Single Wing Football at the College Level Today

Have you ever heard "I don't see your offense being run in the pros or college"?

Well if you look hard enough you do see it lots of places. They may not call it the Single Wing, but it's part of nearly every football game you watch on Saturdays and even a few on Sundays. Mind you there are lots of fundamentals that do not change at any level of football, but youth football is not High School football, High School football is not College football and College football is not the pros. Each has its own different set of goals and limitations and should never be compared as equals.

While Mr. Tebow may look like your typical spread passing attack QB, he is just an old fashioned Single Wing Tailback. Look at his power off tackle runs, jump pass and isos. He has 16 rushing touchdowns so far this season and he still has 3-4 games left to play. He is a prototypical Single Wing tailback and he is running many staples from the olds Single Wing playbooks.

Is his coach some old codger from the 40s or 50s, the heydays of Single Wing football? No Urban Meyer is considered to be the offensive guru of this decade. Back to the future so they say, whats old is new.

Tim Tebow may very well be this years Heisman Trophy winner, with over 20 rushing touchdowns and 20 passing touchdowns, an NCSS first.

Here are a few clips from that offensive guru Urban Meyer:

College Single Wing Clips

For more youth football coaching tips or to sign up for Dave's free newsletter please go to his website.

For 150 free youth football practice tips from Dave or to sign up for his free newsletter: Football Plays

Dave Cisar-

Dave has a passion for developing youth coaches so they can in turn develop teams that are competitive. His teams have won over 94% of their games in 5 different leagues. He is a Nike "Coach of the Year" designate and his book has been enforsed by Tom Osborne.

Clips of his 2006 team in action: Football Practice [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-699579089183056593]

Copyright 2007 Cisar Management and winningyouthfootball.com Republishing this article is allowed if all links are kept intact, without them it is copyright infringement.

College Football Helmets - Its Evolution

Football is one extreme contact sport. It may not be as fast or as furious as the usual racing games you seen but it definitely has a unique notch of action on its own. This is precisely why helmets are necessary when playing football. Both amateurs as well as professional players of the said sport can be seen donning this specific protective gear on before setting off to play the game. However, there are specific characteristics possessed by football helmets. They generally have a face mask, a chin strap, and even a mouth guard that comes as an optional feature.

All that have been mentioned goes the same with college football helmets. Apart from being just a protective gear, it can also be said that college football helmets are being worn for their aesthetic effect. Every football helmet comes emblazoned with the particular team's logo. This is essential because it helps coaches identify their players while on field and referees find it easier to record down playing technicalities while every one is out there on field.

College football helmets were not as complex as they are right now. Football helmets actually started way back in 1915. These old types of helmets are very basic looking. They are even simply made out of leather. They are also made with a flat looking top design which can be likened to the ones professional wrestlers have been using. Back then, the main purpose of these helmets was to protect the player's ear from any damages. However, the lack of ear holes on the helmets has proven communication to be difficult when these old helmets were used.

So through time, helmets have evolved and improved until the National Football League has required football helmets to come with a face mask. From then on, college football helmets have also adapted this particular technical requirement for the games they have held. Nowadays, leather is not the main ingredient of college football helmets. It is now polycarbonate which is being widely used in making such helmets for football.

In addition, college football helmets have also taken into consideration the need for constant communication while on field. Football, after all, is a group sport which calls for much coordination within the team. What happened instead is that these football helmets have changed its design from flat top into a more oval structure. According to studies which have been conducted, this oval shape of college football helmets actually helps a lot in protecting the head from too much impact. Moreover, an iNFLatable bladder is also now being used to provide more protection for football players while wearing a football helmet.

Then eventually, the chin strap has also been developed as professionals felt the need to secure that these football helmets are safely held in place. This is important especially for a contact sport like football wherein unpredictable actions can happen. College football helmets really did evolve through time. From its humble beginnings, people have realized the need to improve it.

