Sweet Christ, I hate Dick Vitale

I watched the Ohio State-North Carolina basketball game last night (like most of you), and I absolutely LOVED what I saw. The boys were INCREDIBLE. Outside shooting, inside power, hustle, defense, passing the ball quickly, etc, etc, etc. If only we were allowed to take three steps in the paint like ACC teams were, we would have won....but that's another story.

The only part I HATED about the game was the incessant pounding of the "Greg Oden is God, or will be at a later date" theme by the aptly-named Dick Vitale. Dicky, we KNOW that Oden was an amazing high school athlete and has the potential to be an even better college player and someday an even better NBA player....but can we PLEASE save the constant prognostications until the kid has played at least ONE game in college??

- Did you really have to proclaim him as the best college player in three decades (and you did do that) before he's even worn the uniform???
- Did you really have to compare him to some of the all-time greats (which you did do) before he's made a single basket???
- Did you really have to put him on the NBA All-Star team (which you did do) before he's even stepped on the court???

I know your job at ESPN is to cheerlead and come up with phrases (like "dipsy-dooooo, baby") that I used to say to my daughter when she was an infant (but stopped when the diapers were retired, because it seemed too.......childish). But come ON, man...give it a rest until we at least see the kid play!!!!!

Honestly, Dick, your predictions and guarantees reminded me of one player. Granted, it's from a different sport, but does the name Ron Powlus mean ANYTHING to you? After one half of quarterbacking (against Northwestern, by the way), there was a little over-zealous prognosticating going on about Powlus' future, proclaiming him to be better than Joe Montana. These days, Powlus is now the guy who asks you if you want the hot wax with your car wash.

Calm down, Dickie. You ruined a great night of college basketball with your bullshit. All that excessive excitement and screaming is going to give you a stroke or something.

Wait a minute. On second thought......

Bouncing back.....

I've been fighting it for a few days, but this morning the flu got me. I've been pretty sick most of the day, but now I'm on a heavy dose of medicine, and am too wired to sleep (slept for hours this afternoon).

So consider that my apology for not getting a new video up, but I am working on it now. If I can maintain a relatively healthy status for a few hours, it'll be finished tonight. And when I fully recover, I have a few other ideas that you might see popping up on YouTube.

Stay tuned.

Michigan gets their rematch, cries about it

It looks like Michigan is going to get a rematch. They have been whining for a rematch....and now they've got one, and their fans are already whining about that, too!

Last night, USC monkey-stomped Notre Dame 44-24, and launched themselves into the #2 BCS slot. A win over UCLA will secure their spot in the championship game. Notre Dame finishes their season at 10-2 and appears to be headed to the Rose Bowl to play Michigan again.

A quick look around the blogs and message boards will show you that Michigan fans are NOT happy about giving Notre Dame another shot.

Why? Because of one key fact.....REMATCHES ONLY BENEFIT THE TEAM THAT LOST THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!!!

Now that Michigan will be forced to give ND another chance at beating them, Wolverines are not pleased. "We beat them once already, why do they get to play us again" said one fan, without a clear understanding of the word "hypocrisy".

So here is the lesson, Michigan fans....be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.

Enjoy the Rose Bowl.

The difference, or "why I am cheering for USC to beat Notre Dame"

As someone who is (obviously) obsessed with Ohio State football, I'm always looking for comparisons and similarities to previous matchups and previous seasons. Clearly, it's easy to compare this season to 2002.

Ohio State won their bid to the National Championship game in 2002 two weeks before the opponent was named, which gave us two weeks of college football to discuss and cheer for (or against). I cheered my heart out for Virginia Tech to knock off Miami. I had come to HATE Miami and I wanted them to lose as often as possible, but deep down, I didn't really want to play them. Looking back, I'm not sure why. That championship was SO much sweeter because we knocked off a team we were supposed to lose to (by as much as 2 touchdowns). Would the glory have been as great if we had defeated Oklahoma? I don't think so.

