College Hockey Teams Playing Musical Chairs

The shape of college hockey will be changing in 2013. Right now, there are four power conferences: The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA), Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), ECAC, and Hockey East. But that's all changing this summer. Two new conferences have emerged out west and they've raided the top teams from the WCHA and CCHA.

The Big Ten is coming to college hockey. Five Big Ten members already field Division 1 programs, with Penn State joining them in 2012. And in 2013, the Big Ten will appropriate (take) two teams from WCHA: Minnesota and Wisconsin. They'll absorb three teams from CCHA: Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State. These teams are some of the best from the WCHA and CCHA.

Not only has the Big Ten plundered those two conferences, six teams (5 from the WCHA and 1 from the CCHA) have decided to form a new power conference: The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). 2011 National Champs Minnesota-Duluth will join perennial powerhouse North Dakota, along with Denver, Colorado College, and Nebraska-Omaha. CCHA will "donate" Miami (OH) to the new conference. These were the best 6 teams remaining in the WCHA and CCHA after the Big Ten defections.

Notre Dame's fate still remains up in the air. The NCHC has been courting them, and it would make sense geographically for them to join. And considering that the CCHA is now a shell of what it once was, Notre Dame almost must move in order to maintain its program's prominence.

Another possibility for the Irish is to join Hockey East. The ECAC and Hockey East have remained untouched by this drama. But Hockey East would probably love to add a national program on Notre Dame's level. Geography is a bit of a problem, but the idea of Notre Dame vs. BC bringing their rivalry to the ice is very appealing.

Notre Dame has a national fanbase. Their hockey program is on the rise. Wherever they wind up, whether it's the NCHC or Hockey East, they're going to welcomed with open arms.

What I like about all this shuffling and maneuvering is that the power conferences have gotten smaller, but more powerful. Big Ten Hockey's members have combined to win 23 NCAA titles. The NCHC's members have won 17. Compare that to Hockey East's 11, the ECAC's 5, the WCHA's 4, and the CCHA's 4.

I wouldn't be shocked if, within a few years, some realignment occurs here in the northeast. As the struggle for TV money increases, especially with these two new conferences in play, power programs like BU and BC might seek to separate themselves from the UMass-Lowell's of the world, and perhaps align with other power programs from the ECAC like Cornell.

This is just speculation, but one day Hockey East might look like this: BC, BU, Northeastern, Notre Dame, Maine, UNH, Cornell, and Yale.

And I think while this is bad news for about half of the programs in college hockey, it's also beneficial for the game as a whole. Schools with national fanbases like Notre Dame, Michigan, and Ohio State can help bring new fans to the game. But they're going to do that by playing other top tier programs and rivals, not by playing Lake Superior State.

College hockey also needs large schools to put money into their programs. UConn, for instance, has a D-1 program, but they don't reward the full number of scholarships that they could. Syracuse only has a club level program, which is odd considering there are 10 Division 1 programs in New York. If Colgate, Clarkson, Union and RPI can field D-1 teams, why not Syracuse? Colorado, Northwestern, and Pittsburgh are all in regions where hockey is widely played. Yet Colorado is in D-3 and Northwestern and Pitt field only club teams.

College hockey is always going to be a regional thing, but like all other college sports, the powerhouses are what draw fans to the game, they're the ones that draw TV money and media attention. And unlike other sports, these conferences only exist in just one sport: hockey. It's not like the ACC, which has its football powers and its basketball powers, and they're all able to support each other. I want to see conferences that are ridiculously good from top to bottom. That makes the regular season interesting, as opposed to the 22 week warm-up to the NCAA Tournament that it currently is.

-The Commodore

HAHA Ohio State

"Ohio State has lost its top 2012 football recruit to Michigan, as offensive tackle Kyle Kalis switched his commitment to the Wolverines last weekend.

Kalis, of St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, is listed at 6-foot-5 and 306 pounds and is considered one of the nation's top offensive line recruits. He's ranked 140th overall and 20th at his position in the ESPNU 150" ESPN

Love it, not only did Kalis switch to Michigan from Ohio State, he's going to be knocking heads off as Denard Robinson is wrapping up his Heisman campaign. Michigan should be getting a lot of these figuring Ohio State is marred in scandal and lost coach Jim Tressle.

