You can have Lee Corso and his mascot-head gimmick, keep Jesse Palmer and his ego that makes the mascot heads look microscopic (I will say nothing about Joel Klatt because he is a king and deserves to be treated as such), but please, keep your experts to yourselves; There is a new sheriff in town.
That sheriff is El Pollo, the gunslinging picker of the wild west, firing off expert advice faster than John Wayne in True Grit. He was 3-0 last week, including two wins by teams that were at least touchdown underdogs. You can listen to whoever you want, but the money is flowing right through this weekly column. Also, you’re going to be making that money while reading something that is 10,000 times more entertaining than the Tennessee-Florida game (don’t let the hail mary fool you, that game sucked and so do both of those teams).
Before our masked chicken man gets into his picks for the week, there is a disclaimer for all upcoming weeks. All readers: always assume UAB, official college football team of the Campus Cover Podcast, is the pick of the week. It doesn’t matter if they are playing, Alabama or Bethune-Cookman, El Pollo takes the Blazers.
Idaho has the coolest mascot origin story in the country
The state of Idaho is not known for very much. Ask any asshole on the east coast (myself included) what the first word that pops into their brain when you say “Idaho” is and they will say “potatoes.” Ask any asshole anywhere what the first state that pops into their brain when you say “potatoes” is, and they will say “Idaho.”
But, the University of Idaho did not acknowledge this while creating their team name. They didn’t even sort of acknowledge it and go with the most boring team name possible, the Aggies. Instead, their team name is based in their 1917 basketball team, which was coached by a man named “Hec.” The team was often said to “vandalize” their opponents on the court. Thus, the nickname was adopted.
Don’t even try to tell me that’s not the most badass thing you’ve ever heard. So historically, it exists because there was once a team that just absolutely wopped opponents. Presently, they represent a counter-culture marked by pros like Banksy. Take the Vandals to beat up on South Alabama (which goes by the Jaguars even though that jungle cat would never step foot in Alabama).
Appalachian State, cheap for everyone
The Appalachian State Mountaineers welcome the Wake Forest Demon Deacons this week in “The Route 421 Rumble” (still workshopping the nickname for this in-state rivalry). Like all state universities, Appalachian State has different costs for their in-state and out-of-state students. For residents of North Carolina studying full time, the tuition does not even crack 4 grand per semester including tuition and fees. That number goes up to just over 11 grand for citizens of any other state. Wake Forest, on the other hand, is about 70 grand a year for everybody.
I am a simple man. There is something special about a rainstorm that makes you feel like you just got out of the pool the second you step outside. I like tacos. Making picks based on nothing to do with what I’m picking is something that brings me immense joy. But, above all those things is deals. I love a good bargain. Whether it be Taco Bell for lunch, or my own college education, nothing is better than a deal. I’m not from North Carolina, but I would still pay like three times less at Appalachian State than at Wake Forest. Give me the Mountaineers in this one.
Notre Dame is the most annoying University in America
I grew up in a small suburb about 40 minutes outside of Philadelphia. If you were to walk down my street you would see anywhere from 4-8 Notre Dame flags on any given day. This is not necessarily game days. This is just any day. Get ready for your work week on Monday with a, “Go Irish.” Oh it’s Thursday, which is just like any other day because you’re not in college anymore? Might as well fly the stupid leprechaun thing with a horribly unbalanced fighting stance.
It’s important to note before I completely lose every Notre Dame fan, it is not the pride that annoys me. That only holds true at Penn State, where a college tour will have you repeating “We Are!” in your head for the next week plus. The thing that really bothers me is that of those several Notre Dame faithful, only a single one attended the school in the totally not boring town of South Bend, Indiana. These grown men that couldn’t get into Notre Dame just shouldn’t be able to root for the Irish. It is misplaced loyalty and it is stupid. No other college in the country gets support like this that isn’t called Ohio State, and they only get the support from LeBron James, who can do whatever he wants.
Notre Dame is literally the Dallas Cowboys of College Football. They haven’t been relevant for years, but they garner national attention just because of the brand. Also, imagine rooting for a team coached by Brian Kelly? Sad. These are just sad men. I want Notre Dame to lose every single week, but this week actually seems plausible against Michigan State.
