Tag Archives: BCS Championship

Pick It And Stick It: It’s A Big One To Finger

This weekend sees the culmination of what looks to be another Cinderella season for my obvious homer cheered Kansas State Wildcats.  They head to Morgantown this weekend to take on the hobbling West Virginia Mountaineers.  This is make it or break time for both programs and Saturday’s game will determine who will stay on the national stage and who will steep back down into the conference championship race. Oh there’s some other games going on this weekend, but this is the big one for me and for most of the nation (Big 12 nation, okay?). Continue reading Pick It And Stick It: It’s A Big One To Finger

Pick It and Stick It: Up Early For Farmageddon

While most of the Big 12 World is watching the Red River Shootout, I’ll be watching Farmageddon.  It’s a trap game for the Kansas State Wildcats and I hope they pull it together and sneak out of Ames with a victory.  The rest of the Big 12 plays but frankly I don’t care so much, except maybe for West Virginia at Texas Tech.  No upsets there.   Yeah it’s an abbreviated Pick It and Stick It, but I’m going to at least get my point across. Continue reading Pick It and Stick It: Up Early For Farmageddon

Crib Sheet: Weeping Willows

We’ll get to the big story of the week in the Crib Sheet, but first I wanted to preface that by saying, ‘Huh?’  I can understand that tradition is the lifeline of college football.  I get that.  I’m just having a hard time imagining why there’s all of this hooplah surrounding the first news item.  I mean when I went to K-State, we used to toss spray painted chickens on the court before the Kansas again.  PETA was all up in arms and that was it.  It seems like everyone in the world is sad about this latest stunt.  Read on for the story:

Continue reading Crib Sheet: Weeping Willows

Bowl Pick It and Stick It: Final

Last night’s BCS Championship Game will almost hit classic status.  Auburn beat Oregon on a last second field goal.  It wasn’t the offense that made the noise but the defense.  The only really exciting play offensively was Auburn’s Michael Dyer crazy run on attempted tackle that ended up a flip.  I watched that from my blocky streamed Palm Pre last night.  Sprint TV saved the day for me as I have no cable in the house and a snow stormed kept me from heading out for the game.  My predictions were just as blocky so let’s see the final standings for the Bowl Pick It and Stick It:

Continue reading Bowl Pick It and Stick It: Final

Magnifying the Expansion Part 3: Methods to Their Madness

So here ware trucking through our Big 10 Expansion, running over our introduction and Big 10 history along the way.  Today our focus beams toward why the Big 10 wants to expand.  Like we said yesterday, money is a big part but not the whole pie.  Other slices include the silver bullet of television, the need to grow, scratching the itch that’s been bothering them the past 20 years, channeling baseball’s New York Yankee style of athletic competition, and the dust collecting on their trophy shelves.  Think of money as the crust that keeps the filling in the pie.  It’s alot to handle so we’ll try not to drive you crazy with the reasons.

Continue reading Magnifying the Expansion Part 3: Methods to Their Madness

BCS Goes Bowling, Finally!

bcs-logo

We here at the KCCGD decided to split off the BCS Standings from the Pick It and Stick because of how important the BCS announcements were over the weekend.  We’ll go in depth into some of the games and the final standings.  Later on either this week or next, we’ll take a look at the bowls and maybe a specific Big 12 bowl post.  Right now, it’s BCS time.  As eveyone should know by now, the BCS Championhip game will be held in Pasadena, California at the Rose Bowl and it will be between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas Longhorns.  It’s not without controversy, however.  First, here are the final standings:

Continue reading BCS Goes Bowling, Finally!

Barspotting: The Shiny Plasma at the Brooksider Brings Us Back for the Championships

Brooksider Bar & Grill

Okay, if you remember last week, we loved up on the Chappell’s sports junk but we recommended it if you want to see just one game.  Welp this week we are going back to a place where you can watch multiple games and watch the best one on a big ole 71″ inch plasma television screen.   That’s right, folks, we are going back to the Brooksider.  If you remember in the past, it was the best for big screens and good lookin’ waitresses.  Now we are going there not really to review, but to watch Florida take on Alabama and Texas take on Nebraska.  We’re gonna get a table seat in front of the big screen and park there the whole day.  So come on out and hopefully help us dodge the live music traffic after the Big 12 Championship is over.

