Air Force Football: Veterans Day Edition

Falcons Fly on and Off the Field Integrity First. Service Before Self. Excellence in All We Do. Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire The Air Force football team has began to garner a lot of attention as a contender in the Mountain West Conference. You …

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Falcons Fly on and Off the Field

Integrity First. Service Before Self. Excellence in All We Do. 

Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire

The Air Force football team has began to garner a lot of attention as a contender in the Mountain West Conference. You would be hard pressed to anoint a hotter team in either division of the Conference, and that includes Boise State.

In spite of an early season loss to the aforementioned Broncos, and a heart-wrenching defeat at the hands of bitter rival, Midshipmen, the Falcons have rallied. Last week they gutted out a hard fought win against their Service Academy rivals from West Point. And prior to that, they took their previous four conference opponents to task, routing virtually all of them.

The Falcons now sit at 7-2, remain undefeated at home and are bowl eligible with three games remaining. They also own the second most efficient offense in the country and to no-ones surprise, have committed the fewest penalties per game in all of college football. So you can see why there is a lot of excitement earning attention for the Air Force football program.

More than Just a (REALLY GOOD) Football Program

The Air Force Academy’s Mission is “to educate, train and inspire men and women to become officers of character motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our Nation.”. Their Vision is “The Air Force’s premier institution for developing Leaders of Character”. These are so much more than football players, students or educators.

During the Mountain West Conference’s Media Day’s in the pre-season, Coach Troy Calhoun said one single goal stands above all others at his program, and that is to graduate as many seniors to serve as officers as possible. Well done coach, well done. At the conclusion of the academic year, Calhoun will have overseen another 30+ seniors to graduation. There are some terrific athletes at the Air Force (Army and Naval) Academies, but these are even better women and men.

For perspective, the three Military Academies are a combined 16-7 this season against non-military schools. These are officers in training, who happen to play football on top of a schedule that includes full-time military training while completing one of the most demanding academic curriculum in the country. Football is the “easiest” part of their day.

I don’t bring this up to diminish the many outstanding scholar-athletes that make up the NCAA landscape at non-military schools. I don’t think it can be overstated though, how impressive it is that these young men and women- specific to this article, the Falcon Football team; are not just able to participate or compete, but to excel and succeed on the gridiron.

Let me be clear; I am not a military Veteran myself. But I do have this privilege of covering the Air Force Falcons football team, which I love. And I am so incredibly Blessed to have this platform to thank all of those who are serving and have served this Great Nation. Because of your commitment and sacrifices, I enjoy leisure such as this, freedom to pursue more, and most importantly the Freedom to Glorify my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whom I pray to with gratitude for your Blessing and Protection. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all you Veterans.

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: A wild sports weekend in East Lansing

Wil and Matt recap the crazy sports weekend that was in East Lansing

Wil Hunter and Matt Sheehan talk about the emotional night in the Breslin Center and how amazed they are by Cassius Winston. Then they discuss the epic collapse from MSU football, how Mark Dantonio’s post game comments weren’t good enough and play a game of “take thermometer.”

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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10 ultimate bachelor party destinations

These are the world’s top 10 destinations for a bachelor party, according to a stag do index created by Grosvenor. The study ranked cities based on number of bars, English proficiency, cost of a pint, food costs, and more. 1. London 2. Prague 3. Budapest 4. Madrid 5. Las Vegas 6. Barcelona 7. Moscow 8. Krakow 9. Sofia 10. Cancun

These are the world’s top 10 destinations for a bachelor party, according to a stag do index created by Grosvenor. The study ranked cities based on number of bars, English proficiency, cost of a pint, food costs, and more. 1. London 2. Prague 3. Budapest 4. Madrid 5. Las Vegas 6. Barcelona 7. Moscow 8. Krakow 9. Sofia 10. Cancun

10 ultimate bachelor party destinations

These are the world’s top 10 destinations for a bachelor party, according to a stag do index created by Grosvenor. The study ranked cities based on number of bars, English proficiency, cost of a pint, food costs, and more. 1. London 2. Prague 3. Budapest 4. Madrid 5. Las Vegas 6. Barcelona 7. Moscow 8. Krakow 9. Sofia 10. Cancun

These are the world’s top 10 destinations for a bachelor party, according to a stag do index created by Grosvenor. The study ranked cities based on number of bars, English proficiency, cost of a pint, food costs, and more. 1. London 2. Prague 3. Budapest 4. Madrid 5. Las Vegas 6. Barcelona 7. Moscow 8. Krakow 9. Sofia 10. Cancun

Is Steelers HC Mike Tomlin a favorite for coach of the year?