Article College Football Helmets [http://www.skyfireproducts.com/servlet/the-NFL-Football/Categories] is written by Cassaundra Flores, owner of skyfireproducts.com

College Sports Collectible - Stash It Away

College sports collectibles are products available in the market with pictures of sports players or about different teams. There are games which have cards that are filled with colors of popular teams or have the various players on them as logo. These college sports collectibles are considered to be priceless and people go to great extents to preserve them. For many the hobby of collecting sports related cards and books begins when they are very young. Once they develop a passion for a sport or admire a player, they begin to collect pictures, articles, news items, posters and other items related to that person. In schools, children can be noticed forming groups based on their interests in a particular sport or a team. If they are avid football fans, they might collect cards that are available in the market and trade within each other for cards they would love to have. The same applies to baseball fans, they collect the gaming cards and for some it becomes more than a hobby.

Collectibles don't necessarily refer to paper products, but also include clothing and other pieces of jewelery, accessories related to a sport. For the students of Clemson University, their college Tigers football players and basket ball players are what they admire or idolize. And so they might collect products related to these players, such as jerseys, wrist bands, head bands and other gear. Some might buy a pair of shoes worn by a player, or the ball that has the signature of all the players and treasure them. This behavior is common among college students and other fans who enjoy this particular sport or are crazy about this team. There might be girls who like a player in this team, she is likely to collect posters, T shirts, jerseys and everything connected with this team member. Nowadays, one can find sports related collectibles in various stores across the country. There are bed and bath products, cutlery, and other kitchen accessories, watches all of which have the logo, or a player's photo on them. There are families that are devout fans of Michigan University Spartans, they will sport team jerseys when the team is playing a match. They are likely to have flags, posters, pictures, framed art work, spoons, plates all of which sport the team's colors, logo, mascot picture on them.

Just like when a new movie is released, memorabilia related to that movie are released in the market, sports also has a similar market. Although in case of college sports collectible, the products will be in demand for a longer period and made available ahead of matches and through the year. These will also be made available online, and so interested fans can buy them through the Internet. If a parent is passionate about Georgia bulldogs, he might buy his newborn baby clothes, shoes with the team's name or colors on it to show his love for the team. Such is the craze of college sports collectibles.

Article written by Cassaundra Flores, owner of Sports Fan Store [http://www.skyfireproducts.com/servlet/the-NFL-Football/Categories], skyfireproducts.com.

College Football Helmet Decals - Show Your Loyalty This Season With Large Helmet Stickers

College football helmet decals can create a great ambiance of the game even while you are watching it at home. Not only do the pictures of football helmets on the wall give a great appearance to your room, you can even flaunt your loyalty towards any team you love. A true football enthusiast would love to have it all over his room.

College football is one of the most courageous games or sports to play. It is precisely why football players wear so much gear and you can hardly notice the players beneath them. A large NCAA helmet decal will remind you about how tough the game is and it also gives you a feeling of being the football star yourself.

The helmet is one of the most important accessories in the great game of football. Lot of research and testing are been conducted while designing the helmets. You might want to check their features thoroughly before buying them. Don't forget to try them on and see if it feels comfortable on you. The wide range of football helmet stickers available can give you a good idea on the available models.

College football helmet decals are extremely large and precision cut from vinyl. Most children love sports and creating a football theme bedroom with removable stickers will make them really happy. They can also be a great design for a baby room as well. Your kids can show the loyalty towards their favorite football team by selecting the exclusive team stickers.

You could also design the windows using the football helmet and jersey. Or why not also display your favorite football hero on the wall with a life size cut out. You can decorate everything inside the room with football team colors and theme logos. The sporty look of the bedroom can make your kid feel enthusiastic all the time.

The college football helmet stickers are available for every team in the competition including many other big teams like Florida Gators, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State Cowboys, USC Trojans and all the rest. These decors in your room will always remind you of your favorite team players. You can pump more support to your favorite football players even from your home. Your kid will be always beaming with great sportsmanship spirit.

This football season, you can decorate your dormitory walls with large removable, vinyl graphics and stickers of your favorite football team. Decorate and brighten your room instantly with removable wall helmet stickers. Since the graphics are removable, if you change your favorite team through out the year no worries, or if you move dorm rooms or move house, no worries, they can come along with you, without leaving any stains.

College football helmet decals will make any room a talking point. You can stick huge posters in your bedroom and give it a college playground like appearance with two opposite goal posts. These removable helmet stickers will give you the experience of the great game from your home setup itself.

Looking for an inexpensive way to show your loyalty this football season? Then look no further than wallstickers-decals.com for Sports Wall Decals. Larger than life, precision cut, removable vinyl College Football Helmet Decals, will ensure everyone knows who you support.

