The College Football Blog

[thecollegefootballguy]

2018 Top Games of the Week: Week 12

We’re only two weeks away from the end of the season. You’d think there would be more good games to watch, but as it turns out Week 12 doesn’t have a lot of excitement, especially in the Playoff race. There’s always interesting games, division races, and intrigue to find if you dig deep enough, so let’s unearth some gems until we get the landslide of end of season games starting next week.

The Top Ten Games of the Week

10. Stanford 6-4 (4-3) at California 6-4 (3-4)

The Big Game is one of the greatest rivalries west of the Rocky Mountains, but it has been extremely lopsided of late. This is the first time in many years that Cal looks like they can really threaten archrival Stanford’s record eight game win streak. The Bears’ defense has been shutting down all-comers, but their inept offense has kept them from really having a good season. For their part, the Cardinal aren’t playing up the their usual standard, having only secured bowl eligibility last week against hapless Oregon State.

9. Arizona 5-5 (4-3) at #8 Washington State 9-1 (6-1)

Washington State is the PAC-12′s only (small) hope at making the Playoff. The Cougars have been playing their best ball in a decade and a half but still have to avoid dropping their last two home games to secure the PAC-12 North. Arizona is a clear underdog, but the Wildcats have salvaged what looked like a doomed season in September an are still in the South race. They have to win out to make the PAC-12 title game.

8. Virginia 7-3 (4-2) at Georgia Tech 6-4 (4-3)

The giant mess that is the ACC Coastal is coming down to three teams: UVA, GA Tech, and Pitt. Like we all predicted. The winner of this contest is still behind the Panthers in the standings and will need some help to snag the division crown.

7. Arizona State 6-4 (4-3) at Oregon 6-4 (3-4)

Arizona State is ahead of schedule, playing for the PAC-12 South in Herm Edwards’ first season at the helm. Oregon is having a disappointing season relative to their expectations, even though the Ducks are also sporting a first  year coach they were predicted to challenge for the division. Despite their struggles, Oregon is still playing some fantastic ball at home and the Sun Devils will have to earn their win.

6. Pittsburgh 6-4 (5-1) at Wake Forest 5-5 (2-4)

Anybody else see Pitt totally dismantle September division favorite Virginia Yech last week? The Panthers looked GOOD. Just as they have a penchant for big upsets, Pittsburgh often slips up against weaker opponents. Whether or not Wake Forest is that weak opponent remains to be seen. The Demon Deacons just stopped an October slide with a win over NC State last week. Whether or not Wake can beat Pitt at home will go a long way towards deciding the Coastal.

5. #19 Utah 7-3 (5-3) at Colorado 5-5 (2-5)

Utah is missing some of their best players, but the Utes are still leading the division. It could all be for naught if they lose this Saturday against Colorado, as it would very likely hand the South to Arizona State provided the Sun Devils can  win just one of their last two games. The Buffaloes have their own problems to deal with, as coach Mike MacIntyre was mistakenly reported to have been fired in response to the Buff’s five game losing streak. A win for the embattled coach would go a long way. 

4. #9 West Virginia 8-1 (6-1) at Oklahoma State 5-5 (2-5)

West Virginia is still a dark horse to make the Playoff. They travel to hostile Stillwater to face an angry Oklahoma State squad. The Cowboys were one botched two-point conversion from upsetting their archrivals last week and knocking Oklahoma out of the Playoff race. This season hasn’t gone OSU’s way, and I have a feeling they’re gonna try to take it out on the Mountaineers.

3. #24 Cincinnati 9-1 (5-1) at #11 UCF 9-0 (6-0)

UCF will claim the AAC East with a win over Cincinnati this weekend. I won’t lie and tell you that the Knights are in the Playoff race, even if they win out, so the stakes here are for the NY6 berth in the Peach or Fiesta Bowl.

