2012-2013 SEC Projections

The SEC continues to be that conference that everyone who is not associated with hates. The SEC has won the last six BCS National Championships. The conference once again will boast some of the best teams in the country, including Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Georgia, and South Carolina. Here is what I project will happen in the SEC this upcoming season.

SEC WEST               W-L                  Analysis

                                                      

     1. LSU                   12-1        Once again, the Tigers will be the SEC Champions. They will be on a mission after going 12-0 and losing in the BCS title game to SEC rival Alabama. With 12 returning starters and the possibility of having a heavier air attack with Jr. Quarterback Zach Mettenberger, LSU is looking to get revenge at home against the Crimson Tide. LSU unfortunately will not have 2011 Heisman finalist Sophomore CB Tyrrann Mathieu, as he was recently dismissed from the team for violating a team policy. On Nov. 3rd, LSU will have the Crimson Tide at home and win, but potentially lose a game on the road. A loss will either be on the road against Florida, Texas A&M, or the last game of the season against Arkansas. 

    2. Alabama             11-1       Like LSU, The Tide are back in the National Title hunt again.  Reliable Jr Quarterback A.J. McCarron looks to be more of a threat in the Alabama offense this year. With Tailback Trent Richardson off to the NFL, the Tide look to Jr. Eddie Lacy to take over and be the workhorse that Richardson was during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The Tide will also be good upfront on offense consisting of the 2011 Outland Trophy winner Sr. Center Barrett Jones. Only five returning starters return on defense and it could be a factor in the Tide not going into Baton Rouge and winning. The Crimson Tide relied heavily on their defense to win ball games last season, especially in the BCS Title game when they shutout LSU 21-0. The Crimson Tide will lose one season game against LSU and find themselves with an At-large bid in a BCS Bowl Game. 

     3. Arkansas             9-3           Here we go again, Arkansas is a top ten team that cannot break through the greatness of Alabama or LSU. The Hogs were looking as confident as ever a few months ago, until Head Coach Bobby Petrino was fired, and in came John L. Smith. Arkansas has one of the top Quarterbacks in the country in Senior Tyler Wilson. The gunslinger will once again be throwing to Wide Receiver Knile Davis and Tight End Chris Gragg. The defense returns six starters, but proved they could not compete with the elite teams at times. The Hogs defense gave up a combined 79 points to Alabama and LSU. The Hogs have potential in beating Alabama or LSU, because they will be at home. I feel they have a better shot at the end of the season against LSU though. The Hogs, because of the departure of Petrino, will cough up another game or two that are not against Alabama or LSU. The Hogs need to watch out for road games at Auburn (Oct. 6) or against a tough South Carolina team on (Nov.10). 

   4. Auburn                 8-4           Auburn again will be just above mediocre this season. This team is still rebuilding from their National Championship run in the 2010-2011 season. The defense will need to make big stops this year for them to win ball games. The defense had a big last second stop against Mississippi State last year, but was absolutely annihilated by Clemson, Arkansas, LSU, Georgia, and Alabama. The good thing is Auburn returns nine starters on defense and hopefully there experience from last year will come in handy this season. Auburn struggled on offense last year as well. The quarterback position last season was inconsistent between Barrett Trotter, Clint Moseley, and Kiehl Frazier. Sophomore Kiehl Frazier appears to be the starter heading into the fall and will look to run a pro style offense, instead of the spread like last year. His target will include potential all SEC-Conference 1st team Sr. Tight End Philip Lutzenkirchen, who is coming off shoulder surgery and Sr. Receiver Emory Blake. The nation will see how improved this Auburn team is when they play the 2011 ACC Champion Clemson on opening weekend in Atlanta.

 5. Texas A&M           7-5            Texas A&M did not come close to hitting their expectations in their last season as a member of the Big 12 Conference. I am positive that I had them going to BCS Game in my pre-season projections last year. The Aggies are now apart of not only the hardest conference in the country, but the hardest division in College Football. The Aggies have a new head coach by the name of Kevin Sumlin, who coached Houston to a 13-1 record last season. He takes over a team that has 13 returning starters. The Aggies are going to need their defense to be stellar if they want to contend with some of the better teams in the conference. A positive for the Aggies is that they only lost 42-38 last season against Arkansas. Texas A&M needs to make sure they beat both Mississippi teams and find a way to go .500 in conference play. A boost for the Aggies would be to beat the Florida Gators at home in their very first SEC Conference game on Sept. 8th. 

6. Mississippi State     7-5             Mississippi State loses Quarterback Chris Relf, and finally gets to start Jr. Tyler Russell and see if he can actually improve the passing game. Head Coach Dan Mullen is doing a good job with a program that is near the cellar every year of the SEC West Division. You just never know if the Bulldogs will ever make that leap and stay consistent for two or three years in a row. If the Bulldogs want to stay two games above the .500 mark their defense needs to play well. They return seven starters, which includes potential All-American Cornerback Johnthan Banks. This defense last year only gave up an average of 19.7 points a game. Only Alabama, LSU, and South Carolina were better in the SEC. If teams start to run points up on the Bulldog defense, the offense is going to need to step their game up to have a chance at winning ball games. The Bulldogs will struggle and lose both games at Alabama (Oct. 27) and at LSU (Nov.10),  Fortunately, the Bulldogs get Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Arkansas at home. Can the Bulldogs pull off three of four of these home games? We shall wait and see. 

7. Mississippi             4-8                Ole Miss fans better enjoy "The Grove," because this year Ole Miss will only improve their two wins from last season to four wins. Houston Nutt is out and Arkansas State Head Coach Hugh Freeze is in. Ole Miss returns sixteen starters, which is especially important to this team. Ole Mis snuck up on teams last year and gave Georgia and Arkansas close games, but were unable to get a W. The most points Ole Miss scored on an SEC opponent last season was 24 on Arkansas. The offense averaged only 16.1 points a game and the defense gave up an average of 32.1 points. The only team that was worse on offense was Kentucky at 15.8. Other than that Ole Miss had the worst of both worlds. Ole Miss gets wins against Central Arkansas, UTEP, at Tulane, and potentially one conference game against Vanderbilt. Unfortunately, Ole Miss will not face Kentucky in conference play this season.  

SEC EAST                W-L                 Analysis

1. Georgia                  11-2                 After starting off the 2011-2012 season with an 0-2 record,  the nation was doubting Mark Rich and if he should continue to be the coach at Georgia. The Dawgs then won 10 straight. Georgia is going to be a very tough team to beat this season. They return 16 starters, including Heisman Candidate Jr. Quarterback Aaron Murray and two potential All-American candidates on defense Jr. OLB Jarvis Jones and Sr. Free Safety Bacarri Rambo. Georgia's passing attack will be dangerous this season with Sr. Receiver Tavarres King returning to the line-up. The running game is still questionable. It was inconsistent at times last season and So. Running back Isaiah Crowell struggled with off field issues that caused the Dawgs problems. Georgia returns nine starters on defense and last year was ranked fifth overall in the country in total defense.  I feel Georgia will drop one game during the regular season. There loss could occur at South Carolina on Oct. 6 or against Florida on Oct. 27. Georgia is lucky and avoids playing LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas during the regular season. I have the Dawgs losing to LSU in the SEC Championship Game.

