The student newspaper at University of Wisconsin-Madison printed the names of 33 students who are believed to be re-selling their Rose Bowl tickets online. The school’s football team will face TCU on January 1 in its first Rose Bowl appearance since 2000. Its allotment of 5,800 tickets sold out in 20 minutes, and The Badger Herald was none too pleased with those who bought their duckets to simply flip them for a profit.

Truly, there is a special place in Hell for people who buy Rose Bowl tickets with the sole intention of profiting from them. It is entirely unfair to those who actually love this football team and were counting on a cheap face value ticket in order to make the trip to Pasadena an economic reality.

My feeling on this is pretty simple: if you’re a student and you have access and a rightful claim to Rose Bowl tickets, you should sell them if that’s what you want to do (even if it may or may not be legal). However, if you’re the University of Wisconsin and you want to ensure that you send only students to your post-season game, lock down the system and make people pick up their tickets at Will Call on game day. Or have an essay contest; that totally worked at my elementary school before all the kids that lost tried to burn it down.

Whether judging the strength of the entire Big Ten conference based on Ohio State’s performance in the 2006 and 2007 BCS title games is justified or not, there’s another dubious opinion that’s entirely less disputable: Ohio State can’t seem to develop quarterbacks. The last Buckeye signal caller to establish a “respectable” NFL career was Tom Tupa, who spent most of his 17 years in the league as a punter.

So it’s notable that the two of the most recent fellows to play under center in Columbus are looking for their respective props. Troy Smith, who now plays for the Ravens, asked for a trade while his team is in the middle of a playoff race, while current Buckeye quarterback Terrelle Pryor just wants everyone to stop dumping on the Big Ten.

Smith’s timing for a trade request seems dubious, since there seemed to be little doubt in Baltimore over the past 12 months that Joe Flacco was going to be The Guy. His team is chasing down a wild card spot; why make waves now? And why do it through your agent on Twitter?

Pryor, meanwhile, seems eager to carry the flag for the Big Ten into the Rose Bowl on New Year’s day. It’s about time somebody did. Too bad that it had to be a quarterback from Ohio State.

via Truth & Rumors.

Former visionary George Lucas, who made three good movies over twenty years ago, will be the grand marshall of the Rose Parade on New Year's Day. Accompanying him around his two Star Wars-themed floats will be 200 storm troopers.

Wow! Actual storm troopers?!? Like with lasers and everything?!? Um, no:

The storm troopers belong to a fan club called the 501st Legion, which boasts 3,000 members who appear at fundraisers and charitable events. Members create their own costumes, which can cost up to $1,000 each.

Well, well, well… the USC Song Girls and the 501st Legion hanging out in the same town — nay, the very same parade? I guess we can look forward to a southern California baby boom in late August and early September. Let me tell you, those costumes and a wealth of knowledge about Dagobah's annual rainfall are a direct ticket to Pantytown.

Source = The Realests, by way of the Fanhouse