College Football Questions: 2014 SEC Championship Infographic

It’s championship weekend and all eyes are on Atlanta as the Alabama Crimson Tide takes on the Missouri Tigers in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama is coming off an enormous victory over in-state rival Auburn in an Iron Bowl showdown that turned out to be an instant classic. Missouri . . . well they beat Arkansas.

Experts are doing all they can to make this SEC Championship Game sound like it’s going to be a close game, but what do the stats say? We know from the 2013 BCS Championship Game between Notre Dame and Alabama that numbers never lie, so what do the numbers say about this match-up?

Stats from ESPN

College Football Questions: Week 12

It’s week 12 in the college football world and things are on the cusp of total chaos. The number one team in the land drives a few miles down the road and suddenly becomes a touchdown underdog to the Tide. ESPN’s College Gameday also made the trip for what should be a beatdown in T-town, at least for someone. Other teams are matching up and soon conference championship games will be decided. Unless you’re in Big XII country who doesn’t have a conference championship game, but claims to have the only true conference champion which is pretty much like saying you’re the only real elected official without having an election.

And all while Alabama and Auburn are fighting they’re way into the playoffs, one team in the state has already won at least part of it’s conference title as UNA sealed a win Thursday night over West Alabama. Roar Lions!

But there’s football to be played and questions to be answered.

• We’ve pretty much all become accustomed to seeing the headlines like, Oregon Football Kills Competition, but did anyone see this one coming?
• While ESPN Gameday is in Tuscaloosa today, SEC Nation made it to Kyle Field. If you didn’t catch the program this morning don’t feel bad. Can you count the other fans that made it out?
  

  Clearly, SEC Nation selected the best game of the week.

• Remember back in the good ole days when it was just Jameis Winston that garnered the crimiNOLES nickname resurgence Well the torch has been passed now that P.J. Williams has been accused with a hit-and-run. Thankfully, as the NY Times investigation reveals, the Tallahassee PD are doing their part to make sure this incident doesn’t get out either.
• Speaking of Winston, it appears his date with student court has been postponed to December 1st. Justice has been waiting since 2012, so what’s a few more days right?
• Up until last week we thought it was only in MLB that fat guys could explode on offense. That changed when Bama O lineman ran down the field dragging tacklers to the one yard line.

• The SEC has been breaking records on the field for a while, but when did they make the jump to photography? We all thought we’d seen the best with Timmy Tebow’s double-cheek kiss photobomb, but then Lane walked in, literally. 
• Speaking of State, they come to Tuscaloosa with an unstoppable rushing game in Dak Prescott and Josh Robinson. Robinson has been nicknamed the Human Bowling for his ferocious style of run. Have you seen Bama’s alternate uniforms for the game?

• Bama is hoping their offense will catch the Mississippi State defense with their pants down and come away with big points. Is that’s what the LSU offense tried to do?

• And now that the game is Tuscaloosa, I’m hoping the Bama crowd will do what it can to take the cowbells out of the atmosphere. By the way, are you aware that if you have a fever “MORE COWBELL” is not recommended by WebMD. 

As always let’s enjoy the games and be glad we are watching where none of the players or coaches can hear us.

College Football Questions: Week Six

College Football Questions – A different look at college football

College football finally has more than one or two great games to watch this weekend. What’s not surprising is that these all take place in the SEC. The state of Mississippi is making headlines across the nation, and this time it’s not for their high rates of  illiteracy, obesity, or poverty. Here’s a few questions:

• A Notre Dame player, KeiVarae Russell, who got himself into trouble took to social media and called the school “ridiculous.” Has anyone else seen Lou Holtz’s response to the incident?

• Since when have grocery store’s become the place of controversy for those involved in college football? First Winston’s crab legs and now a Cincinnati athletic official allegedly exposed himself to adults in a Krogers.  To combat this sweeping trend, here’s a new uniform for the practice squads-

No more grocery stores

• Some great SEC match-ups happen today and some of the best coaches in the country are facing off. Let’s get a quick look at those faces-

It’s okay Hugh . . I mean you still have a cool mascot

Brother against brother! Not only does Chris Kiffin coach at Ole Miss, he also exists! (Let’s be honest, no one has heard of this guy until now.)

The Battle of the Burgundy

Tiger vs Tiger. Cap vs Visor. Pullover vs Sweater Vest. Awkward Clap vs “BOOM!”

“Fiery” is an understatement

As always, let’s enjoy the games and be glad we’re watching where the players and coaches can’t hear us.

