The life of a sports fan band reporter geek guy

This past weekend, I visited Asheville, N.C. to witness the Samford Bulldogs women's basketball team win their second straight Southern Conference championship.  While there, I served a dual role for the team.  In one role, I supported the men's and women's teams both as a member of the Bulldog Pep Band.  In the other, I reported the stories for the school newspaper.  At the victory celebration on Tuesday morning, I was talking to our athletic director, Martin Newton.  He suggested that I write a story about having both of these responsibilities.  Therefore, I come to the source I know will get published no matter what (that's the great thing about a personal blog) so that this idea can become a reality.

The preparation:  Possibly around the end of Jan Term, Dr. Smisek sent out the yearly "join the basketball tournament pep band" email.  My response: an immediate "yes."  I went last year and enjoyed it immensely.  This year, though our women's basketball team was slightly worse than last year's and our men's was slightly better though still not exceptional, I expected the same sort of atmosphere as last year's tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn.

In the week leading up to the SoCon tournament, I became more anticipatory and even less excited about it.  I wasn't expecting as much fun as last year's (a six-plus hour drive to Asheville is not quite the same as three hours to Chattanooga), and I really didn't want to be away from home too long.  After all, I had classes to attend and, more importantly, a girlfriend I didn't really want to be so far away from.  Knowing I had committed to go, and after a talk with one of my friends who was also going, I put aside my negativity and prepared for the journey.

Day 1: Friday, March 2 - Our men's game began at 6 p.m. Eastern time that night; as a result, we - the band and cheerleaders - were scheduled to depart at 8:00 in the morning, Central time.  8 o'clock rolled around and the bus did not.  I, as well as many of my friends, just wanted to get on the bus and go back to sleep.  Finally, the bus arrived and we pulled out at around 8:35.  With the late departure, and having to stop for lunch, we made it to the Asheville Civic Center with about an hour until tip-off.  The game was Furman-Samford.

From the start, our team's fans had four times more spirit than Furman's, even though they outnumbered us at least 2.5:1.  Part of that was because their band was playing across town at their women's game and didn't arrive until halftime.  However, the story was different on the basketball court.  Furman advanced to the quarterfinals with a 75-66 win, and the men's season was over for Samford.  Having hoped the improved Bulldogs would at least win one game in the tournament, I was disappointed.  There was still the women's team, though.

During the game, I texted my editor: "Hey JT, I'm at the tournament this weekend.  Want me to cover it for the Crimson?"  After the affirmative response, I emailed Zac Schreiber from sports information: "Zac, I need to speak to Coach Tillette about the game for the Crimson sometime before the end of Monday.  I'm in Asheville as long as the women's team is, and my computer power cord is on the fritz.  Let me know by phone and email so I'm sure I'm aware."

Yeah, that's an interesting story, too.  For the past week, my laptop charger had been working off and on.  I ordered a new one a day or two before I left, so it had not arrived before the tournament.  Thus, I was writing and reporting two stories, potentially completely away from home, with a computer that had a limited charge. This became quite the problem the longer we were in Asheville.  I also emailed Drew Windler, Tyler Hood and Jeff Merritt before my battery dwindled to a dangerously low point, and got in touch with Joey Mullins for my women's story.

Day Two: Saturday, March 3- This was the team to be excited about.  Our women's basketball team, the defending conference champions.  Their regular season was not as spectacular as last year's; still, a fourth-place seeding in an eleven-team league is nothing to scoff at.  The competition was against the Elon Phoenix at UNC-Asheville's Kimmel Arena, where just moments before leaving the hotel, I saw Asheville claim the Big South title on television.  The expectations in the band and cheerleaders was a win, but we sure wouldn't have minded going home early.  The Bulldogs dominated.  For dinner, the fare was a fantastic Italian panini and the disappointment of having to inform Amy I'd be another day getting home, at least.  Without the use of my computer, I didn't do any reporting.  That role took a night off.

Day Three: Sunday, March 4- Today, we faced the top seed in the conference in Davidson.  The general consensus at the Quality Inn was that we would be going home after the game ended at around 2 p.m.  We didn't let the team know that, and as a result, boy, were we wrong.  With our support, the Dogs bolted to a huge halftime lead, and didn't relent enough to let the Wildcats take the game from them.  I think of all the wins in the tournament, this was the biggest disappointment for the band and cheerleaders.  I had to let Amy know that once again, she'd have to wait another day for my return.

Text from Zac Schrieber: "Clayton, how about 2:00, Eastern time, tomorrow?"  I responded with a yes, knowing that I'd most likely be in a public area with band people.  Of course, I much rather would've been in a hotel room with everything conveniently nearby for me to take notes on the conversation, but I had to do what I had to do.  I stayed up late for no reason, and got rested for the hopefully excited day ahead.

Day Four: Monday, March 5- I had a very quiet and late breakfast at the hotel, joining about four others in the group that were the only ones awake at 10 in the morning.  The anticipation began as the word was passed on that Appalachian State's coach wanted to face the Bulldogs in the final, because she said my school's team didn't deserve it last time. That's motivation if ever there was need to be motivated at all.  I was able to find an outlet to work with my laptop charger, and found a public computer in the hotel.  I was able to write up my men's story, sans Tillette quotes, and talked to Joey Mullins about talking to Mike Morris.

We went to the Asheville mall for lunch and time-killing before the 5 p.m. tip time.  I called and talked to Jimmy Tillette in the middle of the mall and roamed around with my band friends until it was time to go.  We had several signs and t-shirts made up for the game, plus red and yellow cards to display when Mountaineers fouled our Bulldogs.  It was with immense spirit the band and cheerleaders walked into the Civic Center arena  that afternoon, and we passed that spirit on to the team while they were warming up.  We wanted this win.

The team wanted the win, too.  They got off to an 18-8 lead and never really lost control.  In the second half, App fought back for an eventual one-point lead, but the crowd support propelled the Bulldogs to recover.  In the band we were screaming and yelling and having trouble matching up with the cheerleaders because we had that much spirit.  In the end, Samford pulled off the 54-43 victory to claim its second straight SoCon title. We were victorious.  I say "we," because I credit the spirit squad (band and cheerleaders) and fan support for being the deciding factor in the girls' win.  Is it egotistical?  Sure, a little.  Realistic?  Most probably.  When they were taking the picture with the trophy, the team called the cheerleaders and band over to be in the picture with them, something that did not happen last year.  So it's absolutely certain that they appreciated our presence.

Back to the bus.  We had pizza and soda (Pepsi, of course, being in North Carolina) waiting for us so we could get home as soon as possible.  Before the game I talked with Joey Mullins and arranged to call Coach Morris around an hour after the game.  I waited an hour, but we were in the middle of a movie.  I waited for the end of the movie and a gas station stop to call the coach, but there was no response.  I ended up writing about ten questions I could ask when he called back, but he never did.  As a result, I never really got to sleep on the bus, though I tried.  We arrived back in Birmingham at around 12:40 in the morning.

Day Five: Tuesday, March 6- Now, it's time to celebrate.  The victory flag pep rally was at 10:45 a.m. and I was there as a band member and a Crimson reporter.  After several rounds of the fight song, I put my horn away to talk to Coach Morris.  I spoke with him and Paige Anderson, and plugged the quotes I received into my story by that evening.  While at the pep rally, I witnessed crews from several stations, including ABC 33/40 recording the event (You can see my critical review of 33/40's report here - I promise it's a lot shorter than my personal blog posts).  At the pep rally was when I had the discussion with Joey and Mr. Newton that inspired this post.  Mr. Newton told me I could be the only person in the nation to be doing the double-duty thing as a reporter and band member, I doubt it's true though.  If you know of any other instances in which this happened, and are still reading this post, leave me a comment.  Otherwise, come back next post.

Until then,
-Clayton

NFL PREVIEW 2010!!!!!

It's football time again, which means it's time for me to throw out how I think everyone's going to do this season. You might find a surprise or two, let me know what you think's gonna happen!

We'll start off with divisional records and standings.

AFC East

Jets- 12-4

Patriots (WC)- 11-5

Dolphins- 10-6

Bills 5-11

The Revis Holdout ended last night, so the J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS are going to be your favorites in the division. Watch out for the Pats though, they've still got it. Miami and their Wildcat offense will contend as well. The Bills have a rough rebuilding year ahead of them.

AFC North

Ravens- 12-4

Bengals- 10-6

Steelers- 10-6

Browns- 4-12

The Ochocinco-T.O. marriage works well in Cincy, but not well enough. They miss the playoffs by a tiebreaker, and the Ravens win the division easily. The Steelers struggle early without Roethlisberger, but will make a push as the season progresses. Cleveland has a very tough schedule; they'll play competitively, but will fall short often. I say they're among the best sub-.500 teams in the NFL.

AFC South

Colts- 12-4

Texans (WC)- 10-6

Titans- 10-6

Jaguars- 6-10

The Colts continue dominating this division, as Houston makes its first ever playoff berth. The Titans play well, but fall short against Jacksonville, giving the Texans the tiebreaker they need to claim second in the division. The Jaguars, after another disappointing season, fire Coach Del Rio and begin to think more seriously about relocating.

AFC West

Chargers- 10-6

Broncos- 7-9

Chiefs- 4-12

Raiders- 4-12

There have been some great Chargers, Broncos, and Raiders teams to come out of this division, but as of late, it's been one of the worst divisions in pro football. San Diego gets the top spot in the West, and Denver continues to rebuild (Don't worry, Broncos fans, they'll be back within the next couple of seasons). The Chiefs have another bad year, and the Raiders, trying to regain some dignity, falter in a big way. Cable gets fired, and Al Davis will decide to go back into coaching. Not a good move.

In the AFC playoffs, the standings will look as such.

Colts

Jets

Ravens

Chargers

Patriots

Texans

In the wild card round, Houston will show how inexperienced they are in the postseason as they get clobbered by a very good Ravens team in Baltimore. The Patriots will be just too much for the Chargers, and they come out of SD with another big W.

In the divisional playoffs, the Ravens will take on the Jets in a defensive showdown. Ed Reed will provide scoring for Baltimore as they pull off a 7-6 victory in New York. In what could be the final chapter of a storied rivalry from over the past decade, Peyton Manning will find enough to get past the Pats once more.

The conference championship will feature Baltimore, who lost the game in the 2008 season, and Indianapolis, who made it to the Super Bowl last year. Of course, any time Baltimore faces the Colts, it's the entire city that opposes Indy. Peyton will be retiring within the next five years, and he'll want as many rings to his name as he possibly can. Ray Lewis will most likely call it quits at the end of this season, and he wants to go out on top. What fun those two will be, reliving old memories and making a couple new ones as they try to make it to the biggest stage in sports. The Ravens will prevail and be crowned AFC champions.

Now, to the NFC.

NFC East

Cowboys- 12-4

Redskins (WC)- 11-5

Eagles- 10-6

Giants- 8-8

The NFC East is not just the toughest division in the NFL, it is arguably the best in all of pro sports. Dallas is gearing up for a Super Bowl in its home stadium, while Donovan McNabb, Mike Shanahan, and the Redskins all make a resurgence. The Eagles have a good season, and the Giants struggle, but still do better than many second- and third-place teams in other divisions.

NFC North

Packers- 11-5

Vikings- 10-6

Lions- 4-12

Bears- 2-14

Brett Favre will come back should there be football in 2011. Because he won't even make it to the playoffs. The Pack will get this division, and Aaron Rodgers will win MVP honors. Meanwhile, the Lions will continue their rebuilding, and the Bears will have the most atrocious season in the NFL this year.

NFC South

New Orleans 12-4

Atlanta 12-4

Tampa 5-11

Carolina 3-13

Bye-bye, John Fox! Panthers will have a tough year, but they'll play well through it. Just not well enough to matter. Tampa continues to rebuild, and there's a battle for the top. New Orleans will repeat as division champs.

NFC West

San Francisco- 11-5

Arizona- 8-8

Seattle- 6-10

St. Louis- 3-13

A new group of a familiar team will get to the top of the West for the first time since 2002. The Cardinals will have struggles with a new QB, Seattle will be on the rise, but won't keep Hasselbeck when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season (Look for Mike Holmgren and Cleveland to pick him up). The Rams will struggle, but will do a little better than last year.

And now, my NFC playoff picks.

Homefield throughout, including potentially the Super Bowl, Dallas- 12-4

New Orleans- 12-4

Green Bay- 11-5

San Francisco- 11-5

Atlanta- 12-4

Washington- 11-5

In the wild card round, we see Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb traveling to a possibly snowy Lambeau Field to take on NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. I think the Packers will pull out of this one with the insanely close W. It'll be a incredibly fun game to watch.

Atlanta and San Francisco- I am a HUGE Mike Singletary fan, but Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been through the playoff ringer before, and most of Singletary's players have not. So I'm giving the edge to Atlanta on the road in this one.

Divisional round: Green Bay will visit New Orleans, and this year's NFL MVP will face the reigning Super Bowl MVP. This game will also be entertaining. The All-Pro foot of Mason Crosby will send the Packers into the NFC title game.

In Dallas, the top-seeded 'Boys will be put to the test by the 2010 version of the Dirty Birds. Just thinking about this matchup has one remembering (as well as one can remember not actually remembering for him or herself, being quite young at the time) the early 90s when these teams were both in NFC prominence. It'll be fun, but Dallas will advance with not much problem.

The NFC Chamionship game will be magnificent football. I don't think I've been more excited about the NFC ever. I can't even begin to analyze this one, or it'll take me forever to come to a conclusion. So I'll just say Dallas. Get it over with. They'll play the first legitimate home Super Bowl game.

In Super Bowl XLV, the Baltimore Ravens will travel to Dallas to face a blue-and-white washout crowd of 100,000 or more. Oh yeah, and the Cowboys. It will be the most one-sided NFL Championship, spectator-wise, in the history of the Super Bowl. But are you ready for this? The 2010 World Champions will be the Baltimore Ravens who will win by a score of 24-16. Ed Reed will intercept two passes, returning one for a touchdown, and be named the Most Valuable Player of the game. Ray Lewis will retire on top, much like Jerome Bettis five years ago.

This being said, prepare for me to be a HUGE Aaron Rodgers, Packers, Texans, Ravens, and Cowboys fan this year (Although, naturally, not quite as much as I like the Titans)

Comments? Fears, doubts, concerns? Got your own bold predictions? Or maybe you want to join my prognostication mailing list. If any of the aforementioned apply to you, leave me a comment, right down there vvvvv

-c

I just feel like ranting.

*RANT RANT RANT RANT RANT RANT RANT*

There. It doesn't make me feel much better, but I'll keep writing for a while.

Please, please, excuse any vulgarities that might escape my fingers in this blog. I'm THAT upset.

And there's really no need to be, which makes me even more irate.

It's those damn Yankees. Yeah, hate them more than I have in a while. It's just...grrrrr.

Tonight's baseball scores of course top off the 0-3 start to my preseason predictions, first with the cowboys beating cincy in the hall of fame game last sunday, and then with New England beating the Saints and oakland coming from behind in a lack of offensive production from dallas, which enabled the raiders' 17-9 win. Last time I put my faith in that "America's Team" this preseason. field goals the rest of the way for them.

Please help me remember the nation's favorite basketball and hockey teams so I can start rooting against them too.

gasjdpidajpogoajpgpjogdpjogpjogpojgsdapjogsdapjoga

On top of that, no one's playing in what should've been a glorious last three weeks of my lyric game.

I don't know what is up with that. Because no one's letting me know, except for Janie, their intents to stop playing. I'm considering as of now just stopping and not awarding any prizes.

But that conflicts my sense of commitment.

I think it's starting to sink in how close I am to being gone from Hville for an insanely extended length of time for the first time since 1996. I think the longest I haven't been home consecutively is about two weeks, and I'm about to spend two months in birmingham before fall break.

Wait, what!

Yeah, that can make a guy miserable.

On top of that, ***** GRAMMATICAL AND SPELLING ERRORS NEED TO STOP! I will go on a frenzy before long correcting everyone, especially those that are in school already. Bane of my existence.

hmmm...meteor shower tonight. I think I'm going to see if I can't see anything through the bright city lights of middle Tennessee.

And maybe make some sort of wish. Or refuse to believe in such poppycock.

Whatever.

