CFB AM: These Texas A&M 'Yell Leader' overall shirts win the day
Every year, people go nuts over teams releasing new uniforms, a recruiting a merchandising tactic that has become so frequent we don't go a week anymore without a new unveil (no, really -- Louisville just released another new uniform on Thursday).
But I want to show you something much more innovative, creative, ambitious and (fill in any hyperbolic adjective -- literally any one will work) than the 987th new uniform.
These new Texas A&M overall T-shirts.
Yes, these are real.
They are "Yell Leader" shirts made by Adidas for the Aggies' yell group, which leads one of the best college football traditions in College Station's Midnight Yell Practice the night before games.
I don't even know how to describe these -- they are everything. They're the college football version of your glorious "bad Christmas sweater" party and are awesome for that reason alone. One can be yours for only 26 bucks.
Gig 'Em, indeed.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. College Football Playoff picks
Colleagues Stewart Mandel, Bruce Feldman, Joel Klatt and Clay Travis made their playoff picks yesterday, as well as other predictions for the season. They're fun picks, with each guy including something different and a drastic difference of opinion (example: One has two SEC teams in the playoff, another has none). The guys also tackle how many games Jim Harbaugh will win at Michigan, the first coach to get fired, the most overrated team, their Heisman picks and how few games Kansas wins.
Some bad news for Notre Dame: Defensive end Ishaq Williams -- suspended last year in an academic scandal --€“ has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA for this season, meaning his college career is over. Will this substantially affect Notre Dame's playoff chances this fall? Probably not, but Williams could have been a productive player and added depth to the D-line.
2. Photo competition!
Who had the best photo from Thursday? Here are your two options:
The glorious profile shot of Nebraska's Ross Dzuris:
Or Papa Les with running back Leonard Fournette's daughter:
I've got a heart and all, but that's a Grade-A 'stache.
3. A few reads for your Friday
We're a week out from the season kicking off and it feels a little quiet in terms of actually interesting stories, mostly because I think we've beaten everything to death leading up to the season and now everybody just wants the games to start. Unless, of course, you're riveted by depth chart battles coaches refuse to reveal until their teams take the field next week (we'll spare you). So here are a few reads heading into the weekend:
Ivan Maisel caught up with some members of the 2005 Tulane team that was displaced by Hurricane Katrina. "When we had a bad game or a bad practice, everybody's raising hell, I used to joke to a couple of the other coaches, 'You know, the levees haven't broke.' ... From my perspective, that made me a better coach and teacher. Kind of slowed things down. You still have that drive and determination and competitiveness. But the levees didn't break. I've seen the levees break. I know what that can do." Great story.
Mandel wrote on Virginia Tech's idea of fining players and just how crazy that idea actually is.
Fun piece from Ryan McGee on the youngest Gronkowski brother, who is a stud at Kansas State and owns Rob in wrestling.
LASTLY
I know, I know, another walk-on-gets-a-scholarship video, but don't be so cynical and enjoy this one on Stanford's Craig Jones being surprised.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
Teddy Mitrosilis works in social content development at FOX Sports Digital. Follow him on Twitter @TMitrosilis and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.