I was at work see... (which you can clearly see below)...
As you can clearly tell, I was hard at work...trying to think yet another swazzy blog.
I had contemplated doing a "Round the Belt" report, but really didn't feel the motivation to write about all the racking injuries that seem to be piling up at many of the Belter schools.
Suddenly, with really no epiphany whatsoever besides of how completely random I am, I suddenly came up with a brilliantly stupid idea!!!
(Yes...goofy face and all bestowed upon my face just like above....maybe the finger was a tad dramatic)
How about I come up with a few questions, jot them down and then scribble the Sunbelt playing football schools on a separate pieces of paper and have to answer what question I draw alongside the university!!
I AM......A GENIUS. A BLOGGING GENIUS.
And before you EVEN WONDER if I actually did it....
So, after coming up with what I felt were some fun, interesting questions I put them in my trusty bucket hat, and the schools into another hat....
Their's only one rule: No matter how I much I may disagree with the question/fill in the blank statement, I have to try my best to make a compelling argument or justification to whatever I draw!
So, with further adieu....the inaugural "Fill in the Blank Blog!"
Question #1:
This team will Surprise because...?
Team pulled from hat...
Georgia Southern
Interesting...alright then.
As many that read my stuff are aware, the Eagles brought in Tyson Summers to replace the departing Willie Fritz during the offseason, and while many pundits feel like the Eagles are around the top three-four spots in the Sunbelt, many question whether Statesboro (with its fanatical fanbase and high expectations) was the right place to begin your first head coaching gig (Summers has had many stints at various assistant and position spots throughout the college football landscape but never a head coaching job).
We Red Wolves fans are all too familiar with hiring individuals with little to no head coaching experience whatsoever; Hugh Freeze, Gus Malzahn and Bryan Harsin ALLLLLL got their first collegiate head coaching opportunity in Jonesboro (Unlike Freeze and Malzahn, Harsin didn't have any high school head coaching experience!).
All three combined went 26-10 with three Sunbelt Crowns at Astate.
Now don't get me wrong, Summers and company have a mighty challenging schedule this upcoming 2016 (road games at Western Michigan, Arkansas State, Georgia Tech, and Ole Miss) and only three home games on Saturday, it might be asking a bit much to make a run at the Belt this season; but with eight returning offensive that helped lead the Eagles nationally in rushing last year, you certainly can't count out Tyson Summers and the Statesboro crew.
Question #2:
First Thoughts/Impressions of________
Team Chosen from the almighty hat....
Texas State
Alright I can dig!
When the mass exodus occurred late 2012 early 2013 and the Belt lost five teams (among them being North Texas) my anger and doubt about the longevity for the future of the conference really threw heavy on me; particularly, the lost of North Texas, who despite not amounting to a llama's tit in nearly ten years had been the original perennial power and face of the 'Belt during its infant years.
However, Texas State came on board and after some initial research and reading I immediately thought "Well hell yes! Bring on the Bobcats! Screw the Greenies!" Here's why I say that...
- Texas State University is the fourth largest university in the state of Texas (nearly 40,000 in enrollment)
- The Bobcats boast the highest athletic budget in the Sunbelt ($34.5 million) and nearly $3 million more than UNT.
- Among the many academic recognitions' the university has received, this past February... " The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classified Texas State University under “Doctoral Universities: Higher Research Activity,” its second-highest designation for research institutions." (from their website).
(letting graduates and undergrads float and jump in the river on campus I feel is an uber bonus)
Question #3:
______'s logo is friggin' sweet because....
Team picked to have the flippin' best mascot ever is: (I ruled Astate out of this question)
Georgia State
............................................................
...Ok...I can do this....
If you're going to have a rather generic mascot (such as a Panther) that doesn't necessarily mean it has to look like your average, run of the mill Panther right? Of course not!
In such a case, you've gotta make your particular panther stand out and for much of their history Georgia State has done just that.
First off, Definitely DEFINITELY like their current Panther from their older incarnation, which might lead some to believe the pink panther has a dastardly half brother, blue panther...
Anyone that over indulges in Animal Planet knows that when any putty tat's ears are tilted down and/or side ways, they are PISSED...
