Category Archives: Football

Throwing Darts in 2011: Prediction Time

Here we go on my annual predictions for the upcoming college football season. I peer into my crystal viking horn and blow out what I think will happen for the year 2011.  From the BCS Championship Game to what color socks Oregon will wear in week 10, I throw it all on the board and see what makes triples and doubles.  So what do I think will happen?  Let’s find out:

  • Going big, the BCS Championship Game will be between Alabama and Oregon.  Alabama’s avoided the NCAA cartel but Oregon hasn’t as much.  I’m taking a risk on Oregon, but I don’t see any other team outside of the SEC that is title worthy.  Sure there’s Oklahoma but man I’ve been burned by them before.
  • Texas A&M will leave the Big 12 to go the SEC.  The SEC will poach and ACC, probably Florida State.  The Big 12 stays in Texas and nabs either SMU or Houston.
  • Mike Leach will show up in a pirate outfit on Halloween.  I’m not sure where, but it will be damn scary.
  • The NCAA hires enough people for them to actually do their job.  This is a big guess.
  • The first ever Big 10 Championship Game will feature new member Nebraska and current NCAA crosshairs, Ohio State.  Ohio State wins it and causes everyone to freak out.
  • Like I said before, Oregon will win the inaugural Pac 12 Championship Game against Arizona State.
  • Tyler Gabbert will not be a starting quarterback.
  • In my Big 12 preview, I picked Oklahoma to win the Big 12 but they will not be undefeated and will choke against somebody.
  • Super recruiter Willie Lyles will be paid even more money by selling recruiting tapes of a young breakout by the name of Hershel Walker.
  • I have no friggin’ clue who will win the Heisman this year.  Probably LaMichael James, he was a finalist last year.  Yeah, so was Andrew Luck but I’m picking the Ducks over the Trees this year.
  • Notre Dame gets on the winning track this year by displaying a tall video tower at the end of the opponents field for each home game.  They may, by the grace of God, make a BCS bowl this year.
  • Penn State head coach Joe Paterno will NOT die on the field this.  I’ve tried hard with this in the past but I need my prediction average to go up.
  • Kansas fans will start asking about basketball season after the 1st quarter of the first football game this year.
  • The Longhorn Network will not be successful to begin with.  Texas finishing in the middle of the Big 12/10/9 will force ESPN to dump a bunch of infomercials on it.  Hook ‘Em Horns Turbo Snakes anyone?  There’s already Snuggies.
  • TCU will step on Boise State’s neck the only year they are together in the Mountain West Conference.
  • This whole mess with players not getting enough resources to go through college will stop.  We’ll see at cost scholarships show up so the players can get a stipend to pay for laundry and lap dances.
  • One of the Brown brothers will do good, the other one will be mediocre for Kansas State.  Still, the Wildcats make a bowl.
  • Craig James will still be a douche.
  • Erin Andrews will get bumped off the top sideline hottie list.  At least there’s naked pictures of her online.
  • The Ivy League, after limiting collision practice and targeting head injuries, will be the first conference to go all flag football.  No one will care.
  • And finally, I will get used to being in a different town.  Kansas City was nice and Austin is turning out to be pretty cool.  I also predict that I will not miss the snow but will miss the snow days.

Mascot Monday: Shasta

It’s hard to believe we’ve made it through another off season.  This one was especially spicy with all of the allegations of rule breaking many of the big time college football programs notched.  Suspensions and forfeits will come, but it is time to get ready for the hot action on the field.  What better way to prepare for it than by cooling off with some Shasta?  No, not the flavorful soft drink but the last of the off season’s Mascot Monday and mascot for Phil Steele’s #21 team, the Houston Cougars, for his preseason 2011 poll.  I ran out of time and did not get to do all of the list, but it just means I will have more critters to choose from.

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Big 12 Preview 2011: They’re Coming And Going And Going And Coming And Always Too Soon

Oh last year was such a treat.  Nebraska and Colorado decided to leave and the rest of the league was all arms together in solidarity.  After a bumpy season and a dramatic victory for Oklahoma over Nebraska in the last ever Big 12 Championship Game, we are on the cuff of another great season.  Well, not so fast.  Texas A&M didn’t like how Texas threw their weight around in the off season and are about to leave.  It’s a good thing none of the ginormous scandal affected any of the conference schools.  Whether they leave or not, the Aggies have to play this year.  Let’s see where everyone ends up. Continue reading Big 12 Preview 2011: They’re Coming And Going And Going And Coming And Always Too Soon

Kansas State Wildcats Football Preview 2011: Silver and Purple Seeing Brown

The Bronx Salute.  Everyone remembers it, or at lease they should.  If you don’t, just think back to last year’s inaugural Pinstripe Bowl and Adrian Hilburn’s ‘salute’ to the fans after scoring a touchdown and moving the score to 36-24 and a 2 point conversion.  He was penalized and the Wildcats had to go for 2 from the 18 yard line.  They didn’t get it and lost the game.  You could blame some poor play before, but I will point out that the NCAA changed rules in the off season due to this.  So now it’s the 2011 season.  I’m not asking if they will recover from that loss of the Pinstripe Bowl, but I will be asking about the loss of Daniel Thomas.  And what I will see is Brown.

