It's his party and he'll cry if he wants to

Urban Meyer, Florida's head coach officially resigned yesterday.  Nope, you're not hallucinating and it's not 2009.  But yes, Urban Meyer did this last year.  He resigned as head coach and one day later, he was back.  So right now he has 13.5 hours to pull a fast one.

He's 57-10 as head coach for the Gators but 5 of those losses alone came this year.  Yipes!

I'm sure all of the Gators are crying in their cornflakes this morning, but as a Buckeye fan who still cries when I think about the 2007 National Championship game, this news couldn't make me happier.  Christmas has come early in the Pendleton home.

In the spirit of the "Sing Off," my favorite holiday TV show, I give Urban the following Swan Song:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsaTElBljOE

Strike a pose

Saturday, December 11 - The 2010 Heisman Trophy Ceremony.

8pm EST on ESPN.  

Be there.

2010 has been a pretty controversial year for the Heisman Trophy.  2005 winner, Reggie Bush had to give his back due to issues with possible "misconduct" and the front runner for this year, Cam Newton, has spent almost the entire season in the spotlight for possible "misconduct."

2010 Candidates are:

Cam Newton - Auburn

LaMichael James - Oregon

Andrew Luck - Standford

Kellan Moore - Boise State

Obviously I'll be submitting a write-in vote for Tyrod Taylor but don't miss all of the drama unfold this Saturday.  

Full report Monday morning.

2010 Tour of Stadiums: UNC - Kenan Stadium

Well folks, I made it.  Four college football stadiums in four weeks.  I have traveled a total of 1,848 miles. (That's like driving straight from Richmond, Virginia to Santa Fe, New Mexico)

Week 4 took me to Chapel Hill, NC to see the UNC vs. William & Mary game.  A match-up between my two roommates' alma maters.  We went into the weekend hyping it up as "College Weekend 2010" and we pretty much lived up to everything that goes along with being in college.  (I'll spare you the details, but am happy to tell the tales of the weekend)

This wasn't actually my first trip to Kenan Stadium.  Back in 1995 my dad took me to the UNC/UVA game because, at the ripe age of 10, I had decided that I was a Tarheel fan.  Figuring I would grow out of it, my dad went along with it out of his pure love of college football and took me to UNC games three years in a row.  My most vivid memory of that first trip to Chapel Hill was during a timeout when scores were being announced.  Ohio State was winning and my dad stood up in the middle of everyone and screamed (yes...SCREAMED) "GO BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Chapel Hill and the stadium is just beautiful. I don't think you can have a bad seat.  Here are a few stats:

Name: Kenan Stadium

Opened: November 12, 1927

Largest Crowd - 62,000 (vs. Florida State in 1997)

Renovation: Currently being renovated, the new "Blue Zone" should be open next year adding 2,980 seats to the stadium.

Photo documentations from College Weekend 2010:

Homecoming @ UNC

Magnetic Koozies...genius

I have the best roomies everrrrrrrr!

Doing my favorite UNC cheer - "Rah Rah Carolina-lina"

ACC Victory...all that matters to me:)

And here is where the evening went downhill.  A "we-tarded" shot at Top of the Hill......

2010 Tour of Stadiums: Virginia Tech - Lane Stadium

Let's get this out of the way first - Stadium Facts:

Name: Lane Stadium

Opened in: 1965

Renovated in: 2004

BEST ENTRANCE IN ALL OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h1EW5z1wdc&feature=related

Thank the Jesus Lord I made it over to Blacksburg for a Tech game this year.  For a short period of time it looked like I might not, but I found an opening and hit up Lane Stadium to watch them take on Duke.  Classic college football.

So we'll just be honest here.  Virginia Tech is my favorite place in America.  (Yes, I love it more than Las Vegas for those of you that have heard me claim Vegas as my new fave place in America.  The second I took exit 118B, I came back to reality) 

My mom and I enjoyed everything about our trip to Blacksburg.  We parked in our favorite $20 parking space behind the stadium, walked through beautiful downtown and bought stock in the bookstores, enjoyed stadium food, watched the Hokies stomp on the Blue Devils, then hit up West end before heading home.  