The comparison is (according to conventional wisdom) that we should want to beat the best team in order to call ourselves the best. That would be Michigan. They're #2 to our #1, so I should want to beat them in the NC game.

Thing is, we ALREADY BEAT THEM. So forget it. They don't get a mulligan. Get 'em out of there and put them in the Rose Bowl. Besides, if you're a fan of Michigan football under Llllloyd Carr, you can count on two things....1) Losing to Ohio State, and 2) Losing in a bowl game. What the hell do you think is going to happen if you have to do both on the same day? It's quite possible that a rip in the space-time continuum may be exposed and chaos will ensue.

So rather than comparing, I'm looking at the long-term analysis. The class of 5-year seniors leaving Ohio State this year have defeated some of the best teams in college football.

- They defeated Miami
- They defeated Michigan
- They defeated Notre Dame
- They defeated Texas

The biggest team that they have not yet defeated is USC. So bring them on.

Oh, and another reason I'm cheering for USC.....they are playing fucking Notre Dame. OF COURSE I'm cheering for USC.

--edited because I neglected to recognize LSU's BCS championship. Tommy Tuberville called me and told me I was ruining college sports by ignoring the SEC. Then he slowly began to weep into the phone. I felt bad, so I changed my post here.--

Happy Thanksgiving

Wanna know what I'm thankful for????

Our Best Friend

The more I watch The Game, the more I recognize that one Michigan player should have NEVER been put on the field of play. We exposed him time and time again, especially in the 4th quarter.

So here's my tribute to Michigan cornerback Morgan Trent.



Oh, and yes, there WILL be a "Michigan Had A Bad Day" video. I'll be working on it tonight!

Disgusting behavior by OSU fans

I've been sent some disturbing footage of a nasty fight following Saturday night's victory. I'm repulsed by it, and I've posted it so you can see it for yourself. Trust me, it's not pretty.

Take a look at it. If you know any of the people in the footage, please do the right thing. These are not the types of people I want roaming the streets after they did what I've just watched.



Seriously, I wish I hadn't seen that.

Only three possibilities

In case you haven't seen any examination of the BCS yet, here's the straight-up goods - Only three teams can possibly make the championship game against Ohio State. Michigan, USC, and Florida.

The latest BCS poll looks like this;

1. Ohio State - 1.0000
2. Michigan - 0.9263
3. U of S.C. - 0.9188
4. Florida - 0.8838
5. Notre Dame - 0.8198
6. Arkansas - 0.8065

- Michigan's season is finished and their lead is precariously small over #3 USC. They actually have to cheer for other teams to lose in order to get in. They must have USC AND Florida lose, or they go to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl.

- USC is the only team left that controls their own destiny. If they defeat both Notre Dame and UCLA, they will leapfrog Michigan and get to Glendale. The win over #5 Notre Dame will improve their strength of schedule just enough to give them the #2 spot.

- Florida is in Michigan's boat. they have to cheer for other teams to lose. But they also have to win against Florida State (on a down year, but that means nothing in this big rivalry) and Arkansas. The win against #6 Arkansas will also boost their strength of schedule enough to leapfrog Michigan.

- Notre Dame has one game left, at USC. Even if they win, they will not have enough momentum to jump over Michigan. Plus, there's no way a one-loss Notre Dame gets in over a one-loss Michigan, especially when ND's one loss was to Michigan. Plus, nobody gains a full point in the BCS standings without the team above them losing, and even Llllloyd Carr can't figure out a way to lose again in 2006.

- Arkansas put up a valiant effort, and will be rewarded with a BCS Bowl. Just not the big one. Not enough gas in the tank to jump over the Wolverines, I'm afraid. They could go 12-1 and finish with 12 straight wins. That rule about "losing early is better than losing late" only works if you don't lose early by 36 points, which the Razorbacks did to USC, 50-14.

Who do I want?

I want USC.

This senior class has defeated all the great teams of the 21st century. Michigan (5 times), Texas, Notre Dame, Miami. All we need is USC and we will be in the history books as the team who beat the world.

