2011 Pre-Season Spectacular!

Wow! It’s been and entire off season and here we sit with less than 25 days to go before kick-off. I’m writing “less than 25 days” because I’m writing this post as time allows. Believe it or not, work, life and finding time are becoming more and more difficult for your MMQ. And while I’m not quitting the blog, I do have to make time for it now.

I know some of you may have heard about the recent family issues we may have endured and I sincerely appreciate all the kind thoughts, prayers and support that you all have provided. Life is proceeding nicely at this point and we certainly take advantage of every day! But, enough about that….On to what you read this garbage for:

Current Happenings:

Numero Uno:

The Night Before Judgement Day

T’was the night before Judgement Day,
And all through the Big “C”,
Not a fan was making noise,
Not even bow tied Gordon Gee.

All the Suckeyes were quiet,
Nestled down in their little huts,
The NCAA is coming tomorrow,
As Suckeye fans feverishly rub their Buckeye good luck nuts…

The fans believe they’ll get off with a wrist slap,
The main culprits are gone, you see…
But Lack of Institutional Control,
Is too many big words for most Suckeye’s Vocabulary…

The NCAA sent another letter on August 3rd,
Stating, “Hey, Suckeyes, we found more stuff.”
So, even if we don’t pound you tomorrow,
We’ve got a free out for later to get tough.

St. Tressel took the proverbial money and ran,
Golden Boy Pryor was not far behind.
Smith and Gee still claim to be, “In control”
Which, this Michigan Fan would love to see those Suckeyes Define.

And all Michigan fans will watch the proceedings,
With interest more than piqued
As we took a big ole beating,
For a little extra stretching, less than 25 minutes a week.

And The Rubbers (Also know as Trojans)
Will be watching closely, too.
My guess is they will want to see,
A punishment equivalent handed down to OSU.

So, on the Eve of “tOSU Judgement Day” we wait,
And we wonder about it all.
Will the NCAA do what’s right?
And where EXACTLY will the axe fall?

Number 2
As predicted here, the Domers (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!) - (Hey, did you know my word processor now completes that phrase for me as soon as I type JEEZ? It’s awesome baby!) have taken the extremely low road and re-instated “2 Beer Floyd” for the season and he will most likely be on the field in Ann Arbor under the lights. Forgive me Domers, but you now are the classic definition of hypocrite. You suck, you will always suck, and I’m truly ashamed to have been raised and call myself a catholic with your institution still standing and the people running it calling themselves catholics. When and if Judgement day comes for the Domers, there will be a lot of “good” people that will have a whole lot of explaining to do…

Three
A&M to the SEC. It’s like a bad, bad, baaaadddd, soap opera. It ain’t gonna happen, UT and the state of Texas will NOT let it happen, and if it does happen, you can bet the Big 12 will dissolve faster than a popcorn fart in a hurricane. Texas will go the route of the Domers and try their hand at independence. They will “Set the Bar” for an independent institution, television rights, broadcasting fees, etc.

Pres Season Predictions
MMQ's End Of Season Top 10
Instead of a pre-season Top 10, you all know I try to figure out who’s going to be in the top 10 at the END of the season. Who I like, without rhyme or reason. Okay, maybe a little reason:

1. Stanford - Come on, Luck coming back is huge for that team.
2. Alabama - Bowl game loss to Luck will be sweet for all other College Football Fans….
3. Boise State - Something has been eating at me and this could be the year of the mid major in the National Title game…Not that they’ll win.
4. Oregon – Come back kids have controversy and a lot of time to prepare in order to deal with it. But Luck will be too much..
5. Texas A&M – If they can get by Texas
6. Michigan – Surprise Big 10 Champions!
7. Virginia Tech – Who else can you pick from the ACC?
8. LSU – An extremely disappointing season for Miles…
9. Wisconsin – Didn’t see Michigan coming
10. Georgia – Sleeper in the SEC. I’ve read a couple things and I like ole Richy Rich to get it right (finally)

You know, perspective is a wonderful thing. I believe I have a pretty good perspective on life in general. You can’t take yourself too seriously, don’t get hung up on the little stuff, and enjoy the ride because it ain’t about the destination, it’s about the journey. Getting there isn’t half the fun, it’s the whole enchilada.

