I’ve been purposely avoiding the big elephant sitting in the corner of the college football room. That elephant being conference expansion. The expansion rumblings coming out of the Big Ten are getting louder and louder by the day. It is definitely going to happen, it’s just not clear as to how many schools they plan to add. Everything I’ve been reading, though, says they plan to expand to at least 14 teams with their preference being a 16 team super conference. There are even some reports circulating around the internet that the Big Ten has already offered expansion spots to Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Rutgers. Some other schools that have been reported to be on the Big Ten’s radar are Texas, Pitt, Maryland, UConn, and Syracuse.
If the Big Ten does expand to more than 12 teams surely the SEC will expand to match them so both conferences will keep their big dog statuses. The SEC expansion talk hasn’t gotten anywhere near the media attention that the Big Ten expansion has because the SEC is happy where they’re at. The have the luxury of just sitting back and seeing how things unfold. Speculation has been all over the place as to who the SEC might target if they do choose to expand. Some think they would go further west and look at schools like Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. Others think they would strengthen their southern base with some combination of schools like Florida State, Miami, Clemson, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina.
I can’t see the future (and if I could I would be living in a huge mansion in Las Vegas instead of wasting that power on this stupid blog), but I think the SEC would combine those two trains of thought by adding Texas, Texas A&M, Florida State, and Miami. Those four schools would fit in well performance wise making the SEC the power football super conference and they also would add some big TV markets (a.k.a. MONEY) which in the end is what this conference expansion is all about.
The reason I’ve been avoiding this conference expansion talk so far is because I was hoping that it would go away. I just don’t like the idea of 16 team super conferences because in the end all it’s going to be is two mini 8 team conferences that send their champs to play each other. At least for football purposes, this is a football blog so what do you expect, you will only see the teams from the other division once every eight years. I guess that helps correct unbalanced scheduling which is the main gripe about 12 team conferences, but if you’re never going to consistently play the teams from the other division what’s the point? Call me a hater, but I don’t like it.
With the Big Ten and SEC the main players calling all the shots, all the other conferences are left to sit back and hope for the best. It’s not like the ACC can be proactive like last time when they raided Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Miami from the Big East. If it does go down like most people expect (16 team super conferences) then it looks like it will again be the Big East that suffers most as the ACC would probably look to Big East schools like UConn, Syracuse, Louisville, West Virginia, Cincinnati, and South Florida to try and keep up with the Joneses. The timetable for conference expansion has definitely been moved up from what the initial reports were saying so it will be very very interesting to see how this whole thing plays out over the next several months. DFCF will be here to pontificate his thoughts throughout the whole process so make sure to check back when the shit hits the proverbial fan.
Tuesday I posted this write-up welcoming Chancellor Woodson. Then today, Tim Peeler of GoPack has a great article about getting to know Chancellor Woodson (click here to read it) which deals more with the sports angle of his chancellorship. Not sure if I used that term correctly, but I’m an engineer not an english major so it sounds good to me. I loved what Chancellor Woodson had to say. Here’s some of the quotes that stood out to me:
“What I see is a university whose alumni are passionate about athletics. I have already heard from a lot of them.”
“… we have world-class facilities for athletics at NC State. All the pieces appear to be very strong to put this puzzle together. But our alums and our fans want us to win. And, frankly, I like to win too.”
“I just need to do everything I can to create an environment here where the coaches can be successful and the student-athletes can be successful. I’ll be a big fan, but I need the athletics director to be the person [in charge of] the coaches and the organization.”
“Let’s not go back and tell [Purdue athletics director] Morgan Burke this, but Saturday’s game was a bigger spring event than I ever experienced at Purdue.”
What I take from all these quotes is that NC State should have a successful athletics program and that Chancellor Woodson will do everything in his power to make sure that is the case. That is definitely something that DFCF is on board with and it gets even better. The quote that should really give all of Wolfpack Nation a warm fuzzy feeling that Chancellor Woodson understands “it” is the following:
“In 1974, I was a high school student and I just remember seeing David Thompson play on television. I had never seen anybody jump like he did. He was such an iconic basketball player.In terms of 1983, it was just such a wild ending to a season. This was a team that was on the bubble of even going to the NCAA. I was at LSU during that season. It just is an iconic moment in college basketball history. I have also come to appreciate that Reynolds Coliseum was a huge part of the growth of college basketball in the state of North Carolina. I think Everett Case was, too. To a certain extent, Duke and North Carolina should be grateful to NC State for what was created here.”