I have so many great memories from my days in Lane Stadium, but without a doubt the 2003 game vs. Miami was the best.  Miami came to town ranked #1 and Virginia Tech was hungry to beat them.  A night game in Lane Stadium is one of the most dangerous places to play in all of college football and we scared those little Hurricanes right back down to Florida.  We beat them, rushed the field and celebrated into the wee hours of the morning. 

Lining up for Enter Standman...start jumping!

Here come the Hokies!

Naturally I lived in a dorm farthest away from classes but closest to the stadium

2010 Tour of Stadiums: UVA - Scott Stadium

This post is coming a little late, but as you all know I'm going on an east coast tour of stadiums.  And yes, that tour included a trip to Charlottesville to visit all the Hoos down in Hooville.  

Scott Stadium Stats:

Name: Scott Stadium (aka Enemy Territory...no for real, when people found out I was going here for Homecoming I was told the following: Give back your diploma, Traitor & OMG! GET OUT OF MY LIFE!)

Date opened: 1931

Largest crowd – 64,947 (vs. Southern California in 2008.  UVA lost 7-52, ouchie.)

Renovated in: 2000

Okay, so here's the deal.  These are my friends Tom & Sarah.  And I happen to love them both so much that I'll go to UVA homecoming just to spend time with them.  And they happen to love me enough to still be my friend when I show up wearing a UNC shirt......

Here's what I learned about "how to be cool" at UVA:

• There is no need to get into the stadium in time for kickoff.  I was freaking out when it was after 6pm and the tailgate party showed no signs of slowing down.  I was informed that no one gets to the stadium in time for kickoff.  Oh, okay.  When we got there, UVA was down 17-3.
• There is no need to stand up and cheer for the team as loudly as I do at Ohio State or Virginia Tech.  Yes, I did root for UVA, but I was actually in the way for the people behind me and asked to sit down.
• All the cool kids stand on "The Hill" to watch the game.  I've actually always wanted to do this and almost didn't get a chance, but I forced Tom & Sarah to take me over there so I could say I watched a game standing on the hill.  The truth is that it's a little difficult to stand on a decline, but all in all I'm glad I got the chance to do it.
• When UVA scores a touchdown (keep in mind I only got to witness this one time since they only scored once) everyone puts their arms around each other and sings a song.  I didn't do this.  Sorry people, I have to draw the line somewhere.
• And finally, UVA kids actually know how to tailgate.  Hard.  At Tailgate #1 Dave Tesh showed me his special Tailgate Chest which contained shot glasses, mixers and 2 bottles of alcohol.  At Tailgate #2 there was a massive amount of pre-game beverages, beer pong, flat screen TV's and most importantly a dance party.  (So what if the dance party was sometimes a single dance party just by me?)

All in all, it was a great trip with great friends!

Dave & his Tailgate Chest

UVA Band @ halftime (We left shortly after this...)

The Hill

Me watching the game from The Hill - in a UNC t-shirt, OSU Sweatshirt & Jeggings.  I was popular....

Upset Saturday

Yes, I am upset.  I'm not going to lie and say that Ohio State losing to Wisconsin on Saturday didn't feel like a huge sucker punch to the gut.  Because it did.  

I do have a couple of redeeming points that make it hurt a little less:

1. I don't think anything could sting as much as Virginia Tech blowing it against Boise State in the last 3 minutes.  (It was that evening when I was still awake around 2am thinking about the game that I realized I might have a problem...)

2. I didn't have to sit through the agony of watching Ohio State get smoked by the Badgers as I was pre-occupied trying to cheer on poor UVA to score at least one touchdown.  (More on that to come later this week in 2010 Tour of Stadiums)  Someone told me that my "optimism was inspiring."  UVA lost 44-10.  Ouchie.

3. At least Ohio State didn't lose to an un-ranked team....

     Unranked Teams beating Ranked teams re-cap from Saturday:

            #5 Nebraska lost to un-ranked Texas

           #10 South Carolina lost to un-ranked Kentucky

           #19 Nevada lost to un-ranked Hawaii

           #22 Florida lost to un-ranked Mississippi State

           #23 Air Force lost to un-ranked San Diego State

           #24 Oregon State lost to un-ranked Washington

4. I don't have to get all heated about the fact that BCS wasn't going to put Ohio State at #1 anyways.  But for those that are ready to start following the ridiculousness of the BCS rankings, they came out last night...in all their glory:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings

2010 Tour of Stadiums: Ohio State - The Horseshoe

I'll be spending the next few weeks on a tour of of Football stadiums.  The best way for you to get your stadium on here is to invite me to a game.  Ready? Go!

