Man in the Hat media

Well, I had a rough week. My headliners I went 0-2 as GT spanked Miami and Oklahoma blew TT out of the water. One good thing came out of it, I figured out the ACC title picture. For Florida State to hold onto their 1st place Atlantic standing: Their destiny is out of their hands, and it all depends on the Boston College Maryland game. If Maryland wins, they tie FSU with the 'Noles holding the tie-break, and FSU goes to the ACC title game. If BC wins, they tie FSU, and the Eagles hold the tie break and go to the title game. Now, for Georgia Tech to hold onto their 1st place Coastal position, they also depend on another game, since they play Georgia this week. 2nd place Miami is out even with a win over NC State, since the Jackets hold the tie-break. The key is the VT-UVA game. If Virginia wins, the Jackets go to the title game, and if the Hokies win, then they hold the tie-break over the Jackets and they head to the ACC title game. Got a heahache yet? Wait till you see the picks thi...

I guess last week can be considered the craziest week so far. Houston beat Tulsa 70-30, the Gators beat USC by 50, and Troy almost beat LSU. And, apparently no one wants to win the ACC, while the SEC is locked up for a bout between Alabama and aforementioned Florida. This week, I'm changing it up a little bit after going 12-6 last week. The SEC, as already stated, is locked up, but the ACC is still up in the air, and the national perspective is taking president. This week, I'll be looking at Miami vs Georgia Tech and Texas Tech vs Oklahoma. @ #23 Hurricanes (7-3, 4-2) The Hurricanes took control of first place in their division last week with a 16-14 win over last year's winner Virginia Tech. QB Robert Marve wasn't spectacular throwing 7-for-16 121 yards, but he also didn't turn the ball over. Marve did do some damage on the ground, to the tune of 44 yards on 14 carries, as did back Graig Cooper 52-yard, 15 carry performance. Kicker Matt Boscher was the player of ...

As football season gets into high gear for the home stretch, basketball is beginning, and prepping the nation for the Madness in March. In this post, I'll pick conference winners, my Final Four, and preview South Carolina, Clemson, and Georgia. First, our local Universities (Clemson, USC, Georgia) Clemson Tigers The Tigers were a game away from winning the ACC Tournament last year, as they lost to North Carolina in the finals. They went 24-10 last season. They then went on to the tournament, before getting knocked out by Villanova in the first round. Attrition The team loses James Mays, Cliff Hammonds, and Sam Perry, along with a walk on or two. Returning and Newcomers The Tigers return at guard K.C. Rivers, Demontez Stitt-who takes over the point vacated by Hammonds-, Zavier Anderson, and sharpshooting Terrence Oglesby. At forward, Clemson has a giant hole to fill in place of Mays, and Devin Booker looks to do so. Aiding are Raymond Sykes and David Potter. Look for fresh faces and...

Where did I come from? Where am I going? The latter has plagued the minds of all college students as they prepare to cross the threshold from fun loving college to the harsh, grim reality of what is so eloquently dubbed, “The Real World.” But what about the first? Some believe we came from a higher power, a God, Intelligent Design; others have pondered that we merely stumbled to where we are today through years upon years of evolution; from prehistoric muck and ooze to the business suit. And the two sides have been in a heated debate since, well, the dawn of the thinking man. Now, the debate has crawled itself into the classrooms, each trying to influence and lobby what should and shouldn’t be taught to their beloved children. The religious believe that it is not feasible to assume that we, humans, just came from monkeys through millions of years of evolution, while the secular and atheistic hypothesize that it is illogical to thin...

One thing I love to do in my spare down time over the summer is go fishing. Between working, catching up with people I haven’t seen, and sleeping, to me, there is just nothing more relaxing than kicking back in a chair (or in a John boat), casting out a line, and watching the day go by. I usually don’t catch many, if any, because truth be told, I’m a lousy fisherman. But the best part is I have a friend out there with me stinking it up to. And by stink, I mean he reels them in. But for the past year, I haven’t touched a rod. You see since 2001, our country has been at war in both Afghanistan , and later in Iraq . For the majority of that time, the country has been split on if the war is just or not. But something has been lost in that debate, the solders fighting the war. I’ve had teachers, adult friends, and friends of friends be sent off to war, most of which came back. But last year, my fishing buddy, who signed up for the Army right out of high sch...

The BCS is out, and a loss here hurts. Teams have now widdled their way either up to par, or out of contention. The SEC Title game is set with Alabama from the West and Florida from the East, while the ACC divisions are still up for grabs. Iowa had the upset of the week as they took down Penn State, and the door is still open for teams like Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, and Southern Cal to get to the title game. The weeks are counting down. Let's play week 12. VS #3 Gators (8-1, 6-1) Florida is coming off an administered beat down on Vanderbilt. Again, their special teams came through and set the game off. QB Tim Tebow, although isn't having a career year compared to last year, is going strong this year. WR Percy Harvin is as explosive as ever, and newcomers like Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps bring explosiveness to an already fast offense. On defense, end, and SC native, Carlos Dunlap is a force to be reckoned with, and linebacker Brandon Spikes is having an ALL-SEC season. Safeties ...

Happy Post election day. Congratulations to Barack Obama and best of luck. You're going to need it. Now, how bout Texas Tech upsetting Texas, and Florida railing Georgia. Even Clemson came up and bit the BC Eagles. I went 13-3 last week, how will I do this week? * Rankings are according to the BCS for the week of Nov. 2 VS #1 Crimson Tide (9-0, 5-0) The Tide are coming off a tune up game where they shut out Arkansas State 35-0. John Parker Wilson is doing a good job of managing games and finding wideouts Julio Jones and Mike McCoy, and tight end Travis McCall. The Tide are still based on the ground, with Glenn Coffee and Mark Engram carrying the load. Defense, they Tide get back massive DT Terrence Cody, and linebackers Rolando McClain, Brandon Fanney, and Donta Hightower, corner Javier Arenas lead a tough defense. #16 Tigers aka Bayou Bengals (6-2, 3-2) The Tigers are also coming off a tune up, as they beat up Tulane 35-10. The dual QB system with Jarrett Lee and Andrew Hatch ...

The Big 10 is a conference loaded with college football tradition. Teams like Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State garner images of past greatness. But recently, the conference has become the whipping boy of the power conferences known as the Big 12 and SEC. Now, computers and people have realized that maybe the BIG 10 can't hang with these guys. Well, there is a way for the Big 10 (11) to remain relevant, competitive, and be considered for a National Title berth every season. They have to add a 12th team and instill a conference title game. There are a few teams that the Big 10 could recruit; Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Connecticut, almost any team from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Navy, Army, or Notre Dame. All the teams mentioned are geographically relevant, and teams like Navy and Army bring tradition, and Notre Dame brings its Big 10 rivalries. Pitt reminds me of a Big 10 team, heavy on the run, hold the pass, while a team like Syracuse, UConn, and the MAC teams bring the new wave...