This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Today we wrap up our series "Where I Come From", sponsored by EA Sports, with a few words from EA Sports.

When you go to a particular school or grow up around college football, you are more than just a fan. It’s who you are. We thought we could leverage this pride in your roots and show that "where you come from" is more than just a statement about geography. By positioning NCAA Football 11 as a game that understands this pride and is authentic to these traditions, the takeaway should be that anything that is in college football is in NCAA Football 11.

And this doesn’t just include game play (though that’s a huge part of it). It’s rivals and mascots; it’s legends and stories. It’s those things that are at the very fabric of the game itself. Of course the game is great this year as well. With authentic entrances, mascots and specific offenses for each team, the term "where I come from" takes on a much larger meaning. While playing NCAA Football 11 is ultimately a great sports sim, it should also give you a sense of the pride and emotion one has for being a fan of a team they will never not be a part of.

In addition we have a little business to take care of here at Rock Chalk Talk in terms of a free copy of the game to one of our many contributors out there this week. 

First let me say that this has been a lot of fun.  Reading about different Jayhawks, different backgrounds, traditions, expectations, favorite plays and players has raised my level of excitement for the season through the roof.  Thanks to anyone and everyone that contributed, commented and shared. 

As for the contest, we had 22 entrants, 22 that sent in their name, game platform and some but not all managed to successfully participate in every post. I assigned a number to all who qualified dropped a number in a bucket and after a little coaxing my one year old daughter drew the #10 from the bucket. 

#10....is Scouted.  So congrats to you Scouted, looks like you're going Xbox 360 with this one.  It's on it's way as soon as you email me your address. 

Thanks again to all and going forward we will be doing more contest like this.  T-Shirts, jerseys etc will be the prizes so those of you who weren't interested in a video game will have an opportunity to claim a little free swag.

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Our final post in the EA sponsored "Where I Come From" series, and today we're talking expectations.

The funny thing about Kansas' situation is a new coach often throws expectations completely out of whack.  Typically when you have a new coach it's likely because someone didn't work out, the program needed a change and things were headed in the wrong direction. 

Take away the disappointment of 2009 and that really wasn't the case with Kansas.  Mark Mangino had the program playing at a level it hadn't in over a decade, the recruiting classes and talent on the roster appeared to be building and then the seven game skid to finish 2009 occurred. 

Exit Mangino, enter Gill.  Now we have a situation where part of the fanbase is optimistic, excited about Gill and ready to talk 7-5 or 8-4.  Then you have a contingent who doesn't feel good about the way things transpired, remains skeptical of the change and is taking a prove it to me attitude which is certainly understandable.  Standing on that side of the fence, expectations might fall in the 4-8 range.

At this point, there are valid arguments on both sides.  The amount of unknowns make it very difficult and expectations become are about as varying as the person you might ask on any given day. 

My take is this, Kansas football is definitely in a better position now than they were when the last coaching change took place.  With that in mind, I'm not expecting the team to tank.  Kansas has a higher caliber of talent on the roster, the energy in the program has seen a resurgence with a fresh start and it's quite simply a matter of whether or not a team pulling in the same direction is enough to overcome some major losses and some serious question marks. 

Fortunately Kansas' conference slate takes a swing toward the easier side of things, but the first four games will set the tone.  My hope is that the Jayhawks can get out of conference play with a 3-1 record and a little bit of confidence.  From there Kansas needs to beat Kansas State and Colorado at home, then find one more win in Memorial Stadium between the Oklahoma State or Texas A&M games. 

With that, Kansas is 6-6 at worst and my expectation at this point is 6-6.  I'm not willing to accept sub par football and I just can't seem to allow myself to set the bar lower than .500.

At the same time, I believe there will be growing pains, the team will struggle to replace the loss of Reesing, Meier and Briscoe and the team will find serious needs and holes that remain unfilled.  Because of that, I can't put myself in the ideal world of a comfortable bowl bid. 

6-6, that's my expectation.  If Gill can manage that, I'll remain positive.  Don't get me wrong though, I'll gladly take an 8-4 or 9-3 if we want to shock the world.  And if Gill can manage that, I'll jump on whatever bandwagon he wants to drive.

