It's Roundtable Wrap up time! With a plethora of great OOC games this weekend the Big Ten Blogger Roundtable took on the marque games on the schedule (Ohio State v. Southern Cal, Purdue v. Oregon, Wisconsin v. Fresno State and Michigan v. Notre Dame), selected some teams they want to play, picked a fight or two and said some things that'll make you laugh as you board the short bus for Hell.
Aw ,"To Hell with it, Charlie Weis!" Lets get our wrap up on!
You can see everyone's complete answers at the links below:
Maize and Blue Nation (Michigan)
Ground Zero East Lansing (MSU)
The Only Game That Matters (Big Ten)
1. We’re two weeks in and everyone in the Big Ten, minus the two Michigan schools, Illinois (all 1-1) and Purdue (1-0), are 2-0. This week marks the end of your early "tune-up" or serious OOC play. Are you satisfied with the way your team has played against the cupcakes on your schedule, or happy with the way they’ve competed against serious competition?
Most surprising response? The Daily Gopher is "pleased" after defeating two sleeping giants.
Northern Illinois is a sleeping giant in the MAC and Bowling Green already beat a ranked team. OK, so this isn't exactly a gauntlet of BCS bowl caliber teams, but I am absolutely pleased.
Apparently Giants in Minnesota are very small.
As for the Ohio State blogs, despite a closer than it should've been game against Ohio, everyone (including me) felt the Buckeyes played down to the level of their competition and got caught looking ahead.
Ground Zero East Lansing?
I'd like to use the words "guarded optimism" to describe my feelings toward Michigan State right now. The Cal loss was a punch in the gut, but is looking better thanks to Cal's 66-3 win over Washington State, A win in which, to provide perspective on Cal's running game, they amassed 114 passing yards. - a fairly salient point. Cal's better than a lot of people thought this year. -Ed.
Lake the Posts is right there with you Ground Zero.
Bottom-line? We need to convert on 3rd down as we're an anemic 7-30 on 3rd down conversions against Syracuse and Duke. The Cats are in need of a statement game - one in which we dominate from start to finish - something a Pat Fitzgerald coached team has yet to do.
In Indiana, Hoosier Report is feelin' confident, but has a strange measuring stick for his team's performance...
Ask me two weeks from now after we play Ball State (never thought I would say that).
Uh... no one thought anyone would ever say that.
Speaking of not really knowing what to say or expect, Varisty Blue nailed down the general concensus among the Michigan Bloggers:
Ever since the third quarter of the Utah game, I've been pleased with the defensive effort. However, the offense has been pitiful against both Utah and Miami. Overall play is going to have to improve, or this team is destined to be Notre Dame 2007.
2. You knew this was coming. This week’s OMG Game of teh Century!!!!1!!1!! until next week’s OMG Game of teh Century!!!!1!!1!! is Ohio State versus Southern Cal. Who are you pulling for and why? Further, if you’re pulling for one particular team tell me why they’ll win, or won’t. If you’re like me and will be attempting to cure a sunburn from over exposure to the sun during the Michigan Notre Dame game by drinking large quantities of whiskey instead of watching the game, state your excuse.
Pulling for OSU: The Daily Gopher, Zombie Nation, Ground Zero East Lansing, Lake the Posts, and Varsity Blue.
All the OSU sites (duh), one surprise was MP at OHD picking USC to win based on his discomfort with Boekman as a starter. However, BBC states the obvious thing that everyone seems to ignore:
The biggest reason I believe Ohio State will win? They have more to prove. They may be the most motivated team you’ll see in a long time.
TOGTMs is pulling for OSU, but they have their reservations:
You know when you're really, really hung over, but you have to be somewhere important enough not to vomit? You pull the "gasp, pant, swallow, gasp" routine and try not to sweat all over the place, hoping that nobody smells the booze? Yeah - that'll be me rooting for Ohio State this weekend, except I won't be hung over.
Anyone pulling for a natural disaster? Maize and Blue Nation is:
I am pulling for a massive earthquake to hit right under the middle of the field, crack open the ground, and suck both teams down into the depths of the earth, to never be heard from again.
I think they have to play at Cal for that to happen...
Not pulling for OSU, Off the Tracks has valid reasons:
After the events of the 2002 Fiesta Bowl I am barred from ever cheering for Ohio State. As J Money stated in a comment last week, my sex life does indeed depend on it. Because of that, I will have to go with USC. I do want to see a competitive game and not a blowout.
