Conference 7.286::sports_91

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
Subject: Big Ten BOWL UPDATE (1-3-91)
Summary: Not so hot...
Keywords: Big Ten, college
Date: 3 Jan 91 18:49:09 GMT
    
The Big Ten ended up 2-4 in the bowls, with one of the losses (Indiana)
close.  The two Michigan's solidified my belief that they were the best
this year.  The most surprising outcome (besides the Ohio State loss I
reviewed last week) was Illinois' flop in Tampa.  Most expected IU and
Iowa to lose.  With it's win, Michigan State joins Purdue, Iowa, 
and Northwestern as the only Big Ten teams to have .500+ bowl records,
though State is now just 5-5...  NU is 1-0, Purdue 4-1, and Iowa 7-5...
Others:  Illinois (4-5), Ohio State (11-12), Michigan (10-12), Minnesota
(2-3), Indiana (2-4), Wisconsin (1-5), for a total 47-52, but just 27-39
since 1975 when Big Ten teams were first allowed to play in bowls other
than the Rose Bowl...

I thought the league was overrated, as usual, but I thought Michigan was
much better than most people gave them credit for being.  Two one-point
losses killed them.  Nevertheless, they should be loaded for bear again
next year.  Illinois loses it's defense to graduation.  Ohio State is
young, and MSU has plenty coming back.  Indiana has most of it's team
back next year.  Iowa may drop a bit.  There's new hope at Purdue with
the coaching change and an easier schedule (Washington and Ohio State
exit, Cal and Wisconsin come on), and Minnesota may make a run if the
probation isn't too harsh.  Wisconsin will get better, and the Cats, well,
who knows...



Auburn (8-3-1) 27, INDIANA (6-5-1) 23, at the PEACH BOWL in Atlanta
	{Pred:  Auburn 26, INDIANA 10}:  IU fans had to be proud despite the
	heartbreaking loss, since few gave IU much of a chance.  Auburn
	came in with all the credentials, but the Hoosiers hung tough and
	almost did two things they hadn't all year:  beat a winning team,
	and come from behind in the fourth quarter.  They missed out on both
	by less than 20 seconds.  Trent Green, the QB who spent the second
	half of the season on Bill Mallory's bench, scored three TDs and
	provided good leadership.  Auburn did not dominate the lines of
	scrimmage like I expected.  Stan White did shread the IU defense
	like I expected, though.  Auburn rushed for only 89 yards.  See, Pat,
	you go for it, and you win!  Remember that in the future...
	38,962 saw the game in foggy Atlanta...

MICHIGAN STATE (8-3-1) 17, USC (8-4-1) 16, at the JOHN HANCOCK BOWL in El
	Paso  {Pred:  USC 24, MICHIGAN STATE 20}:  What a hard-hitting game!
	MSU must not have been fed all of it's raw meat before this one, as
	they came out and rocked Trojan ball carriers and receivers.
	Courtney Hawkins of the Spartans caught 6 passes for 106 yards and a
	touchdown, as MSU had better success upstairs than on the ground.
	Hyland Hickson and Tico Duckett were held to a combined 86 rushing
	yards by the tough Trojan defense.  Mazio Royster of SC, on the
	other hand, racked up 125 yards on the ground.  Todd Marinovich
	threw three big interceptions.  The Trojans outgained MSU 336-215,
	but just made too many mistakes.  SC had a chance to go up 14-zip
	when Marinovich fumbled into the endzone for a touchback on a
	plunge.  Things changed after that mishap.  Definitely one of the most
	interesting bowl games to watch, but I wish they would call it the
	Sun Bowl again...  50,562 were on hand in sunny El Paso...

MICHIGAN (9-3) 35, Mississippi (9-3) 3, at the MAZDA GATOR BOWL in
	Jacksonville  {Pred:  MICHIGAN 27, Ole Miss 21}:  I sort of felt
	sorry for Ole Miss.  First New Year's Day bowl game in many a moon,
	and they had to face a Michigan team which should have been playing
	somewhere out west.  Over 700 yards offense, and balanced to boot.
	Billy Brewer said of Michigan, "They are the best football team we've
	ever played at Ole Miss, ever".  Elvis Grbac threw for 296 yards and
	four TD passes (tied a school record), Desmond Howard caught six
	balls for 167 yards and two TDs, Jon Vaughn rushed for 128 yards,
	and Ricky Powers ran for 112 yards (8 yards a pop for both).  All in
	all, a convincing win for Gary Moeller's troops.  This was the first
	meeting between Ole Miss and someone from the Big Ten since 1938.
	Michigan players said that Ole Miss did more talking "than Michigan
	State" on the field...  68,927 showed up in 60 degree, foggy
	Jacksonville...

Clemson (10-2) 30, ILLINOIS (8-4) 0, at the HALL OF FAME BOWL in Tampa
	{Pred:  ILLINOIS 24, Clemson 24}:  Clemson shocked the Illini with a
	passing attack early, and then the Tiger defense did the job the
	rest of the way over the bewildered Illini in hot Tampa.  DeChane
	Cameron was the QB who orchestrated the aerial attack, and was named
	MVP.  He threw for 2 touchdowns and led Clemson in rushing with 76
	yards.  Jason Verdusco had a tough day and was later replaced, one
	of his passes being returned 34 yards for a TD.  The Tigers built a
	24-0 halftime lead before calling the dogs off.  Clemson led the
	nation in scoring defense this year...  Only about 50,000 of a paid
	gate of 63,154 attended in sweltering 85 degree heat in sunny Tampa...

Washington (10-2) 46, IOWA (8-4) 34, at the ROSE BOWL in Pasadena
	{Pred:  Washington 31, IOWA 20}:  The final score is misleading, as
	Iowa put on a furious 4th quarter rally to make this one seem
	respectable.  It wasn't.  Washington's offense clicked all day, plus
	Iowa gave the Huskies two TD's on a blocked punt and an
	interception.  Even the Husky mascot was bored in the second half.
	Hayden Fry is now 0-3 in Pasadena, 0-2 against Don James.  Greg
	Lewis didn't score any touchdowns, but the Husky runner, like that
	other Lewis at Texas A&M in not being a household name, ran for 128
	yards on just 19 carries.  Mark Brunell threw for 2 TDs and ran for
	2 more.  Washington led 33-7 at halftime and 39-14 after three...
	101,273 attended in smogless Pasadena...


Hope you enjoyed the previews and reviews this year...
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Randy Peppler                        peppler@reepicheep.sws.uiuc.edu |
| Illinois State Water Survey      or: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu        |
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    

> I thought the league was overrated, as usual, 

  I'd say the bowls definately pointed this out.  Seems the ACC is much
  tougher than some people gave them credit for, and the Big Ten was much,
  much weaker than its supporters claimed.  Air Force shouldn't have even
  been close against a contender from a REAL conference.  And Illinois was
  a laugh against one of those Nobodies that Georgia Tech had to play this
  year.

    I think Michigan proved to be a quality team.  I still say switch the
    Rocket and Desmond Howard and you see no difference, maybe more talent
    with Howard....
    
    -Walt

    Sorry Walt,
     Disagree. Howard is a great receiver,but he's not as good as
    Ismail. No one can accleerate like Rocket through traffic,and he
    can take a hit and bounce off people( Orange Bowl 91 and the 89
    Michigan-ND game)
    
    IMHO
    
    MikeL
    

    Michigan was definitely the class of the Big10 this year, hell, you
    could see that as they lost to Notre Dame and got screwed out of the
    win at State.  
    
    What happened with Michigan this year is that it took a while for 
    Moeller's new system to settle in.  The biggest hole in the team, I
    think, is at QB, with Grbac being a major weak link.  Put a Jeff
    George type on that squad next year and they could be devastating.
    
    Moeller's willingness to exploit his team's talents (Desmond = pass)
    portends a more powerful Michigan in the future.  Moeller showed some
    poor judgement earlier in the year but, unlike his mentor Bo, adjusted
    and ended up with a team that coulda taken Washington downtown in the
    Rose had they gotten there IMNSHO.
    
    As for the Illini, and the Hawkeyes ftm, what I saw was a lack of
    speed.  Illinois was intimidated by their inability to grab 'holt of
    Clemson's quick players.  The Big10 needs to bring in more speed and
    get away from the giant muscleman thing, which seems to be fading as
    a mode.  Even lowly, undersized undermanned Indiana was able to stay 
    with former #2 Auburn with its quickness.
    
    Fwiw, putting up the league's 7th place team against a squad that was
    ranked #2 for a good part of the season will tend to lower a conference's
    bowl winning %.
    
    Hayden Fry had figured that this year's Hawkeyes would be rebuilding
    and no good, and for that reason kept ALL his top recruits off on 
    redshirt status.  This included 4 H.S. All-Americas, and several more
    players, most skill position players, all quicker than the veteran 
    players ahaid a them.
    
    Big10 Tom

    According to the sporting news Michigan hit pay dirt in recruiting this
    year.  They supposedly unseated Notre Dame as the school with the best
    recruiting year with the early signings alone.  Although Jon Vaughn was
    an obvious talent it doesn't look like Michigan will be hurt at all by
    his absence.
    
    From the looks of things the uncertainty will be on defense.  This year
    they should remove the big game collar.  I will admit that the big ten
    was weaker than usual last year but with the youth around the league it
    should be much stronger this season.
    
    Maze & Blue paving a road to #1

    Michigan won't miss Vaughn much with Ricky Powers around...

    My guess is that either Michigan or FSU will be ranked #1 going into
    the '91 season.  If the Wolverines can finally beat ND in
    September, that should give them momentum for the rest of the season.
    Hell, Michigan outplayed the Irish the past 3 years, now they need do
    what really matters and win the game.  The Michigan game isn't the
    opener for ND this year-their first game is against Indiana.  
    
    Joe
      

    
    Is the Big Ten playing football this year?  MrT, you've got a week,
    fill us in...
    
    glenn
    

    
    
    It was announced on the radio last night that Michigan, in an
    
    undoubtably classless move has made the decision NOT to allow their
    
    cheerleaders to go to non-conference games!  Saturday they are coming
    
    to Beantown to play with the BC Eagles, w/o the cheerleading squad.
    
    Knowing how much fans need cheerleaders, some folks solicited the
    
    high school cheerleaders from Newton High School to be the "surrogate"
    
    Michigan c'leaders.
    
    
    HTH
    
    Kev
    

    Here's the sportswriters prognostication:
    
    1.  Michigan  -  14 starters back
    2.  State     -   9 
    3.  Hawkeyes  -  16
    4.  Illinois  -   9
    5.  Buckeyes  -  11
    6.  Minnesota -  15
    7.  Indiana   -  17
    8.  Purdue    -  13
    9.  Badgers   -  14                     
    10. NU        -  what doe it matter?
    
    Alvarez could kick-start hapless Badgers... Indiana has road games 
    at Notre Dame, Mizzou, Michigan, Iowa, and Columbus... Goofers have
    turned over OL, but replacements (the line, not the now-disbanded
    band) are experienced and better athletes... Iowa's QB Matt Rodgers 
    is good, but they lost 3 a last 4 games last year... Perles has 
    new QB to replace Enos, teams has 9 300 pounders... Illinois has a
    lousy defense... Ohio State's star Robt. Smith accused coaches of
    have a "lousy academic commitment" (read: Cooper is finished)...
    Wisconsin is very young and inexperienced but he has pud non-conf
    schedule to lean on... Indiana has two bad QBs, the better of the
    two is probably Dyer over Trent Green (a choke artist on big plays)
    but Dyer hardly threw a pass in HS as a_option QB, and Indiana had
    a poor recruiting year and has a combination of smallness and poor
    speed on the lines... Goofers' QB Marquel Fleetwood is a_option 
    type but if he starts passing like he did late watch out, item:
    former Vikings (and before that Packers) Offensive Coordinator
    Bob Schnelker is a volunteer for Gutekuntz and has revamped the
    offense, Gutey, a great D-main, has the defense... New coach Jim
    Colletto debuts at Purdue and he'll move away from the run-and-
    shoot offense, QB Eric Hunter must adapt, fun fack: Purdue averaged
    a mainly 1.9 rushing last season... Illinois lost 5 NFL draftees to
    from his D, and they play Houston on Sept. 21, question: will 
    QB Verdusco continue with the temper tantrums - and the mistakes...
    Indiana must open up the offense or get stuffed relying on the
    predictable running game...  Michigan has beaten Ohio State 3 times
    in a row (as I said: Coop B Gone)... Any team that loads up on RB Tito 
    Duckett will get burned by WR Courtney Hawkins at State...
    
    Best quote: "Nonconference victories over ND and FSU spark, in the
    best case scenario, an 11-0 road trip to Pasadena and prompt extra
    Heimlich maneuver practice before meeting Washington."
    
    Big10 Tom

    	Hey are the rest of those Big Ten coaches like Ohio State's
    Cooper?  Not wanting their football players growing up to be doctors
    and lawyers and such?
    
    				/Don

    You didn't list Penn State on that list... home of the compassionate
    81-0 win...
    

    re: PSU big win
    
    Penn State did everything they could NOT to run up the score. They
    pulled the 1st string around the middle of the second quarter and
    played about 77 players total. The fourth string QB ran for a 75 yd TD.
    JoePA could tell him to just fall down. It was a little different from
    a normal Houston Game.
    
    Dennis
    

    I don't believe Penn State is officially iBig10 grid until 1993.
    This is 1991.  Moreover, even the losing coach stressed that Paterno
    did everything possible to avert a Pardee/Tubbs low-class
    exhibitionism, and that a combo of great play by the Lions' 4th
    string ana fedozen big errors by his guys resulted in the 70+
    total.
    
    Great weekend for the Big10 squads, though, with Penn State scoring
    70+, Michigan winning on the road, IU acquitting itself mainfully at
    The Altar, Ohio State dog-walking Arizona, and so on.  The only real
    embarrassment was the inconsistent Illi managing to make it close
    with stearolina.
    
    Next Saturday is the key: Is Moeller anotr Schembechler choke artist
    or will he take all that talent and beat up a reloading Notre Dame.
    
    Big10 Tom

And hey, if I'm a third or fourth string guy, I'm not gonna let up, because
I wanna show the coach I can play second string.

Paterno has a lot of class IMO...

'Saw

    Even when they were passing with the score 50++ to 0??

    The recent article in SI concerning Robert Smith Vs the Established
    Football Regime at Ohio St was quite interesting. The article was
    definitely pro-Smith but as we all know there are two sides (maybe the
    coaches are all wrong) to every story. Can anybody shed any further
    light on OSU football in general with (DB) Cooper and his assistant in
    question for this story Uzelac (sp). Has OSU football declined that
    much? The article made Uzelac out to be quite the Simon Legree.
    I am sure that the Ohio St alums are up in arms about the number of
    highly-valued recruits from Ohio that travel to Ann Arbor to play for
    Michigan.
    
    
    Enquiring minds and all that rot
    MikeL
    
    
    
    
    
    

    
>        Even when they were passing with the score 50++ to 0??
 
    How much passing did they do with the score that high?  I didn't
    see any highlights, but from the box score I saw very little passing
    from PSU for the entire game.  The guys who ran up big yardage on
    the ground were total unknowns, too, like third-string freshman
    fullback J.T. Morris.  I'd never even heard the guy mentioned as
    a factor for this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't
    match the one-game total over the rest of the year.
    
    There's a big difference between substituting early and continuing 
    to play hard, and leaving your starting QB in for three quarters to
    throw 9 TDs or 900 yards like the classless John Jenkins did with
    Houston against Louisiana Tech this year and Eastern Washington last 
    season.  It's a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, but I've got to admit 
    that I hope that Miami knocks the ever-living snot out of Houston 
    this Thursday like Texas did to them last year.  At least maybe
    Miami has earned the right to strut a little bit.  Houston needs
    to be put in their rightful place again, IMO... 
        
    As for Cooper, the things I read in that SI article indicate to
    me that he and his head assistant have some warped opinions that
    they're only too willing to air publicly, which says to me they'll
    soon be gone.  Stuff like Smith taking school and himself "too 
    seriously", etc.  Whether Smith is exaggerating a misunderstanding 
    or not, I don't believe it's possible to take one's education "too 
    seriously".  His education should be as serious as he wants to make 
    it, without reservation from *anyone*.
                
    It also seemed a little strange that the university president is
    a gung-ho football guy who backs the coaches 100%.  I thought a
    school of Ohio State's reputation was a little bit above having
    its president openly serve as one of its #1 football boosters, even
    if football as a major revenue source is a reality at many major
    universities...
                   
    glenn
    

    Cooper should be fired, and all a his assistants with him.  Robert
    should be given a medal.
    
    MrT

    A year ago I happened upon Cooper's TV show when he was intervieing one
    of his players. He sounded so phony, just like an oltime revivalist.
    If this story in SI is true, he should be gone. And as Glenn pointed
    out, if the President is that close to the machinations of the
    so-called shady FBall program, a total investigation might be
    warranted.  And I thought this stuff still only was alive at ESU in
    Tank McNamara's cartoon
    

    RE: Earle Bruce
    Bruce has really done a good up at Colorado State.  The team went 7-4
    last year and went to their first bowl game since something like 1943. 
    He's been somewhat critical of the CSU athletic department the past
    couple days because of their upcoming road game at Nebraska.  He
    doesn't think the university should go on the road against some
    top-notch opponent just for the paycheck, and instead thinks they
    should concentrate on scheduling more home games, getting more wins,
    and expanding the current stadium capacity, which is only about 30,000.
    
