The OTE ICYMI Wednesday Roundup 1.30.13

OTE Football

Ted and Jesse's Excellent E-mail Adventures: B1G 2012 -- The TL;DR Recap by Jesse and Ted

It is hard to believe that we are already a week past this piece considering after a second read, it does feel a bit dated. Still, I think this summed up a lot of our thoughts pretty dang well in light of the season. An interesting sidenote, MSULaxer shot us an E-mail recently talking about Tennessee and their woes in the ledgers and posed the question about whether or not a school like them would consider joining the B1G if asked. Obviously, they are probably too SEC blueblood, but you gotta admit, the allure of cash in obscene sums is definitely hard to overlook. Bigger picture, can we at least agree that our schools have some cash on hand? Heck, even Maryland will do okay soon.

Hoegher's 2012 Season Reviews: THE MIDDLE MISH-MASH by Hoegher

I must admit. These graphs look pretty, but I am not as smart as many of you and sometimes they just seem like they are stating the obvious (you know, like the part where we grade MSU's offense out as terrible). With that in mind, this is still excellent work and for trying to balance this with actual work, I will definitely agree that it is impressive. Also, I am always happy to see Nebraska not in the Middle Mish-Mash even though my mind tells me that is where they should generally be.

Home vs Road Performance in B10 Play - the Football Version by br27

I like this. This is a very good and fairly straightforward look at how important home field is in B1G play. There are also a few takeaways here. First off, Illinois cannot have nice things like homefield advantage. When your overall winning percentage is better on the road than at home, that is a problem -- especially when your road winning percentage is 33%. Second, the good teams are good and the bad teams are bad. We know this, but it's always nice to see it plotted out in a list. Thirdly (and lastly), I really like seeing where Maryland and Rutgers line up with everyone else.

Some Thoughts on Recruiting: A Non-Expert's Look at the B1G Class of 2013 (As It Stands Now) by Jesse

I am not and will never be a recruiting expert. This was just a quick method to determine some 10,000 foot views of the recruiting cycle. I will be doing more on this soon, though, so if you didn't have a chance to point out why your school's class is vastly overrated/underrated, now would be a good time to do so.

OTE Basketball

Spartan Sagas and Raised Expectations by Nolan Moody

Nice guest post about Sparty and where they are going this year in basketball. Obviously the Indiana game did not end the way Spartan fans had hoped, but it was still a tough battle to the finish and like Nolan said, this team has an identity that puts them squarely in the conversation with who will win the nation's best basketball conference. Also, I'm sure all Sparty fans were pumped to see their talented team finally highlighted for basketball within the confines of OTE.

Big Ten at Ten 1.29.13: The Refs are Awful by Mike

It is rare that we see a Big Ten at Ten in the ICYMI (and by rare I mean, this is the first time in two weeks of doing this), but here we are! I wanted to just point out that Mike has some pretty good evidence of what we see -- home teams get all the breaks in the B1G. Also Teddy Valentine is terrible. I was unaware of the B1G officials until you all introduced me in more depth and he needs to go away. I have said this before, but the lack of consistency in basketball officiating is mind-numbing.

Big Ten Power Rankings 1.29.13 by apy5000

We have some Power Rankings!!! In apy5000's update, we have Indiana up top and Penn State at the bottom. Agree? Disagree? Who cares? WE HAVE POWER RANKINGS!!! Also, it is probably worth noting that anybody who wants to split hairs between Michigan and Indiana will have their argument solved for the time being this weekend. Since these ranking generally are based on who we feel is better at any given point in time, that will help siginificantly. Also, NEBRASKA ISN'T LAST!!!

Basketball Rivalry Trophies: Why Not? by babaoreally

I totally agree with the premise. They're totally fun and it would be awesome to see people hoisting up trophies after a game. In fact, I think there should be more situations in life where we hoist up trophies. Win a big case against a firm you hate? Hoist up a gavel shaped trophy and give them the bird. Land a major account against a rival agency? Hoist up a gold bar and give them old 'suck it' move on your way out of the conference room. Heck, finish the best surgery of your life? Grab the scalpel trophy on your way out of the OR and high five everyone in sight. Why this can't work in professional life is beyond me.

Also, in case you were wondering, last week's winner of the OTE Story of the Week was:

Virginia: The Next Big Ten Target by Ted

Don't forget to vote for your choice in who was the best this past week! Have a good Wednesday everyone.