Nick Jordan has been selected to play for the U.S. Army All-American team. Photo by Brian Hwu.

Nick Jordan, a 165-pound kicker for the Coppell High School varsity football team, has been selected to play in the 2012 U.S. Army All-American bowl. This elite group of ‘All-American’ players will be playing in a game at the Alamodome in San Antonio on January 7, 2012.

Fox Sports on MSN.com reported that John Meyers, Director of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command, said the following:

“Nick is a talented athlete whose leadership and teamwork qualities have made him a standout at Coppell High School. Only the strongest wear the Army colors, and Nick possesses similar mental, emotional and physical strengths to Army Strong Soldiers. We are proud to honor all of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl players and congratulate each of them on their selection.”

Jordan is currently rated as the #12 kicker in the country and is committed to play for University of Texas at Austin in the fall.

Super Bowl 45, which will be played in about two weeks, is sure to be a great game between the Stealers and Packers. But what if you don’t watch the Super Bowl for the game?

For years the Super Bowl has been known for its commercials because it is the biggest advertising platform on earth. The 2010 Super Bowl ads cost for a 30 second spot were around 2.7 million. Seeing how much these spots cost really shows why these companies try and put their most memorable commercials forward. When I say memorable, I actually mean funny because everyone remembers funny ads.

Last year, the main ad, which took up a large amount of time called “Focus on the Family,” was an ad for a moral reason and not an actual company. The commercial unfortunately was not as memorable because it just wasn’t funny. On the other hand, Go Daddy, Budweiser and Doritos chips made the top spots for funny ads by simply making it funny and focusing it around their product. Other top commercials were made by car companies such as Kia and Voltzwagen.

This year most of the companies are keeping there ads under raps, but there’s a guarantee you’ll be entertained even if you don’t care about the game.

The Super Bowl, which is being played at Cowboys Stadium in the upcoming month has already become sold out. If you want to sit inside the stadium you’re out of luck, but you can still be pretty close to the action.

It has been announced that tickets will be sold for 200 dollars a piece to sit on the lawn on the east side of the stadium at game time and view the game on HD TVs. For any people looking into this take this into account. The tickets are 200 dollars to not get into the game. You can watch this game from the comfort of your own home for free and the food is less than what you can get at the stadium; it’s probably better too. Also, February is one of the coldest months of the year and who knows what the weather will be like on game day. Parking is free, but let’s be honest, you’ll probably have to walk from Fort Worth to get to the stadium from those parking spots. All in all, it’s not worth it.

I have never really liked Jerry Jones, but this is getting out of control. The NFL and Jones don’t need any more money, and if you’re going to sit outside it should be free. Jones is just milking this Super Bowl opportunity for everything it’s worth with this “Party Plaza”. I could possibly understand people wanting to be part of the last Super Bowl before the possible strike next year, but I don’t think it will be that enjoyable.

Staff Writer

While the rest of the world celebrated the arrival of 2011 on New Year’s Day, the TCU Horned Frogs and their fans were celebrating something else entirely. The Horned Frogs had just capped off a perfect 12-0 season with a victory over the Wisconsin Badgers in ”The Granddaddy of them All“, the historic Rose Bowl Game. 

Mountain West Champion TCU and Big-10 Champion Wisconsin clashed at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California both hoping to earn their spot among the college football elite and in Rose Bowl history. Ever since the matchup was announced at the end of the regular season, it was one of the most intriguing and heavily discussed of all the bowl games.

Experts considered this a very intriguing matchup do to the differences of the two teams. TCU was a team known for speed and technique while Wisconsin was renowned for its power, physical play, and leviathan linemen. Both teams however, were extremely well coached, made few mistakes, and were led by experienced senior quarterbacks.

#3 TCU, although favored against #5 Wisconsin, had something to prove.  Many doubted that non-AQ conference teams like TCU or Boise State could really compete with “the big boys” – teams from the 6 AQ Conferences. TCU set out to prove that they were for real on college football’s oldest and most coveted stage: The Rose Bowl.

In front of nearly 95,000 fans, Coach Gary Patterson’s TCU Horned Frogs did just that. In the first half of play, the teams both scored twice. Wisconsin struck first with an impressive drive deep into TCU territory only to settle for a field goal. TCU responded when Andy Dalton connected with Bart Johnson for a 23 yard touchdown. Soon after, Wisconsin’s powerhouse running back John Clay powered his way into the endzone to take the lead 10-7. Just before the end of the half, Andy Dalton snuck into the endzone with 36 seconds remaining to give TCU a 14-10 lead after 1 quarter.

