So after all that bellyaching about the Big Ten being weak, here we are with two teams in the BCS. Take that haters!

…or something….

Not that I am actually “proud” of this. Mostly because the Big Ten has only posted 1 freakin’ victory in the postseason and hasn’t really played all that great in between or been close to winning other games (other than Northwestern). So, do the Buckeyes have any chance? Read on, read on…

Looking at the Buckeyes schedule for 2008, they played 7 bowl teams, which in itself is something to not just scoff about…until it is seen that only 1 of those teams won in the postseason, which kind of HAD to happen since two were playing against each other (USC and Penn State). And the one that won that game–the mighty Trojans–shellacked OSU earlier in the year. Yeah, yeah, I know–that was without Terrelle Pryor manning the team and Beanie Wells wasn’t…well, just wasn’t. But to get smacked around 35-3 by anyone shows holes in your team–and coaching.

Which brings us to our next point; Mr. Jim Tressel, who has been kicked, spit on, chewed up, spit out, defecated on, and everything short of being called a good coach with the media and the anti-Big Ten football fans. He can’t win against good teams; his game plans are too predictable; he can’t compete outside of the Midwest. Well, that’s not so much the case as everyone would like to think, but there’s something to be said for the butt-whoopings he’s taken in the past 2 national championships to make you think–is Ohio State all that and a bag of chips?

Well, if you ask any Big 12 fan, they would actually answer you “No” after giggling hysterically for about 10 minutes. And again, it comes down to looking at the overall scheme throughout the country–the Big 12 and SEC are clearly the conferences that have withstood all comers, although the Pac 10 has made a good name of itself in the bowls. And while Pryor is a good QB with the “double threat” capabilities, there isn’t any player better in that aspect than the Texas QB Colt McCoy, who not only threw for 32 TDs and threw for almost 3500 yards, but ran wild with 576 yards and 10 TDS.

The Texas defense is good–allowing only 18 pts per game for the year in the score-happy Big 12. Ohio State gave up 13 per game which is a great stat, but we all know the scoring prowess for the Big 10 isn’t exactly staggering.

So, let’s just say it like it is…Texas is definitely the better team here, and with the odds sitting at the Longhorns being favored by 8 and a great majority of people betting this, it’s clear that I am not the only one with this sentiment. I hate to say it, but this brings to end a dismal showing overall for our fave conference, folks. And none too sooner. (Get it?)

The Big Tenet’s Prediction: Texas Longhorns 31 Ohio State 14

Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs had their sights set on a 2008 season finish in Florida. Problem is, they wanted to be in Miami–for the national championship. Well, that didn’t happen, and they didn’t even make the BCS. Michigan State, on the other hand, is basking in the glow of the best season in the 21st century. Ok, ok, I understand, the century is only eight seasons long, but it sounds good. So, we have a tale of two different teams–one that is disappointed to be there, another that is ecstatic. Will that make a difference in this game?

Possibly–but probably not.

Georgia has a monster defense and a legitimate star in Knoshown Moreno, and in the only three losses that Georgia has suffered, it’s been a reversal of these two powers–Moreno getting nowhere, and the defense getting run over. So, can Michigan State do the same thing? Well, when you consider that Michigan State boasts Javon Ringer, who is basically Mr. Everything to the Spartan offense, the Bulldogs will definitely have to key on him at all times. QB Brian Hoyer has the tools to move the ball down the field, but the offensive line for Michigan State may not be strong enough to hold back a very quick and talented front four from Georgia.

When you consider that Georgia’s losses came against extremely talented teams–Alabama, Florida, and Georgia Tech–and Michigan State lost to Cal, Ohio State, and Penn State, it’s not that these teams are really that far apart overall. But with the potential that Georgia has against any team–this game is just plain scary for Spartan fans. The Bulldogs are favored by 8 points, and I think they cover that easy.

The Big Tenet’s prediction: Georgia 31, Michigan State 17

You would think that Kirk Ferentz would be happy.  An Iowa program that was in disarray with legal issues, off the field problems, and an overall win-loss situation that was not exactly “great”, the Hawkeyes were able to rise above this and make the postseason to face the South Carolina Gamecocks. But he’s not just complacent about making a bowl–Ferentz wants to win. But he’s not underestimating the importance of “getting back”. “I think they appreciate their opportunities a little more. Certainly for us to be back and playing in a great bowl, that’s going to make it that much better for us, so we’re thrilled.”