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Many times it's the moments of greatness in sports that define how we view a team and our fandom.  At the same time it can be the absolute bottom that makes those moments so much sweeter. 

When I think of the most memorable moments of my time as a Kansas football fan three games come to mind.  Three games that I was a part of and in attendance at, and three games that covered the range from where Kansas football was to where Kansas football is or could be. 

The first memorable moment is a moment that isn't a good one.  In 2001 as we all recall there was a week where football was put on hold as our country faced a much bigger crisis. In that same year, Kansas football would hit rock bottom, Terry Allen would see his career come to an end and one game symbolized the sad state of affairs for Kansas football.

The game was the make up contest between Kansas and the Wyoming Cowboys.  The Cowboys rolled into Lawrence on a rainy Saturday two days after thanksgiving.  I pulled up a seat with my future wife, grabbed a hot chocolate and had our pick of seats in the stadium.  If I'm not mistaken the announced attendance on the day hovered around 24,000.  The actual was likely closer to 10,000.  Memorial stadium was empty.  The Jayhawks won the game, but nobody really cared.  Kansas football was in shambles, and the view from the bottom was ugly and memorable for me.

The second most memorable moment for me would come seven seasons later on a Thanksgiving Saturday that was a complete contrast to the game in 2001.  The Jayhawks were a year removed from the Orange bowl, and the second edition of the Border War in Arrowhead was taking place.  To go from a rainy stadium primarily filled with the family of players in 2001, to a 78,000 seat Stadium in Kansas City nearly full despite horrid weather was a big change. 

The game itself was absolutely incredible.  It started as well as the Jayhawks could hoped, but the entire first half you could sense the Jayhawks had left too many points on the table and a very solid Tiger squad would make a run.  The back and forth second half eventually came down to an incredible fourth down play and a blocked field goal.  I can't recall another time when I was so excited and yelled so loud in the stands.  There were bigger games certainly, but the 2008 Border War was an incredible contest and an amazing finish.

Finally the game following that Border War, the Insight Bowl in Tempe.  If you've been to a Bowl game or a Final Four where Kansas is involved you know what I'm talking about when I say that the sense of community is unreal.  To see thousands of Jayhawks who had made the journey to Tempe to enjoy some good food, good football and a few adult beverages, the feeling was pretty amazing. 

The game itself was a good one, I sat three rows up from Greg Ostertag which was a nice consolation prize, but in general the entire day and a half trip from Denver to Tempe was as memorable a sporting event as I've been to.  From the airport to the hotel to any bar in downtown Tempe, there were Jayhawks.  I told myself then that any time Kansas goes to a bowl, it will be a priority of mine to be there.  Here's hoping 2010 might just provide me with a surprise trip in December or even early January.

Reminder: It's not too late to get in on a chance to win a free copy of EA Sports NCAA Football 2011 from Rock Chalk Talk.  Read here to learn how.

Look Back on the Full Series at the EA Sports "Where I Come From" Room

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Here's a topic that could present a little bit of a challenge for everyone.  There are so many great favorite players in recent memory.  Kerry Meier, Todd Reesing, Dezmon Briscoe all come to mind.  Who could forget the overachieving types like Kevin Kane or Nick Reid.  Dez Briscoe, Anthony Collins, Aqib Talib might be three players that appeal to the flashier crowd. 

Some might even look back further.  June Henley, LT Levine, Tony Sands.  Or...way way back with the likes of John Riggins, Nolan Cromwell, Bobby Dsouglass or even Gale Sayers and John Hadl. 

Without a doubt there are some great Jayhawks.  Say what you will about the tradition or lack thereof at Kansas in the football department, there have been some great ones. 

For today I'll try to go a little more obscure.  I'll take players that made an impression on me in a game I actually watched.  To kick that off, I have to give the nod to David Winbush.  In 1998 I made the trip from Illinois, across Missouri without stopping and into Lawrence where the Jayhawks would take on the Colorado Buffaloes.  Colorado was ranked 18th in the country at the time and Kansas wasn't supposed to win this one. In fact the Jayhawks were 0-5 in the conference at the time.

