The Big Ten has long been the staple conference of the Upper Midwest.  The Big Ten, in many ways, is a reflection of the Midwest itself.  The Big Ten offers an education to rival any other, even those found in the stuffy halls of Ivy League old money.  A stellar campus experience alongside thousands of other students can be found for gritty, hard-working kids.  Athletic programs that can rival the best in the country are a nice bonus.

As much as Big Ten fans may dislike rival schools, they still respect them.  Yes, I'll root for Iowa or Wisconsin over any other conference's team every time.  Why?  Big Ten schools may be in different states, but overall are cast from the same mold.  Big schools, good academics, clean(er) programs, competitive athletics.

Enter 2010.  Nebraska has joined the Big Ten, which I consider a good move for both parties.  They're called the Cornhuskers, and that's about as Midwestern as you can get.  Let's hope the expansion ends there.

With the exception of Notre Dame, who will remain celibate from a conference commitment as long as possible, there are no more Big Ten caliber schools.  Texas is a great school, but they belong in, rather they are the South and I doubt their fans would want them traveling to the Upper Midwest for away games.  The other options floating around just wouldn't cut it.

Let's face it, conference realignment is based solely upon athletics and revenue.  Let's be more frank by admitting that football and basketball rule that realm.  Basketball has a little flexibility, but football doesn't.  Big Ten football without cold Novembers and generations-old rivalries would eventually become nothing more than the NFL's minor leagues.

It's already inaccurate to call it the Big "Ten," but where will it stop?  12?  14? 16?  Why not 32 with a December Madness to generate TV revenue? 

It's the Big Ten, not the Big Something.

Adam Rittenberg reviews the Nebraska/Big Ten past games at this link.  He also reviews rivalries worth saving at this link.  In my opinion, he gets it right.

Fringe Bowl Team argues that an East-West division for the Big Ten will work at this link.

Brian at MGOBLOG thinks that Texas could be making a big mistake by not joining a conference at this link.

Four players have been named your 2010 Gopher captains.  Three of the captains are native Minnesotans. The selections were made by a vote of the team, which was held Sunday night.

"The four young men our team selected to serve as captains are outstanding choices," Brewster said. "Adam, Kim, Jon and Brandon truly personify what it means to be a captain through leadership both on and off the field."

OFFENSE

• Adam Weber - QB - Weber is the only repeat selection. In fact, he is a three-time team captain. He is the only three-time captain in the history of the University of Minnesota football.
• Jon Hoese - FB - Hoese has made 10 starts at fullback over the past two seasons. He has appeared in 30 career games for the Gophers. Hoese has carried the ball 33 times and scored three touchdowns during his Minnesota career. None of his carries has ever resulted in a loss of yardage

DEFENSE

• Kim Royston - S - Royston finished the season with double-digit tackle performances four times. He also turned in an interception last season, picking off a pass deep in Gopher territory late in the first half, as the Gophers defeated Northwestern. Royston earned his first Minnesota letter in 2009.
• Brandon Kirksey - DT (junior) - Kirksey finished 2009 with three tackles for loss, two of which came against Cal. Kirksey made one of the biggest plays of 2009, forcing the fumble that Nate Triplett returned for the eventual game-winning touchdown in the TCF Bank Stadium opener vs. Air Force. He is a two-time letterwinner.

Big Ten expansion is going to happen, possibly today with the expected announcement that Nebraska will join the Big Ten.  So now the stories of how this will affect the Gophers are starting to surface.

• The Pioneer Press talked with Glen Mason about how this will affect the University of Minnesota.  Mason tells us that it "sure doesn't help your chances." 
• Fox 9 News did a story on what this means for Gopher football as well.  They chatted with Dave Mona to get his perspective.
• FringeBowlTeam chimed in on the subject as well using Sagarin Ratings to show that we struggle against good teams.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that adding Nebraska to the Big Ten does very little to affect the Gopher's chances of getting to the Rose Bowl.  Certainly the Huskers are an elite football program that will consistently be a ranked team fighting for a conference championship.  Clearly their program is in a much healthier state and will probably end up in Pasadena long before the Gophers will get there again.  BUT here is my point...

