Florida State/Clemson to Big 12?

I have been hearing reports that Florida State and Clemson have been talking to my home conference, the Big 12, about possibly becoming members #11 and 12. For that I say that it wouldnt surprise me the way conference expansion is going in terms of college football(Boise St. and San Diego St. to the Big East) that Clemson and FSU join us at some point if the ACC is going strictly to a basketball league. With Syracuse and Pittsburgh set to join the ACC as members #13 and 14, it would seem from a college fan's perspective that the ACC is shifting its sport of focus from football to basketball.

Here is the link:
http://www.eerinsider.com/2012-articles/february/clemson-and-fsu-are-on-the-clock.html#livefyre_thread

Here is why I think it would be a good fit for both FSU and Clemson to join the Big 12:

1. New Conference Rivals in Oklahoma and Texas. Now before I get the perceived notion that Texas and Oklahoma are going to bolt in 6 years, think again. Texas is the only reason why the Big 12 stayed together in the first place. They were willing to make some concessions to keep the conference alive and still have their own network(The Longhorn Network).

2. Every year, there could be the Big 12-SEC Challenge that takes place on any Saturday during the Non-Conference portion of the schedule(kind of like how the ACC-Big 10 Challenge works in Basketball now). Florida State could still play Florida, Clemson could still play South Carolina, etc.

3. The root of all evil-money. Florida State and Clemson would recieve more money in the Big 12 from all of the Television tiers than what they would receive when Syracuse and Pittsburgh join the ACC.

4. Last but not least: from a personal standpoint, I would now be able to see my beloved Kansas Jayhawks play in Tallahassee every year in basketball and would not have to travel very far to do so.

Hopefully this does happen and I can't wait to see if it does happen.

In The Blink of an Eye Part 3

This past friday marked the 7 year anniversary when my life changed forever. Around 6:30 a.m. on January 27, 2005, I was struck by a car crossing the street to get to the school bus and had to go to the hospital. The next day, I had to have surgery to insert a metal rod in my leg to ensure that my leg was able to heal properly. After the surgery, I had to endure 3 or 4 months of grueling physical therapy to allow me to be able to walk again. About 18 months later(June 2006), I had another surgery to remove the rod, thusly ending 18 months of pain that I had to deal with as a result of the accident.

I am writing about this because life can change in the blink of an eye. All 3 of the events mentioned in the series affected my life within the last 2 weeks with the last one being an anniversary date. Anyway, as I said life can change in the blink of an eye. One day you could be on the top of the world and the next day, you could be in a terrible accident and possibly be paralyzed for the rest of your life. So as everyone goes about their daily lives: remember that life can change very quickly and may affect future decisions.

In The Blink of an Eye Part 2

January 23rd is a day I honestly did not want to see. Why? The girl who I have been dating on and off the last year has left to go back home. I had some wonderful times hanging out with her and did a few things(such as bowling and swimming at her apartment). She decided that she was going home shortly before hearing Food Lion was going to close its doors in Jacksonville and it hurt me twofold because she left my life for good and effective February 15, I might be out of a job.

Prior to meeting her, I really had not dated a lot. In fact my last date was 4 years prior to that(Nov. 17, 2007). Not being able to see her in Jacksonville all the time is going to be tough for me to get adjusted to. But its something that I believe will be for the best. If she and I are meant to be together, then it will happen. Right now, I just have let the Lord take over my life and hope that he can help me get my life in order and help me find another job(I am hopefully a shoo in to work at Save A Lot) and hopefully a girl who can help me get my life in order and love me for me.

To close out part 2 of this 3 part blog, I will use the quote I used in Part 1 from Marty Reid, ESPN Indycar Commentator: "Many people ask me why I always sign off 'til we meet again, because goodbye is so final."

In The Blink of an Eye Part 1

24 hours ago, I received news that I did not want to hear and it broke my heart. As of February 15, Food Lion(the place I worked for the last 6 years) is leaving Jacksonville and leaving a lot of people without jobs. The point of this story is that life can change in the blink of an eye. One day, things could be fine and dandy and the next day, a black cloud could be looming. It just breaks my heart to know that all my coworkers are also going to be affected by the news of Food Lion closing and all my thoughts and prayers go out to them and also to everyone else affected.

Since our store is closing in about 30 days, I just want to say thanks to all my soon-to-be former coworkers and everyone who I worked with the last 6 years at Food Lion. You guys have treated me like family and I am forever grateful for that. I know the future looks bright for everyone and I can't wait to see what the future holds for me. I know once the store closes and we all go our separate ways, it will be a while before we run into one another and get an update on how life is going for each of us.

