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One man’s journey around the country
Best of the blogs: Keeping up with college football

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Published: November 8, 2009

I met Carl Pangia in a barbeque restaurant in Memphis last March during the NCAA basketball tournament. We got to talking, and I discovered he’s a relative of Billy Parese, who played baseball at OU in the 1960s and whose son was a pitching star at Owasso High School several years ago. Carl also is a big Jack Mildren fan.

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Anyway, Carl is a college football nut who emails me from time to time. He’s spending this season in an RV, traveling from venue to venue, seeing big games and checking out campuses and traditions. I asked him to share some of his experiences.

Sept. 6: Colorado State at Colorado

"CU had the prettiest and most spoiled coeds. Beautiful campus but very difficult to tailgate with a large RV, so I drove the Jeep. Beer was all around. Had good BBQ outside the stadium. Folsom Field was very impressive. A classic. Loved Ralphie. Best mascot and liked their tradition of band playing inside and coming out to field.

"Coach and QB son must go! CU not well-prepared for game. Fans were really up throughout even while losing. Disappointed that they did not have a Hall of Fame or exhibits for all the great players. Also, they had the best game program.”

Sept. 26: Iowa at Penn State

"Got worried about outcome while driving through Kansas listening to Iowa sports talk that if Iowa won, it would not be an upset. They were better in special teams and line play. As week went on, got even more worried. Even PSU’ers weren’t as certain as week went on. Penn State does not have dominant o-line or receivers.

Nittany Stadium was awesome! The largest now that the Big House is under-going renovation. One can see the stadium lit up from the I-80 over 20 miles away. Over-powering, like a city in itself. I must be honest. This is probably my all-time favorite football school. I did like Army ball in the ’40s and ’50s with those Heisman winners being from the East. But Penn State was our team since Joe Pa took over in 1966, when I graduated from high school.

"Penn State has the best hall of fame and museum (however, they did charge $5 admission). Went to classic icons for dinner. Penn Stater Inn and Nittany Lion Inn. Both what you would expect. Rich with tradition. Will actually attend three 3 Penn State games this year. At Michigan and home on Nov. 7 vs. Ohio State.

"Penn State was most orchestrated school by far. The days were all planned out and communicated well, except for that damn rain. Day of game, poured all day. A miserable, cold, wet game played at 8 p.m.

"Saw the ESPN GameDay crew and talked with one of my faves, Franco Harris. He is huge. Never thought he was that big even playing for the Steelers. A real gentleman who sat through the rain signing autographs for all in line. Had an extra ticket that I could not sell and offered it to him but he had box (dry!) seats. He was no fool.

"Friday night, attended pep rally at the old gym. Joe Pa led captains and the rest of the team into the gym. Joe Pa gave great speech. Then on Saturday the day was totally planned - bands, parties and even their Bryce-Jordan Center Fieldhouse. Very impressive, tied with Texas Tech’s United Spirit Arena. Joe Pa did visit Paternoville on Friday, an encampment of students who were there from Monday for best seats.

"Everything again orchestrated to the minute. Blue Band marching to stadium, Team arriving by buses. Four exactly at 6:20 p.m.

"Took forever to get into upper decks of stadium; 110,000 fans. They stood all of first quarter and pretty much all game. Everyone totally into it and their team. I was concerned about Iowa. I went to Michigan State and know Big 10 ball. (Kirk) Ferentz is a great coach and Western Pennsylvania product who attended my undergrad school, UConn, as a linebacker because Joe would not recruit a "slow, small white kid,” per Ferentz’s bio. My opinion is that Ferentz should replace Joe Pa when it is time.

"I bought a BBQ sandwich (not as good as CU) outside stadium and they would not even let me bring it in. I had to sneak game program under my rain gear, and they still stopped me.

"The stadium is just overwhelming. Massive steel, concrete structure all aglow like a spaceship in the rolling hills. A city all onto itself.

"Stopped by the creamery. All the land-grant schools— even UConn and Michigan State - have ag programs and best ice cream in the world. I had the Peachy Paterno and yes it was outstanding. Very rich and creamy and huge strawberries everyday I was there.

"Iowa slow and steady shut them down. Safety, blocked punt TD recovery and field goal. Game over. No big stars for Hawkeyes, just the QB who made no errors. Iowa defense outplayed and outscored Penn State’s offense. A miserable game. My team, first time in person and they got clobbered badly.

"To end the fiasco, I got into a fender -bender in the rain leaving the stadium and waited 2 1/2 hours for police to take report. Got to Connecticut to see my dad at 6 a.m. after getting lost in the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania, just like the Lions.”

Oct. 3: USC at California

"Worst stadium by far. A long and trying walk for all from the BART station. Best thing about attending Berkeley game? Arriving by BART. No toilets, just port-a-potties! No box or penthouses. Only thing was it did not pour rain like it did two years ago, but outcome was the same.