2. South Carolina       9-3                  The Gamecocks will be a top contender in the SEC East again. Jr. Quarterback Connor Shaw proved himself against Clemson last year winning 34-13 and helped the Gamecocks beat Nebraska 30-13 in the Capital One Bowl. The Gamecocks also get their star Jr. Running back Marcus Lattimore back, after he tore his ACL against Mississippi State last season. One positive thing about the Gamecocks this season is there are no more distractions surrounding QB Stephen Garcia and his off the field issues. One negative is they lost their best Receiver Alshon Jeffery to the NFL. The Gamecocks return only 11 starters, but look for them to be consistent again in the SEC. The Gamecocks have one of the toughest schedules in the SEC. They play home against Georgia (Oct. 6), then have to play back-to-back road games against LSU (Oct. 13) and Florida (Oct.20). They also have Arkansas at home on Nov.10th and play at in-state rival Clemson to close the season out on Nov. 24th. Look for South Carolina to lose three games during the regular season.

3. Florida                   9-3                  Second year Head Coach Will Muschamp will look to be more consistent this season. Last year, Florida started off 4-0, then lost four in a row and ended up finishing with a 7-6 record. The Gator defense returns 10 starters from last season. This defense was ranked eighth nationally in total defense last season. What will make or break the Gators this season will be their offense. Florida's offense was terrible last season ranking 10th in the SEC and 105th in the country.  Since the Tebow era, the offense has not been as lethal and QB John Brantley never panned out to what he was supposed to be. It's up to So. Quarterback Jeff Driskel to improve the offense and Sr. Running back Mike Gillislee to get the running game going. If Florida can establish some sort of running attack this season, it will open up Jr. Wide Receiver Andre Debose, who had 16 receptions for 432 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. Luckily for the Gators this season, they avoid both Alabama and Arkansas. Their schedule sets up favorably for them to win two more games than they did last season. The Gators need to win their early games at Texas A&M (Sep. 8) and at Tennessee (Sep.15) to gain momentum for their showdown at home against LSU on Oct. 6th.

4. Tennessee             7-5                   Alright Tennessee and Head Coach Derek Dooley, this is your chance to finally get above .500 and become bowl eligible again. The Vols return 19 starters, the most in the SEC and possibly the entire country.  This is going to be Jr. Quarterback Tyler Bray's break out season. Bray has a great arm and has NFL scouts drooling over his talent. He is going to need help though from his running game that was an awful 116th in the country last season. This is almost like the Florida situation, but Bray has proven he is a good enough passer and that the Vols will be fine if they can get Jr. Wide Receivers Da'Rick Rogers and Justin Hunter open. The Vols will need to start out at least 3-1 in their first four games. They need to either beat NC State on opening weekend in Atlanta or at home against Florida two weeks later. Two games that could potentially put Tennessee at eight wins is at South Carolina (Oct. 27) or at home against Missouri (Nov. 10). If Derek Dooley can't hit the 7 win mark, expect him to be out as Tennessee coach. With 19 returning starters there are no excuses for Vol nation to watch a .500 team again.

5. Missouri               7-5                   Let's just put it this way, Missouri should be grateful to the SEC in helping them avoid playing LSU and Arkansas in their first season in the SEC. Missouri will pretty much leave off where they left off last year. That is if starting Quarterback James Franklin's throwing shoulder is healthy and if Running back Kendial Lawrence can pick up where injured Henry Josey left off. One player to look out for this year on Mizzou is true freshman Wide Receiver Dorial Green-Beckham. He was the number one recruit in the country this year, according to rivals.com. Watch him to make a big impact on the Mizzou offense in his very first season. Missouri's offense was ranked 12th last year in total offense. It will be interesting to see how Mizzou's offense does against tough, hard- nosed defenses week in and week out, and to see if Mizzou's defense improves in a league where running the ball is crucial. Mizzou gets SE Louisiana in their season opener then gets three tougher games. They include homes games against Georgia and Arizona State and a road game at South Carolina.  This will test Mizzou and will show the nation if they are ready to compete in the brutal SEC Conference or not.

6. Vanderbilt            4-8                     Vanderbilt was fortunate last year to play two awful Ole Miss and Kentucky teams, as well as an easy non-conference schedule to get them into a bowl game. This year's schedule is much tougher. The Commodores have 15 returning starters and will look to use that statistic to get to a .500 record and become bowl eligible. One aspect Vanderbilt has is their defense was remarkably the 18th best defense in the country last season. Also, Sr. Quarterback Jordan Rodgers will look to lead an offense that he improved mightily last season and have Sr. Running back Zac Stacy in his backfield do what he did last season and rush for another school record. It is crucial for Vanderbilt to win their second game of the season at Northwestern. That will potentially put them at the five win mark. Then they will need to find a way to go to Kentucky or Ole Miss and win to make it six. Vanderbilt will need all they can get to become bowl eligible again.

7. Kentucky             4-8                      Head Coach Joker Phillips enters his third season at Kentucky, and it may be another long season for him and his Wildcats. Kentucky was ranked at a terrible 118th in total offense last season. That is only better than Kent State and Florida Atlantic. Unlike Vanderbilt, Kentucky has no chance of becoming bowl eligible this season. Kentucky better hope So. Quarterback Maxwell Smith and company can put some points on the scoreboard, otherwise a majority of their games will get ugly. The defense is decent at best and kept them in games last season. Without an offense though it will be tough for the wildcats to win. The Wildcats unfortunately have a tougher schedule this season and have to start off the season by traveling to in-state rival Louisville, who is looking to win the Big East this season. Kentucky at best wins one SEC Conference game. Kentucky should be happy they will have guaranteed wins against Kent State, Western Kentucky, and Samford.


