My Dream for Big Ten Expansion

I will start off by saying that I am a traditionalist and probably don't want the league to expand, in all honesty. However, I know that it will happen and that when it does it BETTER be good. This is how I would want it to look like... I don't want to even talk about it though until official announcements are made in the summer (we think).

Expanded Big Ten Conference

East Division
- Indiana
- Minnesota
- Michigan
- Michigan State
- Notre Dame
- Ohio State
- Penn State

West Division
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Northwestern
- Purdue
- Wisconsin

This format would keep the majority of major rivals together in the same divisions, while also allotting an opportunity for teams in other divisions to continue their rivalry games, such as Wisconsin vs Minnesota in the Battle for the Ax.

Missouri isn't as big of a long shot as you would think; they have ties to the conference already with its rivalry with Illinois in just about every major sport. Rutgers would draw the New York/East Coast market and would assist the nation in getting rid of the Big East conference, but will that move even be necessary? It all depends on Notre Dame. They may never leave its high perch as an independent, but you never know...especially in this day and age of constant movement around the country.

Top Candidates:
1. Nebraska
2. Notre Dame
3. Missouri
4. Rutgers
5. Texas/Syracuse/Pitt/?????

Who knows how many teams will enter the Big Ten Conference, but it could very well be 16 teams, according to OSU Scout Insider "nevadabuck".

May Big Ten Predictions

After watching the majority of the conference play their spring games and reading the reports on how the teams are shaping up, I am going to pretend like I can see into the future and predict how I think the conference will shape up after all the games are played. I am not too familiar with Indiana, but other than that I seem to have a solid perspective on the Big Ten (hint: outside of the top four, it's very average).

1. Ohio State (12-0) BCS National Championship
2. Iowa (10-2) Rose Bowl
3. Wisconsin (10-2) Capital One Bowl
4. Penn State (9-3) Outback Bowl
5. Michigan State (7-5) Gator Bowl
6. Northwestern (7-5) Texas Bowl
7. Michigan (6-6) Insight Bowl
8. Minnesota (6-6) Dallas Football Classic
9. Purdue (5-7)
10. Illinois (5-7)
11. Indiana (4-8)

Tight End Involvement at OSU? Maybe...

I have been a highly aware OSU football fan since the 1997 Rose Bowl victory over Arizona State, and have seen a variety of offensive styles and schemes during that span. The running back in Columbus is always a center piece of the offensive attack. You'll occasionally have an All-American caliber receiver (more often than not), a quarterback that defies expectations and becomes one of the best at his position in school history (Troy), and many other character actors that help to make the bigger picture thrive. One key element has been missing since the days of Brian Hartsock in 2003, though, and it may return in 2010.

Headline: OHIO STATE PLANS TO THROW TO THE TIGHT END. No way.... no. Nope. Not going to happen...or will it? I can't decide whether the return of throwing to the tight end consistently is truly going to happen this season with the emergence of Jake Stoneburner, or if it is all just yet another smoke screen to keep fans and critics debating until the season begins. Last season we heard the same thing, and we were left with only one game of solid tight end production which was the season opener against Navy.

I understand that it is all a matter of what the strengths of the team are that allow a team to utilize all of the weapons that it possesses at hand. I can comprehend that without a strong starting five on the offensive line a tight end must be kept on the line of scrimmage to keep a guy like Terrelle Pryor from getting smacked all day long. I get that utilizing the field along the hash marks with a tight end requires a consistent offensive attack, complete with a quarterback who is competent enough to be able to check down and make those types of throws. Luckily for OSU, they appear to have all of those necessary elements in place, which could make redshirt-sophomore TE Jake Stoneburner one of the best offensive weapons in the Big Ten. At 6"5 and close to 250 lbs, "Stoney" should prove the doubters wrong that an OSU offense under Jim Tressel will gladly share the passing game love to the underrated tight ends.

Still, the debate rages on whether it will actually happen. I am, as always, on the optimistic side of camp when it comes to OSU football debates. While I can be realistic, I truly believe that this season will feature more of an effort to incorporate Stoneburner into the offense. This does remind me of a funny debate that I had with my girlfriend one time. I was watching a documentary on the Iraq War, and the question was brought up when the troops would be starting to come home. I said that Obama during his campaign said that he would send a resurgence of troops into Afghanistan, then start to bring troops home. While he also said that he would start immediately, a new plan has been put in place to bring them home. She responded with the following, "Yeah, and I have a graduation plan. I plan on passing all of my classes, getting my diploma and graduating. It's all just a plan though until it happens". My first reaction was wowwwwww what a smartass comment (ha ha), but then I started thinking to myself that it was a legitimate thing to say. Until something actually happens, it is all just a plan.

