Blog Roundtable #3

Five-letter word for "dismissed" beginning with "f." Think, Gary, think!

I’m assuming, with a certain sense of disappointment, that there are no women participating in the BlogPoll. That said, it is my hope that all these men can tear themselves away from NCAA 2006 long enough to answer the latest set of Blog Roundtable questions. (And guys, consider showering while the game is on pause. Also, I can’t wait until Michigan quarterback “Papi Chulo” wins the Heisman. Good times.) So put down the controllers, allow your eyes to re-adjust to sunlight, eat something that isn’t part of the Phil Fulmer Frito-Lay diet, and tell me what you think of all this:

So far, the Blog Roundtable discussions have focused exclusively on teams. I thought that for this installment, we could shift our focus a little and also examine individuals.

Which unheralded player on your team will be the hardest to replace? Which seemingly inconsequential player could make the biggest impact? We all know that Oklahoma needs to find a new quarterback and that Kobe Bryant’s little brother, Marcus, may be the key to VaTech success. But what about guys we don’t hear about? Who replaces that one white possession receiver who made those third-down catches in crunch time? Which player with a hype machine that has been stymied by injury, sloth, and/or a low Rivals ranking is finally ready to contribute?

Which regular-season game that won’t feature your team would you pay the most money to see this season? Why? Whether it’s a traditional rivalry like Auburn-Alabama or Gary Pinkel-Stupidity; an intersectional match-up like Texas-Ohio State or Anyteamfromthemainland-Hawaii; a personal showdown like Fulmer-Spurrier or Willingham-Catholicism; or just a great conference game like Florida-LSU or Oklahoma-Baylor, what’s the one game your team won’t be playing in that you’d most want to experience in person? Bonus: From Brent of the theoretically archetypical ParadigmBlog--Which rivalry game would you most like to attend?

And finally, because I want it, you want it, and the American people want it: If your team were a rapper, who would it be and why? (N.B.: I thought of this weeks ago but didn’t get to commit the idea to blog before EDSBS set me up for it. Don’t think I’m just some EDSBS shill. And, please visit EDSBS.) If you are hip-hop uninitiated and don’t know enough about real rappers (i.e., there are more of them than 50 Cent, Eminem, and the ones from Houston who all make the same slow music) to find an appropriate analog, feel free to throw in your favorite Euro techno group, country star, or another sufficiently metaphorical musical act.

As always, please leave your responses as comments or trackbacks (if you even know how that works, and I certainly don’t), and if you are blogless or just aren't a BlogPoll voter but want to participate (Jon? Stacey? John?), feel free. I’ll round up the answers next week, post my own, compose some evaluative remarks, and dole out awards. Also, please try to read everyone else’s answers so that we, as a community of hopelessly obsessive college-football fans, are all edified.