Big Ten Title Game

In a year of unexpected finishes one conference has played as expected, the Big Ten (B1G).  Preseason polls put Ohio State on top of the conference, after an undefeated season in 2012, and into the B1G title game. The Legends division was more so up for grabs than the Leaders.  Many would have argued that Nebraska would make it to Indianapolis, some argued for Michigan, even others for Northwestern, but it is the preseason unranked Spartan's of Michigan State that took the division.  The B1G title game features strength vs. strength, in a heavy weight matchup.  Ohio States run offense is among the tops in the NCAA while Michigan State's rush defense is the best in the country.  When you have that kind of a matchup something has to give. Whomever can control the ground game will control the scoreboard.  My take of the game, Ohio State has way too much offensive weapons to be stopped.  Braxton Miller is one of the best offensive threats in the country and running back Carlos Hyde is running down hill like a freight train.  It pains me to say this but I believe the Buckeyes will take home the championship and earn their spot in the National Championship game. Growing up in Happy Valley, I cannot say "Go Buckeyes" but I would like to see them in the National Championship Game.

SEC Title Game

College football this year has been anything but expected. For the giants in the SEC the unexpected season didn't shy away. Look no farther than the SEC title game for a surprise. The Missouri Tigers in their second season in the conference has made it to the title game.  This after just a 5-7 overall record and a 2-6 record in the SEC last year. The Tigers are playing another breed of Tiger of the Auburn variety.  The Auburn Tigers, though more of a traditional power, are another surprise team this year.  Auburn posted a 3-9 overall record last year and a 0-8 mark in the SEC.  An unexpected matchup of Tigers to say the least. At the beginning of the season if I would have told you a Tiger would win the SEC you would probably think of LSU, but that would have meant the downfall of Alabama, so you probably would not have believed me.  Well believe it or not, it's not the Tide or the LSU Tigers representing the West, but the same Auburn team that went winless in conference play last year.  This is the year of the Tiger, and as far as my pick, I'm going with the Missouri breed. Auburn might struggle to regain focus after a very emotional win against rival Alabama. One of my good friends from high school is studying journalism at Mizzou, it would be pretty neat to see them win.  Go Tigers!! Of the Missouri type that is.

Duke Football??

If I were to tell you that Duke is in the ACC Championship Game you would be thinking basketball.  And if I were to tell you that Duke football is in the ACC Championship Game you would laugh at me.  Laugh all you may but the ten win Blue Devils won the ACC Coastal division and will play top ranked Florida State for the ACC Title tonight.  Duke football is the most surprising team in college football this year.  They were picked dead last in the ACC Coastal in the preseason rankings.  In a three year span between '05 - '07 the Blue devils went 2-33.  A dismal span for any program.  But somehow, someway the Blue Devils are on track and have a chance to shock the college football world with a win in the ACC title game.  Even though a Duke win would swing the door wide open for a dreaded SEC school in the National Championship Game, I would like to see Duke pull off the ultimate Cinderella upset and beat the Seminoles.  My aunt met my uncle at while studying and playing volleyball at Duke so I have been a casual Duke fan all my life.  A Duke win would put them in excellent moods for when I see them for Christmas. Go Blue Devils!!

Ohio State's Shot

After two years of perfect regular season play, and constantly being overlooked, the Ohio State University football team now has a shot at the National Championship Game. Barely. Ohio State just got past a struggling rival Michigan team.  After going undefeated last year Ohio State sat out from any post season play due to NCAA sanctions.  This is the first year since the sanctions they have been eligible for post season play.  They have done what anyone could ask for, going undefeated for a second consecutive regular season.  OSU has the longest winning streak in D-I A but yet they are just barely in the title game.  All year, win after win, Ohio State has been overlooked by the Coaches Pool, AP Pool, and the BCS Rankings. It took till the last week in the regular season for Ohio State to be in control of their own destiny. OSU fans have asked for this moment all year and now they have a front row seat to a chance for the title. I am a Penn State fan and in general I do not care much for the buckeyes but as weird as this is I am rooting for Ohio State. Part of it is that I am just so sick of everyone talking about how the SEC is heads and shoulders better than any other conference, part of it is for Big Ten pride, and part of it is that I actually, kind of, sort of, maybe, feel bad for Ohio State and their fans.  They have been constantly overlooked and deserve a shot at the title game.

