There are Only Four Rivalry Games in All of College Football

Any backyard Nerf football game is the fifth biggest rivalry.

I was out to lunch today with my daughter and my folks and the topic of college football came up between my father and I, as it almost always does this time of year. We were talking about the Purdue-Michigan game this Saturday and then moved on to some other matchups that intrigued us. I said to my dad that a big rivalry game was on tomorrow night. He asked me which game, and I told him that Notre Dame and Michigan State were playing. He kind of shook his head and asked me why I thought that was a rivalry game. I told him that ESPN, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, pretty much every sports media site and publication always says this is a rivalry game. What he said next was pretty profound, and really speaks to the current state of college football.

My dad said that when he was a kid, and even in his early adult life, Notre Dame and MSU was not a rivalry game. He said that the 2 teams barely played each other until fairly recently. He seemed to think that the media has this hyped as a rivalry game, but in actuality, it is just another game.

We spoke more about what we each consider to be relevant rivalry games in college football. We are both big time Michigan fans, obviously. So, he asked me who I considered was Michigan's biggest rival. Without hesitation I said the University of Ohio State. They always have been and always will be Michigan's chief rival. He was happy with my answer, but asked me about teams like Notre Dame, Minnesota, MSU, and I kind of shrugged them off. Don't get me wrong, those are big games, but not as big as the University of Ohio State. They don't play Notre Dame or Minnesota every year anymore and, while the MSU game can be big, it doesn't hold the same magnitude for me as a Michigan fan. We started to look at other games that are considered "rivalry" games by some places. We both agreed that Auburn-Alabama and Army-Navy are legit, big time games. Those games are almost always as important as the University of Ohio State-Michigan game. I was even quick to say the Egg Cup, Washington and Washington State, is a big time rivalry game too.

Outside of some in state stuff, we couldn't come up with many other true rivalry games, what with all the realignment, and the state of some teams currently in college football. Take a game like Iowa-Iowa State for example. Who, outside of alumni and people that live in Iowa, really care about this "rivalry"? I know I wasn't watching, or paying that much attention to this game when it was played a few weeks ago. Sure, they have some trophy, but who really cares besides the players and coaches. My dad informed me that some people consider Minnesota-Wisconsin a rivalry game. I thought they just played each other to get some big ass axe. I didn't realize until today that this was a rivalry trophy. Some people still consider UCLA-USC a rivalry game. Not me. For my generation, Notre Dame is a much bigger rival to USC than UCLA is. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State fans might take me to task because I don't really think Bedlam is a legit rivalry game. It's a battle for Oklahoma, but it usually doesn't have the big time stakes of true rivalry games. I remember asking RD's wife, who went to Purdue, who their biggest rival was and she told me Indiana. I would not have known that in a million years. I guess it makes sense because they are both in Indiana, but a rivalry game, I don't think so.

Then I thought about some old time rivalry games that are now gone due to conference realignment. We don't get to see Texas-Texas A&M every year anymore. That's a drag. That was always a fun game to watch on Thanksgiving weekend, no matter how good or bad the teams were. Colorado-Colorado State has fallen into that Iowa-Iowa State role for me now that Colorado is in the Pac-12. Who cares about that game, including people that live in Colorado. Missouri and Kansas not only stopped playing football against each other, but they don't even play basketball against each other anymore. That is a damn shame as someone from Missouri that roots for Kansas. The used to have some great matchups back when the Big 12 had 12 teams. Penn State and Pitt only recently renewed their rivalry, but both those schools aren't what they used to be when that game would have truly mattered.

I guess when I look at the new landscape of college football, it is hard for me to see a true rivalry outside of some in state nonsense, or some made up stuff by people that just want others to pay attention to their schools. Outside of University of Ohio State-Michigan, Alabama-Auburn, Army-Navy and Notre Dame-USC, what are the big "rivalry" games? Who is Florida's rival? Is it Florida State or Miami? Same for Miami. Is it Florida State or Florida? Who is Georgia's rival? Is it Georgia Tech, or some random SEC school? Who's Texas main rival now? Oklahoma? Aren't they supposed to be Oklahoma State's biggest rival? What about KU or Missouri? Who are their chief rivals? How about Stanford? Do they consider Notre Dame or USC their biggest rival? Who is LSU's most hated team? Is it Alabama? Maybe Auburn? What about Clemson? Has Louisville jumped older teams, or is it still another team from the Carolina's? It is all very muddy now in college football.

I love to watch all these games, but I want people to temper what they consider a "rivalry game". I will still tune into Notre Dame-Michigan State, but only because Michigan's game should be over by then, and the only other intriguing night game matchup to me is TCU-Oklahoma State. No other reason. I don't know, I just feel like people are making up new rivalry games just to make them up. Tell me why I'm wrong. Let me know how much the Georgia-Georgia Tech game means, or why Miami is a bigger rival to Florida than Florida State. Because where I sit now, there are only 4 true rivalry games. All that other stuff is pure nonsense.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is on the wrong side of our world's greatest rivalry, yellow or red Gatorade. We all know the true answer.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Let's Take Another Look: The Movie "Her" is Even More Relevant Four Years Later

I was scrolling through the movie channels that we have provided by our cable provider and I came across the movie "Her" from 2014. I saw this movie in the theaters when it was first released and I loved it. I remember it winning best original screenplay at the Oscars that same year. It was much deserved for Spike Jones and all the people that helped write the movie. It was a very forward thinking movie. I wanted to see if it held up, so I watched it.

First off, it totally holds up. In fact, I think it holds more weight now than it did when it came almost 4 years ago. In 2014, the idea of a lonely guy that just got divorced and ends up falling in love with a computer operating system was far fetched. Now, I think it is less than a few years away where this will be widely accepted. We are all already so heavily involved with our phones, computers, tablets, anything electronic basically. I'm just as much at fault for this. I read the majority of my news from my phone. I listen to podcasts on my phone. I watch TV on my computer and my son's tablet. All my music is played through my iPod. I use electronics everyday. Hell, my "watch" is also my Fitbit. It keeps time, but it also tracks my steps, my heart rate, the calories I've burned and how many "hills" I've climbed. It can also map my runs and any other exercise, and that is just a "watch". So in re watching "Her" the other day, it felt more like a "Black Mirror" episode that a light dramedy. It was kind of horrifying if I'm being totally honest.

For example, there is a scene near the end of the movie where Samantha, Joaquin Phoenix's OS that he calls his girlfriend, wants to be intimate with him and she finds a service where a real life person can come to his home and she can talk through an earpiece that they both wear. The scene is kind of awkward and I felt kind of wrong watching it. Phoenix didn't know this girl. She was hired to be a real life form of Sam. It was a very light form of prostitution. When Phoenix finally becomes too weirded out by the whole situation, he is made to be the bad guy by Sam and the girl she hired. That is crazy. Also, no one else besides a weirdo like Joaquin Phoenix could have pulled off this role, and more importantly, this scene.

How far off are situations like this in our real life? It is not too far fetched that some stuff like this may be going on right now. I have no doubt at all that some people have a genuine "love" for their phone or tablet, and they call that piece of electronics their partner. No doubt at all. We are all becoming attached to our devices. It is becoming a problem. I'm just waiting for a "True Life" on MTV or some god awful TLC show that talks about people wanting to marry their phone, computer, tablet, whatever it may be. People already have been on TV shows that have shown love for things like real life dolls, cars, furniture, basically all kinds of stuff. Now, as long as you aren't hurting anyone, I have no problem with this. Love whoever or whatever you want. I'm just curious, and I really think it is a real possibility, that people are already saying that some piece of electronics with an operating system is their lover. I know people that freak out when they can't find their phones. I've heard people say, "I don't know what I'd do without my phone". That is crazy.

Every time I go out for coffee or lunch with a group of friends there is inevitably a table filled with people that all have their computers out, are eating lunch and not speaking to one another. Same goes for teens. They'd rather text or Snapchat than engage in a real life conversation. Could this current generation of teens be the first to claim that an OS is their boyfriend/girlfriend? I say most definitely.

The one nice thing I took away from my second go round of "Her", and I say again, I think this movie is wonderful, the people in this futuristic society passed no judgement on these people that were in relationships with their OS's. I think that is great, and I think everyone should be accepting of all consensual love. Love is love and love is blind and love is great. I say again, as long as no one is getting hurt or worse, I'm down with whatever.

The one thing that made me look at "Her" with terror was the end of the movie. Before I go on, spoiler alert. I'm going to wreck the end of this almost 4 year old movie. But, at the end, Phoenix is struggling with his relationship. He and Sam are fighting all the time and they just seem bored and tired of each other. In a last ditch effort Phoenix tries to get her back on his side and he runs into a train stop. Here he realizes that "Sam" is in many relationships. She is an OS, so of course other people have this program for their piece of electronics. It is so heartbreaking and upsetting, but also real. Many people have similar interests when it comes to a partner, and Phoenix finds this out the hard way. It is so gut wrenching because of how true it really is.

Look, I highly recommend the movie "Her". It is great. But, the next time you watch it, if you have already seen it, or if this is your first viewing, think of how close this idea is to reality and watch the movie through that lens. It will really open your eyes. I know it opened mine.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He once fell in love with an OS. Jennifer Aniston and Matt Perry could really make a guy love Windows 95.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Kevin Durant Just Needs to Let it Go

I think it is time for me to give my two cents on this whole Kevin Durant trashing the Thunder organization from a dummy Twitter account.

First off, how does something like this happen with someone this famous? Why doesn't he have people that can stop this, or stop him, from doing something this dumb and easy for hackers and computer people to figure out? Do these pro athletes think they need to be this open to their fans? No way. I think it is cool that some pro athletes want to be able to reach out to fans, but trying to troll trolls, come on, they are better than that.

It is a matter of fact that there will always be someone out there that doesn't like you, especially if you give your opinion. I've found that out by writing for the site. I do not care about the people that say mean or bad things about me, but I also do not engage it. I just let it go. I never return comments on Facebook, Twitter or any other website that has a comment section. It is a waste of time and effort. Same goes for the good comments. I love to hear people say they like my stuff, but I never comment back. Again, there is no need to. The only time I comment back is when I have made a mistake and I want to clear the air. That is it.

Since his last year in OKC and his first full year in Golden State, it seems like KD thinks it is his personal mission to get social media trolls. Anyone that has called him a snake, a traitor, a front runner, a ring chaser, anything bad, he feels the need to write back. Why? What good does that do? Who is he trying to impress? How does he have time to do all this? I have so many more questions, but unfortunately, there seem to be no real answers.

What I think it boils down to is, he has never really been someone that people have actively rooted against. He has always been a player that 99 percent of NBA watchers love. He plays the game so freely and fun. I wish I could play the game of basketball like he does. He is so god damn good. He has been that good since high school, his one year of college, and his entire NBA career. He is one of the best players in the game right now, and he is a sure fire hall of famer. So, for him to call out the "haters" or "doubters", stop it. No one hates your game or doubts your talent. You are a once in a generation player and I am grateful that I get to watch you play, at least, 100 games a year. That nonsense needs to stop from him. He has proven his greatness. He has been to 2 Finals and won one. He is a multiple league leading scorer. He has won a regular season and Finals MVP. He is a multiple All Star. He is always a first team all NBA player. He has done it all. So stop calling out a few dumbass trolls that don't think you aren't any good. You are great. I also love your stance on politics. Keep that up.

It's stuff like this recent Twitter thing and the new shoes that make me rethink my thoughts on you as a person KD. The new shoes, with all that garbage written on the bottom of the shoe is ludicrous. People only said that stuff about you because you joined a team that you couldn't beat, which is fine. NBA players have done that all the time. Gary Payton and Karl Malone joined the Lakers late in their career. Charles Barkley got traded to the Rockets near the end. Steve Nash and Dwight Howard also joined the Lakers. It happens all the time. Get over people calling you a front runner. You are a front runner and that is okay. You made the Warriors nearly unbeatable. I never thought I'd see a team destroy a LeBron James led team like the Spurs did in his last go round with the Heat, but due to your presence, the Warriors did just that, and they will continue to with you on their team. Yes you are a ring chaser, but you have a ring. Stop going after people for spouting out facts. It is the truth. You know, I know it and most of the NBA fan base knows it, including Warriors fans. But what you did with these comments about the Thunder and Billy Donovan and Russell Westbrook is straight up childish. You whined and complained when people bad mouthed you for leaving this organization to join the team that beat you and you didn't say anything about the Thunder then. You griped that people called you a snake or a traitor during the season, you didn't say anything about the Thunder then. You outplayed Westbrook in the regular season head to head matchups and you didn't say anything about the Thunder then. So why, one week before media day and 2 weeks before training camp kicks off, do you say this stuff? This is like when a high schooler breaks up with his or her boyfriend/girlfriend, dates someone more popular and trashes their ex to the whole school. This is some childish bull shit that you should be above.

You won KD. The Warriors are champs. The Thunder are a second round playoff team at best. Get over it. To publicly call out Billy Donovan and say that the roster was terrible is so whiny and conniving and just flat out wrong. This might be worse than some high school bull shit. This is like when my kid says he got into a fight with someone smaller than him and beat him up. That is unfair and he gets punished for that. And when it was found out that you did it, you tried to play it off all cool. I do not buy it for one second. You said you let your emotions at the time get the best of you, I say BS. These were clearly feelings that you had inside the whole season and off season. That doesn't just come out of nowhere. 

