Posted by:

Prove It

| 07:35 PM ET  09.01 |

1. Post game Recognition

If I missed your team, realize I live in Alaska - I only get to watch a couple of games.  In the longer term this will evolve primarily into recognition for teams not typically blogged here.

 

 

Prove It Game Ball

(Sorry for the puppy slobbers)

Northwestern 30, Syracuse 10

If you need 6 or 7 wins to make a bowl and you have Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Illinois on the schedule you will likely need Syracuse plus 5 or 6 of the other 7 in the W column.

Helmet Stickers

Yes, I know, my helmet stickers are square, not round.  Blame it on the printers.

 

 

 

 

The Al Bundy Sticker

No matter how good or bad the rest of your career or life goes, you can remember "I once scored 4 touchdowns in a single game."

Indiana 31, W. Kentucky 13

Kellen Lewis - I am not 1 to award QBs too often in this category, but 2 TDs on runs of 62 and 75 yards, plus 2 more from passes will definitely earn you the middle peep hole in the Gary's Shoes storage room to view the aerobics class next door.

 

 

 

The Godzilla vs. Bambi Sticker

Penn State 66, Costal Carolina 10

Almost 600 yards total, averaging nearly 8 yards per rush, 10 yards per pass.  The defense limited Car to under 2 yards per rush, under 7 yards per pass.

The Lions appeared to enjoy the day off from the hard work of practice.

 

 

 

 

The Wild E. Coyote Sticker

A cultural icon of frustration of the best laid plans, the Coyote recognizes teams that came close but were ultimately frustrated in their quest for victory.

Michigan 23, Utah 25

The pre-season comment was RR would need some time to implement his system, had a lot of defensive talent from Carr, but was notably missing a quality QB.  After falling behind, the 2^nd half Michigan showed a lot of defensive talent, but was notably missing a quality QB.  A miraculous series of breaks almost earned the Wolverines the ???Easter Egg Hunt" helmet sticker but in the end... (does it really need repeating?)  The game may not have been as close as the score, but neither was it more than a 2 point conversion from OT.

Honorable Mention - Michigan State (didn't see the game so can't say just how close they really came)

 

 

 

The William Tecumseh "Burn ???em Deep" Sherman Sticker

Appearing as his usual psychotic self, this helmet sticker is awarded to offenses that made numerous long plays, or defenses that made demoralizing stands, sacks, interceptions, or fumble recoveries.

Illinois 42, Missouri 52

Juice Williams showcased his mobility and the Illini's speed at WR with 5 TD passes, 26 of 41 for 452 yards, of which over 300 came in the 2^nd half.  11 of the 26 completions went for 19, 20, 20, 24, 25, 26, 26, 30, 30, 54, and 65 yards (almost 340 yards on 11 plays!).

To group members from the south, I apologize - in my youth I discovered quite by accident references to the Civil War really ticks off some southerners and since feel the compulsion to make a Civil War reference from time to time.

If you weren't offended and don't feel the need for an apology, then did I mention both Grant and Sherman came from Ohio (my apology is useless unless I can offend you).

2. Week 1 Comments

Despite the outcome, the Missouri fans should be wondering if they have the defense to match their title game aspirations, while the Illini fans can rest assured there is life after Mendenhall.

None of the 3 losses were blow outs or big upsets, with the losing team in position to come back in the 4^th in each.  Most of the wins were blow outs as expected.  The good news is it wasn't a bad week at all for the conference.  The bad news is the Big 10 week 1 looked like last season minus the upset losses - a lot of Coyote stickers but no Ws.

It could be worse - we could be ACC fans.  In my benchmark blog I noted the recent woes of the ACC which were mostly regional losses hidden from national attention.  After Saturday's performance and media attention those woes aren't hidden anymore... welcome to our world!

Homer comment - if he doesn't return 100% Beanie will be a loss (Beanies don't grow on trees you know), but the Bucks aren't without backups with a trio of proven and experienced 4 star TBs who are all good (just not Heisman good).  If the Bucks have an Achilles heel this year, it is depth at corner (so yes, the Illini did look scary to me).

Adding to the rumor mill - Beanie's injury will turned out to be a rare arch sprain.  Even if you break your arch, they don't put it in a cast anymore.  If it is minor (2^nd degree) it can heel in under 2 weeks and, depending on the location, can be helped along with a custom shoe.  If it is severe (3rd degree) (turf toe or similar) he may be out over a month.

