The Weekly Update!

This was a good week. We got the artwork done for the Blair (NE) HS order. It looks really sharp and we are excited to see how this helmet turns out. The logo will go on a purple Schutt DNA shell with a white facemask.

We also got the artwork done for the Fantasy Football Underworld helmet back and again it looks great. This will go on a Black helmet with black facemask.

Remember, if you are looking for great information to keep your fantasy team at the top of your league, check out Fantasy Football Underworld at www.fantasyfootballunderworld.com.
We are also in the beginning stages of working with some new great organizations to do their helmets. We will have updates on those once we get the orders finalized.

Stop by often to keep on what is new at HelmetNation and for our college football coverage!

Also, if you are looking for that great gift for your players or employees, and ordinary won't do, remember to contact us here at HelmetNation to get your helmet done for your organization! Email: customerservice@helmetnation.com or call (800) 576-9706.

The HelmetNation Top 25

If you’re anything like me (and let’s hope for the most part you aren’t, because it’d be creepy having two of me around) then you have grown tired of trying to find where USC’s butt ends and ESPN’s begins. You can’t tell me that Colin “I-think-I-have-the-most-beautiful-voice-ever-and-that’s-why-I-can’t-stop-saying-stupid-things” Cowherd, who has advertisements playing on the P.A. system during the USC games, is unbiased. I call BS on that one.

The whole of ESPN, for that matter, has torn their proverbial clothes off, in a fit of passion and dove head first into the STD-ridden bed of the BCS with no thought of protection. The result: A bastard version of college football that suckles from the teet of corruption on behalf of conferences that have half dominant teams and half total mouth breathers. Just like every other conference, except bigger TV markets (see Boyd Epley’s so-called testimony to congress).
Yep, that’s right, I’m calling it like I see it. ESPN, where the majority of college football fans get their “news” and “information” has a financial interest in seeing that the teams with the biggest television markets make it to BCS games to increase marketing and advertising revenue.

This is why USC, when losing to an unranked Washington, hardly fell out of the Top 10 and is already back to #7 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches poll but Utah, who lost to what turns out to be a pretty good Oregon team by a touchdown falls from 16th & 18th out of the top 30. These voters (aka interns), for the most part probably rely on ESPN for their information because clearly they don’t have time to watch each game themselves. Heaven knows I would give my left nut for that kind of time and I think that’s why heaven doesn’t give me that time. Anyway, it’s a total joke and I can’t figure out for the life of me why we, as a people, tolerate it, or worse yet, defend it. When we’re all dead and in the great football heaven in the sky, I’m going to personally punch the a-holes responsible for this BCS mess right in the neck.
As luck would have it, I have a computer and a brain, though some of you may be questioning that by now, but I assure you I do have a computer. It’s a MacBook and it beats anything Microsoft has even contemplated up to this point. Come to think of it, maybe Bill Gates is the head of the BCS. Both systems suck, are prone to bad design, own the largest piece of the total pie and both try to find new ways to eff things up. So, with this computer I’m going to create my own Top 25 that promises no financial bias and no BS. I’m beholden to no one in my choices, yes, I have my favorite team but hopefully you won’t be able to tell who it is. You can disagree with me if you want but if you don’t have a computer and brain to create your own Top 25; you can deal with it.
I heard a wise person say that there is the Top 3 and then who really knows after that. I actually really like that approach because it doesn’t apply the concrete notion that say, Ole Miss actually was the 4th best team in the country before yesterday. The fake flowers sitting on my kitchen table knew that Ole Miss as the 4th best team was pulled off the top of a massive dung heap. Give me a break! So, this is the approach I’ll take. I have hated that the polls have become more about teams moving up only because someone ahead of them loses and not because there are only that many teams ahead of them that are better than them. I mean, honestly, the fact that Iowa jumps from unranked to 13th & 17th for beating an overrated Penn State is absurd and borderline insulting, frankly. Do these pollsters honestly believe that there are only 12 or 16 teams in the country better than Iowa? Get real. So, I’ll ask myself the question: “Do I really feel that there are only x amount of teams in the country that would beat this team this week” based on their rank. In other words, if I’m trying to decide who I think is the 5th best team in the country I will ask myself if I really think there are only 4 teams in the country that would beat this team (and I should probably have those 4 teams listed in front of them). This is harder than it looks exactly because of the notion I stated earlier; there are about 3 top teams…and everybody else. In this case, I feel that there are 2 top teams…and then everybody else. My logic in this is that nobody knows how good a team really, truly is until they’ve played another team with at least marginal talent. The majority of these teams haven’t played anybody with any talent and the current BSC promotes this kind of patsy scheduling. I find it so ironically cruel that automatic berth teams fill their schedules with cupcakes and then exclude them from the big dance. The whole well of BCS college football would dry and die if it weren’t for the non-automatic berth conferences. So, here is the first of our HelmetNation Top 25 College Football rankings! Well enough ranting, here goes nothin’:

