Big Ten – Page 4 – North Platte Post Archive

Single-Game Big Ten Tickets Available Beginning Tomorrow

Posted on January 6, 2015

Lincoln – The University of Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office announced this afternoon that tickets for the remaining home men’s basketball games will go on sale Wednesday morning at 8 a.m.

At least a handful of tickets are available for each of the eight remaining home games, although some may only be singles. A majority of the tickets are in the 300 Level with the price set at $10 per game. There is a limit of four tickets per person per game.

Tickets can be purchase by visiting Huskers.com, calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED or stopping by the Ticket Office during business hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.)

Big Ten Hoping Ohio St. leads a League Football Resurgence

Posted on January 2, 2015

The Big Ten is starting the new year with a new sense of pride.

The first week of January typically is when the conference absorbs insults and jeers following a run of disappointing bowl performances.

Not this year.

Not after Ohio State took down top-seeded Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Not after Wisconsin beat another SEC West team, Auburn, in the Outback Bowl. And not after Michigan State came from behind to defeat Big 12 champion Baylor in the Cotton Bowl.

Those three wins gave the Big Ten a total of five this bowl season, its most since 2002.

“I was very proud of the Big Ten yesterday and how well we played,” Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez told The Associated Press on Friday. “I’ve said all along we always get criticism about being a weak league, and that the criticism is going to continue unless we win some of these games.

“I was happy for our league and happy for Ohio State and Michigan State and ourselves. Those were big wins against good teams, and that speaks well for the Big Ten.”

The Big Ten, with a record-tying 10 bowl teams, is assured of at least a .500 postseason record for the first time since 2009. An Iowa victory over Tennessee in the TaxSlayer Bowl late Friday would give the Big Ten its best bowl winning percentage (.600) since going 5-2 in 2002 (.714).

Thursday’s two wins over SEC teams brought the widest smiles to fans in the upper Midwest. The SEC has long been the Big Ten’s nemesis when it comes to power and prestige, having won nine national titles to the Big Ten’s one during the 1998-2013 Bowl Championship Series era.

In addition to dismal bowl performances, often in the high-profile Rose, the Big Ten has a losing record in matchups against each of the other power conferences except the ACC since 2003.

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer referenced the knocks against the Big Ten after his team beat Alabama 42-35. He credited Wisconsin’s performance against Auburn, and also Michigan State’s against the Big 12’s Baylor, for helping give his Buckeyes the mental wherewithal to rally from a 21-6 deficit.

“I’ll tell you when I think the tide turned a little bit; when Wisconsin beat Auburn,” Meyer said. “Everybody on our team knew that. I made sure they knew that. (And) when Michigan State came back and beat an excellent Baylor team. And maybe the Big Ten’s not that bad. Maybe the Big Ten is pretty damned good. And it’s certainly getting better.”

Ohio State will play Oregon on Jan. 12 for the conference’s first national championship since the Buckeyes won it all in 2002.

There are other signs that could portend a Big Ten football resurgence.

Michigan’s hiring of Jim Harbaugh last week was the nation’s biggest splash hire since Ohio State brought in Meyer three years ago. Michigan State’s only losses this season were to the teams that will play for the national title. Penn State is trending upward under James Franklin.

All that is happening in just the East Division.

In the West, Nebraska, which hasn’t won a conference title since 1999, showed it’s not content to stand pat when it fired a coach (Bo Pelini) who never won fewer than nine games a year over seven seasons. Wisconsin doesn’t expect to take a step back after losing Gary Andersen and hiring Paul Chryst, and Minnesota continues to improve under Big Ten coach of the year Jerry Kill.

Alvarez is as deeply invested in the Big Ten as anyone, having entered the league as an assistant at Iowa in 1979, becoming one of the winningest coaches in conference history at Wisconsin from 1990-2005 and serving as the school’s athletic director since 2004. With the Badgers between coaches, Alvarez was interim coach for the Outback Bowl.

From a perception standpoint, he said, it’s important for programs like Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State to become factors on the national scene again. Michigan is the only Football Bowl Subdivision school with more than 900 all-time wins, Nebraska ranks fourth and Penn State is 12th.

“Those are brands that have to be good,” he said. “When we’ve dipped, some of them have taken a dip. When they’re good, our future is good.”

