Happy 4th of July from Bevo Sports. Enjoy the nice long weekend and be sure to take part in the great American tradition of free stuff by signing up to win NCAA Football for free. We’ll be back on Monday with the top 3 college uniforms, more player profiles, and of course all the latest Longhorn news.

Have a fun, safe holiday weekend.

4. Southern Cal Trojans

Probably the ugliest best uniform out there. Despite not really being particularly nice to look at (in my opinion), there’s just something right about them. If you saw a high school team with those wide yellow should stripes on the jersey or the double stripe on the pants you’d think they were ugly but Southern Cal somehow pulls it off.

The cardinal red and gold colors are classics as is the Trojan emblem on the sides of the helmet. Not many sports teams can pull off yellow pants, if you’re not careful you end up looking like Iowa State. They’ve managed to tweak and change a few things in the last few years, namely the number design and jersey cut, without messing with tradition.

They’re not pretty but they’re perfect and I’m not sure why.

Check back Monday for our third favorite college football uniform.

College football’s best uniforms

1. Coming soon…
2. Coming soon…
3. Coming Monday…
4. Southern Cal
5. Notre Dame

5. Notre Dame

As much as I hate the Irish, the blue jersey with the gold helmets are beautiful even without the history behind them. I even love the “lucky” green jerseys they wear whenever they lose a big game.

The clean, classic helmets make the whole uniform. Maybe it’s from watching Rudy too many times during my formative years. The scene where you learn about the managers repainting the helmets with paint containing actual gold before every game gives them a little extra mojo.

Like all the top uniforms the Notre Dame uniforms will look as good 30 years from now as they did 30 years ago. They still suck.

Check back tomorrow for our number four favorite college football uniform.

College football’s best uniforms

1. Coming soon…
2. Coming soon…
3. Coming Monday…
4. Southern Cal
5. Notre Dame

NCAA Football 09 isn’t even out yet (and we’re giving it away!!) but I’m also getting excited about Madden 09 thanks to some new video and screenshots that have hit the web.

Operation Sports has up a ton of new images including the great one above of Titans’ Vince Young diving for a beautiful touchdown at the pylon against the Jaguars. I love the flashes going off in the crowd. It’s accurately catching what really happens, despite the fact that with most cameras that probably means you just took a photo of the guy’s head in front of you.

Word from the guys at IGN and Gamespot is that Madden 09 is more than just a roster update, hopefully they’re right and there are some cool new features. Other than last year’s version (which I bought just because Vince was on the cover), I’ve been buying NCAA and renting Madden every year for a while. There will have to be more than a rewind/cheat feature to make me purchase the game this year.

Check out the screenshots.

Here are Ford’s thoughts on James:

James has a lot of fans among NBA scouts. They love his grittiness and how he’s improved his game over the past two seasons. He’s a potential late first-round pick in 2009.

Positives:

• Super-tough, physical forward
• Long arms, NBA body
• Good athlete with some explosive leaping ability
• Good offensive rebounder
• Dramatically improved perimeter game
• Some range on his long ball

Negatives:

• A tweener?
• Undersized to play his natural position at the 4
• Still needs polish on the offensive end
• Needs to improve ballhandling

Similarities: James Posey

Hard to argue with any of those statements, positive or negative. My expectations for Damion this season are incredibly high. He improved his outside shot and his overall game a great deal between his freshman and sophomore seasons and if he continues to improve he will shoot up lists like these. The Longhorns have had players drafted in the lottery in each of the last three NBA drafts and if he improves his ballhandling James will make it four.

Had July 15th marked on your calendar for months? Us too. Games don’t begin until the end of August but for many college football fans the season begins in mid-July when NCAA Football 09 by EA Sports is released. This year Bevo Sports is going to help you get your fix, we’re giving away a copy of the game to one lucky reader for either the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Nintendo Wii.

We will randomly select one winner from entries submitted to this form and the winner will receive NCAA Football 09 free for the console of their choice shipped on launch day. No strings attached, just cool free stuff from your favorite Texas Longhorns website.

Comments on this post are open only for questions about the contest, you must fill out this entry form to win. Only one entry per person (and per IP address) is allowed. Game will be shipped via Amazon.com Two-Day Shipping so winning mailing address must be in the continental United States.

