Okay, now that I’m fully recovered from stuffing myself silly over a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, it’s time for my ACC football picks for theweek.  A number of rivalry games from within the conference and against our SEC brethren highlight this week’s slate of matchups.  Two of those games have implications on the BCS standings as well, although both games might appear to be somewhat lopsided.

So, without further ado, here are my picks for the week:

• Wake Forest @ DUKE
• NORTH CAROLINA @ NC State
• CLEMSON @ South Carolina
• VIRGINIA TECH @ Virginia
• Miami @ SOUTH FLORIDA
• BOSTON COLLEGE @ Maryland
• Georgia @ GEORGIA TECH
• GAME OF THE WEEK – Florida State @ FLORIDA

Worth Noting:

• The NC State family has been hit hard over the weekend with news that two of their own are battling cancer.  The football team will be without the services of OC Dana Bible again this week after being diagnosed with leukemia. He is currently seeking treatment over at UNC Hospital.    In the broadcast booth, play-by-play announcer Gary Hahn was also sidelined due to surgery for prostate cancer over the weekend as well.  The news certainly has to be disheartening with the Wolfpack faithful, especially since longtime women’s basketball coach Kay Yow died earlier this year following a long battle with breast cancer.  My thoughts and prayers go to the families of Dana Bible and Gary Hahn in hopes of a speedy and successful recovery.
• Virginia desperately needs a win over rival Virginia Tech if there’s any hope of Coach Al Groh staying for another year.  He’s currently 1-7 against the Hokies and Frank Beamer, so expectations are huge for the Cavaliers on this one.  Another loss could mean the end of the Groh era in Charlottesville as we know it.
• Miami will be taking on USF in the first of a five-game series with the Bulls.  This will be the first meeting between the two schools since The Canes won 27-7 back in 2005.  The program at USF has taken off since  then, and has even notched a win over  FSU back in Week 4 of this season.
• The FSU-Florida game could be quite an emotional game for a number of reasons.  Not only will this be the final home game for UF’s senior QB Tim Tebow, but perhaps the final opportunity for FSU to win a game for Bobby Bowden at The Swamp.  The opportunity to play the spoiler certainly sounds intriguing for the Seminole faithful that have endured their share of hardship the past few seasons.
• South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is looking at keeping Clemson’s three big playmakers at bay when the two schools renew their annual rivalry.  In addition to C.J. Spiller’s amazing prowess, receiver Jacoby Ford has also put up impressive numbers this season, and QB Kyle Parker has been fairly consistent throughout the season as well.  Gotta wonder what kind of game plan The ‘Ol Ball Coach has cooking up.
• Duke and Wake Forest compete in their final game of the season.  The Blue Devils will be aiming for their first non-losing season in 15 years, which would say a lot about where the program is heading.  As for the Demon Deacons, this is a homecoming of sorts for receiver Marshall Williams, who played high school football at Riverside High in Durham and used to participate in summer workouts on the Duke campus.

OK so this past weekend, I attended an event at the USC film school. I attend panels, network away, yet constantly get distracted by this guy… I can’t place it, but he looks SO familiar. Something about the eyes?

I see him again and again, and we keep making eye-contact (or so I think it’s eye contact) so before I leave, I just go up to him and say “Heyy…do I know you?” to which he responds, “I was thinking the same thing!” First I ask if he went to SC. Negative. I ask if he was sure. Again, he was sure we didn’t go to school together. He ask me where I worked. I say TV Guide Network. He says that may be why… and asks if I do red carpet interviews. CLICK! We conclude that I must have interviewed him at some carpet. We begin trying to figure out exactly which carpet… and well, call me crazy, but I have a photographic sort of memory, and throw out the Acts of Love Autism event, back in November 2008. ..and was right! That’s when “Hi, I’m Austin”/”Hi I’m Samia” happens.

Austin Butler, My Long Lost Friend? Nov 2008.

So after Austin Butler and I discover that we’re long lost friends (sort of?) he introduces me to Sean Covel, who just so happened to a be a speaker on one of panels I attended.  Why is Sean Covel a big deal? He graduated from USC’s film school and well, produced a film that at least 50% of you readers have quoted at some point – “Napoleon Dynamite.”

Uh...freakin idiot!

Anyway, as I talk them, I discover “fun facts” like how Sean, though he’s seen the film a million times, has blocked the lines from his memory, and actually gets the lines from the film wrong when he DOES try to quote them.

Austin was on the Nickelodeon show Zoey 101 (co-starring Britney’s sis, Jamie Lynn Spears,) and in a film called Aliens in the Attic (which he was promoting when we first met last year. has been busy in Canada, shooting a new CW series called “Life UneXpected.” had a week off in LA, and decided to pay a visit to his buddy Sean. They actually know eachother because Sean is engaged to actress Alexa Vega, who’s worked with Austin.

Anyway, as we’re parting, the highlight of the convo happens. Do we say “Nice meeting you?” Not quite. Since we’ve met before, the cliche-carpet-line, “Nice to see you!” seems appropriate. Problem? It’s cliche, it’s stock, it’s…well, long story short, it’s a commonly heard line on the carpet, that both stars and publicists use so they don’t offend someone they have/haven’t met. Me, Sean, and Austin joke/banter about this, and conclude that the next time we cross paths, we’ll use a “Hey You!!” or something to that effect.

Anyway, my friend is getting antsy, so I wrap up convo with the guys and… what do I say? “Nice seeing you again.” :-/

Welp, there’s not a whole lot I can add to AZNHeartthrob’s thorough post, and I’m pretty much in agreement with what he wrote. I’ll just add a few additional thoughts:

To get out of the way what has arguably turned into the most infamous aspect of the event: Yes, I was sitting close to MM during the panel and I would say he was a disruption, especially to those sitting next to him.  I certainly didn’t appreciate having my first comment interrupted –  in which I referenced an all-Asian American male podcast that considered interracial dating the primary concern of the Asian American gender divide — by MM yelling at me “C’mon, don’t throw us under the bus!” (MM, please don’t make assumptions about my sexual politics- you would probably be surprised). But I think that day was not a good representation of who MM is or his generally compelling perspectives and writing. And I do respect his heartfelt and honest apology (big ups to Lady Militant for taking a stand), as well as the other times we all hung out over the weekend.

We also have to keep in mind that we’re not all coming from the same place. Some of us work in the private sector, some of us have a background in academia, some work on social justice issues for a living. While the race, identity, and gender framework of the event may have fallen short of some’s expectations, we all need to meet each other where we are in order to progress together, otherwise we run the risk of appearing elitist and alienating because we don’t fulfill each other’s definitions of what a “good progressive” looks like.

And I do have to admit my hopes for the event were overly ambitious – that we might emerge with a loosely agreed upon set of goals or coordinated strategy, either to build our own online power or find a way to link up as a online community to an social/policy issue – as other progressive bloggers and bloggers of color, such as Pro-Migrant Blog Squad and Netroots, have done. Or that we might discuss how to diversify the online community and cultivate more varied voices in terms of ethnicity, class, age, education, etc.  But I realize a pre-requisite to all this is to just get in the same room to educate ourselves about each others’ presence and perspectives. This was, after all, a large panel/social gathering, not an advocacy work group.  Perhaps the next step will be figuring out if we (or who among us) even want to work together and what agenda we may want to push forward.

And I’m with AZN here on changing the name BANANA…I wanted to joke during the event that “yellow on the outide and white/off-white on the inside”  might be more appropriate for me, being half white (BA-DUM-CH!).  But while I understand the term’s interpretation by the organizers, I can’t separate it from the meaning many of us have grown up with — with “banana” used as a derogatory term — like oreo or coconut –  to challenge or invalidate our “authenticity” as Asian Americans, as well as reinforcing the fucked up notion that all of us want to/should aspire to be white.

Bottom line is, I commend Lac and Steve for having the initiative, vision, and sheer sweat to pull this together. BCB was honored to be invited, and the value of face time with other folks outweighed all the snafus that it’s fair to say would be expected from such a massive inaugural undertaking. I’m excited about what the next one will look like and who it will draw, and I’ll be priviliged to say I was there at the beginning.

Giving thanks on Thanksgiving is a somewhat artificial tradition, wherein we feel compelled by our culture to be grateful. The presumption is that without Thanksgiving, we wouldn’t remember to be grateful. This is hardly a good way to lead your life, being thankful only once a year. It’s an archaic, patriarchal philosophy. But the truth is that in times of great suffering, we hardly remember to be thankful for what we have. Thanksigiving may be a poor excuse to remember what the world has given you, but that’s what a blog is for!

I am thankful for…

The beauty, joy, and infectious relaxation that embodies North County San Diego, California

I live here

The University of Southern California, the generosity of its financial aid department, and the fact that its Admission Office believed in me

this be where i work

California State University, Fullerton, without which I would not be where I am today

The English Language and its vast, ever expanding literary canon. Most specifically, I would like to thank William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, William Wordsworth, The Brontes, William Blake, Percy Blysse Shelly, Lord Byron, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Charlotte Perkins Gillman, Jack London, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and TS Eliot. I’m forgetting so many. I love you guys.

The fact that I am living in a golden age of independent cinema, where quality movies can be made on an immensely low budget without any stars, and still have a chance at stardom. Because of this, mainstream movies have been forced to grow artisitically just to compete, and film has improved because of it. This year, thanks to I Love You Man, Zombieland, Inglorious Basterds, An Education, and Where the Wild Things, and here’s to the good movies within the next month!

