Tag Archives: Mark Ingram

HORNS WILL BE CRYING A RIVER

I could not bring myself to do a "High-5" College Football Contest video for picks this week.  Normally, I proudly wear my favorite Georgia Bulldogs Original Retro Brand t-shirt and football helmet to ham it up for the camera, but after a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Mississippi State Bulldogs (Georgia now 0-3 in the SEC - are you kidding me???!!!!), I simply could not utter a syllable.  Wasn't it enough to have the Hogs Ryan Mallet rip my heart out last week against the DAWGS before doing it again in his meltdown against the Tide?! Eeesh...

Outside of my sucky pick of Notre Dame over Stanford, and the  "Mallet Meltdown", I did great in my picks last week!  Roughly 50 people (out of 60 entries) picked more games correctly than me - I'm the Georgia Bulldogs of the "High-5" contest!  My running record now stands at 10 -5.  Most entries picked 4 out of 5 correctly, but seemed to get tripped up by the South Carolina - Auburn game.  There were 4 entries (out of 54) who picked all 5 games correctly, and thus we went to a drawing to determine the winner of the FREE Original Retro Brand T-shirt. Ted Turich of Denver, Colorado, was the winner and chose this Michigan State Rose Bowl shirt as his prize.  Here's what Ted had to say after hearing the good news;  "Wow!  That is awesome news!  I cannot believe I won!   First, let me say that I absolutely love Original Retro Brand clothing.  It is the main focus of my style and unbelievably, a sports shirt that my wife loves!  She just requested that I do not get another beer t-shirt ( I already own four)!" Congrats & Thanks Ted!   Before we get to this week's matchups, if  this is your first week playing in the “High-5″ contest, you can see the quick & easy rules in the body of this post.  Now let's get down to business!

GAME 1:  # 21 Texas vs. # 8 Oklahoma - I knew Texas wasn't Texas this year, but who the H*** could have seen UCLA trouncing them in their own crib like they did?  The Sooners had their hands full with the Bearcats and Air Force the past two weeks, and haven't looked so great either.  Regardless, in the 105th meeting of these 2 teams in this "Red River Rivalry", "Give me a T for Trouble (for Texas)"  OKLAHOMA - 35, TEXAS - 28.

GAME 2:  # 11 Wisconsin @ # 24 Michigan State - The Badgers come in 4-0 against NOBODY, and the Spartans ain't no Austin Peay.  The Spartans come in 4-0 against basically NOBODY (sorry Notre Dame) and the Badgers ain't no Florida Atlantic.  Vegas has this as a pick em' for good reason, but I'll go with gang green based on home field advantage, Coach Dantonio being in the press box, and Bubba Smith was my favorite football player of all time (a ridiculous reason for sure; Bubba was NFL's # 1 draft choice out of MSU in 1967).  MICHIGAN STATE - 42, WISCONSIN - 28.

GAME 3:  # 9 Stanford @ # 4 Oregon - I love this Pac-10 palooza.  Many folks saying the Ducks are way overrated.  Yeah, averaging 58 points a game ain't that good.  I bet against Stanford last week and boy did I screw up on that one.  The Tree trounced an apparently good UCLA team on the road a few weeks ago, and just embarrassed the Fighting Irish in another road win.  Sorry Oregon, but  Andrew Luck & the Cardinal are road tested and win at the Duck Pond.  STANFORD - 36, OREGON - 33.

GAME 4:  # 22 Penn State @ # 17 Iowa - Another BIG-10 pick em' the way I see it.  I love the Hawkeyes Adam Robinson near the goal line - he is a BULL.  Ricky Stanzi's stats caught my eye simply because they are bizzare; 99 attempts, 999 yds, 9 TD's.  Hawkeyes dressed to the 9's (Couldn't help myself).  IOWA - 26, PENN STATE - 17.

GAME 5:  # 7 Florida @ # 1 Alabama - The aforementioned "Mallet Meltdown" was my one-sided, sore loser view of what really went down in Arkansas.  BAMA never panicked, and did what Champions do to win.  Did I say not to worry about Mark Ingram?  Eeesh again....  The Gators fumbled their way to victory in their first few contests and looked sloppy, but they are starting to gel, and that means problems for any team they face.  Dare I pick against Alabama for the second week in a row in my upset special?  Dare, I do!  AND I HATE THE GATORS!!  FLORIDA - 28, ALABAMA - 21.