1) Florida – Have they sleep walked thru the season so far? In case you were wondering, they haven’t played a ranked team. But, I think they are talented enough that they would beat every other team in the country, even Alabama. But after that hit, Tebow may be wandering around the halls of his dorm unaware that he has no pants on, in which case, this rank could change. My opinion is they have the best coach in college football and that makes an enormous difference.
2) Alabama – I hate putting them this high, but they’ve dominated everybody right from the get-go. They made a Virginia Tech team that just beat Miami look like they should’ve stayed in Pop Warner and have continued that trend in every game. Utter dominance thus far.

3) Texas – I’m honestly not convinced of this one because once again, they haven’t really played anybody and Texas Tech so far, doesn’t count. I think they would beat Boise State if the two played.
4) Boise State – I’m sure I’ll take a beating from both people who read this (my brothers) and it may be a literal beating but they soundly took care of business against everyone they’ve played especially an Oregon team that may not be as bad as people initially thought, myself included. People don’t give them enough credit but this is a well-coached, fundamentally sound team. On a side note, I’ll never get the hilarious image of that D lineman’s eyes rolling momentarily into the back of his head after Blount’s knuckles met his chin.

5) Oklahoma – I’d prefer to leave this spot blank because I don’t think there is a team left that would beat every team but the four listed above. Since I have to put someone here it is Oklahoma (as much as that pains me) because of the defense. They have shut out their last two opponents (even though it was Idaho State & Tulsa) and they only allowed BYU to score 14 points. That should’ve been more than adequate to win but the stars aligned for the Cougars. The offense seems to be doing pretty good too. Who else is going to beat them with a worse ranking? I give Nebraska a legitimate shot in Lincoln.
6) Virginia Tech – Took Miami to the woodshed but their own offense is very average and Miami was drunk on their own kool-aid. Should have lost to Nebraska at home.
7) TCU – The Horned Frogs can play some tough D
8) LSU – Tigers have big tests coming up
9) Houston – Big 12 South Champs?
10) Georgia – Cox is becoming the man
11) USC – Offensive inconsistency will lead to several losses

12) Nebraska – Loss at VT was on a fluke. If you watched them last week you know they owned Virginia Tech and managed to shoot themselves in the foot. Nebraska was and is a better team than Tech.

13) Oklahoma State – Can they win the big games?
14) Oregon – Ducks have bounced back big time
15) Kansas – Undefeated but unimpressive
16) Ohio State – The Big 10 can’t be in the Top 15. Always overrated and Herbstreit shouldn’t be allowed to ever comment on them because he’s so over-the-top biased.
17) Cincinnati – Talk to me once they beat someone
18) Michigan – Tate Forcier in my opinion, is better than Matt Barkley but USC has better overall talent.

