The Die-hard Fans

For eight months of every year every die-hard fan is paying close attention to the moves their team is making during the off-season. Spring training arrives in a knick-of-time, to replenish the empty, mindless pages of sports writers desperate for something to happen, a broken bone, a DUI, anything to avoid another article about whether Tim Tebow has something stuck in his teeth or an article wondering if Mike Leach has actually cloned himself. The amazing part is that these sports writers really could write about this stuff (some probably have) and we’d still read it. Because we want to gain any incite into how our favorite players and team might do for the upcoming season.

Then the season actually arrives and we’re foaming at the mouth for any game time action and we don’t care who our favorite team plays, we have a reason why it’s a legitimate scheduling option. This to me is the problem. As a die-hard fan, I feel a little bit like I’ve been hornswaggled (I swear it’s a word, back off) when I see my team scheduling sure wins. Why do we wait eight long, dry months, building up excitement, buying new gear, planning trips to the games, putting our very mental health at risk for so long only to have our team open up with a game against a team that ultimately won’t reveal anything about the true character of our team? BECAUSE WE’RE DESPARATE, that’s why! And I’ll gladly be doing it again next year with new gear on, and maybe even some face paint…in June.

#9 Nebraska @ #19 Missouri 9pm EST on ESPN (Thurs)
This Thursday nights matchup is my case in point:
• Nebraska vs. Missouri – National broadcast on ESPN, 8 o’clock kickoff, potential down pour. Nebraska brings the #1 scoring defense to Faurot Field and Missouri brings a 6’5” Sophomore QB that has thrown 11 TD’s and no interceptions. That’s right, four games in and no interceptions. Nebraska is allowing only 7 points a game. Those stats seem impressive but are they really? Nebraska has played Florida International, Arkansas State, Virginia Tech and Louisiana-Lafayette. Missouri has played a terrible Illinois team, Bowling Green, Furman and Nevada. They had to come from behind in two of those games while Nebraska, by all accounts, dominated Virginia Tech but still managed to rescue defeat from the clutches of victory. So, what do these schedules and records tell us about these two teams? Nothing concrete. The line in Vegas is basically a push.

Why Nebraska might win: They are playing pretty good defense and I think they are all business this trip.
Why Nebraska might lose: They have a bad habit of coming out slow in games like these. They also have a bad habit of shooting themselves in the foot…the hand…the leg…the crotch (that was just unnecessary) with stupid penalties that seem to be a hold over from the previous coaching regime of him who shall remain nameless. Starting out slow against a pretty good Missouri offense may be a bad thing when the game is being played in Missouri.
Why Missouri might win: Gabbert has had time to throw and he’s picked defenses apart when he has. If Nebraska doesn’t apply pressure, it could be bad.
Why Missouri might lose: They’ve had to come from behind against pretty crappy teams and their run defense has not been great. The running game hasn’t been great for them either, which may let the Blackshirts key in on Gabbert.
Final Prediction: Nebraska 31, Missouri 21


#1 Florida @ #6 LSU 8pm EST on CBS (Sat)
This is easily the best matchup of the weekend. Unfortunately, this game could be decided by something that won’t take place on the field on Saturday night. Clearly the concussion suffered by Gators QB Tim Tebow against Kentucky two weekends ago is the major concern for Florida. If Tebow plays and isn’t hampered by the concussion, the Gators will win. If Tebow can’t go or is limited this game turns into a toss-up with the psychological advantages going to LSU being at home and the Gators not having their leader. If Tebow plays and plays well, Florida over LSU 34-21. If Tebow doesn’t play or is severely limited, LSU 21-20.


#2 Alabama @ #25 Ole Miss 3:30pm EST on CBS (Sat)
In the only other matchup of Top 25 teams, look for Alabama to bang hard on Jevan Snead and the Rebels. I was never a Rebel believer and I think Alabama will pound them back to their rightful place as a mid-level SEC team. Alabama 38 – Ole Miss 17

D3 #7 Linfield @ Whitworth 4pm (Sat)
So, why bring up a game from Division 3 between an undefeated national power and a 2-3 Whitworth team? Because I think that greatness should be recognized. If Linfield wins this game it will clinch its 54th straight winning season! That is the all-division lead by a long, long ways. The Wildcats are led by a swarming defense and strong-armed QB Aaron Boehme (pictured) and they should win easily, 39-13. Great work, Linfield. Winning consistently like that is true greatness!

