#stats!bob preview

[attapullman]

🎂🎂🎂

Happy early birthday my gorgeous friend!!!!!

Thank you, my lovely!

A little stats!Bob for you 😘

It’s cruel how good he looks sitting between your thighs. Hair disheveled, glasses fogged on the rim. Chest heaving beneath his thin tshirt, catching his breath after a marathon make out session in your tiny dorm bunk. A tornado could have destroyed the city and he’s only now coming up for air. Your hands reach out, trying to pull him back into your embrace. He playfully swats them away, unwillingly having to extricate himself.

send me a 🎂

[formulatrash]

god fuckin dammit Will Ponissi you keep absolutely rolling out the hits - this is Alfa Romeo's Monaco preview blurb, as in just the stuff they put in the preview quotes email. most teams just throw a few stats in or put maybe a paragraph but heck yeah:

Every year, right around this time of spring, Formula One decamps to the French Riviera for the crown jewel of the calendar – the Monaco Grand Prix. Say Monte Carlo and a collection of images springs to mind: yachts, sportscars, the glitz and glamour of one of the world’s most exclusive locations. Monaco is the cliché of Formula One, it’s the champagne-soaked poster child of the sport and one that lives and is reinforced by its stereotypes.

For the teams racing there, of course, Monaco is different. Monaco is a test of strength, willpower and resistance for drivers and crews alike: in the cockpit, it’s a relentless mental challenge, corner after corner requiring millimetric precision to avoid a race-ending rendezvous with the barriers; it’s pure performance, one of the places where the skill of those behind the wheel most comes to the fore. In the garage – the cramped garages, on three levels, with trees sticking through the floor and ceiling – mechanics contend with conditions they don’t experience anywhere else in the world – but cannot compromise on precision. Driving Monaco may be like “riding a bicycle in your living room”, but working in these garages could be described as being more akin to a crossfit workout in a broom closet.

Monaco is unique in every aspect: it’s a track from a different era, on which qualifying means as much as the race, a circuit on which the wider, larger F1 cars of today tread the same streets on which Jackie Stewart’s and Graham Hill’s slender machines darted. The paddock, away from the garages on the Quai Antoine 1er, is a world on its own, yachts bobbing quietly on the sea in front of busy hospitalities; the fans, ubiquitous, crowd the hill over Rascasse and every other open space – they’re the closest they can be to Formula One here. They’re as much part of the story as the cars on track.

Despite every challenge, Monaco is still Monaco.  Each crammed space, each oddity, is just making this race unique: for every fan, for every driver, for every team member, doing Monaco is a badge of honour. Because one thing is true to all those who experienced it: nothing ever feels like Monaco.

[prokopetz]

I had a question about Nobilis that I was hoping you might be able to help with if you had time. So I really like the Excrucians’ whole deal, and I remember you said that in some editions of Nobilis they get more detail/are playable. In your opinion, which editions/other games give them the most detailed treatment?

(I do know about Glitch and it’s very much on my list, but I’ve heard it focuses on the Strategists over the other types.)

You're unfortunately not going to get everything in the same place, or even the same iteration of the system – at least not at the moment.

Deceivers get a playable writeup for Nobilis 3rd Edition in the out-of-print supplement Antithesis: A Diary of Deceivers. It's not a terribly complete writeup in mechanical terms, but it's functional, and includes very detailed narrative guidelines for Deceivers as player characters.

Strategists are, as you note, the focus of Glitch, which is essentially a prototype of a hypothetical Nobilis 4th Edition. However, the 4th edition – or, at least, the version previewed in Glitch – is a complete rules overhaul which is not mechanically compatible with any previous edition, so you couldn't use the two together without a lot of work.

Meanwhile, the material necessary to play Mimics and Strategists (again) appears in Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine. Chuubo’s is a Nobilis-adjacent system which isn't stat-line compatible with either the 3rd or 4th editions of Nobilis proper. (The game takes place in a hypothetical post-apocalyptic future timelline from the main Nobilis continuity, and the setting's metaphysics have shifted pretty substantially due to said apocalypse.)

To the best of my knowledge, no iteration of the game has a complete writeup for playable Warmains. The forthcoming Chuubo's supplement The Book of Golden Hours will reportedly contain the mechanical bits and bobs necessary to construct a Warmain, but there are no plans to publish a Chuubo's campaign which includes playable Warmains at this time, so you'd have to do most of the heavy lifting yourself.

[steamberrystudio]

25/07/2022 Devlog

Hello everyone!

Just popping in with an update on Quill's route

Summary:

Finished the second big revision of Quill's route

Finished up proofreading/typo correction (round 1)

Scripted Quill's route into Renpy

Created the chapter title cards

Staged all the BG and major sprite changes

Set up preliminary scoring

The Ramble:

Okaaay.

So I've finished the second big revision of Quill's route, fixing some lingering issues and cleaning up the dialogue a little more.

I also finished running the script through editing software to catch as many typos and minor style/grammar issues as possible. Fortunately this only takes a couple of days because it's incredibly boring compared to other revisions.

But when that was done, the writing was ready to be scripted into Renpy. =O

By "scripting", I just mean I take the raw draft from scrivener, put it into Renpy, and turn it into functional code. This doesn't really take that long as I write in sort..."pseudo-code" anyway, so I mostly have to make indentation fixes and correct any small errors like forgetting a quotation mark, colon, or bracket.

I set up the preliminary scoring of the "romance points" - I don't really keep track of these while I write; I just make note of where the "stat checks" will appear. So after the route is all scripted, I go through and make a spreadsheet that tracks all the choices and what they're doing point-wise. Then tally up what is the total possible points a player can have at a given moment and I calculate whatever percentage I want to have the game check for. Again, doesn't take a terribly long time to get that done.

I created the chapter title cards for Quill's route and put them in the game.

And finally I have done the basic staging for major background and sprite changes. So this is basically me marking in the script where we change backgrounds (and what we change to and, if necessary, what transition is being used) as well as marking down any places a sprite newly appears on screen or gets hidden as well as the position that sprite needs to be in.

Even though none of the assets are ready yet, by noting the basic staging, once I have the assets ready, it'll make it much easier to code the backgrounds and sprites into the game.

So...in summary, I have moved into the next phase of getting Quill's route ready, which is where I'm no longer focused on writing but am starting to focus on the initial coding and asset preparation.

Sneak Peeks and Previews:

None yet unless you want a screen cap of the code. LoL

Upcoming Weeks:

So now that the bulk of the writing phase is over (there's still beta testing which involves a lot of typo and continuity fixing. Which is technically writing...but the script is complete. Just needs to continue to be polished - though that will come later), I am moving into the phase of "There are literally 300 things on this to-do list and I am not sure which ones I'll tackle this week."

I do know that my immediate focus will be on prepping all the backgrounds for Quill's route. Quill's route, like Lance's route, is relatively contained in terms of backgrounds, so it shouldn't take long.

And, unfortunately, as a lot of the BGs are indoors, I don't think there's a lot of space for BG animations like in some of the other routes.

Once I have those completed, I'll put them into the game and go back through to make sure all the BG changes are set up correctly.

