Last Chance U

 

Netflix had a series for five years titled “Last Chance U” where they followed three of the top Junior College (JUCO) teams in the country. The teams were stocked with players that for various reasons were no longer with Division 1 (D1) programs, sometimes due to academic or legal reasons. Other kids on the team just weren't quite good enough, fast enough, big enough or smart enough coming out of high school and needed the added experience. Almost all of these kids had the goal of getting to or getting back to a D1 program on scholarship. It has been fun watching some of these kids as they have moved on to big time programs and even the NFL. In this day and age, many competitive D1 programs target the JUCO landscape to get kids that are ready to step in on day one and contribute. Why am I talking about this, you ask? Because I decided to go to our local JUCO, Diablo Valley College, to catch the Friday night lights as they took on the #1 team in California, the College of San Mateo. The last time I was at DVC Viking Stadium was many moons ago when De La Salle High School played Evangel Christian from Louisiana during their 152 game winning streak.

 

A one of a kind tailgate, Big #78 left all out there and an actual game day program guide!

My wingman for the night was Dan “The Butcher” Luciano, and we were literally the only two tailgaters in the parking lot before the game. That is if you call a six pack of beer and Jersey Mike’s subs on the tailgate of my F150 a real tailgate. We were excited to see two former stars from our high school team suit up for the DVC Vikings. They did not disappoint as one was a standout on defense (Chip Menard) until a third quarter injury took him out, and the other (John Giagiari) caught eight passes for over 100 yards on offense. San Mateo, however, has many kids being recruited to play at the next level, and it was evident they were the better team. The game was competitive though, and DVC had their chances to keep the game even closer than the final score of 24-7. I seriously recommend the readers of my drivel to go catch a local JUCO game on a Friday night when you’re bored and focus in on the kids who will be playing at the next level of CFB. 

 

DVC's most famous Alum and Booster "Lil John" Maddalon still follows his team.

Around the Country - In the battle for supremacy of the “Glove State” and the Paul Bunyan trophy, lil bro Sparty proved superior over big bro Michigan. They delivered a spanking of sorts in a classic hard hitting Big Ten contest in the cool, wet air of East Lansing. Sparty remains undefeated and in the hunt for a playoff berth. Ohio State looked less than impressive against an average Penn State squad Saturday night, escaping with a win at home. At the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party in Jacksonville, the Georgia defense continued to dominate its opponents by delivering a 34-7 annihilation of the Florida Gators. Auburn is proving to be better than expected as they traveled to Ole Miss and corralled their QB Matt and the Rebels in a tough contest. In the ACC, Wake Forest stayed perfect on the year behind QB 1 Sam Hartman’s 400 passing yards in a thrashing of Duke. The beer-drinking Pitt QB Kennny Pickett threw for over 500 yards, but it was not enough as they were upset by the downtrodden Miami Hurricanes. In the Big 12, Caleb Williams was electrifying as the Sooners played their most complete game of the year by crushing Texas Tech 52-21. Williams threw for 402 yards and six TDs. Baylor remains a threat to challenge OU for Big 12 top dog honors as they came from way back to beat a Texas team that does not know how to close out games. Out West, Oregon remains in the conversation for a playoff spot as they put up big numbers against a struggling Colorado team. I am questioning my investment in that school as I usually pick winners. Two Group of Five schools fell from the ranks of the unbeaten;San Diego State lost to Fresno, and SMU went down to the Cougars in Houston.

Navy Brian wearing Terrapin red! CFB Polygamy is rampant in our family

 Ginger

The original Ging

- No name is mentioned here due to privacy concerns, but I’d like to give a shout out to someone very close to me who just won the biggest battle of her life. She is also an avid fan and one of the most loyal readers of this blog. We are all so happy for you beating the odds that were set against you. Your champion spirit and never-give-up attitude were just as important as the doctor’s incredible skill. So glad to have you off the IR and back on the playing field of life. Now if we could only get your college team to fight as hard as you did. Stay strong always!

 

Bieber

- It was brought to my attention this weekend that previously unbeaten San Diego State has been playing their home games in Carson, CA, outside of LA. The Aztecs have played for the past 40+ years in the old Qualcomm stadium, aka The Murph, in Mission Valley about five miles from campus. The Murph was torn down last spring, and the Aztecs now await the opening of their new stadium next fall. I know the choices are somewhat limited for a replacement venue closer to campus, but Carson is 113 miles away. How the hell are you going to convince students to make that trek on a Saturday in San Diego when it was already hard enough to get them to go to the old venue five miles away? Additionally, alumni and boosters probably have as much interest in going to LA for a game as I do going clothes shopping. The University of San Diego (FCS school) has a nice, intimate football stadium where something could have been worked out. Petco Park where the Padres play downtown could be configured to play football as well. Hell, cross the border to Tijuana and use a bullfighting arena for that matter. But who made the decision to play in LA? Perhaps they will move the entire campus to LA like they did the Chargers franchise. Whoever made that call can also call me for shipping details for their new Bieber trophy. 

 

Next weekend - Back to Boulder for Dads Weekend for the Buffs vs. the Beavers. I will give any frat boy a chance at knocking off the beer funnel champ again! 

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Happy Tailgating!