Big Game Pregame and 1st Quarter Open Thread

by ragnarok on Nov 22, 2008 7:00 AM PST in Football

It's Big Game, folks. Time to take back the Axe! Time to end this year of ignominy and shame. Time to do to these trees what we did to those in front of Memorial Stadium.

GIVE 'EM THE AXE! THE AXE!! THE AXE!!!

where?

RIGHT IN THE NECK! THE NECK!! THE NECK!!!

Verily.

If you haven't heard, our #7 Cal women's basketball team totally destroyed #3 Rutgers in Haas Pavilion last night. Reader BearStage provided an excellent FanPost report that you should definitely check out. And if you missed the game, it's going to be replayed on Comcast Channel 400 today at 2:30.

If you're not sufficiently hyped, here are some other games that might interest you:

Broadcast TV:
Michigan @ #10 Ohio State, 9:00AM - ABC
Mississippi @ #18 LSU, 12:30PM - CBS
Stanford @ California, 12:30PM - ABC
Syracuse @ Notre Dame, 12:30PM - NBC
#2 Texas Tech @ #5 Oklahoma, 5:00PM - ABC

Hey, waking up to Michigan - Ohio State isn't that bad, even if it does involve the worst Michigan team in history (true story -- this Michigan team has lost more games than any other team in the history of Wolverine football). Then, after Cal takes back this afternoon, head home (or to a good sports bar) for an absolutely HUGE Big XII South clash, with BCS Title Game and Heisman implications hanging in the balance.

Basic Cable:
West Virginia @ Louisville, 9:00AM - ESPN
Indiana @ Purdue, 9:00AM - ESPN
Yale @ Harvard, 9:00AM - Versus
#15 Michigan State @ #8 Penn State, 12:30PM - ESPN
Air Force @ #16 TCU, 12:30PM - Versus
#9 Boise State @ Nevada, 1:00PM - ESPN2
#21 Oregon State @ Arizona, 4:00PM - Versus
#20 Pittsburgh @ #19 Cincinnati, 4:15PM - ESPN2
Florida State @ #25 Maryland, 4:45PM - ESPN

If you don't live in the Bay Area (and thus aren't attending the Big Game), you may end up watching the Big 10 title game (whaaa? It's not Michigan - Ohio State this year?) between Michigan state and Penn State. The Nittany Lions can win the Land Grant Trophy and a trip to Pasadena in one fell swoop, whereas Sparty might just be playing the role of spoiler; I'm not sure how the tiebreakers work, but if they win, I think Ohio State goes to the Rose Bowl unless the Buckeyes somehow lose to the worst Michigan football team of all time.

If Oregon State is going to lose, I think it's going to happen tonight in Tucson. I hope you get Versus, because this is a game worth watching (I love watching BCS dreams die, don't you?). If you get bored, there are other games on with major BCS implications for conferences you don't care about (Big East, ACC).

Premium Cable:
Colordao State @ Wyoming, 11:00AM - The Mtn.
Washington @ Washington State, 12:00PM - Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
#14 BYU @ #7 Utah, 3:00PM - The Mtn.

Sadly, those of us at Big Game will miss the epic struggle for a win over a I-A opponent that is the Apple Cup. I can't say it will be good football, but I do think it will be compelling television.

Pay-Per-View or No TV:
North Carolina State @ #22 North Carolina, 9:00AM
Citadel @ #4 Florida, 10:30AM

Why is Florida hosting the Citadel on the fourth weekend in November? Why does that happen? Can anyone tell me?

This is the pregame and 1st quarter thread. Use it to discuss all the pregame and 1st quarter action. A 2nd quarter thread will appear before the start of the 2nd quarter (hopefully!).

Finally, we've been posting a lot recently. Check it: Inside The Numbers; YouTube Thurday, Roundtable, B-Ball Recap; Arizona analysis; Marshawn v. Browns; Top25; Bowl Scenarios; OSU Thoughts; Pete Newell Memories; Big Game Memories