Week 8 added a little extra shine, and one flag is flying a little higher today.
In preparation for @olcrimson‘s return home and @CollegeGameDay making its Pullman debut, I threw together a quick little video edit #GoCougs #ImComingHome #GameDayPullman pic.twitter.com/2BvtOI93xM
— Spencer A. Stewart (@sstewartPR) October 19, 2018
Ol’ Crimson is finally flying at home.
For 15 years, the Washington State flag has flown during College GameDay, no matter what city or campus is hosting. Never once has the show visited Pullman, Washington, its home turf. Until today.
According to the Ol’ Crimson Booster Club, it has traveled to 72 cities, 62 host schools, 34 states and appeared on 216 consecutive shows.
Get you a helmet that does both
LSU will emerge Saturday night from the Tiger Stadium chute in specially designed uniforms that salute the past and pay homage to heroes. #LSU125 pic.twitter.com/GA8L5HSVsf
— LSU Football Equip (@LSUFBEquipment) October 18, 2018
LSU keeps it pretty traditional when it comes to their uniforms. But the Tigers are breaking with that tradition in grand style.
On Saturday night, LSU will be wearing a new color-changing helmet that transforms from purple to gold depending on how the light hits them. According to LSU equipment manager Greg Stringfellow, that’s a first for college football.
The Baton Rouge Advocate reports that Nike designers outsourced the helmet project to a California auto shop that did similar paint jobs on vehicles, and the paint alone cost about $1,500 a gallon. The iridescent paint is meant to look like a Mardi Gras bead.
Overall, the alternates honor the school’s 1918 “Silent Season,” when the Tigers didn’t field a team to join the World War I effort.
The big games
All times Eastern
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No. 6 Michigan at No. 24 Michigan State, noon, FOX
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No. 9 Oklahoma at TCU, noon, ABC
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No. 1 Alabama at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m., CBS
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No. 16 NC State at No. 3 Clemson, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
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Colorado at No. 15 Washington, 3:30 p.m., FOX
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No. 22 Mississippi State at No. 5 LSU, 7 p.m., ESPN
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No. 2 Ohio State at Purdue, 7:30 p.m., ABC
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No. 12 Oregon at No. 25 Washington State, 7:30 p.m., FOX
Throwback Saturday
For the second straight week, Texas Tech is wearing throwbacks that mirror their 1974 uniforms.
So nice we did it twice.
🔴#WreckEm🔴 pic.twitter.com/Tr3ZN416IM
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) October 19, 2018
Oregon State is wearing retro Benny Beaver uniforms for homecoming against Cal. The only previous appearance by the old Benny on helmets was in 1973.
Retro Benny.
Retro lettering.
Retro colors.
Old school never looked so good.
More: https://t.co/3udc41XuNV #GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/BCIpDOpigm— Go Beavs (@BeaverAthletics) October 8, 2018
And Southern Miss is getting in on the action.
Throwing it back to the 80s this Saturday.. 👀😏 #BeatUTSA pic.twitter.com/2AlhIv6Fra
— Southern Miss FB (@SouthernMissFB) October 18, 2018
Speaking of throwing it back
In honor of the 20th anniversary of “The Waterboy,” Adidas created fauxback jerseys to commemorate the legendary South Central Louisiana State University team and waterboy Bobby Boucher, who showed up at halftime and helped the SCLSU Mud Dogs win the Bourbon Bowl. (We’re claiming this as a college football story; just roll with it.)
On Friday night, University Lab High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, transformed from the Cubs into the Mud Dogs with head-to-toe SCLSU uniforms for their game against Mentorship Academy. University High coach Chad Mahaffey even nailed Coach Klein’s trademark look and his team played a high-quality game of foosball, claiming a 70-0 victory.
.@UHScubathletics blanks #Mentorship 70-0 after Bobby Boucher sneaks away and doesn’t tell Momma about how great foos-ball is in alternate jerseys celebrating the 20th anniversary of @AdamSandler‘s hit film #TheWaterboy #SCLSU #GoMudDogs pic.twitter.com/4CFHcFJU3H
— Hilary Scheinuk (@hscheinukphoto) October 20, 2018
Art … or prank?
Students have some interesting thoughts about a cartoon-like statue of a covered wagon that appeared outside Gaylord Hall yesterday: https://t.co/y9Er466gTc
— OU Daily (@OUDaily) October 18, 2018
The appearance of a new statue on the Oklahoma campus sparked suspicions that only a college football rivalry can provoke.
According to the OU Daily, the statue, titled “Covered Wagon,” was created by artist Tom Otterness, a New York sculptor. It features a large cartoonish steer wearing boots (instead of the usual horses) pulling something akin to the Sooner Schooner.
“I didn’t expect the connection with Texas. It wasn’t something I was conscious of,” Otterness told the student newspaper. “But I’d like to remind people that the longhorns are all strapped up pulling the wagon, and the gal’s the one in control. So don’t worry about Texas.”
But surprise: Some students are worried about Texas.
“I really thought this was a college prank from a Texas school,” Madeline Hellwig, an OU student said. “Like they came over here and installed it just to mess with us.”