Keepng it REAL... BIG TIME

In times of extreme excitement and expectations, we can tend to take it overboard. And then when something fails to meet our expectations, we can take our disappointment overboard. Tomorrow, Sept. 25, 2010 could be one of those moments in the history of the University of Arkansas. This "blog" will be brief, just a few thoughts on what COULD be one of the biggest days in my school's, no my STATE's history. (Was that taking it overboard?)

Big games come and go. Every couple of years there will be a team that we (the UofA) put alot of stock into beating. Whether it was Texas through the '60s, '70s and '80s, or any number of SEC foes in the past 2 decades, there have been certain games that transcended being an "important" game, to being a HUGE game with far-reaching effects and lasting memories. Some of those games lived up to the hype and marketing, and some didn't (USC/Mitch's first appearance).

I have been blessed to be at a few of those games. I will always cherish my memories from 1999's "revenge" affair against defending national champions Tennessee, the feeling of spending $30 for a $2 student ticket so that my friend from Jonesboro could come to the game. Standing practically on the field throughout the game in the Northeast corner of Razorback Stadium, pre-expansion and jumbo-tron, when the student section included the bleachers in front of the Broyles center and the grassy hill on the south end zone. I can be be seen on the TV broadcast jumping in celebration as Tee Martin's last ditch effort is unsuccessful. (Trust me, how many other large guys could there be in the corner of the end zone that had taken their red shirt off to be bathed in white undershirt glory because it was INCREDIBLY warm for a Fayetteville November?)

I was standing next to the goalpost as Craig O'neill announced as the clock was running down, "I have to read this... Please stay off the field once the game is complete." Within seconds, the police and stadium crew "guarding" the field gave a smile, some high fives and told us not to get hurt. I was also in that same end zone when the first goal post came down, to be met with another unforgettable O'neill line, "We'd like to thank the University of Arkansas student body for taking the first steps in the stadium remodeling."

After pulling up a chuck of turf "for history" from where the goal post once stood, we headed home to continue the party. Some EIGHT hours later, my friends and I traveled down to Dickson street, where the police had closed a stretch of the road where the goal post was propped against the Ozark Brewing Co.'s balcony. Open containers and hog calls ruled the street, like a scene from Mardi Gras. I took a sharpie and signed the goal post, down low on the back side, and didn't like my signature or it's placement, so I signed it again, this time on the front side about 3/4 of the way up the post, below the cross bar. I wished that day could never end, and in some ways it hasn't.

My point is, weeks and days like this don't come along very often. A win Saturday could surely be bigger than our win in 1999, but that day will never fade in the hearts and minds of the Razorbacks who lived it. At first, I missed being in Fayetteville for this game, but as I thought more about what those folks could experience tomorrow, I couldn't help but feel happy for them. Win or lose, this is a special time, and it is more than a game. Saturday at 2:30, it's just a game, but the stuff leading up to it, and HOPEFULLY the stuff following will last a lifetime.

If we lose, the season isn't over, so we have to be prepared not to let the special game week we've had come crashing down. The Hogs will rebound, and there will be big games again, so let's just live this moment for all we can and take each day as it comes.

GO HOGS!!

Regular Guy's Top 25

I love college football, and have wanted to share my opinions on the sport for a while, so I decided I would do a "Top 25" list. Due to the fact that I think pre-season polls are silly, and EVERYBODY that blogs did their own, I waited until we got into the season. Actually, my non-stop job and my procrastinatory tendencies have really made me wait to write. (Procrastinatory - may not be a real word, but I'll bet it KILLS in "words with friends")

One other drawback to doing a true "Top 25" poll, aside from my busy life and laziness, is the fact that I'm no expert. I don't get paid to do nothing but college football. I'm not in the media, I'm not a coach, I'm just a regular guy that likes to kick back on Saturdays (and sometimes Thursdays) and watch some exciting games.

So, without further ado, I bring you the non-insiders, unprofessional, everyday kind of guy's thoughts on the AP Top 25. I'm using the AP poll because it is done by folks who MOSTLY get ti right, unlike the coaches who have a vested interest in their votes. Also, I respect the AP for not associating with the BCS.

And as always, these are solely my thoughts, any hate-mail that might result from this should be directed to my alternate email address, youarestupid@getalife.com... So let's go...