After that, I'm not totally sure. I may shift to working on some sprite stuff. Some characters already have sprites in the game - Quill, Morgan, Rory, and any Endgame people who show up. However, Quill, Morgan, and Rory all need additional variations or edits to their sprites. 

I have two other character sprites (Locke and Vale) nearly completed. Neither is in the game and both need more variations.

There are three additional unique sprites needed (Neel, Aritz, and Vic), then an assortment of "Bobs"

So there's a fair amount of sprite related work to be done.

At some point in this mix I will also be putting in the music cues. I'm excited to be able to use some tracks that didn't appear in other routes. OWO

And that's kind of it for now I think. The writing is really the biggest hurdle in terms of route completion and it's now out of the way. So I'm excited to be able to move to the next phase of Quill's route.

There is still a lot of work to be done but it's always a relief to be done with the writing portion since it's such a huge chunk of the process.

Anyway, I will see you all next update! *wave*

[generalfoolish]

Save Tonight

Summary: In which Adrian makes you happy.

Pairing: Vigilante (Adrian Chase) x F!Reader

Warnings: *All of my works are M for mature so 18+ please; language, language, language, canon typical violence, sexual themes, canon-typical violence, drinking, smooching

Word Count: 1.7K

A/N: I combined the @peacemakernet EVENT 02: once more, with feeling! with @aprilfire18's request! Hope that's okay, I already had this idea and your prompt request fit so nicely! <3

Master List | Tag List Form |

You tap your watch to life, the display screen telling you the time and showing you a preview of a message from Harcourt. From what you can see, they’re set up across the street, which means they’ll be settled into the nest by the time you and Adrian make it up to the room. You nudge Adrian forward when you notice he’s distracted by the chandelier and the clerk is waiting to check you in. He flashes you a quick smile, adjusts his glasses, and steps forward.

“Hi! I’m Adrian Chase, that’s my wife,” he adds, throwing his thumb over his shoulder at you. “We just got married, so we need our key stat, you know, so we can bang.” You rolled your eyes at him, and shot the clerk an apologetic look. She forces a smile at him, and nods.

“Yes, of course, Mr. Chase. Let me pull your reservation up. Ah, honeymoon suite! I’ll need a card on file for any damages.”

“What do you think we’re going to do?” He asks, serious and wide eyed. You snort, the laugh unexpected to even yourself, and hand the credit card Harcourt had given you to the clerk. She looked over at you, raising her eyebrows at the heft of the black card in her hand, before turning to the computer to enter the information. 

“Okay, here’s your card Mrs. Chase. You’ll need to update your information soon!” The clerk smiled at you, and you nodded.

“It takes so long to process, and this one had to come on the honeymoon immediately.” You tell the clerk easily, cutting your eyes playfully to Adrian, whose attention is anywhere but the counter before him. His head is craned back, his neck stretched at an unnatural angle, and you try not to focus on the bob of his Adam’s apple under the stretched skin or the cords of muscle that are straining. 

You swallow thickly, before plastering a smile over your tense features. The clerk smiles knowingly, and slides you the room key.

“The honeymoon suite is on the top floor, and you should find the complimentary wine basket on the counter.” The clerk smiles warmly again, and you try to mimic it, before gathering the cards from the counter. Thankfully, Adrian has focused back to the task at hand, and grabs your bag from the ground. You nod your thanks and head to the elevator. You punch the up button quickly, before turning the key over in your hand, room 501.

The height of the hotel was perfect for what you needed to do, and though you’d be on your own with Adrian, you knew you’d be at an advantage. He was a killer fucking marksman. Adrian had honed most of the skills needed to be a successful killer, which endlessly baffled you, especially the more you got to know him. Once inside the elevator, he hummed along with the music and tapped his foot to the sound. 

It was going to be a long night. 

When the elevator came to a stop on the fifth floor, you quickly exited and looked up for the sign signaling which direction your room was in. You turned to the left, and stopped short beside your door. Close to the exit, another plus you’d have to thank Harcourt for. You keyed open the door, and slipped in, flipping the light on as you moved in further. The suite was more than suitable for the mission, a large king bed loomed to the left, and you imagined the bathroom was to the right of that, behind the small alcove holding a dresser and television. Immediately in front of you, there was a small step down that held the overstuffed sofa and glass coffee table that faced the glass patio at the back of the unit. To the right, was a rather large kitchenette. You took it all in, cataloging the floorplan for later and setting your bag down on the coffee table.

Adrian walked in behind you, whistling in admiration.

“Are you ready to debrief?” You asked him, unzipping your bag and pulling out the intel. He shrugged, and jumped over the back of the couch. You rolled your eyes and handed him the files.

“Can I assume you’ll read these?”

“You can assume, but I wouldn’t necessarily trust that I will.” He offered, and you clenched your jaw. You were about to snap back, when your phone buzzed in your pocket.

“Harcourt.” You answered, pulling it up to your ear.

“Are you in position?”

“Yeah. You got eyes?”

“The place is crawling already, but the target hasn’t arrived yet.” You clicked your tongue in annoyance. You knew going in that the target wasn’t going to show until the next day, but a part of you had hoped he’d be early. 

Objectively, you should be fine with a night at a beautiful resort, but everytime you feel yourself relaxing in the slightest, you remember you’re here with Adrian.

Adrian was capable in the field, he was smart–despite his dumbass tendencies, and never failed to crack you up. Beyond that, the guy was stupidly handsome. You weren’t bothered by his offbeat humor, or by his tendency to shoot first and never ask questions.

You were bothered, however, by how much you wanted him. It was verging on pathetic with how often you found yourself thinking about his deep, green eyes or nimble hands. You felt lighter when you could hear his genuine laughter, or when you could admire how much a simple smile from him could light up an entire room.

“Just text me the details later.” You offered, sighing when you heard the other line click off. 

Focus, you idiot. Focus on the butterflies.

“Want to go to the pool?” Adrian asked, looking up at you through his glasses, which had slipped dangerously low on his nose, with that same smile that seized your heart up every time you saw it.

“We should probably focus on the mission.” You grumble, miserable as you imagine what he may look like under the baggy half-zip. 

“Yeah, probably. We can open the wine, though! It’s a nice vintage, though the year doesn’t have as much to do with flavor profiles as you might have been led to believe.” He explained, turning the dark bottle over in his hands. You hummed halfheartedly, only hesitantly listening to his musings. You can’t let yourself break down into what you want to do, not when what you need to do is at direct odds with that.

What you want to do is listen to Adrian droll on about everything. You want to open that bottle of wine and drink it with him, and maybe order another. You want to go dick around in the pool with him. You want to press yourself against him, mold yourself into his side, carve him into your skin.

What you need to do is put space between you and him. You’re compromised. You can’t pretend anymore. You were supposed to have this under control, so you could focus on the job at hand: take out the remaining holds of butterflies with another sharp shooter on the team.

“You go ahead, I’m going to do a perimeter check.” You grumble out quickly, before leaving him alone in the suite.

It’s dark when you return, and while it’s possible that leaving in the middle of your “honeymoon” may have raised suspicions, it was a necessary evil to clear your head.

“Adrian?” You call out into the dark room, devoid of any light, save for the dim glow of the television. You hear him mumble from the bed, under a mountain of blankets and pillows.

