AndreaK1041

I don't think Iowa is going to win the Big10 championship game, so that will probably be a moot point. I have a really, really hard time thinking of the rankings in terms of right now and not looking ahead though. Is it possible for the loser of Alabama-LSU to still go to the SEC championship game if the winner does not lose any more games? Like if LSU loses, can they still go to the championship game if they win the rest of their games? If so, we have an SEC problem on our hands come Top 4. Not having a conference title game is going to bite the Big12 in the ass again. Why are they so opposed? The Big10 didn't used to have one either, and I don't feel like having it is bad. Plus the conference is currently really lopsided with Nebraska and Wisconsin having down years, so it is actually to Iowa's benefit to have a shot at a super impressive win to cap off an undefeated season. But then that possibility is in the minds of the playoff committee (well, if they win the championship, then we will move them up), so they are ranking on future not present as well. This is a very circular post.

Given my pissing and moaning about strength of schedule, I can only be pleased by the first rankings. It's ok to me that Bama is there. They will either prove or not prove their worthiness of the Top 4 in 5 days anyhow, but their loss is not so bad (Ole Miss is still in the Top 20) and was really early in the season, which matters a lot. Not much love for the Pac12. I think the good Pac12 teams look pretty good when I see them play.

This stood out to me too. I can see how having people like that around you could make you feel completely inadequate, so Julie's crushing self-doubt seems understandable. She has no charming anecdotes about Arabian princes (?) shooting her in the ass, nor would she be able to tell it in a flirtatious yet proper way.

After Dave's taco joke I think someone claps, but it my mind it was a congratulatory high five. If not, virtual high five.

Pretty hilarious interview on ESPN this morning with a former ACC rules guy. He was on the phone seemingly giving technical explanations about reviewable plays, etc, but on screen they were showing highlights of the last play with arrows pointing out all the rules violations. There were 5.

Whew. Michigan did not deserve that victory at all. Now come on Temple...

That lame punishment doesn't look good on Urban. I would like to say I was wrong in my original post though. The media assumed the suspension included the bye week because OSU has a mandatory two week suspension in the substance policy. However, the AD put out a statement that since he was only charged with a misdemeanor, the mandatory punishment doesn't apply. (oh really? http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/compliance/pdf/current-drug-alcohol-policy.pdf) So Urban got to name the punishment. And he decided one week would do it.

Ohio State's 20 year old QB JT Barrett was arrested for DUI (OWI in OH). He was given a 2 week suspension, 1 of which will be SERVED DURING THEIR BYE WEEK.

For the love, Angela, support those babies' heads! They were all floppity. Of course they were TV several week old baby "newborns", but still! Are we suppose to like that guy's sister with the black smoke? Or think she was a victim? Maybe she was good once before she was kidnapped, but she seems pretty evil now.

Wouldn't be surprised at all if the team pulls together at a time of turmoil and beats Michigan. You lose a great guy like that as your coach, you're going to really push to do something to make him happy.

They played the crowd warm up video that the Sacramento Kings use on TV tonight. It is 75% media clips saying that they are dysfunctional organization with little voice overs from the players saying how they are here to play, prove everyone wrong, etc. I see the intent, but it came across as simply a video of what a dysfunctional organization it is. I am only watching this because Demarcus Cousins always gets frustrated with Blake Griffin owning him and has a meltdown.

I feel this way about every other Big10 school, even the "Big10" Maryland and Rutgers who I still don't like in our conference. I want everyone in the Big10 to win everything. Almost everyone, that is. I would like to say I am a bigger person about the Buckeyes, but I am not. I want them to lose every single game. I have a broad perspective on the rivalry having both lived in Ann Arbor and gotten my undergraduate degree from Michigan, and then later in life lived in Ohio and was an employee at OSU for 3 years. From living in both places, I am so deeply entrenched in my disdain for the fanbase of Ohio State (not the University, or the academics, or the alumni, but the "others"), that I cannot cheer for them in any way, even if it in some way benefits anyone else.

OK, fine, it's inappropriate for Mark May to specifically hate one team and thereby the conference they play in since he is a national news figure. Doesn't mean I can't enjoy the hell out of it. Also, I think he can argue strength of schedule issues if he is consistent, which as far as I know, he is.I don't think he's hooting and hollering for Baylor either. The fact that he is an ass does not sway my opinions about strength of schedule either. My main issue with it is non-conference scheduling anyway. You can't help if your conference is having an up or down year, or even which teams end up on that schedule (for instance, the Big Ten overall is pretty good this year, but Ohio State played shit teams all the way up to Nov 14. Not their fault.) But I really wish schools were encouraged to play at least one meaningful non-conference game, like Wisconsin-Alabama or MSU-Oregon. (I also say the fact that Oregon is in a down year is ok, because the intent of both schools was to play a challenging game). The AP is clearly unphased by schedules given that Baylor is a 2 and have played no one, but I hope that when it comes down to actually sorting out the Top 4 (which I think there will be several teams in contention for) the schedule is taken into account. I guess it is an irrelevant comment based on a future that we do not know what will happen in, and I derailed it by admitting it was an idea reignited by a guy everyone hates, but there you go :)