If you liked this post you might also enjoy:

• College Football Questions
• Best Lookin’ Logos of the SEC
• Worst Logos of College Football

CFB Questions: Doppelgangers

Week Three has kicked off and we are already seeing things go crazy this season. The USC AD and selection committee member takes to the sideline, games called after a kick return, and the Big Ten getting embarrassed in non-conference play. Well I guess the last one isn’t that rare. One of the other things I’m starting to notice is coaching doppelgangers. Coaching look-a-likes are popping up as frequently as NCAA infractions.

So my question for the college football world is, does anyone else see it?

If you see coach wearing night vision goggles, just leave him alone…

Whether it’s bridge traffic or their run game, lanes are blocked.

Both have an eye for the flamboyant outfits.

It’s uncanny.

And both enjoy the sounds of cowbells.

Red shirt-check. Khakis-check. Loud and increasingly annoying over time-check and check.

It’s just obvious at this point.

 

As always, let’s enjoy the games and be glad we are sitting where the coaches and players can’t hear us.

College Football Questions: Week One

I have a new look for the College Football Questions. And don’t worry Vandy fans, it’s approved!

It’s the first week of college football and fans are gathering together by the masses. They’ll be counting down the minutes until the first kickoff where they can yell some weird combination of words in unison with thousands of their closest friends. In honor of these muddled mantras we’ll take a look at some of the most popular chants, yells, and mottos in college football. To lay some ground rules though, I’m going to disqualify any team that just has “Go” in front of their name. We can be more original than that folks. Sorry Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Michigan, Kentucky, and pretty much any other school with zero imagination. So here we go:

via collegeflagsandbanners.com

Roll Tide – Let’s start with the best. It’s original, fun to say, and you can’t get it out of your mouth with just one “I” in tide. This one is only topped by “Rammer Jammer.”

via amazon.com

Boomer Sooner– This is a big drop off. Sure it rhymes but still sounds pretty stupid. You don’t put a word in front of your team just because it sounds the same. #Fail.

via carid.com

War Eagle-If I was an Auburn fan, I’d probably like this too. The same way if I’m a Florida State fan I make excuses about the cost of crab legs. When you’re blinded by love it’s hard to see the things everyone else knows. If you’re going to have a war eagle surely we could come up with something that looks like a bald eagle flying with a bazooka. Even with all the history stories surrounding it, this one is still pretty weird.

via carid.com

Geaux Tigers– You can’t see it or say without smelling corn dogs. It’s a combination of words that tell everyone around that this guy’s had one to many and is starting to get a little rowdy. Which is a common occurrence with most LSU fans….

via amazon.com

Anchor Down-I’ll give this one credit. It sounds pretty cool. It’s better than most. But it reminds me of the guy who spends all his time making sure his jersey and arm/head bands looks nice but pretty much sucks. At some point you have to back it up on the field.

via shopify.com

Gig ‘Em Aggies– You just feel dumb with you say it. There’s really nothing else to it.

via coxnewsweb.com

Hook ‘Em Horns-A goofy saying accompanied by an even more goofy hand thingy. I can see why more people in that state are doing more “giggin'” and less “hookin’.”

via ebay.com

 Pig Sooie-As the old adage goes, if you are a lady looking for a man in Arkansas, you’ll have to decide if you’ll want one with a job or a full set of teeth, because you won’t find both. Calling pigs doesn’t do much help.

via constantcontact.com

Sparty On-Original and fun to say. One of the best.

 

via shopify.com

Rock Chalk Jayhawk-These fans should probably just keep this cheer quiet until March Madness begins.

via plateshack.com

Bear Down-It might not have anything to do with the mascot or the name of the school, but it’s a great story. This one is a winner.

As always let’s enjoy the game and be glad we’re watching where none of the players or coaches can hear us. 

College Football is Here!

College Football finally kicks off and it couldn’t come any sooner. We’ve had a long off-season with playoff speculations, player distractions, and crab legs knocking off dolphin-free tuna as the most talked about seafood cuisine. In honor of the return of our beloved game, here’s a look back at some college football articles posted here from the past.

Verses in Manhood: For the SEC

 

CFB Questions: Conference Champs

CFB Questions: SEC Championship Infographic

CFB Questions: Week Three

 

Be sure to follow along all season with CFB Questions

College Football Questions: Rivalries

Weeks have gone by and now we are coming to the end. Lucky for us, most teams have saved the best for last, rivals. In Auburn fans have lined up days in advance for what may be the most epic Iron Bowl in recent years. In Tuscaloosa fans are excited for just another “Game of the Century” and thinking about arrangements for Atlanta.  All over the country rivalry games are shaping up seasons. So for this post of College Football Questions I decided to talk about a few rivalries that caught my eye.

