Welcome to the Big Show...

Over the years it has become a bigger and bigger rivalry. We don't like them, and they don't like us. The Wisconsin and Ohio State rivalries has taken on new meaning in recent years because it is only recently that Wisconsin could compete with the Buckeyes.

Even though Wisconsin has not beat the Buckeyes since 2003; the rivalry is still ongoing because everytime the two get together there is Big Ten championshp implications. And this year will be no different.

Both teams should enter the game undefeated. The only one of the two that has a chance of having a blemish on the record is Ohio State. Wisconsin should be undefeated heading into this game, where as the Buckeyes do have to face Miami (FL) in the second saturday of the season, but the odds of the Hurricanes upsetting Brutus in Columbus is highly unlikely.

To say that Ohio State is stacked is an understatement. There is no coincidence that they are being picked as a team that could be in Glendale, Ariz. at the end of the season. They return a lot of key starters on this years team, especially on the defenisive side of the ball.

If you thought Ohio States defense was tough last year...you haven't seen this years team. The Buckeyes return what at times looked like the best defense in the country last season. Including Cameron Heyward who is with out a doubt a first team All-American.

The major question mark for the Buckeyes is Terrelle Pryor. Last season the Buckeyes lived and died by how Pryor performed which for pretty much the whole season was great. The lone loss for the Buckeyes came on the road against Purdue when Pryor couldn't seem to find anyone not wearing black and gold with his arm. Last season Pryor accounted for 2,800 yards of the Buckeyes offense as not only their top passer, but as their top rusher too.

The key in this game will be getting to Pryor and making sure he doesn't beat you. If the Badgers can make Brandon Saine, and Dan Herron beat them...it should be a big "W" for Wisconsin.

How the Boilermakers got to the Buckeyes last season is by collapsing the pocket and forcing Pryor to make quick decisions with his arm, and making sure that his legs weren't the other option. If the Badgers can take Pryor out of the equation expect great things in this game.

If the Badgers are able to come out and be aggressive and physical with the Buckeyes they have a chance, But if Bucky lays down and let's the Buckeye offense do what it wants...the dream of winning the Big Ten may not be realized.

Overall the game comes down to defense, and unfortunately the Buckeyes have a better one. While the game should be close, Wisconsin won't have the offensive firepower to get by the Buckeye defense. We're not going to make the score of this one a large Buckeye victory, but Brutus will once again find a way to be a "Luckeye" and escape Camp Randall with a victory this year. A slim one at best, but a victory none the less.

Boynton's Badgers Prediction: Bucky 14 Brutus 17

Divisions Almost Done?

Tiger Woods and his now ex-wife Elin are not the only major couple in sports that could be splitting up. Some of the Big Ten's greatest rivalries could be part ways as well.

After Nebraska's decision to enter the Big Ten after this season, the conference started looking at possible ways to create a divisional setup for football. In earlier articles we reported two possible ways that these divisions could go, and the North/South appears to be the way things look right now.

The conference has not released an official divisional allignment for the conference yet, and don't expect one until mid-September, but it looks like some of the conferences best rivalries could be out the door. In a statement to the Wisconsin State Journal, Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez confirmed reports that the Iowa-Wisconsin rivalry may be in jeopardy of falling apart.

As a result of a split in divisions Wisconsin and Iowa would not be able to continue to play every season, but that split might not be the most shocking. Remember, when we broke up the conference we here at Boynton's Badgers said that Ohio State and Michigan could be on opposite sides of the conference if a North/South divisional setup was agreed on.

Earlier this week Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon said that seperating Michigan and Ohio State could create a better rivalry. The divisional setup that would keep Michigan and Ohio State apart would be the only possible way that the two schools could ever play in the Big Ten Championship Game.

On the other hand that would mean that there would be no garuntee that the Buckeyes and Wolverines would meet in a season. Not a beloved decision by and stretch of the imagination. There has already been a facebook group started push the Big Ten away from splitting up Michigan and Ohio State.

