This past weekend felt like the start of the offseason, and in my purview it essentially was. There are just 40 minutes of basketball and a handful of hockey games' worth of major college sports left until everything goes black for a while.
At some point you'll shiver awake and before your eyes Minnesota and UNLV will be trying to out-lose each other on a Thursday night. It's easy to think about that moment cynically right now, but in four months you'll find yourself really caring as you rediscover that sports have only ever been about scoring more points than someone else.
We're already losing sight of that. Selena Roberts kicked off scandal season, and of course her report on Auburn was vehemently denied. Anybody who cares doesn't know what to think. My opinion of Auburn is about where it has always been, except now there's more din surrounding a sport that needs far less. We're going to have to talk about this story and not about points that have been or will be scored, and it won't be fun.
David Gilbert's announcement breaks my heart. Jack Hoffman's run pushed me to the verge of tears every one of the dozen times I watched it. It's all so terrible/incredible, and it's a bad idea to write about this stuff on three hours sleep. And there is nothing to extract from any of this, really, except the obnoxious truth that the offseason is really too damn long.
LINKS
More impressions from open practice. Tom Oates gives his quick thoughts, and confirms Curt Phillips at the top of the depth chart. Jeff Potrykus goes more in depth. Read Spencer, obvi.
Profile on Brendan Kelly. There is no silver lining in David Gilbert's departure, but Wisconsin at least have multiple bodies who fit the mold of the position.
Barry Alvarez gets a contract extension.
Graham Filler on tonight's national championship game.
Adam Collyer at Black Shoe Diaries looks ahead at Rutgers football.
Wrapping up: Otto the Orange dies.