Big Ten Football

Adrian Martinez is going to finish his college football career with Kansas State. 

The former Nebraska quarterback announced Thursday he is transferring to the Wildcats for the 2022 season. 

Martinez announced Dec. 2 that he was entering the transfer portal after spending four years at Nebraska. 

Coming out of high school in 2018, he was one of the first big recruiting wins for head coach Scott Frost. The California native was a 4-star prospect and the No. 7 dual-threat quarterback in his class, per 247Sports composite rankings. 

Despite some promising moments, Martinez's tenure with the Cornhuskers was largely disappointing. He threw for 8,495 yards, 45 touchdowns and 30 interceptions and completed 63.5 percent of his attempts in 39 games. 

A shoulder injury prevented Martinez from starting Nebraska's regular-season finale against Iowa. Freshman Logan Smothers started in his place and accounted for 262 yards with two rushing touchdowns in a 28-21 loss. 

Kansas State has a need for a new starting quarterback with Skylar Thompson set to wrap up his college career in the Texas Bowl against LSU on Jan. 4.

If Wildcats head coach Chris Klieman wants to have a competition for the starting job, Martinez will likely contend with Will Howard throughout the offseason.    

Michigan State star Kenneth Walker III is turning pro coming off a breakout 2021 season. 

Walker announced on Twitter he will skip the Peach Bowl and begin preparing for the 2022 NFL draft. 

Spartans head coach Mel Tucker posted a farewell message to Walker on Twitter following the running back's announcement:

Walker began his college career at Wake Forest, where he played from 2019-20. He was the No. 3 running back as a freshman, behind quarterback Jamie Newman, who led the team in carries, and Cade Carney. 

Despite only carrying the ball 98 times, Walker racked up 579 yards on the ground and scored four touchdowns. He continued to play at a high level in 2020 with 579 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 119 attempts in seven games. 

After entering the transfer portal in January, Walker announced he would be attending Michigan State. The Spartans only had two rushing touchdowns for the entire 2020 season. 

Walker turned into arguably the best running back in the nation in 2021. He ran for 1,646 yards and 18 touchdowns on 264 attempts in 12 games. The 21-year-old won the Walter Camp Award, Doak Walker Award and was named Big Ten Running Back of the Year. 

He also finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. The Spartans posted their first 10-win season since 2017 with Walker leading the offense. 

B/R's latest big board for the 2022 draft has Walker ranked as the top running back and No. 23 overall player in the class. 

Michigan State will take on ACC champion Pitt without Walker in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30.     

Tate Myre, who was killed in the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan on Nov. 30, will be an honorary member of the Michigan State Spartans' football recruiting class. 

Head coach Mel Tucker announced on Wednesday that Myre will be included in the Spartans' 2022 class. 

Myre was among four students killed. Six other students were injured in the attack. 

Per Sarah Rahal of the Detroit News, Myre played tight end and running back for the football team and hoped to play in college at Michigan State, Grand Valley State, Wayne State or Texas A&M. 

Per ESPN's Tom VanHaaren, Myre was a 2023 football recruit and had taken a recruiting visit to Toledo days before the shooting. 

Several Michigan-based sports teams honored the victims of the shooting. The University of Michigan football team wore a jersey patch during the Big Ten Championship Game against Iowa.

The Detroit Lions had special decals on their helmets and wore custom T-shirts and hats for their Dec. 5 game against the Minnesota Vikings, in addition to holding a moment of silence. 

Myre received a regional award from the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association in February.     

Why is Ohio State not headed the College Football Playoff? The answer to that question will haunt them for quite a while.

Two weeks ago, the Buckeyes lost to bitter rivals the Michigan Wolverines for the first time since 2011. That game had huge implications, too, sending Michigan to the CFP and Ohio State to the Rose Bowl.

Now, instead of playing for the national championship, the Buckeyes will travel to Pasadena, California, to face Utah on New Year's Day.

The Utes finished the season ranked No. 11 in the CFP rankings and won the Pac-12 championship for the first time since it joined the conference back in 2011.

This will be Ohio State's 16th time playing in the Rose Bowl, while Utah will be appearing in the prestigious bowl game for the first time in the school's history.

2022 Rose Bowl Information

Date: Saturday, Jan. 1

Site: Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.

Time: 5 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN

Odds (via DraftKings Sportsbook): Ohio State -6.5, O/U: 67

Preview, Predictions

Ohio State is favored to get its ninth win in the Rose Bowl, but that depends on one big factor: whether or not Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson will both play.

