Rutgers football Gameday!

Well fans here we are, late late November and a season that was supposed to be a soul-crushing doormat trip through their first season ion the B1G actually has a huge opportunity. Rutgers is 6-5 and they NEED this win today and here's why.

Northwestern and Illinois are fighting to be bowl eligible at 6-6, one will today. With a huge upset over the Buckeyes (and they almost did last year) Michigan is 6-6. If Sparty beats Penn State today they will be 6-6. That is just too many 6-6 teams to ASSURE a bowl game for RU. Yes, 6-6 qualifies you but if you think a small bowl game is going to take Rutgers at 6-6 over Michigan and Penn State at 6-6 you're fooling yourself. Don't think the B1G itself would lobby for RU to not go over Michigan or PSU, B1G Commissioner Jim Delany is NOT your friend RU. The B1G look at 6-6 teams doesn't even begin to count all the other 6-6 teams out there. If the Knights want a payout this year they MUST win today.

7-4 Maryland awaits in The Noob Bowl. Maryland is a one TD favorite BUT this is going to have to be a program win for Rutgers. Most of Maryland's success has come away from Byrd Stadium on the road. Rutgers must dig deep, stick to their game plan and cinch a bowl game. We think Gary Nova will shine today.

For God and Country....and a bowl game

Fearless Forecast:
Rutgers 27
Maryland 25

It has been 25 years since Johnny has felt like this

When you grow up a Big Ten football fan in the midwest Valhalla is Pasadena California. All that is good and glorious and life's rich reward is your team in the Rose Bowl and your band playing your fight song in the Rose Bowl parade. Seeing your team's name painted in the end zone. This is all that matters to B1G football fans. It has been twenty five long agonizing years since Johnny's Michigan State Spartans have had a chance to go back to Pasadena. Today is that day. Sparty sits on the precipice of the Rose Bowl again tonight.

Call it voting with your heart if you will. Ohio St. feels they have to win with style points and by a lot to stay ahead of Auburn in BCS points. The worst kind of concentration breaker, having to win pretty. That leads to bad turnovers against the best defense in America. You heard it here first:

Michigan St. 31
Ohio St. 27

Rutgers and Maryland are set to join the Big Ten Conference word around the campfire has it

The Rutgers Board of Governors is set to meet this morning before the usual trustees meeting and everyone believes that the closed door part of the meeting agenda is the approval (or not) of the Scarlet Knights to pick up new playdates aka Michigan State, Penn State, Minnesota, Iowa and the rest. Also expected to make the decision to join the Big Ten is the University of Maryland as there are currently no turtle-styled mascots in the Big Ten yet.

The choice is clear for Rutgers -- the Big East is disintegrating yearly and the Big Ten is a top flight and fairly stable conference. Teams leave FOR the Big Ten, not from it. While in Maryland's case the ACC is more stable it still is experiencing turnover. This also gives the Big Ten something it has long wanted, an in to the east coast and NYC media markets.

Each new school brings something to the table athletically. Maryland is a traditional power in basketball while Rutgers would more than be holding their own in the Big Ten football this year. The part Rutgers fans wouldn't like much is the basketball aspect. The Scarlet Knight five have already lost to MAAC team St. Peters and the Big Ten has three teams in the top ten nationally. One you'd expect to be there, Michigan State simply shows up at the Final Four so often Tom Izzo gets frequent coaching miles. So Big Ten hoops will force Rutgers to step up their recruiting game which in the end is a good thing.

But how will the Big Ten rejigger their stupid "Leaders and Legends divisions"? See in the Big Ten you can't have and east and west or north and south conference, no they hired consultants who somehow landed on Leaders and Legends. It's silly yes, while former Nebraska head football coach Tom Osborne is a leader and a legend he never coached much in the Big Ten but the Big Ten Network still hypes him like he did. So where is Johnny's guess they land in the brave new 14 team Big TEN?

LEGENDS: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern
LEADERS: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin

We'd guess Maryland to the Legends and Rutgers to the Leaders. We say Rutgers to the Leaders as no doubt the Big Ten will want some kind of Penn State-Rutgers rivalry, ie New Jersey vs. Pennsylvania. This of course is nothing but wild speculation at the current time. Rivalry games and crossover games will of course factor into scheduling/slotting.

Confused? Well take heart and enjoy the ride. Connecticut and Syracuse fans pay attention, you're next.

Some pics from the Sweet Sixteen games last night in Newark

Some of the flavor from Brick City last night...

Holy lucky tickets Batman, Johnny just scored tickets to the Sweet Sixteen in Newark tonight

Good ones too so we'll try to bring you all the flavor and all the fun out at the Prudential Center tonight. Well try to get self-proclaimed superfans from North Carolina, Marquette, Ohio State and Kentucky. Normally Johnny would be cheering for Big Ten brethren to MSU the Ohio State Buckeyes but things in the athletic department in Columbus have become quite effervescent as of late and Johnny hates seeing cheating programs win a title. Kentucky and North Carolina are storied programs but Kentucky has quite the poor history of race relations back when Adolph Rupp ran the UK program and North Carolina committed the sin of beating Michigan State in the 2009 title game.

Hello Marquette, how you doin'?...

Here's hoping for wins by Syracuse, Ohio State and North Carolina today

Look, Johnny doesn't like any of those teams but if they all win today, coupled with Kentucky's win yesterday the Regional Finals next week out in Newark become MAMMOTH matchups and that's good for business.

Besides, Johnny's brackets were toast about 3 pm on the first day.