NCAA FBS Top 25 for Week 9

Sorry these are a little late, I was on a Devil's Advocates (ASU Tour Guides) retreat on Saturday, so I had to play catch up today. Here is this week's Top 25! (All Times Eastern, Games are on Saturday, October 27 unless otherwise marked)

1. Alabama Crimson Tide: 7-0, 4-0 SEC, Last Week: (#1) W @ Tennessee 44-13, This Week: vs. Mississippi State, 8:30 PM on ESPN and WatchESPN

2. Oregon Ducks: 7-0, 4-0 Pac-12, Last Week: (#2) W @ #25 Arizona State 43-21, This Week: vs. Colorado, 3:00 PM on the Pac-12 Network

3. Florida Gators: 7-0, 6-0 SEC, Last Week: (#3) W vs. #10 South Carolina 44-11, This Week: @ #12 Georgia (In Jacksonville, FL), 3:30 PM on CBS

4. Kansas State Wildcats: 7-0, 4-0 Big XII, Last Week (#5) W vs. #18 West Virginia 55-14, This Week: vs. #15 Texas Tech, 3:30 PM on Fox

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 7-0, Last Week: (#4) W vs. BYU 17-14, This Week: @ #8 Oklahoma, 8:00 PM on ABC (College GameDay will be in Norman, OK for this game)

6. LSU Tigers: 7-1, 3-1 SEC, Last Week: (#6) W @ #20 Texas A&M 24-19, This Week: BYE

7. Ohio State Buckeyes: 8-0, 4-0 B1G, Last Week: (#7) W vs. Purdue 29-22, This Week: @ Penn State, 5:30 PM on ESPN and WatchESPN

8. Oklahoma Sooners: 5-1, 3-1 Big XII, Last Week: (#8) W vs. Kansas 52-7, This Week: vs. #5 Notre Dame, 8:00 PM on ABC (College GameDay will be in Norman, OK for this game)

9. Oregon State Beavers: 6-0, 4-0 Pac-12, Last Week: (#9) W vs. Utah 21-7, This Week: @ Washington, 10:15 PM on the Pac-12 Network

10. USC Trojans: 6-1, 4-1 Pac-12, Last Week: (#11) W vs. Colorado 50-6, This Week: @ Arizona, 3:30 PM on ABC or ESPN2 and WatchESPN

11. Florida State Seminoles: 7-1, 4-1 ACC, Last Week: (#12) W @ Miami (FL) 33-20, This Week: vs. Duke, 3:30 PM on ESPNU and WatchESPN

12. Georgia Bulldogs: 6-1, 4-1 SEC, Last Week: (#13) W @ Kentucky 29-24, This Week: vs. #3 Florida (In Jacksonville, FL), 3:30 PM on CBS

13. Mississippi State Bulldogs: 7-0, 3-0 SEC, Last Week: (#15) W vs. Middle Tennessee State 45-3, This Week: @ #1 Alabama 8:30 PM on ESPN and WatchESPN

14. Clemson Tigers: 6-1, 3-1 ACC, Last Week: (#14) W vs. Virginia Tech 38-17, This Week: @ Wake Forest, Thursday, Oct. 25, 7:30 PM on ESPN and WatchESPN

15. Texas Tech Red Raiders: 6-1, 3-1 Big XII, Last Week: (#17) W @ TCU 56-53, This Week: @ #4 Kansas State, 3:30 PM on Fox

16. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 7-0, 4-0 Big East, Last Week: (#19) W @ Temple 35-10, This Week: vs. Kent State, 3:30 PM on ESPN3

17. Louisville Cardinals: 7-0, 2-0 Big East, Last Week: (#16) W vs. South Florida 27-25, This Week: vs. Cincinnati, Friday, Oct. 26, 8:00 PM on ESPN2 and WatchESPN

18. South Carolina Gamecocks: 6-2, 4-2 SEC, Last Week: (#10) L @ #3 Florida 11-41, This Week: vs. Tennessee, 12:00 PM on ESPN, ESPN 3D, and Watch ESPN

19. Stanford Cardinal: 5-2, 3-1 Pac-12, Last Week: (#22) W @ Cal 21-3, This Week: vs. Washington State, 6:15 PM on the Pac-12 Network

