Texas is scared of other teams:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-bcs102009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Texas is scared of other teams:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-bcs102009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

CollegeGameDay: State College, PA
Here's my take on what to do -- football and otherwise -- at State College, the home of Penn State and the 3am 'sticky.' Not as bad as it sounds. Well, it is bad for you.
Game Pick: Penn State over Iowa, 27-9
But as a destination? Iowa City is near some interesting sights -- I really enjoyed seeing Herbert Hoover's home, a half-hour drive away. The campus is nice. I had some veggie curry and saw bad rock bands playing by the river. But actually found other parts of Iowa more inspiring -- like the Loess Hills near Nebraska, or (particularly) the gorgeous Mississippi River Valley around Dubuque (which has a funicular train). Iowa City points: 13
State College has its moments, often drunken or high in cholesterol, but the nearby bike paths and mountains to climb are hard to argue with. I've been going to the area all my life. My mom was born in Franklin, just west. State College points: 17
State College beats Iowa City as destination, 17-...
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robertreid Oh, and the link for ESPN: http://bit.ly/4uQnQ7


Tech Fan Says Predicts Longhorn Loss
I wrote about Austin's game-day scene for ESPN this week:
http://sports.espn.go.com/travel/news/story?id=4479120
And a Tech grad living in Austin told me Tech would pull the big upset (making Red Raiders' record for key on-the-road big games something like 1-86 over the year), and a Texas band member acknowledged the girlishness of the Longhorn band uniform.
Predictions and key surprises of week:
* Tennessee doesn't score vs Florida. Final 42-0.
* Tech does not win.
* Fresno State beats Boise State tonight, 18-13.
* Nebraska beats Virginia Tech on the road, 30-20
* Oklahoma struggles big time with Tulsa, but wins ugly, 38-34
* Florida State beats BYU and nonsense talk of Max Hall as Heisman candidate (based on double turnover game vs shellshocked, Bradford-less Oklahoma, who missed last-second FG for win) will end. Final 28-9
* Arkansas beats Georgia at home. 7-6


Columbus tail gate > LA's tail gate
Ohio State fans think the Big 10 knows how the pre-game ritual better than the Pac 10, and with as many fans outside a stadium as in, it's kinda hard to argue. Here's my take the perfect game day on ESPN:
http://sports.espn.go.com/travel/news/story?id=4452781
By the way, check out Google Maps' street view around Columbus' Horseshoe. The photos were made on a game day -- so you can see the tailgate frenzy for yourself.
Hungover on Sunday after the game? Go to the Varsity
So Robert mentions it in his blog and his ESPN article, but I just had to add an extra plug for The Varsity. It's an Atlanta tradition that I enjoyed growing up there - not sure if it's myth or truth but the guy who founded The Varsity was kicked out of Tech, so he vowed to make a fortune off of Tech. He's certainly done that and then some.
Eating at The Varsity is like no other experience I've found. From ordering confidently in the local lingo (PC = pure chocolate i.e. chocolate milk; FO = frosted orange drink; naked steak = plain hamburger), to the hats and the straws that are great for rolling up and popping (and the wrappers that you can put a drop of water on so they snake around). The Onion Rings are my absolute favorite in the world.
Just found a classic video of ordering at the Varsity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJD3_1k3rps
Go on Sunday with your hangover from Saturday night.
Go Dawgs. (there's also a Va...
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ESPN Game-Day Plan
Here's my game-day plan for Atlanta when Virginia Tech and Alabama play this Saturday night: http://sports.espn.go.com/travel/news/story?id=4426600
Georgia Tech tickets for $15 sounds pretty good to me too.

Atlanta: Georgia Tech
The first College Game Day will be for Alabama/Virginia Tech playing the neutral locale of the Georgia Dome. But let's not forget that Atlanta is Georgia Tech's home town. GT host Jacksonville this Saturday. If you go... the best gameday GT tradition is either eating at Varsity -- and lines get large.
But the best GT tradition during the day is JUNIOR'S GRILL (www.juniors.gatech.edu). Georgia Tech’s favorite dining spot, where the tea comes sweet and a buffet line of meatloaf and collard greens is amidst a wall of football keepsakes (like a chunk of the goal post from the 1980 national championship win over Nebraska in the Citrus Bowl). Closed Saturday and Sunday.
See here for more info on what to do in Atlanta: http://inside-digital.blog.lonelyplanet.com/2009/09/01/college-football-planner-atlanta/
Anyone have other Atlanta favorites?

Introducing Lonely Planet/ESPN College Game Day Planner
I'll be writing a College Game Day Planner for all the college towns that Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso visit this fall for ESPN's greatest program of all time. The goal is treating the places not just as football destinations, but as destinations. I post a suggested itinerary for game day Saturdays on ESPN's College Game Day site, then fill out a weekend with favorites here on LP.com.
But I'm curious how the College Game Day towns compare with other college towns that ESPN doesn't visit...

Top Ten 2009 Predictions
1) We will never hear the end of how great Tim Tebow is. It will not matter when they drop two regular season games -- I'll guess Georgia and, oh, Florida State, but could be anyone -- and he loses the Heisman.
2) Speaking of which, the Heisman watch will begin three days before the season's opening kick-off this Thursday. Generally the front-runner will be whichever quarterback (Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow) had the best, most recent game. If Jimmy Claussen actually shows something or USC's new QB, add them to the mix.
3) The 'BCS is crap' talking point will fill four of five college football broadcasts/columns all season long.
4) References to Texas not playing in the Big 12 championship last year: at least once every two times Texas is mentioned. Which is a lot.
5) 'Pick six' will be uttered the 543,551st time by October 17.
6) One wacky team -- a Utah, a Boise State -- will go unbeaten and everyone will talk about how wacky teams o...
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It's never just a game when college football is in the discussion. It's also TRAVEL. Let's compare college towns off the field -- as destinations -- while following this season's action on the field.
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