2. #16 Iowa State 6-3 (5-2) at #15 Texas 7-3 (5-2)

The Big 12 race has developed in an interesting manner. Oklahoma and West Virginia are the favorites with only one conference loss each. Texas and Iowa State make up a second tier with an outside chance to make the championship game if they win out. Both hold a tiebreaker over one of the leaders (ISU over WVU and UT over OU), and could leap their way into the CG if they win this Saturday.

1. #12 Syracuse 8-2 (5-2) vs #3 Notre Dame 10-0 (in New York, NY)

It’s not exactly a showstopper, but it’s the closest thing we have to a game with real Playoff implications. Syracuse has been having a hell of a season, but the Orange are facing their second Playoff-bound opponent in the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. ‘Cuse lost to Clemson, but they played the Tigers as close as anybody. With USC struggling mightily this year, the Orangemen are the only team left with any real chance of defeating ND in the regular season.

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5 Group of 5 Games of the Week

The Group of 5 has a pretty nice slate this week. Every game has division implications and aside from the Sun Belt, ever conference entered this week with a chance to send a 12-1 team to the NY6 bowl.

5. Louisiana-Monroe 6-4 (4-2) at Arkansas State 6-4 (3-3)

ULM has been having a very successful season by their standards, and stand a very good chance of making the inaugural Sun Belt Championship Game with a win over Arkansas State. The Red Wolves are certainly NOT having a successful season based on their recent standards, but Monroe is still going to have a fight on their hands in Statesboro.

4. Memphis 6-4 (3-3) at SMU 5-5 (4-2)

SMU has come out of nowhere to throw their hat in the ring for the AAC West. Memphis was a preseason favorite, but the Tigers’ horrible first half tanked their chances. Memphis can still certainly play spoiler to the Mustangs and tank their surprise bid for the division. 

3. South Florida 7-3 (3-3) at Temple 6-4 (5-1)

The high achieving AAC East is having all of their top four teams playing each other this weekend. The South Florida-Temple game is taking a backseat to Cincinnati-UCF, but the game will help out with bowl selections and prestige. Temple still has a mathematical chance to win the division until UCF wins another game. Not bad for a team with an FCS loss to start the season.

2. Tulane 5-5 (4-2) at Houston 7-3 (4-2)

Houston’s recent losing skid has ruined their New Year’s Bowl chances, but the Cougar can still win the AAC if they make the championship game. The only issue is that they no longer control their destiny. UH hosts a Tulane team that has resuscitated their chances to make a bowl, a rare feat for the Green Wave.

1. San Diego State 7-3 (4-2) at Fresno State 8-2 (5-1)

Fresno State can still lock up their division with a win over rival San Diego State despite their surprise loss to Boise State last week. The Aztecs could have easily retaken the division if they’d followed up the Broncos win over Fresno with a win of their own. But thanks to SDSU’s shocking upset at the hands of UNLV, the Aztecs can only hope to force a weird tie-breaker with the Bulldogs and Nevada unless things really get out of hand in the next two weeks.

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FCS Games of the Week

Honestly…the FCS has some really good games on this week. For the lower tier of D-1, this is the last week of the regular season, so we’ve got a lot of interesting games to look at.

7. #11 Princeton 9-0 (6-0) at Penn 6-3 (3-3)

Princeton plays rival Penn and are aiming to win the Ivy League outright and claim their first undefeated season since 1964.

6. #8 Colgate 9-0 (6-0) at Army 8-2

Colgate is gunning for an undefeated season of their own, but they have to face off against the best Army team in decades. It’s a tough draw.

5. #22 McNeese State 6-4 (5-3) at Lamar 6-4 (5-3)

The Battle of the Border between McNeese State and Lamar will likely be for the final Playoff spot that the Southland Conference receives.

4. #25 Montana State 6-4 (4-3) at Montana 6-4 (4-3)

The Brawl of the Wild is one of the longest running FCS rivalries outside of the Ivy League. This year’s edition could give the winner a spot in the Playoff, the 6-5 loser will certainly not make the field.

3. #16 Maine 7-3 (6-1) at #14 Elon 6-3 (4-2)

Maine is gunning for their first CAA title since 2013 and a win over Elon would give them the outright title. The Phoenix will likely make the Playoff, but a win over the Black Bears will help Elon get a nice seeding.