Continue reading Barspotting: The Shiny Plasma at the Brooksider Brings Us Back for the Championships

Stadiumspotting: Sunflower Showdown in the Little Apple

kfs

We make our return to the beautiful city of Manhattan, Kansas to watch Kansas head to Kansas State for 107th meeting of the Sunflower Showdown.  The KCCGD crew was down there a couple of years ago for the Missouri game and it’s been awhile since we made our way back.  We’ll head to Bill Snyder Family Stadium and watch the action on Wagner Field.  We already scoped out some tailgating spots and we’ll be sure to nab some cheesecake on a stick.  We also hope this game won’t be a stinker because it’s a must win for Kansas and a driver’s seat spot for Kansas State.  This will be big and we will be there.

Continue reading Stadiumspotting: Sunflower Showdown in the Little Apple

Pick It and Stick It: Double Barrellin’ It

nosepickingg

Ridin’, ropin’, buckin’, bustin’, and pickn’!  Get used to it folks.  The closer and closer we get to the Red River Rivalry the more we don the chaps and start spittin’ some chaw.  Soze what wez got here is one of the best rivalries in the land.  It may not be number one with a bullet but it certainly will place at the state fair.  And in this here game’s place, that would be the Texas State Fair.  So hold on to yer hats, buckaroo, there’s gonna be a shoot out come high noon tomorrow!

Favorite VS Underdog Spread Time  (in CDT)
(7)Ohio St. @ Purdue 13.5 Sat, Oct 17 at 11:00 am
Wisconsin VS (11)Iowa 2.5 Sat, Oct 17 at 11:00 am
(3)Texas VS (20)Oklahoma 3 Sat, Oct 17 at 11:00 am
(15)Nebraska VS Texas Tech 10.5 Sat, Oct 17 at 2:30 pm
@(14)Penn St. VS Minnesota 17.5 Sat, Oct 17 at 2:30 pm
(1)Florida VS Arkansas 25 Sat, Oct 17 at 2:30 pm
(6)USC @ (25)Notre Dame 10 Sat, Oct 17 at 2:30 pm
(23)Houston @ Tulane 17 Sat, Oct 17 at 2:30 pm
(12)TCU VS Colorado St. 22.5 Sat, Oct 17 at 3:00 pm
(4)Virginia Tech @ (19)Georgia Tech 3 Sat, Oct 17 at 5:00 pm
(18)BYU @ San Diego St. 17 Sat, Oct 17 at 5:00 pm
(17)Kansas @ Colorado 9.5 Sat, Oct 17 at 6:00 pm
(9)Miami (FL) @ UCF 14.5 Sat, Oct 17 at 6:30 pm
(2)Alabama VS (22)South Carolina 17 Sat, Oct 17 at 6:45 pm
(16)Oklahoma St. VS Missouri 7 Sat, Oct 17 at 8:15 pm
(24)Utah @ UNLV 16.5 Sat, Oct 17 at 9:00 pm

Arlight, enough cowboy poetry.  Let’s get to the plate of beans for the weekend.  Usually the Red River Rivalry is a close one and the spread makers deems it so this year with a measly 3 points.  The rest of the Big 12 action may be in the shadow but there’s still some potential barn burners.  Take a looksie at Missouri and Oklahoma State.  Or even Kansas and Colorado.  But enough about that.  The other big rivalry is USC and Notre Dame.  This should put whoever wins back on the map to the BCS title.   A map that’s currently shared by Virginia Tech.  They will have a hard time holding onto it when they face Georgia Tech.  Pick well, peeps, and enjoy the games!