We know that Tressel has shown signs of utilizing Jake Stoneburner in spring ball, and that he plans on using him. But will he this season? We will just have to wait and see...

4 months and 3 days until Marshall

Post-NFL Draft Thoughts

26 of 32 players that I selected to go in the first round made the cut...but the teams to which they were assigned to were far from what I thought they were going to be. Regardless, it was a highly entertaining draft, especially during Thursday night's first round.

The best pick in my opinion in the first round for any team would probably be the Charger's 12th overall selection, RB Ryan Matthews out of Fresno State. This guy can do it all and will immediately impact San Diego's offense in 2010 and beyond. I have zero complaints about the top 9 picks in the draft, but what the hell was Jacksonville thinking reaching for a second tier DT as the 10th overall pick? This isn't a knock on Tyson Alualu, but there were several players at his position that should have been taken ahead of him. I hope he can prove me wrong because I hate to blast a team's decision considering they had to have seen something in him.... right?

As for my favorite team, the Miami Dolphins, I can't complain with their draft. An A- or B+ grade would be handed out by me after their three day defensive surge, selecting all but ONE defensive players. DL Jared Odrick was the first selection, which was welcomed half-hearted at first by this writer. After sleeping on it, I realized that this guy should be a starter by next season and will be a freak playing multiple positions in a 3-4 defense. Look for him to be a future pro-bowler.

The Cincinnati Bengals, who also have a place in my heart, had a very nice draft grabbing some players that I think can come in immediately and contribute. The top two picks, TE Jermaine Gresham from Oklahoma and DE Carlos Dunlap from Florida, should be mainstays in Cincy for the next several years. Gresham should be the receiving threat at tight end that Carson Palmer has been waiting for his entire career as a Bengal (no offense to Reggie Kelley or the "future" Chase Coffman).

I can't wait the NFL season, and especially for fantasy football. It should be a great season... but now, and forever more, this blog returns its focus to college football.

2010 NFL Mock Draft

It has been about three months since I have written anything on here...albeit for good reason. Spring football is among us, and the scarlet and gray game in this coming Saturday, so you should expect more posts from me for the rest of the year.

I decided that I would post an NFL mock draft on here (unfortunately featuring no first round Buckeyes) just to keep people's attention until after the spring game.

More than likely, it should be an overall exciting draft especially with the new three-day format.

Brian Sambecki's 2010 NFL Mock Draft

1. Rams- Sam Bradford/QB/Oklahoma
2. Lions- Ndamukong Suh/DT/Nebraska
3. Bucs- Gerald McCoy/DT/Oklahoma
4. Redskins- Russell Okung/OT/Oklahoma State
5. Chiefs- Brian Bulaga/OT/Iowa
6. Seahawks- Jimmy Clausen/QB/Notre Dame
7. Browns- Eric Berry/S/Tennessee
8. Raiders- Trent Williams/OT/Oklahoma
9. Bills- Tim Tebow/QB/Florida (gut feeling on this one)
10. Jaguars- Joe Haden/CB/Florida
11. Broncos- Derrick Morgan/DE/Georgia Tech
12. Dolphins- Dan Williams/DT/Tennessee
13. 49ers- Bruce Campbell/OT/Maryland
14. Seattle- CJ Spiller/RB/Clemson
15. Giants- Sean Weatherspoon/LB/Missouri
16. Tennessee- Jason Paul-Pierre/DE/South Florida
17. 49ers- Anthony Davis/OT/Rutgers
18. Steelers- Rolando McClain/LB/Alabama
19. Falcons- Brandon Graham/DE/Michigan
20. Texans- Ryan Matthews/RB/Fresno State
21. Bengals- Earl Thomas/CB-S/Texas
22. Patriots- Jermaine Gresham/TE/Oklahoma
23. Packers- Kyle Wilson/CB/Boise State
24. Eagles- Mike Iupati/OG/Idaho
25. Ravens- Taylor Mays/S/USC
26. Cardinals- Charles Brown/OT/USC
27. Cowboys- Dez Bryant/WR/Oklahoma State (gut feeling the 'Boys trade up)
28. Chargers- Jahvid Best/RB/California
29. Jets- Jared Odrick/DL/Penn State
30. Vikings- Maurkice Pouncey/OL/Florida
31. Colts- Brian Price/DT/UCLA
32. Saints- Sergio Kindle/DE-LB/Texas

Rose Bowl Champs- The Aftermath

They finally did it. The Buckeyes finally reverted back to their winning ways in bowl games under Jim Tressel and beat the Oregon Ducks 26-17 on January 1st in Pasadena. The Rose Bowl victory was the first victorious trip to Pasadena since 1997, and marked the first time since January of 2006 that OSU ended the season with a BCS bowl victory. The list of disappointing losses continued to accumulate on the big state since the early stages of 2007, including blowout losses to Florida and USC, a meltdown against LSU, two heartbreaking losses to both USC and Penn State in Columbus, and a last second defeat to Texas. It has been tough...no, it WAS tough. Those days are over, and it is the best feeling in the world.

