Congratulations!

[Valid Atom 1.0] This is a valid Atom 1.0 feed.

Recommendations

This feed is valid, but interoperability with the widest range of feed readers could be improved by implementing the following recommendations.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/sportsblogs/clonechronicles.xml

  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>Clone Chronicles -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>Fourth in the Big 12 in National Titles (For Realsies)</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/4285/clone_chronicles_favicon.gif</icon>
  6.  <updated>2011-09-28T04:00:42-05:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.clonechronicles.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.clonechronicles.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2011-09-28T04:00:42-05:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2011-09-28T04:00:42-05:00</updated>
  12.    <title>CLONE CHRONICLES CURTAIN CALL</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Hp9as-5hdO7gz_0fgZTzRt_-UHI=/44x0:596x368/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/728724/wrnlrhoads.jpg" /&gt;
  17.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  18.  
  19.  &lt;p&gt;As Mark Keiffer mentioned &lt;a href="http://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/7/19/2283002/future-of-clone-chronicles" target="_blank"&gt;back in July&lt;/a&gt;, Clone Chronicles has run it's course as the Cyclone blog on SBNation. We simply never had enough authors to write about everything that needs to be written about on a good college sports blog. As such, the time has come for Clone Chronicles to take one final Curtain Call, and close up shop.&lt;/p&gt;
  20. &lt;p&gt;But do not fret! For while this site will remain dormant after this post, Mark Kieffer, myself, and CrossCyed will be joining forces with the new SBNation Cyclone Blog: &lt;a href="http://www.widerightnattylite.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Wide Right and Natty Lite&lt;/a&gt;! As you could probably tell from the constant plugs over the last few weeks. We will all be doing pretty much exactly what we're doing on this site, only now we'll be doing it with a whole bunch of other degenerates who love the Cyclones as much as we do.&lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p&gt;So come on over to the new site, reset your bookmarks, and get ready to head into a whole new world of blog-based Cyclone fandom. Come for the constant stream of information about the Cyclones, stay for the badly animated photoshops making fun of Texas.&lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;p&gt;From all of us here at Clone Chronicles, thank you so much for reading our little corner of the internet. We've had fun bringing it to you, and we hope you will join us on our move to &lt;a href="http://WideRightNattyLite.com" target="_blank"&gt;WideRightNattyLite.com&lt;br&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  23. &lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Every Yard for ISU,&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br&gt;-CyHawk&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  24.  
  25.  
  26. </content>
  27.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/28/2454613/clone-chronicles-curtain-call"/>
  28.    <id>https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/28/2454613/clone-chronicles-curtain-call</id>
  29.    <author>
  30.      <name>CyHawk</name>
  31.    </author>
  32.  </entry>
  33.  <entry>
  34.    <published>2011-09-26T22:15:49-05:00</published>
  35.    <updated>2011-09-26T22:15:49-05:00</updated>
  36.    <title>Citing First-Quarter Stats; Cyclones Opt to Start Games in Second Quarter</title>
  37.    <content type="html">  
  38.  
  39.    &lt;figure&gt;
  40.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d2QZmlON7aTwA2hr3cXC7_eHuyc=/0x0:450x300/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47827633/default.43.0.jpg" /&gt;
  41.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  42.  
  43.  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/727379/UConn_scoreboard.jpg" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/817956/3.jpg"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/817959/3.jpg"&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;img class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/727379/UConn_scoreboard_medium.jpg" alt="Uconn_scoreboard_medium"&gt;&lt;a&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br id="1317089174191"&gt;Although Iowa State is currently undefeated, to say the Cyclones have struggled mightily in the first quarter of every game this year would be an understatement. In fact, ISU has yet to score a point in the first quarter of any game, and QB Steele Jantz is 6-14 for 44 yards and five interceptions.&lt;/p&gt;
  44. &lt;p&gt;To combat this, Iowa State will try the unconventional strategy of starting the remainder of their games this year in the second quarter. Instead of struggling through the first quarter and risking injury or a potential pick-six on an inevitable Jantz interception, ISU will instead play only 45 minutes of football starting in the second quarter.&lt;/p&gt;
  45. &lt;p&gt;"We're also planning on spotting the other team ten points," said head coach Paul Rhoads in an official statement. "At this point it just seems like the best thing to do. We're trying to put the most entertaining team on the field for our fans, and we've received a great response after our three comeback wins so far."&lt;/p&gt;
  46.  
