Dr. Pomade

I was just stewing about Wisconsin and MSU today. If Wisconsin was SEC team, I bet every time their name got mentioned they would say something like, "Well, Wisconsin really only has one loss, since they got cheated by the refs." Oh, and Wisconsin would/should be ranked #10. Hell, Clemson is, and their only loss was to a Top 5 team - and Clemson got curbstomped. Fuck, Stanford is, and they loss to an unranked team and they look boring. MSU's defense is fucking fantastic. If they were Bama or LSU or Florida, all the pundits would be touching themselves every time they mentioned MSU's defense. But, because they don't play in the SEC, they are ranked like #19. Wtf. Seriously, one of you stat guys, how does MSU's defense rank statistically to 2009 Bama or 2011 LSU/Bama? All we heard was about how awesome those defenses were. Is MSU close to them statistically?

Shit, that's right, I forgot about LSU having two losses and forgot about Auburn altogether.

Baylor loses, Oregon loses, and Bama loses. Ohio State moves up to #2 in polls, FSU moves to #1. Bama only falls to #4 in polls (behind FSU, Ohio State, and Stanford). New BCS rankings: FSU #1, Ohio State #2 Sound feasible? And, if so, could Bama find some way of working back into NCG and leaping over Ohio State for #2 spot? I would think not, since LSU would be representative in SECCG.

Okay, so I upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate, which has BitLocker. Yay, right? Wrong. I go to enable BitLocker and I get an error message saying that a compatible Trusted Platform Module (TPM) wasn't found on my computer. I do some clicking around and find that, apparently, I need a 1.2 TPM, but my computer only has a 1.0 TPM. So, what do I do now? Is there anywhere I can go to upgrade to a 1.2 TPM? In my clicking around, Windows said something about needing an removable USB drive or something to store my BitLocker key that must be used every time I start up my computer.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. My goals are fairly modest: I just want to ensure that, if my laptop or external hard drives are lost or stolen, that the protected information I have on them will be encrypted/protected/safe. It's mostly a liability concern for me. I doubt I need anything "industrial strength." I think the BitLocker will be fine for me. Unless someone says something that is significantly persuasive otherwise, I'll likely just take Brian and Steve's advice and upgrade my Windows 7. I don't mind spending a little money (so don't worry about me trying to find something for free).

Nah, we wanted Michigan State to win and want them to win out. Then, if we beat them in B1G CG, that will be the biggest boost we can get in terms of the computers and, hopefully, the polls. Also, we're hoping that Wisconsin gets on a roll and wins out.

I've been looking into encryption software for my computers, etc., but I'm not sure what to get. I heard about Microsoft's BitLocker, and that sounds like it would have everything I would need. Problem is, I only have Microsoft Windows 7 Home, and BitLocker doesn't come as part of that package. I've tried doing a couple of searches to just find the BitLocker so I can buy it and install it, but apparently I'm a moron and can't find it. So, I'd like your help. 1. Is there someplace where I can just buy BitLocker? I would think there would be - like this is a painfully obvious question - but I can't find it. 2. Is there some alternative to BitLocker that I should be considering? I'm not sure if I have given you enough information to give me a recommendation, so let me know if there's other stuff I should elaborate upon. Warning: I'm far from an IT guy, so please go slow with me and use very small words. Thanks in advance.

Brilliant article. I love all the hypocrisy he points out: margin of victory doesn't count for Ohio State, but does for Baylor, and then when Ohio State does torch someone - see Penn State - then people still dog on Ohio State.

I've never heard of Matt Hayes. Does he really take himself that seriously? This guy sounds like a semi-professional clown.

Agreed - the Purdue article was awesome. I LOL'ed at "Joey Elliot" and Bollman being worse offense coordinator in the universe. Also, the article pretty much sums up why I fucking despise Purdue. DIE IDIOT BOILERJACKASSES

I was at the game. The place went fucking bananas when Ginn scored. We were all high-fiving and shit and thinking that, if we scored on special teams, that was just a bonus and were probably going to score like 50 on them.