The overall problem that the Big Ten faces with the East/West divisions is that competitive balance would be lost. In the East the Big Ten would feature teams like Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Purdue. That would take the major names and slam them into one division. Thus creating a less competitive Western division with Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.

While it would keep rivalries in place, the East/West would hamper the conferences ability to package a championship game for television appeal. Whether or not that is the motivating factor for the Big Ten remains to be seen, but if there is any intelligent guess it is money all the way.

The one thing that everybody needs to keep in mind right now is this one fact. The re-alignment isn't finished quite yet. The Big Ten has announced that it is only 80% finished at this point, and one could guess that Michigan and Ohio State make up the rest of the twenty. But as of now it looks like the Buckeyes and Wolverines, as well as Badgers and Hawkeyes are on opposite sides of the coin.

Bringing the Ax Back...Again

There are a lot of great rivalries in college sports. Duke and North Carolina in basketball, and Ohio State and Michigan in football; but one rivalry has stood the test of time better than all of them...Wisconsin and Minnesota.

2003 seems like a long time ago now, and if you're a Gopher fan...it seems like an eternity. That was the last time the Golden Gophers held on to Paul Bunyan's Axe, and on paper it looks like they may be waiting another year.

It was pretty well documented last season when they opened their new stadium that the trophy room sat empty in terms of rivalry trophies. No Little Brown Jug. No Floyd of Rosedale. No Governors Bell. Once again in 2010 the Gophers will look to finally put a trophy in the specially designed trophy cases at TCF Stadium, but it looks highly unlikely.

Coming into this season the Gophers have some big holes to fill, and we're not talking about trophy cases anymore. First Minnesota must replace offensive coordinator Jedd Fish after only one season with the Gophers.

It will be former Detroit Lions quarterbacks coach Jeff Horton who will be filling that hole this season, and yes we did just say Detroit Lions. He will have the opportunity in his first year to work with an experienced quarterback in Adam Weber, and will look to expand the Gophers rushing attack. A noble effort, but it will mostly likely not be in full force by the time the Gophers head into Madison.

The other giant hole on the offensive side of the ball is perhaps even bigger than an offensive coordinator. Of course we are talking about none other than Eric Decker. During his time at Minnesota Decker racked up over 3,000 yards, and punched it in 24 times. Not a small amount of offense by any stretch of the imagination.

So what does this mean coming into this season. It means a lot of offense is being replaced after the Gophers lose over 1,200 yards of passing offense. Both Decker and Nick Tow-Arnett combined for half of Weber's total yards passing last season, and now the Gophers need to find the other half.

In terms of rushing yards...that is also pretty scary if you are a Gopher fan. As a team the Gophers rushed for just over 1,200 yards and were dead last in the Big Ten in rushing yardage. For those of you keeping track at home that is 300 yards short of John Clays total individually from last season. If Jeff Horton wants to have a balanced rushing attack he has his work cut out for him. Sounds like a rough year offensively for Goldie and Company.

When looking at the defensive side of the ball for the Gophers all we need to do is look at last season. In the first matchup between the Badgers and Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium Bucky put up over 450 yards of total offense and almost 300 of that on the ground. John Clay also had a solid day with over 180 yards rushing. Bucky controlled the clock against the Gophers keeping the ball for an extra nine minutes.

So what should we expect at Camp Randall for the Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe...the exact same formula. Expect Bucky to pound the football with Clay and Montee Ball and control the clock. With the lack of offense from the Gophers we should see this season Bucky should be able to grind the game way down.

Don't expect a shoot out in this one. The Badgers should be thinking power run game, solid defense, and control the clock. As long as Bucky sticks to this game plan it will be another year with the Axe, and an undefeated record coming into the big one the next week. As long as the Badgers don't look past the Gophers they should be fine. But that is the ultimate variable, and if you don't know what lays in wait the next week...consult your schedule.

Boynton's Badgers Prediction: Bucky 21 Goldie 10

Video of the Week: The Age Old Question...

