program on the rise

[scarletngrey11]

which big 10 program do you think is one the rise and why? i thought this would be an interesting question because the worst teams(illinois and indiana) both got new high profile head coaches. wisconsin obviously will drop off after alvarez leaves.

[Pheasant]

I think Michigan State is the program on the rise. The players they have now are better suited to John L's scheme, and the offense should be super potent this year.

[BuckBackHome]

Originally Posted by FindlayBucks

I think Michigan State is the program on the rise. The players they have now are better suited to John L's scheme, and the offense should be super potent this year.

I do not know how their team will be this year, but the MSU fans I have spoken to are pretty down on the football program. I joke with them that the start of the football season means basketball is that much closer and they agree that is what they are waiting for.

[scarletngrey11]

man i dont understand that, when drew stanton was in that offense was great. they did lose one of their top wide recievers though, i havent heard much about their defense but i expect it to be average.

[AKAKBUCK]

Originally Posted by FindlayBucks

I think Michigan State is the program on the rise. The players they have now are better suited to John L's scheme, and the offense should be super potent this year.

I agree... MSU has good players.. (somemight be iffy in the greade/ history dept) so if John L can hold that part together they should improve.

I'll beleive Wisco is on the decline whe I see it... Sure they are going to regress some this year with the players they've lost, but in the long term, we'll see... I heard that we might see a littel tiny guy in theri backfield toting the rock some this year, that should be nteresting... anyway, itsnot as though Alvarez is disappearing completely...

Illinois could be on the rise, but the only place they have to go is up.... so I don't know how high that rise will be... we shall see.

Indiana... is well... Indiana... they are going to have to show that they can steal some of the Ohio kids that MSU and Minnesota are getting before they get anywhere good... they have a long way to go.

Also, I think the talk about Penn State being better this year is iffy... once again.. I'll beleive it when I see it...

Everyone else is kind of the same as they've been, just depends where their talent can take them in a particular season.

[Pheasant]

I'm not sure why they're down on the program, either. MSU is my second favorite team and I'm excited about their offensive potential this year. The defense has been mediocre for a couple years now, and that just doesn't get it done in the Big 10. I think MSU could surprise some people this year, but next year they should be competing for a top 3 spot in conference. They still won't have the defense to beat tOSU, scUM and Iowa in the same year, but I see them winning 1 or 2 of the big games. That being said, they still have to prove they won't suffer from the recurring MSU October break, where they annually don't show up for two games and get absolutely ape-raped (credit to Mili) 2 weeks in a row.

[scarletngrey11]

i think wisconsin is going way down, alvarez was a great coach and recruiter. he was the face of the whole wisconsin program.

[Dryden]

Howard Schnellenberger flirted with success at Lousiville, but for the most part, the program was a dog. When John L Smith arrived in 1998, he inherited a team that had gone 1-10 the year before and posted 7-5 mark, including a thumping of Boston College. The highlight of the Louisville program, last year included, has to be the 2002 victory over FSU. That program is in fine shape now, and most of that has to do with John L.

Now he's got MSU facilities and Big-10 talent. For all the recruiting jokes we make about MSU, could you imagine what kind of an offensive monster he could put together if he could sign just one Ginn, Holmes, etc ...?

[scarletngrey11]

in my mind, drew stanton is the most underrated player in the big 10