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Solving The Big Ten Scheduling Conflict in Football and Basketball

June 18th, 2010

Expansion fever has slowly cooled off around college sports (for now) and the realities of a 12-team Big Ten are set. The real work begins now.

With a bevy of issues to solve, the conference must start with the basics. Before even determining divisions the Big Ten should establish two main components.

The amount of conference games played per year should be first on the list.

Should the conference stick with eight games or add an additional ninth? The choice is an easy one, and adding that extra game is a must. It may only leave three out-of-conference games, but it will help maintain and build new rivalries. 

It will also improve many of the teams' strength of schedules around the conference. Having less opportunities for teams to fill open dates with Football Championship Subdivision teams is better for all of college football.  

Next, figure out the Big Ten yearly matchups that will never go away.

Michigan vs. Ohio State, Iowa vs. Wisconsin, Illinois vs. Northwestern, Indiana vs. Purdue, Michigan vs. Michigan State...and so on.

From there, add in the Nebraska games that would make sense.

Nebraska vs. Iowa is first and foremost a must, then Nebraska vs. Ohio State and Nebraska vs. Wisconsin. Most Big Ten schools have multiple rivalries, and these three would be a good foundation to start.

With the must see matchups set, let us make up the divisions within the Big Ten. The name debate is a whole issue on it's own, so we'll just stick with the teams.

Division 1:   Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Wisconsin

Division 2:   Ohio State, Iowa, Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska

These divisions are split up with a North vs. South style, but it also allows rivalries to be maintained.  Each team generally has one rival from the other division and is able to maintain other rivalries within.

 

Big Ten Football Scheduling

After previously setting the Big Ten schedule for the next three years, Jim Delaney and crew must rearrange some dates to fit Nebraska in.

If Delaney really wanted to make a statement he would demand all Big Ten teams play other FBS squads in their three open games. But that won't happen.

With the above outline set, creating a schedule should not be difficult. Nine Big Ten games would be played, leaving three open spots.  

First, five of the games would be played within their division. Next, the remaining four would be played out of division. With only one true rival in opposing divisions the remaining three squads would be on a home and away rotation. 

For schedule changes the next few years, the Big Ten should set up a system where the furthest a team travels occurs early in the season. If Nebraska must play Penn State or vice versa, that should be an October game or following a bye week. 

The only games that would be trouble to move are homecoming days for the next few years. It would not be difficult to keep all of those the same. 

Finally, the Big Ten must add a championship game. With two divisions it's simply the two winners. Tiebreakers would be handled within the division first, followed by out-of- division records.

A championship game will help keep the Big Ten relevant an extra week and could see some great battles. The game should happen at a rotating neutral field.  Supposedly inquiries have been made by Ford Field, Lucas Oil Field, and some others as to the prospect of the game.

 

Big Ten Basketball Scheduling

As the football season winds down, another starts up.  Basketball should be easier to manage for the conference in terms of scheduling, but one move must be made.

A few years ago, the Big Ten changed from a 16-game schedule to 18.  At the time discussions for a 20-game season also existed. It is time to make the move up to 20.

There is no need to use divisions, but college basketball rivalries should be put at the forefront. For some reason the Big Ten does not take advantage of their best basketball teams.  There have been years where Michigan State plays Wisconsin only once, or other top games. This can happen no more.

When teams are at the top, give them two games against each other at the top.  While it may be difficult to perfect every year, certain teams have become basketball rivals. The unbalanced schedules are frustrating for coaches and fans. By adding another lackluster basketball team in Nebraska, the schedule may become more unbalanced.

If in 2011 a team gets to play Penn State, Nebraska, and Michigan all twice instead of MSU, Wisconsin, and Purdue, that would be unfair. Especially when another may get Purdue, Michigan State, and Ohio State twice instead.

A 20-game season will help prevent that.

No doubt it would be a grind, but the Big Ten season already is. And it should be about balance.

From there the Big Ten tournament can remain in Chicago or Indianapolis. The new tournament seeding is simple. 

Teams 1-4 get a bye. Then 5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10, 8 vs. 9 all play out.

And then who knows, maybe two Big Ten teams will get top seeds come March.

