Before we get to that, though, we at I’m just sayin… would like to congratulate No-Name Teri for her big accomplishment of passing her National Boards. This is a big deal and we are proud of her.
So back to this little football game. The thing that makes college football so great is rivalries. This, according to ESPN, is rivalry week. I know sports fans like to tell everyone that “their” rivalry is the best of them all. To be honest, you’re all wrong. Winthrop/Coastal Carolina is the best of them all. But we’re talking about college football, so I guess I won’t count WU/CCU. To be honest (and I think I’ve said this on here before), I don’t care if the nation thinks that Clemson/Carolina is the greatest football rivalry ever… as long as there is a TV station out there that thinks the game is worth showing on TV, I’m happy. For what it’s worth (and to you, it should be worth a lot), I think it’s the greatest football rivalry of them all. Army/Navy would be a very close second… so close that if you were to tell me Army/Navy should be first, I probably wouldn’t argue. By the way, why is it when I cheer for Navy or wear a Navy shirt, The Wife feels the need to point out I didn’t go to the Naval Academy nor was I in the Navy... yet she has no problem at all wearing a Clemson shirt and cheering for the Tigers? I don’t see her Clemson degree anywhere in the house. Let’s look at what makes a great college football rivalry.
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| Uh-oh... Did Daniel just hear my prediction for the game? |
The I’m just sayin… 6 Keys to a Great College Football Rivalry
1. The schools must be in the same state. The exception to this rule is Army/Navy. That’s the only exception. Out of state schools could have a very good rivalry… but not great.
2. It’s not a must, but the game really should be at the end of the regular season most years.
3. If being in different conferences might end the rivalry (as the announcers of the Texas/Texas A&M and Pitt/West Virginia game are saying), then it’s not a great rivalry. A great rivalry will be played at all costs.
4. A great rivalry doesn’t need a cute name (Though we are willing to overlook this rule for the Iron Bowl). According to Wikipedia, this game is called the Battle of the Palmetto State. That’s not so much a name as it is an explanation of how much the game means.
5. Anyone can sell out a rivalry game when both teams are good… but a great rivalry game sells out when both teams enter the game with a combined 3 wins.
6. It also helps if there is somewhat of a balance throughout the state as far as fans go. This is, in my mind, what hurts Georgia/Georgia Tech… UGA owns that state. I’ve always pictured the Georgia Tech campus as being like West Berlin back in the day… this little piece of land surrounded by the enemy.
The I’m just sayin… Top 5 College Football Rivalries
1. Clemson/South Carolina
-First Game: 1896
-Overall Record: Clemson leads 65-39-4
-Last Five Games: 2006: 31-28 (USC); 2007: 23-21 (Clemson); 2008: 31-14 (Clemson); 34-17 (USC); 2010: 29-7 (USC)
2. Army/Navy
-First Game: 1890
-Overall Record: Navy leads 55-49-7
-Last Five Games: 2006: 26-14 (Navy); 2007: 38-3 (Navy); 2008: 34-0 (Navy); 2009: 17-3 (Navy); 2010: 31-17 (Navy)
3. Alabama/Auburn
-First Game: 1893
-Overall Record: Alabama leads 40-34-1
-Last Five Games: 2006: 22-15 (Auburn); 2007: 17-10 (Auburn); 2008: 36-0 (Alabama); 2009: 26-21 (Alabama); 2010: 28-27 (Auburn)
4. Florida/Florida State
-First Game: 1958
-Overall Record: Florida leads 33-20-2
-Last Five Games: 2006: 21-14 (UF); 2007: 45-12 (UF); 2008: 45-15 (UF); 2009: 37-10 (UF); 2010: 31-7 (FSU)
5. Southern Cal/UCLA
-First Game: 1929
-Overall Record: Southern Cal leads 43-28-7
-Last Five Games: 2006: 13-9 (UCLA); 2007: 24-7 (USC); 2008: 28-7 (USC); 2009: 28-7 (USC); 2010: 28-14 (USC)
The I’m just sayin... Football Predictions
High School
I didn’t get my picks done in time to pick the Ashley Ridge game. Oh well…
College