But now the young Hawkeyes must face a feisty and always scary South Carolina team, who is lead by Steve Spurrier. Love him or hate him, you have to respect his game. So, what’s the story morning glory? Well, even though SC is in the tough SEC, the Gamecocks record of 7-5 isn’t all that impressive. The seven wins they got were against less competition, and the last two they lost to Florida and Clemson were blowouts.

The Gamecocks are pretty good on defense–ranked 11th in the FBS, and their offense is pretty typical of Spurrier teams–more pass, less run. Iowa is also a solid defensive team, but their offense is more rush oriented, riding freshman Shonn Greene to many big wins this year. However, with the ‘Cocks ability to really step up defensively against the pass-ranked 3rd in the country–it could spell a lot of issues with freshman Ricky Stanzi, who only took over the offense mid season. Can he stand up to such pressure in the postseason?

Iowa is a four point favorite, but with the Iowa defense facing an offensive legend like Spurrier and with the defense for SC being incredibly talented, I think it will be close, but unfortunately no cigar for Iowa.

The Big Tenet’s prediction: South Carolina 21  Iowa 15

Now that I have had some time to digest even more of the holiday food that I threw down my gullet, I can concentrate yet again on Big Ten basketball for the second half of the grades for these prestigious (cough) universities…

Minnesota Golden Gophers: A-

Big Tenet, how in the world can you give an undefeated team an A-? Are you just soulless? Well, yes, but that has nothing to do with this.  Minnesota is certainly a good team, but are they worthy of their ranking right now? Maybe so–or maybe not. Their biggest win came against Louisville in a game where the Cardinals were extremely road-weary, and the only other victory worth noting was Virginia. Even against much less opponents, Minnesota didn’t exactly dispatch of them easily (Georgia St by 8, Colorado St by 1, SE Louisiana by 9). With opening games against Michigan State and Ohio State, we will soon see just how good this Gopher team is.

Northwestern Wildcats: C+

Man, I am tough today! The Wildcats are 8-2, but come on, I mean–who have they really beaten of significance? Florida State? Maybe. But losses against teams like Butler and Stanford as the only teams that really had anything to show should really put out there that the Northwestern ballers aren’t exactly grade A material. Kevin Coble has been solid and as a team the Wildcats have a good shooting percentage, but that is much in due part to being able to get easy shots on their slow-down offense. At the free throw line, they are struggling, and if they do not improve, the Big Ten season will be long for them.

Ohio State Buckeyes: A-

This would have been a definite A or even A+ if it weren’t for the drubbing that the Buckeyes took for their first loss of the season against West Virginia, which was more of an embarrassment than anything. Still, at 9-1 and ranked, Thad Matta has to be pretty happy with the results of his young team. Evan Turner has turned into All-Big Ten potential, B.J Mullens is showing his prowess slowly but surely, and Jon Diebler has been solid overall. However, with David Lighty out 4-10 weeks and prized recruit Anthony Crater announcing he’s leaving the Buckeyes, it could very well be a long Big Ten season for them as well.

Penn State Nittany Lions: B+

11-2 is nothing to scoff at, and the frustratingly inconsistent Nittany Lion basketball program is basking in the success thus far. While the team has only played 2 games on the road–winning both–while losing home games to Temple and Rhode Island, this isn’t a dominant team, but it’s not a terrible one either. I feel much better about them being 11-2 than I do the Buckeyes at 9-1. Talor Battle is continuing to light it up from the outside and Jamelle Cornley is showing the leadership that PSU has been seeking. Don’t be surprised to see this team possibly in the Big Ten’s upper crust by season’s end.

Purdue Boilermakers: B+

They are ranked #9 and you are giving them a B+? Yep. While the Purdue faithful continue to be excited about the long-term prospects of this team, I am giving this rating based on the fact that they have set the bar so high that it’s not quite where it needs to be–yet.  Losses to Oklahoma and Duke were devastating, but a huge win against Davidson showed the nation again that this team is indeed for real. If there’s a team that will benefit down the stretch for the level of preseason competition–it will be Purdue.

