The FIGHT FOR THE FIT CHALLENGE is old news.  It’s time for a fresh new contest, and an easy way for you to win a FREE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND SHIRT!  It’s time for ORB IN ACTION!!

Just e-mail yours truly (andyphyman@gmail.com) a picture of yourself (or you and your friends) wearing an Original Retro Brand shirt at work or play, with a brief description of what you do for a living and/or what you love to do for fun while sporting your Original Retro Brand gear.  We’ll post your picture and description on this blog when we receive, and on the Original Retro Brand Facebook Fan page. The Original Retro Brand Staff will choose the photo/description each week, that they believe best represents the spirit of the Original Retro Brand Fan, and the person who sent in the photo will win a FREE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND t-shirt!  Meet the judges….

Kat (Texas shirt) is shown here in a behind the scenes shot at an ORB photo shoot.  She is the west coast, and international sales rep (Shoot location: Santa Monica).

Justin and Danny make up our art department team.  They create all the art that goes onto every ORB tee. Justin is wearing a Toronto St. Pats shirt, and Danny is wearing the Cuban baseball shirt (Shoot location: The ORB office in downtown Los Angeles).

I will be judging as well, but you’ve seen enough pictures of me already.  I will show you this picture that I took walking over the bridge on Interstate 75 in Atlanta, on my way to the Georgia Tech-Wake Forest game because I just thought it was cool.

I was able to get a few shots of some folks at work and play wearing Original Retro Brand before the game at the legendary Steamhouse Lounge, and while I was at the game.  Check em out….

The beautiful bartender from the Steamhouse is Sarah, and she is a rabid Yellow Jacket fan.  She took a minute to step out from behind the bar and hang with Hunt (with hat) Archbold on the sunny outdoor deck.  Hunt writes a weekly sports column for the Atlanta newspaper, The Sunday Paper.  The two lovely coeds pictured above right are Angela Lyman (left), and Liz Byars (right), both doing the Original Retro Brand justice amidst the sold out crowd at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

So remember to send your picture with your best description to andyphyman@gmail.com to enter the contest.  A new winner will be announced every Monday through Christmas Eve.  We will then take all the winners, and pick the overall best picture for our grand prize winner and announce on New Year’s Day.  The Grand Prize will be your choice of 4 Original Retro Brand t-shirts.  Also remember to stay updated on all that is Original Retro Brand by following us on Twitter and Facebook.  Can’t wait to see your submissions and good luck!

It’s Halloween.  It’s over.  Last photo of my scale and my stanky toes has been taken.  3 months ago I had my official mid-life crisis moment after my wifes’ cousin Carter thoroughly kicked my arse in basketball, and the reality of how grotesquely fat and out of shape I was hit me like a tornado.   (http://originalretrobrand.com/blog/?p=502)  It truly was a defining moment in my life.

I was in a hurry to get to the gym that fateful night, and quickly grabbed the shirt I would change into when I got there out of my closet.   I was disgusted when I put on my favorite Original Retro Brand Georgia Bulldogs shirt.  It was not nice and loose like when I purchased it 4 years earlier.  It was a chore to get it on my blubbery, pear shaped, obese frame, and I could barely breathe it was so tight….of course I could barely breathe after Carter ran around, over, behind, upside down, and everywhere else in crushing me on the basketball court.

AFTER

BEFORE

That was it.  I wanted my life back.  For my son, for my wife, and for my BULLDOGS SHIRT!   I decided I would mix business with pleasure to help motivate myself back into shape.  Thus the “Fight For the Fit Challenge” was born.   So with my bosses blessing, and as most of you reading this know, a FREE Original Retro Brand shirt was given out the past 13 weeks to the customer who came closest to guessing my weight.   My goal was to lose 30 lbs in 3 months.  244 down to 214.   I figured putting myself in front of an audience would motivate me (and my stomach) to not embarrass myself by not losing the weight.   I also wanted people to know how strongly I do believe in the product I REALLY DO WEAR AND LOVE (I think I have about 150 Original Retro Brand shirts in my closet and that is not enough!).  I ran, played basketball, baseball, soccer, lifted weights, and even swam in my Original Retro Brand shirts the past 3 months, and they did not shrink, nor did the logo’s fade after dozens of spin cycles.   They remain as soft and as comfortable as when I originally got them.    And now they fit me again….