    Joe
       

    Earl Bruce got jobbed big-time in Columbus.  It musta really Earl,
    who is a_Ohio boy through and through.  I know a guy in Denver who
    played for him at Massilon (and attended Ohio State) and he went
    radioactive when Earl was fired despite his 75% winning percentage
    there.  Hey, it's nearly impossible to recruit and win against
    Michigan... especially in Ohio.  There are a lotta OSU alums who now
    look at Cooper and wish Bruce were still there.
    
    Big10 Tom

	re: a few back

	Most Ohio State fans in MY part of Ohio desperately hope that the
	Smith affair is the beginning of the end for Cooper.  With the
	massive number of commercials he's done since Day 1, the "quitter"
	reputation he's gotten more recently, and a mediocre won-lost,
	most people have found a reason to dislike the man.

	The suspicion concerning the support Cooper's gotten from the
	administration is that they rallied around him as much as they
	did to try to keep the season from becoming a disaster.  The
	general feeling is that, unless he wins 9 or 10 games and goes
	to the Rose Bowl, he'll be gone after the season.

tom

From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Review (9-16-91)
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1991 20:00:10 GMT
 
Results (ugh!) of the games of September 14th:
 
Missouri (1-0) 23, ILLINOIS (1-1) 19 (at Columbia - Pred:  ILLINOIS 27,
	Missouri 23):  A see-saw affair in the fourth quarter saw
	the Tigers hold on for a win, with the help of a dropped TD
	pass by an Illinois receiver inside of the final two minutes
	of the game.  Jason Verdusco threw for 430 yards on 58 attempts,
	yet the Illini could only muster one touchdown.  Tiger QB
	Phil Johnson had a big day himself, with nearly 300 yards and
	3 TDs.  Coach Bob Stull has apparently revived a slumbering program.
	Mizzou led 9-0 before Illinois could get untracked.   A crowd
	of 49,586 attended in sweltering heat...
 
INDIANA (0-1) was "idle"
 
IOWA (2-0) 29, Iowa State (1-1) 10 (at Ames - Pred:  IOWA 37, Iowa
	State 28):  The Hawkeyes jumped out fast and threatened to
	bury the Cyclones, but ended up merely holding on.  The Hawkeyes
	scored on a 46-yard TD pass from Matt Rodgers on their second
	play of the game and led 17-0 after 8.5 minutes.  But, the game
	was pretty much even after that.  13 of the early points were
	set up by ISU turnovers, and Iowa blocked a punt for a safety.
	54,469 at ISU...
 
MICHIGAN (2-0) 24, Notre Dame (1-1) 14 (at Ann Arbor - Pred:  MICHIGAN 22,
	Notre Dame 19):  A terrific fourth down pass from Elvis Grbac
	to Desmond "Heisman" Howard got the Irish monkey off of the Michigan
	back.  Rickey Powers ran for 164 yards, while the top Irish
	ground gainer could only muster 28 yards.  Grbac was an amazing
	20 of 22 for 195 yards and a touchdown.  Howard added a 29-yard
	touchdown run with his 74 yards in pass receptions, before a
	whopping 106,138 at newly-sodded Michigan Stadium (it's
	beautiful!)...
 
Central Michigan (2-0-1) 20, MICHIGAN STATE (0-1) 3 (at East Lansing - Pred:
	MSU 38, CMU 15):  Last year's MAC champs came south down U.S. 27
	and humiliated the Spartans at their own game - rock-solid defense
	and a punishing, no-frills ground game.  The Spartans' annual
	September struggles are mind-boggling, to say the least.  Not
	much offense to speak of from the Green and White, as the passing
	game was mostly ineffective.  George Perles termed the effort
	"lousy".  CMU tailback Billy Smith shredded the State defense
	for 162 yards on 40 carries.  Tico Duckett ran for 95 yards, but
	MSU passers could only must 98 yards through the air.  71,629 at
	Spartan Stadium...
 
MINNESOTA (1-0) 26, San Jose State (0-2) 20 (at Minneapolis - Pred:
	MINNESOTA 34, SJSU 16):  The Gophers started out very slowly
	but fought back and held off SJSU.  After finally hitting a
	field goal to lead 3-0 in the second, the Gophers fell behind
	13-3 by the half and trailed 20-9 in the third before finally
	overtaking San Jose State on a 25-yard interception return for
	TD by linebacker Andre Davis in the fourth quarter.  SJSU
	QB Matt Veatch was 24 of 45 for 385 yards, including a 95-yard
	TD pass, longest in school history.  47,914 saw this game
	Saturday night at the Metrodome...
 
Rice (2-0) 36, NORTHWESTERN (0-1) 7 (at Evanston - Pred:  Rice 35, NU 31):
	Rice showed NU that you can have a little itty-bitty program and
	still win.  Pretty much a blowout here, as Trevor Cobb ran for
	193 yards and three scores.  The Wildcats contributed to the
	romp with 7 turnovers, including 6 fumbles lost.  Just 23,216
	at Dyche Stadium...
 
OHIO STATE (2-0) 23, Louisville (0-2) 15 (at Columbus - Pred:  OHIO STATE
	31, Louisville 26):  The Buckeyes had a fight on their hands,
	as U of L, without it's regular QB, hung in there at The Horseshoe.
	The Buckeye offense was more stagnant than last week against
	Arizona, but had enough output to do the job.  OSU led 16-0 early 
	in the fourth before Louisville put on a final flurry.  An unusual
	80 yard return of a blocked extra point (for a safety) got the
	Cardinals on the board.  They followed that with a 48-yard TD
	pass from QB Erik Watts, but Carlos Snow countered with a TD run
	to make the score 23-9.  Watts threw for 303 yards, but had
	3 interceptions.  91,734 at Ohio Stadium...
 
USC (1-1) 21, PENN STATE (2-1) 10 (at LA - Pred:  PENN STATE 27, USC 16):
	Guess you can never take SC too lightly.  The Trojans made
	Tony "The Mouth" Sacca look silly most of the night in shutting
	down the rather predictable PSU offense.  After a 14-7 halftime
	lead,  SC held the Penn State offense in check the second half.
	PSU lost 2 fumbles, though 7 balls were fumbled, and Sacca
	suffered 2 interceptions as SC fought back from its dismal
	performance against Memphis State.  64,758 at the Coliseum...
 
California (2-0) 42, PURDUE (1-1) 18 (at Berkeley - Pred:  Cal 27,
	PURDUE 14):  This looks one-sided, but 6 of the 8 Cal scoring
	drives were of 28 yards or less as 6 Purdue turnovers and some
	great Cal kick returns doomed the Boilermakers.  Purdue led
	much of the first half, and was up 10-9 late in the second quarter
	when 2 straight fumbles led to 6 quick points.  Early third
	quarter turnovers led to a 28-10 Cal lead, but Purdue scored
	on a 94-yard drive and added a two-pointer to close within 10
	at 28-18.  After a defensive stand, the Purdue offense coughed
	up the ball twice again, and Cal scored on two short drives in the 
	final stanza to ice it.  Cal QB Mike Pawlawski was outstanding,
	hitting open receivers all afternoon.  Heisman candidate running
	back Russell White only rushed for 65 yards, but took a screen
	pass 51 yards for a touchdown.  Eric Hunter was dismal again
	as he has yet not displayed any of the flash he showed as a frosh
	two years ago...  39,000+ at Memorial Stadium on a gorgeous day.
 
WISCONSIN (1-0) 31, Western Illinois (1-1) 13 (at Madison - Pred:
	WISCONSIN 25, WIU 10):  The Leathernecks jumped ahead quickly
	13-0 before a stunned 42,861 at Camp Randall Stadium, but the
	Badgers turned things around for a big victory.  Troy Vincent
	had 241 yards in return yardage as Wisconsin's biggest weopon,
	including a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown.  After trailing
	13-10 at the half, the Badgers scored two TDs within a 70-second
	span of the third quarter, one being the punt return...
 
 
STANDINGS:
 
  CONF TEAM           CONF CONF CONF       ALL  ALL  ALL
  RANK                WINS LOSS TIES      WINS LOSS TIES
 
 
       IOWA              0    0    0         2    0    0
       MICHIGAN          0    0    0         2    0    0
       OHIO STATE        0    0    0         2    0    0
       MINNESOTA         0    0    0         1    0    0
       WISCONSIN         0    0    0         1    0    0
       PENN STATE        0    0    0         2    1    0
       ILLINOIS          0    0    0         1    1    0
       PURDUE            0    0    0         1    1    0
       INDIANA           0    0    0         0    1    0
       MICHIGAN STATE    0    0    0         0    1    0
       NORTHWESTERN      0    0    0         0    1    0
 
 
September 21st:
 
	Houston (1-1) at ILLINOIS
	Kentucky (1-0) at INDIANA
	IOWA is IDLE
	MICHIGAN is IDLE
	MICHIGAN STATE at Notre Dame (1-1)
	MINNESOTA at Colorado (1-1)
	NORTHWESTERN at Rutgers (1-1)
	Washington State (0-2) at OHIO STATE
	BYU (0-2) at PENN STATE
	PURDUE is IDLE
	Iowa State (1-1) at WISCONSIN

From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Preview (9-17-91)
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1991 16:10:14 GMT
 
The games of September 21st:
 
Houston (1-1) at ILLINOIS (1-1) [2:30 pm Central, ABC - Regional]:
	This game has all the makings of a four-hour air circus.
	Houston is #1 in passing, and Illinois is #3.  Both Klingler
	and Verdusco can hit their targets, given protection.
	Houston has problems with protection against the big boys,
	but Illinois didn't do a good job rushing Missouri QB
	Phil Johnson.  I think the difference in this game will be
	Houston's quickness.  No hot weather this coming weekend,
	either...  Houston 37, ILLINOIS 27.
 
Kentucky (1-0) at INDIANA (0-1) [11:30 am Central, ESPN - National]:
	Kentucky squeaked past Miami-Ohio two weeks ago, while the
	Hoosiers gave Notre Dame some problems.  Vaughn Dunbar, with
	160+ yards against the Irish, should have a field day on the
	fake turf at Memorial Stadium.  Look for a big Hoosier win
	in the home opener...  IU 38, UK 17.
 
IOWA (2-0) is IDLE
 
MICHIGAN (2-0) is IDLE
 
MICHIGAN STATE (0-1) at Notre Dame (1-1) [12:30 pm Central, NBC - National]:
	Most of the time, you would expect the Spartans to give the Irish
	all they want.  But, after the dismal showing last week, who
	knows what to expect out of MSU?  It's usually not good to have
	to face the Irish after a loss.  Lou Holtz had that look on his
	face at the end of the Michigan game that every Irish player has
	probably come to dread...  Notre Dame 31, MSU 10.
 
MINNESOTA (1-0) at Colorado (1-1) [2:30 pm Central]:  I was all set to
	say that the Gophers would give Colorado a good game, but then
	Colorado went and lost at home to Baylor.  I expect some
	redirected energy from Bill McCartney's troops.  Minnesota
	will be respectable this year, though, so don't look for a 
	blowout.  The Gophers probably lack Colorado's quickness in
	this tilt...  Colorado 30, MINNESOTA 16.
 
NORTHWESTERN (0-1) at Rutgers (1-1) [Noon Central]:  Argh.  NU is going
	to have a long year.  Rutgers is usually decent, and so far
	has beaten Boston College and lost to a surprising Duke team.
	Could be ugly in the Garden State...  Rutgers 45, NU 13.
 
Washington State (0-2) at OHIO STATE (2-0) [12:30 pm Central]:  The
	Cougars have given OSU good games in the past, but not this time.
	This is OSU's final tune-up before taking a week off in anticipation
	of the Big Ten season.  The Buckeye offense should be way too
	much for WSU to handle...  OHIO STATE 38, Washington State 12.
 
BYU (0-2) at PENN STATE (2-1) [7:00 pm Central, ABC - Regional]:  The
	Nittany Lions should be fired up at home to bounce back from the
	bad showing in LA.  Ty Detmer is probably wondering what it will
	take to regain last year's magic.  Who says BYU has a soft
	schedule?  Whoever devised this one should be shot!!!  Penn
	State probably has too much strength for the Cougars...  PENN
	STATE 28, BYU 15.
 
PURDUE (1-1) is IDLE
 
Iowa State (1-1) at WISCONSIN (1-0) [1:05 pm Central]:  The Badgers came
	back strong after leaving the locker room flat against
	Western Illinois.  Same for Iowa State against Iowa, but they
	were just too far behind to do anything.  If this game was on
	a neutral field, we would go for Iowa State, but strange things
	seem to happen on the carpet at Camp Randall.  Wisconsin has
	a sinfully easy non-conference slate, and any decent team would
	go 3-0 with it.  Since next week's game is a "gimme" and I can't
	imagine 3-0,...  Iowa State 27, WISCONSIN 19.
[....]

    Besides Michigan's stirring victory, Saturday's results bode ill
    for the Big10's overall bowl prospects.  What we saw was two of
    the top teams - Michigan State and Illinois - showing weakness.
    Iowa looks like Michigan's only competition for the Rose Bowl. 
    Ohio State did ok against a decent team, but that was at home and
    the one thing we've learned during the post-Bruce era is the utter
    beatability of this once great program, even despite its blazing
    corners and 300 lb linemen and great backs.  Ohio State's new QB
    showed some nice potential, though.  
    
    Then there's the enigmatic Minnesota.  They looked like dead meat
    after a couple of strong drives by San Jose State's intimidating
    passing game, but then sucked it up and created some turnovers and
    established a pretty good game control offense with a few big plays
    to come from behind and win.  The Gophers will almost certainly lose
    to a made-as-hornets Colorado team next week, but they've got some 
    good things going and should place right in there with Indiana, Ohio
    State, and Illinois in the mid-pack, and *that* assumes that Michigan
    State recoups.  
    
    Indiana could be ruined by a cruel road schedule (Notre Dame, Missouri, 
    Michigan, Michigan State) and poor QB play, so they could drop into the
    third echelon just above the likes of Wisconsin, Northwestern, and
    Purdue...
    
    Big10 Tom

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Review (9-23-91)
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 1991 16:49:53 GMT
 
The results of September 21st:
 
ILLINOIS (2-1) 51, Houston (1-2) 10  (at Champaign;  Pred:  Houston 37,
	ILLINOIS 27):  Either Illinois is among the nation's college
	football elite, or Houston is the biggest media joke forced
	upon us in years.  You be the judge.  The Illini dominated every
	facet of this game, causing the gambling Houston defense to look
	ridiculous, and making the run-n-shoot offense look inept.  Gee,
	Coogs, when you blitz all the time against a team with a very good
	offensive line, you will give up lots of long runs and passes.  Get
	a CLUE!  Jason Verdusco looked like the Heisman candidate instead of
	David Klingler (in his defense, though, the Houston offensive
	line sucks!  Does this team have anything besides Klingler?).  And,
	the Illinois running game, which had been very spotty against
	East Carolina and Missouri, went wild, gaining 304 yards.  Five
	of Illinois' seven TDs came on plays of 20 yards or more.  The
	stage for this game was set early, as the Cougars passed right
	through the Illinois defense on it's first two possessions, only
	to fumble away one of them and settle for a FG on the other
	after three incredibly disorganized plays with a first-and-goal on
	the 5.  It was all Illinois after that (645 yards total offense).
	60,182 at Memorial Stadium...
 
INDIANA (1-1) 13, Kentucky (1-1) 10 (at Bloomington;  Pred: IU 38, UK 17):
	All the points in this game were scored in the fourth quarter,
	as the Hoosiers came back twice to pull out this well-played
	game.  The Wildcats struck first on a 99-yard drive after a
	stirring goal-line stand.  IU came back quickly, with
	QB Trent Green, who was 17 of 20, connecting on a 42-yard TD pass
	to tie the game.  Wildcat kicker John(?) Pelfrey then hit a career-
	best 53-yard FG to give UK a 10-7 lead with only a little over
	4 minutes to go.  Green and Vaughn Dunbar then took over, as
	IU marched down the field for the winning score, a 1-yard run
	by Dunbar.  The key play on this drive was a 20-yard 3rd down
	completion by Green.  Dunbar gained 147 yards to go with the 160 he
	had two weeks ago against Notre Dame.  He has 1,532 yards now in just
	14 career games!  A final UK drive was snuffed out as time expired,
	as IU had opened the door with Scott Bonnell's missed extra point on
	the clinching TD.  48,994 at Memorial Stadium...
 
IOWA (2-0) was IDLE
 
MICHIGAN (2-0) was IDLE
 
Notre Dame (2-1) 49, MICHIGAN STATE (0-2) 10 (at South Bend;  Pred:
	Notre Dame 31, MSU 10):  The Irish took out their frustrations
	on an apparently punchless MSU squad, pummelling them for the
	Spartans' second straight disappointing loss.  Rick Mirer shredded
	the MSU secondary for 3 scores and 208 yards, while four Irish
	runners gained more than 56 yards (433 total rushing, 650 total
	offense).  Tico Duckett of State ran for 72 yards, but the MSU
	passing offense looks bad, and so does the defense.  Good thing
	for MSU that Rutgers is coming to town (for those of you that
	missed it, recent MSU conqueror Central Michigan struggled to
	a 31-29 home win over Akron).  59,075 at Notre Dame Stadium...
 