Any man that has ever dated, been engaged too, or is married to a woman knows one thing...never question how much your significant other knows.

A pair of horses has finally put the battle of the sexes to the ultimate test. At Monmouth Park this past weekend "mywifeknowseverything" and "thewifedoesntknow" went head to head at the end of a race that answered the age old question. Does your wife know everything, or doesn't she know at all?

We'll let the video tell you the rest. Enjoy!

Not too High...Not too Low

With just two more weeks before the season officially kicks off in Las Vegas, Bucky finally knows what the world thinks going into the season. After the Associated Press poll release today Wisconsin moves into number 12 in both polls.

A few weeks ago the Coaches Poll was released for the first time this season, and Bucky came in at number 12. Apparently the journalists didn't disagree with the coaches too much on this one; putting Bucky in the exact same spot.

In both polls they also selected Alabama as number one, and Ohio State as number two. Not much of a surprise that the Rolling Tide would be number one after winning the national title and returning a lot of starters including a Heisman Trophy winner. The Buckeyes also return many key starters and will feature a defense that may be better than last season.

In fact, both polls include the same elevan teams in front of the Badgers. Not necessarily the same order, but the same teams at least.

So what does this mean for Bucky? Not much in terms of high expectations. Number twelve is by no means a high ranking, but it is not a low ranking either. It just means that coming into this season Wisconsin is expected to be the middle of the pack in terms of the best teams in the country.

But the great Badger teams never had high expectations coming into the season. At the beginning of the 1998 season Wisconsin only came in at number twenty in the preseason poll. The Buckeyes sat at the top on week one. By the end of the season it was Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, not the Buckeyes, and Bucky finished at number six to end the season. After defeating UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

A year later Bucky was slated at number 10 in the preseason poll, but dropped all the way down to number twenty after the loss to Cincinatti. Then low and behold Wisconsin was back in the Rose Bowl at the end of the season and following that victory over Stanford...Bucky finished at number four.

The next year brings us to our point on why preseason polls really don't matter, but they do. Kind of an oximoron right. In 2000, the Badgers were ranked number four in the preseason poll; including one selection for number one. At the end of the season Bucky finished at number 23, and lost four games in the process.

The problem with preseason polls is that they really are just a guess. On many occasions teams do not gain the respect they deserve, or get to much when they don't deserve it. The truth is that polls are just a prediction as to what the world would be like if everything broke the way it was supposed to. Nobody got hurt, and nobody got upset. But this is football, and that's not the way it's going to be.

In terms of where you would like to be in the polls, the middle is just fine. You aren't down on yourself for being number 25, but you don't have the pressure of a preseason top five. The best seasons in Badger history have come when the national media was looking the other way. And maybe the next one may just be around the corner.

Too Soon for Sparty

Michigan State is a bit of a mystery in terms of what you get. In the first conference game of the season, Bucky will be looking to put the pieces of this puzzle together.

There is one thing that is certain coming into this season, the Spartans will have a giant hole to fill at the wide reciever position. The name of the huge hole is Blair White, and that yardage they lost from last season is massive.

During the 2009 season White accounted for almost 1,000 yards of the Spartans passing offense. Which would be nearly a third of the Spartans total passing yards. Sparty is returning the next three in line this season including a junior named B.J. Cunningham. Remember that name because their junior quarter back Kirk Cousins should be looking for him on a regular basis.

Kirk Cousins may be the bright spot for this team coming into this season. Last year Cousins racked just over 2,600 yards and threw 19 touchdowns; while only throwing 9 interceptions. Not bad for only being a sophomore last year. The question is whether or not Cousins can continue to do that this year with White no longer in Spartan green.

In terms of a rushing game for the Spartans there was a lack of one last season. As a team the Spartans ran for just over 1,700, and punched it in 16 times. But it was a rushing game by committee last season. Sparty was unable to have a single player rush for over 50o yards in the 2009 season.