Your Guide to Choosing College Football Helmets

So you wanted to join your college football team? Well, more than just thinking of the qualifying games, there's another consideration which you just have to think of. You also need a college football helmet to get you through the game. Skills in terms of playing the football game are of course, essential. But come on now, you would not audition for the qualifiers in the first place if you don't know any better when it comes to how great you can actually play the game. Point is, skills are important. But you will never get far with skills alone.

Football is one of the most dangerous sports to play. With all of the literally and figuratively hard-hitting action that happens on field, nobody can predict which way the ball will roll. This is precisely why football players get donned with so many gears they can hardly be recognized beneath it. And you better trust that all of these gears are worn with major good reasons, especially college football helmets. Your head is the most important thing in the game and should be protected the best you can. So to be able to do so, it all starts with choosing which of the college football helmets will really fit you in all aspects.

The first thing you need to consider when choosing among the numerous college football helmets is the brand. Most helmets are considered safe and worth every penny because of the brand which launched them. You need to remember that college football helmets are made by specific companies only. Even if you happen to find other football helmets made by a company which is known for producing motorcycle helmets, that's not enough reason to buy the brand's football helmet. You will do better to choose among the college football helmets of known brands specifically in the sport itself. This will ensure that the helmet is designed for the conditions of the sport. As good as a motorcycle helmet is in terms of safety, no football player can possibly move around with ease while donning on one.

And since you're off to choosing the right brand among college football helmets, you should also check out the features each of these helmets have. Note that these companies do not just stop with producing their line of college football helmets. They continuously conduct researches to make sure that their products are kept up to par and that new scientific findings will be able to back up their actual product. Studies are being done in every sport to help players better themselves at it and as this is so, football helmet brands will certainly pick up on such results and make improvements and new developments here and there.

Lastly, try on the helmet before you wear it. While it's great that you probably get a football helmet as a gift, it's actually more recommended that you buy it yourself instead. College football helmets are made in precision according to different sizes. You should be able to wear yours as comfortably as possible.

Article College Football Helmets [http://www.skyfireproducts.com/servlet/the-NFL-Football/Categories] is written by Cassaundra Flores, owner of skyfireproducts.com

College Football Mini Helmet - Small But Trendy Gear

College football mini helmet is a cute memorabilia to have since they are half the size of the original helmets worn at matches. These are also innovative gift articles to a person fond of sports and of a particular team. In sports, most people are keen on having some form of memorabilia in their house, and the college football mini helmets are an affordable option to many. They are small in size, so take up less space in your house or apartment, and are as good as the big thing, so completely totally worth having one. And then, when you have made enough money to afford for a normal sized helmet, you can always buy that. There are many websites, from where you can buy your mini helmet and if you are interested in any other product, can purchase them as well. However, the price quoted by the sites could be different, so it is better to do some research before going ahead with your purchase. Also check on their authenticity and if the helmets are made using reliable sturdy plastic shells, else they will break by the time they reach you. Since the sites require you to make the payment online, be wary of scams or frauds.

For those who are into collecting of sports related products, they might go overboard at times with their hobby. For such people, there are offers available whereby if they are to buy more than 4mini helmets, they might get the 5th free or they could get a discounted deal on 5helmets. They normally take about 2 working days to deliver the products, if they don't make sure to check with them on the same or ask for a refund. The graphics on the miniature helmets are pretty specific and very clear, and some have autographs by a player. Either the quarterback or their captain, these might be priced higher than others, so check on all these details while making your selection.

The NCAA teams and the others who play in the Big 12 matches are all teams favored on miniature helmets by fans. The vinyl coating on the helmets, the details on the straps and face mask, the kind of colors used will also reflect on the quality of the helmets themselves. For children who are passionate about sports, but are just learning to play, these college football mini helmets make thoughtful gifts, and this might be the beginning of a long journey playing the sport. Football is a sport that is worshiped in the United states and since there are numerous college teams, students and others alike enjoy playing, watching and possessing a piece of the sport. The college football mini helmets make for cute curio items and don't require any sort of maintenance as they are small and just need to be dusted every now and then and last for nearly a decade. Make a dash for a sports websites and grab your mini helmet before it gets sold out.

Article written by Cassaundra Flores, owner of Sports Fan Store [http://www.skyfireproducts.com/servlet/the-NFL-Football/Categories], skyfireproducts.com.