All in all, this childish behavior and "woe is me" attitude coming from a multi millionaire that gets to play basketball for a living is really making it hard for me to continue to root for you KD. You are a tremendous talent. Just let your game do the talking. Don't engage with dip shits online, no good will come of it. This will be something that you will always be remembered for the rest of your career. People will say, "multiple champion, 20 plus time all star, multiple all NBA teams, multiple MVP and weirdo that trashed his former organization on Twitter through a dummy account, Kevin Durant". That is crazy, but you brought this upon yourself when you decided it would be a good idea to throw the Thunder under the bus. Let this social media stuff go and just go out there and kick ass on a basketball court. You are better than this KD.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. He also spent one semester at a D 1 college like most of the players in the first round. When will his name be called?

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Watches "Vice Principals" Final Season Premier

This past Sunday "Vice Principals" returned to TV. I loved the first season of this show. Anytime that Danny McBride and David Gordon Green get together, save for "Your Highness", I am completely on board. They did great work with "Eastbound and Down", and they are doing it even better, in my opinion, on "Vice Principals". That is very high praise from me. "Eastbound and Down" is one of the greatest shows to ever appear on TV. It was perfect in every possible way. But, I feel like "Vice Principals" is darker, funnier and just a sight bit better. The show is so dark.

The opening scene of the season 2 premiere was intense. I watched it while sitting on the edge of my couch. It only got darker, but also funnier from there. Spoiler alert if you haven't watched the first season yet, McBride's character got shot in the school parking lot by a masked person. I didn't know if the show was going to come back, or if they did, how would they treat what happened? Would McBride be dead? Would he be paralyzed? Who did it? Why did this person do it? I had so many questions. So, when they announced that they were doing a second season, and it would be the last season, I was pumped.

I watched the season 2 premiere yesterday when I finally had a chance to sit down. As I said, they had that crazy dark opening dream sequence, and then the show snapped back to its comedy roots. McBride was awoken by his daughter, and she told him breakfast was ready. What made this so funny, he was staying at his ex wife's house, played by Busy Phillips, and her new boyfriend was his live in nurse. If people remember my review from season one, one of my favorite characters is Busy Phillips new boyfriend. He is so nice to Phillips, her daughter and, especially, McBride. That is hammered home in the season 2 premiere. McBride seems to think he needs a wheelchair and a lift to get up and down the steps, but we find out that he was shot in the shoulder and the hip. He is not paralyzed, but he acts like he is. He has become so reliant on the chair and the lift.

Later on Walton Goggins shows up to give McBride his medicine, so we find out then that he and McBride still hang out. They successfully got the new principal fired, and now Goggins has become principal of the high school. He does find time to help out McBride though. They go on walks and feed ducks. McBride tells Goggins his plans for getting Dr. Brown back, he believes she shot him, but Goggins says that everyone in town, including the police, say that it was a stereo thief that was spooked by McBride's presence. McBride doesn't believe that, and neither does Goggins. But, they have to go along with it so no one will find out all the terrible things they did to Dr. Brown in season 1.

At this recent walk in the park, Goggins gets McBride to get out of his chair and walk. He needs him back at the high school. Goggins is having a hard time being the full time principal. He goes on to explain how hard it has been by describing all things he has to do for the parents and administrators by describing it as "the worst gang bang I have ever been a part of, and believe me, I have been in some gang bangs". McBride returns to the high school the day after his last encounter with Goggins, and that scene was hilarious. He has the student choir sing "Tears in Heaven", and McBride is so very uncomfortable the whole time. It was comedic gold.

The episode did get dark when McBride found out where Dr. Brown was living now and confronted her in the restroom of a restaurant she was at with her kids. She told him she did not shoot him, and at this point, McBride tried to pull a gun on her. It slipped out of his arm, still using humor even in dark scenes, and rolled to her feet. He then pulled the sword out of his cane and told her not to move. She explained then all the reasons why she wouldn't shoot him, and even showed him a tattoo of him and Goggins holding hands and eating shit. She has put them behind her, just like gin, and got it tattooed on her back, as is her way. She then tries to tell him that she thinks it may have been Goggins that shot him because everything worked out for him. McBride storms into the school the next day and asks Goggins if he shot him at their meeting spot in the woods. Goggins is appalled, and starts to walk away. McBride apologizes, and this is when we hear about how bad it is to be principal. Goggins shows him a binder filled with possible suspects of people that could have shot McBride. They seem to be back in business as partners in crime again.

The final scene of the first episode shows McBride getting his gumption back and tearing into students that are acting up at lunch. It was great, and he is most definitely back. I'm very excited to see how this second, and final season, goes. I want answers, hilarious scenes and dark shit to happen, and I'm one hundred percent sure that "Vice Principals", Danny McBride and David Gordon Green will deliver. Everyone should be watching this show. It is amazing.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is right that "Vice Principals" is an awesome show. It is not better than "Eastbound and Down". I mean the first ten minutes of that show's premier is the greatest piece of entertainment man has ever created.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The NFL is Pretty Terrible Right Now, and Other Thoughts

Can you smell what the NFL is giving you?

There will be no Emmy talk from me today. I saw that people like Donald Glover won some awards and "Black Mirror" got its due respect, but I did not watch one single second of the show last night. Also, "Legion" didn't get a single nomination, so who cares.

Second, I cannot sit here and type about the horrific judge's ruling here in Saint Louis this past weekend. I'm embarrassed, ashamed and saddened to be a Saint Louis resident after last Friday. That police officer killed a kid in cold blood and was ruled not guilty. It is the 21st century yet people are still racist and blind. The police all over this country are becoming, if they weren't already, horrible, power hungry monsters.

Instead I want to talk about something that I feel like I am pretty well versed in, and that is the NFL. Now, don't expect this to be some lovey dovey ode to the NFL. This is going to be quite the opposite in fact. I have 2 games in my mind that show how far the NFL has fallen off in the past couple years.

The first game was the Texans-Bengals atrocity  that the NFL fans had to bear witness to last Thursday night. That game was an abomination. The two teams playing in that game played some of the worst offense that I have ever witnessed by "pro" football players. The Texans kind of have an excuse. They started a rookie. Sure, they traded up very high to get Deshaun Watson, but he is still a rookie, and this was his first start, and the game was on the road. Yes, the Texans offensive line is horrendous and they have no real running game, but Watson was fine, for a rookie, and at least he got the ball to DeAndre Hopkins, something Brock Osweiler couldn't do last year. That being said though, the Texans offense was just horrendous. I didn't think the Bengals would be worse, but damned if Marvin Lewis and Andy Dalton didn't prove me wrong. I'm sorry RD, but the Bengals may be worse on offense than any team in the NFL, including the Jets.(Ed Note: The Bengals stink) In 2 games the Bengals have 9 points. I say again, they've played 120 minutes of football and they have scored 9 total points. They haven't put the ball in the end zone yet. I found it funny during the offseason when some people called the Bengals a "sleeper" team and thought that Andy Dalton could "take the next step". If anything, they have taken a major step back and Andy Dalton is never going to be any better than his rookie year. That seems much more likely to me. There are stories coming out today and yesterday that a bunch of current Bengals want the team to sign Colin Kaepernick, and I think that may be the best thing to happen to this team. They won't do it, but they should. The final score of that game on Thursday night was 13-9 and the best player on the field was a rookie QB that ran the ball 49 yards for a score. That game was a disgusting display of coaching and playing. It was bad all around.

I thought we had seen the worst game of the week, possibly the year, but when I got home on Sunday, I turned on my favorite channel, the "Redzone Network", and watched games all day long. One game they kept going back to for some inexplicable reason was the Seahawks-49ers game. I know that the Seahawks have some "big name" players, and the 49ers have some young talent and a new head coach, but this game was just as bad, if not worse, than the Texans-Bengals game. Neither team could do anything on offense at all. Some blamed it on the weather, but that excuse needs to be tossed out the window. Teams play in bad weather games all the time and they never play as poorly as these 2 teams play. The Seahawks apologists will say, "the 49ers always play them tough", but the Seahawks have destroyed them, especially at home, since Russell Wilson has been their QB. I think these fans were thinking of the Rams, and that is not much better. But, like I said, "Redzone Network" kept going back to this game to show me a 2 yard gain here, a big hit there and nothing but field goals or punts. It was a big time test of my patience. There were some other good games going on at the same time. The Buccaneers were pounding the Bears during their first game of the year. I want to see if this Buccaneers team is for real. The Patriots were filling up the scoreboard against the Saints. The Steelers were pounding the Sam Bradford less Vikings. Hell, even the Browns and Ravens were playing a better game. The Raiders were putting it to the Jets. All these games would have been so much more entertaining to watch. But, they kept cutting to this terrible Seahawks-49ers game with the hopes of something big about to happen. Nothing big ever happened. It was 6-6 at halftime. The second half was not much better. They kept going to the host, I believe his name is Chris Hansen, and he kept yelling as if he was Gus Johnson anytime Russell Wilson scrambled for 10 yards, or whatever 49ers running back was running would go for an 8 yard gain. He was really trying to sell this game to the viewing audience. When the 49ers went up 9-6 you would have thought that this was the Super Bowl. Hansen was pulling out nonsense stats left and right. The Seahawks eventually scored a TD, only to miss the extra point, and win the game 12-9. It was a joke of a football game. I know it is only 2 weeks into the season, but for all the people that picked the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl, they may want to rethink that prediction. The Seahawks cannot protect Wilson and they have no one, and I mean NO ONE, that is a threat on offense. Their defense is great, but their offense could be their downfall. They have scored a combined 21 points in 2 games. That's more than the Bengals, but not that much more.

The NFL has been pretty rough for the first 2 weeks. The QB play last week really showed this, and these 2 particular games only magnifies it more for me. It has been rough to watch for 2 weeks. I'm almost to the point where fantasy football is the only reason that I will even pay attention to the NFL. As I said last week, football on Saturday's is so much better than football on Thursday, Sunday and Monday. The NFL is slowly but surely turning into a horrific product. And I do not know if they can fix it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The Head Editor wants to once again say that the Bengals stink, because they really do stink. Stink.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Cloves and Fedoras: Go Check Out the Awesome Comedy "I'm Sorry"

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture.  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known.

While listening to the podcast "How Did this Get Made" a few weeks back they had Andrea Savage on as their guest. I do not remember which movie they were talking about, but I knew that Savage and Jason Mantzoukas were both cracking me up. I am already a big time fan of Mantzoukas. I have sang his praises many times on the podcast and the website. He is a funny dude and I really enjoy the characters he plays. I vaguely knew of Savage. She has shown up in bit parts on shows I watch like "The League" and "Veep". In fact, she plays the president on "Veep". She was also in a very underrated, short lived Comedy Central show, "Dog Bites Man" that everyone should check out. She is also very funny in the movie "Step Brothers". She has a smaller role, but she does wonderful things with it.

Near the end of the podcast, both Savage and Mantzoukas, while doing plugs, plugged a show that Savage created that Mantzoukas was a co star on. The show is called "I'm Sorry" and it is on the TruTV network, and it is glorious.

After hearing about "I'm Sorry" on "HDTGM", I wanted to check it out and I was glad that I landed on it while channel surfing. My wife came into the living room while I was watching it and she sat down and finished the episode with me. We both loved what we saw. The show was hilarious. We were lucky enough to see that TruTV was having an all day marathon on Labor Day leading up to the season finale. We recorded all the episodes and the finale. We had 10 episodes on our DVR and we blasted through them in about 3 days. We would sit down after putting our kids to bed, say we were only going to watch one, then we'd watch 3 or 4. We could not get enough. The show is so funny. The wit, the jokes, the acting, the writing, the directing, it all comes at you so fast and furious and it is all hilarious.

First off, Savage is an absolute comedic genius. she is so damn funny on the show. Her jokes and acting are top notch. She makes me laugh harder than anyone else on the show does. It makes sense because it is her show, but she ups the comedy to a whole new level. Tom Everret Scott plays her husband. You may know him from "That Thing You Do". He is great on "I'm Sorry". He is quieter and kind of just plays off Savage's fast paced comedy, but he has his moments. There is a great scene after they see their marriage counselor that I do not want to spoil but Scott is so funny, sad and reverts back to being his quiet self immediately. It is the best moment of season one. Both Savage and Scott have great chemistry too. They play so well off each other. Their daughter is equally funny. She is 5, just a child, but Savage and crew write some great lines for her. Some of the stuff she says blows my mind because she is so young, but being on this show, I guess it should be expected. Her mother, played by Kathy Baker, has great moments too. She is very funny. Martin Mull, who plays her father, has a tremendous character arc that is one of the funniest things from season one. The aforementioned Mantzoukas plays her writing partner, and every scene he is in is awesome. He is so god damn funny on the show. He is still playing a kind of disgusting character, but it is nowhere near Rafi from "The League". He actually gets to be human in this role. Mantzoukas is great, and I am so glad that he is getting chances to play different roles in movies and TV shows lately. He has earned his shot.

