Last week we took a look at the top interstate rivalries in CFB, but this week, we take a look at the fight for state supremacy, bragging rights over your friends and family for the next 365 days. Rivalries between states are a little easier--all you need are two good teams and a border! But rivals within the state are a different matter. Most states don't have two well qualified teams to make any one's discerning list, states like Ohio, Illinois, Louisiana, and Arkansas, among many. Yet others have too many, the big states like California, Texas, and Florida. The results from compiling this list were either feast or famine, but as promised, here's your smorgasbord.

We're going to use a little different format to rank the rivalries this time. In the interstate rivalries, I used a matrix based on teams' historic rankings in relation to all-time winning percentage, strength of schedule, and national championships. I tried the same formula with this poll, but the results came out eerily similar to another thread earlier in the year looking at the best duo of teams coming from one state.

This ranking of intrastate rivalries will have subjective rankings assigned in each of five different categories. Each category will rate from 1-5, with 5 being the highest mark. The totals will then determine the winners. Other basic criteria that must be met: Division 1-A (FBS) teams with a minimum of 50 games played in the series.

Here are the categories:

Competitiveness of the rivalry--this will separate the close ones from the blowouts. Most intrastate rivalries aren't really that close.

Duration of the rivalry--how long they've been playing. The rivalries on this list can differ in age by over 50 years.

Historical Significance of the teams--similar to the standard used for interstate rivalries. Most of these teams will be historical top 25 programs.

What's at Stake--the fallout from the meeting. Teams that are in the same division and/or conference are going to have more on the line with the match up than teams that are not or teams that no longer play on a regular basis.

Bitterness--Ahhh...What turns a rivalry into Good Old-Fashioned Hate. No further explanation required...

And here are the results, with the leading team in the series listed first, then the scores for each category in order, with the total, followed by my comments. For teams who's scores are tied, I have broken any ties with my own subjective preference.

15) Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, 1-5-3-3-3--- 15 points. The most lopsided rivalry on the list. The Cowboys' weak historical standing doesn't help either.

14) Notre Dame-Purdue, 2-4-4-2-3--- 15 points. Dominance by the Irish and no conference crown at stake against an Independent hurts this one.

13) Virginia Tech-Virginia, 4-4-2-3-3--- 16 points. They've played this one close for a while. Certainly helps that they're both in the Coastal Division of the ACC now.

12) Ole Miss-Mississippi State, 3-4-2-3-4--- 16 points. They like to tee it up in the Magnolia State, but there's usually nothing at stake in the SEC west other than pride--and a little Egg...

11) Clemson-South Carolina, 2-5-2-3-4--- 16 points. They played this one in Columbia for the first 60 years or so. Didn't matter. Clemson dominates this one. And it's been a while since they were conference foes.

10) Penn State-Pittsburgh, 4-5-3-2-3--- 17 points. One of the classics for so long, but they haven't played this century, which kills the stakes. Doesn't help that Penn State's in the Big 10(11) now either.

9) Florida-Florida State, 3-3-3-4-5--- 18 points. Not the longest rivalry out there, but the Gators gave the Noles a shot when the Noles were only about a decade into their program. Good thing. The game so nice, they played it twice--within a month to conclude the 1996 season.

8) Michigan-Michigan State, 2-5-4-3-4--- 18 points. One of the classics, but the Victors have been hailing this one for so long. Curiously, the only one of the Big 10(11) states to have a ranked rivalry between two conference teams.

7) Georgia-Georgia Tech, 3-5-4-3-4---19 points. The only two Division 1-A programs in the whole state. This series revolves around momentum, which comes in 4-8 year spurts. Hasn't come back around to Tech lately. It also doesn't help that these two haven't been in the same conference for 43 years.

6) California-Stanford, 4-5-3-4-3---19 points. One of the longest and closest rivalries--also helps that they play in the same conference. What else would you expect from the series that gave us the greatest play in CFB history in 1982?

