Posts filed under 'College Sports'
When LSU and Alabama vie for the BCS National Championship tonight at New Orleans’ Superdome, we’ll see again how they match up on the field as football teams. LSU won when it played Alabama during the regular season, back in November, with a 9-6 victory. This football championship and other bowl games that have happened during the holidays are times that students, alumni, and fans look forward to so they can cheer on their schools.
As for LSU (ranked No. 1) and Alabama (ranked No. 2), both are in the Southeastern Conference and have a recent history of performing well in football (recently, LSU was national champion in 2007, Alabama in 2009). Here’s a look at how else the schools match up:
University of Alabama
Football Coach: Nick Saban
Mascot: Crimson Tide
School location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Number of students: More than 31,000
Year founded: 1831
Famous alumni: The Help author Kathryn Stockett, football players Joe Namath and Bart Starr, Broadway actor and Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz
LSU
Football Coach: Les Miles
Mascot: Tigers
School location: Baton Rouge, La.
Number of students: More than 26,000
Year founded: 1853
Famous alumni: Former President Hubert Humphrey, political strategist James Carville, basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, composer Bill Conti
If you’re watching a game, see what you think of the school’s commercials, or tell us if you’ve liked any other school commercials during the recent bowl games!
–Lori Johnston
January 9th, 2012
Need a break from all those college or scholarship applications? Get in the holiday spirit by checking out our annual list of the coolest stuff, all with campus life in mind.
School Pride
Collegiate Beanbag Toss: Especially if you’re going to a school where tailgating before football games is a part of student life each fall, a beanbag toss game (also known as cornhole) is a must. Target is among the stores selling the games with school names and mascots on them; you can also find them offered by your potential school’s bookstore. $69-$99
Collegiate Wallet: One of the first thingscollege freshman was a faux-leather ID holder/keychain with my university’s logo on it. But the Pottery Barn Teen wallets are so much more stylish, with the logo and school colors stitched in needlepoint. $55.
Dorm Room Stuff
Door Organizer: In college, you’re going to be so busy that anything that can help you remember important items (like those keys!) is awesome. The Doorganizer from The Container Store is one of those items, staring you right in the face as it hangs from the door knob. It holds phones, keys, glasses, pens, flash drives, and other stuff that you need on a daily basis. $11.99.
Cool Tools: Show your independence by asking for some tools, even starting small with a hammer, screwdriver, and wrench set. But girls can still be cute, such as the Tools for Her set. $19.99.
Tech tools
Mophie Juice Pack Air: Here’s a common Facebook status update: “My battery died so don’t call me. Just FB me!” Don’t let your cell phone die and disconnect you from your friends and worried family. This iPhone case, available in red, black, and white, has a rechargeable battery. $79.95.
Pandigital Frame: Remember your high school friends – and have room for photos of new college friends, too – with a digital frame. There’s a ton on the market, but you’ll want to see how many images it stores (this one from Bed, Bath & Beyond can hold up to 4,000), the frame’s size, and if it comes with a remote (just in case you want to skip past any of those embarrassing photos). $59.99.
Traveling Around
KAVU Keeper: Look all laid back, but organized, with the five compartments in this slender bag to hold your cell phone, keys, and anything else you’re likely to lose while on campus or hanging out with friends. We love the pattern names, like Fireworks, Wallpaper Stripe, Licorice, and Arctic Bloom. $30.
Car Trunk Organizer & Cooler: If those busy weekend trips make it seem as if you are constantly living out of your car, you can get organized with this car trunk organizer. It may join the wooden bar you may have affixed in your car to hang up your clothes too. But this organizer also comes with a cooler, making you a popular person when on a road trip with friends. $49.95.
–Lori Johnston (Delaney Young contributed)
December 12th, 2011
Our hearts are with the Oklahoma State University community today as it mourns the loss of women’s basketball team coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna. Both were on a recruiting trip and were killed when their single-engine plane crashed near Perryville, Arkansas.
