Tag: BIG Ten Conference

Report: Oklahoma State actively expressing interest in joining Big Ten

There are reports that Oklahoma State has expressed interest in becoming a new member of the Big Ten

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It appears the Big Ten will have plenty of options should the league want to expand its geographical footprint and add some new members.

On Friday, it was reported that both Kansas and Iowa State have reached out to the league to inquire about joining the conference. Now, there are reports that Oklahoma State has also expressed interest in becoming a new member of the Big Ten.

Dylan Buckingham of KFOR in Oklahoma City is reporting that the Cowboys are being “very proactive about their next conference move” which includes starting a dialogue with the Big Ten. He noted that talks are simply exploratory at this time and that the Big Ten is just one possibility for Oklahoma State.

Here are a pair of tweets from Buckingham on the possibility of Oklahoma State joining the Big Ten:

Behind Texas and Oklahoma — who appear certain to be joining the SEC — the Cowboys would be the next best football program from the Big 12. So, in my mind, this would be a nice move for the Big Ten to add another consistently quality program. However, it appears it is still early in the process so we will have to wait and see if anything comes from this.

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Latest conference realignment rumor states SEC in ‘serious contact’ with UM, OSU

Could you picture a Big Ten that doesn’t include Michigan and Ohio State? That is apparently a possibility if you believe this latest rumor on conference realignment.

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Could you picture a Big Ten that doesn’t include Michigan and Ohio State? That is apparently a possibility if you believe this latest rumor on conference realignment.

Jack McGuire — who writes for Barstool Sports and is a producer on the popular Unnecessary Roughness college football podcast — is reporting that the Southeastern Conference is in “serious contact” with Michigan and Ohio State about joining the league. He added that he is unaware of whether or not this could actually happen but that there is at least interest from the SEC to poach two of the Big Ten’s biggest programs.

McGuire’s tweet above was met with plenty of skeptism — including from myself — but right now it seems like anything and everything is possible in conference realignment. I couldn’t imagine the Big Ten letting both the Buckeyes and Wolverines leave the league, but you never know and this will be something to potentially monitor in the coming weeks.

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HOW TO WATCH: Ohio State football’s turn at Big Ten media days

I mean, he’s got a shot to win this thing right?

Well, Big Ten media days began on Thursday and we’ve already been given some entertaining comments from Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh and some eye-rolling moments from Big Ten commissioner, Kevin Warren.

On Friday, we’ll get to hear from the Ohio State contingency of head coach Ryan Day, defensive end Zach Harrison, offensive lineman Thayer Munford, and tight-end Jeremy Rucker. Things will kick off with Coach Day around 12:30 p.m. and then again from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The players will be available from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. in another media session.

The event is taking place in Indianapolis rather than Chicago where the Big Ten headquarters are located. Indiana’s COVID-19 restrictions are not as strict as Illinois which was the cause for the move.

Day two will begin at 10:15 a.m. with more comments from commissioner Kevin Warren, followed by the Buckeye’s season-opening opponent, Minnesota head coach, P.J. Fleck.

If you want to catch the questions and how the players and coaches answer, you can find all the information below.

How to Watch:

Date: Friday, July 23

Time: 12:30 p.m. EDT

TV: Big Ten Network

Stream: FOX Sports App

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SEC expansion, what about the rest of the Big 12 Conference?

Predicting where the other eight schools could land if the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns head to the SEC.

On Wednesday a report surfaced that pointed to the Oklahoma Sooners looking to jump ship to the SEC. That shook the college football landscape and for good reason.

Not only is Oklahoma looking at a change but it appears their biggest rivals, the Texas Longhorns, are right there alongside them. The Big 12 Conference’s top two teams are looking to exit stage left, which means the conference would need to find replacements, or would they?

According to former Texas Tech quarterback B.J. Symons, he doesn’t think there are any suitable replacements.

He did add to his original tweet stating that they could add teams but it wouldn’t mean much given the revenue and power that Texas and Oklahoma add.

As stated in my original report on the Oklahoma/Texas jump to the SEC Conference, it is unlikely that the Big 12 Conference could survive this latest purge of the teams.

The Big 12 Conference would likely dissolve leaving eight programs up for grabs. – Report on OU and UT to the SEC

We pull out our crystal ball to predict just where the other eight schools might land.

Oklahoma Sooners all-time history vs the Big Ten Conference

A look at the Oklahoma Sooners all-time records against each Big Ten Conference team.

The Oklahoma Sooners have played their fair share of games against another Power Five conference, the Big Ten. The team they faced most being the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In 2021 the two teams will meet on the field for the first time since the 2010 Big 12 Championship game.

The Sooners have never lost to six of the members of the conference. In those games, OU is a combined 13-0. There have been some notable memories against the Big Ten including former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield planting the Sooners flag at midfield after defeating Ohio State.

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Much as was done with the Southeastern Conference, Sooners Wire takes a look at Oklahoma’s all-time history against the Big Ten.

Two from Ohio State Men’s basketball team earn Big Ten All-Conference honors

After a better than expected season, Ohio State players are recognized for their play on the court by the coaches and media.

The Big Ten Conference announced its postseason award winners today. Making the list were a couple of playmakers from your Ohio State Buckeye basketball team.

On the coaches’ side of things, E.J. Liddell was named to the all-conference first team by Big Ten coaches. Liddell averaged 16 points per game on nearly 50% shooting this season, along with 6.5 rebounds per game. The 6-foot, 7-inch Liddell was the most consistent Buckeye on the hardwood and was rewarded for his play.