SEC Championship Match-Up:   LSU vs Georgia

Top Ten (SEC)

1. Most important game: Nov. 3rd- Alabama @ LSU 8p.m. ET (CBS)
2. Biggest surprise team: Florida Gators
3. Biggest potential upset game: Sept. 29th- Tennessee over Georgia in Athens, GA
4. Best Quarterback: Aaron Murray, Georgia
5. Best Defense: Georgia Bulldogs
6. Biggest Bust: Auburn Offense
7. Best Head Coach: Nick Saban, Alabama
8. Biggest newcomer of the year: WR Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri
9. Most valuable to his team: QB Tyler Wilson, Arkansas
10. Toughest environment to play in: Tiger Stadium, LSU

2012-2013 Big 12 Projections

The Big 12, or Big Ten should I say, lost Texas A&M and Missouri to the SEC, but gained TCU of the Mountain West and West Virginia from the Big East. The Big 12 will be a dominate conference yet again this season. From top to bottom the Big 12 is the best conference and looks to have at least three to four contenders fighting for the top spot. The Oklahoma Sooners appear to be the heavy favorite coming into the season, after they did not exceed expectations last season. West Virginia and Texas look to be the other teams to contend with Oklahoma for the Big 12 crown.

Big 12                    W-L                     Analysis

1. Oklahoma           12-0                    As everyone talks about how good Alabama, LSU, USC, and Oregon are the Sooners are back after not coming close to hitting their high expectations from last season. Sr. Quarterback Landry Jones is back for his senior year after passing up on the NFL draft. Oklahoma returns eight starters on an offense that was ranked 5th in the nation in total offense last season. The offense includes potential Heisman candidate Sr. Quarterback Landry Jones and three potential all-Big 12 1st team candidates Jr. Wide Receiver Kenny Stills, Sr. Center Ben Habern, and Jr. Left Guard Gabe Ikard. The defense will be good too, as Head Coach Bob Stoop's brother Mike returns as the Defensive Coordinator. The Sooner's defense returns seven starters and only gave up an average of 22.1 ppg, which was the best in the Big 12 Conference. If Oklahoma can stay healthy, watch for the Sooners to contend for the BCS National Championship in Miami this season. Oklahoma has a very favorable schedule for the most part, but will end the season with three tough games against West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and TCU. The most important game will obviously be at West Virginia though. This could decide if Oklahoma gets to play in the National Championship or not.

2. Texas                   9-3                      The Horns were still inconstant on offense last year, but showed they were a much improved team from the 2010 season. The defense, of course, was one of the elite defenses in the country last season ranking 11th in the country. The Horns return 15 starters to the line-up and I feel 15 year Head Coach Mack Brown has a chance to make a statement this season in the Big 12. Sophomore David Ash looks to be the clear starter going into the season and he will have So. Wide Receiver Jaxon Shipley to pass to and will hand the ball off to potential all-Big 12 1st team So. Running back Malcolm Brown. On the defensive side of the ball, Texas has the best Defensive End in the country Sr. Alex Okafor to help the Horns contain the explosive offenses of the Big 12. If the Horns offense becomes more consistent this year, watch out they could be dangerous. The Horns will have a tougher schedule with the addition of West Virginia and TCU. I feel the Horns will be 4-1 heading into this Red River Shootout with Oklahoma on Oct. 13th. The Horns will lose one of their games at Oklahoma State (Sept. 29) or at home against West Virginia (Oct. 6). After Texas loses to Oklahoma and is at a 5-2 record, they will win out until the last game of the season when they travel to Kansas State on Dec.1st. The Horns have struggled to beat Kansas State and have not beat them since Vince Young was the starting quarterback back in 2003.

3. West Virginia      9-3                        West Virginia would have been my pick to win the Big East again, but they made the move to a tougher Big 12 Conference. West Virginia is feeling confident though after blowing out ACC Champion Clemson in the Orange Bowl 70-33. The Mountaineers return eight starters on offense, which includes dual threat Sr. Quarterback Geno Smith. Smith could potentially be in the Heisman discussion, and will eventually become West Virginia's all-time career passer this season. West Virginia's explosive offense also includes two top Wide Receivers in the Big 12, Sr. Tavon Austin and Jr. Stedman Bailey, who combined for 20 touchdowns last season. The Mountaineer offense will be explosive once again this season, ranking 1st in the Big East and 15th in the country with 469.5 ypg last season. This type of offense will help the Mountaineers compete in a conference where scoring is everything. On the other side of the ball, the Mountaineer defense returns six starters. The defense struggled at times last season and will need to be able to contain the better competition of the Big 12. The Mountaineer defense ranked 61st last season giving up 26.8 ppg. I feel 2nd year Head Coach Dana Holgorsen and his Mountaineers will do well, but struggle potentially on the road. West Virginia will fly to Texas two straight weeks in a row and face Texas (Oct. 6) and Texas Tech (Oct.13).  Texas Tech could potentially be a trap game after facing a tough Texas team the week before. I feel West Virginia will take down Kansas State (Oct. 20) and TCU (Nov.3) at home. After those two home games, their season will be defined by games at Oklahoma St. (Nov.10) and at home in a showdown with conference favorite Oklahoma (Nov.17).

4. TCU                    8-4                        TCU, like West Virginia, will be one of the newcomers in the Big 12 Conference. The Horned Frogs though are more familiar with the teams they will be facing in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs return seven starters from last season, which includes Jr. Quarterback Casey Pachall, who did almost everything right last season after having to replace current NFL Quarterback Andy Dalton. Pachall threw for 2,921 yards last season for the Horned Frogs and helped the Horned Frogs average 40.9 ppg. TCU's rushing game will be explosive this year as well, as they return there three main running backs from last season. Jr. Waymon James, Sr. Ed Wesley, and Sr. Matthew Tucker all rushed for over 700 yards and had a combined 24 rushing touchdowns. TCU returns five starters on defense, which includes Jr. Defensive End Stansly Maponga, who had 55 tackles and 9 sacks last season. The defense does not return many starters, but this defense will be strong and able to keep up with the others in the Big 12. TCU will fair well in their first season and will most likely start off the season 7-0. After Baylor on Oct. 13th, the Horned Frogs will face the elite teams of the Big 12. Their last five games include back to back road games at Oklahoma State and at West Virginia. It also includes a home game against Kansas State, an away game at Texas, and a home game against Oklahoma. This is where I feel the Horned Frogs will lose their four games. If TCU comes out of these five games with a record of 2-3, they have succeeded. TCU might want one of these wins to be at Texas, so they can prove that they are indeed the best team in the entire state.

