5 O'Clock Shadow

 

News you can't leave work without:

Northwestern is headed to another bowl game. Former coach Gary Barnett wonders why some of us are surprised.

 "For some reason, people don't remember that Northwestern has had three Big Ten titles in the last 13 years," he told HQ on Wednesday. "I don't think there's but two other teams that have done that, yet no one thinks about them being in the upper echelon of the Big Ten. Penn State gets all the hoopla but what have they done: they've won the Big Ten, what, once in 17 years?

 "Yet people definitely relate more to the Penn States than the Northwesterns of the world, and it will never change. The image of Northwestern will always be how strong it is academically."

 Barnett, three years removed from his last job at Colorado, works for the Sports USA radio network and breaks down the BCS on Fridays and Sundays on Fox Sports Net.

He'll work Saturday's Michigan-Ohio State game.

"I don't recognize Michigan," he said. "I know what Rich Rodriguez wants them to look like, but it's going to take a few years to make that happen. It happens. When you make changes, you can fall victim to this type of thing. They should show some improvement next year and then in 2010 I expect them to be back. He has to find the right players for his system."

Barnett, 4-3 against Illinois while at Northwestern, understands the Big Ten is down. He has a solution.

"I think the Big Ten needs to add a 12th school and get a championship game. That's the way they take the next step," he said. "I admire the fact that they stand for something and just won't throw anyone in there to have a championship game. But I think you need a 12th team, Otherwise, it might not make the progress that fans would like to see."

Who should be the 12th school?

"I know of the inner workings and how close Notre Dame was, but they just refused to do it," he said. "The most logical one is Pittsburgh, just because of geography. Then I'd go with Rutgers - I think they'd be a good addition."

For more football talk, read Bob Asmussen's weekly chat by clicking here 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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