On that note, I must honor Flower Hill Ultra Star, La Jolla Landmark, and the Hollywood Arclight

The fact that I am living in a undisputed golden age of TELEVISION. Thank you Mad Men, Lost, my new obsession Sons of Anarchy, South Park, Weeds, 30 Rock, and all the shows I listed on my previous blog. Thanks to networks like HBO for continuing to push for quality programming.

Bonnaroo and Coachella, their very existance giving me hope for the universe.

dirty hippie-tastic

The new bands that have graced my ears this year… Airbourne Toxic Event, Arcade Fire, The Flaming Lips, The Smiths, Phoenix, Metric, Bruce Springsteen, Wilco, The National. Some of these are not new bands, I’ve just never really listened to them until this year.

The Beatles forever

Sublime’s cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry”

Sublime forever

Just… thank god for the amazing combination of a guitar, a bass guitar, a drum kit and the human voice. Thank god for rock and roll.

Good sushi, Chipotle, Roberto’s, In-N-Out, Kenny’s Korean bbq, Yogurt Land, and my mom’s beef stew. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter also deserves notation.

My health, my good skin, my unique eyes that never give away my high-ness, my good eating habits, my awesome hair (it is too)

Weed. My anti-drug. Enough said. THANK GOD FOR WEED!

I love it...

My summer job and my current job at Bovard.

LONDON NEXT SEMESTER BITCH

oh hell no

THE PEARL – my freedom

Writing, my therapy

My extended family – my dad’s side for dealing with Grandfather’s passing, on my mom’s side for always being the most consistant, reliable, loving people in my life.

My immediate family, my dad for the changes I know he’s making, my step-mom who is very sweet and will make a wonderful mother

Jessica and Melissa

My baby brudder, Ryan. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we’re gonna go through it together.

My mom, her health, her happiness, her success, and her love and trust for me.

And lastly, the greatest friends anyone can have. No individual explanations nessecary, I don’t think I can properly put into words who you all make me feel. My journey through life has been marked by extraordinary friendships, strong bonds that have shattered before my eyes. I have had a habit of surrounding myself with dishonest people, with unreliable people, with people who I desperately wanted to believe in but have no reason to. For the first time in my life, I feel so incredibly loved, genuinely and wholely. I want to raise you all up, for each and every one of you to live out your dreams, for the entire planet to love you as much as I do. You are all extraordinary, beautiful people who deserve nothing but happiness. You have given me nothing but happiness, and your presence in my life means more then you can possibly understand. I cannot write anything special for each of you to put on my blog, and this is in no particular order, but I will tell you how much I love you for hours, if that’s what you need. I love you, I thank you:

Wifey, Cheniko, Kell-eh, KBalch, Julie, Christo, Steph, Jade, the USC GLBTA, Jake, Brendan, the Bovard kids, my dearly beloved roommate Erika, Lauren Cohen, and Sam

And here’s to change, the past that will never go away, and the love that still lives in me. Memories, you are my biggest thank you.

Most seem to agree that the best opponent for Ohio State to face on January 1 is the University of Nike…er Oregon.

Conventional wisdom says that we want to play the Pac-10’s most highly ranked team, and in order to get the national media off our backs, to play the team everyone loves to talk about (i.e. the one who has the best offense).

That criteria means that we want the Ducks to beat the Beavers in the “Civil War” as they call it on December 3rd – winner meets us in Pasadena.

While I’m fine with conventional wisdom on this one – I did think some of the other potential Pac-10 winners (most of whom are now out of it) would present interesting storylines.

In descending order of probability…

USC – for the rematch; BuckeyeNation believes in it’s heart of hearts that we were they better team that fateful night in September – but Tressel’s decisions cost us.

Stanford – Harbaugh is an awesome coach, but I would love to punk him for guaranteeing that victory over us in ‘86 and delivering on it.

Arizona – a fun match-up for the simple reason that they have never been there before

Oregon State – like Ohio State, each year under coach Riley they get better as the season goes along…and for the battle of the real “OSU”.

Oregon – can the Buckeye’s match the scoring output of the Pac-10’s most prolific offense?

For the first time in many years, this rivalry looks quite even. USC is still the favorite but no one is afraid of their defense or lagging offense (please reference my multiple posts that include the word “catastrophe” in describing Troy this season). Slick Rick and Pistol Pete (sorry TB, bad reference) already have storied, yet short, past in inter rivalry games. This should be no different. Look for trip plays early as teams go for the jugular knowing the other may not be able to get off the canvas. Neither team is a come-from-behind threat and they both know it.

Should be a classic – as it usually is. Let’s just hope one of these bowl-bound teams can lay claim to a decent all-around threat. It’s been a tough year for both and each could use a solid win. GET IT ON!!!!!

It’s Clemson – Carolina week once again and football fans across South Carolina focus their eyes on the Tigers and the Gamecocks. For the first time ever, Clemson comes into this matchup with the ACC Championship game the following week against Georgia Tech. You will hear people say that Clemson might look past South Carolina with the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship looming, but I beg to differ. While winning the ACC would be a great accomplishment, Dabo Swinney will have his team focused on winning ‘Bragging Rights’.

You can boil this rivalry down to expectations and hope. After years of suffering loss after loss to the Tigers, it was bound to happen that the Gamecock faithful would eventually expect to lose and hope to win this yearly battle.

It’s my belief that this is what has happened to the South Carolina fan base and their teams over the years. Just looking at the numbers is astounding.

I’m sure there are many similar situations out there, but for the sake of this piece, I will use my own life as an example. I consider myself a young Clemson fan, 32 years old, and in my lifetime we have won this contest twenty-three times. In order for a Gamecock fan say the same, they need to be almost twice my age, or 62 years old.

Yep, you have to go all the way back to 1947 to find a Gamecock who has won twenty-three times against our Clemson Tigers. That stat almost makes me feel bad for some of their older fans…ALMOST.

In 1947 Harry Truman was president, a new house cost roughly $6,600, bread was $0.13, the Frisbee was invented. I could go on and on, but you get the point.

I think about the joy I have experienced du ring those twenty-three wins. To have those wins occur in such a short period of time as a Tiger fan I can’t help but think about the long years of misery that a 62 year old Gamecock fan has sat through. Season after season, year after year, loss after loss.

Expectations and hope- We expect to win and hope not to lose, they expect to lose and hope to win. Given those two rules of thumb it’s no wonder Clemson wins more often than not, South Carolina hasn’t beaten Clemson back to back since the games in 1969 and 1970.

Football is a tough sport, but as tough as it is, in the end it’s also a mental game and we have had South Carolina’s number for years. Let’s be honest the mentality of the fan base leaks down to the program and soon enough the players start to believe. Not even a “New Carolina” can reverse this old trend.

On today’s show: Twilight’s Ashley Greene calls in to talk about New Moon’s big opening, Movie Beat and Kevin & Bean Whistle the Hits for KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas tickets.

Also, Petros Papadakis previews USC vs. UCLA,  we call the Butterball Turkey Hotline, Adam Carolla’s “This Week in Rage” and more.

Next Week on Kevin & Bean:

Miss Double D-cember contestants, The Bravery, Victoria Secret Model Miranda Kerr and The Miss Double D-Cember Pageant live from the Slidebar in Fullerton.

Get in the rivalry spirit! UCLA vs. USC football, this week. Wear a UCLA or USC hat or shirt to Valencia Car Wash on Thursday, November 26th (hours 8am-2pm) or Friday, November 27th (normal hours 8am-5pm) and we’ll give you a FREE full service car wash ($11.99 value).

Dear UCLA Bruins,

2 gallons of cardinal and gold paint = $50
Round trip gas from Downtown LA to Westwood = $4
Bail for felony vandalism charges = $20,000
Showing the Bruin mascot who’s boss = priceless

Sincerely,
Captain Cupcake

Somebody crazy USC fan thought it was a good idea to spray paint the Bruin Statue with the colors of USC. Perhaps, somebody can spray paint the USC mascot some purple and gold.

Personally, I thought that was kind of funny except for a charge of felony vandalism is waiting for this jokster.

Today…has been an infuriatingly unproductive day. Usually, that would get me all stressed out. But you know what? Screw my numerous impending research essays. Screw my upcoming finals! This week…it’s all about Thanksgiving, and I refuse to let my spirits be badgered down by schoolwork.

That was long. I wish I could go on and on, but the food is running cold, and I’m sure your eyes are starting to glaze over. Well, stick a ruler up your eyelids, because you want them to be wide open for this freaking amazing dish I’m going to share with you.

It’s my own rendition of the ultimate Japanese comfort food, Ochazuke, by going tropical-style. Ochazuke is a dish in which hot tea is poured over cooked rice topped with a few simple ingredients such as pickles and leftover fish. It’s supposed to be made with leftovers, but hey, I’m a poor college student and I don’t get many meals with good fish. So here is my tropical version of the Ochazuke:

Tropical Ochazuke

Basic Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked brown rice, mixed with kidney beans
• salmon fillet
• 2 sheets nori, shredded
• 1 packet bonito flakes
• brewed green tea

Rivalry Week

Throw The Stats Out The Window

This is the college football week where more money is lost by those who don’t know what they are doing and more money is made by those who do know.  Certain rivalry games are just that—real rivalries.  Others are nothing but an annual beating on a little sister.

There is another bigger factor to this week’s games.  It’s the bowl factor.  Several teams are still looking for one final win to become bowl eligible.  A 5-6 team hosting an 8-3 team must be looked at quite differently than a 2-9 team hosting a 4-7 team.  The desire to get to 6-6 far outweighs the desire to avoid a 10-loss season.

Let’s look at the bowl eligible teams by conference as well as the teams needing to win this week to gain bowl eligibility.