Maybe I wasn't being clear. I think the weakness of the PAC-10 kept USC from playing for NC titles that they could have (easily) won. If the PAC-10 wasn't so weak (and, instead, was perceived as strong like the SEC has been for the past 8 years or so), then I think USC plays for - and wins - a few more titles. I remember the lead up to the end of the 2006 season. I was sure we were going to play USC in the title game that year. Like you said, we probably get trounced by them, too. Of course, like you said, maybe we take the game a bit more seriously if it's USC. I'm ashamed to admit this, but I didn't think much of Florida when it was announced they would be playing us. I was guilty of being fat and lazy too.

He means so that, literally, we can hear each other talk so that meaning, etc. isn't lost in text/translation.

Epic battles for sure. I would have paid money to see the 2008 USC team play the 2008 Florida team that won the NC. Speed fucking galore. During their run, USC didn't lose a single "big" game with the exception of the NC game to Texas, which is arguably the greatest football game ever played. And, quite frankly, they should have won that one, too.

Agreed on all of that. But what I was saying is that if USC played in SEC during those years they likely still made the NCG because their SOS. (Or, said a little differently, it was the PAC-10 that kept them from playing for NC.) Didn't Florida lose to Auburn the year they beat us for NC? And didn't LSU lose to Arkansas the year they beat us for NC? And did Florida lose to Ole Miss (at home) the other year they won NC? And then of course there's Alabama losing at home to LSU in a colossally boring game and them still going on to win NC. With the exception of Auburn, haven't all the SEC teams that have won BCS national championships all had at least one loss?

I think that's possible if Ohio State is the only undefeated team and they still get left out of the NCG. And, like you said, I think the B1G would have to do great in bowl season for that to be a consideration. So, let's say it's Bama (who loses to LSU, but goes on to win SEC) versus Florida State (who loses to Miami, but wins in rematch and wins ACC) in the NCG game. (Ohio State is undefeated but left out because of SOS.) And they have a sloppy game, they both look bad, etc. And then you have Ohio State who waxes a 1 loss Oregon team in Rose Bowl. I could see that resulting in some consideration for a split NC. Probably wouldn't happen, but it could.

Because he does. If Ohio State smokes its bowl opponent, regardless of who it is, then they will get a ton of respect. It will start to feel like USC in the mid-2000s: a dominant team that is hindered by a crappy conference. USC should have won about 4 national titles in the past 10 years. If they played in the SEC they would have. I'm convinced the would have manhandled a lot of SEC teams in bowl games.

Simple questions: Did boise state get criticized for playing in a weak conference? Yes or no. Circle one. Is Ohio state being criticized for playing in a weak conference? Yes or no. Circle one. If you circled yes twice and aren't Josh, punch yourself in the face.

LOL holy fuck the level of obstinate in this thread has reached critical mass. Josh is completely on point about Ohio State not being respected on a national level right now. If you are trying to argue otherwise then you don't belong in any discussion about college football. You guys giving him a hard time are missing the forest because of the trees.

bUCkeye state

Likety-like

A good thing about being in their current spot is that Ohio State has motivation to be up, amped, prepared, etc. for every game. - they have a huge win streak and know everyone is gunning to be ones to end it - they have to impress voters to stay in the NC discussion - they are being disrespected continuously on a national level All that being said, fuck if I'm not nervous about Purdue. Those little wretches have been a thorn in Ohio State's side far too many times. I wish they would just roll over and die. DIE

Michigan State isn't getting enough respect for their D. We really need them to win out and then beat them in B1G championship.

I think the Buckeye team last night could beat any team in top 10 easy. Sure they could also lose, but I would like our chances in a 1 game setting.

1. Did you guys see the graphic last night about how Ohio State, under Meyer, has had 7 games in which they have scored 50 or more points, and only achieved that 5 times the entire Tressel era? 2. I like how the commentators often say something about Ohio State's speed. Last night, we looked really fast on offense. I hope our defensive speed gets up there too. 3. It looked like we were blitzing more last night. I really like blitzing. Always have. I know, live by it, die by it, but still, I like it.