5. Oklahoma State   8-4                        Oklahoma State is coming off of an impressive 12-1 season and a Fiesta Bowl win over Stanford. Head Coach Mike Gundy finally has gotten the program where he wants it to be at. The Oklahoma State Cowboys could potentially compete in the Big 12 Conference again this season. The Cowboys will obviously miss QB Brandon Weeden and stand-out WR Justin Blackmon, who left for the NFL draft early. The offense will only return four starters from last season and will start true Freshman Quarterback Wes Lunt. The positive about the offense though is star Jr. Running back Joseph Randle returns. Randle rushed for a spectacular 1,216 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns. The Cowboys will look to establish a more powerful rushing game this season. The Cowboys defense returns eight starters and looks to improve from last season. The Cowboys were one of the worst defenses in the country last season ranking at an awful 107th in total defense and giving up 456.8 ypg. Without the possibility of having an offense that can put up an average of 48.7 ppg, like the Cowboys of last season, it will be harder to win ball games. Leader Sr. Cornerback Brodrick Brown and the defense will need to show they have matured and defend the pass and run much better. The Cowboys will appear to be in the middle of the pack this season and possibly make a run for the second or third spot in the Big 12. The Cowboys will need to prove themselves on Sept. 29th at home against Texas. The three-game span against TCU (Oct. 27) at home, at Kansas State (Nov.3), and at home against West Virginia (Nov.10), will prove if the Cowboys are worthy of being a top team in the conference.

6. Kansas State        8-4                         Last year, Kansas State proved that you don't need to be a great team to go 10-3. The Wildcats came out of nowhere last season with a team that was not supposed to win more than six games. Sr. Quarterback Collin Klein last season was a force to be reckoned with and rushed for 27 touchdowns and passed for 13. If Klein stays healthy this season and the Wildcats can find a way to win 9 games, watch for Klein to be up for Heisman. The Wildcats return eight on offense including Klein,  Jr. Running back John Hubert, Sr. Wide Receiver Chris Harper, and So. Wide Receiver Tyler Lockett. The offense should be better than 101st in the country this season. The defense on the other hand, returns six starters that includes top Big 12 Linebacker Arthur Brown and Cornerback Nigel Malone. Kansas State's defense may have not been the best last season, but when it counted players like Arthur Brown would come through and the Wildcats would find a way to win close games. Last season, Kansas State beat Miami on a last second goal line stand and the Cat defense got to Robert Griffin III and Arthur Brown intercepted a pass to help the Cats defeat Baylor 36-35. The Cat defense also held Missouri, Texas Tech, and Iowa State out of the end zone and won by seven,  defeated Texas A&M in overtime, and then held the Longhorns to 13 points in a 17-13 win in Austin. Kansas State may not hit their 10 game win total from last year, but it will be close. Kansas State will most likely lose at Oklahoma and West Virginia. They will need to find a way to get through the last four games of the season. They need to go at least 3-1 or 2-2 against Oklahoma State, TCU, Baylor, and Texas to hit eight or nine wins. Coach Bill Snyder will have his boys ready to make a cinderella run yet again.

7. Texas Tech          6-6                        Texas Tech looked to be having a decent season last year. They were 4-2 and were going into a hostile Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The game was delayed a few hours by severe weather. Once the game started Texas Tech took control of the game and stunned Oklahoma and the nation 41-38. Unfortunately, that was the end of the Red Raiders season and they went on to lose the rest of their games. Third year Head Coach Tommy Tubberville needs to get this program back to where it was in 2009 when Mike Leach was there. A plus for the Red Raiders this season is they have 17 returning starters. Sr. Quarterback Seth Doege had good numbers last season and threw for 28 Touchdowns. Texas Tech's offense ended up being 13th in the country in total offense at 470.6 ypg last season. They still seemed to struggle though. The Texas Tech defense, which returns nine starters, was absolutely awful. They ended the year ranked 117th in the country giving up an average of 39.3 ppg. The lowest amount of points Texas Tech's defense gave up last year to a Big 12 team was 31 in a loss at Missouri. The Red Raiders somehow will make a bowl game this season though. They need to start the season off 4-0 beating Northwestern State, Texas State, New Mexico, and Iowa State. Then they need to make sure they beat Kansas (Nov.10) and win against Baylor (Nov. 24) in Arlington, which is the last game of their season. If they lose one of these games, it is going to be tough for them to hit six wins.

8. Baylor                  6-6                        Baylor finally had a breakout season last year and produced Heisman Trophy Winner Robert Griffin III. Art Briles put Baylor football on the map with a 10-3 record last season. Baylor's offense will clearly not be as explosive without RG3 or Wide Receiver Kendall Wright. It will be up to Sr. Quarterback Nick Florence to lead a Baylor offense that was ranked number two in the country last season. The Bears offense will also have a new addition to the running game Sophomore Lache Seastrunk, who transferred from Oregon prior to the 2011 season. He should help the running game along with Jr. Jarred Salubi, who will have to replace Running back Terrance Ganaway who scored 21 touchdowns and rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. Florence's main target at the receiver position will be Sr. Terrance Williams, who could potentially have the chance to be on the all-Big 12 team this season if he gets enough touches. Baylor's defense was a completely different story last season. Baylor's defense ranked 116th in the country in total defense giving up an average of 488.5ypg. The good thing for the defense this season is that eight starters return and will not lack the experience they did last season. They will most likely have one of the most improved defenses in the Big 12 this season. The Bears will start the season 3-0 with wins over non-conference foes SMU, Sam Houston State, and a visit to UL-Monroe. After these games, we will find out just how much they will miss RG3, Wright, and Ganaway.  For the Bears to become bowl eligible, they will need to win at home against Iowa State on Oct. 27th, at home against Kansas on Nov. 3rd, and one more conference  game. It could either be another upset over TCU at home like a year ago, or in Arlington against Texas Tech.

9. Iowa State            4-8                          A man by the name of Paul Rhoads gets me every year. I don't know what he says to his players, but the last three years he has gotten his Cyclones to pull off a big upset. In 2009, he went into Lincoln and upset the Huskers 9-7. Everyone remembers the "Im so proud to be your football coach" speech. In 2010, he went into Austin and upset the #22 ranked Texas Longhorns 28-21 and last year the Clones pulled the inevitable and knocked the Oklahoma State Cowboys out of the national championship by upsetting them in overtime 37-31. Every year I pick the Cyclones to win at best three to four games, and I am doing it again.  The Cyclones still have inconsistency at the Quarterback position. It is either Sophomore Jared Barnett or Senior Steele Jantz. I feel Barnett will be named the starter this year though. He took over half way through the season and helped the Cyclones get bowl eligible by defeating Texas Tech, Kansas, and Oklahoma State. Iowa State's offense will need their rushing game to be dominant this season with Quarterbacks Barnett/Jantz and Jr. Running back James White, who had 743 total rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns. The offense may return seven starters, but the defense, who returns five starters, has one of the best linebacking corps in the Big 12. Sr. OLB Jake Knott and Sr. MLB A.J. Klein are both potential all-Big 12 1st team linebackers. Sr. Defensive lineman Jake McDonough also looks to help the Cyclones on the defensive side of the ball. Iowa State must travel to Iowa City and play the Hawkeyes in week two. I feel they will lose, but this is a must win for the Cyclones. If the Cyclones can start off the season 3-1 or 4-0 they have a chance to become bowl eligible for the second straight year. They demolished Texas Tech last year in Lubbock and have a chance to do it again on Sept. 29th. The Cyclones also need to make sure they win at home against Baylor on Oct. 27th and on the road at Kansas on Nov. 17th.