Which brings me to the hype machine surrounding this year’s Michigan Team. I know we’re going to be decent – or at least better than a lot of people think were going to be. We have Rich Rod’s 3rd year kids. The Defense should be healthy(er). I think we might win a few more games then people are suggesting (8 seems to be the common number). I also believe we might surprise an opponent or two along the way. I believe the Defense will be better and the Offense cannot (statistically, anyway) repeat what they achieved last year. And I know there will be a heartbreaking loss or two in the mix….

All that being said, I am going to enjoy the ride. Something just suddenly “feels” right with Hoke in there. Rich Rod was truly an outsider; an alien of sorts. Hoke not only gets it, I think he knows what’s expected. “No excuses, we’re Michigan.”

That being said, it wouldn’t be a Pre-Season Spectacular without the MMQ’s prediction for Michigan in 2011. So, let’s take them one game at a time starting with:

Western Michigan: Western lost a bunch of talent and frankly wasn’t all that great last year when they came into the Big House with their pro-ready QB that was supposed to light us up. They don’t have another guy like that waiting in the wings, it’s the home opener, and Hoke is going to want to send a message. Michigan wins running away.
Michigan 38- Western 16



DOMERS: First time under the lights in Ann Arbor. I have to say, I’m getting chills as I type this and I’m feeling a little excited about a night game in Ann Arbor. It should be a lot of fun, although I’m not looking forward to the 3-4 AM arrival time at home on Sunday Morning. However, I’m glad we get the Domers home in Hoke’s 1st year and Kelly’s 2nd. This is a bigger game for Kelly than it is for Hoke, but it’s still a Big Game... Kelly blew the game last year with some bad calls and I believe he’ll be coaching it a little different this year, which may play right into Brady’s hands. Michigan wins a tight one.
Michigan 35 – Notre Dame 28 (OT)


Eastern Michigan: Ron English – Brady Hoke. EMU just doesn’t have the guns to go after Michigan. It was ugly last year, it will be ugly again this year. However, if there was a potential “trap” game on the schedule, it’s this one because of who is coming to town next week.
Michigan 42 – EMU 24

San Diego State: This will be a fired up squad that is looking to “stick it to the coach that left them”. Look for a closer game than most people expect and I don’t even know what the spread is yet, but your FMQ will be taking San Diego and the points in this one.
Michigan 31 – San Diego State 27

Minnesota: Kill, the Coach, will have a couple of games under his belt and be looking for a “statement” game in order to establish the fact that he can coach in the Big 10. I’m not saying the Gophers will win, but expect a close game here as well.
Michigan 37 – Minnesota 31

At Northwestern: Honestly, this game scares me. Up to this point, Michigan has won them all, so we’re in a familiar situation at 5-0. Problem is, they’ve all been in the cozy confines of the Big House. Persa is a veteran QB and has something like 22 returning starters on offense and defense on a team that was bowling last year. Not only that, but this is the 2nd trap game on the schedule because the Italian Stallion and company are on the slate the following week. If Michigan is favored, I’m definitely taking Northwestern and the points.
Michigan 42 – Northwestern 45


At SPARTY: I have seen predictions with Sparty winning this division. A lot of them. I’m not yet convinced that Sparty can handle the hype. It’s a wait and see kind of thing. Sparty will probably be undefeated or at most one loss (Domer Revenge), but they’ll be ready for us, regardless. If Hoke and company want to shock the world, the first jolt willl have to happen in East Lansing.
Michigan 38 – MSU 35 (OT)

Purdon’t: What used to be a Big 10 doormat for Michigan has become an every growing irritant in the eyes of Michigan fans everywhere. While they will give Michigan a game early, this is Homecoming. Expect great things as Hoke will re-ignite the fires of what Homecoming in Ann Arbor truly means.
Michigan 28 – Purdue 24

At Iowa: On the road again. Iowa will be better than most prognosticators think as they are a relatively well coached team. Ferentz isn’t dumb and he will have this team up and ready for the Wolverines. If the shock the world team with one loss plans on a New Year’s day game, it has to win at Iowa. But don’t bet on it…
Michigan 27 – Iowa 28

