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The Reads: ROBINSON PICKS IOWA.

The Reads feels threatened today as renowned football expert DENARD ROBINSON is calling for an Iowa win.

"Denard said what? Ah jeez."
"Denard said what? Ah jeez."
Bruce Thorson-US PRESSWIRE

At least, I think that's what this means:

I'm not terribly sure.

I mean, he did leave the Nebraska game early so maybe no one told him they lost? That's perfectly understandable. The 1 in their B1G lost column could just be a typo after all.

I have to give him credit for not even thinking of poor ol' Wisconsin waiting to PUMMEL either Nebraska or Michigan with Montee Ball.

QUERY: Would Michigan claim a shared Big Ten championship even if they did somehow get the chance to lose to Wisconsin? Sort of like 1997 but maybe with fewer tears?

OH RIGHT, it's Iowa Hate Week, not Michigan Week. My bad.

GREG DAVIS, Y'ALL.

Denard, did you really mean to pick Iowa?

GO BIG RED, BEAT THE HAWKEYES!

Football

Hear the soothing pipes of our DEAREST LEADER Jon!

Some insights into the program from Coach Pelini - well worth the read. He may still be somewhat rough around the edges but he's growing into his role quite nicely.

The defensive line is getting healthy - that's good. Hopefully we don't try to rotate them while Iowa is in a hurry up package.

Coach, you are cleared to nuke Iowa.

It's becoming clear that rather being a sledgehammer that always gets the job done, this Nebraska team has a variety of tools at its disposal. Clearly we were Tim the Toolman Taylor at the beginning of the season but we're aging nicely into our Bob Vila stage.

An interesting look at how this team reacted to Ohio State. Will this mentality survive into next season if Nebraska finds its way to Pasadena? What if it doesn't?

(No worries #teamsunshine, I'm still believing we'll be seeing roses and N's in due course.)

Not to be mean, but if ever there was a QB hating god, Millard North's senior starting QB is his target. In my three years at North, our starter was injured early in the season and replaced by his younger backup. (And then the senior QB would end up at Iowa as a safety.) Here's to good health for both players going forward.

Iowa! (You are who we thought you were.)

Michigan State was a disappointment. Is Iowa who we thought they were?

He and his defensive line have come a long way since UCLA and Ohio State.

Let's hope Taylor Martinez can put the hurt on Iowa.

Big Ten: Midwest

Northwestern and Purdue getting their monies worth. I'd say our wins are worth $300k, right?

Big Ten: East Coast

Welcome to our new friends from New Jersey. I do believe Rutgers is now the largest school in the Big Ten, with an enrollment in excess of 50,000 students. Oh, and yes, they and Princeton claim the invention of college football as well as the inaugural national championship (in 1869).

(Rutgers has been rebuilding ever since, kind of like the Cubs.)

The Big Ten's very own Oregon, from insane uniform combinations to a billionaire sugar daddy?

Well, alright.

Short term losses for long term gains - the success of BTN lets Delany take gambles like this. Will Maryland and Rutgers have difficult starts in the Big Ten? Yes. But the nearly 10-20 million dollars extra in the coffer for Big Ten schools will give them an edge against other programs around the country. With the recruiting difficulties of the Big Ten, this is important to note.

The era for moral superiority is over. Time to bring on the over-signing, abuse of medical redshirts and other SEC things. (Not really.)

Rutgers invented football. Y'all wanted tradition? Y'all got tradition.

National News

Isn't this cute? (Avoid the comments section, where the disgustingness of one Texas fans comes out.)

The comments section is probably the strangest post-coach firing thread I've ever seen. No jubilance, no anger, just gratefulness for the work Tedford did. *applause*

Oh, Colorado. (Worst statistical output of any team in FBS, including the three brand new FBS programs.)

See? Not even CLOSE to done. Expect the SEC and Big Ten to have 16 members by 2014.

ACC won't add a football school. They're all about usurping the Big East in basketball. (Nevermind that the Big Ten did that and still added Nebraska, one of the worst NCAA Division I basketball programs, second only to Northwestern.)

EDIT: Because I'm a believer in integrity, I'll leave my comment above. But when I actually think about it, Louisville is pretty good at the bounceyhoops too.

A BASKETBALL STORY?!

Talk about defense being optional. (This is real.)

Other Things

Linked if only for the comment section, where one cannot tell whether commenters are trolling the trolls or are actually truly offended.

Also DRAFT AN OFFENSIVE LINE, CHICAGO. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. (Chances are, your starting QB won't have to go on radio to tell everyone he feels sorry for the backup.)

There are no reports to suggest that these data have anything to do with Iowa's dark horse Big Ten season or Vandenburg's NFL draft status.

"That's just silly." , says a NASA official, who asked not to be named. "We don't deal in imaginary things."

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That's all folks.

I'm out for the rest of the week to celebrate what really is one of the more American of holidays. I trust y'all will hate Iowa in my absence and will cheer Big Red on to victory over the Squawkeyes this Friday at that lovely hour of eleven o'clock in the morning.

Be sure to comment below if you have something to say. I may not respond but know that I VEHEMENTLY disagree with you.

Have a joyous holiday with your loved ones and friends.

GO BIG RED!

-Salt Creek and Stadium