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Crib Sheet: Winds Of Change (Pocket) Blowing In Miami

This week’s drama is Miami and the Ponzi schemed Nevin Shapiro who was making it rain all over the place.  Among the accused, two new Alabama assistant coaches, a former Husker,  newly minted K-Stater’s Bryce and Arthur Brown, Missouri head basketball coach Frank Haith, and 15 current Miami players.  This summer has been brutal for college football on the public relations side.  It’s been all about the money and breaking the rules.  It’s like NASCAR.  Or worse yet, baseball.  Winds of change will be blowing real quick.  Maybe it means the players will finally get paid.  On to the Crib Sheet: Continue reading Crib Sheet: Winds Of Change (Pocket) Blowing In Miami

Mascot Monday: Rufus the Bobcat

It’s so amazingly close to the start of a new football season.  We’re not there yet, so we have another installment of Mascot Monday to chew through.  I don’t think I’ll be able to hit all of the mascots that we have not covered in Phil Steele’s Top 50 preseason poll for 2011.  This week it’s number 34 and the Ohio Bobcats’ Rufus the Bobcat.  The team that stands in shadows in the Buckeye State looks to be contentious coming into the season.  We’ll learn about how they got there as well as discover what fans will go through to jam a rival’s mascot. Continue reading Mascot Monday: Rufus the Bobcat

Crib Sheet: Another Summer Another Realignment Saga

Only this time it’s smaller.  Presidential hopeful Rick Perry open his mouth and pulled a Jay Nixon by saying that there are talks between Texas A&M and the SEC for a big move.  Next thing you know, the whole damn college football world is on fire.  Red fire!  I’ve chosen to stay out of this one over the weekend.  If I learned anything last year, it’s that nowadays rumors are 95% of the ‘reports’ out there and the other 5% has a shred of truth to it.  So as of right now, the SEC is staying chill, The Texas A&M president has power to explore realignment as well as take his time, the NCAA may get involved, and Rick Perry now says he doesn’t expect Texas A&M to leave.  If you’re asking me what will happen, I’m saying that A&M is out at the end of the BCS contract (2014).  Why?  The Big 12 will blow up after the restructure of the BCS and somehow, sadly, Texas finds the vacated ‘Notre Dame Automatic Bid’ and dumps the conference.  The rest of the teams fill out the Mountain West, Big 10, and SEC.

Mascot Monday: Captain Cane

We’re back again this week with the countup of mascots from Phil Steele’s preseason Top 50 for 2011.  WIth the kind of week the Big 12 has been through, they could use a hero.  A hero who has been through some recent changes as well.  So with that in mind, we’ll look at $35 and the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes’ Captain Cane.  This week, we will look at the reason there are hurricanes in Oklahoma, as well as check out how one of the lamest mascots got a makeover and somewhat of an upgrade.  Board up the windows, here comes the latest edition of Mascot Monday

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Crib Sheet: Coaches Poll Leaves No Surprises

The ESPN/USA Today coaches preseason bowl came out and there’s no surprise with Oklahoma notched at number 1.  That happened a couple of years ago and they lost their first game.  Yup, it doesn’t matter who’s where right now, but what matters is that it’s the horn blasting the announcement that the college football season is ramping up for real now.  Another thing to note, the Big 12/0  has half of their teams in the Top 25.  Usually they have 6 but since a couple of teams left, they can only muster 5.  Fair enough, on to this week’s Crib Sheet:

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Mascot Monday: Bully

We are ever so close to the start of the college football season and ever so close to the end of this offseason’s edition of Mascot Mondays.  This week, we are at Phil Steele’s number 39 in his preseason Top 50 poll for 2011 and the Mississippi State Bulldogs.  There is, of course, another Bulldog team in the SEC and much like the other team, Mississippi State has both a live and a costumed mascot.  Bully’s the name, and mascotting is both of their games.  I am going to dig deep and find the Bully bone of history buried deep in Mississippi State’s backyard.

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Crib Sheet: Ramping Up For Another Year

Media days are about done and that means practices are right around the corner.  I’m almost ready to ring the cowbell for a new season.  In the meantime, here’s this week’s Crib Sheet:
Continue reading Crib Sheet: Ramping Up For Another Year

Mascot Monday: The Clemson Tiger

Here we are moving on up the list of mascots not yet covered by KCCGD that are in Phil Steele’s Top 50 Preseason for 2011.  This week I’m going to take a look at #39 Clemson and the Clemson Tiger.  I avoided this guy for awhile because the info is kinda weak out there and there seems to be a ton of tiger mascots out there.  Welp, since Phil placed these guys so high it’s the perfect time to talk about the Clemson Tiger, well because it’s unavoidable at this point.  So follow me along as I spin the tail of the Clemson Tiger and find out if he’s not just another pretty pussy cat.

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Crib Sheet: Media Day Menagerie

Oh yeah lot’s of squawking and a talking this week.  Media Days are here and the Big 12’s focus this year is the Longhorns Network, not the impending doom of the conference.  Although some would say that the network is the started of a long doom for the conference.  This week’s Crib Sheet delves into that as well as the usual news items that comes across my desk.  So let’s dig in:

Mascot Monday: Chief Illiniwek

Mascot Monday is back and we are still counting down mascots we’ve yet to cover that are in Phil Steele’s Top 50 preseason poll for 2011.  We’re in the middle of media days for the college football and the pro guys finally set down their swords and are getting ready for another season as well.  This week I will skip over that hype and go straight to #39 and Illinois’ Chief Illiniwek.  I believe that this is the first time I will cover a mascot that is actually no longer spreading cheer on the sidelines.  Lot’s of controversy behind this one folks, let’s find out what happened

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Crib Sheet: Media Days Are Upon Us

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Another fat week of the Crib Sheet.  I know you haven’t had enough.  Media Days have finally kicked off so it will be another month before real football kicks off.  Bask in the light, people, and let’s start ramping up for another season.   First, the Crib Sheet:

Continue reading Crib Sheet: Media Days Are Upon Us