• Paul Bunyan’s Axe– Played between Minnesota and Wisconsin, this is the longest running rivalry game. Each year they play for an axe but the trophy started out as a piece of bacon. It’s a game that gives people in these states something to be happy about during those long winter months.
• The Big Game – We go from one weird looking axe to another. You think the smart kids at these schools could have come up with something that looked a little cooler than this. I bet if Oregon was in the rivalry the handle would be chrome and the blade would be a swoosh.
• The Civil War – Well looks like I was wrong. The trophy Oregon plays for isn’t any better. A weird looking wooden platypus that Oregon State will once again only see from a distance.
• The Palmetto Bowl – Few rivalries have such a longstanding hatred for another in-state school like that between South Carolina and Clemson. This dates back years and is not as much as a rivalry as it is an all-out feud. The only knock against this one is, like many others, it really doesn’t have much bearing on the rest of sport.
• Crab Bowl Classic – “Crab cakes and football. That’s what Maryland (and Navy)’s about.”
• Red River Rivalry – As the case with most of these, if you live there you care about it.
• The Egg Bowl – This is what happens when two struggling programs have to have at least one thing they can say they one won. This description could also go for almost every single Big Ten trophy, except next.
• The Game – This is actually a great rivalry. A bitter one that dates back to 1897. Two historic programs that have had legendary coaches. This game has even made a difference in the national championship race a few times. Many call this the greatest rivalry in sports, but I think there’s one other that tops it.
• The Iron Bowl – This one has been the biggest in recent years and today is the same. Where most fan bases play for bragging rights these teams have been playing for National Championships and Heisman trophies. Today they play to decide who will take a trip to the SEC Championship, the de facto play-in game for the BCS National Championship. There’s not much else you can say about the rivalry that hasn’t already been said leading up to today. They only thing I can say is that’s it’s about time the thing got a new logo. This one is awful. Below is a list of some other notable rivalries in the conference.

 

Lets sit back and enjoy the games where we know the coaches and players can’t hear us. 

If you enjoyed this post you may also like:

• College Football Questions
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• Best Lookin’ Logos of the SEC
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Best Lookin’ Logos of the SEC

We are full swing into SEC Media Days so I wanted to continue the theme of college football that started this weekend with College Football Questions: Inside the 50. But I didn’t feel like discussing the same stories you’ll read everywhere else; Will ‘Bama three-peat? Will Georgia finally make it past Atlanta? Will Johnny Football go through a sophomore slump? Who will have a catchy nickname this season?

So to break away from those tired topics, I decided to look at something pretty superficial – logos. We all love the pageantry of college football and logos are a cornerstone. They are instantly recognizable and either loved or hated on sight.

Here’s my ranking the best to worst. Some of these logos are still used and some are pulled from the past courtesy of SportsLogos.net. Let me begin by saying block letters are not a logo! Sorry, but I can’t stand them. Be creative people. I understand if you’ve had the same logo since leather helmets were safe, but make it a little modern. If Alabama can make the jump to a script A, anyone can. Here’s my list:

1. Ole Miss-Connotations of “Colonel Reb” aside, this guy is cool. Cane + 10 Gallon hat + nice suit + red, white, & blue + sweet stance=Classy. That’s math hard to beat.
2. Florida-Have you ever put a sweater on an alligator? It’s not easy, but they pull it off nicely.
3. Alabama-Picture this beauty covering the back windshield of the ‘80s model pickup in front of you on the interstate. I know I said I hate block letters, but winning makes up for it. And when you have one the size of an elephant, that’s pretty good.
4. LSU-Show me a better looking tiger with purple stripes and I’ll bump this one down. Especially when you put a dip in his mouth.
5. Auburn-Wait, I think I’ve seen this one somewhere before? I don’t know which came first and I don’t really care. Any chance to knock Auburn down a notch and I’m going to take. Roll Tide.
6. Tennessee-We can all agree the BLOCK LETTER T is bad enough but paint it orange and you’ve got a mess. This old logo is way better. Sweet retro font and a mascot with a weapon is always a winner.
7. Vanderbilt-How do you make a block letter cool? Have a guy with a sword jump out of it! This old logo is way better than some Star-V that looks like it should be tattooed on the shoulder blade of a drummer in a metal band.
8. Georgia-The Dawgs (or Dwags as most fans spell it on their Gameday signs) unveiled the new logo this year. A little more aggressive but still keeps the cartoon-ish look for Uga.
9. Mississippi State-The block letter M or an already used Bulldog. Instead I like this logo. Nice color combo showcasing a home-field tradition that everyone else in the conference loathes.
10. South Carolina-You’d be hard pressed to find a scarier looking chicken. This isn’t one I’d mess with. For that they get some props.
11. Arkansas-It’s even harder to make a cartoon pig look mean. But it is still a cartoon pig. This logo is the best of them all and that’s still not saying much.
12. Missouri-Out of a conference with three tigers and a wildcat, this modern take on the logo looks pretty good. Too bad they put a neck on the thing to make it look like it’s peering around a corner. They must have felt like they really had a winner though to change the spelling of their own state.
13. Texas A&M-Nothing says the state of Texas like stars and state outlines. If you’re not from Texas (like me) you might think it’s pretty obnoxious (like me). At least this BLOCK LETTER has a little piece of flair.
14. Kentucky-I tried Kentucky fans. I tried hard to find something better than this. It just isn’t out there. At least these BLOCK LETTERS have an animal jumping out of it. So what if it looks like something drawn by a high school senior and elected to go on the front of the school yearbook for the graduating class of ’84. It’s yours and you sport it proudly.