19) South Florida – Florida State got run by the Bulls
20) Iowa – Was Northern Iowa a fluke?
21) Missouri – Gabbert has been good so far
22) Miami – Not quite as ready as the talking heads believed
23) Utah – Loss of Asiata for the season will hurt
24) Brigham Young – Hall only threw 2 INT’s in the win
25) Georgia Tech – Need to be more consistent

BY: Joshua Deifel (with some help from Aaron Deifel)

One-third

I want you to think about that number for a second. It's a number that could apply to a lot of different things in your life. As in, the amount of time you actually spent listening to your teachers in high school. Or maybe the amount of your lifelong earnings since the age of 5 that you've blown on video games and bazooka gum. (If you don't know what bazooka gum is you are too young to be reading this.) It certainly could be the amount of time on air that Chase Daniel was seen last year on the sideline with his finger in his nose. But I digress. I think you know by now where I'm going with this. Yes, the college football season will officiallly be one-third of the way over after this weekend. Yeah, I thought about jumping, too. But don't do it. There is a sunny-side to that equation and that is that the best two-thirds of the season are yet to come. Don't believe me? Then you're either a Colorado fan or you haven't taken a look at this weekend's fantastic match-ups. But before we move on there were some true classics and some serious upsets last weekend. WA/USC.....FL/Tennesse...ND/Mich. St...VTech/Nebraska...BYU/Bobby Bowden's Criminals...and depending on which sideline you were cheering for, you either aged 10 years in a matter of mere minutes or you held onto your sanity for one more week.



Fingernails were chewed to the nubbin, expletives were no doubt thrown around like jello at a food fight in elementary school and hearts were yanked squarely from fan's chests and promptly stomped on repeatedly with steel-toed workboots. And yet, we all (at least I really hope all) somehow found the reason, the wherewithall, the inner drive to get outta bed the following morning. Why? Because of the two words at the beginning of this blog. That's right, one-third. For most fans, there is still hope of a decent, perhaps even stellar season. Which is why one-third can also be a great number. If for no other reason than you still have two-thirds of the season to prove to that mother-lovin neighbor of yours that his team really does suck AND his kids are uglier than yours.

Your Trash Talk is Okay, But Mine is Better



Lane Kiffin is the Kanye West of college football. Am I the only one who is already done with this guy? Please, win some games before you embarrass your father anymore. I know a lot of the media types and even fans love the trash talk and the fact that he and Coach Meyer were sent to their respective rooms by the SEC Commissioner, but at least Meyer can back up what he says with W's, which is more than I can say for Mr. Kiffin. And you thought Bob Knight was polarizing. At least when he spoke he could use the 'crazy old man' defense. At first I thought Kiffin was doing his part to bring attention to his school and build up a season that would be otherwise completely and utterly meaningless to the rest of the country, but his act is already getting old. Unless he pulls off an upset of epic proportions sometime during the next year or two, I never want to hear another word that comes out of his piehole.

Erase and Rewind

In week 2 I called out Ole Miss as pretenders...and they proved it tonight against an average South Carolina team. I also called out Oklahoma St, Penn St (they'll win this week against Iowa but they're still weak) and yes, I went against my better judgment and picked Ga. Tech over Miami a couple weeks back. Well now Miami has a very tough game at Virginia Tech- a team that basically got steamrolled for 59 minutes last week against Nebraska but who gets Miami at home as well. I have to go with my gut on this and my gut is telling me to go grab an ice cream sandwich. And after I do that it says I should pick Miami, even though you know those kids have been listening to how great they are the for the last few weeks and they could come out and lay an egg against that defense. But here's why I think they win. Tech's offense couldn't score points if they were playing ping pong against an amputee and Miami has the defensive speed to slow down Tech's only real offensive weapon- Ryan Williams. Please don't tell me they have to contain Tyrod Taylor. Please, just don't. I said don't! I'm not listening to you! Lalalalalalala!!!! ...okay, sorry. As I was saying, Taylor continues to be unimpressive in big games and did nothing to show me otherwise last week when he was shut down for negative rushing yards and had one impact play on offense all game. Miami will continue to roll over ranked teams until they face Oklahoma, which will be Sooner than later. He he....hehehehehe....

For those of you who live down south, I mean waaaaaay down south, as in you are so far south that you're actually looking UP at the armpit of the lone star state...texas tech against Houston should be a great game. I see Tech putting the clamp down on the Oilers...er...Cougars and sending another non-BCS team packing. I didn't say I WANT tech to win, I just said I think they will. And are there really Cougars in Houston?



I don't get that one. Oh, wait, you mean THOSE kind of coug...uh, nevermind.



