[Oskee] Man, is it QUIET in here...

[Robert Mingee]

Has everyone been abducted by aliens or something?  We're winning, people!  Wake up! :-)  Granted, it hasn't exactly been against top-flight competition the last 2 weeks for football, but we're bowl-eligible, and if we can beat Northwestern, we should be able to get a halfway decent bowl invite.  Aside from the Iowa loss, our other 2 losses are to top-15 teams, and we've been competitive in every single game.  Clearly OSU is going to be our biggest challenge yet, and I have no illusions about our very slim chance of victory, but I'd be happy with giving them a solid punch in the nose and being in it to the end, particularly if they come out looking past us to the Michigan game.  We really ought to get by Northwestern at home.  I'd be downright giddy with an 8-4 finish and no blowouts -- talk about a huge year-to-year improvement.  My dad said he has seen where one of the Orlando bowls would love to have a Florida-Illinois matchup.  That would be a pretty
 tough game for us, but I'm sure Zook would relish the chance to play them in a bowl.

It's nice getting the exhibition hoops games on the Big Ten Network now, and in high-def no less.  Anyone have any thoughts on how things look so far, particularly any opinions on redshirts?  I kinda zoomed through the first game, so I wasn't watching with a very critical eye.  Tisdale looks more polished than I would have thought, but man, is he thin.  I shudder to think of him mixing it up with some of the widebodies in the Big Ten without another year to bulk up.  There are definitely some athletes among the newcomers.  Obviously there's a long way to go as far as discipline, especially watching the fouls, but you'd expect that with a lot of young guys.  I dug back throuhg the news on the website after seeing Chester sit the whole first game, and it said he also sat out the OB Scrimmage with an injured thumb.  It's not serious, is it?

-- robert