Friday, August 22, 2008

My Very Educated Mother...

Ever find yourself trying to figure out whether a team is in the Mountain West or the WAC? Have a hard time remembering what programs comprise the ACC Coastal or Atlantic Divisions? We here at The College Football Guys have found a solution to your problems.

When we were children our teachers taught us a handy system to remember our planets. Remember it? Sing together with me, "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizza-Pies!" The system we learned is known as a first letter mnemonic device. A memory aid that relies on associations between easy-to-remember constructs which can be related back to the data that is to be remembered. In this case using a phrase whose first letters are associated with a list.

Since the Mountain West broke away from the WAC to form their own conference in 1999 it has been difficult for even the most diehard college football fan to distinguish the difference between the two. San Diego State is not even close to the "Mountain States" and TCU isn't near a mountain or even in the west. Go figure! Hopefully this mnemonic devices will help jog your memory.

Mountain - Mountain West
Aged - Air Force
Buffalo - BYU
Can - Colorado State
Not - New Mexico
Swim - SDSU
To - TCU
Las Vegas - UNLV
Under - Utah
Water - Wyoming

Since WAC member Boise State installed their artifical blue turf there has been constant rumors about birds making their final flight into the Smurf Turf mistaking it for a lake. With this in mind the following poem should help you remember those crazy WAC programs. (The conference of the "State" schools)

WACky - WAC
Birds - Boise State
Fly - Fresno State
Hard - Hawaii
Into - Idaho
Replica - Nevada-Reno
Lake - La Tech
Near - New Mexico State
State - San Jose State
University - Utah State

When looking at a map the divisions of the ACC makes little sense. There is no clean cut north/south, or even east/west border, rather the break up was done with vague locations, "Atlantic" and "Coastal." However these catchy phrases should help you remember the difference.

Atlantic - Atlantic
Men - Maryland
Never - NC State
Boast - Boston College
When - Wake Forest
Farts - Florida State
Converge - Clemson

Could - Coastal
Virtual - Virginia (Tech)
TECHnology - Tech
Give - Georgia (Tech)
My - Miami
Dad - Duke
Vicious - Virginia
Nausea? - North Carolina

Think of anything better? We have placed our mnemonics that didn't make the cut in the comments section. Let us know what you got, or how you remember which teams are in which conference.

1 comment:

  1. Here are the phrases that didn't make the cut.

    Wacky - WAC
    Boxers
    Fight
    Hard
    Into
    Late
    Rounds
    Not
    Showing
    Underwear

    Wacky - WAC
    Boys
    Follow
    Hookers
    In
    Less
    Respectable
    Negligees
    Sans
    Underwear

    Always - Atlantic
    When
    Balls
    Fly
    Naughty
    Men
    Cry

    Beautiful Collegates
    Conspired
    For Stupid
    Men
    Never Clearly State
    Waffle Flavors

    Clowns - Coastal
    Get
    Very
    Tired
    Donning
    Many
    Velvet
    Neck
    Capes

    Could - Coastal
    Victor
    Gather
    Deadly
    Violet
    Tarrantulas
    Mounting
    Nearby
    Cars

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