25. Oregon State Beavers

A good team that played TCU pretty well, especially considering they were playing in one of the most unfair "neutral site" games in quite some time. They won't win the PAC-10, and they know that. All they are playing for this year is pride. Oh, and the "honor" of the BCS conferences against Boise St. Win against BSU and they're showered with love and national praise, but lose and their just the big toothed representative of the state with the least scary Division 1 mascots in the nation.

24. Arizona Wildcats

They still play football? Yes sir/ma'am they do. They've crushed Toledo and The Citadel so far this season. But the pre-season's over. This week they play Iowa. And while the Big-10 initially induces bouts of severe boredom and sleep, Iowa is tough. We'll get to them later.

23. Houston Cougars

Phi-Slamma-Jamma with a helmet on. They gain alot of yards and score alot of points, but are one key injury away from being just another "mid major." Give them credit for scheduling UCLA, Mississippi State and Texas Tech in an effort to show that they can play the big boys. How would they know that UCLA, Tx Tech and MSU would be awful this year? Ok, they should have known about MSU.

22. Penn State Nittany Lions

THIS is JoPa's YEAR!! They finally have all the pieces he's been looking for since the days of Red Grange and Ulysses Grant. They finally have all the weapo.... Oh wait, their just average again.

21. West Virginia Mountaineers

Being from Arkansas, I have to root for the one big thing in an otherwise hillbilly state. After a tough, emotional loss to in-state ankle biter Marshall, WVU needs to bounce back this week before a trip to Baton Rouge to prove the value of the Big East.

20. Michigan Wolverines

I'm actually excited to see Mich. doing well. The Big 10 needs the Wolverines to be good to make the conference a little less dull. Rich Rodriguez has taken alot of heat, some of it deserves, and the program has seen some very low moments, but Denard Robinson is a FREAK and makes them fun to watch. I'd give anything to see them roll into their meeting with OSU and torch the sweater vest.

19. Stanford Cardinal

Out of all the FBS, they're the only smart kids that can actually play. They are the team you forget about because they're the future 25 year old millionaires, but they always rise up and beat somebody, or multiple somebodies. They've had legends, high draft picks, and even the greatest sports figure in a generation (so Tiger didn't play football, he could have if he wanted to) and consistently make a pretty boring conference somewhat interesting.

18. USC Trojans

I'll keep this short. I don't like them. They talked their way into sharing LSU's national title, then wouldn't share with Auburn the next year. Plus, Lane Kiffin's an arrogant (edit) who belongs at a school with as little class as he has. I'm glad they got caught cheating, I just wish they couldn't mess up Oregon's chance at a national title.

17. Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes

The national media wants "The U" to be good SOOOO bad. Things just seem more fun when you've got some Thug-life on South Beach on a Saturday night. Give them credit for Ohio St and Pitt non-conference, but I still think they're a year or two away.

16. Auburn Tigers

I like the school, don't like the coaches. Particularly their "Trophy Coordinator" Malzahn. A Trophy Coordinator is the football equivalent of a trophy wife. He wrote a book, he's a genius if you ask him, and he'll be a head coach somewhere with a mediocre record and a Aloha Bowl to his name.

15. LSU Tigers

Ok, we all know Les Miles is dumb. So take that out of the equation and LSU has the ability to be the most underrated AND overrated team in college football. They should have lost to half a North Carolina team, but could beat Alabama. You just never know, and neither does their coach.

14. Utah Utes

Once a darling of the underdog crowd, they are now just a pretty good football team that very few people will see play. After a tight win over Pitt to start the season, they could be looking at 3 or more losses this season, and that might not get them in a bowl game after Dec. 25.

13. South Carolina Gamecocks

How do you not love Spurrier? He's funny, smart, and wore the visor when the visor wasn't cool. Even his Under Armour days were good. This could be a dangerous team, but their schedule is brutal. Their SEC West games are Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas. Then, they wrap it all up at Clemson. They got a big win over Georgia, and could get some more.

12. Arkansas Razorbacks

I'll try to stay impartial on this one, but it's tough. They seriously could make some HUGE noise this year, but they also could lose 4 games. Ryan Mallett is a stud, and the first true Heisman type QB that I've seen at Arkansas in my lifetime. Let's hope the defense can play well enough to not make Ryan have to throw for 500 yards every game. Let's also hope that the weird injuries are over for the year, and that the depth at RB can carry the load left by Denis Johnson's gut wrenching (no pun intended) injury. How do you get a perforated colon in a football game anyways?