The media didn’t love Liddell quite as much, awarding him with a second team all-conference selection. Still high praise for the sophomore forward from Illinois.

Duane Washington Jr. had flashes of brilliance as well during this season and was named an all-conference third team selection. While Liddell was Mr. Consistency, it is Washington who is the emotional leader of this team. The OSU guard averaged 15.3 points per game and added nearly three rebounds and three assists per game.

In addition, senior Kyle Young was named as a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Honoree. An honor definitely well deserved.

Luka Garza of Iowa took home Big Ten Player of the Year. Michigan’s Juwan Howard was named Coach of the year.

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Way-too-early power rankings for the 2021 Big Ten football season

With the 2020 Big Ten football season now over with Ohio State on top, we are ranking the conference’s teams heading into 2021.

The 2020 Big Ten schedule has finally reached its end after what has been an absolute roller coaster ride of a season.

The season was originally postponed back in August, it was then reinstated, numerous games were canceled due to COVID-19 and if that wasn’t enough, the Big Ten Championship wasn’t even the last conference game played.

Related: Film room: Five things that stood out from the Badgers’ victory over Minnesota

Hopefully, for the sake of everybody involved, the 2021 calendar year is a bit different and things return to normal by the time the Big Ten starts up again in early September.

One of the necessities of closing a football season is giving a way-too-early look at the year to come, and rank teams based on what we saw this season and we know going into next year.

In order to do this, I put together a ranking system jokingly named Ken(ney)Pom—with reference to the college basketball ranking site KenPom. My metric weighs each team’s returning/incoming production, quarterback play, coaching and 2020 success in order to compare the teams numerically and understand why they are slotted in the spot they’re in.

Necessary disclaimer: the teams are ranked below based on who has discussed returning for another season and they are subject to change as more players enter the NFL Draft, return to play an extra year and as transfers find their homes.

So this is not a sure-fire shot at who will win the conference next season, because so much will change between now and September. It is instead a look at where things stand right now–the week after the conclusion of the 2020 season.

Related: Wisconsin’s bowl history over the past 20 years

Here is edition 1.0 of the way-too-early power rankings for the 2021 Big Ten football season:

Want to see Ohio State in the College Football Playoffs? Become a fan of these four teams.

Ohio State most likely controls it’s own future, but a little help never hurt anything. Here is who to root for in college football.

Well, we should be watching Ohio State face Michigan today, but unfortunately, the Wolverines decided to take a year off from their annual beatdown. So what are Buckeye fans to do on another Saturday with no football in scarlet and gray?

Even though the Buckeyes won’t be taking the field, there are plenty of other games taking place today and next week that could affect how the College Football Playoff rankings will all shakedown.

We thought we’d give you some insight on who fans should be rooting for both today and next week, which will help bolster the Ohio State football resume for the playoff committee.

First up: Roll Tide

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Indiana issues statement in response to Ohio State going to Big Ten Championship Game

Indiana University released a statement in response to the Big Ten’s decision to send Ohio State to the conference’s championship game.

When news broke on Wednesday that the Big Ten was going to remove the six-game minimum that would allow Ohio State to play in the Big Ten Championship, reviews were mixed around the country.

There were those (mostly Buckeye haters) in the camp that said “the rules are the rules and they shouldn’t be bent to benefit one team.” And then there were those with level heads who understood that this was the right and easy thing to do.

Make no mistake, this is not the travesty that some would have you believe, that the Big Ten is changing the rules to benefit Ohio State. The fact is, the conference has had to change several things this football season, as we all have in a year of unknowns. Ohio State also beat Indiana head to head and that’s something that the Hoosiers seem to understand.

Indiana Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Scott Dolson made a statement yesterday and said as much.

“Although we understand the conference’s decision, we are disappointed. From the start of the year, we have said we can only control what we can control. We had a chance to earn our spot in the Big Ten Championship Game, but ultimately fell a touchdown short on the road against a great Ohio State team.” – Scott Dolson

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What a classy response from the team most directly affected by the Big Ten’s decision outside of Ohio State, and honestly one that others should take notice of. You’ve had a great season Hoosiers and we wish you nothing but the best in the post-season.

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Big Ten changes policy to get Ohio State in conference Championship Game

Ohio State will be able to play Northwesten in the Big Ten Championship Game

To the surprise of no one, the Big Ten decided on Wednesday to change its policy in the COVID-19 impacted season when it came to a school being eligible for the conference championship game on Dec. 19.

And because of the adjustment, Ohio State will face Northwestern despite playing — and winning — only five games in 2020.

Per the Big Ten:

The Big Ten Conference Administrators Council, which includes the Directors of Athletics and Senior Women Administrators from all 14 member institutions, voted today to eliminate the minimum-game requirement for participation in the 2020 Big Ten Football Championship Game. The decision was made in collaboration with the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors and the conference office.

The decision was based on a competitive analysis which determined that Ohio State would have advanced to the Big Ten Football Championship Game based on its undefeated record and head-to-head victory over Indiana regardless of a win or loss against Michigan.

As a result of the decision, Ohio State will represent the East Division in the 2020 Big Ten Football Championship game against Northwestern.

The Buckeyes’ place in the postseason became a question on Tuesday when Michigan canceled its regular-season rivalry game because of COVID-19 issues within the Wolverines program. It was the third canceled game for Ohio State this season, after others against Illinois and Maryland.