Mike Tomlin has done a masterful job of coaching this season.

The most polarizing figure in Pittsburgh sports might just be Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. It seems the media and fans display very little middle ground when it comes to the head coach in his 13th season with the Steelers. For many, Tomlin is the perfect fit for what it means to be a Steeler head coach and his consistency is what keeps fans and media endeared to him.

But on the other side, you have those who view the near-decade absence from a Super Bowl championship and a perceived lack of institutional control as his biggest flaws and the reason the Steelers need to move on from Tomlin.

However this season, it is hard to argue with the job Tomlin has done with this team. Few teams could absorb the loss of its best wide receiver and a franchise quarterback in the same offseason along with the litany of other injuries along with the starting lineup and rally a team to four straight wins and having a team once 1-4 in the playoff hunt.

If the Steelers continue on this path and can find their way to the playoffs after a start that mathematically was the longest of longshots, he will be a strong candidate for coach of the year. This would be a bitter pill for many of his critics to swallow but from an objective standpoint, you cannot undersell the coaching job Tomlin has done this season.

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NFC playoff picture: Where the Eagles stand after Cowboys loss on Sunday night

NFC Playoff picture and where the Eagles stand after Cowboys loss

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The Philadelphia Eagles have finished up a much-needed bye week as the team sits at 5-4, with the New England Patriots visiting the Linc this week.

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Things seemed cloudy on Sunday with the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Green Bay Packers all playing so well. It was assumed that the NFC East might only get one team into the playoffs with Philadelphia or Dallas representing the division in the postseason.

After Sunday’s wild and crazy action, culminating with the Cowboys’ huge loss at home to the Vikings, the NFC is now wide open.

Here are your current NFC standings:

National Football Conference

San Francisco 49ers 8-0
Green Bay Packers 8-2
New Orleans Saints 8-2
Seattle Seahawks 7-2
Minnesota Vikings 7-3
Dallas Cowboys 5-4
LA Rams 5-4
Philadelphia Eagles 5-4
Carolina Panthers 5-4
Chicago Bears 4-5
Detroit Lions 3-5-1

Even with the Eagles Week 10 bye,  six of the eight teams currently ahead of them in the playoff picture all did battle with one another on Sunday, with the Panthers losing to the Packers, the Cowboys losing to the Vikings at home, and the 49ers hosting the Seahawks on Monday Night Football.

The Eagles will host the Patriots this week and Seahawks and the Seahawks next Sunday, before playing four of their remaining five games against teams that are a combined 4-22. After the two home matchups, the Eagles will travel to Miami to face the Dolphins, then they’ll host the Giants, travel to Washington, host Dallas and then finish the regular season on the road at MetLife Stadium against the Giants.

After the crushing loss to the Vikings, Dallas will face the Lions, Patriots, Bills, Eagles, and Rams over the next five weeks in a scenario that will make the Week 16 showdown in Philadelphia for the NFC East title.

Kirk Herbstreit now puts LSU over Ohio State in his weekly rankings

Kirk Herbstreit puts out a weekly opinion of the top teams in college football. This week, he’s elevated LSU over Ohio State as No. 1.

It’s amazing what a win over Alabama will do. Heck, even a close loss against the Tide seems to get you credit these days (right 2018 Georgia).

Count Kirk Herbstreit among the believers now in LSU football. After the Tigers went to Bryant Denny Stadium and knocked off undefeated Alabama, he’s now leap-frogged LSU over his Alma-Mater for the top team in college football.

He still has Ohio State No. 2 after it put 73 points on the board without Chase Young, but its clear he and the rest of the college football media universe is now elevating the Bayou Tigers to the top spot based on the number of resume boosting wins it has in pocket now.

That’s despite all the metrics still believing the Buckeyes are far and away the best team in the country this year to date.

Here’s a look at Herbstreit’s top six. After LSU and Ohio State, he has Clemson at No. 3, and Georgia back in the mix at No. 4. Just outside of the coveted (albeit unofficial opinion based) top four spots are Alabama and undefeated Minnesota.

