Phil Steele loves Green defense as the Dark Horse in the B1G for 2013

Phil Steele hones in on the close losses and the stout defense to give MSU the official underdog status of the 2013 season.

(FYI - Tom Deinhart at BTN.com chimes in on MSU with his impressions, and they are all spot on with the ES' so far on offense and defense.  Deinhart notes the great play from Bullough at RB, his senior brother at LB, and better results at WR).

When you read his unit projections, overall he predicts MSU as the #5 scoring defense and #3 overall defense in the nation (Behind Alabama and Florida State).  He likes the MSU schedule avoiding Wisc and Ohio State.  And, he figures the wide receiving corps can’t get any worse.  Interestingly, he predicts MSU coaching as third-best in the Big Ten, after Ohio State (Urban Meyer) and Northwestern (Pat Fitzgerald). 

Steele projects out best individual units every year.  Don’t think I have ever seen MSU defense ranked so high in so many categories:  Defensive Line (#35), Linebackers (#5), and Defensive Backs (#14). No mention on special teams, quarterbacks, running backs, or receivers – we earned that.  But, the O-Line has a #17 ranking.  So, we have a great line to block for… nobody????  Argh. 

Steele ranks MSU tied for first in the Legends (with Nebraska and Michigan), and his preseason rankings post MSU at #23 overall (one spot ahead of Michigan at #24). Other Big Ten teams in his preseason are: Ohio State (2), Nebraska (16), Wisonsin (20), Northwestern (32), and Penn State (34).

USA TODAY POLL

MSU is on the outside looking in at #28 ranking the national coaches' poll... PERFECT.  And, looking at the USAT poll below finds really only three surprises:  Boise State at #19, UCLA at #21, and Northwestern at #22.  We beat Boise last year in East Lansing, and they return all their starters, but they weren't THAT good.  Northwestern should be VERY GOOD this year, they beat us in East Lansing because of terrible coaching and the worst game of Maxwell's career, but just seeing them in the preseason top 25 at any time is a surprise.  UCLA, just don't know much about them.

Quick thoughts: Oklahoma State is better than #14 but needs to prove it; Stanford is  not as good as #4; Notre Dame at #11 - the Irish were lucky all over 2012 and got due payment playing ' Bama, and they won't have such luxury this year, especially after the Spartans win in South Bend in September.  Michigan at #17 is overrated, much like Notre Dame - they have a better QB and a good coach, but have a tough schedule, plus the Spartans in East Lansing.

USA Today Poll
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Alabama (58)	0-0	1545
2	Ohio State (3)	0-0	1427
3	Oregon	0-0	1397
4	Stanford	0-0	1262
5	Georgia	0-0	1250
6	Texas A&M (1)	0-0	1215
7	South Carolina	0-0	1136
8	Clemson	0-0	1047
9	Louisville	0-0	1010
10	Florida	0-0	930
11	Notre Dame	0-0	872
12	Florida State	0-0	844
13	LSU	0-0	797
14	Oklahoma State	0-0	726
15	Texas	0-0	622
16	Oklahoma	0-0	620
17	Michigan	0-0	589
18	Nebraska	0-0	426
19	Boise State	0-0	420
20	TCU	0-0	400
21	UCLA	0-0	202
22	Northwestern	0-0	186
23	Wisconsin	0-0	172
24	USC	0-0	165
25	Oregon State	0-0	135

Others receiving votes: Kansas State 113, Miami (FL) 101, Michigan State 89, Baylor 80, Virginia Tech 65, Fresno State 62, Arizona State 51, Ole Miss 32, Vanderbilt 29, Utah State 23, Brigham Young 20, North Carolina 19, Northern Illinois 19, Tulsa 9, San Jose State 8, Ohio 8, Arizona 5, Cincinnati 3, East Carolina 3, Mississippi State 3, Kent State 3, Washington 3, UCF 2, Tennessee 1, Toledo 1, Rutgers 1, Arkansas 1, Arkansas State 1

B1G cans Legends-Leaders for East-West, Mark Emmert on the coals

So after watching the Big Ten network the other day and listening to the comments from Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, it seems reasonable to expect that Ohio State and Michigan will be in the same division when the Big Ten reforms its lineups upon the arrival of Maryland (lovely football attendance example at right) and Rutgers. I really do believe that there will be an East and West division, and the Spartans will likely end up in the West division. Here is what it would look like:

East: Maryland, Rutgers, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Purdue, Indiana

West: Michigan State, Northwestern, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota

ES made a brief shout out to the Huge Show the other day in response to his question of whether Michigan State should be in the same division as Michigan. Let's get real, as Spartan fans we really don't care because this will be a protected rivalry and the Spartans still will always play Michigan in the same year... always giving us a chance to kick their tail.

