Big Ten expansion is in the news this week as the BCS meetings take place in Arizona. Jim Delany will address the media today, so there should be a flood of articles on the topic tomorrow. My guess on Delany's response: I told you 12-18 months and I meant 12-18 months. I don't think we're going to hear anything. Graham Spanier agrees.
The NFL draft starts tomorrow. I was kind of shocked to see Ron Mussleman calling Sean Lee the #2 inside linebacker in the draft. He doesn't cite a source on that and just throws it out as fact. I'm guessing he's laying the ground work for his "Penn State Players Fall in the Draft" article he plans to print on Monday. I found this interesting, though, later in the article.Penn State president Graham Spanier said Tuesday he doesn't expect Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany to inform other conference commissioners of Big Ten expansion plans during this week's BCS meetings in Arizona.
"I'm not aware that anything will happen in regard to that," Spanier told Sporting News in a telephone interview.
Spanier and several other Big Ten presidents and chancellors met with Delany on Sunday in Washington, D.C. The school officials were there to attend a meeting of the Association of American Universities, of which all 11 Big Ten schools are members.
Several conference issues were discussed in the meeting, Spanier said. But the school leaders did not give Delany a final verdict about expansion in advance of the BCS meetings.
"There is absolutely nothing to report from our meeting," he said. "There is no news."
Lee's former teammate, All-American defensive tackle Jared Odrick, will be in New York Thursday night for the start of the NFL draft. He generated a lot of buzz after his individual workouts and is projected as a first-round pick.
"I have Odrick in the first round, but I did not ever think about making him a top-10 pick," ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. said. "But it could happen."
Eric DeCosta, the Baltimore Ravens' director of player personnel, recently told reporters that Odrick "plays like a Raven."
"I think he's impressive," DeCosta said. "He can help you as an interior defender and as a pass-rush guy. He had a great career at Penn State."
When Odrick gets drafted in the first round I expect a round of apologies from all of the Big Ten blogs that choked on their coffee when he won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Some interesting tidbits on the quarterback competition. As RUTS pointed out earlier, Robert Bolden is getting himself in shape and learning the playbook. He expects to compete for the starting job next fall.
"If I go in [to camp] and don't know anything and kind of show them that I have a lot of catching up to do, then I'll probably end up at the bottom of the depth chart," Bolden said. "If I know what's going on, and I catch on quick and they see that I'm able to do stuff everyday, then I'll be up there with everyone else."
The article says Bolden has been calling Daryll Clark with questions about the playbook. In fact, Clark has been a regular around State College this spring helping all of the quarterbacks.
It was during one of the first spring practices that Penn State quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno realized Daryll Clark still had more advice to give.
Standing alongside the quarterbacks and looking them over as they went through their progressions, Clark wasn't about to hold back.
"He's out there watching and saying to me, 'I wouldn't have attempted that throw,' " Paterno recalled. "And I'm like, 'Cut it out, you did make that throw when you were that age.' "
In Scores of Other Games
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Someone needs to teach LaMarr Woodley the value of reasonable expectations
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PSU students should be happy about getting all the crappy endzone seats. It's for the good of the team.