And speaking of dangerous animals, um, Florida- look out for the Kentucky Wildcats. They always play you tough and you just came off a very emotional week against The Orange and White Kiff-sicles. Actually, I think they'll be okay, but I'm just saying watch out. You know, like how you should watch out for cars when you cross the street. Same thing.

Alabama is for real. Geez, it hurts me right here when I say that.

Can Cal beat Oregon? At Oregon? Yep, sure can. Not because of Best, but have you seen Oregon's quarterback play? It's pathetic and while it might not be quite as bad this Saturday, it's still not what they are used to in Duck country. Maybe the QB is just focusing too much of his time worrying about whether or not his jersey and pants match his cleats. Honestly, if Heidi Klum ran a college football team it'd be Oregon.

Outrageous Prognostications

Georgia will finish in the Top 10 this year

So will Nebraska



USC will lose 3 games and still finish #1 in Kirk Herbstreit's Top 25 rankings

Miami will play for the National Championship

BYU will get upset this weekend to Colorado St and after his 4th interception Max Hall will drop the F-bomb on national TV

Cincinnati will go undefeated...in basketball

Coach Zook will be fired from Illinois at the end of the season...

...which is better than Dan Hawkins, who will be home handing out candy bars to trick or treaters at Halloween.

Oklahoma will win the Red River Shootout, Landry will lead Oklahoma to an 11-1 season, win the Heisman in 2010 and STILL only be remembered as having the worst facial hair in the history of college football

Tebow wins the Heisman...yep, you heard it here first!!!

Have a great weekend,

Andrew

Just a quick update!

This past week has gone by quickly. We are in production on an order for Blair High School out of Blair, Nebraska. They will have a purple shell and white facemask. We will have to change a few colors around, but this is essentially the logo that will go on the helmets.



Here is what the helmet should look like when we are done!



In addition, we have been working with an exciting new source for all of you fantasy football gurus called Fantasy Football Underworld! You can find them online at www.fantasyfootballunderworld.com. They have a ton of expertise and some great information to keep you on top of your fantasy football league. We are producing a helmet for them that will have the skull and crossbones from the following logo on it!



We are very excited to be starting our partnership with FantasyFootballUnderworld!

We have several other orders that will be getting underway soon so keep stopping by to keep up on all the exciting things happening with HelmetNation!

And is the heart of youth so light,

Its step so firm, its eye so bright,

Because on its hot brow there blows

A wind of promise and repose

One might think after reading this poem that I am trying to infuse a bit of culture into this blog, however, I assure you such is not the case. I am, however, trying to make a point regarding my theme for this week. After watching some fantastic college football this past weekend I couldn't help but dwell on that one thing in life we all wish we could hold onto forever, but unfortunately vanishes before we ever get a chance to truly enjoy it. No, I'm not referring to my last plate of nachos (although one could hardly blame me), rather I'm referring to that elusive time in a person's life known as Youth, and everything that comes with it. Sure, the 3 most talented college football players right now are most likely those 3 senior quarterbacks we all hear about every week (and for good reason), but if you were able to watch even a few minutes of either the Michigan/ND or USC/OSU game, you saw what the future holds for some young kids who just a few months ago were enjoying their senior proms. And in a year or two it's a good bet that they could be battling it out against each other for a Heisman Trophy. Michigan true freshman qb Tate Forcier was just crazy cool as he carved the defense of the Irish for a lot more points than I think anyone this side of Charlie Weis would have imagined. He was calm, composed and untouchable. He certainly appears to be the perfect athlete to run that offense for the next 4 years. His post-game comments where he expressed surprise that Notre Dame's play-calling late in the game allowed them to keep their timeouts for later use even defied his age and lack of experience. As far as the game itself goes, I for one was a little shocked at the point total. I mean, after watching that game I think we all believe that ND can score, but boy did they sure make it easy for Rich Rodriguez to finally pick his starting qb.