I expect the changing of power will switch back to Michigan after Ohio State has dominated for years.

I Hope The NCAA Strikes Down With Great Vengeance And Furious Anger

Ohio State gave themselves a 2 year self imposed probation and decided to vacate all last years wins (12) and the victory they had in the Sugar Bowl slap on the wrist because of all the trouble for the tattoo parlor scandal that left them Jim Tressle and Terrelle Pryorless.

I think this is a bullshit self imposed fine and I hope when they meet with the NCAA they laugh in their faces and take away the passed 4 years of wins, suspend them from the postseason for the next 3 and take away 10 scholarships. What they are trying to do is smoke and mirrors to pretend like they took action, but they really didn't.

I think the NCAA will go two ways about this, the 1st is leave it as is and try to get passed this embarrassing event, or make an example of them and throw the book at them. And as an avid Ohio State hater, I hope it's the latter and I hope for some reason the sack wack Urban Meyer.

Punish the Conferences

USC got stripped of a title, Ohio State's Jim Tressel quit, these are just the latest stories of minor corruption in big time college football.

What pisses me off is that the conferences don't get punished. The Pac-10 got $17 million for USC's appearance in the Orange Bowl that year. Why don't they have to surrender that money? If the National Title was ill-gotten, wasn't the bid to the title game?

You might ask me why I'd want to punish U-Washington for something that happened at USC. But why does some teammate of Reggie Bush get punished for what Bush did? For how many of Bush's teammates was that achievement the pinnacle of their life? Bush gets his NFL salary, his NFL endorsements, but now his former teammates have "vacated" their title. What the hell does Bush care about Wikipedia listing USC's title as vacated?

Punish the conferences for violations like this. Then the conferences will actually try to police their own schools. And the Pac-10 benefited from Bush's presence just as much as USC did. Why should the NCAA have to watch all 120 programs? How come we never hear about the BigTen uncovering some scandal within their own conference? Because they're not looking. Why would they look?

All the power in college football is held by the conferences. The conferences concocted the BCS, not the NCAA. The conferences get all the money and decide where it goes. They get rewarded for their teams' successes, so why not also hold them responsible for their violations?

-The Commodore

Terrelle Pryor Skipping Senior Season

Amidst all of the turmoil at Ohio State, their star quarterback Terrelle Pryor is skipping his senior season. At 1st glance, there is obviously a lot of shit that is going to fall on him this year, and probably a lot of stuff is going to be dug up on him resulting in his dismissal anyways. Pryor instead is going to enter the NFL supplemental draft that is coming up.

BMack said that this kid sucks, and I disagreed yesterday, but once again stats will back me up and prove that BMack has no idea what he is talking about when it comes to talking college football ala his Julio Jones claim. BMack constantly calls all flashy black players disappointing... racist. Pryor had a 31-4 record as a starter, rushed for an Ohio State quarterback record 2,164 yards and while also passing for 6,177 yards. He was often at his best in big games, holding the school record with seven games with at least 300 yards of total offense and 22 games with at least 200.

Definitely worth a look for any NFL team that would have some time to mold him. This is just another devastating fall to the program that Jim Tressel fucked.

I Believe We have Seen The Last Of Terrelle Pryor At Ohio State

1st we have Jim Tressel resigning from Ohio State after the turmoil surrounding him, now the NCAA has released a seperate investigation surrounding highly touted, yet disappointing qb Terrelle Pryor and him having a million cars.

"Pryor drove up to a players-only team meeting on Monday night in a coal-black Nissan 350Z sports car with 30-day plates. The automotive information site Edmunds.com lists a recent, used 350Z, which it calls "a proper sports car for the everyman," as costing between $16,000 and $27,000.

Pryor was stopped three times for traffic violations over the past three years, each time driving cars that were owned by Kniffin or a Columbus used-car dealership where he worked, the Dispatch has reported. Kniffin, owner Jeff Mauk of Jack Maxton Chevrolet, Inc., and Jason Gross of Auto Direct Columbus, Inc., each provided affidavits to Ohio State officials earlier this month." ESPN

Well that seems pretty open and shut don't you think. How did no one ever question this or question where he got these from? This isn't like a Cam Newton situation, Pryor was contently flashing the cars around campus around. Ohio State is going to go down big time and I wouldn't be surprised if all the records they have will be wiped out.

