So we beat on...

by Jonathan Franz on Jan 8, 2010 9:14 AM CST in All

P7-b_medium

The offseason.

I've called it "a colorless void of impatience, speculation, and hope." But it's also the best time to unpack our thoughts, and get up close and personal with the game.

Those readers who just joined us this season, might not know what to expect now that the curtain is down. I'm hear to say that this is when we do our best work. How's that? It's because we can really dig in, and get our hands dirty -- revisiting the fall that was, and uncovering what lies ahead.

As beat writers turn their attention to "lesser" sports, we're here to pick up the slack, leafing through almanacs, rewinding the tape, and spending hours surveying the conference landscape.

In other words, we're not going anywhere, and neither should you. In the words of my favorite writer:

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past..."

Here are a few quick thoughts:

Congratulations to the University of Alabama for earning another notch on its championship belt. Last night's win gives the Crimson Tide its first title since 1992. Although its nice to see a historical brand back on top, it's a shame Colt McCoy left the game during the second series. If McCoy stays healthy, that's a different game. How apropo for a season that never really lived up to expectations.
And by the way, would it have really killed Nick Saban to smile? Is that too much to ask?
The final Associated Press Poll is out, and the Big Ten finishes 2009 with three teams in the Top 10 (No. 5 Ohio State, No. 7 Iowa, and No. 9 Penn State -- more than any other conference. Wisconsin's move up the ladder means Big Ten teams occupy a full 25% of the Top 16.
I met to mention it a few days ago, but the return of star Junior defenders Cameron Heyward and Chimdi Chekwa is a major coup for Ohio State. Although Buckeye fans will miss Thad Gibson, Heyward was the real standout on this year's line -- and will anchor what is easily the most hyped defensive unit in half a decade.

Tweet Comment 19 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Read More: rennie curran, race to the bcs, greg robinson lb - connecticut, obi ezeh lb - michigan, northern illinois huskies, missouri tigers, virginia tech hokies, alabama crimson tide, georgia bulldogs, oklahoma st. cowboys, kansas st. wildcats, arizona wildcats, kentucky wildcats, auburn tigers, lsu tigers, troy trojans, clemson tigers, notre dame fighting irish, tate forcier qb - michigan, michigan st. spartans, michigan wolverines, penn st. nittany lions, ohio st. buckeyes, wisconsin badgers, northwestern wildcats, iowa hawkeyes, indiana hoosiers, illinois fighting illini, purdue boilermakers, jimmy clausen qb - notre dame, mike martin dt - michigan, brandon graham de - michigan, morgan trent cb - michigan, david molk ol - michigan, doug worthington dl - ohio st., tim tebow qb - florida, miami ohio redhawks, big ten power poll 2009, dan lefevour qb - cent. michigan, jerel worthy dt - michigan st., tyrell sutton rb - northwestern, usc trojans, florida gators, cincinnati bearcats, south carolina gamecocks, nebraska cornhuskers, texas am aggies, idaho vandals, air force falcons, southern miss. golden eagles, south florida bulls, east carolina pirates, oregon st. beavers, byu cougars, ucla bruins, san diego st. aztecs, marshall thundering herd, nevada wolf pack, west virginia mountaineers, boston college eagles, tennessee volunteers, north carolina tar heels, arkansas razorbacks, kansas jayhawks, duke blue devils, central florida golden knights, boise st. broncos, utah utes, navy midshipmen, wyoming cowboys, smu mustangs, texas tech red raiders, california golden bears, mississippi rebels, pittsburgh panthers, miami hurricanes, rutgers scarlet knights, temple owls, connecticut huskies, oklahoma sooners, houston cougars, stanford cardinal, ohio bobcats, louisiana-monroe warhawks, middle tenn. st. blue raiders, terrelle pryor qb - ohio st., michael oher ol - mississippi, bowl projections, oregon ducks, minnesota golden gophers, texas longhorns, georgia tech yellow jackets, tcu horned frogs, mississippi rebels ysports-button add the rivalry, esq. to my yahoo comments, daryll clark qb - penn st., derek domino lb - s. dakota st., marqueis gray qb - minnesota, kirk cousins qb - michigan st., ben chappell qb - indiana, mike kafka qb - northwestern, ricky stanzi qb - iowa, scott tolzien qb - wisconsin, adam weber qb - minnesota, adam weber k - ball st., san jose st. spartans, noel devine rb - west virginia, pat white qb - west virginia, denard robinson qb - michigan, david cone qb - michigan, fresno st. bulldogs, florida st. seminoles, bowling green falcons, iowa st. cyclones, central michigan chippewas, big ten expansion, corey wootton de - northwestern, jacob charest qb - illinois, 2010 rose bowl, big ten bowl redemption, rose bowl game, pasadena, ohio state, 2009 big ten, pac 10, jeremiah masoli qb - oregon, brian rolle lb - ohio st., ross homan lb - ohio st., kurt coleman cb - ohio st., colt mccoy qb - texas, brian kelly, notre dame coaching search, blair white wr - michigan st., graham harrell qb - texas tech, taylor potts qb - texas tech, syracuse orange, hawaii warriors, coach urban meyer, urban meyer retires, justin houston de - georgia, allen bailey dl - miami, joe joseph dl - miami, darryl sharpton lb - miami, cody grimm lb - virginia tech, mississippi st. bulldogs, louisiana tech bulldogs, john clay rb - wisconsin, john clay k - wyoming, ryan houston rb - north carolina, garrett graham te - wisconsin, pat angerer lb - iowa, Chimdi Chekwa (DB - Ohio St.), Colt McCoy (QB - Texas), Cameron Heyward (DT - Ohio St.), Alabama Crimson Tide, Ohio St. Buckeyes, Penn St. Nittany Lions, Wisconsin Badgers, Iowa Hawkeyes