Of course, when the Big Ten jumps up to 14 in another two years we'll have even more changes then.

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Posted in Big Ten Basketball, Big Ten Football, Opinion

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Jacob Charest’s Decision to Transfer and the Aftermath

June 9th, 2010

On Monday, Illinois released information that quarterback Jacob Charest, a sophomore to-be, will be transferring.

He has been gone for over a week now. His decision was made last week, right before Illinois announced their starting QB would be Nathan Scheelhaase.

Charest has reportedly made no decisions on where he will be attending, but some of the possibilities include transferring to a Football Bowl Subdivision school (Division I) which would require him to sit out a year, a Football Championship Subdivision school (Division I-AA), or a Division II school.

Charest’s main reason for choosing to depart from the University of Illinois is that he wants to be closer to his family in Charlotte, North Carolina.

His father called Ron Zook on June 1 to tell him the news.

“The thing they said was being homesick and being closer to home and all that kind of stuff,” Zook said. “But I think you see that happens. Every program, when you’ve got some pretty good quarterbacks, when they don’t feel like they’re going to be the guy…”

During his freshman season at Illinois, Charest participated in four games. In those four games he passed for 382 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

With his departure, Illinois’ experience at the QB position takes a hit. The three quarterbacks on scholarship are Nathan Scheelhaase, Chandler Whitmer, and incoming freshman Miles Osei—none of which have appeared in a game.

Now, Zook has come out and said that Eddie McGee—once a QB, who was converted to wide receiver—will be practicing at the QB position again. He will be moving back and forth between WR and QB, which is similar to what he has done in the past.

“We’ve been working Eddie anyway,” Zook said. “Eddie’s been in the mix anyway. The first part of spring ball, he basically was focusing on receiver. But then as we got into the spring, I pushed the issue about wanting him around (quarterback) as well. I felt it was important to first get the concept of playing wide receiver.”

Although playing multiple positions can be stressful, McGee is excited about the opportunity to do both.

“We’ve got to have Eddie ready to go as well,” Zook said. “It’ll be double training for Eddie, but Eddie wants to do that. He’s excited about that and looking forward to the opportunity. Eddie just wants to play.”

As for what else Charest’s departure means for Illinois: they are going to try to sign two quarterbacks during the recruiting process this year.

Check this out and much more on my blog at www.Chiefillini.com.

 



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Posted in Breaking News, College Football, Illinois Fighting Illini Football

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Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Conference Expansion Explored!

April 22nd, 2010

Currently there are a lot of rumors, speculation, and chatter about the Big Ten, Pac Ten, and possibly the Big East, Big 12, and the Mountain West Conferences respectively expanding their conferences, whether for more and or better markets, due to TV network contracts, or just for survival.

With that being said, some conferences in the world of Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) need and should follow suit.

I took some time to examine the current line-up of FCS Conferences, and came up with a number of conferences that should or need to expand.

 

Southland Conference

The Southland Conference is like the SEC of Football Bowl Champion Subdivision. It has a strong number of core teams, and it has established its own network to show the conference’s athletic events.

Currently, the Southland Conference has so much pull in the FCS, it was basically awarded the FCS Championship Game near its own headquarters (Frisco, Texas at Pizza Hut Stadium).

With that said, one of its current members; Univ. of Texas at San Antonio, (UTSA) will be starting its inaugural football season in 2011.

UTSA has all ready stated it wants to compete in the FBS, and is making current arrangements to enter into the FBS as an independent.  Overall that will leave the Southland Conference will 11 total members, but 9 competing in football (The Univ. of Lamar Cardinals will resume its football program this up-coming season).

The other two members, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and University of Texas at Arlington do not have a football program.

This a great time for the conference to open its doors to expand and possibly have a championship game.  Here are a few teams the conference can take a look at.

· Grambling State Tigers:   The Tigers has a solid football team, and has finished with a winning record year in and year out. They fit geographically as well.

It would benefit the Tigers based on the fact that while they are in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) even if they win their conference title (as with all conference football members) they will not be able to participate in the FCS playoffs, for a chance to win a national championship.

