College Football Fix: Howard Griffith, Big Ten Network Analyst

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What's wrong with your ears? Here is your college football fix, only on the Zach Gelb Show. Alrighty, Big Ten media days underway.

Let's preview the Big Ten right now with a man that works at the Big Ten Network, played for Illinois as a two-time Super Bowl champion. And that, of course, is Howard Griffith, kind enough to join us on the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. Howard, how are you? I'm doing well. I can't complain.

It's a little muggy here in Indianapolis today. But, you know, other than that, I'm excited about media day getting started. Yeah, I'm annoyed at the NCAA today because they're not going to punish Jim Harbaugh really for the infractions.

It's because he lied about them reportedly. It's a four-game suspension against a bunch of cupcake teams, so I probably shouldn't be freaking out. But the NCAA just annoys me, Howard.

Listen, I think they annoy a lot of people. You think about over the years, whether you're a team or a fan of a team that's been sanctioned by the NCAA, or you're just a fan of college football and you kind of watch the NCAA not really have a lot of teeth and a lot of things that are going on in the college football environment, or really athletic environment as far as college athletics is concerned. So there's a lot of room to be upset with the NCAA. There's probably just another one if people don't like them to begin with.

And we're talking, supposedly, about Harbaugh and one of the allegations buying some recruits some burgers. Like, that's what we're doing here? It's stupid.

Yeah. I mean, you know, I'm not exactly sure what all of the fuss and stuff is about, but, you know, it's just one of those things, man. There are rules that are put in place, whether you like them or not. You know, they are in place and you have to be able to follow the rules. So it's one of those things.

I even think back to this. I mean, when I was playing, if you had a bagel, you could give players bagels, but you couldn't give them spreads to go on the bagel. So they had to have a dry bagel. You couldn't give them anything to go on it, such as butter or cream cheese. So that's just kind of where the NCAA has been a lot of our times when we think about college athletics.

We were just talking about that exact instance right before we brought you on. God forbid you give a kid at everything bagel. But then you put cream cheese on it. Uh-oh, throw the book at them. Throw the book at them. They no longer can compete. They're ineligible. But now they can get an IL deal for the bagel shop. There you go. So it's come full circle.

Things work now. We have made some progress. Howard Griffith here with us. So get into Michigan on the field this year. There's high expectations. We know what they've done the last two years. For a while it was could they even get to a Big Ten championship game and also defeat Ohio State. Now it's can they go win it all. Where's your confidence level with this Michigan team pertaining to that question?

Yeah, I think it's pretty high when you think about Michigan. Arguably have one of the best back fields when you consider the running backs that they have. And also the quarterback coming back next year. Really talented back field. You expect McCarthy to really be able to take that next step as a quarterback.

I think he'll be able to do that. Last year he was limited a little bit. But from a play calling standpoint, they really didn't get him out and let him run a lot. Last year they wanted to protect him. I wonder if this year they kind of opened things up the way they did in the championship game.

Because that kind of kept him around. Had him in a good situation. So it's going to be interesting to watch his development. This is a team that really does a good job on the offensive line. They've really developed really well. And they can run the ball with the best of them. Blake Coram coming back.

I really like where this team is right now. Ohio State also fascinates me this year. Because the last two years they just got absolutely destroyed by Michigan. But they kind of saved face last year because they almost beat Georgia in the college football playoff. I know Ryan Day only has six losses. But people are criticizing him because Urban never lost to Michigan. What do you think we're going to get from Ohio State this year when we get that eventual game coming up on Thanksgiving weekend? You know I think it's going to come down to quarterback play in that game for Ohio State. Listen I thought one of the things that Coach Day should have gotten a lot of credit. You just mentioned it. Talk about them bouncing back and playing as well as they did against Georgia.