  47. &lt;p&gt;The statement released by the Iowa State athletic department this week spelled out the football team's plan in more detail. "Look, we don't have an exceptionally explosive offense this year, but we have some playmakers," continued offensive coordinator Tom Herman. "After studying the film from the first three games, it came to my attention that (Steele) Jantz plays best under pressure. He'll leave you scratching your head in the first quarter, but if you need a 3rd and long or 4th down conversion, you bet your ass Steele's going to make a play.&lt;/p&gt;
  48. &lt;p&gt;While most of the Iowa State coaching staff expressed support for starting games in the second quarter, defensive coordinator Wally Burnham has his doubts. "Look goddammit, I'm old-fashioned," Burnham said. "I've been in the coaching game for 40 goddamn years, and I've never heard of anything so harebrained. Who ever heard of only playing 45 minutes of college football, let alone giving the other goddamn team a ten-point lead to start the game?"&lt;/p&gt;
  49. &lt;p&gt;Indeed, it's believed that this is the first time a football team at any level has intentionally forfeited 15 minutes and ten points to their opponent. In fact, it's still unknown if this change will even conform to NCAA regulations. Nevertheless, the Cyclones plan on implementing the second-quarter-strategy for their game against Texas this week. Tune in at 6:00 PM Central time on FX to see if it has the desired effect.&lt;/p&gt;
  50.  
  51. </content>
  52.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/26/2451784/citing-first-quarter-stats-cyclones-opt-to-start-games-in-second"/>
  53.    <id>https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/26/2451784/citing-first-quarter-stats-cyclones-opt-to-start-games-in-second</id>
  54.    <author>
  55.      <name>I am a Cyentist</name>
  56.    </author>
  57.  </entry>
  58.  <entry>
  59.    <published>2011-09-26T16:29:52-05:00</published>
  60.    <updated>2011-09-26T16:29:52-05:00</updated>
  61.    <title>OPERATION: BOWL ELIGIBILITY</title>
  62.    <content type="html">  
  63.  
  64.    &lt;figure&gt;
  65.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d2QZmlON7aTwA2hr3cXC7_eHuyc=/0x0:450x300/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47827633/default.43.0.jpg" /&gt;
  66.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  67.  
  68.  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Alright, So the Bye Week has officially come to a close, and it's time to face the new and improved Big XII schedule. Let's take an early look at the next segment of the season, a grueling six-game stretch through the Southwest Conference and the Border War participants.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  69. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Sat, Oct 1:  vs. #17 Texas&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  70. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Sat, Oct 8:   @  #15 Baylor&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  71. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Sat, Oct 15:  @  Mizzou&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  72. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Sat, Oct 22: vs. #14 Texas A&amp;amp;M&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  73. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Sat, Oct 29:  @  Texas Tech&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  74. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Sat, Nov 5:  vs. Kansas&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  75. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;If Iowa State is going to achieve bowl eligibility this year, they need to go at least 2-4 against this group, but it's not inconcievable to think that Iowa State could be playing for their magical 6th win on November 5th against Kansas.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  76. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Depending on which Iowa State team shows up on a given day, there are no unwinnable games on this list, just some very, very hard ones. Suddenly, Texas coming into Jack Trice stadium has huge implications for both teams. Still, of the rated teams during this stretch, this game is probably the most winnable. Iowa State is healthy after the bye week (Jantz and Osemele are reportedly back to 100%) and still riding a wave of confidence after closing out the road win against UConn, and Texas' signature win thus far is against a BYU team that may not be as good as previously thought. Sadly, &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77301/garrett-gilbert" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Garrett Gilbert&lt;/a&gt; will not be helping the Cyclones again this year, as he will be out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  77. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Gone is &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/115256/mack-brown" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Mack Brown&lt;/a&gt;'s long time OC &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/6388/greg-davis" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Greg Davis&lt;/a&gt;, who's revolutionary Horizontal Offense was a big part in the Cyclones jumping out to a 14-3 lead last year. He has since been replaced with Bryan Harsin, who was the OC Boise State prior to this season. Iowa State probably won't have the element of surprise again this year, but with the Red River Shootout looming next week against a #1 Oklahoma team, I honestly wonder if Texas might be peeking ahead to next week already.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  78. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;The next game, at Baylor, will most likely be a shootout, with &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/35519/robert-griffin-iii" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Robert Griffin III&lt;/a&gt; picking on our short CornerBacks, and &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36219/steele-jantz" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Steele Jantz&lt;/a&gt; shredding the laughable Baylor defense. There will be fireworks, upwards of 100 points, and at least one person in Floyd Casey stadium will spontaneously combust after realizing that the ISU-Baylor game may actually have some serious Big XII implications. I think the Cyclones have a better chance of beating Texas this year, but to get a win against any of the ranked Texas schools would be a huge boost to a potential post-season game, and as long as Baylor doesn't have a defense, ISU has a chance in this one.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  79. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;To have their best chance at being bowl eligible, Iowa State needs to win at least one of their next three games. If they can't topple Texas or Baylor, the Battle for the red-and-gold-colored Telephone Trophy suddenly becomes very important for the Cyclones' post-season hopes. (Not to mention, it would look great sitting next to what's left of the Cy-Hawk trophy. The easiest three teams remaining on the schedule are probably Texas Tech, Kansas State, and Kansas, but Mizzou is probably next on that list. A win in Columbia this year would be Iowa  State's first since Seneca Wallace was under center in 2001.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  80. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  81. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;The high point (read: hardest game) of this stretch will be on Oct. 22, when we play Texas A&amp;amp;M for what will probably be the last time. (Excluding a future random bowl match-up.) Any time you grow worried that your hatred of your in-state rival borders on obsessive, or that the continued obsession with our marching band is weird, look to College Station and despair not, for we are not the insane ones. There are people with bigger inferiority complexes than us, and a large percentage of them are present and wearing maroon jerseys every Saturday at Kyle Field. No matter who wins this game, expect at least one S-E-C chant. If A&amp;amp;M somehow loses, expect the Cyclone faithful to return the S-E-C chant, this time dripping with sarcasm and derision. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  82. &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;The last two games of this stretch are also the two most winnable games. After having  played three ranked teams in four weeks, the Cyclones get a reprieve at Texas Tech, and then at home against Kansas. Tech had problems with a not-very-good Nevada team, and Kansas had obvious problems defending Georgia Tech's mobile quarterback and option attack. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  83. &lt;p&gt;&lt;font size="2" face="Arial"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: 10pt;"&gt;None of these games will be easy, because in the new and improved Big XII, nothing is easy. If Iowa State can pull out a win from somewhere in the first four games, they could easily be playing Kansas for the chance to go into the Bye Week with bowl eligibility and a 6-3 record. If not, going at least 2-4 would give us a chance to get to the post-season during the first week of December at Kansas  State.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  84.  
  85.  
  86. </content>
  87.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/26/2451161/operation-bowl-eligibility"/>
  88.    <id>https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/26/2451161/operation-bowl-eligibility</id>
  89.    <author>
  90.      <name>CyHawk</name>
  91.    </author>
  92.  </entry>
  93.  <entry>
  94.    <published>2011-09-23T09:34:06-05:00</published>
  95.    <updated>2011-09-23T09:34:06-05:00</updated>
  96.    <title>BRAVE NEW WORLD</title>
  97.    <content type="html">  
  98.  
  99.    &lt;figure&gt;
  100.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d2QZmlON7aTwA2hr3cXC7_eHuyc=/0x0:450x300/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47827633/default.43.0.jpg" /&gt;
  101.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  102.  
