It's Bowl Season!

2009 Bowl Preview (Week of Sat. Dec. 19th – Sat. Dec. 26th)
(All helmet images courtesy of the great work done by Charles Arey at The Helmet Project. http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm)












New Mexico Bowl
Sat. Dec. 19 4:30pm Albuquerque, NM ESPN
Fresno St. Bulldogs (WAC 8-4) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (MWC 6-6)


Hey, I live in Utah, how come we don’t have our own bowl yet? Never mind, it’s too cold here. Fresno St 44 Wyoming 35









MagicJack St. Petersburg Bowl
Sat. Dec. 19 8pm St. Petersburg, FL ESPN
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (Big East 8-4) vs. Central Florida Golden Knights (C-USA 8-4)

I’m gonna be perfectly honest with you, I had no idea this bowl even existed until about 30 seconds ago. Admit it, you didn’t either... Rutgers 21 Central Florida 20










R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Sun. Dec. 20 8:30pm New Orleans, LA ESPN
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (Sun Belt 9-3) vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (C-USA 7-5)

I figured I would get sued for leaving off the sponsor, so even though I doubt anyone is actually reading this, I gave it to you anyway! Southern Miss 17 Middle Tennessee 14









Maaco Las Vegas Bowl
Tues. Dec. 22 8pm Las Vegas, NV ESPN
Oregon St. Beavers (Pac-10 8-4) vs. BYU Cougars (MWC 10-2)

The Beavers are under-rated, the Cougars are over-rated. Oregon St 31 BYU 14









San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Wed. Dec. 23 8pm San Diego, CA ESPN
Utah Utes (MWC 9-3) vs. California Golden Bears (Pac-10 8-4)

When these two teams play each other it always ends in a nail-biter. Utah can and should win this, being a much more physical team on defense. They’ll be so thrilled to get out of Utah for some sunshine, however, that they may forget to show up for the game. Don't forget your sunscreen! Utah 35 Cal 32











Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Thurs. Dec. 24 8pm Honolulu, HI ESPN
Nevada Wolf Pack (WAC 8-4) vs. SMU Mustangs (C-USA 7-5)

In a tight, defensive struggle for the ages: Nevada 62 SMU 49













Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl
Sat. Dec. 26 1pm Detroit, MI ESPN
Ohio Bobcats (MAC 9-4) vs. Marshall Thundering Herd (C-USA 6-6)

You go Coach Solich! Ohio (and plenty of crushed pepper) 31 Marshall 10













Meineke Car Care Bowl
Sat. Dec. 26 4:30pm Charlotte, NC ESPN
Pitt Panthers (Big East 9-3) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (ACC 8-4)

Pitt does NOT want to be here, trust me on that one. North Carolina had huge aspirations at the beginning of the year as well. I have no idea who will show up to this one but I’m enamored (read: Man Crush) with Dion Lewis. Pitt by a moustache: 22-20.













Emerald Bowl
Sat. Dec. 26 8pm San Francisco, CA ESPN
USC Trojans (Pac-10 8-4) vs. Boston College Eagles (ACC 8-4)

This, to me, is the least intriguing bowl game on the entire schedule. USC 20 Boston College 10

SUH-perman!

Suh The Right Thing


Voters finally have a chance to make the Heisman a meaningful award again. This is the year. Yep, time to put your money where your mouth is, throw the politics out the window and vote a defensive player into the Top 3 of the Heisman finalists where you know he belongs. I'm not telling anyone that they have to vote Suh #1. It is subjective criteria, after all. But you can't in good conscience or sound judgment, put him lower then third. McCoy is out of the conversation- he folded like an origami dragon at Chinese New Year against the only tough competition (OU/NU) he faced all year. I wouldn't vote him higher than about 8th, well behind the other finalists as well as guys like CJ Spiller, Tony Pike and Case Keenum. Heck, I'd put the true freshman Dion Lewis from Pitt ahead of McCoy. None of them had the supporting cast that McCoy did. Tebow on the other hand has always been deserving- you throw the stats out when you've willed your team to victory all year- except he just was not himself in the SEC champ. game, and that is the one game where Florida needed him most. Gerhardt and Ingram put out their best efforts against top competition, just like Suh did all year- so I'd have to put those 3 as my finalists.