Stealing from the ACC to grow B1Gger

Talking is growing lowder about adding more schools to the Big Ten conference. Schools that are mentioned the most as potential additions include Virginia, North Carolina, and Syracuse. Yes, these are all Atlantic Coast conference ACC schools and while the ACC does have a media contract worth $13 million dollars per school, it does not rival the Big Tennetwork and the Big Ten's media contracts which at last estimate was worth $19.3 million per year per institution and with a renegotiation from the addition of Maryland and Rutgers, it is expected to be worth as much as $27 million per year beginning in 2014. Reaching South from the New York and DC markets to cherry pick Virginia and North Carolina two the Big Ten makes sense from an expansion standpoint with the alignment of two additional high-profile academic institutions, competitive football and basketball programs, competitive nonrevenue sports such as soccer, lacrosse, golf, tennis, and track and field. Adding these two schools also will further enhancing the value of the Big Ten Network. Charlottesville Virginia is a DC Richmond constituency, while North Carolina has the Raleigh, Durham, Winston-Salem research triangle, as well as potentially the Charlotte area. Adding an additional 10-15 million viewers to the network would further raise the value of the Big Ten network to maybe 32 or $35 million annually.

Emmert is walking wounded

The days are drawing shorter for Mark Emmert at the NCAA. The academic scandals and recruiting nightmares that have occurred under the watch of NCAA president Emmert seemed to continue at a torrid pace. Recent commentary by Jay Bilas and on ESPN Take Down or other ESPN-ites seemed to begin dispel doom for Emmert's presidency. Ohio State, Auburn, Penn State, Oregon, Miami, and who knows what other scandals lurk in the shadows and are waiting to be unveiled. While Emmert seems intent on using his academic pedigree as former presidents at the University of Washington and provost at LSU, he seems to be completely out of tune with his own staff.

The state of Pennsylvania's suit against the NCAA does seem to have merits as Penn State was not given an opportunity for due process. At Miami, the fact that Emmert fired his vice president for enforcement because of “improper investigation techniques”seems to fly in the face from what his own staff and other former investigators seem to believe are consistent with previous investigations. Either Emmert doesn't know what's going on, or he has extremely bad public relations and should learn to keep his mouth shut instead of grandstanding his academic virtues.

Indeed, when one considers these scandals and how the NCAA's own academic performance measurements are watered down in favor of eligibility, one has to wonder why he is even grandstanding. Furthermore, on the horizon lies that Eddie O'Bannon's lawsuit, which most experts agree has the potential to be a complete game changer for the future of college sports as we know it. If the NCAA loses the suit, potentially hundreds of millions or billions of dollars may have to be paid to former college athletes because the NCAA licensed their image for video games commercials and other purposes without asking the athletes specifically. Considering that the NCAA only makes $750 million a year, the institution could go bankrupt. If the NCAA wins the lawsuit, the argument has already been presented and the NCAA will need to respond to public and education demands of what the real role of major college football and basketball is for our nation's colleges.

In all honesty, the ES just don't see Emmert as being the right guy to answer that question nor lead an organization in response to the lawsuit and likely respond to public indictment regardless of who ends up on the victorious side of the suit.

Big Ten Network at Peanut Barrell... NOW

UPDATE: So, as the ES wuz eating inside around 1 pm, the BTN was filming on the patio outside. Joe was wearing his best Sunday dress, and instead was covered by WILX, local TV-10. Maybe BTN will be back later, but it is a beautiful day, 70 degrees and sunny here in EL and filming outside makes very good sense....

ES is in the Peanut Barrell right now. Joe, owner, said the Big Ten Network should be here any minute to cover their Tailgate 48 show. They confirmed last night, but called him two weeks ago. Watch for updates and photos, Spartan fans. (The show will be aired next week before EMU game).

