B5Q Blogopean Union: Sydney Hilley is smart AND good at volleyball

Good morning! This is going to be a daily(ish) post that discusses the goings on of the rest of the Big Ten Conference, and the country as needed. Much like the European Union, the Big Ten is a loosely confederated group of entities that sometimes have the same goals (like free movement of people between countries or not winning national titles in football or basketball) and sometimes accept new members that they later regret (Estonia or Rutgers).

We hope that you will use this post to comment on things happening around the conference and also as a sort of daily open thread to discuss breaking news or argue about Spotted Cow.

• People who are smart AND excellent athletes really piss me off. Like, save some talent for the rest of us, huh?

• I wonder what happens if Kelly Sheffield’s players show up late for practice? Does it turn into a full scale Comedy Central Roast?

• Maybe, and I don’t think we’ve really discussed this yet, the men’s hockey team is just TOO talented. That’s why they can’t string together any wins! Anyways, congrats to K’Andre Miller, Ty Emberson, Alex Turcotte and Cole Caufield on this honor.

• I really like this answer from Greg Gard. Wisconsin will forever fight against the stereotype that they are a slow, plodding, boring team until they shock people to their senses by flying up and down the court. After a rough start to the season the Badgers really have nothing to lose in terms of letting the players loose. See what ya got, Gard!

• I hope he brings his flame thrower to the ceremony.

• If we are voting based on pictures alone, and why wouldn’t we, Tyler Biadasz wins going away.

• Forgot to include this quote from T.J. Watt on Monday.

ARE YOU EVEN REALLY FROM WISCONSIN, T.J.!?!?

• I don’t know what Jonathan Taylor has to do to even be INVITED to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist but apparently this season’s body of work wasn’t enough.

This year’s finalists are: QB Joe Burrow (LSU, formerly Ohio State), QB Justin Fields (Ohio State, formerly Georgia), QB Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma, formerly Alabama) and DE Chase Young (Ohio State).

I guess Taylor could’ve tried being a transfer quarterback from one of this year’s playoff teams. That might’ve worked.

• Congrats to former Badger Lauren Carlini.

• For all of your Oregon Ducks coverage this month, head on over to Addicted to Quack. We had a lot of fun with them before the last Rose Bowl and apparently still owe them beer (::tugs collar::) but we’re hoping to have a lot of great joint coverage of the game with them for y’all to read and listen to.
• Purdue fired their co-defensive coordinator.
• Iowa bounced back from giving up one million points to Michigan the other night and dismantled Minnesota at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
• The folks over at Corn Nation take a look back at their preseason predictions. It is delicious.
• 4-star Canadian TE verbally commits to Penn State.
• Penn State may be losing their offensive coordinator to the head coaching position at Old Dominion.
• Michigan should embrace the challenge of playing Alabama in Decidedly Not The CFP.
• A really cool, and nerdy, breakdown of what KenPom stats actually mean from On The Banks.
• Anthony Cowan, Jr. is a good basketball player and he’s playing his best basketball right now for the Terps.
• Michigan State DE Kenny Willekes wins the Burlsworth Trophy. This goes, annually, to the “most outstanding college football player in America who began his career as a walk-on.”

B1G basketball scoreboard from last night (losses in bold because we are here to laugh at misfortune):

Iowa 72 - Minnesota 52