“What?” You asked, approaching the bed, sitting softly on the edge.

“Why’d you leave?” He asks softly, his voice laced with a sadness you’re unfamiliar with.

“Told you, I–”

“Was a lie. I thought we were gonna hang out.” He explains, and you realize at once what the emotion is: rejection. It tastes bitter on your tongue as you push into it.

“I couldn’t.” It’s simple, you think. You can’t reveal how much you couldn’t be with him, and you think maybe he’ll understand. He isn’t exactly in tune with his own emotions.

“Oh. I think I like you too much.” He admits. You look away, your thoughts mirroring his words exactly, and find the empty bottle.

“I’m gonna take a shower, pull yourself together.” You insist softly, patting the pile of blankets. He hummed at the gesture.

“May I join you?” He asks, his voice quieter than usual.

“You’re drunk, Adrian.”

“I’d still want to, y’know.” You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to ignore the heated look he was giving you. “I meant what I said earlier, despite the drinks.”

“It’s unprofessional, and you know it.” You argue, the words weak, lacking any bite.

“Who fucking cares?” He snaps back, and you drag your gaze back to him.

“I do. That's all I have, y’know.” You mutter, watching the light from the television flicker across his features. The conversation is too intimate, it’s too close to real.

“That’s bullshit, and you know it.”

You’re about to bite back, some scathing remark that would sever completely whatever the fuck you’re doing with him right now, when your phone buzzes again.

“Harcourt.” You greet through clenched teeth, your eyes narrowed at Adrian, a difficult task with only his face visible from his cocoon of blankets.

“They’re here. You can take them out. Floor thee, leave now.” You disconnect the line quickly and rush to your bag. You grab your pistol that has the best suppressor, and turn to leave.

“Stay here, you’re wasted.” You order before you head to the door. You stop when you feel his grasp on your arm. You’re about to tell him to go back, but he’s quicker. His lips crash onto yours without preamble, without the usual lengthy, nonsensical story. With his lips, he’s conveying everything he’d never be able to say. With this kiss, you know his intentions, you can taste his passion as he adjusts to kiss you more deeply. He scrapes his teeth along your lip as he breaks away, and you only realize how heated it was when he’s gone from you.

“Be careful.” He tells you, his glasses askew, his lips swollen and cheeks flushed. You will be, he knows. And then you can come back and finish what he started.

tagged: @michi-reads @strawberriesandknives @uncle-eggy @fictionlandslanddreams @uwiuwi @lostinwinderland314 @kidd3ath @aprilfire18 @zekegorilla @hypnoash @greenxtea0 @myguiltypleasures21

[salehmadridista]

UCL - R16, 2nd leg: Manchester City vs Real Madrid | Aug 7, 2020

- TV listings + Official streams

Match - Preview: RM {▸} + UEFA | Press conference: Zidane + Varane - Match prep: Aug 6 {▸} - Dressing Room | Stadium Arrival | Warm-up - Last meeting: 2-1 L (Feb 26, 2020 - UCL R16, 1st leg) {▸}

Absentees (Call-ups)

- Ramos (suspended) - James and Bale (technical decision) - Mariano (self-isolating COVID-19 protocol)

Stats

Real Madrid have won just one of their last seven Champions League knockout games without Sergio Ramos (0-2 vs Schalke 04 in February 2015), losing five of them (W1 D1 L5). Defiance.

Real Madrid will play with the new adidas 2020/21 away kit.

Zinédine Zidane has won all 12 Champions League ties he’s been involved in as Real Madrid manager (9 two-legged ties and 3 finals). He currently holds three Champions League trophies as manager, a joint-record alongside Bob Paisley and Carlo Ancelotti. Master.

[dailytechnologynews]

Intel Q4 2018 Financial Results

Earnings Call - 24th January @5PM ET/ 2PM PT

Documents:

News Release

Presentation

CEO/CFO comments:

“2018 was a truly remarkable year for Intel with record revenue in every business segment and record profits as we transform the company to pursue our biggest market opportunity ever,” said Bob Swan, Intel CFO and Interim CEO. “In the fourth quarter, we grew revenue, expanded earnings and previewed new 10nm-based products that position Intel to compete and win going forward. Looking ahead, we are forecasting another record year and raising the dividend based on our view that the explosive growth of data will drive continued demand for Intel products.”

​

Expected Results vs Actual

​

Stats Expected Actual Revenue $19 Billion $18.7 Billion EPS $1.22 $1.28

​

Revenue by Market:

​

Market Q4 2018 Q4 2017 YoY 2018 Revenue Vs 2017 Client Computing Group $9.8 Billion $9.0 Billion Up 10% $37 Billion Up 9% Data Center Group $6.1 Billion $5.6 Billion Up 9% $23 Billion Up 21% Internet of Things Group $816 $879 Million Down 7% $3.5 Billion Up 9% Non Volatile Solutions Group $1.1 Billion $889 Million Up 25% $4.3 Billion Up 22% Programmab Solutions Group $612 Million $568 Million Up 8% $2.1 Billion Up 12%

​

2018 vs 2017 FY Revenue

​

2018 2017 $70.8 Billion $62.8 Billion

GAAP

​

Q4 2018 Q4 2017 vs Q4 2017 Revenue($B) $18.7 $17.1 Up 9% Gross Margin 60.2% 63.1% Down 3 pts R&D and MG&A ($B) $5.0 $5.1 Down 3% Operating Income ($B) $6.2 $5.4 Up 15# Tax Rate 7.8% 111.4% N/A Net Income ($B) $5.2 $(0.7) Due to tax impact N/A Earnings Per Share $1.12 $(0.15) Due to tax impact N/A

​

Non - GAPP

​

Q4 2018 Q4 2017 vs Q4 2017 Revenue ($B) $18.7^ $17.1^ Up 9% Gross Margin 61.7% 64.8% Down 3.2 pts R&D and MG&A $5.0^ $5.1^ Down 3% Operating Income ($B) $6.6 $5.9 Up 10% Tax Rate 8.8% 21.2% Down 12.4 pts Net Income ($B) $5.9 $5.2 Up 14% Earnings Per Share $1.28 $1.08 Up 18%

News Summary:

Fourth-quarter revenue was $18.7 billion, up 9 percent year-over-year (YoY); and full-year revenue set an all- time record of $70.8 billion, up 13 percent YoY.

​

Delivered outstanding fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1.12 ($1.28 on a non-GAAP basis); achieved record full-year operating income, net income and EPS.

​

In 2018, Intel generated a record $29.4 billion cash from operations, generated $14.3 billion of free cash flow and returned nearly $16.3 billion to shareholders.

​

Expecting record 2019 revenue of approximately $71.5 billion and first-quarter revenue of approximately $16 billion.

​

Earnings Call:

TBU

Sorry for any mistakes I had to do this on mobile.

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/gameday-central-wisconsin-28-illinois-7-end-3rd-quarter-sports/

Gameday Central: Wisconsin 28, Illinois 7; End 3rd quarter | Sports

Beat writer Scott Richey will keep providing updates all night long from Camp Randall Stadium as Illinois takes on Wisconsin in the 2020 Big Ten opener. Follow along right here: 

Tweets by srrichey

***

Meanwhile, back in Champaign. The watch party at Memorial Stadium is drawing a pretty good-sized student crowd.