The immediate future has Ohio State carrying the Big Ten banner in a national championship game for the first time since 2007. It also is the first time the SEC will have no participant in the title game since 2005.

“The SEC has had their day,” Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said. “Maybe it’s a new day.”

Delaney Suggests Committee Could Tweak Rankings

Posted on December 10, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney says the College Football Playoff selection committee could be better served grouping teams in tiers rather than ranking them early in the season.

“It seemed to me there are some rankings that are fairly clear,” Delaney said Wednesday at the Intercollegiate Athletics Forum, sponsored IMG and Sports Business Journal in Manhattan. “But more often than not you have insufficient data points.”

Delaney said he wants to hear from the selection committee first before making any decisions about changes.

Selection committee chairman and Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long says the 12-member committee will meet in April and discuss possible recommendations for changes to the selection process, though he doesn’t expect to suggest wholesale changes.

21 Football Student-Athletes Named Academic-All-Big Ten

Posted on December 10, 2014

The Big Ten Conference announced its fall Academic All-Big Ten honorees on Wednesday, including 21 members of the Nebraska football program.

The 21 football student-athletes named to the Academic All-Big Ten team, include seven three-time academic all-conference selections and six players who earned the honor for the second time in their Nebraska careers.

To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

Nebraska’s honorees were highlighted by sophomore wide receiver Lane Hovey, who earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the second straight season. Hovey was one of three football student-athletes and 26 overall student-athletes recognized for maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. An Adel, Iowa, native, Hovey is majoring in business administration and already has a senior academic standing, despite having two seasons of eligibility remaining.

The three-time Academic All-Big Ten selections include senior offensive guard Jake Cotton, senior cornerback Josh Mitchell, senior offensive guard Mike Moudy, senior center Mark Pelini, junior offensive tackle Givens Price, junior center Ryne Reeves and senior linebacker Trevor Roach.

Joining Hovey as two-time honorees were senior I-back Ameer Abdullah, sophomore tight end Sam Cotton, sophomore receiver Brandon Reilly, junior tight end David Sutton and sophomore receiver Jordan Westerkamp.

Eight additional Huskers earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the first time.

The 21 football student-athletes were among a group of 47 Nebraska student-athletes earning Academic All-Big Ten honors in their respective sports. The group includes nine members of the soccer program, nine volleyball student-athletes and four members of both the men’s and women’s cross country teams.

Football Academic All-Big Ten Selections (Year listed reflects academic standing, not eligibility)

Ameer Abdullah, Sr., History, Homewood, Ala. (2nd Selection)
Josh Banderas, Soph., Broadcasting, Lincoln, Neb.
Maliek Collins, Soph., Undeclared, Kansas City, Mo.

Jake Cotton, Graduate, History, Lincoln, Neb. (3)

Sam Cotton, Jr., Business Administration, Lincoln, Neb. (2)

Joey Felici, Sr., Management/Business Administration, Omaha, Neb.

Kevin Gladney, Soph., Child, Youth and Family Services, Akron, Ohio

Greg Hart, Soph., Finance/Marketing, Dayton, Ohio

Lane Hovey, Sr., Business Administration, Adel, Iowa (2)

Harrison Jordan, Soph., Business Administration, Omaha, Neb.

Alex Lewis, Sr., Sociology, Tempe, Ariz.

Josh Mitchell, Sr., Communication Studies, Corona, Calif. (3)

Mike Moudy, Sr., English, Castle Rock, Colo. (3)

Mark Pelini, Sr., Mathematics/History, Youngstown, Ohio (3)

Givens Price, Sr., Accounting/Management, Houston, Texas (3)

Ryne Reeves, Sr., Economics/Management, Crete, Neb. (3)

Brandon Reilly, Jr., Marketing, Lincoln, Neb. (2)

Trevor Roach, Sr., Finance/Management, Elkhorn, Neb. (3)

David Sutton, Sr., Management/Marketing, Lincoln, Neb. (2)

Chris Weber, Jr., Undeclared, Omaha, Neb.

Jordan Westerkamp, Jr., Business Administration, Lombard, Ill. (2)

Nine Huskers Earn Academic All-Big Ten Honors

Posted on December 10, 2014

The Big Ten Conference announced its fall Academic All-Big Ten honorees on Wednesday morning, including nine members of the Nebraska volleyball program.