The Dynasty that is PSU Women's Volleyball

Dynasty gets thrown around in sports describing a teams success all of the time. To me dynasty gets thrown around far too often. However there is no other way to describe the success for the Penn State women's volleyball program than dynasty.

On a conference level Penn State won the Big Ten title for the 10th time in 11 years this season. A conference in which is arguably the best in the country. Penn State has also had the Big Ten Player of the Year 7 of the last 8 years and Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 9 of the last 10 seasons. Penn State has dominated the conference to say the least.

On a national level, the program won four consecutive national championships from 2007 - 2010! If that is not a dynasty I would like to see one. The most impressive of the four championship teams might be the 2008 team. The '08 squad did not drop a set in a match in the regular season. They only dropped two sets in the entirety of the year. They ended up sweeping Stanford for the national championship. The 2008 team is argued for, by many, as the greatest NCAA team of all time. In volleyball there are six players on the court at one time. I mention this because the 2008 team had SIX All-Americans on their team! Nicole Fawcett, Christa Harmotto, Megan Hodge and Alisha Glass earned first team All-America honors and Blair Brown, and Arielle Wilson earned second team All-America honors. Truly an unbelievable feat!

With the number two overall seed and number one seed in their region in the NCAA tournament, Penn State looks to win their first national championship since 2010. This years squad returns four All-American's, one of which is the nations best setter Micha Hancock. Penn State comes into the NCAA tournament with a 19 match winning streak. Let the dynasty continue!

Winthrop Volleyball

When someone asks you what your favorite sport team is they probably would not expect to hear Winthrop Volleyball.  However, that is the answer for me.  Go Eagles! The Winthrop volleyball program came into my life in early March in 2012 when my sister got a phone call. My sister, Emma Weakland was a junior in high school at the time.  She had been playing volleyball for as long as I can remember and this was the day she had been dreaming about for so long.  After years of hard work and competition my younger sister got the call that even I will remember for the rest of my life. She answered the phone call from the head volleyball coach at Winthrop University, her dream school.  After a little small talk she was informed that Winthrop was offering her a full scholarship to attend the university to play volleyball.  It was the most proud moment of my life. Ever since that day in March I became a fan of the program. Not many people have heard of the Winthrop Eagles in Pennsylvania so this blog goes out to them!

It was an up and down season for the Eagles. They finished the year with a 17-15 record and a 6 seed in the Big South Conference tournament.  A season I would take given the circumstances. The eagles were lead by first year coach Bruce Atkinson. He lead a very young team comprised mainly of freshman and sophomores with only two seniors on the roster. The Eagles were so inexperienced that they only had one player returning from the previous season in sophomore middle Rachel Lenz. Another bright spot on the season was the play of junior setter Jessie Vicic who set the Big South Conference record for assists in a season at 1,355.  I am also proud to say that my sister started some games as a freshman at the opposite position and played very well! The outlook for next year looks great! With nearly all starters returning the young team will turn into an experienced and very talented team. I look forward to next year with great anticipation and expect the Eagles to finish among the top in the Big South. Go Eagles!

Alabama vs. Auburn

I cannot believe what I just saw!!! The famous call of Kirk Gibson's World Series walk off home run could not sum up my thoughts on this years rendition of the Iron Bowl. Incase you missed it: Alabama had a chance to kick a field goal to go up by ten with around two minutes left to play, the field goal was blocked and picked up at the twenty yard line coming out when a dead ball foul gave the tigers fifteen extra yards, Auburn then drove down the field and scored a what looked to be a run but then quarterback, Nick Marshall, pulled up and hit a wide open receiver for the score with just 43 seconds left, Alabama then tried to get into field goal range when their running back appeared to run out the clock before stepping out of bounds, after review the officials added a second on the clock, Alabama lined up for a game wining 57 yard field goal attempt, and then this happened.  The most unbelievable finish to a game that I have seen in my twenty years of watching football.  It was an instant classic. Of Cal v. Stanford proportions. Of the likes of Kordell Stewarts bomb verse Michigan or Doug Flutie's Hail Mary against Miami.  As classic of a finish as Boise State vs. Oklahoma. Alabama vs. Auburn could not have been a better finish for a bigger game.  Not only a rivalry game but number 1 vs. 4 and not only the SEC Championship game on the line but also most likely a National Championship birth on the line.  The SEC West champion has won the last four national championships in college football. The 2013 Iron Bowl will go down as one of the best college football games of all time.

