Table: Round, evening: Capped

01. We're all basically in conference play now, sans Purdue who played visitor to Notre Dame over the weekend. What did you see in the conference opener that you liked? What did you see that sucked noodles? If you're one of the Purdue blogs, what did you see against Notre Dame that has you nervous (or even optimistic) for your conference opener against Penn State this Saturday? Oh, and, have fun with that game, by the way. As far as what I liked, I enjoyed seeing the development of our offensive talent. Leshoure Ford and Dufrene are all hitting their stride at just the right time, and since they will all be here for a few more years, that is a good sign. Also, how about Juice and Benn hooking up on two very rediculous touchdown passes, I love watching Benn play. On the other side I would say that giving up our second kickoff touchdown, of the season is not a good sign. Oh and the defense *ahem* needs some work.
02. Ole Miss punked #4 Florida in Gainesville. #1 USC got punked by Oregon State on national television? What's the underlying theme behind these bizarre upsets? You guessed it: magic. Some kind of hocus-y pocus-y sorcery in the form of "familiarity". The idea being pitched around is that these upsets come in conference games because the underdog has played the heavily favored team before, and thus isn't afraid of them nor surprised by anything they do. Should I buy this idea? Or are these upsets more likely the combination of something more conventional, like great/horrendous gameplanning, preparation and execution by the underdog/favorite team respectively?
Upsets are as different as snowflakes and the only common denominator is the losing team being highly ranked, while the winner is not. In some cases its a coaching flop, (ie Bielema) in others its being far far too highly ranked (Georgia) in still others its a turnovers at the worst times (Florida) and still others is beaver magic dead set on destroying the dreams of Pete Carrol, who took the embarrassing loss with a relaxed grin. Oh and it doesn't hurt to have factors like a weak secondary, a rash of injuries or a big game next on the schedule. 03. Entering the season, Beanie was the Big Ten's Heisman favorite. After a few games, Javon Ringer had put up the Heisman stats, though I don't think anyone could've believed that Ringer would have the hype machine necessary to get him to New York. Yet, after this week, I see his name mentioned more and more in the Heisman race. Do you think Ringer, at this pace, gets to New York on something more than a courtesy visit (on courtesy visit, see: everyone last year not named Tim Tebow; everyone in 2006 not named Troy Smith)? How about Daryll Clark? Is Daryll Clark of Penn State legitimately in the Heisman race after week 5?
If Clark isn't he ought to be now. He took my teams admittedly flawed defense, cut out its liver and kidneys and served it to us with onions. The man is seemingly mistake free. He is much more accurate than I thought he would be and makes decisions like he has played far more than his stats indicate. It won't hurt that Penn State has big pull on the east coast either. Ringer may end up being like Mendenhall last year, clearly somewhere near the top of the heap of running backs but will be over shadowed by the rediculous hype machine of other conferences, and the corresponding numbers that running up the score provides. 04. With the nonconference schedule basically over, do you think the Big Ten collectively bettered its standing from the maligned position it was in before the season began? For every Wisconsin victory over Fresno State and Penn State thrashing of Oregon State, there's Michigan's turnover bonanza against the Irish and Ohio State's neutering by USC. Long question short, what sticks out more: the positives or the negatives for the conference?
At this point in the season it is hard to say. Our best teams piss their pants and play well below their talent level when it counts. (my own team included) And traditional power Michigan has turned into a frankenstein monster that doesn't know what team its playing for. The PAC 10, the ACC and Big East all have had terrible seasons so far. Comparably speaking the Big Ten has not had it so bad. We may have had our best hope for an MNC defanged and embarrassed, but it wasn't to ECU or Navy, and that is saying something. Big 12 is tops right now, and then the SEC. YES I SAID IT. 05. As I'm sure you may have seen on your moving pictures box, the Ernie Davis movie has been getting a lot of publicity for its imminent release to theatres. The story, of course, centers around the first African-American Heisman winner and some of the trials that come from being a black athlete, playing before the Civil Rights movement and playing in the Cotton Bowl. Does your football program have an uplifting story that you think is movie-worthy? If so, please share it.
No, to my knowledge there is no such uplifting story for the football team. But I will tell you a story of a man who came to this campus a wide eyed virgin just home from the war. He would would spend his days in Lincoln hall dreaming of the perfect magazine, the perfect lifestyle, the perfect set of....moral standards. That man was Hugh Hefner, and he is still the greatest graduate of this University, Nobel Prizes and Youtube inventors be damned, this guy invented Playboy. Make a movie about that.