The contest ends at 11:59 pm Central time on Saturday July 12th, so have your submission in by then to win. We’ll notify the winner Sunday morning and the game should be in the mail on the way to them Tuesday and in their grubby little hands by the end of the week!

Note: This contest is not endorsed or sponsored in any way by Electronic Arts or EA Sports.

Enter to win NCAA Football 09 now! Good luck!

The official Texas football site has a Q&A with Ricky available (which I’ve also posted below) as well as a great photo gallery from the event’s golf tournament.

Was it everything you thought it would be, I know we talked to you a month ago when you were anticipating it, is it everything you thought it would be: Yeah, I try not to anticipate too much. The main thing I wanted to do is come with my family and have a good time, and so far, so good. For me the big thing is just being back in Austin. I’ve had more fun driving around Austin than anything else.

Has one of the Heisman winners had a bigger influence on you: It’s no question – it’s Earl [Campbell]. He was here from day one, and he’s still here and he’s still one of my biggest supporters. It’s definitely Earl.

Tony Dorsett was reminiscing when he was there when you broke the record and he kind of got emotional about it: Yeah, I mean, it was a record that lasted for 20 years, and you know, when I had it, it only lasted for one (smiling). I think it’s one of the most prestigious records in all of college football.

Does a weekend like this bring back a lot of memories for you: I think just being back in Austin. This event specifically is about the Heisman trophy, but the fact that it’s in Austin for me is so important.

How about that night in New York when you won the Heisman, does it bring back memories of that: Well, not really. The way everything happened in ’98 was really a team award. To me it was all about The University of Texas and I was there serving as a representative.

But you were the one who met all the other Heisman winners and they congratulated you, was that strange at the time now looking back: At the moment, the season wasn’t over, we still had a bowl game. I think most of the Heisman winners don’t get involved until their done playing and since I’m still playing, I think it’s going to take a while for that part of it to settle in.

Do you keep up with the other Heisman winners at all other than Earl: Mainly just Earl, and I’ve talked to Tony [Dorsett] a couple times.

You got to walk into the new stadium this week, what was that like going back: It’s just so different, I mean, so different – the stadium, the field is even different. Everything is different. That big jumbotron is amazing. I take pride in that. I’d like to think I had something to do with it, but this program really has just taken off in the last 10 years and something to be very proud of.

Where do you keep your trophy: It’s at home right in the family room, right when you walk in the house. It’s funny – my son just finished his first season of tee-ball and he got this little tiny baseball trophy. And he comes in and says, ‘I have a trophy now, too.’ And he puts it right on top of my Heisman trophy. I thought he’d put it to the side, but he put it right on top. I thought that was funny.

Has your respect changed for the trophy over these last few years: I think it represents greatness, and that I had a chance to come to Austin and aspire to greatness and reach it. For that, it will always have something special.

You say Austin is so important, why do you enjoy coming back here: I think Austin is a unique place, but more importantly the memories that I have and the people that I’ve met, I think, the time you’re in college are probably the most important years of your life because you’re really growing up. The people that I’ve met and the relationships I started are really important in building who I am today.

Have some of the issues that surround you become more magnified because you won the trophy: I just think that whenever you’re very talented and there’s a lot of attention on you, anything you do good is going to be blown out of proportion and anything you do bad is going to be blown out of proportion. I had a coach who used to say, ‘You’re never as good as they say, and you’re never as bad as they say.’

Mike Rozier said that you defined the trophy because you haven’t quit, you’ve stayed strong, and you’ve kept on fighting. Is that how you see yourself: I can’t help it. I just keep on going. I was thinking about it a lot these past couple of days and I was thinking about my senior season. We played Kansas State and we got beat pretty bad. I only had 43 yards. I left that game with a quad bruise, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to play the next game and I think going through that adversity really solidified and let me know that I was here to stay. Without that, I don’t know if I would have won the Heisman trophy.

Will you be able to enjoy these next couple of weeks with training camp only a month away: Yeah, we’ve got about another month off. I want to have fun and I want to spend some time with the family, but I also need to keep working out so when camp starts, I’m not in too bad of shape.

How has your relationship with Bill Parcells been: He’s great. He’s been on my case to make sure I stay in shape and keep doing the little things and I think he’s a valuable asset to the Dolphins.

