As The Blogdome Turns

by Kevin HD on Aug 19, 2008 2:00 PM EDT in Football Comment 14 comments

Links from around our digital world...

You've seen the BSD Blogpoll ballot, and this past week the rest of the voters have posted their preseason looks. Brian ranked Penn State at #9 because he "can’t come up with anyone else to insert"...probably a fair comment. LTP agrees. Eleven Warriors calls Penn State a three loss team, ranked at #19. Interesting to note that all three have the Buckeyes ranked #1.

Excellent fanpost bump over at BHGP on the merits of a good tailgate. Both the pride required for cold weather drinking and the stubbornness of a midwesterner's dedication to the pure have been captured, probably highlighted best by this line: "When you have ice in your drink despite there being no chance that it will melt due to the temperature, because dammit, beer should come from a cooler with ice."
Everyone's favorite blog dedicated to Ohio State and Michigan banter, The Rivalry, Esq, has laid down the eleven things they want out of the 2008 season. At #4: "I want people to stop talking about Joe Paterno retiring." Also an interesting take on the recent troublemakers:

No Nittany Lion player has ever thought, "Hey, my coach is so old that he has forgot to instill discipline, F*** it, lets go break down a door and assault someone." Paterno's age just isn't relevant, only his results are.
TINNOMJ answers the question we've all been asking ourselves for the last couple of weeks: what is a glorified wishbone? Complete with pictures.
Oregon State experts Building The Dam took in a practice this week and decided the Beavers will either be "amazing, or crappy", which confirms my confusion about our week two opponent. They came in (essentially) #42 in the AP poll and were picked to finish sixth in conference by the media.

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whoa. I'm an expert now?? Look out, universe!

It should be pointed out that:
a) That’s not our eyewitness report, it’s mostly a summary of beat writer reports and past practice viewing, “expert” knowledge, etc.

b) The average of all the preseason polls has Oregon State at #23 (PSU 21 or 22?) according to Dennis Dodd at CBSsports. So…there’s some wide variety of opinions floating around. And, obviously, it just proves how ridiculous it is for individual poll voters to have accurate preseason rankings in a sport that has 3,000 new athletes and 3,000 departed athletes every year. Dumbest idea ever?

c) I think most Beaver fans feel that there’s a much greater chance of PSU being overrated by national media and Oregon State underrated by them. That’s just how it is.

d) Personal opinion: outside of the possibility of Taylor Mays and Rey Maualuga at USC, it would be mildly surprising to me if the Beavers face an individual college football player better than Sammie Stroughter this year. But anything can happen.

e) I’m excited. It’s the only team on our non-conference schedule that we haven’t played recently, so it will be interesting. And Mark Banker vs. Jay Paterno should be very interesting.

by CV3000 on Aug 19, 2008 2:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Excuse me?

We have a strict policy here of not citing Dennis Dodd.

by gumbercules on Aug 19, 2008 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

DD

Dennis ~~Dodd~~ Dudd…there, I fixed it for you.

by Screen Name 20 on Aug 19, 2008 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Has Stuart Lamedell

been added to that policy? Dedicating sections of your football ‘column’ to a ‘crush’ = nutless dbag.

Convivite Nudem!

by jtothep on Aug 20, 2008 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mandel

Although he comes across creepy with the “Celebrity Crush”, I generally enjoy reading his columns.

by Screen Name 20 on Aug 20, 2008 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I once did

I just turn right the eff off if I can feel, for one second, any holier-than-thou tude spilling through a writer’s columns. Maybe he’s been so chagrined by the lameness of the SI message boards, or reader postings to his columns, that he’s got a dim view of his reader constituency. But under no circumstances should he let that come out. I feel he does and, as such, have turned him off.

Have you read his book?

Convivite Nudem!

by jtothep on Aug 20, 2008 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I did

I wasn’t Solschenizyn, but it ate up most of a rainy Sunday afternoon. It was okay.

For the Glory; National Champions 1982, 1986, 1994,

by jesse. on Aug 20, 2008 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not an endorsement

That’s sending me to the bookstore….

Convivite Nudem!

by jtothep on Aug 25, 2008 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I haven't

I want to though…hear it’s a good read.

by Screen Name 20 on Aug 21, 2008 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ut oh

Kevin got served.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Aug 19, 2008 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

for the record

I have no idea what to make of OSU, but I think your ‘average preseason ranking’ numbers are off, and, well very Doddish.

There is a very comprehensive list of preseason rankings here, it has PSU at 22 and OSU at 27, and that second number is incredibly misleading, it assumes that not being ranked is being somehow tied for 26th with the other 90 teams that didn’t make the cut, thus boosting the average WAY up. That list has 20+ rankings in it and OSU was included in three of them, Penn State made the cut 16 times.

Regardless, I don’t actually give a crap…they are worthless preseason polls. I’m excited about the game as well.

Kevin @ Black Shoe Diaries

by Kevin HD on Aug 19, 2008 11:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was just citing Dodd's intern's averaging skills, not Dodd's writing!

Like I said, we’re looking forward to playing the only team we haven’t already seen recently, and a broadcast that will probably be full of Riley/Paterno comparisons.

I wish Keith Jackson would come out of retirement for just this one game.

by CV3000 on Aug 19, 2008 4:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs