It’s Friday! That means another addition of the FanSided Friday Tailgate. A lot of news is surrounding the college game and to talk about it, I am joined by the infamous Michgan fan known as Curt Kemp. Curt and I break down the latest news including that man man that is hated near Rocky top. Somewhere, Urban Meyer is laughing, which is causing chest pain.

But it’s all good! Curt and I discuss how Kiffin fits at USC, what it means for PAC-10 competition, and if he will be able to save the recruits that bowed down to the number two man in L.A. behind Kobe Bryant. For the record, both Curt and I hoped that Brett Favre’s right hand man, Steve Mariucchi got more consideration than he did, but hey.

Lane Kiffin "Volunteers" his services to USC.

So with Urban Meyer now ravishingly texting former Tennessee recruits while singing Lane Kiffin’s tune, Curt and I also discuss the Volunteer head coaching position. Does anyone want this gig? Following in Lane Kiffin’s shoes is almost like sleezy seconds. Who knows what investigations will pop up in the next few months. Already David Cutcliffe, Randy Edsall, Troy Calhoun, and Will Muschamp have already turned down the job. Athletic Director Mike Hamilton wants someone in by Sunday, but the only answer seems to be the crazy, third time volunteer Kippy Brown. Isn’t this a top 15 job in college football? Curt and I discuss further in the podcast.

Also on the show we discuss the whole Texas Tech situation and Boise State’s immaculate run for an undefeated season and a …. #4 final ranking in the polls. We wrap up our thoughts on the National Championship as well.

Okay, so it’s not as dramatic of a return as Rocky Balboa or Susan Luchi, but what can we say? The National Championship is here and The FanSided Friday Tailgate brings you our five cents on the match up of the year.

No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Texas will collide in Pasadena later tonight in what seems to be the first time, a BCS Championship that works. Despite the three undefeated records of Cincinnati, Boise State and TCU going into bowl games, these two are the teams that needed to match up if there was a such thing as a perfect BCS.

Curt Kemp joins me as always to break down the game, including the history between these two teams, which goes back to the days when Broadway Joe was just a kid from the University of Alabama. We also break down the keys to the game, impact players, the coaching match up, and how we fared in this year’s bowl pick’ems.

Let’s just say the only thing I got is that Ohio State won the Rose Bowl.

It’s all here in the show! Enjoy our commentary of the upcoming game of the year and enjoy the National Championship game!

Week four, upsets galore, but today Ladies and Gentleman starts a new week in college football action, and the FanSided Friday Tailgate is back to take a look at week five in the college football season.  This week we bring in the best University of Michigan football blogger on the planet, Brian Cook of MGOBLOG (my gauge was the drool Curt left on the floor after being notified of MGOBLOG’s appearance on the show).

Brian helps us break down the best games of the week, as we preview the 102nd meeting between Michigan State and Michigan, which will take place in East Lansing Saturday. Brian gives us an insight from the campus, tells us what to expect, and even gives us his favorite MSU/U of M memory from years past. Mine of course has to be T.J. Duckett hustling into the end zone before time expired (the clock doesn’t display the millisecond of milliseconds!).  Brian also touches on the Big Ten in general, and where it lies in the BCS picture.

To kick off the interview, Curt and I discuss Journalism vs. blogging with Brian, who has made blogging at MGOBLOG a full time gig. It’s a rather interesting perspective that bloggers bring to the table, especially one from a former engineer that loves his Wolverines.  Thanks so much to Brian Cook for taking some time from his hectic schedule to join us this week.

Also in the show, Curt and I talk twitter, Top 25, Tim Tebow and his god like ability, and finally we discuss if Sam Bradford will be missed this week.

Curt and I will be back with a week six preview next Friday, but until then make sure you enjoy some nice cold beer and all of the great college football action in front of us this week!

(The FanSided Friday Tailgate is a look into the college football season week by week through the eyes of a Michigan and Ohio State Fan. Feel Free to contact the show through email or the voice mail line where we love to hear from you crazy college football nuts. Our number is 231-683-1367!

Do you have your pretzels ready? How about your PBR and High Definition Television? Week four of the college football season is a couple of exciting match ups and FanSided Friday Tailgate is here with to preview the action one day before you head down to campus! In this week’s episode we are joined by the very talented Justin Antweil. Justin is the sports editor of The Miami Hurricane, the beautiful campus located in Coral Gables Florida. Justin is also the sports director of 90.5 WVUM on campus. Justin joins us to talk about Jacory Harris and the upstart Hurricanes, and the game of the week that pits #9 Miami against #11 Virginia Tech.  No doubt about it, this game of the week is all about defense.

