I am a runner. I'm not fast. I don't win anything, but it keeps me going. It clears my head. It's when I get a chance to do my thinking. There are times, when life is at its worst, that all I want is to lace up my shoes and get out to run.
While I'm not a college football player, I wouldn't be surprised if there are a lot of players are feeling that way right now. It was seven days ago that I first saw Penn State referred to on Twitter as the "Nambla Lions" (and a tip of the hat to our readers - you have handled this disgusting episode with more class and understanding than many of the people who were paid to cover it). How horrible this whole week has been. How good is it going to feel for the players to lace up their shoes and step across the blue line? The people who are saying that the game shouldn't be played don't get it. That's the one place where those 18-22 year-olds won't be bombarded with this story. It's their one chance to get away. Don't take that away from them.
No, it's time for football now. We can rage at the tragedy and the conditions that caused it. But, we have to catch our breath. Playing these games does not show that we're moving on. It shows that we're human, and we need to clear our heads.
| Time (CST) | Visitor | Home | Television | Note |
| 11 AM | Ohio State | Purdue | BTN | Buckeyes lost at Purdue last visit |
| 11 AM | Michigan State | Iowa | ESPN2 | Sparty hasn't won at Kinnick since 1989. |
| 11 AM | Nebraska | Penn State | ESPN | There's nothing to say. Just play. |
| 11 AM | Rice | Northwestern | BTN | Can Northwestern avenge Purdue's loss? |
| 2:30 | Wisconsin | Minnesota | BTN | I do love trophy games. |
| 2:30 | Michigan | Illinois | ABC/ESPN (reverse mirror) | One of these team's season becomes a disaster. |
If you're new here, welcome. We've only got a couple rules, so consider this our legal disclaimer. We have a pretty hefty legal department here at OTE, so don't cross us on this: No racism, sexism, homophobia, pornography, personal attacks, or illegal internet streams of any of the games.
Let's lace up our shoes and get out there.