Night Out on the Town

O'Shaughnessy's of Columbus was a popular spot for Hawkeye fans attending last Saturday's Iowa - Ohio State football game. Located outside the Nationwide Arena, along with numerous other bars, restaurants and night clubs. O'Shaughnessy's is an Irish bar with the typical Irish drinks. However with this establishment located so close to the Hockeye Arena, other drinks are on tap, including those from Canada, such as Labatts, Labatt's Blue, etc.

College Football Week 1

Oregon has its share of issues on the field following last Thursday's incident with Running Back LaGarrette Blount punching a Boise State football player, but Amanda (Right) has created a stir off the field with some recent bikini clad pictures found on the internet. Maybe Nike owner Phil Knight will pay for the problems to go away. We'd prefer Knight come up with yet another uniform for the Pac-10 team.

History Made

Those in attendance at Kinnick Stadium Saturday thought they were witnessing history as FCS Northern Iowa set up for a field goal with :07 remaining which would give the Panthers the lead. However the kick was blocked, yet was rewarded another chance since a Hawkeye football player did not fall on the 1st down opporunity. UNI tried again only to have this kick blocked and time run out. It was the first time ever that back to back field goal opportunities were blocked, and the fifth time it happened in the same quarter. Hawkeye fans were glad to see this type of history occur.

Showdown Saturday

After the 2008 season the match-up many waited for was Ohio State hosting Southern California in week two of 2009. But the most intriguing match-up involves the Buckeye's hated rival, the Michigan Wolverines. Despite many off-field issues, the Maize and Blue executed well while defeating Western Michigan. Michigan hosts Notre Dame after they shut down a very talented Nevada team. We may not have had every question answered after week one between these two teams, but we do expect an even game. If it is a blowout, the team on the receiving end is a pretender.

Big Ten

After completing the first weekend at 10-1, the Nation's Premeir Conference has to prove themself this weekend. Conference teams take on representatives of the Big 12, Mountain West, Pac 10 as well as Notre Dame. Add Fresno State's trip to Madison and this becomes a make it or break it Saturday for respectibility. A sweep and the conference can pound its chest, but losses to two or more will add to the nation's perspective.

College Football Week 8

One rivalry trophy on the line this past week was the Rusty Toolbox which goes to the winner of the Iowa - Wisconsin Manager game. This year's game was played late Friday night in the Iowa Indoor Football Complex, better known as "the Bubble."

Iowa took the lead 7-0 with a defensive touchdown, but Wisconsin fought back in the second half with their own touchdown. Deciding for the tie with much time to play in this Flag Football game, the Badgers decided to go for one, and failed. The Hawkeye Managers won the game 7-6 and the toolbox stayed in Iowa City for the fifth consecutive year.

Other news and notes...

"The Sporting News" failed to recognize the accomplishments of Iowa Running Back, Shonn Greene. Greene was not one of their "Players of the Week," rather going with Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradord (36 comp, 466 yards and 0 Ints) and Akron RB Dennis Kennedy (277 rushing yards and 3 TDs). Greene only had 217 yards and 4 TDs. There was no mention of Greene in the Sporting News' Heisman Watch. It is tough to place Greene in any watch on a three-loss team, but he should garner some attention.

Penn State has finally exorcised some of their demons. After losing nine straight times to the Michigan Wolverines, the Nittany Lions followed up a slow start with a convincing 46-17 victory. Their next demon is to finally win in Columbus, Ohio--something that they have not accomplished since joining the Big Ten.

Speaking of Ohio State and Penn State, it looks like these two teams will meet in Ohio Stadium to decide the Big Ten Championship. Assuming Penn State is a legitimate #3 team in the nation, it should be able to beat the Buckeyes. Although Penn State still has to travel to Iowa City and host Michigan State, the number three team in the nation should win out. A loss to Ohio State and each team winning out should place each in the BCS at the end of the year. Something the mediocre Big Ten does not deserve.

A Long season--San Diego State may wish this long season be over. Last week the Aztecs lost 70-7 to New Mexico. Chuck Long may be facing his final few games as SDSU head coach.

BCS Talk--Utah and Boise State have cracked the top 12 of the BCS poll. The College Football Season is only a little more than half over, but these two teams seem to be in good position for a BCS bowl berth. However don't forget Tulsa, ranked at #19. They continue to state their case for a top ten ranking.

Ticket Demand

While sitting in my hotel room awaiting team meetings for Saturday's game with Iowa State, rather than watching it rain in an already drenched downtown Cedar Rapids I decided to take a look at ticket prices on a well-known broker site, StubHub. I have used StubHub once with great success. My son and I were able to sit high behind home plate at Busch Stadium for a Cardinal - Brewer game this summer for $18 a piece.

For those of you who are looking into attending Saturday night's clash between Ohio State and USC at the L.A. Colisseum can pay a reasonable $383 for seats high on the 50 yd line. When I say reasonable, you can expect to pay top dollar for a game of top five teams which attracts many of Hollywood's A-list. $383 for a mid-field seat isn't bad. However, to attend the Notre Dame - Michigan match-up on the same day, you'll need to pony up $160 to sit on the 25 yd line. Tickets are no longer available for the Iowa's in-state battle.

Play-off baseball is very interesting. Typically a very tough ticket is the World Series. Although only one team has qualified for extra baseball, teams are able to begin selling for the post-season. To purchase through StubHub, the individual is given a money back guarrantee for your money back if your team does not qualify. Let's take a look at some prices.

1. Chicago Cubs--$1749 is the cost of admission to Wrigley Field for the first home game of the WS. That is Standing Room Only. The cheapest seat goes for $1850. Bleachers, $2024.


2. Milwaukee Brewers--The cheapest seat is upper deck outfield for $398. Upper deck infield is $399.


3. L.A. Angels of Anaheim--The cheapest seat is upper deck behind first base for $369. $375 for outfield seats. For the same price that it takes to enter Wrigley Field, you can have a seat in the Angels' park just rows behind first base.

Obviously, if you are a baseball fan and just want to see a World Series game, you'll cheer for the Brewers to make it far into October. Otherwise Cub fans, dig very deep into that wallet.