At Illinois: Immediately following Ron Zook’s canning at Illinois (more on the Coach’s Hot Seat in a minute), the Fighting Illini vow to go out and win one for their coach. However, Michigan is running on all cylinders now with some big games in their sights. The Illini will show up, but a new attitude defense will be gelling and the offense will be firing on all cylinders. Expect a road blow out after a character defining loss at Iowa City….
Michigan 51 – Illini – 24


Nebraska: Michigan fans everywhere have circled this date and wondered, “Will we be ready?” This is a team that was a field goal away from playing as the Big 12 Champion. But they did lose to a lowly Washington team in the flea bag bowl they played in…Pellini will have these boys ready to go, but they’ve never seen anything like the Big House.
Michigan 24 – Nebraska 17

tOSU: Well, it all comes down to this. As always. Michigan with a potential shot at the inaugural Big 10 Championship Game. All the fans will be stuffed from Turkey Day and Leftover Turkey Sandwiches will more than likely be the Tailgate Theme, along with a whole bunch of Big Game. Will the Curse of Tressel die with Tressel or will it live on indefinitely? I have a feeling (I know it’s early, I’m optimistic, and I had a beer at lunch) but I have a feeling the tide may finally turn in this match up and it will become a true rivalry again.
Michigan 20 – Suckeyes 17


Big 10 Championship: Michigan looks to take on their Cheesehead foes for the right to represent the Big 10 in the Rose Bowl. Wisconsin will more than likely be undefeated and playing a little tight. Michigan will be looking to put an exclamation point on an already successful 10-2 season. Can the 2011 Wolverines Shock the World?
Michigan 24 – Wisconsin 23

Come on, what did you expect? I can’t be down on my team forever. And with the defense healthy (assuming they can stay that way KNOCK ON WOOD!) I believe we have a better than average chance of achieving what many believe would otherwise be impossible with a 1st year head coach. Whatever. I think we've got a shot, at least for now.

Idle Thoughts From the Pre-Season

-I think Hoke took full advantage of the mess at tOSU with respect to recruiting.
-Dantonio is a boob for suggesting that the firing of Tressel was a tragedy. He was even more of a Boob for stating he didn’t know who Brandstatter was. Dantonio is absolutely the right coach for MSU. Classless and stupid. Enough said.
-Whatever happened to dull, boring College Football “Off Seasons?” when there was nothing going on and you longed for news or information?
-Teams that will surprise this year to the up side: Michigan, Georgia, Tennessee (all will finish in the top 25 - maybe even top 10)
-Teams that will surprise to the down side: LSU, MSU, TCU (Won’t finish as high as their fans would like - one possibly out of the top 25)
-Things I’d like to see: Big 10 vs. the SEC pre-season. ACC vs. the Big East Preseason. Pac 10 vs. Big 12 Preseason. One game corresponding to where each of those teams finished the prior year. So, Auburn plays tOSU, 2nd vs. 2nd, and so on. I know it will never happen, but it’d be nice…
-Other things I’d love to See: Domers to continue to struggle in mediocrity and insignificance for the foreseeable future. They don’t deserve to win, plain and simple. I will take great delight in Domer losses this year. And I will gladly drive down and buy a round for Floyd after every loss.
-Tressel being honored by Ohio High School Coaches is not only ludicrous, but it has to be a sign of some sort. And by sign I mean relating to a biblical upheaval or something. Let’s honor a guy for lying and breaking the rules because he was “really a good guy at heart.”
-So was John Wayne Gacy. Just a little misunderstood, that’s all.
-Who was John Wayne Gacy? Sheesh, look it up for Pete’s sake….


The Hot Seat
Well, Julie Bowen was everywhere touting her Hot Seat Mascot Championship every time she was in public. I personally didn’t know Julie was so proud of her award, but apparently she has stated it’s one of her most cherished possessions.

So, in keeping with the theme Hollywood hot chick theme from last year, were bringing you a starlet that was in this summer’s quasi-blockbuster Cowboys and Aliens, not to mention being a recurring cast member on AMC’s Mad Men. Without further ado, I introduce you to this Seasons Pre-Season Hot Seat Mascot - Abigail Spencer!