On the defensive side of the ball don't expect much to change in East Lansing. The Spartans do have some youth in some spots on the field but they are backed up with very experienced players. Last season Michigan State was stingy on rush defense only allowing 1,400 yards on the ground all season. The major hole was the secondary for the Spartans last season. During the 2009 season, Sparty gave up over 3,500 yards thru the air, and if you look at their losses they generally came against teams that could burn you deep, and pick you apart short.

So how does Wisconsin beat Sparty in the conference opener. Well, that's pretty simple. One of teh statistics that sticks out from last year with the Spartans is time of posession, and that's how Wisconsin beats Sparty.

In football if you are able to control the clock and the ball...you can generally have a pretty good day. Expect to see Clay pound the ball and be pretty well rested after his "week off" after Austin Peay. While Clay won't pour on the yards against the Spartans he will wear them down, and suck the secondary in. That's when we'll see Bucky burn Sparty with some play action and the passing game.

By keeping the ball in Bucky's hands the defense will be well rested and should be able to hold down the Spartan offense. The offense in East Lansing still has too many questions surrounding it, and will still be vulnerable against Wisconsin.

We're not saying that Michigan State will not be a good team come the end of the season, but not good enough to be the Badgers on the first saturday in October.

Boynton's Badgers Prediction: Bucky 24 Sparty 13

Nevada and Fresno State Shake Things Up

The conference expansion shake up is again taking place throughout college athletics. On Wednesday both the University of Nevada-Reno and Fresno State University announced that they will be joining the Mountain West Conference.

The move may not take affect until after the 2011 football season, but the Western Athletic Conference, or WAC, will now only have a grand total of six football members after that season. Earlier this summer the WAC lost it's flagship football school when Boise State announced that it is departing for the Mountain West following this season.

All of this stems off of the expansion moves from earlier in the summer that were initiated by the Big Ten and Pac 10 conferences. Because of the Big Ten Network many conferences and schools are looking to create networks to increase revenue. The Pac 10 is the major reason though that the WAC is now on the edge of the cliff in college athletics.

After the Pac 10 added Colorado back in June they needed one more member to reach the twelve team plateau required for a conference championship game. That team was ultimately the University of Utah. The Utes will joine the conference along with the Buffs following this season; thus making the Pac 10 a twelve team league and possibly launching the conferences' very own network.

Following the departure of Utah, the Mountain West needed to replace the Utes and saw no better option than extending an offer to Boise State. The Broncos, who many fans have become very accustomed to in recent years, have played in two BCS games since 2005 and have won both of them. Boise State has also become a favorite of ESPN and that means big television dollars for the conference in the long hall.

The departure of Utah also means major changes for their rival BYU. The Cougars are currently looking at following the route of Notre Dame and going independant from a conference. Once again the all mighty dollar is a major factor in that decision. BYU currently has it's own television network, and wants to get out because of possibly losing that because of conference affiliation. But keep in mind that the final decision for BYU has not been made yet.

That brings us to Wednesday. Nevada and Fresno State may be out of the WAC, but what does that mean for the Big Ten and Wisconsin. Well actually more than you might think.

Currently the Big Ten has a garunteed spot in the BCS because of it's conference size. The conference also lands one team as an at-large in a BCS game at the end of the season pretty much every year. If the Mountain West continues to grow in size, and power, they could possibly look to become the next conference with an automatic qualifier. That would take away one more spot for an at-large, and that could be less for the Big Ten in the end.

So just when you thought expansion was over...it wasn't. If you think this will end anytme soon...you'll be proven wrong. And if you don't think that the move by Nevada and Fresno State won't have any impact on Wisconsin you will be wrong on that one as well.

Videos of the Week: Favre Comeback Special

It must be August. The weather is hot and humid. Badger football is just weeks away, and Brett Favre is back...again.

The news of Favre's re-re-re-return to the NFL has completely overrun the sports media. Well we are not immune to Favremania. We just choose to make fun of it more than enjoy it.