Tuesday is MSU Day on Big Ten Network

Got an email today from Mike Vest at BTN... looks like tomorrow is the first of three Big Ten days for MSU on the Big Ten Network this summer. Here is the lineup for June 21, 2011:

• 2 PM. 2009 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament Championship: Michigan State vs. Indiana
• 4 PM. The Big Ten's Greatest Games - Basketball: 12/22/07 - Texas at Michigan State
• 6 PM. Michigan State Campus Programming: Spartan Sagas #3
• 6:30 PM. Big Ten Icons: Magic Johnson
• 7 PM. Big Ten Football in 60: Michigan State at Northwestern (2010)
• 8 PM. Big Ten Football Replay: Notre Dame at Michigan State (2010)
• 10 PM. The Big Ten's Greatest Games - Football: 2000 Citrus Bowl: MSU vs. Florida

MSU Spring Game on BTN

As part of our month-long spring football coverage, The Big Ten Network will stream Michigan State’s spring football game live at 1:30pm ET on Saturday, April 30 on www.bigtennetwork.com. It will also be televised that night at 8pm ET. Will Tieman and Jayson Strayhorn will call the game.

The Big Ten Spring Football Report, with Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith, will offer highlights and analysis of the game at 10pm ET.

Additionally, the network will air Big Ten Spring Football Report studio shows on Wednesday and Saturday nights throughout April beginning the 13^th.

Michigan State - Notre Dame Predictions... edge to MSU

Who sez MSU will win:

Sparty On - MSU 24, ND 17. "Notre Dame's defense lacks speed."
College Football News/Scout - MSU 31, ND 27. "MSU will get physical and control the clock."
ESPN/Rittenberg - MSU 33, ND 31. "Conroy kicks a 42-yard FG as time expires."
Lock Smith Sports Picks - MSU -3: "Take Sparty to the bank."
CBSSports.com - MSU. "Conroy has been on fire from big distance."
BetOnline - MSU. "Notre Dame does not enjoy a considerable talent advantage over MSU."
Hammer and Rails - MSU 24, ND 23. "That leaves it to the ground game, where I think MSU has an edge."
SportsBook Lists - MSU 27, ND 24. "MSU doesn't back down from ND."
Stars and Slights - MSU gets the edge. "Tensions will be high amongst a hostile crowd."
Sports Network - MSU. "Look for [Cousins] to explode as he did in last year's game... look for things to get even worse for ND in the first trip outside South Bend this season."

Who sez ND will win:

Midwest Sports Fans - ND 24, MSU 21: "Crist is expected to play and be 100 percent."
College Football Lines - ND 33, MSU 27: "Notre Dame offense more potent than what Spartans have to offer."
NBC Sports - ND 27, MSU 23. "We're comfortable here with the role of Irish as underdog."
Chicago Now - ND 31, MSU 27. "You can flip a coin on this one."
Irish Central - ND 32, MSU 18. "Look for the Spartan defense to struggle mightily."
One Foot Down - ND 35, MSU 24.

Don't know their picks, but We Are ND loves Spartan Stadium: "Spartan fans and players are always dialed up for the Irish, which makes road trips to East Lansing a pretty entertaining experience. The nearby lots are definitely tailgate friendly as opposed to their in-state rivals, and MSU fans/students know how to get their drink on."

DANTONIO ON BTN Thursday night

At 8:30 PM ET tonight on Behind the Schemes, Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio joins BTN to talk X’s and O’s heading into this Saturday's matchup against Notre Dame. Dave Revsine hosts alongside coaches, Glen Mason and Gerry DiNardo.

Spring Game in the Rain or at home on BTN - a Preview

Today is the Spring Game for Michigan State. In year's past, the weather has -- for the most part -- been absolutely beautiful. 70 degrees and sunny is not uncommon. However, today, the forecast is dim: 60 degrees, thunderstormsrain. Oh well, you can't win them all and mother nature always wins.

But, luckily... we have the Big Ten Network. Michigan State's spring game will be streamed live on www.bigtennetwork.com (1:30 pm on Sunday) and will air on delay at 5 PM/ ET on Sunday, April 25.

Here is a review below from Mark Dantonio; thanks to the folks over at LSJ for capturing the video.

Delaney on BTN tonight at 9 EST

How much do you NOT want to learn about Big Ten expansion?

