Click here to check out sarah's blog entitled "This week in the world."

Be sure to comment and tell us what you think!

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Some of our staff members have a new blog link, so please be sure to check them out every week:

Click here for Ryan Babula and his many celebrations of things.

New blogs and links to be added soon!

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A quick preview of how I feel the conferences will shape out for the 09-10 season.

ACC               Thom                       SI

Atlantic:       Florida State            Florida State

Coastal:       Georgia Tech           Virginia Tech

Champion:    Georgia Tech          Virginia Tech

Big East

Champion:    South Florida              Rutgers

Big Ten

Champion:     Penn State              Ohio State

Big 12

North:          Nebraska                    Kansas

South:           Texas                       Texas

Champion:      Texas                       Texas

PAC-10

Champion:        USC                         USC

SEC

East:              Florida                       Florida

West:              LSU                        Ole Miss

Champion:       Florida                       Florida

Mtn. West

Champion:        Utah                         TCU

WAC

Champion:      Bosie State               Boise State

Sun Belt

Champion:    Arkansas State                Troy

C-USA

East:             Southern Miss                ECU

West:                UTEP                      UTEP

Champion:     Southern Miss                UTEP

MAC

East:                Buffalo                      Ohio

West:        Central Michigan         Central Michigan

Champion:   Central Michigan         Central Michigan

National Championship Pick

Thom: Florida over Texas

SI: Florida over Texas

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My credentials for this blog go to being a long time Falcons season ticket holder and reading an auto-biography of Ernie Accorsi entitled "The GM".

I ask people all the time, do you know who Ernie Accorsi is? Usually I get a confused look followed by a "No". Ernie Accorsi was the General Manager for the New York Giants before retiring in 2006—the year before New York won a Super Bowl.

Although Accorsi was not with the Giants when they defeated New England, the New York organization still gave him a ring. Why not? Ernie basically built that entire team. He was the man who brought in every player on their championship roster. Every player, but one—Michael Strahan, who was the only player on the Giants championship roster before Accorsi arrived.

It is known that Accorsi's belief to a championship team requires three essentials. The three include a defensive line, offensive line, and quarterback. If you don't believe me, look at the Giants championship roster.

They held the best pass-rushing defensive line, including players such as Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck (who I think should've won MVP), Michael Strahan, and Fred Robbins. Their offensive line was also one of the best, and Eli Manning is a winning quarterback with unbelievable composure.

It is fair to say Accorsi deserves a lot of credit for New York's championship ring, but it takes a lot more than a GM to build a championship caliber organization. All great NFL organizations usually begin with great owners. Teams such as Pittsburgh, Dallas, and New York have all been blessed with Hall of Fame owners (The Rooneys, Jerry Jones, and The Maras).

Arthur Blank, in my mind, is on the way to becoming one of those great owners. He bought the Falcons with the mindset of turning that organization into one of the best.

When Atlanta was stabbed in the back by multiple people, the Falcons were at rock bottom. They had the third worst record in the NFL, and probably the worst chemistry too. This is a team that was betrayed by two head coaches and their leader under center.

Blank didn't let the distractions prevent him from building a championship organization. In search of help, Blank called Ernie Accorsi.

After Rich McKay was moved from front office duties, Atlanta hired Thomas Dimintroff as the new GM. Little do most people know that Accorsi and Dimintroff's father worked together in the past. Apparently, Accorsi recommended Dimintroff to Blank which would explain the hire.

Now look at some of the players brought in since Dimintroff was hired: A young offensive line who looked solid last year (along with the best tight end in the NFL), the quarterback who has proven himself on both levels to lead and win, and a defensive tackle who has proven his dominance in college only adds to a pretty impressive D-line.

I'm not saying this player is Michael Strahan, but John Abraham has the talent to become as good as Strahan (not to mention he has the ironic similarity of being a player who was on the Falcons roster before Dimintroff arrived). 

All signs are pointing to an Atlanta championship in the future. Arthur Blank is not just an owner who cares about money or publicity. This owner actually wants to create a successful franchise for years to come (he did it with Home Depot), which money and publicity will soon follow.  

Every move Atlanta has made is similar to the championship team Accorsi built in New York. The fact that New York is one of the dominant organizations in the NFL should also bring confidence to Falcons fans.

As Mos Def says, its simple mathematics. Everything adds up to a championship caliber organization in the near future, and it is all thanks to the man who helped start it (and never stopped finishing it), Arthur Blank.

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Thom’s Top 5

5 – Tyler Sumner – This is a red-shirted freshman who nobody knew heading into this game. He is 6’2, 210 lbs. His route running was impressive, getting behind defenders well and positioning himself for the quarterback to make an easy pass. He caught two touchdowns that were out of his reach, making it look easy. He lined up as an inside receiver time-to-time, but showed tight end characteristics to his style. He could be a gem and red-zone threat for this offense.