Yes, I am proud to say that while I did not lose all 30lbs, I did see the scale say 219 lbs, and that is a sight I have not seen in 27 years.

And after I EAT A FEAST OF FAST FOOD today, and overdose on my sons Halloween candy, I fully intend of getting back in the gym and losing that last pesky 5lbs.   I’ve had brief (very brief) moments of losing 5-10lbs in the past, and have always gained them back quickly and then some.   I guess I am like any addict when it comes to food, and realize I could always overdose at any time.   This time, however, I really think I can make it last.  I feel better, have more energy, and enjoy playing basketball without having to call an ambulance when I’m done.  Beating Carter on occasion feels good too!

5 LBS. SHORT & HAPPY ABOUT IT!

The winner of the final weigh-in has won TWO Original Retro Brand shirts and a bodybugg from 24HR Fitness ($250 value!).   As I’ve mentioned many times, the bodybugg is an amazing motivational tool that I used (and will continue to use) during the challenge.  The revolutionary new bodybugg makes it easy to manage the calories you consume and burn so you always stay in control of your weight.  Thanks again to 24HR Fitness for donating the bugg to me for the challenge.  Now to the final winner……There were 3 customers who guessed I would weigh in at 219lbs.  Thus I had to pick the winner from an Original Retro Brand hat. And the winner is Conor Cameron from Glenview, Illinois.  Conor was already notified, and has chosen a Georgia Tech, and a Northwestern shirt for his prizes.

Now that the contest is over, there is one important thing I must admit to.  I have been telling a lie.   NO, I really did lose 25 lbs.  No, the lie is that I’ve been saying that today was the last chance to win a FREE original Retro Brand tee shirt.   The truth of the matter is that the Original Retro Brand will begin a NEW
contest next Monday that will allow you an opportunity to win a FREE shirt every week AGAIN!   As long as there are 52 weeks in a year, your chance to win a FREE Original Retro Brand tee every week will be possible!   So be sure to check in next Monday, and every Monday to find out how YOU can win!

A final thanks to all of the folks who gave me words of encouragement throughout this entire process.   Thanks to Carter Deems for being my basketball buddy.  Thanks to Kevin Whitlark for his accurate cartoon renderings (onalark.com).  Thanks to the 77 people who voted for me in the poll.  And to the 20 people who voted against me?  Congratulations…you were right (except I didn’t eat one twinkie the entire time.  I think I’ll get one today).

$5 was donated each day of the challenge to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for life. Please check them out and give if you can – I believe it’s a great cause.

That’s right, 20% OFF all Original Retro Brand merchandise for the teams we review in our Picks of the Week!  Just enter code FATE8 at checkout for your discount.

Last week started out quite well. I picked the Cincinnati Bearcats to defeat the USF Bulls 28 to 20.  The real final score?  Cincy 28, USF 21.  GENIUS!  Not so fast…I picked the Sooners to defeat Texas (buzzer sound),…..Notre Dame to defeat USC (buzzer),  and Virginia Tech to dump Georgia Tech (final buzzer – EEEEHHH!).   Iowa proved they are not a fluke as they erased a 10-0 deficit, and came back to beat Wisconsin for an impressive road win.   The Red River Rivalry could have gone either way, and The Fighting Irish just missed…The Hokies game was the only one I really missed by a long shot.  Thus my record stands at  5 wins and 7 losses.   Perhaps it’s time to remove the word “expert” from the Original Retro Brand newsletter, when referring to my “Games of the Week” picking prowess.  Regardless, I must soldier on, and we have four more doozies for this weekend:

FULL FORCIER

GAME 1: The # 13 Penn State Nittany Lions head into Ann Arbor to face Michigan freshman quarterback phenom, Tate Forcier. Forcier has pulled off some miracle plays in leading the Wolverines to the highest scoring offensive attack in the Big 10.  The Penn State defense has been dominating all year, giving up just 3 points in their last two games, but Michigan has suffered two excruciating close defeats this year (Michigan State in overtime, and a 2 point heartbreaker vs Iowa), and will not lose in their house this weekend.   Michigan 35, Penn State 20.

GAME 2:  Since the LeGarrette Blount sucker punch debacle, and opening loss to Boise State, the # 11 Oregon Ducks have reeled off 5 staight wins (2 against ranked teams) outscoring their last 3 PAC 10 rivals 118 to 19!!  It would behoove them not to overlook Washington with USC on the horizon.  The Huskies have that big win over the Trojans, and played LSU and Notre Dame tough.  Even so, the Ducks will continue to roll on the road.   Oregon 38, Washington 28.