***

Tonight’s Illini starters:

OFFENSE

LT – Vederian Lowe

LG – Kendrick Green

C – Doug Kramer

RG – Verdis Brown

RT – Alex Palczewski

QB – Brandon Peters

RB – Mike Epstein

WR – Josh Imatorbhebhe

WR – Casey Washington

WR – Donny Navarro

TE – Daniel Barker

DEFENSE

DE – Owen Carney Jr.

NT – Roderick Perry II

DT – Jamal Woods

DE – Marc Mondesir

OLB – Khalan Tolson

MLB – Jake Hansen

OLB – Delano Ware

CB – Nate Hobbs

CB – Tony Adams

S – Sydney Brown

S – Derrick Smith

SPECIAL TEAMS

K – James McCourt

P – Blake Hayes

***

We’re about an hour from kickoff in Madison, and there’s already some rather significant news to report. Illinois released its list of unavailable players for tonight’s game, and there are some big names on it.

Out at Wisconsin

DL Isaiah Gay DB Michael Marchese WR Trevon Sidney DB Devon Witherspoon OL Blake Jeresaty (season)

— Illini Stats & Notes (@IlliniStats) October 23, 2020

Defensive line was already a question mark heading into the season, and no Isaiah Gay only exacerbates that. Getting pressure on Wisconsin redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz could be important. Gay’s absence means Illinois will have to put an inexperienced defensive end on the field to start the game.

Devon Witherspoon being unavailable is just as big a blow. You might remember the sophomore cornerback from his game-saving tackle in last year’s upset of Wisconsin. The big question, of course, is if Witherspoon is out does that mean Tony Adams moves back to corner or does Marquez Beason make his Illini debut as a starter?

***

Looking out from the Camp Randal Stadium press box to no one (save for some cardboard cutouts in the seats closest to the field) is a surreal feeling.

The press box itself is pretty empty, too. Wisconsin is taking the social distancing thing seriously. I’m at an end of a row, and I’ve got more than six feet between my seat and where the Chicago Tribune’s Shannon Ryan will sit. 

Warmups are underway, but for the moment only the specialists for both teams are on the field.

***

The News-Gazette will be represented at Camp Randall Stadium for tonight’s Big Ten opener between Illinois and Wisconsin. Beat writer Scott Richey (that’s me as I shift to first person) is, in fact, set up in an undisclosed Marriott-brand location in Wisconsin right now prepping for his gameday coverage. 

In a typical year I might venture out in Madison. Check out campus (again). In 2020? Hotel. Camp Randall. Nothing in between. Especially in Wisconsin.

The hotel was even a concession to 2020, in a way. The press box at Camp Randall is set to close 30 minutes after the last Zoom interview is complete. That’s not enough time to provide you all with the exhaustive coverage that will wind up right here at IlliniHQ.com in the wee hours Saturday morning. That and much more will grace the pages of Sunday’s News-Gazette.

The strangeness of 2020 aside, the drive from Champaign to Madison was exceedingly normal. I could have done without the rain, but being back on the road for the first time since early March (Illini basketball at Ohio State) was a surreal feeling. Then I hit the construction as soon as I crossed the Illinois-Wisconsin border, and all felt right with the world. It was a sign that at least some things never, ever, ever change.

In our still not-so-normal world, I won’t be joined for tonight’s game by News-Gazette colleague Bob Asmussen. Wisconsin credentialed just six total Illinois media members. It will be nice, though, to see the Decatur Herald & Review’s Joey Wagner, the Chicago Tribune’s Shannon Ryan, 247Sports’ Jeremy Werner, Gatehouse correspondent Gavin Good and Gabby Hajduk from the Daily Illini.

Here we go. I’ll check back in when I can get into Camp Randall at 5:30 p.m.

pic.twitter.com/mHXIAqmxLm

— Kendrick J. Green (@The_fridge53) October 23, 2020

***

Our beat writer caught up with the Illini coach before Friday night’s season opener at Wisconsin

Beat writer Scott Richey breaks down the 2020 season opener

Here’s what you should expect in the Illini’s season opener

Three AP voters give their take on the Illini quarterback ahead of Friday night’s season opener at Wisconsin

‘Last year, when we played Wisconsin, it was an all-around effort by everybody,’ defensive lineman Jamal Woods said

Well, here we go again. The 2020 Illinois football, once thought lost to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, starts tonight in Madison, Wis. The Illini don’t ease into it either, with No. 14 Wisconsin first up in the revised (times two) Big Ten schedule.

No nonconference warmup in 2020. No shot at an Illinois State or UConn or Bowling Green before jumping into Big Ten play. No, it’s a headfirst dive into the deep end immediately instead.

The Illini and Badgers kick of at 7 p.m. at Camp Randal Stadium. Most will be listening (check out Brian Barnhart and Martin O’Donnell on WDWS) or watching from home. The Big Ten has banned fans in 2020, and even the allowance for families of players and coaches has been put on pause in Madison. 

While you get ready for the start of the most unique Illinois football season in more than a century, catch up on our exhaustive preseason coverage leading up to today’s game. It was a team effort by the entire N-G sports staff, including long-time beat writer Bob Asmussen, sports editor Matt Daniels, preps writer Colin Likas with a major assist, copy editor Joe Vozzelli and beat writer Scott Richey.

Richey will represent the N-G in Madison as one of just six Illinois media credentialed to make the trip in the new COVID-19 world we’re living in. He’ll provide updates throughout the day and late into the night as befitting a 7 p.m. kickoff. (Don’t ask his opinion on that. Or do. He doesn’t mind sharing). 

As always, right here at IlliniHQ.com is where all your gameday needs will be answered, including more from our preseason deep dive on the Illini:

Uniform tweaks further awareness of social justice issues

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois football players have taken an active stance on social justice issues in the last few months, including an athlete-organized march in late August against police violence and racial injustice. Redshirt junior offensive lineman Kendrick Green and senior cornerback Nate Hobbs spearheaded that initiative, and others have been active on social media to promote awareness, too.

The Illini will use Friday’s season opener at No. 14 Wisconsin to further that cause. Illinois will replace its traditional orange and blue Block I helmet decal with a black Block I instead.

“We wanted to show that we are aware of what’s happening in our country right now,” Hobbs said in an official release. “We’re willing to take a stand, not as one, but as a unit.”

To continue reading, click here.

Quarterback Brandon Peters leads a deep and talented senior class for the 2020 Illinois football team, which opens the season at 7 p.m. on Friday at Wisconsin.

David Craan/Illinois athletics

Asmussen | Illini, get ready for a college football season like no other

CHAMPAIGN — It’s 11 a.m. on Dec. 5.

Three inches of snow blanket the Memorial Stadium turf. And the white stuff fills the empty stands.

Well, almost empty … except for the cardboard cutouts of fans ($50 to $99 a pop) and the faux Marching Illini.

In five minutes, Illinois and Iowa will run onto Zuppke Field to no applause, other than what’s generated by the loudspeakers and scoreboards.