11. Wisconsin Badgers

zzzzzzzzzz Big Ten snooooooore UNLV, San Jose State, Arizona State, Austin Peay non-conference zzzzzzzzzzzzzz will lose to Ohio State and Michigan

10. Florida Gators

Where's Tim Tebow again? What? NFL? How'd that get allowed? Better get some kinda Harry Potter action going on a statue somewhere and bring that boy back.

9. Iowa Hawkeyes

Cool logo, cool colors, tough games in boring conference. Aside from Michigan, I'm actually pulling for them to come out of the Big Ten, but it's going to be tough.

8. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Like Michigan, it's cool to see Nebraska doing well again. The national media, especially the Mid-West, wants Nebraska to be good for old time's sake, and they're doing it right. Or at least like they used to. With a pretty easy schedule, only 3 potential trouble games (Texas, Okla. St, and Texas A&M) this is a great opportunity to score some big pub before sliding in line with their other boring friends in the Big Ten.

7. Oklahoma Sooners

If they get past Texas, we're just waiting on the inevitable head-scratching loss that is a spot on their record after winning the Big XII championship, a loss that would also be talked away by pundits explaining why they got into the BCS National Title game over an undefeated outsider or a lower (pre-season) ranked SEC champion.

6. Texas Longhorns

I'll try to be civil. They are the personification of everything that is WRONG with Division 1 (now FBS) football. What they did during the conference realignment frenzy did benefit them, but at a cost to all but a couple teams in their conference, teams deserving an equal shot at exposure/money that can't get into a big conference, and fans in general not wearing burnt orange. They saw that the Big Ten for years had a direct path to the title game due to unbalanced league and no title game, and decided they would turn the Big XII into that ridiculous model. Good luck in your weak league Longhorns... Boomer Sooner and Giggem you (edit)s.

5. Oregon Ducks

The nation's worst uniforms, and a color-blind Disney mascot could be the first Pac-10 team not named for condoms to actually have a shot at the national title. They play some dangerous games, but if they somehow come though they could benefit from the Big Ten model of weak league and no conference title game. They've killed their opponents so far, and even though Tennessee isn't very good they are still Tennessee and the game was in Knoxville.

4. TCU Horned Frogs

The first of a number of teams that could be screwed by the "separate but equal" segregation-ism that is the current system. They SHOULD finish undefeated, and because of their pre-season rank should have a good spot at the end of the season, but with undefeated teams from 2 BCS conferences that don't play title games, and 2 one loss teams from the SEC and Big XII, and an undefeated "little guy" that started the season ranked ahead of them, there just isn't going to be any room for them at the big boys table.

3. Boise State Broncos

This is the other "little guy." It was noted in week 1 what a sad system it was that the BSU v. Va Tech game essentially held 3 schools national title hopes in the balance. But how much more sad is it now that after beating Va. Tech, Boise's hopes could still be dashed because Va. Tech decided the were GROSSLY overrated and lost to FCS (Div. I-AA) James Madison? The system is so bad, you wonder how much money Va. Tech made to "take a dive" and save the system. Boise is good, and exciting to watch. And no matter how much the BCS may say "some of my best friends are small conference schools," in the end Boise will be sitting out back because the BCS "don't serve your kind here."

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

Once again, all the stars have aligned. The Buckeyes have the pre-season ranking to keep them up there in line for their national title game beatdown. I'm pulling so hard for them to slip up, if nothing else lose to Michigan. I just don't think it's fair that they can play a mediocre schedule, not have to play a potential top ten team on a week's notice, and slide into the title game on 6 weeks rest. Of course, the rest hasn't exactly helped them in the past, but everything else has.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

To be the man... WOOOOO... You've gotta beat the man. Do I think they'll be beat? Highly possible. This year, the SEC will probably not continue it's dominance of the national title simply because their champion will most likely have one loss. That champion will still be the best team in the land, but will have to settle for playing a ticked off TCU in the Sugar Bowl. Also, with all the talk lately of Reggie Bush giving his Heisman Trophy back, the fact that Mark Ingram won it last year should show that the award doesn't mean much anymore anyways. He's not even the best back on his team, so how'd he get a trophy for being the "best player" in college football last year?

So what do I predict?

You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll cheer. You'll cuss. We'll talk about how this is the greatest game, and we'll talk about how unfair the system is. Basically... The same old wonderful thing.