2. #7 James Madison 7-3 (5-2) at #15 Towson 7-3 (5-2)

The CAA is chock full of talent and two more surefire Playoff entrants take the field with a potential first round bye on the line. 

1. #2 Kennesaw State 9-1 (5-1) at #6 Jacksonville State 8-2 (7-1)

A very rare out-of-conference, top ten matchup is the #1 game for the last week of the FCS regular season. Both teams want a first round bye and the winner will be in prime position to go deep into the Playoff.

[thecollegefootballguy]

New Year’s Six Prognostication: Week 12

We’re getting real close! The Playoff race seems more or less wrapped up, but the NY6 picture is staying very interesting as upsets are tanking otherwise very strong resumes. Let’s see how things have shaken up in the last year.

Peach Bowl: 12-0 UCF vs 10-3 West Virginia

UCF is looking even more secure as the G5 champion with Fresno State taking a fall on the blue turf. West Virginia might be good enough to beat Oklahoma, either in the regular season or the rematch. I’m not quite predicting that yet but I wouldn’t be surprised anymore.

Orange Bowl (semifinal): 13-0 Clemson vs 12-0 Notre Dame

Sure

Cotton Bowl (semifinal): 13-0 Alabama vs 12-1 Michigan

Same as last week. Michigan is one of the teams that I think wouldn’t be a two touchdown underdog, so it might be a decent game.

Fiesta Bowl: 10-2 LSU vs 10-2 Washington State

The Cougars keep tenaciously winning and could be heading to the Rose Bowl, or even the Playoff, if they get several more breaks going their way. Like West Virginia, I’m not totally sold, but I think they could get into an NY6 bowl at this rate. 

Rose Bowl: 10-2 Ohio State vs 10-3 Washington

Yeah I’ll take it. Ohio State has successfully positioned themselves as the second best team in the Big Ten. Washington might still be the best team in the PAC-12, though we won’t know that until the Apple Cup.

Sugar Bowl: 11-2 Georgia vs 12-1 Oklahoma

Yup.

[thecollegefootballguy]

New Year’s Six Prognostication: Week 9

Boy we’ve had two real good weeks in a row that have subverted expectations and shaken up the college football landscape. Now it’s time to take stock and see how the Playoff picture and the NY6 at large has been changed. Of course, this is subject to change if we get more upsets next week.

Peach Bowl: 10-2 NC State vs 10-2 Florida

NC State clearly isn’t elite, but the rest of the division isn’t good enough to really keep them down. The Wolfpack will have a rare day in the sun against a team more accustomed to success. Florida is good and getting better. They shouldn’t be good enough to win the East and threaten a Playoff spot, but at this point they don’t have too many opportunities to lose and NOT play in a Peach or Fiesta Bowl.

Orange Bowl (semifinal): 13-0 Clemson vs 12-0 Notre Dame

Same as last week. Clemson is finally looking like a real Playoff contender. They might shellac Notre Dame if they play the Irish like they did NC State. 

Cotton Bowl (semifinal): 13-0 Alabama vs 12-1 Ohio State

Same as last week, though, of course, I’m a lot less certain about Ohio State. What can I say, the Buckeyes got humiliated. However, they still have a good team and have their own weird mojo that allows them to beat Michigan. They could very well win out and make the Playoff. They’d get torn apart by Bama, but it might not be as bad as the Purdue loss…

Fiesta Bowl: 11-1 UCF vs 10-3 Texas

I’m much less confident in Texas than UCF. The Longhorns have talent, but haven’t deployed it too much outside of their upset over Oklahoma. They’re overrated at #6, but they have a defense and if they can score they can certainly threaten to win the Big 12. The Knights could go unbeaten, but the rest of their schedule might prevent that.