Clemson and Georgia Tech have already clinched their divisions and will meet for the ACC Championship.  Tech edges the Tigers in Atlanta in September, but Clemson gave the game away.

Duke needs to beat Wake Forest this week to earn their first bowl in 15 years.  David Cutcliffe is one of the most underrated coaches in the country, and he should receive some national recognition in the Coach of the Year balloting.

The ACC has nine automatic bowl bids, and only seven bowl eligible teams as of now.  The GMAC Bowl will need to find an at-large team to fill the vacant position, and if Duke loses this week, the Eagle Bank Bowl will look to the MAC to fill that vacant slot.

Regardless of what happens in the Backyard Brawl in Morgantown this weekend, the winner of next week’s Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game will be Big East Champions and automatic BCS Bowl representative.  Cincinnati could still conceivably earn an at-large BCS Bowl bid at 11-1, but that chance is slimmer than slim.

Connecticut can gain bowl eligibility with a win at home against Syracuse this weekend, and they would get another chance next week against South Florida if they faltered against the Orangemen.  If the Huskies get that win, then the Big East will have six bowl eligible teams for six guaranteed spots.  Notre Dame could still possibly steal the Sun Bowl/Gator Bowl spot that goes to a Big East team if the Irish beat Stanford, but it would be a disgrace for them to steal a post at 7-5.  We believe Stanford will take care of business and keep Notre Dame out of the bowl picture altogether this year.

The Big 10 season is basically over.  Illinois has a couple of non-conference games remaining, and the only important factor in that is they play Cincinnati this weekend.  Wisconsin goes to Hawaii in two weeks, and the Outback Bowl bid could be riding on them winning the game.

It is almost a foregone conclusion that a second Big 10 team, either Iowa or Penn State, will receive an at-large BCS Bowl bid.  So, there will be seven teams available for eight bowls.  The Pizza Bowl (formerly Motor City Bowl) will have to look elsewhere and may be forced to invite two MAC teams.

Nebraska and Texas will face off in the Big 12 Championship Game, and the Cornhuskers may have a shot at pulling off a huge upset.  We give the ‘Huskers about a 15% chance of frustrating the Longhorn offense and win ugly.  If so, then another team from the Lone Star State will benefit.

After beginning the season at 5-0, Kansas finds itself in a must-win situation against Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.  They must earn The Brass Drum to earn a bowl bid.

The most important game though will be the Oklahoma and Oklahoma State game in Norman.  If the Cowboys beat the Sooners, they will more than likely earn an at-large BCS Bowl Bid at the expense of Boise State.  The Sooners must win to guarantee themselves a winning season.  The PiRate Ratings have had a devil of a time with OU this year.  Even at 6-5, their power rating keeps them in the top 10.  It’s hit or miss with them, as they showed how strong they are when they took Texas to the final gun.

If Kansas wins over Missouri, there will be 10 bowl eligible teams for eight guaranteed bowl spots (nine if Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma).  Look for Iowa State to be the odd team out of the mix.

Welcome to the conference where everything changes weekly.  With SMU losing to Marshall, the door opened once again for Houston to ascend to the CUSA Championship Game.  A win over Rice is all that’s needed, but all of a sudden the Owls have found their way.  It could be an interesting game—at least for a half.

The East Division championship will be decided this weekend when Southern Miss visits East Carolina.

UAB can gain bowl eligibility with a win over  Central Florida, but it may be a moot point.  There are only five guaranteed bowl spots with a sixth if Army fails to earn the Eagle Bank Bowl bid.  Six CUSA teams are already bowl eligible, and the Blazers cannot compete with Marshall or SMU in fanbase.

All three independents are still in the bowl mix, but as of now, only Navy is guaranteed a spot.  Notre Dame must beat Stanford to get to 7-5 and earn priority over every other possible at-large team.  At 6-6, they more than likely will find themselves out of the picture as there will be enough seven-win teams to fill the at-large spots.

Army must beat Navy to earn the Eagle Bank Bowl bid.  Navy has won seven in a row in this series, so it should be one of the best in this series in many years.

Central Michigan has already clinched the West Division, and the Chippewas will play the winner of this week’s Ohio U-Temple game in the MAC Championship Game. 

Two teams will be playing for that important seventh win this week.  Bowling Green hosts Toledo, and Kent State hosts Buffalo.

The MAC gets three guaranteed bowl bids and will get a fourth if Duke fails to beat Wake Forest and earn an Eagle Bank Bowl bid.   That’s where the Bowling Green and Kent State games come into play.  Both could earn bowl bids with wins, and one could even play in the Pizza Bowl against another MAC team.

TCU will manhandle New Mexico this week and then hope that either Texas A&M or Nebraska can upset Texas, Florida State can upset Florida, or Auburn can upset Alabama.  The Horned Frogs need two of the big three teams ahead of them to lose.  The loser of the SEC Championship Game means that either Texas must lose this week or next or the winner of the SEC Championship Game must lose this week.  If one of these events happen, then TCU will be playing for the national championship in January.  It’s hard to believe that this program was once as weak as Syracuse, Vanderbilt, and Washington State are today.

The one team still trying to gain bowl eligibility is Wyoming.  The Cowboys must beat Colorado State in Ft. Collins this week, and these two teams truly put the “war” in “Border War.”  It’s not a given that Wyoming can top the 3-8 Rams.

For the first time ever, the winner of the “Civil War” game between Oregon and Oregon State will earn the Rose Bowl bid.  The Ducks and Beavers are one of the best rivalry games in college football, and I’d love to have a 50-yard line seat next week in Eugene.

The Pac-10 receives six automatic bowl bids, but there are seven bowl eligible teams.  It looks like UCLA will miss out this year unless they can upset USC.  Arizona must beat either Arizona State or USC to get to seven wins.  If both the Bruins and Wildcats win seven games, then expect to see the Pac-10 receiving an extra bid to a western bowl.

This is a monster conference!  With Alabama and Florida headed to Atlanta to play what will be the “Game Of The Decade” (assuming both win this week), it is a given that the loser will still play in a BCS Bowl.  It isn’t completely out of the realm that if the SEC Championship game goes to overtime or is decided in regulation by a point, and if Texas loses to either Texas A&M or Nebraska, that Alabama and Florida could meet in a rematch for all the marbles.

With 10 bowl eligible teams, the SEC will place all 10 in bowls.  There will be a lot of last minute shuffling because there isn’t much difference between team number three and team number 10.

This league is almost assured of earning a second bowl bid this year.  Troy will play in the New Orleans Bowl, but Middle Tennessee will get an at-large bid somewhere.  Both Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe can get to seven wins, but it will take big upsets for both to do so.  ULL plays Troy, while ULM plays MTSU.

Here’s where things should get interesting.  Boise State is a win over Nevada away from being 12-0 and the proverbial odd team out.  If Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma, the Cowboys will steal the last BCS Bowl bid at the Broncos’ expense.  Then, watch for the United States Government to put their messy fingers into the college football pigpen. 

Before we get into this mess, Boise State has to beat Nevada.  The Wolf Pack is not a pushover, and it could easily take 50 or more points to win this game.

Of course, if the Sooners win over OSU, then it looks favorable for BSU getting into the field.  Then, they would be competing against a one or two-loss Big East team and maybe a two-loss Georgia Tech team.

If Boise State moves up, then the WAC is safe with four bowls for four bowl eligible teams.

Hawaii could still sneak into the mix, but they would have to beat Navy and Wisconsin.  We don’t see that happening.

Bowl Speculations

What’s your first thought to the words “swine flu”?
It shouldn’t conjure screaming, yelling, or seclusion. That wouldn’t be that productive.
Your next lecture at Swearingen is the face of “swine flu.” With the school year in full swing, students are in close quarters almost constantly. From Williams-Brice Saturdays to Chicken Finger Wednesdays at the Grand Market Place to your next 300-student lecture, the atmosphere is ripe for what is officially known as the H1N1 flu. An Obama administration advisory panel predicts that half the U.S. population (160 million people) could be infected with swine flu this fall and 90,000 people could die from it—enough to fill Williams-Brice Stadium, with 10,000 people outside tailgating.
Scary stuff, right?
We are learning that for otherwise healthy people, the effects of “swine flu” are similar to that of seasonal flu. That’s not bad considering this is a flu for which the only people with immunities for it are our great-grandparents…if they are alive. In other words, this pandemic flu is similar to the 1918 Spanish flu that killed half a million Americans, mostly young people, during and after World War I.
This is grim, yet we shouldn’t be overtly afraid. We need to be prepared, not hysterical. First, if you live in a dorm, you received a flu prevention kit that included a hand sanitizer that’s about to become your best friend. Use it often and if you don’t have some, we have the option of buying some and the opportunity of washing our hands at every public building on this campus. This is the single most effective thing students can do to prevent coming down with flu and other diseases we catch in classes and residence halls.
We should know from years past that large lectures combined with University policies only allowing but so many days out of class compounded with seasonal illnesses like the cold give way for what I call “the running cold.” Someone could come to Carolina in August with a cold and you can get the same cold twice by Thanksgiving.
Please…despite University attendance policies to the contrary, if you feel you have any of the symptoms listed on the USC Student Health Service’s H1N1 information page, stay in your dorm room. If you commute, don’t even come here. The routine for dealing with illnesses hasn’t changed; it’s just time to be prepared for anything.

As usual, Sam Farmer takes a great angle in today’s Times. I wish I could have the accompanying graphic, but the folks at the Times didn’t convert the file into pdf to scan in. I mean, it’s only 2009 so who needs technology, right? Either way, see below for Farmers picks of the best players in the NFL from USC & UCLA at their respective positions.

