Thursday, December 25, 2008
"It’s no secret that over the past few seasons, the Big Ten’s reputation has been beaten and battered like one of Muhammad Ali’s old punching bags.
"Embarrassing defeats in bowl games, maddening blowouts in the NCAA Tournament, and other feats of futility have left scars on the reputation of what used to be extolled as arguably the nation’s premier conference on both the gridiron and hardwood.
"After another ho-hum football season that saw Ohio State get railed by Southern Cal, Michigan tumble against Toledo and Illinois get shattered against Western Michigan, many die-hards thought the conference would have to wait another year to regain its swagger.
"Turns out, it doesn’t have to wait at all. ...
"Illinois (10-1) looks to have revived its moribund program after a two-year nosedive, while Penn State has arguably the best threesome in the conference in Jamelle Cornley, Stanley Pringle and Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Talor Battle. ..."
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Friday, December 05, 2008
Know what I did Friday morning? I cranked up an almost 8-year-old vid-on-demand of the 2001 Big Ten tournament quarterfinal match between the No.3-nationally ranked Michigan State Spartans and Penn State.
Why would I do this? Because I was refreshing myself on how much fun it is to watch a PSU team determined to make the NCAA tournament. I just had an inkling I might need to brush up on such a vibe.
That's because the current group of Nittany Lions are the first group since then that not only give you that sense of possibility but also make watching the game a blast again.
The '09 Lions are a fun team to see, the first one since then. I don't know what's in store for them. I don't know if they can overcome the obstacles a crappy non-conference schedule has placed before them. But, so far, they are one entertaining bunch.
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