RETURN OF The Pat Fitzgerald Intense-O-Meter, Indiana, Plus Playing B1G Word Association With Fitz

Yeah, so I'm bringing this back. It was on the sidebar, not being used, for a super-long time, and obviously I don't have sidebars anymore, so I got rid of it, then LincolnParkWildcat reminded me about it in the comments section... I'd had plans to bring it back for a while, but I'd been sleeping on them. But here we are! I'll do this every week - Tuesdays, mostly.

I also want to discuss some stuff the redeye did on Fitz that came out today. First off, there's an interview - some interesting stuff, such as this:

I don't see myself being a [former Florida State coach Bobby] Bowden or a [deceased Penn State coach Joe] Paterno that's in their late 60s, 70s coaching. I think this is a young man's game. especially the way that I enjoy coaching. I like being active on the field. I like being involved and engaged. I don't see myself stepping away from that, and I think the minute that I do, I'm not doing my players the service that they need.

People always talk about Fitz coaching at NU for decades, but you might want to sell those 2045 season tickets if this is the case. Fitz also says Northwestern is "young and hip and cool", presumably after taking his last drag of a cigarette while waiting in line at a dubstep concert.

But what really struck me about the redeye piece is this bit where Pat Fitzgerald plays word association with the Big Ten conference. You might think you can't learn much about a man in 10 words. You are wrong. This is the most revealing thing I have ever read about Pat Fitzgerald. Here it is:

Illinois: Rival

Hey, Fitz and Tim Beckman agree on something! Good to see this faux-rivalry is really heating up. Plus, they're literally Northwestern's cross-protected rival according to the Big Ten. Good word choice.

Indiana: Respect

lollerskates, nobody respects Indiana.

Iowa: Rival

Wait, you already said riv-... oh. Oh, you're just going to say the same thing multiple times in this word association game. I mean I guess that's not against the rules but it doesn't seem optimal.

Michigan: Big House

Michigan State: Toughness

Okay, those both work.

Minnesota: Toughness

YOU LITERALLY JUST SAID TOUGHNESS. ITS THE LAST THING YOU SAID! And Minnesota isn't even that tough! Although to be fair, if somebody said "quick, what comes to mind when you hear Minnesota" I would've said "CHIPMUNK" or "COLD" or "LOSING" and he can't really do any of those.

Nebraska: Tradition

Northwestern: Rising

THE DARK NORTHWESTERN RISES, STARRING PAT FITZGERALD

Morty plays Alfred, and Prof. Bailey plays the role of Morgan Freeman always calling Batman to his office to show him new contraptions. I can't figure out Bane, but you guys probably can.

Ohio State: Huge school

Purdue: Basketball and grass

Either this is a typo, or this conversation happened:

"Excuse me, coach Fitzgerald, were you referring to Joe Tiller's spread offense at Purdue, often referred to as 'basketball on grass' due to the high amount of points that were scored?"

"No, I was referring to Purdue's high-ranked basketball team and weed."

"Okay, just checking."

Penn State: Tradition

Tradition again? I mean, it's true, but, I'm starting to wonder if Fitz only knows seven words, or is one of those pullstring talking toys for kids that only has seven phrases.

Wisconsin: Party

Congrats, Wisconsin, on finishing No. 1 in the Pat Fitzgerald party school rankings.

Anyway, on to this week's INTENSE-O-METER. Take it away:

Pat Fitzgerald INTENSE-O-METER reading: 7.7

The intensity always takes a tick upwards when Big Ten play starts, but there's more on the table this time around since Northwestern is undefeated. Indiana isn't always a big draw of anger, fury and rage, but the factors combine for a relatively high intense rating.

Have fun playing word association with Big Ten schools after the jump. To get it started, mine for Purdue is just me staring at a wall for 45 minutes while lightly drooling.