Offense

Backfield: There are four USC quarterbacks in the NFL, and Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer (first in 2003), Arizona’s Matt Leinart (10th in 2006) and the New York Jets’ Mark Sanchez (fifth in 2009) were top-10 draft picks. UCLA’s Maurice Jones-Drew was overshadowed by USC’s Reggie Bush in college, but he now leads the league with 13 rushing touchdowns.

Line: There are two tackles, two guards and a center in the league — all Trojans.

Receivers: The tight ends include something old (USC’s Billy Miller of Houston, a 10-year veteran), something new (USC’s Fred Davis, in his second year with Washington), something borrowed (UCLA’s Spencer Havner of Green Bay, a converted linebacker) and something blue (Bruins blue — Marcedes Lewis of Jacksonville). Out wide the choices are fewer. USC’s Steve Smith is Eli Manning’s favorite target, with 65 catches and five touchdowns for the New York Giants. USC’s Dwayne Jarrett (Carolina) is in his third pro season and hasn’t scored a touchdown.

Kicker: Last season, Dallas didn’t have a touchback. With USC’s David Buehler handling kickoffs, it has 17.

Defense

Line: Four USC products anchor the interior of NFL defenses as starters — Sedrick Ellis (New Orleans), Mike Patterson (Philadelphia), LaJuan Ramsey (St. Louis) and Shaun Cody (Houston). UCLA’s Kenyon Coleman (Cleveland) gets the nod at end, opposite USC’s Lawrence Jackson, who has four sacks for Seattle.

Linebacker: Brian Cushing (Houston), Rey Maualuga (Cincinnati) and Clay Matthews (Green Bay) were starters at USC a year ago, as was Kaluka Maiava, who is playing a major role in Cleveland. USC’s Lofa Tatupu is Seattle’s best defensive player, but he is injured. Former Trojans star Junior Seau is back with New England.

Secondary: USC’s Troy Polamalu is having an injury-plagued season, but he will wind up in Canton. Terrell Thomas, another former Trojan, has three interceptions for the Giants. UCLA’s Chris Horton has 37 tackles and a forced fumble for the Redskins, and former Bruin Matt Ware has an interception and a forced fumble for Arizona.

Punter: UCLA’s Chris Kluwe (Minnesota) has punted for a net average of 38.4 yards.

In addition, Farmer has another excellent piece on Bruin & Trojan Hall of Famers. . .and those who will be.
There are 11 former USC players and four former UCLA players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They are:

USC: Marcus Allen, Morris (Red) Badgro, Frank Gifford, Ronnie Lott, Ron Mix, Anthony Munoz, O.J. Simpson, Lynn Swann, Willie Wood, Ron Yary, Bruce Matthews.

UCLA: Troy Aikman, Tom Fears, Jim Johnson, Bob Waterfield.

Nine of note

Nine outstanding players from each school who are not in the Hall of Fame:

Junior Seau: Prototype for modern linebacker, member of the NFL’s All-Decade team for 1990s.

Carson Palmer: Heisman Trophy winner is the centerpiece for turnaround of Cincinnati Bengals.

Willie McGinest: A defensive cornerstone of New England’s three Super Bowl champions.

Troy Polamalu: Pittsburgh’s mane man is widely regarded among the NFL’s best defenders.

Tony Boselli: First-ever pick of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars and the expansion Houston Texans.

Keyshawn Johnson: One of two receivers taken with the No. 1 pick in the NFL’s modern era.

Don Mosebar: All-Pro anchor of the Raiders offensive line was just the third center in franchise history.

Jack Del Rio: Spent 11 years as an NFL linebacker for five teams and now is coach at Jacksonville.

Joey Browner: Minnesota Vikings safety was selected to six Pro Bowls.

Jonathan Ogden: Baltimore left tackle was a nine-time All-Pro and 11-time Pro Bowler.

Carnell Lake: Star safety finished his career with 25 sacks, 33 takeaways and five touchdowns.

Ken Norton Jr.: Linebacker won three consecutive Super Bowls — two with Dallas, one with San Francisco.

Kenny Easley: Seattle safety was 1983 defensive player of the year and is on NFL’s All-Decade team for 1980s.

Maurice Jones-Drew: Jacksonville’s bowling-ball back currently leads NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns.

Donnie Edwards: Fourth-round pick of Kansas City intercepted 28 passes, four shy of NFL record for linebackers.

Don Rogers: 1984 defensive rookie of the year showed spectacular promise before his untimely death.

Freeman McNeil: Remarkably consistent tailback averaged at least 4.0 yards a carry in each of his 12 seasons.

Max Montoya: Four-time Pro Bowl guard for Cincinnati and Raiders played in both Bengals’ Super Bowls.

Winston Justice has signed a four year extension with the Eagles.

The days of Winston Justice being Osi Umenyiora’s bitch are in the past. Or, at least Andy Reid and the Eagles think so.

Justice signed a four-year extension today with reports that he could be worth up to $18.15 million with as much as $6 million guaranteed.

The veteran from USC was set to become a free agent after the season depending on whether or not a new collective baragining agreement is reached. At the very least, he would have been a restricted free agent.

Both the Eagles and Justice decided not to take any chances and agree to the deal. Some of the bonus money will apply to this year’s cap. The Eagles have a habit of locking up young talent during the last year or two of their deals to eat up available cap money.

An extension for Justice seemed unlikely at the start of the year. In fact, many didn’t know if he’d survive training camp.

After an injury to Mr. Enigma himself, Shawn Andrews, Justice was thrust into the starting lineup and has been solid. You rarely hear his name this year — a good sign for a linemen.

The extension by Justice could signal the official end of the Andrews era in Philly.

For the two in attendance, and the millions of you reading across the internet……Lets get ready for RIVALRIES!!!!!!!

The First game i bring to you is the Border War. Anyone who deals with a rivalry knows that its just a straight out fight, and what better to fight over then an Indian War Drum & the Lamar Hunt Trophy. Missouri and Kansas have been fighting this war since 1891. Dan George summed up the rivalry by stating “It’s more than the schools — it’s a state thing going back to the Civil War, when William Quantrill’s Confederate guerillas burned Lawrence and murdered nearly 200 people. Neither Missouri nor Kansas folks have forgotten it.” The series between to the two stands officially tied (going by NCAA, cant stand it when conferences make their own rules and try to change rules mid season to get things swinging their way) 54-54-9 even though there is some controversy over a player being disqualified due to a school booster using funds to persuade him to come to that school (Kansas was the school he played for). This just added more fuel to the fire of this rivalry, which, even though by request of the athletic directors of the schools not to be called this, is the Border War.

 Next on the list we have the  Iron Bowl. For those of you not around the south, the Iron Bowl is THE rivalry of rivalries. When people think of Alabama playing against Auburn, they equate it to things such as the North fighting against the South… The Axis versus the Allies… some even go as far as to compare it as the battle of good and evil. It gets intense around here and some people tend to get hurt while waiting for the weekend or in this horrid case because of CBS wanting to grab some ratings, Friday to come around for the game to be played to give the fans the bragging rights they have truly earned. The series originated in 1893 with the two schools playing against each other in Birmingham, Alabama (that’s where the iron came from) The Crimson Tide currently lead the rivalry 39-33-1. This year’s game will be played at Auburns site where Alabama has lost its last six visits.

Now I bring you “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate”. Words that could only be used to describe the Georgia vs. Georgia Tech game. The rivalry between these two schools also began in 1893.  The heated rivalry goes all the way back to truthfully 1891 when UGA began to mock Tech for its choice of school colors. The fire only burned stronger as time passed by with UGA once again offending the Yellow Jackets in 1919 by having a parade celebrating UGA’s return to football while making fun of Georgia Tech students for continuing to play football during war time. With only 70 miles between the schools (UGA in Athens, and GA Tech in Atlanta) the schools are in constant competition against each other not only for recruits, but for state funding and for recognition from their home state as well. The winning school of the years football game receives the Governor’s Cup Finally, I just really like the name given to this rivalry.

Next up on the Rivalry list we have the Texas Longhorns, and the Texas A & M Aggies. These being the two oldest public schools in the state of Texas, their rivalry is a natural one. Texas and A & M have been competing against each other since 1894, but their rivalry has been adjusted to spread bragging rights based on all sports rather then just football. in 2004 a points system was introduced. Points are awarded for all sports in which both schools maintain an intercollegiate team. Each sport is worth one point, which is awarded to the winner of the head-to-head matchup between the two teams. If the head-to-head matchup ends in a tie, each team receives ½ point. In baseball, the team that wins the regular season three-game series is awarded one point. In sports where the teams meet twice during the season — currently softball, volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball — each contest is worth ½ point. If the universities do not compete in head-to-head regular season competition, the university that places higher at the Big 12 Conference Championship will earn the point. Should the universities tie in Big 12 Conference Championship competition the point will be split between the two schools. In the sport of track and field, multi-school meets do not count as head-to-head competition. There are a total of 19 possible points, with 10 points needed to win. In the event of a 9½ to 9½ tie, the winner of the previous year will retain the title for the following year. Texas currently leads the points run 3-2 with a possible tie of the series pending on the rivalry game this weekend. (if A & M manages to tie the points, according to the rules of point, they will retain the title since they were the previous years winner.)

