Top 10 College Football Uniforms

I'm a big guy on swagger. In high school, if I looked good on the field then I felt good, and if I felt good then I usually played good. That being said, one of my favorite things to do on my NCAA football game is look at all of the jerseys.

Oklahoma State has finally joined the ranks on the NCAA swagger (As announced last night by Kyle Porter of www.pistolsfiringblog.com, an incredible OSU blog). So, to celebrate the Cowboy's look, let's look at where the new threads land them on my Top 10, a Top 10 that will not include Oregon... It's obvious that Oregon is Number 1, so I'll just go ahead and make a list for second place.

Number 10: Florida A&M
A double A school, but I LOVE the Orange/Green combo they have. It screams swagger and that has paid off for them in the past.

Number 9: Florida State
My favorite scheme in football is Red and Black. It's always been associated with fear for me, as all of my rivals have always had those colors (Trinity High School, Pantego, etc.) Florida State rocks it, and their blackout jerseys as well as their Pro Combat jerseys (pictured below) are always looking clean.

Number 8: TCU's Pro Combat Jerseys
These have been my favorite overall jerseys for awhile, but the fact that they hardly ever wear them and that their other jerseys are mostly purple knocked them down the list a ways... Sorry Frogs, you get screwed out of a title yet again.

Number 7: Hawaii
How can you not love the Warriors? The tribal designs they mix in whether it's on their sleeves or legs, I love it. It goes with the Hawaii theme, and for some reason scares me a little bit.

Number 6: Virginia Tech
Black, Maroon, and Orange? Awesome, and every uniform they have pulls the scheme off perfectly.

Number 5: Boise State
They wore these jerseys against Virginia Tech in their early-season showdown last year, and I loved them. My favorite part is the helmet.

Number 4: Miami
The U is all about the swag game. It's in their heritage. Just watch the ESPN 30 for 30 on them and you'll see. The fact that one team caused the NCAA to make "The Miami Rule" about no celebrating and taunting is enough for me. I love it, and the pro combat jerseys they released are my favorite, but I'll put up a picture of both. Shout out to my boy Kacy Rodgers for modeling the orange uni's for us.

Number 3: Florida
I've always loved Florida's jerseys. Maybe because it's the scheme my high school had, or maybe just because it's awesome. I'm not really sure, I just know I like it and I want to see Nike do more with it.

Number 2: Oklahoma State
As I said, these were just unveiled last night and they look incredible. I love the new gray as well. I can easily say OSU is now the "Oregon of the Midwest", I just wish they had released them early enough to be on the new NCAA 12 game... Oh well. There's always next year I guess.

Number 1: Arizona State
They just unveiled their new jerseys for 2011... One word: Awesome. Check out the pitchfork on the helmets. These are incredible, I love the bright orange/yellow trim for the numbers and helmet. That look is absolutely incredible, and these have taken the cake on the uniform's I'm most excited to see in person.





That's all I've got! Next up is why I'm worried about the Dallas Cowboys and what they're NOT doing yet this offseason.

... I couldn't resist.

Oklahoma State Football Season Preview

Oklahoma State football is just right around the corner, but the media is chomping at the bit after today's Big 12 Media Day festivities. Next week, I'll be in Stillwater covering Oklahoma State Media Day, but wanted to go ahead and post my thoughts on the season beforehand, as I'll most likely be writing a ton for the O'Colly after that.

Key Players In 2011

The Obvious: Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon
The duo is back for another year, and on just about every College Football promo on ESPN. I'm hoping to see Blackmon with another big year, but he won't be under the radar as he was at the beginning of last year. Weeden in my opinion is incredibly underrated. Who wouldn't want a guy who's the age of an NFL Quarterback in his prime playing in college? Although secondaries will be after Blackmon like bounty hunters, I still firmly believe OC Todd Monken is capable of using Weeden to get Blackmon the ball... Somehow.

Markelle Martin and Shaun Lewis
With Orie Lemon graduated, these two have become the new anchors of the Cowboy defense. Shaun Lewis broke onto the scene last year as a freshman, and might be one of the most physically gifted players I've ever seen. I saw him at the end of the Spring semester when I was at a friend's apartment and he had gotten even bigger. Add that in with Markelle Martin coming in even better than he was last year and you've got a defensive core that even I'm comfortable with... And that's saying something. We'll just see if the guys around them fall into place.