I didn't see a lot of games yesterday so I've been watching the ESPN recap shows this morning. Mark May went on a mini rant about strength of schedule and I could not agree more. There are a lot of teams you could argue are worthy of the Top 4, but if I were picking, lame non-conference opponents would be an automatic deduction. And yes, that will apply for Michigan next year who I believe is playing Hawaii, Colorado and UCF. That is not acceptable. It thus leads me to this conclusion - if Notre Dame wins out they should 100% be in the playoff. Their schedules are always tough (yes, I know, different story being independent). However, as much as I dislike ND personally, I respect the hell out of their schedule. My Top 4 are LSU, Clemson, TCU (assuming they beat Baylor after the QB injury) and MSU (assuming OSU will lose in Nov). But if ND wins out, one of those teams should go. Interesting year.

I cannot with Julie emphasizing the t in shooting. She does it intentionally. She missed one when it was in the middle of a fast sentence. I don't get it. She does not otherwise fake an accent, so this is weird. I've noticed it in other episodes, but this one said shooting so many times it was overwhelming. I loved seeing all the happy hunting dogs!

It is a boring week, but I think that's still OK for GameDay. I like when they do new schools. I like it a little better when they do it in the middle of nowhere (looking at you North Dakota) because people who live there don't get attention very often, but still, fun for these FCS teams. In case any of you were wondering as to my well being after this weekend's debacle (I know one person who is not!), I am getting over it. I felt legitimately sad going about my life for most of yesterday, but it's going away. If I'm honest with myself, looking at the schedule 3 weeks ago I had already mentally marked the MSU game as a loss, so good for the team for (a) giving people confidence in them again and (b) almost actually winning. Sigh. We do have one more thing on the schedule that could be redeeming... or should I say could be The redemption.

Evolution, what is the deal with the National media ignoring FSU this year? Sure they have a lame schedule buy they are not The only ones.

People do suck. That punter has been solid all season. Shit happens, leave the kid alone. The only positive I can take from today is that MSU and OSU should be undefeated in Big10 play when they meet and I am really looking forward to that game. I'll be happy either way because one will definitely lose. Also it should be a great battle. Oregon is wearing lime green tonight? I guess they just wear whatever now.

That was the most unpleasant 4 hours of football ever so that ending is just about right. Mother. Fucker.

Bad day to be Joe Bolden, victim of the horrible targeting call that will be the example they use to rewrite the rule.

I used to get up at 7 at watch GameDay because I love it so much. Now I tune in at 8:50 to see the picks and that's it. You're right, the length is excessive. I do like all the hosts very much though.

Fun fact: One of my bridesmaids was hit on by a guy in NYC many years ago. When he tried to get her to go to his hotel she said "Ehh, that's too far downtown". Two days later she sees him on the cover of the New York Post accepting the Heisman Trophy. Leinert. I told her she made the right choice. (She doesn't follow football)

Statutory rape, correct? I heard on NPR (Sacramento NPR, I don't think this story is high profile anywhere else) this morning they have phone calls recorded of them talking about their activities together and how she thought it seemed wrong what with her being 17 and all (the fact that she recorded that call is... interesting.) Not saying it wasn't wrong what he did, but when I think "rape" I think something much more disturbing than that. If I am wrong about understanding the story, I apologize. The report seemed so odd to me that she would come out to discuss something in the public that happened 20 years ago that was reported and investigated. OK Immediately editing because ESPN's story says "Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, one of the principal figures in the film, was alleged to have molested a teenage girl while playing for the Phoenix Suns in the 1990s. The allegations came up during his 2008 mayoral campaign and were widely covered. Johnson denied any wrongdoing, though there was a $230,000 financial settlement between Johnson and his accuser. Phoenix authorities never charged Johnson." Molestation and statutory rape are not the same, so I was wrong there. Also it is not the victim bringing this back up, it was always public, and it seems just like a media blitz related to the movie (a movie I believe was already screened at the Tribeca Film Festival?).

Curious to see if Trojan War does the same for you. My opinions of Matt Lienart being a d-bag are unchanged. (Even without them touching on him dating Kristen Cavalleri of The Hills while she was still in high school and he was at USC. I know this from watching The Hills, I admit.)

Did anyone else catch this? It's pretty good. Reminded me how much I hated USC then and how much I hated them for making me cheer for Texas and ND. It had a lot of the same feel as the Fab Five one... Look at this group, they are so talented, whoops NCAA violations crush program, banished from record. Well it was a lot like that except that the Fab Five never actually, you now.... won a National Championship. That's still my favorite ESPN Film (obviously.).