Richie Incog-NO-NO

Incognito - adjective - having one's true identity concealed (Dictionary.com).  For Miami Dolphins guard, Richie Incognito, the irony between his name and its definition could not be stronger. Many people did not know the mean, nasty, ugly side of Richie Incognito, it was concealed from the public until Jonathan Martin had enough.  Incognito had been harassing Martin since he joined the Dolphins in  2012 but this year he had enough of it. A lengthy list of messages that Incognito left Martin show a very nasty side of Incognito. The situation is disturbing and murky at best. It seems odd that we are just now finding out about the harassment and that the coaches and team leaders did not do anything about it. I have been a part of a football team for most of my life and the jargon inside a locker room is much different than that of public talk, however what claims to be have said is above and beyond anything that is acceptable, even inside a locker room. I do not buy the tale that the coaches or other players did not see the harassment or did not know about it. A locker room and a team is a close nit group and there is no way something like that could have gone on without notice. The situation seems to be more than meets the eye for me. I am appalled by the actions that went on, but there is something more to this. The other players and coaches had to have played a role in this situation and I am betting that we have not heard the end of the Incognito Martin situation.

Iverson Retiring

"Re-retirement? You talking about retirement? Not a career, not a career, not a career man. Not a career, a career that I have worked so hard for, that I love. You talking about retirement?" Well, unfortunately we are talking retirement for Allen Iverson, possibly the best pound for pound athlete the NBA has ever seen.  Iverson was drafted in 1996 to the Philadelphia 76'ers with the number one overall pick.  He spent most of his career in Philly wracking up a shelf full of awards including league MVP.  Iverson may be one of the most polarizing figures in sports stemming all the way back to his high school days when he got arrested for his role in a fight.  He has been called many things over his career: lazy, arrogant, selfish and troubled but no one can doubt his skill and passion for the game.  Known for his ridiculous crossover, Iverson will be greatly missed from the league.  His street style of play within the con finds of an offense will be forever unmatched.  Thank you Allen Iverson, for providing us with a show.

EA Out

The video game company EA (Electronic Arts) and Tiger Woods are cutting ties after 15 years together making the Tiger Woods PGA Tour video game.  The partnership ended with unspecified reasoning but members of both parties said it was mutual.  Electronic Arts will continue to make a PGA Tour video game, however the game will no longer continue with Tiger Woods' name attached to it.  The fallout from this may not be immediate for EA but the end of the company may be in the not too distant future.  This is the second big hit to the company since the summer.  It was announced that in the midst of being sued by many former and current NCAA football athletes, EA will no longer be making an NCAA Football video game.  Both hits will have a major impact on EA's bottom line.  The split with Tiger will have financial burdens on both parties but in the end Tiger will continue to have more than enough to survive while EA may be a dead company walking.  It has been a rough couple months for EA.

Rodgers Out... Favre In?

"Down goes Aaron Rodgers!" The phrase that all Packers fans would wake up to in a cold sweat from a night terror became real.  The fractured left collarbone has sidelined Rodgers since week nine.  The quarterback carousal that has ensued since the injury must have at least some Packers fans thinking Favre.  The quarterback play has been less than consistent, which is something new to Packers fans.  The Packers have started more different starters at the quarterback position since Rodgers injury then the franchise has started since Favre took over the starting position in 1992.  As the quarterback situation gets murkier for the Packers the seemingly ageless Favre looks better as a viable option.  Favre at 44 years of age has fielded his fair share of phone calls from general managers since retiring and this year has been no exception.  Packers fans just hope they can get Favre out of the Wranglers commercials and into a Packers uniform again.

The Power of the Beard

After going nearly 100 years without winning a World Series championship the Boston Red Sox have won three championships in the last ten years.  The most recent is without a doubt the most impressive track to the series.  Just a year earlier the Red Sox finished last in their division.  The turn around is one of the most dramatic of any team in Major League Baseball history.  However, the secret behind the turnaround may be more surprising than the turn around itself.  The power of the beard lead the Red Sox to the post-season success.  

The Red Sox roster decided to not shave their beards late in the season and throughout the playoffs.  The beards took a on a life of their own.  It became a symbol, and identity, not only for the team but for the city of Boston as a whole.  Fans would show up to games wearing fake beards to show their support.  The beard became an obsession in Boston, the driving force and symbol of the championship run.

