I can’t say that I’m a huge follower of The Ravens or The 49ers, but I will admit to being a self-proclaimed (kind of crazy) conspiracy theorist with a strong suspicion of corporate greed. My suspicion arose when the power went out after Beyoncé’s performance, which proved that no man or woman can deny that the goddess that is Beyonce still has it. Ask yourself - would the Super Bowl really not be prepared with back up generators for their back up generators? This game is one of the biggest advertising, entertainment, and news events of the year. The power went out for not just a few minutes, but over half an hour!

This leads me to my next observation. After the halftime show, the 49ers miraculously stopped embarrassing themselves and created the movie worthy comeback full of fumbles and quick touchdowns to get 17 points in barely 4 minutes. This all escalated to a nail biting last play, 4^th down to goal in the end zone which ended with Crabtree falling a little short (if we’re not taking into account the non-call…but that’s a whole other rant).

After this picked up second half, I began to question if this was a little too good to be true. I know many people were losing their attention spans by halftime when the Ravens had their 21-6 lead. It makes sense; the NFL, advertisers, and corporations sponsoring the game noticed the same thing.  Nobody wants to watch an easy-win Super Bowl game, right?

So there’s your conspiracy theory, football edition. The power outage was created to grab people’s attention, because if you're not going to have a memorable game, you might as well have something interesting. The majestic catch up might be inspirational to athletes, coaches, and 49ers fans around the world, but to an outside observer, it just seemed way too much like a Friday Night Lights scenario. We got a more exciting game and big spenders, corporations, and supporters got more bang for their buck.

Who knows if any of this is reasonable or true. I definitely would still like to believe that there’s integrity and honesty in corporate-run sports, but I can't ignore the little voice in my ear saying ‘this is working out way too perfectly’. However, I will leave on a positive note, saying thankfully that game turned out to be as exciting as it was anticipated to be. Staged or not, athletes on both teams didn’t fail to impress; and lets be honest, as shady as Ray Lewis is, we all secretly wanted him to leave with another ring.

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Carolina vs. Clemson. It’s a rivalry almost as old as the ages themselves. Well, no, not really. Just as long as both of the colleges and the game of football have existed. But it sure feels like these two universities were made to butt heads with each other.

The big Thanksgiving football game is just the beginning of it. The Carolina vs. Clemson Blood Drive occurred this past week, as well as the Donate Life Duel and the Tiger Burn held before the football game, along with #28 on the Bucket List: “Visit the Clemson campus wearing a USC shirt.”

There’s no end to the rivalry. It’s almost ingrained in our very lifeblood. We occasionally get crass and crude. We get angry, even bitter. We fight to the very end of that football game tooth and nail. And it’s wonderful. Winning something just isn’t as fun when you don’t have someone who can really compete with you for it.

But this Thanksgiving break I have to go home and deal with this rivalry like I never have before.

I come from a family…of Clemson fans. Yep, a whole bunch of people who wear those garish colors of their own volition. And up until this current year, I was one of them.

I was a staunch supporter of the orange and purple, standing my ground and supporting my team like no other. That’s just how I was brought up. Wearing little cheerleader outfits with the Tiger paw on the front on game days, bright orange ribbons in my hair. I never thought any different.

My sister attended, and received her degree from Clemson. She’s a proud alumni who screams at the TV during football games, especially during this particular showdown, and she also has a bathroom plastered in Tiger paraphernalia..

It was naturally assumed that I would go to Clemson University. And even if it wasn’t Clemson, I don’t think my family ever thought that I would end up at USC of all places. All it took was one campus tour to realize this was the college for me.

I’m not saying that Clemson isn’t a wonderful school, I went to my fair share of summer camps at both institutions, but something never felt right in regards to going to college there - it just wasn’t what I needed.

There were mixed emotions among the family. My mother told me that I had to do what was best for me, my father was begrudging about having to give money to a school that wasn’t Clemson, and my sister…I think she stopped speaking to me for a few days.

USC felt right, felt like home, a feeling no other school initially gave me. 