NO QUACKS VS. HUSKIES

GAME 3: The Clemson Tigers rank second in total defense, and eighth in total offense in the ACC, just one behind the # 10 ranked Miami Hurricanes, who they face on the road at Landshark Stadium.   As tough as the Clemson defense has been, I think Jacory Harris at QB is really hitting his stride. I feel Miami’s one loss at Virginia Tech was an anomaly, and they bounced back strong against Oklahoma, and I believe they will beat Clemson handily and then win out.    Miami 27, Clemson 13.

GAME 4:  I’m going to get whacked for this one…Tennessee will knock off # 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  The Vols nearly beat Florida in the swamp, almost knocked off a then unbeaten Auburn team, and then absolutely crushed my Georgia Bulldogs.   Heck, the Vols are ranked 5th in total offense in the SEC (just one behind the Tide), and 3rd in total defense (Bama ranked # 1).   Mark Ingram will be tough to stop no doubt (he only gained 1 yard on 4 carries against UT last year), but QB  Jonathan Crompton is quietly coming into his own.   Purdue stunned Ohio State last week.  This is my # 1 stunner.   Tennessee 33, Alabama 24.

BAMA BUMMER

AND THIS IS MY # 2 STUNNER:  Mississippi State will win their 5th straight over Florida in Starkeville!  I’m upset crazy!!  Michigan State will halt the Hawkeyes, and Mizzou will NOT beat Texas, but it will be close…..

DON’T FORGET!!:  Enter code FATE8 at checkout to receive your 20% OFF the Original Retro Brand shirts featured today!

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It’s really crunch time now, folks.   Maybe I need to do more crunches?  Maybe I reached a plateau because I really kicked butt this past week, but only lost 2lbs!!   I actually beat my nemesis, Carter, 3 games to 2 last night in hoops.  I lived on bags of frozen fruit and almonds all week, lifted weights, ran, did sit-ups, and ONLY LOST 2LBS??!!!

PLATEAU?

I even faced the ultimate temptation on Saturday, as I was assigned to cover the Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech game:  TAILGATE.   Lucky for me, I got caught up in Atlanta traffic, and arrived at the tail-end of the tailgate.  I was only able to scarf down the last remaining brat, burger & brew.

NICE SHIRT MEGAN!

My good fortune continued as I took my seat behind the Yellow Jacket end zone.   As luck would have it, a beautiful & bubbly coed name Megan was sitting right next to me (I’ve been happily married to my own beautiful Georgia Tech coed for 14 years – hi honey!).   What are the odds she would be wearing an Original Retro Brand shirt?   Very good.

The odds were also in favor of Georgia Tech. They defeated # 4 ranked Virginia Tech behind 3 rushing touchdowns from quarterback Josh Nesbitt.  For the moment, my prediction for Georgia Tech to take the ACC crown (see post from September 8,) looks like genius.  On the flip side, I picked VTech to lose to Miami, and Boston College (they won both) and for them to defeat Georgia Tech (they didn’t)…….genius not the word.

DIDN'T HOLD UP

So now I have 12 days to lose 8.5 lbs.  Can you say colonic?  I can’t, and won’t stoop to such drastic measures to reach my goal.  I know it doesn’t look good right now, but I am still determined to play this out, and continue to work my arse off.   Maybe the scale was off today, and I’ll have a 4.5 lb swing going into the last week.  If I can drop at least 4lbs, I have an outside shot at this thing.

Now to announce the winner of the FREE Original Retro Brand t-shirt for week # 12:  Chris Glavine from Novia Scotia, Canada, guessed my weight right on the money @ 222.5 lbs.   Chris has chosen the Montreal Allouettes shirt from the Canadian Football League, and we will send it out asap.

Thanks as always to 24HR Fitness for their generosity in sending me a Bodybugg for this challenge.  Don’t forget that in addition to the shot at a FREE Original Retro Brand shirt every week, a Bodybugg will be given away on the last weigh-in of the challenge (10/31 – Halloween!).   $5 a day has also been donated to The American Cancer Society’s Relayforlife, since the start of the “Fight For The Fit”,  and will be continued until the challenge is over.  Please give if you can!

FIGHT FOR FIT FLASH:  My XL Georgia Bulldog shirt is feeling pretty comfortable and almost LOOSE!  It’s been through about 50 washes, and is STILL standing strong.  Durable, soft, and comfy as ever!

On any given College Football weekend, there are a plethora of exciting and meaningful games with BCS implications on the slate, and this weekend is no different.   What IS different, is that if you go to the “Pick of the Week” section of the Original Retro Brand website, you will receive 20%  OFF THE NORMAL RETAIL PRICE of the teams featured in this weekend’s biggest games, by entering code RIVALS09 @ checkout.   And speaking of checkout, you’ll want to see ORB’s take on the top 5 games we’re talking about featured below.  The action kicks in Thursday night…..

THE CINCINNATI KID

GAME 1:  Folks are taking a good Heisman look at # 8 Cincinnati (5-0) QB Tony Pike, as he leads the Bearcats against # 21 (5-0) U. of Southern Florida and  freshman sensation B.J. Daniels.  Pike is the 9th rated QB in the country and has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 15 straight games.  Daniels dismantled Florida State on the ground and in the air.   Pike too much for the Bulls as Cincy gets big road win.  Bearcats 28, USF 20.

GAME 2: The Texas Longhorns # 3 (5-0) should not be taking the Red River Rivalry for granted, facing a 2-loss # 20 Oklahoma Sooner (3-2) club at the Cotton Bowl.  Colt McCoy has done just enough to get it done so far against a somewhat light schedule (except for a tough win over Texas Tech).   The Sooners lost their 2 games to ranked teams (Miami and BYU) by just 1 point each, and now have QB Sam Bradford back.   Bradford quietly passed for over 400 yards in his return game against Baylor.  Sooners get back in the BCS picture (barely). Oklahoma  35, Texas 24.

HORNS GET HOOKED

GAME 3: Another defining moment arrives for # 25  Notre Dame (4-1) coach Charlie Weis, as he takes on # 6 USC (4-1).  He’s got the nation’s leading passer in Jimmy Clausen, but the Fighting Irish could easily be 2-3 instead of 4-1, barely squeaking out some nail biters.   Pete Carrol has USC back in step after losing to Washington , with crushing victories over Washington State and Cal respectively.   Despite that, I think Weis gets the hugest win of his career in an upset.  Notre Dame 32, USC 30.

GAME 4: I’ve learned my lesson (not really, but..).  Picked Miami AND Boston College to knock off the # 4 Hokies (5-1) and was not even close.  Virginia Tech has the # 1 scoring offense, and # 2 scoring defense in the ACC.   # 19 Georgia Tech (5-1) has the home field advantage and a potent running game, but the defense has been inconsistent.  VTech ruins Yellow Jackets Homecoming , and puts a virtual lock on ACC Coastal title.  Virginia Tech 42, Georgia Tech 28.

IRISH EYES WILL BE SMILIN'

GAME 5: Previously unbeaten Wisconsin (5-1) got a wake up call at the “Shoe” last week at the hands of an inspired Ohio State team.  They will have their hands full again with the visiting unbeaten, and 11th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (6-0).   Iowa comes off impressive wins against Penn State on the road and Michigan.   The Hawkeyes have not started a season 6-0 since 1985, and the streak won’t end in Madison:  Iowa 34, Wisconsin 24.

So there you have it.  If you’re keeping score, my expertise on behalf of the ORB team has yielded a record of  3 wins and 4 losses.   I feel confident the record will be 8 wins and 4 losses after this weekend.  I also feel confident you will love the 20% off you will receive by entering code RIVALS09 @ checkout on the greatest, most comfortable, most retro shirts on Earth – Original Retro Brand!

At least when I gained 3 lbs a few weeks ago, I had a decent excuse; 4 days of grueling travel and a big family event.   This past week I simply have to chalk up my 2lb GAIN to old fashioned wussyness (WUSS-EE-NESS!).   I mean I worked out, but not really (walked instead of ran).   I didn’t have any 2-a-day workouts, when I normally have 2-3 each week.   I have not played basketball with Carter in 2 whole weeks-argghh!!!!

UGLY FEET & 2LB GAIN: P&U!!

