The Store is Open

We have decided to re-open The Beardown Shop, your source for gear that we find humorous and stylish. Stop by and check out some of the designs and be on the lookout as more will be added in the near future. And keep an eye out for the specials. To benefit our loyal followers we will occasionally be having sales on the gear for lower prices. Sometimes with a bonus code and sometimes for limited times so check out the site for updates. You can also click the shirt and check out the aisles right now.


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The NFL's Top Cheerleaders - AFC

Today I am showing you all the top Cheerleaders in the NFL. As I said earlier, think of it as the Pro Bowl of Hottness. I dropped the NFC Representatives earlier so here are the AFC Champions of Cheer.

Baltimore Ravens: Lauren St., Sarah B., Kate, Lauren Sp., Abbie M. -

Buffalo Bills: Danielle, Jessica, Jill, Lisa -

Cincinnati Bengals: Heather B., Lindsay -

Denver Broncos: Sara, Nicole, Elizabeth, Romi, Stephanie, Amanda, Sarah -












Houston Texans: Andrea, Amanda, Candice, Marissa, Randi, Susannah -

Indianapolis Colts: Jessica E., Hillari, Christina, Bailey, Amy -

For the Rest of the AFC Keep Reading on the next page:

Jacksonville Jaguars: Emily C., Kelli, Kristyann, Michelle, Shenette, Sunny -

Kansas City Chiefs: Andrea, Ashley, Jeron, Jessie, Shaelley, Susie, Felisha -

Miami Dolphins: Brittany F., Jaime, Johanna, Genesis, Fabiola, Ashley, Bibiana, Jennifer B., Missy -

New England Patriots: Julia, Lindsey, Kelly, Jillian -

Oakland Raiders: Noni, Nicole J., Natalie M., Jonni, Ariel, Alisha -

San Diego Chargers: Breann, Jacquelyn, Ashley, Nicole L., Carissa, Kiirsta -

More after the jump...

The NFL's Top Cheerleaders - NFC

Hello everyone, as promised I have a couple of "articles" for you today. The first is the NFC Representatives of the NFL Cheerleader Pro Bowl. I have spent my time and effort to scan through the entire NFL Cheerleading Rosters to bring you this. It was hours of hard work but I do it for you the reader and the fan. Please enjoy the following.

Arizona Cardinals: Amanda, Jennalee, Kristen, Whitney W., and Brittany -













Atlanta Falcons: Carey, Neta, Jenny, Nicole Mo, Kensey -













Carolina Panthers: Christy, Kelli, Kimberly, Kristie -










For the Rest of the NFC Keep reading on the next page:

Dallas Cowboys: Abigail, Trisha, Brittany, Jordyn, Kelsi, Sarah, Justine, Kaitlin -














Minnesota Vikings: Annalisa, Ashley, Elle, Bailey, Tristina -














New Orleans Saints: Bethany, Haylee, Lindsey, Stacy -












Philadelphia Eagles: Alaina, Alexandra, Alicia, Ashley, Katheryn, Kristie, Lauren, Krystle, Nikki, Stacy, Victoria -

San Francisco 49ers: Cassie, Alexis, Carmen -

Seattle Seahawks: Andrea, Tessa, Melanie, Jessica T., Amanda -
























St. Louis Rams: Megan, Christa, Lucy, Mary Beth, Tiffany -


























Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jaime, Ashley, Lisa, Jennifer, Rachel, Lori, Susan, Kristin -

Washington Redskins - Christy, Buffy, Katie, Nicole, Sooin -

Don't forget to check out your AFC Representatives.


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BREAKING: Tom To Tucson - Izzo Top Candidate for Arizona Job

Breaking news from McKale Center.  There are current unconfirmed reports that among others in serious contention for the Arizona Basketball Head Coaching vacancy, Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo has tossed his hat in the ring. 

Izzo, who has been the Head Spartan for Michigan State since 1995, has often been considered a leading candidate in many job openings.  Most recently his name was mentioned in the possible replacements for Tubby Smith in

 Kentucky after his departure in 2007.  He quickly shot that rumor down.  ESPN's lead College Basketball guru Andy Katz has cited Coach Izzo with the success of the program in East Lansing over the last decade plus.  

As opposed to when his name was in contention for the Kentucky job, sources have informed me that Izzo reached out to the AD's office in Tucson.  Landing Izzo in Tucson would be a the Cats best chance at avoiding too lengthy of a rebuilding process.  

Others listed in the first batch of candidates Arizona is rumored to be considering are Mark Few of Gonzaga and John Calipari from Memphis.  Calipari being an interesting suggestion as former Arizona Assistant Josh Pastner left Arizona for Memphis after a lengthy tenure beginning with his playing days in Tucson.

Calls to both the Arizona and Michigan State Athletic Departments were not returned.

More after the jump...