I'm out.

well...not much...but...here it is in all its shining glory...blog number 23

i take time out of my busy schedule to honor all the great number 23's:

Michael Jordan (started the number's status as that of superstars)
LeBron James
Don Mattingly
Ryne Sandberg
David Beckham
Devin Hester
Marshawn Lynch
Ronnie Brown
Cadillac Williams
Erin Malone
Julio Lugo

i probably have missed many...but these are some notables....however, there is one more:

THIS BLOG!!!

so anyway, just got through espn's lastest tmq and found it an enjoyable read...lots of good stuff in it...also the new mayne street...not as good as some others but it's okay...it's got some pg-13 moments, but overall as long as you are mature enough to handle it...it's good.

go titans! i was thoroughly upset by the loss to the texans, and then by pittsburgh winning. my pick is still titans over panthers in the super bowl. we'll see...but i repeat GO TITANS!!!! AFC SOUTH DIVISION CHAMPS, BABY!!!!!!

how bout them celtics! i think that's all i have to say about that

baseball winter meetings...hope sox get away with texeira...that would be awesome.

my new favorite song: live your life by rhianna and t.i.

that's it for now

-cth

how bout them (wyoming) cowboys!

so, i was at black eyed peas, when a newspaper article in The Tennessean caught my attention: Vols sink to new low, fall 13-7 to Wyoming

wyoming? seriously? no way.

i read on.

"In a season full of Big Orange surprises, UT unveiled an absolute stunner. Playing one of the worst teams in all of college football, the Volunteers stumbled, bumbled and fumbled their way to one of the program's worst losses ever."

wow...that's rough...

continuing my read, i saw:

"Wyoming entered Neyland Stadium as a 26-point underdog and a perceived homecoming doormat, but exited victorious with a 13-7 win front of an embarrassed crowd of 99,489.
It was the first game for UT since Monday's announcement that Coach Phillip Fulmer would not return next season. The Vols were attempting to ride a wave of emotion entering the game, but instead left riding a three-game losing streak.
"Obviously it's been a really hard week on everybody," Fulmer said. "(The players) don't owe me any kind of apology. If anything, I owe it to them and to the fans for this whole week coming about."

well, i needed read no further. it was all in front of me, wyoming. wyoming? beating ut? dang...i began to laugh.

"ha! that's great. i need to remind all my ut crazy fans whenever i see them!"

i guess it was my way of dealing with a tennessee tragedy. i really am supporting of the vols, though, as i mentioned here, i'm not as big a fan as i used to be. other people will treat the game differently, but i think ridicule will be the way i handle it.

oh well, there's another vandy win...so we'll at least be bowl eligible...

a blocked punt! to beat the cowboys in overtime! and other football stuff

to start off, I CAN'T BELIEVE that VANDERBILT lost to MISSISSIPPI STATE!!!!!!!!!!!! that and the red sox going up 1-0 over tampa in the alcs were the only news i had this weekend, thanks to being in the middle of nowhere at an amazing retreat (more to come on that). so anyway, po'd in one way, elated in the other. after the vandy game, the next football i got was at 1:30 pm sunday...cause i fell asleep while i was unpacking...so i watched a bit of indy destroying the ravens...and then the new york titans (still cant get over brett favre in navy and gold) defeating the woebegone (retreat memory!!!) cincinnati bengals 26-14. here's what marv lewis was telling his boys in the fourth quarter:

ok, we're only down six points. the other team's driving...lets' hold 'em to nothing defense, but don't use any timeouts cause we'll need them later..."

after the titan's td:

"well, we're down twelve now, but we can still come back...just don't use more than one timeout...cause we'll need them later..."

for what? the week 10 bye???? neway, enough for that game.

next game: falcons-bears.

just another reason the bears aren't playoff-worthy again...yet. they should've been defending all the receivers double-teamed but jenkins was able to get the catch made and out of bounds with one second left. and then more elam heroics...but really that's commonplace now...bottom line: good game, fantastic ending, and can't wait to see the falcons make the playoffs (whenever they do). matt ryan is the new face of the falcons franchise. he's a better player and person than mike vick.

texans-dolphins.

matt shaub is the best qb to ever play for the houston texans. not only did he set a passing record for the texans, but he got the game winning score rushing. pretty sweet. good game again.

cowboys-cardinals.

awesome ending! and that play in the first quarter where romo lost the ball after being called down...totally a fumble. whatever the refs were thinking was wrong. so that was sweet

rams-redskins.

congrats rams on your first win. firing linehan was probably the best move they've made for a while.

red sox

game 3 of the alcs tonight. series tied 1-1 time to come home to boston. can't wait to see my boys win it all. go red sox!!!!!

retreat

it was awesome. started out friday evening celebrating joes' big 6-oh. connecting with friends was great. then we had a good night's sleep.

saturday was great. "boom chicka boom" started the day, then a lot of activities. tossed footballs, frisbees, and flying rings. lots of discussion, both religious and non religious. then went to the nursing home in dickson. guy with demientia told us a story...twenty times...it went kinda like this.