Not to be overlooked, the true freshman quarterback for USC displayed some serious juevos when he marched his team down the length of the field against Ohio St. Saturday in the final minutes of the game to hand coach Tressel yet another loss in a big game. (Don't worry about coach Tressel, he'll be back after he gets through this drought of big game losses just like Bob Stoops will be; most of the great coaches go thru it at least once during their careers.) Now, don't get me wrong, this was only the 2nd game for both of these kids and they have a LONG way to go before they can even be in the discussion as two of the great college football players of either of their respective programs. But I always find it fascinating when you can look into a person's eyes and see that they just have 'it'. When their confidence blots out inexperience, when their naivite meets up with reality, stares it in the face and asks "Do I know you?" and simply keeps walking. Of course I'm being overly dramatic, but unlike most of us who at times in life find ourselves up against insurmountable odds, those kids didn't allow themselves to stop and pause in the heat of the battle, look around and ask themselves 'What on earth have I gotten myself into?' And why would they? They simply don't know any better.


Winning Breeds Confidence, Which Breeds More Winning, Which Breeds More...Okay You Get the Point
While some programs have taken the road less jubilantly traveled by looking truly hideous through the first 2 weeks of the young season (insert pic of Dan Hawkins w/sheepish grin here), it is apparent after last weekend that other coaches are clearly putting their programs on the path to success by fostering an attitude of accountability, discipline and toughness which is what I truly believe you have to have before you can even think of winning a national championship. These programs are starting to wear their success well...

Georgia Tech- Although they almost allowed Clemson to steal that game last Thursday, this program is obviously headed in the right direction. How far can they go? I think it's safe to say that no Top 10 team would want any part of that Triple Option offense.

Ole Miss- This program used to just be a squirrel trying to get a Houston-Nutt, but coach already has 'em thinking SEC Championship in '09. Will it happen? Not bloody likely...but just the fact that it COULD happen is a monumental step in the right direction for this once-proud program.

Cincinnati- No, that's not a typo. The Bearcats would definitely give that other team in Ohio a run for their money AND they dropped a 70 lb keg on their opponent's head Saturday (sure it was against a directional school with a 'State' on the end of it, but throw me a bone, people) and consistently find themselves in the Top 25 with coach Brian Kelly at the helm. Two consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since the Industrial Revolution is an amazing feat and is definitely possible again this year with their opportunistic senior quarterback and a stingy defense. Look for Kelly to head to greener pastures after this season if they do...

Nebraska- Yes it is a week too early to predict just how successful this team will be in '09, but one thing they will ALWAYS be under coach Pelini is tough as railroad spikes. Va Tech will be a true road test but don't underestimate the heart of these Huskers under the new coaching staff. As good as this team can be this year, they should be a NC contender in 2010 when their young players come back with experience to go along with their mettle.


BYU- Consistency. That's what coach Mendenhall practices, preaches and expects, and that's what he gets year in and year out. Three 10-win seasons in a row. This year, he has a defense that just wants to hit somebody and a senior quarterback that could take them the distance as long as they don't let their guard down. Think about it, with the caliber of opponents they play, this could be the year that a non-BCS team actually makes it to the championship game.

Other teams who have learned to expect success under their current head coach:
Utah
TCU
Boise St.
Kansas
Alabama
Tennessee - Oh, wait sorry. Wrong list.

Week 3
Much like Barry Bonds, the upcoming weekend is juiced with some amazing match-ups between Top 25 teams. Here is who you should watch and who will win...

Georgia Tech at Miami
Home field is HUGE in college football...um, except when you're Miami. Tech will pound the Canes relentlessly on the ground all night and ball control beats out speed as the 'Jackets come away with a 41-34 victory.

Tennessee at Florida
Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Lane Kiffin as he is inducted into the 'Urban Meyer Beatdown of the Week Club'. Sorry Lane, but I have a feeling that your membership fees will become due right around this time every year. Florida 45 Tennessee 21

Nebraska at Va Tech
Stingy, relentless defenses trying to hold down two explosive, young offenses. This game will be an instant classic...right up to the last minute when Nebraska displays some truly 'special' teams play of their own and pulls out a victory in Blacksburg. NU 34 Va Tech 31

Utah at Oregon
Utah gets up for big games, but I'm sorry, Autzen Stadium is one of THE toughest places to win, period. Oregon 45 Utah 31


Florida St at BYU
I can't believe I'm saying this but I really think the Seminoles may be a little intimidated when they come to Happy Valley. With no gamebreaking speed on offense or defense for FSU and a shaky start to the season, to say the least, the star of this game will be the BYU defense and Max Hall will have this game in hand by the beginning of the 2nd half. BYU 49 FSU 27

Carroll-ing in September
USC at UW
Mr. Carroll goes to Washington...to take on his old OC. I like Sarkisian's energy...he won't come close to beating SC this year, but he'll have this program turned around before you know it.