150,000

That's how many people watched my videos on YouTube in the last 7 days. Michigan Week brought me 150,000 viewers.

And to think that Mom said I was wasting my life.

Holy crap, I'm tired

Look, anything I have to say, you can read somewhere else too....so no insight tonight. But I have no voice left and I'll be asleep in a couple of hours. So here's a few thoughts.

Ohio State

- Troy Smith guaranteed himself the Heisman Trophy. It better be unanimous.
- Michigan's defense is overhyped and overrated.
- Ted Ginn Jr. is a God amongst men. I swear he literally left Morgan Trent's jockstrap on the field at one point.
- Smith has a total of 1,051 total yards against Michigan in his career.
- Yikes on that defense. I was a little upset about giving up 39 points, but then I reealized that Michigan scored 10 points from two drives that TOTALED 12 yards. Turnovers gave them extra points, so we weren't that bad after all.
- 503 yards of offense. I thought we were playing Notre Dame for a while there.

Michigan

- Thank Heaven Llllloyd Carr won 11 games this year. They might fire him otherwise, and we don't want that.
- Steve Breaston never showed up. Kirk Herbstreit was right.
- Adrian Arrington tried to start a fight in the first quarter, and it wasn't against a woman. What's up with that?
- Mike Hart is a whiny bitch, but he's a whiny bitch who is 0-3 against Ohio State.
- Michigan's defense gave up more yards to Antonio Pittman on ONE RUN than they allowed to the entire Vanderbilt rushing offense, the entire Central Michigan rushing offense, the entire Notre Dame rushing offense, the entire Wisconsin rushing offense, the entire Penn State rushing offense, the entire Iowa rushing offense, the entire Northwestern rushing offense, the entire Ball State rushing offense, and the entire Indiana rushing offense.
- Michigan's defense gave up more yards to Beanie Wells on ONE RUN than they allowed to the entire Vanderbilt rushing offense, the entire Central Michigan rushing offense, the entire Notre Dame rushing offense, the entire Wisconsin rushing offense, the entire Penn State rushing offense, the entire Iowa rushing offense, the entire Northwestern rushing offense, the entire Ball State rushing offense, and the entire Indiana rushing offense.
- Michigan may still be the #2 team, but they had their shot. They lost. Enjoy the Rose Bowl.

Didn't I start this post by saying "no insight tonight"??? Ah, fuck it. It's fun.

18 hours left, bitch

Classy move

By now you know. Legendary TTUN Head Coach and Ohio State Assistant Coach Bo Schembechler passed away this morning at the age of 77. The BBC sends condolences to his family and friends, and we hope he and Woody are already having spirited debate in Heaven.

However, one aspect that won't get covered much on ESPN (but will be attacked by trolls) is that tonight on High Street, the Dead Schembechlers were scheduled to play their annual concert. Seriously. On the day Bo died.

Today, the Dead Schembechlers released the following commentary;

The band is crushed to learn of the death of Bo Schembechler. We named this band after Coach Schembechler to honor him as the face of Wolverine football. We have never wished ill will upon him in any way and have always wished him the best. When we learned that Bo had seen our web site and was amused by it we were delighted. We were simply delighted. He said to those with him as he read it, "See, I still matter in Columbus!" That may have been the greatest understatement in football history. We believe that he took the band's name as the compliment that it was meant as and that he was flattered by it. We wish to extend our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to his family. We are truly sorry for their loss

That's a classy move. My hat is off to the boys in the band. You did the right thing.

The Big Ten

Lost amidst the hype is something verrrrry interesting.

The Big Ten is on the verge of becoming the first conference to ever send three teams to BCS Bowls in the same season.

Should Ohio State and That Team Up North both reach the championship game (which is possible, but not likely), the Big ten still has an automatic bid up for grabs. Wisconsin would grab that spot and pack for the Rose Bowl.

My goodness gracious, what will the Tubervilles of the world have to say about that????

