|
|
|
(OU's season... almost)
Sooner Nation let out a collective gasp a little ways into the team's first game as quarterback and Heisman winner Sam Bradford was injured in the closing seconds of the first half. The third ranked Sooners has high hopes for this season having appeared in last year's national championship game. But after Bradford's injury Oklahoma couldn't get rolling and lost an exciting game to the 20th ranked Brigham Young Cougars. Just like that Oklahoma's season seemed to be over almost as soon as it began. Although it is estimated that Bradford might only miss 2-4 weeks of the season, that might be all that's needed for the other contenders in the perennially tough Big 12 to separate themselves from the Sooners.
While OU stumbled, other programs took steps to cement their status as contenders. #1 Florida, #4 USC, #2 Texas, #9 Penn State, and #8 Ole Miss all rolled over their opponents. Closer calls were had by #6 Ohio State, which barely escaped Navy, and #22 Iowa, which eked out a one point victory over Northern Iowa. Some of the bigger matchups were compelling: top-ten ranked Oklahoma State defeated #13 Georgia, #14 Boise State beat #16 Oregon, and #5 Alabama won against #7 Virginia Tech.
Follow the rest of the college football season with us and get your favorite team's fabric to boot! Labels: BCS, college-cotton, football-fabrics, NCAA, NCAA-Fabric
The major college football conferences are usually listed as the SEC, Pac-10, Big 10, ACC, Big 12, and Big East. Out of all the major conferences this year the Big East finds itself in the unique position of not having a single one of its teams among the top 25 of either the USA Today or Associated Press polls. Nevertheless, the conference has been well represented in prominent bowl games in recent years. Some of the conference's non football factory schools have also become bigger players on the national football scene, especially Rutgers, Cincinnati and Connecticut. Don't sleep on the Big East though, as some of the most exciting players to watch this season will be in the conference. West Virginia's Noel Devine, South Florida's George Selvie and Matt Grothe, and Cincinnati's Tony Pike. Also despite the departure of the conference's most prominent coaches in recent years such as Rich Rodriguez and Bobby Petrino, the conference still has some excellent sideline generals including Rutgers' Greg Schiano and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly.
This is J&O's Big East projection:
3. South Florida
8. Syracuse
So, who do you think is going to win the conference this year? Who do you think this year's sleeper is going to be?
Be prepared for all of the football action of the up-coming college football season with our Big East conference fabrics!
Labels: BCS, Big East, bowls, college-cotton, college-fabric, college-football, NCAA
Over the years a lot of ink has been spilled trying to decide which are the greatest college football programs. No matter what criteria are used to make the determination, some school's fans are bound to feel slighted. So instead of inciting passionate arguments about which is the best overall program, we're going to focus on the winningest programs in college football history. To be sure some of these univerisities have been playing football for much longer than others. Regardless, their histories of success are hard to argue with.
This list is current through the end of 2008:
1. Micigan Wolverines
Michigan has been playing football since 1879, and through 2008 had compiled a record of 872 wins, 295 losses, and 36 ties fow a winning percentage of .740. 
Michigan Wolverines Tablecloth Vinyl2. Texas Longhorns
Texas first started playing football in 1893. Texas' all time record stands at 832 wins, 317 losses, and 33 ties for a .718 winning percentage.
Texas Longhorns Fleece: Allover
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame has been playing since 1887 and in that has compiled a record of 831 wins, 284 losses, and 42 ties for a .736 winning percentage.
4. Nebraska CornhuskersNebraska has been playing since 1890. Nebraska's records stands at 817-337-40 for a winning percentage of .707.
Nebraska Cornhuskers Flannel: Plaid5. Ohio State BuckeyesOhio State started playing football in 1890. The university has compiled a record of 808-305-53 for a .716 winning percentage.
Ohio State Buckeyes No-Sew Fleece Throw Kit: Argyle 6. Penn State Nittany Lions 1887 was Penn State's first season of football. Penn State's all time record is 800-349-2 for a winning percentage of .690. 
Penn State Nittany Lions Fleece: Framed Panel
7. Alabama Crimson Tide Alabama started its football program in 1892. The Tide has achieved a record of 799-316-43 for a .709 winning percentage.
Alabama Crimson Tide Fabric: Allover - Pink
8. Oklahoma SoonersSince Oklahoma started playing football in 1895 its record stands at 791-296-53. Oklahoma's winning percentage is .715.