#14South Carolina vs. #18Clemson – 7:45pm (ESPN) – Both teams are entering the game looking for win #10. Typically, when I go to pick a game I look at a number of things before making my pick. First, I try to visualize how the game will go. This dates back to my days playing baseball at James Island High. Back then, I would start visualizing a game the night before the game and continue doing that until about two hours before the game. This might explain why I wasn’t the best student during the baseball season. This game, for some reason, has been hard for me to picture. So the next thing I look at is school colors. This doesn’t help me either in this case because each school has a favorite color of mine (Orange and Garnet), but neither has my #1 favorite color (Blue… specifically Royal Blue). So that takes us to the next thing… mascot. Of course, at face value this would seem to favor Clemson because I don’t care who you are… you’ve got to take a Tiger over a Gamecock… assuming that gamecock is the bird. But not so fast, my friends… what if that Gamecock is not a bird but is, in fact, a Revolutionary War Hero? Then I think it’s back to a toss-up. Next, of course, I look at who my friends are cheering for. In the past I might pick Clemson just to spite the sob Carolina fans I knew because, in all fairness, they were jerks. But that’s not the case now. Now the Carolina fans I see the most are nice people who I really like… which is good, but it doesn’t help me pick the winner. I can tell you this… I will be pulling for Clemson to win. I can also tell you that no matter who wins the game, my life will not change for better or worse. Dabo’s mood doesn’t sour when I have a bad day at work, so why should mine sour when he has a bad day? Having said that, I can also tell you that… for my money… Clemson fans shouldn’t kid themselves into thinking this game isn’t as important as the ACC Championship game next Saturday. Why? Two reasons: 1. As I told my brother-in-law Brent, think back on what you would consider the “best” Clemson football seasons. How many of them included a loss to USC? Exactly. 2. Think about how many Virginia Tech or Virginia fans you see daily. What do you think you’ll hear about more throughout the year… a loss to them in the championship game… or a 3rd straight loss to USC? Exactly. And spare me the “A win next Saturday means more because it will get Clemson a BCS bowl birth” argument. What’s so great about that? More money for the school? I’ve got news for you… they ain’t gonna lower ticket prices next year because they made more money on the bowl trip this year. Besides… who says you can’t win this Saturday and next Saturday? Anyway, back to this Saturday. I think it comes down to this: If the Tigers can score more than the Revolutionary War Heroes, Clemson will win this game. However, if the Revolutionary War Heroes can keep the Tigers from scoring more than them, USC will win this game. If I felt Clemson had just an average Tiger defense, I’d pick them… but as it stands right now… with it being a night game in Columbia… with Melvin Ingram playing… I’m picking the South Carolina Revolutionary War Heroes to win this game. Speaking of Melvin Ingram, my strategy for the Clemson offensive line would be to hold him on every play. What are the odds the refs would throw a flag on every play? And while I’m picking USC to win, it’s not like I don’t think Clemson has a chance. The good news for the Tigers is the weakest part of USC’s team is their offense. So if the Clemson offense goes back to its early season form, things could go well for the Tigers. But I’m still picking USC to win this game.
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| The shirt in this picture provided by Danny (yes, that Danny) |
Wyoming at #7Boise State – 12:00pm MT (The Mtn. HD) – I’m picking Boise State to win this game.
NFL
Pittsburgh at Kansas City – 8:20pm (NBC) – I’m still picking the Steelers to win this game.
Miami vs. Dallas – I missed picking this game since it was played yesterday… Oops.
Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:
Captain Marcellus H. Chiles (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on November 3, 1918 near Le Champy Bas, France. His citation reads:
When his battalion, of which he had just taken command, was halted by machinegun fire from the front and left flank, he picked up the rifle of a dead soldier and, calling on his men to follow led the advance across a stream, waist deep, in the face of the machinegun fire. Upon reaching the opposite bank this gallant officer was seriously wounded in the abdomen by a sniper, but before permitting himself to be evacuated he made complete arrangements for turning over his command to the next senior officer, and under the inspiration of his fearless leadership his battalion reached its objective. Capt. Chiles died shortly after reaching the hospital.
Scout Chiquito (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions during the winter of 1871-1873. His citation reads:
Gallant conduct during campaigns and engagements with Apaches.
Private William W. Chisman (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on May 22, 1863 at Vicksburg, Mississippi. His citation reads:
Gallantry in the charge of the "volunteer storming party."
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