Crib Sheet: Step Up to the Mic

microphones

This week finds us smack dab in the middle of Big 12 Media days.  This is the week of the year where all of the schools congregate and spit words into a hungry set of microphones in preparation of a new college football season.  Next week camp starts and before you know it, it’s football time!  But to sum up this week so far, Kansas was media voted #2 in the north and they have a chip on their shoulder,  Missouri is regrouping, Nebraska doesn’t feel like number 1, the South teams are the bomb, and nobody is really interested in the new head coach for Iowa State (Paul Rhodes).   We’ll talk a little about the teams left next week.  For now,  hold on tight because we just exited the gate and are starting to build steam to a new season.  Here’s this week’s Crib Sheet:

  • Pittsburgh State football player Joe Windscheffel is out for the season with an arm injury due to a Zebra charge.  He needed to paint a fence and had to move some zebras.  The male zebra charged and he’s out for the season.  Be careful childrens, animals are wild.
  • If you are tired of SEC talk, then cover your eyes for this one.   The SEC is striking deals with regional television stations to broadcast games, most notably in regions that cater to the Big 12 and the Big 10.   The hype machine is in full swing and they have the national titles to back them up.  I guess we’re gonna see more and more of the SEC until some other conference pins them down.
  • So last week, we talked about Army playing Yankee Stadium in 2010.   Welp a couple of days after news of that came out, they announced that they will be playing there for the next 4 out of 5 years.  Great stuff.   They used to play there every year and now they are bringing back the tradition.  Let’s hope they keep the new tradition of camouflage gear.
  • Our favorite analyst Kirk Herbstreit is suing the IRS for taxing Herbsreit on a burnt down house.  So Kirky wanted to build a new house on his current and caught wind of the local fire department needing some training.  He ‘donated’ the house to the fire department and they promptly torched it.  Now he thinks he should get the tax credit for the donation but the IRS is saying no way.   What a dumbass.  Quoting Kritter, “He should fire his accountant.”
  • Looks like some team from the Mountain West Conference manned up and is scheduling some big time schools.  Boise State will play Virginia Tech next year.  Welp if the Broncos go undefeated next and beat Va-Tech, then they should have a shot at the title game.
  • Lou Holtz and his Notre Dame alumni beat up on Japan this year in the Notre Dame Japan Bowl.  It’s nice to see some aged alumni hit the field and play again for the Irish.   We wonder if the folks over in the land of the rising sun though Lou was drunk the whole time he was there.  Don’t worry guys, he sounds that way all of the time.
  • The Rose Bowl tweaked some rules with the current BCS contract to allow non BCS schools to play in to the bowl.   If one of the automatic qualifiers for the Rose Bowl goes to the national title game, then the slot is open to anybody.  That’s a break from how things were done in the past.  It used to be only Big 10 and Pac 10 teams.   This is a good first step and this should help to even things out just a little bit more.
  • Meanwhile, Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe spent most of his time this week drumming up support for more TV exposure for the conference.  Part of which includes tossing around the idea of making the new Cowboys Stadium the permanent home for the Big 12 title game.  Beebe needs to hurry up because the other big television friendly conferences are pushing out further and further.

Crib Sheet: Keep on Chooglin’

Creedence-chooglin-peru

Independence Day came and went and we escaped with a couple of scratches, bruises, and about six pounds of weight.  While we are recovering, we are reminded that we are inching ever closer to start of the new college football season.  Sooner or later, I have to get started on some site improvements and my previews.  Until then, we keep on chooglin’ to another Crib Sheet:

  • Former Hawaii, and record breaking, quarterback Timmy Chang was arrested for robbery.  I completely forgot the guy.  When that happens, one can guess that crime is heading their way.  Especially since he fizzled out like he did.  It’s pretty terrible that a record holding qb gets released from a Canadian football team.
  • The New York Times is now profiling the case that Sam Keller filed against Electronic Arts and the NCAA.  He makes a good point about players being used to take in bucket loads of cash for EA Sports and the NCAA.  If he wins, it may open the door to some other types of compensation for the players.
  • ESPN’s Tim Griffin points us to a company that sifted through the stats to produce the five common traits BCS Championship teams and which teams fall under that for this year.  Texas is in the mix but so is Iowa, surprisingly.  Florida’s there too, however.  The safe bet I guess is Texas vs Florida this year.
  • So another hearing on Capitol Hill took place the pitted Senator Orin Hatch from Utah against the BCS.  It stunk very much of grandstanding, and nothing came of the hearing.  Many columnists gave their reaction, so I will give mine.  This will continue on until the start of the college football season and then it will go away.  Hatch is rattling swords for his state and really thinking so much of the other smaller schools.  The best part, that Tim Griffin pointed out, was when Hatched asked Nebraska  chancellor Harvey Perlman what more could Utah do and Perlman suggested that Utah play a tougher schedule.  Utah president Michael Young responded that the school wishes Nebraska would play them.   Tim Griffin points out that Utah backed out of a chance to play Texas last year.   End of story.  Case closed.  The roar of the crowds on opening day will overcome the whimpers and cries coming from the state of Utah.