Oklahoma Sooners Flannel: Allover9. Tennessee VolunteersFootball has been a part of Tennesse's history since 1891. Tennessee has a record of 773-327-53 for a winning percentage of .690.
Tennessee Volunteers Fabric: Squares - Black
10. USC TrojansUSC has fielded a football team since 1888 and in that time has gone 766-303-54 for a .717 winning percentage. USC Trojans Fleece: SquaresNo matter which of the preceding teams is your favorite, you'll find a fabric of theirs to make you happy. Here are the categories in which you will find their fabrics: Posts by J&O Fabric StoreLabels: BCS, college-football-fabric, football-fabrics, NCAA
Who says men don't like soap operas? You may not know many who would admit to watching General Hospital, but most guys tune in as much as possible to the soap opera that is the college football off season. He-said she-said? Relationship troubles? Betrayal? Suspicion? It's not an episode of As the World Turns but the travails of high-school recruits reneging on commitments, coaches jumping ship, and athletic directors on the hot seat.
Where to begin? How about with betrayal? Coaches getting canned always makes for a salacious topic. Just for kicks, let us know how many synonyms for betrayal you spot. (We'll put the over+/under- at 7.5.)
1. Auburn: Tommy Tuberville replaced by Gene Chizik.
2. Boston College: Jeff Jagodzinski replaced by Frank Spaziani.
3. Clemson: Tommy Bowden replaced by Dabo Swinney.
4. Kansas St.: Ron Price replaced by Bill Snyder.
5. Miss. St.: Sylvester Croom replaced by Dan Mullen.
6. Purdue: Joe Tiller replaced by Danny Hope.
7. Syracuse: Greg Robinson replaced by Doug Marrone
8. Tennessee: Phil Fulmer replaced by Lane Kiffin.
9. Washington: Tyrone Willingham replaced by Steve Sarkisian.
Just a few years removed from leading Auburn to an undefeated season in the SEC (for our money the toughest conference in the land) head coach Tommy Tuberville was the victim of a double-cross of sorts when he was pushed out of town.
Former Boston College head coach Jeff Jagodzinski was accused of double-dealing for interviewing for the New York Jets head coaching job while still under contract. In certain circles what Jagodzinski did might be called an attempted sellout. One benefit is that the Eagles now have the felicitously named Dabo Swinney as head coach.
Clemson treacherously fired Tommy Bowden (son of the redoubtable Bobby Bowden) after 9 1/2 disappointing seasons. Under Bowden, the Tiger couldn't take advantage of the currently depressed state of the ACC. 
Phil Fulmer was the victim of Tennessee's perfidy, being let go after returning the Volunteers to prominence in the (much better than the Pac-10) SEC. Even though he led the Volunteers to a national title in the 90's, Tennessee had been noticeably down in recent years.
The performance of the Orangemen under Greg Robinson could be qualified as virtually treasonous by the Syracuse faithful. Under him the Orangemen had a 3-25 record in the Big East and a 10-37 record overall.
(This is either a picture of a dead wombat or of Syracuse under Greg Robinson)
In Joe Tiller's first two seasons at Purdue, the Boilermakers won consecutive bowl games. After that Purdue knew mostly mediocrity. And when it comes to Big Ten football, mediocrity pretty much amounts to treachery.
Washington head coach Ty Willingham may have felt himself the victim of duplicity after receiving a vote of confidence following the 2007 season. Huskies fans may have felt the same way about him as he led the school to a winless season the very next year and finished with the worst winning percentage (.229) in the university's history.
Washington Huskies Fabric: Squares
This is just a brief preview of some of the changes in the coaching landscape for the upcoming season. Come August we'll have more on the preseason rankings. As always, we enjoy hearing your thoughts on NCAA football. Who do you think are the top teams for 2009?In the meantime take a look at the following fabric categories on our web site:
Posts by J&O Fabric Store
Labels: ACC, Big-10, Big-12, Big-East, coaches, college-fabric, football, NCAA, SEC
Our survey of the Top Ten Greatest College Football Games continues with Part 2:
This is the first game on the list in which there no national title aspirations in play. Despite that the game wasn’t just any other. This was the 85th Big Game, the name the annual rivalry game between Stanford and Cal has received. Both teams had struggled through difficult seasons; Cal was out of already contention for a bowl game and Stanford’s bowl aspirations depended on their winning the game. It was also John Elway’s last regular season game at quarterback for Stanford.