No smell of roasting hot dogs or popcorn in the air. No beers being spilled on people in the next row.

Outside beautiful Memorial Stadium, the usual hustle and bustle are absent.

If the Dick Butkus and Red Grange statues could talk, it would be some version of, “What the heck is going on around here?”

To continue reading, click here.

More from the 2020 Illinois football special section:

Meet the seniors

Meet the coaches

Big Ten West preview

Big Ten East preview

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley graduate Bryce Barnes is entering his sophomore season at Illinois.

Illinois athletics

GCMS grad Barnes aiming for bigger special teams presence

CHAMPAIGN — Bryce Barnes is readily visible for about 2 seconds.

His nameplate and number 48, in dark blue print on a gray uniform backdrop, are seen bouncing around before being sucked into a sea of humanity.

The then-Illinois football freshman turns into one small piece of a massive celebration, set off by James McCourt’s 39-yard field goal that allowed the Illini to upset No. 6 Wisconsin 24-23 at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 19, 2019.

It’s all archived in a YouTube video on the Illinois athletics website.

Of course, Barnes lived the moment. And the 2019 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley graduate can provide a slightly different perspective from it.

“I ended up at the bottom of the pile, and (McCourt and I) were face to face underneath everybody,” said Barnes, who was blocking on the line as McCourt booted the ball through the uprights in front of the Illini band and student section. “It was an honor for me to be out there in such a big win for this program. I wanted to start crying just because of how happy I was.”

To continue reading, click here.

More from the local Illini:

Catching up with Ben Schultz and Dylan Thomas

Danville product Caleb Griffin gets creative ahead of season

Center Doug Kramer is the anchor of an experienced Illinois offensive line with the Hinsdale product’s 32 career starts as an Illini trailing only Alex Palczewski’s 36.

David Craan/Illinois athletics

Asmussen | Illini O-line learns from earlier struggles

CHAMPAIGN — Kendrick Green, Doug Kramer, Vederian Lowe and Alex Palczewski have learned a lot about each other over the years.

Along with new-to-the-lineup Verdis Brown, they will make up the starting offensive line Friday night at No. 14 Wisconsin.

They are close. Not in a forced way. But naturally.

“I think it’s really simple,” Kramer said Tuesday. “There’s never been too many issues in our room. We’ve been friends from the start.”

“We’ve just seen each other grow up over these past three years,” Palczewski added. “We’ve all grown up from these freshmen who didn’t know what was going on.”

In 2017, they were part of a 2-10 team that didn’t win a Big Ten game. For the offensive linemen, it was a punch in the gut.

To their credit, they got better. Four wins in ‘18 and six last season.

Now, they want to take another step. Toward the top of the Big Ten West.

To continue reading, click here.

More from Bob Asmussen:

Contingency plans on need-to-know basis

Week 1 Big Ten power poll

A unique Illini gameday in C-U

Talking points with Wisconsin beat writer Colten Bartholomew

Ask the beat writer: Playing in an empty Camp Randall

Previewing Illinois’ offense

Previewing Illinois’ defense

Previewing Illinois’ special teams

Illinois linebacker Jake Hansen during practice in August at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

David Craan/Illinois athletics

Illinois underdogs against Wisconsin again

CHAMPAIGN — Jake Hansen sauntered into the interview room at the Smith Center following Illinois football’s upset of No. 6 Wisconsin last October.

It’s the only way to describe Hansen’s entrance — cigar in his hands and a smile on his face.

Hansen also made a point of noting just how much the people that set the gambling lines considered the Illini underdogs against the Badgers.

“Thirty-one point spread, huh?” the Illinois linebacker yelled out as he made his way from a celebratory locker room to the small lobby outside the Smith Center weight room filled with reporters.

Monday marked the one-year anniversary of the biggest Illinois football win in more than a decade. It also coincided with the line for this year’s rematch with Wisconsin receiving a slight adjustment.

Wisconsin opened as a 23 1/2-point favorite last week for the 7 p.m. Friday Big Ten opener in Madison, Wis. Monday’s adjustment didn’t really make Illinois any less the underdog. The Badgers are still considered approximately a 19- or 20-point favorite.

To continue reading, click here.

More from Scott Richey

Lovie: ‘We’re going to see exciting football’

Starters have Smith comfortable with cornerbacks

[attapullman]

Fanfic work in progress: water!

Ooh, shall we do a little Bob From Stats preview?

Ice water down your back wouldn’t be as panic inducing. It’s hard to tell who swallows harder, you or Cowboy Bob. 

What are these two gonna do??? Better be kissing dammit

Work-In-Progress Guessing Game

[johnsellph]

Tour de France Stage 12 Preview

The longest stage of the race and a surprisingly hard one too, this is also the vintage stage that will pay tribute to days past.

Sydney-Poitiers: the flag dropped and Matthieu Ladagnous jumped away, he had no one for company and it looked like you could turn off the TV and do something productive. Only soon after a Stefan Küng, Oliver Naesen, Jasper Stuyven, Lukas Pöstlberger, Michael Gögl and Tom Van Asbroeck sprang out of the peloton like it was Gent-Wevelgem and there were 18km to go. Deceuninck-Quickstep sprang into action and shut the move down, better to put an end to it quickly than late. In the finish a few more riders restless legs with a late move from Pöstlberger again, this time marked by Kasper Asgreen and Bob Jungels from Quickstep. They too were swept up before the 2km point. In the sprint Peter Sagan needed to shoulder check Wout van Aert out of the way and you can argue he did it for safety, and presumably his team tried, but he got relegated and was docked points. Besides the rulebook is clear: a shoulder blow = relegation. There are no more sprint stages until Friday week so the upcoming days suit Sagan but he’ll need the form of 2014-2016 to try and claw back the 68 point deficit to Sam Bennett, starting today. Caleb Ewan won with a late surge, again out of sight until the last moment. Is he the best sprinter? With two wins it’s hard to argue against but we’ll know by Paris.

The Route: 218km south-east and the vintage tribute stage, beginning with in a square recently renamed in honour of Raymond Poulidor who died last November. The first 100km are calm with an intermediate sprint which is gently uphill. After 100km the terrain changes, a steep descent down to the river Vienne, a narrow bridge and straight up the sharp climb up through Saint-Martin. Then it’s past Saint-Léonard, long time home of Raymond Poulidor and then another climb and soon after comes Linards, once home to legendary L’Equipe columnist Antoine Blondin, a novelist and playwright given free reign to write about something each stage and his work covered four decades of the Tour. The Limousin region here is famous in France for its russet cattle, but for the peloton infamous for its rasping road surfaces only today the route sticks to wider, smoother roads for the most part, the difficulty is the way the roads rise and fall, the terrain gets hilly with along uncategorised climb through Surdoux. The Côte de la Croix de Pey is 98% of the Col de Lestards and harder than the profile and stats suggest.

The race drops into Chaumeil and there’s a tight turn for the Suc au May, the day’s big difficulty. This is  narrow uncategorised forestry road and, listed at 3.8km at 7.8%, it’s much harder, with 3km at 10% and long sections of 12-14%, all on a rough road and there’s a small descent before road kicks up for the mountains point. From here there’s 25km to go and the descent is on a bigger road but it’s bumpy in places with some tight turns through villages before picking up a larger road. This twists and turns with some more climbs after Saint-Augustin.