For anyone who swings by this weekend here's a heads up. Stop by Monday afternoon for 2 new articles that should prove rather interesting plus, if all goes according to plan, there may be a new weekly feature coming by the Beardown featuring myself and 4Real, more details Monday morning. Have a great weekend and Beardown!



Go CATS!
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Spencer Larsen Hit

Spencer Larsen




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How it Could Happen

As avid Beardown Readers should be aware, I hate the BCS System. I'm not asking for a +1, or an 8 or 16 team playoff (though I proposed a 16 team Playoff at this point last year). I am just sick of the BCS and how wrong it has been, so many times in the past. Hell it promised no more split titles when it originated, and then as you may remember, in it's thrid installment - there was a split National Champion.......Whoops.

So as I said, as a proponent for more BCS blunders and bloopers, here is how I would love the remainder of this season to turn out.

BCS Rankings (as of this morning):
1. Alabama 10-0 (6-0)
2. Texas Tech 10-0 (6-0)
3. Texas 9-1 (5-1)
4. Florida 8-1 (6-1)
5. Oklahoma 9-1 (5-1)
6. USC 8-1 (6-1)
7. Utah 10-0 (6-0)
8. Penn St. 9-1 (5-1)
9. Boise St. 9-0 (5-0)

Here's where the hypotheticals come in, all of which are very, very possible:

Bama's upcoming schedule consists of Mississippi St., Auburn, and #4 Florida. If Bama beats Miss St. and Auburn and drops to Florida they will be 12-1 (8-1) to end the regular season atop the SEC West.

Texas Tech will be looking at #5 Oklahoma, Baylor. Going 1-1 in that stretch (with the loss to Oklahoma) would put the Raiders at 11-1 (7-1) ending the regular season and the Big XII Championship.

Texas has a pair of wins in the bag looking at Kansas and Baylor which would mark them at 11-1 (7-1) ending their regular season in a tie with Texas Tech for the Big XII South, but Tech holds the tie-breaker.

Florida has South Carolina, Citadel, Florida St, and Alabama. What if they drop the game to South Carolina but win out over the other 3. They would end the regular season at 11-2 (7-2) and atop the SEC East.

Oklahoma matches up with Texas Tech and Oklahoma St. As we said earlier beating Tech but losing to Oklahoma St. They would thus end the season at 10-2 (6-2), and out of the Big XII Championship.

USC looks at Stanford, Notre Dame, and UCLA and wins out to end their season at 11-1 (8-1) atop the Pac 10.

Utah has San Diego State and #17 BYU. Utah beats SDSU and BYU in the de facto Conference Championship game at the end of the season, they finish up at 12-0 (8-0) and win the Mountain West.

Penn State has Indiana and #15 Michigan State to end the season. If they win out they finish up 11-1 (7-1) and winners of the Big Eleven.

Lastly, Boise State makes it past Idaho, Nevada, and Fresno State to take the WAC Title and a nice 12-0 (8-0) record.

Then we head to the SEC and Big XII Championships:
SEC - West Champ Bama faces the East Champ Gators in a rematch of their last loss, and drops to the Gators again.
Big XII - South Champ Texas Tech faces the North Champ Mizzou and gets upset.

So what we would be looking at going into the BCS Championship would be:

Alabama: 12-2 (8-2) SEC Runner-Up
Texas Tech: 11-2 (7-2) Big XII Runner-Up
Texas: 11-1 (7-1)
Florida: 12-2 (8-2) SEC Champion
Oklahoma: 10-2 (6-2)
USC: 11-1 (8-1) Pac-10 Champion
Utah: 12-0 (8-0) MWC Champion
Penn St: 11-1 (7-1) Big Eleven Champion
Boise St: 12-0 (8-0) WAC Champion

So who goes to the National Championship:
A two loss team who didn't win their conference (Bama and Tech)?
A one loss team who didn't play in the Conference Championship (Texas)?
A two loss team who won their conference (Florida)?
A two loss team who didn't play in the Conference Championship (Oklahoma)?
A one loss Conference Champion in a weak Conference (Penn St. and USC)?
Undefeated non-BCS Conference Champion (Utah and Boise St.)?

Arguments can be made for each of these teams:
You can't put both Utah and Boise St. in the National Championship, but then again, if you take one, don't you have to take both?
Can you take Penn St. or USC since they don't have Conference Championship games and the risk associated with them like the Big XII and SEC?
What about Florida, they would have won a tough conference, and beat former #1 Alabama TWICE in the closing weeks? But they have two losses and there are 1 loss and 0 loss Conference Champions in the mix.
Can you consider Texas? They only have one loss but they didn't even play in their Conference Championship.
What about Bama and Texas Tech? They both have two losses, and neither of them won their Conference Championship.

I want this scenario to happen. I REALLY want this scenario to happen. At the very least we could expect varied voting from the AP again like USC in 2003, and perhaps another split title. That would mean that in the BCS era, an era that promised no split titles, we would have 2 years out of 10 in which there was a Split Championship, that's 20%.