Time to discuss The Game

It's about 55 hours from kickoff...time to begin my discussion of The Game, 2006-style. You've heard every sportscaster and read every sportswriter, and they'll all say the same thing. Yes, this IS the biggest game of the year, and the biggest game of the 21st century. And it's ALL been said before, so I'm just going to give you MY take on things.

Am I scared? Yes, a little. I'm nervous like I was heading into the Texas game. Like I was heading into last year's That Team Up North game. But deep down, there's a peaceful serenity. Because I know I have the three strongest earthly forces I could have heading into this matchup. Troy Smith, Jim Tressel, and the loudest crowd the Horsheshoe will ever hold.

1) Smith plays better when he's up against stronger competition. And Saturday will have the toughest opponent he's faced yet. However, EVERY year, That Team Up North is the toughest opponent Smith has faced.

- In 2004, he went 13 of 23 for 241 yards and 2 TDs. He even ran for another 145 yards and a TD.
- In 2005, he went 27 of 37 for 300 yards and a TD. He ran for another 37 yards and a TD.

That's a total of 723 yards (541 passing/182 rushing) and 5 TDs. Those are the type of two-game numbers you expect to see against Indiana or Northwestern. The guy is having MONSTER games against the best team on our schedule. That's inspiring.

2) From the day he was offered the job, Tressel has shown everyone that he gets it. It's all about beating Michigan. He gets it. He showed it to us in January 2000 when he was introduced to the crowd at an OSU/TTUN basketball game, and he's shown it to us every day since then.

Every weapon he has (and damn it, he's got a LOT of them this year) will be utilized. If the situation calls for it, he'll use it. I wouldn't be shocked to see Ginn throw a TD pass....to Smith even. Nobody knows the power on this team more than Tress, and nobody knows how to exploit defenses better than Tress. And since he "gets it", he'll unload the arsenal on Saturday afternoon.

Really, is there anything more I can say than that?

3) The 'Shoe. Just be loud, please. I know you can, so just do it. If the guy next to you or in front of you is sitting down on third down, MAKE him stand up and scream. If I can't be in the 'Shoe, then dammit, someone who can be there BETTER be screaming like mad on my behalf.

OK, now for the remaining factors....

A lot of discussion recently about Mario Manningham returning to the Wolverines lineup. It doesn't scare me, and I'll tell you why; In 2005, a high-profile offensive player was injured for most of the season and made a triumphant return for The Game. He was supposed to be the savior, and the key to victory for That Team Up North. Then, he took the field. Mike Hart rushed for 15 yards that day. Not a factor at all.

Steve Breaston, however, does scare me. He's always been a threat, but never produced jack squat. However, Kirk Herbstreit woke him up by calling him out. He's had great games since that, and I expect him to be the most fired-up Wolverweenie on the field.

Adrian Arrington will be this year's folding tent. He's not going to handle it very well, and he'll end up being benched late in the game for dropping too many passes and making an ass of himself. For all the trolling from TTUN fans about Ohio State's players, why is it that they never seem to notice that their team has the only player currently facing a criminal trial?

Lloyd Carr has quite possibly his best team ever. He's made all the right moves this year, dominated every opponent, and his team is undefeated. They look strong and they look ready. Next up is the biggest rivalry in the entire sports world.

Now re-read the above paragraph and replace the words "Lloyd Carr" with "John Cooper". That's all you have to say about that.

Ohio State 34
TTUN 20

I'm #1!!!!!

Holy crap, I'm astonished.

YouTube has my latest video ranked #1 on their "Top Favorites" for sports.

It's also #7 for Most Viewed sports video of the day (nearly 10,000 people have watched it since it went up 40 hours ago).

So keep passing it around to your friends. Me likey fame.

The trolls are invading

Yeah, I knew it was bound to happen....but it's really kinda funny.

My blog and my YouTube account are being inundated (look it up, Maize and Blue lovers) by trolls of That Team Up North. Now granted, I may deserve it by posting a video calling Chad Henne a "mother-fucking bitch", but apparently someone up north has decided to show my videos to their various array of internet-friends. Today alone, I've rejected at least 10 comments on this blog and I've deleted about 20 comments from my YouTube videos (it must drive them nuts when the comments disappear).

