College Apparel

/

On my recent vacation, I couldn't help but keep track of the different colleges I would see on t-shirts, hats, backpacks, and other things.  I was surprised by some of the things I fond - which I will share later this week in detail.  Tonight though, I will provide two of my thoughts:

1)  I was shocked that it took until the last day for me to see a service academy t-shirt (Navy).  While at the airport, I did see an Air Force hat - but I was disappointed in not seeing more support for these academies!

2)  I know that I was deep in SEC/ACC country, but I was shocked to see only one Notre Dame hat the whole week.  Not much love for a school that is loved across the country...

Memorial Day

/

First and foremost today - a big thank you to all the servicemen and servicewomen, as well as our police force and fire departments who put their personal safety on the line every day for the safety and freedom of others.

I have to say what an honor it was for me to shake the hands of all the veterans I saw in wheelchairs at BWI airport on Saturday morning.  It was very emotional for me to look them in the eyes and thank them for their service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.  Each and every one of them had a very firm handshake...

Utah/Colorado Series

/

One good thing, that I must admit, came out of the most recent conference realignments – the Utah/Colorado series, which was dormant for 49 years, was resumed on a permanent basis in 2011 when both schools joined the Pac-12 Conference and were placed in the same division.  They were also designated to close the regular season against one another as well in the league’s standard rivalry weekend. Colorado leads the series by a 32-28-3 count which includes a 17-12-1 mark in Boulder, a 14-16-2 standing in Salt Lake City and a 1-0 CU edge in Denver.

Joe Roth Memorial Game

/

Each year Cal plays the Joe Roth Memorial Game, so named after the former Bear quarterback.  The opponent is either UCLA or USC – as it depends on who is visiting Berkeley in any given year.  Roth was the Cal quarterback from 1975-76, leading the Bears to a co-Pac-8 championship in 1975 behind a memorable victory over then-No. 4 USC, 28-14. Shortly after graduating from Cal, Roth passed away from cancer on Feb. 19, 1977. Roth’s No. 12 jersey is retired.

Fox Sports

/

It looks like I will be tuning into Fox Sports this fall - it looks like they are getting quite a few huge match-ups.  Here is what I have seen:

USC vs. Texas

Michigan State vs. Notre Dame

Penn State vs. Ohio State

Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State

AND...........Michigan vs. Ohio State! 

Hate to say it - but I have always found ABC to have better coverage and angles...

Rivalries and other Big Games

/

When it comes to a rivalry and other big games, there is so much to write and read that it can become overwhelming, and key parts and facts can be lost in the shuffle or just plain missed.  For this reason, I have decided to talk about the rivalry and series through the summer, and then talk about the specific game itself when it occurs during the season.  There's more than enough for twelve months - lol...

Team Websites

/

It doesn't matter to me what time of the year it is when I visit team websites to look for and gather information.  I can look at Navy's website before their game with Army or I can visit it six months after the game, and I still get excited for the game - even if it is still another six months away.  You never know what you will find what nugget of information is waiting for you as you peruse an article or media guide.  Today I went to Nebraska's site to look up any information on their 1st meeting with Maryland.  As you can imagine, there wasn't a full page of info regarding the series, but I did learn that when the Cornhuskers met the Terps, it was the first time in their history that their first game against an opponent was a conference game between the two.  Not much for most, but it is something that will stick in my mind whenever they play in the future.

There are so many teams out there playing so many games, it will take me up until the 2017 season kicks off to view maybe 60% of the websites available out there.  At least I know that I will never run out of reading material regarding the great sport of college football...

Notre Dame vs. ACC

/

On the FBS Schedule website, I see that the ACC has announced its games with Notre Dame through 2037.  Though the games with Florida State and Miami are always intriguing, I would much prefer that the Irish play Big Ten schools - and send Maryland back to the ACC.  In my opinion, NBC and other fans would rather see Notre Dame take on Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, and Northwestern on a yearly basis with occasional games thrown in with Ohio State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Penn State.  Those games would be a bit more exciting than the Irish against Wake Forest or Syracuse...

2017 Weekly Schedules

/

Yesterday I posted my week 1 schedule for 2017, which included 69 games that I will be researching in the coming weeks.  When all is said and done, it is likely that those 69 games will be whittled down a bit (down to 50?), but it is my intention to keep the lower division games and highlight those a bit more this year.  Also, it is my hope to get week 2 of the schedule out in the next couple of days...

Rivalries Interrupted

/

Here are the top five rivalries that have been interrupted by the recent (last 5-6 years) conference realignments:

  • Missouri - Kansas (Border War):  120 games
  • Texas - Texas A&M (Lone Star Showdown):  118 games
  • Nebraska - Kansas:  117 games
  • Texas A&M - Baylor (Battle of the Brazos):  108 games
  • Nebraska - Iowa State:  105 games

The two discontinued Nebraska rivalries with Kansas and Iowa State were quite lopsided in favor of the Cornhuskers...

Missouri - Colorado

/

Over the next two weeks I will be watching a combination of college football games (my favorite rivalry games), playoff hockey, and Disney movies such as Snow White and Sleeping Beauty (yes - I have a sensitive side), but this weekend I watched a game between Colorado and Missouri from 2006.  Chase Daniels was just getting started as the Tiger QB, and the Buffs were going through a tough stretch.  Two things I thought about - first of all, I miss both these teams in the Big 12, and secondly, I miss Missouri's old uniforms...

NESCAC News

/

Recently, the NESCAC announced that they will be going to a nine game schedule starting this fall.  The league has 10 teams, so this will allow each team to face all the others - which will make for a true champion or champions.  Personally, I really like it for the reason that it starts their season a week earlier, and every other year I gain an extra home game at Bowdoin.

In other news, last month Amherst officially changed their nickname from the Lord Jeffs to the Mammoths.  It took 2,046 suggestions and 9,295 votes (not sure that is enough), but the school finally settled on the animal that is not only imposing, but also highly social and gentle.  Mammoths are also a part of Amherst College history as the Beneski Museum of Natural History houses a skeleton of a mammoth discovered by Amherst professor Frederick Brewster Loomis.  The purple mammoth will meet the purple cow in November...

2017 Spring Games

/

A few feel good stories from the Spring Games that took place a few weeks ago:

  • Seeing Jacob Jarvis, who has muscular dystrophy, score in the Ohio State scrimmage
  • Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Hawke surprised his wife and six children at midfield during the coin toss of the Nebraska spring game
  • Longtime Baylor fan, Clint Lewis, who has down syndrome, scored a touchdown for the home team - and did a great celebration
  • The Kentucky Wildcats had a young cancer survivor carry the U.S. Flag and lead them onto the field
  • On a humorous note, it was entertaining watching a couple of lucky fans field punts with the punting team bearing down on them