Wyoming at Colorado
If this game was being played in Wyoming I would pick the pokes. Eh, what the hell, the way the Buffs are playing lately I think I'll pick 'em anyway.


Texas Tech at Texas
I'd have a hard time picking against McCoy, even though I think this will be another close game.

Kansas St at UCLA
There's just something unnatural about Bill Snyder going to Hollywood. Even without their starting quarterback UCLA will roll in this one.

Tidbits
Am I the only one who is fed up with shelling out 30 bones for a PPV football game only to find myself stuck watching a telecast in CDTV? (That's Crap Definition Television for those who are wondering) I mean, it's bad enough that we have to listen to announcers who shouldn't even be calling a pop warner game, let alone college, but to have to squint for 3+ hours just to make out the number on a player's jersey is a little aggravating. Good to know our 30 bucks is going straight toward upgrading the broadcasting equipment for future telecasts. Hey, could be worse- at least it's not being telecast in SDTV...

Have you noticed that some coaches have a ceiling...and by that I mean certain assistant coaches were just not meant to be head coaches in this life. Does anyone think Gary Crowton isn't a phenomenal play-caller with a brilliant offensive mind? Well he is, but he's no head coach. Weis probably falls into the same boat, although I can't blame a guy for trying to improve his lot in life. Everyone wants to be 'The Man', but not everyone is blessed with that uncanny ability to not only TEACH the X's and O's, but also to LEAD those around them. On the other hand some coaches are just not meant to be held back as assistants...anyone think Urban Meyer isn't one of the greatest leaders ever to coach a football team? For some reason I can't imagine him ever being anyone's assistant anywhere at anytime.

I find it fascinating to watch some coaches who make the leap successfully from assistant to top dawg, others who toil in it for a while until they BECOME successful, and others who fall away into anonymity. Ever wonder why Norm Chow isn't a head coach yet? I could be dead wrong on this but maybe he just understands his strengths and his limitations better than anyone around him. Or maybe it's just nice not to be the one who takes the heat after every loss...

Thanks for tuning in folks, and remember, please sneeze into your elbow, not your hand.

Andrew Deifel

HelmetNation Update!

We finished a couple of very cool helmet orders in the last week. We finished the helmets for the 1st Recruiting Brigade out of Fort Meade, Maryland. The helmet was a yellow (gold) shell with black facemask. It had the 1st Recruiting Brigade patch on the right side and the Army Star patch on the left side. The rear bumper said VICTORY and the front bumper was inscribed with 1BDE.




We loved producing these helmets for the 1st Recruiting Brigade! Thanks for your service!

We also finished the Belen, NM youth football helmets! They decided to go with the Schutt DNA white shell and a maroon facemask. They have BELEN in script with an eagle above the name as their logo. We also personalized each helmet with the last name of each player in oversized text. We also put EAGLES in maroon text on the front bumper of the helmet!


We are always working on new orders so stop by often for updates. Remember, if you want to get your own custom or fantasy football helmet done, to contact HelmetNation! We want to help you Show YOUR Allegiance!
(800) 576-9706 or customerservice@helmetnation.com

Autumn is upon us!

(This is the first blog in a series that will be published each Thursday to preview the upcoming College football weekend! We hope you will check back often!)