20. Michigan Wolverines: 5-2, 3-0 B1G, Last Week: (#24) W vs. Michigan State 12-10, This Week: @ Nebraska, 8:00 PM on ESPN2 and WatchESPN

21. Boise State Broncos: 6-1, 3-0 MWC, Last Week: (Unranked [UR]) W vs. UNLV 32-7, This Week: @ Wyoming, 3:30 PM on the CBS Sports Network

22. Ohio Bobcats: 7-0, 3-0 MAC, Last Week: (#23) BYE, This Week: @ Miami (OH), 3:30 PM on ESPN3

23. Texas A&M Aggies: 5-2, 2-2 SEC, Last Week: (#20) L vs. #6 LSU 19-24, This Week: @ Auburn, 7:00 PM on ESPNU and WatchESPN

24. Texas Longhorns: 5-2, 2-2 Big XII, Last Week: (UR) W vs. Baylor 56-50, This Week: @ Kansas, 12:00 PM on Fox Sports Southwest

25. West Virginia Mountaineers: 5-2, 2-2 Big XII, Last Week: (#18) L vs. #5 Kansas State 14-55, This Week: BYE

Also Considered (#'s 26-45): Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Cincinnati Bearcats, Toledo Rockets, Wisconsin Badgers, TCU Horned Frogs, Penn State Nittany Lions, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Arizona State Sun Devils, North Carolina State Wolfpack, Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Northwestern Wildcats, UCLA Bruins, Duke Blue Devils, Northern Illinois Huskies, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, North Carolina Tarheels, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Arizona Wildcats

Biggest Winner: Boise State, unranked (#26) last week, #21 this week, up 5 spots

Biggest Loser: South Carolina, #10 last week, #18 this week, down 7 spots

Boise State's Blackout Uniforms

   I was browsing Bleacher Report, which is quickly becoming my favorite sports website, on Monday during my seven-hour plane delay when I came across something extremely interesting. Boise State, the school famous for busting the BCS and having the blue "smurf turf" had announced that they will be wearing brand new "black out" uniforms for their homecoming game against UNLV on Saturday.
 
   I, like Uni Watch blogger Paul Lukas, am very interested in uniforms, especially when it comes to college football. It seems that these days, thanks in large part to the University of Oregon and their love affair with Nike, that NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams have become the center of uniform innovation. And as we saw with Air Force two weeks ago and BYU last week, this is a very awesome thing, especially for black outs.

  I have loved seeing all the new uniforms come out over the past few years, especially when Arizona State came out with their new uniforms last year and Oregon every week, and black-out uniforms are my absolute favorite. For some reason it seems that uniform companies are at their best when it comes to black uniforms. Their seems to be more innovations in these than any uniform that involves a schools actual colors. Take, for example, Arizona State.
                                                                                                     

ASU's maroon uniforms. Photo: rt-now.com

Sun Devil RB Cameron Marshall wearing the "Maroon Monsoon uniform against USC in 2011. Photo:  arizonasports.com

ASU's maroon jersey with the maroon helmet and gold pants.  Photo: thesundevils.com

Arizona State's All-white uniform. Photo: arizona.sbnation.com

ASU employs two main, basic jerseys, two helmets and three pairs of pants. The Sun Devils wear a maroon jersey at home that is straight forward maroon and gold (A, B, and D), ASU's two primary colors. They look pretty sweet especially with the "ASU" and the shoulders and the stripes right above it. They also have a white jersey that they wear when the team travels (C). This is usually worn with the white helmet and white pants, but also may be worn with the maroon or gold pants (maroon more often than gold). This is also very basic with the same general design, but the numbers, instead of being plain gold are maroon with a gold outline. The shoulders, while the same design as the maroon jersey, is maroon instead of gold. The pants and helmets are basically interchangeable and can be seen in all of pictures. ASU (well, Nike) got more creative when it came to the black jerseys.  

Arizona State's Blackout Uniforms. Photo: blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com

     

   While the same design is used, it is in the number where the creativity is shown. The number changes color as it starts gold at the top and fades to white in the middle. They also have a matte black helmet with the new pitchfork logo, which is awesome. They are wearing these uniforms against Oregon on Thursday on ESPN, so tune in and watch what will be an amazing game! 

But, now back to the original point of this post. On Monday, Boise State released some absolutely sick uniforms for their homecoming game against UNLV. See them below. 