EXCUSES LISTED HERE ANYWAY:  1)  My stinkin’ right neck, shoulder and back still hurt badly, which takes a little of the motivation to work out off the table.   2) That particular table had too much food on it.   I had a few days of “old Andy.”  Anybody that knows me, understands this means a 4,000 + calorie day minimum, with several trips to Ronald’s house (1/4 lber w/cheese still best foodstuff on planet.  2 of them make for a nice snack and are compact enough to eat comfortably while pulling out of drive-thru).   3) The floods and non stop rain that hit Georgia and our area this past week just left me feeling gloomy and depressed, which led to a few days of non-work outs and over eating.  4) I picked the CANES to knock off the HOKIES and bragged about it in my last post- THE “U” WILL RUN THE TABLE, blah, blah, blah….   I picked CAL to stomp OREGON.   I picked PENN STATE to beat IOWA.   I picked CLEMSON to beat TCU, and our hometown Atlanta Falcons lost to boot…..Lame excuses, lame picks.  Time to move on!!!

……And the winner of the FREE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND shirt this week is Robert Tang of Long Island City, NY who guessed my weight @ 228.  He is a huge Boston University Terrier Hockey fan, and this is the BUshirt he has chosen.  My gain is his gain – Congratulations Robert on coming closest!

I WAS NO TIGER THIS WEEK!

Here is the reality in my Original Retro Brand FIGHT FOR THE FIT CHALLENGE.   I need to lose 17 lbs in 34 days (we’ll call it 5 weeks) or 3.4 lbs per week, to reach my goal of losing 30lbs by Halloween.  Even when I went 6 straight weeks with losing weight, the most I ever lost in one week was 4 lbs, and I only did it once.    So no more feeling sorry for myself and my stupid shoulder;  no more using rainy days and bad football picks as a reason to chow down and be lazy –  I will always make bad picks, and it’s always gonna rain!!!   THE NEW ANDY IS BACK AND I WILL DO THIS!!!!

On the bright side, The Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets won, The Braves are making a run at the NL Wildcard, and today is YOM KIPPUR and I CAN’T EAT ANYTHING UNTIL SUNDOWN!!!

You can follow my progress (or lack of) on http://twitter.com/retrobrand and the Original Retro Brand FAN page on Facebook.   I am also donating $5 a day to the American Cancer Society’s Relayforlife for the duration of the challenge.   It’s a great cause, so please check it out…

“……..But that was then and this is now, and despite the huge win last night, I see Miami finishing  a notch behind FSU.   And even though the Hokies dropped their opener to Alabama  I see Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech coming in the top two spots (Georgia Tech will beat FSU in the ACC Championship game).”     Yes, these words were written by yours truly just a few short weeks ago.  My, my, how I wish I can take them back….

Now that the Miami Hurricanes have knocked off state rival, and # 18 Florida State, and wiped out the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in old school fashion (i.e, a blowout dropping them  from # 14 out of the top 25.), the Canes seem poised to step back into an old familiar role of NATIONAL POWERHOUSE.

RELEVANT AGAIN? YES!!

Their first big test will come this Saturday on the road in Blacksburg, against ACC Coastal division rivals, the Virginia Tech Hokies.   The Hokies lost a hard fought opening season game to Alabama and are coming off a stunning last second victory over a much improved Nebraska Cornhuskers team last weekend.

In a game that will feature two young QB’s coming of age, the nod has to go to Miami’s Jacory Harris, who has been named ACC Offensive player of the week twice already in this young season.    Along with a smothering  defense that held the highly touted Georgia Tech running game to a standstill last week,  the “U”, should be able to silence the Virginia Tech faithful.

The Canes are certainly not looking ahead, but if they can knock off the Hokies, they will get to host the # 9 (USA TODAY) Oklahoma Sooners and the very likely return of Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford.   A win at home would put the Canes in the driver’s seat to run the table and go unbeaten (….although the Tarheels are looking tough too..).

HOME WON'T HELP!!

When was the last time a Miami team (or any team?) started the season by knocking off 4 teams ranked in the top 20?   I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION, but I would imagine it could go back to the 34 game winning streak the Hurricanes put together in 2001-2002.   Remember back when the Hurricanes were always near the top?   They’re back……..and I believe if I need to pull any quotes from this post in 2 weeks, it will be to reiterate that the Canes will run the table!