  103.  &lt;p&gt;Lo and behold, the latest threat to the Big XII has been neutralized thanks once again to Texas being a bunch of &lt;a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/sports/ncaafootball/oklahoma-may-agree-to-remain-in-big-12.html" target="_blank"&gt;selfish pricks concerning the Longhorn Network&lt;/a&gt;. Pac-12 Commisioner &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/136050/larry-scott" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Larry Scott&lt;/a&gt; no doubt noticed the fact that Texas has been the common link in the two major conference failures in the last 25 years, and took that into heavy consideration when deciding on his course of action.&lt;/p&gt;
  104. &lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, Oklahoma is now claiming that their end game in all of this was to fight for the little guy, despite &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/9/22/2443210/conference-realignment-oklahoma-sooners-pac-12-big-12/in/1280828" target="_blank"&gt;evidence to the contrary&lt;/a&gt;. Last night, they held a press conference and announced that a six-year reform deal was being struck in an attempt to save the Big XII. Among the Changes? Well, Big XII commissioner and Texas-appeaser Dan Beebe is gone, replaced in the interim by ex-Big 8 commissioner Chuck Neinas. &lt;i&gt;(For future reference: pronounced NINE-ass)&lt;/i&gt; I won't begrudge Mr. Beebe his failures, he was simply found to be an ineffective middle manager of academia at a time when a large influx of cash was injected into the sport, and with it came the sort of people that much cash tends to attract. Beebe was ill prepared to deal with those kind of people, and his strategy of "appease Texas" worked about as well as it did for &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain" target="_blank"&gt;Neville Chamberlain&lt;/a&gt; back in 1939.&lt;/p&gt;
  105. &lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;(Although the swan song twitter rant of @FakeDanBebee &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/9/22/2443289/fake-dan-beebe-twitter-rant-transcript" target="_blank"&gt;was one for the ages&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  106.  
  107. &lt;p&gt;Also on the table was the real cash cow: Television Revenue. We'll have more on the exact numbers for Iowa State later, but the basic breakdown is thus: Until now, Tier 1 rights in the Big XII were weighted in favor of schools who appeared in the Tier 1 games that ABC/ESPN chose to air. (Tier 2 money is currently distributed equally among the conference.) As part of an attempt to keep the league together, the remaining 9 schools have apparently agreed to give a six year grant of their T1 and T2 television rights to the Big XII, even if a school were to head to another conference. This effectively binds the cash cow to the Big XII itself through the end of the next T1 rights contract, and does a hell of a lot more for stability than adding BYU ever would have. Oklahoma has even gone as far as to say that they would be interested in &lt;a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/pressure-mounts-big-12-salve-wounds-14585257" target="_blank"&gt;re-negotiating the contract&lt;/a&gt; in such a way that the T1 cash would be shared equally as well, something that already occurrs in the Big 10 and Pac 12. Oklahoma would get hosed and Iowa State would get significantly more money, so every Cyclone fan in existence should hope that this thing goes through. &lt;i&gt;(It probably won't though.)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  108. &lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, the expansion committee has been re-activated like some sort of crappy Voltron. &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/9/22/2443328/big-12-expansion-tcu-conference-realignment" target="_blank"&gt;TCU would be a prime candidate&lt;/a&gt;, but Texas doesn't like that idea. BYU has looked somewhat embarassing in recent weeks, and most of the other good candidates are taken, so Texas may just have to get over it. They're getting to keep the Longhorn Network, so they can be comforted by their piles of T3 money.&lt;/p&gt;
  109. &lt;p&gt;While the re-alignment fracas did cause a few waves on the eastern seaboard (Big East founders to ACC), it seems as though the current Big XII is going to try and make this thing work. They have arguably&lt;a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/26691/big-12-unseats-sec-as-top-conference" target="_blank"&gt; the strongest football conference in the country &lt;/a&gt;at this point, and don't have to fly thousands of miles every week just to play their divisional games.&lt;/p&gt;
  110. &lt;p&gt;So relax, everyone. The Big XII appears to be stable,&lt;b&gt; Iowa State is 3-0&lt;/b&gt;, and it's Bye Week. Kick back, enjoy some great college football, and join us next week for the official unveiling of the new Iowa State home on SBNation, Wide Right &amp;amp; Natty Lite. Next week we can strike a blow at the heart of Texas' firm grip on the league. Until then, check out the top ten matchup of Oklahoma State @ Texas A&amp;amp;M tomorrow, then realize that we have to play BOTH of these teams later this season.&lt;/p&gt;
  111.  
