ICanHasCheezburger...

Thanks to LD, I've been having way too much fun recently...

I'll be contacting Yum! Brands marketing.

...that i did eat all those Cheezburgers....

Go Bucks!

The uMassacre at Ohio Stadium

Even though it was a brutally cold day in the 'Shoe, 105,000 fans still showed up (hats, gloves, jackets and flasks...) to witness a 42-7 beating. They also witnessed the first Ohio State 5-game win streak over Michigan and the last home game for the likes of Laurinaitus and Jenkins... It could have been Beanie Wells' last game in scarlet and gray as well. Other bright notes include seeing the last home game for Boozing Boone and Rasta Wells.

It was as convincing a win as I've ever seen as a Buckeye fan and it was good to finally see the playbook opened up a little more in spite of the weather. With all the big plays, I had to make sure I wasn't spilling my beer everywhere while jumping in elation.

Other bullets:

• RichRod does not have control of his team. I believe what's going to befall this team going forward is the lack of a high-profile, intelligent QB. Pat White is a fantastic athlete, but I doubt he ever gets into the academic standards set forth at Michigan. DickRod will probably need to take his playbook down south were you can get by with 35 scholarships/year and low SAT scores. I'm just sayin'...
  
• "I'm really sick to my stomach" - ICanHasCheezburgers Weis. Was this quote after he consumed one or two dozen Big Macs? He's a terrible coach. My point here about ND is simple: ESPN ANNUALLY rates Notre Dame's recruiting classes in the top 5-10. This has been the case for the past three years (all Cheezburger recruits). Why doesn't it translate into wins against football powerhouses like Syracuse, Navy, Stanford, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Air Force? Coaching. If you put Pete Carroll, Bob Stoops, Jim Tressel, or Urban Meyer in control and ND would return to at least a shell of its former championship self. Not gonna happen under Charlie. It makes you wonder how much cheating was really going on at New England while he was the OC...
• The BCS is a mess. If you lob in the ideas that Oklahoma will lose to Mizzou in the championship game, Florida loses to FSU, Alabama loses to Auburn, Oregon State wins out... Then what? I challenge you to pre-pick the 10 teams that will end up in the BCS bowlgames this week... If you're 10 for 10, I'll buy you a steak dinner.

Looking back at the 2008-2009 OSU regular season which is already over, we may always wonder "what if" Beanie didn't get hurt in the 3Q of a meaningless game against Youngstown State. Beanie's injury did vault Pryor into his role of The Chosen One much earlier than anticipated, but we're beginning to see its benefits.

Boeckman peaked as a 4th year Junior against PSU and failed to maintain that high long enough to beat anyone else formidable (see: Illinois, LSU, USC). We'll miss Malcolm Jenkins a lot more than we'll miss Laurinaitus and Freeman. I want at #2 jersey solely because of Malcolm.

The expectations were unfairly high for this squad which over-achieved in 2007 and squeeked its way into the BCS Championship Game after Mizzou, WVU and USC all showed that they didn't want to go there badly enough (see: Oklahoma, Pitt, Stanford). And yes, one can safely conclude that Gholston was a force on the D-Line which we missed terribly this year. No one even came close to the 14 sacks he tallied in '07.

New Template

I guess I like it..

My Quickie (CFB, NFL)

My version of the Quickie:

1. Ohio State's offense - Still mildly offensive (behind the offensive O-line), but managed to churn out 45 points. How 1/3 of Pryor's completions went for TD's is mildly ridiculous... Give me Block-O! Also, it was good to see the play-calling involve actual passing plays & our WR's show up...
   
2. Ohio State's defense - FortunatelyKafka's Tebow impression didn't last the entire game. I'm convinced that Marcus Freeman is injured (or just ridiculously over-rated).
   
3. OSU-NU referees - Awful. Disgusting. Horrendous. Vomitous. The missed holding calls, the garbage late hit penalties, and the ball-spots were just a few of their transgressions. Was it too cold to throw that holding flag? I suspect the umpire wanted to keep his hands warm (in his pockets).
   
4. Heisman - In my head, Beanie is a Heisman contender, but he probably finishes no better than 3rd this year the way Harrell, McCoy, and Tebow (found his mojo) have been playing. I suppose Michael Crabtree gets a few votes too since he's playing on an undefeated team. Wouldn't it be dramatic if Crabtree steals votes from Harrell and McCoy/Tebow wins??
5. Penn State - I am still bitter from last Saturday night (because I was there), so deep down I was rooting for the Iowa Hawkeye upset. #1 in black made the kick, #1 in black got some serious tail on Saturday night, and Penn State's hopes to be #1 were erased for the season. I wonder if Daryll Clark is being blamed for the loss...
   