What a week at HelmetNation!

HelmetNation is proud to let everyone know that we will be doing 300 mini helmets for a sales team at CDW, the technology company! You can find great service and products at www.cdw.com! This sales group has done mini-helmets before about 8 years back. There helmets looked like this back then:

However, the look will be different this time! They will be going with a scarlet red shell, white facemask, with a white stripe. The logo will be all white this time.

We also will be producing the mini-helmets for several youth teams from around the country. The first is the North Mesa Tigers team from Pueblo, Colorado. They will have a black shell with black facemask and a logo with an NM and a tiger in it!

We will also be doing helmets for the San Jacinto Ravens of Deer Park, Texas. It will be a Schutt DNA white shell and navy blue facemask. Here are a couple of pictures of their helmet:



We really enjoy working on the youth helmets because they are usually very creative. Let us know if we can help you with your youth team helmets! Just contact HelmetNation by phone at (800) 576-9706 or by email: customerservice@helmetnation.com

HelmetNation Top 25 Week 5

I wasn’t sure if I should put Auburn in the Top 25 or not. Then again, I wonder that about most of the teams. It seems that there used to be a time in college football when there were teams that definitely deserved to called part of the "Top 25". Now, it seems like a bunch of teams waiting to lose, or something like that. I'm not sure how to explain it. Parity has made it so teams aren't truly being "upset" anymore because now almost everybody has enough athletes to beat any other team on any given Saturday. However, I think the media machine is doing its best to keep the teams with "fewer athletes" down, financially, psychologically and otherwise. Anyway, in watching the USC game and Oklahoma game I was unimpressed by both. All day during the games I was largely irritated with how much coverage the always over-hyped and underwhelming Big 10 was getting. Oh, them and friggin' Notre Lame. They suck and really deserve a sucker punch to the mid-section. If Purdue’s coach doesn’t call a boneheaded timeout they lose to Purdue. If Washington scores from the 1 yd line after getting 8 tries, they would have lost to Washington. Notre Dame didn’t win those games. The other teams lost them. Lou Holtz is a joke as an ESPN analyst because he thinks everybody but his team is overrated. Wait a minute; he is perfect for ESPN.

1) Florida – DNP. Gators are still hoping Tebow can go against LSU.
2) Alabama – Dominated again!
3) Texas – DNP. Colorado won’t give them much of a game.
4) TCU – Hammered SMU. I think if TCU and Boise St played it would be similar to their bowl game last year with TCU’s defense pulling it out.

5) Boise St. – The other possible BCS buster. Did they even care as they beat UC-Davis?
6) LSU – Nice win against Georgia. Next up: Florida. Game could be decided by simply whether or not Tebow plays.
7) Virginia Tech – Only an 8 point win over Duke? In basketball that might mean something.
8) USC – back up in Top 10 simply by default. Cal sucks.

9) Nebraska – DNP. Big contest @ Missouri on Thursday night. The nation will be watching. Are they back?
10) Cincinnati – Not sold on Pike and the Bearcats. They have played such a cream puff schedule.
11) Miami – Nice bounce back win. I think this team just can’t win in bad weather.
12) Oregon – rolled Washington State.
13) Oklahoma State – DNP Still waiting to see if they are for real. Texas A&M won’t show us that though, unless they lose.
14) Kansas – DNP. Still undefeated still unimpressive
15) South Florida – Beat the Orange to a pulp.

16) Ohio State – The Big 10 can’t be in the Top 15. Beating Indiana didn’t show us anything.
17) Iowa – Struggled with Arkansas State. Does this team play to the level of their opponent?
18) Oklahoma – Will Bradford get this team back on their feet?
19) Missouri – DNP. Thursday night vs Nebraska
20) Utah – DNP. Has Colorado State next.

21) Brigham Young – Uninspired win against improving Utah State club
22) Georgia Tech – Offensive numbers impressive against Miss St.
23) Wisconsin – will eventually lose to a team that actually has athletes.
24) South Carolina – Please improve the scheduling here.
25) Ole Miss – Not sold on them being Top 25.

Joshua and Aaron Deifel

Fools and their College football!

"Who is more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?"