Now go back. Remember this is a team where really everything was done. Everything was over. They were out of it until to the last week I believe. And he was able to gather the team, refocus them. And they went out and played as well as they did. I think one of the things that's happening in Columbus is that you watch Michigan really build a program inside out. We're talking about the offense and defensive lines. They've really played at a high level winning the Joe Moore award. The best offensive line in college football for the last two years in a row.

And there's no reason they shouldn't be in the running once again. And I think Ohio State's learned something from that. That it really comes down to what you can do with the offense and defensive line. You can have as many talented players as possible that you can have out on the perimeter. But you still have to be able to control the line of scrimmage. You have a guy like Marvin Harrison Jr. who is arguably a top three, four pick in next year's draft.

Probably the same. He could have been a top five pick in this year's draft. They've got to find creative ways to get him to football.

So I look for him to do a lot of motioning, moving him around pre-snap to create some favorable matchups and getting him the ball out on the perimeter. And then you wrap up the Big Ten in terms of teams that are going to be contenders. It's Penn State and I'm a Temple graduate so I never liked the Nittany Lions.

But I got to give them credit Howard Griffith because if James Franklin can't win a few big games this year, then he'll never be able to do it. Yeah, I mean he's really – and I would say that going back, this is going to be our 17th year at the Big Ten network. And this is probably going to be, from my perspective, and I'm looking forward to seeing Penn State, the best offensive line that they've had in the 17 years that I've been covering them.

So I'm anxious to see them. They've done a really good job recruiting. They're young players that played at a high level. Remember, you'll know this because Coach Franklin has done a great job recruiting in the past, but all those players haven't really panned out. And now you're seeing that talented running back group. You're seeing the quarterback position really starting to develop. They took some huge jumps on the defensive side.

Manny Diaz coming back for his second year. So you expect those defensive players to really be able to understand the system even more. Some of the younger players that didn't get an opportunity to play, that's the team that's right there.

So they've got an opportunity. It's going to be a fascinating race in the East. Unlike the West where we really – things are wide open. The East, you pretty much know who those three dominant teams are. And you know that Maryland is right there on the outside because they have a quarterback that can do all the things you need a guy to do to keep you in the game.

Yeah, and Taliyah Tungah-Viloa to his brother. Howard Griffith here with us. You talk about that, West.

I know you could throw a dart on a board. Whoever it lands on, you have a chance to win that division. Who are you going with right now in the West?

Man, it's so hard right now because I need to see them. But I'd say this. As many moving parts as they have at Iowa, having McNamara coming over all, but they're also transferring from Michigan. They've got some other transfers that have shown up. They'll have some pieces to be able to move the ball much more effectively than they did last year, which wouldn't be hard to do because offensively they were challenged. But this is a team you know is going to play outstanding defense.

If they can just get something out of their offense, they can get 21, 20, you know, 23 points out of this offense, I think they're going to be in a pretty good spot. It's interesting though, a lot of people are just, you know, giving everything to the Badgers. They believe the first-year coach, Luke Fickle, is going to turn things around.

And a lot of the papers that are coming out, I think it's the Cleveland Plain Dealer does predictions every year with their writers, I think 39 writers. And the majority of them picked the Badgers. Yeah, the Badgers could win the West. And that's interesting to me because I've seen them, and I don't know if they are that talented on that side of the ball just yet.

I think they'll get there with Luke Fickle, but I think there's still a ways to go. Minnesota's there, Illinois is not going anywhere. I think the West is really tight, but this is going to be interesting. This is the last year of East-West divisions, and next year we go to one division, and then we add USC and UCLA.

So if you're a West team and you want to get into that championship game, this year is going to be the best time for you to do it because things are going to change drastically the way we look at this league next year. And I know they're not first-time head coaches, but whenever you have a new head coach come in, like with Luke Fickle with Wisconsin or Matt Rule with Nebraska, hey, for every Sonny Dykes, that's a rarity. You have a lot more situations where first-year coaches get a little bit rough.