The game was low-scoring entering the 4th quarter. Cal was leading 19-17 when John Elway led the Cardinal down the field into field goal range with 8 seconds left. The successful field goal put Stanford up 20-19 and seemingly sealed the win for them. The officials, however, deemed Stanford’s celebration of the field goal to be excessive and penalized them 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff.
To reduce the chances of Cal running the kickoff back, the Stanford special teams coach called for a squib kick. Because of the confusion California only took the field with ten players. The first Cal player to receive the ball was Kevin Moen inside Cal's 45 yard line. He then lateraled the football to Richard Rogers who tossed it to Dwigth Garner. Through all this California had barely gained any yardage and had no time left to run another play.
After Garner received the ball he was surrounded by Stanford players and apparently stopped. At this point the Stanford marching band came onto the field thinking the victory had been secured. They didn't see that at the last moment Garner had pitched the ball back to Rodgers. Rodgers took the ball right and pitched it to Mariet Ford. Ford caught the ball in stride and began to sprint towards the mass of Stanford band members. Soon finding himself surrounded by Stanford defenders, Ford lateraled blindly to Kevin Moen who caught it at about the Stanford 25. Moen breathlessly eluded two more Stanford players and bowled over a hapless trombonist to score the winning touchdown. California spoiled John Elway's last college game by pulling out a miraculous 25-20 win.
Entering the game both team were ranked in the top 12 in the polls, and Miami was the defending national champion. This game featured two prolific quarterbacks: Boston College's Doug Flutie and Miami's Bernie Kosar. The quarterbacks were clearly the stars of the game as Flutie and Kosar combined to go 59-84, for 919 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Boston College struck first and raced out to a 14-0 first quarter lead. By the 4th quarter the tide had turned and the Hurricanes held a 45-41 lead with only 28 seconds remaining.
The Eagles' last drive started on their own 20 yard line with precious few seconds remaining. Nevrtheless, in only three plays Boston College had advanced to the Hurricanes' 48 yard line. With still less time on the clock, Boston College quarterback Flutie called the "55 Flood Tip" play, which called for the receivers to run straight to the end zone and try to tip the ball to another receiver. After the ball was snapped Flutie found himself under heavy pressure and retreated all the way back to the Eagles' 37 yard. After narrowly avoiding a sack he heaved the ball 60 yards into the waiting arms of uncovered receiver Gerard Phelan. The stunning "Hail Mary" play made 47-45 victors of Boston College and became ingrained as one of the greatest sports moments ever captured.
The 1987 Fiesta Bowl provided a study in contrasts. On one side were the flamboyant Miami Hurricanes, a team that had easily handled all comers, including the previous season's national champion Oklahoma Sooners. After beating the top ranked Sooners, Miami retained the #1 ranking for the rest of the regular season. The Hurricanes had a number of top players including quarterback Vinny Testaverde, wide receivers Michael Irvin and Brian Blades, defensive tackle Jerome Brown, and defensive back Bennie Blades.
On the other hand, the Penn State team was about as exciting as its uniforms and ran a more conservative program. Although the Nittany Lions were undefeated, they had struggled against some lesser opponents. By the same token, Penn State had also soundly defeated the 2nd ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
Tensions between the two schools simmered in the days preceding the game. The game itself was a low scoring contest and Penn State took a 14-10 lead in the 4th quarter despite putting up paltry offensive numbers. Miami, however, look poised to sneak out a dramatic, last second victory as they drove to the Nittany Lions' 5 yard line with 18 seconds left. On the last Hurricanes' snap quarterback Testaverde was confused by Penn State's defensive formation and threw an interception in the end zone to lineback Pete Giftopoulous. The Lions preserved their 14-10 victory over the favored Hurricanes.
Miami Hurricanes Fabric: Squares
On Novermber 13th, 1993 the undefeated Florida State Seminoles (ranked #1) and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (ranked #2) met in a classic game in South Bend, Indiana. At stake was a berth in the Orange Bowl and a shot at #3 Nebraska. It pitted one of the all time great programs of college football against the new college football power.
The game itself went mostly the Irish's way as they held a 31-17 lead in the 4th quarter. With only 1:39 left in the game the Seminoles took possession and marched down the field for a quick touchdown. Irish 31, Seminoles 24. The Irish went 3-and-out on their next possession to give the Seminoles one last shot.