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It might be disappointing for some Buckeye fans to see one of their own drop Ohio State after it looked absolutely dominant against Maryland. But it’s hard to argue with the wins LSU has strung together this year.

Never fret, it’ll all sort itself out in the upcoming weeks, and clearly if Ohio State keeps winning, it’ll be a part of all the fun in the end and still has a great shot at the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

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Running the numbers on a last-minute Presidents Cup trip

It’s not too late to book your ticket to see the Presidents Cup live at Royal Melbourne next month. We give you an idea of the cost.

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When the Presidents Cup captain’s picks were revealed last week, for both sides, the biennial team competition suddenly got a lot more interesting. No one ups the ante in professional golf quite like Tiger Woods (unless it’s Patrick Reed in a team room, and we got that too).

It’s possible that, given the way the teams have filled out, there’s a fan or two out there having second thoughts about watching the Presidents Cup in person – despite the fact that it’s on the other side of the world. The good news is, tickets are still on sale for the Dec. 12-15 event at Royal Melbourne in Australia.

A one-day, general-admission ticket for an adult runs $50 for early week but climbs to $155 by the time the weekend rolls around. That’s just the tip of the iceberg on a bucket-list trip that should obviously morph way past the Presidents Cup (are you a golf fan or aren’t you?).

Given the fact that attending isn’t out of the realm of possibility just yet, we decided to run the numbers.

Take these details into account before you decide that it’s totally out of the question to get yourself to Melbourne.

Back to tickets

Package options make much more financial sense than buying day-by-day, and in some cases can get you better access (depending on what you’re willing to shell out). Options include a week-long grounds ticket, which will get you through the gates from Tuesday to Sunday for $530.

A four-day grandstand ticket – which, by the way, means you’ll have a reserved seat – on the 16th green costs $815. If you’re really looking to splurge, spots are still available in the International Club, a lounge area that overlooks the 10th fairway and practice chipping green and comes with unlimited food and drink. A four-day pass checks in at $2,651.

Don’t forget parking

Be warned that they drive on the left side of the road in Australia. That said, it might be worth looking into public transit. If you plan to drive yourself to the matches each day, however, you’ll need a parking pass to get in the gates. Those run consistently at $20 per day throughout the week.

Getting there

Getting to Australia will be neither an easy trip nor a short one. It won’t be a cheap one either, especially on a month’s notice. If you’re headed to Melbourne from Los Angeles at the start of Presidents Cup week (say, Monday Dec. 9), and plan to stay a full week, you’re facing a roughly $1,000 plane ticket – and at least an 18-hour travel day.

Traveling from the East Coast? Let’s say you plan to leave from LaGuardia in New York City on the same date. Add another $150 or so to your ticket, along with at least eight more hours of travel.

Bunking options in Melbourne

A week’s lodging within 10 miles of Royal Melbourne can be had for $500-700, depending on the venue.

Paperwork

A U.S. passport holder also will need an Electronic Travel Authority – or an ETA – to enter Australia for a trip shorter than 90 days. As the name implies, an ETA is electronically linked to your passport, costs $20. You can purchase one relatively easily online.

Unscientific grand total

After a quick run through the basics, you can count on shelling out at least $2,250, depending on the access level you choose once at Royal Melbourne and your geographic location back home in the U.S.

And now for the fun part

This goes back to your level of enthusiasm for the game. You’ll be taking in competition between some of the world’s great players, but don’t overlook the fact that you’ll be strolling along one of the world’s best courses in a renowned region for golf: the Sandbelt.

Royal Melbourne is one of the most famous Sandbelt courses, but Kingston Heath Golf Club, Victoria Golf Club and Metropolitan Golf Club are nearly as iconic. Local knowledge is key where big-budget trips such as this are concerned, so we asked a few experts to tell us where they’d be entertaining friends in the Sandbelt (outside the three courses already mentioned).

Woodlands Golf Club came up frequently, with its “tight fairways and small, hard greens.” So did Spring Valley, a course designed by Vern Morcom, the greenkeeper who built all the Alister MacKenzie work at Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath. One Kingston Heath regular called it a “hidden jewel” – a great design that’s always in great shape.

Looking for something that compares to Royal Melbourne? Take it from a Royal Melbourne member and try Peninsula Kingswood, which has recently undergone renovations. Yarra Yarra and Commonwealth are also on the list of courses that give the visitor a full Sandbelt experience.

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