Who knew there could be SO Much Hot Seat activity in the off season. A summary:

1. St. Tressel. Yeah, I know we dedicated about a month and 5 or 6 posts to him, but it just wouldn’t be the Hot Seat without a mention of Old SweaterVesty….
2. Butch Davis – This has to be the oddest firing of all time. In fact, I decided to do a little research to see how many Division 1 head coaches had been fired in July. The number I came up with - ZERO. No other head coach has EVER been let go in June, according to records that exist. So this one, while not a surprise, couldn’t have been worse from a timing perspective.
3. Bill Stewart – I simply can’t believe the Hollywood movie this fiasco turned into. I believe this abortion has completely and utterly scared schools straight on the whole “Coach in Waiting” idea.

Hot Seat Rank

1. Without question, Paul Wulff, Wazoo. I don’t care if you’re a former player. Two wins in 2 seasons ain’t cutting it…Even at Wazoo
2. Neuheisel – Ditto. More wins, but at UCLA, more is expected.
3. Bob Toledo – Tulane is patient, but who knows for how much longer
4. Erickson – ASU had a great season in 2007 and much was expected afterwards. What’s happened? ASU has sucked, that’s what’s happened….
5. Richy Richt – Georgia fans don’t know whether to love or hate him, but he has endured. If he doesn’t do it this season, don’t be surprised is all I’m sayin’…
6. Zooky – I’m still shocked he’s still there, but I guess the Illini figure, “What the hell…who are we gonna get? Rich Rod?”
7. Tedford – California had a taste and Tedford starts out strong, but fades late in the season. Bears fans have to be getting a little tired of that….
8. Schiano – Rutgers. Turned down Michigan which now looks pretty stupid…My guess is if he doesn’t produce in the Weak East this year, they’ll look for someone else…
9. Kelly or Kelly – As in Chip and Brian. One of these guys could be staring a 2-2 or 1-3 start in the face if they aren’t careful. The other guy is not looking real good in the eyes of the NCAA. Either one of these could feel the heat get turned up sooner rather than later
10. Joe Pa – I know. He’ll be here till he dies because he ain’t quittin’. But, really, what value is he possibly adding at this point, besides being the old curmudgeon figurehead of the Nittany Lions?

By the way, have you got your name card handy? 4 new coaches in the Big 10:

Fickell
Kill
Hoke
Wilson

Can you name the teams they coach without looking? (I know the Wilson one is tough….But it’s a test, it’s supposed to be tough)

FMQ
The FMQ, for those of you that read this far, did incredibly well last season, but it was at the VERY END OF THE SEASON in the Bowls where I was able to clean up and I only did it by going for broke. So, while the results were favorable, I frankly hated the path we took to get there.

A quick summary of last year’s bowl bets and final bank:

TOTAL WIN: $870
BANK: $1,432.50
So, once again, we’ll start the year out with $1,000 cool American Clams that are technically worth a whole lot less this year than they were last year (Thank you Mr. Bernanke!) with the goal in mind to double it (or better) or lose it.

In my defense, after studying a couple of years worth of spreadsheets, I must say that my Michigan picks were less than stellar. In fact, they have been one of the problems for the FMQ as far as making money is concerned. So, we are going to continue to fantasy wager the Wolverines, but I just want everyone to know they kill me. They really do.

NCAA Disbelief? I'm NOT Buying It....Yet....

I can't believe this is happening, and my brain refuses to accept the reports at face value. In case you HAVEN'T heard, click the link for a detailed Maize and Brew report in addition to the various links at the right.

Can we look at the facts and arguments for and against again just so were all clear? Thanks.

1. Jim Tressel was the "Head Coach" of OSU when ALL of the crap was going down with Tat-gate, Pryor-Gate, and Troy Smith getting $500. That is clearly repeated offenses and a pattern of non-compliance. But tOSU will offer up that it was all Tressel and he's gone.
2. Not to mention a litany of other infractions that have been summarized by Genuinely Sarcastic in "Dotting the Lie". More infractions and additional support of the non-compliance arguments that tOSU will point at and say, "Tressel".
3. Just because Tressel is no longer part of the institution, he was a big piece of it when he was coaching, no? How does that not qualify as lack of institutional control? tOSU will point to it again and say, "Hey, how could we possibly know?"
4. IF the NCAA doesn't cut at least 5 scholarships for at least 1 year in addition to a 1 year bowl ban, then USC is going to shit a trojan horse. I mean, they are going to be pissed. In the USC situation, coaches could not even be implicated in the deeds of Bush and Mayo. Those were just players and this was the head coach.