Rose Bowl: 11-2 Washington vs 10-2 Michigan

This would be a great Rose Bowl. Washington is still the best team in the PAC-12 until Wazzu beats them, I don’t care what anybody says. On the flip side of that coin, Michigan is playing like the best team in the Big Ten. I still can’t trust the Wolverines to beat Ohio State, so I won’t pick them to get in the Playoff. Maybe we’ll get an old fashioned PAC #1 vs B1G #1 in the Rose Bowl. I’m all the way on board.

Sugar Bowl: 11-2 Georgia vs 11-2 Oklahoma

The same matchup as the previous few weeks.

[thecollegefootballguy]

Arkansas, Oklahoma State schedule 2024, 2027 football series

The Arkansas Razorbacks and the Oklahoma State Cowboys have scheduled a home-and-home football series for 2024 and 2027.

I like this! Way back when these teams used to play every year.

[thecollegefootballguy]

2018 Top Games of the Week: Week 8

Week 8 has got some interesting and important games spread across multiple conferences! Sounds good to me.

The Top Ten Games of the Week

10. #18 Penn State 4-2 (1-2) at Indiana 4-3 (1-3)

Penn State has officially been knocked out of the Playoff race. Can the punchy Hoosiers upset a reeling Nittany Lion team?

9. #20 Cincinnati 6-0 (2-0) at Temple 4-3 (3-0)

UCF, South Florida, Cincinnati, and Temple are all undefeated in AAC play. It’s a wide open race and the winner will likely go to the New Year’s Bowl. Well, not Temple. The Owls had a terrible September but have been playing some very good ball in the last month. They can play spoiler for the entire conference. If they play it right.

8. USC 4-2 (3-1) at Utah 4-2 (2-2)

Everybody but UCLA has a chance to win the PAC-12 South. USC and Utah are the best bets, in my opinion, to actually challenge for it. No offense to Colorado.

7. Virginia 4-2 (2-1) at Duke 5-1 (1-1)

This is a very real and very important game in the ACC Coastal. With Miami and Virginia Tech not as good as we expected, both Virginia and Duke hold their destinies in their hands to challenge for the division. Yes, it’s weird, but it’s also awesome.

6. Colorado 5-1 (2-1) at #15 Washington 5-2 (3-1)

Colorado has a better record than Washington right now, just as we expected. The Buffs are challenging for the South crown but have a very tough road game against a Washington team that is all kinds of disappointed from their crushing overtime loss to Oregon last week. The Huskies need a good break or two to win the North and they have to take care of business from here on out to really compete. 

5. #9 Oklahoma 5-1 (2-1) at TCU 3-3 (1-2)

Texas is currently sitting at the top of the Big 12 standings, but Oklahoma is still the most dangerous team in the league. The Sooners visit Fort Worth to face a lackluster TCU squad. The Horned Frogs haven’t lived up to their billing on offense, but they still have one of the few defenses that can hope to corral OU.

4. #22 Mississippi State 4-2 (1-2) at #5 LSU 6-1 (3-1)

LSU is riding high after blowing out unbeaten Georgia last week. The Tigers host  Mississippi State. If they play like they did against the (UGA) Bulldogs, this shouldn’t be a problem. However, the Tigers haven’t shown the consistency to play like that every week, and if it’s a game, well who knows what could happen if you’ve got a big win hangover.

3. #12 Oregon 5-1 (2-1) at #25 Washington State 5-1 (2-1)

Congrats to Washington State for finally getting Gameday. It’s well deserved. The Cougars are really threatening for the PAC-12 North and they might have a leg up on Oregon. The Ducks are good and clearly improving, but Wazzu has been quietly putting together a good season. Suddenly this game has pivotal importance to the PAC-12 North race. The winner will be the frontrunner to win the division until Wazzu loses the Apple Cup. 

2. #6 Michigan 6-1 (4-0) at #22 Michigan State 4-2 (2-1)

Don’t look now but Michigan is playing like a real Playoff team. Michigan State isn’t, but that has never stopped the Spartans from beating UM. Harbaugh has had a lot of trouble clearing the MSU hurdle since he took over, and boy do we all hear about it. Let’s see what kind of ugly slug-fest this devolves into. What’s the forecast?

