Whether you do the Gator "Chomp" or bleed crimson, you probably already know what's at stake in this year's Southeastern Conference championship game. The Florida and Alabama football teams have battled five previous times in their conference title quest, but "This will be the biggest game that the SEC Championship has ever had," says CBS analyst Gary Danielson. "Both teams have a chance to play their way into the National championship game."

Head Coach Nick Saban has turned the Crimson Tide in his second year at the Alabama helm, much like Urban Meyer did when he brought his "spread offense" - and the 2006-07 BCS crown - to the Gators. "It's the defensive master vs. the offensive master, old school vs. new school," Danielson says.

Even the quarterbacks are a study of contrasts. Danielson believes the Tide's John Parker Wilson, "is now just learning to handle the pressure of being the Alabama quarterback," while Tim Tebow, his Heisman Trophy-winning counterpart at Florida, "has got the spotlight on him and he loves it. His teammates relish his ability to lead."

The NCAA records collegiate football fan attendance for the 615 schools in Division I, II and III of 47, 909,313 for 2007. Don't let that number throw you - people were counted more than once if they went to more than one game.

Over at the University of Florida, the Gator football fans, alumni, students and staff helped set the record with nearly .7 million people traveling to Gainesville, Florida for the home games - many did not have tickets - they just journey to UF to say "Go Gators" or "Chomp 'Em" and to be a part of the Florida football tailgate scene. For every fan cheering the football at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (aka "The Swamp") , there are 2 more outside watching on portable televisions and doing the same. Florida currently holds the #1 Ranking in the Princeton Poll for "Students Pack the Stadium".

Under the charismatic leadership of Coaches Urban Meyer and Billy Donovan, with Albert & Alberta presiding over all, the Florida Gators are a force to be reckoned with. In 2006-2007 Florida's football and basketball teams held simultaneous National Championships - a feat never before accomplished.

As a perennial SEC powerhouse, Florida football is the epitome of fan power for football, basketball, baseball plus 22 other contemporary Gator sports teams. The Florida fans are famous for their willingness to travel great distances to watch their teams compete. For these Gator fans, getting there is just the beginning.

When it comes to collegiate travel, we have the finest Florida "Gator" luggage and travel gear available anywhere. Fully licensed, made by Victorinox® Swiss Army brands, each piece of this remarkable luggage is engineered to exacting Swiss Army standards, and comes with the traditional "Gator Head" logo embroidered on the front of each item. Every item in our entire program is available in black or in bright blue with black trim. The Swiss Army lifetime "Carry with Confidence" guarantee is a significant value-added addition: Our UF luggage will outperform and outlast whatever you're now using for travel or business. In the long run, this Florida luggage and business gear will save you money every time you don't have to replace it.

As a loyal Gator fan you need this luggage to proudly show your support. Do you need a nice gift for a college undergrad? Are Florida gifts always on your list of things to get? Then consider our collection of Gator tote bags, wheeled bags, backpacks, attaches and more!



With traditions dating back to 1851 and sports rivalries such as the Florida-Georgia Game in Jacksonville (aka "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party) the Florida Gators deserve a luggage line worthy of the teams and the fans. At CollegeLuggage.com we are happy to make it happen.




Don't forget a
Florida Gators
Chillin' Bowl
for Game Day Tailgating...
or whatever!

The University of Florida can raise a glass to another national title: Best party school in the country. The Gators, known for wild celebrations following national championships in football and basketball, delightedly took the party title away from West Virginia University and beat out the University of Mississippi and Penn State University, in the Princeton Review survey of 120,000 students released in late July.

The University of Florida has made the Top 20 party school list for the past 15 years, but has never been Number 1 until now. A university spokesman said the party school reputation comes from the school's athletic successes. The Gators won two national basketball championships in 2006 and 2007 and one national football title at the end of the 2006 season.

"The fact that we have three national championships in two years is probably a major contributing factor," spokesman Steve Orlando said. "We know our students like to have a good time." He defended the school's academic climate, noting Florida's incoming students have a weighted grade-point average of 4.1 and an average SAT score of 1,300. Florida also came in first this year in the category of students who pack the stadiums.

In recognition of these sterling accomplishments, the fun-loving folks at CollegeLuggage.com would like to invite all of the Gator fans to visit our website and see the newest version of our Gator Chillin' Bowls.

No party is complete without at least one Chillin' Bowl. Made of nylon, vinyl and neoprene insulating foam, they weigh less than 1.5 lbs. empty. Each bowl will comfortably hold a large quantity of your favorite chilled beverage for hours with NO exterior condensation. We even include a chromed steel bottle opener in its own little holder on the side. With the Gator Chillin' Bowls on hand your parties are sure to be chompingly good fun for all.

