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Hitting the Links Enjoys The Grind
How Meyer Will Use His Quarterbacks
This is the go-to article on what Meyer is going to do.
As Ohio State fall camp kicks underway, a particular shirt was being worn by Michigan recruits.
On a similarly linguistic note, Meyer mentioned this week that his 2015 team will not be 'defending' any title. That word has been banned, so to speak. The emphasis is on chasing a new one.
Minnesota Athletic Director Scandal
It's been a rough year for the Big Ten off the field. Ohio State had a marching band scandal. Tom Brady was embroiled in Deflate-Gate. Antonio Allen was caught dealing hard drugs. Michigan State's softball coach was accused of inappropriate behavior. Illinois has had no less than three scandals in separate sports. Julie Hermann has had various media faux-pas. And just this past Friday, the Nebraska PA announcer for football games was accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from two elderly women. So, not a great calendar year.
Opposing Coaches Scout SI's Top 25
Auburn has consistently produced the best running attacks in the SEC, and there is a stable of talent there again. The potential leader, Jovon Robinson, is a real bruiser; he would be the SEC's most punishing running back.
BYU Running Back Withdraws From School
Jamaal Williams will be taking a break for personal reasons. In the meantime, this gives BYU a pretty one-dimensional attack on the offensive side. Taysom Hill is a great talent, and wide receiver Mitch Mathews is one of my favorite players. But they don't have much depth beyond those two.
Starting Oregon State Linebacker Dismissed
It will be very, very easy to run on Oregon State. After the opening game against Utah, which is probably the toughest game in the first half of the season, Michigan will find an easier time running against the Beavers, UNLV, and a Maryland team that's revamping their front seven and changing schemes. Northwestern and BYU might offer a slightly stiffer resistance, and the second half of the season features the real challenges. But if Michigan is at least solid, they should be able to get the running game established.
Tennessee's Von Pearson Reinstated
I went back to look at film of Pearson, and there's no doubt that he's a pretty talented guy. But I kept going back to Jalen Hurd, who looked like a young, soon-to-be-elite running back. I'd expect him to fly past the 899 yards he had last year.
A lot of fun to go through. The top ten has some players I think are a little overrated: Trevone Boykin, Shilique Calhoun, Leonard Fournette. Hackenberg is rated higher (#41) than Anthony Zettel (#52), and Jeremy Johnson and Cardale Jones are flying under the radar at #61 and #77, respectively. And DeMornay Pierson-El (#73) is on the list while Michael Thomas is not.
Top B1G Players: 1-5 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25
There's more talent now than before. Darron Lee at #12, Leonte Carroo at #14, Braxton Miller at #15. A good list of players.
Could Cornerback Be Spartans' Achilles Heel?
Answer: yes. It's far and away the weakest part of their defense right now. They may have to wait until 2016 for some of their young talent to emerge.
I've been talking up Ferguson for a while, so it's good to see him get some national appreciation.
Ohio State is expected to be a double-digit favorite in all 12 of their regular-season games, according to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 10, 2015
Nebraska Is Big Ten's Biggest Enigma
Not only is it an enigma before the season, it'll be an enigma during it, too. That back seven will give up big scores, and the offense will score in bunches. I'll also be curious to see if Maliek Collins becomes a more consistent force. He took too many plays off last year.
Dave Aranda is a treasure to listen to, and he and some others talk about Big Ten offense.