There are also a ton of people in the current comedy world that show up on this show in small roles. Gary Anthony Williams is great as a stay at home dad that is friends with Savage. Steve Zissis as "shorts guy" has a very funny, very small role in the show. Judy Greer is great as one of Savage's friends who rally enjoys to see Savage squirm. Allison Tollman, in her 2 episodes, is very funny. Nelson Franklin as Savage's brother, is really good. Morgan Walsh is great. Pretty much everyone one of Savage's friends that show up for an episode here and there are just wonderful and I love when I see them on the screen.

"I'm Sorry" is a gem. I highly recommend that everyone watch this. It is a great show for couples, especially married couples, to watch together. Like I said, there has only been one season, so it is easy to catch up. Every episode is on TruTV On Demand, and they are about 25 minutes long. The show has been picked up for a much deserved second season, and I cannot wait to see where they take it from season one. Go watch "I'm Sorry", it is one of the funniest new shows on TV.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is a big supporter of shows married couples can watch together. Shows like "The Red Shoe Diaries", "Coed Confidential", and "The Erotic Traveler".

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Injuries have Already Rewritten the 2017 Professional and College Football Season

Going to have out give out some new game balls.

We are 2 weeks into the college football season and one week into the NFL season, and my 2 major picks, Heisman and MVP, are both done for the year.

My Heisman pick, Deondre Francois, the QB of FSU, tore his patellar tendon in the opening game of the season against Alabama. This could be a brutal blow to FSU's hopes of the College Football Playoff. Francois was/is one of the tougher QB's in college football. That kid got hit so many times last year as a true freshman, but he always got up. The same thing was happening in the opening game of the season, but late in the third quarter he got crushed, and when he didn't immediately hop up, I knew something was wrong. I'm not an FSU fan by any stretch of the imagination, but to lose your starting QB in the firsts game is pretty crummy. FSU can still rebound, possibly even be a major competitor in the ACC, they have a tremendous defense, but losing Francois will be brutal. I do not know how that offense will look, their second game of the year was cancelled due to Hurricane Irma. But, I imagine it will look a lot like what Clemson and Michigan are doing right now. They are going to try and run as much as possible, pass only when needed and rely on their other worldly defense. It is going to be an uphill battle for FSU, but they still have some decent talent. When you really think about it, relying on Cam Akers is not the end of the world in football terms.

I do have to say, my last 2 Heisman picks have been way off. Two years ago I picked Trevoyne Boykin, and while he had a decent season, he was not even a Heisman finalist. Last year I picked Deshaun Watson, and I still think he should have won, but Lamar Jackson won it last year. A couple weeks back, 2 days after the Francois injury I said that I was going with Derius Guice over Baker Mayfield, so I hope that I do not jinx any chance Guice may have of winning the award.

On to my pick for NFL MVP. I was completely on board with staking my claim to being one of the few people that was picking David Johnson for MVP. He had a breakout year last year, and he was the key to the Cardinals offense. I expected the Cardinals to surprise, possibly fight for a playoff spot and David Johnson was the main reason why. I had the number one overall pick in one of my fantasy football drafts, and like many other people with the number one overall pick I grabbed Johnson without hesitation. I fully bought into the David Johnson hype. He was the second coming, my generation's Marshall Faulk I called him. I bought all the David Johnson stock that I could.

Then week 1 happened. The Cardinals had an early afternoon game on Sunday, and I was at work, so I couldn't watch him play. But, I just assumed that he was going to put up big number against a subpar Lions defense. When I first went to check my numbers on my fantasy app, he had gotten me about 5 points, and it was only in the first quarter. I did the math and figured, at worst, he was going to get me between 15-20 points and that his MVP campaign was off to a great start. I waited about 20 or 30 minutes before I checked the scores again, and much to my shock, his numbers hadn't changed at all, and the game was going into halftime. I thought, no big deal, still on pace for double digit points. Then, as my work day was winding down, I hadn't checked my scores in about an hour at this point, I got a notification from my fantasy app. I heard the noise, stopped what I was doing for a moment and checked out what the update said. The app told me that David Johnson was questionable to return to the game with a wrist injury. My first thought was, oh no, my preseason MVP pick is already hurt. Then I thought about my fantasy team, and knew I was screwed. No good was going to come from this. I got home, watched some more football all day, and any new news on my preseason MVP got worse and worse. People were saying a sprained wrist and that he'd only miss a few weeks. Other people were reporting possible surgery, which would have him missing 6-8 weeks. Some people were saying that he was going to get a second opinion, and that is never, ever a good sign. Basically all news was bad news. 

On Monday morning it was announced that David Johnson was being put on IR, and he was going to miss 2-3 months. Basically the entire season. My preseason MVP and number one overall pick in my fantasy draft was pretty much done for the year. As far as my fantasy team went, this is what happens sometimes. People get hurt and there is nothing I can do. I was upset, but not mad. I was mad about going out on a limb and picking him as the MVP. I expected so much from him, and it was a total bummer when he announced that he needed to get surgery. Not only did it wreck my MVP pick, but it wrecks the Cardinals season. I have no faith in the Cardinals as a playoff team anymore. They have to rely on Carson Palmer, who looks cooked, Larry Fitzgerald, who produces, but is old and they signed Chris Johnson, who hasn't been viable in about 4 years. Their defense is still good, but that offense is going to be a big time problem for them.

I guess I am bad news for any player that I pick to win preseason awards. I picked Cam to repeat as MVP last year, and he got illegally hit and hurt too much last year. Now this happens to David Johnson. I guess, if I have to pick someone else to win the NFL MVP now, I will go with Aaron Rodgers. I hate doing this, since he is the QB of my team, but there is no one else I can think of that is more valuable to his team. Just like with Guice, I hope this doesn't spell doom for Rodgers. We will see what both the college and NFL seasons have for us from here on out, but what a bummer for some big time players for the first 2 weeks. Major injuries are a big time bummer.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He did not to well in his first fantasy football game of the season. The Head Editor? He won his game behind a dominant performance of Sam Bradford. MVP of the whol year will be Bradford. Write it down.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

We Need to Talk about the Awesome Jemele Hill

Respect it all, or not at all

ESPN is in the news once again for being shallow, callous, timid and stupid.

Jemele Hill had the right to tweet whatever she wanted to the other day, and for ESPN to come out and apologize on her behalf was an absolute joke. Hill is right. That monster, and monsters, that are currently in Washington right now are the biggest bunch of racist assholes that may have ever been in office. And yes, I'm counting the people that were in the government in the 19th and early 20th century. What we have in office right now is a terrifying group of horrendous racists, homophobes, yes men and women, people who will not chastise and condemn white supremacists, people who want to roll back long lasting Title IX laws. Basically, we have the scum of the Earth trying, and failing, to run this country. These morons are more interested in denying climate change, claiming that there is fault on both sides when talking about Nazis and trying to fatten their own pockets. This current "government" has no clue.

So yes, I stand with Jemele Hill. She can say whatever the hell she wants when she goes on her own personal Twitter account. I don't care that she is a Michigan State grad, she was using her free speech and ESPN decided they needed to chastise her. This is horrendous. Why do they constantly do stupid stuff like this? Is it the fact that Hill is a big time face of the network now, and she is even bigger when it comes to football? Most definitely.

ESPN is so in the bag with the NFL and the owners that they will not let anyone that talks about football say one bad thing about the higher ups. Look at what happened to Bill Simmons when he called out Roger Goodell. The same Roger Goodell, when asked about Colin Kaepernick, said he wasn't a "football expert". Did ESPN go out and protect one of their most popular employees? Of course not. They fined, suspended and eventually fired him. Look what happens when Tony Kornheiser bad mouths the NFL on "PTI". He gets suspended and loses a good chunk of money.

The thing with Hill though, she wasn't attacking the NFL. She was going after the "president", which the majority of the country does now. That oaf is not fit for the position that he is in right now. Everything Hill tweeted was one hundred percent correct, and I have thought the same things many times over the past 7 and a half months. Hell, I have said as much on the "X Millennial Man" podcast, and written about it more than enough on the website. Hill was in no way out of line.

I would have taken it even further. That goon in office right now is a cancer to society and many, many people are saying the exact same thing that Hill tweeted the other day. I have no problem with what she said, as previously stated, and not many other people do either. In fact, she has gotten a wealth of support from many people, including big name people. Colin Kaepernick is one of her biggest supporters. Michael Rappoport has become one of her biggest aides, especially on Twitter. I love the videos he has been making since all this came out. Many political pundits have agreed with her. She has so much more support than anyone could have ever imagined, but ESPN does not care about that.

I ask again, why?

Why did ESPN feel like they had to come out and issue an apology? Can grown people not speak their mind anymore if they work there? Is the talent supposed to keep their mouth shut no matter how bad the injustice is? Do we live in the 50's again where no one can talk back? Is it because she is a woman? I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think the answer to all these questions, at least from ESPN's side, is yes, and that is a crying shame. Did they issue the apology because that douchebag in office has a bunch of NFL owners in his hip pocket? Yes, and that is horrifying. ESPN is more worried about sponsors and money than letting a grown woman speak her mind. What a crock. Apparently the only time grown people can talk at ESPN is when they are told too. That is ridiculous as well. Let these people talk. They have minds of their own and they should be allowed to express their feelings while not at work, which is exactly what Hill did. We most definitely do not live in the 50's anymore, so speak your mind Hill. You are extremely popular with the younger viewing audience, so even if ESPN is stupid enough to let you go, you will get picked up quick. Hell, it may be for the best. As far as her being a woman, I think that most definitely had something to do with this. ESPN got scared when Erin Andrews started to speak her mind, but she got out and got a better gig at Fox. Like I just said, Hill will get a job in half an hour if she leaves or is let go at ESPN.

This is all ludicrous and a just flat out stupid. Keep speaking your mind Jemele Hill. You have the right to free speech, and that is something that no one, especially not ESPN can take away from you. I stand with Jemele Hill.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He likes to hustle people at pool. His trick is to convince someone that Ty can pull of a trick shot of hitting a ball over a stack of money. When the money is down, Ty grabs it and runs. It doesn't always work

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Watches "Bar Rescue": The Lucky Irish Saloon Edition

"Bar Rescue" was back with a new episode, and it was a classic. This was one of the episodes that I will fondly remember because it was so down the middle, and so perfect.

Taffer and crew traveled out to a smaller town in Florida, I believe it was Davenport, to a bar called "The Lucky Irish Saloon". Right off the bat, the name threw me for a loop. That is a very weird name. This bar had all the typical resounding success right off the bat. The 2 owners bought the bar, turned it into a big time money maker and eventually married each other. They were in love and forking in the money hand over fist. They seemed to have everything going in the right direction. Then, as with almost all the bars on the show, things turned for the worse.

The owners began to fight in front of employees. The employees became afraid of the husband that was the bar owner. He is an old school Irish guy and he talked down to all his employees. He was a real piece of work. It got so bad that the wife owner divorced the husband. But, they remained business partners and lived in the same house. That is a recipe for disaster. After the divorce, things went from worse to horrible. The employees despised whenever the husband owner was there. As I said, he would degrade them, and when he left, the employees would jump for joy. One of them said that they felt like a weight was off their shoulders. The wife owner, after the divorce and the bar starting to go under, basically gave up. She was at her wits end. She was in debt almost 300,000 dollars and was ready to throw in the towel. She tried "Bar Rescue" as a last ditch effort.

Of course this was way too juicy for Taffer to pass up, so he went to rescue this place. When he showed up, he did his usual recon. This time around he brought 2 experts, Phil Wills, his mixology expert, and Vic Vegas, his food expert with him. They watched from outside in the van like they always do. What they saw was a travesty. The drinks were so poorly made. They showed 3 of the exact same drinks all side by side, and they were different shades of color and each had different tastes. The staff was slow. They were deliberate, but very slow and didn't have any proper training. The wife owner kind of kept to herself and just stayed away from all the action. The kitchen was basically for show. They did do bar munchies, but that was it. They had a single fryer for that. Every patron in the bar was there to smoke more so than to buy drinks.

The icing on the crap cake that was this bar was the husband owner. Instead of running his business, he was hustling patrons at pool. He was taking money from the bar to play people in pool to try and win some extra cash for himself. And in between pool games, he would openly yell at the staff. This guy was an ass. In fact, Taffer sent in Vegas to do some in house recon, and what he saw made him very upset. Vegas walked in with a baseball hat on and sat at the bar to get a beer and food, all in the façade of trying to get the husband owner to challenge him in pool. Vegas had a beer, didn't say much about it, and ordered some food. The food was frozen and greasy. It all looked disgusting. The husband owner eventually walked up to him, and Vegas urged him to play some pool. The husband finally said yes, and this was when Taffer blew his lid. He stormed into the bar and immediately started to berate the husband. He must have called him an asshole 15 times in under a minute. He yelled and screamed and forced him to give the people he hustled their money back. The husband tried to fight back but he realized that he had no business to even try and fight Taffer. He relented, paid the people back and closed up shop.