That's because the SWAC does not participate in the FCS Playoffs due to games scheduled at the time the FCS Playoffs start. Also it would  boost to the schools recruiting of athletes as well.

· Univ. of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions (UAPB): The Golden Lions are in the same situation as Grambling State, with not being able to participate in the FCS Playoffs. Ark at PB would add another rivalry to the Southland Conference by playing the Central Arkansas Bears and fits geographically.

· Prairie View A&M Panthers: PVA&M is a Texas based team, who along with UAPB and Grambling State also play in the SWAC Conference. The Panthers football team is on the rise and currently are the SWAC champions. Unfortunately, even with a 9-3 record, because of the SWAC rules, they were forced to sit at home during the FCS Playoffs.

 

 

Big Sky Conference

Over the years the Big Sky Conference has molded itself to become a solid conference with power-house football program, the Montana Grizzlies, and solid programs like Weber State Wildcats, Eastern Washington Eagles and the Montana State Bobcats.

Currently the conference has nine members; adding three more members would give the Big Sky a conference championship game.

· San Diego Toreros: The Toreros would be a nice fit with the Big Sky. As stated in the Great West Conference portion, the Toreros are out of place in the Pioneer Conference.

San Diego would give the Big Sky another California-based team as well as the San Diego market, which could be a nice area for a conference championship game if the conference expanded to 12 teams.

Also it would add another rivalry to the conference with fellow California based team the Sacramento State Hornets.

· Southern Utah Thunderbirds : Southern Utah is a team out of the Great West Conference. The Thunderbirds definitely fits geographically and gives the conference another Utah-based program.

· North Dakota Fighting Sioux : North Dakota (the nickname “Fighting Sioux” will soon change) gives the conference another team that fits regionally. North Dakota plays in the Great West Conference.

The Fighting Sioux’s football program is currently getting better. North Dakota is known for its men’s hockey team, but is solid in other sports as well.

· South Dakota Coyotes: The Coyotes, like the “Fighting Sioux” plays in the Great West Conference. Regionally they also fit as well.

· Univ. of California-Davis Aggies: The UC Davis Aggies is another California based team that plays in the Great West Conference. The Aggies have a rising football program and would give the conference another California based team and would add another rivalry to the conference with Sacramento State.

 

Great West Conference

 The Great West Conference is a fairly new football conference in the FCS, only comprised of five football members. This without more members, in my opinion this leaves the conference open to being raided.

If the conference was able to add two or three more teams it could help it become a more solid conference.

The Great West Conference does not have an automatic berth bid to participate in the FCS playoffs, it's invitation only. Adding more members could change that. Here is a possible candidate.

 

· San Diego Toreros: The Toreros currently plays in the Pioneer League, which is comprised of teams mostly based in the mid-west, Ohio valley and the east coast. San Diego University is the only team from California and the western region of the United States.

The Great West Conference would be a perfect fit. It would help with the cost of travel and with current Great West Conference member Cal Poly Mustangs would give the conference a solid in-state rival.

 

Big South Conference: In 2002 the Big South began sponsoring football. Currently the conference only has seven football members.

At this time the Big South has an automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs. Adding a school or two would help strengthen this conference.

· Jacksonville Dolphins: The Dolphins currently play in the Pioneer Conference. If the Big South would add the Dolphins to their conference, it would give them the Jacksonville, Florida market and its surrounding areas.

It would also open up more recruiting in the state of Florida.

· Charlotte 49ers: The Univ. of Charlotte begins play in 2013, resuming its football program, which discontinued play in 1948. The 49ers have stated it would eventually like to move up to FBS status, but there is not time table set for such a move.

Inviting Charlotte to the Big South would be perfect, since one a number of their current members are based in the state of North Carolina and to it would give the Big South the Charlotte, N.C., market.

 

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Posted in College Football, NCAA, Opinion

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RB Gilbert Moye Leaves Team, Will to Transfer From Missouri

February 9th, 2010

The crowd that is Missouri's offensive backfield has become a little less dense.

Running back Gilbert Moye has left the team and will transfer from the university upon completion of the current semester, school officials confirmed to the Columbia Daily Tribune on Monday.