"USC overwhelmed the Bears in a slaughter. Cal QB as bad as CU QB. Jahvid Best totally contained at line of scrimmage. There goes his Heisman hopes after two consecutive bad games with Oregon and USC. No passing attack, no running game.

"Well, with third down 20 seconds before halftime, Cal on USC goal line, Jeff Tedford throws in towel. He goes for the field goal. Moans all over. He gave up and did not want to be shut out! He is too conservative a coach and has not developed a QB at CAL for years. Nate Longshore from two years ago a bust. I predict he is gone after this season.

"Cal has had great athletes, going back to Chuck Muncie and my days with great quarterbacks Joe Kapp and Joe Roth, Aaron Rodgers, etc. They deserve much better. An expansion is on for the stadium, so better days will come.

"Did not have time to see any memorabilia or training facilities. Don’t know about Hall of Fame, museums, etc. Do know it is the prize university in the West. Gorgeous campus. Just a classic. And I went to UDub (Washington) for grad school, which is more beautiful because of setting on Lake Washington.

"Believe it or not, UConn in Storrs is beautiful and right up there with the others. USC had best looking cheerleaders bar none! And Traveler is superb until I saw the Red Raider horse.

"USC’s frosh QB is great, throws it like a pro. He really is that good. Unbelievable passing ability.

"Cal gals were very pretty and eclectic. There was no food to be had at Cal. Fans were very knowledgeable and we sat pretty much all game, maybe because Cal showed nothing on offense. Some very loyal fans and many older, very wealthy alumni from Bay area in attendance.

Oct. 8: Nebraska at Missouri

"Missouri has great stadium, sports complex, facilities, museums, Hall of Fame and coach in Gary Pinkel. He has done wonders for team, facilities and university.

"I really like Mizzou. They have great tradition with Johnny Roland, Roger Wherli and Dan Devine, who later became Notre Dame coach. Great basketball arena and coach (Norm) Stewart and memorabilia for all sports.

"The only problem is that all my favorite teams over 45-50 years are losing their games! And Mizzou was no different. Why the heck does it have to rain on me so much! The only problem here is, you go to one game and it is an all day affair and you miss 20 others for the weekend.”

Oct. 10: Penn State at Michigan

"Big House awesome. Most tradition and tailgating so far. Very rich and many alumni means more money. Expanding stadium to over 110,000. Neither team that good! Daryl Clark got too big and bulky and can’t move. Thought this was the year for Penn State and OU. I was wrong!”

Oct. 17: Oklahoma-Texas:

"Colt McCoy was not that good. He made game-saving tackle of his own interception. Neither team looked that good - very bad officiating. Should have called roughing on UT on body shoulder slam on Bradford, sending him out of game! Also no face-mask call on Jordan Shipley punt return. All calls against OU. Pro UT refs.

"OU big disappointment with or without Sam. Could not tell difference between him and backup. OU should have scored TD, not field goal, on first possession. Stoops got outcoached last three-fourths of game. UT not that impressive.

"OU still almost wins game if DB (Brian Jackson) returns interception for TD. Spread was 3.5, a suckers bet on UT.

"Just too much going on with State Fair, etc. Will not go to Kansas-Texas in Austin because the UT fans are very obnoxious. Did not like some of the booing at game.”

Oct. 31: Kansas State at Oklahoma

"Hey, they got a street named after you in Norman! (Berry Road). I saw everybody at OU, including Barry Switzer and his custom home (from outside). Saw Bob Stoops, Sherri Coale and the girls basketball team and got autographs. Plus talked with president David Boren and media relations pics with Billy (I assume Sims).

"I stayed at OU RV village and had great meal at Legends. Had the salmon and horseradish; excellent and plentiful. Had dinner with guy and girlfriend from Norman who now lives in OKC, and he knows Steve Owens very well and says he is the nicest guy, signs autographs plus talks withh all fans.”

Ten biggest winners of the week

10. Case Keenum: Houston’s loss at UTEP knocked the Cougars out of BCS contention and Keenum out of Heisman Trophy talk. But maybe Keenum needs to go back in. In a 50-43 victory over Southern Miss, Keenum completed 44 of 54 passes for 559 yards and five touchdowns.

9. Jerrel Jernigan, Troy: The smallish junior had been solid but not spectacular this season; no 100-yard games, 27 catches all season. But in a 42-21 victory over Louisiana-Monroe, Jernigan had 13 catches for 203 yards, including a 41-yard TD catch, as the Trojans virtually sealed the Sun Belt championship and New Orleans Bowl bid.

8. Florida State defense: The Seminoles beat North Carolina State, but needed a late touchdown to win 45-42 and allowed 538 total yards. So why the joy? Mickey Andrews announced he would retire as defensive coordinator after this season, in which Florida State has allowed 38 to Miami, 28 to BYU and Boston College, 49 to Georgia Tech and 20 to North Carolina.