Jim Tressel Retires

You know what, good! He needed too, there was obviously too much controversy surrounding he and Ohio State now a days. He was already being suspended for 5 games, along with star QB Terrell Pryor and 4 other players due to a memorabilia for tattoo exchange in Columbus.

There is no real defense for Jim Tressel as he was warned about what his players were up to and chose to ignore it. He knew if those e-mails got out those players would have been suspended for the post season, so it would have been tough for him to win.

The 58-year-old Tressel had a record of 106-22-0 at Ohio State. He led the Buckeyes to eight Bowl Championship Series games in his 10 years. Combined with a 135-57-2 record in 15 years at Youngstown State, where he won four Division I-AA national championships, Tressel's career mark was 241-79-2.

A theory of mine is that Ohio State is about to get in a lot more trouble soon and Tressel knew that and decided to walk away before shit hits the fan. And there are going to be paralyzing sanctions to the program.

Ohio State and the NCAA has started a separate investigation on QB Terrelle Pryor.

About Time Jim Tressel Got Into Trouble

Wearing a sweater vest doesn't make you an honorable person...

"According to a report by Dan Wetzel and Charlie Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, “coach Jim Tressel was informed that several Buckeyes players were selling memorabilia more than eight months before the school claims it was made aware of the scheme.” That startling accusation stems from a two-month investigation by the website (NBC Sports)."

The NCAA tried to protect Ohio State giving the players that cushy suspension, and not letting them play in a Bowl game, but if this report is true they HAVE TO go after Ohio St/Tressel. If he knew this stuff was going on, and knew if was against the rules then he should've suspended these guys. I know, easier said then done, but now things could get a lot worse in a hurry. Not just from the NCAA, but from Ohio State itself, as it is in his contract that he if he knows of rules violations he is to report to the AD.

Ohio State is one of the schools that the NCAA will do anything to protect, but if this is true then it is time for them to send a message. That message should be that Tressel be suspended for just as long as his players are (5 games).

NCAA Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves

Ohio State has won the Sugar Bowl in an exciting game that ended up being a lot closer then it seemed like it was going to be early. It should be a day when we celebrate college football, but instead we saw all the skeletons in their closet.

The NCAA made a very controversial decision to let quarterback Terrelle Pryor, running back Dan Herron, receiver DeVier Posey, left tackle Mike Adams, and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas play in the Sugar Bowl and serve their 5 game suspension next season for selling memorabilia items and receiving improper benefits. These 5 guys ended up being the difference in this game. Thomas had a huge interception, Pryor was 14 of 25 passing for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns and adding 115 rush yards on 15 carries. Herron added 87 rush yards and a touchdown, and Posey hauled in a 43-yard touchdown and led the team with 70 receiving yards.

There is no reason that these kids were able to play. They broke the rules and the NCAA acknowledged it by suspending them next season, and yet here they were winning their school money and raising their draft stock.

I don't just blame the NCAA either. I feel Ohio State should've stepped in and suspended them if the NCAA didn't have the balls to. But once again we learn that NCAA and schools only care about enforcing the rules when it doesn't affect their cash flow.

Terrelle Pryor Has To Go This Year, Right? (UPDATED)

Its a week later and the tattoo scandal is over and done with and Terrelle Pryor and others are suspended 5 games for the start of next year. For all of you who don't know what happened Ohio State players sold championship rings and memorabilia to help their families financially, and receiving discounts from a tattoo parlor.

I personally don't have a problem with that, I have a problem with the NCAA playing favorites to certain schools. Why wasn't Pryor and crew suspended for the upcoming Sugar Bowl?

This is the most bizarre punishment I have heard about before Brett Favre's slap on the wrist this week. But this all means Terrell Pryor has to leave school early for the NFL, right? He doesn't want to be on the bench for the first 5 games and that certainly won't help out his already alright draft stock. Pryor is a good athlete with plenty of size (6-foot-3, 233 pounds) and above average arm strength. He is obviously mobile so he can extend passing plays or make a play running the ball, but lacks in football intelligence and accuracy.

Right now Pryor is behind Andrew Luck, Jake Locker, Cam Newton, Ryan Mallet and probably a couple I can't name off the top of my head, so that most likely means he won't go on the first day. The NCAA forced his hand, and for Terrelle that's probably not a good thing.