Junior Cecilia Hall earned her second career honor. Hall is a biochemistry major. Eight Huskers were honored for the first time: Alexa Ethridge (speech-language pathology), Kelly Hunter (marketing), Melanie Keil (dietetics), Kira Larson (marketing), Mary Pollmiller (nutrition science), Amber Rolfzen (business administration), Kadie Rolfzen (advertising & public relations) and Justine Wong-Orantes (child, youth & family studies).

To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.

Big Ten Announces Significant Partnership with Madison Square Garden, including 2018 Men’s Basketball Tournament Headed to New York City

Posted on December 9, 2014

ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Big Ten Conference announced today an extensive agreement with Madison Square Garden to feature the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament in New York City for the first time in 2018, along with men’s basketball and hockey doubleheaders hosted by the legendary arena from 2016 through 2019 and a significant branding presence both inside and outside the building.

“We are thrilled to establish this long-term partnership with Madison Square Garden, one of the most-revered brands and buildings in all of sports,” Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany said. “This pairing is a natural fit for us as we continue to extend our brand and live in two regions of the country. The Garden has been the site of countless iconic moments throughout history, and we look forward to showcasing some of the best basketball and hockey programs in the country through this partnership.”

“We are proud and honored to collaborate with the Big Ten on this unprecedented partnership,” Joel Fisher, executive vice president, MSG Sports, said. “Teaming up with the Big Ten for the men’s basketball tournament and the basketball and hockey doubleheaders will be a win for college sports fans and the nearly 100,000 conference alumni that live in the New York metropolitan area.”

The 2018 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held at Madison Square Garden from Wednesday, Feb. 28, through Sunday, March 4, with all 14 conference programs competing for the Big Ten’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The 2018 event will be held one week earlier than previous tournaments, ending seven days before NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday.

Big Ten men’s basketball and hockey programs will also be featured at Madison Square Garden during the regular season, with four consecutive doubleheaders featuring conference competition held in late January or early February from 2016 through 2019. The first doubleheader will feature the Michigan and Penn State basketball and hockey teams playing at The Mecca on Jan. 30, 2016.

In addition, the Big Ten will receive year-round branding opportunities at Madison Square Garden, including signage inside and outside of the facility and select promotion through print, television and social media outlets affiliated with the arena and its tenants.

Madison Square Garden is celebrating 80 years of college basketball this season, with the first games held on December 29^th, 1934, when Westminster defeated St. John’s and NYU beat Notre Dame. The Garden is home to many historic moments in its illustrious history – NCAA and NIT Championships, Big East Tournaments, “The Sweater Game,” Oscar Robertson’s 56 point outburst against Seton Hall and the historic CCNY Double Championship. And, for the first time in 53 years the NCAA Tournament returned to The Garden last season, including an appearance by Michigan State from the Big Ten. The Garden is poised again to deliver New York area fans many more thrilling moments well into the future.

The Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament has been held in either Chicago or Indianapolis through the first 17 years of its existence. The annual event returns to the United Center for the ninth time in 2015 and will be held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the 10th time in 2016, before making its first appearance on the East Coast when the 2017 event is held at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The tournament will return to Chicago in 2019 and 2021 and Indianapolis in 2020 and 2022.

Six different Big Ten programs have officially won the tournament, including Michigan State claiming a fourth crown last March. Each of the last two tournaments have been sold out, including a conference record of more than 124,000 fans at the United Center in 2013 and over 111,000 fans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in 2014, the largest attendance in Indianapolis. More than 1.6 million fans have enjoyed the tournament since the inaugural event in 1998.

The Big Ten has made a series of announcements highlighting the conference’s increased presence on the East Coast, beginning with the addition of Maryland and Rutgers as future conference members in November 2012. In June 2013, the Big Ten announced the acceptance of Johns Hopkins University as the conference’s first sport affiliate member for men’s lacrosse, and also announced an agreement to take part in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, sending conference football teams to play at Yankee Stadium on an annual basis.

In May, the conference unveiled plans to take part in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, an annual early-season men’s basketball series with the Big East named in honor of Dave Gavitt, and announced that the 2017 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. In June, the Big Ten officially opened a second office in New York City and has also secured access to satellite office space in Washington, D.C. Maryland and Rutgers officially joined the Big Ten on July 1, and with broader East Coast distribution, BTN now has more than 60 million subscribers.