My sister and I are back on speaking terms. She yells at me every time I pick up something even remotely garnet colored for my nephew to wear. I glare at her whenever she says something ironic about eating chicken fingers. I refuse to enter the aforementioned Clemson bathroom and she sneers at every time I wear a “Beat…” t-shirt in her vicinity.

But now…now…I have to face the very worst of the repercussions due to my decision to attend USC: gameday with my sister. Good thing we have a long couch, considering we will be sitting on opposite ends of it, wearing every bit of collegiate wear that we own, eyes glued to the TV, our respective IPods poised to play our school’s fight songs, and armed with Tiger and Cocky stuffed animals to throw at each other with each point gained.

We may have a rivalry, but just like how it brings about great things through donations and drives at both of the schools. Sometimes competition can bring the absolute best of you instead of always the worst.

One thing I do know for sure though…this upcoming gameday?

It’s going to be fun.

Image Source: http://www.independentmail.com/photos/galleries/2010/apr/24/area-players-nfl-draft/29257/

The University of South Carolina is an incredibly diverse school full of different religions, political views, social opinions, and American Idol picks. Try finding two people on this campus who can agree on every single thing.

That’s something that makes USC one of the best. We are diverse and proud of it, and not only that, we learn from our diversity.

This past weekend, I was astounded by the sheer sense of community through campus after the injury of the football team’s running back, Marcus Lattimore.

There was something about this moment: something about every USC student coming together to show Lattimore just how much we cared about our fellow Gamecock. They were prayers sent out about the status of injury in hopes he will return to the field upon recovery, cards signed and sent, and the Birthday & Get Well party on the Horseshoe in front of McKissick.

All of the efforts made me even prouder of the college that I’m attending - for the entire campus populations, from staff to students, to be able to show such a major outpouring of support for a student and player was a great reminder to me, and to everyone, that we’re one big family.

Great cheers towards the Tennessee players right after Lattimore’s injury occurred, as splashes of orange mixed in with garnet surrounded Marcus, giving him immediate support right. It was an excellent show of sportsmanship.

Also, the kind words that were said by Dabo Swinney, head coach of the Clemson football team. Even though we’re rivals with them, at the very end of the day, we’re South Carolina football fans.

Swinney’s admission to Lattimore’s ability as a player and the strong hope that he will return and continue his career also served to remind us that we’re all hoping for the same thing: that Lattimore heals and get back on his feet as quickly as possible.

Not for the team, not the points, not the wins, but for the man himself. Lattimore is a football player, and to be knocked out, yet again, is devastating.

Here’s hoping for Lattimore’s swift healing and to his return to the game!

Image Source: http://blacksportsonline.com/home/2012/10/south-carolina-rb-marcus-lattimore-suffers-serious-leg-injury-vs-tennessee-video/

It’s the anticipated day. The day of all days. The day that could potentially determine our fate. So … does he love us or love us not?

No, I’m not talking about Valentine’s Day.

I’m talking about Jadeveon Clowney’s birthday … and the day he picks the school he will grace with his talented presence. His official visits are passed and gone, and his decision is probably already made.

Don’t get me wrong — I do love the Super Bowl. But after stuffing my face and cheering for teams that I never care about (except when the Panthers went — ha!), it gets kind of old.

So unless Reggie Bush runs his beautiful body onto the field or Janet Jackson loses her top (both of which will not happen this year), then I’m not invested. And if you’re participating in Super Bowl activities that don’t include watching the game, then I assume you aren’t either.

So if you’re not a Packers, Steelers or Super Bowl fan in general, here are a few ways to pretend you watched (and enjoyed) the misery they call the biggest game of the year.

Kyle Parker hung his head in disappointment, Dabo almost left the field, and Tiger fans poured more and more mini bottles into their drinks in misery. That’s just the way we like it.

Remember the awkward middle-school-sport era when coaches would make you stop scoring if you were winning by too much? “It hurts the other team’s feelings.”

Let’s just say Spurrier is not one of those coaches. On Saturday the Gamecocks brutally stomped the Trojans into that pretty green field called Williams Brice. And they didn’t let up till the refs called game. Sorry we’re not sorry.