  112. </content>
  113.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/23/2444258/brave-new-world"/>
  114.    <id>https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/23/2444258/brave-new-world</id>
  115.    <author>
  116.      <name>CyHawk</name>
  117.    </author>
  118.  </entry>
  119.  <entry>
  120.    <published>2011-09-20T21:56:03-05:00</published>
  121.    <updated>2011-09-20T21:56:03-05:00</updated>
  122.    <title>BIG XII ROUNDUP: THE SKY IS FALLING</title>
  123.    <content type="html">  
  124.  
  125.    &lt;figure&gt;
  126.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d2QZmlON7aTwA2hr3cXC7_eHuyc=/0x0:450x300/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47827633/default.43.0.jpg" /&gt;
  127.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  128.  
  129.  &lt;p&gt;Time for a look around what remains of the conference.&lt;/p&gt;
  130. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;IOWA STATE (3-0) - &lt;/b&gt;Along with Baylor, probably the school with the largest chance to be affected by the impending dissolution of the Big XII. We know that the Mountain West Conference &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Farticle%2F20110920%2FSPORTS020602%2F110920034%2FConference-realignment-Mountain-West-confirms-talks-with-Iowa-State&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.clonechronicles.com%2F2011%2F9%2F20%2F2439033%2Fbig-xii-roundup-the-sky-is-falling" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener"&gt;has been in touch&lt;/a&gt;, and up until this weekend it was looking like the Cyclones might end up in that Island of Misfit Teams, but then the ACC went and snapped up Syracuse and Pitt as their 13th and 14th. This leaves the Big East with 6 football schools (7 with TCU) and scrambling to maintain their AQ bid.&lt;/p&gt;
  131. &lt;p&gt;If Oklahoma/Oklahoma State/Texas/Texas Tech form the Pac-16 as believed, The leftover Big XII teams could combine with the Big East remains to form a conference with both an east and west division. This is probably the best potential outcome for the Cyclones right now, assuming the conference can maintain the Big XII moniker and TV deals. It's not a permanent solution, but other conferences would be watching how the Pac-16 ends up working out and potentially looking to expand in the future.&lt;/p&gt;
  132. &lt;p&gt;Of course, UConn wants to&lt;a href="http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6989031/uconn-huskies-aggressively-seeking-acc-move-source-says" target="_blank"&gt; become team #15&lt;/a&gt; in the ACC instead of stay in the Big East, because they're still bitter about losing to Iowa State or something. I suppose it's sort of like losing to Vanderbilt or Indiana - takes a while to digest, even if we're on an upswing this year. Still, you'd think breaking Cy's arm would have been punishment enough.&lt;/p&gt;
  133. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;OKLAHOMA - &lt;/b&gt;Has been allowing themselves to be openly courted by the Pac-12, and now we know why: Oklahoma knows the league can not survive without them, and have laid down a&lt;a href="http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6997737/oklahoma-consider-staying-big-12-wants-reform-according-report" target="_blank"&gt; list of demands&lt;/a&gt;. Among them, limits on the power and scope of the Longhorn Network, and the ousting of Dan Beebe as commisioner. Beebe has been content to give Texas anything they want in recent years, and Oklahoma has finally had enough and drawn a line in the sand.&lt;/p&gt;
  134.  