1. #16 NC State 5-0 (2-0) at #3 Clemson 6-0 (3-0)

The Textile Bowl will likely decide the ACC. Yeah that’s right, Clemson and NC State are clearly the best teams in the conference right now. The Tigers are certainly the favorites, but the Wolfpack save their best punches for Clemson. We could very well have our first no doubt P5 conference champion at the end of this week.

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5 Group of 5 Games of the Week

5. Louisiana-Lafayette 3-3 (1-1) at Appalachian State 4-1 (2-0)

App State is probably gonna win this in a blowout but I didn’t know what else to do with the 5 spot.

4. FAU 3-3 (1-1) at Marshall 4-2 (2-1)

If you care about Conference USA (for some reason) this is one of the games that will help decide the confusing East Division.

3. Buffalo 6-1 (3-0) at Toledo 3-3 (1-1)

The current best MAC team is playing at the usual best MAC team.

2. North Texas 6-1 (2-1) at UAB 5-1 (3-0)

The CUSA West division is a lot better than the East and this game is a key battle in the division and conference race.

1. Memphis 4-3 (1-3) at Missouri 3-3 (0-3)

Make no mistake, this is a very winnable game for Memphis.

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FCS Games of the Week

5. #22 Rhode Island 4-2 (2-1) at #18 Stony Brook 5-2 (3-1)

The super crowded CAA race has turned into a dogfight with James Madison getting toppled two weeks ago. Rhode Island and Stony Brook are in the thick of the race (along with like five other teams). It’s a mess but it’s glorious. We don’t get stuff like this in the FBS anymore.

4. #23 Princeton 5-0 (2-0) at Harvard 3-2 (1-1)

Princeton is starting to pull away from the rest of the Ivy League, but it’s tough to win at Harvard and the Crimson will try everything in their power to beat their old rival.

3. #2 South Dakota State 4-1 (2-1) at #25 Northern Iowa 3-3 (2-1)

A big road test for a South Dakota State team that has every intention of winning out and getting a first round bye in the Playoff. The Panthers are usually a solid team and 2018 looks no different. 

2. #21 ETSU 6-1 (4-0) at #12 Wofford 4-2 (3-1)

With the rest of the league somewhat under-performing, this looks like the odds on favorite to be the game that decides the Southern conference.

1. #8 Illinois State 5-1 (2-10 at #1 North Dakota State 6-0 (3-0)

The only top ten matchup in all of D-1 this week, Illinois State has the misfortune of visiting Fargo, where the Bison haven’t lost since 2016.

[thecollegefootballguy]

12 Most Important PAC-12 Rivalries in 2018

I’m starting to run out of time so I’m gonna be quick with these now. If you’ve been following the others you know the drill. This series is looking at which rivalry games mean the most to the conference, taking into account recent history as well as past and present stakes.

The game has to be played in 2018 to make the list, though that isn’t too big a deal in the PAC-12 as all of its best rivalries have remained intact.

Some honorable mentions before we begin:

Colorado vs Colorado State Colorado at Nebraska

These Colorado rivalries come up a hair short compared to their contemporaries. Colorado-CSU is more or less irrelevant outside of bragging rights in the state, thought it has gotten better with the bettering of the Rams’ fortunes and the Buffs’ struggles more or less evening these two teams out. The CU-NU rivalry used to be one of the biggest games in the Big 8 and Big 12 from the 80′s into the early 2000′s. We’re glad to have the game back, even for just a few years.

12. Utah at Colorado (Rumble in the Rockies)

The Colorado-Utah rivalry has some old history, but was more or less a marriage of convenience when both schools joined the PAC-12. However, we can already see the foundation of a fruitful rivalry game being laid as year over year, although it has a ways to go before it could attempt to be in the conversation as one of the PAC-12′s best games. The Utes have won five of the seven games played since these teams joined the league. The 2018 contest will be the 65th time these teams have played.