10. Kansas               3-9                         Kansas fired Head Coach Turner Gill after he won only five games in two seasons. Now it is Charlie Weis who will be at the helm of Kansas football. Weis was successful his first two seasons at Notre Dame and then simply disappointed the next three and was eventually fired in 2009. Weis comes into a bad situation where he will completely need to rebuild a program that has suffered since the firing of Mark Mangino in 2009. Weis is fortunate to have 14 returning starters, 7 on offense and 7 on defense, and Notre Dame transfer Sr. Quarterback Dayne Christ. Weis will try to improve the play of an offense that ranked last in scoring in the Big 12 and 106th in ypg in the country last season. The only decent aspect to the Jayhawk offense is Jr. Running back James Sims, who rushed for 727 total yards and 9 touchdowns last season. As bad as the offense was for the Jayhawks, the defense is that much worse. The Jayhawks were ranked dead last in the country last season giving up an average of 43.8 ppg and 516.4 ypg. Georgia Tech last year beat Kansas 66-24 and rolled up 768 total yards on the Jayhawk defense. This is the type of team Charlie Weis is going to have to rebuild. I have the Jayhawks winning one more game than they did last season giving them a total of three wins. The Jayhawks will hopefully beat FCS opponent South Dakota State in the season opener and win against Rice the following week. Their third win will come either on the road against non-conference MAC Champion Northern Illinois or at home against Iowa State on Nov. 17th.

Top Ten (Big 12)

1. Best game of the season: Nov.17th-Oklahoma @ West Virginia
2. Most Valuable to his team: QB Collin Klein, Kansas State
3. Biggest potential upset: Oct. 13th- Texas Tech over West Virginia in Lubbock, TX
4. Best Head Coach: Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
5. Biggest surprise team: TCU Horned Frogs
6. Best defense: Texas Longhorns
7. Best Defensive Player: DL Alex Okafor, Texas
8. Biggest disappointment: Kansas Defense
9. Best Quarterback in the clutch: Casey Pachall, TCU Horned Frogs
10. Toughest environment to play in: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Oklahoma Sooners

College Football GameDay Experience #3 (Columbus)

With only three game day experiences remaining, here are the game day experiences that have been mentioned so far. Iowa City (Iowa Hawkeyes) came in a number ten, Madison (Wisconsin Badgers) at nine, Knoxville (Tennessee Volunteers) at eight, Lincoln (Nebraska Cornhuskers) at seven, Eugene (Oregon Ducks) at six, Gainesville (Florida Gators) at five, and South Bend (Notre Dame Fighting Irish) at four. GameDay Experience number three leads us to what is known as "The Horseshoe." Columbus is a destination that is a must for any college football fan, even if you despise the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio Stadium is a shrine to college football and is one of the best atmospheres in all of college football.

3. GameDay in Columbus-Ohio State Buckeyes (Ohio Stadium)

The Ohio State Buckeyes struggled last season with the firing of Head Coach Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes ended up finishing the season 6-7. This year it will be interesting will the hire of Urban Meyer and what he can do with a team that was hit with a one year probation, meaning the Buckeyes will not be able to play in the Big Ten Championship, nor be eligible for a bowl. Overall though, Ohio State has been very successful this past decade. The Buckeyes have appeared in three national championship Games getting their only win in 2002. They have appeared in BCS Bowl Games eight out of the last ten years and have won five Conference Championships. Now onto my experience in Columbus.

"The Horseshoe" 

Before I went to Columbus, I figured it was some dump town in Ohio. That's because as a Michigan football fan that's what you're supposed to believe, but when I finally arrived there and made it to the downtown area it was actually pretty nice. I never really thought Columbus would look like that and that The Ohio State campus would be as big as it was. Downtown was busy Friday night and many places were packed with fans in for the game the next day. The restaurant my dad and I went to is one of those places you need to go if you are there for a football game. It's called Eddie George's Grille 27 and it located on North High Street. It has Eddie George memorabilia hanging all around the restaurant and also has some great food. I had the deep fried cheeseburger, one of the most recommended food items on the menu, it was pretty much amazing. After a wonderful experience Friday night, it was time to get ready for Saturday.

Skull Session in St. John Arena

Our Saturday morning began by attending another segment of ESPN College GameDay. I was wearing a Trojan shirt obviously, I liked Pete Carroll and I never in my life could get myself to where anything Ohio State. The fans bickered back and forth about who cheated more and how Reggie Bush was a cheater. Looked like both fan bases were right. After this season, the Trojans were hit with a two year bowl ban. As we made fun of Maurice Clarett and how he screwed up, I never imagined that the Buckeye quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who I would be watching that evening, would be the player that caused Jim Tressel to be fired and place the Buckeyes on probation three years later. Funny how these things happen. Anyways, Kirk Herbstreit's kids came up to the GameDay set for the pick and Corso picked the Trojans.

There is a lot to see on the Ohio State campus prior to kickoff. We checked out Value City Arena, home of Ohio State Basketball. We then headed to the Jack Nicklaus Museum, which was about a 15-20 minute walk from the stadium. If you are a golf enthusiast this is the place for you. It is full of memorabilia, with includes items such as trophies, green green jackets, and old golf bags Nicklaus used in the major tournaments he played in. After viewing the Jack Nicklaus Museum, we headed over to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center close by. Unfortunately on game days, the Ohio State hall-of-fame is closed. You can still look from the outside though and see some of the trophies the Buckeyes have won over the years.

Once we made it back to the main campus we checked out Mirror Lake. It's not as pretty as I thought it was going to be, but there is a lot of tradition surrounding the lake. Mirror lake is located on campus and is more like a small pond. The tradition surrounding the lake is that Thursday night prior to the Michigan game, which takes place in late November, students usually get really drunk and jump into the lake with bathing suits on. They have a huge pool party that goes into the early hours of Friday morning. It would be fun to watch. I just don't know if I could get myself to do when it's only 15 degrees outside. After we hung out there for a little bit, we headed to a tailgating area set up for fans and watched football. Then it was time to go check out the Skull Session in Old St. John Arena. This is one of the most important traditions on game day at Ohio State. The Ohio State Marching Band aka "The Best Damn Band in the Land" makes their way into the arena and starts playing. The football team eventually walks in and the coach and maybe a player or two says a few words, then they leave. After they leave the court, the band plays the many songs associated with The Ohio State University. What is interesting about Ohio State is everything is so structured on game day. Everything is done in an orderly fashion, such as the Skull Session.

