The Michigan Daily - michigandailv.com

Friday, September 17, 2010 - 7A

Penn State hockey helps Blue, hurts CCHA

ello Penn State, goodbye
CCHA credibility.
Barring a major plot
twist at Penn State's 11:30 am
news confer-
ence today, the
Nittany Lions
will be the
59th team to
join Division
I hockey. But
more impor-
tant, they will
* be the sixth Big MICHAEL
Ten school in FLOREK
the division,
the minimum
required for a conference to have
an automatic bid to the NCAA
tournament.
With the Big Ten surely salivat-
ing over the broadcast potential
for its growing cable network and
rumors that Indiana is looking
into following Penn State's path,
it seems like only a matter of time
before the conference is a reality.
So what does this all mean for
Michigan?
The program is about to get a
lot richer. The Big Ten Network
has become the Rich Uncle Pen-

nybags of the college sports world,
dangling enough cash out there for
Nebraska to turn to the Big Ten in
football. Big Ten hockey presents
yet another programming oppor-
tunity to draw serious revenues
for the conference and its member
schools.
But the Wolverines may get
richer talent-wise as well. At
worst, the Big Ten Network will
feature a game-of-the-week giving
the conference 19 televised regular
season games, eight more than the
Fox Sports Detroit contract for the
upcoming season. And with fewer
teams in the conference, Michigan
has a higher chance of playing in
these games.
While the increased exposure
helps out Penn State and college
hockey asa whole, a little extra
television time won't hurt when
recruiting comes around for the
Wolverines.
The only con from a Michi-
gan fan's perspective is that the
Wolverines will be playing in the
toughest conference in hockey.
They would have to play perennial
Frozen Four contender Wisconsin,
a historical giant likely to regain its

stride in Minnesota and arch rival
Michigan State two to four times a
year depending on the schedule.
Don't count on Penn State being
a bottom feeder either. Northern
Michigan was in the national title
game four years after the team's
inception. And they didn't have
a guy who just sold his company
for four billion dollars pumping
money into the program, as Penn
State does.
While Michigan has a rosy
outlook of expansion and there
are plenty of pluses for the col-
lege hockey landscape (expanding
the blueprint, giving incentives
for other Big Ten teams to make
the jump, more exposure, more
money), CCHA teams should be
worried.
The Big Ten conference gives
the CCHA second-tier status.
By removing possibly the two
biggest draws of the conference
in Michigan and Michigan State,
it opens the door for other teams
to move. If there's one thing the
college football realignment has
taught us, it's that more change is
better.
Whether Notre Dame's foot-

ball team jumps to the Big Ten or
not, why not bring them into the
conference for hockey? The Irish
aren'tgoingto complain about
havingtheir new hockey facility
full when Michigan, Wisconsin
and Minnesota come to town at
least once a year.
And what stops the WCHA from
pulling Miami away, replacing
the RedHawks' road trips to Lake
Superior State and Western Michi-
gan with slugfests against North
Dakota and Denver?
Even if Michigan and Michigan
State games continue out of con-
ference, there isn't an incentive
for either Notre Dame or Miami
to stay in the CCHA. And if those
teams leave (and to a lesser extent
if they stay) the college hockey
world becomes stratified.
No program is in danger of
folding (except maybe pariah
Alabama-Huntsville). There is
too much tradition and too many
national titles among teams like
Lake Superior State and Bowling
Green for that to happen. But as
more teams come into Division-I
hockey (and right now that looks
extremely likely) and the talent

MAX COLLINS/Daily
Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson signed a three-year contract extension in
June to coach the Wolverines.

starts rolling toward programs
that have very deep pockets, the
smaller schools won't be able to
compete.
The only way to survive is by
sticking together on a lesser scale.
When Michigan takes on Lake
Superior State in 2015, it won't
exactly be the Hawks playing the

Mighty Ducks pre-Gordon Bom-
bay, but it will be close.
So, asa Michigan fan, rejoice,
but start writing your goodbye let-
ter to the CCHA now - before you
forget about it.
- Florek can be reached
at florekmi@umich.edu