4 – Tavaris Williams – Another player not too many have heard of, yet. Williams is a 5’11 linebacker from Lowndes County who has playmaking ability written all over him. Williams recorded five tackles (for the white team), so he was facing a majority of the offensive starters. Williams also had a pick, but it was taken away from him as the play was called dead. Everywhere the ball went, Williams was there. Williams attacked the gaps aggressively and wraps up well. Plain and simple, he is a playmaker, I’m not sure there is another way to describe what I liked about him.  

3 – Leander Barney & Nick Kyles – Barney seemed to like the transition from running back to wide receiver. He is a dangerous runner in the open field, and he ran the screen pretty solidly. Not to mention he caught a jump ball 34 yards down the field for a touchdown, so he shows sign of being a deep threat. Nick Kyles didn’t stand out on the stat sheet, but his style of play impressed me. Kyles seemed very aware of the field, which is a quarterback’s best friend on third down situations. Kyles had good positioning on his defenders and separates himself well when the ball is in the air. If he could focus on the ball better as it gets to his hands, he could be a crucial part of this team’s aerial success.

2 – Harland Bower – His three sacks definitely makes him stand out, but there is more. He seems to have a pretty solid leadership role on this defense, and the fact that he is on the defensive line is a plus. He penetrated the gaps extremely well and showed a burst of speed to get to the quarterback. What is scary is that he wasn’t running full speed into the quarterback, because you can’t tackle the quarterback in spring games. An explosive leader on the defensive line is what this team needs, and I believe Bower brings that.

1 – Lee Chapple – This will be Chapple’s first year as the full-time starter (for now). He had an impressive day throwing over 200 passing yards and two touchdowns. His leadership and confidence sets him apart from other quarterbacks. He has the accuracy to hit receivers in the best spot possible and the perfect amount of touch when lobbing it over defenders. He seems to have a full understanding of the plays and runs them well. He reads the field well, looking at various options and delivers quickly. It seems maturity is something Chapple needs to work on, throwing a pick in the red-zone early in the game, but he is not far from achieving it. He bounced back nicely after throwing that pick, almost as if it never bothered him. His confidence in everyone around him makes the team better. I like him as a top leader of this football team going into the fall, and if he doesn’t win next year, it will come. He seems like a winner.

Tags: Spring Football

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We are one day away from the craziest tournament in all of sports, MARCH MADNESS! Let's get right into it shall we?

MIDWEST - Lousivlle has locked up the #1 overall seed in the tournament. Did they deserve it? Winning the Big Eas Conference is a compelling arguement, but March Madness is a completely different tournament. Louisville's defense is great, maybe the best, but there is another team that plays just as good and if not better defense than Pitino's Cards. The Kansas Jayhawks. Michigan State is an underlooked team, but not enough talent to keep up with Louisville, Kansas or even Wake Forest. Ohio State could upset Louisville (if they beat Siena), but I think Louisville will lock up an Elite 8 appearance before loosing to......Kansas, who has the defense and coach to overcome Louisville and get to a second straight Final Four appearance.

FINAL FOUR PICK: Kansas; DARK HORSE: West Virginia; UPSET ALERT: (12) Arizona over (5) Utah

WEST - UConn has the best all-around talent, expierence & consistency to go past the Final Four. Yeah they lost to Pittsburgh twice, but Pitt is laying on the other side of the bracket. A pretty easy road to the Final Four as the only real threat is the potential winner of (3) Missouri vs. (6) Marquette (I pick Marquette). Memphis is weaker than they seem, with losses to Georgetown and Xavier earlier in the year. Memphis' most impressive win is against Tennessee and Gonzaga (if you can call that impressive). The is not the same Memphis team from last year and had an unbelieveably easy schedule playing in the Conference-Who? S.A.

FINAL FOUR PICK: UConn; DARK HORSE: Marquette; UPSET ALERT: (10) Maryland over (7) California

EAST - Pittsburgh seems like a lock for the championship, but not so fast. When Pitt looses, it is when their best player (DeJuan Blair) is in foul trouble. Remember the saying fight fire with fire? The same concept applies here. Fight the big man with your big men to get Blair in foul trouble. But which team has the best chance of doing that? The team with more hieght on their roster than any other team is the Florida State Seminoles, who if play smart and consistent, can potentially put Blair into foul trouble and pull off the upset. Duke comes and goes which is a weakness for any tournament (especially a single elimination). Villanova can challenge any top team in the region, Scottie Reynolds and Dante Cunningham give Nova the expierence to make a Final Four appearance, but im a risk taker, so I'm taking a risk.