What if Penn St. and USC are both snubbed from the National Championship game. Well the Rose Bowl would feature a great match-up. If one of these teams won by a convincing margin, I guarantee many people would be suggesting that the winner be mentioned in the same breath as the National Championship.

What if snubbed Boise St. faces off against Texas in the Fiesta Bowl, and wins. or Snubbed Utah beats Florida in the Sugar Bowl? There would be plenty of people backing both Utah and Boise St. as a real National Champion contender.

If there was only a way to get these top tier match-ups out of the way earlier, and have the National Championship Game come after all the other games have given us a real look at who deserves a shot at the Title. If only there were a format that would let these teams face off and prove who really deserves to be there.

I will mention here that after this was originally published (November 10, 2008) it was pointed out to me by one of our readers, that I am not smart. In fact this anonymous person was much more courteous by pointing out to me that Florida and Bama are set to play each other in the SEC Championship and it is already on the schedule, thus this throws off part of my argument. So without deleting the prior mis-statements, so you will all know and ahve a record that I am in fact an idiot, what we would be seeing here would not be a rematch and Bama would have one less loss and Florida one less win.

Meaning that instead of Two 2 loss teams who hadn't won their Conference Championship as previously noted we would actually have Bama as a 12-1 and the SEC runner up and Florida as 11-2 and the SEC Champion.

This would leave us with Texas Tech as the lone two loss team who didn't win their conference and add a one loss Alabama who didn't win their conference to this mix.

So who do you take from the SEC a two loss Conference Champion or one loss runner up? Who from the Big XII 3 loss Conference Champion Mizzou? One loss Texas or two loss Oklahoma neither of whom played in the Conference Championship or the aforementioned two loss Tech who lost the Conference Championship? How do you leave out the Pac-10 or Big Eleven one loss teams in that mix, or the aforementioned undefeated teams.

The point remains the same, the BCS is a Mess. Thank you to the reader for pointing out my error, and please feel free to continually point out when we are wrong.

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Allen Iverson: Practice Again

A.I. is in Detroit and he's at it again. "Practice, We Talkin about Practice?"



It looks like Joe and AI could go on the road with their new stand up special. Look out Abbot and Costello, Who's on First might be overtaken on the sports related comedy scale.

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If Rex can get it done, does this mean McCain has a shot?

If Rex can do it then it signals to me that John McCain might still stand a fighting chance even with the numbers against him. Let's break it down.

The Bears are down 23-13 at the half against the Detroit Lions, Kyle Orton gets injured (this morning his injury update was a high level ankle sprain), in comes the back up qb. Granted a back up quarterback for most teams starts frantic paranoia of a loss- but not every teams backup quarterback is Rex Grossman.

I am by no means calling Kyle Orton the Barack Obama of the NFL, but Rex Grossman and John McCain share some characteristics that if they play out like last Sunday's Bears game mean John McCain may still have a chance.

Consistency

Rex Grossman has never been consistent, someday's he's good, someday's he's horrible- he can never decide what he wants to be, so he got benched. John McCain, says he is a consistent politician, crossing over party lines to get things done. True the man is been around a long time to form relationships with other senators, but his voting record shows inconsistency. Crossing party lines by voting only works if it's to build unity, not for personal friendships.

Numbers Game

McCain's poll numbers aren't looking good, statistically if the states electroal votes come in the way they are predicted today McCain is still almost 100 electoral votes away from clinching the Presidency, that's even with the swing states ( which historically have never all gone to one party). Grossman last Sunday was in a similar position, down 23-13 at the half to a team that was 0-7. Grossman scored a touchdown to propel the Bears to win the game, go onto a 5-3 record and grasp the lead of the NFL north. This gets me thinking, maybe you're down but not necessarily out. McCain still has a chance at the undecided states, Florida isn't necessairly a slam dunk for democrats and Colorado, Iowa, Virgina and Wisconsin have a possibilty of swinging in the GOP's favor. That's 66 electoral votes, he's getting closer.

Good Players

Hello Matt Forte, with 126 rushing yards, and 40 of 54 yards on the go- ahead drive, you made Rex Grossman better. John McCain has good teammates too- remember his years in the Senate, make no mistake he's made some valuable allies, who will campaign on his behalf. Do I think they rival Bill Clinton or Al Gore working it down in Florida, absolutely not- but I do think that in ultra conservative states his allies carry great influence. A great teammate can create a game winning play ( think Forte), therefore all it takes is one play for McCain to switch the momentum on Barack Obama.

Grossman was quoted as saying after the game, " I always thought I was going to play a little bit, I never figured that I wouldn't play at all- odds are that at least two quarterbacks play some especially here in Chicago". It seems that perhaps John McCain has been counted out because of the momentum and media train that is Barack Obama- but I imagine that Mr. McCain believes he's going to play a little bit on election night, after all at two quarterbacks play some, especially here in Chicago, and I wouldn't count McCain out, just yet.

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