Boise State's Blackout Uniforms that will be worn this Saturday against UNLV. Photo: facebook.com/bleacherreport

   In this uniform set, Boise has taken many of the awesome uniform elements that they have introduced in the past few years and used some of the best elements of Nike's best designs over the past few years and combined them into one awesome, black, super jersey. My favorite element of this uniform is the helmet, because I have loved the giant bronco on the side of the helmet ever since Boise introduced it a few years ago against Georgia. It is something that is uniquely Boise's and it makes any uniform that they wear it with pop. I also love the black facemask. It makes the whole helmet more fierce. I also live the numbers on the uniform. As with ASU's, they start with the school's color and the top and fade to a silvery-white. I can't tell if it is silver or white, but we will find out in a few days. I also love how the numbers are outlined in orange. It just looks, well, for lack of a better term, badass. Boise State has one of the best blues in the nation and they utilize the perfect amount of it in the uniform. The gloves, which I hope have a bronco on the palms, look awesome in Boise blue. And did I mention that I love the black? It will amazing in contrast to Boise's famous "smurf-turf."

   I cannot wait to see these uniforms in action on Saturday. I know that they will look awesome, much like pretty much all of Nike's uniforms, and I cannot wait to see what Nike comes up with next and for which team it is for. They clearly lead the pack when it comes to uniform innovation and other companies like Under Armour need to take notice. Now, if only the MWC would let Boise wear the blue uniforms again.....

  

College Football FBS Top 25 for Week 8

Alright, it's time once again for me to say who are the Top 25 teams in the nation, at least in my mind. Here we go (All times ET) :

1. Alabama Crimson Tide: 6-0, 3-0 SEC, Last Week: (#1) W @ Missouri 42-10, This Week: @ Tennessee, Saturday, Oct. 20, 7:00 PM on ESPN and WatchESPN

2. Oregon Ducks: 6-0, 3-0 Pac-12, Last Week: (#2) BYE, This Week: @ #25 Arizona State, Thursday, Oct. 18, 9:00 PM on ESPN and WatchESPN

3. Florida Gators: 6-0, 5-0 SEC, Last Week: (#6) W @ Vanderbilt 31-17, This Week: vs. #10 South Carolina, Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30 PM on CBS

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 6-0, Last Week: (#5) W vs. #17 Stanford 20-13 OT, This Week: vs. BYU, Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30 PM on NBC

5. Kansas State Wildcats: 6-0, 3-0 Big XII, Last Week: (#7) W @ Iowa State 27-21, This Week: @#18 West Virginia, Sat., Oct. 20, 7:00 PM on Fox

6. LSU Tigers: 6-1, 2-1 SEC, Last Week: (#9) W vs. #3 South Carolina 23-21, This Week: @#20 Texas A&M, Sat., Oct. 20, 12:00 PM on ESPN, ESPN 3D, and WatchESPN

7. Ohio State Buckeyes: 7-0, 3-0 B1G,  Last Week: (#8) W @ Indiana 52-49, This Week: vs. Purdue, Sat., Oct. 20, 12:00 PM on ABC or ESPN2, and WatchESPN

8. Oklahoma Sooners: 4-1, 2-1 Big XII, Last Week: (#15) W vs. #16 Texas (@ Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX) 63-21, This Week: vs. Kansas, Sat., Oct. 20, 7:00 PM

9. Oregon State Beavers: 5-0, 3-0 Pac-12, Last Week: (#12) W vs. BYU 42-24, This Week: vs. Utah, Sat., Oct. 20, 10:30 PM on ESPN2 and WatchESPN

10. South Carolina Gamecocks: 6-1, 4-1 SEC, Last Week: (#3) L @ #9 LSU 21-23, This Week: @#3 Florida, Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30 PM on CBS

11. USC Trojans: 5-1, 3-1 Pac-12, Last Week: (#11) W @ Washington 24-14, This Week: vs. Colorado, Sat., Oct. 20, 6:00 PM on Pac-12 Network

12. Florida State Seminoles: 6-1, 3-1 ACC, Last Week: (#10) W vs. Boston College 51-7, This Week: @ Miami (FL), Sat., Oct. 20, 8:00 PM on ABC