I'm patiently waiting for August 12th and hoping that the latest was just a bone that the NCAA threw to the rabid fans that I'm sure are filling the NCAA mailboxes with hate mail, threatening letters and who knows what else. But if the NCAA compliance committee doesn't come down hard on these guys, Michigan should go back and tell the NCAA to shove the 2nd year of probation up their collective asses and say thanks for all the support.

Yes, I'm a little ticked right now, but I do believe that the NCAA will do the right thing. Vacating wins and a bowl victory means crap. Everyone knows who won the game on the field, whether they cheated or not. Tressel resigning/firing was a sacrifice on the NCAA altar of justice, but in my mind, that isn't nearly enough. Pete Carrol also saw some writing on the wall and took the easy way out to the NFL. tOSU needs to suffer a similar fate.

And while they have taken a beating on the recruiting trail, it still needs to be re-inforced by a rules committee that shows a little backbone and does what they know to be right, even though without supboena power, it's a little unclear what really happened in every case.

MGoBlog Looks At The Tressel Situation

MGBlog challenged the OSU blog community to come up with an argument as to why tOSU's punishment would be less than USC's....and Eleven Warriors came forward with what can only be described as a "sad" table of arguments that are truly scarlet and grey colored....

Unfortunately, as I have said, this seems to the be the collective thought process of Buck-Idiots everywhere...

They make it so easy to call them stupid at this point. It's like a collection of Forest Gumps all saying and playing the same tune.

Floydd Likely to Play Entire Season

Well, Brian Kelly has OFFICIALLY gone to the level of MSU and the SEC:

Michael Floydd will have to earn his way back onto the field. Meaning he's still suspended and if he doesn't screw up between now and the Michigan game, chances are he's playing.

I'm not entirely sure what exactly burns my ass more in this deal.

1. The Domer's (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!) gutless action to let him stay in school vs. kicking him out.
2. Kelly's only move to let him stay on the team until he screws up "again".

I mean, I get Kelly. He saw what happened to the likes of The Rod, Weis, and others that can't win in their first 3-5 years. College football fans and boosters at the big instutions demand excellence. And why can't we get kids and win like the SEC, USC and tOSU? I would hope that the casual collegiate football fan is starting to see that of all the schools mentioned above, their is a price that they need to pay for winning. USC is feeling it now. The OSU will feel it on August 12th. The SEC will eventually feel it once they collectively decide to stop cheating and start following the NCAA rules or they will need to pay a price.

But, Kelly could have and should have sent a message to every Domer wannabe that now sees he can screw up a couple of times and still be on the team. Of course, it will help tremendously if you're a Heismann hopeful and All American. If this had been some 3rd string lineman, chances are he'd be playing down the road or for Houston Nutt, who seems to have a thing for giving guys second chances.

The Domers (JEEZ I "REALLY" HATE THESE GUYS!) are now all about one thing. Winning. Don't hand me the higher moral ground bullshit any longer. Don't hand me the fact that it's harder to get into the school and that the standards are impossible for any SEC player to match. You're all the same at this point.

And you know what's really funny? You can't win, even though you've stooped down to that level.

I like to think of that as "God's Punishment." Maybe, just maybe, hiding behind the veil of catholic religion is somehow vexing you. Maybe their is a higher power and he's pissed off at you for not doing the right thing. Maybe....

Buckeye Dumb vs. Buckeye-Dumber

The title refers to the fact that all Buckeyes are to a certain extent, dummies. Think Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels. I can’t help but think at this point that tOSU is merely an SEC school that happened to get lucky and land in the Big 10 conference.



And you can sort of see the resemblance. This whole Buck-nut mess is the result of an egomaniac coach too blind to see the error of his ways and a bigger ego – maniacal player too dumb to even suspect that he might – MIGHT get outed and caught for selling memorabilia and now, somewhere between $20K- $40K worth of autographs.