What happened?  Well David Winbush exploded for 268 yards on the ground in the most impressive running performance I had ever seen in person.  The funny thing is, Winbush wasn't truly considered the primary back.  He was undersized, only 5'7", and normally split time with Mitch Bowles.  Bowles was injured, both starting quarterbacks were knocked out early, and Winbush took over.  His 268 yards represented the most ever given up by a Buffalo team in history at the time and it's certainly possible that record remains today.

The next player that I can remember being very impressed in watching and one I wish we still had was Charlton Keith.  Since his final season with Kansas, the Jayhawk pass rush hasn't been the same.  The importance of speed off the edge cannot be understated in today's game and Kieth was a great pickup and a solid contributor for Kansas during the rebuilding process with Mangino.  

The game and play that will always stick in my mind is the 2005 Fort Worth Bowl.  Keith would record 8 tackles and one pretty incredible pick six in a nice win for the Jayhawks over the Houston Cougars. 

The last player I would view as a favorite would have to be Brandon McAnderson.  Quite simply there was just no reason in the world that he should have been a legitimate running option in the Big 12.  He worked hard, waited his turn and never gave up. 

His senior season was a miracle in a lot of ways both individually and for the team.  The first time I actually saw McAnderson play was in high school and the funny thing is, everyone there thought he'd make a great linebacker at Kansas.  Turns out he made a great Jayhawk, just at the position of his choosing and not the position everyone wanted to force him into.

There's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Three players that weren't the most heralded, but they left a mark on me for finding a way to get it done at a high level despite doubters, struggles and less than ideal physical gifts.

Reminder: It's not too late to get in on a chance to win a free copy of EA Sports NCAA Football 2011 from Rock Chalk Talk.  Read here to learn how.

Look Back on the Full Series at the EA Sports "Where I Come From" Room

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Tailgating is as much a part of football as the game on the field.  Interestingly enough, I was attending the University of Kansas when tailgating at the stadium was finally permitted.  Al Bohl may not have made many friends at Kansas, but he was certainly good for one thing. 

That said, the actual act of tailgating in the parking lot was never a huge to do for me.  I had gameday traditions and favorite pregame spots, but that's about as close as it gets for me.  I guess that's my own way of tailgating and that's what this is all about.  Still I think I've got three things I'd like to share with you.  Two are sentimental, one is a game, all in my opinion could help enhance your tailgating experience if you try them.

First, my favorite pregame spot had to be Louise's West.  The bloody mary's are thick enough to get a little grit stuck in your teeth, the schooners so full of beer, but they go down like a shot. When I was in college there was the cloud of smoke that rivaled a fog rolling off the great lakes.  Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of the smoking ban, but you remember things about the places you love and that was part of Louise's West as I remember it.  If possible I still make my way to West before a game and if I have to settle I'll go downtown as well. 

Second, I have a personal tradition, I think I enjoy nothing more than a walk across campus on a Fall day.  The Kansas campus is absolutely incredible during football season.  West to East, East to West, it doesn't matter.  Start at one end, walk to the other.  Take in the colors, take in the buildings, the calm emptiness of a campus buzzing on any other day of the week.  Perched on the hill, just slightly away from the noise of the stadium, you breathe that cool, moist fall air and it's hard to imagine a better start to the day.  There's no where on earth that has the same calming affect on me and I consider myself lucky to live in Colorado which has several close seconds.

Finally, I want share one tailgating game that I've discovered since I left Kansas that and that is "Polish Horseshoes."  If this is new to you it MUST be played on grass and not a parking lot so that impedes things a bit, but you need a frisbee, two beer bottles and two 5 foot pieces of PVC pipe.  Pipe in the ground vertically, bottle on top of the pipe, two teams of two hurling the frisbee at opposing pipe.  The goal? hit the bottle off the pipe.  Scoring works like this.  Dropped frisbee = 1 point for the other team.  Hit the pipe causing the bottle to hit the ground = 5 points.  Hit the bottle direct causing it to hit the ground = 10 points.  First to 21 wins.  So your throwing a frisbee, attempting to catch a frisbee and beer bottle, and all the while you must have a beer in hand.  It's a solid game and one I thought I'd share.

