The quintessential Big Ten smoking room.
This is not a victory lap. I was not rooting for Indiana, but to root against them is futile. No, this is instead a response to the assorted “CAN YOU BELIEVE WHAT HAS JUST HAPPENED?” reactions to Indiana winning the national title in football. My answer to that question is: Yes I can. Why? Three […]
about 23 hours ago | 0 reads
The Hoosiers have gone 16-0 and stormed the college football castle. Build the statue of Curt Cignetti and throw in one of Fernando Mendoza on 4th and 5, because the Indiana Hoosiers are your college football national champions. (1) Indiana Hoosiers 27, (10) Miami Hurricanes 21 Indiana scored on a fullback dive, blocked a punt […]
1 day ago | 0 reads
Hoosiers! Hurricanes! Who wins the College Football National Championship? The Vitals (1) Indiana Hoosiers vs. (10) Miami-Fluoride HurricanesMonday, Jan. 19 | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)Indiana -8.5 | O/U 47.5 The TV Situation: The Picks BRT: Indiana 42, Miami 17 Let’s do the thing, Hoosiers! This is a big score, but so far, Indiana […]
2 days ago | 0 reads
Week One of B1G dual season is in the books and were on to Week Two! Week One Recap Michigan demolished little brother 43-3. It was ugly. Northwestern dispatched the Terps 27-12. The match of note was a nice 4-2 upset win for the Wildcats #23 ranked 133# Sean Spidle over #12 Braxton Brown. Iowa […]
6 days ago | 0 reads
The #13 Illinois Fighting Illini travel to unranked Northwestern for the next chapter in a pretty major non-rivalry. The Illini are 144-46 against the ‘Cats all time and are all but certain to end this season ahead of Northwestern in the league standings. A peculiar pattern has emerged specific to the Illini game at Northwestern […]
8 days ago | 0 reads
Is this the new normal? The new Bloomington? The new Big Ten? Good afternoon, and happy Monday. Three-quarters of the MNW household are struggling with some form or residuals of the flu, and the other one is me. That, of course, has led to no resentment of the fact that I am healthy other than […]
9 days ago | 0 reads
B1G Wrestling Season!! This weekend is the opening weekend of the B1G rasslin season and we’re back to preview things and give you the hot takes you never knew you wanted and probably actually don’t want. January 9th 6:00 PM CST Ann Arbor, MI The B1G dual season kicks off with some intra-state hate in […]
11 days ago | 0 reads
Who ya got? (AND WHY?) WSR: Go Ducks. Please. Don’t make me cheer for Miami like I’m 10 again. Thumpasaurus: Do I need a reason to claim Indiana is winning? It doesn’t particularly matter who they’re against. This is the best college football team I’ve ever seen. I don’t see anything special enough about Oregon […]
12 days ago | 0 reads
Remember when Rutgers basketball was relevant? When Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr. were leading the Scarlet Knights to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 1976? When Steve Pikiell looked like a genius who’d finally cracked the code at a program where basketball coaches go to have their careers questioned? That was […]
12 days ago | 0 reads
Hey ho, it’s me, BRT, writer of volleyball, football, and now, apparently, a tiny bit of basketball. This is a little less onerous than it usually would be as a Nebrasketball fan though, because this year… they are actually good? I’ve been following (I use the term somewhat loosely) Big Ten basketball for about 13 […]
13 days ago | 0 reads
I WILL DEFEAT YOU, CAMPUS IT An installed toilet! A baby who’s still sick! A delicious mushroom soup! Toilet: I Am A Genius He-Man When last we spoke, I was uninstalling, cleaning up after, purchasing, and installing a new toilet, because…well, I have been advised by counsel—WHO IS DEFINITELY NOT LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER, I […]
15 days ago | 0 reads
By way of a story, of course. Happy 2026 to you and yours. Stress eating an entire bag of harvest cheddar Sun chips and drinking a Cherry Coke-style Poppi in the parking lot of my local Aldi, in case you would like a window into where I’m at. This article ends with a preview of […]
16 days ago | 0 reads
Soak it in—when the clock strikes midnight, it’s just College Football Playoff talkers from here on out. Armed Forces Bowl Rice Owls (5-7) vs. Texas State Bobcats (6-6)12pm | ESPN | TXSt -18.5 | O/U 55.5 | at Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, TX) The first of two 5-7 teams to play today, as […]