5) Oregon-Oregon State, 4-5-4-3-4---20 points. These guys started playing immediately following the formation of their teams. They don't get a lot of press, but they have very quietly had one of best rivalries in the land for a very long time.

4) USC-UCLA, 3-4-5-5-4---21 points. The battle between the best two historic teams in the Golden State, who just happen to be cross-town rivals. The stakes are always high as UCLA can be a perfect stumbling block for USC's Rose Bowl's dreams.

3) Miami-FSU, 4-3-4-5-5---21 points. Again, small Miami gave fledgling FSU a chance years ago--a rivalry that has grown incredibly over the decades. It was the rivalry of the 1980s. It placed special emphasis on the kicking game. Curiously, not as hot as it once was now that the teams are both in the same conference, but a resurgence can't be far off.

2) Texas-Texas A+M, 2-5-5-5-5---22 points. One of the all-time best, and the longest rivalry on the list. Outsiders can't even imagine the joy and pain contained in this one. Would seriously challenge for number one except that the Aggies haven't traditionally held up their end of the bargain and won more games. You can't say they haven't tried, though.

And #1) Alabama-Auburn , 5-4-5-5-5---24 points. (you don't know how it hurts me to put them in that order) You may accuse me of being a total homer for ranking this rivalry number one, but there's more method here than madness. The only thing preventing this one from being perfect is the duration--these two teams went over 40 years from 1908 until 1948 without playing, due to many disputes. They were finally forced to play again by the Alabama State Legislature and then promptly made up for lost time.

This one ranks #1 because it's the closest of all the rivalries on the list (5 games) and features the best historic tandem of teams to come out of any state in the whole country. Sure, it gets top billing by many CFB experts, but it does not fail to live up to the hype. They say that upon birth in the state, you have to declare your allegiance--you take it from the cradle to the grave. I'm more like an adopted son, not being an Alabama native, but brother, let me tell you it's true.

So there you have it. You can see the rankings I gave for each category. I think you guys wanted to see a little subjectivity from me after all...If you disagree with any of the rankings, please back up your assertions with detail.

View the original post or comment on Brother Against Brother: The Top Intrastate College Football Rivalries in the Country...

This thread will be open through the weekend, so yall get it in while you can.

Props to Ben & WEA for the fresh threads this week. I'll drop 'em on ya like Superfly Snooka come Friday.

View the original post or comment on Fanblogs Open Thread...

During the MWC press kickoff for the 2008 season BYU received 29 of 34 first place votes making them the heavy favorite to win the MWC. Utah received the remaining 5 votes and placed second, with TCU a close third.

New Mexico, Wyoming and Air Force formed the next pack of teams, followed by SDSU, CSU and UNLV.

My list would have been slightly different: BYU, Utah, TCU, Air Force, Wyoming, New Mexico, CSU, SDSU, UNLV. The top 3 have a good chance at the title and the top 6 should expect a bowl game. The bottom three always have next year.

As mid major conferences, it is important to the teams at the top that the conference does well against non conference opponents. Here is a break down of non-conference opponents by likelyhood of win:

MWC as Cupcakes:
These games should have a line over 21 points. If the MWC wins one of these it will shake the BCS world. If they lose it might even help them in some computers just having the game on the schedule.

UNLV vs Arizona State, CSU vs California

MWC Underdog:
These games should have a line between 7-21. If the MWC wins some of these games it will be making a statement. If they lose they might lose a little ground in the computers, but not much. I would expect them to go 2-5 in these games.

Wyoming vs Tennessee, TCU vs Oklahoma, New Mexico vs Texas A&M, New Mexico vs Arizona, SDSU vs Notre Dame, CSU vs Colorado, UNLV vs Nevada, UNLV vs iowa State

To Close to Call:
These are games that the MWC team should feel comfortable playing, even though the odds might not be even. They need to win more than 5 of these 10 games to have a good year.