The Finish: the race reaches Sarran, population 302, a tiny place but home to the Jacques Chirac‘s family château and also his presidential museum and the region has paid to put this on your mind’s map. There’s a sharp left turn and it’s under the flamme rouge, the road dips a little and then from 800m to go it climbs at 4% before easing just before the line.

The Contenders: enough of the past, what of today’s future? When the route was announced last October this looked like a “Sagan stage”, a sprint from a reduced peloton but on inspection it’s too hilly for most of the sprinters. So the likes of Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe), Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quickstep), Oliver Naesen (Ag2r La Mondiale), Matteo Trentin and Greg Van Avermaet (CCC), Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott), Bryan Coquard (B&B Hotels-Vital Concept) and maybe Edvald Boasson Hagen (NTT) could probably win with their sprint, but out of a breakaway.

Otherwise sprinkle some of the names above with the usual breakaway specialists like Thomas De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal), Alessandro de Marchi (CCC), half of Sunweb like Tiesj Benoot, Marc Hirshi, Søren Kragh Andersen, Quicksteppers like Bob Jungels and Rémi Cavagna, or Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ). If these riders don’t get in the move today they can try tomorrow.

Julian Alaphilippe, Greg Van Avermaet, Thomas de Gendt Daryl Impey, Matteo Trentin, Marc Hirschi, Oliver Naesen De Marchi, Madouas, Peters, Cavagna, Benoot, SKA, Jungels

Comment: three stars here but not three start certainty, it’s just to give the names more space

Weather: warm and sunny, a few clouds and the lightest of tailwind.

TV: live coverage from the start at 11.50 CEST. The Poulidor tribute will reach its peak at 2.45pm, the serious climbing begins at 4.00pm and the Suc au May 30 minutes later. The finish is forecast for approximately 5.150pm Euro time.

Tour de France Stage 12 Preview published first on https://motocrossnationweb.weebly.com/

[youtubejorge]

Checkout the Listagram Lifetime Deal at AppSumo. My like and dislike included Deal: https://ilink.digital/listagram Listagram is an interactive spinning wheel opt-in form for increasing email subscribers and conversion rates. Dust off your Vanna White gown, because setting up your wheel is all too easy. First, you’ll design your wheel to your liking, which includes changing any of the text and colors, as well as adding your own logo or choosing a theme. Then, you can move to the settings, where you’ll choose display triggers. There are separate mobile and desktop settings, with triggers including time-based and user behavior options, such as leaving the page. Quickly define display settings for your wheel to tailor the experience to your audience. Next you’ll set up those tantalizing slices. Input the prizes you’d like to have added to the wheel before defining their win rates (no need to worry about going giveaway broke). Prizes can be anything you like, so if you want to add free shipping, special products, or even consultations, the wheel will happily oblige. After the slices are setup, time to get a look at the whole pie. Customize the slices by adding prizes and setting win rates for each one. The Wheel Preview is where you can try the hypnotizing magic on yourself. See exactly how your fortune wheel will display to customers, and then give it a spin. And another one. And just one more... Careful, young Bob Barker. The wheel’s powerful allure is based on behavioral science, and it’s a slippery, slippery slope. Listagram can also be added to any site, so it doesn’t matter if you’re on Shopify, Wordpress, Squarespace, etc. The big wheel is gonna keep on turnin’. Preview your wheel to see how awesome it is for yourself! But don’t get caught in an infinite loop! On the Stats page you’ll get to see how many people interacted with the wheel, including top-performing pages and slices over a selected period. It also lets you track emails collected and conversion statistics to give you a simplified view of how effective your strategies are. The Overview page distills this information into numbers for Today, Yesterday, and Total for a quick top-down look. Get useful statistics on how your wheel is driving subscribers and conversions. When it comes to business growth, you don’t want to leave things to chance. That’s why constantly gaining subscribers and boosting conversions should be one of your top priorities. Listagram turns that process into a fun game sure to have people playing the odds for prizes. Get lifetime access to Listagram now!

[wrapupfam]

After a long absence... Week 13 Preview

THE BIG WEEK

So I know I haven’t been keeping up with wrap-ups again this year. But this morning, I made a terrible and incredible discovery. 

This upcoming week is the craziest fantasy football week I’ve ever seen. The top two teams are locked in, and any of the next 7 teams have a shot at the playoffs in the last week of our regular season. 

It’s not as simple as a win-and-you’re-in. With it being this close, not only do you have to win, but you have to WIN BIG. 6 teams at 6-6 with wildly varying pts for means that it will most likely come down to a tiebreaker. Also interesting is the fact that somehow, only two of the 6-6 teams are playing each other (T and Bob). This means that the rest of the games are either upsets for the 6-6 team to win, or a terrible trap game.

Mandy, G-Dad, and Daniel all get to play the role of spoiler. You can dash the chances of the playoffs for Jamie, Emily, and yours truly. I’m terrified because the wedding is over (congrats, Mandy) and she might be able to make a case for herself. I also don’t have an incredible points-for stat. Dirt can’t get anything off the ground, and Jamie has the highest points count of the 6-6 teams. So, theoretically, she has the easiest path to the playoffs. But that would make it hurt that much more to watch it all fall apart. Emily can answer a lot of questions for us with a win or a loss this week, too. Did she tank and make a bunch of iffy trades to bolster Alex’s team? Does Alex just have both passwords? Or is she actually playing, and making some trades to bring herself into the playoffs? It’s all up to G to let the truth be known. 

Scott and Alex essentially have two bye weeks. Both men are clinched, and the only way they can switch is if Scott wins and Alex loses. Their main role is to make things interesting by getting the wins here. There’s a scenario where only ONE of the 6 teams wins (either Bob or T), and everyone else loses. Then there’s a losing record in the playoffs, which is also a riot to me. 

I’m stoked about this, and am very glad that some of us will be together for the weekend to watch/discuss. Also, if you have any questions on scenarios or your path to the playoffs. 

Gobble Gobble. 

[salehmadridista]

UCL - R16, 1st leg: Real Madrid vs Manchester City | February 26, 2020

- TV listings + Official streams

Match - Preview: RM {▸} + UEFA | Press conference: Zidane + Ramos - Match prep: Feb 25 {▸} - Dressing Room | Stadium Arrival | Warm-up - Last meeting: 1-0 W (May 4, 2016 - UCL SF) {▸}

Absentees (Call-ups)

- Hazard and Asensio (injury) - James, Rodrygo, Nacho, Brahim and Mariano (technical decision)

Stats

53,3% - Real Madrid win percentage without @hazardeden10 since he joined the club (1,9 goals per game), compared to 61,9% with him (2,2 goals per game), all comps.

Real Madrid are unbeaten against Manchester City in the Champions League.

Karim Benzema will make his 100th appearance for Real Madrid in the Champions League (52 goals), becoming the sixth player to reach this milestone for them in the competition. 

