Rivalries and rankings

As March Madness descends upon the land, the folks at Extra Mustard have ranked the "coolest person" at all 68 schools playing in the NCAA mens' basketball tournament.  Mr. Torvik and I were left off the list.  The University of Minnesota's coolest person is Ron Pearlman.  Some might find the selection odd given that Bob Dylan attended there.  Or some might find the selection of Mr. Pearlman odd given that Iowa's State's coolest alum is George Washington Carver.  If scientists are cool, then it is hard to see how the coolest person to attend the University of Minnesota is someone other than Norman Borlaug. 

Rooting for laundry

The university I received my undergraduate degree from beat the university where Mr. Torvik earned his at men's basketball yesterday.  Other (possible) Gillette-Torvik grudge matches were discussed here and here.  This might be more satisfying if I actually cared about basketball.  Mr. Torvik's twitter account is strangely silent about this news.  Perhaps he cannot tweet through the pain.

A storied rivalry? Maybe not.

Sports Illustrated.com reports Notre Dame is opting out of its annual football game against Michigan.  The story is presented as the end of a rivalry that "dates to 1887."

A Gillette/Torvik Grudge match?

This afternoon the football team of the university located in the town I grew up in plays the football team of the university located in the town where Mr. Torvik grew up.  These accidents of geography sometimes form the basis of a rivalry.  Whether they do here depends on whether Northern Iowa can somehow pull off an upset or at least lose by less than the 30.5 points by which Wisconsin is favored.