BYU vs UCLA, Utah vs Michigan, Utah vs Oregon State, Air Force vs Houston, Air Force vs Navy, New Mexico vs Tulsa, Wyoming vs Bowling Green, CSU vs Houston, UNLV vs Utah State

Expected wins:
These are games where the MWC team should win, but the other team might present some problems. The MWC needs to go 7-3 or better in these games.

BYU vs Washington, Utah vs Utah State, BYU vs Utah State, TCU vs Stanford, TCU vs SMU, Air Force vs Army, New Mexico vs New Mexico State, Wyoming vs Ohio, SDSU vs San Jose State, SDSU vs Idaho

Cupcakes:
These games could seriously hurt the MWC team if they lose any of these seven games.

Utah vs Weber State, BYU vs N. Iowa, TCU vs S.F Austin, Air Force vs Southern Utah, Wyoming vs ND State, SDSU vs Cal Poly, CSU vs Sacramento State

If BYU is going to have a change at the title game the MWC is going to have to do a bit better than what I described above. They would need to win at least half the games marked as underdogs and at least 7 of the games marked too close to call, plus the conditions listed in the linked post.

Expect a similar breakdown of the WAC, C-USA and MAC non conference schedules soon...

View the original post or comment on BYU picked to win MWC...

During the MWC press kickoff for the 2008 season BYU received 29 of 34 first place votes making them the heavy favorite to win the MWC. Utah received the remaining 5 votes and placed second, with TCU a close third.

New Mexico, Wyoming and Air Force formed the next pack of teams, followed by SDSU, CSU and UNLV.

My list would have been slightly different: BYU, Utah, TCU, Air Force, Wyoming, New Mexico, CSU, SDSU, UNLV. The top 3 have a good chance at the title and the top 6 should expect a bowl game. The bottom three always have next year.

As mid major conferences, it is important to the teams at the top that the conference does well against non conference opponents. Here is a break down of non-conference opponents by likelyhood of win:

MWC as Cupcakes:
These games should have a line over 21 points. If the MWC wins one of these it will shake the BCS world. If they lose it might even help them in some computers just having the game on the schedule.

UNLV vs Arizona State, CSU vs California

MWC Underdog:
These games should have a line between 7-21. If the MWC wins some of these games it will be making a statement. If they lose they might lose a little ground in the computers, but not much. I would expect them to go 2-5 in these games.

Wyoming vs Tennessee, TCU vs Oklahoma, New Mexico vs Texas A&M, New Mexico vs Arizona, SDSU vs Notre Dame, CSU vs Colorado, UNLV vs Nevada, UNLV vs iowa State

To Close to Call:
These are games that the MWC team should feel comfortable playing, even though the odds might not be even. They need to win more than 5 of these 10 games to have a good year.

BYU vs UCLA, Utah vs Michigan, Utah vs Oregon State, Air Force vs Houston, Air Force vs Navy, New Mexico vs Tulsa, Wyoming vs Bowling Green, CSU vs Houston, UNLV vs Utah State

Expected wins:
These are games where the MWC team should win, but the other team might present some problems. The MWC needs to go 7-3 or better in these games.

BYU vs Washington, Utah vs Utah State, BYU vs Utah State, TCU vs Stanford, TCU vs SMU, Air Force vs Army, New Mexico vs New Mexico State, Wyoming vs Ohio, SDSU vs San Jose State, SDSU vs Idaho

Cupcakes:
These games could seriously hurt the MWC team if they lose any of these seven games.

Utah vs Weber State, BYU vs N. Iowa, TCU vs S.F Austin, Air Force vs Southern Utah, Wyoming vs ND State, SDSU vs Cal Poly, CSU vs Sacramento State

If BYU is going to have a change at the title game the MWC is going to have to do a bit better than what I described above. They would need to win at least half the games marked as underdogs and at least 7 of the games marked too close to call, plus the conditions listed in the linked post.

Expect a similar breakdown of the WAC, C-USA and MAC non conference schedules soon...

View the original post or comment on BYU picked to win MWC...

New Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez knows he has his work cut out for him to build a new legacy at UM, but one has to wonder if the Wolverine's bowl legacy is in jeopardy this year.