Zinédine Zidane has won all 12 Champions League ties he’s been involved in as Real Madrid manager (9 two-legged ties and 3 finals). He currently holds three Champions League trophies as manager, a joint-record alongside Bob Paisley and Carlo Ancelotti. Master.

[udemy-gift-coupon-blog]

Harmonica Jamz: Play Any Song and JAM with Friends ##100%FREEUdemyDiscountCoupons ##UdemyReview #Friends #Harmonica #JAM #Jamz #Play #Song Harmonica Jamz: Play Any Song and JAM with Friends Do you want to play a cool instrument - the harmonica, and to be able to play music with other people? Do you want to play dozens of famous songs on your harmonica, and also to be able to improvise and create your own beautiful solos when jammin' with other people? Harmonica Jamz is exactly what you're looking for, and you will learn all of that in several weeks. Yes, the harmonica is an easy instrument! In three sentences, what is Harmonica Jamz? Do you know Bob Dylan? Neil Young? Other famous rockers who jam the harmonica that you like? Harmonica Jamz is your one stop shop for learning how to play songs and jam on the harmonica BETTER than all of these guys, quickly. And you DON'T have to have previous musical experience - since it is designed for experienced musicians or total beginners alike. Harmonicas are easy - and this is the optimized, most effective way to learn it.  --- Why should you listen to me? Hey! My name is Alon and I am 28 years old. I have been teaching music, both online and face to face, to tens of thousands of students in the last six years - while traveling four different continents and jammin' and performing with many different musicians. I am mainly a harmonica player, guitarist and pianist, and I also play other instruments including the flute, trumpet, bass and more. I am constantly looking for the best ways and shortcuts to teaching music effectively - and with FUN. The student feedbacks show that I do it very well. (: My guitar blog, GuitarHippies-com, (founded in 2014) where I share my tips for playing music, has a monthly readership of over 100K people from over a 150 different countries and is one of the world's top five most read guitar blogs*. I am also the founder of the Harmonica Jamz-com courses and blog that has been online since 2016 and has thousands of happy students here on Udemy. *According to SimilarWeb-com stats. --- "Excellent course, I never played any instrument before but after a couple of jam sessions with Alon I was already jamming with my dad at home. The quality of the video editing and the helpful texts on screen were also very impressive." Josh Cole, England. Wait. Why should I play the harmonica anyway? Well, harmonicas are unique instruments in a couple of ways. They are: Easy to learn and to play. (when done with the right teaching method) Extremely compact - can always in your backpack or pocket, ready to play. AFFORDABLE. 40$ buy you the best ones, hand-made in Germany. Social instruments - always ready to jam with other guitarists and friends.  Sound great with multiple music genres from rock, to blues, to pop and country. Developing your ears and feel for the music. Why shouldn't I take another course or just watch free YouTube lessons?  Two reasons:  1) Your time is valuable, and trying to learn your way through random lessons on random harmonica topics (instead of using a systematic, proven approach) will never get you as far as where I can take you - and in a much shorter time. 2) Harmonica Jamz is built in a unique way which makes it the most interactive (and therefore - fun and easy to learn from) harmonica course online. After each lecture, we will have an interactive jam session where you will be playing the harmonica along to the relevant music, while the key points that we just talked about will be right in front of you, in a text form. This way, you have fun while the knowledge gets implemented in your brain and gets you ready to get out there and jam with real people. *By the way, Harmonica Jamz is also professionally produced and filmed in a boutique music studio, and in standards of quality that are unknown in the harmonica videos world. The lessons are a joy to watch and listen to - as you can see in the previews.  What are the topics that are covered in the course? How will they help me? We cover two big topics: 1) Playing Songs. 2) Improvising music and jammin' with other people. It is all done using the following "building blocks":  Playing the harmonica with the tone of a professional - to get the most beautiful sound you can out of your harp. Learning to play single notes - this will enable you to enrich your musical pallete and play ANY song.  We will learn specifically how to play some famous rock songs to get you started. You will learn the essentials of music theory - this will enable you to start IMPROVISING your own riffs. When you know how to improvise, you can confidently get out there and jam with other musicians! You will acquire a solid sense of rhythm through the Harmonica Jamz Rhythm Method™. Rhythm is one of the biggest foundations to sound great on any music instrument.  You will know all the notes of the harmonica in all three octaves. This means you will be able to play songs by ear and to improvise with ease - instead of randomally "shooting in the dark" like how most amateur harmonica players do.  All the lessons are built in a revolutionary, interactive way. How exactly? In the first part of each lesson - I am in the studio, teaching you the new technique while giving examples on HD video.  In the second part of each lesson - the course becomes totally interactive - I am playing a jam track for you, (in beautiful, live HD video as you can see in the free preview) while you are at home jammin' along. On screen I will be reminding you, through text, all the key points we just talked about. So you get to learn while havin' fun and while you are much more likely to ingrain the material than with any other course out there! Sound good! You mentioned that we'll learn some songs. Which songs exactly?  Yes! Playing songs' melodies is one of the most satisfying musical experiences you can have.  In the course, I will show you my examples of those songs, and then you will get to play them yourself while I show you the harmonica notes on screen and the music is playing for you in the background without my harmonica. (check out the preview of "Let It Be". The songs that we will learn include: The Beatles - Let It Be Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World Bob Marley - Jammin' Neil Young - Heart of Gold Bob Dylan - Knockin' on Heaven's Doors The Rolling Stones - Angie You Are My Sunshine Elvis Presley - Can't Help Falling in Love with You and 10+ others! Can't wait to see you inside! Who this course is for: People who love music and who want to play music themselves on the harmonica. People who have no experience of playing any musical instrument or people who do. People who have previous experience on the harmonica but are looking for a more complete approach. Musicians who play other instruments. People who LOVE music - WILL have a great time in the course and WILL learn a new, cool musical skill. Harmonica players who want to learn advanced techniques! 👉 Activate Udemy Coupon 👈 Free Tutorials Udemy Review Real Discount Udemy Free Courses Udemy Coupon Udemy Francais Coupon Udemy gratuit Coursera and Edx ELearningFree Course Free Online Training Udemy Udemy Free Coupons Udemy Free Discount Coupons Udemy Online Course Udemy Online Training 100% FREE Udemy Discount Coupons https://www.couponudemy.com/blog/harmonica-jamz-play-any-song-and-jam-with-friends-2/

[thecollegefootballguy]

Top 10 Big 12 Games in 2017

The 2017 season feels so far away, but it’ll be here before you know it! It’s time to start looking ahead to a new season in college football. I’ll be previewing the best games to look forward to in each of the Power 5 conferences and the Big 12 is up next. It’ll be the first year of the Big 12 Championship Game 2.0 but the team that’ll play Oklahoma for the title hasn’t yet been chosen, so I’ll only be including regular season games. There are 10 teams in the Big 12, so I’ll be looking at the 10 best games.

10. Oklahoma at Baylor Saturday, September 23

It’s the first conference game for both teams. Oklahoma is the prohibitive favorite to win the conference and they’ll certainly be favored to win this game. The Baylor Bears have had an interesting few years and will be led by their third head coach in three seasons. Matt Rhule is going to be bringing in a big identity change to Waco; one that, if successful, could work well in a Big 12 used to a different pace of game. The Sooners will be his first test, an unfair one at that, but Rhule will learn how far he has to go to win the league. If OU still has a hangover from their date with Ohio Stat this could get interesting.