The 2014 Big Ten football season has featured increased attendance numbers for both Maryland and Rutgers. The Terrapins and Scarlet Knights filled their stadiums to 95 percent capacity in conference games this season with five sellouts, after combining to sell out two conference home games the previous four seasons combined. The fall sport season has also featured Big Ten Championships for Maryland in field hockey and men’s soccer, and the Terrapins won the Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament. The inaugural Big Ten Lacrosse Tournaments will debut in spring of 2015 with Maryland hosting the men’s event and Rutgers serving as the site of the women’s tournament.

Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors Approves Enhanced Concussion Protocols

Posted on December 8, 2014

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors (COP/C) held its annual December meeting in Indianapolis on Sunday, December 7, and took another step toward improving student-athlete welfare when it approved a conference recommendation to establish enhanced concussion protocols.

The concussion protocols will move from best practices and minimum requirements for schools to regulatory standards by the conference. In addition, the COP/C unilaterally adopted the establishment of an independent neutral athletic trainer in the replay booth with their own monitor and the ability to directly contact officials on the field. The independent neutral athletic trainer will be in addition to the continued presence of on-field doctors and athletic trainers from each institution.

The enhanced concussion protocols will be incorporated by reference into the existing conference-wide concussion management policy and will include reporting requirements, disciplinary action for non-compliance and a higher level of accountability for conference member institutions.

The adoption of enhanced concussion protocols is the latest step by the conference to further ensure the safety of student-athletes. In May 2010, the Big Ten became the first conference to establish a conference-wide concussion management plan for use by conference institutions. In April 2011, the Big Ten and the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) conducted the first of a series of head injury summits at the conference office, with 40-plus attendees across several disciplines. In June 2012, the Big Ten and Ivy League, in conjunction with the CIC, announced plans to engage in a co-sponsored, cross-institutional research collaboration to study the effects of head injuries in sports.

Big Ten Matches Conference Record with 10 Bowl Teams

Posted on December 7, 2014

ROSEMONT, Ill. – For just the second time in conference history, 10 Big Ten schools were selected for bowl competition on Sunday night, including two teams earning berths in one of the six College Football Playoff bowls. The Big Ten’s total of 10 bowl teams equals the conference record for most bowl berths in a season, matching the 10 postseason teams following the 2011 campaign.

Big Ten Champion Ohio State earned a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl and Michigan State is headed to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, another College Football Playoff bowl. In addition, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers and Wisconsin collected bids as part of the largest and most diverse postseason lineup in conference history.

After winning the Big Ten Football Championship Game, Ohio State was granted the No. 4 seed and will take on top-seeded Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The game will be contested at 8:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 1 in New Orleans, La. The Buckeyes will be making their 44th official appearance in postseason competition, having last appeared in the 2014 Orange Bowl. Ohio State will take part in the Sugar Bowl for the second time, following a victory over Texas A&M in 1999. Big Ten programs have played in six Sugar Bowls, most recently following the 2011 season.

Michigan State heads to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl where it will face Baylor at 12:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 1 in Arlington, Texas. The Spartans will be making their first appearance in the Cotton Bowl and only the second by a Big Ten team, as Ohio State earned a Cotton Bowl win following the 1986 season. Michigan State has advanced to a program-record eight straight postseason contests and is making its 25th bowl appearance in team history.

Minnesota will take part in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl at 1 p.m. ET on Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla., against Missouri. The Gophers will be making their 17th postseason appearance and third straight bowl trip. The game will mark Minnesota’s first appearance in the Citrus Bowl, the Big Ten’s second-oldest current bowl partner behind only the Rose Bowl Game. Big Ten teams have played in 24 Citrus Bowls, including each of the last 22 seasons.

Wisconsin will play in the Outback Bowl for the first time since the 2007 season in a game that will take place at Noon ET on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla., against Auburn. The Badgers are taking part in postseason play for a school-record 13th straight season and are making their 26th bowl appearance. Wisconsin will make its fifth trip to the Outback Bowl. The Outback Bowl is the Big Ten’s third-oldest current bowl partner and has been affiliated with the conference since the 1993 season. Big Ten schools have played in 25 Outback Bowls, including each of the last 21 seasons.