Don't Threaten Dickerson

The NFL's single season rushing record holder is Eric Dickerson.  Before entering the NFL he was once a member of the SMU Pony Express backfield that is now famed for all the wrong reasons.  A prolific NFL career has him sitting in the Hall of Fame.  In the 1984 NFL season Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards, an NFL record.

That was then, when the league still liked to run the football, but even in todays game of pass happy football two players have threatened Dickerson's record.  Chris Johnson at 2,006 yards in 2009 and Adrian Peterson at 2,097 yards in 2012 have both been in reach of the record.  After their huge season's both Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson vowed to come back the next year and break the record.  Both, so far, not even close.  Dickerson is as proud as can be with his record and has been quoted that he does not want anyone to break it.  If I were Peterson or Johnson, or any other running back for that matter, I would not talk about the record again.  It seems like Dickerson has anyone who says they will break his record cursed.  So, NFL running backs, do not threaten Eric Dickerson.

Take Your Pick

Twenty touchdown passes, his first rushing touchdown since 2008, 1,884 yards passing on 198 attempts and one pick.  One lousy, under thrown, maybe a little late, pick.

That is Peyton Manning's stat line for the start of the season.  An unprecedented start to a season.  Just absolutely ridiculous of a start.  So good he could do it in his sleep start.  So good its boring him start.

But even after all of that Manning still did not break the attempts without a pick NFL record held by Tom Brady (358).  Still, even after all of that, Manning does not have the franchise record for attempts without a pick.  That belongs to Jake Plummer at 229 attempts.

Manning seems like the type of guy who does not care all that much for an individual record like that but instead cares about the teams success.  However, I am sure that pick will eat him up for a while.

What impresses me the most is that Manning seems to be that much better than everyone else in the league. Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, who has been a Pro-Bowler, has now thrown a pick-six in four straight games!  That is astonishing, and makes what Manning is doing that much better.

So, some advise to Manning, take your pick, just be happy you are not in Schaubs shoes.

Precious Scholarships

On September 24th, the NCAA announced that they would return scholarships to the Penn State football program after taking them away before the start of last season.  Instead of the original punishment of 65 scholarships in 2014, the team will have 75 scholarships.  Penn State will then have 80 in 2015 and the full amount of 85 in 2016.  The announcement is a huge step in the right direction for the football program.

Having grown up in Happy Valley, I was pleased to hear the news but the way in which the whole situation has played out bothers me.

The NCAA stated in their announcement that the reduction in penalties was due to Penn States "continued progress toward ensuring athletics integrity."

Is that a joke?

The situation at Penn State was messed up, I admit that, but it was all a criminal case.  Nothing that went on was against the NCAA rules.  They did not pay players, they did not provide improper benefits to student-athletes, they did not help athletes pass their classes by cheating for them.  All of which would fall under the lack of "athletics integrity."

In my opinion the NCAA should not have even punished Penn State for the criminal case.  The NCAA has no jurisdiction in criminal cases!  I don't suppose Nick Saban would be getting a call from the NCAA if he gets a DUI.  The NCAA did not have to punish Penn State.  Everyone whole got wrapped up in the situation payed for their mistakes.  Sandusky is in Jail, Joe Pa is gone, Curley and Spanier face criminal charges and are out of jobs.  The sanctions were just a way for the NCAA to flex their muscles and mess up another situation.  It amazes me that Oregon can use illegal recruiting practices (breaking actual rules by the NCAA) and then get slammed by the loss of one whole scholarship.  Wow.  Consistency is not in the NCAA's vocabulary.

One of the NCAA's reasons behind the monstrous sanctions was to "educate people."  How were you planning to do that by taking away scholarships to get into school?

Good one Mark Emmert...

Welcome to My Jurisdiction

Welcome to Josh's Jurisdiction! I am Josh Weakland, a sophomore at Slippery Rock University in the Sport Management department.  I grew up in State College, PA, home of the Pennsylvania State University.  I am a sports fan, in particular football and volleyball but I watch anything that is on TV.  I played football and volleyball in high school, but growing up I tried everything.  I love my hometown, I love my school, and I love my family.  Not necessarily in that order.  I look forward to sharing my thoughts and ideas throughout the semester on anything sports; it should be a good year in sports!

This is a picture of myself and my friend Amel during our homecoming festivities.