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August 28, 2007
College Football Preseason Fun, Part 2
Only three more days till college football season starts here in Happy Valley with a home date against Florida International! Granted, FIU is quite possibly the worst team in Division I Bowl Subdivision football (with Temple and Buffalo, two of Penn State's other non-conference cupcake opponents this year, giving FIU a run for their money as the worst team in the nation), so it won't be much of a contest, but still, football's back! I get really pumped up for the upcoming Nittany Lions season when I watch videos like this one (I thought I'd try something new and occasionally embed youtube video clips to my blog entries -- click to start it):
And I absolutely can't wait for the pageantry and atmosphere of the Blue Band marching onto the field before the game to the roar of the Beaver Stadium crowd of 110,000 shouting "Ohhhh, Ohhhh, Ohhhh, LET'S GO STATE!":
And the 2007 preseason Herbie Awards are out, and Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN sure gives Penn State a lot of love, picking them to win the Big Ten, saying that we have the best student section (gotta love the white out!!), and that we're on the top 10 list of best GameDay locations (hopefully that means they'll pay us a visit at least once this year!).
To prepare for the first tailgate of the year this Saturday morning, I bought two hurricane warning flags (3'x3' red flags with a 1'x1' black square in the middle) to fly at our tailgate. It's been a pain to try to give directions to our tailgate in the past, as conversations have had to go something like this: "Okay, so do you see that green Hess flag? Alright, cool, now look further down the line, and do you see the confederate flag with the Nittany Lion logo in the center? Okay, well, we're *somewhere* in between those two." Now we can just say, "Look for the hurricane warning flags!" So I've taken up a bit of a collection and gotten those paid for. We're such nerds, but at least now we'll add to the Happy Valley tailgating atmosphere with even more flags flying, but these will be both unique and weather-themed, haha!
Then we had the problem of how to fly the flags. Our plan was to buy several sections of either PVC or metal pipe and have threaded connectors to screw the lengths together, to get a 15-20' pole. We'd been tossing around several ideas of how to secure the base of our flagpole so that it wouldn't fall over. One basic idea was to get a piece of steel, aluminum or thick plywood and drill a hole in it to use as a plate for a car wheel to drive onto (so the car can serve as the anchor weight), and drill a hole in the plate, sink in a flat cap into which we could screw the bottom length of pipe. The alternative plan was to get a square piece of half-inch plywood, set a tire on it, bolt the tire to the plywood base, and pour concrete halfway up the height of the tire, setting the bottom length of pole in the concrete. That would've been quite heavy, and would've certainly had a big enough footprint that it wasn't gonna tip unless we actually had a hurricane! But after much hemming and hawing over what to do and how to accomplish it, in the end we just decided it'd be easier to spend a bit more money ($97 with S/H) and just buy a 20' telescoping pole and a drive-on aluminum plate base. It'll be relatively light (lighter than the concrete-filled tire, at least), easier to transport, it'll last for years (we can bequeath it to the grad students in the department after we all leave, along with the flags), and we know it'll work without much trouble on our part. What we don't know is if it'll get here by Friday or not. If it does, awesome, if not, then I guess that'll be one more reason the Notre Dame tailgate will be awesome the following week! We'll have to take up a collection for that too, but I'll let Walter take care of how he decides he wants to shake people down, since the pole/base went on his credit card. ;-)
Well, and now for the original reason of this post. I've gotten a few more sets of college football preseason surveys from friends (Andrew Bennett, Robert Carver, Lindsey Long), so it's time to publish them for all the world to see! If others would like to fill out a survey and have it published on my website, just go right ahead. You can either leave it as a comment, or email me separately. So in the order that I received the picks, here they are:
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Name (location): Andrew Bennett (Kearney, NE)
1. Pick a team in the preseason top 10 who will NOT be in the top 10 when the regular season ends.
I believe I shall have to agree with the previous answer [Robert Long's in my last post] concerning the Florida Gators for the aforementioned reasons. Ohio State could be another over-hyped team. At the very least, you can't really count on any sports team from Ohio, certainly not to win a national championship.
2. Pick a team not in the preseason top 10 who WILL finish in the top 10 at the end of the regular season.
I will go with Penn State, but also watch out for Nebraska (Note the Nebraska 'Huskers, not the Nebraska Cornhuskers. 'Twas changed many a year ago by some marketing people. Why? I don't know why, but it is of courseglorious.) In particular, watch for new quarterback Sam Keller, who has something a very high pass completion rate. He is known for being somewhat "wild", but he gets the job done nevertheless.
3. Predict the regular season record of your favorite team.
Nebraska: 10-3 (I'm keeping my eye on several other teams, but Nebraska is still my favorite).
4. Predict the order of finish (top four teams) in your favorite conference -- if you pick SEC, Big 12 or ACC, pick the top 2 in each division.
Big 12 North: 1. Nebraska, 2. Missouri
Big 12 South: 1. Texas, 2. Oklahoma
5. Predict the biggest upset in your conference (must be a conference game).
Nebraska over Texas in overtime for the Big 12 Championship (I hope conference championship games count).