The 24 combined points set a Rose Bowl record for points scored in the first quarter. Also note that Wisconsin kicker Philip Welch missed a field goal in the third quarter. Although a minor event at the time, these are three points that could have determined the outcome of the game. Despite the initial scoring frenzy, the game settled down for the most part in the remaining 3 quarters. The 2nd quarter was scoreless with the exception of a Wisconsin field goal as the final seconds of the half ticked away. Going into halftime, the Horned Frogs held a narrow 14-13 lead over the Badgers.

In the first few minutes of the third quarter, the Frogs struck again-this time a 1 yard touchdown run by Luke Shivers after and impressive drive led by Dalton. For the rest of the quarter, the TCU defense was able to maintain this 21-13 lead over Wisconsin. Despite excellent running by the Badgers’ two running backs John Clay and Montee Ball, the Horned Frogs managed to stop them short of Welch’s field goal range. TCU effectively drained much of the clock in the fourth quarter, but with just a few minutes remaining Wisconsin got the ball with a chance to tie the game. Down by 8, the Badgers would need not only a touchdown, but a two point conversion as well.

With a mere 2 minutes remaining, Wisconsin’s QB Scott Tolzien led the Badgers down the field as 95,000 fans stood in their seats watching helplessly. On the 4 yard line, Tolzien handed the ball off to Montee Ball who sprinted past purple defenders for what could’ve been the game tying touchdown. Still down 21-19, the Badgers had to reach the end zone on the two point conversion to tie the game and send it in to overtime.

But the Badgers’ Rose Bowl aspirations ended when TCU’s menacing linebacker Tank Carder batted down Tolzien’s game tying pass to the wide open receiver in the endzone. When TCU got the ball back with less than two minutes to go, they ran the ball draining both the clock and Wisconsin’s hope. When the clock hit 0, purple clad athletes, coaches, and fans stormed the field and Gary Patterson was rewarded a traditional Gatorade bath.

This is a miraculous achievement for Texas Christian, but the statistics show that Wisconsin was perhaps the more dominant team in the game. The Badgers had more first downs, total yards, time of possession, and had almost triple the rushing yards of the Horned Frogs.

But at the end of the day, it’s the scoreboard that matters, not statistics. TCU rose to the challenge of facing an AQ-conference team and validated their status as a top-tier team. Headed for the Big East in 2012, the TCU Horned Frogs should have a better chance to play for a Championship in the future. Their victory is not just a huge win for the TCU, but for all the non-AQ teams wishing to even the playing field. Along with Boise State’s victory over Oklahoma and Utah’s victory over Alabama in past years, this game will go down in history as one of the games that challenged the big 6 conferences’ dominance in college football.

Staff Writer

Since 1902, college football has utilized a unique system of bowl games for postseason play, rather than the traditional playoff used in almost every other sport. The bowl system has developed a lot since then, but it still uses the same basic principles.

Nowadays, a combination of computer rankings and human polls converges to assemble the BCS Rankings, which ranks every team from 1st to last. At the end of the 12 game season, the top 2 in the rankings play in the BCS Championship game.

Additionally, eight other teams, mostly conference champions, may earn a spot in the four BCS Bowl games. A plethora of minor bowl games are played by teams that could not qualify for a BCS Bowl game yet had at least 6 wins.

It seems fair right? However, controversy has arisen in the past few seasons, causing the BCS system to come under some serious fire from fans and spectators. Many critics of the BCS system are pushing for a conversion to a traditional playoff used in every other sport. They claim that the BCS ranking system is not accurate or fair, every season it seems there is some sort of controversy surrounding the BCS.

Challengers of the BCS believe that the only fair way to proclaim a true champion is for a playoff involving all of the top teams, rather than just the top 2 ranked, so that the champion must prove their superiority on the field instead of in a computer or poll.

While this is a valid point, the BCS system is still far superior to any proposed playoff system. Fans may rant about how ideal a playoff system would be, yet there are many aspects often left unconsidered that make a playoff system not so “ideal.”

First of all, statistics show that football is by far the most viewed collegiate sport in the nation, more than twice as much as any other sport. A large reason why is the unique system and intensity that accompanies it.

In the BCS system, every regular season game is as vital as a playoff game would be. The BCS system creates a fantastic aura of suspense, intensity, and passion around NCAA football because of this. The value of the regular season, the astounding passion of the athletes, and the one of a kind atmosphere would all be diminished with the installment of a playoff system.

There are over thirty bowl games in the college football post-season, and many of them carry a rich history and bring much needed revenue to schools and local communities. For example ticket sales, television broadcasting rights, merchandise, and more brought in a total of $250 million to colleges around the nation in 2008.

