ESPN.com video: Nebraska to The Big Ten on Friday?

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports ~ article on expansion and The Big 12

I found this article the other day and believe it summarizes how the possible dissolution of the Big 12 can (could?) be avoided if the Big 12 had supported a Plus One two years ago...

Buckeyes get pledge from coveted QB

ESPN's analysis on Ohio State landing Braxton Miller. Enjoy…

Two years after winning the Terrelle Pryor sweepstakes, Ohio State has landed another big-time recruit at the most important position on the field. The Buckeyes on Thursday were able to keep Braxton Miller at home, as the heralded quarterback recruit from Huber Heights, Ohio, picked Ohio State over several major programs, including Florida. Miller will be billed as the projected successor to Pryor, who could turn pro after the 2010 season or play two more years in Columbus. Colleague Craig Haubert writes that while Pryor came to Ohio State with unparalleled hype and unique skills, Miller might be a more significant addition, especially because of what he can do in the passing game. You might have to go back to the Class of 2002 when the Buckeyes signed Troy Smith to find the last time the Buckeyes landed a QB whose production at the position matched the hype. Miller, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, isn't the biggest player, but has a big arm and does a good job of going through his progressions and can make all the throws. He shows good velocity on deeper throws, can fit the ball in tight spots and knows when to take something off it to throw catchable touch passes underneath. Miller will have to beat out Joe Bauserman and Kenny Guiton to succeed Pryor, which is never a guarantee. But he certainly has the all-around skills to be very good at the college level. After signing a middling recruiting class in February, Ohio State is well on its way to compiling the Big Ten's top class for 2011. The Buckeyes already have a league-high 12 commitments, including three ESPNU 150 prospects.

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Big Ten will be watching Big 12, Pac-10

Sounds like it will be the Pac-10 poaching the Big 12 (click on the link below where they reference  the Rivals.com report).  If that happens, the first shot across the bow has been fired towards the creation of superconferences…

 

Feed: ESPN.com - Big Ten Blog
Posted on: Friday, June 04, 2010 9:00 AM
Author: Adam Rittenberg
Subject: Big Ten will be watching Big 12, Pac-10

 

The Big Ten has been viewed as the catalyst for expansion in college sports since Dec. 15, when the league issued a statement that put expansion on the front burner. For the past five months and change, everyone has reacted to Jim Delany and his league. But Thursday, the spotlight shifted to two other conferences, the Big 12 and the Pac-10. A Rivals.com report that stated the Pac-10 would extend invitations to six Big 12 teams, including Texas and Oklahoma, turned the college sports world on its head. Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe and Texas president Bill Powers canceled a news conference Thursday at the league's spring meetings, and Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione indicated that the unity Beebe wanted to achieve among the institutions this week has not yet been reached. It's really hard to believe the Big 12 is one big happy family right now. Colleague David Ubben writes: A unified front and clear consensus would have made answering questions a reasonably simple exercise for two men with backgrounds in law. But that front never materialized on Thursday, leading to the postponement of Powers' and Beebe's comments until late Friday morning.  And the reports about the Pac-10's shockingly proactive move -- which sounds far closer to a possibility than a probability -- obviously contributed to that delay. The Pac-10 tried to put the brakes on things, saying no offers have been extended, and while I highly doubt anything is imminent, Colorado AD Mike Bohn said the report has some legs. Needless to say, today could be critical for the Big 12, which wraps up its meetings in Kansas City. What does this all mean for the Big Ten? Is Delany going to get upstaged by a rookie commissioner in Larry Scott? I'd reiterate that nothing is definite, and the six-team expansion sounds a lot like a best-case situation for the Pac-10. Not saying it can't happen, but much like the Big Ten's expansion study, this will take more time. Still, Delany and the Big Ten brass can't turn a blind eye to what's happening in Kansas City or what will happen at the Pac-10 meetings, beginning this weekend in San Francisco. The Big Ten presidents and chancellors meet Sunday at league headquarters -- I'll be there -- and you can bet they'll be talking about what has taken place. Losing Texas to another league would disappoint Big Ten fans, but for Texas, it might make sense. The Big Ten already has its own TV network. It already has established powerhouse programs. The Pac-10's pitch to Texas could be, "Let's build something new together," and Texas could get some of the special concessions from the Pac-10 that I'm told it won't get from the Big Ten. Aside from Texas, the other schools mentioned in the report aren't Big Ten targets. I'm told the league is more interested in Big 12 North members, specifically Nebraska and Missouri. The expansion process is nowhere near an end, and things are heating up.