Last weekend was my annual birthday trip to Columbus to see the Ohio State / Indiana game.  It was an amazing weekend, as always, and I loved every second of being in the CAPITAL of College Football.  If you've never been to a game at Ohio State, there is nothing else like it, and it's sort of hard to describe, but I will try:)

Ohio State Stadium Stats:
Name: The Horseshoe

Date opened: October 7, 1922

Renovated in: 1999-2001

Largest Crowd: 2006 game against Michigan - 105,708 in attendance (and an additional 1500 watching the game outside of the stadium...me being one of them)

My actual FIRST trip in "The Shoe" was back in 2003 during a Spring Break trip to Ohio.  Someone left the gates to the stadium unlocked and well....you can guess what happened next.  (Let's just say there's a picture that exists of me ON the field)

My first game in "The Shoe" was in 2004 against Wisconsin.  We lost and my dad didn't talk to me the whole ride home, so I'd rather not talk about it.

Since 2006 I've been back every year for my birthday.  Ohio State fans LOVE their Buckeyes and never  disappoint welcoming me & dad back to Columbus.

Entrance to The Horseshoe

The Stadium...on the banks of the Olentangy River

Script Ohio - Brings a tear to my eye every time!

The "curve" of the 'Shoe 

Our AMAZING seats this year on the 50-yard line.  Thanks Joe & Rhonda!!

Sign me up for a Conference Call

This is a funny subject for me, so I thought I'd write about it.

I grew up watching college football with 3 goals in mind: 

Ohio State wins.

Ohio State beats Michigan

The Big Ten wins.

 When Ohio State played Miami in the 2002 National Championship, prior to the game Chris Fowler asked Desmond Howard who he wanted to win and he said, "I'm a Michigan man and will always root against the Buckeyes.  I pick Miami."

Let's not focus on what my dad said here, but what my mom said - My mom, who is usually very level headed and soft-spoken when it comes to Ohio State (to balance out my father) yelled at the TV, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  WHERE'S YOUR BIG TEN LOYALTY????"

Woah.

Here's what I've witnessed recently about this:

     Let's call a spade a spade, most people hate the SEC.  I am one of those people, however, I will say, SEC fans are conference loyal.  If their team sucks, they'll root for whichever team is winning.  They just want an SEC team in the National Championship, pulling out a W.  I'm in awe over this because this is the way it should be.

     I always root for the ACC.  I'd love to have an ACC team in the National Championship.  Of course, I'd prefer that team NOT be UVA, but still I'd root for the Cavaliers to take home that sparkly football trophy if it meant recognition for my conference.  

UVA fans root against Va. Tech.  They don't care about the ACC, just that Tech loses.

Texas fans root against Oklahoma.  They don't care about the Big 12, just that Oklahoma loses.

Desmond Howard roots against Ohio State.  He doesn't care about the Big 10, just that OSU loses.

I encourage the 2 people reading this (probably only my mom and dad) to start cheering on your conferences.  It's okay to be happy when your rival ends up losing that game, but let's start showing some loyalty!

Official ruling on the Field

Well, it's official.  Reggie Bush is giving back his Heisman Trophy.

Here's the short:  In order to be eligible for the Heisman Trophy, you have to be in compliance with all NCAA rules.  Since it has come out that Reggie Bush & his family had received hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from sports agents, there has been a long-going investigation into whether that made him eligible to receive the award.  USC had already given over their Heisman Trophy statue back in July when all of this first started coming out in the public.  They also had already removed Bush's jersey from the stadium before the 2010 season started.

It's just terrible.

I'm starting to get really frustrated with all of this agent crap in college football.  

Again - Dear college football players,

You're not allowed to take money, trips, cars, gifts...anything from agents trying to lure you into the NFL.  

You're also not allowed to have other people write your papers or take your tests.  

You're also not allowed to hold people up at gunpoint and rob them.

You will either: Get kicked out of school, have to give back your Heisman trophy and forfeit ALL games that were played (whether they were last week or 5 years ago) or go to jail.

Let's get some positive news out there.  Anyone else with me?

I mean, dare I say it...but Tim Tebow might ACTUALLY have been a Saint.