I'm sure these aren't as exciting as some.  KUGrad probably plays a mean game of Beer Pong.  Bensa probably sings the Alma Mater with his son, and I'm sure one of you Kansas City boys has a sick brisket recipe you'd like to share.  Mine are again simple memories, simple things on a football Saturday that just put the icing on the cake of any fall Saturday in Lawrence.

Reminder: It's not too late to get in on a chance to win a free copy of EA Sports NCAA Football 2011 from Rock Chalk Talk.  Read here to learn how.

Look Back on the Full Series at the EA Sports "Where I Come From" Room

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

For my all time favorite Kansas football team it would be way too easy to say '07.  Todd Reesing, Aqib Talib, Anthony Collins, Marcus Henry and Derek Fine to name a few.  That was a special year for Kansas and I'm sure they will be noted by many as the favorite in today's comment section.

In the interest of being creative, different and because the team honestly represents where my Kansas football rooting interests began, I'll go with the 1995 Aloha Bowl Champion Kansas Jayhawks.  In what would be the final season of the Big 8's existence and the final solid year before the eventual ushering in of the Terry Allen era, Mason and the Jayhawks would go out in style.  Unfortunately for me, this was a bad time to jump aboard Kansas football.

Mason and the Jayhawks were coming off a 6-5 season and had a pretty decent roster in place.  The season started strong with non conference wins over Cincinnati, North Texas, TCU and Houston.  Throw that slate of games on the non-conference docket today and it might look a whole lot different.

After the 4-0 start, the Jayhawks would kick off conference play with a win in Boulder Colorado.  If you weren't around or paying attention in the early 90's this was a big deal.  Colorado was coming off an 11-1 season and a Fiesta Bowl win in 1994.  They would finish 1995 at 10-2 and head to the Cotton Bowl.  The win in Boulder opened up some eyes to the Jayhawks.

After a win over Iowa State in Lawrence, Mason and the #7 ranked Jayhawks would head to Norman to take on a the #15 ranked Sooners.  The Jayhawks don't often pull off a win in Norman and while the year proved to be less than stellar for the Sooners, the win at the time looked pretty impressive on the national scene.

A week later the Jayhawks lost to rival Kansas State before rebounding with a win over my more hated rival Missouri.  Living in Illinois, I cared much more about beating Missouri than I ever did K-State and that remains to this day.  The loss to Nebraska the following week was expected and the Huskers would win the title at the end of the season.

A final week win over Oklahoma State put Kansas at 9-2, 5-2 in the conference which was good enough for 3rd in the Big 8.  From there Mason was leaving, then he was staying, Kansas would win the Aloha Bowl and Mason would eventually bolt a year later in a flip-flop episode that made Roy Williams look decisive.

At that point, for me, it didn't matter.  June Henley, LT Levine, Isaac Byrd, Mark Williams and one of my favorite Jayhawk linebackers Dick Holt had drawn me in to Kansas football.  1995 took my Kansas fandom from your classic Kansas basketball fan, to a Kansas sports fan.  I've always liked the game of football more than basketball, but this was the first time in my recollection that the team and school I followed closest had gained national attention in the sport.

Reminder: It's not too late to get in on a chance to win a free copy of EA Sports NCAA Football 2011 from Rock Chalk Talk.  Read here to learn how.

Look Back on the Full Series at the EA Sports "Where I Come From" Room

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Reminder: You could win a free copy of EA Sports NCAA Football 2011 from Rock Chalk Talk.  Read here to learn how.

How did I become a Kansas fan?  Honestly, sometimes you are just born into something.  Kansas fandom is one of those things for me.  How else is someone born in Iowa City, stop through Oklahoma City, do a stint in Ames Iowa, "grow up" in Quincy Illinois and through all that find themselves a fan of Kansas?