Keep reading

[thecollegefootballguy]

10 Most Important Big 12 Rivalries in 2018

The Big 12 doesn’t have a ton of great rivalries in terms of volume, that kind of thing happens when a third of the founding members leave in two years. The Big 12 sees a ton of good games every season, but most of them don’t have that kind of fanaticism born of true rivalry. Perhaps one day new ones will develop and take the place of the games that have been lost.

Just a reminder, to make this list, the rivalry has to be on the 2018 schedule.

10. Kansas State at Iowa State (Farmageddon?)

Are we still calling this Farmageddon? I guess. Whatever. Like I said the Big 12 definitely has the least amount of good rivalries so this one makes it more or less by default. I’ll say this, ISU-KSU could be entering a new and more competitive period in its history. Kansas State has long dominated the Cyclones and have won ten in a row. It’s the 102nd playing of this series.

Keep reading

[thecollegefootballguy]

Clemson, LSU schedule 2025-26 football series

The Clemson Tigers and the LSU Tigers have scheduled a home-and-home football series for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, both schools announced on Wednesday.

NNIIIICCCEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

[chlostertalks]

Ohio State: More than 100 former students allege sexual abuse by ex-team doctor Richard Strauss

In addition to Meyer’s potential knowledge of assistant Zach Smith’s domestic abuse against Smith’s wife, Ohio State is also dealing with sexual abuse claims. Dr. Richard Strauss is alleged to have assaulted at least 100 students from 14 different sports, and students as young as high school ages at his private practice. 

Though Strauss died in 2005, Jim Jordan, Representative of the State of Ohio, may have known about allegations dating as far back as 1987. 

[saturdaystars]

ESPN college football pic em game

Join my group!!

Get in the action now:

http://fantasy.espn.com/college-football-pickem/2018/en/group?ex_cid=cpickem2016_email&groupID=39898&inviteuser=e0MzNDBBNDAyLTJFOTItNDg0QS05NTIxLUNENThGMjFFMTFFQX0%3D&invitesource=email

[thecollegefootballguy]

Top 14 Big Ten Games in 2018

We move on with a look to the Midwest and a look at the biggest games in the Big Ten conference, at least from a preseason perspective.

The Big Ten has plenty of intrigue this year. The West appears to be slowly improving, and the East is as tough as ever. Surely some unforeseen games will surprise us along the way, but here are the obvious candidates for the meetings that will decide the season.

First off, a few honorable mentions:

Notre Dame at Northwestern Northwestern at Purdue Northwestern at Iowa Iowa at Purdue Iowa State at Iowa Penn State at Pittsburgh Ohio State at Purdue Northwestern at Michigan State

These are the second tier of games, most of them will have some impact on bowl positioning, though I’d bet some of these will end up being more important than we anticipated.

14. Wisconsin at Purdue

Purdue is good again, it’s a weird feeling. The Boilermakers have an offense and they’re gonna be able to do some damage with it. Wisconsin travels to West Lafayette in late November, after what will surely be a taxing game against Penn State. Purdue has the perfect opportunity to topple the division favorites, and with the Badgers’ schedule, the West race could open up to the right usurper if Wisconsin drops a couple of games.

Keep reading

[saturdaystars]

Louis Armstrong hanging out with the Iowa State mascot

[thecollegefootballguy]

14 Most Important ACC Rivalries in 2018

I did this feature in 2016 and folded it into the Top X Games in Y Conference last year, but because I want to take on extra work I’m gonna do both! This series won’t be looking at which games are will have the biggest impact in the coming year, but at which rivalry games will be the best to watch. Obviously what constitutes a rivalry is up for debate, so give me a bit of leeway with this. I’ll be looking at which rivalries have meant a lot in recent history and how important they’ll be in the coming year.

DISCLAIMER! A rivalry can only make the list if it is going to be played in 2018. Thank you.

