Monday tidbits (on Tuesday) for the discerning fan

We probably can't top Week 1. But that's okay, we want the season to start off with a bang. And Week 2 does offer its own bounty. Think of it as, cumulatively, one of Aesop's fables. Snares abound. Who understands the moral of their story and doesn't get caught?

And I'm embedding the quiz questions to try to trick you into reading the whole article!

FRIDAY

Northern Illinois @ Maryland; Western Illinois @ Northwestern: Both home teams should beat their directional Illinois opponents without much difficulty. Both need to do so. Both games are Friday, 7:30 CDT affairs, so you'll have to choose your own brand of entertainment: Maryland's frosh QB, or the chance of seeing Northwestern win. [1) Which B1G school recorded hoops losses to both of these schools, each (two different years) in seasons when they (the B1G team) advanced to the Sweet 16 or further?]

SATURDAY EARLY AFTERNOON

FIU @ Penn State: Second career meeting. First was a 59-0 PSU shellacking in 2007. Any reason to expect much to be different this time around? [2) That 59-0 thrashing was the first game in the HC career of which still active head coach?]

Illinois @ Duke: Honestly, a really interesting matchup. We now live in a world where it's easier to make the CFP than the B1G title game. Which, by implication, means this is a really important game for the Illini. And Bielema/Diaz is a fascinating HC matchup. Sure seems to play into Illinois's hands: run the ball to keep Diaz's aggressive tendencies at bay. Of course, that means you've gotta run the ball successfully. [3) What was the margin of victory the last time these two met on the hardwood?]

Iowa @ Iowa State: Another fascinating matchup. I told you this week was sneaky good! For all his success at Iowa State, Matt Campbell is only 2-6 vs. Ferentz (and last year was at least moderately fluky), and winless in Ames. Cyclones are 2-0 and riding high. Feels like a classic 13-3 Ferentz victory. [4) Two coaches have left Iowa State and won a national title at their next job. Who are they?]

Kennesaw State @ Indiana; Northwestern State @ Minnesota: I mean, this just comes with the territory in Week 2. We all know that. If you're not planning on watching Ill/Duke or ISU/Iowa, it's because you're a fan of one of these two teams. Great. Enjoy.

SATURDAY LATE AFTERNOON

Grambling @ Ohio State; Oklahoma State @ Oregon; Miami (OH) @ Rutgers; MTSU @ Wisconsin: If any of these games offer any intrigue, that's a bad thing for the B1G team. A real comedown from the possibility of the noon matchups. [5) Grambling has produced four NFL HOFers. How many can you name?]

If you feel like cheating on the conference, maybe check out Kansas @ Missouri, which is still tied for the 12th most played FBS rivalry despite the last game coming in 2011. Missouri leads 56-55-9.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Michigan @ Oklahoma: One career meeting: The 1976 Orange Bowl, the first year the B1G allowed multiple teams to go to bowl games. Bryce Underwood in a hostile environment against a guy coaching for his life (probably). Hate the teams. Love the drama. If note, there are some acquired tastes on at the same time.

Boston College @ Michigan State: A pretty important status check for the Spartans. Oddly, Sparty is 1-5-1 all-time vs. Boston College. Even more oddly, while they've met more than 30 times in hockey all-time, only nine have come since 2000. Sparty is only 2-7 in those games. BC is clearly in Sparty's head because if you check out the basketball rivalry, the MSU site just lies, pretending that a 2006 BC victory never happened. [6) How many NCAA titles in ice hockey have these two teams combined to win?]

UCLA @ UNLV: A pretty important prove-your-season-has-a-pulse check for the Bruins. I would snark that this would be better as a basketball game except they barely ever play in hoops either. Ask me about John Wooden and Jerry Tarkanian...

Akron @ Nebraska; Georgia Southern @ USC; Southern Illinois @ Purdue: As with several of the late afternoon games, any drama here is a bad thing for the B1 side. Clay Helton comes back to Troy. I guess that's a story. [7) Only two Rose Bowl winning coach in the last 50 years (1976-2025) have fewer FBS victories as a HC than Clay Helton. Name them. Don't be clever. Ryan Day has already passed Helton in win total.]

SATURDAY LATE NIGHT

UC-Davis @ Washington: Not exactly ending with a bang. But c'mon. You could use the sleep, right? [8) The famed 1983 NFL Draft saw six QBs taken in the first round. Three--John Elway (Stanford), Jim Kelly (Miami (FL)), and Dan Marino (Pitt)--made the HOF. Two--Todd Blackledge (Penn State) and Tony Eason (Illinois)--were pretty much busts (though Eason started a Super Bowl). The last is the only first round draft pick in UC-Davis history. Who is this person? If you want to cheat, here is one of the most entertaining NFL games in history.]