Colorado (2-1) 58, MINNESOTA (1-1) 0 (at Boulder;  Pred:  Colorado 30,
	MINNESOTA 16):  Minnesota forgot to show up as the Buffaloes
	humiliated them, preserving a long tradition of Gopher-bashing
	by the Big 8's elite.  Nebraska and Oklahoma have done the
	honors in past years.  This one was already 38-zip at halftime.
	QB Darian Hagan and frosh tailbacks Kent Kahl and Lamont Warren
	had big days, scoring a total of 6 touchdowns.  The Buffaloes
	piled up 612 yards of offense, as Hagan passed for 162 yards on
	only 8 passes.  Kind of a surprising result to me.  42,147 at
	Folsom Field...
 
Rutgers (2-1) 22, NORTHWESTERN (0-2) 18 (at Rutgers;  Pred: Rutgers 45,
	NU 13):  The Wildcats played much better than expected, as the
	Scarlet Knights had to fight for their lives in this one.  The
	Wildcats led 15-7 in the second quarter and 18-15 at halftime.
	But, the Rutgers defense stiffened in the second half, and a
	third-quarter lead-grabbing TD turned out to be the final score
	of the game.  Rutgers scored on a 96-yard kickoff return to tie
	the game in the second quarter at 15 after NU had taken it's
	largest lead.  It wasn't over until late, though, as the Wildcats
	moved to the Rutgers 7 with just under two minutes left, when
	NU QB Len Williams was sacked on a fourth-and-four play.  Only
	17,046 at Rutgers...
 
OHIO STATE (3-0) 33, Washington State (0-3) 19 (at Columbus;  Pred:
	OHIO STATE 38, Washington State 12):  The Cougars never gave
	up, but the Buckeyes were never in danger, either.  After a
	14-0 halftime advantage, the Buckeyes took a 24-6 lead into
	the fourth quarter before a couple of WSU scores made things
	somewhat interesting.  OSU scored a TD on a 42-yard interception
	return, and later scored 2 points returning a two-point conversion	
	pass 96 yards.  OSU rushed for 321 yards, before 92,687 at
	Ohio Stadium...
 
PENN STATE (3-1) 33, BYU (0-3) 7 (at State College;  Pred:  PENN STATE 28, 
	BYU 15):  The Lions poured it on in the second half after a sluggish
	first stanza, holding Ty Detmer down most of the game.  It was only
	10-7 Lions at halftime, as Detmer, on a TD pass, passed Doug Flutie
	for first place on the NCAA offensive yardage list.  But, he was
	only 8 of 26 on the game, for 158 yards, a TD and an interception,
	and was sacked 6 times.  Gerry Collins ran for 99 yards for PSU.
	A good defensive showing for Penn State, before a huge night crowd
	of 96,304 at Beaver Stadium...
 
PURDUE (1-1) was IDLE
 
WISCONSIN (2-0) 7, Iowa State (1-2) 6 (at Madison;  Pred:  Iowa State 27,
	WISCONSIN 19):  The Badgers solidified their bid for a 3-0 pre-
	conference record by holding off the Cyclones in this defensive
	struggle.  Wisconsin led 7-3 at the break, with a 20-yard TD
	pass from Tony Lowery providing the score.  That held up, as ISU
	could only manage one 3rd quarter field goal.  Wisconsin's Ty
	Stewart blocked a 33-yard FG attempt by Iowa State with just
	15 seconds left in the game to preserve the Badger victory.  This
	is Wisconsin's first 2-0 start since 1985 (seems longer).  A good
	crowd of 50,710 saw this stirring win at Camp Randall Stadium... 
 
STANDINGS:
 
  CONF TEAM           CONF CONF CONF       ALL  ALL  ALL
  RANK                WINS LOSS TIES      WINS LOSS TIES
                                                                        
       OHIO STATE        0    0    0         3    0    0  1.000
       IOWA              0    0    0         2    0    0  1.000
       MICHIGAN          0    0    0         2    0    0  1.000
       WISCONSIN         0    0    0         2    0    0  1.000
       PENN STATE        0    0    0         3    1    0  0.750
       ILLINOIS          0    0    0         2    1    0  0.667
       INDIANA           0    0    0         1    1    0  0.500
       MINNESOTA         0    0    0         1    1    0  0.500
       PURDUE            0    0    0         1    1    0  0.500
       MICHIGAN STATE    0    0    0         0    2    0  0.000
       NORTHWESTERN      0    0    0         0    2    0  0.000
 
 
September 28th:
 
	ILLINOIS is idle
	INDIANA at Missouri (1-1)
	Northern Illinois (1-2) at IOWA
	Florida State (3-0) at MICHIGAN       (ABC - National, 11:00am C)
	Rutgers (2-1) at MICHIGAN STATE
	Pitt (3-0) at MINNESOTA               (ABC - Regional, 2:30 pm C)
	Wake Forest (1-1) at NORTHWESTERN
	OHIO STATE is idle
	Boston College (0-3) at PENN STATE
	Notre Dame (2-1) at PURDUE
	Eastern Michigan (0-4) at WISCONSIN

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Review (9-30-91)
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1991 16:22:49 GMT
  
Conference play begins this Saturday for all but Penn State.  Too bad
for the Lions, because they could clean up if they wanted to...
 
The results of September 28th:
 
ILLINOIS was idle (yet rose three spots in the AP poll)
 
INDIANA (1-1-1) 27, Missouri (1-1-1) 27 [at Columbia; Pred:  Missouri 24,
	INDIANA 20]:  What a strange one this was.  Mizzou, over three
	quarters, built a seemingly safe 19-7 lead.  However, the Hoosiers
	exploded for three 4th quarter touchdowns.  Scott Bonnell's
	extra point failed though, on the first TD, so IU's lead was
	only a reachable 27-19.  That's when Tiger QB Phil Johnson
	came through, as he connected on a 2-yard TD pass to Byron
	Chamberlain with 24 seconds left to pull Mizzou within 2 points. 
	Johnson then ran for the two-point conversion to tie the
	game.  Vaughn Dunbar scored three TDs and rushed for a whopping
	265 yards on 33 carries, before 42,173 at Faurot Field.  I think
	his Heisman stock must be rising as well...
 
IOWA (3-0) 58, Northern Illinois (1-3) 7 [at Iowa City; Pred:  IOWA 42,
	NIU 16]: This went pretty much as expected, as Iowa poured it on
	the Huskies from DeKalb.  The Hawkeyes led 31-0 at halftime and
	38-0 after three.  Matt Rodgers threw for 258 yards and 2 TDs,
	but three other QBs threw TD PASSES in the fourth quarter.  Shame
	on Hayden!  NIU only crossed midfield twice, while Iowa was
	rolling up nearly 600 yards of offense.  70,220 at Kinnick
	Stadium...
 
Florida State (4-0) 51, MICHIGAN (2-1) 31 [at Ann Arbor; Pred:
	Florida State 21, MICHIGAN 20]:  A stunningly easy victory for
	the Seminoles as they cemented (for now) their hold on the Number
	One spot in the polls.  Terrell Buckley's 40-yard INT return for
	a TD on the game's second play from scrimmage set the stage for
	this high-scoring encounter.  Elvis Grbac threw 4 INTs, and in
	addition to the one above, a second was returned for a score inside
	of the final 4 minutes of the game.  Casey Weldon threw for 286
	yards and 3 TDs, and Amp Lee ran for 122 yards and 2 TDs.  
	Desmond Howard had a gutty performance despite sore ribs.  A
	definitive FSU showing before 106,145 in Michigan Stadium...
 
Rutgers (3-1) 14, MICHIGAN STATE (0-3) 7 [at East Lansing; Pred:
	MSU 34, Rutgers 6]:  In a ridiculous result (given how tough
	Northwestern had played Rutgers on the road), the Spartans
	were embarrassed again at home.  A trap pass from QB Tom Tarver
	to Antoine Moore of 2 yards with just 46 seconds left gave the
	Knights the victory.  The MSU offense once again could not get
	untracked, as the Spartans have now scored just 20 points in three
	games.  George Perles said, "Now we go to the conference and
	see what happens there.  Everybody's 0-0 in conference play."
	Right, and he may find the going within the conference easier,
	I'm afraid.  67,636 disappointed fans at Spartan Stadium...
 
Pitt (4-0) 14, MINNESOTA (1-2) 13 [at Minneapolis; Pred:  Pitt 31,
	MINNESOTA 26]:  A closely contested ballgame and heartbreaker
	for the Gophers.  The Panthers' Curtis Martin ran for 170 yards
	on just 18 carries, including a 36-yard TD run which turned out
	to be the clincher.  The Gophers, down 14-10, were able to 
	penetrate Pitt territory down to the 6-yard line in the 4th
	quarter, but had to settle for a 23-yard FG.  At least the
	Gophers played respectibly after last week's debacle at
	Boulder.  39,511 at the Metrodome...
 
NORTHWESTERN (1-2) 41, Wake Forest (1-2) 14 [at Evanston; Pred: NU 30,
	Wake Forest 28]:  The Wildcats parlayed a 34-point second quarter
	explosion into a big win over the Deacons of the ACC.  Len
	Williams passed for 3 TDs and ran for a 4th, as NU ended a 7-game
	losing streak.  Wake QB Keith West threw 5 big INTs, one of
	which was returned 30 yards for a TD.  25,147 at Dyche Stadium...
 
OHIO STATE was idle
 
PENN STATE (4-1) 28, Boston College (0-4) 21 [at State College;  Pred:
	PSU 40, BC 9]:  Winless BC played Penn State tough for a half,
	then fought back from a 28-7 deficit to make things interesting.
	Tony Sacca threw for 292 yards and a TD (he ran for another).
	BC actually led 7-6 at halftime, but the Lions blew out to lead
	28-7 in the 4th quarter.  BC then came back with two long Foley
	TD passes to close to 28-21, and the game ended with a Foley pass
	overthrown in the endzone on a last ditch attempt at a victory.
	BC must be the best 0-5 team around.  95,927 anxious fans at
	Beaver Stadium...
 
Notre Dame (3-1) 45, PURDUE (1-2) 20 [at West Lafayette; Pred:
	Notre Dame 34, PURDUE 13]:  Purdue played the Irish to a standoff
	for the first 25 minutes of the game before the roof caved in.
	Two late second quarter turnovers led to two easy Irish scores
	before the half (one on a drive of all of 5 yards), giving ND a
	21-7 lead at the break.  A quick ND touchdown in the
	third made it 28-7.  Leading 28-14, the Irish then ran off 17
	points before Purdue scored again in the final minute.  Rick
	Mirer had a big day for the Irish, as he ran for 1 TD and
	passed for 2.  Tony Brooks rushed for 141 yards, a career-
	high.  Eric Hunter had a pretty good day, throwing for 214
	yards and a TD.  Matt Pike, who for some reason spelled
	Hunter twice in the 2nd quarter, fumbled two consecutive
	center snaps in the final minute of the first half, losing the
	second one at his own five-yard line.  You talk about a
	bumble-headed, back-breaking giveaway...  67,861 at Ross-Ade
	Stadium...
 
WISCONSIN (3-0) 21, Eastern Michigan (0-5) 6 [at Madison;  Pred:
	WISCONSIN 45, EMU 10]:  The Badgers struggled but beat the
	Eagles to go 3-0 in the preconference part of their schedule.
	EMU is the team Purdue beat 49-3 a few weeks ago.  Tony
	Lowry did connect on the longest TD pass in Wisconsin history,
	an 89-yarder to Lee DeRamus.  The Badger defense, a Barry
	Alvarez specialty, has now not allowed a touchdown in 10
	quarters.  This was EMU's 13th straight loss (they won the
	MAC in 1989), and Wisconsin's first 3-0 start since 1985.
	45,365 at Camp Randall Stadium...
  
  CONF TEAM           CONF CONF CONF        ALL  ALL  ALL   ALL
  RANK                WINS LOSS TIES       WINS LOSS TIES   PCT
 
       IOWA              0    0    0          3    0    0  1.000
       OHIO STATE        0    0    0          3    0    0  1.000
       WISCONSIN         0    0    0          3    0    0  1.000
       PENN STATE        0    0    0          4    1    0   .800
       ILLINOIS          0    0    0          2    1    0   .667
       MICHIGAN          0    0    0          2    1    0   .667
       INDIANA           0    0    0          1    1    1   .500
       MINNESOTA         0    0    0          1    2    0   .333
       NORTHWESTERN      0    0    0          1    2    0   .333
       PURDUE            0    0    0          1    2    0   .333
       MICHIGAN STATE    0    0    0          0    3    0   .000
  
October 5th:
 
	Minnesota at Illinois, 11:30 am Central, ESPN
	Michigan State at Indiana, Noon
	Michigan at Iowa, 2:30 pm, ABC (regional)
	Purdue at Northwestern, 1:05 pm 
	Wisconsin at Ohio State, 12:30 pm
	Penn State at Temple, 8:00 pm

    If I had to rank the Big10 squads right now, including the Lions,
    here's the pecking order.  Another bad year for the Big10, another
    year without a Title.
    
    1.  Penn State
    2.  Iowa
    3.  Michigan
    4.  Illinois
    5.  Ohio State
    6.  Indiana
    7.  Michigan State
    8.  Minnesota
    9.  Purdue
    10. Wisconsin
    11. Northwestern
    
    Big10 Tom

    RE: -1
    
    You obviously haven't watched PSU very closely.  Loads of talent. 
    Worst QB in Div 1A football.  No intensity.  Everyone out of position. 
    Lousy offensive line due to injuries.
    
    Rick_from_Happy_Valley
    

    Yo Rick_from_Happy_Valley
    
    Cain you git any tix to the PSU-ND 11/16 game at Beaver Stadium
    (I'll try anything) !
    
    MikeL
    

.31 seems to "predict" that since Iowa is "rated" higher than Michigan
and this game is at Iowa, the Hawkeyes "should" win. The same reasoning
could be applied the Michigan State (.31:7) game at Indiana (.31:6).

We shall see. 

On the issue of Illinois, they lose to midling Missouri and shellack
Houston. Since they're again at home, they should have no trouble with
visiting Minnesota. And keeping on keeping on Ohio State wins at home
against Wisconsin.

That leaves us with sorting out visiting Purdue (.31:9) at Northwestern
(.31:11)? 

TTom

    > You obviously haven't watched PSU very closely.  Loads of talent. 
    > Worst QB in Div 1A football.  No intensity.  Everyone out of position. 
    > Lousy offensive line due to injuries.
    
    Bingo.  I just wish for once that Paterno'd recruit a mobile kid to run
    the offense.  In the college game, there's no use for a guy who can
    throw the ball through a brick wall if he's not going to be protected, 
    and can't hit the wall even if he is.  I'll trade off the occasional 
    60-yard bomb for someone who can move around a bit and make some things 
    happen in the mid- to short-range.
    
    MrT, why this annual habit of underrating Michigan once they drop a big
    game?  Last year you fell in love with Michigan State's talent, and 
    they went on to embarrass the conference in the bowls.  Michigan *will* 
    bounce back against Iowa.  They'd crush Penn State if both teams played
    the way they have so far.
    
    glenn
    

    
    re: back a few
    
    Rick,
    
    You better get me tickets for the ND game before he gets them. I've
    actually called customers for you.
    
    Dennis
    

>    Last year you fell in love with Michigan State's talent, and 
>    they went on to embarrass the conference in the bowls.  

    Glenn, you must be talking about a different team or a different year. 
    MSU beat USC in a bowl (the Sun?) last year.  Maybe Iowa or Illinois,
    who both lost their bowls games badly.
    
    Joe

    Ok, so I was wrong.  Mo let Michigan's talent come out.  However, 
    the season ain't over and while the Big10 has no shot at the Title
    (as usual) there IS greater parity in the league with a number a
    teams that could beat Michigan should Elvis-the-Efficacious revert
    to Elvis-the-Erratic: Illini, OSU...even Indiana.  Not that I think
    this'll happen, but, then again, I though Iowa was gonna light it 
    up with their passing game against Michigan's "play not to lose" 
    prevent pass D, so what do *I* know?
    
    Big10 Tom

    Perles was never loved at MSU.  Even during the timeperiod that MSU won
    the Rose Bowl, the students usta boo his play calling (end of game, up
    by any points - 3 runnin' plays and out, multiple possessions in a
    row).  A Bo clone without the winning percentage.
    
    He always had a good to great defense and a good offensive line.  But
    he always tried to remake the Steeler teams at East Lansing.  He could
    never put together a complete offense.  
    
    His saving grace was that his teams at a minimum were competitive. 
    Compared to his predicessers, that was a major step forward.  As an
    ulumni, I wouldn't miss him.  Time for the next step forward.
    
    Commander Scott

    First of all...
    
    If I can get PSU / ND tickets, I AM USING THEM MYSELF.
    
    Secondly...
    
    Go see PSU play PITT at pitt.  It will be a better game.
    
    Rick 

    Hmmm.
    Has Penn St sunk to Pitt's level already?
    
