Tag Archives: "MASCOT WARS BRACKET CHALLENGE"

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.

Easily the biggest rivalry remaining in the Original Retro Brand "Mascot Wars Bracket Challenge" features Albert E. Gator from Florida vs. UGA (representing UGA I - VII) from Georgia.

No doubt Herbie Husker from Nebraska would like to heap some payback on Bevo from Texas, to avenge their last second controversial defeat in the 2009 Big 12 Championship game.

I'm sure the Sooner Schooner from Oklahoma would like to run her wheels over the Notre Dame Leprachaun. It was Notre Dame, after all, that ended Oklahoma's NCAA record 47 game winning streak in 1957.

Sparty from Michigan State vs. Chief Osceola from Florida State;  Live by the sword, die by the spear?  Compelling matchup, but bitter rivals they are not.

The polls opened yesterday for round # 3, & the response has been overwhelming.  The only thing I can divulge is that 3 of the 4 battles are very close, with one looking like a colossal wipeout.  The polls don't close until this Sunday evening, so if you haven't voted yet, just click th 3rd link down on the right and be heard!

ALBERT TAKING A CHOMP OUT OF UGA?

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

Yet another possible outcome in the Original Retro Brand's "Mascot Wars Bracket Challenge"

BE SURE TO FILL OUT YOUR BRACKETS TODAY!  VOTING STARTS THIS MONDAY, AUGUST 2nd FOR ROUND ONE  CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

BE SURE TO FILL OUT YOUR BRACKETS TODAY!  VOTING STARTS THIS MONDAY, AUGUST 2nd FOR ROUND ONE OF THE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND “MASCOT WARS BRACKET CHALLENGE” CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

BE SURE TO FILL OUT YOUR BRACKETS TODAY!  VOTING STARTS THIS MONDAY, AUGUST 2nd FOR ROUND ONE OF THE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND “MASCOT WARS BRACKET CHALLENGE” CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

So many mascots, so little brackets.  Due to a very intricate process (think NFL QB ratings system), only 32 Original Retro Brand college mascot t-shirts were picked to face off in the "Mascot Wars Bracket Challenge."

That simply left too many awesomely cool logos on the shelf, and we can't have that.  Here are the TOP 10 that didn't make the cut...

10.  Tommy Trojan, USC: They can take away their title, Heisman, & A.D., but Tommy "shall rise again, the destined reign of Troy."  That means USC will win another BCS Championship before you can say pimp sports agents.  Ok, maybe not that soon, but soon.

9.  Demon Deacon, Wake Forrest: According to Wikipedia, mascot Ras Chavman (1981 Wake Forest graduate) fell into a coma after smashing his head on a Gatorade jug while headbanging.  That is some serious team spirit.

8. Colonel (Ole) Reb, Mississippi: This southern gentleman is a little more easy going than the ol' Baptist above.  Archie & Eli were a few other southern gentlemen who laid it down for Ole Miss.

7.  Ralphie, Colorado: Despite the fact the Buffs football team hasn't sniffed around any top 25 polls recently, at least Ralphie (a girl) is often ranked in ESPN's Top 20 College mascots.

6.  Testudo, Maryland: One of the best slogans in all of sports - "Fear the Turtle"

5.  Benny the Beaver, Oregon State: With a set of choppers like Benny, it's no wonder that the first man to wear the beaver costume (1952) ended up as the founder of the largest privately-held dental equipment manufacturer in North America.

4.  Pistol Pete, Oklahoma State: Wyoming, and New Mexico State also lay claim to mascots of the same name, but the original belongs to the Cowboys going back to 1923.  Subconsciously, my love of Pete Maravich from LSU had everything  to do with this ranking.

3.  Goldy the Gopher, Minnesota: The dude never stops smiling, and should really have one of those teeth capped with gold to give true meaning to the name.  Subconsciously, my love of the dancing gophers in  "Caddyshack" had everything to do with this ranking.

2.  Sparky the Sun Devil, Arizona State: An alumnus and Disney illustrator named Bert Anthony designed Sparky, an imp with a pitchfork. It is rumored that Sparky is in Walt Disney's image as retribution for being fired earlier.  Truly a devilish thing to do.

1.  Peter the Anteater, UC Irvine: They don't have a football team.  I don't care.  Honorable mention goes to "Sammy the Banana Slug (UC Santa Cruz)", "Artie the Fighting Artichoke (Scottsdale CC)",  and the "Fighting Pickle (North Carolina School of the Arts)."

FOOTBALL EXEMPT # 1

So there you have it - Did I leave your favorite mascot off the "off" list?  Which one of the mascots below got a raw deal all the way around?

[poll id = "29"]

If you want a shot at $250 worth of Original Retro Brand gear, there is still plenty of time to fill out a bracket (deadline is Saturday 7/31/10).

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