So is the NDSU coach just playing his nice-nice card to avoid angering the beast that is Northern Iowa (sigh - them again?) or is he kicking sand in his "longtime friend" Turner Gill's face?

Northern Iowa opens at home, but gets a little more than it bargained for after watching North Dakota State go to the University of Kansas and win 6-3 last Saturday.

"I think the environment that we´re going to play in Cedar Falls is going to be much more of a hostile environment than Memorial Stadium in Kansas. That was pretty docile," North Dakota State coach Craig Bohl said. "And the type of team that we´re going to be playing is going to be a much more physical, aggressive football team than KU. And quite frankly I think we´re going to be playing a better opponent. I know one school is in the Big 12 and the other one is in the Missouri Valley. I think that gives an indication on how we see Missouri Valley play and the respect we give Northern Iowa."

So, yeah, the truth hurts, and, yeah, it was pretty quiet in Memorial, but here is hoping that Ali Farokhmanesh figures out a way to don the pads and bust some Bison.

http://1500espn.com/news/s46987

So, yeah, Mangino may have been a little hasty in pimping out Todd Reesing for Heisman consideration, although at the time, coming off of a scintillating performance against Iowa State and a heart-stopping, near comeback at Colorado (after puking on himself - twice, dammit), he was worthy of consideration.

Alas, the weeks passed and the fixed eye of Heisman punditry turned its steely glare to the southern states, where young men performed deeds of punishing physicality and derring-do in hopes of meriting a December invite to the Downtown Athletic Club and the hoisting of the bronzed prize.  Meanwhile, in the west, there were equal feats of strength (no Festivus relationship) being performed by a near-mythical man-beast, a brutish grinder in the Riggins mold, and dazzling young southpaw.

But enough with the prose.

RCT-ers, who's yer 2009 Heisman winner?  Are you a 'best player on best team' type (Ingram? McCoy?)  Or do you go with the traditionalists' view of 'most outstanding player in collegiate football' (Suh? Tebow?).  Are you a 'but he didn't play well enough in games his team lost' type (Spiller? Keenum?), or a 'consistent performer' type(Gerhardt? Moore?)

The long-awaited day drives me to wax in rhapsodic haiku:

The five sweetest words
Pitchers and catchers report
Ringing in my ears

Every season is filled with promise and "Wait 'til next year" begins today. New faces in new places, rookies and NRIs look to make splashes, and, with gratitude to Jake Taylor,  vets get the chance to have that "one last season in the sun".

Given that today, September 19, is "International Talk Like A Pirate Day", use the random name generator to create yer own pirate prospect list.

Hence, a throw-it-against-the-wall example list:

Justin Upton, ye now be known as "Fineglin' Gus Cooke"
Jay Bruce, aka, "Cap'n Brant Buttwipe"
Colby Rasmus, ye be "Syphilitic Jude Sparrow"

http://gangstaname.com/pirate_name.php