Sometimes the offseason heaps a certain amount of indignity upon us, whether it involves athletes helping their school rise in the Fulmer Cup standings or fans having to suffer through 13 innings of Cubs baseball because the Reds couldn't get a run off of Carlos Marmol.
My day yesterday was full of #firstworldproblem indignities that all started when my laptop's trackpad decided to become sentient and started moving on its own. While trying to fix it, I leaned down and in true cartoon fashion, ripped a hole in the butt of my pajamas1. Deciding to shut the computer down, HAL-style, I unplugged the power cord from the outlet, and was immediately greeted by a huge spark and a blown fuse.
Later, I somehow got a paper cut from a package of salad and then during my run, a dog who just finished his business kicked dirt on me as I passed him by2.
None of that, however, could top watching 13 innings of the Cubs. Thankfully, the Reds won, so it wasn't a complete waste of my evening. Just mostly.
But I'm not the only one who had a case of the Garfields yesterday. Jim Delany's quest for global domination hit a roadblock with the ACC Grant of Rights agreement. While this could signal the end of conference expansion for now, it's also not totally out of the question.
According to Lee Barfknecht of the Omaha World-Herald, this is an issue that could be challenged in court if an ACC, Big 12, or Pac-12 school — all of which have Grant of Rights deals in place, along with the Big Ten — was lured away by a Dr. Claw-like conference commissioner. In addition:
As a sidenote, two sources have told The World-Herald that the Big Ten has done prior “homework” on Oklahoma, Kansas and Vanderbilt among other schools who might some day be expansion targets.
I have no idea how much truth there is to that, or if it will ever even matter, but there's no denying the final line of Barfknecht's article: "When the most powerful people in college athletics want something, there are ways to do it, regardless of the contracts and paperwork in place."
YOU'RE THE BEST AROUND. Nothing says offseason like looking back at the greatest moments from the football and basketball seasons, but since Ohio State is so successful at both, it's a worthy retrospection. The Lantern's photo editor, Andrew Holleran, had a unique perspective this school year, and he ran down the best that the two sports had to offer in 2012-13.
By his account, the best game distinction went to the basketball team's Sweet 16 victory over Arizona, which featured their biggest comeback of the season and a game-winning three from a Kobe-channeling LaQuinton Ross. The stakes were certainly higher than the trip to Bloomington, but to me, that was the basketball team's best game. It proved that they had truly turned a corner after the Wisconsin loss and showed that they were a dangerous opponent in March.
When Holleran named Craft's 3-point shot against Iowa State, which sent the Buckeyes to the Sweet 16, as the best play, I somewhat objected, immediately thinking of Kenny Guiton's heroics in the Purdue game. Then I scrolled down and saw that he credited that as the best moment, which is fair because both should be recognized.
Although there are several deserving options for those categories — #BuckeyeNationProblems and all— it's hard to argue with Braxton Miller being called the best player and the 12-0 football squad as the best team. To put it mildly, a pretty fine year for Ohio State's top dogs.
URBAN COMIN', YO. The Sporting News' coach rankings reflect what many are predicting the polls will look like when the college football season begins: Nick Saban is No. 1 with Urban Meyer3 right below him at No. 2. Lists of this sort can be rather subjective, though those two spots are pretty set for the time being. However, another national championship for Urban, while it would still be one fewer than Saban could claim, would oust King Joffrey Saban from the the No. 1 ranking.
The top 10 isn't completely SEC dominated, either, with quote machines Steve Spurrier (No. 6) and Les Miles (No. 9) as the only others included. Surprisingly, Pat Fitzgerald came in at No. 8, making it the first time Northwestern has cracked the top 10 in something sports-related since Fitzgerald played for the Wildcats.
Other Big Ten coaches in the next tiers were Bill O'Brien (13), Brady Hoke (23), and Mark Dantonio (27), with former B1G men Bret Bielema (15) and Rich Rodriguez (29) in their company.
Higher expectations for HeuermanHEUERMAN LEARNING. It's a familiar refrain every offseason: this will be the year of the tight end in the Ohio State offense. But seriously, for real this time, the position should be an integral part, and not just in a blocking capacity.
With Meyer praising the group last week in a headline-grabbing way, it really does feel like Jeff Heuerman, Nick Vannett, and company will be regular targets for Braxton Miller. Even though Heuerman tallied just one catch in the spring game, which seemed very "same old, same old", BuckeyeNation's Austin Ward has singled him out as a player whose stock is rising:
Given his particular role a year ago and his huge frame, Heuerman might not have had much to prove as a blocker this spring. But coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman love to create mismatches with their tight ends and use them in a variety of ways to keep a defense off balance. Showing more familiarity with the playbook went a long way for Heuerman and could help keep him on the field for almost any scenario -- from short-yardage to third-and-long.
It's that last part that has me convinced that no, really, the tight ends will be used in the passing game. Every returning player has had a year learning the new system and between that and Braxton's progress as a thrower, Heuerman and the rest of the group should be ready to show that honestly, 2013 will be TE-heavy.
LACK DRAFT. The start of the NFL Draft is two days away and although Ohio State has a pretty stellar history of players getting selected in the first round, it doesn't appear that they'll add to that total this year. USC has the most first-rounders ever with 77; Ohio State is next with 67. In terms of total draft picks in the past decade, USC also leads the way with 70 and Ohio State is second with 62.
And it's not just Ohio State who will be shut out of the first round, either:
I'm pretty mock draft'd out, but if you to click on Feldman's link, you'll find a whole lot of linemen and probably a whole lot of apathy.
NO RESERVATIONS. In an attempt to solve their whole "students failing to show up to games" problem, Michigan has decided to change their student seating from reserved to general admission. So, like their basketball games, it will be first come, first serve.
Empty portions of the student section has been an ongoing issue for UM, which has had to deal with no-show or late-arriving students who probably couldn't find their keys. It's not a bad plan because it serves as motivation for college students to get up for noon games. But c'mon, I am the least morning person ever and I was always there for kickoff when I was in college.
More importantly, though, I eagerly await the disappointed looks on the faces of students who've been stuck in the Big House all day, only to see their team lose on, say, November 30.
WELL YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE LIGHT SWITCH, CLICK IT ON. Reid Fragel worked out with the Bengals yesterday... Jim Tressel likes countdowns... The life of an Iowa student-athlete... An update on Auburn... The worst contract extension ever... Vote for your favorite disturbing Sparky... Andrew Wiggins cancels visits... Geez, quit your bragging, Indiana... Product misplacement in movies... Michael Shannon reads the infamous sorority letter (NSFW: super language warning).
