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Big Ten FB Awards and, yes, we span the collegiate world yet again

You knew it was only a matter of time before Jabrill Peppers won something at Michigan. But we have other stuff to pique your interest, too. Read on as we Span the Collegiate World once again!

By rvc73
Darrell Hazell, former RU assistant, struggling at Purdue...and Bowling Green loves it.
Darrell Hazell, former RU assistant, struggling at Purdue...and Bowling Green loves it.
Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Big Ten Football Weekly Honors

Offensive Player of the Week
Jordan Canzeri, Iowa, Sr., RB

Defensive Player of the Week
Jourdan Lewis, Michigan, Jr., CB

Special Teams Player of the Week
Jehu Chesson, Michigan, Sr., WR

Co-Freshmen of the Week
Jabrill Peppers, Michigan, S, East Orange, N.J./Paramus Catholic

Shannon Brooks, Minnesota, RB

Build we must for a greater.....Minnesota

The Golden Gophers will be doing some investing in their athletic future.

Here's the interesting thing about this project.  The Regents of Minnesota had wanted to raise 80% of the money before starting he project.  They moved with half the total.  Why?  Here's what one of the Regents said:

Regent Darrin Rosha said there is risk in starting construction with such a fundraising shortfall, but he said the U might as well disband its sports program if it can't commit to excellence.

"I think this is necessary to be competitive," Rosha said.

And on a similar note.....

Rutgers will have the official groundbreaking for the indoor baseball/softball training facility on October 24.  The $3.3 million project - all funds were privately raised - will be located in the parking lot situated between Bainton Field and the Softball Complex. The 22,500-square foot facility will be equipped with state-of-the-art pitching machines, multiple batting cages, bullpen mounds and a full turf infield.  It will be named in honor of legendary RU baseball coach Fred Hill.

Misery loves company

How much misery, pain, suffering, stupidity, and craziness can the start of a football season have?  And I'm not even talking about Rutgers!

I sorta hated Dan Wolken for his snarky attitude towards Rutgers in the early days of the....incident. But he's got a lot of solid points to be made on many things, including the most recent bout of insanity coming out of CFB, this time in Los Angeles.

So, who lit that dumpster fire?

The school that had John Robinson and John McKay as legends on the sideline, hasn't had the most stellar coaching history lately.  Pete Carroll won, but at what cost? And since 2010, the Trojans have had four different "head coaches":  Lane Kiffin (3 years plus (43 games)), Ed Orgeron (October through December 2013), Clay Helton (twice; 1 game 2013 plus rest of 2015), and Steve Sarkisian (18 games).  And a lot of the blame is being focused on AD Pat Haden.

When the littles dump on the bigs

I'm a big proponent of aggressive marketing and taking advantage (or celebrating, if you're looking for a more positive spin) anything that promotes your program.  And Bowling Green deserves some credit for doing just that.

After beating both Maryland and Purdue, the BG bookstore was selling them.  I like it for it's attitude and selling your program!

Tragedy can bring out the best in us....and the worst

I was hard pressed to understand why people were criticizing Oregon for offering free tickets to students and staff of Umpqua Community College, the site of the recent campus shooting.

Sometimes people need an escape, and if a football game can provide that, great.  Yet there were others who were belittling and criticizing the offer, saying the game wasn't a sellout anyway, or that a $40 ticket can't compare to the lost lives.  We need to wake up, people.  The gesture was made to help heal, to help forget the pain, to help in dealing with it.  We've become way too cynical and hardened.

BTN...by the numbers

Last week we noted that the additions of RU and Maryland were a big plus for the conference's cash machine, BTN.  This week, the conference showed quantitatively just how good things are.

BTN's one day record for viewers was shattered with a 30 percent increase.  And if Rutgers had given people more hope, the night game would probably have drawn even better numbers than it did.

Whoops, there goes another one

Adidas lost another big name when Wisconsin decided there were greener pastures.  The ten year deal gives UA 32 all sport deals.  No dollar amount was announced.

Class in the face of yet another disaster

We have a penchant for being down on that large southern conference.  But the LSU Tigers showed a great deal of class and respect in hosting a road game after Hurricane Joaquin devastated South Carolina.

Conferences foster rivalries (hearing that @coachjfranklin?).  But they also foster camaraderie and a sense of unity among the teams.  Tip o' the Les Miles hat to the Tigers.

A moment of Zen....or utter contempt....or confusion

He doesn't think much of New Jersey football and, apparently, Mike Leach doesn't think much of his assistant's opinion.

Schadenfreude....ACC edition

There's a lot to read in this article from ESPN, but of particular note is the futility that was exhibited by Boston College and Wake Forest.

Wake Forest and Boston College met in the We Both Almost Beat Florida State Classic and carried a 0-0 score into halftime, the first time this season that an FBS game hit the break scoreless. That score carried well into the second half, when the Deacons finally managed a field goal before winning 3-0. It was the first 3-0 final score in an FBS game since the 2008 Sun Bowl (Oregon State over Pitt). There were more turnovers (six) than points, and Wake won despite gaining only five first downs.