"God said i don't know what you stole, but whatever it is both of you, you and the thing you stole, wherever i am, both of you will be also. it's written in red, and i believe every word of it. and then i turned the page...and two women walked down buck nekked. and two minutes later, three more women walked down buck nekked. i had to put three cloths on 'em and take their shoes off. and i turned the page and one of 'em said well i don't want you to take my shoes off. and i said i don't care what you don't want, i've been demanded to take your shoes off and i'm gonna do just that. not later, but right now. and it was written in red and i believe every word of it. and then i turned the page and whatever you stole, both of you wherever i am you will both there be also..." and on and on it went.

so after that we went back to garner creek and hung out and ate some more, then bonfire, and matt christopher and i played an awesome game of apples to apples. the favorite word/phrase was "my body." the first green card we drew while christopher was in the shower was "sensual", and the first red card was "my body". it just continued from there. the best play though was on the green card "temperamental" and i put down the red card "women" great cause it was all guys playing and we shared the same sentiment. so that was fun.

sunday morning was worhip. then we left and got home, football, and today. got a shot and blood drawn. not fun, but it was necesary. had an awesome time playing with the birch babies allie and aubrey, and the eaton twins josh and andrew, and judy jones' granddaughter sarah. all little kids. but also enjoyed some quality time with the youth at the retreat: christopher, matt, lyndsay, jonathan, and tristan. and the youth leader from rehoboth philip. so it was all good. until next time.....

-cth

UPSET SPECIAL!!!

well, starting with #1 usc losing to oregon state, #4 florida, #9 Wisconsin, #16 Wake Forest (are you seeing the same pattern i'm seeing?), #20 Clemson, and #23 ECU lost to unranked teams, and #3 Georgia fell to #8 Alabama by a score of 41-30 last night. Other ranked teams losing were #24 TCU to #2 Oklahoma and #22 Illinois against #12 Penn State. Winning teams were #2 Oklahoma, #5 LSU, #7 Texas, #12 PSU, #13 South Florida, #14 Ohio State, #15 Auburn, #17 Utah, and #25 Fresno. Idle in the top 25 were #6 Missouri, #10 Texas Tech, #11 Brigham Young, #18 Kansas, #19 Boise St, and #21 Vanderbilt. with all the facts before you, I now present my top 25, from 25 to 1

25. Clemson (3-2, lost to Maryland 20-17)
24. UConn (5-0, Defeated Louisville 26-21)
23. Wake Forest (3-1, lost to Navy 24-17)
22.Virginia Tech (4-1, defeated Nebraska 35-30)
21. Oklahoma State (4-0, defeated Troy 55-24)

20. Oregon (4-1, defeated Washington State 63-14)
19. Fresno State (3-1, defeated UCLA 36-31)
18. Vanderbilt (4-0, Idle)
17. Boise State (3-0, Idle)
16. Kansas (3-1, Idle)

15. Utah (5-0, defeated Weber State 37-21)
14. Georgia (4-1, lost to #8 Alabama 41-30)
13. Auburn (4-1, Defeated Tennessee 14-12)
12. Ohio State (4-1, defeated Minnesota 34-21)
11. South Florida (5-0, defeated NC State 41-10)

10. Penn State (5-0, defeated #22 Illinois 38-24)
9. Florida (3-1, lost to Mississippi 31-30)
8. BYU (4-0, Idle)
7. USC (2-1, lost to Oregon State 27-21)
6. Texas Tech (4-0, Idle)

5. Alabama (5-0, defeated #3 Georgia 41-30)
4. Missouri (4-0, Idle)
3. LSU (4-0, defeated Mississippi State 34-24)
2. Texas (5-0, defeated Arkansas 52-10)
1. Oklahoma (5-0, defeated #24 TCU 35-10)

Teams in top 25 by conference

SEC- 6
Big XII-6
ACC- 3
PAC-10- 2
Big Ten- 2
WAC- 2
Mountain West- 2
Big East- 2

that's it for now...nfl blog to come later in the week