And for the next big game, we have Virginia Tech at Virginia playing for the Commonwealth Cup. This match up rolls back to 1895 when the schools started playing each other. From what I’ve gathered, aside from just a game between people from really close places to each other, there’s not much to this. With the Va Tech Shooting, the rivalry became even less intense. Many fans on both sides of the rivalry have reported a lessening of hostilities between the two universities while maintaining the same intensity of the rivalry in the wake of the Virginia Tech Massacre. According to The Washington Post “students in both camps are more apt to think of themselves as simply Virginians.” UVa students were amongst the first university students to lend support to the comrades at Virginia Tech in the wake of the shootings. Likewise, the connections between the two university’s populations are often very close. Prior to the 2007 football contest in Charlottesville both college’s bands participated in a joint performance. However, the intensity of the rivalry was still as spirited as ever, with both sides cheering passionately for their own team as a berth to the ACC Championship game was on the line. “…there was the sense among Tech students that fans of U-Va. – an institution founded by none other than Thomas Jefferson – looked down their noses at the mountain-ensconced Hokies of Blacksburg. Hokies were “hicks”; Cavaliers were “snobs.” But after the shootings in April, something changed. U-Va. students and faculty members wrote condolence letters, held a candlelight vigil and even painted the campus’s fabled Beta Bridge with a pro-Hokies phrase.” — Jonathan Mummolo, The Washington Post U-Va.’s student newspaper reported that students in Charlottesville were even sporting Hokie sweatshirts on occasion in observance of the tragedy. The University’s Z Society went so far as unveiling a 65′ x 120′ Virginia Pride flag featuring both UVA and VT logos on it during the annual football game, and it was noted that the two fan bases had never been so close as they were after the shootings. “Since the tragedy, it hasn’t been so odd to see a Wahoo wearing a Virginia Tech sweatshirt. Since April, transfer students haven’t felt so awkward saying they used to attend school in Blacksburg. Truly, Hokies and Wahoos have never been so together.” — Eric Kolenich, The Cavalier Daily.

Next up on the list is Pittsburgh playing at West Virginia in The Backyard Brawl. This rivalry rolls back to 1895 when the first game was played. The rivalry basically exists because, you guessed it, the schools are basically in each other’s back yard. Pittsburgh currently leads the series 61-37-3. The 1921 edition of The Backyard Brawl was the first football game to be broadcast over the radio airwaves. Other then the 2007 Pitt team knocking the then number two ranked West Virginia out of the BCS National Championship game, there hasnt really been much to fuel this rivalry then, they’re competing for the same stuff as GA-GA tech.

Another heated rivalry taking place this weekend is the Holy War. The fierce rivalry between the Utah Utes and the Brigham Young Cougars. The big thing that fuels this fire is…..dum dum dum… religion.  Utah is the Mormon capital of the world, so to no surprise, BYU is a Mormon owned school. Utah, being a state owned school, is non-secular. BYU fans accuse Utah fans of being drunks, although many of Utah’s fans are also Mormons, and alcohol is against the Mormon code. Many non Mormon Utes fans love to mess with BYU fans by drinking lots of coffee, swearing and generally going against the Mormon code. The series started in 1895 ( or 1922 according to BYU) Utah leads the series 53-33-4 (or 50-30-4 depending on when it started).  The two schools are approximately 50 miles apart, so its not uncommon for them to constantly compete over recruits, fans and funding. The rivalry began to change in 1993, during Ron McBride’s fourth season as head coach, the Utes won their first game in Provo in twenty-two seasons and their first since LaVell Edwards became BYU head coach. Utah’s kicker, Chris Yergensen, had already missed two out of three field goals on the day. This time, however, Yergensen did not miss and kicked the game-winning 55-yard field goal (the longest of his career) as time expired.After the win, Utah fans and players attempted to tear down the north end zone goalpost at what was then Cougar Stadium. Cougar players returned to the field to protect the goalpost from being torn down. About the incident, Lenny Gomes, a BYU nose guard, said, “Typical Utah bullshit. All those guys think that’s all there is to life. But when I’m making $50–60,000 a year, they’ll be pumping my gas. They’re low-class losers.” The remark is still remembered in rivalry history today.The 1994 season was McBride’s best, as he led the Utes to a 10–2 record and a top-10 finish in national rankings. The Utes and Cougars also staged one of the best matchups in the rivalry’s history, meeting for the first time as top-25 ranked teams. The Utes won the game 34–31, which was coincidentally the same score of their meeting a year before. Utah ran its rivalry winning streak up to three games a year later, with a 34–17 win at BYU. The Utes and Cougars would trade wins and losses the next couple of years, before the 2000 season. During the 1999 edition of the Holy War, Utah recorded its fourth consecutive win in Provo. Early in the fourth quarter, Utah scored a touchdown when quarterback T.D. Crowshaw completed a four-yard-pass to Donny Utu to put Utah up 20–10. In celebration, Utah cheerleader Billy Priddis ran along the visitor’s sideline with a large “U” flag. An unidentified BYU fan ran onto the sideline and tackled Priddis from behind. Priddis turned around and started punching the fan. He landed seven or eight punches before security separated them. About the incident, Priddis said, “”There’s 65,000 fans here, does he think I’m not going to retaliate?” Utah had another undefeated season in 2008 and defeated BYU 48–24. By doing so, they captured another invitation to a BCS game, where they were matched up with the highly favored Alabama. Utah beat Alabama 31–17 for their second BCS victory in five years. BYU’s team slogan in 2008 was “Quest for Perfection,” and T-shirts bearing that slogan were made widely available. However, BYU’s quest for a perfect season ended at TCU, and Utah, who did finish with a perfect record, created red shirts bearing the Utah logo and the slogan “The Quest Perfected.”

This next rivalry is near and dear to my heart as I have an ex-girlfriend who is a big Clemson fan. Naturally I pull for South Carolina (Shout out to my boy Darian Stewart #24) every year since then in the Battle of the Palmetto State. Stick with me people because the next might get long and boring, but it is needed to completely understand where it all came from. Unlike most major college rivalries, the Carolina-Clemson rivalry did not start innocently. In fact, the seeds of bitterness were planted even before Clemson became a college. The two institutions were founded 88 years apart: South Carolina College in 1801 and Clemson Agricultural College in 1889.South Carolina College was founded in 1801 to unite and promote harmony between the Lowcountry and the Upcountry. It closed during the Civil War when its students aided the Southern cause, but the closure gave the politicians an opportunity to reorganize it to their liking. The Radical Republicans in charge of state government during Reconstruction opened the school to blacks and appropriated generous funds to the University, much of which was embezzled. These actions caused the white citizens of the state to withdraw their support for the University and view it as a symbol of the worst aspects of Reconstruction. The Democrats returned to power in 1877 following their decisive electoral victory over the Radical Republicans and promptly proceeded to close the University. Sentiment in the state favored opening an agriculture college so the University was reorganized as the South Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. In 1882, the college was renamed to its antebellum name, South Carolina College, which infuriated the farmers because they felt that the politicians had frustrated the will of the people by deemphasizing agriculture education, even though the school still retained the department of agriculture. Benjamin Tillman emerged in the 1880s as a leader of the agrarian movement in South Carolina and demanded that the South Carolina College take agricultural education more seriously by expanding the agriculture department. In 1885, Tillman was convinced of the superiority of a separate agricultural college by Stephen D. Lee, then the President of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi, and subsequently Tillman would accept nothing less than a separate agriculture college in South Carolina. He offered the following reasons why he felt that it was necessary to have a separate agriculture college outside the confines of Columbia:

Mississippi A&M featured practical training without unnecessary studying of the liberal arts.

Mississippi A&M provided poor students work-scholarships so that they could attend the college.

There were too few students who studied agriculture at the College to justify an agriculture college there.

The College was a place “for the sons of lawyers and of the well-to-do” who sneered at the agriculture students as if they were hayseeds.

The students at the College lived a life of luxury as compared with the sweat and toil endured by students at Mississippi A&M.

There was not enough farm land near the College to allow for proper agriculture study.

The Conservatives, who held the reins of power in South Carolina from 1877 to 1890, replied to each point made by Tillman:

The most advanced agriculture educational research was being conducted at the University of California and at Cornell University, both of which combined agriculture colleges with liberal arts colleges. Additionally, a separate agriculture college would be more expensive and result in an inferior product.

The work scholarships attracted the lowest quality of students who only cared about obtaining a college degree, not about an education in agriculture or mechanical studies. Furthermore, there was little advantage of attending a college only to pitch manure and grub stumps.