Yeah, it's going to be tough. I think you look at Nebraska, they've been underachieving for many years for whatever reason, whether it's the coaching situation, whether it's the players not being dialed in. But one of the things that Matt questioned is the kind of job Matt Rule can do for you. And what he's done is you know what he did at Temple, what he's done at Baylor, didn't have the success in Carolina that he would have hoped was obviously fired there. That kind of changes the perspective of a lot of coaching. Having an opportunity to talk with him, you know, he has a new lease on life and I think a better appreciation for the college game and where he fits best.

And by all accounts, he's doing a tremendous job. That's another roster that's full of guys that have taken advantage of the transfer portal. So another team that would be very interested to watch. But there are so many new quarterbacks, transfer quarterbacks in the West that the one that's able to really dial in and get familiar and accustomed to their team and also the system, I think is going to give them an opportunity to win. And I like Brett Bielma at your alma mater and I like the move that he made today. Jim Leonard will eventually be a head coach, but pretty good job getting him in as a senior football analyst today.

Yeah, it's been interesting. I was down a couple times this spring and he happened to be down there and spending some time. So, you know, if he's going to, you know, I believe he's still being paid by the Badgers. And, you know, he played for Brett in his first year. Obviously, you know, there's no question the type of defensive mind that he has and what he can do. And I think he's going to really help Aaron Henry prepare because I think Aaron Henry is going to be a really good defensive coordinator. This will be his first year calling plays and having a guy like Jim Leonard with him during the week will also give him an opportunity to really settle in to that position. I think it'll be really good for Henry.

Let me ask you before I let you run, Howard Griffith, two more with you about Mel Tucker. In year two, he was phenomenal and then has fallen off. Is there any optimism this year for Michigan State or pretty much what you're reading and what you're hearing? They're going to be a pretty bad football team this year. Yeah, you know, they continue to recruit.

They take advantage of the transfer portal. And one of the things that happens when you have the type of success they had a couple of years ago, that's what becomes what is expected. But you have to remember, when Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State are all maximizing their resources and are not getting in their own way, it's hard to win the East, to get there, right?

So in most years, you can make the argument that are they four, are they five, where do you put Maryland in that mix? So it's a tough job. It's a really competitive job when those top three teams in the East are really doing the things that they need to be successful.

That's why I say when they're maximizing their opportunities that are out there and resources, it's hard to jump into that top three, let alone to that number one spot. And I know it's going to be talked about at Big Ten Media Days, and we've discussed it on this show. Just give me your reaction to everything that has transpired the last few weeks at Northwestern.

Well, obviously, it's unacceptable. The hazing that's been reported, the hazing that's come out in the investigation are things that cannot happen to students, let alone student athletes. I think as head coaches, it's your responsibility to make sure that you are putting your student athletes in the best situation you can to make sure that you can take care of them.

And when they leave home and you look their parents in the eyes, you tell them you're going to take care of their child, you do just that. And unfortunately, it appears that that didn't happen at Northwestern. One of the things I did like that happened today is Northwestern decided not to bring their students to Media Day, which is a good thing for me and really for them because they didn't need to be put into a situation where they can't even say anything. Part of being at Media Day as a player is an opportunity to represent the program because you have the leadership, because you're respected amongst your team and your coaches, and those young men would have been here answering questions about what adults allow to happen in a program, and I thought that would have been very unfair, but their head coach will be here and he'll have some tough questions, but it's one of those things. It doesn't look like this story is going anywhere anytime soon, and I hope that other programs throughout the country hear it as a call to make sure you start to look inside of your program and make sure that they're doing all the right things because hazing and, like I said, some of the things, the sexual assault stuff that was going on allegedly, going on in that locker room was really unacceptable.

Well said, and also with it now being a litigious situation, you know it's going to get uglier and definitely more stuff will come out. He's Howard Griffith of the Big Ten Network. Howard, always great to catch up with you. Appreciate you doing this. Alright, anytime. Let's catch up during the season.