After Taffer ordered them to clean the place up, the staff all sat down and had a heart to heart. The husband owner said he would ease up so they could get their bar back to being a money making machine. This guy's 180 with his attitude was incredible. He was so easy to give up his bad attitude and make a change. The next day Taffer showed up with his experts and they got to training, but not before Taffer explained why he went after the guy the night before. It was unnecessary, but also hilarious. Training was kind of so so. First off, the kitchen needed to be a one item menu because they wanted the bar to stay a smoke friendly establishment. They decided on beer braised hot dogs that they would sell for 99 cents. It was a great idea. The bartender training was a little tougher. The bartenders were inexperienced, and that showed when they tried to make the fairly easy cocktails that Wills taught them. Stress test was an absolute disaster. They couldn't get the drinks out right, or on time. They have 5 and 6 people deep and the bartenders were almost immediately drowning. The food was coming out on time, it is just hot dogs, but it was going to the wrong tables and the wrong people. They had horrible systems in place. The best/worst thing though was a gentleman who took a seat on his stool and the stool exploded. It was a riot. After about 2 hours, Taffer told the owners to shut it down. He moved them to a different bar to train while his construction crew fixed the place up, and the staff, I must say, worked pretty hard. They seemed like they wanted to be successful.

The next day the crew showed up at the newly renovated bar and had their big reveal. The name was changed to "Lucky's Corner Pocket", due to the husband's love for pool, but it sounded more like a sexual innuendo to me. The inside looked much better. No exposed wires, the place was clean, a new bar top, new stools and new POS systems and, of course, a lifetime subscription to Partender. The re launch went great, as always, and everything seemed to be going smooth. Even the divorced couple were smiling and hugging each other, which forced my wife to say, "I bet you they both get lucky with each other tonight".

At the 6 week check up, the bar sales were up 32 percent from the year before and everyone, even the ex husband and wife, were getting along great. I love when "Bar Rescue" comes back after a couple week hiatus and gives me a classic episode like this one. I need more of these. I'm sick of the "Back to the Bar" ones, which they are doing this Sunday. I want more of the timeless classic like "Lucky's". This was a fun watch.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He likes to hustle people at pool. His trick is to convince someone that Ty can pull of a trick shot of hitting a ball over a stack of money. When the money is down, Ty grabs it and runs. It doesn't always work

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Colin Kaepernick is a Better Quarterback, and a Better American, Than Most of the Starters in Week 1 of the NFL

Artist depiction of the quality of quarterback play in the NFL

I was going to start off this week like I did last week with an instant reaction to the first week of the NFL season. I had some takes, but there is one take that has to take up my entire blog today.

The quarterback play that I watched this Thursday, Sunday and, presumably, tonight, was absolutely atrocious. It was so dreadfully awful. I had to work in the morning on Sunday, but I was home in time for all the late afternoon games, and I saw the end of some of the early games. The QB play, at least on the Patriots side, Thursday night was pretty awful as well. Tom Brady played horrendous football on Thursday night. His bad play wasn't a call to arms for me though. He has been great since 2001, so he can have a bad game here and there. He is 40, and that is to be expected.

What I didn't expect was Alex Smith to outplay him by that much. This was the first time in Smith's career where he actually looked like the number one overall pick. He was throwing beautiful deep balls and hitting receivers in stride. You have to remember too, the Chiefs traded all the way up to number 10 in the most recent draft to take Patrick Malholmes, and many people, myself included, assumed that was the end of the Alex Smith era in Kansas City. Well, he squashed any talk of that for at least one week.

So the opening game of the season started very odd, with Alex Smith looking all world and Tom Brady looking awful. Then, I arrived home, turned on "Red Zone Network", and saw all the horrific QB play in the NFL. The first one that really popped out to me was Tom Savage and the Houston Texans. He got absolutely owned by the Jaguars. The Jacksonville Jaguars. They sacked him 10 times and scored a defensive TD. He looked so much worse than the other terrible QB on the same field that day, Blake Bortles. Don't get me wrong, Bortles was awful too, completing less than 50 percent of his passes, but the Jaguars relied on Leonard Fournette and their defense. And, due to the terrible play of Savage, they ran away with the victory. In fact, the only TD the Texans scored was when Deshaun Watson stepped in and threw a dart to DeAndre Hopkins. The time is now for Watson to be the Texans QB. That much should be clear.

Throughout the rest of the early afternoon games there were some veteran QB's that were just as bad as Savage. Two that come to mind for me are Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton. Between the 2 of them, they had 1 TD and 7 interceptions. Both of their teams got beaten easily too. The Ravens shut out the Bengals and the Lions came back and beat the Cardinals by 2 scores. Both Dalton and Palmer looked old and past their prime. Palmer probably is, but Dalton is still young, but he has only gotten worse every year he has been in the league. Kirk Cousins, betting on himself for the third straight year, looked pretty inconsistent with a whole new group of receivers. He was over and under throwing balls all day and missed an easy TD that could have turned the tide of the game. Not a great start to a season where Cousins expects to get paid big time money.

Then came the late afternoon games. Everyone else in the early games was either fine, or average. I was pumped for the Seahawks-Packers game, and both QB's let me down. Rodgers looked flushed and hurried all game. The only TD he threw was on a busted play where he caught the Seahawks off guard. He looked very average yesterday. Russell Wilson looked even worse. His O-line cannot protect him, and he was running for his life all game against a revamped Packers defense. He was also missing throws and throwing the ball away more often than not. He did not look like the MVP that some writers, not me, predicted him to be this season.

The 2 main horrific QB's I watched were in the late afternoon games though. Scott Tolzien and Brian Hoyer were hot messes yesterday. The fact that Brian Hoyer is still in the NFL is astounding. He wasn't even that good in college. He is, at best, a third stringer in the NFL. But, he keeps finding starting jobs somehow. He was horrendous yesterday. He was sailing balls, missing open guys and getting sacked left and right. He looked timid and frightened every time he stepped back to pass. People need to stop giving Brian Hoyer contracts and starting jobs. He is so bad. I didn't think it couldget much worse than Brian Hoyer, but then I saw the "highlights" of Scott Tolzien. My god is he terrible. He made Jared Goff look like the second coming of Joe Montana. Tolzien has no business setting foot on a professional football field. Hell, I wouldn't even let him quarterback a high school team. He has no leadership of the team. He has no control of the huddle and he puts no fear in the opposing defense at all. Scott Tolzien is the worst QB in the NFL. The fact that he started a game yesterday is an absolute abomination and a total indictment of how poor the NFL is right now.

While watching this shit show, I took to Facebook and Twitter to write a simple 2 word status update. I wrote, "Can someone please explain to me why Scott Tolzien and Brian Hoyer are starting NFL games today, yet Colin Kaepernick remains unsinged? What a joke". That was it. I just put it out in the ether. Of course I got responses, most of them agreeing with my statement. But, there were a few people who said things like, "if he had a QBR of 125, it wouldn't matter. He is no good, that is why he isn't playing". And my favorite, "he is the most unpatriotic person ever".

Lets unpack the, "he's no good" comment first. Colin Kaepernick has been to a Super Bowl. He has won multiple playoff games. Hell, he was okay last year when he got to play, playing on an awful 49ers team. Colin Kapernick is better than at least 10 guys that started yesterday. I would much rather have him than Tom Savage, Carson Palmer, Andy Dalton, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Tyrod Taylor, Josh Mccown, Brian Hoyer, or god help me, Scott freaking Tolzien. He is so much better than any one of these guys. He has achieved more than anyone of those guys too. He has had more success than anyone of those guys. He is a better football player than all of those guys. He belongs on a team, especially more so than the players I just mentioned.

Now for the "unpatriotic" comment. Colin Kaepernick is more patriotic than these morons that claim he is "unpatriotic". Him kneeling for the national anthem is his way of protesting, which is encouraged by most American's because it is a great way to use our freedom of speech. I do not care one bit that he chose to kneel for the anthem. I love the reasons why he chose to kneel. I fully agree with him in fact. The police in the US, not all of them, but most, are cruel individuals who try and get away with more than anyone else. They are power hungry morons that have let what little power they have make their heads explode. They are trigger happy psychopaths that terrify more people than they put at ease.

Secondly, not only does Kaepernick use his freedom of speech to near perfection, he puts his money where his mouth is. He has donated millions of dollars and clothes and food and anything and everything to the certain charities he donates to. He is a good person doing great things in the name of freedom of speech. He is out there doing so much more than anyone who claims to be "patriotic". The people who claim to be "patriotic" are mostly arm chair patriots. They do what I did yesterday. They post some dumb, "I love America", bull shit on their Facebook page, then chastise people like me who think Colin Kaepernick deserves a job in the NFL.

I probably should have kept that thought to myself until today, for my blog, but what I saw yesterday made me angry. People like armchair "patriots", Roger Goodell, and the majority of NFL owners are making me hate a sport that I once loved. I look so much more forward to Saturday's for football than Sunday's now. The NFL is becoming an absolute joke. The powers that be would rather sign and play guys that hit women, Ezekial Elliot, or children, Adrian Peterson, or bully teammates to the point of the contemplating suicide, Richie Incognito, then sign a guy that doesn't want to stand for the stupid ass national anthem. Colin Kaepernick is a much better person than the three people I named, and he is more patriotic than anyone that calls him "unpatriotic". And for those of you that didn't care for my status update yesterday, get used to me stepping up for Kaepernick all season long until he gets his much deserved roster spot on an NFL team. Also, I do not stand for the national anthem anymore too, because I agree with Kaepernick. This country is a mess, and he is one of the good people left.

Thank you for all you do Mr. Kaepernick. You are truly a hero.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is also going to sit for the Canadian Anthem. He will give up that protest when the stop selling those delicious Kit Kats we can not get in the States. How dare they have better candy.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Better Late than Never on the Average Film "Fences", and the Incredible Artist Viola Davis

Yesterday I watched the movie "Fences".

It was a very good movie. I understand that. But, I was not wowed, with one exception. I understand it is hard to take a play and adapt it for the movie screen. "Fences" was one monologue after another. The monologues and performances were great, but after the first hour, I got kind of bored with the constant single shot and 5 minutes of straight dialogue from one of the main actors. Denzel Washington was tremendous as the main character, Troy. He is always great, and this was no exception. Everyone else in the movie, his children and the side characters, they were just fine. None of them wowed me, but I never thought their parts should have been cut.

The lone exception was Viola Davis. She was phenomenal. She was/is a powerhouse actor. She owned every single scene she was in. She was, by far, the best thing about this movie. I could not take my eyes off her when she was in screen. Her monologues were the best. Her performance out shined everyone else, including Denzel. The final scene, where she talks to her son, was as powerful a scene that I have ever seen in a period drama. She was amazing.

I did some research after watching the movie and came upon the fact that she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She won, as she should have, but supporting actress? Give me a god damn break. She was just as much the lead in this movie as Denzel was. I know Washington directed the movie, and he was doing the play, but Davis was an equal star. I don't know who was up for Best Actress in the most recent Oscars, but the fact that Davis had to be put in the Supporting category is ridiculous. She was easily the best actress from all the nominated movies that I have seen thus far. I HAD to watch every scene she was in. I stopped everything else I might have been doing to watch her performance. The same cannot be said for anyone else in "Fences". I watched the movie intently, but when Davis wasn't on screen, I'd let my mind drift, check email, or just lay down. But, the moment Davis came back on screen, I sat straight up, put my phone down and focused.

I know Davis won the Oscar, but I still feel like she is underrated and not as appreciated as she deserves. She is pretty much good in everything she is in, and in "Fences", she was the best actor on screen. I mean, I would have given Denzel best actor over Casey Affleck, but Davis would have won it over anyone last year. I do not care who was up for Best Actress, Viola Davis out acted them all by a mile with her role in "Fences". I cannot wait to see what she does next, and I hope she starts to get her due as the wonderful actor that she is. She is great on the Shonda Rimes show, "How to Get Away with Murder", she has been great in bit roles here and there, but she was masterful in "Fences".

My hat goes off to the wonderful Viola Davis.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He just remembered who won the Best Actress Award this year. It was Emma Stone for either "Hawaii" or "White People: The Musical". Way to go Oscars.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Better Late than Never on the Strange, and Great, Movie "The Lobster"

Yesterday I was finally able to finish the movie, "The Lobster". I started it a few days ago, but with picking up my kid from school and doing things during the day with my daughter, it usually takes me 2 to 3 sittings to finish a 2 hour movie. "The Lobster" was recommended to me by a few people who's taste in movie I very much trust. I am not a Colin Farrell fan when he plays an American in some stupid action movie, but, when he gets to use his own dialect and accent, the results always seem so much better. I was assured by said people that he spoke with his Irish tone in "The Lobster". I was also told that the tone and pace of this movie was right up my alley. I like darker, dystopian future movies. I appreciate when writers and directors make a movie of the not so distant future and it isn't all peachy and sweet. I'm usually right on board. That is exactly what "The Lobster" did.

"The Lobster" movie takes place in a very near future in Ireland. People who have lost their spouse, be it divorce, death or them just straight up leaving, are sent to a hotel where they have 45 days to find a mate. I call it a hotel, but it seems more like a prison. At the end of the 45 days, if they haven't found a partner, they get turned into an animal of their choosing. Sounds pretty weird, right? Well, I loved the story this movie was telling. It is such a weird concept, but maybe, just maybe, this is something that could definitely happen in the near future.