Quick Thoughts: Offense-

The game plan was awesome, to put it simply. Throwing on first down is a taboo around Camp Tressel, yet it became the norm on New Years Day for the Buckeyes and QB Terrelle Pryor, who outgained the entire Oregon offense and won the game's coveted MVP trophy. Everyone and everything seemed to be in-sync, despite not having an overly productive running attack. Brandon Saine had a huge outing catching the football, along with star in the making DeVier Posey. I have always thought that Posey would leave OSU as a first round draft pick, and I don't see any reason why I will end up being proven wrong. He is a star. The biggest stat of the game: time of possession. The Buckeyes OWNED Oregon in that category, and that is how they won. Tresselball on steroids is the way to go it seems.

Defense-

What more can you say? This performance, despite not pitching a shut out or forcing numerous turnovers and creating constant havoc, has to go down as the most impressive of the season. Oregon came into the game averaging close to 38 points per game and had been making a living on scoring at will with their speed and agility. Then a funny thing happened: they faced a real live defense. Thaddeus Gibson, Cameron Heyward and Doug Worthington turned in relentless efforts while Ross Homan was the anchor of the attack as the silver bullets forced Jeremiah Masoli into a sub-par performance, thus killing any chance of the Duck offense getting into any sort of rhythm. In 2009, this defense was simply fantastic.

Special Teams-
How did OSU win by playing the worst kick coverage of the season?? It was easier to get through than your average sorority girl. It was a sad sight for me to watch for the entire game. At the end of the day though, it all comes back to the defense and they were the MVPs of this game. The coverage unit better improve heading into next season...

Oh, hats off to Aaron Pettrey and Devin Barclay. They played excellent, and Pettrey showed a lot of guts nailing a 45 yarder after tearing his ACL.

2010 Ohio State Buckeyes-

QB- Terrelle Pryor/Jr.
RB- Brandon Saine/Sr.
FB- Zach Boren/So.
WR- DeVier Posey/Jr.
WR- Dane Sanzenbacher/Sr.
TE- Jake Stoneburner/So.
LT- Andy Miller/Sr.
LG- Justin Boren/Sr.
C- Mike Brewster/Jr.
RG- Bryant Browning/Sr.
RT- J.B. Shugarts/Jr.

DE- Cameron Heyward/Sr.
DT- Dexter Larimore/Sr.
DT- John Simon/So.
DE- Nathan Williams/Jr.
LB- Ross Homan/Sr.
LB- Brian Rolle/Sr.
LB- Etienne Sabino/Jr.
CB- Chimdi Chekwa/Sr.
CB- Devon Torrence/Sr.
FS- Jermale Hines/Sr.
SS- Ohrian Johnson/So.

K- Devin Barclay/Sr.
P- Ben Buchanan/So.

The Bucks will return nine starters on offense, including a stable of a wide range of high-level talent at the running back position, six on defense and Barclay will return to handle kicking duties. Pryor will have Heisman written all over him heading into next season, but how will he live up to his rejuvenated high standards? We will see. If the offense truly becomes more balanced, than it is bad news for OSU's opponents. Everybody on the offensive line returns except for Jimmy Cordle, but that isn't necessarily an irreplaceable loss. The receivers are stacked, the running backs are stacked, and this is looking like an offense that may not be the flashiest or the highest scoring, but it will certainly be rock steady and won't be afraid to take on anybody.

Defensively it should be the same old story in Columbus. The defense will be very, very good. All-American candidates in LB Ross Homan and DL Cameron Heyward will spearhead the attack again in 2010, with the majority of playmakers back to help contribute as well. Losing Thaddeus Gibson and Buckeye favorite Kurt Coleman certainly isn't enjoyable, but OSU faces these type of defections on a routine basis and always finds someone willing to step up and be the next star. Replacing Gibson should be junior DE Nathan Williams, however Keith Wells could end up seeing serious playing time. Never count out "practice star" Solomon Thomas either. The Coleman situation could be a little more dicey, but it appears redshirt sophomore Ohrian Johnson will get the first crack at getting into the starting lineup. He is a hard hitting, mean Florida athlete and should bring excitement to the defensive backfield. The d-line will be sick, and the linebackers will be studly. Not much more to say.