13. Georgia Bulldogs: 5-1, 3-1 SEC, Last Week: (#13) BYE, This Week: @ Kentucky, Sat., Oct. 20, 7:00 PM

14. Clemson Tigers: 5-1, 2-1 ACC, Last Week: (#14) BYE, This Week: vs. Virginia Tech, Sat., Oct. 20, 12:00 PM on ABC or ESPN2 and WatchESPN

15. Mississippi State Bulldogs: 6-0, 3-0 SEC, Last Week: (#18) W vs. Tennessee 41-31, This Week: vs. Middle Tennessee State, Sat., Oct. 20, 7:00 PM on ESPN2 and WatchESPN

16. Louisville Cardinals: 6-0, 1-0 Big East, Last Week: (#19) W @ Pittsburgh 45-35, This Week: vs. South Florida, Sat. Oct. 20, Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30 PM on ABC

17. Texas Tech Red Raiders: 5-1, 2-1 Big XII, Last Week: (Unranked [UR]) W vs. #4 West Virginia 49-14, This Week: @ TCU, Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30 PM on ESPN2 or ABC and WatchESPN

18. West Virginia Mountaineers: 5-1, 2-1 Big XII, Last Week: (#4) L @ Texas Tech 14-49, This Week: vs. #5 Kansas State, Sat., Oct. 20, 7:00 PM on Fox

19. Rutgers Scarlet Knights: 6-0, 3-0 Big East, Last Week: (#20) W vs. Syracuse 23-15, This Week: @ Temple, Sat., Oct. 20, 12:00 PM on the Big East Network and ESPN3

20. Texas A&M Aggies: 5-1, 2-1 SEC, Last Week: (#24) W @#21 Louisiana Tech 59-57, This Week: vs. #6  LSU, Sat., Oct. 20 12:00 PM on ESPN, ESPN 3D, and WatchESPN

21. Cincinnati Bearcats: 5-0, 1-0 Big East, Last Week: (#22) W vs. Fordham 49-17, This Week: @ Toledo, Sat., Oct. 2012, 7:00 PM on ESPN3

22. Stanford Cardinal: 4-2, 2-1 Pac-12, Last Week: (#17) L @#5 Notre Dame 13-20 OT, This Week: @ Cal,  Sat., Oct. 20 3:30 PM on Fox

23. Ohio Bobcats: 7-0, 3-0 MAC, Last Week: (#23) W vs. Akron 34-28, This Week: BYE

24. Michigan Wolverines: 4-2, 2-0 B1G, Last Week: (UR) W vs. Illinois 45-0, This Week: vs. Michigan State, Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30 PM on the Big Ten Network

25. Arizona State Sun Devils: 5-1, 3-0 Pac-12, Last Week: (UR) W vs. Colorado 51-17, This Week: vs. #2 Oregon, Thursday, October 18, 9:00 PM on ESPN

Also Considered (#'s 26-43): Boise State Broncos, TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Longhorns, UCLA Bruins, Northwestern Wildcats, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, NC State Wolfpack, Wisconsin Badgers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Tulsa Golden Hurricane, North Carolina Tarheels, Nevada Wolfpack, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Northern Illinois Huskies, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, Toledo Rockets, Penn State Nittany Lions

Biggest Winner: Texas Tech, Unranked (#36) last week, #17 this week. Up 19 spots

Biggest Loser: West Virginia, #4 last week, #18 this week. Down 14 spots



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Colorado State University On-Campus Stadium Article from Feb. 2012

On-campus stadium proposal poses opposition, challenges, for new athletic director, community 

By: Jeff Vinton, Sports Editor (at the time), Spilled Ink 

When Colorado State University hired Jack Graham on Dec. 2, 2011 as the new athletic director, the idea of the Rams playing in an on-campus stadium instead of at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium, about three miles off campus, was proposed. Since then, it has been one of the most debated topics in recent Fort Collins history. 

   Graham suggested the idea of an on-campus stadium for three main reasons.

   “There are a number of reasons that led me to conclude that we need to have an on-campus football stadium,” Graham said. “The opportunity to be completely engaged with our alumni and to get our alumni in a position that they are enthused and passionate about giving back to our university, and not just to our athletic program, but across the university to our school of engineering, to our ag school, to the school of veterinary medicine to liberal arts, et cetera. This is about helping the entire university. That as well as the brand recognition and the opportunity to attract more students to come to CSU are primarily the reasons that I was committed to this.”