The are expected to be first-round picks in the 2022 NFL draft, so everyone would understand if they chose not to play in Pasadena.

If this were the CFP, they might not get that kind of grace, but this game is a consolation prize for the Buckeyes, no matter the tradition of the game.

"I feel like it's the right thing to do, especially leave the seniors out with a win," Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud told Patrick Murphy of 247 Sports. "Definitely a big-time game anyways. So just being a competitor. At this level, if you don't wanna play, I don't know why you're on this team. No one on my team is like that, though, thank God. I don't really question anybody's kind of willingness to play, except for, of course, the guys who are going to the League next year, which I totally understand."

If Olave and Wilson do suit up and play alongside Jaxon Smith-Njigba, they'll be hard to stop. They are three of the main reasons why Ohio State had the No. 1 scoring offense in college football with 45.5 points per game.

Stroud came up short against Michigan and then Bryce Young for the Heisman Trophy this past Saturday, so he'll be extra motivated to play well and put numbers on the board.

Add to that the fact that he's from nearby Rancho Cucamonga, and it's basically a home game for the gun-slinging quarterback.

"Growing up back home in California, being a full-fledged Cali guy, born and raised there. So it's definitely a blessing to be able to play in this game," Stroud told Murphy. "I'm definitely excited. Of course, it's not where we want to be but it's where we're at and I'm super excited for that. I'm gonna try and go out the right way and just have fun back home and just have fun with the game."

The Buckeyes will have their hands full with Utah, though. First-team All-Pac-12 selection Britain Covey and the Utes won six straight games to close out the season and will be out to extend that streak to seven.

Utah beat Oregon twice this year, and the Ducks beat Ohio State 35-28 back in September, so that's something to consider when sizing up the matchup between these two teams.

"For us, it's a great opportunity for our program. It's the next step in the evolution of our program, getting to the Rose Bowl. Most years, that's what the Pac-12 champion gets to experience," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham told Jeff Call of Deseret News. "It was the next step and the next goal for our program. It's something we've been shooting for and had our sights on for a number of years. We've finally been able to get over that mountain and we're very excited to have that opportunity."

The Utes will rely on running back Tavion Thomas and their top-25 defense to thwart the Buckeyes, but if look for the latter to emerge with the win and bragging rights if it has all its stars available.

Prediction: Ohio State 38, Utah 31

Following his firing this week as the head football coach at the University of Miami, Penn State announced Saturday that Manny Diaz has been hired as the Nittany Lions' new defensive coordinator.

Diaz said the following regarding his arrival at Penn State, per the school's official athletics website:

"My family and I are so excited to come to Happy Valley and join the Penn State family. The opportunity to lead Linebacker U is an honor and I will work every day to uphold that tradition. Penn State's defense has been among the nation's best, both historically and under Coach [James] Franklin. I will continue to pursue excellence with our defensive unit on a daily basis. I can't wait to get on the field with this talented group, to get to know them, and to ultimately develop them as football players, students and young men. Penn State's fans are the best in the country, and I look forward to seeing them this fall in Beaver Stadium!" 

Diaz spent the previous three seasons as the head coach at Miami, but he was fired Monday just as Miami came to terms with former Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal to become its new head coach.

The 47-year-old Diaz spent the past six seasons with Miami, including the past three as head coach. Overall, he posted a 21-15 record and led the Hurricanes to a bowl game each time.

After going 6-7 in 2019, Miami improved to 8-3 last season and was ranked as high as No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Miami began this season ranked No. 14, but it was unable to maintain the momentum gained last season and finished the regular season with a 7-5 mark.

Prior to becoming the head coach at Miami, Diaz was the Hurricanes' defensive coordinator from 2016-18. He also has extensive experience as a DC at Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Texas and Louisiana Tech.

Diaz will join the coaching staff of a Penn State team that was ranked as high as No. 4 this season but ultimately disappointed and finished the regular season 7-5.

Defense wasn't the issue for the Nittany Lions, though, as they ranked seventh in the nation, allowing just 16.8 points per game.

Diaz will serve as the replacement for Brent Pry, who was PSU's DC from 2016-21 before being named head coach at Virginia Tech last month.

Michigan's Jim Harbaugh was named the 2021 Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year on Friday.

Harbaugh beat out second-place finisher Luke Fickell of Cincinnati. Baylor's Dave Aranda was third and Michigan State's Mel Tucker was fourth.

Under Harbaugh, the Wolverines are the No. 2 team in the nation. They won the Big Ten championship game for the first time last week, beating Iowa 42-3 and clinching a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time as well.