Michigan holds the current mark for the consecutive bowl game appearances with 33 straight bowl games. (The Husker fans in the crowd would be upset if I didn't mention that the record is held by Nebraska at 35 straight bowl games.)

Despite the implementing a new offense and defense, there's no question that Coach Rod intends to win. So, let's look at the Michigan Wolverines football schedule to see if the Wolverines streak is likely to continue... or snap in 2008.

UTAH - This game could make for a rude welcome to the Rich Rod era in Ann Arbor. UM opens as a 7 point home favorite, but... there's no question that the Utes are absolutely in this game. I think Michigan has more talent to put on the field, but Utah -- returning 17 starters -- will be better prepared and gets the win. LOSS. 0-1.

MIAMI OH - The Redhawks might come into Ann Arbor with some hope, but they won't leave with any as UM pulls to 1-1 on the season. WIN. 1-1.

@ Notre Dame - The Irish have to better than the were last year, right? Right? Although I will probably regret this one day... I think Notre Dame wins a close game, dropping Michigan. LOSS. 1-2.

WISCONSIN - For the first time in a long time, the Wolverines will be overmatched by the Badgers. LOSS. 1-3

ILLINOIS - Yes, the Illini made the Rose Bowl last season. That was last year... and the Wolverines need a win by this point (and I need to hedge a little) and get the dubya. WIN. 2-3

TOLEDO - Michigan rolls. Period. WIN. 3-3

@ Penn State - This could end up being a classic Michigan-PSU game, but I like Penn State in this one. LOSS. 3-4

MICHIGAN STATE - I think Rich Rod gets off to a good start against an in-state rival. WIN. 4-4

@ Purdue - This could end up being a trap game for the Wolverines, with a lot of emotion on the part of the Boilers as they try send Tiller out with a win against UM. I'm thinking upset here, but... I'll go with Michigan for now. WIN. 5-4

@ Minnesota - W. Count it. WIN. 6-4

NORTHWESTERN - Another W... maybe the last one of the year. WIN. 7-4

@ Ohio State - This one won't get ugly, but it might feel that way. LOSS. 7-5

So... from the looks of things, the streak should be safe, but it's not a certainty by any means. Michigan has a lot of talent, but no one can accurately predict just how quickly the team will gel. A couple of turnovers or breakdowns could turn a game I perceive to be a W into a loss.

If UM fails to make a bowl game this season -- which is certainly a possibility -- then the streak would likely pass to Florida State, who has an active streak of 26 straight bowl games.

So... while Rich Rod is trying to set a course for the future, he better watch his six. I know RR doesn't want to be the coach that snapped the streak.

View the original post or comment on Is Michigan's bowl streak in jeopardy?...

Virginia Tech has agreed to schedule a neutral site game in Atlanta to open the 2009 season, according to an article posted to HokieSports.com.

The Virginia Tech Athletics Department announced Wednesday that Tech has agreed to push back its scheduled 2009 football opener against the University of Cincinnati to 2012 in order to accommodate a made-for-television game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.

According to the article, talks are in place to pair the Hokies with the Alabama Crimson Tide, provided a deal can be reached with Coach Saban's team. Alabama played FSU in Jacksonville in 2007, and has game scheduled in the Georgia Dome in 2008 (Clemson) and 2010 (Duke). The addition of a 2009 game in Atlanta would seem to be a natural fit for the Tide, but Bama has not signed on to the game just yet and may not be interested in playing the Hokies.

If an agreement cannot be reached with Bama, then the Hokies are likely to face another SEC team, so it certainly sounds as if VaTech is a lock for Atlanta next season.

View the original post or comment on Va Tech - Bama to square off in Atlanta?...

The Big XII media has voted and -- since the media is always right, right? -- picked the Missouri Tigers and Oklahoma Sooners to repeat as divisional champs in the Big XII conference this year.

Missouri was the unanimous choice of 51 voters to win the North Division. And Oklahoma, which will be gunning for its record third-straight conference title, was the choice of 49 of the 51 voters. Texas received the other two first-place votes in the South Division.