With 14 seconds left on the the Seminoles had advanced to the Irish's 14 yard line. On the last play of the game, Seminoles' quarterback got off one last pass but it was batted down. The Irish escaped with a 31-24 victory.
This game is unique in this list in that it would be the last game of the season for both teams. Reaching this point undefeated had left the Trojans and Longhorns as the undisputed titans of college football. Without any doubts as to who deserved to be included in the BCS national title game, the stage was set for an epic battle between two of the most talented teams in recent memory in the most revered of college football venues: the Rose Bowl.
The game pitted two prolific offenses against two talented defenses. USC had the season's Heisman winner in running back Reggie Bush, while Texas had the runner-up in quarterback Vince Young. USC also had the previous season's Heisman winner at quarterback with Matt Leinart.
USC started the game aggresively to take a 7-0 1st quarter lead on a touchdown by running back LenDale White. The 2nd quarter was more active as each team traded turnovers and Texas took a 16-10 lead.
The Trojans came out strong in the 3rd quarter scoring on their first drive to retake the lead 17-16. The Longhorns answered with a scoring drive of their own to reclaim a 23-17 lead. USC scored once more in the 3rd quarter for a 24-23 lead.
USC also scored frist in the 4th quarter to extend their lead to 31-23. Texas could only muster a field goal in response to draw within five. USC responded by scoring another touchdown to take a commanding 38-26 lead.
With 6:42 left in the game Texas began mounting a spectacular comeback. Quarterback Vince Young accounted for all 69 yards of the ensuing scoring drive to make the score 38-33. USC seemed poised to squash Texas' hopes on the following drive. At midfield USC was stopped two yards short of a 1st down with 4th down coming up. So USC coach Pete Carroll opted to go for it with his bruising running back LenDale White, who had already converted three 4th downs for USC. This time Texas made the necessary adjustments and stopped White one yard short. But USC still had the lead.
On the other hand, Texas had Vince Young. On Texas' final possession Young engineered one last scoring drive. Young's magic continued to the end as he scored the winning touchdown on a 4th down play from 5 yards out. He also scored the two point conversion to pull out a hard fought 41-38 win for the Longhorns.
Labels: BCS, Bowl-games, college-fabric, colleges, football-fabrics, NCAA, University
In the annals of history and in the mythologies of many cultures there are stories of formidable foes meeting to do battle. The rivals may be virtually equal, but only one can ultimately emerge victorious. History has seen some truly epochal rivalries: the Romans against the Carthaginians, Elizabeth I against Mary, Queen of Scots, Napoleon against Wellington. Mythology has given us the epic clash between the Greeks and the Trojans, with the fight between Hector and Achilles being a focal point of the story.
College football also has great rivalries. But throughout a rivalry between two schools there will inevitably be points when one opponent really is not a match for the other. When a great rivalry finds both teams in top form that is when truly special games happen. Other times two schools that are not traditional rivals or do not often play each other find themselves far above any other teams. When the titans clash it makes for compelling football. On other occasions it is a matter of David slaying Goliath when an underdog team defeats a heavily favored opponent.
With that in mind, here are our 10 greatest college football games in chronological order: 1.) 1946: Army vs. Notre Dame
Even at this early point the two schools were among the most storied in college football. It seems that many of the greatest college football matchups involved Army and Notre Dame. Reporting on a game between the two universities in 1924, sportswriter Grantland Rice dubbed the Notre Dame backfield “The Four Horsemen”. Halftime of the 1928 game is when Knute Rockne gave his famous “Win one for the Gipper” speech. In 1946 both teams were undefeated going into the game at Yankee Stadium. Both teams were high scoring. And both had star talent: Notre Dame had the following years Heisman winner at quarterback in Johnny Lujack, while Army had the defending Heisman winner – Doc Blanchard – and that years Heisman winner in Glenn Davis. Despite all of the offensive firepower it was each teams defense that starred during a game that ended in a 0-0 tie. Although both teams finished undefeated, the Fighting Irish were awarded the national championship. 2.) 1966: Notre Dame vs. Michigan State
Coming into the game expectations were high for both teams. The Spartans were the defending national champions while the Irish were hungry for a return to glory after 13 years without a championship. At the time of the game Michigan State and Notre Dame were ranked #1 and #2 in one national poll and #2 and #1 in another other.
The knockdown, grinding game saw a number of players injured. Although the Spartans scored first, the Fighting Irish came back to tie the game at 10. Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian controversially settled ran the clock down on his team’s last possession instead of trying for the win. Both teams preserved their undefeated seasons.