6a. How many undefeated teams will there be at season's end (NOT including bowl games)?
None
6b. Which teams will be going undefeated?
None
7a. Predict the BCS teams -- in other words, pick the following ten teams: ACC champ, Big East champ, Big Ten champ, Big 12 champ, Pac-10 champ, SEC champ, and then the four next best teams. Remember, only two teams from the same conference can be in the BCS.
ACC: Virginia Tech, Big East: West Virginia, Big Ten: Michigan, Big 12: Nebraska, PAC-10: USC, SEC: LSU, At large: Hawaii, Wisconsin, Texas, Florida
And here are my BCS bowl matchup predictions, too:
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs Florida
Sugar Bowl: West Virginia vs Wisconsin
Fiesta Bowl: Nebraska vs Hawai'i
Rose Bowl: Michigan vs Texas
7b. Out of those ten teams, predict the BCS Championship game and the national champion.
LSU over USC
8. If you could attend only one regular season college football game this year, which one would it be?
Well, any Nebraska game of course to or about any game at the "Big House" (a.k.a. the Carrier Dome - perhaps next year, I'm applying to grad school at Syracuse - just in time for their home and home against Penn State).
9. Who will have more wins at season's end, JoePa or Bobby Bowden? (Bowden currently leads Paterno 366 to 363.)
I'm going to go with JoePa, mostly because I'm biased toward former English majors :). Seriously, though, I think Penn State is more likely to win games this year than Florida State.
10. Suggest a name for this year's Penn State Dirty-Dawg group (yep, shameless promotion).
The Beaver Cleanup Crew seems popular, so I will not be contrary.
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Name (location): Robert Carver (San Francisco, CA)
1. Pick a team in the preseason top 10 who will NOT be in the top 10 when the regular season ends.
Gonna go with a climatology forecast here, Va Tech.
2. Pick a team not in the preseason top 10 who WILL finish in the top 10 at the end of the regular season.
Cal. The Big Game is one of the last in the season, so they'll get an
extra bounce when they pound Stanford (geez, a blind man could see that
coming) since nobody else will be playing. I'm not sold on USC.
3. Predict the regular season record of your favorite team.
OU will go 11-1, with a loss to UT. (I feel so dirty saying that, but
this series has a periodicity to it that is currently not in OU's favor.)
4. Predict the order of finish (top four teams) in your favorite conference -- if you pick SEC, Big 12 or ACC, pick the top 2 in each division.
Big 12 South: OU-TX fight it out, with TX probably emerging on top. The
rest need not apply.
Big 12 North: Awash in a sea of mediocrity, I nod to the Huskers and
then Mizzou
5. Predict the biggest upset in your conference (must be a conference game).
Baylor over TX Tech. Just a gut feeling.
6a. How many undefeated teams will there be at season's end (NOT including bowl games)?
I'm gonna pull a Wilbon and pick the field here. Nada. Nobody's
that good...
6b. Which teams will be going undefeated?
None
7a. Predict the BCS teams -- in other words, pick the following ten teams: ACC champ, Big East champ, Big Ten champ, Big 12 champ, Pac-10 champ, SEC champ, and then the four next best teams. Remember, only two teams from the same conference can be in the BCS.
ACC: GA Tech, Big East: [vacant -- leave a comment with your Big lEast champ, Robert!], Big Ten: OSU, Big 12: TX, PAC-10: Cal, SEC: The Other USC - Darth Spurrier, At large: USC, Notre Dame (they probably won't deserve it), Boise State, OU (if my win/loss pans out)
Team to keep an eye on now: The Mean Green of North Texas. They do have a hell of a coach now...
7b. Out of those ten teams, predict the BCS Championship game and the national champion.
I'll wishcast here: UT-Cal, with Cal eking out a win.
8. If you could attend only one regular season college football game this year, which one would it be?
Geez, what would it be? OU-UT of course... For somebody raised in North Texas, there is no finer rivalry.
9. Who will have more wins at season's end, JoePa or Bobby Bowden? (Bowden currently leads Paterno 366 to 363.)
Bowden, easy. I'm not a beliver in the Lions...
10. Suggest a name for this year's Penn State Dirty-Dawg group (yep, shameless promotion).
Escape from Walker.
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Name (location): Lindsey Long (Princeton, NJ)
1. Pick a team in the preseason top 10 who will NOT be in the top 10 when the regular season ends.
Florida
2. Pick a team not in the preseason top 10 who WILL finish in the top 10 at the end of the regular season.
Georgia
3. Predict the regular season record of your favorite team.
Georgia: 11-1 (lose to FL) -- Not counting the SEC championship... then 11-2 against LSU
4. Predict the order of finish (top four teams) in your favorite conference -- if you pick SEC, Big 12 or ACC, pick the top 2 in each division.
SEC East: UGA, Tennessee
SEC West: LSU, Arkansas
5. Predict the biggest upset in your conference (must be a conference game).
South Carolina over Tennessee
6a. How many undefeated teams will there be at season's end (NOT including bowl games)?
2
6b. Which teams will be going undefeated?