Speaking of Boiled Sports and J Money, dey don't care about yo' game, homes. OSU's going to get smoked, and...
Oh, and as for you, DAVE, good for you going to the UM-UND game. That might be the ugliest matchup of offenses on the college football slate this month. Have fun at that yawnfest as two marginal teams have a rockfight to determine who gets to continue amping up their arrogance meter in a completely unjustified way.
3. Besides the above mentioned Game of the Century, there are actually some decent match ups this week in the Big Ten. Purdue v. Oregon; Wisconsin v. Fresno State; Michigan v. Notre Dame; Michigan State v. Florida Atlantic; or Iowa v. Iowa State. I said decent. I didn’t say they were all good. Pick the best game from that group, pick the worst game from that group, and Minnesota and Illinois bloggers must post an apology for scheduling Montana State and Louisiana Lafayette respectively.
There were a lot of votes for Wisconsin v. Fresno and Oregon v. Purdue. Actually it was a straight up tie. A lot of the rationales were simple, these should both be great match up games as well as games where we find out how good the competition will be this year.
Best and Worst answer of the Roundtable courtesy of the BBC. You're going to hell for this. Boiled Sports supports your assessment of Michigan/Notre Dame as this weekend's worst matchup.
Second Best/Worst? Off The Tracks analogy regarding dominance, Iowa and Iowa State. You, sir, are one sick bastard. I commend you.
Ground Zero East Lansing, however, took the remaining matchups to task declaring Wisconsin Fresno a Badger walk and the Oregon Purdue game a beatdown on the Boilermakers. Good points or not, I must declare his answers FAIL for the use of a Harry Potter reference when describing an, albeit bad, football game.
UM salvaged their season by beating what looked to be like a confused Quiddich team wearing Notre Dame jerseys.
via dailytannenbaum.files.wordpress.com
4. Out of Conference scheduling is always something that draws the ire of journalists and bloggers alike. You all know how weak your OOC really is. Admit it. You’re sad. So fix it. Pick two teams out of conference you really wish your school would schedule. Nursing colleges and the Center for Veterinary Sciences are verboten. Pick two major conference middle to heavy weights or two heavy weight non-BCS conference programs to add to the schedule. (Please note you get to keep your two patsies per season).
I commend TOGTMs for wanting this type of scheduling and realizing that only only school in the Big 11 Ten has actually made strides in this area:
Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Miami, FSU - these are all teams that are screaming for a home at home with big time Big Ten schools. Ohio State should be commended for their scheduling - they're the only team that really gets it.
The Daily Gopher wants a piece of Nebraska. But the fact that they've played each other 51 times(!) was something I never knew.
Nebraska and Minnesota have played 51 times with Minnesota winning 29 of the contests. This is by far the most played rivalry outside of the Big T en.
But most Gopher fans alive have a bad taste in their mouth when Nebraska is mentioned as an opponent. The Huskers have won 14 straight including scores like 0-56, 0-48, 0-54 and 13-84. EIGHTY-FOUR points allowed! Not even Brewster's defense could give up that many points. (oh yes they could - MnB Dave)
OHD also picked Nebraska, but with the caveat of "when they get good again."
Paint the Town Orange really means it, he wants a home and home with Tennessee. I think we could see that level of orange from space.
Along those Illinois-ish lines, Lake the Posts went for a local flavor:
So, I'm taking NIU for attendance and local interest and I'm taking Notre Dame b/c they've fallen to the point where I'd expect to beat them at least every other game and thus chip away at the media share the Irish get here in Chicago. Obviously, a Notre Dame game would be a guaranteed sell-out and so the NIU/ND combo would give us the early season ticket boost we need to sustain the momentum towards packing Ryan Field regularly.
Maize and Blue Nation wants a Home and Home with LSU. This suggestion I can get on board with.
Varisty Blue provides a small thesis on OOC scheduling and gets in a few shots at Notre Dame along the way. Well done.
This year, I would be happy playing 4 crappy out of conference teams (I'm lookin' at you, Northwestern and Indiana) while the team can, like, learn to play football. Of course, this year isn't going to be an easy one, and the Wolverines already have a mid-major heavyweight (Utah) and a tradition-rich program with lots of five stars (Notre Dame, and thankfully Charlie Weis sucks). However, assuming we aren't locked in to the Notre Dame game for all time (which we are), I would love to see home-and-home series with teams like Georgia, UCLA, and other teams that are near but not always at the top of BCS conferences.
