Big Ten Football Weekly Release - August 27, 2012
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BIG TEN FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE - AUGUST 27, 2012 Contact: Scott Chipman, Assistant Commissioner, Communications • Office: 847-696-1010 ext. 141 • E-mail: [email protected] • Cell: 630-936-6005 • Twitter: @B1Gfootball 2012 CONFERENCE & OVERALL STANDINGS TOP STORIES LEGENDS DIVISION • Big Ten set to kick off 117th season when teams Conference Games All Games begin play Aug. 30, 31 or Sept. 1. W-L PCT H A Div. Strk W-L PCT H A N Top 25^ Strk Iowa 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- • Five conference squads appear in the Associated Michigan 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- Press or USA Today preseason rankings. Michigan State 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- Minnesota 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- • Six schools represented on Big Ten 2012 Preseason Nebraska 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- Players to Watch List. Northwestern 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- • Conference teams prep for second season of division LEADERS DIVISION play and Big Ten Football Championship Game. Conference Games All Games • More than 70 Big Ten student-athletes named to W-L PCT H A Div. Strk W-L PCT H A N Top 25^ Strk preseason watch lists. Illinois 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- Indiana 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- Ohio State* 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- WEEK 1 SCHEDULE Penn State* 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- Purdue 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- THURSDAY, AUG. 30 Wisconsin 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- 0-0 .000 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 -- MINNESOTA at UNLV 11 p.m. ET - CBS Sports Network ^ AP or USA Today * Ineligible for postseason play FRIDAY, AUG. 31 #24/22 Boise State at #13/13 MICHIGAN STATE BIG TEN. BIG NEWS. 8 p.m. ET - ESPN That Time of Year: Big Ten football will open its 117th Purdue had one player named among the Players to SATURDAY, SEPT. 1 season of play when all 12 conference teams begin the Watch, which include two former Big Ten Offensive Western Michigan at ILLINOIS 2012 campaign on Labor Day weekend. For the fourth Players of the Year, two former Big Ten Freshman of Noon ET - ESPNU consecutive year, at least one Big Ten team will open the Year, five All-Americans and nine All-Conference the season in primetime, as Indiana, Michigan, selections. Michigan’s Taylor Lewan and Denard Indiana State at INDIANA Michigan State and Minnesota begin the new cam- Robinson, Michigan State’ Johnny Adams and William 8 p.m. ET - BTN paign under the lights. Minnesota helps kick off the Gholston and Nebraska’s Rex Burkhead earned the season on Thursday, Aug. 30, when the Gophers travel nod as the five Players to Watch from the Legends Northern Illinois vs. IOWA to UNLV for an 11 p.m. ET contest on CBS Sports Division. Ohio State’s Braxton Miller and John Simon, (Chicago, Ill.) Network. Michigan State welcomes Boise State for an Purdue’s Kawann Short, and Wisconsin’s Montee Ball 3:30 p.m. ET - ESPNU 8 p.m. matchup on Friday, Aug. 31, a game to be tele- and Chris Borland were voted the Leaders Division vised by ESPN. The remaining 10 conference teams Players to Watch. #2/2 Alabama vs. #8/8 MICHIGAN will begin the new season on Saturday, Sept. 1. The full (Arlington, Texas) 8 p.m. ET - ABC Week 1 schedule appears to the right. Keep An Eye On…: More than 70 Big Ten student- athletes appear on at least 19 preseason watch lists Southern Miss at #17/16 NEBRASKA Where We Rank: The Big Ten is tied for the national that have been announced during the course of the 3:30 p.m. ET - ABC (regional); ESPN2 (outer market) lead with five teams appearing in the top 20 of the summer. Five or more players appear on 14 of the preseason Associated Press poll, while four teams national watch lists, including the Bednarik, Butkus, NORTHWESTERN at Syracuse rank in the top 16 of the preseason USA Today Davey O’Brien, Doak Walker, Groza, Hendricks, Noon ET - ESPN2 coaches poll. Michigan appears at No. 8 in both Hornung, Mackey, Maxwell, Nagurski, and Rodgers rankings, leading all Big Ten squads, after winning Return Specialist awards, and the Lombardi, Miami (Ohio) at #18/- OHIO STATE 11 games last year that was capped off with a win Outland and Rimington trophies. The complete list Noon ET - BTN in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Wisconsin and Michigan