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- The 2024 Sickos Give Back Fundraiser plus the Commish attempts to break down the Sickos National Championship Poll!
The 2024 Sickos Give Back Fundraiser plus the Commish attempts to break down the Sickos National Championship Poll!
Hello everyone! Commish here with the end of the regular season recap Sickos style. I wanted to write something to accompany our Sickos Give Back 2024 Food Drive. When we started the Sickos Committee as an inside joke for about 20 people, we never thought we’d get this big via social media. We mainly just thought we’d be making terrible jokes for ourselves. Well, we decided we wanted to use our growing platform for some good instead of just bad internet jokes. Having some Committee members who’ve experienced food insecurity and other members who actually work in the non-profit food bank industry, a food drive was a natural fit.
In 2021, while we were a much smaller committee, Nebraska was our first official Sickos National Champion, and our first food drive raised around $2,200 for Lincoln, Nebraska. The next year, in 2022, the Iowa Hawkeyes won the title, and we raised about $5,500. The total raised basically matched our account’s following growth. Last year in 2023, the Iowa Hawkeyes became back-to-back champions, and with the help of your donations and a kind $1,000 donation from the Up with Adams TV Show, we raised nearly $20,000 for the Iowa City Food Bank. It’s incredible we were able to do something like this, and we are going to continue the tradition.
This year, in 2024, the Florida State Seminoles won our Sickos National Championship. We’ve partnered with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Big Bend, based out of Tallahassee, Florida, to host our drive. Follow the link here to donate. Then follow the instructions on the graphic below to get some exclusive swag we won’t sell in our store.
Our opening goal is $10,000. Let’s see if we can hit that goal and maybe try to break the record donated from last year.
LINK TO DONATE IS HERE
Also, I figured I would do one of those final end-of-year breakdowns of our Top 25 Poll to accompany the Sickos Give Back Food Drive. I bravely attempt to enter the minds of you, the Committee members, to see why you voted for these teams in these slots. Let’s start at 25 and work our way up to the National Champion, Florida State.
#25 South Carolina
Being a fringe playoff team was likely enough. Also, Sir Big Spur allegedly relieving itself on the Clemson logo after a Palmetto Bowl win possibly helped here. Close losses to LSU and Alabama had to help their case to get into the Top 25.
#24 Northern Illinois
Their upset win over Notre Dame in dramatic fashion (16-14) seemed to get lost in the season, but oh boy did it come back up when we started discussing the College Football Playoff seedings.
#23 Florida
Florida had a really tough schedule, but they basically knocked out LSU and Ole Miss from Playoff contention and made it to a bowl game. Coach Billy Napier was on the hot seat and survived.
#22 ULM
ULM Mentioned. The Warhawks were projected to possibly only win 1 or 2 games this year. They also had a QB by the name of General Booty. They improbably started 5-1 before heading into their Bye Week. They were on their way to a Bowl Game, their second one ever and first since 2012. But in classic ULM fashion, they lost six straight to finish 5-7. *sigh*
#21 SMU
Takes no TV money to join the ACC; then makes the ACC Conference Title game and the College Football playoff in their first year as a Power Conference school. This is pretty self-explanatory.
#20 UMass
Joining the MAC next year. Nearly beats Liberty, but OT misses an extra point. NIL collective and Athletic Department not on the same page, Southwick Jug trophy drama ensues in the UConn-UMass game. A team that always finds its way into the Sickos Committee Top 25.
#19 Syracuse
Their coach, Fran Brown, announced he doesn’t shower for 24 hours after they lose a game. After this was announced, Cuse doesn’t lose a game for the rest of the regular season and knocks Miami out of the College Football Playoff. Puts Clemson into the ACC Title game, and since Clemson beat SMU, Alabama is out of the playoff. Fran Brown with the words to live by, “Winners Get Washed.” Also, their QB is the DETMER winner, safe, reliable Honda McCord.
#18 Arizona State
Kenny Dillingham taking this team to a Big XII title and into the College Football Playoff when they were picked last in the Big XII preseason poll. Running Back Cam Skattebo being absolutely electric and really difficult to tackle. We also dubbed him the Minecraft Man. We have Considered Arizona State.
#17 UConn
A mainstay of the Sickos Committee poll, much to the dismay or delight of UConn fans, depending on which fan you ask. A fantastic season at 8-4, and they defeated every single American Conference Owl. Also, they had to sweat out the final New Mexico and Hawaii game because they weren’t guaranteed a bowl game as an independent.
#16 Boise State
Boise State has been on a strong crusade this year with a player who is in the running for the Heisman. Took #1 Oregon to the limit nearly pulling off the upset. Boise has been a fantastic team to watch all year, and they got in the College Football Playoff and got a BYE!!
#15 Ashton Jeanty
In the running for the Heisman and took the College Football internet by storm. The Ashton Jeanty Imperialism Map has been so much fun. And to watch a single running back run for more yards than over 100+ FBS teams has been amazing.
#14 Kennesaw State
The College Football Internet’s favorite Owl team this year, according to the poll. They improbably defeated Liberty for their first ever FBS win and had to rush the field twice because they added one second back on the clock. Also, the “Sickos-ness” could have leaked into the firing of their coach, where the AD said he resigned, and the coach said no, you fired me.
