LSU Wrap

The pod crew wraps up the regular season by discussing the Hogs' 41-17 dismantling at the hands of the LSU Tigers last Friday.  A disappointing end to a really good season, but there is still much to look forward to for Razorback fans.  The crew discusses the bowl possibilities; the various championship games, and Jimmy G picks Army for the 8th year in a row.  The picks contest is tied going down the stretch with Jimmy G and Johnny Fayetteville running neck and neck to the finish.  Patrick and Tom have been mathematically eliminated from contention, but that doesn't stop them from making garbage picks just for fun and games.  Enjoy this edition of Razorpod, and be sure to check back in TWO weeks for the bowl preview show.

UTEP Gets Buried; Hawgs vs. Dogs Next

After a lively 1st Quarter, the Razorbacks took care of Mike Price's UTEP Miners on Senior Day in Fayetteville.  Unfortunately, the Razorpod crew was not so smooth in the show this week, and Skype really let us down.  Much like Houston Nutt, we're throwing everyone under the bus this week-Skype, Comcast, the Internet and its tubes in general just didn't execute very well.  So we have a short show this week-you get the UTEP wrap and the Miss. State discussion, but no picks or rants.  The picks are up on the blog, and we will have supersized rants saved up for LSU week.

Hogs Beat The Cocks'; Mike Price's Florabama Express is Next

The Razorbacks come off a convincing 41-20 victory over South Carolina in Columbia last week, in a game in which they finally put together the mythical "all three phases of the game" that Johnny Fayetteville has been asking them to do all year.  In this week's show, we discuss the win; talk about the key plays, and finally scratch our heads at a Razorback actually making a field goal over 50 yards.  Patrick Williams is officially insane in the picks; everyone else is holding serve.

Southwest Classic Wrap; Auburn Preview

The Razorbacks prevail against Texas A&M in the Southwest Classic 24-17.  In this week's show, the Razorpod crew is unsettled by the poor offensive performance in the second half, and by the horrendous sunspot in Cowboys Stadium.  This week's opponent is the undefeated Auburn Tigers in a crucial SEC matchup.  Johnny likes the matchup.  Tom Logan doubles up to catch up in the Picks contest, and Patrick unveils the "Patrick Williams Gambit."  Enjoy the show.

The Southwest Classic at Cowboys Stadium-Texas A&M

In this week's show, the crew discusses the upcoming Southwest Classic game against Texas A&M.  Will the Razorbacks suffer any hangovers from the Alabama loss?  More to the point, has A&M recovered from their gut-punch game against Oklahoma State?

Alabama Heartbreak

A tough loss is dissected by the crew in this week's show.  Is the loss on Mallett or should it be a team loss?  The crew discusses and looks ahead to the rest of the season.  Does this loss put the Hogs out of the running for their goals this season, or can they still have a great season even losing to Alabama?  The answer may lie in what Alabama does the rest of the way.  Great national games to pick this week, but the crew is now 0-16 on sleeper picks.

A YUUUGE Georgia Win; Alabama's Comin' to Town and the Intangibles May Just be Leaning Our Way

Greg Childs' 40 yard touchdown leads the Hogs past Georgia last week in a stirring win for the Razorbacks on the road.  In this week's show, Johnny Fayetteville's audio is finally fixed; Tom Logan is back in studio, and Jimmy G is solid as usual.  Patrick Williams threatens to "go nil" on sleeper picks, which may actually happen this year.  The rants section is alive and well if you can make it all the way to the end of the podcast.  Oh, and by the way, #1 Alabama comes to town on Saturday for a YUUUUGE matchup.  The crew channels Bob Davie all week on Razorpod.

We're Back!

We're back for Season 6 of Razorpod. JimmyG visits the home office for the opening of the season. The crew is back with the Razorback season preview, national sleeper picks, and picks for each conference winner. We also discuss the conference realignment and other random college football issues.