First off, two honorable mentions that just missed the cut:

Notre Dame-Pittsburgh Boston College-Virginia Tech

I’ve always been a fan of the ND-Pitt game. It takes a backseat to bigger rivalries for both teams, but it’s usually interesting and has some history behind it. Boston College-Virginia Tech was one of the most important games in the ACC in the last half of the 2000′s. It has fallen away with the regression of BC’s program (and to a lesser extent VA Tech’s), but I wanted to give it a shout out since it was only 10 years ago that these teams were routinely playing for the ACC Championship.

14. Penn State at Pittsburgh

I’m a big fan of old-school rivalry games and Penn State-Pitt used to be one of the biggest. In the years before the Big East this was the premier football game in the Northeast. The last 30 or so years haven’t been to kind to this game, but this brief revival has recaptured a tiny bit of the magic. The Nittany Lions insist that the game isn’t meaningful as much at the Panthers insist that it is. It certainly was meaningful in 2016, when Pittsburgh’s shootout win ended up costing Penn State a spot in the Playoff. Now the Nittany Lions return to Heinz Field to exact their revenge against their most certainly not-hated, not-rivals. The schools have so far split the first two games of their current four game series.  It’s the 99th meeting between the “rivals”.

Keep reading

[chlostertalks]

Ole Miss has a Landshark mascot. 

For the first time since 2010, Ole Miss is changing its mascot. Rebel the Black Bear is retiring, and Landshark Tony is taking his place. 

The shark comes from the Rebels’ Landshark Defense, which rose in popularity in 2008. One of the core members of the original Landshark Defense was linebacker Tony Fein (second photo), an Army veteran from the Iraqi War who invented the Landshark sign. After playing for the Ravens and Seahawks in preseason, Fein died in 2009. Landshark Tony gets his name and jersey number from Fein. 

Rebel Land Shark was a finalist for a new mascot in 2010, but lost to Rebel the Black Bear. 

Rebel represented one of the most common animals in the South, the American black bear. He was Ole Miss’ mascot from 2010 to 2017. @TheAndrewBondi. 

Landshark Tony made an appearance at Meet the Rebels today. Learn more about him here. 

[thecollegefootballguy]

Top 14 ACC Games in 2018

College football season is fast approaching, so it’s time to start previewing the upcoming year. I’ll be going conference by conference looking at the best games on the schedule, starting with the ACC. I’m doing a top 14 for the 14 members of the league, though representation will not be equal. These are the games I think will shape the season the most for the ACC in 2018.

Just for fun, I’d like to throw out a few honorable mentions before we begin, something to whet the appetite.

Penn State at Pittsburgh Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech Alabama vs Louisville Florida at Florida State Florida State at Notre Dame South Carolina at Clemson Clemson at Georgia Tech

I anticipate that many of these games will fill highlight reels. Most of them are out of conference affairs that won’t directly effect the ACC race, but they will directly impact the league’s position among the top Power conferences. The ACC has come far in the past few years, and is now in the discussion with the SEC and Big Ten as the top conference in the land. They’ll have to win some of these matchups to keep in the discussion.

Now, on to the real countdown.

14. Clemson at Wake Forest

This could be one of those sleeper games that catches a heavy favorite off-guard. Wake Forest quietly turned in a very impressive 2017 campaign, going 8-5 with home wins over Louisville and NC State. The Demon Deacons host Clemson right before the Tigers take on NC State, Florida State, and Louisville in consecutive games. It’s as tough a midseason slate you can get in the conference. If Clemson is caught looking forward, Wake could pull the upset and really make October interesting in the ACC.

Keep reading

[youarelookinglive]

A quick Baylor Bear sketch. Could have been faster had I not started drawing on the wrong layer. 😒

Why’d I draw Baylor? It was elected by my Patreon backers. If you’d like to vote for what I draw and help support my work, please consider checking out my Patreon page via the link in the header above.

[youarelookinglive]

The new Big XII season is going to be a fight.

Also announcing my new Patreon page (http://patreon.com/YouAreLookingLive). If you would like to support my art, please check it out. By doing so, you’ll get access to behind-the-scenes sketches, process videos, and even a vote each week to decide which matchups gets illustrated.