Did you know the word Autumn comes from the root Aut-which is latin for 'foot-like appendage' and the word Tumn, meaning 'ball-like object'? No, you didn't, because that's blatantly false. What isn't false is that football, college football specifically, that most glorious of sports, that most noble of ambitions, that most honorable of past-times is finally here to stay. Again. For the next 4 months. And then somehow it disappears as quickly as it came and you feel so cheap and used cuz you gave up EVERYTHING for her for 4 straight months and then BAM! in the blink of an eye she takes everything and..er, heh, heh...sorry. Awkward! Anyway, getting back...after just one week I think we can make a pretty safe assumption that this season is going to be a dandy. Yeah, I said dandy- go get your own blog! Answer me this: Just a few short days ago did you really think that BYU would be in the Top 10 this year? I mean after week 1!?!?! And who thought Michigan vs. Notre Dame could actually mean something? Was it a given that Boise St. would once again have destiny on it's side to run the table for yet another 11 win regular season? Actually, I think we all saw that coming. For those of you who thought that the biggest surprise coming out of week 1 might be that Florida wouldn't cover the spread...there were surprises around every corner. And a few sucker punches as well. From Blount's right hook (seriously, can we move on already people- he's still going to be playing on Sundays a year from now) to a Michigan Wolverine's cheap shot at his own coach (I must admit, there's just something weasely about coach Rich-Rod) , I love college football in ways that are just, well, not normal. So let us begin.



I have been asked to provide my own predictions, insight and other ridiculousness in all it's many forms on the world of college football as I see them. I will not preview every game every week. However, i will preview some games some weeks and might even preview some of the games every week. Confused yet? And I certainly will not rehash the same crap that Kirk Herbstreit and Mark May discuss every weekend. If you want that, then please go to espn.com. But if I were you, I wouldn't do that. Oh, who am i kidding, I'm logged on there right now looking at everyone's schedule. By the way am I the only one who thinks it's odd that ESPN radio talking heads always bash the fact that the AP and coaches polls come out before a game is ever played, yet after week 1 ESPN is already predicting the bowl games? What-EVER!

Week 2 Preview
Let's just be honest. Week 2 is not filled with many marquee match-ups, at least not on paper. I can think of two: Morgan State at Akron and James Madison at Maryland. But, if you don't wanna watch another ACC team get beatdown by a basketball school you might wanna tune into Ohio St vs. USC and Michigan vs. Notre Dame. These are easy picks. USC by 24 and Notre Dame by about half that much. Ohio St. lost too much talent to earn a place in the preseason Top 10. Sure, they may go on to a BCS bowl, but only by beating up on what will surely shape up to be a pathetic year in the Big 10. Or rather I should say, another pathetic year. Remember when everyone thought Tressel was the best coach in America? Yeah, me neither. For some reason my gut just says that USC doesn't care where they have to play the Buckeyes, they know that the game is already won in their minds. And I will tell you right now that it is. Won. In their minds. When was the last big game that any of you can remember Ohio St. winning? That's what I thought. With the Buckeyes it's 90% mental and the other half physical. Prediction: USC 44 OSU 20

The other game will be a little closer...maybe. Notre Dame's offense against the, er, vaunted Wolverine defense? As much as it pains me to say it, Charlie Weis looked pretty effective as the OC against Nevada. Yes, he can stand AND call his own plays. This defense will be much better than Nevada's, but not good enough to hold Jimmy 'Santa' Clausen and his merry brood of golden elves under 30 points. Sorry, that little outburst won't happen again. Prediction: ND 31 Michigan 21



I don't work for a TV network so what the hell do I care if you watch the following games
North Carolina at UConn Oh, wait. Sorry, this is football season. I do not recommend watching this game unless you also enjoy A. jamming those tiny popcorn husks underneath your gums
B. torturing small defenseless animals
C. Watching any movie with John Turturro in it

Okay, I'm serious this time. Are you ready for this one? Houston vs. Oklahoma State. Maybe, just maybe these Cowboys come out flat and allow Houston to put up some points early. Mark my words: Houston is dangerous and even though we all know how much of a man Mike Gundy is, I think his team of 'Boys could be in for a long night. Evening. Afternoon. Whatever. Hey, did you notice how I managed to not only incorporate the little play on words there but how I also restrained myself from using the 'Houston, we have a problem' line? Seriously folks, let's give credit where credit is due.