Anyone that is either from Wisconsin, or has been in Wisconsin for the past three years undoubtedly will be telling their grandchildren about Brett Favre. Whether or not that will be about the game versus Oakland after his father died, or Super Bowll XXXI remains to be seen. But Favre's retirment flip-flopping will be the stories that all Packer fans tell.

In memory of all those great moments in Brett Favre retirement history we take a look back at the retirements of Brett Favre. For the first Video of the Week we give you...Ahh, the Good Ole Days.




While Favre may not be a member of the Green Bay Packers anymore it remains to be seen if another Packer great will return to the top of his game. For the second Video fo the Week we give you: The Return of Chris Lukawski!


Packers Fan Announces He Will Return To Drinking For Another Season

Photos of the Week: The Return of Lord Stanley

Back in February the Stanley Cup made a trip to Camp Ranall for the Camp Randall Hockey Classic. Adam Burish was there, but he wouldn't touch it...not yet.

Just a few short months later Burish was holding the cup above his head in Philadelphia. A well known superstition about the Stanley Cup is if you touch it without earning it...you'll never win it.

Now Burish gets to touch Lord Stanley as much as he wants. You also get to have one day with Stanley...anywhere. For Adam Burish that day was obviously bringing Stanley back to Madison. An opportunity to share it with loved ones, and fellow Badgers. Including the football team?

That's where Burish took it Tuesday afternoon. He brought Stanley back to Camp Randall and gave a pep talk to the football team. Not a bad teaching aid if I would say so myself.

Later Tuesday night Burish took Stanley out for a crawl that many Madisonians have made before. That walk up and down state street. Including a visit to State Street Brats where I'm pretty sure a few "adult beverages" were drank right out of Stanley.

On twitter now former Badger Blake Geoffrion posted a picture of Lord Stanley hanging out at State Street Brats. And you know after a few drinks Burish kept saying to Geoffrion, "come on touch it." For Geoffrion's sake I hope he stuck to his own pint glass.

No Viva Las Vegas for Taylor

A year ago there were a lot of questions about who would fill in the holes at the linebacker spot for the Badgers. By October we thought that maybe that had been answered...Mike Taylor. Then against Iowa the Badgers had that hole busted wide open once again.

What seemed like a routine play turned into something far worse for the Badger defense. Taylor had blown out his ACL, and needed season ending knee surgery. At the time Taylor was leading the Badgers in tackles, and was starting to look like a candidate for "Freshman of the Year" in the Big Ten.

Then again even injuries can sometimes have their own shades of gray. Following the injury Badger fans were introduced to a new freshman to cheer for...Chris Borland. I personally already had a nickname for the new tandem that would formed the following season. "Tool Time" seemed to just fit. I mean Taylor and Borland together just seemed like Tim and Al all over again. (And anyone that can't figure out the reference needs to go back in time and re-live the 90s.)

Just like the show Home Improvement (Tim) Taylor was once again injured, and (Al) Borland needed to step in and fill the void. But this year everybody thought that we would get to see the two of them together on the same field.

We learned just this past weekend that it won't be a reality in week 1. Taylor will once again be going under the knive to check on his knee and will miss the next 2 to 4 weeks. That means no "Viva Las Vegas," for Taylor this year.

Right now it is only Vegas, which could be a silver lining for Taylor, who is expect to make a full recovery and be back this season. For now senior Blake Sorenson will be filling the spot vacated by Taylor, and hopefully it won't be for long. I still neeed to prune my buckeye tree and build a hawkeye trap this fall.

Election Day Come Early

It may not be November but the Governors are heading to Madison on the last saturday in September. No, not the real governors...the Austin Peay Governors, but this will be no election day victory for Austin Peay.

Coming out of the Ohio Valley Conference the Governors should be completely over matched in this game. When you hear of a "paycheck game" this should be the one that comes to mind. So far in the season the Badgers should be relatively untested. Coming off of wins over UNLV, San Jose State, and Arizona State the Badgers should make quick work of Austin Peay.