To close out part 1 of a 3 part blog, I will use a quote from ESPN Indycar commentator Marty Reid: "Many people ask me why I always sign off 'til we meet again, because goodbye is always so final." Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon.

Christmas 2011 Is One of the Most Memorable

Wow!

Christmas was very wonderful for not only me but for my family as well. Everyone was able to get what they wanted. I even surprised my father with 2 tickets to go see Ron White at the Times Union Center next month.

Now that Christmas is over with, it is now time to focus on 2012 and the goals I have for next year.

As I said previously, my goals for 2012 are:

1. Lose at least 50 pounds
2. Move out of my parents house and into my own place
3. Get a full-time job that works 9-5 Monday-Friday
4. Have a girlfriend who will not only love me for who I am but can help me change my life for the better.
5. After coming close twice(278 in 2011 and 280 in 2010), finally bowl a perfect 300 game.
6. Rebuild some friendships from not only middle school but also high school.
7. Finally, but the most important, rebuild a relationship with the lord and have him back in my life.

Hopefully I can achieve all of these goals in 2012.

On a side note: I am very thankful for everyone who is not only in my Facebook life, but in my real life as well. Without everyone supporting me, my life would be a complete mess.

The End Of An Era Has Come

Hi there everyone!

Sadly, the end of an era has come for me and it is time for me move on. What is it I am talking about? I am talking about ending my career at the University of North Florida effective immediately and indefinitely. I am ready for a new chapter in my life, one that will hopefully see me get my life in order, find a girlfriend to be with, getting a full-time job, moving into a place of my own, and last but not least get myself a convertible.

First things first, I need to start looking for a job and I will start doing that within the next few days. While I have enjoyed my time at UNF and have met many new people and saw many familiar faces, I feel that it is in my best interest to stop now while I am ahead because I don't necessarily want to do the work right now that is asked of them out of me and I don't necessarily want to study for anything right now. I guess what I am saying is that I am both mentally and emotionally burnt out right now.

So with that being said, I want to thank everyone at UNF for everything and hopefully in a few years when I have my life in order, I will try and make a good effort at going for my dream of being a sportscaster.

Blame Kansas State for the BCS Chaos

Hi there everyone! It has been almost 3 years since I last posted something. So I thought for my first post in almost 3 years, I would write about something that affects the future of college football. I am talking about getting rid of the BCS once and for all. The BCS is nothing but one huge mess! The reason: the Kansas State Wildcats!

So what does Kansas State have to do with all of the BCS chaos? Well, I will tell you why this is so and hopefully this can change some minds as to why college football needs a playoff.

In 1998, Kansas State went unbeaten all season(ranked #1 or 2 all year) until the Big 12 Championship(lost a close game to Texas A&M 36-33 in double overtime) and as a result of the loss, Kansas State ends up playing in the Alamo Bowl(lost to Drew Brees and Purdue) when we should have been playing in a BCS bowl game.

Fast forward 5 years to 2003. Big 12 Championship: Oklahoma vs. Kansas State. On a cold night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Kansas State destroys Oklahoma 35-7 and as a result of that loss, Oklahoma still plays for the title against LSU in the Sugar Bowl(National Championship). The one who gets left out as a result of K-State's upset is none other than USC(who won the championship the next year).

Fast forward to 2011 and the BCS has even more scrutiny. My biggest gripe is the fact that the National Championship is an SEC rematch between LSU and Alabama. Fans deserved to see Oklahoma St. play LSU instead of Alabama. Alabama was off, LSU won the SEC easily, and Oklahoma St. destroyed Oklahoma to win the Big 12 Championship, so naturally the Cowboys should be playing for the title instead of Alabama. Why is Oklahoma St. not playing for the title? The answer is plain and simple: money and television ratings.

Now then to the other part of my gripe this season about the BCS. And yes it involves Kansas State. The Wildcats(#8 in the final BCS standings), lost 2 games all year(to both Oklahoma teams). Yes, we got blown out on national tv against Oklahoma at home but the following week, we lose a last second game to the Big 12 champs. We finish 10-2 and rank higher than both Sugar Bowl participants(Virginia Tech and Michigan). Neither one of those teams won their conference. So should we have gotten invited to the Sugar Bowl? Hell yeah! Instead, we get to play Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl on January 6th. As a result of this, the BCS needs to seriously consider a playoff.