According to MU beat writer Dave Matter, a source close to Moye confirmed the news, as did team spokesman Chad Moeller, who told the paper Monday evening that the running back has, indeed, parted ways with the team.

Matter reported that Moye intends to transfer to a program from either the Southwestern Athletic Conference or Southland Conference—both of which are part of college football's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA—where he hopes to play his old high school position of quarterback.

Missouri will now enter next month's spring practices with three scholarship running backs on its roster, but that number may very well double entering preseason workouts. The trio of senior Derrick Washington, junior De'Vion Moore, and sophomore Kendial Lawrence will be joined in the fall by freshmen Marcus Murphy (DeSoto, Tx.), Henry Josey (Angleton, Tx.), and Greg White (DeQueen, Ark.), all of whom were part of MU's recent recruiting class.

Considering Moye's past in the MU program—which was laden with variety but light on production—his decision to leave should not be altogether surprising.

A former standout quarterback from Diboll High School in Texas, Moye was quickly converted to the safety position upon his arrival in Columbia in 2007 as one of the country's top-rated "athletes." After a redshirt season, he played in 11 games in 2008, with a significant portion of his time spent on MU's kickoff return unit. All the while, Moye was receiving plenty of reps in practice while learning from one of the best safeties in MU history—current Atlanta Falcon William Moore.

But along with the 2009 season came yet another position switch. In an attempt to utilize Moye's coveted blend of size, speed, and athleticism, the Missouri staff moved him to running back, where the 6'2", 220-pound native of Jasper, Texas, figured to challenge for a backup role.

However, with Washington and Moore entrenched as the team's top two backs, Moye struggled at times with inconsistency and fumbles during preseason workouts in August, resulting in him losing his No. 3 role to Lawrence.

Buried on the depth chart as MU's fourth option at running back, Moye was nearly invisible this past season, rushing for only 35 yards on six carries, all of which came versus Furman on Sept. 19.

 

Photo courtesy of Columbia Daily Tribune.

You can find this article and more at my page at Examiner.com.

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Posted in Breaking News, College Football, Missouri Tigers Football, NCAA

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Marques Colston Becomes Second Consecutive Hofstra Alum To Win Super Bowl

February 9th, 2010

When the seconds evaporated off the clock and Sean Payton was doused in a celebratory Gatorade bath, it not only solidified the New Orleans Saints' first Super Bowl victory, but also marked consecutive years that a Hofstra University alum would hoist the Lombardi trophy.

Marques Colston's Super Bowl victory was a follow up to another former Pride player, Willie Colon, who won the title last season with the Steelers.

Not bad for a program that was deemed "too hard to justify" keeping afloat when compared to other expenses of the school.

In December of last year Hofstra University's President, Stuart Rubinowitz, announced that the football program would be cut from university athletics, effective immediately.

The Pride, which was a member of Division I-AA, or the Football Championship Subdivision as it's now known, "could not attain significant national recognition, and it has had low student, community and media interest, attendance, and financial support," said Rubinowitz.

"In the end, we could not continue to justify the expense of football compared to the benefits it brought to the University."

The benefits?

Sure, the football program might be the most expensive to maintain, but what can compare to being able to say that you produced two straight Super Bowl champions?

Marques Colston, behind Drew Brees of course, is the Saints most talented offensive weapon.

Colston led the Saints in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns this season. He was also the Saints' leading receiver during their Super Bowl victory last night, with seven catches and 83 yards.

Colston holds the school records for most yards (2,834) and touchdowns (18), which he accumulated during his four years at Hofstra.

Colston's Hofstra teammate, Colon, is the starting right tackle for the Steelers, while Stephen Bowen, another teammate of Colston and Colon, is a defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys. All three entered the NFL in 2006.

Probably the most famous NFL player to come from Hofstra University, however, is Wayne Chrebet. Chrebet, who played 10 seasons with the New York Jets, ranks third all-time behind Jets greats Don Maynard and Wesley Walker in receiving yards and touchdowns.

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Posted in College Football, Hofstra, NCAA, Opinion, marques colston, super bowl xliv

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