The constant attacks by Tillman on the College caused many to doubt whether state support for the institution would continue. As a result, the enrollment numbers were not impressive, although the numbers of students taking agriculture and mechanical classes increased from 34 in 1887 to 83 in 1889. Over half of the students at the College were the sons of farmers, though most did not study agriculture as Tillman wished. John McLaren McBryde, President of the College, correctly predicted that most students of an agriculture college would not go back to work the farm after graduation. While some students at the College were the sons of the well-to-do, the majority were poor.Tillman was bolstered in 1886 when Thomas Green Clemson agreed to will his Fort Hill estate for the establishment of an agriculture college. Yet, Tillman did not want to wait until Clemson died to start a separate agriculture college so he pushed the General Assembly to use the Morrill funds and Hatch funds for that purpose. Instead, the legislature gave those funds to the South Carolina College in 1887 which would use them along with a greater state appropriation to reorganize itself as the second University of South Carolina and to also greatly expand the agriculture department. After this victory for South Carolina, in January 1888 Tillman wrote a letter to the News and Courier that he was retiring from public life.It was less than ninety days when Tillman reemerged on the scene upon the death of Thomas Green Clemson in April 1888. Tillman advocated that the state accept the gift by Clemson, but the Conservatives in power opposed the move and an all out war for power in the state commenced. The opening salvo was fired by Gideon Lee, the father of Clemson’s granddaughter and John C. Calhoun’s great granddaughter Floride Isabella Lee, who wrote a letter on her behalf to the News and Courier in May that she was being denied as Calhoun’s rightful heir. Furthermore, he stated that Clemson was egotistical and “only wanted to erect a monument to his own name.”In November, Lee filed a lawsuit in Federal Court to contest the will which ultimately ruled against him in May of 1889.The election of 1888 afforded Tillman an opportunity to convince the politicians to accept the Clemson bequest or face the possibility of being voted out of office. He demanded that the Democratic party nominate its candidates by the primary system, which was denied, but they did accept his request that the candidates for statewide office canvass the state. Tillman proved excellent on the stump, by far superior than his Conservative opponents, and as the Democratic convention neared there was a clear groundswell of support for the acceptance of Clemson’s estate. He was so effective because of his “ability to awaken popular passion and prejudice” when the populace by and large mistook “prejudice for truth, passion for reason, and invective for documentation.” Tillman pitted “the poor against the rich, tenant against landowner, hireling against employer, country against town, all of South Carolina against Charleston and Columbia, upcountry against lowcountry, white against black, do-somethings against do-nothings, and outs against those in power” so that “he could rile them up and then appear as their champion.” In addition, the Conservative leadership was aging and its appeal to the past glories of South Carolina during the antebellum period meant little to the emerging younger generation.Tillman explained his justification for an independently controlled agriculture college by pointing to the mismanagement and political interference of the University of South Carolina as had occurred during Reconstruction. The agriculture college, as specified in Clemson’s will, was to be privately controlled and thus would be able to prevent any “possible invasion by the negroes”. With declining cotton prices, Tillman preyed upon the farmer’s desperation by stating that the salaries of the college professors were exorbitant and it must be a sign of corruption. Consequently, the legislature was compelled to pass the bill to accept Clemson’s bequest in December of 1888, albeit with the tie-breaking vote in the state Senate from Lieutenant Governor William L. Mauldin. Thus was reborn the antagonistic feelings of regional bitterness and class division that would plague the state for decades. Having achieved his agriculture college, Tillman was not content to sit idly by because what he really desired was power and political office. After winning the 1890 election and becoming Governor, Tillman renewed the attacks on the Conservatives and those who had thwarted his agriculture college. He saved the coup de grâce for Senator Wade Hampton III, a South Carolina College graduate and Confederate General during the Civil War, who “invoked Confederate service and honor as a barrier to Tillmanism.” Tillman directed the legislature to defeat Hampton’s renomination for another term in December of 1890, thereby finishing what Sherman had left undone in 1865.While campaigning for Governor in 1890, Tillman leveled his harshest criticism towards the University of South Carolina and threatened to close it along with The Citadel, which he called a “dude factory.” Despite the rhetoric, Tillman only succeeded in reorganizing the University of South Carolina into a liberal arts college while in office. It would eventually be rechartered for the last time in 1906 as the University of South Carolina. However, Clemson Agricultural College held sway over the state legislature for decades and was generally the more popular college during the first half of the 20th century in South Carolina. The rivalry started in 1896. after 106 meetings, Clemson leads, 65-37-4.

Next up, the Colorado State – Wyoming Border War. Nothing is really special about this rival aside from rivalry based on location. Colorado State leads the series 55-40-4. In 1968, the ROTC detachments of the respective schools initiated the Bronze Boot, a traveling trophy awarded to the winner of the “Border War” each year. The boot was worn in the Vietnam War by Cpt. Jeff Romero, Sr., a Colorado State graduate and Army ROTC instructor at CSU between 1967 and 1969. Each year leading up to the Wyoming-Colorado State game, the game ball is carried in a running shuttle relay by the ROTC detachment of the visiting team down US 287 to the Wyoming-Colorado state border, where the home team’s ROTC detachment receives it and runs the game ball to the stadium hosting the game. The trophy is guarded by the ROTC unit of the past year’s winning school during the game. Colorado State University leads the trophy series at 21-20.

Off now to the Duel in the Desert and the Territorial Cup. The “Territorial Cup” also known as the “Duel in the Desert” is the rivalry between ASU and UA and is among the nation’s oldest and most heated rivalries, including the oldest trophy in college football. The winner of the game is then given possession of the Territorial Cup until the game is played the next year. In the modern era of the game, it is played on the day after Thanksgiving (and in recent years on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to accommodate network television coverage). The rivalry dates back to before Arizona was admitted as a state, and was a U.S. Territory. In the early history of Arizona, a resentment between the cities of Phoenix and Tucson emerged. The University of Arizona was founded in 1885 as the state’s first university. The same year, Tempe Normal School was founded as a small teacher’s college in the farming community of Tempe, just east of Phoenix. Over the years, Tempe Normal School evolved into Arizona State Teacher’s College, then Arizona State College at Tempe, and eventually Arizona State University. Although both athletic programs have been consistently in the top 20 in the Director’s Cup standings for the past decade, the two schools have featured a difference in athletic strengths. The rivalry started in 1899. University of Arizona currently leads the cup series 45-36-1.

The Bedlam Series is, like most other intrastate rivalries, a rivalry that goes beyond one or two sports. Both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have rivalries with other schools, though most of those rivalries are limited to one or two sports at the most. When the Bedlam Series gained Ford and the Bank of Oklahoma as corporate sponsors, the series became much more formalized. A points system was adopted in order to award a winner of the all athletic competitions combined between the two schools. A crystal bell trophy is awarded to individual Bedlam game winners (such as football), in addition to a trophy for the overall series champion for that year. The “Bedlam Bell” is modeled after the bell clapper in Old Central, the oldest building on Oklahoma State’s campus. For a time, the actual bell clapper was a traveling trophy for the two schools, until the popularity of this tradition waned. Oklahoma currently leads the series 79-15-8 which started in 1904.

Moving on, we have the Washington-Washington State rivalry. This one seems so boring that I’m just going to use the Apple Cup Wikipedia entry to fill this slot in. The Apple Cup is the annual college football rivalry game between the two largest universities in the U.S. state of Washington; the University of Washington (UW) Huskies and the Washington State University (WSU) Cougars. It is traditionally the final game of the regular season and takes place on the Saturday preceding Thanksgiving at Husky Stadium in Seattle during odd years, and WSU’s Martin Stadium in Pullman during even years. From 1950-80 (except for 1954), WSU hosted the game at Spokane’s Joe Albi Stadium. The WSU Cougars won three of these fifteen games in Spokane (1958, 1968, 1972), and have won six of the fourteen played at Martin Stadium (1982, 1988, 1992, 1994, 2004, 2008).Before 1962, the teams played for the “Governor’s Trophy.” The game was renamed the “Apple Cup” in 1962 because of Washington’s famous apple crop. The Apple Cup trophy has been awarded to the winning team ever since. With the recent lengthening of the regular season schedule to 12 games, there was a movement change the date of the Apple Cup from the weekend before Thanksgiving to the weekend following. This would have allowed a bye week sometime during the season. In the 2006 season, both teams played 12 straight weeks without a break, leaving the two teams noticeably fatigued. For the first time, the 2007 edition of the Apple Cup was played two days after Thanksgiving. The Apple Cup has been sponsored by Boeing since 2007.The first rivalry game was held in 1900 and resulted in a tie between UW and WSU. From 1900 to 2008, there have been 101 games between the schools. The Huskies hold a 64-31-6 advantage. UW’s longest winning streak has been eight games, achieved twice: (1959-66 and 1974-81). WSU has never won more than two consecutive Apple Cups, but the Cougars have won back-to-back games on eight separate occasions: (1929-30, 1953-54, 1957-58, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1982-83, 2004-05 and 2007-08). Although Washington currently leads the overall series, the Cougars have taken four of the past five meetings including a double-overtime win in the 2008 meeting. Washington leads the series 64-31-6.

With the Mississippi State vs. Mississippi Egg Bowl I was expecting more of a feud to have started the rivalry then anything else. So, with the same boring info I bring you more Wiki info. Early in the series, Mississippi State dominated, and had only lost five times in the first twenty-three contests. When Ole Miss beat MSU, then known as Mississippi A&M College, 7-6, the Ole Miss fans rushed the field, some trying to tear the goalposts down. A&M fans did not take well to the Ole Miss fans celebrations, and fights broke out. Some A&M fans defended the goal posts with wooden chairs, and several injuries were reported. To prevent such events in the future, students of the two schools created the “Golden Egg”, a large trophy which has been awarded to the winning team each year since 1927. The trophy is a large football-shaped brass piece mounted to a wooden base and traditionally symbolizes supremacy in college football in the state of Mississippi for the year. The footballs used in American football in the 1920s were considerably more ovoid and blunter than those in use today and similar to the balls still used in rugby; the trophy thus, to modern eyes, more resembles an egg than a football. The awarding of the “Golden Egg” was instituted in 1927 by joint agreement between the two schools’ student bodies. Ole Miss leads the rivalry that started in 1901 60–39–6.