Razorpod 10-14-09: Auburn has skid marks (again); Florida looms

Well, the Hogs put together their most complete performance of the year against the Auburn Tigers last weekend. JimmyG, Patrick Williams, and Johnny Fayetteville discuss in this week's show.  Florida and Dr. Tebow looms, and while the crew is optimistic, realism sets in.

A bonus this week with JimmyG and Johnny opining about the atmosphere (or lack of one) at Hog games.  Break out the dream sequence as JimmyG goes back to the Barnhill Arena days, Jim Robken, and the "Go Hogs" Spellouts of his childhood.

Razorpod 10-14-2009: Auburn Wrap; Florida Preview

Razorpod Picks: Week 5

Razorpod is missing Jimmy G this week, but the picks must soldier on:

JimmyG (13-11 overall): Tennessee 27 Auburn 17; Cal 21 USC 13; Georgia 33 LSU 28; Oklahoma 31 Miami 21; Arkansas 38 Texas A&M 27; Sleeper: Maryland 23 Clemson 20

Johnny Fayetteville (9-15 overall):  Auburn 32-21; Cal 31-20; LSU 17-14; Oklahoma 24-21; Arkansas 42-32; Sleeper:  Oregon St. (over AZ St.)

Patrick Williams (14-10 overall) :  Auburn 31-17; Cal 30-10; Georgia 45-42; Miami 38-31; Arkansas 45-21; Sleeper: Louisville (over Pitt)

Tom Logan: (13-11 overall):  Auburn 31-28; USC 13-10; Georgia 35-24; Oklahoma 38-27; Arkansas 42-24; Sleeper:  Vanderbilt (over Ole Miss) 

Razorpod_09_22_09: Why Willy Didn't Change Schemes; Why Mallett Is The Real Deal

This week's Razorpod show asks a fundamental question: would you rather lose a shootout or a Houston Nutt-style defense/running game? The answer: A shootout, of course, as it is much more entertaining.

The crew spends a lot of time letting Willy Robinson have it for failing to switch schemes.  Truly, would Georgia have scored any faster or easier if we had blitzed every down?  Probably not.  Mallett is praised, yet some offensive shortcomings exist.  Should the Razorbacks have run more?  The crew thinks so.  Yes, Arkansas has a history of making stars out of journeyman players:  Exhibit 1-A:

The crew's pessimism abounds: Alabama is a unanimous pick.  The usual gibberish follows-pick contest gets wacky, Jimmy G posts a perfect record last week, and Patrick Williams' stay at the top is short lived.  Jimmy G actually picks a sleeper team that is not Wazzu, and more.  Enjoy.

Razorpod 9-22-2009: Georgia Wrap; Alabama Preview

Razorpod 9-16-09: Georgia Preview

In this week's show, the Razorpod crew previews the Georgia game.  Arkansas is a 2 point favorite, and the crew's picks reflect this as they split down the middle on the game.  The crew gets a bit testy with Patrick Williams about the order of the picks, and JimmyG welcomes Tracy from Tulsa back to the fold.  Johnny Fayetteville invokes the "explicit" tag at about the 1:00:00 mark, so beware.

Nods to JimmyG for the Houston sleeper pick last week, and for Johnny for the Rajun Cajuns over K-State. JimmyG also has a well-reasoned rant about Urban Meyer worth the listen. And: Guess where JimmyG ends up for his sleeper pick? Yep, you guessed it: The Palouse!

Razorpod for 9-16-09: Georgia Preview

Razorpod 9-9-2009: Willy Robinson's 'Stache Wants Its Still Photos, and Make It Snappy.

In today's show, we discuss the fantastic offensive performance against Missouri State. Mallett is the real deal; the defense and Willy Robinson's new Yosemite Sam 'stache have some work to do; and special teams are semi-special.

In other news, Logan is off to a fast start in the Pickem, Williams and Fayetteville are mediocre, and Jimmy G stumbles badly out of the starting gate. This week promises some movement with Williams out on a limb with UCLA and Michigan. The crew splits 2-2 on USC-OSU in the first really huge game of the year. Oh, and by the way, the sleeper games are laughable.

