league in 2009. While veteran quarterbacks have struggled a bit and one potential juggernaut (Illinois) has totally crumbled, the league's defenses are once again the story. Both Ohio State and Penn State boast top-20 units, and Iowa has at times been the league's most impressive defense. Minnesota's linebackers have sparked an improved defense, while both Michigan State and Northwestern are starting to see their veteran-laden units step up. Both Michigan and Wisconsin showed good things on defense despite losses, while the league's bottom three (Purdue, Indiana, Illinois) are all struggling to stop anybody.

5. Michigan not a finished product -- Credit the Wolverines for never giving up and always finding ways to hang around in games, but it's clear that head coach Rich Rodriguez is still very much in the building stage. Michigan is still too prone to defensive breakdowns, and its special-teams play, aside from all-world punter Zoltan Mesko, left much to be desired against Iowa. Despite Tate Forcier's late-game magic earlier this season, Rodriguez didn't go back to the freshman quarterback in crunch time after some earlier struggles. The talent is there and Michigan will continue to improve, but things aren't falling into place just yet.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

We're less than a week away from the first game involving a Big Ten team (Eastern Kentucky at Indiana), so let's take a look at five things to keep an eye on this fall.


1. Quarterback play: The position backslid after Troy Smith won the Heisman Trophy in 2006, and it's no coincidence that the Big Ten has struggled on the big stage during the same span. Fortunately, the top six rated passers from last season all return, and hopes are high for signal callers like Daryll Clark, Terrelle Pryor, Ricky Stanzi and Juice Williams. Quarterback shouldn't be a major weak point this fall, and if things turn around there, the Big Ten likely will end its BCS bowl losing streak.


2. Finding a third challenger: Right now, the Big Ten looks like a two-team league with defending champs Penn State and Ohio State battling for the title again. But football seasons have a funny way of not going as planned, and some other team likely will challenge the top two. It could be Illinois, which boasts the league's most dynamic offense, led by Williams and Arrelious Benn. It could be Iowa, Michigan State or Northwestern, three teams that won nine games a year ago and return a bunch of starters on defense. Maybe Michigan overcomes its youth and makes a run in Year 2 of the Rodriguez regime, or perhaps an experienced Minnesota team puts it all together despite some scheme changes.


3. Ohio State's quest to topple Troy: No team has symbolized Big Ten football this decade like Ohio State, and no team has done more damage to the Big Ten this decade than USC. The two squads meet Sept. 12 in Columbus for a game that will largely define how the Big Ten is seen nationally, at least until the bowl season. Big Ten teams have had no success against the Trojans out West, but Ohio State gets Pete Carroll's team on its home soil. There's no gray area for the Scarlet and Gray. A win puts Ohio State in position for a possible BCS title run. A loss reinforces the belief that the Buckeyes can't win big games anymore. This will be a defining game for Pryor one way or the other.


4. Michigan's youth movement: The common view states that Michigan will be better this fall after a season where little else could have possibly went wrong. But it's still tough to know what to make of the Wolverines, who could be starting a
true freshman at quarterback and several young players on defense. Rich Rodriguez has a history of producing much better results in Year 2, but he's still working with inexperience at the most important position. After losing back-to-back openers, Michigan needs a strong start and plays its first four games at home before the schedule gets substantially tougher.


5. Searching for respect in December and January: The Big Ten has taken heat for its recent bowl performance, especially in BCS games, but a chance to turn things around arrives this winter. Perhaps Ohio State returns to Pasadena for the first time since 1997 and ends the Big Ten's six-game slide in the Rose Bowl. Penn State likely will have to wait until January to earn national respect, but the Nittany Lions boast strong leadership and want to avenge their Rose Bowl loss to USC. The Big Ten should be deeper than it was a year ago, and if the bowl matchups fall right, the league could take a big step toward regaining national respect.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Sick of the preseason yet? Me, too.

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor is a known commodity at Ohio State, but who are the Buckeyes' unknowns? Buckeyes starting defensive end Cam Heyward is wearing a walking boot but shouldn't be out too long, Doug Lesmerises writes in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
A neck injury nearly ended Donsay Hardeman's career, but the Illinois safety is back and can't wait to hit somebody, Shannon Ryan writes in the Chicago Tribune. Illini senior quarterback Juice Williams wants to go out a winner, Herb Gould writes in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Defensive end Nickcaro Golding is among Purdue's top training camp performers, Mike Carmin writes in The (Lafayette) Journal and Courier.
Notes on Wisconsin's quarterback competition, injury updates and the coaching staff lighting up a few players during practice, courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Jeff Potrykus.
Minnesota freshman Ra'Shede Hageman could be a 60-minute man this fall, Marcus Fuller writes in the Pioneer Press.
Michigan needs everyone in the same boat to turn things around this fall, Bob Wojnowski writes in The Detroit News.
Freshman quarterback Edward Wright-Baker has moved up to the second-string offense, Chris Korman writes in The (Bloomington) Herald-Times.
The Lansing State Journal's Joe Rexrode breaks down the candidates still alive for starting spots at Michigan State.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State's quarterback competition remains virtually deadlocked, but the Spartans are seeing some separation in the race to replace All-American running back Javon Ringer.