Next up we got the Toledo – Bowling Green Battle of I-75. This one is a little more interesting then the last ones (enough that I’m not just going to give you stuff from the Wiki then be done with it.) These two schools are only about 20 miles apart from each other, making the pressure to get recruits and fans from the local area much harder then some others. The winner of the battle is awarded the Peace Pipe Trophy (yep that’s right, a Native American peace pipe). The rivalry between UT and BGSU goes back to 1919. The games were (and to an extent still are) marked by a passionate fan following and a hatred for the respective opponent. In 1935, fans rioted following a 63-0 blowout win by UT and as a result, BGSU removed the Rockets from their athletic schedule until 1947. That year, the smoking of a six-foot peace pipe was instated as a gesture of goodwill between the two teams at half-time of their annual basketball match. The peace pipe would be kept by the winning university until the teams played again the following season. The tradition came to an abrupt and unpleasant end in 1969 when the pipe was stolen from the UT offices. It was never recovered and the thief never caught. In 1980, the Peace Pipe trophy was reinstated when a scale-down replica was fashioned and placed on top of a trophy created by former UT football player Frank Kralik. Kralik donated the trophy to the university to be given to the winner of each year’s football game, which like many other college football rivalries is usually the last game of the regular season for both teams. Nowadays, ESPN annually broadcasts the Peace Pipe game, allowing it to reach a wide audience outside of northwest Ohio. Though the two schools play in different divisions in the Mid-American Conference, they have yet to meet in the MAC Championship Game. Toledo leads the series since the reinstatement of the trophy, 15-14.

With the next teams and their rivalry, I hold little interest in. The fact that they are 12 miles apart and both in the same city, I find entertaining, aside from that, more Wiki read. The UCLA–USC rivalry is the college rivalry between two universities located in Los Angeles, California: the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California.The athletic competition rivalry between the two schools is among the more notable in NCAA Division I sports because both schools are located within the same city. The campuses are only 12 miles apart. The sheer proximity of both alumni and students, and the likelihood of encountering each other and interacting on a daily basis make this one of the most intense college rivalries in the United States. USC is one of the top teams in the country in college football, and recognizes 11 of its teams as National Champions. UCLA has only one team recognized as a National Champion.Quite often, the winner of the football game has won or shared the Pacific Ten Conference title in football. A berth in the Rose Bowl game has been on the line many times as well for both schools. Since the formation of the Pacific Coast Conference in 1916, USC has won or shared 37 conference titles and UCLA has won or shared 17 titles.Washington is third in overall conference titles with 15.Since the 1959 season, when the Pacific 10 Conference was formed as the Athletic Association of Western Universities, through the 2007 season, the schools have won or shared 33 of the 48 conference titles. USC has won 17 championships outright, shared eight and gone to the Rose Bowl or BCS bowl 21 times. UCLA has won six championships outright, shared five and gone to the Rose Bowl eight times. The schools have shared the championship between them three times. Both teams have spoiled conference and national championship runs for the other. USC was already an established national football power under Howard Jones and had begun a major rivalry with Notre Dame when UCLA joined the Pacific Coast Conference in 1929. Los Angeles Times Sportswriter Braven Dyer predicted on the day of the first football meeting on September 28, 1929, “In years to come, this game will probably be one of the football spectacles of the West” USC dominated the early games (so much so, that after the first two games, the series was suspended for five years and they did not play each other from 1931-1935) until UCLA established itself. By the late 1930s, star players such as Kenny Washington, Jackie Robinson, and Bob Waterfield enabled UCLA to be competitive. With the hiring of Hall of Fame Coach Henry “Red” Sanders, UCLA became the more dominant program in the 1950s, culminating in their 1954 National Championship. A famous quote was attributed to Sanders regarding the rivalry, “Beating ‘SC is not a matter of life or death, it’s more important than that.” But Sanders died suddenly of a heart attack, and shortly thereafter, John McKay took over a struggling USC program and returned it to national prominence. For most seasons from the mid 1960s to the end of the 1970s, the two schools were the top powers on the west coast. In the 15 Rose Bowls played from 1966 to 1980, USC or UCLA played in 12 of them. Even with the rise of Don James’ Washington Huskies in the 1980s and early 90s, UCLA or USC still went to the Rose Bowl seven times between 1981 and 1995. In the 1990s and until the hiring of Pete Carroll by USC, UCLA was the dominant team, winning 8 straight from USC from 1991-1998, before USC then won 7 in a row from 1999-2005. The 13-9 win in 2006 at the Rose Bowl allowed the Bruins to keep the record for consecutive wins in the rivalry.

Florida vs. Florida State is the next rivalry on the list. Not much going on here aside from state pushed interstate rivalry. here’s the history: The University of Florida has been fielding an officially sanctioned football team since 1906. Though Florida State University (then known as “Florida State College”) played football for several years around 1900, it became a women’s college in 1905 and remained so until 1947, when the football team was re-established. Almost immediately, pressure began building for the Gators to play the new team in-state. Some believe that it took an act of the Florida state legislature to force the contest to take place. This is not exactly true – a bill demanding a UF vs. FSU football series was proposed in 1955 but was voted down. However, the schools bowed to pressure from state leaders and agreed to schedule a yearly series starting in 1958.One of the conditions that the University of Florida put on the agreement was that the contest must always be held in their home stadium, Florida Field in Gainesville. Since 1964, however, the game site has alternated yearly between the Gators’ field and the Seminoles’ home turf of Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. Since 1958 Florida currently leads the series 32-19-2.

Rice and Houston are the next match up in their competition to take home the Bayou Bucket. The Houston–Rice rivalry (also referred to as the UH–Rice rivalry, Rice–Houston rivalry, or the Rice–UH rivalry) is a cross-town college rivalry between the University of Houston and Rice University. The universities are located approximately five miles from each other in Houston’s “Inner loop” area. It is one of the few NCAA Division I cross-town rivalries, especially between institutions that field Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams. The rivalry has existed in a more official capacity since Houston joined the now-defunct Southwest Conference in 1971, in which Rice was a charter member. Since the breakup of that conference in 1995, the rivalry has continued. In 2005, Rice joined Conference USA, of which Houston was a member, and has again made the rivalry more relevant for conference titles as well. Football is the largest focus of the rivalry and is the sport in which the competition between the two institutions has run the longest. Both teams are part of the NCAA’s Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and have both been part of the Conference USA athletic conference since 2005. The competition includes an annual regular-season football game between the schools. It has existed since 1971, when Houston joined the now-defunct Southwest Conference, of which Rice was also a member. The winner of the game wins the Bayou Bucket. Houston leads this series 24–9. Although the last Southwest Conference football game was part of the series, the teams did not compete against each other in football from 1996 to 1998 as the universities realigned themselves with other conferences. Although the first official meeting between the teams in football didn’t take place until 1971, a scrimmage took place between the inaugural 1946 Houston Cougars team and the Rice Owls. The Owls, having played football since 1914 and being a part of the Southwest Conference, were a much more experienced and accomplished team than the Cougars. In a front of a crowd of thousands, the Owls easily defeated the Cougars. Made famous from football games between the two rivals, University of Houston students often wear red shirts with the words “Ruck Fice” to UH-Rice games. 5 miles apart from each other.. does that not say, “hey I wanna mess with you and take your recruits fans and basis of how you exist” to you?

Notre Dame and Stanford are next on the list. This rivalry is young and not really considered a major rivalry so there’s not much to it. The Irish have a minor rivalry with the Stanford Cardinal (for the Legends Trophy, a combination of Irish crystal with California redwood). The two teams first met in the 1925 Rose Bowl, then played each other in 1942 and again in 1963-64. The modern series began in 1988 and has been played annually except in 1995-96. Notre Dame leads the series 17-6. When the game is played in Palo Alto, it is usually the last game on Stanford’s schedule (as has been the case since 1999), one week after the Cardinal plays archrival Cal in The Big Game.

I finish up with Arkansas and LSU in the Battle for the Golden Boot, an aged old tradition since 1996. I myself was unaware that this was even a rivalry, but I guess everyone needs a rival. Here’s the background on the two teams playing each other. The Arkansas–LSU rivalry, now known as The Battle for the Golden Boot, is the annual college football sports rivalry game between the teams of the University of Arkansas, the Razorbacks, and Louisiana State University, the Tigers. Although the first game between the two teams occurred in 1901, the rivalry between the teams intensified after Arkansas’ entrance into the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 1992, and later in 1996 with the first awarding of the “Golden Boot” and the official titling of the game “The Battle for the Golden Boot”. The game is now generally played on the day after Thanksgiving. The two teams have played 53 times since 1901, and as of the 2008 contest, 17 consecutive times after Arkansas’ induction into the SEC. During that time, LSU has won 33 games of the series while Arkansas has won 19, including the latest meeting in 2008, between the two teams. Arkansas and LSU have twice ended the game in a tie, in 1906 and the 1947 Cotton Bowl Classic. Arkansas and LSU began playing each other in 1901, when LSU claimed a 15-0 victory in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Between 1906-1936 (with the exception of 1918) and 1953-1956, the two teams played each other during regular seasons on a yearly basis. In addition, the two teams have played each other at the end of the regular season in the Cotton Bowl Classic twice, on January 1 of 1947 and 1966, the former being the second tie in the series while the latter ended in a 14-7 LSU victory. In 1992, LSU and Arkansas resumed their annual rivalry when Arkansas joined the Southeastern Conference after leaving the Southwest Conference. The teams played each other four times in the conference before the introduction of the Golden Boot trophy in 1996. Beginning in 1996, the victor in the rivalry between Arkansas and LSU received the Golden Boot, a trophy that weighs approximately 175 pounds and is generally considered the heaviest “trophy” awarded in all of college football. The trophy itself stands a little over 4 feet tall, is molded out of 24-karat gold, and resembles the outline of the states of Arkansas and Louisiana connected, thus making a boot shape. Since 1996, the game has been set on the day after Thanksgiving, and has been played on alternating years in Little Rock, Arkansas at War Memorial Stadium, which is the secondary home stadium for the Razorbacks, and in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at Tiger Stadium. The series has generally represented an important battle in the SEC Western Division, with either Arkansas or LSU representing the division in the SEC Football Championship Game in many seasons. LSU won the inaugural “trophy meeting” in 1996, 17–7, and for the next six years, the trophy changed hands every meeting, beginning with LSU in 1997. After Arkansas’ “Miracle on Markham” victory in 2002, LSU won the rivalry and the Golden Boot four consecutive times from 2003 to 2006. The trophy returned to Arkansas’ possession on November 23, 2007 when the Razorbacks beat then top-ranked and eventual BCS National Championship game winner LSU 50-48 in three overtimes in Baton Rouge; the victory was the first for former Razorback coach Houston Nutt in five tries in Tiger Stadium. Arkansas successfully defended the Golden Boot again in 2008 with a spectacular come-from-behind victory in the last minute of game play.