College Football Mayhem - Flagrant Helmet-to-Helmet Shots Need to Stop Before Someone Gets Killed

I watch college football because it is rough, tough, exciting and fun. The parity in college football today means no team is safe from being upset on any game day. I do not watch college football because it is beyond vicious.

After seeing Washington's quarterback Jake Locker take a helmet-to-helmet shot against the Oregon State Beavers Saturday (11-10-07), my emotions ran the gamut from concern to anger to outrage to action.

No penalty was even assessed for the flagrant shot. Not only should a penalty have been assessed for unnecessary roughness or unsportsmanlike conduct, the offending player should have been immediately ejected.

This kind of illegal hit is not tolerated in professional football because the player is defenseless when hit. Why it is even tolerated and celebrated in college football is beyond me.

I do not care if the hit was considered inadvertent or intentional. It does not matter. That flagrant hit could have cost Jake Locker his career, it could have paralyzed him for life, or even killed him if he suffered a broken neck.

This kind of barbaric tackling is not football as much as controlled, intentional mayhem. It was not that long ago that some coaches gave bounties for these kinds of hits, especially when the star player on the opponent's team was carried off the field on a stretcher.

Oregon State players have developed a reputation for extreme play. In this particular game, won by the Beavers 29-23, the officials appeared to have lost control of the game as more taunting, pushing and shoving resulted in 3 more Beavers and 1 Husky being kicked out of the game.

I am not consoled by the fact that the Beaver player who delivered the savage hit apparently apologized and was praying for Locker later. It might have allowed the player in question to throw off any feeling of guilt about the hit, but any amount of praying would not have helped one iota if Locker had been paralyzed or killed as a result of the hit.

These flagrant helmet-to-helmet hits have to stop. Period. Do not spend your precious time trying to convince me these hits are inadvertent. Nine out of 10 players do not even try to tackle players anymore. They throw their bodies at them, hoping to knock them over.

Tackling might be taught in spring training but it is seldom exercised on the field anymore. Why do you think we are getting scores like 74-62 and 73-68 (these are real scores from real games). Defenders are using their bodies as missiles to bring people down.

Instead of secretly rewarding players for helmet-to-helmet shots, coaches need to bench players who use the tactic to bring down players. Even if rules committees do not allow the tactic, coaches have to implement and enforce the rule to bring it to an end. Some coaches only seem to care if it is their player who is on the receiving end of a vicious helmet-to-helmet attack.

There have been enough tragic, career-ending injuries in football at all levels when playing fair without escalating the sport to mayhem with purposeful, flagrant helmet-to-helmet hits.

Please do not give me this crap about inadvertent helmet-to-helmet hits. A player can just as easily aim his head at the runner's midsection or legs as his head if that is how he wants to tackle someone.

When is the last time you saw a running back get past the line of scrimmage in the open at his 30-yard line and then run with his head down 70 yards toward the end zone? When is the last time you saw a receiver catch the ball on his 30 and run with his head down 70 yards for a touchdown?

When you do a helmet-to-helmet hit you have to instantaneously calculate coordinates, lower your head to projectile position and launch yourself into your target. There are no accidental helmet-to-helmet hits.

Later that same night I saw on a football wrap-up program that Hawaii's outstanding quarterback Colt Brennen was on the receiving end of a vicious helmet-to-helmet. I am sure the intention was to maim Brennen so he could not stand up straight. Just like Locker, Brennen could have become instantly paralyzed or even killed by the action.

How stupid does this look for a college sport to be potentially killing its players? The NCAA needs to take its feet off of the counter, stop counting how much money its empire is generating, and address this issue with authority. The NCAA has no problem being a major nuisance on little stuff, how about tackling the bigger issue of its players' safety?

If the NCAA ever had to open its books as a non-profit corporation and come clean on how much money they are generating for themselves, their faces would be redder than the sea of red among Nebraska fans at a Cornhusker football game.

It almost goes without saying that I was disappointed that Washington lost its away game to Oregon State, lost its chance at a bowl game, and is now facing its 4th straight losing season.

The unnecessary, flagrant helmet-to-helmet shot on Jake Locker only added to Washington's struggle to turn its program around.