FINAL FOUR PICK: FSU; DARK HORSE: Texas; UPSET ALERT: (13) Portland State over (4) Xavier

SOUTH - UNC, in my opinion, has the easiest road to the Final Four. Lawson will be back and healthy, giving UNC another weapon to their already dangerous team. Oklahoma is impressive but not dominant. Blake Griffin is a dominant player, but the Sooners don't play dominant basketball against good teams. Syracuse had a nice run in the Big East tourney, but their lack of expierence might not be enough to escape the Sweet 16, but even if they do, UNC will be ready and waiting in the Elite 8 for either Syracuse or Oklahoma. UNC looks too good to be true here and should have no problem advancing to the Final Four.

FINAL FOUR PICK: UNC; DARK HORSE: Michigan; UPSET ALERT: (11) Temple over (6) Arizona State

CHAMPIONSHIP PICK: UConn over UNC

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So as most of you know, there is a lot of controversy about Bill Ayers coming to campus. There have a a large amount of comments about this left on Marshall's story. As we like and appreciate all your feedback, since this websites main purpose is to be an open forum for students, I thought it would be interesting to stir the fire so to speak and see where it goes. No I am not a political guy by any means but I do have opinions on many political issues. Now as far as this Ayers guy coming to campus I'm not quite sure what to think. It is true that he is a former member and leader of a terrorist organization but there are several aspect to keep in mind before freaking out that he will be stepping foot on campus at GSU. 

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As the NFL season comes to an end (sad) and the Falcons season far in the rear-view mirror (sad) one last game culminates the end of the season...THE SUPER BOWL! So I'm going to jump on the bandwagon and root for the Cardinals. Plus if they pull off the upset then that makes the Falcons look better! So I'm going to go ahead and call the upset:

Cardinals 17 - Steelers 16

MVP: Kurt Warner (You gotta love this guy)

Difference Maker: Larry Fitzgerald 

So let me know what you think. I generally seem to be correct in these predicitons but as always I'm open to criticism. 

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We are on our bus, about to be en route to Washington D.C. for today's Inauguration celebrations. It is currently snowing in Williamsburg and flurries are expected for todays events. Watch it on any station possible!

Best wishes from GSU in DC!

-Charles

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I write to you tonight from a warm, comfy hotel in Williamsburg, some 156 miles away from tomorrow's Inauguration of our 44th President Barack Obama.

It's been somewhat of a long day, beginning our journey in Savannah at 6 a.m. this morning, after leaving Statesboro at 4:30. We've trekked through South Carolina and North Carolina to finally end up in Virigina for tonight. We will begin even earlier tomorrow as we make our way into the heart of Washington D.C.

Originally, our plans included a Metro train ride from outlying Springfield, VA into our nation's capital, but due to new rules for buses, we will find ourselves walking from only three blocks away! 

At the current moment, the forecast shows a high of 32 degrees for tomorrow with a wind chill of 18 degrees. It's going to be cold, but our spirits and camradarie will keep us warm. I hope for a fun, exciting, memorable, and most importantly safe celebration tomorrow for every single person who is on the National Mall, at the Capitol, or watching it from all around the world. 

I plan on "tweeting" from the National Mall, providing that cell phone service works at all. CNN is dubbing the swearing in of Barack Obama as "the moment." What will you be doing at the moment our first African-American President is sworn in? Where will you be? How will you feel?

You can catch my Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/charlesminshew or keep a check on my status on Facebook if you have me added as a friend.

No matter your political background or where you are tomorrow, please celebrate this new day in American Politics. 

Sincerely,

Charles Minshew

Tags: Barack Obama Inauguration Williamsb

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Hey guys, to those of you who don't know me yet, my name is Marshall Hooks and I am the Managing Editor of GADaily.com.  Along with that, I write weekly opinion articles for the George-Anne that you will see on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays throughout the course of the semester.

I have received a lot of questions in the past regarding some of the controversial and topical issues that I have expressed my opinion about so freely.

That's why I wanted to open up to the readers of the George-Anne and GADaily.com and allow you this opportunity to e-mail your questions in case you have been trying to track me down on campus.  You can e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and I will be happy to post the question, along with my response right here on the blog.

I get asked a lot why I write about such controversial topics and where some of my wild ideas come from.  I do not sit around and wait for an idea to come to me, instead I go out into the real-world and experience first-hand events and at the end of the day draw my thoughts and ideas from that.  I also witness things that I think need to be addressed or changed and my ideas sometimes branch out from that.

 In conclusion, I hope you guys all had a great first week of classes and I look forward to hearing from you.

 Marshall Hooks

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Okay guys, I told you wrong. From now on, with any questions you want advice from me for, write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . I will read your questions and post the question and my response back to the blog!

 Anyways, I hope everyone is having a great first week back to school. This is best time of year, the first week of class. Life isn't stressful, you can hang out with friends... Yeah. I like the first week back. 