The more you hear about Pryor, the more you have to keep asking yourself: Is he REALLY that dumb? And if he is, how can he possibly be passing a collegiate level course? Even if it is at OSU….

So, we can all safely assume that Tressel is a smart individual, he was just really dumb with respect to several decisions and over-sights when it came to the team and what they did off the field. Pryor is just Dumber and I don’t think we can give him any credit for more than that….

Unfortunately, there are so many “true Buckeyes” that I have an unusual amount of respect for that I can’t even begin to fathom what they are feeling right now with respect to their alma mater. A short list:

Herbstreit – Moved away from Columbus to Tennessee. Probably hates the fact that he attended OSU and more or less called out fans for blindly following Tressel…
Speilman – Can’t believe Pryor was able to pull the shenanigans he pulled and got away with it. Can’t believe team leaders didn’t confront this clown and set him straight.…

Griffin (Archie) – Steps up and toes the OSU line being more than individuals that F’d up…

All the rest are Buckeye – Idiots that are defending the coach, encouraging him to run for public office in Ohio (where he would win in a landslide) due to the fact that the state is full of Buck-I-diots that figure Tressel is a good guy and was just pushing the envelope.

I just can’t help but wonder who else will quit – resign – get fired before August 11th before the NCAA hearing. Now, as he is no longer part of the team or enrolled at OSU, Pryor is absolved from having to participate in the hearing. Although there is more than enough evidence already there that can be used against him and the University. I think, when you start adding it all up, there is more dirt on Pryor than there was on Reggie Bush. And you have the Tressel Tribble compounding effect in that he knew it was going on and “Tresseled” about it.

I don’t know how Buck-I-diot Nation seems to think that there is no way the NCAA will come down on them less severely than USC. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that as more and more evidence comes to light that tOSU may be facing something much similar to what SMU suffered through in the 1980’s. I’m not saying here for the record that OSU’s football program will be dissolved for a year, but I would be willing to bet that the number of scholarships that will be lost and bowls that tOSU will not get to attend may be greater than that of USC. And that will come as a huge shock to a lot of Buck-I-diots that will somehow think they weren’t cheating as bad as USC or the SEC.

Thoughts on Lucas Oil Permanent Big 10 Championship Home….

I heard yesterday about the permanent home of the Big 10 Championship being at Lucas Oil Stadium and I immediately felt a bit of bile rise in my throat. While it wasn’t anger, it was something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.


I mean, I was happy that the location was relatively close to home (Indy is about a 5-6 hour drive for this fan) and it’s similar for 6 or 8 of the Big 10 school’s involved. Obviously, PSU, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin may have complaints, but everyone else can either fly or drive.

Nor was my concern with the fact that it was in what many people consider a “destination” city in the mid-west with all the infrastucture, cultural, hotel and bar facilities that fans need. Indy is also the home of one of the greatest races in all auto racing, even thought the two groups that used to represent open wheel racing still can’t seem to make an agreement work.

No, my concern was two-fold: 1. It’s an indoor stadium. Now, I get that it will be cold in December when they play this game and that it will be in prime time at night. But this fan would have welcomed that extra energy associated with a collegiate night game in the brutal cold. It’s what defines us as Midwesterners. And it would have also kept ticket prices in line for the average fan that would like to go see his alma mater play in this game. Which brings me to point number 2. Lucas Oil only seats 63,000 fans. That’s a big problem. I know they play the SEC in Atlanta in the Georgia Dome and the Big 12 Championship was played all over the place (which didn’t help attendance) but were hosted at neutral site pro-stadiums. And the ACC has finally adopted a permanent home in North Carolina after they were only able to sell 30,000 tickets to the two games in Tampa. I mean, did that even make sense? The ACC championship in Tampa??? The northern teams wouldn’t even have the option of road tripping there if they wanted to without missing work time…It was simply a bad idea.