I expect it'll only get worse as the week wears on. Feel free to fight back and post positive comments here and at YouTube.

On a side note, I do find it humorous when someone tells me I have no class while calling me a faggot. Pot, meet kettle.

Semi-useless stats for you to ponder

First quarter
Ohio State 104, Opponents 13
TTUN 86, Opponents 23

2nd quarter
Ohio State 112, Opponents 30
TTUN 101, Opponents 43

3rd quarter
Ohio State 68, Opponents 10
TTUN 85, Opponents 23

4th quarter
Ohio State 110, Opponents 33
TTUN 51, Opponents 44

- Ohio State's best quarter is the first, and their worst is the third (and we've still only allowed two scores in the 3Q)
- TTUN's best quarter is the sedond, and their worst is the 4th, when they are nearly outscored.

- Ohio State has scored in 38 of their 44 quarters
- TTUN has scored in 36 of their 44 quarters

- Ohio State has shut out opponents in 29 quarters
- TTUN has shut out opponents in 22 quarters

- Ohio State has scored twice in a quarter 18 times
- TTUN has scored twice in a quarter 16 times

- Ohio State has allowed two scored in the same quarter twice
- TTUN has allowed two scores in the same quarter three times

- Ohio State has outscored their opponent in a quarter 35 times
- TTUN has outscored their opponent in a quarter 29 times

- Ohio State has been outscored in a quarter five times
- TTUN has been outscored in a quarter six times

Ohio State has the edge, but these are ALL so very close.

But does any of it matter when The Game starts?? Of course it doesn't. It's The Game. And if you haven't figured out that either team can win The Game on any given year no matter what, then you haven't watched enough OSU/TTUN games in your lifetime.

One more video

I wasn't going to make any videos this week. I'm WAY too busy planning a large tailgate party, and I just don't have the energy with all the pressure of this week's events.

But screw that, I have been bouncing off the walls and this is a good way to have some fun.

I'm really pissed that I cannot attend the Hate Michigan Rally on Friday night in Columbus, so I've created this video featuring "Chad Henne is a Joke" by the Dead Schembechlers. I've been laughing my ass off at the song, so I decided to match up some visuals to go with it. I hope Bo Biafra and the boys like it......

Watch "Chad Henne Is A Joke" on YouTube now!!!

And GO BUCKEYES!!!!!!!!!

.....and the Grammy for Song of the Year goes to........

Gather 'round the keg, me hearties, and I'll weave you a tale of a piece of human scum. A barkin'-mad, terrible lad, clad in maize and blue pad, stinkin' of bad gonad named Chad.

Chad Henne is a joke
A mother-fuckin' joke
His wolverines are gonna fuckin' croak
They call him Dr. Choke, bet on him, you'll go broke
'Cause Chad Henne is a mother-fuckin' joke

Chad Henne is a bitch
A mother-fuckin' bitch
As welcome as a case of rectal itch
His gender he should switch, the Buck defense it makes him twitch
'Cause Chad Henne is a mother-fuckin' bitch

Chad Henne is a dick
A mother-fuckin' dick
A fucked-up, stuck-up, nasty whiny prick
He can't get a chick, when he fucks he comes too quick
'Cause Chad Henne is a mother-fuckin' dick

Chad Henne is a clown
A mother-fuckin' clown
The biggest clown in all Ann Arbor town
A loser all around, you son of a bitch, you're goin' down
'Cause Chad Henne is a mother-fuckin' clown
Chad Henne is a mother-fuckin' clown

-"Chad Henne", by The Dead Schembechlers

To hear this song (and it is SO much funnier to hear, especially when they sing the tune to "Le Regiment"), you should click here and show them some MySpace love!

It's official....NOBODY wants to play us in Glendale!

While the Buckeyes were dismantling the Wildcats yesterday, the rest of the NCAA had the chance to step up and take over the Number 3 slot, putting themselves into position to play in the BCS National Championship game on January 8th.