9. TCU at Arkansas Saturday, September 9

With the race for the Big 12 behind Oklahoma so wide open, some are expecting TCU to rebound after their mediocre 2016 season. The Horned Frogs have a big road adventure against former SWC rival Arkansas. Last year, the Razorbacks got the better of Texas Christian in overtime, it’s up to Gary Patterson’s squad to even the score in a big out of conference game.

8. Oklahoma vs Texas (Dallas, TX) Saturday, October 14

The Red River Shootout shouldn’t be this low on the list, but it’s been a while since this game has had any relevance on the Big 12 title. Still, it’s traditionally the marquee game in this league and even when one school is up and one is down it still seems to produce some good football and unexpected upsets. Texas is now led by Tom Herman, whose tenure in Houston has demonstrated that he knows how to take down big opponents in high pressure situations, including Oklahoma! Bob Stoops, for all the good that does, still has a reputation for losing these kind of games at inopportune moments. Now Stoops will stare across the field and sees a third head man on the Longhorn sideline. Let’s see how it plays out.

7. West Virginia at Oklahoma Saturday, November 25

Last year, West Virginia and Oklahoma State tied for second place in the Big 12. The Mountaineers will likely take a step back as they lose some of that talent, but with the race for second so wide open they could certainly remain a viable contender. If that’s the case, then this last game of the season will become crucially important for both squads. Remember, Oklahoma’s 9-0 record in the Big 12 was completely unprecedented in the conference. If they lose a league game or two, and odds are they will, they’ll need to beat every supposed second or third best team in the league or they’ll lose the title.

6. Texas at USC Saturday, September 16

Rightly or wrongly, this game will be a huge barometer for the Big 12. The biggest brand in the conference will travel to play the biggest brand West of Texas in a rematch of the greatest BCS Championship Game ever. USC is now about two years into their rebuild under Clay Helton, so they have a big headstart. Indeed, the Trojans looked like the real thing in the second half of last season and they’ll be favorites to win their division. They have all the PAC-12 and Playoff hype that comes along with the Trojans doing well. Tom Herman has to catch up very quickly if he hopes to field a team that can compete. The outsized expectations and grumbling boosters will already make their presence felt if UT doesn’t start winning.

5. Baylor at TCU Friday, November 24

A day before WVU and OU take the field in Norman, Baylor will face off against rival TCU. With the Big 12 Championship Game rules in place, there’s an extremely high chance that one or both of the teams in these two games will play in the title match. If it is in fact TCU, then they’ll have to beat a Baylor team with all the motivation in the world to stop them.

4. TCU at Oklahoma Saturday, November 11

With the new Big 12 Championship Game in place, Bedlam has been pushed to early November to avoid an instant rematch. Because of this, a couple of trickle down effects will be felt. For instance, OU plays TCU the very week after playing Oklahoma State. Bedlam has been the substitute Big 12 Championship Game for the last two seasons and the Sooners might very well get taken advantage of by an opportunistic Horned Frogs team.

3. Oklahoma at Kansas State Saturday, October 21

Kansas State didn’t raise many eyebrows in 2016, but that’s only because they started playing well after they’d been eliminated from national relevance midway through the season. The Wildcats ended the year playing like one of the best teams in the conference. If they can roll that momentum into 2017 they’ll put a hurting on a couple of unexpecting opponents. Oklahoma will play K-State a week after a potentially draining Red River Shootout. The schedule is doing the Sooners no favors this year.

2. Oklahoma at Oklahoma State Saturday, November 4

Without a doubt the biggest game in the Big 12 conference schedule. Bedlam has decided the league in each of the past two seasons. With the rest of the teams in the conference being huge question marks, there’s little reason to imagine why this year’s game won’t also play a huge part in deciding the Big 12 champion. The Cowboys have an easier non-conference schedule, and a more balanced conference slate. If they can navigate this game, there’s reason to think that they could win the title. The only reason this isn’t the #1 game is that it won’t really matter a whole lot if both of these teams rematch (like we expect them to) in the title game. That game will nullify any big win in Bedlam, or any other conference game for that matter.

1. Oklahoma at Ohio State Saturday, September 9

It’ll be one of the biggest non-conference games of the college football season. Two of the winningest programs ever will face off in Columbus in Week 2. Last year, Oklahoma was humiliated by a red hot Ohio State team. The Sooners will be out to avenge the loss but they’ll have their work cut out for them. It may end up being a battle between top five schools, and if not that then certainly top ten. The Big 12 has almost everything riding on this game from a national perspective. OU is considered to be far and away the best team in the conference, if they lose the league would be effectively barred from the Playoff unless a lot of other Power 5 teams start losing. This game could potentially decide the fate of the entire conference come Playoff time and it already doesn’t look promising for Oklahoma.

-

Respond in my mail box or send me a message if you think there are any games that I’ve overlooked. Thank you for reading!

[felassan]

Assorted Andromeda info 5

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9] [additional scraps]

The biotic skill Warp doesn’t return but its functionality has been absorbed into other powers [x]

In case you were wondering, all the stats in the recent gameplay vid were real stats [x]

Q. “If you can answer: In the MEA CC, do you get the same preset options for your twin that you would if you were playing them?” -> “Yes” [x]

Q. “I know the XB1 will be 900p resolution for Andromeda - any idea on what the XB1 S will run at? Closer to PS4 Pro?” -> “No they'd be the same. The internals of those two machines are near-identical“ [x]

Q. “Can we use a mix of weapons from the Milky Way, Revenant and Helius Cluster at the same time?” -> A. “Yup”. [x]

As seen in gameplay vids, holstering weapons returns [x]

Color customization for armor uses an RGB wheel - so you can literally have any color! [x]

Some of the helmets have reflective visors. We do not control the reflectiveness though [x]

Visuals with dust/snow/grim on armor start out minimal then get more pronounced the longer you're on a planet [x]

“Hide helmet” option returns [x]

There are fully automatic pistols [x]

Tech armor returns [x]

3 mapped powers, quickly switchable via Favorites, is how the game works on all platforms. But on PC you can hotkey your favorites [x]

It's possible to keep crafting or buying higher rank versions of the same armor over time (so if you like a particular armor set you can keep the aesthetic while upgrading) [x]

There is no simulated camera bob like some FPS games have (since it’s a third person game). There is a little bob while on uneven terrain however [x]

Full skill point re-specs are possible in the Tempest medbay, but they cost credits. The first time is cheap [x] 

Q. “If all face presets are modeled, does that mean no head-morphing?” -> A. “You can still do morphs (nose size, eye height, etc.), but the base you're starting from is a scanned head.” [x]

Q. “You got help from @needforspeed team on the ND1. Did @ea_DICE give a hand for weapons once again? Other "specialists" involved?” -> A. “Not the guns, no, that was all internal. We got help in other areas, though, such as rendering.” [x]

An IGN writer has written a 2000 word Andromeda preview article that should surface on IGN on Thursday [x]. Gamble tweeted that it’s “long and thoughtful, just like the game” [x].