6. BCS/Playoff - People need to understand that the BCS, NCAA & Div-1A (FBS) college football is ALL ABOUT MONEY. Until this changes, there will never be a playoff system that works for all 106 interested parties. Hey Pete Carroll, win your games and you're in. You have no room to speak after losing to OREGON STATE. OREGON F-ING STATE!@!!!!

My way too early predictions:

• Texas Tech beats Florida (BCS Championship Game)
• USC beats Penn State
• Boise State beats Missouri
  
• North Carolina beats Pittsburgh (would anyone watch this?)
• Alabama beats Utah

Now, onto a League that utilizes a playoff format...

1. Baltimore's running back by committee (McGaayyhee, McPlain, Rice Noodle) is a fantasy nightmare. It's worse than Denver's situation.
2. Tennessee Titans - who saw this coming? I need to check the Football Prospectus...
3. Big Ben should have waited another week before attempting to return. Arguably, the same result transpires behind Leftwich v. Colts... Bob Sanders makes the Colts D completely different. Jekyll & Hyde effect...
   
4. Is this finally the season for the 'Zona Cards??? Playoffs???
5. Fantasy Player OY = Drew Brees. And I picked Peyton 11th overall...
6. Fantasy Flubs OY = All players on IR
   

For the OSU fan in me, The Jekyll & Hyde just made me think of next year's RB class: Jamall Berry & Carlos Hyde.. J&H t-shirts anyone?

Another Good Cause

My co-worker Amy, in collaboration with what is currently a team of five individuals, has put together a group looking to help facilitate micro-economic growth in the villages of developing nations. The genesis of their passion and efforts was based on a trip to three small villages in Bolivia.

It's an honorable act of goodwill worth sharing.

Check it out here.

(Amy, I hope you don't mind my borrowing one of your images from the website. I can remove at your immediate request)...

My Top 25 (CFB)

1. Texas Tech - It's my simpleton belief that if you beat the #1 team in the Nation and you too were undefeated, you get to be #1... Graham Harrel is the new Heisman favorite. His management of the offense is ridiculous. If people consider Penn State's offense to be "HD", Texas Tech's must be "HD" on 'roids. Texas' players looked like they were standing still.
   
2. Alabama - The holy SEC's only remaining undefeated team... Nick Saban is a two-faced bastard, but he knows how to win. LSU stands between "Bama and the SEC Championship game. My guess is that they get there and hold off a steamrolling Gator squad... In a close one.
   
3. Penn State - By default, they get the 3rd spot. Undefeated in the Big Ten is still undefeated. They needed a fumble to beat the Buckeyes.
   
4. Texas - Lost on a miracle catch & throw with eight seconds left on the road. Their game last week vs. Oklahoma State showed that they were beatable.
   
5. Florida - They've caught fire the past two weeks pounding LSU and Georgia. It tells me that LSU and Georgia are both overrated. They play nobody until the SEC Championship game.
   
6. Oklahoma State - The only blip on their record is a loss to Texas in Austin. That's not too shabby.
   
7. Oklahoma - The only blip on their record is a loss to Texas on neutral ground.
   
8. USC - Aside from beating Ohio State in their backyard, what has this team accomplished? They lost to Oregon State and have beat up on their pansy conference opponents. They play nobody until their bowlgame.
9. Missouri - would they beat TCU or Boise State on a neutral field? I think so.
10. Ohio State - see Missouri comment
11. Georgia - see Missouri comment
12. Boise State - you're allowed to schedule BIG non-conference games (Oregon does not count). Do it and prove your worth. Quit your whining.
13. TCU - Beating BYU was big and is a one-loss to Oklahoma. You should not question why you're down here if you can't play with the big boys.
    
14. Utah - so you beat a really really crappy Michigan team by two points. What else? This team loses to TCU this week.
15. LSU - your QB situation is ugly. Until then, you're a filler in the Top 25.
16. BYU
17. Michigan State
18. North Carolina
19. Maryland
20. Ball State
21. West Virginia
22. Florida State
    
23. California
24. Georgia Tech
25. Pittsburgh
    
26.