Instead of calling for Coach Ty Willingham's head and the heads of his Washington coaching staff, how about saving Locker's head and every other player's head who has needlessly suffered from an unconscionable, flagrant helmet-to-helmet hit?

Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley

Ed Bagley's Blog Publishes Original Articles with Analysis and Commentary on 5 Subjects: Sports, Movie Reviews, Lessons in Life, Jobs and Careers, and Internet Marketing. My intention is to inform, educate, delight and motivate you the reader.

Read my articles on "How to Predict When Teams Are Overrated and Due for an Unexpected Loss", "The Sagarin Ratings: What They Are, How to Read Them and What to Do With Them" and my 14 consecutive weekly wrap-up articles on the 2007 College Football Season.

Find my Blog at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html

2007 Special Kick-Off Edition - College Football's Top Ten Blowouts

At last! The 2007 college football season is about to burst upon all those new wide-screen televisions! Although we are about a week to the summer side of Labor Day, why not get excited now? After all, our treasured autumn pastime is about to launch it's annual smear/wipeout/butt-kicking season.

Schools are looking at their 2007 schedules with anticipation and dread. Winning and losing in the first few weeks of the season can make or break one's chances in the BCS. This year, perennial FirstWorst favorite Duke has taken losing to a brand new level by losing the ACC Championship - for 1965. Owing to a fluke of scheduling and some kind of previous misapplication of the rules, the Conference this week awarded the 1965 title exclusively to South Carolina - stripping Duke of it's share of the ACC crown. It isn't bad enough that Duke can't kick an extra point and save a game against another dog team, it can't even hang onto a success from when the biggest off-field concern was one's draft number.

Since that time, the college football season has evolved into a three-part series of events. The Bowl season concludes the annual gridiron campaigns, the conference season determines who attends which bowl games, and the season-opening "games" are designed to - well - who knows what they are designed to do. Although it escapes understanding how Nebraska improves its performance on the field by wiping out Ball State, these games actually count in poll calculations. It is equally curious why a program like Ball State would acquiesce to visiting Lincoln in September to receive the abuse. Perhaps the promise of a big paycheck helps.

Some schools don't think beating anyone 56-0 is any fun. Their fans don't either. For others, these early games may be their only wins. Notre Dame boasts an incredibly difficult schedule this year. In their quest for the national championship, the Irish are rolling out some of the top football schools - not including poor Navy and Air Force - to convince the BCS gurus that they are indeed the best. ND leads with an opening game at home against Georgia Tech, hits the road against Penn State and follows that up with a pleasure trip to Ann Arbor for a date with Michigan. Kudos to the Irish for leading with tough games!

On the other end, Duke University - champion of the 2006 FirstWorst poll and fresh off a stellar 0-12 season - also confronts a very difficult schedule. Of course any game Duke schedules will be difficult, but the Devils set themselves up with a tough road by most standards in 2007. If it wasn't enough to face Florida State, Georgia Tech and Miami the wizards of Duke scheduling threw in Notre Dame and Northwestern! Duke has the right idea for scheduling - if it was Notre Dame. Unfortunately, they need Nebraska's idea of scheduling to get back on their feet. Duke recently hired a new head coach and might not have accomplished much recruiting this year. They are just trying to put a team on the field. Look for the Bleu Devils to make another run at the 2007 FirstWorst Championship but give 'em credit for putting themselves on the field against opponents that people want to see.

Why do so many top tier schools put dog games on their schedule? Of course they want to avoid injuries, but a better course of action to accomplish that would be to ban beer in the athletic dorm to keep kids from falling down the stairs or tripping over cheerleaders. Perhaps Ohio State wants to practice their second and third strings against teams that don't have matching uniforms. The reasons for these games are anyone's guess. But why a fan would pay attention to one is beyond comprehension.

It is without shame that our premier universities are charging admission to dedicated fans to watch some incredibly lopsided games. These are simply embarrassing events masquerading as football games. As a public service, The Scholarly Sages of Sport at FirstWorst present the early season's worst ten football games.

1. Appalachian State at Michigan. Saturday, September 1.

Mercy...why would a perennial powerhouse stoop to this? And what does Michigan expect to learn by playing this game? (and can the players spell "Appalachian?") Maybe this is a warm up primarily for the grounds crew and stadium staff, but the Michigan football team could get more experience playing against itself.