The movie opens with a lady driving out to the hills of Ireland and shooting a cow. I was confused, yet intrigued. We then see Farrell and a lady is talking off camera, letting him know that she is leaving him. Farrell has glasses on, and his only question to her is, "is the man near sighted?". He seems upset, but more so at the man's sight as opposed to the fact that his wife is leaving him for this other person. Farrell then checks himself into this hotel with his dog. He states to the clerk at the front office that maybe they remember his brother, he had been there a few years ago. She does not remember him. This was when I started to suspect that the dog may have been his brother. Farrell then goes to his room and is asked a plethora of questions involving his sexual past and present, and what kind of animal he would want to be turned into if he doesn't find a mate. This was so uncomfortable, but also fascinating to watch. This was the exact moment that Farrell won me over in this movie. His performance, as a monotone loner that is upset, but won't show it, was spot on.

After all the inquisition, we jump cut to a scene at the hotel dining room area. By the way, this blog is going to be filled with spoilers. Nothing too big yet, but it is coming. In the dining hall we meet 2 of Farrell's "friends" at the hotel, played by John C Reilly and Ben Whishaw. Both are wonderful in their smallish roles. Reilly is a total punching bag. He lets people walk all over him. Whishaw is a snake that will do whatever it takes to find a mate. He was tremendous in the movie. After they have a very bizarre dance scene, everyone is whisked away in a bus to go and "hunt" outsiders. Outsiders are people that have either left the hotel or do not want to go this this terrible place. They live in the woods and anytime the hotel occupants come to "hunt" them, they use tranquilizer darts to capture the Outsiders and bring them back to the hotel, the Outsiders fight back or try to get away. The "hunting" scenes are intense.

Throughout the first 2/3 of this movie, we get a narrator telling the story of how she met Farrell's character. It is very helpful to give you some kind of idea of what is going on. After the first "hunt", Farrell meets a lady that only has a day or 2 left to find someone, and she claims she is going to kill herself if she doesn't find someone. Another lady he meets at the pool has one day left, and she proclaims to him that she cannot wait to be turned into a mini horse. She has beautiful hair, so she sees that being the only animal she can turn into. There is a third lady that, as the narrator says, "is the most heartless person that ever existed". Farrell decides that he is going to make the heartless lady his companion. He puts on a whole show for her, and she agrees to be his mate. They get moved to the couples hotel, they have a separate spot for couples, and they have one of the most unsatisfying and unhappy relationships that I have ever seen. This is what the lady wants. It is not what Farrell wants. At one point Farrell wakes up and he sees blood on the lady's leg and she has told him that she "killed his brother. There was no struggle". I was horrified by this because it meant that she killed his dog, and it reaffirmed my suspicion that the dog was his brother.  Farrell shows his first true sign of emotion, going to the bathroom to cry, and his mate finds him, calls him an unfit match and starts to march him towards the room where they transform people into animals. Farrell manages to escape her, with a little help from a hotel worker, and flees the scene, but not before transforming the lady who killed his dog/brother. We never see what animal he transforms her to, but I think it is better that way. While fleeing, he finds the Outsiders and asks to join them. They have a leader, and she allows him in the group.

Throughout his transformation from hotel attendant to Outsider, Farrell, and the viewing audience, meet the narrator. She has no name, but Rachel Weisz plays her, and she is amazing in the role. She still narrates the movie, but we get to see some dialogue between her and Farrell. The Outsiders are supposed to be opposed to the hotel and what they do, but they do have some weird rules. There can be no physical contact between the people in the group. If someone kisses someone, they get their tongues cut out. You can imagine how much worse it gets the further the relationship goes. Farrell fits in so well with the Outsiders, he is fourth in command within no time. The four main Outsiders travel to the city to get the things they need to go and try to destroy the hotel and its occupants. These scenes are great, and when they do storm the hotel, it is a pretty cool scene.

Soon after the hotel fight, Farrell and Weisz start to find a way to be romantically involved without getting in trouble. They find ways to communicate and find times to be alone. This all comes to a head when a mole finds Weisz's journal. The leader of the Outsiders takes things into her own hands and makes Farrell dig his own grave and blinds Weisz's character. Weisz thinks that she is getting surgery to correct her eyes, she is short sighted, but the leader wants her blinded for having emotional feelings with another Outsider. Farrell had to dig his own grave and put dirt on his body, but that was as bad as it got for him. He and Weisz decide that they are going to leave the woods and live a life in the city. But, when Farrell finds out she is blind, he is not so sure anymore. Eventually love wins out for him, and he and Weisz find a way to get out. Farrell knocks out the leader and puts her in the grave he just dug and he and Weisz flee during the daylight. The final scene has Farrell and Weisz at a restaurant and Farrell heads to the bathroom with a knife, possibly to blind himself. The movie ends on that cliffhanger. We do not know if he goes through it or not.

What I enjoyed so much about "The Lobster" is the way they approached the stigma of single people that are older. They made it seem bad, but who really cares? I also liked the way they showed how far people will go for love, see Farrell pondering blinding himself. "The Lobster" is weird and different and not for everyone. I loved it, and if you like dark movies that will make you think, I recommend checking it out. "The Lobster" stays with you and really makes you contemplate how far, or what you'd do for love. It was an interesting and very well made movie.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. If put in the same situation as the movie, Ty would choose to be transformed into a butterfly. As Bart Simpson says, "No one suspects the butterfly".

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

"American Horror Story" Opened with the Terror of Trump, Then a Clown Showed Up

Ty's tv once the clown showed up

I do not watch the show "American Horror Story". I have made this exact statement on the podcast, and now, I'm saying it on the site. The show is terrifying. I do not like to be scared by real life stuff. This show does dramatizations of some real stories and it freaks me out. Hell, I am even scared of the theme song. The commercials leading up to this season scared the hell out of me. I'd be watching "the Simpsons", and bam! an "American Horror Story" commercial would come on and horrify me. My wife loves the show. She watches it religiously. She stays up late to watch the episodes in real time so she doesn't have anything spoiled for her. She is a big time fan.

With all this being said, I wanted to watch the opening scene of the newest season last night. I have read and heard many things about how this season of "AHS" was going to have some kind of focus on the horrific events that occurred in November. You all know what I am talking about. I had heard that the first 10 minutes was totally worth watching for anyone and everyone that is very upset and horrified by what happened in November. So, I told my wife that I wanted to see the opening scene. I did not want to watch the entire episode, no way, but I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. I am also very luke warm on Ryan Murphy as a writer, but this is a subject that he knows very well. I assume he is liberal, so I wanted to see how he handled all the crazy, inexplicable things that happened in the last election.

When the show started I was immediately shocked back to how upset I was the night of November 7th. The show started with that golfing, racist oaf accepting the Republican nomination. The very next scene had the rightful winner, the people's choice for president, Hilary Clinton, accepting the Democratic nomination. Then "AHS" kept showing all the media coverage trying to come to grips with what was happening. The CNN's, MSNBC's, BBC's, every news network except for one big omission, by choice I assume, trying to grasp what was happening. It brought back very painful memories for me. I was, and still am, very upset and feel betrayed by what happened 7 months ago. It was a travesty, and now, especially with this ridiculous DACA repeal, god I hope it doesn't pass, I am even more terrified by what this so called "government" and the most heartless group of Republicans in history continues to do everyday. I am so terrified by what they want to take away from people that cause them no harm.

The horror was played so expertly by Sarah Paulson. She and Alison Pil play a married couple with a young child. They live in a fancy-ish home and they are clearly a liberal family. When the news that Clinton had stepped back, Paulson's character immediately starts sobbing and seems to be having a panic attack. She is walking around her house cursing the names of anyone that said that Clinton had this election in the bag. She couldn't fathom how that racist oaf "won" the election. Pil, her wife, was there to console her, telling her to do her breathing exercises and to try and calm down. Paulson could not. She was beside herself. Their housekeeper was there with the child, and she was trying to shield her from seeing one of her parents act this way. The little girl says to Paulson, after she has calmed down for a minute, "I don't want you two to have to get divorced, I want you two to still be my parents". This was absolutely heart breaking, and all too real. Paulson and Pil reassured her that they were not going anywhere. This only further set off Paulson.

On the opposite end, Evan Peters, who is a terrifying psychopath in every season of "AHS", plays a supporter of the racist, golfing orange buffoon. His character is so thrilled by the outcome that he is literally humping his television and saying that a revolution was going to start. At one point he puts a bunch of cheese poofs in a blender and grinds them to a dust. The next time we see him, he shows up in his sister's room, a Clinton supporter, with the cheese poof dust covering his face so he can look like his "hero" I presume. She asks him if he is there to gloat, and he just creepily stares at her face and tries to wipe some dust on her face. She pushes him away and he leaves the room.

There is also a family of Spanish decent and all of them are very upset at the outcome, and they are all complaining about the lack of people that voted. This was the group I identified with most from what I saw. They were so upset that people just decided to forgo their voting, thinking it didn't matter. That is wrong and one of the main reasons that what happened actually happened.

After this first 10 minutes or so some super creepy clown showed up, and as you all know by now I am absolutely horrified by clowns, I left the room. I was already upset by what I had seen because it brought up so many old, bad memories. It was like reopening a scar that I just cannot get rid of. Then the clown showed up, and I was out. I told my wife I was going to bed to watch sports to get my mind off of what I had just seen. But, as I said, this was almost too real an opening scene for a fictional show. It was almost documentary like. It showed all sides the night of the election, and I have to say, Ryan Murphy and the group of writers absolutely nailed it.

I will not be watching anymore of "AHS: Cult" because I do not need to relive the last 7 months, I am living it now, and the show has a terrifying, killer clown on it. But, this season, at least the opening scene, perfectly captured the reactions from, at the very least, 3 groups of people that the outcome will effect, either positive or negative. That being said, there is no positive that came from that terrible night in early November. Ryan Murphy did a masterful job though, this cannot be understated at all. I'm not a fan, as I said, but he did a great job with this source material. I'm sure my wife will tell me about the episodes, but after seeing the first 10 minutes last night I was reminded why I choose to not watch this show. While it is a great show, it is horrifying and this season, it is all too real.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He wants to live in a country where the majority of people hava a choice in who their President is. A place like the United States in 2008 and 2012. That's right, Obama crushed his competition and won more votes than any one, ever. That is Trump's American Horror Story.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Watches Week One of the 2017 College Football Season

With the Tennessee Volunteers coming up with a double overtime victory over Georgia Tech last night, the first official weekend of the 2017 NCAA football season is done, and I have some quick initial reactions.

First off, Tennessee got lucky. That play that the Yellow Jackets ran last night was not the best play, and it took away from what they had done all night that was successful. It was a great game that ended on a so so play call.

As far as other top 25 action, there is a decent amount to unpack. Texas is not there yet. I know a ton of people thought they were going to roll over Maryland, but Maryland had other plans. While they let the Longhorns back into the game, letting them get as close as 3 points, they scored 51 on them. Fourteen of those came from a backup true freshman QB too. Maryland had their way with a very bad Texas defense. Tom Hermann has quite a job ahead of him. The rest of the Big 12 did what everyone thought they would do, with one exception. Oklahoma, and more importantly, Baker Mayfield, looked dynamite, albeit it was against UTEP. Kansas State crushed their opponent. Oklahoma State did the same. Baylor was the lone exception. I was so very, very, very happy to see that Liberty beat them and hung 43 on them in the process. I wish nothing but bad things for the Baylor football program.

The Pac 12 was very blah this past weekend. USC struggled early, then ran away from Western Michigan. Stanford destroyed Rice the weekend before. Washington struggled at first with Rutgers, but they won. Their win, and play, was very uninspired though. Oregon cruised past their opponent in Willie Taggert's first game. And UCLA spotted Texas A&M a 34 point lead, but managed to come all the way back and win by a point. Other than that, no real big time Pac 12 matchups.

In the Big 10, The University of Ohio State looked sluggish in the first half against Indiana, but woke up and slaughtered them in the second half. That being said, I do not think JT Barrett is one of the front runners for the Heisman anymore though. He looked very average. Their defense and run game is what won that game for them. Wisconsin and Penn State opened up against 2 over matched schools and did exactly what you would expect them to. Both of them cruised, giving up a combined 10 points. Michigan State came out of the gates slow, but pulled away from an overmatched Bowling Green team. Northwestern struggled, but pulled away very late against Nevada. And my guys, Michigan, left me feeling the same as I did before the start of the season. Their defense looked very good, but Florida is atrocious on offense. They also had 10 guys suspended for the game. Michigan's defense was the fastest I have ever seen in my time watching them though. The offense, more importantly, the O-line and Wilton Speight, still frustrate me to no end. Speight was way too over hyped in the first half. That second straight pick 6 made me want to punch a hole in my wall. He rebounded in the second half, but the run game and the defense were the reasons why Michigan won so comfortably.

The SEC looked pretty good. LSU shut out a pretty decent BYU team. Derius Guice looks like the real deal too. If LSU can find a passing game, they could cause trouble at the top of the conference. Auburn cruised against a lesser opponent. Georgia won, but lost their starting QB for what looks like it could be awhile. They have a great run game though. Missouri scored 72 points, but they gave up 43 to Missouri State. A bunch of people are telling Michigan fans to calm down after they beat Florida, but I live in Saint Louis, and Missouri fans around here think they are going to play offense like that all year. Maybe they need to calm down a bit. Missouri State is not even up to Kentucky's level in football. I already mentioned Tennessee. Kentucky won, but barely over Southern Miss. For my thoughts on Florida, see above. Again though, their offense is horrid. The big win for the SEC was Alabama once again proving they are the most dominant team in college football. Sure their offense didn't look any better than last year, but that defense, my goodness are they great. Yeah they lost 2 linebackers, but I'm sure they have 2 more who are just as good as the other guys and they will step in and not miss a beat. Also, FSU has a very solid defense, but more on them later. Alabama is not only the cream of the crop in the SEC, but the best team in the nation, and it is not even close.