#13 Ryan Day
Ryan Day and Ohio State lost to Michigan for the fourth straight time. Then there was a fight on the field regarding flag planting by Michigan. Then Ryan Day became a bit of a meme when he was just standing there. Enjoy.
#12 Georgia Tech
They started off the year upsetting Florida State in Ireland, took down Miami (FL), had an improbably win over NC State in dramatic fashion. Oh yeah, they took Georgia to EIGHT OVERTIMES. I think Georgia Tech got a boost too because it’s incredibly fun to just tweet and skeet BEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!
#11 Michigan
Michigan couldn’t pass the ball at all this year, and their offense was reminiscent of Iowa’s struggles in 2022 and 2023. However, no matter how rough the season was, they still beat Ohio State. (Scroll back up to see Ryan Day again if you’d like.)
#10 Nebraska
Finally got over their bowl drought by ending the losing streak to Wisconsin in the process. They had some very Sickos tendencies for still losing so many one possession games. The Huskers really loved to try to C.O.A.S.T. to victory by scoring all of their points in the first half and then attempt to hang on. Enjoy the Pinstripe Bowl!
#9 Army
They haven’t had a season this good since World War II. They made the AP Top 25 for the first time in a long time, and they won their first ever Conference Championship in their 134-year history (they have basically always been independent). QB Bryson Daily was a legit Heisman candidate but didn’t make the Top 4.
#8 Cal
The CALGORITIHM took over the internet in the college football world after their hot start, and they got to host one of the most memorable College Gameday’s in history. They also had very Sickos tendencies, like not being able to win an ACC game in their first four attempts. They started 4-4: 4-0 out of conference and 0-4 in the ACC. Also, they were the only FBS team to lose to Florida State this year. One more thing: their QB Fernando Mendoza broke stats by throwing a TD pass to himself via lateral from the running back.
#7 Indiana
The Hoosiers had their arguably best season of all time this year and unexpectedly made the College Football Playoff under new coach Curt Cignetti. They fulfilled the prophecy of 9Windiana and exceeded it with 11 wins. Also, they get to play Notre Dame in a playoff game; how awesome is that?! One final note: they had SEC fan bases mad at their presence in the CFP Rankings, which is pretty hilarious to me. Indiana was just minding their business, winning games and the SEC fans were just angry at Indiana.
#6 Kansas
The Jayhawks had high hopes to start this season, but somehow they kept losing close, agonizing losses when they had leads late in the 4th Quarter. Their season was basically over at 2-6, but then Kansas decided to win three straight games in the Big XII against ranked teams to make their record 5-6 and had an improbable chance at a Bowl Game. Then they lost to unranked Baylor in the final game because apparently their upset powers only worked on ranked teams.
#5 Purdue
Purdue won their first game of the year by defeating FCS Indiana State, aka our beloved Sickomores. Then they didn’t win another game for the rest of the year. They lost a heartbreaker 50-49 in OT against Illinois and another heartbreaker 26-20 in OT against Northwestern. Purdue then fired their Head Coach after this year, and it’s completely understandable decision.
#4 Kent State
Our only winless FBS team this year. Kent State did earn a Sickos Game of the Week when they played Ball State. However, they lost the wild MACtion affair 37-35. Their 35 points in that game were the most they scored in a game this year. Kent State didn’t lead in any game until they took the lead in their 10th game. They went up early 7-0 over Miami (OH), but unfortunately, they lost that game 34-7.
#3 Vandy
Vandy started off the year with an upset of the preseason dark horse ACC contender Virginia Tech. Then they inexplicably lost to Georgia State on the road. Took Mizzou to overtime. Upset #1 Alabama and took the goalposts down Broadway to the river. Lost by 3 to Texas. Handled Auburn to get to Bowl Eligibility and then lost their last three games. Their QB Diego Pavia has always been a Committee favorite since we first saw him play for New Mexico State in 2022.
#2 Iowa
The Back to Back Sickos Committee National Champs had a ho-hum year Sickos wise and were led by awesome running back Kaleb Johnson. They must have realized they needed to generate some Sickos spice some things up for a shot at the 3rd straight Sickos title. They suffered so many QB injuries and were down to their 5th-string QB, Jackson Stratton. In their last game of the year before poll voting, they managed to defeat Nebraska by only earning five first downs and were 0 for 10 on 3rd Down conversions. A Hawkeye Masterclass.
#1 Florida State
It was going to take a Herculean effort to dethrone Iowa, and boy did the Noles pull it all off in a myriad of different ways. From the all-time Playoff Snub that occurred last year to the end of this year. They decided they wanted to sue the ACC and leave the ACC (now denying this ever happened) because the newcomers to the conference didn’t match their level. Then the preseason hype ranked them at #10. They lost their Week 0 game in Ireland to Georgia Tech. Then came home to face Boston College, where a Florida State fan stated they would eat poop out of a red solo cup if they lost to BC. Well, they lost to BC; dropped out of the AP Poll completely; the poop apparently never got eaten and seemingly cursed the rest of the season. Florida State only won 2 games this year, over Cal and FCS Charleston Southern. To add a cherry on top of this Sickos National Title winning season, they fumbled EIGHT times against their rival Florida, losing five of them in completely normal dry weather.