Appalachian State finished a very respectable 13 - 1 in 2006... in what was then Division I-AA. The Mountaineers apparently want to dip their big toe in big time college football. Chances are that they will not only lose those big toes, but lose the legs they are attached to as well as other vital body parts. Adding to the tragedy of this game even being played, the thing is actually going to be televised - probably to the Maize and Blue fans who burned all their money on beer and didn't have enough left over for a ticket.

2. Western Kentucky at Florida - Saturday, September 1.

How can this possibly be entertaining? The Gators bring their usual first-rate team to the field to take on the Hilltopers in what is sure to be a total thriller - primarily for the vendors. The stadium staff better lay in extra beer for this one. This may be a warm up for Gator fans to strengthen their arms doing the Gator-chomp and singing "Go Gators!" while juiced up on barley beverages warmed to 100 degrees inside their collective noggins.

3. Murray State at Louisville - Saturday, September 1.

Mark your calendars for this one folks. It is slated for ESPN coverage! But where is Murray State and what are they doing playing football? Murray State actually does field a football team and is located in Murray, KY. The school is proud to have finished the 2006 season a perfect 0-8 in whatever lower level division they play in. And now they are headed to play a hungry Louisville team anxious to break into the ranks of consistent top football performers? Does Louisville have enough money to pay a school like this to show up? The Cardinals posted a fab 12-1 record in the 2006 season including wins over some decent schools.

It took the crack team at FirstWorst some extra research to determine that the team name for Murray State is the 'Racers'. (This is normally a quick task, but the MSU -not Michigan State - website apparently lives on someone's dad's ancient PC in the freshman dorm. The thing took forever.) We would be hard-pressed to judge the quality of the remainder of the Murray State schedule, as it includes schools most of us have never heard of - including Lambuth.

4. Ohio State (weeks 1 and 2) versus Youngstown State and Akron.

The storied Buckeyes are to be commended for at least keeping the embarrassment in-state. OSU scores a big double-header win in the FirstWorst blowout lineup this year with two sure-to-be-butt-kickings at home.

OSU Alums must be paying travel expenses for these poor schools, so they also want to keep expenses down. Even though there are a couple of in state schools willing to show up in Columbus for a complete public flogging, it amazes most scholarly readers that anyone - including the OSU fans and Alums - would agree to be a part of it. It adds to the embarrassment that the opponent monikers are the 'Penguins' and 'Zips' respectively. You just can't make this stuff up.

5. Florida International at Penn State - September 1.

FI finished a perfect 0-12 last season, including an 0-7 mark in the mighty Sun Belt Conference. Florida International must be looking for recognition to aid in it's recruiting efforts. Unfortunately, this one is for comic relief only. The Nittany Lions will be sure to look past FI to their date with Notre Dame at home in week 2, but State should be able to send out their freshman squad and still hit triple digits. Football scholars recommend keeping the clock moving at all times.

6. Troy at Florida - September 8.

Troy had the honor of handing Nebraska a 56-0 victory last September in Lincoln. It is part of the Troy Trojan Tradition (T3) to send a bunch of guys to a big school to take pictures from the field and get whacked by the opposition's second and third strings. And God Bless 'em, the Trojans are kicking off their 2007 season against the Razorbacks in Fayetteville on Sept. 1. These Trojans believe in themselves, however. With a Sun Belt Conference title to their names in 06, these guys think they can compete. Well... they certainly threw their helmets into the right ring to find out. The line separating courage and stupidity is impossible to distinguish at Troy. In fact, the Psych TAs offer a workshop on the topic right after each game.

We really want to know what Troy head coach Larry Blakeney will say prior to kick off against Florida. "Protect yourself at all times?," or "keep on believing?" He has plenty of wins at Troy. Unfortunately, not many are against teams that put more than 15,000 people in their stadiums. One of these years though, Troy is gonna break through with a huge win against a top tier school. You can't say they don't try. After all, you have to be in 'em to win 'em. But then again, if a Lion invites you to lunch, make sure he has eaten before you arrive.

7. Samford at Georgia Tech - September 1.

Samford (not Stanford) finished 1-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference in 06 and is primed to open the season against the G Tech Wrecks in Atlanta. Does Samford give out football scholarships? Is there any provision for not showing up?

How can this be enjoyable for a small school team? The team gets to fly on a plane, but has to go to Atlanta and play outside before Labor Day. Someone is getting a whole bunch of money for this.