   Graham partnered with CSU President Tony Frank, and they have been aggressive in their pursuit of a new stadium. They have assembled a committee of 15 area citizens, met with construction companies, design firms, and engineers to learn what it would take to build it. Graham also believes that a new stadium will benefit the wider community.

   “As far as the greater Fort Collins community is concerned, this, an on-campus stadium will have a very positive economic impact on Fort Collins,” Graham said. “I think we can expect a positive economic impact of $1-1.5 million a year.”

   Not everyone agrees with the CSU Athletic Director, however. Greg Thompson, a freelance writer living in Fort Collins, is a member of the opposition group Save Our Stadium Hughes (SOSH). He is concerned about what an on-campus stadium will actually bring to campus.

   “An on-campus stadium is just going to bring traffic nightmares, trash nightmares, noise nightmares, and safety nightmares,” Thompson said. “I talked to some female students and they were worried about rowdy, inebriated people walking around campus and taking away the safety they feel. I am also worried about a new stadium taking up the green space that students enjoy so much on campus.”

   Graham plans to consider those worries and opposing views in deciding whether or not building a stadium is the right decision.

   “I really welcome the opposition. I think that opposing opinions and views makes the whole process better. It’ll make us more balanced in our approach, it’ll make us more disciplined in our approach,” Graham said. “And at the end of the day, I think the opposing voices can help us to a better answer and a better result, whether we build the stadium or not.”

   Thompson wants the supporters to really look at their arguments. 

   “I want them (the supporters of an on-campus stadium) to know that, so far, their arguments for the on-campus stadium are weak. At the meeting last week, Jack Graham used the word ‘engaged’ about 50 times. I don’t think being ‘engaged’ is worth $200 million, trash, traffic, safety, and noise. And, a new stadium is not going to help you score more touchdowns or get more third down conversions.” 

   The Stadium Advisory Committee has not set a date for their next meeting, but it is expected to be sometime in early to mid-March. The SOSH steering committee will meet again this evening at 7:30 p.m. at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, and the public is welcome to attend. 

(Note: On Oct. 4, the CSU Board of Governors gave approval to go ahead with a fundraising campaign for the on-campus stadium (per www.colostate.edu/stadium/). This is not the final approval for the stadium but it is a giant step toward the building of the new stadium.)


     

Week 7 NCAA FBS Top 25

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated my top 25. I have been a bit pre-occupied with schoolwork, but here is my Week 7 Top 25!

1.     Alabama: 5-0, 2-0 SEC, Last Week: Bye, This Week: @Missouri, 3:30 PM on CBS

2.     Oregon: 6-0, 3-0 Pac-12, Last Week: W vs. #23 Washington 52-21, This Week: BYE

3.     South Carolina: 6-0, 4-0 SEC, Last Week: W @ Georgia 35-7, This Week: @ #9 LSU, 8 PM

4.     West Virginia: 5-0, 2-0 Big XII, Last Week: 48-45 @ #11 Texas, This Week: @ Texas Tech, 3:30 PM on the ESPN Family of Networks

5.     Notre Dame: 5-0, Last Week: W 41-3 vs. Miami (FL), This Week: vs. #17 Stanford, 3:30 PM on NBC

6.     Florida: 5-0, 4-0 SEC, Last Week: W 14-6 vs. LSU, This Week: @ Vanderbilt, 6:00 PM on ESPNU and WatchESPN

7.     Kansas State: 5-0, 2-0 Big XII, Last Week: W 56-16 vs. Kansas, This Week: @ Iowa State, 12:00 PM on FX

8.     Ohio State: 6-0, 2-0 B1G, Last Week: W 63-38 vs. #21 Nebraska, This Week: @ Indiana, 8:00 PM on the Big Ten Network

   

9.     LSU: 5-1, 1-1 SEC, Last Week: L 6-14 @ #10 Florida, This Week: vs. #3 South Carolina, 8 PM

10. Florida State: 5-1, 2-1 ACC, Last Week: L 16-17 @ North Carolina State, This Week: vs. Boston College, 5:30 PM on ESPN2 and WatchESPN