- #3 Louisville had already lost hope and breathed a sigh of relief at NOT having to face the Bucks.
- #4 Texas had a flashback to September 9th and said "No Mas."
- #5 Auburn said "HELL, NO! PLEASE DROP US OUT OF THE TOP 10!"
- #6 Florida said "We don't want to play Ohio State", but then South Carolina's kicker wouldn't let them lose.
- #8 California said "You know, we're not quite ready for that pressure yet."

That leaves only five possible scenarios for the National Championship.

The winner of Ohio State- That Team Up North WILL play for the title.

They will play either;

- USC
- Notre Dame
- Florida
- Rutgers
- The loser of the Ohio State/That Team Up North game

As for me....I want Notre Dame. And I can guarantee you that they're having nightmares already. If they get in, they have to face one of the two teams that gave them their two most recenty ass-handings.

But above all, I DO NOT WANT TO PLAY RUTGERS!!!!! If we face them, every story leading up to the game will be "David Vs. Goliath", and when we win, everyone will say "well, you should have won, so it doesn't mean anything." No thank you, I don't want that headline. Give me Notre Dame for the second straight year. It'll be just as easy of a win against Rutgers, and we get the satisfaction of humiliating Irish fans all over again.

Back to the Buckeyes.....

OK, my Election day hangover is gone now. And if you are wondering, it was a happy hangover. I've spent the last three days driving people to the polls, watching results in anticipation, losing plenty of sleep, celebrating, working, and playing with my 8-year-old.

Back to the Buckeyes.....

I don't recall where I saw it, but someone asked "why do all our opponents seem to have their best game just before they play us?" Good point. Maybe they don't always have their BEST game, but they sure do play a good one.....

-Northwestern knocked off Iowa last week, now they face us.
-Illinois nearly beat Wisconsin, then faced us.
-Indiana beat Iowa, then faced us.
-Iowa beat Illinois, then faced us (look at Iowa's schedule...they DID play their best game against Illinois)

So what does that tell us?

Not a damn thing. I just thought it was cool.

No commentary today.....

...for two reasons.....

- It's Election day, and I always dedicate myself to helping people who have difficulty getting to the polls. I'm taking a six-and-a-half minute break for lunch, so I'm writing fast.

- I expect Blogger to completely lose power once the polls close and millions of people begin refreshing their pages on political websites.

So have a nice day, go Buckeyes, and please go vote.

Jeff

Oh, and this too.....

...lost amidst the worrying was a cool stat.

Before Illinois scored their FG, Ohio State had scored 105 consecutive points against their opponents. 44 straight against Indiana, 44 against Minnesota, and 17 against Illinois.

Tressel nearly outsmarted himself

I've spent the last few hours contemplating my thoughts on the game, and I came to one conclusion. Jim Tressel tried so hard to NOT show anything new to Michigan, and he nearly got bit in the ass for it.

We went up 17-0 at halftime and we were cruising to another blowout victory. Then, for some inexplicable reason, Tressel became TOO predictable. It was horrifying to watch, because EVERYBODY knew what play was coming.

In the second half, Ohio State ran 10 plays on first down. NINE of them were handoffs to Pittman. The only remaining first down play? A three-yard pass to Pittman.

Ridiculous, and nearly embarrassing. I expected better, and frankly, I'm angry about it.

Am I angry because we only won by 7? No. Am I angry because we didn't execute well? No. I'm angry because we didn't even put up a pretense of trying to mix it up.

We buried Indiana because when we got a small lead, we kept playing OUR style of ball. The same goes for Minnesota. We didn't run up the score, but we still ran OUR plays. But today, we gave up trying. We stopped showing them any different formations, and Illinois reacted.

I kept saying "Tressel's drawing them in, here comes the kill." It never came. He just kept running off-tackle. Again and again and again.

Fortunately, this was an abberation. Tressel will return next week and stop thinking ahead. Michigan Week doesn't begin until the first second AFTER the game against Northwestern.