Also on the dockett in this episode, Curt and I talk conference openers, and how the cookie cutter schedule is effecting the big teams. We saw it last night when Ole Miss had a hard time competing with Sout Carolina. The Rebels hadn’t played anyone competitive up to that point, and sometimes having that weak opening three weeks is a benefit to your football team. Most of the time though, Curt and I agree that it does not.  It’s something coaches might start taking into effect as they schedule down to road.  Curt and I also talk about how conference play factors into the BCS that we love and adore (feel the sarcasm in that line? I sure as hell hope you do).

In the BCS picture, things are starting to get clearer and after last week, when we praised the Mountain West, the conference continues to crumble to the ground. Utah and BYU, two top 25 teams fell last week on the road, and both didn’t even look BCS ready. Both losses lead to me believing that we will only see one small school in the BCS picture at the end of the day. Either Boise State or Cincinnati will be that lucky small school to crack a major BCS bowl game.

Speaking of Cincinnati, Curt and I debate whether Ohio State or Cincinnati are the better team in the state of Ohio. Curt sides with Ohio State believe it or not, and then just minutes later sides with Jim “Sweater Vest” Tressel. Reports out of Joe Dexter’s studio are now saying Curt Kemp was drunk for recording this morning, and they are also reporting that Joe Dexter did faint in front of his mixer board temporarily. Somebody has to wonder if Mr. Kemp is doing all right this week.

Also in the show we break down the big games: Arkansas @ #3 Alabama, Iowa @#5 Penn State, #6 Cal @ Oregon and #22 North Carolina @ Georgia Tech

Enjoy week number four of the college football season, and as always we will be back next Friday to preview week number five.  You can get your emails in as well fridaytailgate@gmail.com

Hello and Welcome Back to FanSided Radio! This Weekend has a lot scheduled, as Curt Kemp and I will be bringing you the FanSided Friday Tailgate on Friday of course. On Saturday I’ll help you set your starting lineup on Fantasy CPR Live! The Details are in the show today as well as the following Topics:

OchoCinco paid the arms he leaped in at Lambeau- Did we think it could happen any other way? This makes me love number 85 that much more. Not only does he bring entertainment to the airwaves, he creates a buzz for fans of the Bengals that no other player can match. Most Cinci fans are greatful for that, including the three men that got to help hoist America’s wide receiver into a mass of cheese head faithfuls. Keep it up Chad, I love the entertainment factor you bring, while still lacing up the gold cleats and going to work.

Coach Jim Zorn calls the Lions a, “good team”- Everything good in that head of yours Jim? Have you been reliving too much of last week’s offensive disaster? Okay, so maybe the Lions don’t need to use fake field goals to score points like you do, but they are by no means good. The Redskins need to turn it up a notch too if they think they have any chance of competing in that tough division.

Milton Bradley go play some board games- Seriously? Again? And Lou Pinella thinks this is all cleared up. If the Cubs continue to be plagued with the disease Milton Bradley brings to the clubhouse, then I will be able to understand why they haven’t won it in over 100 years. Sometimes I swear this guy’s goal is to play on all 32 teams. It’s the only thing that explains his “approach” to managements the last five seasons. He’s decked a announcer, fought street style just to end his season, and now this. Milton Bradley- Do not pass go. Sir, you have collected your last 200 dollars.

That’s the show in the nuthsell. I hope you enjoy and one Monday,  Morgan Spokny of The Bottom Line Sports Show and Scouting the Sports will join us to talk about the major league race. Until then, enjoy your weekend!

Welcome back to another edition of the FanSided Friday Tailgate! College football continues to get better week by week, and despite my Buckeyes falling in another USC battle, I am more excited (So is Curt, because his Wolverines are undefeated and he can make fun of me all day!) than I have been all season. This Week we covered a lot of Topics, including our game of the Week and the big battles of last weekend. Some topics outside of game previews include:

Big Ten vs. Mountain West- Which Conference is the most talented? With Strength of Schedule and quality wins in effect, which is the better BCS conference?

Heisman Watch- Can Tim Tebow win a second time? While he should, Curt believes that it won’t happen, just because it is so hard to win twice.

Big Ten Talk- Is Jim Tressel going to adapt, Is Tate Forcier the next best thing in college football? Will the Spartans bounce back against the Irish? The Big Ten is at a crucial point and I rant a bit about my Buckeyes. Why can’t Jim Tressel rip off the sweatervest and be less conservative?