In short, OSU will be good. Very good. National title good. I don't know if it will happen, but it certainly is a possibility that Tressel and Pryor can lead this team to the top of the college football mountain for the first time since 2002. The schedule doesn't do the Buckeyes any favors, but they have all offseason long to prepare for it, and we have all season to talk about it.

Final record: 11-2, Rose Bowl Champs.....

Let the anticipation begin. Oh, and not to get anyone hopes up, but this team is my guess to be preseason #1.

96th Rose Bowl Game- #8 Ohio State vs #7 Oregon

When- 5:10 EST Kickoff (4:30 coverage begins)
Where- Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)
TV- ABC National

I've never been more excited for a bowl game in a very long time. I like to forget about my arrogant attitude and excitement heading into January of 2007 vs Florida, meaning that I haven't felt this way since the Notre Dame Fiesta Bowl. It is an interesting feeling to feel the way that I do about this game, considering that the Buckeyes have dropped three straight BCS bowl games. I am truly confident in this team, their game plan, their physical superiority over Oregon, and where their heads are mentally heading into the first Rose Bowl Ohio State has taken part in since 1997. That game was a thriller, and many fans expect it to be the same. Many others believe Oregon is going to destroy OSU. I just laugh at such talk.

If you know anything about this season, its that we are seeing the Pac 10 for what it truly is. Even I was fooled at how "deep" the Pac 10 has been this season. Deep?? Yeah right, just deep with mediocrity. Teams that score a lot of points and give up nearly as much aren't exactly high caliber teams. The Pac 10 has one bowl victory against the ACC (in my opinion, the most under performing conference in America this decade), and that is it. Last night, Arizona didn't score a single point against Nebraska's vaunted black shirt defense. The Pacific Ten is a joke right now, and I think they are starting to feel the pressure to win these big games. Stanford and Oregon are the last true shots for their conference to get a signature win, and that pressure could very well lead to them succumbing to two more bowl losses.

Oregon has certainly talked the talk since beating arch rival Oregon State, maybe a little too much. The general consensus is that the Ducks believe they will score early, quick and often against Ohio State's defense. The numbers 45 and 50 have been tossed out by Oregon offensive players. Even head coach Chip Kelly has blurted out his fair share of potential locker room material. Plain and simple, they have appeared over confident thus far heading into the game tomorrow afternoon. But do you think they are looking at themselves in the mirror and asked themselves: who have we beaten? Who has made us look good? Nobody has. Purdue scored a WHOPPING 26 points on OSU's defense this season. Oregon gave up ten more against the same opponent. Oregon has allowed 51, 41 and 33 points since beating USC in October, and hasn't looked impressive at all. You ask what teams they allowed such gaudy numbers against this season? Stanford, Arizona and Oregon State. Arizona and Oregon State were destroyed in their bowl games against Nebraska and BYU. Stanford might be headed for the same fate when they take on a motivated and jacked Oklahoma squad. Oregon is all smoke and mirrors. I do not buy into their defense at all, and their offense is more simple than you think.

The Ducks run a few major run plays, while the pass game is pretty much non-existent and a non threat if the run game isn't working. OSU is in the top 5 in the nation in rush defense and in the top 10 in overall defense. I really don't have much else to say. Ohio State is bigger, better and more professional than Oregon and it will show tomorrow afternoon. The Ducks will have their moments because they have all season, but the score won't be indicative of how dominant Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes will be in the 96th Rose Bowl Game.

Speaking of Jim Tressel, do you realize how important this game is to him? This is on the same caliber of playing for a national championship. He is an old fashioned coach, and back in the day if you won your conference and played in the Rose Bowl you have accomplished your major goals of the season and you were playing a game that goes beyond the game of football, but rather encompasses all the history of the All-Americans, Heisman trophy winners and Hall of Fame coaches that have stepped foot on the most storied stadium in college football. Tressel is ready, and will get his victory. It won't be his last either.

OSU sets up a run at the 2010 national title with a huge win vs Oregon. It's duck hunting season... get your guns ready.

Note: Notice I didn't have to use motivating strategies to lead into me picking OSU to win. When I am confident in a game, I don't use much motivation in my posts. I give facts. I have given the facts. We will win this game. You heard it here first. GO BUCKS!!!!!!

Prediction:

Ohio State- 31
Oregon- 20