Then we have the ACC. Miami pulled away early in the second half. Clemson trounced their opponent. Georgia Tech should have won last night but blew it. Louisville got a great performance out of Lamar Jackson, but they struggled to pull away from Purdue, only winning the game by a single touchdown. The biggest mess though was FSU. As I said, their defense is great. Easily a top 10 defense in the country. But, they lost their starting QB, and my preseason Heisman winner, Deondre Francois. He tore his patellar tendon muscle and he is done for the year. That is a tremendous, possibly season altering injury. I'm sure they have a solid backup, but Francois was the heart and soul of that offense. The other players fed off of him, and now, he is gone. This is a kid who takes so many hits too, I expected him to bounce right back up. After he sat on the ground for awhile, I knew something was wrong. He was getting shellacked all night, and it finally caught up to him and FSU. Cam Akers will have to take on a much bigger role, and he looked pretty good at times against the best defense in college football, but he is 18 years old. He was playing high schoolers at this time last year. FSU can still win the ACC, and even make the playoff, but to lose Francois for the year in the first game is brutal. I'll have a new Heisman winner when I do my mid season checkup, but if I had to pick someone right now, after one full weekend of NCAA football, I'd have to choose between Baker Mayfield, RD's pick or Derius Guice. I'll go with Guice right now because he played a much better team than Mayfield played.

As far as none "power 5" teams, Notre Dame won pretty handily over Temple this weekend, and got back in the top 25. We will see how they do against Georgia this weekend, but they got a break with Eason going down. South Florida won, but it took them a very long time to pull away from a very inferior opponent. And I know I didn't even mention them in my preseason stuff, but good for Howard, a 45 point underdog, to come out to UNLV, get paid 500,000 dollars for going there, and, not only cover the spread, but win the game. According to point spread history, that was the biggest upset of all time.

Nothing else truly jumped out to me. I saw Iowa shut down Josh Allen, the presumed number one pick in the upcoming NFL draft, so good for them. Washington State scored a ton, as many predicted. But, for the most part, everything went according to plan this weekend, with Texas being the only outlier.

I am so stoked that college football is back, and I wanted to give some gut reactions to week one. Saturday's cannot come fast enough now. Football is back, and I am so thrilled.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His wall is doing ok since the Wolverines did not throw three pick sixes. If that happens, Ty may need a whole new home.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Labor Day Thrives in Spite of the Great Herbert Kornfelds of the World

This Labor Day your not-the-office should be the lake

In honor of Labor Day I'm going to write a short ode to the one man personifies what this holiday means.

The man I speak of is the great Herbert Kornfeld. The people who know him know him as H-Dog. This is a man that loves his job so much, he doesn't understand why he has to work on a holiday he compares to Columbus Day and Memorial Day. He thinks these holidays are the "unholiest dayz of tha fiscal year". H-Dog doesn't want to miss any opportunity to work with his clients, even if it is "Labya Day". He does, "enjoy his time with his shorties", but he just doesn't think the first weekend in September deserves to be a holiday.

I get it. H-Dog wants to get paid, and I cannot argue with him on that at all. Getting a paycheck is a joy right up there with the best things in life. H-Dog despises "Labya Day" so much, he goes cruisin around town just to find businesses that might be open, just to get his fix. Luckily for him, after a long, unfulfilled search, he rolled up to his alma mater and saw some of his "A.R. homies kickin back on the lawn". Even though it was "Labya Day", they were still putting in work. They may have been relaxing a bit too much for H-Dog's liking, but at least they were doing something.

H-Dog loves his job and doesn't want to miss time. But, sometimes you have to enjoy a day off. I feel like at the end of his story, he finally realizes this, even though he isn't thrilled. Herbert Kornfeld is a man who loves work, and we should all aspire to his commitment to his work. Hell, he is the reason I'm writing on this day.

So, in honor of H-Dog and "Labya Day" go check out some of his old writings on "The Onion", and you can thank me later.(I fully understand that Herb Kornfeld is a joke, but it is a masterful one, and makes me love "The Onion" that much more)

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He never takes off a holiday from being the internet's greatest writer. Well, if the holiday was on the weekend he would take it off. Or if it was a cool holiday like Fruitcake Toss Day.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Listens to "American Dream"

After a 6 year layoff, and having one of the greatest close out concerts in recent memory, LCD Soundsystem released their newest "comeback" album, "American Dream". I have already listened to it twice and I have to say, this record is amazing. It is oddly comforting for me. They sound like a better version of themselves from the past. They sound so much tighter. They sound like they are having the most fun of their professional careers. James Murphy has never sounded better, at least in my opinion. The music and the writing is absolutely top notch. I am so very impressed by this record.

I got an email from Ticketmaster this morning that was a message from Murphy. He stated that the new record was out, how hard they had worked on it, and he said that he felt like this is the best work they have ever done. This made me a teeny tiny bit worried. I always get cold feet when someone says, "this is the best work we have ever done". Especially when it is a band that I love. Their earlier stuff is already amazing, and I already stated that their final concert, which was made into a tremendous movie, "Shut Up and Play the Hits", was fantastic. So I didn't know how much better they could truly get.

I bought the record, because of course I was going to buy it. I turned it on, and I was so very, very impressed by what I was listening to. You can tell that they really poured their heart and souls into this new record. The 6 year layoff almost seems worth it because "American Dream" is so wonderful. Like I said, I have never heard James Murphy sound this great. He sounds like modern day David Bryne. In fact, I was listening to the record with my dad and he asked me if The Talking Heads put out a new record. He didn't think it was LCD Soundsystem. And, it is not like he doesn't know the band. He listens to them with me all the time. The more I thought about that comment from my dad, I thought that was the best way to describe this new record. On "American Dream", LCD Soundsystem sounds like a 21st century Talking Heads. That is a tremendous compliment for those that know me. I became a big Talking Heads fan after college, and to hear a modern band that I am a big fan of sound like them is just phenomenal. Every song has that Talking Heads sound, but put into the 21st century. It is like a mix of Talking Heads and Daft Punk, in all the best possible ways. LCD Soundsystem brings that excellent electronic sound combined with their rock and roll roots. The band, especially the keys player, plays synth music so perfectly. Then, the guitarist, bassist and drummer add that rock to the mix and it is such a wonderful combination of great musicians. Then throw in Murphy's vocals and it is a perfect collection of great musicians coming together at the best possible time.

Every song on the record is tremendous. It is hard to just point out one or 2. I wrote and talked about the 2 songs they released early as singles, and the rest of the record is just as good as those songs were the first time I heard them. Every song has that classic LCD Soundsystem slow burn and then explosion that just makes you want to dance. I was grooving very hard in my car, and so was my daughter. She was having a blast in her car seat. The record only has 10 songs, but it runs a shade over an hour long. That is about 6 minutes per song, but none of the songs seem that long. In fact, I wish all the songs were pushing 10 minutes. This isn't a jam band, all these songs have proper progressions and the 6 minute plus run time per song is perfect. I could listen to this band play a 20 minute long song and never feel bored. They are so much more fun than jam bands.

I love LCD Soundsystem and "American Dream" is a tremendous return. I hope they continue to play live shows and they continue to make more and more new music. I'm so glad that they are back and they are still making some of the best music out there right now. Welcome back LCD Soundsystem, and please stick around for another decade making great, great music.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is quite happy when he and his daughter can dance to the same music. There is only so much "Yo Gabba Gabba" one grown ass man can take. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" is the Best Movie Franchise Out There Right Now

Microwave popcorn taste better with a better movie franchise

I finally saw "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" this past weekend. This is not going to be a review of the movie though. That being said, the movie was incredible. I loved everything about it. I literally cannot find one thing that made me think, "they should have left that out". It was amazing, and I highly recommend, if you haven't already, watching this movie multiple times. It is so great and makes me very excited for where they are going to take these characters in future movies.

My topic for today came up when I was watching the movie with my wife. We were about 3/4 of the way through the movie, and after being silent because we were both so amazed at what we were watching, I said to her, "Guardians has taken over the "X-Men" movies as my favorite superhero movies". That was not something I ever thought I would say. I love all the "X-Men" movies, save for "Origins: Wolverine", that was a pile of trash. But, other than that, I think they are all fantastic. I know some people weren't as high on "The Wolverine" or "Apocalypse", but I found both of those very enjoyable. I love the first 2 original "X-Men" movies, and the third one was great until the last 40 minutes lost all the credibility that the first 2 had built up. Then, after the debacle that "Origins" was, they really rebounded very nicely with "The New Class" and the second one in that franchise. I never thought anything would take away my love for the "X-Men" movies, as far as the superhero genre was involved.

Then I saw the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" and I was blown away. The movie was dark, fun, funny, fast paced, action packed, well acted and directed, it was a total homerun. I went out and bought Funko brand bobble heads of both Starlord and Groot after seeing the first movie. I loved Rocket Raccoon. He is probably my second favorite superhero now, behind only Wolverine. Gamorra is a total badass. I'd rather have her on my team than most superheroes. Drax is just wonderful. Every character, and everything about that first movie was perfect. I was already a built in James Gunn fan too (St. Louis pride), so he didn't have to do too much to win me over. But, he went above and beyond and made one of the greatest super hero movies ever with the first "Guardians".

I was very excited to see the second one right after watching the first one on Blu-Ray. I didn't get to see it in the theaters because I have 2 young kids and it is hard to get out, but when it was released on the 22nd of August, and after numerous people, RD included, kept praising it, I could not wait to watch it. I had very, very high hopes after the first one being so good and all the buzz the second one got. I was hoping it was going to live up to the hype, and from the first battle scene at the very beginning of "Vol. 2", I was hooked. I just knew that, not only would it live up to the hype, but it would surpass it.

First off, this movie was beautiful to look at. The colors and the set designs and every visual was magical. The Ravager funeral, semi spoiler alert for those that haven't seen it, but know what Ravagers are, was a sight to behold. The colors were so amazing, it looked like a painting. And the actors, once again, totally brought their A game. Everyone was stupendous, but Drax was especially wonderful. Dave Bautista does such a great job with this role. He is so, so funny and plays the role to perfection. Baby Groot was almost as adorable as my almost 2 year old daughter.(She is the most adorable person ever, so that is high praise) But, it was right around the time that Nebula broke loose and trapped Yondu and Rocket that I really started to think, "these are better than "X-Men". I was just, honestly, moved by what I was watching. There are times when the "X-Men" movies can drag a little bit, but with the first 2 "Guardians" movies, I have never felt bored or thought they could lose a scene or 2 that made the final cut.

Everything they put in these movies seems essential and important to the story they are telling. And the people that they got to play bit parts in "Vol. 1" and "Vol. 2" are incredible. "X-Men" does have major actors, Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan to name a few, but they play major roles. They are lead characters. In "Vol. 1", both Peter Serawincz and John C Reilly play future cops. They don't have many lines, but both of those guys are pretty famous in their own rights, and they just wanted to be in the movie. Glenn close has a small role as the chief of these futuristic cops. She is one of the better actors of all time. In "Vol. 2", Sly Stallone shows up, and he has one important scene, then a few lines near the end. That is it. Kurt Russell has a pretty big role, but I would probably bill him as the fourth or fifth person in the credits. That is amazing to me that stars of their caliber just want to be in these movies, no matter how big or small the role. You don't see that in many super hero movies across the board. Some may say, well what about JK Simmons in "Spiderman", or Gary Oldman in Christopher Nolan's "Batman" movies, but I think those roles are pretty important. They are both way bigger than what Stallone did in "Vol. 2". And, you don't see many people popping up for cameos in the "X-Men" movies because all the mutants are played by stars, so they don't have a Stallone or Russell type role for super star actors to just show up and play. Both "Vol. 1" and "Vol. 2" have allowed Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista to become household names. Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel are already known, but another point goes to the people that make "Guardians of the Galaxy" because we never see their faces. They are voice actors for these movies. That's amazing, especially in Diesel's case, because he seems like the kind of dude that wants to be the star of everything. The fact that he is willing to just say, "I am Groot" is a big deal to me. I don't know how the people who make the "Guardians" movies convinced him to do only that, but my hat goes off to them.

Both "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies are incredible. They are so much fun and just so great to watch. I will even go as far to say that I like "Vol. 2" more than I like "Logan", and I LOVED "Logan". This is not meant to sound like me crapping on the "X-Men" movies either. I will watch all of them , except one, anytime they are on TV. But, I will stop everything I am doing, turn my phone and computer off so I can watch both "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies. They are that good, and they deserve my full attention. I can't truly say that about any other super hero movies. But, "Guardians" is worth getting totally sucked into, and having a good time. I'm so excited to see where this franchise goes from here, and I cannot wait for "Vol. 3".