There it is folks. My rankings of the best looking logos of the Southeastern Conference. I’m sure there may be better logos that I missed. I tried to stick to official logos only. Save your hate mail and just post a comment below. Let’s get ready for another season of the South’s greatest export.

College Football Questions: Inside the 50

As of today we are 46 days away from the first kickoff of the college football season. SEC Media Days start next week. Then some other conferences will have something similar, just with less people and no real interest. Last year I spent the season asking a few questions about the game we all enjoy. Now the 2013 season approaches but before it gets in full swing, let’s check out a few questions from the off-season.

• Will this year’s Heisman House commercial feature a bathroom full of tissue for Johnny Football?
• Who would have thought someone who looks like this would provide one of the most controversial stories in the offseason?
  

  Gordon Gee

• Has there been a single story from the Big 12 that doesn’t involve Bob Stoops? SEC insults, burglarized home, juvenile jailbreaks, disaster volunteer, and an actual article about him now not making news.
• Have we seen an omen that FSU will be joining the SEC?
• Will the rest of the country be able to handle Nick Saban for another “60 Minutes”? How about another book? 
• Have we now realized that College Football Trivia is the “Achilles Heel” of Jeopardy! contestants?
• Have you picked out your dream home? Here’s a few for you: Alabama fans, Tennessee fans, & Wisconsin fans (I guess they have some).
• I wonder if Coach Charlie Weis offered up any inspiration for Kansas’s new helmets?
  

  “You think we can sprinkle in a few different colors this year?”

• Speaking of coaches and headgear, have the Vols found a new hairdo?
  

  Derek Dooley hair vs the Butch Jones Flat top

• Will this be the best hit we see all year? Landon Collins v Sideline Spectator
  
• Are SEC coaches becoming more photogenic?
  

  Les Miles and Nick Saban both strike a pose (awkwardly)

• Did the College Football Playoff’s official logo win because we see it everyday…on our phones?
• Will this remain the best touchdown of the season? If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it now! 7-year-old Cancer Patient Runs for TD

Well that’s all the question I have for now. Check back during the season for more or subscribe to the blog so you won’t miss anything.

College Football Questions: Week One

College football is finally here. It’s been 234 days since we last saw it in New Orleans. And by “it” I’m still talking about football and not what happened at Krystal’s. Last year I got to celebrate the season as not only a fan, but a father. After October 15th, I get to double the feeling when my wife and I expect our second son to arrive. But as the season begins I’m still left with several questions that I hope are answered. Here they are:

• Is Lou Holtz a real doctor?
  

  Zipped up to the neck? Really?

• Will someone talk to Gene Chizik about those windbreakers?
• How many times will we hear about a playoff?
• Will someone explain what “spice” really is?
• How many sources does Joe Schad actually have?
• Will Twitter be able to keep up with Clay Travis bashing Tennessee?
• Will we still hear the term “Tebow-esque”?
• How many coaches will throw their headsets and forget they are still attached?
• Will Tom Rinaldi keep trying to make me cry? 
• Does anyone else think Dan Mullen looks like a used-car salesmen?
• Will Lee Corso ever pick the road team?
• How will Brady Hoke get Michigan ready for Alabama when he’s making speeches at the Republican National Convention?

Chris Christie & Brady Hoke

• Will anything mess up Derek Dooley’s hair?
• What player from LSU will Verne Lundquist mispronounce?
• Which mascots will take things a little too far?
• Will Lane Kiffin have enough time for USC while he’s filming Tosh.O?

Daniel Tosh & Lane Kiffin

• Will the University of North Alabama be the third team in four years from Alabama to win a National Championship?
• Will Nick Saban make it happen back-to-back? Why not? I did. (see October 15th)

So let’s sit back, enjoy, and be thankful that we are able to yell at these coaches and players from where none of them can hear us.

“In short, in life, as in a foot-ball game, the principle to follow is: Hit the line hard; don’t foul and don’t shirk, but hit the line hard!” -Theodore Roosevelt

(Here’s what I’ll be waiting to see)