UCLA's Rahim Moore is elated after beating Oregon State, 17-14, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Saturday, November 6, 2010. (Rod Veal/Orange County Register/MCT)

In addition to raking in some serious cash, several bowl games have a rich history that may face dissolution in the event of a playoff system. Most notably of these is the legendary Rose Bowl game, which has been played annually for well over 100 years. The implementation of a playoff system could destroy this legacy and others like it.

When debating the BCS system, one must also consider who the change will affect most, in this case, the student athletes. A playoff system would result in an extension of the existing 12 game season, which means less time in the classroom for the students. Academics should be a higher priority than sports, and extending the season may be too much to ask of the young athletes.

More time on the field would also result in more injuries, which everybody hates seeing when watching the games on Saturday and could have dreadful consequences.

While the BCS system does have flaws, it is undeniably superior to a playoff system that many fans are suggesting. Let’s keep Saturdays the way they are; breathtaking, intense, and exciting.

Some movies are too good to wait for

I’m a movie fanatic, if you have not already guessed. Every part about movies interests me. The writing, the producing, even the camera man. He intrigues me for some reason.

So for this blog post I thought I would preview my three most anticipated movie releases for 2010. Let’s get started.

MOVIE # 1: Green Zone

Matt Damon (Bourne Ultimatum) pairs with director Paul Greengrass (Bourne Ultimatum) to bring you an afghan- war scenario where Officer Roy Miller (Damon) stumbles on evidence of several cover up missions that threatened the lives of innocent civilians. Miller now must decide to sweep his knowledge under the rug forever or try to show it to the world. But the CIA won’t go quietly.

MOVIE #2: Iron Man 2

No need to explain this one. Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as Iron Man in the anticipated sequel. Not much is known about the plot, except the fact that Mickey Rourke and Denzel Washington have parts in the movie. This movie should be good, because it seems pretty hard to go wrong with a great cast like that.

MOVIE #3: Toy Story 3

Both Toy Story 1 and 2 have 100% ratings on Rottentomatoes.com. That’s pretty hard to do. I mean, The Departed, which was a fantastic movie got a 92%. So Toy Story 3 is going to be a huge deal. The synopsis is that Andy moves away to college and the toys must stick together as they are given away. Should be great.

In the comments, post some movies you are looking forward to.

Peyton Manning and Drew Brees face off in Super Bowl XLIV

By Wren Culp

Staff Writer

Video by Corban Rubinson with KCBY

The Colts and the Saints battle it out on February 7^th to see who will become the champion of the NFL.

For Peyton Manning, playing the team that his father tried so hard to turn around will be a little interesting. Manning grew up in the city of New Orleans, watching his dad try to turn the worst team in the league around.

The matchup will be interesting to watch, especially considering that Manning and Brees are connected friends.

Offensive Advantage: Indianapolis

The Colts have offensive weapons that cannot be contained. Peyton Manning is undeniably the best quarterback in the league, and you cannot stop every receiver they have. Pierre Garcon had eleven receptions in the win over the Jets, and don’t expect anything less. Then you have to worry about Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, and Reggie Wayne. Too much for the Saints too handle.

Defensive Advantage: Indianapolis

The Colts defense is the most underrated squad in the league. But in the playoffs they always seem to rise. With Dwight Freeney questionable, that does leave some gaps in the D-line, but in the end the safeties and secondary will keep Brees off of his game. My advice for the Colts is to watch what the Dallas Cowboys did to the Saints. Learn from them.

Special Teams Advantage: New Orleans

The idea of Reggie Bush returning punts is scary. And the Colts have usually never been that good defending any of the special teams. The Saints kicker Garrett Hartley nailed a field goal to win the game against the Vikings, but that doesn’t mean anything, especially after missing a short field goal against Tampa Bay weeks before. But the Saints are looking good here.

Coaching Advantage: Indianapolis

Yes, Sean Payton is a good coach. But Jim Caldwell went 14-2 in his head coaching debut. That’s amazing for anybody. It took Sean Payton a long time to really get his team going. This one goes to Indianapolis.

Prediction: Indianapolis 35 New Orleans 28

The Saints are good, but the Colts are just better. They have an all around better team, and they have Peyton Manning. You cannot stop Peyton Manning. You can throw him off his rhythm, but sooner or later he will figure out what you are doing on defense and he will attack it all night. Saints are good, but the Colts are just better.

Staff Writer

The NFL is stupid. Not the football part. That’s what fans like I live for. But the Pro Bowl BEFORE the Super Bowl is just a waste of time and takes away emphasis from the important game.

The Pro Bowl is a fun and entertaining football game where players relax and just play a friendly game of football. In history, the Pro Bowl has always been after the super bowl, so players who were in the Super Bowl could play in the game.

But this year the NFL screwed up. The NFL scheduled the Pro Bowl for this Sunday, January 31^st, 2009. The Super Bowl is not until February 7^th.