BCS Controversy- Curt and I love ripping on the BCS, and this week we get our chance. I voice my opinions on the fact that if a Big Ten, Mountain West, WAC or Big East team go undefeated, they have no chance at a National Championship if USC, Florida and Texas finish the way they should. Our solution? Playoffs would be nice, but why not have a championship game after BCS games with seeds? Probably because it makes too much sense!

Game Previews:

Week three provides some intriguing match ups, including two in conference games that could be the most exciting football all season. Here are our Game Previews:

Big Ten-

#11 Ohio State vs. Toledo: Can Pryor and company bounce back? They usually do after a tough loss.

#25 Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan: Tate to the forefront, as they prepare for Big Ten play

Michigan State @ Notre Dame: Two very similar teams that need a win after a tough loss. Will Michigan State dominate like they have the last few years in South Bend? Only time will tell.

ACC-

#7 BYU vs. Florida State: Can Christian Ponder manage the clock? BYU is for real and at home are nearly unbeatable. The Cougars have won a school-record 18 straight at home. Curt thinks that this game has upset written all over it

PAC 10-

#18 Utah @ Oregon: The Oregon defense continues to struggle, but in Eugene they have been nearly unbeatable. The Ducks have won 28 of 30 non-conference games in Eugene Oregon since the start of the 1995 season, including going 5-0 against ranked opponents. Meanwhile, the Utes have the longest win streak in the nation, and look to hold onto it

#17 Cincinnati @ Oregon State: Corvalis is not an easy place to win, and the Bearcats have a sneaky offense.

#3 USC @ Washington: Two coaches dual it out who used to work for each other. Steve Sarkesian is trying to build a Huskie family like the Trojans have. It all starts here, showing you can compete against the Pac-10 elite.

Big 12-

Texas Tech vs. #2 Texas: Without Crabtree, the Red Raiders still can compete at this high of a level in the Big 12. But will they be good enough to stop Colt?

#19 Nebraska vs. #13 Virginia Tech: ZZZZZ Defense, Defense, Defense…. Maybe Tyrod Taylor can finally become a big time playmaker.

Tulsa @ #12 Oklahoma: My upset of the week lies in Oklahoma, where one of the best defenses meets up with an offense missing it’s top notch signal caller. Tulsa is no joke, and Oklahoma could be in BCS trouble after this one.

Game of the Week:

Tennessee@ #1 Florida: Okay, this isn’t about on the field, but all the hype surrounding it. Curt and I both agree that Urban Meyer will not let up, considering all the allegations Lane Kiffin has thrown out there. The only allegation after this game should be whether Lane Kiffin is singing on the mountain tops to Meyer or Tim Tebow.

It’s all here! Enjoy the show and week number three. Coming up next week, more conference play as the season continues to unwind!

Welcome Back to another addition of the Fansided Friday Tailgate! In case you didn’t notice, today is not Friday but we are here to talk college football (Yes Curt is a little upset we wont be here Friday). My brother is going to be getting married on Saturday, with me being the best man (Personal TV Tuner in hand watching USC/Ohio State).  So instead of ignoring the tailgate, we thought we would get at it a bit early.

In this episode we review the biggest news, award Landry Jones the best mustache since Bert Reynolds in The Longest Yard, cover Sam Bradford’s injury and take a look at the best college football game so far this early season. The Miami/Florida State game reinstalled one of the best college rivalries ever and Curt was super pumped about it; as was I.

Since Curt and I didn’t get to talk on Friday, I owed it to him to let him brag about his Michigan Wolverines a bit. Every Wolverine fan needs a bit of a boost these days. Curt and I discuss Michigan’s rout of Western Michigan and Jim Tressel’s sweater vest wearing ways. We also throw in Al Groh and is awesome loss to William and Mary? It’s not like week one was an exploration Al!

In our preview section, Curt and I look at a Slew of games, including the MAC vs. Big Ten this week, Troy and Florida, Clemson and Georgia Tech and finally our games of the week. Notre Dame vs. Michigan and USC vs. Ohio State.

Remember you can always email us to get your thoughts, questions or concerns in to the Fansided Friday Tailgate. You can also find us on Itunes!

We will be back next week on Friday to preview a solid week number three, and either I or Curt will most likely get made fun of if our team loses one of their biggest games of the year leading up to the final Michigan/Ohio State showdown at the end of the season. See yah then!