The balloting was:

North
1. Missouri (51) 306
2. Kansas 234
3. Nebraska 183
4. Colorado 181
5. Kansas State 108
6. Iowa State 59

South
1. Oklahoma (49) 304
2. Texas (2) 230
3. Texas Tech 227
4. Oklahoma State 140
5. Texas A&M 118
6. Baylor 52
First-place votes in parentheses

ESPN blogger Tim Griffin -- who doesn't seem to link us enough, don't you think?? -- refuses to kiss and tell, so we'll just have to wonder who are the two guys that think the Horns are going to win the South.

Here's a hint: They aren't from the Daily Oklahoman.

View the original post or comment on Sooners, Tigers tabbed to repeat in Big XII...

Thought I'd give you a little teaser while I was figuring the results for next week's list of top intrastate rivalries. Since we're owned by Rivals.com, that's what the focus has been the last week. (nice segueway, if I do say so myself)

Seems that it's very time consuming trying to tabulate those results with my Ouija board, Magic 8-Ball, and roulette wheel. So in the meantime, I give you something easy to digest--the biggest lopsided rivalries in Division 1-A. No historic rankings, no subjectivity, just simple winning percentage--and my smart-ass comments, of course.

However, we do assume the following conditions:

1) Only rivalries existing between BCS-conference schools are considered. Sorry, Ben Prather.

2) Minimum of 50 game series history.

3) Only one beat-down per team to be included in the rankings. However, particular teams with qualifying multiple beat-downs will be acknowledged.

And now, on with our countdown:

15) Michigan-Purdue, 53 games, .770 Pretty bad for a middle-of-road Big 10(11) team to be dominated like this, because for a public school with a fancy sounding name, you'd expect them to be more like that other power in Indiana...

14) Michigan-Iowa, 54 games, .778 Again, a decent Big 10(11) team dominated by the conference bully. Evidently, in Iowa they grow corn and bruises...

13) Nebraska-Kansas, 114 games, .785 The oldest rivalry on this list. Nothing good lasts forever, but apparently something bad does...

12) Alabama-Mississippi State, 92 games, .788 They say that the states of Alabama and Mississippi rank near the bottom nationally with virtually any comparison. However, we didn't know that the drop-off from 49th was this great...

11) Michigan-Wisconsin, 61 games, .795 This is pretty sad for Wisconsin, one of my favorite Big 10(11) teams. Being dominated like this costs big bucks at your local B & D parlor...

10) Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, 102 games, .799 The only intrastate rivalry to make the list. Oklahoma wasn't even a state yet and OU-Ron was still a young man when the Cowboys started getting owned by OU. A decent record against the Sooners is apparently something that T. Boone Pickens can't buy...

9) Ohio State-Northwestern, 73 games, .801 Nothing really earth-shattering here. Private Northwestern is the Vanderbilt of the Rust Belt. The 2nd worst team in the Big 10(11) has been dominated by Michigan, too.

8) Georgia-Kentucky, 61 games, .803 For decades, Georgia fattened up on Kentucky and Vandy every year before being mandated to play other Appalachian team Tennessee annually in 1992...

7) Alabama-Ole Miss, 55 games, .818 Curiously, Miss State has a better record against the Tide than the cross-state Rebels do. Can you call that being Croomed? Eh, maybe not...

6) Nebraska-Kansas State, 89 games, .826 K-State is also seriously owned by old Big Two, Little Six rival Oklahoma. With the Huskers dominating the Jayhawks, too, it's not unfair to say that the state of Nebraska should just move their entire border 200 miles south...

5) USC-Oregon State, 71 games, .845 They get a lot of rain up in the Pacific northwest. Forecast for the Beavers: Cloudy and bleak, with chance of heavy Trojans downpour...

4) Michigan-Indiana, 59 games, .847 Big 10(11) celler-dweller Indiana also gets clobbered by Ohio State, but who's counting? Is it round-ball season yet?