If the Gophers field a team talented enough to win the Big Ten in it's current state, they'll be talented enough to win the Big Ten with Nebraska.

Mason's notion that "it doesn't make it any easier" does not necessarily mean that is actually makes it harder.

The Big Ten already has elite programs that have blocked the Gophers from Pasadena in the past.  But to be honest the Gophers have done more to prevent themselves from earning a Rose Bowl trip than anybody else in the conference. The past few decades have seen Gopher rosters that simply were not talented enough to the conference. 

Occasionally they have made a run to get relatively close, 2003 comes to mind.  But a blown 28-7 fourth-quarter, home lead over Michigan cost them a Rose Bowl berth.  They beat themselves.  That year Nebraska finished 5-3 in the B12 North getting blown out by Texas and Kansas St.  They beat a 3-9 Penn State team at home 18-10.  A good team, not an unbeatable team.  Even with a win over Michigan that year I'm not sure Nebraska would have been any tougher than Michigan State or Iowa or Wisconsin that year.

Practically this makes some sense as well.  With the expansion to 12 teams there will be a division split.  Regardless of how the line is drawn the Gophers will likely be in a division with one of the typically elite teams and have a couple in the other division.  So assume an East / West split that would put the Gophers in a division with Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Illinois.   Obviously Nebraska is added to our schedule on a yearly basis which  is a difficult  opponent, another team to climb to get to a conference championship game.  But that also means they usually will avoid one of the elite teams in the Eastern division along the way.

The Armageddon season will obviously be the one where they miss Purdue and Indiana from the East.  But that will very rarely happen and it would be just our luck to have an uber-talented Gopher squad that particular season.  But again, if they are good enough to beat Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan then you'll be good enough to beat Nebraska.

Nebraska is a great program that becomes yet another team the Gophers will have to beat.  And it clearly will not make anything any easier.  But for the Gophers to even talk about the Rose Bowl they need to worry about what they can control.  They need to continually get bigger/stronger/faster and they need to start executing well-thought out game plans.  Worrying about adding another good football program that makes the entire conference that much stronger is a waste of time.  Let's first put ourselves in a position to win the conference, THEN we can start complaining about the addition of Nebraska.

Assuming Nebraska comes over to the Big X and assuming Colorado, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M Oklahoma and Oklahoma State jump to the Pac10; what happens to everyone else?  The soon to be former members of the Big 12 (Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State, Baylor and Iowa State) are all going to end up without a chair in this offseason of musical chairs.  What will become of these orphans?  Where will they end up?

I'm not sure which schools I feel worst for.  Baylor, Iowa State and even Kansas State stand the most to lose largely because of their location, smaller alumni base or lack of meaningful competitive teams over the last several years likely means they will not be sought after by another BCS conference.  Baylor and KState have had some recent success in basketball and the Wildcats have had a good run or two in football over the last decade.  But overall these universities do not add enough value that any of the BCS conferences will be clamoring for their allegiance. 

Missouri doesn't bring with them a long history of athletic success but they are the largest university in their state, they have a foothold in the St. Louis TV market and while they aren't usually dominant they are typically competitive in the major sports. There has been obvious talk of adding Missouri to the Big Ten and that is a very strong possibility, depending on Notre Dame and just how big the BigX wants to expand to.

Kansas is the most fascinating of the 5 Big 12 orphans.  I know that football is the driver of all things financial and their football program has been up and down (since the great rebuild by Glen Mason).  But we are talking about one of the elite basketball programs in the country that will presumably become the Gonzaga of the midwest (intentional exaggeration).  Someone will grab the Jayhawks.  This is a program that has won the Insight.com Bowl Orange Bowl in recent years to go along with a basketball national championship.

So where will these schools end up?  Who really knows but it is fun to speculate so here is my best guess.

Baylor - I'm afraid that there will be no BCS future for the Bears.  The best case scenario for Baylor would be a move to the Mountain West.  Maybe the MWC makes a strong effort to replace the Big 12 as a BCS conference.  Assume they can add Baylor, Boise State and someone else to get to 12 teams and they finally get that BCS status they so badly desire.  Worst case scenario is they end up in the Sun Belt.  Conference USA wouldn't be a terrible place to land but CUSA has 12 teams so I'm not sure what their plans would be.  The Mountain West is a strong possibility and this may not end up too bad for Baylor.