Wisconsin Badgers: C

At 9-3, it’s not a terrible year thus far, but the Badgers have been less than impressive overall. They’ve lost every game thus far against ranked opponents, including a home loss to Texas when they could have won the game but didn’t execute down the stretch. Sure, the statistics thus far mirror last year’s stunning 31-5 team, but there are certainly chinks in the armor that Bo Ryan must fix with a much-improved conference this year. The Badgers open against Michigan in Ann Arbor, a key indicator as to where this team “truly” is, and guess what–Michigan is ranked. Yipes. Either way, this team definitely has potential, and now is the time to kick it in gear.

Now that many teams are ready to rock into the Big Ten conference season, the Big Tenet has some grades to give out for each program. And awayyyyyyyy we go!!!

Illinois Fighting Illini: A

The Illini won their 12th game of the year in 2007-08 in March.  This year, they posted a dozen wins on Dec 28th. Nice turnaround. Considering the team was coming off a 16-19 year, lost Jamar Smith (again), many fans–including myself–left them for dead. At 12-1, they are certainly one of the most surprising teams in the Big Ten, let alone the country. If they get off a shot in the last 10 seconds against Clemson, this team could very well be 13-0. Still, Bruce Weber has to be ecstatic, and much hyped transfer Alex Legion hasn’t really even done much yet. When he does, look out.

Indiana Hoosiers: D+

While no one expected the Hoosiers to be doing much at all at this point, the fact that they have lost the last two games at home to powerhouses Northeastern and Lipscomb show how far the Hoosier team has fallen. They are young, inexperienced, and seem to have the will but Tom Crean just can’t get them going. Their penchant for turning the ball over has to have him in a state of frustration; while it was expected that Indiana would struggle immensely in the conference, I think many thought they would at least be over .500 at the break. Not so.

Iowa Hawkeyes: B-

The Big Tenet was a bit “giving” on this grade, as when you look at Iowa’s schedule, they have no big wins on the resume and have lost to pretty much every team that was supposed to be better than them. The Hawks have certainly showed their ability to score from the arc (9 per game and 40% from the three point line), but inside they have been getting beat in a lot of statistics, and it’s no surprise–Iowa has no player over 6-8, but the scary thing is that they were getting outrebounded by smaller teams. In the rough and tumble Big Ten, Todd Lickliter has got to get these guys crashing with reckless abandon, because eventually those threes will run out.

Michigan Wolverines: A-

John Beilein certainly didn’t think that the Michigan program would be as far along as it is now, but after wins against UCLA and Duke in the preseason, the Wolverines are certainly on the map. With Manny Harris showing his ability to be amongst the league’s and nation’s elite, and DeShawn Sims stepping up in big ways, the Wolverines at 9-2 are playing great basketball. Problem is–they’ve only played 3 games away from home. Plus, they haven’t really played any lock down teams defensively other than UCLA, and they start the season against defensive heavies Wisconsin and Illinois, which will really show the world how far along they have come. But don’t fret quite yet-this team could end up as the surprise team when all is said and done.

Michigan State Spartans: B

Tom Izzo’s crew is 9-2, and that’s not a huge surprise or letdown. The team owns victories over Oklahoma State, Texas (on the road) and losses against North Carolina and Maryland. The biggest X factor has been the return of Goran Suton, who provided the biggest boost in the win over Texas, and his presence inside will give much relief to the Spartan outside shooters. As MSU heads into Big Ten play at Minnesota, this will really set the tone for the year–a win would be huge, a close loss still would leave the Spartans intact, but a blowout loss could be devastating. Delvin Roe has been a pleasant surprise, and Chris Allen has been an inconsistent frustration. The Spartans sit at the #11 ranking in the country, but I don’t know if I am exactly sold on that at this point of the season.

Illinois had gotten no love. Even though they were 10-1 and were 25th in the RPI poll, the votes in both the AP and USA Today rankings didn’t even make it like the Illini had any business thinking they were good. So when they faced Missouri–ranked 25th–in the annual Braggin’ Rights game in St. Louis and were 4 point underdogs, the Illini must have taken it personal–because they came out with perhaps the most intensity and chemistry for–well at least 2 years.

Demetri McCamey, the super sophomore for the Illini, scored 20 points and lead the charge in the first half as the Illini built a huge lead before half and they cruised in the second half in the 75-59 victory for the Fighting Illini. McCamey finished 20 on 4-6 three point shooting, but he wasn’t the only star–Trent Meachem lead the team in scoring with 23, Mike Davis had 12, and Mike Tisdale had 12 for the Illini.