CollegiateLuggage.com: Where science is more than just a seven-letter word.

I read a fascinating article in my April 25th issue of THE WEEK magazine, regarding the remarkable health of alligators - they almost never get sick. They have super immune systems that ward off virtually every virus and bacteria, and scientists are now trying to figure out their secret, to create treatments that could be used by humans.

Researchers found that when they exposed alligator and human blood samples to 23 types of bacteria, the gator blood killed them all, while the human samples destroyed just eight. "Alligators tend to get into tussles and fights", Lancia Darville, a researcher at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge told USA Today. "They have torn limbs and scratches that are exposed to all of this bacteria in the water, yet they are never infected."

It appears that gators do not rely on customized antibodies to destroy micro-invaders, but have proteins in their blood that kill off everything that seems remotely alien to their system. "They don’t need to be exposed to any microorganism such as bacteria, viruses, fungi [bulldogs, war eagles, blue tick hounds, elephants, wildcats, gamecocks or commodores] for their bodies to respond against them," Darville says. As soon as the chemical structures of these key proteins are understood, she says, they can be examined for their potential as human cures.

Here at CollegiateLuggage.com we believe that gators love the taste of our travel gear. Is it a factor in their amazing immune systems? Try our business and travel gear for yourself and you be the judge.

CollegiateLuggage.com - Where facts, opinions and adverbs share equal time.

Our Swiss Army collegiate luggage program is just over 2 years old as of my writing this blog entry. The first three schools to join our program in February of 2006 were Georgia, Georgia Tech and Florida. In a wonderful get-acquainted gesture, we were invited by Florida's Alumni Association to join them in Atlanta in March of that year for the SEC Tournament Game Day "Gator Gathering" to display all of our blue Gator-logo Swiss Army luggage products for the fans to see.

With headquarters in Sandy Springs (a northern suburb of Atlanta) most of my prior experiences with the Gator Nation before adding them to our program were limited. But the invitation was irresistible and we went. And it was at this pre-game celebration that their fans introduced me to "The Chomp".

HOW TO CHOMP
For those not familiar with "The Gator Chomp", it is a sign of support and recognition shown by Gator fans everywhere to encourage their teams. No special equipment is required. First, extend both arms directly in front of you, at shoulder height with palms facing. Then, open both arms wide and quickly bring them back together so the palms clap. You have successfully "chomped".

I was quite taken with this gesture. And from that day forward, when I would complete an e-mail message to any of the Florida Alumni office folks or their Gator Clubs or to my Gator friends (including but not limited to my company's bookkeeper Peggy) I would sign off with: "Chompingly Yours". Apparently, nobody could remember an instance when the word "chomp" had been used as an adverb because it immediately generated lots of keen interest and positive feedback.

Being the generous fellow that I am, I released the newly-coined expression for general use to my Gator friends and business associates and bade them good fortune. Now that you've read this article, you too are hereby granted full, free and complete permission to use "chompingly" as an adverb any old time it suits you. Who am I to deny the Gator Nation their chompness?

CollegiateLuggage.com - Where facts and opinions share equal time.

Recently, the Georgia State House of Representatives passed a bill that the media has referred to as the "Anti-Gator Bill". It was launched in reaction to the fact that the University of Florida's Gator Clubs will be getting a special logo license tag in the State of Georgia.

While it appears the original intent of this bill was directed at the Gators, the language of the bill would scuttle any and all out-of-State collegiate tags in the State of Georgia. Rep. Barry Fleming, who is from Augusta and represents District 117, was a main sponsor of the legislation. He is the majority whip and happens to be challenging U.S. Representative Paul Broun for northeast Georgia's 10th District congressional seat.

This legislation has now been forwarded to a State Senate committee, and there could be a hearing in that committee as soon as the first week of March. The decision would affect other schools (such as Auburn University) seeking a Georgia license tag featuring their school's logo as well.

Perhaps the best solution would be a reciprocal agreement between Georgia and Florida, with each State allowing their neighbor to create the special-edition logo license tags. Once ratified, this agreement could then become the standard for a new era of collegiate auto license tags. The "Reciprocal Interstate Auto Tag" (R.I.A.T. - pronounced "riot") would generate revenue for each participating state and make a lot of folks happy.

Here at CollegiateLuggage.com we support reciprocity. Our company's continued success relies upon enthusiastic fans and alumni purchasing our Swiss Army Brand travel and business gear decorated with Georgia, Florida, Auburn and a host of other favorite school logos. We understand that folks want to proudly display their university's mark on their vehicles as well. When it comes to supporting your school, too much is never enough.