Iowa State - I fear for Iowa State's BCS future as well.  Best case scenario for Iowa State would be an invitation to the Big Ten.  Unfortunately for the Cyclones that isn't likely despite the propaganda drive.  Worst case would be a move to the MAC.  But I think ISU is in store for Independent status in FBS football.  I would project membership in the Missouri Valley for most sports and FBS Independence for football.  They would still get to schedule Iowa every year and will get a chance to schedule more Big Ten teams as part of their non-conference schedule.  Travel costs should go down for all programs but that will more than be offset by the loss of BCS conference revenue.  I think this is the school I feel for the most.

Kansas State - Also, not going to a current BCS conference, imo.  The Big Ten will not be calling.  Kansas State's best chance of joining a BCS conference is to ride the coattails of Kansas.  Maybe the Jayhawks will have some persuasive pull and will bring the Wildcats along.  If that doesn't work KSU may want to team up with Baylor to push the MWC into prominence.  The Mountain West would make a little splash by adding Boise St, Baylor and Kansas State.  It wouldn't exactly put them on par with the SEC but they would add some clout and might be a nice boost for their MWC Network.

Missouri - Best case and most likely is a move to the Big Ten.  They fit the profile and have been rumored to be one of the next BigX schools anyway.  I think if the Big 12 breaks up this is a near certainty.  Missouri adds value to the Big Ten and expands the "footprint" without robbing from a conference.  This would put the BigX at 13 teams and another would have to be added.

Kansas - Finally we get to Kansas and the question that popped into my mind (and got me thinking about this post) is would the Big Ten bring on Kansas?  They have a faithful fan base, they are an AAU member and they would enormously raise the profile of Big Ten basketball.  

If it came down to Kansas or Missouri I wonder what the Big Ten would do?  It appears as though the Big Ten was making a play for Missouri and wasn't interested in Kansas.  So I assume that would still be the case.  So it comes down to a numbers game.  Do they want to stick at 12 teams?  Are they going to add 2 more?  4 more?  What is Notre Dame going to do?  This game of conference poker is far from over.  Are we going to get Jayhawk basketball in the Big Ten?  And what is going to happen to the orphans of the conference formerly known as the Big 12.

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The table below highlights some rankings and facts to help evaluate the proposed schools, I added Minnesota just as a Big Ten team to compare the orphan schools.  Enrollment can be used to gauge alumni size.  For information's sake I thought the table below might be helpful.  I know that conferences are not basing expansion on US New or Director's Cup rankings but these are at the very least interesting.

Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa hitting 60 plus home runs while sporting super-sized muscles.  The New England Patriots' apparent coaching genius at predicting competitor's plays.  Andre Agassi's hair.  If it seems too good to be true, it often is.  Remember the last decade when USC always looked like a team manned by professional football players?  According to the Washington Post, you can add them to the list:

Two media outlets are reporting the NCAA has decided to ban USC's football team from the postseason for two years and strip the program of scholarships.

The Los Angeles Times reported the NCAA sanctions include the loss of more than 20 scholarships. According to a story posted on ESPN.com on Wednesday night, the Trojans also will forfeit wins "from at least the 2004 season."

The sanctions follow an investigation that Reggie Bush and his family were effectively paid over $100,000 by marketing agents, while Joe McKnight was given a Land Rover:

The Trojans brought O.J. Mayo in to their basketball program in the most publicly illegal way possible. Their best football player of the last decade, Reggie Bush, reportedly took hundreds of thousands of dollars from a wannabe sports marketer while in school. Their best running back last season, Joe McKnight, reportedly drove a Land Rover registered to another marketer.

Pete Carroll began the exodus from USC with his odd move to quit his job as the darling of college football coaches for the NFL and the Seahawks.  Problem is he left everyone else behind. 