Will in case you are interested in hearing nothing new, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany will talk with Dave Revsine on Big Ten Tonight at 9 PM ET. Topic: the latest news pertaining to the possibility of Big Ten expansion.

Give it up for Jones & White; More MSU vs. Iowa previews

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN gives the Big Ten's mid-season defensive MVP award to Michigan State's Greg Jones, who leads the nation in tackles. And, if you saw his dominating, sideline-to-sideline and in-Kafka's-face performance vs Northwestern, you'd have to agree. He gives MSU's offensive team MVP award to Blair White, and sez MSU has already had "two seasons crammed into one through the first seven games."

Here are some more predictions and previews: Sports Network (Iowa 23-20); MSU - Iowa from ESPN; all the jokers at Rivals/Yahoo are picking Iowa over MSU; two of six pundits are picking MSU over at CFN/Scout;

Both ESPN and Rivals are projecting an Alamo Bowl matchup of MSU - Oklahoma/Nebraska. CBS Sports predicts a MSU - Clemson matchup in the Champs Sports Bowl. CBS Sports 120 ranks MSU at #41 overall... CMU is at #23 on their power rankings.

Here is a Michigan State-Iowa preview from the Big Ten Network:

MSU-scUM helps Big Ten Network Attract Highest Viewership Ever

Interesting note out of the Big Ten Network -- looks like lots of people watched us Spartoonies kick some scUM butt.

"Big Ten Network Attracts Highest Viewership Ever
Football games were Saturday’s most-watched across nine metered markets

CHICAGO – The Big Ten Network on Saturday had the most-watched college football games of the day across the nine metered markets within the Big Ten area. The network also broke its own local viewing records in five of those markets, including Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Detroit.

The noon ET games, which featured the Michigan-Michigan State overtime thriller and Northwestern’s come-from-behind-win at Purdue, averaged a combined 4.7 household rating (HH) in the nine metered markets, the highest rating in the region throughout the day, exceeding all other football programming. The Ohio State-Indiana game in primetime attracted a 4.5 HH rating, to lead all college football primetime games in the region.

In addition, based on Nielsen metered market data, the network had the highest total number of viewers of any day in the network’s history.

“We were extremely pleased with the millions of viewers we had on Saturday,” Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said. “It reflects positively on the network’s growth and shows that great things are on the horizon for our young network.”

The network’s Ohio State-Indiana game was the highest-rated program for the day across all television networks in Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton. Similarly, the Michigan-Michigan State game was the highest-rated program across all television networks in Detroit, while Northwestern-Purdue was the highest-rated program across all cable networks in Indianapolis.

During the afternoon time slot, the Big Ten Network beat its own individual market records in Chicago and in Detroit, where the Michigan-Michigan State game registered a 17.4 HH rating. The Michigan-Michigan State game also notably drew a 9.7 HH rating in Columbus, home of Ohio State.

The Ohio State-Indiana game also broke the network’s own individual market HH ratings records in Columbus (28.9), Dayton (16.6) and Cleveland (10.0). The 28.9 HH rating in Columbus is the highest single-game, single-market figure in network history, eclipsing last year’s Minnesota-Ohio State matchup, which posted a 24.4 HH rating.

Source: Nielsen Arianna Overnights (10/3/09). Metered Markets: Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Pittsburgh. "

More on MSU - Michigan Game Time Scenarios

Let's look at the schedule for Oct. 3. Right now the Big Ten Network has two games scheduled, and ABC has one Pac 10 prime-time game scheduled:

12 pm. NW at Purdue (BTN)
7 pm. OSU at Indiana (BTN)
8 pm. Southern Cal at Cal (ABC)

Other Big Ten games that weekend: Michigan at MSU, JoePa at Illinois, Wisconsin at Minnesota, Arkansas State at Iowa.

So, essentially, we have lots of regional and national spots to fill on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 at this point in time. ABC/ESPN has tv contracts with the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Big East, and Pac 10. Depending on what happens throughout the season, ABC/ESPN will defer to the best-rated matchups in a pair, or trio, of broadcast games across these conferences. We're talking basically seven open slots for 12 noon (national, 2 regional), 3:30 pm (national, 2 regional), and one slot for the Prime Time 8 pm matchup (ESPN Game Day). It's possible they may run more football - but methinks that the bigwings would prefer some diversity and show bowling or ice skating or gandy dancing or something.