Also killed in the crash were pilot Olin Branstetter, a former Oklahoma state senator, and his wife, Paula. There were no survivors.
Oklahoma State’s president Burns Hargis was quoted at a news conference: “This is our worst nightmare. The entire OSU family is very close, very close indeed. To lose anyone, especially these two individuals who are incredible life forces in our family, it is worse beyond words.”
–Barbara Bellesi
November 18th, 2011
I’ve been trying to figure out all week how to best write about the Penn State sex abuse scandal. As a higher education blogger, it’s natural for me to focus what the allegations hold in store for the future of the university; however, in doing that, I realize that I am not focusing on what should be the bigger picture: the alleged victims of football coach Jerry Sandusky’s horrible misdeeds.
College football is a kind of religion to some people, and I can understand the fierce loyalty that students, alumni, and fans feel for Joe Paterno, head coach of Penn State’s Nittany Lions. At the same time, if allegations are true, then Paterno is indeed very much at fault for not reporting the sexual abuse to the police. Penn State itself is certainly acting as though they are true, and Paterno, as well as college president Graham Spanier, have been dismissed for participating in the coverup.
Coach Joe Paterno with Penn State football players.
Penn State is obviously a sports-minded university. But it is, first and foremost, a university. The majority of students who attend Penn State do so to get an education. In that light, the football team is a very small part of the school as a whole. Which is why it’s so terrible that the school’s 156-year-long legacy is being so tarnished right now.
I’d like to think that coverups of this magnitude are not the norm; that we will not see a rash of similar allegations on campuses across the country, in a similar way to what happened with the Catholic Church sex abuse crisis. Therefore, if I were a student entertaining the idea of attending Penn State in the fall, I might seriously reconsider my application.
Penn State’s executive vice president and provost, Dr. Rodney Erickson, said in a statement posted on the school’s website: “This is one of the saddest weeks in the history of Penn State.” This might be true–but it’s nothing compared to the emotions felt by the abuse victims and their families.
–Barbara Bellesi
November 11th, 2011
One of the things we love about college is that when it comes to style, you can be yourself. But on college campuses this fall, some students are getting attention for their unstylish garb. It’s not just students’ gossiping, but enraged football fans complaining about some of these fashion faux pas. That’s because certain college football players are wearing new Nike and Under Armour uniforms with questionable color combinations and non-traditional designs.
In their defense, these players have no choice – it’s the decision of the school to have them wear the new jerseys, pants and helmets, sometimes for one game, but possibly throughout the entire season.
U-G-L-Y This ain't got no alibi. It's ugly!
The buzz about these college football uniforms is bringing even more attention to longtime college football powerhouses and nationally ranked teams. Boise State (a rare all-white look), Georgia (some said they looked like Power Rangers), and Oklahoma State (especially the all gray ensemble) are among the schools whose new uniforms caused negative comments from fans. Others, like Navy, Army, and LSU have avoided the same type of outrage.
Whether people love the uniforms or hate them for being so ugly, we love that the furor over football fashion is giving more attention to schools like Maryland, which isn’t known for their football programs. Some thought Maryland’s odd garb (see photo above), with the helmets and jerseys split down the middle to reflect the state flag, looked like the colorful attire of the knights at Medieval Times – the joust-filled dinner venue. The uniforms – seen during a nationally televised game in early September – was just one of 32 different combinations from Under Armour, and more than a few spectators got dizzy looking at them.
Of course, one would hope that you’re not going to choose a school based on a football uniform or even how fashionable students are on campus. But consider the fuss over football uniforms as just one more way to learn about more schools and college life.
What do you think? Offensively ugly or much ado about nothing?
–Lori Johnston
September 22nd, 2011
Life is full of mysteries, and one of its greatest mysteries is that it is now April and yet the March Madness Finals are being held tonight and tomorrow night. Anyone else thing that’s WEIRD?
