Well, it kinda sorta already began, as Wisconsin crushed UNLV on Thursday and Michigan State rolled Youngstown State yesterday. Nothing unexpected in the empire, but today...today, my friends, it begins. And as is becoming our tradition when we kick off the inaugural open thread, an accompanying video, with an explanation.
Send Lawyers, Guns, and Money...The Blog Has Hit The Fan
This blog was started by a couple of lawyers a few years back, and as it grew, they brought in more lawyers (and by more, I mean they multiplied like rabbits with fucksaws, for Chrissakes), an accountant, a doctor, and some jackass that did 20+ years in the military. I'm naming this the official song of Off Tackle Empire, because for the most part, we're nothing but lawyers, guns, and money, and we're desperate men (and woman).
And I love Warren Zevon. And this acoustic version kicks some serious, major league ass.
It's been an eventful off-season in The Empire. The King Might Be Dead, Long Live The King. We've expanded our borders and our TV footprint, we have grown so cumbersome The Empire has been split in two, and we will never again crown co-champions.
We've gone on and on all winter. We've given our opinions on the OSU scandal, on who's going to win the divisions, the conferences, what's going to happen with expansion, and we've introduced you to the Midwestern tradition of potluck.
Now it's time to play football. The games today are as follows:
| Time (CST) | Visitor | Home | TV Channel | Big Ten Blog |
| 11:00 | Akron | Ohio State | ESPN | Along The Olentangy |
| 11:00 | Northwestern | Boston College | ESPNU | Sippin' On Purple |
| 11:00 | Indiana State | Penn State | BTN | Black Shoe Diaries |
| 11:00 | Tennessee Tech | Iowa | BTN | Black Heart Gold Pants |
| 11:00 | Middle Tennessee State | Purdue | BTN | Hammer And Rails |
| 2:30 | Chattanooga | Nebraska | BTN | Corn Nation |
| 2:30 | Minnesota | USC | ABC/ESPN 2 | The Daily Gopher |
| 2:30 | Western Michigan | Michigan | ABC/ESPN 2 | Maize and Brew |
| 2:30 | Arkansas State | Illinois | BTN | Hail To The Orange |
| 6:00 | Ball State | Indiana* | ESPN3.com | The Crimson Quarry |
*Game is played at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis. Indiana is considered the home team, and if there is a God, Jack Trudeau will be the sideline reporter and Hoosiers Coach Kevin Wilson will finish the ass beating he started over the summer. Go contribute to the delinquency of some more minors, Jack.
Come on in and have a seat. If you're new to our open threads, the rules are simple: No racism, no sexism, no homophobia, no pornography, and no illegal internet streams of the games. There's beer in the fridge, we've got wings, we've got burgers and brats on the grill, and the legal minds are in the other room talking Nuances of the Deposition.