Mark Ingram Update

If you thought I was going to write about the Boise State / Virginia Tech game the day after that game, then you don't know me at all.  Obviously I have an opinion, but I'd like to all remain friends, so let's just leave that for another day.

Quick update on Mark Ingram for you: As of this morning, he has yet to return to the practice field at Alabama following his knee surgery last Tuesday.  He missed the opener against San Jose State and according to Nick Saban, it's unlikely he will play this Saturday against Penn State.

     Cons: I love Mark Ingram.  He had the cutest little Heisman Trophy acceptance speech last year and he can do a pushup from a hand-stand.  That's pretty cool.

              Alabama is pretty stacked and they're not hurting in the back-up running backs category. 

     Pros: Could the Nittany Lions use this minor set-back to dethrone the Crimson Tide?

We'll seeeeeeeee!

Game to watch: Saturday @ 7pm on ESPN - #1 Alabama hosts #18 Penn State.

10 words for the Top 10

Ugh, sorry this is a little late.  USA Today released the coach's poll last Friday with the top 25.  Here are 10 words for each of the top 10 teams.

10. Iowa (Big Ten) -Someone else from the Big Ten in the Top Ten?!?!?

9. Nebraska (Big Twelve) - Hit me up after they play some games and I'll re-evaluate

8. Oklahoma  (Big Twelve) -No more Sam Bradford, I might cry myself to sleep.

7. TCU (Mountain West) - Another season with the Horned Frogs rising to the top?

6. Virginia Tech (ACC) - The Hokies usually bomb with a top 10 ranking - grrrrreat!

5. Boise State (WAC) - Number 5 until Tech smokes you by surprise (on) Labor Day

4. Texas (Big Twelve) -The defending National Championship Runner up gets the best ranking

3. Florida (SEC) - No more Tim Tebow, I might become a Florida Fan.

2. Ohio State (Big Ten) - Pryor and Tressel lead the Bucks to Championship number 8?

1. Alabama (SEC) -I would like to start seeing the Tiiiiide roll away.....

Juvenile Delinquents

Alright.  First order of the day each day is to check my gmail.  Second order of the day is to check espn.com.  This is a daily occurrence for me from August - December.

Today - August 5, 2008.

1. Checked my gmail
2. Checked espn.com

The top headlines for college football are:

Is it just me, or are 70% of the college football headlines about players, coaches or teams that are in trouble for something?

Come on, people.  Maurice Clarett had to go to Jail.  Michael Vick had to go to Jail.  Reggie Bush has to give back his Heisman Trophy.  Nothing good comes from being a delinquent!

SHEEEEESH!!!

Well, top 25 comes out tomorrow...so at least I have THAT to look forward to!

JoPa

I realize by making the following statement, I run the risk of being kicked out of my family (by my dad)

Joe Paterno is a legend. 

Homeboy has been the head coach of Penn State since 1966.  In 1966 my dad was in 8th grade.

Seriously, he's 83 years old and he's about to enter into his 61st season as the head coach at Penn State.  In the last few years he's struggled with some health issues keeping him on and off the field at various times through the season.  

• A Wisconsin football player ran into him on the sidelines, JoPa had to get knee surgery
• He was goofing around with his players during practice, JoPa had to get hip surgery.
• He had a reaction to some medicine, JoPa was out for a few more games
• Etc.
• Etc.

I mean, come on, buddy, I'm worried about you!  I was watching an interview from Big Ten Media Days and your voice is quiet, slow and weak.  Please, take a nap or something!

Regardless, he's a super trooper.  Beloved by his players and fans.  Has steered clear of any controversy and has been nominated to President Obama to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the highest award any U.S. civilian can receive.

When JoPa does finally step down, it will have a huge effect on college football.  I mean, what type of human interest stories will they run on Gameday when Penn State plays? :)

BAM. I'm Mark's daughter again!

Bracket-mania

Every year I think the most talked about subject in College Football is the BCS.  Yes, we all know it doesn't REALLY make sense and that there will be teams with a perfect record who might not get to play for the National Championship.  It's not fair, and I can't explain it, so I won't try. (But you know, Will Forte is pretty good at it)

I will, however, try and make the season a little more interesting.....