8. Idaho at USC - September 1.

Having the Vandals invited to LA seems redundant. Does Idaho show up with paint cans hidden in their equipment bags? So. Cal may have its own problems, but winning isn't going to be a concern for the Trojans. Why did USC set this thing up? The boys from the wild northwest get a trip to the big city, perhaps free tickets to Disneyland and lunch with a great big mouse in exchange for agreeing to be on the same field at the same time as the vaunted Trojans.

Besides a rout, what are USC or football fans in general getting out of this deal? This game won't be much of a challenge or provide any kind of learning experience. But someone has got to warm up the band and the USC Cheerleaders and it might as well be another set of Vandals.

9. Citadel at Wisconsin - September 15

Who is the Citadel? No one outside of the school really knows for sure, but seems that they play in the Southern Conference along side such traditional winners as Appalachian State and Elon. And now these guys want to go up to Madison on the 15th to try and derail the Badgers? The Citadel is a military school, but one doubts that among the institutional values is the concept of suicide. So why in the world would Citadel participate in this?

10 Rotten Game of the Week - Buffalo at Temple - September 8 The #10 spot in the FirstWorst game schedule is reserved for the rotten game of the week. And this one is a rotten game each year. In 2006, these two juggernauts slugged it out for a full 60 minutes without either team scoring a touchdown. Buffalo turned in a stirring 1-7 conference mark, and looks poised to repeat in the MAC cellar. Instead of recruiting, Temple used their off-season to design new uniforms to lose in.

So mark your calendars football fans! The bending-over season is upon us. And check back with the firstworst.com for reviews, embarrassing moments and the weekly FirstWorst Futility Rankings.

The FirstWorst Futility Rankings appear each Thursday in this space. Check out the final 2006 rankings or look for the 2007 preseason notes. If you would like to suggest a topic or think the Scholarly Sages of Sport at FirstWorst have missed something, please send us a note! If your question is printable and interesting, check for it on the soon-to-be-appearing comments page.

College Sports Apparel - Clothes From A Different League

College sports apparel is available on various websites today, and so interested fans can buy them from there instead of hunting for them in stores. You could be an avid basketball, baseball, cricket or hockey fan, and can be assured that you will find your team related products and apparels on the Internet. The past couple of decades has seen a sudden spurt in fans reactions to various sports and the NCAA also is part of the list. There are matches that draw huge crowds, some of whom have planned for this game weeks or months in advance. If a game is not very popular, then the college sport apparel marketed in stores is a good way of promoting the sport and grabbing attention. The team jerseys, caps, and belts are usually what fans enjoy picking up and owning. Some fans buy these before a match and come wearing the same to cheer their favorite teams. If you are looking for a hat with logo, or a collared polo T shirt with your college team colors, or maybe a jersey that sport your favorite players number, you are bound to find them all on the websites.

Some of the websites also hold apparel featuring players of yesteryears, who are today sports legends. These are rare pieces that some ardent sports fan would do anything to get their hands on, and form part of collectibles. For a person to own an apparel featuring their favorite player is something to boast about or show off to their friends. There are some in colleges who have been known to swap jerseys or caps because their loyalties have changed or they have changed colleges. This is a common scene among college sports fans, apart from their crazy zeal to go watch every match live. No matter who your favorite NCAA team is, you can search for their accessories or clothes with their logo , you will find it.

Be it the Boston college apparel, or Arkansas state university apparel, you will find the one you are looking for in different sizes and shapes. Everything from college team jackets, sweatshirts, watches, wrist bands are available for every single college team. Apart from these, fancy college hats, polo necked T shirts are also stocked. Since they are regular piece of clothing but with a team colors or patterns on them, they have a higher value and make for good gifts especially to a person who is fond of that particular team. These college sports apparels if original could be a bit on expensive side, so one should watch out for fakes and then buy. Just like in sports good, there are originals and duplicates, here too there are many companies that make almost original looking college sports apparels. So make sure to check the quality of the product and the logo etc to ensure you are not getting conned. If its online, choose your team apparel and size, make the payment for it to get delivered home.

Article written by Cassaundra Flores, owner of Sports Fan Store [http://www.skyfireproducts.com/servlet/the-NFL-Football/Categories], skyfireproducts.com.