However, here is the difference between Suh and the other two. Suh is the only athlete who literally changed the landscape of the game and became bigger than his position. It takes a rare athlete indeed to accomplish this feat. Barry Sanders did it in 1988. Bo Jackson embodied it. Reggie Bush was beyond extraordinary. Tebow did it 2 years ago when he came on the scene and literally took over the sport at his position. He changed the way the quarterback plays, motivates and leads his team. Suh changed the way a defensive lineman controls the outcome of a game. He transcended the position of DT and EASILY made those around him better. Did Gerhardt or Ingram do the same? I argue no. To say that Suh's masterpiece was in his biggest game of the year is to forget that it was only one masterpiece of many masterpieces. It's like asking which of Mozart's symphonies was his finest? Each of them simply defied logic. Fan or not, you are drawn to Suh because of his relentless passion to dominate his opponent, his sheer unnatural strength, and perhaps above all, his humble and business-like demeanor, which is a rare trait indeed in these times. Suh is the first college football player to make NOT watching the ball sexy. He didn't just put the Blackshirts back on the college football map; he drew the map, colored it in and then stamped it with his 6 foot 4, 300 lb wrecking ball frame. In two years his defense passed 100 other teams in statistical improvement: moving from 103rd in the nation to 3rd. Think about that- 100 other teams. All great athletes leave everything they have on the field. Suh left not only all of himself, but many opposing body parts as well. He was not a man among boys, but a giant among insects. A humble giant who led never with his mouth but only by his example. By coming back for his senior year, he forever etched his place in college football history as one of The Greats. Capital T, capital G. There is only so much room in the history books reserved for those types of athletes. Lucky for Suh, forcing his way in has never been a problem. Which is why I would vote Suh for Heisman.

The Final Word on the B(c)S!

Elitism, A Love Story

By now much, if not everything that really matters, has been said about the BCS disaster that will spoil what was yet another great year in college football. It is hard for me to understand how the regular season of any sport can mean more and be more exciting than the postseason. It would be like watching the NFL all year and then getting depressed after Week 17. That doesn't even make sense in my head, but such is the state of college football in 2009. The only sport that prefers to be an 8 track when it could be a third generation ipod. The BCS represents everything that is reprehensible to our society: Elitism, Hypocrisy, Double-speak, Greed, Sloth, Arrogance, Lack of Accountability and Absolute Power. I wonder how much Bill Hancock, aka the BCS' little spokes-bitch, gets paid to shovel us his slop. Luckily for him he doesn't have to look at himself in the mirror at night. After all, you have to have a soul before you can have a conscience. I get physically nauseous when I hear him throw out quips like "Nobody else has managed to come up with a better solution", or "We never said it was a perfect solution, only the best one so far", or my personal favorite "We love talking about the possibilities of a playoff and we always look for ways to better our sport." Bill is an arrogant, self-righteous, and certainly self-loathing coward. And those are probably his best traits. And please don't tell me he's only doing his job, which is to promote the benefits of the BCS. Nobody put a gun to his head and forced him to sell his soul.

He says there are too many unsolved questions. Questions such as the following:

How many teams would be involved in the playoff?
Would there be automatic qualifiers?
When would the games be played?
Would they be on neutral sites or on home field?
What would you do with the rest of the bowls?

(Before you go any further, I want you to stop reading this and go here:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-ncaafplayoff120709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Dan Wetzel, sports writer for Yahoo.com has put together one of the best articles I’ve read recently on how simple and extraordinarily lucrative a 16-team playoff would be in college football- while exposing the BCS and it’s cartoonish attempt at defending the current system by hiring an outside PR agency. It’s a must read.)

