Nov 30

  
This is the time of year where the BCS bowl match-ups are beginning to be made (or playoff seedings for those teams not in Division I). There is no shortage of controversy.

However, at my house this thanksgiving, there were no fewer than six colleges/regions in high dispute. Some have had great seasons and others not so great. Regardless, there is no shortage of college football banter going on in and about the house during the long weekend.

Several of us have more than enough pride to boast about our teams.


Of course, there's my Stanford, which has put themselves in prime position to earn a BCS bowl berth. The Cardinal is 8-1 in the Pac-12 and 11-1 overall. After finishing the season with a 28-14 win over Notre Dame on Saturday, they -- or "we" -- moved up to number four in the BCS rankings. Stanford now plays the waiting game to find out which bowl game they will be assigned. The majority opinion feels it will be the Fiesta Bowl on January 2. Regardless, the general consensus seems to be that the Cardinal will compete in a major BCS bowl game. Stanford fans also are waiting to see if their quarterback, Andrew Luck, will be awarded the Heisman trophy on December 10.

While my dad did not attend Nebraska, he was born and raised just outside of Lincoln. He is a Cornhusker fan through and through. Nebraska, ranked 19th, climbed two spots in the BCS standings following its Friday victory over Iowa. They stand at 5-3 in the Big 10 Legends Division and 9-3 overall. They will make a bowl game, likely a middle-tier bowl. As an additional note here: While I was raised in Oregon, I was always much more of a Nebraska fan than a fan of Oregon or Oregon State while growing up (yet another byproduct of being daddy's little girl).

My sister-in-law attended San Jose State, which is at 2-4 in the Western Athletic Conference and 4-7 overall. The Spartans are not bowl eligible, but that doesn't stop Carla from throwing out a little trash talking of her own! Being from San Jose, she takes great pride in her her home-town team.


My brother, Brandon, is a freshman at Portland State. Being local, he's no stranger to the Vikings, who finished the season at 3-5 in the Big Sky Conference and 6-5 overall. Brandon even traveled to Pocatello this season to see the Vikings play Idaho State. I think he definitely has his Portland State fandom in check. His team didn't make the Division I-AA playoffs, but turned in a pretty decent season nonetheless.

Like my dad, my mom did not attend her home-town Albuquerque school, the University of New Mexico, but she she remains a faithful Lobos fan. At 1-5 in the Mountain West Conference and 1-10 for the season. They're not bowl eligible, but that's not going to stop my mom from continuing to love her team, something I've learned from her while growing up.

Finally, my sister hasn't actually begun attending the University of California at Berkeley (yeah, I know -- Stanford's rival!), but she will start there in the fall. Jessica has already starting following the Golden Bears, and her timing might be just about perfect. Following their win Friday night, Cal is 4-5 in the Pac-12, 7-5 on the season and is bowl eligible. The Bears won't make it to a top tier bowl game, but I doubt that fact will be cause for my sister to take off that navy blue Cal hat any time soon.

So there it is, the strings of college football pulling my immediate family in six separate directions. For good or for bad ... I wouldn't have it any other way.

~ KMM

In Kassandra's Words features regular blogs throughout the year. Comments and questions are welcome and encouraged. Seasons begin and end, but our Blazers are forever. Please follow on twitter: @Kassandra227