I had a plan for the FIGHT FOR THE FIT CHALLENGE this past week.  Even though I would be taking my 4 year old son on a road trip from Cartersville, GA., to Rye Brook, NY  to see my cousins’ daughter get Bat Mitzvah’d*,  I was going to WORK OUT every day and at least SUSTAIN my latest weight of 229lbs.    Me and my plans.  The idea of saving $500 by driving a billion miles, instead of flying, was a bad idea.  The kid’s DVD player broke down, I had EXTREMELY painful neck & back spasms for 10 hours that a bottle of vicodin couldn’t put a dent in, and the 3 hrs it took to drive 1 mile in torrential rainfall during rush hour from the New Jersey Turnpike over the George Washington Bridge, almost had me in tears.

Things got better for me (not the diet).  On the first night of the trip,  we crashed at my friend Sean’s crib in Richmond, Virginia.   I was a beaten man upon arrival and a mouthwatering, large cheese pizza and tall iced vodka cocktail awaited me (Paul had the pizza and passed on the Vodka).    My willpower was back at the George Washington Bridge, and the imbibing began.  While Paul played gleefully with the Batman doll Sean gave him, I double-gleefully sank into the sofa, gorged on pie, and watched  Georgia Tech-Clemson/Steelers Titans; calories be damned.

DANG HOTEL BUFFET!!

Arrival at the hotel in New York meant room service.  Paul and myself  gleefully (again) spent a small fortune on all things bad for FIGHT FOR THE FIT challenge.   Let it be noted that Paul is not concerned in any way with FIGHT FOR THE FIT CHALLENGE, and I enjoyed sharing his double portion of macaroni and cheese.

Up next at the temptation table was the Bat Mitzvah celebration itself.   Fully catered, fully delicious, fully fattening.   Jewish guilt fully fulfilled.   After the crowd left, I hung with my cousin (the very man who brainwashed me to be a Georgia Bulldog fan before I ever stepped foot below the Mason-Dixon line) and picked at leftovers while watching the Georgia-South Carolina shootout.  Throw on the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet at the hotel, and the noshing during the 16 hour road trip BACK to Georgia, and you have your first FIGHT FOR THE FIT FAILURE!!!

So after finally breaking through last week, and LOSING 4lbs to get below 230 for the first time in about 20 years, I GAINED 3 OF THEM BACK!!!  That means this week’s winner of the FREE Original Retro Brand shirt is Peter Schrager of New York, New York.  Peter came closest and guessed 230.   Peter has been informed, and has already made his choice – this Ole Miss beauty pictured to the right below.

As always, there is a silver lining- A BIG ONE.   I got to be with my Mom & Pop, sister & niece, brood of cousins, and many family friends who I see maybe twice a year at most if I’m lucky.   On my drive back, I had plenty of time to think about the amazing few days we had.  I would happily trade the past 4 days for 3 lbs  anytime.

I will borrow a portion of a famous line from Joe Namath, and say the following:  I will lose that blasted 3 lbs this week, and weigh in at 229 next Monday – I GUARANTEE IT!

You can follow my progress (or lack of)  on Twitter and the Original Retro Brand Fan page on Facebook.

* Bat Mitzvah -  In Judaism, it is a  Jewish girl, who has turned 13 years old (or for a girl in the Orthodox movement, 12 years old), and who has gone through a ceremony that represents acceptance of some responsibilities which symbolizes their coming of age. The terms are also commonly used to refer to the ceremony celebrating this event.

A few weeks ago, the folks at Original Retro Brand picked a Purdue shirt (Purdue Pete) to feature as the “Pick of the Week.”   That got me thinking of the BIG TEN, so I wrote a bit about the BIG TEN.   Well this week, an ACC shirt will be chosen (You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out which shirt, but know it is cool) so I am going to write another little  bit.

COOLEST ACC SHIRT!

With one glorious weekend of College Football in the books, topped off by an amazing FSU-Miami match up last night, the ACC is fresh on the mind.  As long as I can remember, it’s always been these two teams at the top of the heap.  Of Course the Canes were a part of the Big East when they won their 5 National Championships.  Names like Kosar, Testeverde, Irvin and Sapp come to mind, not to mention the Canes 58 home game winning streak – still an NCAA record.   But that was then and this is now, and despite the huge win last night, I see Miami finishing  a notch behind FSU.   And even though the Hokies dropped their opener to Alabama,  I see Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech coming in the top two spots (Georgia Tech will beat FSU in the ACC Championship game).

