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Mailbag Request – Smell that Greek Tragedy, Baby…

Another week down and more hopes dashed. Leave your questions in the comments below.

By 87Townie
Fate is a cruel bitch
Fate is a cruel bitch
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The fates are capricious at best and cruel at times. The game threads this weekend read like the finest Greek Tragedy. As the Bard said:

Our wills and fates do so contrary run

That our devices still are overthrown;

Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own.

Purdue springs to mind after reading this quote. Surely, losing 50-7 to the Terps wasn't their will. Even Howard put up 13 points against the Turtle. Back before the season, the goal for Purdue was beating Indiana and Illinois. Darrell Hazel's tenure could now be titled: The Walking Dead -  West Lafayette Edition.

Fate may be cruelest to the Illini, for letting them believe again. This weekend, Illinois fans kept getting more excited and more excited. At the end of the third, they were up 16-10 over the Huskers. Remember those folks who defended Troy? Routed teh Greeks and wheeled that fancy giant horse in to celebrate? The fans were loving Lovie...and then boom, the horse unloads 21 points in the fourth and its done. The truth hit home again, that Illinois is still a bad program and beating a ranked team is a "nice thing".

Iowa's arc this weekend never really got going. Leading 21 -€” 17 over a bad ‘Cats team at halftime didn't spark much excitement. At the end of the third, the game was decided. Iowa fans remind me of Sisyphus. The gods punished the ancient King for self-aggrandizement (lol). Doomed forever to roll a giant boulder (hello old Kirk) up the hill, only to see the administration extend him as the boulder rolls back down.

Finally, the Spartans may be the most aggrieved of their fate this weekend. That Indiana loss wasn't their fault. They left Indiana on a mountainside years ago to die...and whoops, the Hoosiers came back and killed us anyway. (Bonus points for sussing that reference out). Let us count the excuses:

  • "Refereeees"
  • "Injuries"
  • "Rebuilding"
  • "Sanctions"

Sweet, sweet, schadenfreude. That's what makes the B1G go ‘round. But be careful, just because you avoided fate this week, she'll be back next week. And no one -€” seriously, no one -€” knows who will fall next.

So, leave your questions below and we'll consult Delphi for some answers.

Your Friend,

Townie.