Country Mike Blog

Appalachian State

Mike Sudhalter  |  September 2, 2007

It was a great weekend of football, both in college on Saturday and the Canadian Football League on Sunday.

I was surprised that the Idaho Vandals, who I used to cover, kept things relatively close against No. 1 USC, losing 38-10, but the biggest surprise of the day, and maybe the year, was little-known Appalachian State defeating mighty No. 5 Michigan 34-32.

You ask how does this relate to country music?

Guess who graduated from ASU? Eric Church.

That's very symbolic because Church's songs have a very blue collar vibe to them, with maybe a little bit of a chip on the shoulder. Church's tunes like "How 'Bout You" and "Guys Like Me" would fit perfectly with an ASU highlight video/slideshow of the Michigan upset.

If you've put together one, let me know.

The Appalachian victory wasn't just for the state of North Carolina, but the entire Appalachian region. For years, the word Appalachian was associated with little education or sophistication. By going into the "Big House" and defeating one of college football's blue bloods, this team made the entire Appalachian region proud.