Anyone? Anyone? I'll be the first to admit it takes a certain measure of humility to try and predict college football games every week. Humility and a complete lack of self-awareness combined with utter foolishness. At any rate, the stakes just continue to get higher with each passing week as my picks seem to be getting worse and worse. I haven't done a game by game comparison yet but had I put decent money on every game I've predicted the outcome for thus far, I'm pretty sure I'd be on the hook for approximately half of the nation's gross domestic product. That's college football, folks. Hey, don't look at me, I never forced you to put that 100 spot on Cal last week. Sucker! Which leads me into this week's always engrossing edition of 'Pigskin Picks of Utter Preposterousness...ment'

Georgia vs. LSU
I tried to do the 'eyeball' test with each of these teams before predicting a winner and I went cross-eyed. Honestly, I don't feel comfortable picking either one, therefore I predict the first 3-3 tie in college football since Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his 'Fireside chats'. Ok, that would just be the easy way out, and since I AM being paid good money to write this article every week, I feel that duty calls. No, seriously, it's GOOD money...


Let's face it, Georgia's schedule would chew up most other teams and spit them out faster than a pit bull in Michael Vick's backyard, so for them to be where they're at so far, they must be feeling pretty good about themselves. And if LSU was looking ahead last week to this game, then imagine how hard they must be trying to NOT think about next week's matchup against Florida. Neither team played particularly well last week but they are both loaded with talent and both still have something to prove to the nation and the rest of the SEC. The fact that the game is in Athens is probably countered by the fact that LSU will want payback for getting beat in their backyard last year. Let's just be honest, I am baffled by this game. For some reason I think the Bulldogs will pull it out. Call it a lack of faith in the LSU defense thus far this year. Georgia wins by 10 and AJ Green has 3 touchdowns.

Alabama vs. Kentucky
I know, Alabama is good. I mean, they're really, really good. Kentucky is not so good. Not so really, really good. Trent Richardson's TD run for the Tide last week was so filthy it made Howard Stern blush. Please, for your own good take 2 minutes and YouTube it. (When exactly did that word become a verb?) What's scarier is he's just getting started. Richardson, that is. Howard Stern is actually really old and nasty. Anyway, I ramble. Bama wins this one by 17.

USC vs. Cal
The hippies vs. the hipsters. Let me ax you if this scenario sounds familiar. A big, bloated blue and gold bear wanders out of the forest all full of himself, only to run into an awkward and hideously ugly green and yellow duck. Bear pisses off duck, duck knocks bear on his ass, rips open bear's chest with his beak, jams his now-bloodied wing into bear's chest cavity only to find out that- oh my goodness, hold the phone everyone- the big bloated blue and gold teddy bear has no heart. Awwwwwwwww....It was a good ride while it lasted, boys. Actually, no it wasn't. It was pathetic. This happens every year right around the time that the goin' gets tough. If a team takes on the personality of its coach, what does that say about Jeff Tedford? I think Goldilocks has more fight in her than any of these bears. No porridge for me. USC by 21.


Oklahoma vs. Miami
Throw in a cassette tape of The Outfield and break out your atari, cuz this is a true throwback to the 80's. I love this match-up, but for the love of Mike if I have to see Barry Switzer's face during this game even once i will throw a boot through the tv. (And since I'll probably be watching the game on my brother's tv, he better PRAY that doesn't happen.) But back to the game. Both teams have sick speed. Both teams have quarterbacks who have been pleasant surprises thus far (Landry Jones' porn-star hall-of-shame facial hair aside). Who has the better coach? OU, no question. Not only that but Oklahoma's big, scary D is on an absolute mission since they lost to BYU by one point in Week 1 (remember they only gave up 14 points in that loss). They haven't had much competition since then but I still have to go with a proven commodity in Oklahoma until Miami can show me more consistency week in and week out- even if Switzer's nose is halfway up Stoops', well, you know. Oklahoma over Miami BIG, 41-10.


Other mindless predictions bordering on sheer lunacy

Michigan will BARELY escape Michigan St. this week

The Fighting Zooks will rise one last time and put Penn St. where it truly belongs...out of the Top 25 for the year (and there was much rejoicing)

UTEP very well could beat Houston. How's that for a bold prediction.

Nebraska will beat Mizzou by 20 one week from tonight!


The boldest prediction of the week? I'm sleeping in tomorrow.

Have a great weekend and remember to eat your vegetables...

Andrew Deifel

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