***UPDATE***

According to Jim Tressel it sounds like they are all 5 suspended players are going to stay at Ohio State...

"Ohio State coach Jim Tressel says the players facing five-game suspensions next season would not have traveled with the team to the Sugar Bowl if they had not pledged to return in 2011."

Not sure if I believe it, but that's what he is saying.

DC College Football Picks

We have a couple of good College football games this weekend, so here our are picks.
(3) USC vs (8) Ohio State

Ohio State again is going to choke again as true freshman Matt Barkley and Joe McKnight will be too much for Ohio State who could barely hang with Navy. Terrell Pryor is good, but still makes some dumb mistakes, and those dumb mistakes are going to kill any chance of Ohio State to win.

USC 35-21

(18) Notre Dame vs Michigan


Both teams have had an extremely impressive opening weeks. Notre Dame dismantled my Nevada Wolfpack, while Michigan beat some team bad. This game is going to push Michigan back on the map with this upset. Tate Forcier should get the bulk of the work under center again and is a shifty open-field runner who can pick up yards with his feet when nothing is available downfield, but he is more of a passer than a scrambler. He has a strong arm, keeps his eyes downfield and throws well on the run. And I like him over Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate and Michael Floyd. Call me crazy but this is what is going to happen.

Michigan: 21-17

1 and 1 on the season

Brian Hartline To Go Pro?

This makes absolutely no sense. Brian Hartline was a mediocre wide receiver in college so what makes him think he could make the transition to the NFL and make an impact? There is no way he is even going to get drafted, and probably have to fight to get a practice squad spot. in fact this move probably helps Ohio State more than hurting them, figuring they have a lot of young wide receivers on their depth chart.

I also hope he goes to New England.

24 Texas, 21 Ohio State

In what actually turned out to be a really great game, the Texas Longhorns kept the Ohio State Buckeyes hopes alive until 16 seconds. Colt McCoy threw for a ridiculous 414 yards with 2 TDs in the air, and one on the ground. Ohio State's defense held Texas' run game in check for the whole game making the Texas offense one dimensional and at times that really ended up biting them in the ass. Ohio State was able to cause a crushing redzone interception interception in the second quarter destroying all of Texas' momentum.
Even with Ohio State down big going into the third quarter, they did something very unTressle like things in big games... they kept their composure. One of the best plays Ohio State made is when they needed a crucial TD, they put Todd Boekman in at QB, and they had freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor run a fade route for a score. But the play of the game has to be given to sensational QB Colt McCoy and Quan Cosby (who had 14 catches for 171 yards and 2 scores) who with time running out ran a simple pass play that won them the game. Tressel probably called the worst defense possible or someone really blew their coverage because a safety should have been there, but there wasn't and Cosby scampered into the endzone easily to win the game.

Your Yearly Ohio State Choke Job

If Texas and Colt McCoy don't win this game I will be shocked. Ohio State has been leaning on Terrelle Pryor and Beanie Wells too much all year and Mack Brown will expose that easily. Colt McCoy has a lot more options than Pryor and if McCoy doesn't beat them, Texas RB Chris Ogbonnaya will. This Texas team is explosive and has been screwed all year while Ohio State only made this game because the Big Ten sucks.

Texas 42-21

College Football Picks

(1) Texas vs (6) Oklahoma State

Last week I went against Texas and they screwed me. So this week I am going to pick them to beat the surprising Oklahoma State Cowboys. Colt McCoy is the best quarterback in the country and his stats are video game like. RB Chris Ogbonnaya not only has an awesome name but will be able to run over this Oklahoma State defense all day. I like Zac Robinson, but sorry you just aren't going to win this game but they keep it somewhat close.

Texas 35-28

(3)Penn State vs (9) Ohio State


Penn State all the way. Penn State has a better offense and a better defense. The big story will be the two QBs, PSU Darrell Clark and OSU Terrelle Pryor. Clark has been the biggest surprise in college football and has been able to run an unbelievable offense. Pryor on the other hand has been able to bring Ohio State back and ranked in the top ten, but he will not be enough to take this game.

