Tag Archives: Notre Dame

Barspotting, College, Football

Barspotting: We’re Gonna Work the Straw in Wichita

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Yup, you heard us right. It’s the first of what looks to be a ton of road trips for the KCCGD crew this year.  The first stop is down in the heart of Kansas.  We’ll be touring one of the best sports bars in Wichita, but we don’t kn0w which one just yet.  We’ll have to wait for the locals to point us in the right direction.  Let’s face it, no one else in the KCCGD viewing area will be out and about in Wichita so we’re not too worried.  As of now, we are looking at some potential in Mulligan’s Pub, Larry Bud’s, Heroes, Players, The Fieldhouse, or maybe Emerson Biggins.  We’ll tweet that out when we know, follow us @kccgd.

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College, Football, News

Crib Sheet: So Much To Chew On

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There’s just so much to chew on from the first week of college football, we’ll just make the intro real quick.  On to the Crib Sheet:

  • Freshly on its own, BYU signed a deal with ESPN and Notre Dame to be shown exclusively and play, respectively.  They are stepping out fresh in their independence but we don’t think they’ll get as strong as their Irish counterparts.
  • The Big 10 now has divisions, so we’ll see how balanced they are in the next couple of years.  The big news is breaking up Michigan and Ohio State.  Since they will be the ‘yearly rival’, there’s a big chance that they could play each other again in the Big 10 Championship Game.
  • Even though, Derrick Washington was booted from the team, the Missouri Tigers beat up on Illinois last Saturday.  It took some time for them to find their rhythm but once they did, they looked sharp.  Apparently athletic director Mike Alden said that protecting the school was the number one priority when it came between Washington and the allegations.  Way to go 810 AM and Kevin Kietzman, you seem to get everyone to talk.
  • The face behind the mask of the mascot for Penn State, notched an MIP for underage drinking.  Clint Gyory got busted and now he’s suspended from his mascot duties.  It just goes to show that football players aren’t the other ones who have to watch what they do in their free time.
  • In what’s become the major theme to begin the season, another player will miss games for accepting sports agent gifts.  This time it’s Alabama’s Marcell Dareus.  They should suspend him for key games.  Doing this at the beginning of the year means they miss the cakewalk part of the schedule.
  • At the very last second, Jeremiah Masoli’s appeal was approved and he was cleared to play for Ole Miss.  It didn’t help them however, as  Division II school Jacksonville St. ended up beating Ole Miss in 2 overtimes.  I caught the end of the game and no doubt it’s on the top so far for game of the year.
  • Boise State assistant Keith Abu Bhonapha got a DUI.  He should be off the team.
  • North Carolina was one play away from possibly winning the game against LSU last Saturday.  What’s more than amazing is that they did it with a ton of suspended players.  About half of the starters didn’t play due to NCAA investigations.  We’re not sure if it shows how tough the Tar Heels could be or how weak LSU looks.
  • TCU coach Gary Patterson gave credit to ESPN’s Lee Corso for inspiring the Horned Frogs to a come from behind win against Oregon State last Saturday.  Patterson used the right amount of moto-mojo to get his team over the tough Beavers.
  • Looks like Nebraska’s schedule in the Big 10 will start out tough.  There’s no surprise there.  The new boys in town will get beat up for a couple of years to show that current members are strong.
  • After the embarrassing loss to North Dakota State, Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins retired Tuesday.  He was going to retire next year, but the school (and the boosters) decided to cough up the money to get him out of there sooner.  We don’t know who the replacement AD, not interim, will be and now we don’t know who the starting quarterback will be.  Man basketball season can’t come any faster for the Jayhawks.
  • Apparently Reggie Bush may be stripped of his Heisman.  I guess that’s what happens when it’s discovered that you might have been ineligible during your run in college.  He would be the first.  How many other Heisman winners may have been ineligible?  Should we investigate everyone and find out?
  • In MASSIVE conference expansion news, Cal Poly and UC Davis will be joining the Big Sky Conference.  At first we thought it was just a conference of country bars, but with this new development we see the Big Sky in a different light.
  • ESPN kicked off ESPN3D last year during the BCS Championship Game and now they have an updated schedule that started with the Boise State and Virginia Tech game.  So far so good, according to the review.  We’re anxious to get our eyes on it when it becomes mainstream about 20 years from now.
  • Speaking of the Broncos, they jumped to #3 in both polls.  Looks like if they can keep up the blowouts, they will be a contender.  Meanwhile, David Ubben runs down the votes for the Big 12 teams.  It’s pretty much the big 3 in the top 25 (Texas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma) then about 5 teams about a stone’s throw from the 25 threshold.  If they can keep it up, we may see more Big 12 teams up there.
College, Football, Picks