I haven't made a stop in my life prior to moving to Lawrence for college where Kansas wasn't the enemy.  Iowa is obviously Hawkeye and Cyclone country, OU dominated the OKC market and Quincy Illinois had a large number of Illini fans and more Missouri Tigers than I care to remember.

Despite that, for as along as I can remember I followed Kansas.  Yes I have fond memories of Johnny Orr and Cyclone basketball, but the games I can remember most vividly include Kevin Pritchard and Mark Randall in Hilton Coliseum. 

Why is that?  Well, I'm a third generation Jayhawk.  Both of my grandparents on my mothers side went from small town Waverly Kansas to Lawrence for college.  They were married in Danforth Chapel and I'll always remember my grandmother singing along with the fight song or watching the '91 title game loss to Duke with my grandpa.

On my dads side interestingly enough both grandparents attended Missouri.  My dad ended up at Kansas and to this day my grandmother roots for the Jayhawks over the Tigers.  I think I honestly thought she went to Kansas until I was in my later years of high school. 

It wasn't that the Jayhawks were force fed to me, I think it was just a gradual series of great memories associated with Lawrence, the Jayhawks and Kansas that created the draw.  The games, the sites, the sounds, the smells, everything about it sticks in my mind.

Roy Williams basketball camp. Receiving Mark Randall's shoe for taking the most charges.  The five hour drive to Lawrence for a football game.  A walk across campus on a fall day.  Probably my favorite was the annual trip to the Big 8/Big 12 tournament with my dad.  Three days of non stop basketball, one monstrous Italian dinner at Jenny's and the late movie at the crown center.  Same every year and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Kansas was and still is a common bond with family.  Amazingly of my grandfathers twelve grandchildren, I am the only one to have chosen Kansas for my college destination. Yes there are Ivy league grads, a pilot, a Notre Dame soccer player, musical standouts and world travelers in the group, but to this day he often makes a special note of my Jayhawk roots when we all get together in Kansas City for Thanksgiving.

For me Kansas was where I belonged.  It was a passion.  There really wasn't another option on the table in my mind from the word go.  I'm a fan, a graduate and a Jayhawk for life.  Kansas basketball and Kansas football are a welcome diversion and one of the things I look forward to most on any given gameday. 

Yes it's cheesy, the story can probably be retold on many different levels all over the country, but this is my story, it's where I come from and it's made the University of Kansas and Kansas sports a pretty special place for me and my family.

This week we've got something a little different and hopefully something you will find pretty exciting here at RCT. 

EA Sports approached us, the SB Nation college sites, and asked to sponsor a week's worth of posts leading up to the release of NCAA Football 2011 next Tuesday, July 13th.  EA isn't interested in telling us what to say, only in sponsoring the series designed to celebrate the diehard fans of the greatest sport in the world: college football. 

To make it even more fun, encourage all of you to participate and to show that this is all about the fans, I'm going to take a portion of the proceeds from EA Sports, and give away a FREE COPY of NCAA Football 2011 to one of the readers here at Rock Chalk Talk.

All you have to do to win?  Participate.  If you've been sitting on the sidelines, now might be a good time to join in the conversation.  The schedule of posts breaks down like this:

Monday: How I became a Kansas fan

Tuesday: All-Time Favorite Kansas FOOTBALL team.

Wednesday: Tailgating Traditions. (tailgating recipes, games, traditions, superstitions, have at it)

Thursday: All-Time Favorite Jayhawk Footballers

Friday: Most Memorable Football Moments (games, plays, seasons, bowls)

Monday: Expectations for the 2010 Football Season

Tuesday: Christmas in July (winner announced, I ship the game)

I'll kick of each post with my story and where I come from. In order to enter your name into the hat for the game;

1. tell your story in the comment section of each "Where I Come From" post.  This is what I mean by participate.
2. Just to make this a little easier for me to track, send me an email (denverjhawk@hotmail.com) if you plan on participating with your screen name and what system (Xbox, PS3 etc.) you would want the game for.

This should be a fun week, a chance to get to know the community a little better and provide a great way to kick off the final month and a half countdown to college football.  I look forward to hearing everybody's story out there and we'll kick things off this morning around 10am Central standard time.  See you then.