Penn State 42-28

(7)Georgia vs (12) LSU

LSU needs to win this game and they know it. After getting embarrassed by Florida they need to win out and that starts with Georgia. It is at Tiger stadium and that will mean all the fans will be in their corner. Jarrett Lee has had an up and down season and will have to straighten out to beat a tough Georgia defense. I am not worried about LSU's defense stopping Knowshon Moreno even though he is averaging over 100 yards a game. Georgia's offensive line is their biggest weakness and look for LSU to take advantage of that.
LSU 21 to 10

(7)Texas Tech vs (23) Kansas

Tech easily. I hate Kansas and I don't think they should do well in football and for that reason alone I am picking Tech big.

Tech 42 to 7

College Football Picks

(10)Georgia vs (22) Vanderbilt

Georgia is a better team and I hate Vandy. Moreno and Stafford are due for a big game and Georgia needs to win this game if they ever want to be talked in National Title talks again. Their defense is good enough to stop the Vandy rushing attack. Watch for AJ Green to have a huge game.

Georgia 35-10
(1) Texas vs (11) Missouri

After a huge loss against Oklahoma State, Mizzou is going to pissed and the Video game offense is going to knock out the number 1 team in the country again. Colt McCoy is going to be able to throw all over Mizzou's secondary, however this is going to be a game of points.

Mizzou 42-35
(20) Michigan State vs (12) Ohio State

This game should be focused on two players Michigan States Javon Ringer and Ohio States Terrell Pryor. Unfortunately for Ohio State, I am really high on Michigan State and Ringer so they are going to win a tough fought battle.

Mich State 21-14
(4) Oklahoma vs (16) Kansas

Sam Bradford and Oklahoma are going to come into this game pissed and believe it carries into the game. Even though Oklahoma's secondary is sometimes suspect, I believe the will keep Kansas' Todd Reesing in check.

Oklahoma 35-10

Let The Terrelle Pryor Experience Begin

After getting demolished in a big game vs USC. The Buckeyes decided to go with Terrelle Pryor at qb, and it paid off. In his first game vs Troy State Terrelle threw 10/16 for 139 yards and FOUR touchdowns. BMack can say all he wants about his faggy Michigan State players, but Pryor is the real deal and has Heisman written all over him next year. Boeckman shouldn't have even touched the ball this year with such a talent as Pryor on the team. I believe in this kid, but hopefully unlike Ohio State, he has the toughness to win big games.

35 USC- 3 Ohio State

I gave Ohio State too much credit. USC absolutely rolled Ohio State led by Mark Sanchez who burned the Buckeyes for 4 touchdowns. The million of runningbacks USC has was led by Joe McKnight who had 105 yards on 12 touches. For Ohio State the Terrell Pryor calls might be getting a little louder as Todd Boeckman threw 2 picks.

The 4 Best College Football Picks From NOLA

(1) USC vs (5) Ohio State

Instead of telling you what USC has, I will tell you what Ohio State doesn't have. A Heisman candidate runningback, a consistent QB, a better back-up QB than the starting QB, and a consistent vertical threat. All of these things added up together is an equation for a huge blow-out by USC.

Score 42-10 USC

(2) Georgia vs South Carolina

Last year head ball coach's Gamecocks upset a strong Georgia team and this year will be no different. Sike. Georgia is too strong to lose this early in the season to a weak SEC opponent. Knowshon Moreno does not only have one of the coolest names in college football he is also the best runningback in college football. Last week he rushed for 168 yards on 18 carries and this week I am expecting him to eclipse the 200 yard mark.

35-14 Georgia

(10) Wisconsin vs (21) Fresno State

Quarterback Allan Evridge has been a huge asset to Wisconsin since transfering from K-State. Last week he passed for 308 yards against Marshall. However, I don't think Evridge will be the reason they win this game, it will be runningback PJ Hill. Even though PJ is only averaging 3.2 yards per carry I expect this will be a break-out game for him.

Oh yea, that shitty other game.

Michigan vs Notre Dame

I hate Charlie Weis more than I hate Rich Rodriguez. Both of these teams suck. Michigan will win.
21-10 Michigan

Let the good times roll Dana.

My record is 3-4

Beanie Wells Now Doubtful For USC

Coach Jim Tressel has now said that star runningback Beanie Wells is now doubtful for the highly anticipated USC vs Ohio State match-up. It looks like I am going to have to change my guess for the score. The new prediction is 42 to 7 USC.