Pick It Standings 2010 Week 01: Short and Sweet

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Alrighty, welcome to the first standings update for the Pick It and Stick It of 2010.  We’re going to switch things up a bit this year.  Last year,  we broke the design of the site and our fingers trying to just map out what happened each week and who did what.  In the end, we realized that most people just cared who was winning and didn’t care about anything else.  So we’re blowing away the Weekly Picks and just reporting the standings.  If you want to check out the full stats, click on the ‘Standings’ link and it will take you to our group.  If you want to see more, please sing up and play along too.  No worries though as we’ll still touch on the highlights of the weekend’s picks and events.  So here’s the Standings:

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Barspotting, College, Football

Barspotting: Johnny’s On the Spot Again

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We are back again going out to the best of what Kansas City sports bars has to offer in terms of college football.  Like the storied tradition of college football, we have a tradition of going back to the best bar of last year to start out this season for KC College Gameday.  We had no way of knowing back at the beginning of last September that Johnny’s in the Power & Light would be the best but here we are planning the first Barspot of the year down there.  With every television fit into every nook and cranny as well as the crazy touch table poker game, Johnny’s hit the spot on all things needed for a great sport viewing experience.  So come back out with us Saturday as we head back out there to enjoy Johnny’s and scoff at that ridiculous KC College Live thingy going on in the outdoor area.

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College, Football, News

Crib Sheet: College Football Prime Time

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Finally the wait is over.   Tomorrow night we kick off another great year of college football!  It’s been what seems likes ages since the end of last season and now we have another year of the most pristine competition we’ll ever see on the field.  Sure the offseason provided plenty of drama, with coaching changes and conference expansion, but we’re done with the talking and we’re ready to strap it on.  The helmet that is.  So here’s the last Crib Sheet before the new season:

College, Football, News

Crib Sheet: Nobody Saw This Coming

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Okay this close to the season and we still have major, er mid-major, moves regarding conference expansion.  So BYU started to teeter and now the WAC blew up.  Further out west there are questions of Pac 10 allegiance.  Please, will the powers that be put all of this on lockdown so we can focus on actually playing football instead of this crap.  The season is about 2 weeks away!  We’re not sure they’re listening so in the meantime, everyone else clue them into this week’s Crib Sheet:

Colorado, Football, News

Crib Sheet: (Not So) Secret Agent Ban

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Apparently there’s still some fallout from the NCAA’s investigation of schools regarding sports agents and football players.  Read all about it below.  Our take on the whole thing?  The times they are a changing and much like any other huge organization, change comes slow.  This week’s Crib Sheet points out that while the NCAA is running around doing investigations, they are cutting drug testing budgets.  We think the NCAA needs to lean down more and seriously reconsider just how sports are played today.  On the Crib Sheet:

College, Football, News

Crib Sheet: Camp KCCGD

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It’s time to go camping!  The teams are gearing up and we geared up for our own camp adventure last week. :

College, Football, News

Crib Sheet: Tasting a Buttload

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Okay the holidays are over and we are in the middle of summer.  College football is so close right now we can taste it.  You know how we can tell?  We have a buttload of news to go over in this week’s Crib Sheet.  So enough jibba jabba, here’s the sheet:

College, Football, News

Crib Sheet: Turning Our Attention to the Field

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It’s almost July and it’s time to start getting serious about football.  For the last couple of months we’ve been going back and forth on conference expansion and raiding.  Now that it’s all over (hopefully), we can start getting juiced up for the major competition on the field.  The Crib Sheet has its cleats on so you should too.  Here we go:

