This has nothing to do with basketball but...

Last night I watched the Big Ten Network’s Football All-Conference Selection Show and was disappointed, but not surprised to see Corey Wotton as the only first team All-Big Ten player from the Wildcat football team. Wotton was named a first team defensive lineman by the conference coaches. He was named second team by the media. When one considers that between the coaches and the media 44 first team spots exist (22 for each group) I find it amazing that a 9-3 team got only one. Now, I’ll admit that other than Wotton it is hard to argue for many other Wildcats as first teamers, but then doesn’t our coach deserve some credit. I mean I love Joe Pa too, but his team had the league’s first team QB and three offensive linemen and a couple defensive players. With that kind of talent he should go 11-1. Pat Fitzgerald won 9 games with a group that according to the so-called experts only had one player good enough to be honored as All-Big Ten. Shouldn’t that be interpreted as meaning Fitz did a better job coaching than Joe Pa. Sure, Paterno won the league, but the ‘Cats won almost as many games as Penn State and did so with apparently less talent, plus loads of injuries to key players. Logically, he did the better coaching job and I think he deserved recognition. As he didn’t get it from the traditional media, I’m going give Fitz some recognition here and name him the 2008 Welsh-Ryan Ramblings Big Ten Football Coach of the Year. Sorry Fitz, there’s no plaque for this award, maybe in a few years.