Cold Minnesota Lakes Cause Linkage

I haven't jumped on the linkage bandwagon lately but here is what is going on around Gopher Nation and the Big Ten.

• Recently some minuscule Michigan blogger MGO Blog (you've probably never heard of it), has indirectly called out Gopher Nation saying there really is no such thing.
  

  "I blame the 2004 Red Sox and Kos for this. There is no Spartan Nation. There is no UAB Nation. There is no Badger Nation. Unless you are named Chad and everyone on your team is also named Chad, there is no nation for you. BLANK Nation jumped the shark two seconds after the 2004 ACLS. Shut up about it."

  I guess Brian didn't directly call us out so maybe we are OK. All I know is Tim Brewster said there is a Gopher Nation so that's what I'm going with. Maybe he'll think differently after his Wolverines step foot into Gopher Nation as they get housed at the Dome this fall.

• Matt Hayes at The Sporting News recently listed his top 5 players in the conference at each position. Only Eric Decker (#5) and punter Justin Kucek (#2) represented the Gophers. There is little to argue with here as there was a reason we were 0-8 a year ago. If the Gophers are going to win a couple conference games this year guys like Weber, Dom Alford, and anybody on defense may have to earn a spot within the top 5 of their respective position.
  

• As usual the Iowa bloggers Black Heart, Gold Pants provides us with a funny but completely unsafe for work, home or the library post. Just for your own safety and job security I suggest never clicking on a link provided by BHGP!

• People who know me will say I'm lying but I am actually reading a book. I have begun reading Bruce Feldman's "Meat Market - Inside the smash-mouth world of college football recruiting." Feldman spent a little more than the entire 2007 recruiting season with Ole Miss and noted recruiting great Ed Orgeron.
  
  I am not far enough to comment on the book but I have noticed several parallels between Orgeron and Brewster. Both are noted as outstanding recruiters and have landed blue-chip players for blue chip programs which led to National Championships. Orgeron was the master behind Leinart, Bush and other drafted players at USC. Brewster is given credit for guys like Vince Young at Texas. Both parlayed their recruiting reputation into head coaching jobs at schools in need of talent to move up from the bottom of their conferences. It should be a great read and provide some insight into the world of college football recruiting.

• From the Barn put out a hard hitting interview with incoming PF Colton Iverson about his love of "The Office."

• One of the best Big Ten Blogs for one of the worst Big Ten teams recently allowed me to give my thoughts on Gopher Football 2008. Lake the Posts has been giving an early sneak peak into the NU schedule and HERE is the Gopher preview. LTP also did an interview with Big Ten Network host and NU grad Dave Revsine. I didn't actually read it because it is really long but it looks interesting.

• Paterno will eventually die or quit coaching (not sure which will come first) and there are rumors that Rutgers coach Greg Schiano is being set to replace him. A planned successor isn't all that strange but when that successor is currently coaching another D1 team, that is unprecedented. It is of course just a rumor but interesting nonetheless.