Of course, these questions have actually been answered by so many different people so many times, I believe we could have a dozen logistically and financially sound plans for a playoff on the table for discussion within 5 minutes of posting the announcement that it's up for debate. The fact remains that the BCS is so hypocritical that it would never entertain an idea of a playoff no matter how sound the plan is, because they can't bear to face the thought of losing out on the huge cash cow they have in place right now. And this is why I hope Congress gets involved- the hypocrisy. The smugness. The double-speak that we all so disdain in our daily lives but hear spewed forth from every BCS homer until it makes our ears bleed. This all goes back to my original point about the regular season. It's over, folks! And guess what, we all know that it was the best part. College Football- the only meal where you DON'T look forward to dessert. Who in the room is excited to see Texas Tech play Michigan State in the 'I Just Threw Up in my Mouth Bowl?' Fascinating. What about Georgia Tech and Iowa in the 'Meaningless Bowl Games for Dummies Bowl?' Can't wait. My personal fav: USC vs. Boston College in the 'Do We Honestly Have to Go Through With This' Bowl. I didn't even know Boston College won 2 games this year, let alone qualified for a bowl. Honestly, if we can't get a playoff let's just end the season after the conference championships and have one game- 1 vs. 2 and be done with it. I'm dead serious. Oh, I know the kids deserve to be rewarded for their stellar 6 and 6 seasons- but I deserve to be rewarded, too. I spent a lot of time watching games, buying merchandise and putting my fat butt in the stadium. What do I get out of it? The Little Effing Caesar's Bowl. What do the players get in their swag bag at that game? 2 for 1 coupons? Free breadsticks? Hey, give me a spear like the Little Caesar's guy and I'd shove it up Bill Hancock's pasty white cheeks. (By the way, I thought student athletes couldn't get freebies while attending school, something about NCAA violations??? I guess when the freebies come directly from sponsors and pass through the blood-soaked hands of the NCAA, it's okay to not only bend the rules, but completely disavow that they even exist at all. Apparently hypocrisy is a table for two when the NCAA and the BCS come to dine.) To say that the BCS is the best plan up to this point is like saying I'd rather kill myself with a shotgun than with a toothpick. Sure, it's more efficient, but they're both still painful as hell and end in a bloody mess. I just simply do not understand how an organization like the BCS can come in and pitch it's tent smack dab in the middle of camp college football, kick dirt in almost everyone's face and get away with it with no repercussions whatsoever. I despise the networks- especially ESPN- for their role in this mess. Mark my words, in 3 years the NC game will be a PPV event that will cost you upwards of 60-70 bucks to watch. Maybe they'll bundle all the BCS games into a nice package and throw you a 10% discount so you can see 'em all for 119.00, plus tax and surcharge. Don't think ESPN isn't drooling over the possibilities. Will the players get any of that money like boxers or UFC fighters do? Don't make me laugh. It will go into the fat pockets of the even fatter-jowled BCS administration, with a bone thrown to the schools and some vomited scraps heaved the way of the non-BCS schools. There is one and only one way the system will ever change- Congress. It's a sad, sad world we live in when the government of a world-leading country has to get involved in something as innocuous as college football, but if it means there is a chance for change and I won't have to listen to Bill Hancock as an added bonus, hey, I'm going to embrace it.

AJD

Falcons, Cougars and CBS Fresno!

We delivered some very cool helmets this week! We also have some exciting orders that will be delivered in the coming weeks leading up to Christmas! Also, don't forget that we carry a full line of mini- and full-size NFL and NCAA football and baseball helmets. In addition, we are in the process of adding custom and NHL mini- hockey helmets to our product line! Keep up with all the exciting changes here at HelmetNation!

Our first delivery this past week was to the Dacula Falcons youth football team in Dacula, Georgia. The Falcons are repeat customers and their helmets are a navy blue Schutt DNA shell with a navy blue Schutt DNA mask. They have vegas gold, Raven's style, tapered stripes and a very cool stylized vegas gold, white, and navy Falcon logo on the each side. On the back is the player's number in vegas gold and the front bumper says FALCONS in navy blue text on white.




Our next delivery was also to Georgia. This was the helmet for the Alexander High School Cougars in Douglasville, Georgia. Their helmet is a very cool combination of the Georgia Bulldogs scheme and the Arizona Wildcats A logo. Their helmet was a scarlet red Schutt DNA shell with a white Schutt DNA facemask. They have a single white stripe and the front and rear bumpers say COUGARS in black text on a white background. The logo is the Arizona A inside a white oval similar to the Georgia oval. It is a very clean, sharp look! We enjoyed doing these helmets for Coach Bissell and the Cougars!




Our last delivery of the week was for CBS 47 Television in Fresno, California. Their helmets are for a specific sports segment called On Your Sidelines. We used a metallic silver Riddell VSR-4 shell with a black Riddell Z2B facemask. They have a single red stripe and the front and rear bumpers say CBS47.TV in red text on a white background. We put the CBS47 On Your Sidelines logo on each side of the helmet.




Thanks again for your orders! Remember HelmetNation, When Ordinary Won't Do!

The BS that is the BCS

This is what we have been waiting for all year? They can’t truly be serious? They really want us to buy that Texas is the best matchup for Alabama for the National Championship? It is this kind of B---S--- that causes me (and apparently 70%+ of other college football fans) to HATE the BCS.