11. USC: 4-1, 2-1 Pac-12, Last Week: 38-28 @ Utah, This Week: @ Washington, 7 PM on Fox

12. Oregon State: 4-0, 3-0 Pac-12, Last Week: W 19-6 vs. Washington State, This Week: @ BYU, 3:30 PM on ABC

13. Georgia: 5-1, 3-1 SEC, Last Week: L 7-35 @ South Carolina, This Week: BYE

14. Clemson: 5-1, 2-1 ACC, Last Week: W 41-37 vs. Georgia Tech, This Week: BYE

15. Oklahoma: 3-1, 1-1 Big XII, Last Week: W 41-20 @ Texas Tech, This Week: @ #16 Texas, 12:00 PM on ABC

16. Texas: 4-1, 1-1 Big XII, Last Week: L 45-48 vs. West Virginia, This Week: vs. #15 Oklahoma, 12:00 PM on ABC

17. Stanford: 4-1, 2-1 Pac-12, Last Week: W 54-48 OT vs. Arizona, This Week: @ #5 Notre Dame, 3:30 PM on NBC

18. Mississippi State: 5-0, 2-0 SEC, Last Week: W 27-14 @ Kentucky, This Week: vs. Tennessee, 9:00 PM on ESPN2 and WatchESPN

19. Louisville: 5-0, 0-0 Big East, Last Week: BYE, This Week: @ Pittsburgh, 11:00 AM on ESPNU and WatchESPN

20. Rutgers: 5-0, 2-0 Big East, Last Week: W 19-3 vs. Connecticut, This Week: vs. Syracuse, 12:00 PM on the Big East Network and ESPN3

21. Louisiana Tech: 5-0, 0-0 WAC, Last Week: W 58-31 vs. UNLV, This Week: vs. #24 Texas A&M, 9:00 PM on ESPNU and WatchESPN

22. Cincinnati: 4-0, 1-0 Big East, Last Week: W 52-14 vs. Miami (OH), This Week: vs. Fordham, 7:00 PM on ESPN3

23. Ohio: 6-0, 2-0 MAC, Last Week: W 38-31 vs. Buffalo, This Week: vs. Akron, 2:00 PM on ESPN3

24. Texas A&M: 4-1, 2-1 SEC, Last Week: W 30-27 @ Ole Miss, This Week: @ #21 Louisiana Tech, 9:00 PM on ESPNU and WatchESPN

25. Boise State: 4-1, 1-0 MWC, Last Week: 40-14 @ Southern Miss, This Week: vs. Fresno State, 3:30 PM on the NBC Sports Network

Also in Consideration: Michigan, Nebraska, Washington, Northwestern, UCLA, Baylor, Iowa State, TCU, Michigan State, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Duke, Tulsa, Penn State

Air Force's Uniforms 10/6/12

Over the course of the past few years, we, as fans, have seen many innovations in the world of college football uniforms. We all know Oregon, who, thanks to the donations of alum and Nike owner, Phil Knight, never wears the same uniform combination twice in a season and is at the forefront of uniform innovation with their chrome helmets and flashy jerseys. 
Every year there are random games throughout the season where one or both of the teams playing are wearing brand new, flashy uniforms. This year, there has been a multitude of those games, including Michigan vs. Alabama, Nebraska vs. Wisconsin, and tonight, Notre Dame vs. Miami (don't even get me started about Notre Dame's helmet tonight. I don't know who designed that, but I want to meet him so I can punch him in the face.) 
Today, when I woke up, I turned on CBS to see that Air Force, whose stadium I highly recommend taking a trip to, was playing Navy in Colorado Springs. I kept watching because: 1. I am from Colorado and I love any football in Colorado, and 2. Air Force is wearing some awesome looking new uniforms. 
These are being called Air Force's "Stealth" uniforms, and I completely agree with that. First, let's start with the helmet. The helmet has a silver base with what a black stripe down the middle and AFA's signature blue lightning bolt on either side. The helmet is also decorated with what looks like black triangles, but are actually pictures of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. I love these helmets. They relate back to what AFA all about and they look sick. The jerseys are black with blue numbers and a silver and black patch on the shoulders that reminds me somewhat of Oregon's old jersey that had the nail pattern on the shoulders. (Picture courtesy of dawgsports.com) 