Most picked OOC game people wish they could schedule? Notre Dame. Just further proof of the Irish's drawing power throughout the midwest.
Best suggestion? Ground Zero suggesting the hotttttness of Ole Miss for a home and home.
5. All college football fans love to tailgate. Even you, you mothers' basement dwelling bloggers, you. Name your beverage of choice on game days. Alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage, your readers need to know these things about you, to judge you. Confirm all their suspicions.
Hey, I take offense to that. What about the omission of my boxer shorts?!!! - LTP
Just sippin' that KoolAid, homes - The Daily Gopher
Drinkin the 'Ribbon - PBR is the official drink of OHD.
Zombies love a Corona to wash down all those brains
Maize and Blue Nation goes for the Labbats.
Coors Light and Jagerbombs at Ground Zero, brah!
Pilsener Urquell or St. Pauli Girl are served at Paint the Town Orange's tailgates. Not too shabby, PTO.
Another fan of real beer (to an extent), Hoosier Report, who may have incurred the wrath of J Leman, American Hero, in the process:
My beer of choice for tailgating generally will come from the "not expensive but not Bud/Miller/Coors" category. Beers like Newcastle, Blue Moon, and Killian’s are more substantial than the American piss-brews mentioned above, but they don’t have the price tag or alcohol content that might preclude drinking several.
A rose of sympathy before I kill you for hating America.
Boiled Sports? I'm rollin' with you on gameday, just skip the pansy ass Sprite Zero:
If at home, Ketel One or Svedka vodka, rocks, with a splash of Sprite Zero. No calories, so it must be healthy. If at the game actually tailgating, good old fashioned light beer – preferably Miller Lite.
Dry like prohibition? BBC, LTP, Off the Tracks
Bonus Question!
6. Rivalry games dot the schedule this week. If your team is playing in a rivalry game, say something nasty about your opponent then predict a lopsided score to infuriate the opposing fanbase. If you're not playing a rival, then start a rivalry by saying something nasty about your opponent and then predict a lopsided score to infuriate the opposing fanbase. Or just give me a non-offensive prediction and a reason to watch.
You can challenge a man's masculinity many ways. But when you go after their drinking habits... it makes for good stuff from Boiled Sports:
Is there a drink named after the Oregon mascot?
The Boilermaker is a man's drink. A midwestern, steel-hammering, muscle-bound man.
Drinks related to the Ducks include Cold Duck Punch (not like a Donkey Punch), which contains champagne, lemonade, ginger ale and rainbow sherbert. That's manly. Why don't you just have a Shirley Temple? Alternatively, you could go with the Duck Fart, which has Kahlua, Bailey and whiskey in it -- only the whiskey makes it kind of manly, but the kahlua and Baileys sort of hide the whiskey, I'm sure. But let's back up: Who wants to drink a fart?
Oregon fans, that's who.
Um? What? Via OHD:
Los Angeles is just about the worst sports town in America (and thus, by extension, the world) and one of the reasons for the rise of local media interest in the Trojan football program stems from the need for a little distraction to occupy their time before the Lakers’ season begins and before the most recent disappointing Dodgers’ season ends. The city itself ain’t much to write home about. There’s more to do in Columbus, Ohio than there is to do in Los Angeles, California. Yeah, you heard me right.
It's hard to get nasty when you're playing 'Cuse right now, but Zombie Nation gets points for trying. -3 is a nice touch.
ZN: Score will be 138-(-3). Yes, Syracuse will score negative points. Penn State will rumble for 100 first-half points. In the fourth quarter, the Lions will start pulling fans from the stands to play for them. Then the Orange will cry like babies. Was that nasty enough? Because I’m not sure it’s so far-fetched...
Well played Ground Zero:
This is MSU's first year out of three playing FAU, so this may as well start now. FAU's QB, Rusty Smith, has a name that sounds like a D-rate porn actor.
Any derogatory reference to French descent = link!
UL Lafayette has, through these first 2 weeks of the season given up the most yards on the ground than any other D-1 team. Last week Illinois put up 399 yards on the ground, including 175 by Juice. Watch, at the very least to see if any records are broken. Also the Rajun Cajuns of Louisiana are totally of French heritage.