Let’s start with the fact that Texas was exposed defensively by Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night. Then, on Saturday night, the Longhorns needed help from the Big 12 brass and officiating crews to escape having their offense TORE UP by the Husker Defense and in particular Ndamukong Suh. The Horns should have never been given that second back. I completely agree with the assessment of Don Borst and you can read his article here: http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/10481260/Texas-shouldn't-have-gotten-a-'second'-chance
Mack Brown has been campaigning since last season for his ‘Horns to be in the NC game and he managed to sell well enough to get it to happen.

What bothers me the most is that BCS supporters, or even just those who accept the system, give Texas the nod based on the ridiculous notion that because they are in the Big 12 they are better than TCU, or Cincinnati, or Boise State. The circular logic at work there makes me want to hurl. If you watched TCU play this year, you know just how fast, skilled, and explosive they are. I personally think that TCU is the best team in the country and I have watched multiple games of all the undefeated teams. That having been said, if I just argue that TCU should be playing Alabama, then I am no better than the fraudulent BCS. No, what should be so simple to do, but hasn’t been done, is give these teams a chance to play each other on the field to determine the champion. Even an 8-team playoff, using the 4 major bowls (Rose, Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta) as the opening round games would answer all our questions. (If you want to hear my simple, easy, equitable playoff format, just let me know) But no, we are stuck with a team in the Championship game that really doesn’t deserve it and 4 other irrelevant games.

Lastly, I want to speak directly to the point of the Fiesta Bowl. Clearly, they are taking one for the BCS team. Matching TCU against Boise State and couching it in terms of “We allowed in 2 Non-AQ teams, see we take care of them, so the system works” is crap so deep and so thick it is corrupt and should be illegal. These teams should have been given a chance to match up against AQ teams to show they belong. Instead, they have been relegated to play each other which answers nothing and purposefully so. Can you imagine the BCS trying to keep their sham going if TCU and Boise State beat Florida/Ga. Tech/Cincinnati or Iowa? They wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. Thus, the Tostitos Non-AQ Fiesta Bowl.

Well, with the exception of the greatest game of the season, The Army – Navy game, the regular season is complete. We will post our Final Top 25 after the BS National Championship Farce on Jan. 7th. However, we are going to hopefully have Bowl Game preview blogs for you over the coming weeks!

Week 15 HelmetNation Top 25

1) Alabama – I was honestly surprised by how good Alabama looked. They were the complete team on the field Saturday. Up next: vs. # 7 Texas in the BCS National Championship game, Thurs. Jan. 7
2) TCU – Season complete. This team should be playing for a National Championship. They are fast, mean, and have skill all over the place. If you don’t think they could whoop Texas, you aren’t paying attention. They got royally screwed by the BCS matching them up with Boise State. It is an absolute slap in the face to all Non-AQ teams. Up next: vs. #4 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, Mon. Jan. 4
3) Cincinnati – This offense can score with anyone. Marty Gilyard is the heart and soul of this team. I think they could outscore the Longhorns on a neutral field. They also would have been a better choice to play Alabama. Up next: vs. #5 Florida in the Sugar Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1

4) Boise St. – Another team that could outscore Texas. They have more athletes than you realize with great speed. Kellen Moore gets better every week and he is only a sophomore. They should have been given a chance to play a BCS conference team, but were made irrelevant by the BCS by pairing them up with TCU. Up next: vs. #2 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, Mon. Jan. 4
5) Florida – For a team that returned 20 of 22 starters this year, it was one of the two that was gone that seems to have made the biggest difference. Not having Percy Harvin really hurt the Gators against Alabama. It was not the storybook ending Tebow had hoped for. Up next: vs. #3 Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1
6) Oregon – The Civil War sure lived up to its hype! What an outstanding game to watch. The Ducks are fast and Masoli and James are dangerous. Now you add Blount back in the mix for a changeup and they just get better. They may have lost a couple of games, but they would take Texas behind the woodshed on a neutral field. Up next: vs. #15 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1

