sin, and was fired at NC State in 2015 after three seasons

When I look ahead at the upcoming season, one of the leagues that interests me is the Big Ten. I feel it will be another competitive campaign, making commissioner Jim Delany very happy.There are four teams that are likely favorites in the conference. New hall of famer Tom Izzo and Michigan State have reloaded. Indiana has Thomas Bryant back up front. Purdue has a lot of talent returning, while Wisconsin always plays every opponent well.One team that may not receive as much ink and could be a sleeper in the Big Ten is Ohio State. Keep an eye on the Buckeyes.Coach Thad Matta has done a solid job in Columbus, posting at least 20 wins in each of his 12 seasons as head coach. This season should produce similar results.For starters, the Buckeyes return their top six scorers from last season. That means you can expect continuity. There are not too many teams across America that return four double-figure scorers, but Ohio State is one of them.Forward Marc Loving is the leading returning scorer at 14 points per game. Forward Keita Bates-Diop is next at 11.8 ppg., followed by JaeSean Tate at 11.7. Tate is coming off of shoulder surgery last February. The Buckeyes were 18-10 before Tate was sidelined.Add guard play from veterans JaQuan Lyle and Kam Williams, plus inside presence of big man Trevor Thompson and Ohio State has winning experience. These guys know each other, and that is a positive.The Buckeyes also added size through recruiting, adding center?Micah Potter from Montverde Academy, 6-foot-9 forward Derek Funderburk and 6-foot-7 forward Andre Wesson.It also helps that Matta has an outstanding staff. Ohio State brought back former player Chris Jent and former Charlotte head coach Alan Major to go with Dave Dickerson and Greg Paulus.Remember, the Buckeyes scored an upset win over Kentucky last season. This years nonconference schedule will also feature several challenges. Virginia, Connecticut, UCLA and Providence are all on the agenda.That nonconference schedule will prepare Ohio State for the rigors of the Big Ten. It will also provide opportunities to impress the NCAA selection committee.With so much returning talent, the Buckeyes are capable of surprising many in the Big Ten. Joc Pederson Jersey .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. Chris Taylor Youth Jersey . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. http://www.ladodgersprostore.us/Kenta-Maeda-dodgers-jersey/ . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. Corey Seager Jersey . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Mike Piazza Youth Jersey . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU waited weeks to allow offensive coordinator candidate Lane Kiffin to test the head-coaching market. But Tigers coach Ed Orgeron wasted no time once he learned Kiffin would not join his staff.LSU announced Wednesday that Orgeron has hired Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Matt Canada two days after Kiffin accepted a position as head coach at Florida Atlantic.The appeal for me is this is LSU. Thats the appeal, Canada said Wednesday. This is the greatest program in the country. I got a call from Coach O to come to LSU. Thats the appeal.Canada, 44, does not have the same national name recognition as Kiffin, who has served as a head coach in the NFL and at both Southern California and Tennessee. However, Canadas Pittsburgh offense has been every bit as productive this season as the one Kiffin fielded at top-ranked Alabama.Hes done a great job of coaching quarterbacks whether it be in a spread offense or whether it be in a pro-style offense, whether the quarterbacks running the ball or throwing the ball, Orgeron said. The guy knows what hes doing. Were very fortunate to have in my opinion and, in the opinion across the country, two of the top coordinators at LSU in Matt Canada and Dave Aranda.Canada was the only one of the five finalists for this seasons Broyles Award -- the annual honor that goes to college footballs top assistant coach -- who worked on the offensive side of the ball.At LSU, he will inherit an offense with some impressive pieces but with a long tradition of underperforming its talent -- especially at quarterback, Canadas position group. The Tigers rank 60th nationally in total offense (425.7 yards per game) and 67th in scoring offense (28.3 points per game) this season, well behind the numbers Canadas offense posted in the ACC (447.5 YPG and 42.3 PPG).The Panthers scored 76 points in the season finale against Syracuse. Pitt also beat Big Ten champion Penn State 42-39 and second-ranked Clemson 43-42. The 8-4 Panthers earned a trip to the Pinstripe Bowl, and Canada will remain with the team for that game.?This has been professionally and personally the best and the hardest year of my life, said Canada, who was fired by NC State at the end of the 2015 season. What happened there is irrelevant. Ive answered the question [saying] I was surprised. I didnt see it coming. We were third in the league in scoring. But people make changes and Im very, very fortunate that change was made there because Im standing here talking to you right now.Canada replaces Steve Ensminger, who took over playcalling duties when Les Miles was fired and Orgeron was named interim coach in September. The interim tag has subsequently been taken off his title.Orgerons stated goal is to transform the unimaginative run-heavy scheme that LSU employed under Miles into a spread-based scheme that utilizes a dual-threat quarterback. Canada has proved himself adept at coaching such a system over the past decade, having served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at five schools (Pitt, NC State, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois and Indiana) during that time.I was going to wait. Im telling you, I was not going to get in a hurryy, Orgeron said of the hire.dddddddddddd I was going to bring the best guy that I thought for LSU, and I just felt that he was the best guy.Orgeron said he talks to Kiffin every day and said that there was no hard feelings about his friend taking the FAU job.Never, Orgeron said. He wanted a head job. He got one. Im happy for him.Although Canada did not have a dual-threat quarterback in each of those seasons, his offenses generally relied on quarterbacks who could make things happen with their feet. His quarterbacks averaged 392.2 rushing yards per season over the past decade -- Northern Illinois Chandler Harnish was the best of the bunch with 1,379 rushing yards in 2011 -- a stark contrast from the approach Miles offenses took at quarterback over his 11-plus seasons at LSU. The Tigers had just one quarterback -- Jordan Jefferson with 450 yards in 2010 -- rush for at least 300 yards in a season under Miles.LSU starter Danny Etling has just 44 rushing yards this season, though the Purdue transfer is more of a pocket passer than a running threat. The other quarterbacks on LSUs roster -- Brandon Harris, Justin McMillan and Lindsey Scott -- were all dual-threat prospects in high school, and Orgerons staff might also attempt to persuade 2017 dual-threat prospect Lowell Narcisse to rejoin LSUs recruiting class after he recently wavered on his commitment.Canada did some of his best work this season in developing Tennessee transfer Nathan Peterman at Pittsburgh. Peterman sits 10th nationally in Total Quarterback Rating with an 81.8 opponent-adjusted score, the highest of any Canada-coached quarterback over the past decade. Peterman is the triggerman for a Panthers offense that has already broken the school record for points in a season (508), having scored at least 28 points in all 12 games.Will that translate at LSU? Its certainly no guarantee. Canada butted heads with head coach Bret Bielema in 2012, his one season at Wisconsin, and was fired at NC State in 2015 after three seasons there.But hes never worked with the level of talent that he will have at his disposal at LSU -- a collection of players that will include 1,249-yard rusher Derrius Guice, four offensive linemen with starting experience and potentially two of the Tigers top three wideouts. Leading receiver Malachi Dupre (34 catches for 454 yards) has not yet announced whether he plans to return for his senior season, but speedster D.J. Chark (24-419) should be back after a breakthrough 2016.Perhaps Canada will not be able to overhaul LSUs offensive scheme overnight, but he has a record of successfully using the spread principles that Orgeron desires. Canada will face immediate scrutiny, however, as LSUs offense has frustrated its fans for years because of potential that often went untapped.If he can direct anywhere near the offensive turnaround that he led in one season at Pitt, when the Panthers jumped from 68th to 10th in scoring offense, most Tigers fans will forget that Canada was a fallback option once Orgerons Kiffin plans fell through. ' ' '