  • The major sanctions against USC hit former running back and current New Orleans Saint Reggie Bush.  Bush was reportedly in on the scandal part but now he vows to help with the appeal for USC to the NCAA.  Maybe his Heisman Trophy is in trouble?
  • It looks like Pac 10 went from the Pac 11, with the addition of Colorado, to the Pac 12 with the addition of Utah.  Mormons invade the conference as the Mountain West Conference powerhouse moves in on the big boys.  Will the Pac 12 have a title game now?  Does it seem weird that both the Big 10 and Pac 10 will have title games and now the Big 12 will not?  Meanwhile the Mountain West will stay at 9.
  • The Big East Commissioner sent 20 roses (10 white and 10 red) with ‘Unity’ written on the card to the Big 12 (10) offices.  It seems the Big East and the ACC should be thankful that the Big 12 didn’t blow up and ruined college football.
  • The Big 12 (10) may not be enough for Jerry Jones.  He wants them to go after Notre Dame and Arkansas.  Okay Jerry, calm down a sec and let’s get the current group figure  out first.  By the way, Arkansas shot down any expansion talk.
  • Apparently Big Game Bob still wants to roll with the west coast even after all of this expansion dancing.  Maybe it’s the fire of competition in his belly.  Maybe it’s what coaches are supposed to say.
  • Andy Staples talked about the BCS and how it’s super solid for now, even though people are still complaining.  One side you have the director, Bill Hancock, and on the other you have Texas Rep. Joe Barton and Utah Senator Orrin Hatch.  Yeah, so Utah goes to the Pac 10 and Hatch still wants to take down the BCS.  If Utah ends up undefeated again, will he be so loud?
  • Mizzou Chancellor Brady Deaton is your new chairman of the Big 12 Board of Directors.  This might be part of the maneuvering to keep Mizzou in the Big 12 (10).  It also seems kind of flimsy.
  • Bill Snyder 2.0 weighs in on the expansion movements and laments the fact that a Big 12 (10) may not have a title game.  His solution?  Two 5 team divisions and a title game.  It makes sense for a small school like K-State to go for that but we don’t think this will happen just yet.  It could bring in more money, however.
  • Colorado is in some financial hot water right now and leaving the Big 12 (10) will put them in a deeper hole.  Will they ever crawl out of it?  First they need to win and second they need to ride out the changes over the next couple of years.  With Dan Hawkins as the coach, the Buffalo fans out there might have to wait a good 10 years before that program makes money and wins championships.
College, Football, News

Crib Sheet: Meet The New Boss, The Same As The Old Boss

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Texas saved the Big 12, or what we are going to call it: the Big 12 (10).  The Pac 10 wouldn’t let Texas have its own network so the Longhorns opted to stay.  When the Big 12 (10) first started years ago, it was because of TV and money.  They led the way into the new television era and now they are doing it again.  In the future, you will see each school have its own television network and it will start with Texas and the Big 12 (10).  Okay, maybe Notre Dame.  At any rate, Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M are getting more money to stay now.  Apparently, it’s status quo time as no real commitment will be required and they are basing staying together by some magic coalition of insiders and outsiders.  It’s a 10 team league with no potential for a championship game and more round robin type play on the field.  Most importantly, Kansas City has some life in its sports scene now.  So let’s all take a breath and check out this week’s Crib Sheet:

  • The Oregon Ducks dismissed quarterback Jeremiah Masoli for drug possession and other citations.  It looks as though this is no LeGarrette Blount situation.  Masoli is out for good for the Quack Attack.
  • The NCAA dropped the hammer down on USC and instituted a 2 year postseason ban and some lost scholarships due to recruiting violations.  No wonder Pete Carroll bolted after last season.
  • Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins is cleared for any wrongdoing in the blackmail of equipment case.  His job is safe for now, but he still needs to clear the hurdle on ticket scandal.
  • Missouri got the could shoulder big time and the local indie newspaper The Pitch talks about how hard they go the shaft.  Poor Tigers.  They’ve been talking smack the loudest in all of this and now they’ve been reduced to abandonment.  At least they are used to it.
  • Chip Brown, the guy who broke most of the actual news in this expansion talk, confirmed that last Friday was the day that Nebraska went official and joined the Big 10.  It’s still early to tell, but this guy has been the one who has called it so far so we’ll trust him when he says something else is up.
  • Boise State will now be in the Mountain West Conference.  They were tired of dominating the WAC for so long and decided to up the competition by playing TCU and Utah every year.  Will this be enough to put the Mountain West on the BCS map?  Well, considering the Big 12 (10) is still around, they will have a much harder time getting there.
  • Here’s the preliminary Big 12 (10) television schedule.  Interesting match ups include the UCLA at K-State, Florida State at Oklahoma, and the losers leave game with Colorado and Nebraska taking each other on.
  • So the Pac 10 lost out on some Big 12 powerhouses and we’ve learned that commissioner Larry Scott flew to Texas and Oklahoma, but was also scheduled to make it to Kansas City.  Was Kansas a backup plan?  We don’ t have to worry about it for now.
  • Stanley Ikenberry, interim president for Illinois, says that 12 is a good number for the Big 10.  After all that’s happened so far, we think that he means that it’s good but it could get better.  Don’t be surprised if the Big 10 starts going on the hunt again, maybe even real soon.
  • Dan Beebe  in his working with keeping the Big 12 (10) alive, knocked his hometown conference’s fan allegiance.  He says that they are about as fair weather as Missouri fans when it comes to athletic competitions.  Man he pulled out all the punches for this one.
  • Speaking of Missouri, Governor Jay Nixon ran his mouth off again dissing outgoing schools Colorado and Nebraska.  This guy pretty much shut out the Tigers from going to the Big 10 and now his state’s school needs to rebuild some bridges burned.  That means he needs to get out of this and let the school handle it, please.
  • The Oklahoma Sooners are interested in a television network, too.  You know, instead of conference wide networks, it makes sense to do school specific.  It’s the next natural progression and would benefit each school in showing other athletic events and possibly cultural and governmental ones too.
Big 10, College, Football

Magnifying the Expansion Part 7: Show Us Your Cards

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Okay, we’ve reached the final showdown for our week-long series on the Big 10 Expansion.  Please take a moment to read up on all of the posts that led us to this point.  All of the information we dumped the last 7 days will show what we think will end up happening, as well as what we wish to happen.  It’s been a bumpy ride, but it’s only going to get bumpier.  We know change is coming, and now we will call out our cards and show you what our predictive hand plays, all in for the pot.

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College, Football, Mascots

Mascot Monday: The Leprechaun

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It’s a great day for us here at the KCCGD headquarters.  Later today we will wrap up out series on the Big 10 Expansion, and we are taking a look at the last real candidate for expansion we have yet to cover in our mascot playground.  Not only that, but we are out of Big 12 mascots to feature.  So what better way to knock out two birds with one stone, or in this case a fist, with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Leprechaun.  Believe it or not, this green fella was not the original mascot way back when.  Also, the mascot is one of the more unique type of mascots out there.  Smack down some shepherd’s pie and pull back a Guinness, we are about to crazy Irish here.

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Big 10, College, Football

Magnifying the Expansion Part 5: And the Winner Is…

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So who all will fit in the glass slipper that the Big 10 is dangling out in front of the college football landscape?  In our series, we talked about how the traditional Big 10 aims to scratch their expansion itch and what could happen to every conference around them when they do.  Today we look at the candidates either actively or inactively campaigning to be ones who get the golden ticket of an invite.  There are oddball choices as well as solid, sensible choices in this competition.  Not all will be covered, but we’ll see the ones that matter.  Then after that, the swimsuit competition!  On with the show!

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Big 10, College, Football

Magnifying the Expansion Part 4: Now I’m Yelling Dominoes

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We laid the foundation with our last 3 post for the Big 10 expansion.  Now let’s talk about how other conferences are reacting.  Some of them could be massively depleted whereas others are moving to counteract the possible Big 10 growth.  Every major BCS conference has about two cents to toss in and little brother mid major conferences are chirping in as well.  It’s time for the conferences to lay down their tiles and see just how much they could change.

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