    MikeL
    

     I never thought I'd see this in any note in here.  I re-cleaned my
     glasses several times, but I can still read the following in an earlier
     note :

>    Ok, so I was wrong.  
>                  so what do *I* know?
>    Big10 Tom


     Please, oh sage scriptorians of the ::SPORTS world, what prophecies
     must yet be fulfilled before the transformation of the earth in the end
     days ?

    re: -1
    
    KO retires and IBM stages a successful takeover of Digital soon after 
    VMS becomes the OS of choise for the industry. ;-)

    re .44
    
    Rolly, you're nothing but a cheep shot artist given to focusing on
    personalities instead of actual sports issues.  Not that I mind, I
    LIKE have a gnat buzzing about my ass so's I cain blow a big blast
    when you pull Ctrl Z on one a them mushy "from the heart" embarassments
    only you cain do so well.
    
    Big10 Tom

    How 'bout them Hoosiers?
    
    Having made up for years of beatings by stomping on the hapless
    Spartans they now travel to Chicago to work their power game against
    the Mildcats.  This should leave them at 3-1-1, with that last 1 
    coming from a screw job by homer refs in Columbia.  (What is it with
    officiating in Missouri? The infamous 10 second second Danny Manning
    game still stands out as the most infamous example of fix ever outside
    a boxing and girl's gymnastics, of course.)  Take away that screw job
    and the Hoosiers would actually be 4-1 after this week's cupcake munch
    in Evanston.  Not bad.  And they don't have Illinois this year.  
    
    So, the lowly Hoosiers, after being humiliated in Ann Arbor and Iowa
    City, could conceivably end up winning against Ohio State (although I
    wouldn't count on it) and end up at 7-3-1 and in some second rate bowl
    which is a fine goal for this program, being on TV during the holidays
    is a must-have from a recruiting standpoint.  Even if they get bopped
    by the improved Buckeyes they steal could beat the others and end up
    6-4-1 which hopefully would even then git them into a second rate bowl.
    And should they win the second rate bowl game, they could end up either
    8-3-1 or 7-3-1... not bad for the program that ranks in 11th place in
    conference annals.
    
    Should these good things happend maybe Bill Mallory cain finally git
    the program over the hump to where he cain recruit some DEs who weigh
    more than 230 lbs.
    
    Dare I dream even of a victory over Iowa or Michigan?
    
    Nah...
    
    Big10 Tom

    Not bad for the Hoosiers against the Mildcats, having piled up 
    591 yards from scrimmage.  True, very weak competition, but that
    is what a hopefully slighty above mediocre squad is SUPPOSED to
    do against a Northwestern.  The main question with the Hoosiers
    is: Is QB Trent Tucker actually improving?  He's put together 3
    consecutive good games and is no longer throwing the ball into 
    the dirt and/or 20 feet over receivers' haids.
    
    Combine that possibility with Vaughn Dunbar, and you have a squad
    that may end up in a low-class bowl, which would be a coup for 
    this program - and a boon for recruiting.  Indiana is 3-1-1 now and
    by rights should be 4-1, but they steal have a shot at 7-1-1, assuming
    that they're squashed Saturday in Ann Arbor and also get beat up by
    either Iowa or Ohio State, not to mention beating Wisconsin there, 
    Minnesota at home, and Purdue.
    
    Could happen.
    
    Big10 Tom
    

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Review (10-12-91)
Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1991 17:10:19 GMT
 
OK, someone explain this to me - in the Minnesota/Purdue game, Purdue
	kicker O'Leary booted a 32-yard FG in the first half.  During
	the play, flags flew, as Minnesota encroached.  Instead of giving
	Purdue the option to wave off the penalty and keep the points, the
	refs ruled it a "dead ball foul", though the play had never been
	stopped.  5 yards were stepped off against Minnesota, and Purdue
	re-kicked.  Of course (this is Purdue, folks), O'Leary MISSED!  Thus,
	through no fault of it's own, Purdue lost 3 points (final was
	6-3).  The reverse of this situation occurred in the second half
	when O'Leary missed a long 40+ yard attempt.  Movement on Purdue's
	line was detected.  Instead of the refs giving Minnesota the option
	to refuse the penalty, they stepped off 5 yards against Purdue
	and gave them 4th down again.  Purdue opted to punt...
 
	What the hell is going on this year?  Is this some type of new
	rule, that whenever a penalty occurs during a kick it's a
	dead ball foul, and the play is done over?  This makes no sense
	to me whatsoever.  Why should a team lose points because the
	other team made a mistake?
 
The results of October 12:
 
ILLINOIS (4-1) 10, Ohio State (4-1) 7  [Pred: ILLINOIS 31, OSU 20]:
	This was a game of good defense but also of missed offensive
	opportunity (see UM-PU later).  Both teams' kickers missed
	chip shots, and OSU really bungled up one drive with an errant
	pitchout on a 2nd and goal situation at the Illinois 5.  Chris
	Richardson of Illinois redemed himself by coaxing a 41 yard FG
	just over the crossbar with 36 ticks left to give Illinois another
	win.  This didn't look like a game between two teams in the Top
	20, as too many key mistakes were made.  I don't think Cooper
	is helping himself one bit by interchanging QBs...  Total yards
	were about even.  70,125 at Memorial Stadium...
 
INDIANA (3-1-1) 44, Northwestern (1-4) 6 [Pred:  IU 27, NU 9]:  The Hoosiers
	blitzed NU in every way possible Saturday.  Trent Green, who
	himself may soon lead the Big Ten in passing, threw for 265 yards
	and 3 scores, and even rushed for 68 yards and 2 scores!  He
	threw TDs of 39 and 76 yards to Scott McGowan, who is also making
	a name for himself.  Oh, Vaughn Dunbar rushed for 148 yards on
	just 19 carries (!)  44,915 at Memorial Stadium...
 
Iowa (4-1) 10, WISCONSIN (3-2) 6 [Pred:  Iowa 23, WISCONSIN 18]:  What a
	BIZARRE game!  Should have been on the tube, damn it.  Iowa
	outgained UW 357 to 82 (!), but needed a 4th down, 14 yard TD
	pass from Matt Rodgers to Mike Saunders with JUST 44 seconds left
	in the game to win!  The Badgers only score came on a 65-yard INT
	return for a TD in the 1st quarter.  Rodgers threw 4 big INTs,
	which didn't help matters.  Iowa started the game-winning drive
	by picking off a pass at the UW 43 with just 4:30 left.  It
	took Iowa 11 plays to go those 43 yards, and included one other
	4th down pass conversion on the drive.  Wow!  A huge throng of
	75,053 at Camp Randall Stadium...
 
Michigan (4-1) 45, MICHIGAN STATE (0-5) 28  [Pred:  Michigan 38, MSU 13]:
	Michigan blew out to a 21-0 lead and then pretty much traded
	points with MSU.  Probably the biggest story of this game is
	that the Spartans scored 28 points against the Michigan defense,
	8 more than they had scored in 4 previous games!  MSU QB Miller
	was 30 of 39 for 302 yards and 3 TDs as the passing game showed
	life for the first time.  Ricky Powers rushed for 148 yards
	for Michigan, and Elvis Grbac passed for 161 yards and 3 scores.
	80,157 at Spartan Stadium...
 
MINNESOTA (2-3) 6, Purdue (2-3) 3  [Pred:  MINNESOTA 27, Purdue 18]:
	What can be said about this one?  Minnesota blew down the field
	on it's opening drive for a touchdown, marching 78 yards in 11
	plays.  But, the Gophers missed the extra point, and gained only
	200 yards the rest of the game.  Purdue blew many scoring chances
	(the aforementioned FG being one of them).  Rod Dennis dropped
	an Eric Hunter pass at the goal line in the first half, and Arlee
	Conners fumbled on the Minnesota 9 one play after Jeff Hill
	ran 58 yards, the longest Purdue run from scrimmage since 1984.
	Finally, with a 2nd and 2 at the Minnesota 5 in the 4th, Purdue
	had to settle for a FG.  Minnesota blew two chances to score
	late after forcing a fumble and stopping Purdue on downs.  It
	wasn't pretty.  Perhaps the biggest news of this game was that
	Jim Colletto benched Eric Hunter in a huff at halftime (he was
	just 1 of 9) and replaced him with Matt Pike, who did a nice
	job in the second half.  Pike's the starter from here on out,
	apparently...  Just 31,939 at the Metrodome...
 
MIAMI (5-0) 26, Penn State (5-2) 20  [Pred:  MIAMI 30, Penn State 12]:
	PSU hung in there much better than I ever expected, giving
	the Hurricanes' 40-game home winning streak a scare.  Miami
	blew this one open during a 2 minute, 19 seconds span of the
	3rd quarter when Gino Torretta hit Horace Copeland with an 80-
	yard TD pass, and Kevin Williams returned a PSU punt 91 yards
	for a score.  This turned a 6-6 tie into a 20-6 Miami lead,
	and the Canes had to fight off the Lions from there.  Only
	viewers in Florida saw this 3rd quarter explosion, however, as
	some circus proceedings in our nation's capitol pre-empted the
	game during this brief span.  75,723 at the Orange Bowl...
 
STANDINGS
 
  CONF TEAM           CONF CONF CONF CONF        ALL  ALL  ALL  ALL
  RANK                WINS LOSS TIES  PCT       WINS LOSS TIES  PCT
 
  1    ILLINOIS          2    0    0 1.00          4    1    0 .800
       MICHIGAN          2    0    0 1.00          4    1    0 .800
       INDIANA           2    0    0 1.00          3    1    1 .750
  4    IOWA              1    1    0 .500          4    1    0 .800
       OHIO STATE        1    1    0 .500          4    1    0 .800
       MINNESOTA         1    1    0 .500          2    3    0 .400
       PURDUE            1    1    0 .500          2    3    0 .400
  8    WISCONSIN         0    2    0 .000          3    2    0 .600
       NORTHWESTERN      0    2    0 .000          1    4    0 .200
       MICHIGAN STATE    0    2    0 .000          0    5    0 .000
       PENN STATE        -    -    -               5    2    0 .714

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Preview (10-19-91)
Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1991 17:37:28 GMT
 
The games of October 19:
 
Illinois at IOWA (2:30 pm Central, ABC, Very Regional):  This shapes up
	as one of those games which will help decide who makes the
	pilgrimage to Pasadena.  An Iowa loss will effectively eliminate
	the Hawkeyes from contention.  An Illinois loss would be less
	costly to the Illini, but wouldn't help either.  Last year in
	Champaign, Iowa won big, but two years ago in Iowa City, the
	Illini won in a romp...  IOWA 24, Illinois 23.
 
Indiana at MICHIGAN (11:30 am, ESPN, National):  Another great matchup
	and game that has a bearing on the Big Ten title.  I'd really
	get excited if this game was at Bloomington.  I certainly
	don't remember the last time IU won at Michigan Stadium, so
	maybe someone can help here.  Bill Mallory should be Michigan's
	coach - he's cut from Bo's cloth, without the temper.  Will
	it be Michigan passing vs. IU running???  MICHIGAN 26, IU 14.
 
Minnesota at MICHIGAN STATE (Noon):  Minnesota has scored 22 points in
	it's last 4 games, and MSU only scored 20 in it's first 4 games
	before getting 28 last week.  So, what do you think?  It'll
	probably be high scoring!  Marquel Fleetwood of Minnesota, the
	QB, is worth watching.  Minnesota's defense is actually pretty
	good, if you throw out the debacle at Colorado.  Who knows what
	MSU will do...  MSU 20, Minnesota 16.
 
NORTHWESTERN vs. Ohio State @ Cleveland (Noon):  Northwestern is actually
	the "home" team in this game, being played in the big stadium
	by the lake.  OSU let some golden opportunities slip away from
	them at Illinois last week.  This team just doesn't seem to know
	how to win the big games anymore.  But, the Buckeyes will use
	this game to test out ALL of their QBs one more time...
	Ohio State 45, NU 13.
 
Wisconsin at PURDUE (1:00 pm):  This is another titanic struggle which
	should be low scoring.  Both teams are really playing good
	defense lately.  Purdue has shown some offensive life on occasion
	this year, while Wisconsin really hasn't.  I bet that this game
	will be decided by some big turnover or special teams play.  Matt
	Pike will start at QB for Purdue, so look for more drop-backs
	and fewer sprint-outs.  The winning team has a more bearable
	season...  PURDUE 19, Wisconsin 14.
 
Rutgers at PENN STATE (Noon):  The Lions are due to blow some smoke out
	of the engine, and this looks like a good time to do it.  A
	couple more biscuits and PSU could be 7-0 this year.  But, the
	Lions have just been too inconsistent on offense.  Rutgers has
	been OK, but barely beat Northwestern at home earlier.  PSU
	goes to 6-2...  PENN STATE 41, Rutgers 16.

    Could be IU's passing vs. Michigan's running.  UM will, I think, seek
    to exploit Indiana's undersized D-line, while Trent Green, who, after
    I recently called him "the worst major program QB in the country"
    proceeded to run off a string of three strong passing performances.
    
    IU's only hope is to pick on the Wolves' secondary.  And that is a
    teensie weensie small chance.  
    
    Michigan should win by 20-30 points.  Does Mallory's son still coach
    for Michigan, and didn't another Mallory child play there last year?
    
    Big10 Tom    

    	MorT, why cain't IU get any big studs in any of their athletic
    programs?  Is it because they don't cheet like other schools do?

    The football progrm cain't cuz it has a rich tradition a total,
    abject futility (11th on the all time Big10 list).
    
    The hoops program is back, with Bob having had two good recruiting
    classes in a row (although the penultimate class was shaky with
    the desperate recruitment of ThunderBurp, who not many at the time
    thought would stick, which he didn't.
    
    Big10 Tom

    But T, what about the glory days of John Pont in the late 60's and
    early 70's, (what was the chant Punt,John,Punt). Didn't he take
    Ah-U to the Rose Bowl. Dis was all before he departed for Northwestern
    where he and the students up in Evanston wanted to change the moniker
    from the Wildcats to the Purple Haze (HAWW HEE  under the psychedelic
    bewilderment of Jimi Hendrix, Haww)
    
    MikeL
    
    

    John Pont was the coach, I believe.  John Isenbarger was the player to
    whom "Punt, John, Punt" applied because he'd drop back to punt and run
    much of the time.
    
    John

    John Pont was also the coach at Yale before Carmen Cozza was.
    
    John

    	I remember IU playing O.J. Simpson's Trojans in the Rose Bowl
    during the late 60's.

    The Hoosiers are 18 point dogs in Ann Arbor.  Could this be the
    upset of the year?  [no]
    
    But could the Hoosiers build respectability and recruiting punch
    by making it much closer than 18?  [yes, theoretically]
    
    Big10 Tom

	A few comments on the IU-UM game from the Indiana side of the house:

	*  Desmond Howard is awesome (with the minor qualification that beating
	   Indiana's "sieve defense" on the goal-line has been as easy as it
	   looks all year long).

	*  It's good to see the new offense and new defense working so well.
	   A couple more players, especially on the defensive side, and the
	   Hoosiers could be a really good team.

	*  Bill Mallory and company have done a good job with the program,
	   but they're not quite there yet with play-calling.  Between the
	   repeated unsuccessful first-down blitzes, the repeated unsuccessful
	   single coverage on Howard at the goal line, and the HORRENDOUS
	   play-calling inside Michigan's 10 throughout the game, it's probably
	   amazing they stayed as close as they did.

	*  [Disclaimer: The following is NOT a whine that the officials cost 
	   the Hoosiers the game.  Michigan's a better team, they played better,
	   they deserved to wing, etc., etc. ad infinitum.  I repeat, this is
	   NOT a "we-got-screwed" whine.  We now return to our regularly 
	   scheduled analysis.]

	   Does ANY major conference in the country have worse football
	   officials than the Big Ten.  Four examples (I'm sure many viewers
	   could come up with more):

	   1.  Trent Green gets drilled while lying on the ground long after a 
	       play is dead.  An official is standing a few feet away.  No call.

	       Later, Grbac gets tackled from behind as he's heading for the
	       sideline.  As he's stretching for the first down marker, an 
	       Indiana player flies in and hits him.  15 yard penalty.  The
	       replay is inconclusive (at best) on whether he hits him with 
	       his helmet.

	   2.  Third-and-goal, a Hoosier defender jams Howard at the line of
	       scrimmage, AFTER (IMHO) the ball is in the air.  Pass 
	       interference is called.  This is clearly incorrect, since the
	       ball landed well out of bounds and was uncatchable.  The 
	       officials confer, and appear to be making the correct call as
	       they announce that the flag is being waved off.  BUT WAIT!
	       They've now changed the call to defensive holding, apparently
	       because they don't have the guts to actually make the right
	       call in Michigan stadium.

	   3.  Indiana's ball.  Receiver runs a sideline pattern, and the
	       defender running with him gets tangled up in his legs.  Obvious
	       incidental contact.  Pass interference Michigan.  Horrible call.

	   4.  Indiana's final drive of the game.  Offensive tackle breaks pack
	       to pass block.  Unfortunately, the ball didn't get snapped.
	       Easy illegal procedure call, EXCEPT to our rules-illiterate men
	       in stripes.  They wave off the flag (this time at least having
	       the good sense not to invent some other reason for throwing the
	       yellow).

	   
	       And, if Trent Green's overheard contention that one of the
	       officials is a UM graduate is accurate, I believe the league 
	       office to be completely brain-dead.  I'm probably the fairest, 
	       most-objective person I know (insert several gross of smileys 
	       here) and I wouldn't trust myself to officiate an Indiana game.