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Hey everyone...Matt here. Hope everyone survived the first week of classes.

So it seems that after several months of waiting (or dreading), winter has finnally made its way to the Boro. The low for today is 15 degrees. Now just in case that didn't register let me repeat myself...15 DEGREES!!! Now although to some this might not sound too bad (and by some I mean anyone that has spent a significant amount of time in the North) but since that is not at all the case for yours truly, 15 degrees is FREAKING COLD. 

Also someone plaease tell me Why I had to wash the pollen off my windshield of my car this morning. Last time I checked that was a Spring thing. Well maybe it has something to do with the fact that the weather was in the 70's just a few weeks ago.

Please Georgia just pick a season and stick with it for a while. Thanks. 

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Hey guys! I am here to start the GSU advice column! Okay, so here is how it goes, you guys can ask me anything that you want (your post can be anonymous) and I will write you back later that day! 

Otherwise, I will just write my own stuff, such as my views on what is going with politics, and such. 

To get things started, I will tell you a little about myself. I'm a junior broadcasting major from Albany. I love books and movies, and try to keep involved with current events. Also, if you guys have anything that makes you mad, tell me about it! I want to know!

I can't wait to hear from you guys. Until then!

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Hello all! Welcome back for another exciting semester at GSU. For those who don’t know me, my name is Matt and I am the Editor-in-Chief of gadaily.com.

I am very excited to announce many new features to the site that will begin this semester. The most exciting of these features is a new video podcast, which we are calling “The Weekly Swarm.”

The first episode is scheduled to air next Monday, January 20. The weekly podcasts will feature exclusive interviews with faculty and staff members of GSU and highlights from your favorite Eagle athletics sporting events.

Also be sure to check back frequently to our new blog feature where myself and many other editors on the staff will constantly update their own blogs that will reflect their individual personalities.  

We hope your first week of classes is going well and look forward to a great semester.

Until next time, this is Matt reminding you to stay classy Georgia Southern.

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Hey guys, Ryan here. I'll have to say that today was probably the best day I've had in the city this week. For one, I've only spent about an hour in the cold altogether. I also got to see three shows, which was great. The first of which was at the Maury recording. We got there a little late, but they got us to the waiting room no problem. We then sat around for an hour wondering when in the world we'd be going into the studio. I was also wondering how I'd plan my escape when it came time to dip out early to go to see Wicked at 2. So, around 10am, one of the stage managers came out and fed us some story about "technical problems", but we assumed that the show wasn't going as planned, and they had to scrap one together in minutes. What we got was a "looking back/recap" episode where we taped the in-betweens for previous clips. This was pretty fun because a.) three of my friends got to sit on the stage, b.) we got to act a fool, and c.) we got free stuff in the end. Also, there was a guy that looked just like Kid Rock there, but I didn't talk to him just in case he was a killer...because they have them here in NY...

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Tags: babula | wicked | maury | cirque du soleil | new york

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Hey, guys, Ryan here. Today was a fun filled day of frivolity. We started off at 4:30am as we got ready and headed off to Good Morning America. We were able to hitch a ride with the school bus that was headed to the Today show, and ended up pretty close to the front. Once inside, we stood near the window in the main studio for two hours, and were able to see Adam Sandler and Melissa Etheridge. After that, our visitor from D.C. had to leave us, and half of the group went back to the hotel to see us off. The rest of the group had breakfast at a diner in Times Square, and we were the first visitors in the Charmin bathrooms (there at 10am without fail).

Our group mate that didn't go to GMA (lame) met us after all this, and we departed for the South Seaport area of the city, all the way in lower Manhattan. We hung out by the port, and walked about 40 blocks from 12th street all the way to Times Square. We also went and visited Ground Zero, which has come a long long way since last year. Two of the buildings planned for the site are close to being finished, and construction is ongoing inside the Trade Center. Either way, riding the subway under the site and seeing the empty space is eerie and sobering nonetheless. It was good to go and pay respect to the area, and I hope that nothing like it ever happens again.

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Tags: babula | new york | times square | ground zero | snow | wall street

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Editor's Note: Due to an outage at the Williams Center Monday morning, a blog post for Day One was not possible yesterday. So, please enjoy both Day One and Day Two below. Day Two is first, followed by Day One. Also, watch for us on the Today Show Tuesday morning on NBC!

Day Two: “Let’s have an Adventure!”

Monday was our first full day in the city after getting our feet wet in Times Square and portions of Rockefeller Center on Sunday night. The city looked much different in the light of day than it did in the dim cover of darkness and flood of artificial light.

For one, people selling watches and bags, regardless of the authenticity, were nowhere to be found. However, people trying to sell tickets to bus tours replaced them in large numbers.

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Tags: adventure | subway | statue of liberty | empire state | times square | rockefeller center | secaucus | new york

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