19 days ago | 0 reads
This is a column to check in on the rest of the football world, but since it’s 2025 in America I will beat you over the head with The Agenda, which in case you’ve forgotten is “Big Ten Superiority Unless It’s Funny.” You may have noticed that I haven’t really used the “Unless It’s Funny” […]
19 days ago | 0 reads
Indiana Hoosiers 38, Alabama Crimson Tide 3 RUReady4Brazil: Can you believe how far we’ve come from Indinia? BuffKomodo: My son was born in December, 2020. Indiana football would go on to lose in the Outback Bowl to an Ole Miss team with a losing record during a strange time in our culture. From there, Indiana […]
19 days ago | 0 reads
First, a brief recap: ReliaQuest Bowl: Iowa 34, Vanderbilt 27 Las Vegas Bowl: Utah 44, Nebraska 22 Citrus Bowl: Texas 41, Michigan 27 Brian Gillis: Michigan played hard in a back-and-forth affair against Texas, but a couple of late Bryce Underwood interceptions paved the way for a disappointing 14-point loss to the Longhorns. A fitting end, you […]
20 days ago | 1 read
Well, it’s safe to say that this game isn’t the headline news for either team or fanbase right now, as both programs are facing big changes that are dominating attention and storylines. For Nebraska, that’s probably just as well, because honestly, I don’t see this one going particularly well for the Huskers. The Bigger Storylines […]
21 days ago | 0 reads
FOR ALL THE SUN, CITRUS, AND COTTON! Mortgages and Vegas, too. Seems legit. It’s Iowa-Vanderbilt and a wholesome, Devils-do-care Sun Bowl—then terrible storylines the rest of the night. Would you like previews and a place to talk about those games? HERE YOU GO! ReliaQuest Bowl #23 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. #14 Vanderbilt Commodores11am | ESPN | […]
21 days ago | 0 reads
Iowa! Vanderbilt! A game…we actually want to see? It gives me the vapours just thinking about it, but we are about to watch ranked Iowa take on ranked Vanderbilt in the Tampa…and actually be a little excited about it? ReliaQuest Bowl The Facts, Ma’am #23 Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4) vs. #14 Vanderbilt Commodores (10-2)11am | ESPN […]
21 days ago | 0 reads
Given everything that’s unfolded in Ann Arbor over the past few weeks, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that Michigan’s season isn’t over and that the Wolverines still have a bowl game to play. With so much off-the-field news, the Citrus Bowl has become somewhat of an afterthought. Which is a bit ironic, given the matchup. […]
21 days ago | 1 read
Illinois in the Music City Bowl, USC in the Alamo Bowl, some hoops on—what more do you need in life? Good morning, good afternoon—wherever you are, I hope you’re doing well. Bowl Games Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs1pm | ESPN | LaTech -10 | O/U 50.5 | at Independence […]
22 days ago | 0 reads
Northwestern football does something legitimately exciting.Good morning or afternoon, wherever you are. One bit of news, then off to the open thread. You’re not drunk, I’m not drunk, that’s a real NCAA football headline in the year of our Lord 2025. The last time I can count being legitimately excited when Northwestern’s offense got the […]
22 days ago | 0 reads
When USC takes the field against TCU in tonight’s Alamo Bowl, the Trojans will look like a very different team than the one that won nine games and finished tied with Michigan for fourth place in the Big Ten this season. The Trojans will be led by junior quarterback Jordan Maiava (who led all Big […]
22 days ago | 0 reads
I joined OTE full time just after the 2014 season, which means this is only the fourth bowl preview I’ve ever had the opportunity to do. I never imagined I’d have to do them in consecutive seasons! Illinois plays Tennessee in the ostensibly neutral-site Music City Bowl tomorrow, and I have a slow week at […]
23 days ago | 0 reads
There are plenty of Big Ten teams that are powers on the court, and the names I could list would probably bore you: Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State, Illinois… yawn. All of these teams are doing well so far this year, were expected to do well this year, and likely will continue to do well this […]
23 days ago | 0 reads