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STCW is back, for as long as we can keep coming up with interesting and, in some cases, odd notes about college sports. Here's our latest digest.
But what else is there to do out there?
We would never make light of drunken driving; it is a serious problem. It is dangerous, deadly, and can change peoples' lives in an instant. But....
The Centers for Disease Control took a deep look at data on the states with the most drunk drivers on the road. Our friends in corn country came in at No. 2; yes, I'm looking at you, Nebraska. And I guess you can't have cheese curds - or play the Budweiser song as a "fight song" - without drinking. Yup, Badger country was the fifth worst drinking-and-driving state. And apparently there's more than meth in Iowa; there's booze as Iowa was No. 9 on the CDC's list. But take heart, fellow B1G brethren who imbibe: because of sampling issues, they couldn't include such tea-totaling states as Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, or West Virginia, places that practically gave birth to moonshine and NASCAR.
Bottom line: enjoy the tailgate, but be careful out there!
Uhh, not the Tarheels, huh?
ICYMI: MJ announced that Michigan will become the first football program to wear Jordan brand: http://t.co/4DOONwQaVg pic.twitter.com/QGxxcoZLK5
— ESPN (@espn) August 14, 2015
And for the record, UNC is a Nike school at least through 2018. Guess you have to go to class to wear Mr. Jordan's shoes.
Speaking of the boys in powder blue....
The hits just keep on coming. The folks at North Carolina keep finding "new pieces of information potentially requiring further review." Just as the Tarheels were ready to respond to NCAA allegations, they've uncovered - that is the school itself has uncovered - "additional examples of possible instances of improper academic assistance" provided to several former women's basketball players."
I don't know about you, but I had a pretty good image of UNC before all this. Doesn't take much to change that point of view.
Tradition...uniforms...the Big Ten
We've had plenty of conversations around here about Nike, uniforms, and lots of other stuff. The folks up north talk the same stuff.
.@LostLettermen Can we agree it should be required by law for Michigan's jersey's to always look like this? pic.twitter.com/fWqSJGnnnp
— Shawn L. Martin (@ShawnLMartin) August 15, 2015
New ain't always what people want. And it isn't what Jim Harbaugh wants either. The Wolverines will be wearing 1974 throwback uniforms for all road games this year. That includes white pants.
I get that I'm supposed to reflexively dislike what Michigan does or whatever, but I won't lie, those all white road unis look super cool.
— Matt Brown (@MattSBN) August 16, 2015
Show me the money....or as much of it as you can
If you're a Big Ten fan, you know how much the conference forks over to member schools: gazillions! And the Twerps and Rutgers are eagerly awaiting more crumbs from the table. Even more significantly, the conference as a whole is anxiously awaiting the next TV deal.
What the new NBC Sports deal with the Premier League could mean for the Big Ten: http://t.co/qxuQsyHSbF pic.twitter.com/QogQsFyeKx
— Matt Brown (@MattSBN) August 11, 2015
Our SBNation colleague, Matt Brown (@MattSBN) had an interesting take on whether that next TV deal will be quite as lucrative as some of us hope. There's still a ton of money out there for sports on TV, but even the Worldwide Leader has been cutting back. Stay tuned....
Does it really matter who drives the bus?
With apologies to our colleague and RU hoops fan(atic) Dave White, we all know what sport drives the bus at most schools. Hint: it's played in the fall, on a 120-yard field, and....yeah, you know.
How do basketball coaches deal with being "number 2" at the big P5 schools? Is there jealousy? Or is it a benefit to have Urban and Nick working in the same department? The truth is, most seem to be very content in that scenario.
Hoops coaches don't view football counterparts as competition http://t.co/bkoiL5Y3fS
— Jason Belzer (@JasonBelzer) August 10, 2015
In many cases, it is truly a team effort, and building the University's brand, whether on the field or the court, is a part of what drives the coaches.
Dear Mr. Fantasy
$70 billion. Read that again....$70 BILLION. That's what a Forbes writer came up with two years ago as the cost/value/market of fantasy football.
And like him, I don't care. Really, I watch games to see the real teams and to absorb real results of the real games. Yes, I'm a dinosaur.
Well, apparently there's actually fantasy football involving college teams.
LT: Why fantasy college football will leave your NFL league in the dust: http://t.co/ZZTf5tshlh pic.twitter.com/rEwWcC65Z3
— Lost Lettermen (@LostLettermen) August 10, 2015
If that's your thing, great. I do not - nor do OTB and our parent companies - endorse any illegal sports betting, especially among minors or anything that involves college sports. Unless it can benefit New Jersey.
In the mean time, I am going out for dinner with my T-Rex friend and his "date", Trixie.
And finally, our Moment of Zen
"Hey Ernie, President Reagan was right!" @SesameStreet teaches us a free market lesson http://t.co/O4MXCzzzW0 (op/ed) pic.twitter.com/0RNW0RmffX
— CNBC (@CNBC) August 14, 2015