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Horrible Saturday night levels Big Ten’s bullies

By WTOP Staff

RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner was talking about his team being shut out for the first time in 30 years.

He might as well have been referring to the whole sorry state of Big Ten football.

“Well, yes, it’s embarrassing,” he said after his Wolverines’ dreadful 31-0 beatdown to Notre Dame in the final game of their historic rivalry. “But you have to continue to fight.”

It’s barely September and the Big Ten just might be out of the inaugural College Football Playoff race.

That sure didn’t take long, did it?

A conference that has had more than its share of epic failures in big showdowns in recent years had a night to forget on Saturday. Three of its biggest bullies — No. 7 Michigan State, No. 8 Ohio State and once proud Michigan — all were soundly defeated.

Factor in Wisconsin’s loss to LSU a week earlier and it’s easy to see why the conference could be a spectator for the next four months when the talk turns to the best teams in the country.

“We have enough skill people on this football team to get by people,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said glumly after his team took a 35-21 thumping against unranked Virginia Tech at home before an Ohio Stadium-record crowd of 107,517. “It didn’t look like it (tonight). But we HAVE to get by people or you’re going to see what you saw today every week.”

Wow. Now that is one dire forecast.

Favored by 11 points, the Buckeyes — picked by many, many experts to make it into the elite four-team playoffs — hadn’t lost to an unranked non-conference team at home since 1982.

Michigan State was up by nine points in the second half and seemingly had a handle on its game at No. 3 Oregon. But then Ducks QB Marcus Mariota started running over, around and through the Spartans’ vaunted defense. All of a sudden, a wave of green submerged Sparty, 46-27.

“We have a long season ahead of us and we all understand that this doesn’t make our season,” said Michigan State safety Kurtis Drummond. “We have a bye week coming up next week, so we need to put this behind us and use next week to get focused.”

It’s gotten to the point in the Big Ten where a bye week is something to get excited about. It gives teams more time to erase the awful defeats.

Michigan’s Brady Hoke’s seat is so hot no one will need handwarmers in the first 20 rows at the Big House this season. His Wolverines have won just three of their last 10 games.

At Northwestern, ninth-year coach Pat Fitzgerald — once considered one of the shining lights among young coaches — has one won of his last 10 games. The Wildcats lost at home (where they are 0-2) to Northern Illinois, 23-15.

As bad as Saturday was, it still wasn’t the worst day in Big Ten football history — although it was close.

Almost nine years ago to the day, on Sept. 10, 2005, the conference got a black eye when No. 3 Michigan lost to No. 20 Notre Dame 17-10, No. 4 Ohio State was beaten by No. 2 Texas 25-22 and No. 8 Iowa fell to Iowa State 23-3.

Maybe it’s because the trio of Saturday losses happened at about the same time, under the lights and on millions of TV sets. Maybe there’s a cumulative effect because the conference has been an easy target for the past several years due to an unending series of high-profile losses in bowl games.

Maybe it’s just the big picture.

Those three powers hadn’t lost on the same Saturday since Sept. 17, 1988, according to ESPN Stats.

Since 2010 against the other Power 5 conferences, the Big Ten is 36-53. It is 8-29 against ranked teams from those leagues, according to CBS Sports.

And it wasn’t just the big three that faltered. The rest of the conference didn’t put anyone in mind of the Monsters of the Midway.

Nebraska struggled mightily before beating McNeese State, 31-24. Illinois had trouble getting past Western Kentucky, 42-34. Iowa barely survived at home against Ball State, 17-13. Minnesota was hard pressed to get by Middle Tennessee, 35-24.

At least now the conference that once pretentiously gave us Legends and Leaders, can look forward to its first 14-team league race. Maybe Maryland (which edged South Florida 24-17) and Rutgers (which got by Howard 38-25) can lift their peers.

Here’s the good news, fans. League play gets going this Saturday with Penn State at Rutgers.

A Big Ten team has to win that one, right?

___

Follow Rusty Miller on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RustyMillerAP

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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