Yes, you can watch football this weekend too

Anyone who has ever watched the awkward coda to the college football season, known as the Senior Bowl, knows it's nothing more than a glorified mini-combine and schedule-filler for the pre-Super Bowl downtime.

Much like the Army All-American Bowl, the Senior Bowl boasts large rosters and promises to constantly rotate players onto the field. It is a jersey scrimmage in Mobile, Alabama that is less privilege than necessity for many below-the-radar seniors who are looking to work their way up the draft board.

This year's Senior Bowl, however, is being crashed by quite a few big name players. Of note:

NORTH

• Kirk Barton, OL (OSU)
• Sam Baker, OL (USC)
• John David Booty, QB (USC)
• Dan Connor, LB (PSU)
• Sedrick Ellis, LB (USC)
• Chauncey Washington, RB (USC)
• Chad Henne, QB (Mich.)

SOUTH

• Erik Ainge, QB (Tenn.)
• Colt Brennan, QB (Hawaii)
• Early Doucet, WR (LSU)
• Ali Highsmith, LB (LSU)
• Limas Sweed, WR (Texas)
• Andre Woodson, QB (UK)
  

And more. Now, although future day one green-roomers like Matt Ryan have politely declined their invitation, showing up to the Senior Bowl is nothing to be ashamed of. Only 32 of the hundreds with Sunday dreams earn the title of "first-rounder."

It is, at the very least, interesting to see on the roster:

• two former Heisman front-runners (Woodson, Booty)
• a handful of guys who helped beat OSU in the title game
• an even larger handful of guys leaving USC. Will 'o8 finally be a rebuilding year?
• the holder of more than 30 NCAA D-1 records (Brennan)
• Tom Zbikowski of Notre Dame. I mean, wasn't he, like, 30 and boxing alligators when we played the Irish in the Fiesta Bowl?
• Limas Sweed. Good riddance.

The Senior Bowl will be played on Saturday and broadcast on NFL Network @4:00PM.

Silver Bullet Points

This time next week...

It's not often the "big uglies" up front (a la Keith Jackson) get a flattering spread in SI.

Kirk Barton has been campaigning for his fifteen minutes of fame since he got to OSU and has finally stepped onto the national scene with his pal Alex Boone in a brief pre-game feature from last week's Sports Illustrated. It helps that Barton is highly quotable (as noted in the article) and coming off an All America season (as noted in the article).

Austin Murphy thinks the battle between the Buckeyes and the Tigers will be won in the trenches and that OSU has the advantage up front thanks to "the finest pair of tackles in the nation." And Barton says everyone hates him...

The article also recalls darker times when Boone, Barton's scruffy doppleganger, was arrested for drunk driving and apparently downing "30 to 40 beers per day." An unidentified brother in OSU's prestigious Phi Tau fraternity was quick to dismiss Boone as a "lightweight."

• Let's hope Barton and Boone are as good as advertised, because it sounds like Tressel is going to run it at the Tigers any way he can. Suffice it to say that a surprise appearance by Antonio Henton behind center in the biggest game of the year would be gutsy. Boeckman may not have looked like himself towards the end of the season, but Henton is green, sooo green. Past stating the obvious, a dual QB look from both teams certainly adds an extra layer of intrigue to the game.

• Washington is good to go for bowl game

• The Dispatch reviews the year in sports, attempts to generate interest in professional hockey

• I'm not sure how long this has been around, but shame on you if you haven't started spending at least an hour each day reading about the game.
  

Spend the big Buck$ on...

A piece of the future, only $5!

In what can only be called a shameless attempt to separate a fool from his money, The Dispatch is doing its best to handicap the Buckeyes. While we all are very familiar with the emblematic post-Miami victory front page, even that has its notable flaws (an undeniable reminder that Maurice Clarette did in fact play a huge role in that huge game).

Pre-ordering the front page of the local newspaper before the game has happened is truly a gambler’s sport. Part of me wants to give my full approval for such a bold move, particularly if you could somehow enlarge the receipt to hold up at the game.

Nonetheless, nothing short of Kirk Barton guaranteeing a win in New Orleans would jinx OSU more than a few thousand fans shelling out five bucks for something that is typically free--depending on how early you wake up and proximity to your neighbor's front porch.