Can you believe it’s been 10 years already: No, it doesn’t seem like it. I think when I was younger, time seemed so long, but as you get older, it really flies. I just hope in the next 10 years, I’ll be able to come back and be in a good place like I am today.

Charlotte was not expected to select a point guard, they currently have PG Raymond Felton starting who they drafted just three years ago in the top five picks. There were some rumors before the draft that the Portland Trailblazers were looking to move up to take Augustin and now there’s already rumors that the Bobcats took this pick with the intention of turning it around to complete a trade. Maybe Charlotte has a deal with Portland set up? That be great news for Texas fans for sure.

Congrats DJ and good luck with your NBA career. We’ll be watching and rooting for you.

Update: The Blazers just took Kansas guard Brandon Rush at #13. Rush is 100% a shooting guard, a position the Blazers already have the outstanding young Brandon Roy. Maybe send Rush to Charlotte for Augustin? Probably just wishful thinking.

Update 2: I was right about the Blazers picking Rush to trade him for a point guard, but it was with Indiana at #11 and not Charlotte. Charlotte is reportedly shopping Raymond Felton.

Thanks to the poster djbfootball over on the Inside Texas message boards we have new photos of the construction at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

It looks like things are almost completed. From the inside it appears all seating is ready (the gap in the northwest corner is intentional) and that they’re working hard to get the exterior finished by the first game at the end of August. It really looks impressive and I’m excited that the Horns could have an improved home field advantage this season. I can’t wait to go to my first home game this year to see it for myself.

Check out the photos.

ESPN is reporting that the Pacers and the Raptors have agreed to a deal that would send O’Neal to Toronto in exchange for Ford, Rasho Nesterovic and the 17th pick in the draft. Due to Ford’s contract the deal cannot be officially completed until July 9th. Players will also have to pass physicals, not necessarily a given considering TJ’s history of neck problems.

A possible O’Neal/Ford swap has been in the news since Monday. Toronto had two excellent point guards and TJ has been rumored to be on the trading block for the last several weeks. The Pacers have been pursuing a point guard and wanted to get rid of O’Neal so the needs of the two teams match up well.

After being in Milwaukee and Toronto, Indiana still isn’t a marquee market but he’ll have a chance to get a fresh start in a place where he’ll be the sure #1 guy. Good luck to TJ with his new team.

NCAA Football 09 is less than a month away, the demo is up on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network, and player ratings are starting to make their way on to the Internet. EA Sports released the team top 25 and player ratings for all those teams.

I went through the list and put the players’ real names in where possible. I had trouble with a lot of the true freshmen in the game so if you know who any of the blank names are or if I made any mistakes please let me know in the comments. It really looks like EA did a poor job this year on the roster and depth chart. Hopefully it’s a little more accurate when the game is released.

You can download Excel files of the player ratings at the bottom of this post or check out the overall ratings for the Texas team below:

Downloads

• Texas player ratings
• Full top 25 player ratings

Texas’ streak of seven straight seasons with at least 10 wins will end.

The Longhorns don’t lack talent, but they drew a killer Big 12 schedule: three 2007 bowl teams from the North division (Colorado, Missouri and Kansas), and they’ll play two of those teams on the road. And in addition to facing Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, they must face trendy breakout pick Texas Tech in Lubbock. Burnt orange fans are encouraged to beat the rush and start criticizing offensive coordinator Greg Davis now.

Definitely not a ridiculous opinion. The Horns struggled mightily to get to 10 wins in 2007, lost their biggest offensive threat, and face a tougher schedule this season. In Texas’ favor they should see a big improvement on defense thanks to new coordinator Will Muschamp and those tough teams on the schedule could easily fall back to earth. If the offensive line and defense play more consistently the Horns should keep the streak going and be a lot more fun to watch.

Name: Rashad Bobino #44
Position: Linebacker
Hometown: La Marque, TX (La Marque)
HS Rating:

Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 238 lbs
Class: Senior

Background

Rashad Bobino wasn’t highly rated or recruited but he’s started at middle linebacker for the Longhorns since he was a redshirt freshman. He was a first-team Freshman All-America for the 2005 national championship team. As a junior Rashad ranked fourth on the team in tackles and was named a second-team Academic All-Big 12 selection.

Career Stats