But today? It feels like a loss. Thank Woody that it wasn't.

Sidebar, your honor?

Quick non-Buckeyes note...I'm a HUGE fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers (and everything else Cleveland, mind you). I want to point something out that I'm going to update all year long.

2005 - First home game against Washington - Cavs won 114-99
2006 - First home game against Washington - Cavs won 97-94

2005 - Road game against San Antonio - Cavs lost 76-102
2006 - Road game against San Antonio - Cavs won 88-81

Two games into the season, already an improvement. Game three is tonight at Charlotte (we won 103-91 last year). I call a 55-60 win season.

Now LET'S GO BUCKEYES!!!!!!!

Another new video!!!

Here it is.....

My tribute to Ginn and Gonzo

Enjoy!

Answering MotSaG questions

Every week, the gang at Men Of The Scarlet And Gray ask a few questions, to get predictions from their experts on what will happen in that weekend's game. Since I'm a staff of one, I can only ask myself questions. Last time I got caught doing that, some nice men in white showed up with a warm new jacket. It didn't have much mobility, and I don't remember where they took me and now my head's starting to hurt from remembering the bad men with jumper cables.

So I think perhaps I'd like to take a crack at MotSaG's questions.....

Does OSU win by more than 17 points?
How many rushing yards does Illinois get? O/U: 100
Pittman starts the game at 894 yards on the season. Does he become a thousand yard rusher this week?
OSU is averaging 2.1 interceptions a game. How many interceptions this week?

- Yes, Ohio State wins by more than 17 points. Buckeyes 41, Illini 10
- I'll take the under. Illinois gets 64 yards on the ground.
- Yes, Pittman gets 1,000 for the year tomorrow. He'll have 128 against Illinois.
- They'll fall below the average and only get 2 INTs this week.

By the way, another video will be available in ten minutes......

Dear Scott Wolf.......

Dear Scott Wolf,
For nine straight weeks, I have been puzzled as to why you have voted West Virginia as the #1 team in the NCAA. As each week goes by, more and more people join the chorus and wonder what it is that you see in the Mountaineers that place them higher than the Buckeyes.
Your blog always lists your vote in the Associated Press poll, but you have consistently refused to explain your vote.
Never mind. I no longer need an answer from you, as I can see you will no longer be able to vote West Virginia as #1.
Your last vote showed us that you voted Ohio State at #2. Clearly, when #1 loses, #2 takes over as the new #1.
Will Ohio State get your vote as the #1 team in the nation, provided they defeat the Illinois Fighting Illini?????

Thank you,
Jeff Seemann

Very little to say.....

Seriously, what is there to say about this week's game? Illinois, while having a few moments above mediocrity this year, is not going to inspire words of wisdom. Having Tress at the helm calms me, because I KNOW he's got The Boys focused on the Illini.

I do have one point to make, and I haven't seen it anywhere yet this week.....

I think it's pretty cool that we are facing off against a former Ohio State Assistant Coach for the second week in a row. Illini Head Coach Ron Zook was a defensive coach here under Head Coach "He Who Shall Not Be Named" in the late 80s.

One last item of interest......

The videos I make. You know which ones I mean. I take the originals, make them high-quality, burn them onto DVD and broadcast them on 4 HUGE SCREENS at the restaurant I work for. I'm the Director Of Marketing, so this is a nice little tie-in to generate excitement. My restaurant is the ONLY place that plays these videos.

Wednesday, the Regional Manager came into town (we're a chain restaurant) and asked to see the videos. I showed him one. He asked me to make several copies of everything I have and get them to every restaurant in his region. They'll be shown before the Michigan game on the 18th (and before, if I can get all the copies made in time).

I had hoped I'd get a little recognition for those, outside of my own blog and YouTube. I guess that's happening now.

Copyright infringement must be the legacy I will leave behind.

Edit - By the way, I'll take Louisville tonight. WVA may feel underappreciated, but how do you think Louisville has felt watching all those ESPN commentators talking about WVA feeling underappreciated?