Last season the Governors only won three games and to say their defense struggled would be an understatement Austin Peay as a team last season gave up just over 28 points a game in scoring, and allowed opposing offenses to gain over 350 yards per game. Keep in mind most of this is against FCS competetition, but only expect John Clay to rack up like 60 yards...he'll be out by halftime.

In terms of Austin Peay's offense they did put up solid numbers last season collectively. As a team they racked up around 290 yards a game, but they should still be no match for the Wisconsin defense. Unlike the rest of the non-conference competition expect the Governors to do most of their damage on the ground. Last season the Govs were able to rush for over 2,000 yards in positive gains, but take away just over 300 and the you've got just over 1,800 yards. None the less a solid season for any offense on the ground.

So how do we break down who will win this game? Well that's pretty easy...expect Bucky to walk all over the Governors. Austin Peay will be over matched in terms of talent and athletes.

I know what some people may be saying, "that's what Michigan said about Appalachian State," but this isn't Appalachian State. The Mountaineers are again among the top five in the FCS, and could contend for a national title...Austin Peay not so much.

Austin Peay will tell you they are coming to Madison for a football game, but it might as well be a political fundraisor for the Governors. Thank you for the win, and here's your campaign contribution.

Boynton's Badgers Prediction: Wisconsin 38 Austin Peay 10

Video of the Week: Oops He Did It Again...

It must be the end of summer again. Road construction is starting to look finished. We're talking Badger football. Brett Favre is retiring....or not...ok maybe...no he's back...gone now...back again...

No one truly knows whether or not Brett Favre is retiring or coming back. ESPN thought they knew, but they didn't. The Minnesota press thought they knew, but they didn't either. The truth is that this will undoubtedly go on for at least another month...if not two. But that doesn't mean we can't have some fun with it.

The last time Brett Favre retired his number one fan was obviously very upset. John Madden as the whole world knows; thinks Favre is the best thing to happen to mankind since sliced bread. Sadly we don't get to put this video up with Favre having officially retired, but even the discussion is good enough to play around with the possibility....right...maybe...no....ok!

For the Video of the Week I give you: Oops, He Did it Again...(Or Not?)

The Sun (Devils) Set at Camp Randall

Three years ago sounds like a long time to a lot of people, and to some Arizona State fans it may seem like an eternity compare to the last two seasons. In 2007, the Sun Devils managed a share of the Pac 10 title, and every thing looked promising for the boys from Tempe.

That was until a 5-7 season in 2008 and a 4-8 season in 2009. The Sun Devils are hoping that 2007 wasn't just a abberation. The following two seasons may have proven that it was, but a solid start in 2010 could perhaps bring back the glory days of just a few years ago to Tempe.

With two cupcakes in the first two of games of the season (sorry Portland State and Northern Arizona) the Sun Devils should enter week three in Madison 2-0. Unfortunately the unbeaten season should be lost at the Camp.

Perhaps the strongest part of this season's Sun Devil squad will be the pass rush. Not much of an advantage when Wisconsin will most likely force them to defend the run on a regular basis with John Clay. The major difference in this game will most likely be who puts the best defense out on the field. Score one for Bucky.

When comparing the Wisconsin offense to the Arizona State offense the Badgers actually have an edge against a FBS team for the first time in what seems to be a while. At least when you consider total offensive power.

The Sun Devils enter this season only returning one running back with experience on the field at this level. Sophomore Cameron Marshall ran for only 280 yards last season in 11 games (including one start) and punched it in twice. Marshall has many upsides as a running back, but with Wisconsin's strong front seven standing in front of him should make it a long day. The offensive line also plays a major role in how the running game operates against Wisconsin.

Following last season the Sun Devils lost a total of three members of their offensive line from last season. During spring practice Arizona State suffered another loss on the line when senior Jon Hargis went down with an ACL injury that has taken him out for the season. The just yesterday starting guard Zach Schlink went down with a season ending injury. So needless to say the Sun Devils have a lot of questions to answer in the first two weeks of the season up front.