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He wants James Gunn to know that his hometown of St. Louis would be a good setting for Vol. 3, and Ty is ready to take on the role of "awestruck bystander". Give us a call.  

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

I Don't Watch "Game of Thrones", and I Thought the Last Season Was Pretty Great

That ice dragon sure kicked ass

The most recent season of "Game of Thrones" just ended, and there has been a lot of chatter that this was the "worst" season, or it was "too scatterbrained", it was "illogical", basically, most of the "people in the know" didn't think this season was as good as the others.The question of the day is, Was "Game of Thrones" that bad this year.

First off, I do not watch "GOT". I tried. I watched the first three episodes, and it was just too much for me. I'm smart, but I'm a slow learner, and "GOT" seemed to introduce a new character every 5 minutes of the show. I just couldn't keep up. But, my wife and father love the show. They watch it together in fact. My folks would come over every Sunday, we'd all eat dinner together and, after the kids were put to bed, my wife and father would turn on "GOT". I did not pay much attention, but I was present, as was my mom, when the show was on. I'd go in and out of each episode. I didn't want to be a bother, so I didn't ask many questions and, when I did watch, I just kept quiet.

From an outsiders point of view, I thought this most recent season was kind of exciting. I'm a pretty simple guy, so when I see flying dragons breathing fire, I think it is cool. I thought the battle scenes that I was privy to were very exciting. Those 2 sisters, I want to say their names are Sansa and Arya, their interactions with one of the bad guys from "The Wire", the congressman on that show, were creepy, but very well acted. The dude with the metal hand seems like a badass warrior. And the lady that flies the dragons and treats them like her own children, she rules. So, while I am even lower than a novice when it comes to "GOT", I thought this season, at least what I saw, was very enjoyable.

I do not understand all the flack that this most recent season is getting. I asked my wife about it last night and she said she loved this season. I had lunch with my dad today, I asked him the same question, and he said that it could have been better, but he still really enjoyed it. They are the 2 biggest "GOT" fans that I know. Even my mom, she is on the same level with this show that I am, said she liked what she saw. So, I was confused. Also, for the people calling the show "illogical", it is a fantasy world. The moment you try and find logic with flying dragons, "white walkers" and all the other science fiction involved with "GOT", I lose any respect for you as a reviewer or writer. That is like trying to find logic in a "Looney Tunes" cartoon. This is all fantasy. None of this is real. It is a TV show. Get over it.

The more I think about all the negative stuff being said about this season of "GOT", I kept thinking about a great dialogue between Bart and Geoff Albertson, AKA Comic Book Guy, on the excellent "Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show" episode of "The Simpsons". After the first Poochie episode appeared, everyone hated it, except for Homer and Flanders, even though Flanders did call it "Impy and Chimpy". But, the next day Bart and Milhouse are hanging out at the comic book store and Comic Book guy says, "last night's episode of "Itchy and Scratchy" was by far the worst episode ever. As I viewer I demand better. Needless to say, I was on the internet complaining about it in minutes". Bart counters with, "what do they owe you as a viewer? They have given you countless hours of free entertainment. Again, what could they possibly owe you?". Comic Book Guy comes back with, "worst episode ever". I feel like that is the current state of critics of TV shows. I'm just as much to blame for complaining about TV shows on this website. TV shows I get to watch for free. I despised how "Mad Men" ended. Never mind the fact that the first couple of seasons were great, I only focused on the stuff I disliked at the end. I gave up on "the Walking Dead" because I felt like they needed to show me which character they were going to kill off in the first full episode with Negan. They don't have to show me shit. Also, that pilot, and first 2 seasons of that show were phenomenal. But, I felt like they "owed me something". Neither of those shows owes me a thing. I've complained about a show I like, "Snowfall", trying to be too many other hit shows. Again, I like this show a lot. I have continued to watch, but I still found something to complain about.

This is the current state of TV watching. No one is ever satisfied. We all find something to complain about no matter how great the show has/could be. We complain about shows sticking around too long, even when they are still very good. The dopes that say, "The Simpsons hasn't been good since season 7", drive me nuts. They are griping about a show that has been on for almost 30 years, and is still relevant and great. We are never satisfied. I'm trying to get away from that attitude, as far being too hard on TV shows I watch. These people, for the most part, work very hard and they are putting it out there for all to see, and for most to find fault in. I'm not going to be as hard on shows that I truly enjoy.

Let's be real, even if this most recent season of "GOT" was its "worst", is it really that bad? The show is a mega, mega hit and is always on people's top ten lists every year it is on TV. Lets give these creative types a little time before we shit all over the things they write, produce, direct and act in. They are working hard and putting themselves out there wounds and all. It's time to ease up a bit.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is eager to tear apart the latest television show that someone worked hard on. Maybe "The Gifted" will be the lucky show. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Stop it Cavs. You Already Won the Kyrie Trade

Last week I was so focused on football, I did write about the Kyrie Irving to Boston trade, but now that I have gotten to stew in it, and with the newer news of the Cavs possibly looking for further compensation due to Isaish Thomas' hip injury, I have some more thoughts about the deal.

First off, I think the deal is going to get done no matter what. I do not see anyway that Irving is not wearing a Celtics jersey in October, and same for Thomas and Crowder in a Cavs jersey. There are far too many fractured relationships with players and teams now. Thomas was hurt by Boston. They just offloaded him like nothing. This was a prime example of sports being a business. Crowder is probably happy to be gone since his name was ALWAYS brought up in trade rumors for the past couple seasons. I don't know how he ever felt comfortable playing there the past couple years. Irving wanted out of Cleveland, and he wanted out bad.

Second off, while playing the best basketball of his career the past three seasons, he never really seemed happy playing sidekick to LeBron. He wanted out and he wanted to be "the man". I'm sure he was sick of always being publicly called out by LeBron and he probably feels like Kevin Durant did last year. He wants to get out, find a change of scenery, and he has won a title in Cleveland already. What else does he have to prove there? Why should he still play second fiddle to the best player in the game right now? Why can't he leave like so many other players do all the time? Why does he get chastised more than KD did last year? Irving didn't go to the Warriors, he got traded to the Celtics. He didn't go to a front runner, even though the Celtics were the top seed last year in the East. I'm pretty sure everyone would put the Celtics as maybe the fourth or fifth best team in the NBA. And if you aren't the Warriors or Cavs, you won't really matter for the next year or two. So no, I hold no ill will towards Irving wanting out. I think it is insane because he will not be making long, deep playoff runs anymore, but so be it. He wants to run a team, and as soon as this trade gets finalized, he will get his wish.

Speaking of the deal getting finalized, the Cavs knew about Thomas' hip injury. The Celtics were very forward about this injury prior to making the deal. The Cavs already fleeced the Celtics once, by getting them to give up the Nets pick, Thomas, Crowder and Zizic, but now they want Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown to complete the deal? Get out of here. I do like the Celtics coming back and saying that they will not part with another player, especially one of their younger players, instead only offering a second round pick. That should be more than enough for the Cavs to make the deal. What would they do with a Tatum or Brown if they got one of them? They already have a solid starting 5, and better veterans coming off the bench. If Brown or Tatum were to be traded to the Cavs, they would relegated to the end of the bench. They'd be lucky to get 10 minutes a game. That is not good for their development, and I feel like they would become journeyman players that play for a bunch of teams. Going to the Cavs would stunt their development. LeBron has made it very widely known over the past three years that he doesn't like playing with rookies or second year players. This may have been a demand due to the possibility of LeBron leaving, but it would waste a year of growth for one of these guys. This is most likely LeBron's last year in Cleveland, so why do they want a Tatum or a Brown? As I have already stated, they have a solid starting 5 with Thomas taking over the point guard duties from Kyrie, JR Smith at the 2, Crowder at the 3, LeBron at the 4 and either Love or Tristan Thompson at the 5. Then, coming off the bench, lets say Thompson starts, they have Love, Kyle Korver, Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert, if they keep him. I'm sure the Cavs are also making some calls around to see if they can get another veteran to come aboard. So add either a Brown or Tatum to this team and they are, at best, the 9th guy on the bench. The Cavs don't need that, and neither do Brown and Tatum. The Cavs are getting a bit too cocky by asking for these guys. I think they should just take the deal as is, but if they want more, take the second round pick. Or, ask for a Terry Rozier or the French kid they took last year in the late first round. Don't ask for the past 2 number 3 overall picks. That is way too much, especially when they already acquired a ton in the first deal.

The trade as is still sits strongly in the Cavs favor. I'm sure that Thomas may miss a little time at the start of the year, but that will not affect the Cavs much, if at all. LeBron will still run the team, as he has for the past 3 years. Crowder makes them so much better defensively too. The Nets pick gives them leverage and an asset for a trade, or they can keep it if LeBron does leave, and use that as the building block for next year. The Cavs already won this trade once, they don't need to rub it in by asking for 2 young players that have tremendous potential. Just take the deal as is and be happy with how much better the team will be with Thomas and Crowder and by offloading an unhappy guy that doesn't want to be there. There is no reason the Celtics need to give up one of those young guys, and the Cavs asking for one of them is a baller move, but it is also a bit too cocky from there side as well. We will have to see what happens.

But as I said at the top, I think this deal will get done by taking the first offer, or getting the second round pick along with their original haul, and just being happy with that. Either way, Irving will be a Celtic and Thomas and Crowder will be Cavs when the season starts in October. You can count on that.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The SeedSing 2017 College Football Preview

Before I get into my 2017 NCAA football preview, please try and do anything and everything you can to help out the people in Houston. What is going on there right now is horrifying and terrible and the people of that city need our help. You can donate at many websites, text 90999 and write HARVEY or, if you are in the area and safe, try and help others. I hope this all ends soon because this is catastrophic. No one deserves what is happening in Houston now. Go out and do whatever you can to help.

Okay, now lets get to my preview.

My 2017 NCAA football preview is going to be like my other ones. I will break down the "power 5" schools, mention some non "power 5" schools, pick the playoff, the championship and the Heisman winner. I'll pick the winner of each conference too. Okay, here goes.

I'm going to start with the Big 12. The Big 12 is about the 2 Oklahoma schools. Oklahoma is going to be good. They still have Baker Mayfield, and they recruit with the best schools in the country, and they get some of the best players. However, they lost Dede Westbrook and Semajie Perine. Those departures will be enormous. Baker Mayfield is a legit Heisman contender, but he has an entire new crew of skill players. They also lost Bob Stoops to retirement. That was bizarre. I wrote about how weird his retirement was about 2 months ago, and I am still confused as to why he walked away this year. But, Oklahoma doesn't rebuild, they reload. They will still be very good. Oklahoma State is going to be absolutely lethal on offense. Mason Rudolph is going to put up incredible numbers. This year will be Oklahoma State's best chance to knock off Oklahoma. They have a stacked offense. Their defense is kind of suspect, but in the Big 12, defense is sometimes optional. I have seen some websites and other publications say that maybe TCU can compete, but that all depends on Kenny Hill. If he looks good, they could be a 10 win team. If he falters, they will be lucky to be .500. They also have a very shoddy defense, which used to be their calling card. Texas is welcoming Tom Hermann as their new head coach, and I think some people have a bit too much optimism. I'm a little more pessimistic. They have a lot of newer starters that need to learn an entire new offense. I don't doubt that Hermann can turn it around, I just think it may take 2 or 3 years to get his type player. Their defense is atrocious too. Baylor is about to get hammered, as they should, with NCAA sanctions. That school's football program is filled with scumbags. They deserve all the bad things that are coming their way. Kansas may win 4 games this year, which would be a massive improvement, but they are a basketball school. That much is obvious. Iowa State is very mediocre. Texas Tech will score a lot of points, but they will give up more. I think that the honeymoon with Kliff Kingsbury is over. He is firmly on the hot seat. Kansas State will play hard, but they just don't have the talent to be hyper competitive. West Virginia may surprise some teams, but they are the epitome of a 7-5 team. They always start out hot too, but flame out. Expect that this year too. I'm going to go ahead and give Oklahoma State the nod in the Big 12 this year. Oklahoma has too much to replace, and they play a few good teams outside of their conference schedule. They also, inexplicably, lost their head coach. This is Oklahoma State's best shot to win the Big 12.