  135. &lt;p&gt;For those wondering, it takes a simple majority vote to oust a sitting commissioner.&lt;/p&gt;
  136. &lt;p&gt;Now it is entirely within the scope of reason that Oklahoma truly is just doing this to save face while they extract themselves and head to the Pac-12. But hell... what if it works?&lt;/p&gt;
  137. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;OKLAHOMA STATE&lt;/b&gt; - Pretty much just along for the ride at this point. They'll go wherever Oklahoma does, most likely west. Out of the former doormats of the Big 8, they managed to come out in the best shape. They have a big road game at Texas A&amp;amp;M this week to kick off the Big XII season, so consider checking out that top 10 match-up while the Cyclones are off with their Bye week.&lt;/p&gt;
  138. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;MISSOURI - &lt;/b&gt;Apparently has an invite to be the &lt;a href="http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/09/tentative_plan_for_mizzou_to_j.html" target="_blank"&gt;SEC's 14th team&lt;/a&gt;. Would rather go to the Big Ten, but isn't picky and was already eyeing the eject button last year. If they go, even Oklahoma can't save the league. Mizzou in the SEC might work, as Tiger fans are already known for their southern state status and &lt;a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/597567/mu-quantrillshirt-thumb.jpg" target="_blank"&gt;glorification of a civil war tragedy.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  139. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;TEXAS A&amp;amp;M&lt;/b&gt; - Still gone.&lt;/p&gt;
  140. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;TEXAS - &lt;/b&gt;Potentially has the power to defuse the situation by backing down on some Longhorn Network benefits, but also has been told that they can&lt;a href="http://www.ology.com/sports/report-texas-join-oklahoma-pac-12-keep-longhorn-network" target="_blank"&gt; bring their network with them&lt;/a&gt; to the Pac-12 as long as they allow some Pac 12 programing on it, thus removing a major road block to the creation of a Pac-16. May just be distracted enough by all of this to underestimate Iowa State one more time. (Texas game will be airing Oct 1st on the &lt;a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-ap-fbc-texas-iowast,0,3912888.story" target="_blank"&gt;FX network at 6:00 pm&lt;/a&gt; EST)&lt;/p&gt;
  141. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;TEXAS TECH&lt;/b&gt; - Doesn't need to start worrying unless Texas decides to go independent. Just as Oklahoma State is hitching their meal ticket to OU, Texas Tech is poised to piggyback into the Pac 16 on the back of the Longhorns.&lt;/p&gt;
  142. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;BAYLOR &lt;/b&gt;- In the same situation as Iowa State. Could be a western division team in a merger conference, could end up in C-USA. It's hard to tell at this point.&lt;/p&gt;
  143. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;KANSAS&lt;/b&gt; - Was a shoe-in for the Big East until the Big East got raided. Would likely end up in ISU's division if the merger conference became a reality.&lt;/p&gt;
  144. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;KANSAS STATE&lt;/b&gt; - See: Kansas.&lt;/p&gt;
  145.  
  146.  
  147. </content>
  148.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/20/2439033/big-xii-roundup-the-sky-is-falling"/>
  149.    <id>https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/20/2439033/big-xii-roundup-the-sky-is-falling</id>
  150.    <author>
  151.      <name>CyHawk</name>
  152.    </author>
  153.  </entry>
  154.  <entry>
  155.    <published>2011-09-19T21:10:34-05:00</published>
  156.    <updated>2011-09-19T21:10:34-05:00</updated>
  157.    <title>WRNL TV PRESENTS: PRESS YOUR LUCK</title>
  158.    <content type="html">  
  159.  
  160.    &lt;figure&gt;
  161.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d2QZmlON7aTwA2hr3cXC7_eHuyc=/0x0:450x300/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47827633/default.43.0.jpg" /&gt;
  162.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  163.  
  164.  &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/720690/pressyourluckfinal.gif" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/720690/pressyourluckfinal.gif" alt="Pressyourluckfinal"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  165. &lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;A short story about conference re-alignment. More of the .gif animations I'm experimenting with for &lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.widerightnattylite.com/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Wide Right &amp;amp; Natty Lite&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;i&gt;It's black and white due to the limitations of free image editing software used in its creation. Iowa State is 3-0, and this will be mentioned at least once in every article from now until the Texas game. &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  166.  
  167. </content>
  168.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/19/2436772/wrnl-tv-presents-press-your-luck"/>
  169.    <id>https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/19/2436772/wrnl-tv-presents-press-your-luck</id>
  170.    <author>
  171.      <name>CyHawk</name>
  172.    </author>
  173.  </entry>
  174.  <entry>
  175.    <published>2011-09-18T10:52:18-05:00</published>
  176.    <updated>2011-09-18T10:52:18-05:00</updated>
  177.    <title>CONFERENCE ARMAGEDDON: BIG EAST DOWN TO 7</title>
  178.    <content type="html">  
  179.  
  180.    &lt;figure&gt;
  181.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d2QZmlON7aTwA2hr3cXC7_eHuyc=/0x0:450x300/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47827633/default.43.0.jpg" /&gt;
  182.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  183.  