20 scholarships lost, a two year ban from bowl games.  Will Matt Barkley play out his remaining two seasons at a school under sanctions?  Who will stick around for a season without bowl hopes?  Will top recruits stay on with a new coach in a multi-year rebuilding scenario?

May the exodus of talent from USC begin.

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Labatt Blue Light asked us to post about Golden Gophers who stand out as a refreshing duo.  For three seasons Adam Weber and Eric Decker combined to become the most prolific passing combo in Golden Gopher history.  These kids were incredibly productive on the field, tough competitors and great team leaders. Eric Decker is the programs all-time leading receiver.  Adam Weber is the school's all-time leading passer.  It is no coincidence that these two played together and complimented each other for 3 seasons in maroon and gold. 

Despite everyone in the stadium knowing where passes were likely to be targeted these two were hard to stop.  In 2010 Decker played in just eight games before injury ended his season.  In those eight games he caught five of the six touchdown passes thrown by Weber.  For their career, when both players played in the same game, Decker accounted for 50% of Weber's touchdown passes.

Decker's eligibility has run out and his productive Gopher career led him to be a third round draft pick by the Denver Broncos.  His career will move on but replacing his production is arguably the number question facing the Gopher offense as they head into the 2010 season.  There is no denying his productivity will be missed and Weber will be forced to find new targets if the Gopher offense wants to take steps forward and produce some big wins for the 2010 Gophers.

These two were significant leaders for the Gophers over the last three years and as a combo they were a lot of fun to watch.  This refreshing duo, will be missed.

We looked at the offense and fortunately I didn't do the defense depth chart until today considering a potential starter at MLB is no longer with the team.  The defense requires even more guess-work than the offensive line.  Seven starters are gone and while some of their replacements are clear others are not, and the potential second-string guys could be just about anyone. 

Overall, I am OK with our likely starters.  There is some talent, some speed and some guys with Big Ten ability.  On paper, as of June 1st, what we lack is depth at nearly every position.  Let's take a look.

Three of the eleven starters are iffy because of suspensions or injury and then I'm confident in about five of the back ups listed above.  Let's go position by position and I'll share my logic with you.

DE - this is actually a young and promising group of Golden Gophers.  Ra'Shede Hageman and D.L. Wilhite both may be your starting defensive ends for the next three seasons.  Wilhite showed some promise during his freshman year and Hageman is officially making the move from TE to DE.  His 6-6, 270 lb frame is impressive; we'll see if he can put that athleticism and massive body to good work this fall in his first season at DE.  Matt Garin and Kendal-Gregory McGhee both were given a year to develop and now as redshirt freshmen will hopefully provide some pass rushing ability.  Really this entire group is promising and while I don't want to be viewing 2010 as a developmental year, these guys will be getting their first real taste of a full Big Ten schedule and hopefully they grow into a very good unit down the line.

DT - Looking at the starters, this is arguable our strongest group on the defense.  Jewhan Edwards and Brandon Kirksey both have experience, both are very good size and have both been productive.  Kirksey is 6-2, 295 and was a regular last year in the DT rotation.  His Gopher highlight (to date) is the forced fumble against Air Force that Nate Triplett then took to the house.  Jewhan Edwards is 6-2, 330 and I believe is poised to have a big junior season.  These two starters are a solid combo who are both capable of stopping the run and quick enough to get to the quarterback.  After that the depth is very thin.  Anthony Jacobs is potentially going to be used at DT and that adds some talent and depth to this group.  Jacobs has been a defensive end and started four games last year.  He could be an ideal pass rushing substitute at tackle.  After that we get to freshmen and redshirt freshmen.  Sean Ferguson is a true freshman who has the size to compete right away and the mammoth tackle would likely be able to plug the middle but what he can actually contribute is a huge question mark.

LB - The Gophers graduated the best linebacking corp we have seen in years.  Lee Campbell, Simoni Lawrence and Nate Triplett were reliable, smart and talented linebackers.  They'll be replaced by a group inexperienced though athletically gifted backers hoping to fill the void.  At MLB the likely starter will be Gary Tinsley.  The junior is currently suspended but most reports / speculation state that he'll likely be cleared to play.  TInsley came on strong at the end of the year recording 10 tackles in the Iowa game.  After Tinsley it was supposed to be Sam Maresh, but that plan is on hold for a year so who I'm taking a wild guess and putting Brent Singleton in as the back up MLB.  Sophomore and walk-on Ryan Grant is also a possibility but I doubt it.