Lets now move to the very overrated SEC. As long as Alabama is in this conference, and they keep getting the best recruits, I'm going to go with them. They are the preseason number one. I know that they lost some guys on offense and defense, but they always do. They always have some blue chippers ready to take over for some first round draft pick. They lost that monster D-lineman to the draft, they have D'Shawn Hand to replace him. They lost OJ Howard, but they have Steven Ridley and some 5 stars ready to step in at tight end. They also get Jalen Hurts back. That kid was great last year as a true freshman. He looked so poised and composed. He is going to make a tremendous leap. Look, I hate Alabama, but I cannot deny their greatness. LSU should be good, but this is the first full year under Ed Orgeron. I now they looked different at the end of last year when he took over for Les Miles, but teams now have an entire offseason to prepare for him. They do have Derius Guice, and he looked awesome in his playing time behind Leonard Fournette last year. He filled in great for him when he got hurt. LSU also has a very stout defense, as always. The question marks for them are all the same. How will their QB play? Can they utilize their receivers properly? Will they choke in big games? Time will tell. I think they will be better than last year, but I still think Alabama is better. Auburn is back to being an 8 or 9 win team. They run the ball exceptionally, but they have no passing game whatsoever. Their defense is fine, but just fine. Gus Malzahn may not be the great head coach that they thought they got a few years back at Auburn. Georgia has some great running backs, mainly Nick Chubb, but their QB situation is not ideal. They had a 5 star kid start last year, and he looked like a freshman more than a star. They signed some other 5 star kid this offseason, and they are in a battle still to see who is going to be the starter. I'd stick with the kid from last year, but the fact that he is in a battle is a bad sign. They do have a decent defense, and Kirby Smart will turn them into a top 15 overall defense soon. Georgia may be looking at another 8 win year, but look out for them in a year or 2. Ole Miss is a mess due to their creep of a former head coach. They are going to get crushed by the NCAA. I'm sick of all the Tennessee hype every year. I do not believe one thing I hear from that team during the offseason anymore. Their coach should have been let go last year. Florida has a great defense, but that offense leaves a ton to be desired. They did get Malik Zaire to transfer there, and he could help them a lot, but he hasn't had a ton of time on campus. Their defense will keep them in every game, but they need that offense to get up to speed. Arkansas will be highly pumped up during the offseason, blow some games and finish 7-5 or 6-6 again. That is the Bret Biliema way. Texas A&M is wildly inconsistent, and they just lost Myles Garrett. They will most likely win 7 games again. Then there are the mid level to bottom feeders. The Missouri's, Vanderbilt's, Mississippi State's, South Carolina's and Kentucky's of the SEC. They may all be .500, but that is because they will schedule 3 cupcakes, and then beat up on each other. The upper tier SEC teams will hammer these teams. Obviously I have Alabama, no matter who they play in the SEC title game, to win the SEC.

The Pac 12 is down. The Pac 12 may be worse than the ACC now. Sure, Washington, USC and Stanford are highly rated. Hell, I have seen some people pick USC to win it all. But, I remember the last time USC had all this hype. They finished 7-6. This USC team will be better though. Sam Darnold is legit. He is very, very good. He is all around solid, even exceptional. They have some good skill guys too, and a pretty good defense. But, I'm always wary of a team that was going to fire their coach early during the last season, then playing really well down the stretch, then getting all the offseason accolades. Those teams never seem to live up to the hype. Washington was in the playoff, but we all saw what they looked liked against real competition. Alabama destroyed them. That game wasn't even close. They have an incredibly easy out of conference schedule, and they will win double digit wins, but when they have to face the big teams, they just can't match up. Their QB is back, and he will put numbers, but not against the top teams. I really like Stanford, and they completely dominated a much worse Rice team this past Saturday. They ran up and down the field on them and they stopped everything Rice tried to do. Stanford is going to be very good, but when will they have that one game when they blow it? It has happened for the past couple years. But, David Shaw might be one of the most underrated coaches in football. He is great. I do not know what happened to Oregon last year. They cleaned house, and I do like the hiring of Willie Taggert, but this team is playing a ton of new players. They might not be the hyper fast offense that we have all become accustomed to. And their defense might be worse than most of the defenses in the Big 12. Utah is solid, but they will only win 7 or 8 games. They have to replace a lot. They are kind of like the Kansas State of the Pac 12. They play hard, but they just aren't as talented as the upper echelon teams in their conference. UCLA is average. Josh Rosen is not the next great QB. They don't really have hyper athletic skilled players. Their defense is average. This is a 7 win team at best. Jim Mora Jr may be gone after this year. California is the Texas Tech of the Pac 12, but they give up more points. Arizona is learning that Rich Rod may not be the great coach he was when he was at West Virginia. This team has really faded in the last 2 years after climbing into the top 15 in Rich Rod's first year. Washington State might surprise some people. They have a tremendous offense, and their defense, if they need to, can make plays. Mike Leach is an odd dude, but he is an offensive mastermind. Washington State could win double digit game this year. And if they don't, they will be in every game. Colorado played very well last year, making it to the Pac 12 title game, and I expect them to continue being a competitive team in the Pac 12. They are on the up swing, but they need to break in a new QB and other new skill players. Arizona State's time as a "perennial top 25 team" never really came, and they are just a run of the mill team that has some wild uniforms. They will continue to be a 6 or 7 win team. I also despise their coach. Oregon State has gotten better the past 2 years, but they are still a ways away from being at the top of the conference. USC will get all the talk, but I like Stanford to win the Pac 12 this year. They need to replace a guy like McCaffery, but that should benefit them, as they won't be so reliant on one player. They will be a full team, as opposed to one guy being the focal point. I also really like David Shaw. He is, by far, the best coach in the conference.

The ACC is going to be much better than it has been in a long time. Clemson will take a step back, but they are the defending national champs. They have to replace a ton of production, but they have some good players ready to step in. They will not win the national title again, let alone the ACC. But, they will compete. Florida State looks like the team to beat. They have so much talent coming back. Sure, the lost Dalvin Cook, but they have Deondre Francois back, and that kid is amazing. They also have some pretty great skill guys. FSU is also stacked on defense. On paper, this team looks incredible. We will find out a lot about them this Saturday night when they open the season against Alabama. That is going to be an epic game. At least it should be. Miami is another team I like in the ACC. Mark Richt is a good head coach, and he is turning that program back to being relevant. They won't be the Miami from the early 2000's, but they are going to be very good this year. I could definitely see them win double digit games this year, and be a force in the ACC. Virginia Tech is another team on the up swing. They have a very good defense, and I know they lost their QB, but they will be able to plug and play some new kid, as long as he can manage a game. This team wins by stopping the other guys and ball control. And they have the talent to do that this year. Louisville returns Heisman winner Lamar Jackson, so you cannot count them out. Jackson kind of fell off at the end of last year, but he still won the Heisman as a 19 year old. He is a very good QB. They don't have a ton of talent on defense, but they can still manage to get stops. This team is all about Lamar Jackson, and in college football, that is just fine. Georgia Tech will be a headache, they run that triple option, and I could see them winning a few games they shouldn't. Pitt is atrocious on defense, and they lost their excellent running back, James Connor, to the NFL. They might take a step back this year. Duke is fun to watch at times, but they don't have the guys to make any real noise. Same thing with UNC. They play a fun style of offense, but they just can't matchup with the top 25 teams. NC State, Wake Forest, Boston College and Syracuse are also rans. NC State may win a game they shouldn't here and there, but they will not matter in the end. Boston College will have a very stout defense, but they will lose so many games with scores like 7-0, 10-7 or 6-3. They just can't score. FSU is the clear favorite to win the ACC, and I am not going against the pack on this one. FSU will win the ACC.

The last of the "power 5" conferences is the Big 10. I am a Michigan fan. Duh. I'm very curious/excited/nervous to see what this team will look like in 5 days. A BUNCH of people are expecting them to take a major step back. They have to replace 17 starters. That is a lot. But, all the kids there now are Harbaugh's recruits. These are the type of players he wants at Michigan. I want to see how they perform. I want to see if Harbaugh is the great coach that he has been ordained to be. Most publications pick them to finish fourth overall in the Big 10 and third in their division. I have seen their win totals range from 8-11. I would be very disappointed if they only won 8 games and finished third in their division. I think they will be better than most people are saying. I think they can win double digit games. I love that they open with Florida and that they have a tough conference schedule. But, they get Ohio State at home this year and Florida has suspended, the last I checked, 7 players for this opener. I think Michigan will be better than 8 wins. I think they should win at least 10 games. Most of the hype in the Big 10 is being placed on the University of Ohio State and Penn State, and rightfully so. Both these teams appear to be loaded. Both these teams ended the regular season strong. But, both lost their bowl games. I have much more faith in the University of Ohio State living up to the expectations than Penn State because they always have high expectations. The University of Ohio State will be fine, if they beat Oklahoma at the beginning of the year. Penn State hasn't been in the spotlight, at least not for something good, and neither has James Franklin, in a very long time. The way they ended last year seemed very, very fluky to me. Like I said, they have a very talented team, but this is a team that got scored on a ton against a very mediocre Pitt team last year. This is a team that was floating in obscurity until the University of Ohio State played their worst game all year. This was a team that got Wisconsin on their worst defensive performance of the year in the Big 10 title last year. They got a lot of breaks last year. Let's see how they do with the bulls eye on them now. Wisconsin will be very good once again. They will run the ball a ton, control the clock and let their stacked defense get stops for them when they need to. They will most definitely be a major factor in the Big 10 all year long. After those teams, it gets very murky. Who knows how good Minnesota will be with PJ Fleck as the head guy. They could be very good, they have a good run game, but how will their passing offense look and how will that defense play? Don't forget, they let Rutgers stay in, and almost win, the game they played last year. Northwestern is on a lot of "sleepers" lists, but aren't they every year? They have a good run game, but I do not buy Clayton Thorson as a legit QB threat. They also have a very mediocre defense. Pat Fitzgerald might be the most overrated coach in all of college sports. But, people seem to think this Northwestern team can make noise. I am not one of those people. Maryland has a good defense, but their offense is abysmal. They have zero play makers and they will struggle with the top teams in the Big 10. Indiana is going through a coaching change, and they need to break in a new QB. But, they always have a very good run game, and they need one because that defense cannot stop anyone ever. Nebraska is okay, but I cannot figure out what to make of this team and Mike Riley. Does he want to run the ball like he did at Oregon State, or is he going to use the spread game? Who is going to be his QB? Who is going to be their bell cow running back? How is their defense going to look? This team is a mystery. Iowa will always be one of the tougher teams to play at home. But, they have no real QB or receiver threat. They do have some good running backs, but with teams loading the box, that won't matter. Their defense will be good though because it always is. This team has 7 wins written all over them. Michigan State will not be as bad as they were last year, but they won't be much better. They do not have that crushing defense from a few years back and they have no real identity on offense. Mark Dantonio may be coaching for his job this year. If they get 7 wins, which I think they can, he should be fine, but if they slip to 5 or 4 wins, he may be looking elsewhere for work next season. Then we have Purdue, Illinois and Rutgers. This is the bottom of the barrel in the Big 10. Rutgers will be lucky to win 2 games. Purdue is going through yet another coaching change. And poor Lovie Smith, Illinois is bad. As much as I loathe and am disgusted by this team, god damn University of Ohio State will probably win the conference. JT Barrett is a really good college QB and their defense is stout. Penn State may make it tough on them, so will Wisconsin, and Michigan, while young, should be in the race all season long.

As far as non "power 5" teams, South Florida and Boise State are about the only ones worth talking about. Notre Dame also bears mentioning, but they need to fire Brian Kelly right away, especially if that team comes out the way they did last year. They only won 4 games last year. That is unacceptable. Boise State bears a mention because they have earned it. They are always playing tough teams, beating them sometimes, and then running away with their conference. And South Florida is the Western Michigan of this year. They may go undefeated, but playing in such a poor conference and playing a weak out of conference schedule will leave them outside the top 10 all year. They are a very, very good football team though. But, no one outside of the "power 5" will make the playoff.

Which leads me to the playoff. My four teams, in order are FSU, the University of Ohio State, Alabama and USC. I think FSU will beat Alabama this weekend, take over the one spot and never relinquish it. The University of Ohio State will get in by beating Oklahoma early in the season and winning every game from there on out. I already have 2 undefeated teams in my playoff. Alabama will lose to FSU then crush everyone else on their way to another SEC title on a revenge style run. And even though I'm pessimistic about teams getting major accolades after starting out a season very bad, then finishing hot, and even though I picked Stanford to win the Pac 12, I think USC will get the nod with only one loss, where I think Stanford could have 2 losses, but still be in, and win, the Pac 12 title game. That would match up FSU and USC and Alabama and the University of Ohio State. I have FSU in a walk over USC and I have Alabama going to their second straight title game in a very close game over the University of Ohio State. And in the rematch I have FSU coming out on top once again. FSU is so very, very talented, and I think they will be your 2017-18 NCAA football champs. As far as the Heisman goes, I have Deondre Francois winning it. He will have his signature game this Saturday, and he will continue to play better and better every week of the year and run away with the Heisman.

I'll do a mid season check up, but this is what I see heading into the real opening week of college football. I cannot wait.

Ty

Editor's Thoughts - I am no where near the college football expert that Ty is, but I am still going to give my thoughts. The SEC, Pac 12, and Big 12 are very bad conferences with one or two very good teams. That means Alabama, USC, and Oklahoma will easily get into the playoff because they will bowl through their conferences and have one loss each at the very most. The fourth team should come from the Big 10, the best conference in college football, but eventual champ Wisconsin will have two or more losses. Urban Meyer will "suffer" through a 10 win season, lose to Michigan, and then retire due to "health concerns". Urban wants to run far away from Michigan in 2018 when they become an Alabama type power. That leaves the fourth playoff spot to a two loss FSU team (Alabama and a random conference game will be losses). #4 FSU will play #1 Alabama in the first round, the real national championship game. FSU will get revenge, then they will crush USC in the National Championship.

Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma will win the Heisman. Great name, premier program, and he will put up sick numbers in a the defense desert of the Big 12.

RD

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is a big man to not talk up his favorite team like he should. The Head Editor is not a big man, he will talk up the Wolverines for Ty.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.