	On the bright side: this, right now, is the best Hoosier team I've 
ever seen, and it was good to see them competitive with the #4 (ranked, at 
least) team in the country.  But a loss is still a loss, and they obviously 
have some getting better to do if they want to be more than occasionally 
competitive against big-time programs.

tom
	   

    It was a sad exhibition of officiating alright.  It ended up being a
    football fan's nightmare: A series of NBA-style makeup calls.
    
    It was bad enough that the Hoosiers were intimidated by Michigan
    Stadium... but the officials?
    
    At any rate, Indiana deserves a top25 ranking now.  They've stayed with
    Notre Dame and Michigan at their big houses.  True, they lack size and
    talent in several areas, but they tough as a unit, squeezing every
    ounce for the max output.  They also have some fine talents here and
    there, not the least a which would be RB and receiver.
    
    Too bad Lewis choked on that TD pass.  And too bad Mallory's brain
    seized up on that 1st-and-10 inside the 10.  Michigan won fair and
    square but *Lawdy* how I wish Indiana would one day rise up and execute
    on the big plays in the big games !!
    
    Big10 Tom

                        
    >	       And, if Trent Green's overheard contention that one of the
    >	       officials is a UM graduate is accurate, I believe the league 
    >	       office to be completely brain-dead.  I'm probably the fairest, 
    >	       most-objective person I know (insert several gross of smileys 
    >	       here) and I wouldn't trust myself to officiate an Indiana game.
    
    Actually, I'm afraid this kind of thing is quite common, and I don't
    think there's a whole lot you can do about it.  Crews stay together (as
    it should be), most are alumni of somewhere, usually from within the 
    region or conference they're working, and it'd be pretty difficult to 
    juggle all the crews so that absolutely no one was working a game in 
    which their school was involved.  Plus, a guy can probably do just as 
    much damage to a team's key rival in another game as he could help his 
    own if he really wanted to, and it would be less conspicuous, so what's 
    the difference?  I've read about the Big Ten officials (SI did an 
    article on them after all the controversy of last season), and they 
    seemed to be very dedicated and upright about their work.  I'm not 
    worried so much about their impartiality as their general competence, 
    and that's where the Big Ten appears to have some problems.
    
    That crack about the official's allegiance wasn't the worst of it,
    either.  I distinctly heard someone from the Indiana sideline tell an
    official to "Suck my %%$%$" (Bob Griese or whoever it was doing the
    game commented on it to).  It's amazing what they let the boys get
    away with in the college game.  I guess when you're out there bungling
    things up in general, as an official you're going to be intimidated
    from making it worse by tossing players from the game for such a
    thing.  (Is this the kind of behavior that they tolerate from the
    players down at ol' IU, MrT?).
    
    glenn
      

    Ther cursing you (and Gary Danielson ) refer to was from QB Trent
    Greeen, who was sitting on the bench resting.  While I know that 
    no U. Oklahoma player would ever curse, Trent's tirade was typical
    football mainliness and it's not his fault ESPN sent a camera and
    mike main over him so that such profanity could be broadcast into
    a million Americain homes.
    
    Trent is not to be criticized for his robust and vigorous behavior.
    He's just one helluva competitor is all.
    
    Big10 Tom

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Review (10-19-91)
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1991 17:47:45 GMT
 
I predicted all of them correctly for once, and came close on some of the
scores.  Guess I should do these rushed every time...
 
The results of October 19:
 
IOWA (5-1) 24, Illinois (4-2) 21  [Pred:  IOWA 24, Illinois 23]:
	It was all Iowa in the 2nd half, but it took them 28 of the
	half's 30 minutes to muster up a score (the only one of the
	half), which gave them a hard-fought victory.  Both Iowa lines
	dominated in the 2nd half after Illinois had moved at will
	in the 1st with 3 TDs.  Jason Verduzco was sacked 5 times by
	the Iowa pass rush.  Iowa QB Matt Rodgers pretty much did it
	himself on the final drive.  Iowa outgained Illinois in yardage
	402 to 320, but 5 of the 6 penetrations into Illinois territory
	in the 2nd half were fruitless.  70,220 frenzied fans at Kinnick
	Stadium...
 
MICHIGAN (5-1) 24, Indiana (3-2-1) 16  [Pred:  MICHIGAN 26, IU 14]:
	IU did everything but win this game, bullying Michigan around
	the field all afternoon.  The Hoosiers enjoyed a large advantage
	in yardage (374-261), but could only muster 3 FGs and one TD. Desmond
	Howard, on the other hand, scored 3 TDs himself for Michigan.
	Vaughn Dunbar ran for 116 yards and Trent Green passed for 236.
	Yesterday's Detroit News had the headline "Losing Hoosiers have
	look of winner - Outplayed U-M".  That probably won't make Bill
	Mallory feel any better.  IU could be the second-best team in
	the Big Ten this year.  106,097 at Michigan Stadium...
 
MICHIGAN STATE (1-5) 20, Minnesota (2-4) 12  [Pred:  MSU 20, UM 16]:
	The Spartans finally got off the pot, but it wasn't easy.  A
	touchdown in the final 5 minutes put the game away.  Tico
	Duckett had a huge day, rushing for 241 yards on 30 carries,
	and it was his 88-yard dash late in the game which iced matters.
	Minnesota again had trouble scoring, but did lead 12-10 at halftime
	and hung in there all the way.  The Gophers committed a turnover
	at the MSU 5 just two plays before Duckett's sprint, and had
	a pass intercepted at the MSU 29 earlier in the 4th.  75,097
	at Spartan Stadium...
 
Ohio State (5-1) 34, NORTHWESTERN (1-5) 3  [Pred:  OSU 45, NU 13]:
	After NU had an early 98-7 advantage in yards gained, the
	Buckeyes turned the tables for an easy win in Cleveland.
	Scottie Graham rushed for 109 yards and 3 TDs.  OSU pretty
	much kept it on the ground in this tilt.  The most notable
	aspect of the game was the estimated $1 million payoff the
	NU athletic coffers got for playing this game in front of
	73,830 at Municipal Stadium...
 
PURDUE (3-3) 28, Wisconsin (3-3) 7  [Pred:  PURDUE 19, Wisconsin 14]:
	Purdue came away with a surprisingly easy win over Wisconsin,
	but lost one of it's defensive stars, Frank Kmet, for the year
	with a broken leg (Kris Burns is also out for a while with a
	knee injury, so the promising defense is in trouble).  Purdue
	scored a touchdown in each quarter, building a 28-0 lead before
	Wisconsin finally dented the scoreboard late.  The Badgers only
	gained 77 yards in the first half and about 150 for the game.
	Freshman running back Corey Rogers gained 69 yards for Purdue
	on 17 carries.  Eric Hunter started and went most of the way,
	as Jim Colletto had a change of heart after the last time
	we spoke (I was away trying to catch fish in Michigan).  42,944
	at Ross-Ade Stadium...
 
PENN STATE (6-2) 37, Rutgers (5-2) 17  [Pred:  PENN STATE 41, Rutgers 16]:
	Tony Sacca broke the 200-yard passing mark for the 4th straight
	game as PSU snapped Rutgers' 4-game winning streak in Happy
	Valley (pretty amazing).  Rutgers led 14-7 in the first half
	before the Lions got things rolling.  O.J. McDuffie returned
	a punt 55 yards for a score in the second quarter.  Rutgers did
	most of their damage through the air.  95,729 at Beaver Stadium...
 
STANDINGS
 
  CONF TEAM           CONF CONF CONF CONF        ALL  ALL  ALL  ALL
  RANK                WINS LOSS TIES  PCT       WINS LOSS TIES  PCT
 
   1   MICHIGAN          3    0    0 1.00          5    1    0 .833
   2   IOWA              2    1    0 .667          5    1    0 .833
       OHIO STATE        2    1    0 .667          5    1    0 .833
       ILLINOIS          2    1    0 .667          4    2    0 .667
       INDIANA           2    1    0 .667          3    2    1 .600
       PURDUE            2    1    0 .667          3    3    0 .500
   7   MINNESOTA         1    2    0 .333          2    4    0 .333
       MICHIGAN STATE    1    2    0 .333          1    5    0 .167
   9   WISCONSIN         0    3    0 .000          3    3    0 .500
       NORTHWESTERN      0    3    0 .000          1    5    0 .167
       PENN STATE        -    -    -               6    2    0 .750
 
 
October 25:
 
	Michigan at Minnesota [7:00 pm Central]
 
October 26:
 
	Illinois at Northwestern [1:05 pm Central]
	Indiana at Wisconsin [1:05 pm]
	Iowa at Purdue [1:00 pm]
	Michigan State at Ohio State [2:30 pm, ABC, Regional]
	West Virginia at Penn State [Noon]

>October 25:
> 
>	Michigan at Minnesota [7:00 pm Central]


What's this Friday night game all about?

TTom

    RE -1   Has to do with possibility of the Braves playing the Twins on 
          Saturday. They may not have needed to do it!

                                                  
                                                  Night Flier    ~~v~~

    Yup, the Golden Goofers and Twins share the same God-foresaken stadium,
    and the Big10 Commish's office was forced to reschedule the game on the
    extremely unlikely chance that the Series makes it to a sixth game.
    
    Moellers was plenty mad about it too, although he conceded there wasn't
    much the U of M could do about it.  Gary needs to realize that not all
    programs have 106,000 seat single-use stadiums to work in...
    
    Big10 Tom

>    Yup, the Golden Goofers and Twins share the same God-foresaken stadium,
>    and the Big10 Commish's office was forced to reschedule the game on the
>    extremely unlikely chance that the Series makes it to a sixth game.


Guys on the radio out here are calling it the "Homodome"


'Saw

    	They should call it the HormelDome since they play spamball
    in there...

    Speaking spamba, I'll be going down to the Peoples Republic of
    Madison tomorrow for the Indiana game, and while Iowa and Michigan
    have gone to natural turf, Barry Alvarez demanded and got when he 
    left Lou and ND two years ago an agreement where Camper field's 
    natural turf would be torn up and replaced with the artificial stuff.
    
    It'll steal be fun, though.  Mad City is always good for some get-down
    partying...
    
    Big10 Tom

    Is the hammer and sickle still flying from the state capitol?
    Or are they flying a black flag at half-mast in mourning for the
    demise of communism.
    
    MikeL
    

    
>    Speaking spamba, I'll be going down to the Peoples Republic of
>    Madison tomorrow for the Indiana game, and while Iowa and Michigan
     
    Be careful, T.  Don't be totally in shock if the boys in red and
    white come outta there with some long faces and an "L".
    
    Does this mean you won't be "attending" Saturday night's World Series
    game from your "corporate box", or will you be bringing it with
    you?  Hopefully all the sections can fit in your trunk...
    
    glenn
    
    

    IU coach Bill Mallory won't be on the sidelines tomorrow as he has been
    suspended from this game for criticizing officials. 
    
    Joe

    I saw that too, Joe. What a crock. Big Ten officials SIP big-time.
    He was jest tellin the troof.
    
    MikeL
    

    "What has happened to the Big Ten? A league that once was powerful
    and prestigious has become dominated by arrogant people who have the
    vision of bats"  Mark Blaudschun, Boston Globe this AM, commenting
    on the commitments the Big Ten made to the Holiday and Citrus Bowls.
    Under these agreements,the conference will send its runner-up to the
    Holiday Bowl and for the next three years send its #2 and #3 teams to
    the Citrus and Holiday Bowls (1.3 or 1.4 million guaranteed) 
    What do you guys think of this?  I don't understand it. Is this an
    attempt to upstage the agreements between the other major bowls?
    Are they hoping to take teams to these Bowls and away from the Orange,
    Sugar,Cotton and Fiesta Bowls? Why? The Holiday Bowl already is
    committed to the WAC winner as well. That will make for a great bowl
    game, year in and year out. As one bowl official stated "who is the
    Big Ten runner-up going to play in the Citrus Bowl.? The alliance
    locked up all the other runners-uP".  It is the stated opinion of
    the Globe writer that the Holiday and Citrus Bowls would have been
    chasing the Big Ten 2nd and 3rd place team in all probability, so
    why sign something? I can't figure it out.  The Big Ten sure looks
    like they limited theur options. The Big Ten runner up has always
    been looked upon as a major attraction to the Citrus and Holiday
    Bowls, and even to the other majors, if they are rated high enough.
    Any thoughts?
    
    MikeL
    

    
    The Big Ten has definitely sold itself short.  With the Big-8, SWC,
    and Pac-10 (at least the Pac-10 traditional powers most attractive 
    to the bowls) pretty much sucking pondwater this year, the Big Ten is 
    probably passing up at least one major New Year's Day slot for each
    of the next three years.  Don't forget that Penn State is included
    in the 1993 mix, too, so there's the probability that a very good 
    Michigan or Penn State team is going to get thrown to that 
    ACC-rejected Citrus Bowl, or even worse, the "BYU Bowl".
    
    Not sure how Blaudschun concluded that the laegue's decision-makers
    are "arrogant" based on this move.  Sounds more like the opposite,
    timid and meek.
    
    glenn
      

 Didn't we all just read last week or so about college athletic programs
 loosing money? The "flagship" program of the Big Ten (ie Michigan) was
 reported as one the biggest loosers. Perhaps the Big Ten took the quick
 sure money for a bailout especially if the money was quaranteed. I agree
 with you Glenn that they may have sold themselves short.

 As for the arrogance remark you must remeber that the Globe writter obviously
 has "Northeast Snobbery Bias" and feels that who is the Big Ten to think that
 their top 3 are worthy of these bowl bids. When in fact I can't even remeber
 the last time the top 3 Big Ten teams didn't play in a bowl game on 1-1-.
 So his inner jealousy over that leads him to lash out or he's tried to date
 Janey Pauley once or twice...

 ;^) 

 This past Friday night, I took in my very first Big Ten game.   I went to
 the Metrodome in Minneapolis to see Michigan against Minnesota.
 
 It was over real quick.   The Golden Gophers fumbled on their first coupla
 possessions and the Wolverines scored three lightning quick touchdowns and
 it was over, over, over.   Final score was Michigan 52-6.   Desmond Howard
 had two long touchdown catches and broke Anthony Carter's Big Ten record
 for TD's in a single season.   Elvis Grbac also broke Rick Leach's
 Michigan record for career TD tosses.
 
 MrT made me promise that I wouldn't rag on the low attendance at the game
 so I won't.   The game had been moved from Saturday to Friday to
 accomodate the World Series and this town has *nothing* on its mind except
 the Series so the meager turnout to see the pathetic Goofs was
 understandable.
 
 However, he made no attempt to muffle me on any kind of analysis of the
 Big Ten's overall football strength (not).   The Golden Goofs are a
 miserable football team.   Sloppy play, uninspired coaching, talent gaps
 in crucial positions, you name it.
 
 Coupled with Michigan State's dismal year and seeing as how lowly
 Northwestern, who some people feel in the nexted coupla years will drop
 football altogether, can beat Illinois, I think we should be hearing the
 last of such jibes as the "Almost Close Conference".   With what I saw on
 display Friday night, Wake Forest against Minnesota would be a heckuva
 game.   The Goofs were *that* bad.
 
 Michigan is loaded with its usual beefy big people.   Good ol' fashioned
 corn fed Midwestern farm boys a_haulin' the load.    Some decent talent at
 the skill positions ... especially Desmond Howard.   But their loss to
 Florida State (ACC !!!) was no mistake.   Michigan is good but a tad slow.  
 FSU is good and a tad fast.    The Big Ten is not in the same league as
 the other top conferences and the top independents are right now.   Penn
 State should contend for the Big Ten title almost as soon as they buckle
 up their chinstraps for keeps.
 
 Minnesota cheerleaders were so-so.  Nothing to write home about.  I still
 can't understand why cheerleading squads insist on conducting spelling
 bees all the time ... the most frequent Gophs cheer was when four
 cheerleaders were held high up the air and they rhythmically flashed four
 placards reading "MIN", "NE", "SO", and "TA".    That's it.  Now repeat
 those four syllables over and over and insert the image of a big furry
 gopher mascot pointing at four different sections of the sparse crowd
 urging each of them to shout their designated syllable.  Inspiring.  Not.
 
 There were a few Michigan fans in attendance and they took delight in
 tormenting the Twin Cities faithful (down 3-2 to the Braves at the time)
 with some tomahawk chopping.
 
 Bob Hunt

                        
    > The Big Ten is not in the same league as
    > the other top conferences and the top independents are right now.   Penn
    > State should contend for the Big Ten title almost as soon as they buckle
    > up their chinstraps for keeps. 
      
    Which are these "top conferences", Bob?  There are none.  The Big
    Ten's top three teams, Michigan, Iowa, and Ohio State, rank with 
    the top three from any other conference.  The fact of the matter is 
    that the talent base is spread very thin *everywhere*, and the 
    Independents (some of which are soon to be conference-affiliated) are 
    still a dominant force.
             
    The jokes about the Almost Close will continue at least as long
    as they continue to schedule 1-AA patsies like Marshall, and proceed
    to Almost get beat by them-- and would if not bailed out by Almost 
    Close officials (in the Big Ten the officials eat their own)!
    
    glenn
    

    
> I'll take the SEC over the Big Ten right now easily.   Florida, Tennessee,
> Alabama, Auburn and Georgia are all top-notch teams and would easily
> contend for the Big Ten title right alongside Michigan and well in front
> of both the Hawkeyes and the Buckeyes.
 