3) USC-Washington State, 67 games, .851 The Pacific bully feasts on yet another victim. If you're wondering why the Arizona teams haven't been included in the Trojan's feast, it's because they've only been in the conference for 30 years and haven't qualified for them--yet.

2) Notre-Dame--Navy, 81 games, .870 You guys thought this one would be number one. Hell, I did, too. Notre Dame only keeps this one alive to repay some eternal debt that they owe Navy. Here's a novel idea, perfect for military men: administer the coup de grace to the midshipmen and let this one die! However, Navy does currently have a one-game winning streak. Hmmm....

1) Oklahoma-Iowa State, 75 games, .919 Okay, I had to look it up, but Iowa State WAS a member of the old Big 8 conference. They decided to continue the despair and moved over to the Big 12, where they are also the designated beat-down'ees of Nebraska and Colorado. Too bad the Cyclones can't match that F-5 tornado that comes out of Oklahoma--they are indeed the drubbing kings in all of BCS Division 1-A.

View the original post or comment on Beat-Down!!! The Most Lopsided Rivalries in Division 1-A...

The Orlando Sentinel spoke with conference commissioners, posing the same questions to each of them during seperate telephone interviews.

If you're a fan of any one of the seemingly limitless number of college football playoff proposals, you're not going to like what they had to say.

Q: Are we inching toward a college football playoff and do you want to see one?

BIG EAST COMMISSIONER MIKE TRANGHESE: "I have not seen anything that works unless you do things that presidents aren't going to accept. Presidents are not going to allow a football playoff to venture into the second semester, deep into the second semester. They're not going to allow football playoffs to take place during exams. And they're not going to start playing football early in August. ... I find it interesting because I hear football coaches say we ought to have a four-team playoff, I mean, don't insult my intelligence. Once there's a four-team playoff there will be an 8-team playoff. Once there's an 8, there will be a 16."

MOUNTAIN WEST'S CRAIG THOMPSON: "Everybody says a playoff. And my coaches and administrators included. And I said — what are you talking about? Are you talking about an 8-team playoff and is the Mountain West guaranteed one of the eight berths? It's easy to say you're in favor of a playoff, but if you don't know what the format is, I can't say unequivocally, 'Heck, yeah, let's have a playoff.'"

SEC'S ROY KRAMER: "Not in my lifetime. I don't see much support for it nationally. I don't see any overwhelming sentiment nationally to move in that direction. And the Pac-10 and Big Ten don't have any interest in it and I don't see that changing."

I think in Russia they call that a big nyet.

View the original post or comment on Conference honchos say no-way to playoffs...

From the legendary EDSBS, here's a first-hand video account of Nick Saban's personal motorcade.

The neighbor who made this video contends that this is a *daily* occurance. I'm not so sure I believe that this goes on every day.

But -- even still -- I think out motorcade-ing the Pope is a little... excessive.

UPDATE

As we suspected, this is not the daily occurance motorcade, nor is it the "Hey, honey, I'm headed out to the store to pick up some spotted dick & pickled pigs feet" motorcade.

Alas, it is the "Hey, everybody! We just hired Nick Saban" motorcade from Slick Nick's arrival in T-town.

View the original post or comment on That's the way Nick Saban rolls...

The Vanderbilt Commodores will sport an updated uniform design by Nike for the 2008-2009 college football season. The new uniforms are essentially a black & gold derivative of Nike's current default "piping" uniform design, which was introduced several years ago by the Miami Hurricanes and made popular by Virginia Tech and others.

The new uniform has the Star V logo below the neckline and and on the back of the jersey above classic numbers trimmed in the schools colors. The pants are a new design, showcasing a Nike "Swoosh" on the right hip and a Star V logo on the left hip. The alternating black/gold/black stripes from the classic Vandy uniform pants are gone in this redesign, as are the two stripes on the jersey sleeves.

"The result of everybody's efforts and input is an extremely sharp looking uniform. I think Commodore fans are really going to like this fresh new look," [Head coach Bobby] Johnson said.