The Undercover: Joseph Randle and Hubert Anyiam
Jo Randle now carries all of the running back duties. In 2010, he excelled as a wild-card running back that countered Kendall Hunter. Now, Monken is hoping that Randle and his backup Jeremy Smith will be the 1-2 punch that Randle and Hunter were last year. The other key to the offense is Hubert Anyiam. Weeden already has two proven tools in Blackmon and Josh Cooper, if Anyiam returns to his 2009 form and proves himself as another legitimate threat... Well, let's just hope the ROTC guys who do pushups for points are in shape. We could see some consistent 60+ scores. I'll go ahead and give Anyiam the benefit of the doubt though, he had a bum ankle in 2010, and I'd love nothing more than to see him come off that year and have an incredible 2011.

THE GAME:
Bedlam is big... Obviously. But this year, there might be a game even bigger, and it will be played in College Station. To those of you who haven't looked at schedules yet, THIS IS THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP.

But why? It's simple; Whoever wins this game has a pretty easy route to the crown. After A&M, OSU has two potential opportunities to slip up: Texas and Missouri, both of which are away games. Texas is a big game because it's Texas. They may have been a losing team last year, but any program that consistently brings in a Top 10 recruiting class has the talent to beat anyone else in the country, especially when Mack Brown is on the sideline. Missouri has the same explosive offense that the Cowboys posses, and that game easily turns into a shootout. We saw how shootouts can end in 2010's edition of Bedlam. Oh, and speaking of Bedlam, it's in Stillwater again. Maybe this time we can fill up those seats in the corners and bring even more noise? Talk to your trusty Cowboy athletic director.

After Oklahoma State, A&M has to go to Norman. What that means is: A&M is guaranteed a loss. The Green Bay Packers would have a tough time winning in Norman because of the simple fact that OU doesn't lose at home. Ever. Obviously the Packers is a bit exaggerated, but I hope you get what I mean by that. Besides OU, A&M has to travel to Lubbock to play Tech, a team that always gives them fits for some reason, and they also have Texas in College Station.

That being said, matchup on September 24th is THE GAME. I'm not one to dub a game that early in the season as the most important game of the year, but this is an exception. This game is huge, and my Tivo is already set to record it. Judge me.

Storyline Of The Year: Justin Blackmon's Final Act?
Let's start this with a question. Does anyone here think Blackmon will be back his senior year?

*Crickets*

Okay, so we're all on the same page. Strictly from an athlete and future standpoint, it'd be foolish for Blackmon to be back in 2012. He'll have another stellar year in 2011 with one of the best quarterback's in football throwing to him, and he'll be the best receiver going into the 2012 draft. I can't see him coming back to have a first-year quarterback throwing to him in what would be the most important year in his football career. He would have to do more with less in 2012, and with an unproven arm, it's just too much of a risk.

That being said, I can also easily see Blackmon coming back. Confusing? Absolutely. Anyone who has been to anything that is Oklahoma State related knows the same thing. Blackmon goes to every Basketball game, most baseball games, and a ton of social functions. My first memory as an official Poke was at Camp Cowboy last summer, when Blackmon, Jarrod Fields, Brodrick Brown, and Andrew McGee came to talk to us one night. I had to go back home and get on my NCAA game to even see what position Blackmon played. 6 months later, he's hoisting the Biletnikoff. But it gets even better, the other day I saw via twitter that Blackmon was going BACK to speak at Camp Cowboy. He's not too big for anything, and that's why he is the perfect player for Oklahoma State. Not only is he one of the best players to ever grace Boone Picken's Stadium, but he gives back to OSU more than ever.

So will he be back? No. But maybe. But probably not. Oh, who knows. I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's enjoy 2011!

Go Pokes, Go Rangers, Go Cowboys (Finally Unlocked!), and Go 2011 World Champion Mavs

What's Wrong With This Picture?

I usually don't blog on the NFL, but I can't stand it. This is my post to "vent", so if you don't want to hear it then stop reading here.

Breaking news came today in the sports world. The NFL owners ratified a new Collective Bargaining Agreement today, and all that stands between us and an football season is a players vote... That of which is probably not going to be in favor of playing.

The best way of understanding it is how ESPN explained it: "This agreement is like a husband writing up a contract of how he wants his marriage to be, then sending it to his wife and seeing how she likes it."

Most likely not the best situation, and a backhand would be in his near future.

But what bugs me the most is what Norm Hitzges talked about on The Ticket (http://theticket.com/) this morning. Norm is known for his rants in the Morning, and one of my favorite things to do is work early so I can listen to them.

This morning, as I wolfed down my Sausage Egg & Cheese McMuffin, Norm was talking about the CBA, and what has bugged me the entire time.