    We might be splitting hairs, but I don't think that 'Bama, Auburn,
    and Georgia would be "well in front" of Iowa (or Ohio State, but that
    comparison is closer), nor are they "top-notch".  Look at the rankings, 
    the results, and recent history.  Iowa is in the process of putting 
    together their second straight solid season.  None of those three SEC 
    teams can make that claim, with Auburn and Georgia being particularly 
    weak in recent years.  
    
    Alabama has played well but I don't think they're as good as their 
    record indicates.  Auburn is *putrid* and is now reeling with three 
    losses, including two to Miss St. and So. Miss and a near-miss 
    against Vanderbilt.  Auburn's also done quite well in upholding that
    cheatin' SEC image and are in a heap of trouble with the NCAA under
    allegations of direct payoffs with the consent of the men at the
    top-- and Pat Dye's response is to borrow a play from Oklahoma's 
    playbook by asking supporters to boycott a Montgomery newspaper that 
    dared to break the news.  Georgia is another fraud, puffed up by a 
    win over Clemson but subsequently deflated by a loss to Vandy, of 
    all teams.
  
    Is the SEC better, top to bottom, than the Big Ten?  I would say yes,
    but it's not as clear-cut as you claim.  The second tier of the
    SEC behind Florida and Tennessee (and maybe Alabama) is not that
    strong, either.
      
> And the Big Eight with Colorado, Nebraska, and Oklahoma are as good if not
> better than the top tier of the Big Ten.   
    
    They haven't showed it (and I'm an Oklahoma fan), and none of these
    teams come close to stacking up with Michigan.  Dominance at the
    top counts for extra points in my book.  A national championship
    would count double, but it appears that all the conferences except
    the Pac-10 are out of the running for that.
  
> What I saw on the Metrodome carpet was *NOT* a very good football team and
> they do in fact belong to the Big Ten.
  
    I don't understand how you can reach any conclusions on the Big
    Ten based on the play of Minnesota, a perennial doormat.  Especially 
    when they were playing another Big Ten team in Michigan, a national 
    power.  That's like making a judgement on the ACC based on Wake Forest 
    versus Clemson, or on the SEC with Vanderbilt versus Florida.  Every 
    conference has their patsies (the Big Ten has at least one too many,
    yes, and Northwestern should be dumped, victory over Illinois or
    not.)
    
    > True statement.   So how come the Big Ten can use it as an excuse for
    > conference-wide mediocrity and others can't ???   
  
    No excuse.  The conferences are all rather indistinguishable, I
    admit.  Some are still better than others (like the Big Ten versus
    the ACC, in my opinion), but there's not that much distance between 
    the top and bottom.
    
    glenn
    

 Glenn,
 
 I know you're clever enough to see the agenda I'm pushing here.   When my
 team was sitting on top, I had to endure a lot of abuse about playing
 in-conference patsies like Wake Forest and North Carolina.
 
 Now, of course, I'm reporting first-hand evidence that in-conference
 patsies are not at all confined to the Atlantic seaboard.   They're in
 fruitless abundance here in the nation's heartland, too.
 
 Michigan can play with anybody in the country ... except Florida State and
 probably Miami as well.   The rest of the Big Ten is mediocre at best. 
 Their recent deal to lock in their No. 2 and No. 3 finishers to the Citrus
 and Holiday Bowls respectively is sheer brilliance.    Money for nothing
 and tricks for free.
 
 Perhaps we should start a campaign for the Big Ten's No. 2 and No. 3 teams
 to denounce this deal as a money-grubbing, undeserved, boot-licking
 charade of mediocrity that perverts the morals of fine clean upstanding
 schools everywhere.   Whadda you think ???
 
 Bob Hunt

    
> Perhaps we should start a campaign for the Big Ten's No. 2 and No. 3 teams
> to denounce this deal as a money-grubbing, undeserved, boot-licking
> charade of mediocrity that perverts the morals of fine clean upstanding
> schools everywhere.   Whadda you think ???
  
    Agreed!
    
    glenn
    

    Excuse me, Bob "Witch" Hunt, but lowly Minnesota, who's the 9th
    or 10th best team in the league, played Pittsburgh down to the 
    wire.  
    
    Also, Florida State isn't playing an Almost Close conference
    schedule this year, as you fallaciously imply.
    
    re: Bowl pact
    
    Last winter as all the big bowl deals were going down the North Carolina
    and Snuffy Smif'-acolyte we were stupid enough to make Big10 Commissioner
    sat on the sidelines.  I couldn't believe what he was doing.  After all
    the good bowl slots were gone, he then was forced to pick off the trash
    bowls that were left as table scraps.
    
    Big10 Tom                            

    >Tsk, tsk, tsk ...
    
    Tsk tsk in YOUR face buddy.  Excellent Lossism is a moral and
    intellectual crime ONLY where employed to lay claim to Greatness,
    which I haven't done in any way shape or form.
    
    Je suis innocente, *tres* innocente.
    
    But you're not.  You, strutting your chest with big talk about how
    great the SEC is.  Wail, tellya what, last year Auburn spent a month
    or so ranked #2 in the nation.  Then they played the Big10's 6th
    place team in a bowl and squeaked by on a play as time ran out on 
    the game.
    
    How cain this be?  Is reality mixed up, or are you?  Which is it?
    
    Big10 T(wins Fan)

    
>     But the original point stands and Glenn agreed to it ... The top rung of
> the SEC (Tennessee, Florida, Alabama and _perhaps_ Georgia) are playing
> better football right now than their counterpart top rung teams in the Big
> Ten.
 
    I didn't agree to that.  I said that I believe the SEC is better
    top to bottom.  That's from the very top to all the way to the 
    bottom.  The Big Ten's patsies are patsier than the SEC's patsies
    (no way a Minnesota or a Purdue gives Florida State the scare that
    LSU did).  Right now, though, I think Michigan (4), Iowa (11), and 
    Ohio State (13) are comparable to Florida (6), Alabama (7), and 
    Tennessee (14), with Michigan carrying the mail for the Big Ten, so 
    to speak.  If it weren't for that stupid bowl commitment the Big
    Ten made, some of this might have even gotten straightened out
    head-to-head on New Year's Day...
    
    glenn
     

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Review (10-26-91)
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 1991 17:35:37 GMT
 
A pretty bizarre weekend to say the least, which could have been even
more so had Iowa not come back...
 
The Result of October 25:
 
Michigan 52, MINNESOTA 6  [Pred:  Michigan 38, MINNESOTA 9]:  This was
	more lopsided than even I thought possible.  Desmond Howard
	continued his Heisman march by pulling in two long Elvis Grbac
	bombs for scores.  The Gophers look pretty beleagured to me.
	Michigan dominated every facet of this game, before a very
	disappointing crowd of just over 32,000 (I figured a lot of
	Twins and Braves fans might fill it up.  Steve Avery was there,
	undoubtedly pulling for Michigan!)...  The Dome, strange as it
	may seem after last night, can be a very quiet place...
 
The Results of October 26:
 
NORTHWESTERN 17, Illinois 11  [Pred:  Illinois 34, NU 13]:  Good grief.
	Illinois, which incredibly is just 3-3 against the Wildcats the
	past 6 years (and two of the Illinois wins were close), must
	completely overlook the Wildcats.  I know NU thinks of this as
	its biggest game of the year.  Illinois was stopped three times
	in the first half deep in NU territory, once by a stirring NU
	goalline stand, and could not dent the scoreboard until late in
	the third quarter.  By that time it was 14-3 NU.  Illinois did
	close to 14-11 with 10+ minutes left, but NU then used much of
	the remaining clock to gain field position and eventually hit
	a final FG after having blown a wide-open fake FG four
	plays earlier.  NU senior linebacker Ed Sutter, from Peoria,
	said Illinois didn't bother to recruit him.  He had 20 tackles
	and an interception.  Jason Verduzco was just 14 of 33 for 153 yards
	and 2 INTs.  The disturbing thing for Illinois fans was how NU
	bullied both Illini lines around...  And Illinois was having trouble
	deciding what color of jersey to wear in the Rose Bowl (according to
	a friend).  The Aloha and Sun Bowls are still interested.  Both
	teams gained 308 yards.  Just 26,542 soaked, chilled fans at Dyche
	Stadium...
 
Indiana 28, WISCONSIN 20  [Pred:  Indiana 27, WISCONSIN 12]:  Another
	potential shocker, Wisconsin led the Mallory-less Hoosiers
	(he was in Bloomington) 17-zip at the half, and 20-zip early
	in the third before the Hoosiers began the long climb back and
	snatched victory from certain defeat.  This team has heart.
	Trent Green scored on 3 short runs, 2 in the final stanza, and
	Mr. Big, Vaughn Dunbar, ran for 205 yards as IU remained in
	the conference title chase.  I believe the 3rd and clinching
	IU TD came on a 4th down play.  Wisconsin put in its best offensive
	performance of the year against a top opponent, but this has
	to be a disturbing loss.  Barry Alvarez is still looking for his
	first conference win after 11 trys.  A good crowd of 54,052 at Camp
	Randall Stadium...
 
Iowa 31, PURDUE 21  [Pred:  Iowa 26, PURDUE 17]:  This game was nearly
	a carbon-copy of the Iowa win against Illinois last week.  Purdue
	dominated most of the first half, played in a downpour, gaining
	173 yards and building a 15-7 lead at the break.  But, the Hawkeyes
	came out and completely won the 2nd half.  An early 73-yard
	TD scamper by Mike Saunders in the 3rd quarter turned the
	mental tide of this game.  Heady Matt Rodgers could have written
	a book in the pocket with all the time he had to throw, while
	poor Eric Hunter, often given enough time, couldn't locate any of
	his receivers and spent most of the 2nd half on his butt.  Most
	of the sacks were his own fault.  Jim Colletto, who rivals Gene
	Keady in the "wild-man" department, jerked Hunter about two
	series too late, but Matt Pike threw a few strikes, including one
	which was called back and another which went 65 yards for a TD.
	Might be time to pass the torch.  Saunders ran for 151 yards, a
	career-high.  Iowa has now won 10 of the last 11 in this series
	after having dropped the 20 previous ones consecutively.  Only
	32,932 drenched fans at Ross-Ade Stadium...
 
OHIO STATE 27, Michigan State 17  [Pred: OHIO STATE 31, Michigan State 6]:
	Carlos Snow ran for 169 yards and a TD as OSU ground out a 10-point
	win.  MSU never gave up though, scoring a TD and a two pointer
	late to cut the final margin to 10, and nearly scored again at the
	final gun.  The Spartans appear to be getting better each week.
	Of course, it's too late for them this year, but they could spoil
	someone's season down the stretch.  Ohio State's lack of a 
	competent passing game prevents them from putting games like
	this away.  A bizarre squib kick by MSU, down just 13-9 at the
	time in the 3rd quarter, led to great OSU field position and
	a subsequent clinching score.  94,341 at Ohio Stadium...
 
PENN STATE 51, West Virginia 6  [Pred: PENN STATE 30, West Virginia 14]:
	PSU scored 24 points on it's first 4 possessions and went on
	to bury the Mountaineers.  Richie Anderson ran for 100 yards
	on 15 carries, the first Lion RB to reach the 100-yard mark this
	season.  Tony Sacca threw for three more TDs and 172 yards on
	just 15 attempts.  His career yardage is now just 24 behind
	that of school record-holder Chuck Fusina (set back in '78).  PSU
	now leads the WVU series 47-9-2 with this 19th straight win.  The
	game marked the Mountaineers' last visit to Happy Valley until the
	late 1990's.  A huge throng of 96,445 at Beaver Stadium...
 
STANDINGS
 
  CONF TEAM           CONF CONF CONF   CONF        ALL  ALL  ALL    ALL
  RANK                WINS LOSS TIES    PCT       WINS LOSS TIES    PCT
 
  1    MICHIGAN          4    0    0   1.00          6    1    0   .857
  2    IOWA              3    1    0   .750          6    1    0   .857
       OHIO STATE        3    1    0   .750          6    1    0   .857
       INDIANA           3    1    0   .750          4    2    1   .571
  5    ILLINOIS          2    2    0   .500          4    3    0   .571
       PURDUE            2    2    0   .500          3    4    0   .429
  7    MINNESOTA         1    3    0   .250          2    5    0   .286
       NORTHWESTERN      1    3    0   .250          2    5    0   .286
       MICHIGAN STATE    1    3    0   .250          1    6    0   .143
  10   WISCONSIN         0    4    0   .000          3    4    0   .429
       PENN STATE        -    -    -                 7    2    0   .778

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Preview (11-2-91)
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 1991 18:02:36 GMT
 
The Games of November 2 (Times are Central):
 
Wisconsin at ILLINOIS (1:00 pm):  This game looked interesting a couple
	of weeks ago.  Wisconsin continues to improve, while Illinois'
	season-long woes inside the 20 continue.  The Illini should
	probably win since Wisconsin has trouble scoring...
	ILLINOIS 27, Wisconsin 6.
 
Minnesota at INDIANA (Noon):  The Hoosiers will have Bill Mallory back
	for this tilt against the Gophers.  IU should be on a high after
	the great comeback at Wisconsin, while Minnesota continues to
	struggle.  IU gears up for the biggie at Iowa next week...
	IU 40, Minnesota 9.
 
Iowa at OHIO STATE (2:30 pm, ABC, Regional):  One of the biggest games
	left on the conference schedule.  Iowa seems to have the complete
	package, yet seems to need a kick-start each Saturday.  OSU
	has everything but a passing game.  If they did, I'd pick them
	in a second, but Matt Rodgers is a seasoned vet, and I think
	he'll make the big plays...  Iowa 28, OHIO STATE 20.
 
Purdue at MICHIGAN (11:30 am, ESPN, National):  Ack.  Big time blowout
	on the horizon here.  Purdue is getting better each week, but
	Michigan is the only bonifide Top 10 team in this conference.
	Purdue's penchant for mental mistakes spells doom in a game
	like this, and the brewing QB controversy doesn't help.  Desmond
	Howard and Co. in a romp...   MICHIGAN 45, Purdue 13.
 
Northwestern at MICHIGAN STATE (Noon):  MSU "should" pick up it's second
	win, but those pesky Wildcats, you just can't overlook them,
	I guess.  It's great to see NU's coaches and players get to
	smile for a change.  MSU will probably try to run the ball
	down NU's throats.  This could be one of the all-time yawners...
	MSU 24, Northwestern 11.

    After a very slooooowwwww start... Penn State appears to rounding into
    their usual form.  They may be able to survive Sacca after all.  The
    scuttle is the boys feel they should have beaten Miami, and all is
    well.  Amazing what pounding WVU can do for attitude.  Take PSU to pull
    the big upset over the Irish.  The Lions are awake.
    
    Rick_from_happy_valley 

    It's too bad the football Hoosiers got jobbed on that last play
    at Columbia (what *is* it with Missouri officials, anyway?) cuz 
    they'd now be 6-2 and rightfully in the top25, a key status cuz it
    gets you press so long as you're there.  IU played ND and UM tough
    on the road, and have won the other games.  They could beat teams 
    like Syracuse, Fresno St. and such ilk.  TodGreen has thrown for
    6 200+ yard games now, and Dunbar is averaging 160 yards.
    
    Btw, the officiating crew who ruined an otherwise fine game at Michigan
    have been suspended f a week.  Blown calls are acceptable, blatant
    make-up calls are strictly no-no in gridiron.
    
    I like Indiana to maybe win one at either Iowa City or Columbus...
    
    Big10 Tom

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Review (11-2-91)
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1991 18:35:23 GMT
 
The Results of November 2:
 
ILLINOIS 22, Wisconsin 6  [Pred:  ILLINOIS 27, Wisconsin 6]:
	A very lackluster ballgame, played in frigid, windy conditions.
	The only two scores of the first half (7-6 Illinois lead) were
	fumble recoveries in the end zone, one by each team (Wisconsin
	blew another extra point).  The Illinois recovery was actually
	from a bad snap on a Badger punt at the end of the first half.
	The Illini moved the ball somewhat in the 2nd half, but gained
	less than 300 yards for the game.  There were 10 fumbles and
	numerous dropped passes, and the Illini cashed in on three errant
	center snaps in all.  Wisconsin's offense was non-existent,
	garnering less than 130 yards, but this isn't the first time this
	has happened.  Jason Verduzco had another tough day in bad
	conditions.  The announced crowd was 61,493, but fewer than that
	showed up...
 
INDIANA 34, Minnesota 8  [Pred:  IU 40, Minnesota 9]:  After a slow
	start, the Hoosiers got it rolling and whipped Minnesota.  Vaughn
	Dunbar had yet another big day, rushing for 153 yards and 3 TDs.
	Trent Green likewise did well, throwing for 241 yards.  The Gophers
	had a pretty dismal day, as Marquel Fleetwood threw two INTs and
	the team was plagued by penalties.  Scott Bonnell had a busy day,
	adding 4 extra points and 2 FGs.  The Hoosiers have a big game in
	Iowa City this Saturday.  44,095 announced in Bloomington...
 