You've heard about my friend Lane (Super Fan)  In an attempt to keep the season interesting, we thought it might be fun to start a college football bracket.  This won't be a bracket like college basketball where you play games to get to a fair winner.  We all know that's not really feasible in football at this time.

Here are the deets:

Every week, we'll pick our winner for the 25 games that are being played by the top 25 teams.  (If ranked teams are playing each other, we'll choose the additional games based on our personal preference, game time and/or stakes of the game)

        For every win, you earn 7 points to your total score (Touch down!)

        For every loss, you lose 3 points from your total score (Uh oh, the other team scored a field goal)

        If you pick all 25 games correctly, you'll earn 2 additional points that week (Safety)

At the end of the season, the loser has to buy a plane ticket to visit the other one - Oh, did I mention Lane is moving away? :(

Are you interested?  If so, let me know! We'll start this with the first game and keep it rolling through November. 
T-33 days!

Pass the Tums, please

I was just doing a little strolling on espn.com and was somehow directed to this link, which shows the ESPN game lineup for 2010.  (Go ahead and bookmark it because it will be updated every week)

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4903371

I then got this horrible feeling in my stomach when I saw officially in writing that the Hokies are opening against Boise State.  Granted I think it's awesome that my little VT team gets to play this kick-ass game at FedEx field on Sept. 4, but I can't help but feel a little apprehensive.  Why is it that we always open our season against ranked teams?  Let's take a little trip down history lane...

2004 - Va. Tech vs. USC @ FedEx. Field.  Really Michael Vick?  We have to open against one of the strongest football teams in the country?  We lost.  It was a sad way to start the season.

      *Please Note: USC won the National Championship this year

2007 - Va. Tech vs. LSU @ Death Valley.  Oh really?  Tech drowned against the Tigers in this game (48-7...I just threw up in my mouth)  It was a sick way to start the season.

      *Please Note: LSU won the National Championship this year

2009 - Va. Tech vs. Alabama.  Okay, the Hokies actually had a chance in this one.   But the commentators quickly reminded everyone watching (over and over and over again) that "Virginia Tech can't keep up with the SEC."  Well no we can't if you don't have faith in us!  Jeeeeez!  I think we lost that one because everyone kept saying we would.  

     *Please Note: Alabama won the National Championship this year

Do you see a pattern?  Do you see why I'm walking around work looking for some Tums right now?  Someone find me some Xanax for this game. Starting another season opening to a Top 5 ranked team.  Go Tech, GO!

Richy Rich, Hail to the Victor

I tried everything in my power to not comment on the news of Michigan's self-imposed probation, but honestly...what kind of college football blogger would I be?

For those of you living under a rock, the University of Michigan has put themselves on 2 years probation for among all things: Having too many coaches involved in off-season conditioning and holding too long of off-season practices.  No need to worry though, most importantly the violations don't involve cash payments to players (suuuuuuuure), academic fraud (yeah RIGHT) or improper recruiting (doubtful).
Sorry, did my personal feelings just get in the way?  I'm interested to see how the NCAA responds.

Ohhhh Rich Rodriguez, I can't help but wonder what my mortal enemies (all Michigan fans) feel about you and what you've done to the program.  In 128 years Michigan has stayed clear of a lot of the controversery that is often associated with other schools (uhhh...Virginia Tech....Ohio State....) and after 2 seasons you've blown your chances beating Ohio State, haven't had a winning record and had more meetings with possible NCAA infractions than I can remember. 

Something tells me that annoying girl I saw last year holding up a poster that said, "In ROD we trust" should get her priorities straight.....

Calendar Girl

It's a pretty long and detailed process for me to figure out which games I'm going to see live every year.

It starts around April with me putting the Virginia Tech games into my planner in an Orange pen and the Ohio State games into my planner in Red pen.  Color coordinated obviously.

I then block out "Columbus day Weekend" in my work out of office calendar because every year my dad and I go to Columbus for the long weekend to see our "family" in Ohio, and celebrate me turning one year closer to being an old maid.  We've seen Ohio State play Wisconsin twice, Bowling Green (well, sort of), Kent State and Michigan.  This year we'll be there to see them take on the Indiana Hoosiers so all of our Columbus family who is reading this, be ready!