The 57-year-old Harbaugh is the first Michigan head coach to win the AP award and the first Big Ten coach to win it since Penn State's Joe Paterno in 2005.

Harbaugh also made history by becoming the first coach ever to win the AP College Football Head Coach of the Year and NFL Coach of the Year awards. Harbaugh achieved the NFL honor with the San Francisco 49ers in 2011.

While Michigan has achieved some success under Harbaugh since his arrival in 2015, he was under the gun entering the 2021 season.

The Wolverines went just 2-4 in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, had never won more than 10 games in a season, had never reached the Big Ten championship game and had never beaten rival Ohio State under Harbaugh.

All of those droughts were erased in 2021, as the Wolverines are 12-1 including a 42-27 win over Ohio State to clinch a spot in the Big Ten title game.

Harbaugh had stiff competition for the AP Coach of the Year award in the form of Fickell, Aranda and Tucker, who all helped their teams exceed expectations.

With Fickell leading the way, Cincy is a perfect 13-0 and the No. 4 team in the nation, making it the first Group of Five team to reach the College Football Playoff.

Aranda has Baylor ranked seventh with an 11-2 record. The Bears upset then-No. 5 Oklahoma State 21-16 last weekend to win the Big 12 championship game.

Tucker, who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in his second season at Michigan State, led the Spartans to a 10-2 mark. MSU notably handed Michigan its only loss of the season.

As for Harbaugh and the Wolverines, they are preparing to face No. 3 Georgia in the CFP semifinal Orange Bowl on Dec. 31.

Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III is the winner of the 2021 Doak Walker Award, which recognizes the best RB in college football.

Walker beat out finalists in junior Breece Hall of Iowa State and senior Tyler Badie of Missouri. 

Walker had the best season of his collegiate career in 2021, entering Saturday's regular-season finale against Penn State with 1,614 yards (second in FBS) and 18 touchdowns (T-3rd in FBS) on the ground in addition to 13 catches for 89 yards and a score. 

The 21-year-old transferred to Michigan State after two years at Wake Forest. He's racked up more rushing yards in his one season with the Spartans than he did in two seasons with the Demon Deacons. 

Walker was also named a finalist for the Maxwell Award, which is given to the nation’s best overall player. Brandon Van Pelt is the only Spartan to ever win the Maxwell Award, doing so in 1972. 

No Michigan State player had ever won the Doak Walker Award until this year.

Walker overcame some stiff competition for this award.

Hall had one of the best seasons of his collegiate career in 2021, rushing for 1,464 yards (fifth in FBS) and 20 touchdowns (T-1st FBS) on 253 carries in 12 games. He also caught 36 passes for 302 yards and three scores.

Badie had the best season of his collegiate career in 2021, rushing for a career-high 1,604 yards (third in FBS) and 14 touchdowns (T-6th FBS) on 268 carries in addition to 54 catches for 330 yards and four scores. 

Oklahoma State's Jim Knowles will join Ohio State as a defensive coordinator on Ryan Day's staff, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

Knowles will replace Kerry Coombs and become Day's third defensive coordinator in three seasons.

"What is most important at this time is that we put our players in the best position possible to finish the season with a win in the Rose Bowl," Day told reporters. "To that end, we will continue our planning and preparation for the game with our current staff of 10 assistant coaches."

Knowles has served as Oklahoma State's defensive coordinator for the past four seasons and was a 2021 finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given to college football's top assistant coach.

Oklahoma State's defense is ranked third in the nation in yards per game. In addition, it ranks fourth in yards per play and seventh in scoring. According to The Athletic's Bill Landis, Oklahoma State also ranks second in third-down defense, a category in which it led in 2020.

The Cowboys allowed 273.6 yards per game in 2021: 89.2 yards on the ground and 184.4 in the air.

Ohio State, meanwhile, finished the 2021 season allowing 366.6 yards per game, which ranked 52nd in FBS. The Buckeyes defense allowed 119.7 rush yards per game, in addition to 246.9 passing yards per game. This comes after the team's defense gave up 401.9 yards per game in 2020, the second-highest mark in the school's history.

Knowles began his coaching career at Cornell in 1988 and served in various roles until he was hired as the defensive line coach at Western Michigan in 1997. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2001 and remained in that position until 2002.

Knowles then joined Ole Miss in 2003 as a linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator before joining Duke as a defensive coordinator from 2010 to 2017.

With Knowles' hiring, at least one member of the Buckeyes' coaching staff will need to leave the program so the school remains under the allowed limit for assistant coaches.