Regardless, the brand-new baseball season will be virtually ignored tonight in favor of watching the NCAA finals. Who are you rooting for?
Tonight in Houston, Butler University squares off against UConn. It’s man vs. man, and it’s dog vs. dog, too–the Huskies represent UConn and bulldog extraordinaire, Blue II, represents Butler. Blue has actually been getting the royal treatment these days–he’s been flown to Houston by a chartered jet and he’s been staying at four-star hotels. Niiiice.
Often overlooked, but certainly not forgotten, is that the women’s finals are tomorrow night in Indianapolis, with Notre Dame and Texas A&M battling for top honors. The place will be packed, just as the arena for the men’s game will be, but will the women get as much notice? Nope. Another one of life’s mysteries.
Butler’s mascot is probably getting a spa treatment right now, and we’re at the office. Life just isn’t fair.
–The CollegeBound Network
April 4th, 2011
New Yorkers have cause to be a little on edge today–an Egyptian Cobra has escaped his exhibit at the Bronx Zoo. Though officials believe he slithered into the warmth of one of the buildings on zoo property, it’s of little comfort to the Zoo’s more squeamish neighbors–especially now that they’ve been told it could be WEEKS before they catch up to him. I feel safe enough on Staten Island, though, and have had a few belly laughs reading the tweets from the stray snake. Apparently when one does escape the Bronx Zoo, “open a Twitter account” is first the to-do list.
Indiana Jones and I have one thing in common: We don’t like snakes. In fact, the only way you could get me to like a snake is if it were…wait for it… a college mascot. Check out this reptiles that get the crowd roaring on campus.
SNAKES
Striker, the Cobra, lives at Coker College, Hartsville, SC. (See his charming self at the right.)
The Cobras also are the mascot of Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, VA
Mocsie, the Water Moccasin, slithers its way around Florida Southern College.
DRAGONS
Mario the Magnificent is in residence at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. (View him in his splendor on the right.)
These feisty firebreathers are also loved by sports fans at Minnesota State-Moorhead, Tiffin University, and Lane College.
GATORS
Gators are the mascot of University of Florida, the birthplace of the much-loved sports drink, Gatorade.
Allegheny College, University of Houston-Downtown, and San Francisco State University also claim toothy green gator as their mascots.
AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST…
The University of California-Santa Cruz pays homage to the Banana Slug at its athletic events. (Too gross for a photo. Seriously, UCSC, what were you thinking?)
–Barbara Bellesi
March 29th, 2011
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! With Irish and non-Irish alike wearing their green garb today, we thought it might be fun to look at some colleges that are decked out in green all year round. Here’s an interesting tidbit–despite the fact that Notre Dame is home to the Fighting Irish, the university’s colors are actually blue and gold.
This list, of course, is only a partial representation of all those green-loving schools. Are you heading to one next year? Let us know!
University of Alaska
University of Arkansas at Monticello
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
University of South Florida
Eastern Michigan University
Michigan State University
Dartmouth
University of North Carolina-Charlotte
University of North Dakota
Ohio University
University of Oregon
Slippery Rock University
Baylor University
North Texas University
College of William and Mary
–The CollegeBound Network
March 17th, 2011
I’m staring at my incomplete NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket, trying to figure out which teams I’m going to select, leading up all the way to the national championship game. I don’t have much time, as I need to fill out my bracket today or tomorrow to compete with my friends and even strangers (even President Obama filled one out last year!) who are hoping to be the one with the best bracket by the end of March Madness and the national championship game on April 4.
Choosing a college can be a lot like filling out an March Madness bracket. You’re pitting schools against each other, too, in making your decision. Call it your own college choice bracket. Sure, you probably don’t have 68 colleges to choose from, like those competing in this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tourney (it is March Madness, after all), and maybe you’re down to your sweet 16 or the elite eight or the final four. Maybe you’re at the point where there’s just two schools vying to get your enrollment, just like the basketball tournament. Only one can win–but which one?