Razorpod Picks - Week 1

The Razorpod crew's picks for Week 1 of the 2009 college football season:

PW - Oregon, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor
JF - Oregon, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Arkansas, Syracuse
TL - Boise State, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri
JG - Oregon, Oklahoma, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Washington State

National Sleeper Picks:
PW - TCU
JF - Oregon State
TL - West Virginia
JG - Clemson

National Title Picks:
PW - Penn State
JF - Florida
TL - Florida
JG - Oklahoma

National Picks

This week's picks:

PW (44-28): Iowa, LSU, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Oregon State
JF (42-30): Iowa, Ole Miss, Penn State, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa State
BT (42-30): Minnesota, LSU, Penn State, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Wyoming
TL (46-26): Iowa, LSU, Penn State, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Northwestern
JG (30-42): Minnesota, LSU, Penn State, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Washington State

This Week on Know Your Big 10 Trophies: Sweet Sioux Tomahawk

Tom Logan's sleeper pick this week-the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk game.

There's nothing better than a mediocre Big10 game for a trophy. That's exactly what we have when the Fightin' Ron Zookers (5-6) take on the semi-resurgent Northwestern Wildcats (8-3) on Saturday.

Actually, Northwestern has quietly put together a very nice season, sitting at 4-3 in conference and 8-3 overall. They are tied for 4th place in the Big10 with Iowa, and won the head to head matchup between those two teams in Iowa City earlier this year. Northwestern is headed for a warm-weather bowl, its just a question of which one. Depending on how everything shakes out over the next two weeks, NW could be headed to Florida for the Outback or Champs Sports Bowls. The big issue for bowl placement is whether the Big 10 gets 2 teams into the BCS.

On the other side of the coin, Illinois has been one of the conference's biggest disappointments coming off its Rose Bowl season last year. The team hasn't been able to recapture its magic from the run last year, and there are whispers in Urbana-Champaign that the Zooker may have maxed out last year.

Somehow, Illinois is favored in this game. Go figure. Logan's money's on the Cats...so we'll be rooting for the Illini. Go Zook.

Spotlight on A Sleeper Game-Meet Paul Bunyan's Axe

*Adapted from the University of Minnesota Athetics Site [commentary in red by Razorpod]*

The Minnesota-Wisconsin rivalry is one of the most prestigious and anticipated series in the history of athletics. [ok, a bit of hyperbole there....just a bit] It’s the most-played rivalry in college football history [really??? Someone call the Elias Sports Bureau on that], and the annual winner takes home Paul Bunyan’s Axe.

