Back in a simpler time, an LOL board could have been a news paper. You remember newspapers. The dominant media before the advent of cable TV and the interwebs. Back when West Virginia fans didn't actually hurl racial epithets at Ernie Davis. Ah, the good old days.

My distrust of Syracuse has nothing to do with how West Virginia was portrayed in The Express. Because as I stated in the link above, that's all on the creators of the movie not getting their facts straight. Nor is my distrust based on the Marvin Graves game. Sure he started that fight. But it's really the Big East hiring Stevie Wonder to officiate the game that caused the outcome to be what it was. No, it's the Orange's ability to win games they have no Earthly business winning that has me not trusting them.

Last year's game is a good place to start. Not to mention the 2008 game that was won on the legs of Noel Devine, but one we should have lost. The 1981 game sticks in my head because I just don't know how you beat Florida in the Peach Bowl, your only other two losses that year are to the #1 and #4 teams in the country, and you somehow lose to a rather unspectacular Syracuse team. I guess the dome was a loud and scary place to play back in those days. Then of course, there's that '92 game we will never forger.

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Last year, just before the WVU/Syracuse game, we exposed Otto the Orange to be a dangerous serial killer.  Little did we realize then, as we now know, that he was in the midst of a homecoming rampage that included South Florida, us and Cincinnati a week later.

[image by The Borkowski via Nunesmagician.com]

Look at that picture.  LOOK AT IT!!!!  No remorse.  Completely smug, satisfied and hungry for more.  Those may look like scepters, but make no mistake.  Those are deadly spears! 

Otto and his trusty sidekick Doug Marrone were able to infiltrate Milan Puskar Stadium last season and leave Morgantown with what was rightfully ours.  But this year, there's a new sheriff in command of WVU Football and he's aiming to avenge last year, bring back the Schwartzwalder Trophy to it's rightful home and bring Otto to justice...once and for all:

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It's a hungover Friday, which means one thing and one thing only: haikus!

In a weird twist of fate, when my body is recovering from beer and late nights, it only functions in a 5-7-5 syllabic formation.  I know, I thought it was strange too, but that's how God intended it, so I plan on rolling with it.

And if your brain is functioning a little better than mine today, you'll remember that we tried this way back on January 2, 2008.  Good things happened after that edition, so why not try it again?

Mad about Nine-Two

Marvin Graves in my basement

Don't tell the police

Syracuse better

True rivalry back again?

I miss Greg Robinson

Just kidding above

We win by one thousand points

Not worth burning couch

Cold beer for breakfast

Liquor for lunch and dinner

Orange good for light snack

Remember, add your gems in the comments.

We all know Otto the Orange, the furry, lovable mascot of the Syracuse Orange.  He has personified everything about the school's football team for the past eight years: courteous, soft, and harmless.  With his floppy hat, white gloves, and cute nose, it's hard to imagine Otto as being anything other than a child's play toy.

In a Smoking Musket exclusive, we have delved deep into the dark, twisted past of Otto the Orange, uncovering a side of him that few remember and almost no one cares to admit.

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He liked it so much, he vowed to spend as much time as possible on his knees.  Visible evidence after the jump.

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I was brainstorming last week on how, if even possible, West Virginia could dominate Syracuse more than we already do in football.  The only answer, as I see it, is add Greg Paulus to that team, a player that WVU utterly dominated in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.  Well, that's just what Syracuse may do.

On a more serious note, Syracuse doesn't have much to lose here.  They have an absolutely energetic (read: cocaine habit) first year coach in Doug Marrone who has nothing to lose.  They're only chance for conference wins is apparently Louisville, so why not take a chance on one of the best high school QBs (four years ago) in the country?  I mean, they're losing to WVU no matter what -- what's the harm?