As I did with the BIG TEN a few weeks ago, I am simply going to list the teams in the order I think they will finish with my favorite player from the good ol’ days next to the difference maker for the team this season, all linked to my favorite Original Retro Brand tee for good measure.

1. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets:  New, RB Jonathan Dwyer  Old School, (Not that old)  WR Calvin Johnson

DWYER & JACKETS # 1

2. Virginia Tech Hoakies: New,  RB Darren Evans   Old School, DE Bruce Smith

3. Florida State Seminoles: New, QB Christian Ponder  Old School,  WR Fred Biletnikoff.

4. Miami Hurricanes:  New, QB Jacory Harris Old School,  QB Jim Kelly

5. North Carolina Tarheels:  New,  KR Da’Norris Searcy   Old School, LB Lawrence Taylor

6. Clemson Tigers:  New, RB/KR  C.J. Spiller   Old School, WR: Perry Tuttle

7. Wake Forest Deamon Deacons: : New, QB Riley Skinner  Old School, RB  Brian Piccolo

8. Boston College Eagles: New, RB Josh Haden    Old School, QB Doug Flutie

9. Maryland Terrapins:  New, QB Chris Turner   Old School,  QB Boomer Esiason

BETTER GEAR THAN TEAM

10. North Carolina State Wolfpak:  New, QB Russell Wilson    Old School, QB Roman Gabriel

11. Virginia Cavaliers: New, QB Vic Hall   Old School, RB Tiki Barber

12. Duke Blue Devils:  New, QB Thaddeus Lewis    Old School, QB Sonny Jurgensen

Be sure to check out the blog tomorrow,  to see which Original Retro Brand shirt will be on sale for 25% off the normal price!   Here’s a little hint on which ACC team will be featured:   The team won their first game this season.   Check us tomorrow and see if it’s your team!

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I have been so excited about the College Football season getting started, that I drove 60 minutes from Cartersville, GA., to the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta  this past Friday, to attend the Annual Georgia Tech Football Kickoff luncheon.    The only problem was that the luncheon was not until THIS FRIDAY!

So as I started my hour drive back home, I started thinking about the upcoming Pick of the Week post ( Purdue Pete shirt for $24!), and how I needed to do some research.   Then I started thinking about the old guys from Perdue like Bob Griese and Leroy Keyes, and that led me to thinking about more old guys from the BIG TEN that I remembered whilst growing up.  Heck, my favorite player of all time went to Michigan State – Bubba Smith.  What I am getting at is….

KILL, BUBBA, KILL!!

In the same vein that I have been doing TOP TEN College players by position on a weekly basis,  I will also be presenting my COLLEGE CONFERENCE PREVIEWS on a weekly basis too (won’t be previews once the season starts, so more like just talking about)!  Figure I’ll start with the BIG TEN since we’re talkin’ about Purdue Pete n’ all.   And this won’t be your Mel Kiper, Jr. style preview, either.  I’ll simply list the teams in the order I believe they will finish within their conference, and they will be linked to what I believe to be the coolest Original Retro Brand shirt offered for that school. Then I’ll add the 2009 difference maker for the team, and my old school favorite player from that team too…just for fun….this is about fun!   So enough of my yackkin’ – here is the list!

#1 BIG TEN TEE!!

1. Penn State:  New-QB Daryll Clark   Old School: RB John Cappelletti

2. Michigan State:  New-LB Greg Jones  Old School: DE Bubba Smith

3. Ohio State: New- QB Terrelle Pryor  Old School:  RB Archie Griffin

4. Michigan: New- DE Brandon Graham  Old School: WR Anthony Carter

5. Wisconsin: New-RB John Clay  Old School: C Mike Webster

6. Illinois: New- QB Juice Williams   Old School:  LB Dick Butkus

7. Iowa: New- LB Pat Angerer   Old School: DT Alex Karras

D. CLARK & LIONS BIG 10 CHAMPS IN '09

8. Minnesota: New- LB Simoni Lawrence    Old School: DE Carl Eller

9. Northwestern: New- DE Corey Wooten   Old School: DB Fred “The Hammer”  Williamson

10. Purdue: New- DB Torri Williams    Old School: FB Mike Alstott

11. Indiana: New-QB Ben Chappell    Old School:  K  Pete Stoyanovich

So there you have it.   Are we all in agreement?

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