He saved the best for last, huh? As I read that it felt like I was sitting in the back pew of a Southern Baptist church … Amen Brother Woodson! Preach on! He not only realizes how important it is now, but how important it has been to our school’s history. Call me crazy or call me a homer (not homo), but if NC State athletics were a stock I’d definitely be buying as much as I could right now.
March Madness is in full effect right now. I’ve never been real good at filling out brackets, but I still fill out way too many every year. The best thing about this year is my brackets won’t be ruined by giving Carolina a first round exit. Love it! If you don’t have a pool to join or you want to join another one that’s totally free check out my good buddies over at Frumpzilla. Tell them DFCF sent ya.
As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t get too into college basketball. It’s just not good for the ticker, however, I will say that March Madness is one of my favorite times of the year. Last year I was out in Vegas for the first and second rounds and it was absolutely crazy. Not going this year, but hopefully when I’m out there again next year the Wolfpack will be back in the Big Dance.
The reason that March Madness is so great is because it allows college basketball to determine its champion on the court. Maybe it has something to do with the excitement and drama that takes place too. Leave it up to the NCAA, though, to screw it up as they’re talking about expanding the field to 96 teams. If this is all about making more money then why do we still have the idiotic BCS system for college football? I would argue that a college football playoff would be much more exciting and would make the NCAA a lot more money than March Madness. Check back Wednesday as I will unveil my plan for a college football playoff.
Now I’m off to fill out some more brackets. Good luck everybody!
Gonna see you in the evening when the sun goes down,
see you in the rising moon.
Anybody that’s been to Doak Field knows that tune by heart. It’s the chorus of Bruce Robison’s See You Around and it’s played at the end of every Wolfpack baseball game. Why do I bring that up? Well when I read this article about Lee Fowler from StateFansNation it is what immediately popped into my head. The following excerpt has me jumping for joy:
“For the better part of the last month, the frequency and consistency of rumors related to a Lee Fowler departure has significantly intensified. Many different sources have shared with SFN that Lee Fowler will ‘retire/resign’ as NC State’s Athletics Director at some [point] in the very near future. The scenarios around Fowler’s ultimate departure usually takes the form of one of the two of the following:
(1) Some of the rumors have Fowler departing NC State in May, coinciding with the end of the school year. This version centers on the premise that Fowler has been given an ultimatum to have found a new job and hit the bricks by the end of the year…or else. This would have Fowler riding into the sunset with another of SFN’s most disliked NC State administrators, Tom Stafford. [Woohoo! Even better.]
(2) The more intense and immediate version of the rumors have Fowler ‘retiring’ next week as the Wolfpack’s basketball season is expected to be completed. The most widely speculated and most logical date of departure would be a Friday afternoon announcement on March 19th as the news and attention to the story would be significantly diluted by the NCAA Tournament first round.”
I’ve been hearing stuff as well over the last month or so, but is this actually going to happen? Even though it is long overdue, I’m taking the “I’ll believe it when I see it” approach. If this does come to fruition it might be time to throw the first ever DFCF sponsored shindig (I just love that word). I’m crossing my fingers … and tentatively working on those party plans. Go Pack!
DFCF (wearing NC State issued Cutters), Coach Lowe, and Nick
Good luck to Coach Lowe and the boys as the ACC tourney begins. I’ll probably spend more time tonight reading and writing about football (practice #2 today) than watching the basketball game, but I’ll still be rooting on the Pack. Here’s to some good basketball and a deep tourney run.
My Carter-Finley section 18 family got a little bigger last week. On February 24th at 3:28pm Carter Lane Overcash made her grand entrance into the world. Carter weighed in at 7 lbs. 1 oz. and measured 19 1/2″ long. Rumor has it that her first sound was a wolf howl, but that has yet to be confirmed or denied. Congrats Nick and Tamara!