I had to tweak the formula after I saw what it spat out after this weekend (DePaul is not the second best team in the country right now).  I realized that by doing the actual ranking of a team’s schedule, the differences in schedule were being weighted too heavily.  For instance, the schedule difference between number 270 and number 250 is actually zero, but it was getting counted in the formula as a difference of 20.  That meant that teams with a very good schedule so far were being rewarded way too much and teams with an average schedule were getting penalized.

The solution?  Just use the actual schedule rating.  Now teams that haven’t played anyone good are all even (since that’s the norm this time of year) and any teams that have played against some quality opponents or gone on the road are rewarded accordingly.

I’m also including the AP/USA Today Ranking next to each team so we can compare how voters think they’re going to do against how they’re actually playing.

Here are the rankings for this week as of 5:00 PM:

• Team (AP Rank/USA Today Rank)

1. Duke (7/7)
2. Minnesota (22/16)
3. Kansas (1/1)
4. Arizona State (NR/NR)
5. Baylor (NR/NR)
6. Marquette (NR/NR)
7. Tennessee (9/11)
8. Syracuse (10/9)
9. Kansas State (NR/NR)
10. Notre Dame (23/NR)
11. Washington (14/14)
12. LSU (NR/NR)
13. Oklahoma State (NR/NR)
14. Louisville (16/16)
15. Illinois (20/21)
16. Clemson (19/19)
17. Oregon (NR/NR)
18. Texas A&M (NR/NR)
19. Connecticut (13/13)
20. Washington State (NR/NR)
21. Ohio State (17/18)
22. Virginia (NR/NR)
23. Michigan State (2/2)
24. Arizona (NR/NR)
25. Texas (3/3)

Bottom Ten (10 = Worst)

1. Rutgers (NR/NR)
2. South Florida (NR/NR)
3. Texas Tech (NR/NR)
4. Nebraska (NR/NR)
5. South Carolina (NR/NR)
6. Indiana (NR/NR)
7. USC (NR/NR)
8. Iowa (NR/NR)
9. UCLA (NR/NR)
10. Oregon State (NR/NR)

This week, The Hundreds present a follow-up to last week’s SF exclusive, NorCal university-inspired (Standford & UC Berkeley) Adam Outline New Era fitteds, with two SoCal-esque caps. The caps come in USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins colorways and will be available exclusively at THLA. Students from etiher school (with valid ID) will receive a 25% off discount on one of these limited edition fitted hats.

Check out more at The Hundreds.

it’s the beginning of rivalry weekends.  yeah, plural.  it sorta semi started last weekend and slops over into next week as well.  me?  i’m sitting here in one of my trojan t-shirts.  but i get ahead of myself.

it is interesting what one or two more points can do for your picks.  in my case last weekend for example, if a few teams had scored just a couple of more points i would have had a stellar 8 for 10 weekend.  but no, that wasn’t the case.  i went 5 for 10 instead.  my over all is now, 60 for 110 with week 6 as an off week.  still over .500 but that’s not what i’d call outstanding.

the thing about rivalry games is they can go sideways in a hurry.  odds don’t mean much.  it’s anybodies game.  taking what i deal out as something you can bank on is dumb and stupid and if you do you deserve whatever happens to you.  leave your wallet in your pocket and nobody gets hurt.

this is early again this week and no doubt the odds will change.  no matter.  what is here is what i go by.

rock ‘n’ roll.

11/27  rutgers at louisville.  rutgers favored by 4 points.  rutgers, ozzie nelson’s alma mater.  reason enough for me to take them to win and cover.

11/27  alabama at auburn.  bama favored by 12 points.  the game for all the marbles and stuff for alabama folk till next year.  once again, bama needs to put points on the board.  if they don’t auburn has a shot.  however, take bama to win and cover.  ROLL TIDE!!!

11/27  nevada at boise st.  boise st favored by 11 points.  the smurf turf boys of boise face one of their toughest opponents in their sorta schedule on friday night.  in keeping with an early theme here for this weeks picks.  take nevada to at least cover the spread.

11/28  new mexico at tcu.  tcu favored by 43 points.  a big bunch of points.  tons of em.  any sane person would take the points and the lobos.  not me.  i figure tcu is in make a statement mode.  despite having early trouble scoring against wyoming last week.  i think they’ll run it up against an even better team this week.  yeah, insanity runs deep.  take tcu to cover the spread and win.

11/28  tulane at smu.  smu favored by 17 points.  after years in the dark place of college football smu is on a comeback trail.  the ncaa recruiting violation, ‘death sentence’, is a thing of the past.  it’s taken some 40 odd years but smu will be a top 25 team once again in the next year or two.  count on it.  the main reason being, june jones.  a fine coach and recruiter.  unlike his old hawaii team where after the first string you had very little talent, he will have some at smu.  count on it.  take smu to cover and win.

11/28  oklahoma st at oklahoma.  no odds at the time of this writing.  i almost stuck another game in here instead but this one might be too good to pass on.  no odds = even, in my book.  take oklahoma st in this one, kids.  the cowboys win.

11/28  florida st at florida.  florida favored by 22 points.  florida st gets inside that number.  take florida st and the ppoints.

11/28  utah at byu.  byu favored by 7.5 points.  a good game and probably one to watch.  take byu to win and cover.

11/28  notre dame at stanford.  stanford favored by 7.5 points.  this will more than likely be charlie’s last regular season game with the golden domers.  he just can’t close the deal or so it seems.  his kids run out of gas at the end.  stanford had a tough loss last week with cal.  not this week.  take stanford to win and cover the points.

11/28  ucla at usc.  usc favored by 12 points.  so much for norm being a genius after last weeks nail biter game.  well, maybe he is but the kids were lackluster.  coach pete has had a week off and hopefully he’s found some sort of faith in his other coaches.  he can’t do it all or so it would seem.  if the men of troy come to play on defense and offense it should be no contest.  that being said, this is for bragging rights in the land of the lotus eaters and anything can happen.  the game of the weekend.  take usc to win and cover.  FIGHT ON!!!!

there you go, my picks for thanksgiving week.  have a great thanksgiving and enjoy the games.  be sane.  be safe.

jmh

This is the week many people wait the whole year for.  USC and Clemson fans can hate on each other and talk about each other and “guess” who is going to win the game.  It is a great rivalry.  I’ve played in 3 of these games and I can tell you first hand – it is a tough game to play in.  The intensity, the scrutiny, the physicality of the game is heightened.   I broke my wrist during the game the first time I played them.  We won 13-9 in 1979 and then in 1980, it was a disaster….for my team ultimately because of my performance in the 4th quarter of that game.  Trust me, there is nothing easy about this game.  I hate to lose – at anything – and this game taught me a great life lesson.  The most important game to prepare for daily is the game of life.  Prepare yourself for it because it hits you fast and hard.  Discipline yourself to do your job heartily as unto the Lord!  Execute what you know to be right and true.   So there you go.  Three keys I believe will win the game this Saturday.  Preparation, Discipline and Execution.  Whoever does that wins regardless of what all the people in the stands might say or debate about in the days ahead.

Oh yea, one more thing – always play to an AUDIENCE of ONE!  You try to please the crowd – you lose!  Live to please Jesus and you WIN!

I moved to Columbia from Miami to play football at USC back in 1977.  I remember I hadn’t been on campus 2 weeks and I was listening to the radio and I can’t remember exactly who shot who and killed them, but a fan of one of the schools shot and killed the other as they argued about the game.  I knew then that this thing was deep and people were passionate about it.

Remember this – these are 18-22 year old kids out there doing something they love and enjoy.  These are guys who, most of them, don’t know what they will be doing when they grow up.  These are student athletes that have been blessed with talent – but they are college students first.  These are young people that first and foremost need to know Jesus.  Many of them do!

Stephon Gilmore and C.J. Spiller I think exemplify what this game is and should be about.  These are probably the 2 best athletes on the field and they both love Jesus and aren’t ashamed of their faith.  Stephon has an extraordinary family and often communicates to folks how much he loves his family.   C.J. attends Newspring Church in Anderson and is often heard sharing his faith around the Upstate.

So when you watch the game Saturday (12 Noon on ESPN), pull for your team but don’t HATE the other guys.  I am a GAMECOCK and love the GAMECOCKS but keep the game in perspective.  Enjoy the game and if your team wins – go enjoy it.  If your team loses – keep your head up, you still have a Conference championship to play for…or a bowl game to play….or a degree to pursue….a life to live, etc.

I’m thankful for these guys and the platform they’ve been given to share their faith.  We ought to be proud of them and pray for them this week.  They’ll be in the press a lot as the game is examined and reported on.  It’ll boil down to the team that wants it more, has the best plan against the other, and executes that plan.   It’ll be a great game.

More on the game as the week goes on!

And they say this is fun!  This is from the 1978 game. Clemson won 41-23 and I broke my wrist during the game.  Fun?  Great memories and great life lessons learned!

********** GO CAUSE GOD JOY ****************