Iowa 16, OHIO STATE 9  [Pred:  Iowa 28, OHIO STATE 20]:  Iowa nearly
	doubled OSU in offensive yardage production, but really had to
	hold on until the bitter end to claim victory.  OSU was limited
	to just 124 yards on the ground (averaging 255 per game) and just
	97 in the air (told you so).  Matt Rodgers had a good game until
	he was knocked out with a spained ankle in the 3rd quarter (his
	status may be questionable for IU).  He was 20 of 27 for 258
	yards and a TD before leaving.  The final yardage tally was
	443-221.  But, like last year, the Hawkeyes had problems inside
	the red zone, and OSU had life until the end.  The team spray-
	painted their helmets black in honor of the Friday campus
	shooting spree.  Classes are cancelled today, I believe.  An
	Ohio Stadium record crowd of 95,357 saw an excellent ballgame...
 
MICHIGAN 42, Purdue 0  [Pred:  MICHIGAN 45, Purdue 13]:  It was a romp
	alright, but it didn't really occur until the 3rd quarter.  Purdue
	had possession for 19 of the first half's 30 minutes, yet trailed
	14-0 at the break mostly due to two botched punt attempts which
	Michigan quickly cashed in on.  The 2nd half was a complete
	Michigan domination.  Eric Hunter was given the rest of the day
	off late in the 3rd quarter.  Desmond Howard scored two more
	TD's and looked about two steps faster than anyone wearing a
	gold helmet.  Ricky Powers ran for 118 yards, one yard less than
	Purdue managed.  Hunter and Matt Pike combined for only 84
	yards in the air, while Elvis Grbac threw for an easy 175 yards
	and two TDs to Howard.  Michigan simply wore Purdue down, as usual.
	105,401 at Michigan Stadium...
 
Northwestern 16, MICHIGAN STATE 13  [Pred:  MSU 24, Northwestern 11]:
	NU wins 2 in a row!  What will happen next?  And they did this
	one on the road, no less.  Just two years ago, MSU obliterated
	the Wildcats 76-14.  Either NU has improved greatly since then
	or MSU is worse than anyone could have imagined.  This was one of
	the better ballgame of the day, as the two teams traded first half
	scores before State took a 13-9 lead to the lockerroom at
	halftime.  Tico Duckett had a 75 yard dash for a TD in the
	2nd quarter, and had 144 yards on the day.  The score stayed
	that way until NU QB Len Williams, who threw for 201 yards, led
	a 12-play, 83-yard drive in the 4th quarter which culminated in
	a 7-yard TD pass to Mark Benson with just 1:48 left in the game.
	Jim Miller threw for only 75 yards for MSU.  This marked the
	first time NU has won consecutive games since 1986 (the end of
	the season, when the Cats beat, you guessed it, MSU and Illinois).
	64,991 disgruntled fans at Spartan Stadium...
 
Penn State was Idle
 
 
STANDINGS
 
  CONF TEAM           CONF CONF CONF   CONF        ALL  ALL  ALL    ALL
  RANK                WINS LOSS TIES    PCT       WINS LOSS TIES    PCT
 
  1    MICHIGAN          5    0    0   1.00          7    1    0   .875
  2    IOWA              4    1    0   .800          7    1    0   .875
       INDIANA           4    1    0   .800          5    2    1   .625
  4    OHIO STATE        3    2    0   .600          6    2    0   .750
       ILLINOIS          3    2    0   .600          5    3    0   .625
  6    NORTHWESTERN      2    3    0   .400          3    5    0   .375
       PURDUE            2    3    0   .400          3    5    0   .375
  8    MINNESOTA         1    4    0   .200          2    6    0   .250
       MICHIGAN STATE    1    4    0   .200          1    7    0   .125
  10   WISCONSIN         0    5    0   .000          3    5    0   .375
       PENN STATE        -    -    -   .000          7    2    0   .778
 
 
November 9:
 
	Illinois at Purdue (Noon, Central)
	Indiana at Iowa (2:30 pm, ABC, Regional)
	Northwestern at Michigan (Noon)
	Michigan State at Wisconsin (1:05 pm)
	Ohio State at Minnesota (11:30 am, ESPN, National)
	Penn State at Maryland (Noon)

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Preview (11-9-91)
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1991 20:44:53 GMT
 
The "Games" of November 9 (all times Central):
 
Illinois at PURDUE (Noon):  Gee, should I go out on a limb?  Should I
	risk credibility?  Should I drink a lot at the game?  Have I
	been drinking already?  These are TOUGH questions to ponder.
	I will say this:  Illinois has the best quarterback, coach,
	defensive coordinator, fans, and band, in the whole damned land,
	and there's no way that Purdue could hold Illinois' jock,
	athletically or academically, even on a good day...
	Illinois 34, PURDUE 6.
 
Indiana at IOWA (2:30 pm, ABC, Regional):  It's time someone took a
	football and shoved it down Hayden Fry's throat.  Who does this
	ballsy Texan think he is?  The DEAN of Big Ten coaches?!
	Give me those bastards (er, bastions) of congeniality and good
	will, Woody and Bo, anyday!  I think that the foul-mouthed,
	trouble-making Bill Mallory, who makes his pal on the hardcourt
	look like a saint, can kick this guy's butt.  What do you think???
	Indiana 24, IOWA 19.
 
Northwestern at MICHIGAN (Noon):  Someone once had a little thing on his
	desk that read, "The Buck Stops Here".  Gary Moeller undoubtedly
	has one on his desk this week.  The giddy Wildcats are in 6th
	place, folks, and deserve to be.  I think the odd's makers should
	cut NU some slack this week.  Should be a great game...
	MICHIGAN 27, Northwestern 16.
 
Michigan State at WISCONSIN (1:05 pm):  These two team's offensive
	coordinators should be shot.  This has the potential to be a
	scoreless deadlock.  Michigan State does have one offensive
	weopen in Tico Duckett.  Wisconsin probably has a better
	defense, and I just like Bucky so much better than Sparty, who
	really is a dork, like his coach.  Look for Bucky to bare some teeth...
	WISCONSIN 9, MSU 6.
 
Ohio State at MINNESOTA (11:30 am, ESPN, National):  The good and the
	ugly.  John Gutekunst better do something quick or he's history
	in the Twin Cities.  OSU is a good team, but not powerful, not
	like Michigan, anyway.  These two teams have had some very
	high-scoring games against each other recently, but only one
	team should score much on ESPN, again...  I like Goldy better
	than that Buckeye thing, but one can only go so far...
	OSU 41, MINNESOTA 12.
 
Penn State at MARYLAND (Noon):  Penn State likes to beat the Terps, and
	I see no reason why they won't Saturday.  Maryland has this
	quaint little stadium which could be full of people wearing
	dark blue and white...  Boomer says Maryland can win?  Think
	so???  Penn State 31, MARYLAND 13.

    Wail, the Hoosiers DID make it into the all important top25!  Way 
    to go Coach Bill.  And don't stop from gloating over how those 
    cruddy officials got busted, neither:
    
    RAH RAH RAH
    
    SIS BOOM BAH
    
    HOOSIERS IN TOP25
    
    HA HA HA !!
    
    GO HOOSIERS !!!!!!!!!!!!!

                    
    > Wail, the Hoosiers DID make it into the all important top25!
      
    Good thing the AP expanded to a Top 25 a few years back from the
    traditional Top 20 to accommodate MrT's ever-shrinking standards.
    Congrats, T!
    
    glenn
    

    Ever shrinking standards?  You don't know Hoosier football.  For us
    getting into the top25 is a even a biblical proportions.  We eked in
    for a week or so last year and then choked in the Metrodome and
    disappeared for good, despite having taken all-pro Auburn to the last
    play in a bowl game.
    
    Being in the top25 is very important from a publicity standpoint cuz
    the papers and electronic media have settled on focusing on this group
    and according only minimal attention to the rest.  IU football ain't
    like OU football, persuading a quality kid to sign a letter-of-intent
    to go to beautiful Bloomington once was impossible and even now is very
    very difficult.  Just axe Jeff George!
    
    Big10 top25 Tom

     
>    Ever shrinking standards?  You don't know Hoosier football.  For us
>    getting into the top25 is a even a biblical proportions.  We eked in
>    for a week or so last year and then choked in the Metrodome and
>    disappeared for good, despite having taken all-pro Auburn to the last
>    play in a bowl game.
 
    Well, then I guess that events of biblical proportions like these
    (bet they're literally dancing in the streets over this one!) happen
    at least once a decade or so, 'cause that blathering idiot Lee Corso 
    who ruins my Saturday enjoyment every week got them to the *real* 
    Top 20 in the final polls, not just temporarily as will be the case
    when the cornfed boys of Iowa blow holes in that balloon a yours,
    MrT.  What did the Top 20 buy Indiana then?  A couple more deathly
    slow hoops recruits?
    
    One thing I will say is that Indiana is quietly establishing a tailback
    tradition, first with Anthony Thompson and now Vaughn Dunbar.  That's
    worth quite a bit more than any one-week Top 25 ranking, for sure.
    It'll only help that Dunbar will eventually be drafted in the top
    ten of the first round of the NFL draft, too...
    
    glenn
    
    

    First, the boys at Iowa aren't cornfed, they're usually from Chicago,
    New Jersey, California, and Dallas.  I doubt that the Hawkeyes will
    blow them out, but they might.  MrT longs for the Hoosiers to beat one
    a their two remaining Div IA games and then mop up the season against
    Purdue.
    
    Being in the top25 is critical nowadays.  The Hoosiers above all need
    exposure.  If they win against the Hawkeyes and/or the Buckeyes in this
    visual two week period then they finish in the top20 and in conjunction
    with decent showings on the road and nat'l TV against two top5 squads
    in ND and UM it could *finally* get the lowly Hoosiers over the hump as
    far as recruiting goes, and that's the wall that Bill Mallory has been
    trying to climb for several years now.  
    
    The two tailbacks are less important than a final finish in the top25,
    which the Hoosiers got screwed out of last year.  Right now IU's best
    alum in the NFL is Pete Stoyanovich, who was in Blmgtn. cuz a their 
    power house soccer squad, not the gridiron.
    
    MrT 

	Let's give credit where credit is due.  IU has had two fine
	seasons back-to-back, and Bill Mallory has turned that program
	around.  IU football is at a competitive level against almost
	any program in the country, these days (with the probable exception
	of teams ranked around the top 5 in the polls).

	IU has outplayed just about everyone on their schedule, Michigan
	included, and should give both Iowa and OSU tough games.  I would
	expect Indiana to end up ranked following the bowls.

	On the other hand, I saw the Notre Dame-Indiana game, and don't
	consider that game to be very competitive at all.  I think T is trying
	to take undeserved kudos for that outing.

    Undeserved kudos are relative.  IU was down by less than a touchdown
    with less than six and a half minutes left in the game.  At that time
    ND pulled a big play for a touchdown and then, on the kickoff, Lou
    demonstrated his game coaching genius yet again with the onsides kick.
    
    And, IU's squad is much improved now from where they were at the
    beginning of the year.  The most unbelievable daststistick (tm) in the
    annals a IU grid and probably anything else was the lowly Hoosiers
    going to Michigan Stadium and dominating dastistickally (tm) but of 
    course losing.
    
    IU had a dream season in '67 and immediately plunged back into the
    depths.  Then came Corso who popped one decent season followed by the
    top20 finish (climaxed by IU's win over BYU in the Holiday Bowl in one
    a the wildest bowl games ever) and they *again* immediately plunged into 
    the depths which resulted in Corso's firing.  Then came Wyche, for one
    season, and they did well and made a bowl.  Then back into the depths.
    
    IU grid has surfaced above water a few times in the last 35 years and
    then only briefly.  What we're talking about now is a sustained buildup
    that will leave the program competitive even during rebuilding years,
    which is the mark a a big-time program.  They're close to that, but
    haven't mounted that most difficult hump yet.  A top25 finish and the
    PR exposure it brings could bring much-needed results in recruiting.
    
    MrT

    Whoa Rolly,
    I ,too watched the IU-ND game and the Hoosiers were in it into the 4th
    quarter. In fact, IU was ND's toughest opponent by far until 'SC came
    in (far surpassing much ballyhooed opponents MSU and Pitt). IU has
    improved since then, and should give both Iowa and Ohio St a great
    game. In fack, I hope they beat both of them. Be nice to see somebody
    else trailin' UM besides Iowa and Ohio St.
    
    MikeL
    
    

    Uh, Mike, have you forgotten about Michigan, who BEAT ND?  
    
    MrT

    Pardonez-moi fer my unintended faux-pas. I meant at home.
    Danke for your observancy.
    Let the record be amended. IU= ND's 2nd toughest opponent AT HOME
    
    MikeL
    Und we shall see what Tennessee shall bring to the Shrine
    

    
>        Und we shall see what Tennessee shall bring to the Shrine
 
    ND better win, Mike (I think they will as the SEC, while maybe the 
    best conference, still doesn't rate with the big-boy independents-- 
    we'll see that when Florida State spanks the tails off them chicken 
    cheatass Gators in their own lair come Nov. 30).  I don't want to be 
    seeing ND and Penn State fighting it out for rights to the Peach 
    Bowl or something, ya know?
    
    glenn
    

    Glenn,
    ND's favored by 6 or so. I think the Irish will win in a tight one
    (thank thee USC!). I hear the weather is gonna be a might brisk
    (upper 30's,windy) Let's see how it affects the Vols' passing. More
    on this match in note 37.  BTW, methinks Happy Valley's gonna be
    Frosty Valley on 11/16. Bring your anti-freeze.
    
    MikeL
    

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Review (11-16-91)
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1991 18:51:01 GMT
 
The Results of November 16:
 
Michigan 20, ILLINOIS 0  (Pred:  Michigan 21, ILLINOIS 20):  Well, you
	can look at this one of two ways:  From the Michigan standpoint,
	it was a game of blown opportunities, and the score could have
	been much larger; From the Illinois point of view, there were
	also some blown opportunities, and the game could have been
	much closer on the scoreboard.  The statistics favor the former,
	though:  UM in first downs 26-15, UM in yardage 463-256, UM
	in rushing yardage 330-49.  UM also led in turnovers 3-2.  Two
	of the UM fumbles killed potential scoring drives deep in Illinois
	territory in the first quarter.  One of those was redeemed, though,
	when Jason Verduzco mishandled a shotgun snap and Michigan
	recovered inside the 10.  Both QBs had workmanlike, if unspectacular
	games.  Michigan also settled for a FG after a long drive due
	to a personal foul.  Michigan also had the ball for nearly 40
	minutes, as it's offensive line opened huge holes for the
	running game.  Ricky Powers ran for 151 yards when he hung onto the
	ball, and Jesse Johnson and Tyrone Wheatley, who are both very
	exciting, combined for 153 yards.  Mr. Howard scored two more
	TDs, one on a reverse in which he bobbled the handoff.  66,757
	at Memorial Stadium...
 
OHIO STATE 20, Indiana 16  (Pred:  OSU 24, Indiana 17):  This game was
	just like the game at Michigan for IU - push the home team around
	the field, but lose a heartbreaker.  The Hoosiers outgained
	OSU 356-225, but lost (being outgained by good teams is becoming
	a disturbing trend for OSU).  IU jumped out 6-0 and led 13-10
	at halftime, and trailed 17-16 in the fourth before OSU booted
	a 38-yard FG to provide the final margin.  The running games were
	fairly even, as Vaughn Dunbar rushed for 125 yards and Carlos
	Snow ran for 124 and two scores, but Trent Green had a big day
	passing, throwing for 256 yards and a score.  OSU passed only
	for 106 yards.  The crowd booed it's favorites as it left the
	field for halftime.  Get a clue folks - I'll trade you my 4-6
	for your 8-2/New Years Day bowl any old day.  So will Jim
	Colletto's son!  93,417 at Ohio Stadium...
 
Iowa 24, NORTHWESTERN 10  (Pred:  Iowa 37, NU 15):  Again, NU surprises
	me, fighting the Hawkeyes tough all afternoon.  In fact, this
	one was just 10-10 at halftime.  Mike Saunders, who rushed for
	167 yards (93 in the third quarter), put Iowa up for good with
	a TD scamper in the third period.  NU was held to -5 yards for
	the third quarter, as Iowa put the game away.  NU's Len Williams
	threw for 209 yards and ran for a TD, before a mixed crowd of
	33,478 at Dyche Stadium...
 
PURDUE 27, Michigan State 17  (Pred:  Michigan State 25, PURDUE 10):
	The blown call of the week, Purdue bounced back from it's dismal
	Illinois showing with maybe it's best game of the year.  Eric
	Hunter got the hook after the first offensive series, one in
	which he downed himself by slipping and then later caused a delay
	of game penalty.  Enter Matt Pike, and enter victory.  Pike
	led Purdue on 4 easy scoring drives, and before you could say
	"Perles is a stiff", it was 24-0 Purdue early in the third.  The
	highlight was Purdue going for a TD near the goal line on the
	last play of the first half instead of kicking a chippy FG.
	Pike made a beatiful fake into the line, and threw a wide-open
	TD pass for a 17-0 halftime lead.  After Purdue blew 2 great chances
	in the third to increase the 24-0 lead, State stormed back behind
	QB Jim Miller and RB Tico Duckett.  State pulled within 7 at 24-17,
	and after a "3-and-out" by the Purdue offense and a bad punt with
	about 7 minutes left, had a chance to tie it up.  But the Purdue
	defense rose up and stopped MSU on 3 plays, and the ensuing long
	Purdue drive for a FG clinched matters.  Purdue's ground game
	shined without the injured Corey Rogers, as Jeff Hill ran for
	106 yards and two scores and Earl Coleman rambled for 92 yards.
	Tico Duckett ran for 126 yards and a score.  Pike threw a TD
	pass, and for 157 yards on 11 completions.  Jim Miller was
	intercepted 3 times.  Just 30,399 at Ross-Ade Stadium...
	