My biggest problem is that the Big 10 traditionally has stadiums that approach or exceed 100,000 fans. And if you get the perennial powers back in place (which seems highly unlikely this year) but if you do get two big teams in the Championship, you’re going to be denying a lot of fans the opportunity to experience the game live and in person. Even a PSU-Wisconsin match-up will more than likely have tickets in demand. And that doesn’t sit right with this fan…



So, is this permanent location a good idea? Well, it’s great for Indianapolis. But I hate the thought that the only reason they selected the site was because of geography. I mean, what Big 10 fan wouldn’t welcome the opportunity to see their team play for all the marbles in the Big House? Or the Shoe? Yes, those are home fields for Michigan and OSU, but still, assuming parody is here, the actual odds of one or both those teams showing up in those stadiums seems to be less all the time. And who wouldn’t relish the chance to do a little dance on a rivals field when they weren’t even there? And wouldn’t that be better for the Big 10 overall? Yeah, I know…Northwestern will never host and neither will Purdue or Indiana or Iowa, for that matter. But were they in the running to ever host the thing anyway, based on their geography and infrastructure?

I know that Lucas Oil will be making money as will Indianapolis. I would just like to see some of that wealth get spread around to other communities in the Big 10 that have the facilities, infrastructure and fan base that can support a game. Yes, the ACC and Big 12 proved that moving the game around does not in fact help attendance, but that wasn’t the Big 10 in Big 10 country.

]One humble fan’s opinion….

The Trouble With Tressels

Looks like I picked a hell of a month to take off from Blogging….Yes, I wanted to take a month off. I forced myself a couple of times to not log on and produce something that, while it would have been a worthwhile read, it would more than likely be a big waste of time for both you and me. I mean, a bigger waste of time than usual….

What haven’t I commented on and what you may have missed in the last month:
-Michigan Women’s Softball winning Big 10 for the 4th consecutive year
-Michigan Women getting knocked out of Super Regional CSWS (College Softball World Series) which is like being eliminated in the 1st round of the NCAA after getting a 10 seed…Major upset by Kentucky.
-Brandon Announcing Stadium expansion (far off future) to something like 119,000
-Michigan Ice Hockey reaching the Final “Frozen” 4

And it seems like there was something else that I might have missed…..

OH YEAH – TRESSEL GATE!

I was saving the title of this entry, The Trouble With Tressels, for the day when the Evil Empire to our south officially crumbled, withered away and eventually succumbed to the blowing NCAA winds that know no mercy when it comes to rule violators and more importantly, violators that lie about what they knew and when they knew it.


The Trouble With Tribbles – for anyone old enough to remember the old Star Trek Series – is an all time classic. Tribbles are these wonderful, little furry creatures that are like little balls that are fun to hold, love everyone (except Klingons) and eat and multiply at an alarming rate. One creature is brought on board the enterprise by Uhura and the next thing you know, Kirk and crew are up to their collective asses in the damn things. Bones explains to Kirk that the things are more or less born pregnant. Then, Spock gets the bright idea to transfer all the Tribbles to a Klingon ship….This is not unlike the situation that was predicted by your MMQ with respect to this mess avalanching on the Vest and the OSU in general and it has now unfolded gloriously before our eyes.

Only with Tressel, it wasn’t a warm furry little creature that was the demise of the OSU. It was one silly, little avoidable lie. One error in judgment. One walk to the Compliance office that said, “Hey, we’ve got a problem that needs to be addressed.” At least then, poor Tressel would have been covered, a little. (Actually, probably not) But now that he tried to keep a lid on it, the Tressel Tribble Lie “Zero”, (Think Patient “zero” when they analyze a virus) has led to more lies, cover-ups, cars sold for $0.00, cars being test driven for months at a time, pay-offs to certain athletes, NCAA DEEP investigations into one said athlete (Pryor, in case you DIDN'T know), and conspiracy references that go all the way up to the AD and maybe even the President of the University. The tinfoil hat crowd is starting to become a lot more believable and some of the blogs out there make a lot more sense when the realities of what has transpired in Columbus come to light. Which makes conspiracy theories read like factual documents, when well written.