 Matt Barkley and teammates celebrate after touchdown

It was eventually time to enter "The Shoe." We ended up sitting with many USC fans right behind the USC Marching Band, which was a lot of fun. Pre-game at Ohio Stadium is not like anything else you will ever see in sports. The Band does their tunnel entrance onto the field and begins to play "Fight the Team Across the Field." The Band eventually makes their way to "Script Ohio." This is honestly my favorite tradition in college football. The stadium erupts when the sousaphone player dots the "i". This happened to be the game where the ESPN cameraman got to close to the sousaphone player and the sousaphone player ended up teaching the camera a lesson. Prior to kickoff, Ohio Stadium was as loud as ever. It is also very overwhelming because of how big the stadium is. Throughout the game it was deafening as the Trojans and Buckeyes went back and fourth. "The Horseshoe" is probably the second loudest stadium in the country after Florida. It is quite a scene. Of course, it was probably the quietest stadium in the country after true Freshman Quarterback Matt Barkley led the Trojans down the field with a minute left and shocked the Buckeyes 18-15. I witnessed a record breaking crowd at Ohio Stadium go completely silent. All I can say is... I was a very happy person in Columbus that night. I took it all in and was taking pleasure in the Buckeye fans misery. Those fans were completely stunned, it was great!

Overall, the Columbus experience was amazing. As much as I hate Ohio State, there fans were nothing but nice and they are a university built around class and tradition. The atmosphere at Ohio State is something you just don't get at many other college football stadiums. Everything is also revolved around the Ohio State Marching Band. Buckeye fans love their team and have such a great knowledge of the game. I highly recommend it for any college football fan who loves the history and tradition of college football. I would love to go back there someday and attend another game.

Game Attended in Columbus:

9/12/2009   CFB  USC 18, Ohio State 15   * ESPN College Gameday

ESPN College GameDay

Best sign at College GameDay "Stop World Hunger Stop Feeding Charlie Weiss!"

Mirror Lake 

Script OHIO 

 

College Football GameDay Experience #4 (South Bend)

Here is College GameDay Experience number four. So far we have had Iowa City (Iowa Hawkeyes) at ten, Madison (Wisconsin Badgers) at nine, Knoxville (Tennessee Volunteers) at eight, Lincoln (Nebraska Cornhuskers) at seven, Eugene (Oregon Ducks) at six, and Gainesville (Florida Gators) at five. Experience number four is college football. It's home of Touchdown Jesus and the Golden Dome. You hear the lyrics "Wake up the echoes cheering her name." This is Notre Dame and GameDay in South Bend.

4. GameDay in South Bend- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Notre Dame Stadium)

Notre Dame is one of those places you just have to go to as a college football fan. So many greats have played here and there is so much tradition at Notre Dame. I am well aware the Fighting Irish have not been as good recently, but they are improving. I mean Michigan will probably take them down again for a fourth year in a row, but whose counting? Coach Brian Kelly has them headed in the right direction. 

If you go to South Bend, you should be required to take a tour of the campus before the game. It is unlike any other campus in the country. We arrived to campus pretty early before game time. We parked farther away and took a bus to the campus. The first thing we checked out was Touchdown Jesus and the rectangular pool that reflects Touchdown Jesus. You obviously have to get a picture of yourself in front of Touchdown Jesus and Touchdown Jesus reflecting in the pool. We then made our way to the  Golden Dome. The coolest thing about the Golden Dome is looking at it on game day as the sun reflects off of the dome. The inside, from what I remember, is very cool as well.

We eventually made our way to the Grotto. My dad was telling me to get as close as I could to it, so I could get a picture of everyone putting their candles into it. I remember saying, "Dad, I can't get any closer to take a picture, can't you see they are on their knees praying?" It was a classic moment. All I could think about while looking at the Grotto was the part in the movie where Rudy is there. Very cool experience I would have to say. Right after that, we took a stroll by St. Mary's Lake.

 After we checked out the most famous landmarks on campus, we went over to the church and saw the players and coaches walking in to do their pre game prayer. This team happened to include Coach Charlie Weiss, Quarterback Brady Quinn, and Wide Receiver Jeff Samardzija. Obviously, this didn't help them very much that day, because my Wolverines absolutely demolished them.

Touchdown Jesus
www.gregorycjones.com

Right before we entered the stadium, there were a lot of food venders outside of the stadium and the Notre Dame Marching Band was performing. Also, as we were walking around someone was playing Rudy music out of their apartment or dorm. That totally made my day as a college football fan. How fitting is it that someone would play that as we were wandering the University of Notre Dame campus.

Pre-game at Notre Dame Stadium is filled with tradition. The Notre Dame Marching band marches onto the field and performs The "Notre Dame Victory March", then the Irish take the field. 80,795 cheer as their Fighting Irish take the field. The most interesting thing about Notre Dame Stadium is that they still do not have a video scoreboard. Notre Dame Stadium screams old tradition. The student section is choreographed for games and the coolest chant they do is the "Celtic Chant."

Notre Dame Stadium is an absolute must for every college football fan. The fans are great and absolutely love their team, whether they are good or bad. Another thing I would like to mention is to check out the College Football Hall-Of-Fame. I believe in the next year it will be moved to Atlanta, GA. We happened to only be on the outside of it, because the game ended so late in the evening. Overall, I had a great experience in South Bend. The people were nice, the atmosphere was great, and the campus was amazing. By far one of the best weekends I have ever had.

Game Attended in South Bend:


9/16/2006   CFB   Michigan 47, Notre Dame 21

-Check out GameDay Experience number three next week as the countdown continues.

College Football GameDay Experience #5 (Gainesville)

I am half way through my top ten College GameDay experiences. The countdown began with Iowa City (Iowa Hawkeyes) at ten, then Madison (Wisconsin Badgers) at nine, Knoxville (Tennessee Volunteers) at eight, Lincoln (Nebraska Cornhuskers) at seven, and Eugene (Oregon Ducks) at six. GameDay Experience number six takes us down to the SEC. The stadium is known as "The Swamp" and has the reputation of being one of the most hostile environments in college football. Welcome to Gaineville and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium where only Gators get out alive, according to the Gator introduction video before the Gators run out onto the field.

5. GameDay in Gainesville-Florida Gators (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium)

The Florida Gators program is still very relevant even after the reign of the Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer era. Gator nation is still very optimistic about coach Will Muschamp and that he will lead them to prominence yet again. The Gator fans love their team and are the reason why Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is what it is today.

Gainesville in early September, when I went there, was so hot and humid. I guess it is part of the
experience of going to Gator game at "The Swamp." GameDay started off with ESPN College GameDay and Corso, of course, picking the Gators over the "The U" (Miami Hurricanes). All the Gator fans by noon were all tailgating. This is the only tailgating scene that is better than Iowa and Wisconsin. Florida fans sure can tailgate...and drink as well. There are also quite a few bars on campus that fans go to prior to kickoff.

