So, is it OK to write a blog about another blog?

Gordon Mann, part of the great team of writers that cover all of Division III football along with Pat Coleman at D3football.com, wrote a blog in the Daily Dose feature of the web site discussing the recently-released Princeton Review rankings. Wabash ranked quite well in several areas, both in results generated from raw data and from student interviews. You can read Gordon's piece here.

†I'm never surprised by the high ranking in "Jock School" or "Students Pack The Stadium" in the Princeton Review. I spent a week working at ArenaBowl XXII and had the opportunity to discuss Wabash football with some folks in New Orleans. They were amazed to hear that a school of 917 students has an average home attendance of nearly 4,000 in a year when the Monon Bell game is played in "that stadium to the south of Crawfordsville." Or how about the volume pouring out of Chadwick Court when the Crazies are in full voice during another Wabash basketball game? †I've seen students at home baseball, track, tennis, wrestling, and swimming events showing support to their fellow Little Giants over and over again.

The jock school ranking comes not just from varsity athletics but from intramural programs, as well. Again, it's no shock Wabash ranks third there. I play (maybe a strong work, perhaps show up would be more appropriate) for basketball and some other IM events. It's not only good exercise — I also get to interact with groups of students who aren't on varsity sports teams, proving to be another great way to get out on campus and meet people.

Speaking of rankings — three of the four pre-season football rankings are in and Wabash is in the top-ten in each publication. The Little Giants are eighth in the Sporting News College Preview (formerly the Street & Smith's annual review), seventh in Lindy's College Football Preview, and fourth in the USA Today College Preview. The D3football.com pre-season poll should be out in August. The great thing about these polls is that unlike the fine folks in Division I BCS, the rankings truly mean nothing. Come November 16 no one will care what publication had Wabash ranked where. Only the record will determine whether the Little Giants will be headed back to the playoffs as one of 32 teams chasing the 2009 NCAA Division III title.

In the mean time, the rankings do give us something fun to talk about before the players get back on campus on August 18.†