The win was the ninth in a row for the Illini, who hold a 20-8 edge in the series. While the Tigers went most of the game without their stud Demare Carroll due to an injury in the first half, but it really wouldn’t have made much of a difference–the Tigers were frustrated all night shooting, as they shot a paltry 35% for the night.

Think the voters may put a couple more ballots with the Illini’s name on them next week? Yeah, me too.

Purdue, which is currently #10 AP and #15 ESPN/USA Today, didn’t have a tough match up in facing Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne, but with 2 of the Boilermakers’ players having an off night, Matt Painter decided to utilize the heighth differential against the undermanned IPFW Mastodons and banged the ball to JaJuan Johnson as Purdue pulled away for a 70-55 win.

Johnson scored 21 on 10 of 14 shooting, and Purdue celebrated their 10th victory of the season in style. It was also Purdue’s 5th win in a row after losing to Duke in the Big Ten-ACC challenge.  While Robbie Hummel struggled with only 6 points and Keaton Grant had 3, it was Marcus Green who actually provided the biggest lift off the bench, scoring 12 points, nine rebounds and three steals, with no turnovers, in just 19 minutes.

Purdue faces Valparaiso next before opening the Big Ten season against Illinois.

Mark Dantonio has been known for having good programs in terms of personnel not getting into too much trouble. So when 2 of his football players officially were charged for an apparent attack on another student athlete, A.J. Sturges, it was kind of a surprise–but evidently the beating was so bad that the hockey player had to spend the night in the hospital with a head injury.

According to documents from district court in East Lansing, freshman running back Glenn Winston will be charged with three counts of misdemeanor aggravated assault, and walk-on freshman defensive back Mitchell White will be charged with misdemeanor assault and battery.

Both did not get hardly any playing time last year, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see these two booted off the team very quickly.

The meeting between the ex-Wildcat coaches. That’s what the billing basically was–Rick Pitino and his 9th ranked Louisville Cardinals, and Tubby Smith’s Minnesota Golden Gophers. But make no bones about it–this is no longer about the fact that the two great future hall of fame coaches were coaches at Kentucky–it’s about the here and the now. And the NOW is that Minnesota’s basketball program, once mired in the scandal of grade manipulation and other improprieties under Clem Haskins and little success under Dan Monson, has now made its mark on the national scene, toasting the road-weary Cardinals in a 7-064 win in Glendale, AZ.

Minnesota is now 10-0 and is the only unbeaten team besides Ohio State in the Big Ten. Riding a deep bench and gaining 15 points from reserve Blake Hoffarber, the Gophers tenaciously defended the Cardinals and by the second half, it was evident that there wasn’t much pep in the Louisville players’ steps. Al Nolen lead Minnesota in scoring overall with 18, 13 from the charity stripe.

No one truly doubted Smith’s ability to make this team and program good, but like what his colleague did for the football team this year–Tim Brewster–Minnesota has surpassed expectations thus far and should be in the top 25 after this win. The Gophers will face Southeastern Louisiana and then High Point before getting another huge test in opening Big Ten play against Michigan State. With the momentum the Golden Gophers have, there’s no better time to be playing the bully Spartans.

Congrats to Minnesota on this huge win!

Michigan State would have to admit that the preseason hadn’t exactly been kind to them in terms of games versus quality opponents.  Despite beating a decent Oklahoma State team, in facing Maryland and North Carolina, the Spartans had been embarrassed, and coming into the game versus Texas today, they had fallen from preseason #7 to #19.  Going against the fifth ranked team on a neutral court–even though it was in Houston, TEXAS, Tom Izzo’s crew certainly had their work cut out for them.

However, the Spartans came out feisty and fired up, ferociously attacking a talented Longhorn team that boasted both great athleticism and size, and found themselves only down 2 at the break. Texas lulled the Spartans in the second half, leading by as many as six late, but Michigan State showed tremendous heart, and with a three pointer with 20 second left by Durrell Summers, the Spartans walked out of the match up victors. Whew!

In a game where MSU’s star Raymar Morgan struggled offensively, Summers provided a huge game, scoring 14 points, and big man Goran Suton held his own against Texas’ treetrunks in scoring 18 on 7-8 shooting. The Spartans also pressured the Longhorns into 38% shooting while they remained steady from the field–hitting 51% despite going 3-10 from the arc.

Congrats to the Spartans on a huge win!!