Comments

C'mon now

Don’t buy into the “Saban is a soul-less Monster” meme. My five year old son thinks of him as the man who a few pews behind us at mass. Big smiles…

http://www.rivalryesq.com/
The quintessential Big Ten smoking room.

by Bama Hawkeye on Jan 8, 2010 9:24 AM CST reply actions

I was only being half-hearted...

Though he did maintain his typical expressionless grimace after getting doused with ice cold Gatorade.

Call me crazy, but I’d expect a different response from a warm-blooded human being.

The Rivalry, Esq.
The quintessential Big Ten smoking room.

by Jonathan Franz on Jan 8, 2010 10:02 AM CST up reply actions

I thought he looked f'in pissed

and i bet the guys that did it are runnin’ laps today. not that terrence cody shouldn’t be every day.

Keeping wildlife, an amphibious rodent, for uh, domestic, you know, within the city - that aint legal either, Dude.

by AcrimoniousAngerererer on Jan 8, 2010 10:09 AM CST up reply actions

PSU's preseason rank: 9th

PSU’s post-season rank: 9th. I guess the journalists got that one right.

by Cairo on Jan 8, 2010 9:33 AM CST reply actions

Agreed about Heyward...

but Chimdi Chekwa coming back seems like a major coup for the rest of the Big Ten. He was so bad against Iowa that I became half-convinced he was some kind of double agent (which would also explain the slightly puzzling amount of reverence for Kurt Ferentz every time a big FBS, NFL, or SCOTUS slot opens up). Why did he get the appellation next to Heyward? Why not “Heyward returns to OSU; Anderson Russell declares for the Kazakhstan Football League’s Supplemental Draft”?

by Magical Ruddy Duck on Jan 8, 2010 11:14 AM CST reply actions

Chekwa's return helps

Because it means we’ll have the same starting corners on the field. That’s especially important because we lose both starting safeties.

Sure, he struggled against Iowa, but he’s still an experienced member of the secondary. If nothing else the NFL Advisory Committee for Underclassmen projected him as a middle-round draft pick.

Not elite, but not too shabby either.

The Rivalry, Esq.
The quintessential Big Ten smoking room.

by Jonathan Franz on Jan 8, 2010 1:07 PM CST up reply actions

btw...

It looked like I was questioning why you included Chekwa alongside Heyward. I meant the sports media. I understand why you did it, and I would include Ross Homan’s name as well.

Interesting subtopic: what does it mean to be a third- or middle-round pick with an uncapped year looming? Does the lack of a cap motivate fair-to-middlin’ players to go pro when they otherwise might not? That has to be a large group, and if a large group goes pro that otherwise woudn’t, the second day of the draft becomes chaos, which means (among other things) that a player with a lukewarm draft projection could free fall down or even out of the draft entirely, and the whole thing then eats its tail by ultimately cutting against the decision to go pro in the first place.

by Magical Ruddy Duck on Jan 8, 2010 6:06 PM CST up reply actions

Just wondering...

…if that photo attached to this post is Bunny Lebowski’s family farm in Moorehead, MN.

by rencito on Jan 8, 2010 12:39 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

Sadly, no...

It’s just a random Iowa landscape I found on Google Image Search…

The Rivalry, Esq.
The quintessential Big Ten smoking room.

by Jonathan Franz on Jan 8, 2010 1:08 PM CST up reply actions

I think I've been there.

Then again, it looks like pretty much anywhere in Northwest Iowa, so…

Big junkies come from little junkies.

by RossWB on Jan 11, 2010 12:20 AM CST up reply actions

What?

No Big Ten college basketball coverage? Or baseball? Or hockey? Or wrestling?

I, for one, was looking forward to hmlee’s take on the Northwestern Wildcats Women’s Lacrosse team’s drive for a 6th straight NCAA championship…..

by Chadnudj on Jan 8, 2010 1:17 PM CST reply actions

Sadly

I know very little about lacrosse. Although, I suppose I could learn…

by Hilary Lee on Jan 8, 2010 1:22 PM CST up reply actions

It's pretty easy:

1. Northwestern’s starters are the best team in the nation.
2. Northwestern’s bench is the second best team in the nation.
3. Maryland is the 3rd best team in the nation.
4. Northwestern’s incoming class of women’s lacrosse recruits is the 4th best team in the nation.

(Honestly, rooting for Northwestern Women’s Lacrosse is like rooting for the Yankees….which means it is a nice counterbalance to NU football/basketball fandom, where were are clearly NOT the Yankees.)

by Chadnudj on Jan 8, 2010 3:21 PM CST up reply actions