  184.  &lt;p&gt;Iowa State is 3-0, and their safety conference is falling apart.&lt;/p&gt;
  185. &lt;p&gt;As the third college football Saturday came to a close, Pitt and Syracuse were officially&lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/9/18/2432796/syracuse-pitt-acc-expansion-realignment/in/1280828" target="_blank"&gt; accepted into the ACC&lt;/a&gt;. This puts the ACC at 14 teams, the Big East at 7, and sudden questions into play about  the stability of the Big East as a conference. Combined with Texas A&amp;amp;M's departure from the Big XII, the conference landscape is getting more unstable by the second.&lt;/p&gt;
  186. &lt;p&gt;Oklahoma's Board of Regents will be discussing the matter Monday, as will the Board of Regents at Texas. In both cases, it is expected that they will give their school's President the power to choose a conference for the school. Indications are currently that Oklahoma (and probably Oklahoma State) will be headed to the Pac-12, and who knows what else from there.&lt;/p&gt;
  187. &lt;p&gt;When the Big XII threatened to crumble last year with Nebraska and Colorado leaving, the Big East had made statements that they were open to the idea of taking on the Big XII North refugees. Yesterday, it was reported that the Big East had once again been in contact with all of the Big XII refugee schools, including Baylor and Iowa State. Now we know why they were reaching out - their conference is losing two of it's founding members.&lt;/p&gt;
  188. &lt;p&gt;Now, the Big East crumbling isn't a good thing by any means, but it could help to push an invite Iowa State's way. As it stands, the Big East has six original teams left, and TCU. If the league wanted to save itself, it could pick up, say, ISU/KU/KSU/MIZ/BAY and have an eastern and western division. This would also likely be Iowa State's best chance to stay in an AQ conference. An ugly road win over last year's Big East champion will hopefully make the Cyclones seem like a good addition.&lt;/p&gt;
  189. &lt;p&gt;But as for now, we have to wait until Monday to see what Oklahoma and Texas decide to do. If either decided to head for the Pac-12, It will put the nail in the coffin of the Big XII.&lt;/p&gt;
  190.  
  191. </content>
  192.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/18/2432960/conference-armageddon-big-east-down-to-7"/>
  193.    <id>https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/18/2432960/conference-armageddon-big-east-down-to-7</id>
  194.    <author>
  195.      <name>CyHawk</name>
  196.    </author>
  197.  </entry>
  198.  <entry>
  199.    <published>2011-09-17T10:22:56-05:00</published>
  200.    <updated>2011-09-17T10:22:56-05:00</updated>
  201.    <title>IOWA STATE 24, UCONN 20: GOOD TIMES NEVER FELT SO GOOD</title>
  202.    <content type="html">  
  203.  
  204.    &lt;figure&gt;
  205.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d2QZmlON7aTwA2hr3cXC7_eHuyc=/0x0:450x300/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47827633/default.43.0.jpg" /&gt;
  206.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  207.  
  208.  &lt;p&gt;So the Cyclones took down Iowa last week in an emotionally and physically exhausting triple overtime thriller, and had a short week to prepare for a nationally televised Friday night game against the defending Big East champs. Cyclone fans, meanwhile, have been described as "being absolutely insufferable" by Hawk fans, (and lets face it, they would know,) and are due for a big karmic payback to balance out the universe from last week.&lt;/p&gt;
  209. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  210. &lt;p&gt;We go now to Admiral Ackbar of the Rebel Alliance Fleet for further analysis of this game. Admiral?&lt;/p&gt;
  211. &lt;p&gt;&lt;iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/piVnArp9ZE0" frameborder="0" height="158" width="280"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  212. &lt;p&gt;Thank you, Admiral.&lt;/p&gt;
  213. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  214. &lt;p&gt;Lets face it, just as last week was a perfect confluence of events to force arguably the most exciting win in the Cy-Hawk series, this game had a lot of things that should have conspired to force a Cyclone loss. Yet here we sit, 3-0 and headed into a Bye Week.&lt;/p&gt;
  215. &lt;p&gt;Granted, it was a very ugly win. Between the soft defense and the ridiculous amount of penalties on both sides of the ball, it was clear that this team was still mentally and physically exhausted from last week. Let's just call it what it was: a tough, gritty win over an offensively struggling Big East squad on a rebuilding year.&lt;/p&gt;
  216. &lt;p&gt;But it doesn't matter now. Iowa State is 3-0 for the first time since 2005, and has managed to reach a badly needed bye week so that they can heal injuries to Jantz and Osemele. (And work on the game plan for Texas.)&lt;/p&gt;