Nebraska earned an invitation from one of the conference’s newest bowl partners, the National University Holiday Bowl, which will take place at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 27 in San Diego, Calif., against Southern California. The contest will mark the Huskers’ fourth appearance in the Holiday Bowl and first since the 2010 campaign. Nebraska will be making its 51st bowl appearance and eighth straight postseason contest. Big Ten squads have played in the Holiday Bowl on nine occasions, most recently after the 1994 campaign.

Iowa makes its sixth bowl appearance in the last seven seasons and will take on Tennessee in the TaxSlayer Bowl at 3:20 p.m. ET on Jan. 2 in Jacksonville, Fla. The Hawkeyes will play in their 28th postseason outing overall, the 10^th appearance by a Big Ten school in this bowl game and fifth straight. Iowa will participate in the TaxSlayer Bowl for the second time and first since the 1983 season, when it was called the Gator Bowl.

Penn State will make the Big Ten’s debut in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at 4:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 27 against Boston College. Played at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y., the Big Ten’s partnership with the Pinstripe Bowl marks the conference’s first bowl game tie-in on the East Coast. The Nittany Lions will be making their 39^th official appearance in postseason play and first since taking part in the TicketCity Bowl following the 2011 campaign.

Following its first season as a Big Ten member, Maryland makes a bowl appearance for the second consecutive season and will face Stanford in the Foster Farms Bowl, one of the Big Ten’s newest bowl partners. The 2014 Foster Farms Bowl will be held at 10 p.m. ET on Dec. 30 in Santa Clara, Calif. The contest will mark the third time that a current Big Ten team will pay in the Foster Farms Bowl, including a 2007 appearance by the Terrapins in what was then called the Emerald Bowl. The Terrapins will participate in their 26th postseason contest.

Fellow Big Ten newcomer Rutgers also earned a bowl berth in its first season in the conference and will face North Carolina in the inaugural Quick Lane Bowl at 4:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 26 in Detroit, Mich. The Scarlet Knights will be making their ninth bowl appearance in the last 10 years and taking part in their 10^th postseason game overall. Rutgers has won five of its last seven bowl games.

Illinois will make its first bowl appearance since the 2011 season against Louisiana Tech in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl, to be held at 1 p.m. ET on Dec. 26 in Dallas, Texas. The Illini have won their last two bowl games and will be making their 18^th postseason appearance overall. The Big Ten has taken part in the Heart of Dallas Bowl in three of the last four seasons.

No. 6 Buckeyes Blow Out No. 11 Badgers 59-0

Posted on December 7, 2014

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Cardale Jones threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns, Ezekiel Elliott ran for a career-high 220 yards and two scores and No. 6 Ohio State made an emphatic statement with a 59-0 rout over No. 11 Wisconsin in Saturday’s Big Ten championship game.

Now the Buckeyes (12-1, 8-0 Big Ten, No. 5 CFP) must wait to see if they’ve done enough to earn one of the four spots in this year’s inaugural playoff.

Ohio State has won 11 straight, this time with Jones, who started the season No. 3 on the quarterback depth chart. Jones finished 12 of 17 and led the Buckeyes to scores on five of their first six possessions, building a 38-0 halftime lead.

Melvin Gordon ran for 76 yards as the Badgers (10-3, 7-1, No. 13) had a seven-game winning streak snapped. It was Wisconsin’s worst loss since 1979 and its first shutout since 1997.

Big Ten Tells Schools One Team Could Miss Bowl

Posted on December 4, 2014

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — The Big Ten has informed its schools that one of its bowl-eligible teams could be left out of the postseason.

Illinois sports information director Kent Brown says the school received a memo from the league office notifying it of the potential bowl shortage. The league has 10 eligible teams.

ESPN first reported Thursday an email was sent from a Big Ten official to conference members on Wednesday.

Illinois (6-6, 3-5 Big Ten), which became bowl eligible Saturday by beating Northwestern, is one of the teams most likely to get left out. Penn State is also 6-6 and bowl eligible for the first time in three years after NCAA sanctions. Conference newcomers Rutgers and Maryland each finished 7-5.

Conference officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.