By Holly Anderson

Every once in a while, we forget that this is Ron English’s Twitter bio:

Usually, something reminds us; in this case, it is Eastern Michigan offering the opportunity to go skydiving with Ron English:

To outdo himself once again, if the 10th Annual Golf Outing raises $60,000, he is going to skydive. That is not all, you can join him! Through the popular crowdfunding platform IndieGoGo, fans and supporters of the football program can donate to the Time to FLY campaign and receive perks for their charitable gift. One of these gifts is the opportunity to ride from Ypsilanti to Skydive Tecumseh with Coach English, spend the day with him and eventually ride in the plane and skydive with him.

Mike the Tiger is seen here pondering all the chill Instagrams he’d be taking if only he had opposable thumbs. (AP)

By Holly Anderson

LSU blog And The Valley Shook has an interview up with Ginger Guttner, director of public relations for the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, concerning life with Mike the Tiger. The whole thing is worth a read, but we know what you’re thinking:

So he doesn’t actually do the tweeting himself?

No, Mike’s not able to tweet himself. While he does have wifi in the habitat, I don’t think any computer we would give him would survive.

That clears that up. Read on.

Happy New Year, handsome. (AP)

By Holly Anderson

Aside from the logos, there’s so much to be excited about when it comes to the new College Football Playoff. For one thing, it is a playoff, and while we’ve been staunchly agnostic throughout this debate — to the point of openly wondering whether or not a return to the pre-BCS bowl system would be for the best – four teams will surely lead eventually to eight, as God intended. Second, naming it The College Football Playoff will save the blogging class space in their SEO-friendly opening sentences. Third, this might portend the return of the Peach Bowl, signaling the end of a long regional nightmare for those of us who never stopped calling it the Peach Bowl and the beginning of a promising new marketing opportunity for Chick-fil-A’s appallingly addictive peach milkshakes. But there’s more. There’s so much more.

Stewart Mandel has been taking it all in, and outlines what we know about the new system in detail, including the foregone conclusions of the Jerrydome as the site of the first title game and the Fiesta, Cotton and Chick-fil-A bowls as the last additions to the semifinal host sites rotation. Here is the part where we began squealing and bouncing:

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(ASU Creative Services, via The State Press)

By Holly Anderson

Not overfull of delighted cackles at Arizona State’s new Muppet Babies-inspired Sparky costume? You are not alone, as it happens! Voting is open through Sunday at sparky.asu.edu to choose a re-revamped mascot. Your choices are pictured above. They are all different, but the Clark Gable mustache is apparently here to stay. A true classic never goes out of style, at least not in plush form.

You see this? This here’s a mascot. This is how it’s done. (TCU/Keith Robinson)

TCU will hold its Spring Frog Fest this Saturday, an event that includes an open football practice, an autograph session, and, more importantly for our purposes, the dedication of the new Horned Frog statue. You remember the new Horned Frog Statue. Somebody go to this thing and tell us whether or not there are hidden valves for it to squirt blood from its eyes. We wait, and hope.

This post is both an excuse to post this astoundingly metal new picture of the statue and a placeholder. We’re taking a couple days off to move to a new city. You will be treated to a little bit of silence, followed by the introduction of our new co-author. Regular posting will resume from us on April 15. Be excellent to each other.

And so begins a long and fruitful beard-off between Kliff Kingsbury and Raider Red.

Ladies… @TTUKingsbury The man has peach fuzz…c'mon we all know who's hotter #bowtotherealKing #IThrowStrikes⚾🔥 http://t.co/PQb850ytFi—
Raider Red (@TTURaiderRed) March 20, 2013

[Via intrepid reader Lee.]

Sparky was a good bit more rakish circa 1977. (Arizona State)

For those of you toiling in East Coast offices who missed Friday’s Arizona State rebranding announcements, this gallery of the evolution of Sun Devils mascot Sparky is worth your time. The latest iteration of the plush Sun Devil is a lot more plush and a lot less devil; if this trend continues, expect to see a version of mascot Muppet Babies hitting the Disney Channel within our lifetimes. (The Oregon Duck is Animal.)

Seriously, what is it about Lil’ Red? Get seven people in your home or office to watch this video and your dreams will be safe tonight. Maybe?

Just going to repeat yesterday’s MACtion preview caption here: “Behold Jordan Lynch. Fear Jordan Lynch.” (AP)

• Northern Illinois 31, Toledo 24. We do so love what’s become an annual late-season scramble for division supremacy between the Huskies and Rockets, and last night’s contest did not disappoint. The Huskies, who have won 10 games for the third straight year, will represent the MAC West in Detroit for the third consecutive season, and will face either Kent State or Bowling Green once they get there. Quarterback Jordan Lynch threw for 407 yards (a career best) and rushed for 162 more. No, by himself. No, seriously. Lynch was sent here by the football gods to make sure we all properly appreciate MACtion for the weeknight blessing it is. Message received. [BOX | RECAP]

• Ball State 52, Ohio 27. The Bobcats trailed by four points heading into halftime and were nearly doubled up by the end of the game, thanks mostly to a 21-point fourth-quarter scoring barrage from the Cardinals. Ball State scored three touchdowns in less than nine minutes on a Horactio Banks run, a Kelly Page pass and a Jahwan Edwards run. Page replaced starter Keith Wenning, who left the game in the second quarter with an Achilles injury. Also, this happened. [BOX | RECAP]

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Everybody who wants to see the national championship trophy filled with marzipan, thumbs up! (AP)

Saturday games of varying degrees of interest, grouped in highly subjective categories. For more in-depth preview content, visit Andy Staples’ Walkthrough.

• Biggest game we feel like we couldn’t predict if our lives depended on it: No. 3 Kansas State at TCU, 7:00 p.m. ET. We’re still harboring a dream that seemed far-fetched just a few short weeks ago, a dream inspired by Tom Fornelli suggesting that if Bill Snyder takes home the crystal football this year, he’ll break it in half and make two hard candy dishes. The ‘Cats, at 9-0, are one of six undefeated teams remaining in FBS play. No gimme games remain, but then again, they haven’t played a gimme game since Oct. 6 against Kansas. In their past three outings, they’ve beaten three ranked opponents by a combined score of 154-68.

The Horned Frogs, no slouches on defense, will pose a greater threat to K-State’s undefeated season if the Wildcats take the field without starting quarterback Collin Klein. The Heisman frontrunner’s status for Saturday has been carefully guarded almost since the moment of his injury during last week’s game against Oklahoma State. It’s entirely possible we could see this contest played out without either team fielding the quarterbacks that topped the depth charts at the year’s outset. Only one thing is for certain: This will be the purplest football contest of the regular season.

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