"THE SWAMP"

After a full day of experiencing the tailgating scene and checking out the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, home of Florida basketball and volleyball, it was time to enter "The Swamp." I walked into the stadium and got chills. I realized I had just walked into one of the most hostile football environments in the country. I saw the names of the three Heisman Trophy Winners up in the stadium. They are, of course, Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel, and Tim Tebow.

Pre-game at "The Swamp" is absolutely crazy. Before the Gators took the field, a man by the name of George Edmondson Jr. aka Mr. Two Bits, took the field and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium turned into quite the spectacle. He stood at midfield and started the chant: Two Bits! Four Bits! Six Bits! A Dollar! All for the Gators Stand up and holler! I heard that he retired from doing this though, so I am not sure what they do at Florida now. The video then appears on the scoreboard and you hear "Only Gators get out Alive." The video shows the players touching a Gator head as they are about to run out of the tunnel. When the Gators finally ran out of the tunnel it was deafening. I honestly have never been in a stadium as loud as that one. There were 90,000 fans screaming at the top of their lungs. I literally thought my head was going to explode. I realized at that moment why Florida is one of the toughest places to play, and that it truly is the loudest environment in College Football. 


During the game, there are many different chants the gator fans take part in. The Gator Chomp and Go Gators! chant are the most well-known. They also have a tradition after the third quarter like Wisconsin and Oregon. Everyone puts their arms over each other's shoulders and sing the song "We Are The Boys From Old Florida." Everyone is so calm during that song and after it's finished it's back to the same old loud and hostile environment. Going to "The Swamp" was an amazing experience. This is a real SEC environment for college football. The fans are crazy for their team and extremely knowledgable about the game of football. It may also have been amazing when I was there, because it was right after Tim Tebow had won his Heisman Trophy and the Gators were in the hunt of going to the National Championship.  


Game Attended in Gainesville:
9/06/2008   CFB   Miami (FL) 3, Florida 26   * ESPN College GameDay

ESPN College GameDay- Florida vs Miami

Pre-Game at "The Swamp"

Before Kickoff 

Tim Tebow

College Football GameDay Experience #6 (Eugene)

College Football GameDay Experience continues with number six. Game day experience started with Iowa City (Iowa Hawkeyes) at number ten. It continued with Madison (Wisconsin Badgers) at number nine, Knoxville (Tennessee Volunteers) at number eight, and Lincoln (Nebraska Cornhuskers) at number seven. Experience number six continues with an experience unlike any other in college football. This is a laid-back and scenic city in the pacific northwest. During this week it is quiet, but on Saturdays not a voice can be heard as 59,000 crazed fans cause a ruckus in this stadium known as "The Autzen Zoo." This is Oregon Duck football and this is game day at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

6. GameDay in Eugene- Oregon Ducks (Autzen Stadium)


Coach Chip Kelly and the Oregon Ducks have been an unstoppable force for the past three years. They have won three conference championships and appeared in the Rose Bowl twice and a BCS National Championship. This year, the Ducks finally won there first Rose Bowl after 95 years against the Wisconsin Badgers. It's safe to say being a Duck has been fun as of late. The Ducks have been extremely successful at Autzen Stadium losing only two home games in the past four years. The Ducks have a current home sell-out streak of 79 games. This hostile crowd brings it for every Duck home game and it causes visiting teams to struggle tremendously because of how loud the noise gets in Autzen Stadium. Gameday in Eugene is not as crazy as it may seem though. Tailgating at Autzen Stadium is a different type of experience that you will not get anywhere else in the country. One of the coolest experiences is walking from the U of O campus and taking the path in Alton Baker Park to Autzen Stadium. Before you hit the path from campus, you walk on a bridge over the Willamette River. The path begins after the bridge, and about three minutes later you will see the Giant "O" and Autzen Stadium appear through the trees. It is such a cool experience as you get closer to the stadium and eventually cross over the famous foot bridge. It is a very scenic route to get to the stadium, so make sure you get dropped off on campus and walk to the stadium. You will not regret it. On campus make sure to check out Matt Knight Arena and historic Hayward Field. The tailgating is very laid-back compared to many other college football tailgating atmospheres. Many people take advantage of tailgating in the Moshofsky Center. The Moshofsky Center is where the indoor football practice field is. On game day, events and food places are set up on the field for fans. 


After tailgating, Duck fans make their way into Autzen Stadium. This is when the fans evolve into a bunch of crazy lunatics. Yes, I said it and they really do not care what comes out of their mouths either. I can't say that Duck fans are the most classy fans in the country. Prepare for some bad language and a lot of bullish*t chants during the game from the student section. Also, I have heard some rather questionable things while sitting in the student section. Things that made me cringe and made me want to tell that person to read a book on what a touchdown or a first down was. Besides that small issue at times, Oregon fans overall are very passionate about their Ducks.

Pre game consists of the Ducks warm up to "Joker and the Thief" by Wolfmother. Autzen begins to get crazy, but the place completely erupts as the Ducks take the field. After the Duck Vision intro video is over, the best mascot in college football, Puddles the Duck, takes the field by riding on the back of a Harley motorcycle. After the Ducks enter the field, the students begin the chant by yelling Go! The rest of fans chant back Ducks! Prior to kickoffs, fans put up the "O" sign with there hands and chant OOOHHH!!!!! as loud as possible.  Yes, I'm aware my soon to be Alma Mater has very original chants, but who cares. The student section does have the Chant for Chip Kelly "Big Balls Chip", which occurs after Chip Kelly goes for it on fourth down. Like Wisconsin, Oregon has their own tradition after the third quarter. The movie Animal House was filmed on the University Oregon campus, so it would only be fitting that the song "Shout" be played before every fourth quarter.

This place is loud and many well-respected coaches and players have even admitted to it being the loudest in the country. Head Coach Lloyd Carr said Autzen Stadium was the loudest stadium he had ever been in after the Ducks upset the Wolverines in 2003. College GameDay host Lee Corso said, "Per person Autzen Stadium is the loudest stadium that I have ever been in my entire life!" Lastly, Adrian Peterson quoted "It was like some sort of crazy torture in the movies. How do people do that so long without taking a breath? I think my ears are still ringing." This place in the quiet Pacific northwest literally becomes a zoo on game days. With the help of Phil Knight aka Uncle Phil, Oregon is becoming more and more nationally recognized because of Nike. Obviously the football uniforms have drawn the attention of many sports fans across the country, but Autzen is a special game day experience that you will not have at any other venue in the country. If you visit Autzen Stadium, remember this motto that is said prior to kickoff over the PA System, "It never rains in Autzen Stadium." So always expect it is not going to rain and don't bother wearing rain gear. Alright, I'm kind of joking... it rains sometimes. Stay tuned for game day experience number five, which will be coming out this week.