Welcome back to another addition of FanSided Radio! In this edition, I am joined by Morgan Spokny or Scouting the Sports and The Bottom Line Sports Show to talk about the amazing stretch we are in this Major League Baseball Season. Morgan joins us from the sunny skies of California to talk about the N.L. West, the Wildcard in the National League and everything that screams playoffs in baseball.

Also as every baseball conversation seems to find it’s way to steroids, I ask Spokny about his opinions on it in reflection of an article he wrote at Scouting the Sports. Morgan also gave us his insight on the last few weeks of the season, including predictions and a St. Louis/New York World Series.

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Coming Up on the Next addition of FanSided Radio, I will be joined by Senior Editor Adam Best, as we give you an NFL Preview before teams kickoff this weekend!

Fansided Friday Tailgate is back for week number one action, getting you ready the day before the season kicks off!  After a great Thursday full of gritty defense, crappy running performances, and sucker punches, Curt and I take a look at what is due this Saturday and some topics to watch out for this week.

Including last nights UFC main event, pinning Largarrette Blount and Byron Hoyt. There is no doubt that Blount will be sanctioned for what he did. Oregon is not that type of program, and Chip Kelly will definitely keep that in mind as he and the rest of the Oregon program decide what his punishment will be.

Before we get to this week’s games Curt and I touch on the Top 5 in all polls, and how we think the writers and coaches hit the nail right on the head. All five teams have the least amount of question marks, including Florida, who is the favorite by a huge majority of writers.  We also talk a bit about Charlie Weis and the Signs flying in South Bend. And finally, we break down the games. This week we look at:

#1 Florida vs. Charleston Southern:

Everyone but Percy Harvin is back with the Gators in 2009, but no team in the near past has had success being number one, besides the 2004 USC squad. Tim Tebow will most likely be out of this game by halftime, and the Florida defense will yet again be on display, possibly not getting the love they deserve.

#4 USC vs. San Jose State:

Is it Aaron Corp behind Center? How about Mitch Mustain? Nope. Matthew Barkley, the freshman quarterback will have to control USC’s offense this season, and he has Pete Carroll’s blessing. San Jose State will be a tuneup for the biggest non-conference match up of the year in Ohio State. Will Barkley respond? That is one of the biggest story lines in week number one.

#13 Georgia vs. #9 Oklahoma State:

Are the Cowboys for real? Mike Gundy and quarterback Zach Robinson will have a tough first game against the Bulldogs. Despite no Matthew Stafford or Knowshon Moreno, the Georgia offense will be potent.

#20 BYU vs. #3 Oklahoma:

If Sam Bradford wants to repeat as the Heisman Trophy winner and The Sooners want another chance at  the National Title, then beating the Cougars is where it starts. This will not be an easy task at the new cowboy stadium.

#23 Notre Dame vs. Nevada:

The Fighting Irish are back in the top 25 to start the season for the first time in two years, but Nevada has the talent to beat Notre Dame in the opening game of the season? Will it happen? That is uncertain. What is certain though is that after Nevada, the road gets tougher with Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State on the Horizon.

Game of the Week: #5 Alabama vs. #7 Virginia Tech-

Talk about a match up to start the season. Both teams will be loaded on defense, so the real question is can Julio Jones be the difference at wide receiver? Or will Tyrod Taylor show he is the premiere quarterback we all have been hoping for. In what might have been an offensive showdown last year, the real talk has to be about these two defenses. This could very well be a game of inches.

Finally to wrap up the show, Curt and I talk about our two teams: Michigan and Ohio State. The Road to the final regular season game begins Saturday! Of course Curt and I throw jabs, but nobody got hurt.

The season is finally here, and the best sport in America is underway!

Feel Free to get in contact with the show, by emailing fridaytailgate@gmail.com! You can also find us on Itunes as well! Have a great Saturday!

Welcome back to another edition of FanSided Radio. In today’s episode we take a look at the state of MMA with Sherdog Radio Network’s Program Director T.J. De Santis. This interview took place pre UFC 102, so we talk a bit about Randy Couture. With him recently re-upping his contract, that part of the interview is also pretty relevant. T.J. also goes on to tell us who he thinks it the best pound for pound fighter in the world (kinda), Talks about the effect the UFC is having on the sport, and much much more.

Also in the MMA Minute, I briefly break down UFC 102 briefly. Including Nate the Great’s words after his 21 second knockout.

It’s all in the show! Make sure to return tomorrow as we continue to bring you the latest sports news and view every Monday through Thursday on the FanSided Radio Network. Coming up on the show, we will have an NFL Preview, and talk some baseball going down the stretch!

Stay Tuned