Me and Mrs. DFCF (there I go with that bad grammar again) made a trip up to Raleigh over the weekend to see Miss Carter. There are no pictures of me holding the little princess because I stuck true to my “no holding babies” rule. I realize this means I could never run for U.S. President, but I have come to terms with that fact. Anyway, if babies cry when the lovely baby-friendly Mrs. DFCF picks them up for the first time, which most of them do including Carter, then I don’t stand a chance. The ladies love DFCF, but the babies … not so much.
I know Carter is already a week old, but I waited until today because it is probably the biggest day of her short life as Daddy’s Wolfpack take on Mommy’s Hokies in basketball. Thankfully I don’t have to personally deal with that house divided stuff so I don’t really know how it goes, but I’m sure there’s already a little tension building in the Overcash household. The big question … who will Carter be pulling for?
DFCF does not condone gambling (Ha! who am I kidding) so I propose this perfect solution to resolve this issue now and for good. If the Wolfpack win, Carter is a Wolfpacker and if the Hokies win, she’s a Hokie. Nick, I know it may sound harsh, but hear me out. If the Wolfpack win she will truly be Daddy’s little Wolfpack girl and if the Wolfpack lose you will save her from a lifetime of heartbreak and disappointment. It sounds like a win-win to me. Oh and I’m taking my winnings from the “guess the middle name” pool and putting it on the Wolfpack tonight. Go Pack!
I’m one of those people that just gets enamored with the Olympics. It doesn’t matter if it is the Summer or Winter games, I just can’t get enough. Stuff that I would normally find painfully boring to watch … like Nordic combined … I am glued to the TV and rooting for my fellow countrymen. Speaking of Nordic combined, big congrats to Bill Demong and Johnny Spillane for bringing the USA our first ever Olympic medals in this sport. Stuff like that is what the Olympics are all about.
Back in the fall me and my little brother (I know proper grammar is “my little brother and I”, but that has always sounded stupid to me so I don’t talk that way … turn me into the Internet Grammar Police) were planning a trip to Vancouver. We were looking at flights, hotels, and rental cars. My brother even got his passport and we talked to our grandma about using part of her timeshare. Some stuff came up and our plans just never materialized.
As I was watching the Olympics come to a close yesterday I was a little sad that we didn’t make it up there for a couple of reasons. First, it would have been a damn good time. Don’t worry Mrs. DFCF, I promise I would have stayed away from the Olympic Village. It just seemed like one huge rockin’ party that I hate I missed out on. Second, it would have allowed me to cross something off my personal bucket list. That got me thinking … what would DFCF’s bucket list look like?
I know the suspense and anticipation is killing you, so without further ado here is DFCF’s bucket list (in no particular order):
Be Mr. Wuf for a half.
Watch a game at Carter-Finley from a suite in Vaughn Towers.
Tailgate in the Carter-Finley RV lot with my tailgate crew for a whole weekend.
Take a “behind the scenes” tour of everything that goes into Gameday at Carter-Finley … especially the jumbotron. (I’m a technology guy.)
Perform the coin toss for a game at Carter-Finley.
Get to follow along on a recruit’s official visit
Visit the Press Box at Carter-Finley during a game.
Help the grounds crew paint the field at Carter-Finley before a game.
Attend a BCS bowl game that the Wolfpack is playing in.
******** ** ***** ***** ** *** 50 yard line ** ******-******. (Edited to keep this blog rated PG.)
That’s the list for now. I reserve the right to add more stuff to it later, but I’m pretty sure this list will be tough enough to complete as is. I’ll come back and revisit this whenever I can cross something off. For now I need to start working on how I can make some of this stuff happen. If you, or anybody you know, can assist me in completing one (or more) of these things please drop me a line (dfcf99 at gmail dot come). Thanks!
Before DFCF there was DFDFB … Dave from Doak Field Bullpen. Oh those were the days. I didn’t bring much to the table for the Wolfpack baseball team, but I knew my role (bullpen catcher) and I busted my tail every day to do my part. Well except maybe that one time I had to be at Doak Field at 7:00 am to pull the tarp off the field and my roommate had to drive me because I had a little too much fun the night before. The best part of that story was my roommate got suckered into helping with the tarp because there was only seven of us (you know the guys that never played) that had tarp duty and it was very windy that morning. Oh I’ve already said too much.