  217. &lt;p&gt;So what did we learn in week 3?&lt;/p&gt;
  218. &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
  219. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;THIS IS TEAM IS INCREDIBLY [INSERT ADJECTIVE HERE]&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  220. &lt;p&gt;There are a lot of times when sportswriters will use words like "tough" or "gritty" when they have to write about a team they know nothing about that is suddenly performing above expectations. But this year's Iowa State team is one that lives up to the moniker. Every game they've played, they've trailed early and have lost the lead at some point during the 4th quarter, only to battle back and get the win on a late drive. The three wins have come by a combined 8 points.&lt;/p&gt;
  221. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;THE TEAM NEEDS THIS BYE WEEK&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  222. &lt;p&gt;Injuries to Kelichi Osemele and &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36219/steele-jantz" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Steele Jantz&lt;/a&gt; threatened to hand UConn the win. Jantz went down with under a minute left with what appeared to be an ankle injury, and was forced to make plays with his arm instead of his legs from that point forward. Numerous penalty flags could have been avoided had this team not been so tired from the short week. Our defensive line was getting pushed around on the first drive. Now Paul Rhoads had a full two weeks to get his team ready for Texas on October 1.&lt;/p&gt;
  223. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;GO GO GADGET PLAYS&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  224. &lt;p&gt;Paul Rhoads is a man who knows when to pull out his gadget plays. During the Iowa overtimes last week, I was absolutely terrified every time the Extra Point unit took the field - I was waiting for that game to end in the 31-30 Nebraska failed 2 point special. Instead, he once again kept it in his back pocket until nobody expected it - and then brought out the reverse pass. The 40-Yard touchdown heave from &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/76336/josh-lenz" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Josh Lenz&lt;/a&gt; gave the Cyclones their first lead of the night at 14-10, and shifted the overall momentum solidly into Iowa State's favor.&lt;/p&gt;
  225. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;HE'S NOT SUPERMAN&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  226. &lt;p&gt;Last night, at one point Jantz's stat line read &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/9/16/2430335/steve-jantz-stats-interceptions-iowa-state-vs-uconn#comments" target="_blank"&gt;0/4, 0 yards, 3 interceptions.&lt;/a&gt; He would later settle down and rack up 200 yards and a TD, but he was more or less carried by some very athletic plays made by his receiving corps, capped off by &lt;a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/76332/darius-reynolds" class="sbn-auto-link"&gt;Darius Reynolds&lt;/a&gt;' spectacular touchdown catch where he hurdled over two UConn defenders to reach the end zone.  The Cyclones managed to always have a foot down or a toe inside the line on every 3rd down conversion in the 4th quarter.&lt;/p&gt;
  227. &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;KIRBY VAN DER KAMP, MVP&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  228. &lt;p&gt;At least as far as the special teams units are concerned. Kirby left 4 punts inside the UConn 20, and routinely kept the inept UConn offense with poor field position. His importance can not be underestimated in this win. ZachGuyer nailed his XPs and a 40 yarder, and Mahoney bounced an on-target 53-yarder off the bottom cross-bar.&lt;/p&gt;
  229.  
  230.  
  231. </content>
  232.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/17/2430980/iowa-state-24-uconn-20-good-times-never-felt-so-good"/>
  233.    <id>https://www.clonechronicles.com/2011/9/17/2430980/iowa-state-24-uconn-20-good-times-never-felt-so-good</id>
  234.    <author>
  235.      <name>CyHawk</name>
  236.    </author>
  237.  </entry>
  238. </feed>
  239.  

If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:

  1. Download the "valid Atom 1.0" banner.

  2. Upload the image to your own server. (This step is important. Please do not link directly to the image on this server.)

  3. Add this HTML to your page (change the image src attribute if necessary):

If you would like to create a text link instead, here is the URL you can use:

http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=http%3A//feeds.feedburner.com/sportsblogs/clonechronicles.xml

Home · About · News · Docs · Terms

 
Copyright © 2002-9 Sam Ruby, Mark Pilgrim, Joseph Walton, and Phil Ringnalda