The ES looked at the first week and saw some bad performances, and from that considered the following games as top games on Oct. 3 in other conferences, likely in consideration by ABC/ESPN in national or regional TV. NOTE (Washington is at Notre Dame, on NBC). Thusly, the ES argues these as the best Potential ESPN Game Days (8 pm):

* Big Ten - Michigan at MSU; Wisconsin at Minnesota (new stadium);
* Big 12/ACC - Oklahoma at Miami; Arkansas at Texas A&M;
* Pac 10 - UCLA at Stanford; Oregon St and Arizona St;

Let's prognosticate:

1. If either Michigan or MSU take a nose dive (either losing to ND for instance), it likely blows a chance for MSU-Michigan Game Day.
2. If Wisky and Minny go undefeated, with a new stadium, they might get it (Wisconsin plays MSU and Minny at Northwestern the week prior; Minny also hosts Cal next week).
3. If Oklahoma and Miami win out from this point forward, ESPN loves a top-tiered non-conference matchup, reminscent of Barry Switzer vs. Jimmy Johnson, and with the "return of Sam Bradford" looming large (Oklahoma has creampuffs scheduled, Miami plays Ga Tech and Va Tech).
4. If UCLA and Stanford win out (this weekend, Stanford plays Wake Forest, UCLA at Tennessee then hosts Kansas State), they make a good case...
5. as does undefeated Oregon State and Arizona State (Oregon State plays Cinci and Arizona, Arizona State plays at Georgia)... though two Pac 10 prime time games on the same network will be difficult to believe.
6. Arkansas won't go undefeated (they have to play Georgia and Alabama), but Texas A&M likely will (creampuffs). If Arkansas does, then the intrigue for this game goes sky high, as both would likely be undefeated.


But, bottom line... this leaves LOTS OF ROOM FOR ERROR AND PREDICTION. Don't believe Rexrode, or anyone other than the ABC/ESPN Gods, for a few weeks until things shake out.

Michigan State - Michigan at 3:30 pm???

Is the Michigan - Michigan State game on Oct. 3 going to be a 3:30 pm kick? Our friends at The Other Side of Spartan Sports report that the LSJ's Joe Rexrode thinks so... "Joe Rexrode reports that this game has been finalized as a 3:30 p.m. kick. "

But, there is no official word out of the Big Ten Conference, and if Michigan takes a nose-dive, this may be a 12-Noon game. The Big Ten usually doesn't announce upcoming football game times until two weeks prior to games, depending on ABC/ESPN decisions, which are first priority for the league's revenue. The ES sez: stay tuned, let's hope Joe's right!

Dion Sims impresses Big Ten Network, Dantonio

One big positive out of the Big Ten Network is the ability to catch a glimpse of practice sessions, and today was Exhibit A as the BTN took a glimpse at Michigan State under 90-degree weather. It was a sweat box.

From some of what the ES saw, on offense pass protection seemed pretty good, but the Spartan defense -- particularly the 'backers -- were able to tee off on the running game, plugging the holes effectively. There was a particularly nice roll out right by QB Keith Nichol as he dodged out of the pocket, and threw across his body with great strength and accuracy, and hit a streaking receiver across the middle.

The Doctor was interviewed... and what was telling were the particular names he mentioned. He singled out Brandon Denson for his work ethic and the whole LB corps as a strength. He mentioned he expected to have a 3-RB rotation of 100+ carries by each this fall. As for the new recruits, two seemed to stick out: Chris Norman and Dion Sims who are "getting a lot of reps."

The BTN crew chimed in with their thoughts, and agreed there seemingly was no difference between Nichol or Kirk Cousins at QB. BTN commentator Howard Griffith was very impressed with Spartan receivers, and noted the teams' potential "to put a lot of points on the board." Both Griffith and Gerry DiNardo were impressed by the pair of true frosh RBs, Ed Baker and Larry Caper... although DiNardo feels Baker has the edge. The pair "looked good catching the ball and picking up blitzes." Hopefully, they can run well, too...

Finally, when asked about "under the radar" players, DiNardo mentioned Lansing native Micajah Reynolds as an OL that may be able to get some quality playing time. Griffith and Dave Revsine both drooled over Dion Sims at TE that he "was special."