Vandy will have nine color combination choices (lots of color coordination!) with black, gold, or white jerseys over black, white, or gold pants.

View the original post or comment on Vandy jumps on default Nike uniform bus...

Kansas head coach Mark Mangino is entering some pretty lofty company in the Big XII, joining Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Texas' Mack Brown in the conference $2 million plus club.

The Jayhawks signed Mangino to a two-year contract extension that will keep him at KU through 2012 at roughly $2.3 million per year. The new extension makes the Kansas coach the 13th highest paid college football coach in the country.

Mangino's new deal includes an increased payout in several incentives that could push the coach's salary even higher, including a $1.5 million longevity payment if he stays at KU through 2012.

From the Kansas City Star, here's at look at Mangino's incentives:

$225,000 - National championship
$125,000 - BCS bowl appearance
$100,000 - New Year's Day bowl
$75,000 - Other bowl appearance
$75,000 - Big XII Championship
$50,000 - Big 12 coach of the year
$75,000 - AP coach of the year
$125,000 - 40,000 season tickets sold by 9/1

HT: Da Wiz

View the original post or comment on Jayhawks makes Mangino third highest paid coach in Big XII...

OK... cinch 'em up tight. Here we go... no uniform talk, no politics, no milk talk.... Ready? Go.

View the original post or comment on Fanblogs Open Thread...

Don't look now, but it appears that Elsie the Cow is making moves on that bastion of sideline showers, Gatorade.

The Washington Huskies, who began experimenting with different training regiments last fall, will require players to drink one small carton of fat-free chocolate milk following practices and work-outs this season.

UW Trent Greener said that it's hard to point to one root cause for the benefits, but concludes that chocolate milk does improve players hydration. Greener's experience with chocolate milk over the last year shows that America's favorite school cafeteria beverage helps add protein when players walk off the field right after completing a practice or work-out, even more so that some of the sports drinks that the Huskies have tested.

The Huskies aren't the first team to go with a non-traditional drink to re-hydrate their team. The NFL's Philadelphia Eagles and Georgia Bulldogs have experimented with pickle juice during workouts and games to prevent cramping and encourage better hydration.

And it was the (probably!) the Florida Gators who invented Gatorade, so... who knows? Maybe Tiger Woods will be doing chocolate milk commercials soon!

View the original post or comment on Elsie taking aim at Gatorade?...

There are some traditions that are better left untouched by the hands Wall Street. The annual Army-Navy college football game is one of them, but... they may mess with it anyway.

Naval Academy athletic director Chet Gladchuk told the academy’s Board of Visitors on July 8 that a bidding process among cities for future Army-Navy games would begin within weeks. He also said the academy is open to corporate sponsorship of the game.

The game has been played in Philadelphia for most of its 118-year history, but has occasionally been played in Annapolis, Md., at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and at cities in between the two campuses. In 1983, it was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

The bidding process announced by Gladchuck could mean Army-Navy games could be played in any part of the country.

"I have no doubt there will 15, 16, 17 cities that will put their oar in the water and actually bid for the game," Gladchuck said. "It could be San Diego, it could be Seattle, it could be the Meadowlands [in East Rutherford, N.J.]. Baltimore has shown interest; it could be Philadelphia or Dallas."

I'm certain that Gladchuk is right: There are probably 20+ cities that would bend over backwards to welcome Army-Navy. There are at least 20+ companies that would jump at the chance to slap their name on the rivalry.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT A GOOD IDEA TO SELL IT.

(Lemme pause right here and give a shout out to the good folks at Budweiser, btw.)

It's bad enough that we have the AT&T Red Rivalry Showdown for Texas-OU. At least leave us with the dignity, tradition, and CLASS that the annual Army-Navy game represents.

Or don't. Just go ahead and slap NASCAR patches on everyone's uniform like they do in NFL Europe and get it over with already.

View the original post or comment on Welcome to the BnL Army-Navy game in Boise!...