As for the rest of the matchups I honestly do not foresee a single notable upset in the whole bunch. But if I did, that distinction would go to Iowa St upsetting Iowa in Jack Trice Stadium. Er, that's where the Cyclones play, btw. No, Iowa St. is not very good, but when you have to block 2 field goals in the last 2 seconds to beat Northern Iowa- you're not very good, either. In fact, you probably suck.

Boo Hoo OU
Now that Jermaine Gresham is out for the season, I wonder how aggressive Stoops will be in bringing Bradford back. Don't rush it, dude, cuz like, 2009 is so over. In weeks 4 thru 7 they play at Miami, home vs. Baylor, Texas and then at Kansas. Even with Bradford back they lose 2 of those games and probably will drop 1 or 2 more along the way. Thank goodness for that NFL defense...but in the Big 12 you have to have an offensive line to allow you to put A LOT of points on the board or you will get outscored. Case closed. Gresham opened up the entire field for the rest of that offense to do its thing and now every defense in the Big 12 will key on that running game and force Bradford to make them pay with unproven receivers and a soft O-line. Tell me that when you saw Bradford go down Saturday night that you didn't stretch your arms out to the football gods and offer up your firstborn in return for not letting that happen to YOUR star quarterback. Go ahead, tell me. No, I mean it. You can email me at...oh, never mind. Unless, that is, you're an OU fan and Bradford pretty much was your star quarterack. Then don't tell me. Cuz you're probably super pissed off right now AND your out one kid.

Teams That Don't Suck
Miami- speed, more speed and a gutsy QB
BYU- Who the hell saw that coming? Ah crap, I just swore.
California- speed, more speed and...seriously, enough talk. Just beat USC one of these years, will ya?
Nebraska- mark my words- they will get better every single week, and they're already really, really good. Is this the year they get the OU monkey off their back?
Texas- Who is going to rise up and beat these guys? Maybe Ok St on 10/31...but I doubt it. And enough of the McCoy-Bradford love-fest, people! Did I actually see them holding hands during that ESPN interview?



Grotesquely Overrated
Penn St.- Play. Someone. Good. You. Pansies.
Ohio St.- I don't even wanna talk about the Big 10 anymore
Ole Miss- Good gosh, do people really think there are only 5 teams in the entire country that are better than the Rebels? I mean, they're the rebels for gosh sakes! Stupid, stupid voters!!!
Georgia- Richt, win a championship sometime in this millenium and then we'll talk
Tennessee- I'm sorry, the last time i checked your school colors were still orange and white.
Iowa- The only thing good I can say about Hawkeye fans is that I don't live next to any of 'em.
Colorado- I will fight Dan Hawkins right here, right now. Hey, DH- we all know that Chris Peterson was the real architect of all your Boise St. teams!!!



That's all I got so thanks for taking time out of your day to read whatever the crap it was that I just wrote. Let's do it again soon.

BY ANDREW DEIFEL

The Work Continues!

The work at HelmetNation continues! We should be completing the 1st Recruiting Brigade of Fort Meade, Maryland helmets this weekend along with the Belen, NM youth football helmets. The Capital One Bowl helmets are in production and we should be assembling them in early October.

We also got an order from a youth football team in New Jersey with hopefully more orders to follow!

HelmetNation is waiting for your order! Do you want to reward your older players for their time at your school or in your league? Would you like to use your mini helmet as a fundraiser! We at HelmetNation can assist you with all of these needs! Do not hesitate to contact us and place your order! (800) 576-9706 or customerservice@helmetnation.com!

What we are up to @ HelmetNation?!

HelmetNation Fans -

We have begun the process of working on the Capital One Bowl game helmets. We have done these for the last several years and really enjoy working with Capital One to make the game as successful as it has been! Here is the helmet we will be doing again this year!



In addition, as a former soldier in the U.S. Army myself, I was very pleased to get a call to do some helmets for the 1st Recruiting Bridage at Fort Meade, Maryland. Here is a rendering of what the helmet will look like upon completion. Thanks to Mike Gardner for the artwork. Mike does awesome work so check out his site http://www.mghelmets.com



We also have a few other projects we are working on including a helmet for a Belen, NM youth football team. I will post some pics of the helmets once they are completed.

Thanks for stopping by, if you want to get your team's helmet, contact us @ 800-576-9706.