On the weakside Keanon Cooper was assumed to be the lock as the starter.  But according to other reports, Aaron Hill is pushing Cooper for the starting role.  The walk-on from St. Charles, MO is a big unknown.  At the very least he is pushing Cooper and giving him some competition.  Cooper showed some flashes last fall that he may become a very good Big Ten linebacker.  The Dallas Skyline native had some big games in 2009 but also at times was out of position.  Cooper is athletic and is talented enough to be not only be the best linebacker on this team but also could be one of the best in the conference.

Strongside was assumed to be another Skyline product but there is a better chance that the starter will be converted safety, Mike Rallis.  I for one am glad to see this position change as Rallis was just too slow be in a Big Ten secondary.  But he has good size and although he doesn't have secondary speed, he does posses more than enough speed to play linebacker.  In the spring game Rallis was often making plays in and around the ball.  Spencer Reeves is also a decent sized and athletic linebacker.  I would have no problem with him being the starter and this is a rare position of relative depth on this defense. 

CB - There is one sure thing when it comes to the corners.  Michael Carter is going to start.  I have high expectations for Carter in part because he is very talented and got significant playing time as a true freshman.  And also in part because he is the best thing we have going for us in coverage.  Opposite Carter will likely be Ryan Collado.  He has had an up and down Gopher career and has been on the wrong end of far too many big plays.  Collado is an excellent tackler but his coverage skills have left more to be desired.  But his experience and the lack of other starting caliber corners means he'll likely be the starter in week 1.  Behind those guys it gets even shakier.  Dwight Tillman is a JUCO transfer who presumably will get an opportunity to play but rumors persist that he will not be admitted and may not even be a Gopher this fall.  Brock Vereen is a true freshman who may be forced into action early.  And Tyrone Bouie is also a true freshman who may have to play rather than get a chance to redshirt.  Christyn Lewis is a JUCO transfer expected to play corner but he has been on campus all spring and played safety during the spring game.  That may have been because of our lack of depth there at the time.  If he gets moved back to corner that would alleviate some concern over our depth at the position.  Johnny Johnson is also a possibility here.

S - This was supposed to be the strength of our defense.  Kyle Theret is a three-year returning starter and Kim Royston is also a returning starter after sitting out a transfer season.  But Theret is currently suspended and Royston is returning from a broken leg.  Not exactly the stability we were planning on.  Assuming these guys are good to go for week one and are full strength this position is a strength and should give our secondary some stability.  Theret will likely be playing this fall and will finish his Gopher career as a four-year starter.  He'll come into the season with nine interceptions which is good for 6th on the Gopher all-time list.  Kim Royston is a Wisconsin transfer who started every game in 2009 finishing as the team's third leading tackler.  After these seniors, much like the rest of the defense, it is a crapshoot. 

JUCO transfer Hershel Thornton, if he makes it to campus, will likely back up Theret at strong safety.  Redshirt freshman, Kenny Watkins is as good a bet as any to back up Royston.  Shady Solomon has been moved to safety so based solely on the fact that he is an upper-classman I would expect he'll get some playing time in a reserve role.  If a true freshman were to get any time James Manuel is the best bet, but lets all hope he gets a redshirt year.

The ranks are thin on defense.  I'm fairly comfortable with the starting 11.  Three-quarters of the secondary is experienced and reliable.  The interior of the defensive line is actually very strong.  The ends are very talented.  And the linebackers have some athleticism.  What we lack is experience and players we know what to expect from. 

This depth chart will likely be different in August but to the best of my knowledge this is my best guess.

thoughts?...

To make a long story short, he partied too much and flunked out.  Here's the story at the Star Tribune.

He claims that he may try to rejoin the Gophers in a few years, but there's a vacancy at Adams College, and in the Alpha Beta fraternity, for a new Ogre:

He wouldn't have to change his ways one bit to fit the bill.