Week 1 is a bit early, but dare I suggest we add Juice to the Heisman menu?  The Illini offense may provide a spectacular weekly highlight reel full of QB draw plays to keep the D honest, scrambling to gain time, and long passes to a deep roster of speedy WRs.  Then again, maybe Missouri just lacks a secondary...

 

3. Side Bet

You THINK you know the Big 10 - then Prove It! 

The counter is closed and the bets are in (unless another group member wants in on the action in which case I will likely say why not)

10 entered.  In addition I am including the SI picks to see if they know anything more than the average Big 10 fan.

The Consensus

I am including the average pick - we will see how our collective knowledge compares to our individual knowledge.

SteveO may be located further from the Big 10 heartland than anyone, but he came the closest to matching the average.  The only difference was MSU over Illinois.  Maybe he has inside info, maybe he's going too far to shed his homer status, or maybe he's still sore about eating bologna sandwiches for 5 weeks after loosing his money taking Illini and the points in the Rose Bowl, but nobody predicted the Illini lower.

Buck-I-Girl was a very close 2nd.

ScarletBuckeye, Secret Squirrel, Misdreavus, and the SI picks tied as the largest deviants.  If you are on the same level as SI, is that good or bad?

Tags and Entry Order

The entry order (top to bottom) does factor into ties.

It was a 3 way tie for favorite tag.  I was bouncing my vote around to coerce a tie in hopes of reating chaos in Florida.  I would have voted for Buck-I-Girl's if it was an option, but the real winner is Secret Squirrel by a hanging chad.  Congrats Squirrel!

08%     Prove It                      Bows 2 ProveIt & OSU

--%      INCSOC                     *I still need your tag

25%     Badgerfan                   Badger is right

--%      Steveo                      *I still need your tag

25%     ScarletBuckeye            OSU is the best

25%     Secret Squirrel             The Gophers DONT suck

08%     AE                             AE+PSU= 4EVER

--%      xxx84xxx                    *I still need your tag

08%     Misdreavus 79              PSU Actually Wins!

01%     Buck-i-girl                   Kiss Buckeye Arse

(the 1% had to go to someone)

If anyone wants to change their tag, I have no problem with that so long as it is reasonably tasteful.

The Picks

The biggest differences came in placing Iowa, Michigan, and Purdue with each picked to finish anywhere from 6^th to 10^th.  The final winner will likely be decided by the performance of these 3 teams.  Everyone but SI picked the same top 5, just in a different order.

 

avg

Prove It

INC SOC

badger fan07

Steveo

scarlet buckeye

OSU

1.2

1

1

1

1

1

Wisc

2.6

3

3

2

2

2

PSU

2.9

2

2

3

3

5

Illini

4.1

4

5

4

5

3

MSU

4.2

5

4

5

4

4

t-Iowa

7.1

6

7

6

6

10

t-Mich

7.1

7

8

10

7

6

Purd

7.6

10

6

7

8

7

Indi

9

9

10

8

9

8

NW

9.3

8

9

9

10

9

Minn

10.9

11

11

11

11

11

 

 

secret squirrel

AE

xxx84xxx

misdreavus

buck-i-girl

SI

OSU

1

2

1

2

1

1

Wisc

4

3

2

3

2

2

PSU

3

1

4

1

5

5

Illini

2

4

5

5

4

3

MSU

5

5

3

4

3

6

t-Iowa

7

7

7

9

6

4

t-Mich

8

6

6

6

7

8

Purd

6

9

8

7

8

9

Indi

11

8

10

8

9

10

NW

9

10

9

10

10

7

Minn

10

11

11

11

11

11

4. Sportscaster Quotes

I have sympathy for game commentators saying some ridiculous things - they're winging it and trying to fill time.

Sports show commentators are have staffs, Teleprompters, and time to prepare before each segment.  Sometimes they hit with some really witty comments.  Frequently they utter the most ridiculous.

Here's your chance to recant the wittiest or dumbest quote of a sportscaster you heard on game day.

Side note - maybe it's just the times I happen to be tuning in, but has anyone else noted they are spending almost all the time on the upsets and very little on the quality games?  Yes, I already knew the ACC is down - how many times can you say the same thing... so how about some details of games like Cal-MSU?

My favorite from Satuday ESPN

"If Pittsburgh wants to win the Big East, they will need to do better than 0-2 and last place in the MAC"

...in reference to their loss to BGSU and upcoming game against Buffalo.

Friendly Reminder

This is a Prove It blog, not a bastion of free speech.  As a courtesy to my 7 readers, leave an idiot comment and I will zap it or trash you with facts as the mood hits - either way, at best you're wasting your time, at worse you are stepping on an uneven field.

Thanks for reading...