Yet as we can see above, that frightfully horrifying panther is black; by making your mascot/logo blue you help tone down the scariness and make it more marketable to your fanbase and more importantly, the children.
I'm gonna admit....I'm really a standstill at this point. Oh hey my coworker David just walked in, I'll ask him.
DAVID COME HERE!!!
(David walks over)
ME: What do you think of this Panther?
David: I kinda like it looking at it at first glance...the blue on black is really neato.
Me: Neato?
David: Yeah! I dunno about the ears. Feel like they should be pointed up more.
Me: (Scroll back up to the pissed off panther) But this pissed off panther's ears are tilted down and stuff.
David: Well, shouldn't that Panther's ears in the logo be more flipped backwards and not sideways?
Me: .....
(David slowly leaves the office area silently and awkwardly).
Lets move on!
Question 4:
Team That Will Disappoint?
Team selected:
Appalachian State (Swear on the Key Lime Pie sitting in my freezer at home I legitimately pulled this!)
So the Mountaineers are coming into this 2016 season with a TON of mighty high expectations; can they top the 11-2 season they had last year? I don't think so...
Yeah, yeah I realize that they return 9 starters on defense along with their dynamic duo on offense quarterback Taylor Lamb and running back Marcus Cox among everything else they have; however, while they do drop Clemson from the slate (whew!) they also drop a pitiful Campbell Fighting Camels and a Wyoming squad that went 2-10 last year and pick up a Tennessee Volunteer team looking to make some noise in the SEC championship race, the Miami Hurricanes and an Akron Zip team looking to build on the surprising 8-5 season they had before; even Old Dominion appears to be more competitive on paper than their 2015 counterparts.
On the flipside, the Sunbelt slate once again appears pretty manageable for the Mountaineers, but keep in mind App needed three overtimes to beat an eventual 4-8 Troy squad in Boone and were very lucky to beat South Al in Mobile to conclude the regular 2015 season.
Oh, least we forget the real spoiler last season.....
All it could take is just that ONE Sunbelt conference game that could make or break the Mountaineers year. I won't go far as to say they'll fully collapse, but It wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if they wound up with three regular season losses-and I'm sure for many Mountaineer fans that would be very disappointing.
Question #5:
________ Have the Best schedule!
Team chosen by the all mighty baseball cap:
Louisiana...(at Lafayette)
Well let's take a look at the Cajuns slate first off...(from fbsschedules.com)
| Saturday Sep. 3 |  | Boise State Broncos Cajun Field, Lafayette, LA | 11:00am CT ASN/ESPN3 | Buy Tickets |
| Saturday Sep. 10 |  | McNeese State Cowboys Cajun Field, Lafayette, LA | 6:00pm CT ESPN3 | Buy Tickets |
| Saturday Sep. 17 |  | South Alabama Jaguars Cajun Field, Lafayette, LA | 6:00pm CT ESPN3 | Buy Tickets |
| Saturday Sep. 24 |  | at Tulane Green Wave Yulman Stadium, New Orleans, LA | 6 or 7pm CT TV TBA | Buy Tickets |
| Saturday Oct. 1 |  | at New Mexico State Aggies Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, NM | 7:00pm CT TV TBA | Buy Tickets |
| Saturday Oct. 8 | --- | OFF | --- | --- |
| Wednesday Oct. 12 |  | Appalachian State Mountaineers Cajun Field, Lafayette, LA | 7:00pm CT ESPN2 | Buy Tickets |
| Saturday Oct. 22 |  | at Texas State Bobcats Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, TX | 6:00pm CT TV TBA | Buy Tickets |
| Saturday Oct. 29 | --- | OFF | --- | --- |
| Saturday Nov. 5 |  | Idaho Vandals (HC) Cajun Field, Lafayette, LA | 4:00pm CT TV TBA | Buy Tickets |
| Thursday Nov. 10 |  | at Georgia Southern Eagles Paulson Stadium, Statesboro, GA | 6:30pm CT ESPNU | Buy Tickets |
| Saturday Nov. 19 |  | at Georgia Bulldogs Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA | TBA | Buy Tickets |
| Saturday Nov. 26 |  | Arkansas State Red Wolves Cajun Field, Lafayette, LA | TBA | Buy Tickets |
| Saturday Dec. 3 |  | at ULM Warhawks Malone Stadium, Monroe, LA | 2:00pm CT TV TBA | Buy Tickets |
Make no mistake the trip to Athens and hosting a very potent Boise State squad in Lafayette is going to be tough; however if you're a believer in "Trap Games" then the date against the Cajuns screams it for Georgia; the 'Dawgs host Auburn a week prior to their match-up against the Cajuns and then a week later Georgia will host their bitter in state rivals Georgia Tech. As for Boise State, the Broncos have two big time games looming the following two weeks against Washington State and at Oregon State; the Broncos maybe looking ahead to notching up some nice resume wins for the Playoff Committee and the Cajuns may once again be able to catch Boise looking ahead.