Wisconsin 19, MINNESOTA 16  (Pred:  MINNESOTA 16, Wisconsin 11):  Hooray!!!
	After going 19 conference games without a win, the Badgers finally
	did it.  Wisconsin blew a 16-0 lead, as the Gophers came back to
	tie things up on two Marquel Fleetwood TD passes and a short
	FG.  For some reason, the Gophers tried to run for two points
	after the first TD, and failed.  Wisconsin missed it's first
	extra point as well, a kick, as usual.  But, with just over
	10 minutes left, Badger kicker Rich Thompson made a 42-yarder
	to give Wisconsin the win, given a second chance after missing
	a 47-yarder because the Gophers ran into him during the kick.
	Not a smart move.  Wisconsin was horribly outgained 413-208, but
	pulled the win out anyway.  Gopher running back Carter rushed
	for 136 yards.  Wisconsin's leading ground-gainer had but 32 yards.
	36,133 at the Metrodome, many of whom were wearing red...
 
PENN STATE 35, Notre Dame 13  (Pred:  Notre Dame 28, PENN STATE 27):
	Blowout city, as PSU pounced on ND early and often, building a
	21-0 first quarter lead and then never looking back.  This was
	NDs worst loss in four years, coming on the heels of last week's
	heartbreaker against Tennessee.  Richie Anderson ran for two
	scores and rushed for 136 yards, O.J. McDuffie caught two TD
	passes and rushed for a third, and Tony Sacca threw two TD
	passes and for 151 yards, with no INTs.  The usually potent
	Irish ground game was held in check.  Rick Mirer did throw
	for 198 yards, but was only 16 of 37.  Shame on the Sugar Bowl
	for committing early...  96,672 at Beaver Stadium...
  
STANDINGS
 
  CONF TEAM           CONF CONF CONF   CONF        ALL  ALL  ALL    ALL
  RANK                WINS LOSS TIES    PCT       WINS LOSS TIES    PCT
 
  1    MICHIGAN          7    0    0   1.000         9    1    0   .900
  2    IOWA              6    1    0   .857          9    1    0   .900
  3    OHIO STATE        5    2    0   .714          8    2    0   .800
  4    ILLINOIS          4    3    0   .571          6    4    0   .600
       INDIANA           4    3    0   .571          5    4    1   .556
  6    PURDUE            3    4    0   .429          4    6    0   .400
  7    NORTHWESTERN      2    5    0   .286          3    7    0   .300
       MICHIGAN STATE    2    5    0   .286          2    8    0   .200
  9    WISCONSIN         1    6    0   .143          4    6    0   .400
       MINNESOTA         1    6    0   .143          2    8    0   .200
       PENN STATE        -    -    -   .000          9    2    0   .818
 
November 23 (end of regular season, except Penn State at Pitt on 11-28):
 
	Illinois at Michigan State (Noon)
	Purdue at Indiana (Noon)
	Minnesota at Iowa (1:05 pm)
	Ohio State at Michigan (11:15 am, ABC, National)
	Northwestern at Wisconsin (1:05 pm)

Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college
From: peppler@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Randy Peppler)
Subject: Big Ten Preview (11-23-91)
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1991 18:56:25 GMT
 
The Games of November 23 (end of regular season, except Penn State.
	All times are Central):
 
Illinois at MICHIGAN STATE (Noon):  Well, the Illini have their Hancock
	Bowl bid signed, sealed, and delivered, and should win this game,
	since Mackovic holds a hex over MSU similar to his over Purdue.
	But, Perles could be fighting for his job, and face it, Tico
	Duckett is probably the best running back in the country nobody
	knows about.  Illinois' running game has become quite anemic,
	as the Illini have been resorting to short passes to the backs
	as a way to get around it.  I never know which State team will
	show up.  I'll go with the Illini...  Illinois 24, MSU 13.
 
Purdue at INDIANA (Noon):  This game has defied logic in the past, like
	two years ago, when a mediocre Purdue team travelled to IU and
	beat the Hoosiers 15-14, possibly costing Anthony Thompson his
	Heisman and definitely knocking IU out of a bowl.  The scenario
	could be the same concerning the latter, as IU needs to win this
	game in order to face Baylor down in Tucson (a tie is no good).
	Obviously, IU is a heavy favorite, and should win, just like
	two years ago.  The Hoosiers won at Purdue last year, but were
	badly outgained yardage-wise, so they haven't been playing their
	best football against Purdue lately (in contrast to Lee Corso's
	teams).  These are the keys:  (1) Can the Purdue defense stop
	Vaughn Dunbar or Trent Green?; (2) Can Matt Pike move Purdue
	down the field?;  (3) Will there be a brawl in the stands at
	the game?  All questions will be answered this Saturday...
	INDIANA 27, Purdue 13.
	 
Minnesota at IOWA (1:05 pm):  The past two seasons, Iowa has fallen flat
	on it's a.s.s. in this game, being pummelled both times by the
	Gophers.  But, it won't happen this time, as the worst Gopher
	team in years ends it's season and perhaps the Minnesota coaching
	career of good-guy John Gutekunst.  I hear that he may be Lou
	Holtz' assistant somewhere in the NFL next year????  Anyway, Iowa
	struggled a bit over at Evanston against that gutty Wildcat
	bunch, but even with Jim Hartlieb at the helm, Iowa will roll
	and let Matt Rodgers get healed up before the BYU tilt in San
	Diego.  A 10-1 Hawkeye team which should have been playing on
	New Years Day...  IOWA 45, Minnesota 9.
 
Ohio State at MICHIGAN (11:15 am, ABC, National):  Michigan seems to
	struggle in these tilts whenever they are the clear favorite.
	I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen again, though OSU has
	been having trouble moving the ball against good teams and
	should again.  Michigan has a superior offensive line (ask
	Illinois) and should exert it's strength.  The Wolverines put
	the ball on Illinois' astroturf a few too many times this past
	week, and will have to be more careful in this highly-emotional
	grudge match...  J.D. Carlson may be the best and most reliable
	FG kicker in the country.  He's from Tallahassee...  Desmond
	Howard will score a TD (going out on a limb here)...
	MICHIGAN 23, Ohio State 14.
 
Northwestern at WISCONSIN (1:05 pm):  Whoever wins this game can hold
	it's head high and say, "It really was a good year".  Actually,
	the loser can, too.  Both NU and UW made big strides this year,
	and hopefully each can continue their upward climbs.  NU has the
	better offense, and UW has the better defense, and I expect
	a low-scoring game unless there's lots of turnovers.  I'll go
	with the home team...  WISCONSIN 15, Northwestern 10.
 
Penn State is idle
      

    Re: .111
    
    The reason the Gophers went for two after their first TD is that they
    were 1-6 in extra point attempts this YEAR.  They did make one later in
    the game, so now they've made two this year.  :*)
    
    Gutekunst's contract will be bought out after this year.  'Course the
    season is not a wash if we beat hated Ioway again!
    
    
    Spud

Subject: Many football games on grass developed by Purdue researchers
Date: Thu, 26 Dec 91 10:44:22 PST
 
	WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (UPI) -- As people watch the January football
bowls and play-off games, many will see the benefits of research
conducted at Purdue University's School of Agriculture. Many of the
games will be played on a natural grass athletic surface developed at
Purdue.
	``The Prescription Athletic Turf system was developed at Purdue by
agronomy Professor Emeritus William Daniel and others in 1971,'' said
Clark Throssel, associate professor of agronomy. ``It was developed
because there was a need for a safe and consistent athletic playing
surface.''
	The system was first installed at Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium in 1974.
The Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons
and the Miami Dolphins -- all of which are play-off contenders -- enjoy
the benefits of the natural turf when they play in their home stadiums.
The system also will be used in the New Year's Day Orange Bowl game.
	The Prescription Athletic Turf system provides the benefits of
natural grass without the disadvantage of muddy or parched fields. The
system substantially reduces maintenance and, because the field is able
to drain itself, the field can be perfectly level.
	Dr. Stephen Badylak, head team physician of Purdue's athletic teams,
said athletes prefer grass fields over artificial turf because the
natural turf is less likely to produce scrapes, bruises and ``rug burns,
'' or aggravate pre-existing knee or ankle injuries.
	The Prescription Athletic Turf uses an underground system of vacuums,
moisture sensors and drain pipes to either drain excess water from the
field or to backflow and send water to the grass roots. Under
surrounding earth. The growing medium above the liner is largely sand,
which aids in drainage.
	Although the Prescription Athletic Turf system has many advantages,
perhaps the greatest is one that we can enjoy: ``Fans just seem to enjoy
watching a game played on natural grass more than one played on
artificial turf,'' Throssell said.

    If only Purdue would win more games with that grass.....

    The rumors persist that the University of Texas has all but made the
    decision to join the Big10.  John Mackovic having gone from Illinois
    to Austin has only reinforced the speculation, and Mackovic's not
    dissuading it.  It seems that Texas is concerned about the decline of
    the SWC, Arkansas' departure being the worst blow.  Reports from the 
    midwest is that Texas is having conversations with Delany and the
    Committee of Ten.
    
    I'm hoping it's true.  Texas along with Penn State would be two very
    fine additions to the conference.
    
    Big10 Tom

And puerto rico state...

and the University of Anchorage...

    The last two notes - irrelevant, smart-mouthed nonsense - stand
    as a example of how we noters must work to upgrade our efforts 
    in the coming year.  (Certain NoTY candidates notwithstanding, of 
    course.)
    
    MrT

    
    I find it hard to believe that the Big 10 would even condsider Texas
    for one main reason, TRAVEL..... Must of the coachs had a fit when 
    Penn St. was added, can you imagine what the would say to a mid-week
    trip to Texas for a basketball game, I would love to hear Bobby Knights
    thoughts on this.   If Texas is really that worried about the SWC I 
    think the logical place to look is the BIG 8.  They allready have one
    outstanding rivalry with Oklahoma, it just works better. 
    
    Dan 

    	Agreed MorT, Texas from the scandal ridden SWC would indeed
    make a fine bedfellow for the
    Big11/12/Next_TV_Market_Team_That_Wants_To_Jump_Ship.
    
    				/Don

    C'mon T,
    You'd say UNLV would be a welcome addition to yo sacrosant Big Ten.
    Your bigotry is a-showin as your occasional erstwhile moniker denotes.
    
    MikeL
    

    I'm proud that a clean program like Texas, a prize like Texas, is
    anxious to join the Big10.  Lawd knows that they're uncomfortable
    doing biz with the crooks in the SWC, and joining the Big8 would
    in no way ease *that* pain.  
    
    Big10 Bigot Tom

>    I'm proud that a clean program like Texas, a prize like Texas, is
>    anxious to join the Big10.  Lawd knows that they're uncomfortable
>    doing biz with the crooks in the SWC, and joining the Big8 would
>    in no way ease *that* pain.  

    I smell another excellent bowl loss by Indiana (to Baylor) coming
    up, followed by prideful exclamations over how a squeaky-clean
    team like the Hoosiers could "almost" beat such a flea-bitten, 
    scandal-ridden squad as the Bears.  That entire Indiana/Top25
    recruiting plum issue got dropped in a hurry, didn't it?
    
    Texas would indeed be a fine addition to the Big Ten.  They have
    one of the most prestigious college football histories in the country.
    They'd also increase the fierce competition at the top between
    Michigan, Penn State, Iowa and Ohio State, and push teams like Indiana
    further out the back end away from any possible Rose Bowl hopes.
    For that reason, I'd expect to see major opposition from within
    the Big Ten football pack.     
    
    glenn
    

    We Hoosiers don't back away from any competition.  We'd love to
    see the Longhorns come on up to the Big10.  And, you're right: I
    aim hoping for a Excellent Loss.  If these Hoosiers cain stay with
    Baylor right into the home stretch this would be a real boon to our
    sagging recruiting prospects!
    
    MrT

                                                
    > We Hoosiers don't back away from any competition.  We'd love to
    > see the Longhorns come on up to the Big10.
    
    You (we) Hoosiers nothing, MrT.  The Indiana athletic department, 
    spearheaded by Bob Knight, was one of the most vocal opponents to
    the admission of Penn State into the Big Ten.  I think we can be
    pretty certain that Indiana would similarly squeal at the idea of
    Texas joining, and that you in no way speak for the university's
    feelings on the subject.
    
    The fact that you're also sandbagging on behalf of a lousy three-point 
    underdog to an SWC also-ran in a non-descript game such as the Copper
    Bowl speaks volumes for this condition a yours!
    
    glenn
    

      Texas should stay south.  Texas needs to be in the SWC.  Snow would
    kill 'em.

    Gits cold in Texass, Tim. Snow won't kill em, the Aggies will.
    Texas needs to git back at A&M before movin' elsewhar.
    
    MikeL
    

	Rankings for Big Ten Football recruiting look something like 
	this (according to recruiting expert Tom Lemming(sp):

	Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin had the best recruiting years, in
	that order.  Wisconsin apparently got a lot of REALLY good players.
	Maybe Alvarez can turn that program around.

	Indiana (and Penn State) followed not too far behind the top 3.  It's
	the best recruiting year anyone can remember for the Hoosiers, who
	normally rank around 7th in the conference on the recruiting list.
	Guess having a full-time recruiting coordinator makes a difference.

	The other 6 teams in the conference apparently had mediocre to 
	less-than-mediocre recruiting years.

tom

                              
    Roy, I've only got the Penn State's Big-10 schedule (sorry):
    
     9-04-93 Minnesota 
     9-18-93 at Iowa
    10-16-93 Michigan
    10-30-93 at Ohio State
    11-06-93 Indiana 
    11-13-93 Illinois
    11-20-93 at Northwestern 
    11-27-93 at Michigan State 
    
    [For 1994 move the date back one day and swap home and away...]
    
    glenn
    

    Glenn,
    So is the ND-PSU series coming to and end?
    
    Joe

                                                    
    > So is the ND-PSU series coming to and end?
    
    Appears so.  After falling behind ND 0-4 in games before 1980, the
    Lions have won 8 of 11 from 1981-91, and currently hold a slim 8-7 
    series lead.  Mike and I have talked about it, and I know he's hungry 
    for that last game in 1992 to avoid the ignominy of ND holding a 
    losing series record indefinitely... ;-)  (Is Penn State the only one, 
    Mike?) 
    
    There's always a chance they'll play a few games down the road, but I
    think Penn State is trying to get more traditional rival Pitt back on
    the schedule for 1995 and assorted years beyond first...
    
    glenn
    

    Yup, we needs that last game victory to even up the Series. 
    I guees if I want to have ND win that last game, I best stay away.
    I've witnessed five ND-PSU games in the 80's and 90's and I'm 1-4.
    
    And I'd love to see the series continue because it's a great challenge.
    However I understand PSU needs ta git its Big Ten feets acclimated.
    Mebbbe in 10 yrs. when thangs settle down. Now in letting PSU out
    of their '93 and '94 commitment, the Irish scheduled pushover Florida
    St to take the Lions place.  Frying pan into the fire.
    
    There is one other team who hold a whining record over the Irish in
    their continuing series ( series = 10 games or more). Anybody guess
    who? 
    Note: Clue in first sentence of paragraph
    
    MikeL
    

>    There is one other team who hold a whining record over the Irish in
>    their continuing series ( series = 10 games or more). Anybody guess
>    who? 
    
    Michigan
    
    
    Joe 

    Yup, Joe, tis Michigan. They lead 14-11 or 13-9, something like that.
    
    MikeL
    
    

>                        -< You win a Lou Holtz poster >-
    
    Actually, I meant Michigan State.
    
    Guess I don't win after all.
    
    
    Joe
    

    Thought you already had a Faust poster, in thanks to those four
    straight Air Force wins he done give ya. 8^)
    
    MikeL
    

 Dan called into say that ND was dropping PSU, just like they dropped Miami
 because they can't beat them consitencely either...

 ;^)

    Figgers....

    Mikey,
    Tell Dan that Miami is looking to pick up Columbia fer a 12th game
    next year. Looking fer a consistent victim.
    
    8^)
    
    

    Just a note to drop a piece of information from the Football Action '92
    preseason guide.
    
    				Rank
    				----
    Team		Big 10		Nat'l
    ----		------		-----
    Michigan		 #1		 #4
    Iowa		 #2		 #14
    Ohio State		 #3		 #20
    Mich. State		 #4
    Indiana		 #5		 
    Illinois		 #6
    Purdue		 #7
    Wisconsin		 #8 
    Northwestern	 #9
    Minnesota		 #10    	

    What about Penn St.?
    
    REK

    Penn State is ranked #10 nationally and will actually see big ten
    action next year.
    
    Roy L.

Article: 7897
From: clarinews@clarinet.com (United Press International)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.misc,clari.sports.top
Subject: Sports Digest
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 92 14:44:48 PDT
 
.
.
.

                                Law
	Former Michigan State wrestling coach Philip Parker has been
convicted in Lansing of raping a 20-year-old woman during a date on
Valentine's Day 1991. A jury of six men and six women deliberated 13
hours over three days before finding Parker guilty of third-degree
criminal sexual conduct Tuesday. Parker faces a maximum of 15 years in
prison when he is sentenced Oct. 14.

.
.
.