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Kirk Herbstreit interview from Bucknuts.com

One of my usual routines is to download various football-related podcasts from iTunes. One of those is usually from Bucknuts.com.

Kirk Herbstreit recently visited with the staff of Bucknuts.com for an interview discussing his thoughts on the upcoming Ohio State season, possible Big Ten expansion, and his supposed lack of objectivity when it comes to Ohio State when he is on the air for ESPN.

I really enjoyed it, and figured others might want to listen to the interview by clicking on the link below.

Front Row Radio Instant Classic: Herbstreit Unplugged Football Article

Tyler Moeller’s Attacker Pleads Guilty | Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Recruiting, OSU Big Ten Football, OSU Basketball – Bucknuts.com

Article below discusses Tyler Moeller's attacker from last year...


Tyler Moeller’s Attacker Pleads Guilty Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Recruiting, OSU Big Ten Football, OSU Basketball – Bucknuts.com

Maisel on Rust Belt recruiting struggles

Good article by Ivan Maisel of espn.com regarding the population shift from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt, and its inevitable effects on Big Ten recruiting.

Feed: ESPN.com - Big Ten Blog
Posted on: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 3:31 PM
Author: Adam Rittenberg
Subject: Maisel on Rust Belt recruiting struggles

Jim Delany's remarks last week about the population shift to the Sun Belt drew plenty of national attention, as media types and others wondered whether the Big Ten would start looking South for expansion candidates. While Delany might have been a bit misunderstood -- the Big Ten is more likely to solidify itself in the Midwest or the East Coast than become the SEC Lite -- his general point is a very important one. The Big Ten can't ignore national demographics or the economic situation, and it must be proactive to preserve and enhance its brand. Colleague Ivan Maisel takes an in-depth look at the declining population in the Rust Belt -- namely Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan -- and its effect on recruiting and even the development of football coaches. There's a lot of revealing stuff in there for Big Ten fans, so give it a read. A couple of things stood out to me: The accuracy of recruiting rankings is always fodder for discussion. But you don't need a statistician to interpret the shift in the numbers. From 2007 to 2010, an entire four-year cycle of recruits, Pennsylvania had a total of 21 players ranked in the ESPNU 150. Ohio had 16 and Michigan 14. Over that four-year period, those three states had fewer than Florida and Texas had this year alone. In western Pennsylvania, the home of great quarterbacks from Joe Namath to Joe Montana to Dan Marino, population is decreasing. "In the old days, they used to talk about if you could get 11 players from Johnstown to Youngstown, you'd be in pretty good shape," said Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who has been recruiting western Pennsylvania for decades. "It's just not that way. … In western Pa., you're not going to get the same amount of players that you used to." "This place," Ohio State offensive coordinator Jim Bollman said, referring to the iconic program where he has coached since 2001, "will change less than other places." The Buckeyes will continue to sign the best players in a football-crazed state. But, Bollman added, "Youngstown has two high schools now. Cleveland has fewer high schools. Akron has fewer high schools. Are there players? Yeah. Are there as many overall? I don't know how there can be." Chuck Kyle, the longtime coach at Cleveland St. Ignatius, said he is seeing the consolidation of local Catholic Youth Organization teams even as the high school numbers increase. Other coaches are seeing parents balk at so-called "pay to play" fees across the state. If the taxpayers can't afford it, the price of football has to be paid by someone. This is the reason why Big Ten teams must continue to look to the South, Southeast and West for players. Some teams have established mini pipelines, which is a good start. I still don't think the Big Ten should feel obliged to add Southern schools. Besides Texas, there isn't a realistic home-run addition below the Mason-Dixon, and while Georgia Tech makes sense on some levels, it wouldn't make a huge splash nationally. But for the Big Ten to ignore what's happening among the nation's population would be a major mistake.

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