Is Virginia Tech vs Michigan Sugar Bowl Lite?

Tonight's Sugar Bowl matchup between #11 Michigan and #13 Virginia Tech just doesn't seem to carry the prestige of what you would expect from a BCS Bowl Game.  I mean I even had a hard time of remembering that it was on tonight.  With neither team being ranked in the Top 10, it seems llike more of what you would expect from a high profile out of conference season opener classic than from one of the most prestigious bowl games in college football.  Perhaps I would feel more excited about it if I was actually partying in Champions Square right now and getting one more beverage in me before entering the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.  Now that I have bashed it, it will probably be the game of the year.  Here is a game preview from The Washington Post::

Ever since the Sugar Bowl shocked the college football world by selecting Virginia Tech to face Michigan, it seems the discussion has centered on everything but the game.
We’ve written plenty about whether the Hokies deserve to be in New Orleans, their struggles in bowl games, how two kickers got in off-field trouble and even the potential that running back David Wilson and cornerback Jayron Hosley could be playing their final game in a Virginia Tech uniform. We even explored some of the reasons behind Michigan’s resurgence this season under first-year coach Brady Hoke.
But lost in all the rhetoric that inevitably occurs when there’s a month of build-up is the fact that on paper, Tuesday night’s Sugar Bowl pits two evenly matched teams. Just look at the similarities between Michigan and Virginia Tech after the jump.
To continue reading:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/hokies-journal/post/2012-sugar-bowl-poll-virginia-tech-or-michigan/2012/01/03/gIQAnaHBYP_blog.html

USM Graduate's Successful Online Merchandise Company Began With LSU Products

Here is a great feature story I ran across in Forbes about a USM Graduate whose highly successful college football merchandise online began  as a brick and mortar store in Baton Rouge selling solely LSU products:

By Chris Smith
In 2004, Jared Loftus moved to Baton Rouge, La. with the dream of opening a successful T-shirt shop in the shadow of Louisiana State University’s Tiger Stadium.  His inspiration came while selling bootleg merchandise out of a backpack to raise money for his campaign for student body president at the University of Southern Mississippi.  Loftus noticed a significant demand for the custom merchandise. He found a licensed manufacturer and opened Tiger District in November of 2004.

For full article:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2011/12/19/college-footballs-biggest-entrepreneur/

Saban And Miles Play Role Reversal

The explanation to LSU fans was written less than two weeks after the end of the 2009 season, almost two years to the day from the Tigers' most recent national championship.
One of the reasons for his blog, as LSU athletic director Joe Alleva says, is that he wants to leave no room for interpretation. And there was no denying the message.
What's going on now isn't good enough. The man in charge will fix it.
Or else.
For full article:  http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/01/pursuit_is_on_as_saban_is_now.html

Gunner Kiel, Nation's Top QB, Commits To LSU

Ken Trahan of SportsNola.com discusses the impact of Gunner Kiel on LSU's Quarterback competition for 2012:

I have seen many lists of the top schools and how their recruiting classes rank for the Class of 2012 in college football.
Surprisingly, LSU did not rank among the best or top ten classes on many fronts. That may change after the event on Tuesday.
Blue-chip quarterback Gunner Kiel of Columbus East High School in Columbus, Indiana cast his lot with Les Miles and the Tigers, choosing LSU over Notre Dame and Vanderbilt. He went to Notre Dame, considered the favorite for his services, on two occasions, making an unofficial visit on October 22 and taking an official visit to South Bend on December 9.
To continue reading:  http://www.sportsnola.com/sports/sports-blogs/ken-trahan/578834.html

Pascagoula's Vick Ballard Accepts Senior Bowl Invite

Vick Ballard has spent most of his football career trying to defy expectations.
Mississippi State's star running back will do that again later this month when he competes in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 28 at Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium. This year's kickoff is set for 3 p.m. The game will be televised by the NFL Network.
Ballard closed his Mississippi State career in fine fashion Friday night, rushing for a career-high 180 yards and earning MVP honors as the Bulldogs beat Wake Forest 23-17 in the Music City Bowl. The Pascagoula native scored on runs of 60 and 72 yards as MSU finished 7-6.
To continue reading:  http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-sports/2011/12/mississippi_states_vick_ballar.html