Well I haven't picked all 5 games yet in 3 weeks, but this is my week!  E-mail your picks to andyphyman@gmail.com and let's see what you got suckers!!  Be sure to get them in before kickoff Saturday to be counted.

WILL BITE BAMA

Parting FYI's: Friday's ORB "5 Questions with..." interview features College & NFL Hall of Famer, Lee Roy Selmon - this guy is one of the most humble and extraordinary individuals I've ever had the honor to speak with - just an amazing guy.....Going to see legendary Georgia Coach Vince Dooley at the Touchdown Club of Atlanta this coming Monday (Will be raffling off ORB  T-shirts) in hopes he will bring much needed luck to his alma mater against Colorado.

Fresh off our "Mascot Wars Bracket Challenge", we now bring yet another weekly opportunity for you to win a FREE Original Retro Brand T-Shirt.  Our newest contest will simply be called ORB'S College Football "High 5" Contest.  Simple name for a simple contest.  And this is how it will work....

1) Each Tuesday I will preview 5 of the most compelling College Football Match-ups for the upcoming weekend (except for this week as I will be making my picks for today below), and offer my expertise, or more commonly lack thereof, as to who will win & why, along with a predicted final score.

2) Contestants will e-mail in their picks for the same 5 games to me, and the person that beats me and/or the person who picks the most games correctly (no point spreads, straight up wins and losses) will win a FREE Original Retro Brand t-shirt of their choice. In the event of a tie, we will have a drawing to determine the final winner.  Send your picks to me at andyphyman@gmail.com no later than kickoff of the first scheduled game to be counted!

3) I will announce the winner each Tuesday following the weekend's games with the upcoming new picks on the blog.  In addition to the FREE ORB T-shirt, the winner will also receive an imaginary heartfelt High- 5!

Here are the picks for this week, and I don't believe there are any more compelling than these "High-5"!

GAME 1: # 22 Georgia @ # 24 South Carolina - The Gamecocks & QB Stephen Garcia looked impressive in their home opener against Southern Miss, while my beloved DAWGS and true freshman QB Aaron Murray, looked equally impressive in their home opener against a weak Ragin' Cajuns club.  The Bulldogs visit as road-dogs, having won 7 of their last 8 vs. the Cocks, including 4 straight in Columbia, and I say they make it 5 in this SEC classic.  GEORGIA - 24, SOUTH CAROLINA - 21.

GAME 2: # 12 Miami @ # 2 Ohio State - I love Miami QB Jacory Harris, and the Canes are my early favorite to take the ACC title, but Terrelle Pryor is equally as lovable, and won't be denied at the Shoe.  Miami may cover the 9.5 spread, but Ohio State will win this game.  OHIO STATE - 35, MIAMI - 28.

GAME 3: # 17 Florida State @ # 10 Oklahoma - The Sooners are basking (just a little) in the glow of their week # 1 win - the teams 800th of all-time, and I see # 801 coming against what will be a tough Florida State Seminole team.  FSU QB Christian Ponder will not fare as well against OU, as he did against Samford last week.  Jimbo Fisher suffers first tough loss as new head coach in a nail biter.  OKLAHOMA - 33, FLORIDA STATE - 30.

GAME 4: # 18 Penn State @ # 1 Alabama - Upset special?  Nah.  I love Jo-Pa and Nittany Lion wideout Brett Brackett, but BAMA is flat out loaded.  I don't think true frosh QB Robert Bolden will handle the pressure at Tuscaloosa.  It's highly likely that last year's Heisman winner Mark Ingram will not see action again on Saturday, but it won't matter.  Senior QB Greg McElroy and Trent Richardson will lead the Tide to victory - a BIG victory. ALABAMA - 32, PENN STATE -14.

GAME 5: Michigan @ Notre Dame - No ranked teams here, but hugely compelling none the less.  "Rookie" Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has a nice win over Purdue under his belt, and the Irish are looking to avenge last year's painful loss to Big Blue (came back from 11 points down in 4th qtr., only to yield winning score with 11 seconds on the clock).  On the other side you have coach Rich Rodriguez with a big win over a very tough Connecticut team in the Wolverine home opener.  Despite the victory, Rodriguez is on the hot seat EVERY week this season, and a 2-0 start will certainly take much of that heat off.  It ain't coming off.  I'm going with "The Luck of The Irish" as well as the pundits in Vegas on this one.  NOTRE DAME - 24, MICHIGAN - 20.

So there you have it folks.  My High-5 picks for this week.  Wanna win a FREE ORB shirt? Then again, e-mail your winners to me at andyphyman@gmail.com, enjoy the action, and check back next Monday to see how you did.

PARTING FYI'S: Tomorrow I'll be posting my "5 Questions with..." interview with  Heisman Trophy Winner & Michigan Wolverine, Desmond Howard - You can also catch the Green Bay Packer Super Bowl MVP covering the BAMA-Penn State game for ESPN's College Gameday this Saturday as well (the "white-out" commercial is hilarious)......45 folks have taken our poll "Who is your early season favorite to win the College Football BCS Championship this year?" so far, and not one vote for the still disrespected Boise State Broncos? What's up with that? (poll is lower right)......Another ORB contest challenging your knowledge of your school campus will be popping up soon, so keep your eye out for that, and yes, you can win FREE ORB gear in this contest too...Happy Rosh Hashanah to our Jewish friends today!.......This Saturday's action will surely be more emotional than normal, as it will be the 9 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

FOR GREAT DEALS, CONTESTS, AND FUN FROM THE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND,  BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER.

Let's hear it for the women!  Cassidy Moore kicked some major butt.  The Original Retro Brand's VP of Marketing & Licensing dusted the boy brass in the "12 Bowls of Christmas" contest.  In a dead heat with ORB CEO Marc Herman going into the last week of BCS bowl games, Cassidy swept the last 3 games, officially winning the contest after Iowa smothered Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. CFO Rick Schwartz had a brief winning streak midway in the contest, but ultimately could never overcome his slow start to get back in it.  Pathetic is the only word to describe my implosion.  I jumped out with a 7-1 record before tanking, and dropping 14 out of my last 18!  The final standings look like this:

Cassidy 15 - 11         Marc 12 - 14         Rick 11 - 15         Andy 11 - 15

Heath Cline of Columbia, South Carolina, had put his faith in Cassidy, and therefore he is the lucky winner of 2 FREE Original Retro Brand shirts of his choice.  I notified Heath of his good fortune this morning, and once he tells us what shirts he has chosen, we will post them on our Facebook Fan-page.  Congrats again to Heath and Cassidy.

Of course I have to congratulate the Alabama Crimson Tide on their victory over Texas at the Rose Bowl.  They bended, but did not break, and held on after early domination.  Would you believe that I had a ticket to go to the game with my fellow competitors in the "12 Bowls of Christmas" contest, but bailed because I was sick??!!  The only place in the country where it was 75 degrees, sunny, and NOT SNOWING and I came down with the frickin' flu!!   I did manage to watch the game from my hotel sick-bed and thought the kid (Garrett Gilbert) from Texas really rose to the occasion, despite what his stats showed.  Mark Ingram proved (again) that he is worthy of the Heisman Trophy, and Mack Brown completely lost his mind when he called a time-out with 17 seconds left in the first half to run a PITCH-PLAY deep in his own territory with a freshman QB still playing ice-cold?!  Ya'll know what happened.

I will miss College football greatly, but as luck would have it, NCAA hoops is starting to creep into the consciousness (how about those Vols knocking off # 1 Kansas last night?!) and March Madness isn't far behind!!  It won't be long before we start another Original Retro Brand contest that will offer you weekly chances to win FREE gear, so stay tuned.  Please look for updates on our Facebook Fan-page and Twitter.

We must give thanks for the most memorable weekend of College Football this year.  We must also give thanks for another week of FREE SHIPPING from Originalretroband.com on all orders of $75 or more (expires this Friday @ midnite PST).

This past weekend of College football blew the doors off the hype and then some.  Starting with Oregon knocking off Oregon State this past Thursday, and ending with Georgia Tech holding off Clemson & Texas winning on a last second prayer field goal, and everything in-between, proved the football Gods descended from Heaven for a few glorious days!

Hats off to Pitt, Nebraska, and Clemson for playing their collective hearts out in losing battles.  Pitt running back Dion Lewis carried the ball 47 times!  C.J. Spiller rushed for over 200 yards for Clemson, and Nebraska defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh single handedly stuffed Colt McCoy and the  Longhorns all day.

Even more hats off to Alabama for dominating Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators from gun to gun, to win the coveted SEC Championship.  Bama QB Greg McElroy stepped up to the plate, and had his most impressive performance of the year when it counted most.  Heisman front runner (after this weekend!) Mark Ingram ran all over and through the Gators on the ground, and in the air for 3 touchdowns.  No need for tears Tebow.  You own a Heisman & a National Championship, so get over it!  If Cincinnati beats you in the Sugar Bowl, then you could let them spill.

How about one more hats off to the Arizona Wildcats for dumping USC.  Only an over-time loss to Oregon prevented the resurgent Cats from a trip to Pasadena.

So the Bowls begin in a few weeks, and I'll be sure to have a "Special Edition Bowl Prediction" blog post that will cover all 30!  For the record, I was lucky to escape with 3 wins this past weekend and finish my picks for the season at .500 (23-23).  You may want to pay close attention to my Bowl prediction picks, as I will be working on a contest where FREE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND TEES will be up for grabs.  As for my trifecta pick of Florida beating Alabama, Tim Tebow winning the Heisman, and Florida winning the National Championship, I hear-by agree to accept all forthcoming well deserved "You are a stupid &#*%$!!  comments.

ENTER CODE:  CANBT, AT CHECKOUT TO RECEIVE 25% OFF STYLES IN THE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND'S PICK OF THE WEEK SECTION.  TEAMS FEATURED FROM OUR GAMES OF THE WEEK, UTAH, TCU, CINCINNATI, & WEST VIRGINIA  ALL AVAILABLE!!

No, I'm not crazy.  I've been padding my once atrocious win-loss record by picking upsets like Alabama's Mark Ingram picks up yards - lots.  A mere 3 weeks ago, my win-loss record stood at 7-12.  I've managed to add 9 victories and only 2 losses, and am finally over the .500 mark for the first time this season (16-14).  I must admit I really believed Oregon could beat USC when they did so a few weeks ago, but Navy over Notre Dame in South Bend?  That was more hope than belief, but hope was kept alive!  I truly believe there is more than hope for both teams facing unbeaten's this weekend, thus our Games/Picks of the week....

MOUNTAIN CLIMBER BROWN

The # 25 West Virginia Mountaineers travel to Nippert Stadium this Friday night to face the undefeated # 5 Cincinnati Bearcats.  A very interesting scenario is taking form in the Big East, and it starts with this game.  If the Mountaineers can beat the Bearcats (which I believe they will), they will be just one game behind # 12 ranked Pittsburgh when they face them next week at home.  I believe Pitt will be coming off a home loss versus Notre Dame where coach Charlie Weiss's job is definitely on the line, and thus a bit deflated when they roll into Mountaineer Field where West Virginia will hand them their second loss in a row.  The Mountaineers would find themselves alone atop the Big East, being in a three-way conference tie for first place, but having dumped Cincinnati and Pitt consecutively.  Easier said than done, but Cincinnati struggled with a fairly weak Connecticut team last week, and I'm just feeling the passing - rushing combo of Jarret Brown and Noel Devine is too formidable for Cincy.  Former Heisman hopeful Tony Pike coming off the bench won't cut it for the Bearcats.  West Virginia 28, Cincinnati 21.

The experts have been singing the praises of  #4 TCU all year, and deservedly so, but the # 16 Utah Utes have quietly put together an impressive 8-1 record, and are tied for first place in the Mountain West Conference with the Horned Frogs, going into this crucial match-up.  Running back Eddie Wide (pictured lower right) has gone under the Heisman radar despite 6 consecutive 100 yard games.  Both teams match up fairly evenly on offense, but TCU ranks # 1 in total defense in the conference, and that has been the difference for them to date....BUT Utah ranks 3rd.  Even with home field advantage this week, I believe the unbeaten run ends.  Too many undefeated teams means just that, and therefore the Utes will come out on top.   Utah 27, TCU 18.

And a few more....As mentioned above, I believe Notre Dame will bounce back and beat a very good Pitt team.  Fighting Irish 35, Panthers 28 .....Missouri has been a major disappointment after a 4-0 start this year, while Kansas State is in the driver's seat in the Big 12.  What better scenario for a Tiger victory?  Missouri 24, Kansas State 21.... Illinois has won two big games in a row, and Northwestern dumped previously unbeaten Iowa.  Illinois continues to roll at home.  Fighing Illini 35, Wildcats 20.  Lastly, Iowa won't beat an Ohio State team coming home to the Shoe, after crushing Penn State in Happy Valley.  Iowa drops second straight.  Ohio State 24, Iowa Hawkeyes 10.

BE SURE TO CHECK THIS POST TOMORROW AFTERNOON FOR YOUR 25% OFF CODE TOWARDS  LSU AND ALABAMA MERCHANDISE THAT WILL BE FEATURED ON ORIGINALRETROBRAND.COM IN THE  PICK OF THE WEEK  SECTION.

Well of course the Tigers can beat Bama.  They have dominated them the past 9 years, taking 7 of those meetings en route to their 2003 & 2007 National Championships..... but they won't beat them this Saturday.  The Tide will continue to roll for several reasons;  1) LSU is ranked dead last in the SEC in total offense going up against an Alabama defense that ranks # 1 against the rush, and # 2 in total defense.   2)  Bama running back Mark Ingram is a monster averaging 6.6 yds per carry, and is currently neck and neck with Florida's Tim Tebow in the Heisman Trophy race.   3)  The Tide will ride the emotional wave of momentum provided by linebacker Terrence Cody, whose 2 blocked field goal attempts last week against the Vols, snatched victory from sure defeat.

If LSU does pull off this upset, they have a very good shot at surpassing Alabama, and winning the SEC West.   LSU finishes up with a somewhat demoralized and overrated Ole Miss team, and then Arkansas at home.   Meanwhile, Alabama has two very tough road games against an underrated Mississippi State, and a very hungry arch rival  Auburn Tiger team.   All of this being said, BAMA  will use the home field advantage to keep their record perfect.   Final Score:  Alabama 28, LSU 20.

AND SPEAKING OF PERFECT....Darn Virginia Tech kept me from a perfect 6-0 on my picks last week by losing to North Carolina.  I nearly landed the Georgia-Florida, and Texas-Oklahoma State game scores ON THE NOSE.  How bout them Oregon Ducks??!!   After a disastrous 7-12 record to date, a 5 win week gets me back in the hunt with a 12-13 record.  What hunt I don't know, but I'm in it!!   Since I am a sucker for underdogs, I may not be in the hunt after this weekend with these insane picks....

After a heart wrenching loss to Temple last week, I say the midshipmen shock the Irish in South Bend:  Navy 30, Notre Dame 28.    The CAL Bears are just so inconsistent this year, while the Beavers have given ranked teams (Cincinnati, Arizona & USC) very tough games.  Oregon State 35, CAL 21.   Illinois is coming off a stunner over Michigan after dropping 5 straight games while the Gophers have had a brutal three game stretch against Ohio State, Penn State and a hard fought victory over Michigan State last week.   Illinois shows new life while Minnesota is just too tired.   Illinois 24, Minnesota 14.

WHO'D A THUNK IT?  With the Indians circling the Bobby Bowden Wagon, the Florida State Seminoles have rallied around the living legend to win two straight, and can still win the ACC Atlantic division with a win over Clemson in Death Valley, then Wake Forest and Maryland.  FSU will do just that.  FSU 38, Clemson 35.

BE SURE TO CHECK THIS POST TOMORROW AFTERNOON FOR YOUR 25% OFF CODE TOWARDS  LSU AND ALABAMA MERCHANDISE  THAT WILL BE FEATURED ON ORIGINALRETROBRAND.COM IN THE  PICK OF THE WEEK  SECTION.