The Crib Sheet: Tilting the Joystick

ncaa-football-10-cover-athlete-images-and-screens

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, is this week and we here at the KCCGD have always enjoyed getting our game on.  News wise there wasn’t anything too exciting in terms of college sports going on down there.  Wii Sports Resort looks pretty good and the UFC game coming out also looks pretty tight.  We waggle our joystick to the great EA College Football game and there’s a soft spot in the heart for USC because of the National title run we had way back in 2004.  Now let’s waggle our joystick for college football news:

  • ESPN College Football Analyst Lee Corso recovered from a minor stroke due to small blocakge in the artery.  He issued a press release filled with many of his coaching quips.  My guess is all of the mascot heads he put on in his career let to the stroke.
  • Colorado lost a big time receiver Josh Smith to the lure of big time hip hop.  It seems everyone wants to be a star and apparently the shine is on music instead of football.  Let’s face it, he was playing at Colorado.  No offense there.
  • The rivalry for Mizzou against Illinois will stop in 2010.  Apparently Illinois doesn’t like the neutral site aspect of the series.  Either that, or they’ve been getting walloped in the series.  It’s not good news for Mizzou because that game was a rivalry they could actually win.
  • To help with the economy, Kansas will have split season tickets available this year.  This is something the Kansas City Chiefs started doing a couple of years ago and look how it turned out for them.  Uh Oh.
  • Big time Missouri recruit Sheldon Richardson will be heading to a Juco this year due to really bad grades.  Seeing as everyone either graduated or jumped to the draft, the Tigers will be weak this year.  It might be a good time to sit out a year and beef up for next year.
  • A small change in the BCS that goes into effect after the 2010 season means that if either a Pac 10 team or Big 10 team gets to the BCS National Championship Game, they have to give a Rose Bowl slot to a Mid Major Conference.  This is a peace offering for the yelping we’ve been hearing about the BCS and mid majors recently.  Whether or not it’s a big deal, we’ll find out.  At this point it’s fine because the both conferences don’t have a conference championship.

The Crib Sheet: Looking for a Football News Epicac

ugly_fat_man_big_tummy_funny_pictur

You know, we here at the KCCGD figured that the college football off season would be dank with news but after this last week, we can say that there always something to talk about.  We’ve got contract negotiations, run ins with the law, rule changes, and even where are they nows (or end ups).  The biggest of the bunch being the Mike Leach contract talks.  But we will never, ever talk about the Nebraska spring practice game.  Here’s what happened in the last week:

  • Oklahoma State Wide Receiver Bo Bowling was caught drugging up and is now suspended from the team.  What is it about football players that make them think they can continue to do what they did back in high school when they are under more a public light?  You’d figure some of them would learn, but learning isn’t why they’re there.
  • So there’s a proposition floating around to make pre endzone celebrations penalized and points taken off the board.   I guess the treat of points slipping from the board will make players think twice, but I would go with the penalty first and if that doesn’t work then hit them up with points.
  • Kansas coach Mark Mangino promoted a couple of coaches.  When it rains, it pours.  The success of the Jayhawks goes around for everybody on the staff.  Although when it rains on Coach Mangino, I bet his feet never get wet.
  • In Big 10 land, Iowa re-upped Kirk Ferentz’s contract with more dough going into his pockets.  A little rumor goes a long way.  When the Kansas City Chiefs fired Herman Edwards, on of the replacements on the list was Kirk Ferentz.  Kirk needs to send Scott Pioli a fruit basket.
  • The vaunted, Charlie Weiss led, Notre Dame Fighting Irish will now be more lead by Chuck as he’s taking over on offensive play calling.  They had a bowl year last year to save his butt, but taking over on calls makes me a little worried.  I’m gonna go dust off the clock on his hot seat right now.
  • Be ready for some Mizzou mania early on in the year on ESPN.  They are playing the Big 12 opener against Nebraska on Oct. 8.  Which means we get the game against Nevada and the season opener against Illinois on TV as well.  The earlier the better, as this year will be an off one for the Tigers.
  • I’m trying really hard not to talk about baseball in any form, but when they are recruiting 12 yeard olds it gets to be too much to handle.  Please oh please don’t be like baseball and take the fun out of the game at young age.  Let the kid grow up some first before buying him an iPhone.
  • Texas Tech and Mike Leach are still dancing around the contract ho down.  Leach wants a better buyout option and Texas Tech wants fine him for talking to other schools.  We get some reality from realfootball365.com, where they remind us he has two years to go on his contract and if nothing happens, then they will do this dance again next year.  That is, after the board of regents figures things out.
  • Ivan Maisel reminds us that the BCS won’t change for awhile.  He goes on to talk about Jerry Jone’s mega dome and how it could be the potential home for the Sugar Bowl.  That would make it more of a player than the other BCS bowls.  Tune in next four years as the BCS turns.
  • Taking his ball and going home, Ron Prince will be named the new Associate Head Coach at Virginia.  Welp he had a 3 year run as a head coach, ruined a program, and is pretty much right back where he started.  Good luck and good riddance.

BCS Title Game Makes Me Race To JJ’s Other Place

BCS Title Logo

To quote Keith Jackson, “WHOA NELLY!”  What a game Monday night!  Apparently a month of planning from Coach Tressel can help the Ohio State Buckeyes make a game against the Texas Longhorns.  The McCoy/Crosby connection toward the end of the game reminded me of the Harrell/Crabtree connection made from Texas Tech earlier this year.  The Longhorns eeked out of the Fiesta Bowl with a win and the Ohio State Buckeyes go home a BCS bust (again).

Continue reading BCS Title Game Makes Me Race To JJ’s Other Place

Bowl Pick It Standings: Two Minute Warning and the Marching Band is on the Field

We’re running into the last stretch of big games and we are getting ready for the final 3 games of the college football season.  The last week brought us some upsets, some blowouts, some intrigue, and some fatter bellies and stinkier rooms.  Bowl season so far has proved to be, well, anticlimactic but we’re geared up for Florida vs Oklahoma.  The other two games landed on nonplussed for our feelings.

The vaunted, Charlie Weiss led, Notre Dame fighting Irish played hard for their coached and blew the heat off of him by blowing out Hawaii in the, you guessed it, the Hawaii Bowl.  The Pac-10 quieted all detractors by going undefeated in their bowls year, topping it off with a USC blowout of the somewhat Paterno led Penn State Nittany Lions.  Speaking of the Big 10, they are 1-5 in bowls this year with one game left to go.  The Purple Yeti loved the finish to the Kentucky and East Carolina game when Kentucky’s defensive lineman Ventrell Jenkins stiffed armed East Carolina’s Partrick Pinkey after picking him off and tumbled into the endzone for the winning score 25-19.

But that’s not all that happened.  The Big 12 so far has a decent showing going with Missouri kicking it off and barely chugging by Northwestern.  The Tigers should’ve lost the game but the found a way to come out on top.  I was in the gym when Oklahoma State was up 17-7 over Oregon at half and dang near dropped my jaw to the floow when I saw the final score later, Oregon 42, Oklahoma State 31.  KU handled Minnesota rather easily, which worked out well for the evening as Wii Sports were to be had.  The best game of New Year’s Day happened to be the Gator Bowl where Nebraska came from behind to beat the Clemson Tigers.  Too bad Texas Tech couldn’t make a case for being in the title chase when Ole Miss handed them an Ole Whuppin 47-34 in the Cotton Bowl.

Continue reading Bowl Pick It Standings: Two Minute Warning and the Marching Band is on the Field