Another big question regarding the Sun Devils coming into this season is who will take the snaps. After last season with Scott Tolzien we're not putting to much wieght into this one but it is always an important decision. But one of the names that could possibly be under center may seem all but familiar to Badger fans...Steven Threet. Yes, that Steven Threet.

Every Badger fan certainly still remembers the comeback Michigan put together against Wisconsin in 2008. Some may remember the starting quarterback for the Wolverines that day was Steven Threet. Following Rich Rodriguez's first season in Ann Arbor Threet transfered to Arizona State. But while he may have the most experience against the Badgers he still has plenty of competition taking the snaps in Tempe. One would expect Brock Oswieler to be under center in Madison, but don't be suprised if it is Street or Samson Szakacsy taking the snaps either.

The final advantage for Wisconsin is none other than Camp Randall itself. Since the 2007 season the Sun Devils have only managed to win two games out of ten on the road. Those two games coming against Washington and Washington State two teams that only combined to win eight games in the last two seasons.

So will this be an easy game for Wisconsin. Probably not as easy as the first two...but easy none the less. Expect the Badgers to pound the football and play solid defense against the Sun Devils. On the plus side for Arizona State they do have a pretty good kicker.

Boyton's Badgers Prediction: Wisconsin 28 Arizona State 10

Konz Cleared for Contact

Injuries are all to common in the game of football, but sometimes you see injuries that don't necessarily occur on the field. That is exactly what happened to Wisconsin offensive lineman Peter Konz last season when doctors found blood clots in his longs last season.

The blood clots cost Konz the final two games last season, and limited the Badger center in spring practice. But now he has the all clear for full contact when camp opens up. And this comes as good news if your Scott Tolzien or John Clay.

Konz became the starter last season when Travis Frederick went down with an ankle injury in the third game of the season. Up until the final game of the regular season at Hawaii when the clots were discovered the job was his, and it looks like it could be his again.

Big Ten Media Day: More Expansion Talk

It's that time of year again...the start of press conferenc season. Oops, I mean football season, and what better way to kick it off than Media Day. Just like the rest of the offseason the new football season starts with that same old topic...expansion.

This time the talk wasn't necessarily about adding more teams, but rather hwo to arrange the teams you already have. With Nebraska entering the Big Ten after this season there will most likely be a change in the allignment of the conference.

Will the Big Ten have an east and west divisional setup? Or will we see a north and south divisional allignment in the conference? Do you set up the conferences based on regions? Or perhaps we look at basing it on competitive balance?

The answer from Monday....we'll let you know.

The Big Ten has not many any decisions on what the conference will look like now that Nebraska is joining. And the questions about how to set up the conference are more than valid.

If the Big Ten goes for a east and west divisional set up the conference many look like this.

East: Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, and Indiana

West: Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

That setup would allow for the main rivalry games to remain intact. What Minnesota would do for the "Battle for the Little Brown Jug" game against Michigan remains to be seen. But Ohio State and Michigan would remain in the same conference, as well as Wisconsin and Minnesota. Perhaps the conferences most prestigous rivalries. Let's not forget about Purdue and Indiana as well.

The other set up on the other hand would perhaps be a little more complicated.

North: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Northwestern.

South: Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, and Ohio State.

This set up would be perhaps the most difficult for the conference to pull off. The biggest question of all...will Michigan and Ohio State continue to play every year? The answer of course will be yes, but what does that do for competitive balance for the conference.

On the otherside of the argument there would be nothing better than those two playing in the conference championship game against eachother. Because the possibility would be completely lost if they were to play in the same conference.

Keep in mind that all of this is speculation right now. For all we know Jim Delany could do anything when it comes to conference allignment. Because let's be honest...did anybody truly think that Nebraska would be the twelfth team to enter the Big Ten. Was anybody else betting on Notre Dame...