7) Texas – If you have watched Texas in their last two games, you saw their defense exposed by A&M and their offense shredded by Nebraska. They played in a mediocre (at best) Big 12. Luckily Big 12 Conference big-wigs wanted a team in the National Championship more than extra BCS money and got them their truly undeserved victory over the Huskers. Mack Brown sounds like a used car salesman trying to pump his Horns as the best matchup for Alabama and somebody needs to adjust Colt McCoy’s internal clock. This team isn’t that good and doesn’t deserve a shot at the National Championship. Up next: vs. #1 Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game, Thurs. Jan. 7
8) Virginia Tech – Stumbled a few times this year but Ryan Williams is a beast with a bright future. Up next: vs. Tennessee in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, Thurs. Dec. 31
9) Georgia Tech – Held off a spunky Clemson team to win the ACC Championship. It bugs me everyone calls their offense the spread option. It is a triple option offense and I LOVE the Triple option. It is so hard for people to prepare for this offense and no one has shut it down yet since it got to Tech. Up next: vs. #18 Iowa in the Orange Bowl, Tues. Jan. 5

10) LSU – This is a pretty good Tiger team that gets overlooked. Lost close to both Florida and Alabama and on a coaching screw-up against Ole Miss. Up next: vs. #20 Penn State in the Capital One Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1
11) Oregon State – The Beavers game the Ducks all they could handle. The Rodgers brothers were outstanding. They play with speed and will blow up BYU’s average defense. Up next: vs. #16 BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl, Tues. Dec. 22

12) Nebraska – Robbed of the Big 12 Championship against Texas. They shredded the Longhorn offense. Sacked Colt McCoy 9 times. Ndamukong Suh had 12 tackles, 7 tfl’s, and 4.5 sacks. He is the best player at any position in college football and should win the Heisman. Definitely exposed the Longhorns for Alabama. But let’s be realistic. Terrance ‘Mount’ Cody, couldn’t hold Suh’s jockstrap. He’s “Fat Bastard” in a football uniform and he won’t disrupt Texas like Suh did. Huskers should be playing in the Fiesta Bowl. Up next: vs. #23 Arizona in the Holiday Bowl, Wed. Dec. 30

13) Stanford – Gerhart and the Cardinal may struggle without QB Luck if he can’t go for the bowl game. The Sooners D is still tough and will make Toby work for every yard. Up next: vs. Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl, Thurs. Dec. 31
14) Pittsburgh – Played their hearts out against Cincinnati. If they don’t muff the PAT snap, who knows what happens in OT. Dion Lewis is the man and will be fun to watch the next couple of years. Up next: vs. North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, Sat. Dec. 26
15) Ohio State – The Big 10 should really try to make themselves more relevant by playing games the weekend of Thanksgiving and after. Terrelle Pryor is going to get a look at an offense that would have used his skill set a whole lot better. Up next: vs. #6 Oregon in the Rose Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1
16) Brigham Young – Hopefully Max Hall has turned his personal venom elsewhere. They are going to need it to contend with the speed and aggression of Oregon State. Up next: vs. #11 Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl, Tues. Dec. 22
17) Utah – The Utes will need to rebound from the tough loss to BYU to keep their bowl win streak alive against a bipolar California team that just got waxed by Washington. Up next: vs. California in the Poinsettia Bowl, Wed. Dec. 23

18) Iowa – The Hawkeyes are going to need more than luck and they won’t be able to rely on a late game comeback to beat Georgia Tech. They will have the added benefit of being a bit healthier by the time the game comes around. Up next: vs. #9 Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl, Tues. Jan. 5
19) Miami – The Hurricanes weren’t quite as “back” as the talking heads were thinking they were at the beginning of the season. Still, superior speed should help them easily run past the lunkering Badgers. Up next: vs. #24 Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl, Tues. Dec. 29
20) Penn State – Thankfully, the Nittany Lions did not get the BCS bid. Not that Iowa was a great choice, but the Hawkeyes did beat Penn State. Up next: vs. #10 LSU in the Capital One Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1
21) Oklahoma State – Finished the season by getting embarrassed by Oklahoma. Hopefully, they will have some swagger back for the bowl game. Up next: vs. Mississippi in the Cotton Bowl, Sat. Jan. 2
22) West Virginia – Beat Pitt and a good Rutgers team in the last two games. Noel Devine is a great RB and fun to watch. Up next: vs. Florida State in the Gator Bowl, Fri. Jan. 1
23) Arizona – Pulled off the upset by beating USC at their place. Stoops should be proud that he has the Wildcats at only 4 losses in a regular season. It only took him 6 years. Up next: vs. #12 Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl, Wed. Dec. 30
24) Wisconsin – Threw around their size and weight advantage against Hawaii to finish the season. Up next: vs. #19 Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl, Tues. Dec. 29

25) East Carolina – Despite having Case Keenum throw for over 500 yards against them, the Pirates upset Houston to win the Conference USA Championship. Up next: vs. Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl, Sat. Jan. 2