The team has several veteran options at running back -- senior A.J. Jimmerson and sophomores Ashton Leggett and Andre Anderson all have played -- but the coaching staff expects youth to be served this fall. Heralded true freshmen Larry Caper and Edwin Baker have been as advertised so far in camp, and redshirt freshman Caulton Ray is continuing his progression after a strong finish to spring ball.

Last year, Ringer was the Spartans offense, accounting for nearly 41 percent of the team's production. A committee system is likely this fall, but the top group seems to be taking shape.

"There's some players that have stepped out a little bit," head coach Mark Dantonio said. "The freshmen running backs have done a nice job. Caulton Ray has done a nice job. Those three guys right now have separated themselves a little bit, but things can change pretty quickly."

Both true freshmen feel ready to contribute immediately, and running backs coach Dan Enos calls Ray arguably the team's most improved player. After being slotted behind Ringer and several others last fall, the 5-foot-9, 195-pound Ray came on strong during winter conditioning and impressed the coaches with his knowledge of the offense in spring ball.

Though the 220-pound Caper has a size edge over Ray and Baker, both of whom are closer to Ringer's frame, all three backs demonstrate their toughness in camp.

"We practice very hard and very physical," Enos said. "All of our backs have been given the ball a bunch in camp because it's been a priority for us to find out who the guys are going to be. Those three guys, in particular, they've hung onto the ball, they've ran hard and they've been put in some tough situations, where they needed to get a tough yard or two tough yards, and they've shown the ability to do that."

The three young backs all finished among the stat leaders from Friday's controlled scrimmage at Spartan Stadium. Caper led the way with 68 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while Ray (37 yards) and Baker (32 yards) also contributed.

Readiness is the big question surrounding all three players, but Enos likes what he sees.

"One of the reasons we [scrimmaged] in the stadium against our [first-team] defense, we wanted to see how they would respond," Enos said. "And they loved every minute of it. They were all itching to get back in the game when we took them out. They all ran really hard. We think they're going to be ready."

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg I'm spending the day at Michigan State and will be talking with Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio as well as assistants and players later on this afternoon. The day already got off to a great start as I spent some time with Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo, discussing his second favorite subject -- football. Check the blog throughout the day and follow me on Twitter for updates on the Spartans. 

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Sorry this is coming in a bit late, but Michigan State held its second controlled scrimmage Friday afternoon, running through 99 plays at Spartan Stadium. The scrimmage was closed to the media, but Michigan State released the statistical leaders from the session.

A few notes:

• True freshman Larry Caper led the running backs with 14 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown. Both Caper and classmate Edwin Baker (32 yards) were featured in this scrimmage, while Caulton Ray again finished among the leading ball carriers with 37 rush yards. Maybe Ray's stock continues to rise in the running back race.
  
• Head coach Mark Dantonio praised his quarterbacks and said the offense executed better than in Monday's scrimmage, though the numbers don't really bear it out. Quarterbacks Keith Nichol and Kirk Cousins combined to complete 13 of 27 pass attempts for 173 yards with a touchdown and an interception (both thrown by Cousins).
  
• Senior Blair White led the receivers with 66 yards on three catches, while true freshman tight end Dion Sims continued to contribute with the lone touchdown grab.
  
• Star linebacker Greg Jones led the defense with 10 tackles, including two for loss and a sack. Cornerback Chris L. Rucker picked off Cousins in the red zone. Dantonio also singled out defensive lineman Oren Wilson for his play.

"Both quarterbacks threw some strikes today," offensive coordinator Don Treadwell said. "In fact, Kirk and Keith each completed a throw with the defensive back draped all over the receiver. Those two guys know how to compete, and they continue to make our jobs tough in the evaluation process."

Defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi said the Spartans used several players in the scrimmage who hadn't played much before (i.e. freshmen).

"The tackling was a little bit better earlier in this scrimmage than the first one," Narduzzi said. "We saw some huge hits out there, and that's one of the things we like to see in our defense."