Yes, I’m sure Smith and G. Gee are crapping in their collective pants right now with respect to what has no doubt leaked from the NCAA with regards to what they have been asking for evidence wise. And according to the Columbus Dispatch, the OSU is fighting the NCAA every bloody step of the way with regards to what information they are turning over. It seems that Tressel was such a great front man and appeared so squeaky clean and was so adept and keeping a lid on all the shenanigans that were going on in the football program that the NCAA simply can’t believe there weren’t a LOT more people aware of what the hell was going on. And the questions the NCAA has been asking are akin to, “So, Mr. Smith and G. Gee: When exactly did you stop beating your wife?”

So, those two models of leadership, men among men, idols of children everywhere (NOT!) do the noble thing and tell Tressel to quit or he’s fired. And Tressel falls on the ole’ Scarlet and Grey Sword of justice that the rest of the OSU is just hoping is enough to keep the stink off them. (Read the Link: Because Tressel is not "officially" employed by the OSU any longer, he has no obligation to testify before the NCAA...and therefore doesn't have to answer questions about who knew what and when...The perfect FALL GUY!)

But I’m afraid there’s simply too much out there at this point, and the Tressel Tribbles keep multiplying like the Tribbles on the Enterprise…. Unfortunately, the OSU doesn’t have a Klingon Ship nearby in order to transport all the Tressels off the ship.

I frankly don’t know how Smith can keep his job at this point. If he claims he knew nothing, which is the classic criminal defense, than he’s a boob and an imbecile that can’t manage and athletic department and he needs to be canned immediately. As soon as they find something or more than likely, someone, that says he knew and can offer proof, well, he’s gone anyway. G. Gee, on the other hand, might just be dumb enough and he made the goofball statement that might be just enough to save him when he proclaimed at the initial news conference, “I just hope he doesn’t fire me!” That statement alone might be what saves his dumb ass. But then again, maybe not.

There will be plenty of time to talk about the new coach as the dirt rolls out on him, but I also believe that the OSU will have to figure, “Wait a minute. If we want to completely kill this virus, don’t we have to scrub the program clean from top to bottom? I mean, if you leave only one Tressel Tribble in place, wouldn’t that mean that the Trouble with Tressels could start popping up somewhere else? It’s kind of like killing mold…One little spore and it can start all over again…

I guess what’s unfortunate in all of this is that no one from the collective Michigan Blog network (Or Mainstream Media - The SI Article would have been a great place to put it) has put the logical conclusion together that Rich Rod, despite his performance on the field, recruited Pryor the Right Way. The Michigan Way, if you will. And while you might have hated what you saw on the field (defensively at least) during the Rod’s tenure, you have to admit that he did the right thing by not succumbing to whatever demands Pryor was no doubt making and what I’m sure was inferred by his handler or whoever was talking for Pryor about what the OSU was offering should he attend there. So, I would like to take this opportunity and give a hat tip to The Rod for that. I might be the only one out there, but I think he deserves it.

Back to the Tressel Tribbles. I have heard, from un-confirmed sources inside of the NCAA of course, that future violations that involve lying will be from this point forward known as “Tressels” or “Tresseling”. The NCAA has decided that this will clear up any confusion about what really transpired if the word “lying” doesn’t sum it up for you. So, when used in context, it would go something like this:

“I Tresseled to my wife when I told her I wasn’t meeting the guys after work for a beer…”

“She was Tresseling to her friend about never sleeping with her best friend’s ex…”

“I had to tell a little white Tressel to my kids and keep the Santa thing going the other day...”

With a little more practical use, this should catch on pretty quickly. In fact, I’m sure you’re all going to be able to come up with a bunch of them on your own.

What is the most unbelievable thing is that Tressel Vest somehow viewed what he was doing with all his Bible thumping Christian beliefs as being "OK". For example (from SI),

Most of the young players who attended it would never play college football, but a few were top prospects whom Ohio State was recruiting. At the end of camp, attendees bought tickets to a raffle with prizes such as cleats and a jersey. According to his fellow assistant, Tressel rigged the raffle so that the elite prospects won -- a potential violation of NCAA rules. Says the former colleague, who asked not to be identified because he still has ties to the Ohio State community, "In the morning he would read the Bible with another coach. Then, in the afternoon, he would go out and cheat kids who had probably saved up money from mowing lawns to buy those raffle tickets. That's Jim Tressel."

And that's why Jim Tressel is going down and why he most likely will drag the OSU with him...Believing he is above the law and the rules.