We have a roundup of Ohio State-Penn State links, some draft talk, the nastiest soccer player you'll ever see, and more in this version of Kirk's Clicks.
It's time once again to head into the lion's den. Penn State has become Ohio State's second rival, at least in the Big Ten. Certainly one could argue that the games have been more meaningful recently than the Ohio State-Michigan game.
But while many people in Nittany land look at the Buckeyes as their main rival, the feeling is not mutual. I hate hate hate losing to Penn State, but it hasn't reached the sickening feeling that lasts for months like losing to Michigan does, and for Ohio State fans, the Penn State game occupies generally one week per year while the Michigan talk goes non-stop. As a matter of fact, even though the games against Penn State in recent years have been big ones, USC has probably been more of a rival to Buckeye fans over the past two years than the Nittany Lions.
I hope that doesn't come off like I'm trying to belittle the rivalry, because it has been a healthy one recently. The 2005 game, a game legendary in the lore of Penn State fans, probably was as crazy of an atmosphere as there ever has been in college football, and in my mind, two popular fan trends stem directly from that game -- Zombie Nation singing and bouncing and, of course, white/red/yellow/black/brown/blue/plaid/mauve/anycoloryoulike-outs. Steve Helwagen said after that game that the fans shook the stadium so hard that a television fell off a stand in the press box.
It's cool to see that type of fan reaction when the Buckeyes come to town. It shows that playing them means something.
And quite frankly, games like this week's game, last year's game, and the 2005 game are what fall football in the Big Ten should be all about -- hard-hitting slugfests between ranked powers with Rose Bowl chances on the line. So regardless of how one side or another views the rivalry, these two teams getting together often results in something memorable.
With that, let's get into this week's links and goodies.
Pick 'Em: The Buckeyes seem to be a decided underdog this week. Even Steve Helwagen picked against them, which is a stunner since Steve hasn't picked against the Buckeyes in years. The Bucknuts staff was trying to remember the last time Steve picked against Ohio State; I don't know if it was the last time or not, but I do remember him picking Kansas State over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. I picked Penn State as well, but I'm known as "Johnny-half-empty" around here for my glass-half-empty viewpoints.
We have plenty of company in the national media. You won't find many people who pick the Buckeyes here:
Even though I'm guilty as charged of picking Penn State, I'm a little surprised to see the Nittany Lions be such a universal pick. This game is not a slam dunk for the Nits by any means.
Quote of the Week... This comes from the Twitter feed of punter Jon Thoma, whose observations from time to time rival those of Mark Titus when it comes to humor:
"I grew up a penn state fan. we all had bad habits as kids didn't we?"
Oodles of Articles... Needless to say, there was plenty of Penn State-Ohio State literature this week. Here's a recap of some stuff that you may have missed -- and that we missed as well, as they did not make our News Links feature.
Interesting read on Kurt Coleman sharing his feelings on Tyson Gentry's paralysis in the York Daily Record.
Who's the better coach -- Jim Tressel or Joe Paterno? The Altoona Mirror provides an answer.
Heyward Son... Mock drafts this time of year are pretty much just for fun, but this one should catch some attention. The Sporting News put together their latest mock draft, and while it's no surprise to see Thaddeus Gibson in the top 15, it's the first I've seen of fellow lineman Cameron Heyward getting projected in the top half of the draft.
Uniformity... There's been almost as much talk this week on Bucknuts about Ohio State's special uniforms for the Michigan game as there has Penn State. If you haven't seen them yet, a fan on our message boards posted the clearest picture of them yet.
LOL Urban Meyer... The head coach of the Florida Gators implemented one of the lamest suspensions in recent memory this week, benching linebacker Brandon Spikes for an entire half of this weekend's game after getting caught on camera gouging an opponent's eyes last week. The blog Rumors and Rants asked what kind of punishments Meyer would hand out to some of history's most infamous individuals.
Hoops Stuff... CBS Sportsline brings a Big Ten preview, and says that Michigan State and Purdue are the kings of the mountain.