Take those two games away, and all around you have a pretty manageable slate; Cajuns do have to play the top three teams in the belt (Appalachian State, Arkansas State & Georgia Southern) but Lafayette does get two of those at Cajun Field; furthermore, the flipside of their Out of Conference schedule pits them against McNeese State (who lost their head coach Matt Viator to ULM) and a Tulane squad that will be using 2016 to lay the foundation of Willie Fritz' system (a semi pistol/shotgun-esque formation) which will more than likely not be in full swing by September 24th. The remaining for SBC games on the road (NMSU, Texas State, Georgia Southern and ULM) all combined for a 17-33 record last season (the Eagles were the only ones with a winning record of 9-4).
All in all, when you're football team coming off a very disappointing 4-8 season and you're looking for a solid rebound year, this the type of schedule you'd like.
Question #6:
One very cool aspect about _______ I like is _________
SCHOOL!!.....
Idaho
You know, believe it or not this is actually a pretty easy answer for me!
I have always had this strange fascination with the Kibbie Dome; it's just so....Kibbie and Doomeey.
Practically speaking, very cool you NEVER have to worry about the weather and it appears their's not a bad seat in the house. What they may lack in amenities they make up for in its quirky charm and big ass roof!
I think it's pretty interesting that when first constructed, the stadium was an outdoor venue; not only that but was conceptualized to have a capacity of 23,000 spectators. Due to various factors (budget cuts, outside influences etc), officials changed the scope of the project and the Kibbie Dome was born!
While the future of the Vandal football program appears bleak for many in Moscow, a small comfort might be taken in the fact that Idaho will add their dome with the three other enclosed structures that are used by three other universities to play football in.
Question #7:
Any Fond Memories of _________?
*OH CRAP! I SHOOK THE HAT TOO HARD!!*
....looking around find...ahh! here's one piece of paper!
...Troy!....
Ahh shoot. I was afraid that was going to happen...
First, lets start with this...
Ahh...sophomore in college Jake (totally cool right?)
This was taken in November of 2008; the then Indians, despite being 6-5, was 5-2 in conference play and if they could knock off the Trojans at home could force a share of the conference title and MAYBE just maybe...secure a bowl game.
Troy absolutely CRUSHED Arkansas State, 35-9.
As Troy celebrated their first outright Sunbelt title on the field, with the confetti flying and everybody moshing and hugging, the fans yelling in the stands, raising their hands in the air, jubliant in victory (some using their other hand to extend a certain finger at the Astate players walking off the field). I stood along the sidelines, just stunned and really testing my moment of my fandom to Arkansas State when it hit me...
....a flipping hotdog hit me right in the back of the head by a drunk Troy student.
I immediately exited the field and walked toward the tour buses a group of fans had rented for the game.
This story does have a happy conclusion; the nice couple that had secured the bus also has procured several bottles of champagne, anticipating celebrating a victory. Myself along with a buddy and two young couple we had met on the trip helped relieve the organizers of several bottles of their champagne as we journeyed the 7 1/2 hours back to Jonesboro.
Was it a fond story? Nope. But in hindsight things have turned out pretty well for the Red Wolves (not so much for Troy) but I did like their stadium!
was given the task of bringing it to Troy with me.)
Friends, that concludes the questions I had come up with for this first edition of "Fill in the Blanks"
I hope some found this entertaining (if any found this informative, my apologies).
I certainly not all the Belt schools were touched upon, but if this turns out to be a popular post I will certainly write a follow up with even more bold, bizarre fill in the blank questions to conclude this other wise wacky endeavor.
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