Texas and LSU (yes I'm going crazy and picking an SEC team to go undefeated!)
7a. Predict the BCS teams -- in other words, pick the following ten teams: ACC champ, Big East champ, Big Ten champ, Big 12 champ, Pac-10 champ, SEC champ, and then the four next best teams. Remember, only two teams from the same conference can be in the BCS.
ACC: GA Tech, Big East: Rutgers, Big Ten: Wisconsin, Big 12: Texas, PAC-10: USC, SEC: LSU, At large: Michigan, Oklahoma, VA Tech, Arkansas
7b. Out of those ten teams, predict the BCS Championship game and the national champion.
LSU and Texas -- LSU wins (SEC repeat!)
8. If you could attend only one regular season college football game this year, which one would it be?
Georgia vs Florida
9. Who will have more wins at season's end, JoePa or Bobby Bowden? (Bowden currently leads Paterno 366 to 363.)
Bowden
10. Suggest a name for this year's Penn State Dirty-Dawg group (yep, shameless promotion).
I liked the "Escape from Walker"
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As for other football codes, the Geelong Cats of the Australian Football League had their 15-game winning streak snapped by the Port Adelaide Power 106-101, on a goal by the Power with just three seconds remaining. That dramatic win puts the Power in a tie with the West Coast Eagles for the #2 seed and a chance at a bye in the playoffs, with just one game left in the regular season. The Cats fortunately still have the #1 seed all locked up. Man, playoff time for the AFL, the opening month for college football and for the NFL, the Rugby World Cup next month -- what a great time to be a football fan!
Posted by Jared at August 28, 2007 10:52 PM
Comments
Jared, Jared, Jared ... sigh.
Posted by: MERAmanuensis at August 29, 2007 12:04 PM
I like the hurricane flags, except that people might confuse you for being Miami (FL) Hurricanes fans...
Posted by: Chris at August 30, 2007 07:56 AM
Well, that's part of why I'm thinkin it might be good to get a Penn State flag to fly on there too. Otherwise it'll go well with the Florida Gators (and other university) flag(s) I've seen flying at other tailgates in the past. :-P But the hurricane flags also could be viewed as a bit of minor taunting toward FIU too, given the melee last year at Miami (FL).
Posted by: Jared at August 30, 2007 08:42 AM
Jared, your comment section won't take html tags. I will be emailing you fully-annotated version in html for the eagerly (inbox was blowing up this morning) College Football Part III post.
My picks are posted!!!
1) Pick a team in the preseason top 10 who will NOT be in the top 10 when the regular season ends.
The University of Oklahoma. (Sorry, Carver.) They lose to Texas, Texas Tech, and somebody else (OK State, maybe).
2) Pick a team not in the preseason top 10 who WILL finish in the top 10 at the end of the regular season.
Hawaii; I’m on that bandwagon.
3) Predict the regular season record of your favorite team.
Michigan, 11-1. Loss will be to to-be-determined opponent (the defense will blow it in the final 2 minutes), and it’s Lloyd Carr.
4) Predict the order of finish (top four teams) in your favorite conference -- if you pick the SEC or Big 12, pick the top 2 in each division.
Michigan (11-1)
Wisconsin (10-2)
Penn State (9-3)
THE ohio $tate university (9-3)
5) Predict the biggest upset in your conference (must be a conference game).
Illinois over Wisconsin. (Illinois also makes a bowl game this year.)
6a) How many undefeated teams will there be at season's end (NOT including bowl games)?
Three.
6b) Which teams will be going undefeated?
USC, West Virginia, and Hawaii.
7a) Predict the BCS teams -- in other words, pick the following ten teams: ACC champ, Big East champ, Big Ten champ, Big 12 champ, Pac 10 champ, SEC champ, then the four next best teams. Remember, only two teams from the same conference can be in the BCS.
ACC – Virginia Tech
Big East – West Virginia
Big Ten – Michigan
Big 12 – Texas
Pac 10 – USC
SEC – LSU
At Large – Florida, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Hawaii.
7b) Out of those ten teams, predict the BCS championship game and the national champion.
BcS: USC over West Virginia
Rose: Michigan over Florida
Sugar: LSU over Rutgers
Orange: Virginia Tech over Wisconsin
Fiesta: Texas over Hawaii
8) If you could attend only one regular season college football game this year, which one would it be?
Michigan vs. tO$U
9) Who will have more wins at season's end, JoePa or Bobby Bowden? (Bowden currently leads 366 to 363)
Bowden by two. Penn State goes 9-3, and Free Shoes goes 8-4.
10) Suggest a name for this year's Penn State Dirty-Dawg group (yep, shameless promotion).
Beaver Stadium Cleaning Crew. It was one of my rejected fantasy football team names because it exceeded Yahoo!’s 20-character limit.
Posted by: Jeff at August 31, 2007 10:39 AM
The Big East is still a BCS conference? Sigh. I plead tropical insanity as to why I overlooked such a fine basketball conference. Okay, here's my pic (late as it may be), Rutgers.
Posted by: rob at September 3, 2007 03:30 AM