of Big Ten standouts appearing on preseason watch State, who faced off in the inaugural Big Ten lists can be found on Page 5 of this release. Ohio at PENN STATE Championship Game in 2011, are ranked Nos. 12 Noon ET - ESPN and 13, respectively, in both polls. Nebraska was That One Will Be Hard to Top: Following the con- voted 16th in the USA Today poll and No. 17 in the ference’s debut of divisional play for the 2011 sea- Eastern Kentucky at PURDUE writers’ poll, while Ohio State rounds out the list of son, the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game 3:30 p.m. ET - BTN ranked Big Ten teams at No. 18 in the AP rankings. was staged between Legends Division representa- tive Michigan State and Leaders Division represen- Northern Iowa at #12/12 WISCONSIN 3:30 p.m. ET - BTN Preseason Accolades: At the annual Big Ten Media tative Wisconsin. In a rematch of one of college Days, the conference announced the 10-member football’s most thrilling games during the 2011 Rankings: AP/USA Today Players to Watch list, as voted by members of the season, the two teams turned in another memora- media, featuring five returning standouts from the ble showdown in the conference championship Legends and Leaders Divisions. Two players each game, with the Badgers earning a 42-39 victory. FOLLOW THE BIG TEN from Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and The second annual Big Ten Championship Game is There are many ways to keep up with the latest Big Ten Wisconsin were voted to the list, while Nebraska and scheduled for Dec. 1 and will be televised by FOX. football news. The Big Ten football blog can be accessed directly at www.bigten.org/blog/football and will feature daily notes, links to articles, previews, recaps and more. You can also keep track of Big Ten football in real-time by following the conference on Twitter @BigTenConf and @ B1Gfootball or become a fan of the Big Ten Conference on Facebook and receive exclusive updates. HONORING LEGENDS. BUILDING LEADERS. BIG TEN FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE - WEEK 1 2 BIG TEN. BIG NEWS. BIG TEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Welcome Back: The 2012 Big Ten campaign will Ball Return: Wisconsin’s Montee Ball returns to the feature 24 All-Conference players from last sea- field in 2012 after receiving the Big Ten’s Graham- Big Ten Player of the Week announcements will be- son, with nine first-team honorees and 15 second- George Offensive Player and Ameche-Dayne gin on Monday, Sept. 3. Career Offensive, Defensive team selections returning to the field this fall. The Running Back of the Year awards. The senior run- and Special Teams Player and single-season Fresh- first-team returnees are comprised of two offen- ning back was a consensus All-American, Heisman man of the Week leaders are below. sive standouts, six defensive players and one spe- Trophy Finalist and winner of the Chicago Tribune cial teams performer honored as both a kicker and Silver Football as the conference’s Most Valuable OFFENSE (began 1987) punter. The second-team picks include five players Player. Ball led the country in rushing yards and set 9 Ron Dayne, RB, WIS 1996-99 on offense, nine on defense and one on special Big Ten single-season records with 33 rushing 8 Drew Brees, QB, PUR 1997-00 teams. In addition, 29 honorable mention honor- touchdowns, 39 total touchdowns (matching an 7 Denard Robinson, QB, MICH 2009-present ees also return to campus. Along with the all-con- NCAA record) and 236 points (a new NCAA record). 6 Anthony Thompson, RB, IND 1986-89 ference honorees returning in 2012, three individ- He was the fourth Badger to be named Big Ten Antwaan Randle El, QB, IND 1998-01 ual award winners from 2011 will hit the fields Offensive Player of the Year and the first since John Troy Smith, QB, OSU 2003-06 again this fall. Wisconsin’s Montee Ball was named Clay took home the honor in 2009. 5 Multiple Players, most recently the Graham-George Offensive Player and the Daryll Clark, QB, PSU 2008-09 Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year, Ohio Double Dip: Wisconsin’s Montee Ball enters the State’s Braxton Miller earned the Thompson- 2012 season with the chance to become just the DEFENSE (began 1987) Randle El Freshman of the Year award and second player to earn Big Ten Offensive Player of 5 Paul Posluszny, LB, PSU 2003-06 Nebraska’s Brett Maher was named the Bakken- the Year honors in back-to-back seasons, joining 4 Pat Fitzgerald, LB, NU 1993-96 Andersen Kicker and Eddleman-Fields Punter of former Indiana tailback Anthony Thompson (1988- Courtney Brown, DE, PSU 1996-99 the Year.