Enough about me, the 2010 version of the NC State baseball team kicks off their season tomorrow. Check out the schedule here. I don’t know much about this year’s team, but they are not ranked in any of the preseason polls and the ACC coaches have tabbed them as the 8th best team. Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson will be the player that gets the most press because of how his baseball season will affect whether or not he plays football next year. There are some reports saying that Russell could be the team’s closer, in addition to playing infield. We shall see. I understand the team’s big question mark is the pitching staff so I can understand why Coach Avent is taking a look at Russell on the mound. This transition worked for former Wolfpack SS Chad Orvella so he’s trying to hit the jackpot twice.
Regardless of how the pitching turns out for Russell, I just find it hard to see him playing football next year. I hope like hell I’m wrong on that. I have heard from a few people that say the MLB scouts still give him a top 10 round grade right now. Of course that could change depending on how he performs this year, but I fully expect him to have a good season. I mean, he is skipping spring football practice and devoting all his time to baseball so why would Wolfpack Nation not expect Russell to perform at a peak level like we have seen him do so often on the gridiron. (Edit: After I posted this, GoPack ran this article about Russell and his outlook on the baseball season.)
Anywho, good luck to the NC State baseball team this season and congrats to the new NC State Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Dan Plesac, Doug Strange, and Steve Martin.
So this year’s Super Bowl was pretty low key in the DFCF household. Last year there were more kids than adults at the Super Bowl party we went to so this year Mrs. DFCF and I decided to stay home and watch the game in our PJs. I was pulling for under 1:43.5 on the National Anthem, a Colts win by at least 5 points, and the Gatorade/water to be dumped on the winning coach to be clear* … none of which happened. So today as I’m avoiding my bookie and eating Ramen Noodles for lunch I reflect back on the one thing that made me smile last night … “Milka What!”
I’m not going to rank all the Super Bowl ads, but that one was my favorite. I don’t mind babies and the Super Bowl if they’re part of a new E*Trade ad that makes me laugh so hard I pee my pants. I’d invite that baby to my Super Bowl party next year, but only if he promised to show everybody his “shocked face” repeatedly.
The other ad that caught my eye was the FLO TV ad that featured NC State’s Lorenzo Charles dunk to win the 1983 National Championship. I always love seeing NC State get some prime-time exposure, but don’t blink or you’ll miss it (occurs at the 0:29 mark).
Congrats to former Wolfpacker DeMario Pressley. I don’t think he got on the field last night (he definitely doesn’t appear in the boxscore), but he’s still a Super Bowl champ. Not a bad title to carry around with you for the rest of your life.
*Note: Next year I’m not even going to mess with betting on the game. Mrs. DFCF and I decided we’re going to pick 15-20 prop bets and have fun with that. Her favorite part of the game was seeing if a live animal would appear on the field during halftime (Yes +500). When it didn’t happen she was so letdown that she promptly fell asleep in the 3rd quarter. Not next year, right babe?
After reporting this I might have my NC State superfan card revoked, but it looks like I will not be attending the Kay Yow Spring Game on April 17th. I petitioned TOB to push it back a week, but he’s a tough dude to negotiate with. I will have internet access that day … at least I think so … so I just need somebody to take a video camera and live stream it on the world wide web. I’m not joking. GoPack does do that right?
I almost feel sick to my stomach, but an opportunity came along that I just can’t pass up. Or should I say if I were to pass it up Mrs. DFCF just might kick my ass. That is my birthday weekend so I’ll be another year older, but if you’re hoping for another year wiser too don’t hold your breath. I will still follow Spring Practice closely and give my unbridled, insightful commentary. Also National Signing Day is a little over a week away (February 3rd to be exact for all you lame people that don’t follow recruiting 24/7 … oops, I probably shouldn’t be calling my readers names huh? … oh well) and I will have a few posts on that as well.
I’m trying to come up with a cool, catchy sign-off like Adam Carolla’s “Mahalo!” but just can’t seem to come up with anything. I’ve thought of the wolf howl, but how in the world do you type that … Ow-Ow-Oooowwww! It sounds cool, but doesn’t look so cool written out. Oh well, back to the drawing board.