3.) 1967: USC vs. UCLA When these two teams met on November 18, 1967, UCLA was ranked #1 and USC #2 in the coaches poll, while in the AP poll they were #1 and #4 respectively. Each also had hug star on the team: UCLA had that year’s Heisman winner in quarterback Gary Beban, while USC had the following year’s winner in running back O.J. Simpson.
Despite being injured Gary Beban still managed to guide the Bruins to 20 points. It was not enough though as Simpson had a late 64 yard touchdown run that propelled the Trojans to a 21-20 victory.
4.) 1969: Texas vs. Arkansas
Both teams were on a roll going into the game, with the Longhorns having won 18 straight and the Razorbacks 15 straight. With President Nixon in attendance and a television ratings share of 50, the stage was set for the now legendary game to begin.
Texas played sloppily for the first half and by the 3rd quarter was down 15-0. On the first play of the 4th quarter quarterback James Street scrambled for a touchdown. Street then converted the two-point attempt to bring Texas to within 6.
On the teams final drive Texas appeared to stall at its own 43 yard line. At that Texas coach Darrell Royal gambled and had Street throw deep to receiver Randy Peschel. Peschel hauled in a 44 yard pass that took Texas to the Razorbacks 13. Two plays later the Longhorns scored the go ahead touchdown. Texas later beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl to cement its status as national champion.
5.) 1971: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma On November 25, 1971 two of the most fearsome college teams ever assembled met in a game that pitted Oklahoma’s top rated offense against Nebraskas top rated defense. Nebraska was also the defending national champion. The game itself was played on Oklahomas home field in front of a television audience of 55 million. The contest was a back and forth affair with the teams swapping leads over the four quarters. Finally the Cornhuskers emerged victorious 35-31. Nebraska went on to repeat as national champions.
Labels: college-cotton, college-fabric, football-fabric, NCAA, University
 Four schools, one national championship….the NCAA’s Men’s Final Four is upon us as this year’s March Madness continues underway in a frenzy that’s sweeping the nation for yet another season!
 The vertically UNchallenged, quick footed, fast handed, 3-point throwin’, movin-and-a-shakin’, boppin-and-a-dunkin’, flyin’-through-the-air-like-Mike men of college b-ball have rounded up their teams from the four regions of the country for a month long trek across rough terrain and jungle-like environments in a journey that would lead only the strongest of the strongest to the oasis of the Alamodome. In the heart of Texas these ambitious athletes fight through sore muscles, pulled tendons, and fractured fingers for the long awaited and eagerly anticipated rights to the war trophy that would grant the best team the privilege to bear the title of “NCAA 2008 Champions” and earn them the rights to private and public gloating until next year’s march to madness starts all over again.  Basketball fans, ball players and tall athletic men admirers will be on hand to experience this most exciting showdown in NCAA basketball. From miraculous buzzer-beaters to unforgettable upsets, nothing compares to the Madness of the Final Four. And the fun doesn’t end there. The road to the final championship game is paved with award ceremonies, block parties, concerts, tournaments, clinics, rallies and the annual Hoop City and Big Dance events. It all culminates on April 7th in a testosterone filled arena where the doors to the Alamodome open to a sold out crowd of screaming spectators garnished in their teams colors and branding the mascot logo’s that mark them as #1 fans. From Kansas Jayhawks seat cushions to Memphis Tigers custom made infant outfits, the final four teams (UNC, KANSAS, MEMPHIS & UCLA) will be represented across sports bar and living room flat screens nationwide. The young, old and wildly fanatic will be fighting for victory and rooting for their favorite college teams as the blow of the empire's whistle marks the beginning of the end for the weaker team, and the rise to glory for the next 2008 NCAA National Champions.  Only two of the final four teams will take center court in the days to come; and while the team colors of those that have fallen may start to fade as the process of elimination gets underway, J&O Fabrics promises to keep their name and team spirit alive in our selection of college team cottons, fleeces, and vinyl prints long after the last cheer has been shouted and the last confetti has dropped.
March with us into the madness
 When: Monday April 7, 2008Game time @ 8:21pm
Where: San Antonio, Texas Alamodome
Why: To see all J&O College fabric fashionistas ...of course! Labels: basketball, college basketball, Kansas Jayhawks, march madness, Memphis Tigers, NCAA, sports, UCA, UCLA
|
|
|
|
|
|