toledoblade.com -- College Football

Ask host Ron Musselman about your favorite teams, coaches, and rivalries.

Kevin Cesarz: (12:00 P.M. ET ) Welcome to our Hump Day Huddle with Ron Musselman. We’re about ready to get underway. Ron was up in Ann Arbor on Saturday to witness Michigan’s 30-17 victory over Iowa. Monday was the UM press conference in Ann Arbor and Tuesday the press conference in Columbus. Take it away, Ron.

Mark (Sylvania) Hey Ron, Thanks for chatting with us. Is Toledo back on track now?

Ron Musselman: (12:05 P.M. ET ) Yep, the Rokets sure are back on track. The MAC, 0-21 against Division I-A competition the first two weeks, makes all the good teams get better quickly. There are a ton of bottom feeders in the MAC. I don’t think Toledo is as bad as it looked the first two weeks, but I think they are overrated.

Kevin Cesarz: (12:08 P.M. ET ) Hey, Ron. Which is this weekend’s best college football game in our area?

Ron Musselman: (12:11 P.M. ET ) Bowling Green at Temple. Boring. Michigan at Indiana. Terrible. Ball State at Toledo. Yuck. Ohio State at Northwestern (Musselman is covering). Yawn. There are not any good matchups at all, although with OSU’s weak offense, Northwestern could make a game of it at home. If I were a fan, and not required to cover a game, I’d take this weekend off or grab the remote control and watch a real game.

Joseph (Whitehouse) Name me one MAC team that deserves to be in the Top 40, much less the Top 25.

Ron Musselman: (12:17 P.M. ET ) Joe, what do you want? You want me to just leave this space blank. I wouldn’t put any MAC team in the Top 50 for that matter, although I do think Marshall is decent and I admired the Thundering Herd for playing Ohio State, etc. in a tough non-conference schedule.

Rod (Holland) With UT not looking as strong as we thought this year, is there a chance that BG will take them this year in the big rivalry?

Ron Musselman: (12:23 P.M. ET ) With Toledo and Bowling Green both struggling, I think the I-75 rivalry will probably be as intense as ever. But since the game is at the Glass Bowl, I can’t bet against UT. The Rockets are nearly unbeaten at home over the last three of our years, losing only to Ben Roethlisberger and Miami (Ohio) in one of the last UT games that I covered.

Jan (Toledo) Who’s this new quarterback for UT- Brad Gradkowski? Is he any relation to Bruce Gradkowski?

Ron Musselman: (12:27 P.M. ET ) As far as I know, Bruce did not change his name – we did. Sorry, hope Bruce isn’t mad. I expect Gradkowski to throw for more than 300 yards and like three or four touchdowns against Ball State Saturday, whether his name is Bruce, Brice or Brad.

John (Swanton) I see that (Antonio) Pittman is finally going to get some time in the OSU backfield. What's taken so long? It's pretty evident that (Lydell) Ross can't hit the hole. And what does it say, if anything, that the two premier teams in the Big Ten have to depend on freshman running backs and first-year QBs?

Ron Musselman: (12:36 P.M. ET ) John, you should know that answer already. Jim Tressel is stubborn, and to a fault, loyal to his seniors. That’s what has taken so long for this change, plus the fact that Pittman has been slowed by a deep thigh bruise. Ross hasn’t been any good for two years now, nor has the Buckeyes’ running game, so look for Pittman and fullback turned tailback Brendan Joe to get some carries against Northwestern on Saturday night.
As for the freshmen in the backfields of Ohio State and Michigan, I think it shows just how down those teams are at those two positions. Craig Krenzel (OSU) and John Navarre (Michigan) were two and three-year starters, respectively. The guy who was to replace Navarre, Matt Gutierrez, developed a sore arm before the opener and probably is done for the season and his career. Chad Henne is a heck of a talent and will be a good quarterback. Mike Hart is a decent running back, too, but Michigan has not been able to run the ball either, going with three different line combinations in four weeks.
As for OSU, Justin Zwick is still learning and Pittman could be a force down the road. One thing is for sure, hate him or love him, the Buckeyes haven’t had a real running back since Maurice Clarett, and it may be a while before they get another one like him.

Matt (rural Wood County) Ron, good columns and stories, but can you please remove your mug shot from the page? You are scaring the kids and the dog won't come in the house any more. Thanks.

Ron Musselman: (12:41 P.M. ET ) Matt, that’s a good one. I have a suggestion: next time you, your wife, or your kids (assuming you have either of the last two) see my mug, save it and use it to line your bird cage. My 18-inch forehead would be a perfect target for your bird or pigeon. Thanks for writing, and keep reading.

Darr (Lambertville) What plans does OSU have for Troy Smith if he isn't used at QB? Can he convert to DB, or WR with his athletic ability?

Ron Musselman: (12:46 P.M. ET ) Well, it’s hard to tell. Tressel keeps talking about how athletic Smith is - and he has been used on the special teams before – but as the backup QB, he is limited and they are sort of afraid to play him in case Zwick gets hurt. If Smith is as good an athlete as they say he is, perhaps they should find someone else to play him. For instance, Michael Robinson, the backup QB at Penn State, also plays tailback and receiver.

James (Toledo) Is Kyle Orton (Purdue) the best quarterback you’ll see this year?

Ron Musselman: (12:51 P.M. ET ) James, that’s hard to say, since I haven’t see him. However, I did see him last year and he and Stubblefield are quite a QB-receiver combo. I will see Orton twice later in the season, because I will be covering the Michigan at Purdue game and then Ohio State at Purdue a few weeks later. It’s hard for me to believe that Orton is better than Drew Brees, who was really good a few years ago for the Boilermakers before moving onto the NFL.

Kevin Cesarz: (12:55 P.M. ET ) Thanks for your help today Ron. Sorry, we couldn’t get to all of your questions. We’ll see you at the next chat sessions: Loose Piggy (Friday at 2 p.m.) and Steve Junga (Tuesday, Oct. 5, noon).

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