Happy Thursday guys, we finally made it. College football kicks off today at 7:00 pm ET. Will you whet your palate with South Carolina v. Vanderbilt, UCF v. Akron, Eastern Michigan v. Ball State, Southeast Missouri State v. Central Michigan, or the scintillating matchup that is Towson v. Kent State?
The matchups might not be premier, but I’ll take UCF at Akron over no college football any day of the week.
With that said, I know you’re prepared mentally but are you prepared fashion-wise? If not, (and even if you are) do yourself a favor and check out 11w’s new Dry Goods store. New designs, new hipster models and a new lease on life—you can thank me later. Oh, and if you enter coupon code GODRYGOODS, you'll get 10% off your order through Friday.
GIVE ME FIVE. The Dispatch’s Rob Oller practiced the rule of fives in his latest piece outlining five ways OSU will be different in 2012, five OSU players to watch, five games you don’t want to miss and five teams that could potentially beat the SEC in this year’s national championship game.
A lot of the OSU stuff is everything you’ve been hearing all offseason. Meyer’s team will be more aggressive than years past; keep an eye on Hall, Stoneburner, Hankins, Shazier and Miller; and don’t expect TEs, RBs and FBs to only block or pound it up the middle.
A few things did stand out in the piece, mainly this, which I truly enjoyed:
The Buckeyes will look to press the detonator and blow teams up — and out — rather than disassemble them brick by brick, per the more conservative approach of Jim Tressel.
As far as the five teams Oller believes could unseat the SEC, he named Florida State, USC, Notre Dame?, Oklahoma and Wisconsin or Michigan.
I think (hope) Notre Dame was a joke, but the Fighting Irish aside, I believe only two teams on Oller’s list have a legitimate shot to knock the SEC off the Iron Throne: Florida State and USC. What do you think? Do Oklahoma, Wisconsin or *cough* Michigan *cough* have a shot at a national title in 2012?
HEY DON'T BE THAT WAY. By now I’m sure you’ve seen the Buckeye T-shirt floating around the Internet and making light of the PSU/Sandusky scandal.
Well, Ohio State found out about the tee and released an official statement:
"We recently became aware that this T-shirt design is circulating on social media," Gayle Saunders, OSU assistant vice president of media relations, wrote in an e-mail. "This is not a University sanctioned T-shirt, and we have no knowledge of where it originated. It is unacceptable and appalling that someone would make light of a tragedy in this manner."
Normally I would laud any and all witty Wolverine hating, but this has certainly crossed a line. Unfortunately, the mistake of one Buckeye fan has garnered a ton of press, ultimately making the entire fan base look ridiculous.
Jared Sullinger said it best:
For y'all to come out with shirts about PSU is giving Ohio state a bad name. We respect our opponents and we respect the victims.
— Jared Sullinger (@Jared_Sully0) August 29, 2012
Don’t make yourself look ridiculous: refrain from purchasing this shirt.
Trollin'DID HE REALLY JUST SAY THAT? Former Irish running back and current radio analyst Allen Pinkett had some interesting things to say on WSCR-AM (670) regarding the suspensions piling up in South Bend:
"I've always felt like to have a successful team you've got to have a few bad citizens on the team. That's how Ohio State used to win all the time. They would have two or three guys that were criminals and that just adds to the chemistry of the team. I think Notre Dame is growing because maybe they have some guys that are doing something worthy of a suspension which creates edge on the football team.
"You can't have a football team full of choirboys. You get your butt kicked if you've got a team full of choirboys so you've got to have a little bit of edge. But the coach has to be the dictator and the ultimate ruler. Here's my opinion: You don't hand out suspensions unless you know you've got somebody behind that guy that can make plays."
Umm…..OK? So you’re saying you have to have terrible locker room influences to have a good football team? Did I get that right Allen?
Once Notre Dame caught wind of the broadcast, AD Jack Swarbick swiftly issued a statement:
"Allen Pinkett’s suggestion that Notre Dame needs more 'bad guys' on its football team is nonsense. Of course, Allen does not speak for the University, but we could not disagree more with this observation."
Despite Pinkett firmly sticking to his guns during the initial broadcast, going so far as to say, “I absolutely meant that” later in the show, he issued a statement Wednesday night apologizing for his comments:
"I am deeply sorry and did not intend to take away the focus from the upcoming season opener. I especially would like to offer my sincere apology to the current members of Notre Dame’s football team, including Coach [Brian] Kelly, the entire Notre Dame community, the IMG College Audio Network and the Ohio State football program. As a proud Notre Dame graduate, I wish nothing but the best for our football team and the University."
Thanks for thinking of the Buckeyes Allen!
FLIP FLOP. According to Akron Beacon Journal writer Jason Lloyd, minutes before Meyer took the podium for his first game-week news conference Monday, OSU spokesman Jerry Emig announced reporters would be banned from using Twitter during Meyer’s news conferences.
Lloyd didn’t take too well to that news, stating OSU had overstepped its bounds in his column.
Well, as of yesterday the Orlando Sentinel’s Shannon J. Owens spoke with Emig who told her:
"He only asked reporters at the press conference not to tweet while interviews were taking place out of courtesy to reporters in the room and those being interviewed. He didn't realize the press conference was being broadcast live by WBNS 97.1 and live streamed on OhioStateBuckeyes.com until after the press conference concluded.
[He] added that the new twitter rule was not a twitter ban, but preferred to call it a twitter delay."
It now seems as though the “ban” was only a suggestion. Either way, OSU is going to be hard pressed to find a room full of reporters who aren’t going to tweet during press conferences. It’s half the reason said reporters have so many followers.
What do you think: can a coaching staff wield this kind of power over journalists?
SAUSAGE LINKS. Here's a condescending corporate brand page for you to enjoy... Muscle music brought to you by Old Spice... George H.W. Bush does Dana Carvey doing George H.W. Bush... 23 reasons why Space Jam is the best sports movie ever made... DPo is doing a rookie diary for the Texans.