At 117 games and counting, the series between Minnesota and Wisconsin ranks as the longest in Division 1-A football; and "Paul Bunyan’s Axe" has the history of one of college football’s fiercest rivalries emblazoned on its six-foot long handle. The first game in the series, a 63-0 Gopher victory in 1890, is printed on the handle near the axe’s head. The results of every successive game line the handle in red ink. There have been so many games that the scores scroll up and down the width of both sides of the handle, and school officials have now resorted to writing scores on the narrow edges of the six-foot shaft. By 1930, "Paul Bunyan’s Axe" wasn’t even created, although the rivalry had already reached feverish levels. The 1906 game was canceled by President Theodore Roosevelt, who had decided to cool off heated college football rivalries, because of injuries and deaths on the field. [That's TR for you, a cool headed guy if there ever was one...sheesh.] In 1914, Minnesota faced the Badgers for the Gophers’ first Homecoming game; likewise, Wisconsin hosted Minnesota for the Badgers’ first in 1919. Between the years 1923 and 1925, the teams battled to three straight ties. To symbolically capture the amazing atmosphere of the annual match-up, Dr. R.B. Fouch of Minneapolis fashioned a bacon slab out of black walnut to serve as the traveling trophy that he hoped would compare to the well-known "Little Brown Jug," which Minnesota and Michigan played for every year. The "Slab of Bacon," first played for in 1930, had a football carved on top inscribed with an "M" or "W", depending on how you held it. The idea was that the winning team would "bring home the bacon." [Oh, how I wish the "Slab of Bacon" still existed. Best. Trophy. Ever.] But in the early ’40s, the Slab of Bacon became the "Missing Slab of Bacon." Peg Watrous, who was the president of Wisconsin women students at the time, relates that she and her counterpart from Minnesota were to have a symbolic exchange after the game, whereby the trophy would be awarded to the winning team. Minnesota won, but in characteristic fashion, a postgame melee broke out on the field, with students and spectators running crazy over the field. Watrous couldn’t find her counterpart, and was left "holding the bacon," as it were. "I have no memory of what happened after that…The whole thing was a dud, as I feared it would be," Watrous remembered good-humoredly, "and someone in charge probably hid the bacon." But the two teams had to play for something [Big 10 bylaws apparently require it], so in 1948 the Wisconsin W Club instituted "Paul Bunyan’s Axe" as a trophy more befitting the grand rivalry between the two schools. The annual battles have survived so long that in the ’60s the teams started to print the games’ final scores smaller and smaller, scrunching the letters in order to avoid reaching the end of the axe’s shaft. [Will there ever be a replacement axe? Blasphemy!] But the series continued to roll, and the last game to be painted on the broad face of the handle was in 1980. The 25 subsequent games appear on the narrow side of the handle. The Slab of Bacon was back in the news in the summer of 1994, when the long-lost trophy was found after a Camp Randall Stadium storage room was cleaned out. Wisconsin officials estimated that it had been missing since 1945; yet the scores of every Wisconsin-Minnesota game from 1930-70 were printed on the back of the slab. It is one of those Twilight Zone-esque [Twilight Zone-esque? Is the only way to explain the missing Slab of Bacon to resort to the supernatural?] mysteries that remains unexplained, and contributes to the legend of Minnesota’s and Wisconsin’s "Border Battle" rivalry.

National Picks

The crew's national picks for this weekend's games:

PW - Miami, Maryland, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Minnesota
JF - Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Boston College
BT - Miami, North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Washington
TL - Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Duke
JG - Miami, North Carolina, Texas, Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State

Season Standings:
1. Tom Logan 43-23
2. Patrick Williams 39-27
3. Johnny Fayetteville 38-28
Buford Tannen 38-28
5. Jimmy G 27-39

New Show Posted-Off Week Commentary

This week's show was done and posted early to allow for the work schedules of Buford and Tom Logan. Unfortunately, Johnny Fayetteville was not available for the early recording. Listen here.

Suffice to say, in the annals of Razorpod, there has never been a more cockeyed, disjointed, and generally poor show. The general disarray of the show completely reflects the Razorbacks 34-21 loss to South Carolina last Saturday. Anyway, we discuss Casey Dick's subpar performance, and all possible replacements: Nathan Dick, Alex Mortensen, Tyler Wilson, Ryan Mallett, Reggie Fish (not really)). Did Casey really have a concussion or is that a convenient excuse for Coach Petrino's yanking him out of the game in the 4th quarter in favor of his brother???

The most coherent discussion of the show is whether Willy Robinson will be back next year. Odds are no, according to the crew.

The national picks are a disaster. The games are bad, the picks are worse. When the sleeper games are the highlight of the show, you know things are bad. The stock market has nothing on Razorpod--Downward HO!

Your listener emails blasting us are completely justified. Bring the pain!

This week's show

Technical difficulties and newly-reenergized corporate firewalls (Die, Cisco, Die!) delayed this week's show, but its finally up and available heah. Welcome the full crew back to Studio JimmyG in a raucous reunion. Tulsa victory is discussed, dissected, and vomited back at Gus Malzahn. South Carolina game is analyzed, and the crew almost unanimously picks...Arkansas??? Wha???

Oh, and we have a huge BCS fight, coaching carousel talk, and everything else you've grown to love/hate/despise about Razorpod. Enjoy.