Next I figure out which Virginia Tech games I can get to.  I like to go to as many as possible but the most important deciding factor is whether or not Sable can go.  It's just not the same going back to Blacksburg for college weekend unless the girls that lived college with me can be there.  I'm not going to say it's easy to get 5 girls spread out over Virginia and New York back for the same weekend but we try and when we do, it's like we haven't missed a beat!

At this point, I try to start adding "addendum" games. 
Like, maybe I could get tickets to the VT opener against Boise State in Northern Virginia?
Or, Ohio State plays Miami (FL) at home that weekend too and that will be the biggest re-match of my life, so maybe I could get up to Columbus twice this year.
Can I make it back to Tech for Homecoming weekend?
Are there any close "away" games I can go to?
Which weekends have important enough games that I should stay home so I can watch multiple games?

One thing is for sure: If you could get frequent flyer miles for driving, I'd spend August to November banking miles. I think I'll start saving them up for a Road trip to Tempe....

Spring is in the Air

Although the East Coast is currently seeing temperatures in the 40's and 50's, Spring is in the air and I couldn't be more pumped!

For the last 2 - 3 weeks most schools held their annual "Spring Game."  This is a practice game held once Spring practice has begun to give the team a chance to hit the field.  It's a day filled with trying out new plays, trying out new quarterbacks and testing out the old grille that has been packed away since November.
Alabama took the lead of the unofficial crowd competition, with the largest crowd in Spring Game history -  91,312 total in attendance.

Last weekend I traded in my Game-face tattoo for a dress and horse races in Charlottesville.  I know....I missed going to Blacksburg to spend a weekend in Charlottesville - It's weird.  But all I could think about the whole way home was how Tyrod did on Saturday.  So before I continue...can someone please tell me????

It's ridiculous to think that there could be any sort of rankings out, but low and behold, there are.  Spring games must have a purpose other than tailgating, right?  According to my boys over at ESPN, they're cursing the Tide and must be looking for some sort of financial endorsement from me with their top 5. 

In all its glory - the "Way too early Top 5" of 2010:
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
3. Boise State Broncos
4. Oregon Ducks
5. Virginia Tech Hokies

The Madness of March

I have to admit, there's a small part of me that gets a little jealous when March Madness rolls around.  As someone who only just recently realized that a basketball game only has 2 periods, I don't have a clue how to properly fill out one of those grids.  Wait...grid isn't the right word, is it?  What are they called again? 

In college football, we get the mess of the BCS choosing who goes to the best bowl games at the end of the season.  College basketball gets a properly run playoff.

For me, the best part of march madness is knowing that I'm a mere 5 months of warm weather away from Opening Saturday of MY sport. 

I'll watch the final four cheering on either the ACC or the Big Ten (depending on teams of course) and then it's full speed ahead to August for me!

Talkin' Smack

I'm the Queen of Smack Talk.  I mean, come on!  I'm a buckeye - it's in our DNA!

My sophomore year at Virginia Tech, there was a mad dash to the bookstore because VT had decided to discontinue making T-shirts like:
"Friends don't let friends go to UVA" and "The Good (Hokie Bird) The Bad (WVU) The Ugly (Cavalier)" because they wanted to drive a promotion to supportive competition. 
Cool. 
I stocked up before I couldn't get them anymore.

Then I discovered smackapparel.com and my life changed.  My first discovery was a t-shirt that said, "Beating UVA: So easy a caveman can do it"  Check, I'll take one in a size small.

I'm all about friendly competition between schools and conferences, but you can't get much better a shirt that says "I'm too pretty to go to Bama"

Here I am modeling my fave #5 Superman (aka Tyrod Taylor) shirt:

Now, go to smackapparel.com and stock up for August!

Super Bowl of Advertising

Every year when the Super Bowl comes around, everyone waits in anticipation for the commercials.  Sure, it's exciting!

This may be due to my copious hours of Olympics coverage viewing, but I think the Olympics are the new Super Bowl of Advertising. 

Without a doubt my favorite commercials are the VISA commercials.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  Morgan Freeman's soft voiceover comes on telling an inspirational story about an Olympic athlete, and everything they overcame to reach their dreams.  I may sound blase about this, but seriously, these are my favorite commercials on TV!

The newest one I've seen, which goes with one of my favorite Olympic stories (and of course movies) is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kJjP2liGv4

And, of course I have to stick to my roots...nothing can top this commercial by ESPN for College Football Rivalry week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5cVJUfjCqQ