Oregon's "nail" uniforms

The jersey also features the words "F-22 Raptor" and "B-2 Spirit" on the back where a name would typically be featured. I love when the service academies forsake names to put something like this on the back. It shows where the players come from and their first commitment is to protecting our country and then football. The pants are black with the shoulder pattern down the side. At the top a short, blue stripe interrupts the pattern, but still looks amazing. 
I love seeing all these new uniforms and I cannot wait to see what surprises are left in the uniform world this college football season. (See the full jersey below, courtesy of cbssports.com) 

AFA's "Stealth" uniforms

Braves Fans Should be Ashamed

What just happened in Atlanta during the Braves vs. Saint Louis Cardinals wild-card game was horrible. And I’m not talking about the call. Bad calls happen. They are part of sports. If we, as fans, don’t get that after dealing with three weeks of replacement referees in the NFL, then we still have something to learn. My problem is the reactions of the Braves fans to the “infield fly.”

            But first, let’s describe what happened. Eighth inning, two on, one out. Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons at the plate, and St. Louis reliever Mitchell Boggs is pitching. Boggs gets Andrelton to pop up to left field where left fielder Matt Holliday and shortstop Pete Kozma race to go to catch it. As if the baseball gods intervened, Holliday and Kozma let the ball drop between them. Was it miscommunication? Did the baseball gods actually intervene to help the Braves, already down 6-3, come back and continue future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones’ final postseason? Apparently not. It seemed that Holliday and Kozma let the ball drop because they saw left-field umpire Sam Holbrook call an infield fly. The bases, which would have been loaded, went back to just having runners on first and second. Simmons was out, and chaos ensued.

            Almost immediately as fans realized what had happened, they began to throw heaps of trash, which mostly consisted of beer bottles, onto Turner Field. One of the umpires even had a bottle thrown directly at his head. This resulted in a 19-minute delay of the game while the grounds crew cleaned up the field, and many fans were no doubt escorted from their seats and arrested. I find this deplorable. I cannot believe that fans of this team, which was playing what became the last game that one of the most respected players in the history of the game, a player that spent nineteen years (the length of my entire life) with the same team will ever play. I sit here writing this and I cannot believe that the fans would put such a mark on Chipper’s final dance.

            The Atlanta Braves fans have forever put a stain on their franchise and they did it at the worst possible time. I cannot believe that they would put such a blemish on the final game of the face of their franchise. Chipper Jones is the type of player that everyone likes. He gives everything that he has every time that he laces up his cleats. He is extremely likeable, to the point that the final time that he played in most, if not every team’s stadium, they celebrated him as a hero. There is no doubt that his number will be retired and that he will be a first-ballot hall of famer. Chipper will forever be remembered as one of the top-five players in franchise history.
           The fact that the fans would bring a riot atmosphere into baseball is absolutely horrible. Leave the riots to the soccer and Vancouver Canuck fans. That is where they belong. Braves fans should be ashamed of themselves. They have put a dark stain on their franchise and especially the final time we will ever see Chipper Jones as a player. Knowing that this could have been Chipper’s final game, the fans should have treated this whole game with the utmost respect and honor that Chipper deserved. Instead, they acted like idiotic hooligans.

            The best thing that could happen is for Chipper to call out the fans. Make them realize that they basically ruined that game. The only reason that I am glad that the protest was denied is because of what the fans did tonight. Not only did they bring shame upon the Braves franchise, but also they brought shame upon the entire league. I hope that Chipper or someone else in the Braves franchise calls out the fans so that they realize what they have done. It is horrible and they should be absolutely ashamed.

            Now we move on to the Texas Rangers vs. Baltimore Orioles game and the rest of the playoffs. I cannot wait to see the Divisional series between the Cardinals and Washington Nationals (I do wish that Stephen Strasburg was pitching though), the San Francisco Giants/Cincinnati Reds series, the Oakland Athletics/Detroit Tigers series, and the New York Yankees series against whoever wins the Rangers/Orioles game. I just hope that the fans of those teams have more respect for their players, franchises, and the game than the fans in Atlanta apparently do. Let’s all hope for a great postseason! 

(NOTE: The Baltimore Orioles beat the Texas Rangers 5-1 in the second wild card game. They move on to face the New York Yankees in the ALDS starting on Sunday, October 7, 2012.)