B5Q Blogopean Union: bye week begins

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.

• Welcome to the BYE WEEK. We will still have plenty going on around here this week, just not as much football-centric talk as usual since, well, there’s no game this week. Maybe we can start poking fun at Michigan Men early? I don’t know. We’ll figure something out.
• Here’s a fun NFL stat for Week 1!

All of the teams on this list, that aren’t Wisconsin, would be considered recruiting powerhouses. These teams should be attracting and producing NFL talent...and then there’s Wisconsin. Never highly ranked in recruiting but consistently churning out NFL player after NFL player. It’s honestly really impressive. Also this:

• Former Badgers defenseman Jake Gardiner just signed with a bunch of jerks.

• The Ogunbowale family is the best family in America. I want them to adopt me, a large adult son, and let me come to family functions.

• Just Derek Watt doing Derek Watt things to lead his running back to a game-winning touchdown.

• You should pick up this week’s Sports Illustrated for the profile of nerd and running back Jonathan Taylor.

• But, like...who came in which place?

• I know the weekly recruiting post comes on Thursday, but this was too big of a bummer to hold on to. Here’s to a speedy recovery for Jordan Davis.

On a positive recruiting note, two new football recruits verbally committed over the weekend. Once we know who, we’ll have posts up for you.

• We’ll have more for you later today from the rest of the Badgers teams that played this weekend, but a special shoutout to Dani Rhodes of the soccer team for her 27th career goal.

• New recruit for the women’s hoops team. Halle Douglass, Lake Forest (Ill.), was named player of the year last season after leading Lake Forest to their first ever state sectional championship. Her father, Billy, played basketball at Wisconsin so she’s always had a strong connection to the Badgers.

The article linked above goes on to say:

She averaged 16 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.5 blocked shots. She was selected as the North Suburban Player of the Year and named first team all-state by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

She is rated as a 4-star recruit on ESPN and the 94th best player in the country. I, admittedly, don’t know much about women’s basketball recruiting but this seems like a big time get for the Badgers.

• My cousin completed the Iron Man a while ago. You have to be a special kind of crazy to want to do it.

• El Assico gets College GameDay! They’d better start sending more Busch Light to Ames, like, immediately.
• I can’t pick which post to link to so you just go to Corn Nation. They are having a collective breakdown over there.
• Rondale Moore is going to set so many records at Purdue by the time he is done playing there.
• If you need to start getting ready for Michigan now, here are their grades for the game against Army.
• Rutgers fans are fed up with Chris Ash and the football team. What happens next?
• LOL at Land-Grant Holy Land posting an article breaking down Justin Fields five incompletions on the day. Imagine if we did that last year after every game? ::shudders::
• Maryland volleyball had a rough weekend while their football team scored one million points.
• I can’t imagine you stayed awake to see the end of the Gophers/Fresno State game, so here’s a good recap.
• An interview with MSU’s athletic director by The Only Colors.
• Maybe Illinois should build the entire roster out of transfers?
• What in the wide world of sports was going on during this play? The Noles are playing 4-D chess, baby.

• I’m a little sad I’ve never gotten this feedback from you guys...