Here’s what you need for a winning bracket, which also can relate to your school choice:
1. Knowledge of the schools. Just as with the basketball tournament, those filling out brackets this week need to research which teams can make the cut. You’re also looking at which colleges are the best fit for you and how they compare to others you’re considering. For the tournament, we’re looking at the quality of players, experience they have had this season and strengths and weaknesses as a team. In making your college decision, you need to look at the reputation of the school and its accreditation, what programs it offers that of are interest to you, and what makes it stand out in its student life–dorms, activities, and yes, athletics.
2. Location of the games. If a team has to travel all the way across the country, like Washington is having to do when it plays in Charlotte on Friday, the long travel time can be a factor in the team’s performance. It’s the same for you – you have to consider whether attending a school far away from your family will hinder your ability to thrive despite homesickness–or whether it’s just what you need to gain independence.
3. Underdog status. You don’t want to immediately discount the smaller, less-well-known schools in the bracket or your college choice. Teams such as Morehead State University, Wofford College, and Oakland University, described by The New York Times as a mostly commuter university in suburban Detroit, may not have the big-name recognition as others, but they could still give their opponents trouble in the tournament. Those underdogs that continue to perform well are referred to as the Cinderella team–a group whose talent is underrated, but just might result in a happy-ever-after ending. So if you are weighing a larger versus smaller school, look past the size and focus on what else besides an enormous campus.
4. Gut feeling. When it comes to two teams where they both have the same amount of strengths and weaknesses, I have to go with my gut. That’s what makes filling out the NCAA tournament bracket so much fun – and so nerve-wracking! But with your college choice, you should feel confident in knowing that there are many schools that will give you a wonderful education and college experience. Where your gut comes in is in knowing which school feels like a better fit for you at this time.
So fill out your college choice bracket and recognize that you’re a winner just in making the decision to attend college!
–Lori Johnston
March 16th, 2011
The annual U.S. Open tennis tournament taking place this week and next in Flushing, New York reminds me that some of my favorite memories from college are the late-night tennis matches my friends and I played on campus, allowing us to get some exercise and take a break from studying.
My skills weren’t good enough to play on my university’s tennis team and definitely not to play professionally in a tournament like the U.S. Open, but that didn’t stop me from getting out there and playing under the lights at the courts on campus for fun.
Maybe you enjoy tennis, but your skills aren’t strong enough either to earn a scholarship or play on your school’s official tennis team. But here’s something cool – check and see if the school you’re applying to (or just started classes at!) is part of the USTA’s Tennis on Campus program.
More than 500 colleges and universities are involved in the program, offering sport club tennis teams, intramural tennis leagues and tournaments, and recreational and physical education classes. That equates to more than 30,000 students involved in Tennis on Campus. The teams even get the opportunity to compete regionally and nationally in the USTA National Campus Championship, where 64 co-ed teams compete for the title. (You can also find out more about getting involved on the Tennis on Campus Facebook page.)
If tennis isn’t your thing, ask students and those leading the campus tours on your visits this fall what they enjoy doing to keep active and healthy during college. Maybe it’s rowing, baseball, flag football, softball, hitting the weights at the gym, or another sport you’re interested in. And don’t think you have to be the next Roger Federer or Maria Sharapova to pick up a tennis racquet–a good dose of energy will do.
Studying will strengthen your mental skills, but don’t forget about your health, too!
–Lori Johnston
September 1st, 2010
Previous Posts
When LSU and Alabama vie for the BCS National Championship tonight at New Orleans’ Superdome, we’ll see again how they match up on the field as football teams. LSU won when it played Alabama during the regular season, back in November, with a 9-6 victory. This football championship and other bowl games that have happened during the holidays are times that students, alumni, and fans look forward to so they can cheer on their schools.
