NCAA Football Playoff Picture

With the college football season coming to an end, the 4 teams that have made it to the 2nd ever College Football Playoff have been selected with many other deserving teams on the outside looking in. With last years playoff being a success and adding a new dimension to the chase for the the national championship, I still believe that it needs to be fixed. 

Too many teams that have had incredible season don't even get a chance to prove themselves because of one or two losses. These teams include Iowa, Stanford, Notre Dame, and last years champions, Ohio State. Iowa's only loss came in the Big 10 Championship game against Michigan State and while they only lost one game, they don't get a chance to win the national championship trophy. 

New Football Playoff

Since the beginning of the playoff system I have thought that 4 teams is not enough. What I would like to see would be the Power 5 conference champions and then 3 at large teams. With this system is would give more teams to prove themselves worthy of winning the national championship. If this were the case, the 8 teams that should be in the playoffs would be Clemson (ACC Champion), Alabama (SEC Champion), Michigan State (Big 10 Champion), Oklahoma (Big 12 Champion), Stanford (Pac-12 Champion), Iowa, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. With this system, only one more game would need to be played to determine who is the best of the best. While some people may argue that that is too many games, I think that if these teams are the BEST in the country, they can handle an extra game. A new system like this would add more excitement, give more teams a chance, and truly find the best of the best. 

Coaching Turnover..

What is the sports world becoming? Working for Montana State Football, I have seen, first hand, the devastation of a football coach being fired. Coach Rob Ash has been a class act coach for Montana State every since he came to the program 9 years ago. Since he arrived in Bozeman he has shaped the football program into one of the top FCS teams in the country. Eight winning seasons and it wasn't until last weeks loss to the University of Montana that he tallied his first losing season. Seems like a pretty good career don't you think? But as of Monday morning, the Cats found themselves without a head coach.

Even with the huge success that Coach Ash has seen at Montana State, winning is more important in the minds of the athletic department as well as the fans. There used to be a saying, "winning isn't everything," but anymore that phrase doesn't seem to exist. Coaches are getting fired left and right in the college ranks in 2015. Even coaches with winning records have been fired due to not meeting the expectations of the university. So what is going to happen? Seems to me that if a coach isn't winning the national championship or making it to a bowl game, their job is in danger. 

I hate seeing all of these headlines and hearing negative comments made about men who not only have seen success but have changed the identity of the program. Working for the Bobcats and working under Coach Ash has been a great opportunity. His kindness and professionalism will always be the defining factor in my mind. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors and hope that half the nations coaches aren't facing the same fate come the end of the year. 

Look Up!

What is going on with today's society? Here we are, living in a world where possibilities are endless with the ever changing technology that we have to work with. But why is it that as the world gets "smarter" we as consumers seem to be getting more "stupid"? This video came to my attention last year and the first time that I watched it, it really made me stop and think about how much I use technology.


Being able to communicate with others instantly is a privilege that has become necessary for our world to function. Using technology constantly has become a way of life but it is ruining the world at the same time. There is so much truth in this video and some of it is scary. It's sad that parenting nowadays is as easy as giving a child an Ipad to keep their attention.


When I was growing up I was outside for 90% of my free time. I was exploring, taking advantage of nature around me, and always using my imagination. When I raise my children I will be sure to raise them the same way that my parents raised me. Sure communication is important but at what expense?


It's so easy to miss an opportunity because we are too busy looking down at our phone, and I made a promise to myself that I won't let life pass by me as I don't see any of it. I guess you could say I'm an old school mind in a new school world that is letting the new school take control of what truly matters. So take a few minutes to watch this video. It may just change the way that you view the technology in front of you.

Exit Through The Gift Shop

I'm not sure if any of you have ever heard of the documentary, Exit Through The Gift Shop, and if you haven't, I strongly suggest that you watch it! If you enjoy street art and want to get an inside look at some of the world's most famous street artists and how they do their work, it will be worth 90 minutes of your time. I was assigned to watch this documentary for a class that I am currently taking and we had in-class discussions for a couple of days talking about if we believe that street art is art. What do you think? Do you find street art to be art or is it just graffiti? Personally, I have always enjoyed seeing street art, especially when it makes you stop and think about what the artist is trying to portray. I have attached a few images of the art that is featured in the movie. Great documentary!

Originality and Chaos

Recently I was told a quote from Keith Johnstone that said, "People trying to be original always arrive at the same boring old answers. Ask people to give you an original idea and see the chaos it throws them into. If they said the first thing that came into their head, there’d be no problem." I thought about this quote for some time and tried to understand what he was trying to say. After some deep thought on the subject, I came to the idea that Johnstone is trying to say that in our pursuit of trying to be original, we eventually try so hard that we subconsciously think an ordinary idea is original. Though this may sound very confusing when first read, I agree with Johnstone completely. In the past, when I have been given the task of coming up with an original idea, I find myself overthinking things. More times that not, stating the first thing that comes to mind is more original that an idea that you have thought about for hours.


At first, when I read this statement I thought it didn't make much sense, but as I thought about it deeper, I realized that in the past I have been a victim of over thinking. Subconscious thoughts are always playing factors in every decision we make. Even when we feel like no thought is going into a decision, it is. If you think long enough about something, these subconscious thoughts begin to play a factor in your mind, and they can be traced back to anything you've seen or known in the past. Lets use Coca-Cola as an example. You are given the task of creating a new and completely original ad for the upcoming Super Bowl. You begin thinking and as you open up your mind, you're being influenced by every ad you have ever seen for Coke. This can be traced back to when you were a child, watching TV on Saturday morning and an ad for Coke comes on TV. The thing that many people don't realize is that anything that we have ever experienced is subconsciously stored in our mind. So when thinking of this new ad, you are thinking of all these great ideas that you feel are original but are in fact, very similar to an ad that you've seen in the past but that you have loved. So when Johnstone says that if we said the thing that first comes to mind there would be no problem, he's right. Not giving your mind time to find those thoughts deep down is more beneficial than spending a lot of time thinking about it.


What do you think this statement means?

San Diego Bound!

A plane ticket is bought and hotels are booked! At the beginning of December I will be traveling to Encinitas (just north of San Diego) to take my Playing Ability Test. It is exciting to be starting the process of becoming PGA certified and I can't wait to prove my ability on the golf course. I will be accompanied by my parents, who will be enjoying a little vacation of their own, but it will be great having them there to support me! Golf has been such a large part of my life and I can't wait to start teaching the game that has got me to where I am today. December can't get here soon enough! T-32 Days!