WHERE IS THE PART THAT HELPS THE FANS?! The only reason the NFL is around is because of the fans, shouldn't the owners throw something in the agreement for them?

"What do you mean? Do you want them to give us money?"

Not exactly. I believe that the owners should give back to the fans by taking a percentage of the ticket price off for preseason games. My thought process on this is simple: The millionaires don't want to see good football for a quarter, then an exhibition for three quarters, which is exactly what preseason football is.

Instead, this would give back to the fans like me. The fans that don't have $300 to drop on a top row of the stadium ticket. The fans that simply want to see Jerry World, or Tom Brady throw a touchdown pass in person, or see Chad Johnson do another great touchdown celebration.

That would never happen though. Jerry Jones voluntarily turning down $250-$300 million dollars? No way.

But hey, that's just what I think. And if Mr. Jones ends up reading this then hopefully it rings a bell and he realizes "Hm... That's not a bad idea."

Highly Unlikely.

2011 Heisman Watch List

Hello all! I hope you all have had a great summer full of air conditioning and shade. It's been awhile since I've written on here, and I'm sorry for that. I've taken the summer off to recharge my batteries so that I'm fresh when I begin covering the Oklahoma State football team this fall.

But worry not, as I am back! A lot of things happened while I was gone. First off, congratulations to MY World Champion Dallas Mavericks, I loved watching every minute and losing my voice after every game. Congratulations to Rory McIlroy, one of my favorite golfers, for his tournament wins as of late. And finally, congratulations to the United States Women National Team for their incredible World Cup run. Last summer soccer captured my attention, and now I love watching the sport, men or women. Unfortunately they ran out of time, but I look forward to seeing them in the future... And Alex Morgan.

But enough of that, let's focus on the future. Although the NFL Lockout is looming, we are promised one thing; College football will be there.

That being said, here is MY list of Heisman hopefuls this year.

Marcus Lattimore - South Carolina
I am convinced this could be THE GUY this year. Not only does he have a good offensive line, but he also has the one thing that will allow him to dominate- Distraction. Not a distraction for him, but for the defense. Lining up at receiver for the Gamecocks is Alshon Jeffery, one of the best wideouts in the nation. You cannot be in two places at one time, and Lattimore will thrive in that situation.

Andrew Luck - Stanford
You simply cannot leave the best pro prospect off the list. Luck is the most complete player in the NCAA, but sometimes that is not enough for a Heisman. He has weapons around him for a good year, as well as a good offensive line. Unfortunately, the Heisman committee only seems to look at numbers and highlight reels, so that may not be enough for Luck to hoist the trophy.

LaMichael James - Oregon
Last year's runner-up is looking to have another incredible year, and why shouldn't he? Oregon's dead spring offense wears defenses out, and makes them susceptible to giving up the big play. Darron Thomas (QB) will come back even better than last year, which makes the pass even more dangerous, and he also has the wheels to add QB Scrambling to the mix. James, the pass, and Thomas' running are enough to give the running back some elbow room, and that elbow room will be enough to give him another spectacular year, and another nail-biter Heisman presentation.

Landry Jones - Oklahoma
I saw first hand what Jones can do to defense last year at the Bedlam game. As much as I'd hate to see another Heisman go to Norman, I fear Jones has the tools to make that a reality. A great receiving corps, and a backfield that Stoops always seems to stock with talent will mean another year of big numbers from Jones. Let's just hope it isn't enough for the Heisman. I'm tired of driving through Norman on my way home and seeing the huge Sam Bradford blow-up in front of the car dealership, I can't take two of them.

Justin Blackmon - Oklahoma State
You knew it was coming, don't act surprised. Blackmon dominated every secondary he faced last year, not only with great hands and great routes, but also by simply being a better athlete than the man lining up across from him. He out-jumped, out-bodied, and simply out-played his opponents and he'll come into this year with the same quarterback and in even better shape. Look for another huge year, and another Biletnikoff conversation.

DARK HORSE: Geno Smith - West Virginia
The Mountaineer had a great season last year, and with Dana Holgerson's offense that lit up Big 12 defenses in 2010 in place, Smith's arm will do some major damage. But not only that but unlike Brandon Weeden at Oklahoma State, Holgerson's previous quarterback, Smith can run. That dual threat will be big for the Mountaineers this year, and will enter Smith into the conversation very quickly, just as it did for past winners like Cam Newton and Tim Tebow.

That's all I've got. My next post will be sometime after I attend Oklahoma State Football Media Day on August 6th. Gear up for another great College Football year, as this one will be as exciting as seasons in the past.

Go Pokes, Rangers, Cowboys, and MAVS!