Gophers hope to
recover vs. USC

Vols look to rebound in rivalry

By JACOB KOFFSKY
For the Daily
* Week three of the 2010 college
football season may help fans deter-
mine whether the Gophers of Min-
nesota are actually "Golden" or not.
So far, they've been anything but,
coming off a tight three-point loss
to South Dakota. Yes, FCS South
TDakota.
After an offseason filled with high
expectations, Minnesota may need
to beat perennial powerhouse South-
ern Cal to fulfill them. But, you'd
best believe Lane Kiffin's Trojans
are going to play hard despite being
ineligible for bowl play. Sophomore
quarterback Matt Barkley has looked
sharp in their 2-0 start, having
thrown for seven touchdowns and
zero interceptions. He will look to
take advantage of a Golden Gopher
defense thatgave up 41points a week
ago.
Minnesota nation is hoping junior
running back Duane Bennett can
put up similar numbers on offense,
(18 car, 104 yds, 2 TDs) but there's
W a slight difference between South
Dakota and USC's defenses.
~Rating: 3out of5 footballs
NO.11 WISCONSIN VS.
ARIZONA STATE
You would think opposing defens-
es would be looking out for Wiscon-
sin junior running back John Clay,
yet the reigning Big Ten Offensive
Player of the Year continues to domi-
nate. Dating back to last season,
Clay has reached the century mark
in rushing and has scored at least a
touchdown in his past eight games.
In 2010, he has already ran for 260

yards and four touchdowns.
But the Sun Devils can light upthe
scoreboard as well. Former Michi-
gan quarterback Steven Threet has
helped the Arizona State offense to
score 95 points in its first two games.
The Badgers will remember Threet
as the quarterback who led an
18-point comeback win over them in
the Big House in 2008. He is comple-
mented by capable receiving threats,
Deantre Lewis and Mike Willie, who
both have caught touchdowns this
season.
This is the toughest test each
defense has faced so far, and all signs
point to a shootout. With both teams
undefeated, something's gotta give.
Rating: 4 out of5footballs
NO.9 IOWA AT
NO. 24 ARIZONA

By EVERETT COOK
For the Daily
The Florida-Tennessee game
doesn't carry as much weight as it
has in past years with the Volun-
teers still tryingto recover from the
departure of longtime coach Phillip
Fulmer and the brief tenure of Lane
Kiffin.
Still, the Vols are not a bad foot-
ball team, and this rivalry is too big
for either team to not show up. Flor-
ida found its new offensive speed-
ster in junior running back Jeffrey
Demps, who used his quickness to
run for 139 yards and a touchdown
against South Florida.
Demps, a NCAA champion
sprinter, will look to do the same
type of damage against the Vol-
unteers defense that Oregon
running back LaMichael James
did last week, running for 134
yards and a touchdown. But Ten-
nessee did a great job bottling
up James until the second half,
holding him to just 27 yards in
the first two quarters. If Tennes-
see can keep up its effort for four
quarters, it might be able to slow
down Demps enough to trot out
its' own offensive stud, junior
running back Tauren Poole.
Poole is averaging 6.8 yards
a carry and has rushed for 272
yards in the past two games. If
Tennessee can get Poole going
and slow down Demps, the Vol-
unteers will have a good chance
at beating the Gators for the first
time since 2004.

FCS team James Madison, Boise
State's win over the Hokies in week
one seems much less impressive
than it did at the time, giving mid-
major doubters more ammo.
But Boise State faces no cakewalk
opponent this week in a dangerous
Wyoming team. The Cowboys stuck
with Texas last week until late in the
second quarter, showing guts and
determination on the road after the
tragic loss of freshman linebacker
Ruben Narcisse, who was killed
just six days earlier in a car crash.
Wyoming has a multitude of offen-
sive weapons, but none bigger than
sophomore quarterback Austyn
Carta-Samuels. Carta-Samuels has
thrown for 479 yards with a 75-per-
cent completion rate in the first two

games, and also showed impres-
sive speed in running for a 18-yard
touchdown in the game against
Texas.
He has playmakers on the outside
in wide receivers Zach Bolger, David
Leonard and Mazi Ogbonna.Boise
State, not known for its defense, will
have it's hands full trying to contain
Carta-Samuels and the Wyoming
offense. Look for an exciting game
with no lack of offense.
Rating: 4 out of5 footballs
CLEMSON AT NO.16 AUBURN
Dark horse SEC contender
Auburn stayed on track with a win
against Mississippi State, although

the game was a lot closer than the
Tigers preferred. Auburn will play
a threatening offensive team this
week in Clemson, averaging 46.5
points per game.
Clemson will look to bring the
wood against Auburn, with junior
quarterback Kyle Parker and sopho-
more running back Andre Ellington
leading the charge.
Auburn counters with quarter-
back Cameron Newton leading a
running attack that produces 279
yards a game and a defense that does
not give up any easy points. Both of
these teams are flying under the
radar, and are both looking to show
the country what theyare all about.
Rating:3 out of5 footballs


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