7, Jerrod Johnson: The Texas A&M junior laid claim to be the Big 12’s best quarterback in 2010 with another solid game - 23 of 28 passing for 234 yards and three TDs in a 35-10 rout of Iowa State. Johnson now has 20 TD passes and three interceptions, and with Colt McCoy, Todd Reesing and Zac Robinson gone next year, Johnson might be the league’s best.

6. Anthony Dixon, Mississippi State: Already the Bulldogs’ career rushing leader, Dixon broke the single-game record, too, with 252 yards on 33 carries as Mississippi State kept alive its bowl hopes with a 31-24 upset of Kentucky. Mississippi State, 4-5, will need more upsets to go bowling, but the Bulldogs have made obvious improvements under first-year coach Dan Mullen. 5. Butch Davis: With a 16-16 record in almost three full seasons, the North Carolina coach was in need of a marquee victory. He got it with a 20-17 upset at Virginia Tech that put the Tar Heels (5-3) in solid bowl position.

4. Bernard Pierce: Few teams outrush Navy, but Temple did it in a 27-24 victory, and Pierce was the reason why. Pierce gave Temple its first lead with a 68-yard TD run and its last lead with a 41-yard run 2:41 from the end. Pierce, a freshman, gained 267 yards on 29 carries, becoming the first Own since Paul Palmer in 1986 to rush for at least 200 yards in consecutive games.

3. Greg Schiano: Once a hot coaching prospect, the Rutgers man could get that way again after a 28-24 win at Connecticut. Rutgers is 6-2 and could win at out - home games against South Florida and West Virginia, road games at Syracuse and Louisville.

2. Duke: Don’t look now, but the Blue Devils have the best chance to beat out Georgia Tech for the ACC’s Coastal Division title. Duke won 28-17 at Virginia to go 3-1 in the ACC. Coastal leading Georgia Tech is 5-1, but the Yellow Jackets play at Duke on Nov. 14.

1. Pac-10 parity: One of college football’s longest-standing walls - USC’s domination of the Pac-10 - is about to crumble. Oregon’s 47-20 thumping of the Trojans likely will end USC’s seven straight seasons of winning the league. The Ducks have a two-game lead on SC and get arch-rival Oregon State at home.

Ten biggest losers of the week

10. Bill Stewart: Nicest guy in the world, but the West Virginia coach might not be cut out for the job. His Mountaineers lost 30-19 at South Florida, falling to 6-2 with a finishing schedule of Louisville, at Cincinnati, Pitt, at Rutgers.

9. Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane has played in bowl games five of the last six years, but that stretch might end after a 27-13 home loss to SMU. On the same field where Tulsa played Boise State to a virtual standstill, TU was dominated by the Mustangs and fell to 4-4.

8. Michigan State: The Spartans lost 42-34 at Minnesota to fall to 4-5. All five losses have been one-possession games. Michigan State’s five defeats have been by a total of 25 points.

7. Ole Miss: The Rebels were preseason top 10 but are 5-3 after a 33-20 loss at Auburn. Ole Miss’ wins are over Memphis, Southeastern Louisiana, Vanderbilt, Alabama-Birmingham and Arkansas.

6. Urban Meyer: The Florida coach suspended linebacker Brandon Spikes for one half of the upcoming game against Vanderbilt after Spikes tried to gouge the eyes of Georgia’s Waushan Ealey. After much criticism, Spikes announced he would suspend himself for the entire game. Good to know that someone is the adult.

5. New Mexico: A miserable season continued for the Lobos, who lost 23-20 to San Diego State, falling to 0-8 in a year in which first-year coach Mike Locksley’s status is uncertain because of allegations he assaulted an assistant coach.

4. Michigan: The hits just keep coming for the beleaguered Wolverines, who now are 8-13 under coach Rich Rodriguez. Michigan lost 38-13 to lowly Illinois, and while Michigan, 5-4, might still make a bowl, it’s obvious improvement in Ann Arbor is very small.

3. Boise State: The Broncos did their usual taking-care-of-business with a 45-7 rout at San Jose State and seem on the verge of a third undefeated regular season in the last four years. But Boise State was passed in the BCS rankings by TCU, and if the Horned Frogs beat Utah on Nov. 14, it seems likely that TCU will get the mid-major BCS spot that Boise State covets.

2. Big Ten officiating: Everyone is eat up with the SEC crews, but the replay calls in the Iowa-Indiana game were atrocious, especially an overruled Indiana touchdown that was pivotal in allowing Iowa to rally for a 42-24 victory. Officials on the field ruled Terrance Turner’s touchdown catch good, and replays seemed to show the call was correct. But it was overturned, then IU missed a field goal that would have extended its 24-14 lead late in the third quarter.

1. Tradition: Georgia wore black helmets for the first time ever and Tennessee wore black jerseys for the first time in at least 87 years. The motivational effects were mixed. Georgia lost 41-17 to Florida, but Tennessee routed South Carolina 31-13. But the wardrobe changes failed the aesthetic look. Tennessee’s white helmet, black shirt, pale orange pants rivals Wyoming as the worst look in college football.