* Here is the link of quotes players, coaches, and the media have said about the environment of Autzen Stadium

http://www.oregongridiron.com/facilities_pages/autzen_quotes.html

Oregon vs Cal game day in 2007

      Oregon vs Cal in 2009

Oregon vs Washington in 2010

Oregon vs Arizona State in 2011

 

         Oregon vs Arizona in 2008


Games attended in Eugene:

9/29/2007 CFB Cal 31, Oregon 24 * ESPN College Gameday
10/11/2008 CFB Oregon 31, UCLA 24
11/08/2008 CFB Oregon 35, Stanford 28
11/15/2008 CFB Oregon 55, Arizona 45
9/26/2009 CFB Oregon 42, Cal 3
10/02/2010 CFB Oregon 52, Stanford 31 *ESPN College Gameday
10/21/2010 CFB Oregon 60, UCLA 13
11/06/2010 CFB Oregon 53, Washington 16
11/26/2010 CFB Oregon 48, Arizona 29
10/06/2011 CFB Oregon 43, Cal 15
10/15/2011 CFB Oregon 41, Arizona State 27 * ESPN College Gameday
10/29/2011 CFB Oregon 43, Washington State 28
11/19/2011 CFB USC 38, Oregon 35
11/26/2011 CFB Oregon 49, Oregon State 21
12/02/2011 CFB Oregon 49, UCLA 31 (Pac-12 Championship Game) Eugene, OR
9/15/2012 CFB Oregon 63, Tennessee Tech 14
9/22/2012 CFB Oregon 49, Arizona 0
10/06/12 CFB Oregon 52, Washington 21
10/27/12 CFB Oregon 70, Colorado 14

College Football GameDay Experience #7 (Lincoln)

College Football GameDay Experience continues. The first three game day experiences consisted of Iowa City (Iowa Hawkeyes) at ten, Madison (Wisconsin Badgers) at nine, and Knoxville (Tennessee Volunteers) at eight. Number seven is a team that you either love or hate. The fans eat, drink, sleep, and breathe for their team. The game day atmosphere is one that every college football fan should experience at least once in their life. Welcome to Memorial Stadium home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

7. GameDay in Lincoln-Nebraska Cornhuskers (Memorial Stadium)

Hello everyone and welcome to Hell...just kidding that was mean. Hello everyone and welcome to Lincoln, Nebraska home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers aka "Big Red." Memorial Stadium has one the longest sellout streaks in the country and is currently at a consecutive 318 games. The Huskers have been good as of recent, but have struggled to be a great team like they were in the 90's. The Huskers will look to contend for the Big Ten Championship this year. The game day experience in Lincoln is something that is so special to Husker Nation. These fans live for their team and die with them as well. Nebraska fans have been known to have some of the most respectful and knowledgable fans in the country. If your not a Nebraska fan, I know you disagree with the knowledgable statement.

Nebraska vs Kansas State in 2007

The University of Nebraska is situated near downtown Lincoln. Tailgating for Husker games is a whole day thing. People begin tailgating very early in the morning and it takes place everywhere around the Memorial Stadium area. Another place where many Husker fans go before the game is to the Haymarket area near the stadium. This is where most of the bars are situated. Whenever I have gone to Nebraska games, I have always ended up at Brewsky's. Brewsky's has a great pre-game atmosphere and has good food to go along with it. Unfortunately, it is always extremely packed and you are usually fighting to get a table. Tailgating is an important aspect to Nebraska GameDay, but you can't go to Nebraska without checking out the Osborne Athletic Complex. The Osborne Athletic Complex is located on the north side of Memorial Stadium and includes all the trophies, as well as the Nebraska Football Experience Room. The experience room, which I experienced right when it opened in 2010, consists of a large screen where they show a short movie pertaining to Husker football. You feel like you are running out on the field with the Huskers and as if you were in Memorial Stadium during a live football game. It also consists of the Heisman trophies of Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, and Eric Crouch. I'm pretty sure my friend made me watch the two Husker gameday experience movies four times.

The most important part of the Husker GameDay experience is when you finally enter the gates of Memorial Stadium and get to your seat. The pre-game experience is one of the coolest traditions in the country. On the giant Jumbotron scoreboard, they show an intense video consisting of their biggest moments in Husker history and soon after it happens. The famous Tunnel Walk begins.  The song "Sirius" comes on and Memorial Stadium becomes louder than ever. The players are seen on the Jumbotron, or on one of the other four scoreboards in the stadium walking through the tunnel and touching the lucky horseshoe. This tradition never gets old, whether you like or dislike the Huskers. I personally get goosebumps every time they do this even if I have been to Memorial Stadium multiple times. Memorial Stadium is definitely the most fun at night though. Two games where it was extremely loud was the USC game in 2007 and the Oklahoma game in 2009. Memorial Stadium was rocking and the fans were into the game for all four quarters. This is one thing about Nebraska fans, they stay for the whole game no matter what is going on in the game. One of the more recent traditions that Nebraska has done prior to kickoff is play "Can You Feel It.". The students start jumping up and down and everyone gets pumped for kickoff. The chants of Husker Power! and Gooo Big Red! can be heard throughout the game as well. Game day at Memorial Stadium is a must for every college football fan.


    Games Attended in Lincoln:

11/13/1999 CFB Kansas State 15, Nebraska 41

10/20/2001 CFB Texas Tech 31, Nebraska 41

10/02/2004 CFB   Kansas 8, Nebraska 14
10/30/2004 CFB   Missouri 3, Nebraska 24

10/01/2005 CFB   Iowa State 20, Nebraska 27

11/24/2006 CFB   Colorado 17, Nebraska 37

9/15/2007   CFB   USC 49, Nebraska 31   * ESPN College GameDay

10/13/2007 CFB   Oklahoma State 45, Nebraska 14

11/10/2007 CFB   Kansas State 31, Nebraska 73

8/30/2008   CFB   Western Michigan 24, Nebraska 47

11/28/2008 CFB  Colorado 31, Nebraska 40

9/05/2009   CFB  Florida Atlantic 3, Nebraska 49

10/17/2009 CFB  Texas Tech 31, Nebraska 10
10/24/2009 CFB  Iowa State 9, Nebraska 7
11/07/2009 CFB  Oklahoma 3, Nebraska 10
11/21/2009 CFB Kansas State 3, Nebraska 17

                           Spring Games in 2006,2008, and 2010

Nebraska vs USC in 2007

Nebraska vs Florida Atlantic in 2009

Nebraska vs Texas Tech in 2009

Nebraska vs Kansas State in 2009