Daily Dirt: Those Famous Amos cookies now have a whole new level of appreciation

I’m still blown away by this Wally Amos fellow. I think you will be, too. Sit back, relax and enjoy today’s three thoughts in Vol. 103 of the Daily Dirt.

1. Ever have one of those days when, almost by accident, you stumble across an incredibly interesting bit of information? Today was one of those days for me.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever enjoyed a box — or two, or three or four — of Famous Amos cookies. The man who invented those tasty little bites of perfection was an individual named Wally Amos. But before he became a global snack icon, Amos, who is now 85, was quite a talent scout.

Amos was the man who signed Simon and Garfunkel back in the day, plus representing blue-chip talents such as Diana Ross, Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye. I’m not certain what I’m more thankful for regarding Amos — those cookies or Diana Ross, a singer I have loved since the mid-1960s. Next time I’m listening to Diana Ross and the Supremes, I’m going to be sure I’m munching on a box of those Famous Amos cookies.

2. One man’s opinion of 10 extremely overrated performers. In no particular order:

• Jennifer Lopez.
• Justin Timberlake. (PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is an incredibly poor take by Steve. JT is immensely talented and incredibly charming. He is this generation’s Francis Albert. JRG)
• Reese Witherspoon. (PUBLISHER’S NOTE: C’mon, Steve…she’s so damn cute. JRG)
• David Bowie.
• Janet Jackson.
• Lady Gaga. (PUBLISHER’S NOTE: I never got the meat suit thing. JRG)
• Nicki Minaj.
• Julia Roberts. (PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Almost as bad of a take as his take on JT. JRG)
• Nicolas Cage. (PUBLISHER’S NOTE: How dare you, Steve? How dare you…JRG)
• Joaquin Phoenix. (PUBLISHER’S NOTE: I will never watch “JOKER” again. For those of you who know me, Batman and Captain America are my top two superheroes. But “JOKER” creeped me out so badly, that…nope. Won’t watch it again. JRG)

3. This week’s Daily Dirt college football rankings underwent quite a makeover in the Tier 1 section, thanks to that Iowa loss to unheralded Purdue. Iowa was No. 2 a week ago, but is now gone from the top 10. Here’s how this week’s rankings look:

Tier 1(Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC, Pac-12, major independents)

1. Georgia (7-0): The Bulldogs get a well-deserved Saturday off this week.

2. Ohio State (5-1): Buckeyes play old nemesis Indiana this week. For some reason, the Hoosiers always play Ohio State tough, even though the Hoosiers have lost 25 in a row to their rivals from the east.

3. Oklahoma (7-0): We all know the Sooners could hang a hundred on the woeful Jayhawks this week if they really wanted to (PUBLISHER’S NOTE: I hope they do. EFKU. JRG)

4. Alabama (6-1): Whatever the point spread is, take the Crimson Tide. 

5. Michigan (6-0): Michigan has Northwestern (3-3) this week, but must still face Michigan State, Penn State and Ohio State.

6. Penn State (6-1): Those James Franklin-to-USC rumors will not go away.

7. Kentucky (6-1): The Wildcats will lick their wounds this weekend following last Saturday’s loss to Georgia.

8. Oklahoma State (8-0): Cowboys should not overlook Iowa State (4-2), which could salvage a rather disappointing first half of the season by knocking Oklahoma State from the ranks of the unbeaten.

9. Michigan State (7-0): Spartans coach Mel Tucker could be a prime candidate for the LSU job.

10. Ole Miss (5-1): Next to Ryan Day at Ohio State, I think Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss is my favorite college football coach.

Tier 2(Conference USA, Sun Belt, Mountain West, MAC, AAC)

1. Cincinnati (6-0): Bearcats play Navy this week. This will be ugly.

2. San Diego State (6-0): Aztecs vs. No. 7 Air Force (6-1) and No. 5 Nevada (5-1) vs. No. 10 Fresno State (5-2) are the Tier 2 games of the week.

3. UTSA (7-0): In case you missed it, UTSA has crashed the AP top 25. Go Roadrunners!

4. SMU (6-0): The Ponies have not been held under 30 points this season.

5. Nevada (5-1): Best-looking uniforms in the Mountain West.

6. Coastal Carolina (6-0): Too bad Appalachian State (4-2) lost last week to Louisiana, or this would have been a third matchup of top-10 teams this week.

7. Air Force (6-1): At the outset of the season the Falcons were little more than an afterthought, but now??

8. Louisiana (5-1): Billy “Bad Haircut” Napier is one of the hottest coaching tickets in all of Division I football.

9. Houston (5-1): Another year, another solid record … and still, home attendance is embarrassing.

10. Fresno State (5-2): Best end-zone design among all Tier 2 schools.

Steve Fact O’ The Day 
Steve has never attended an SEC football game. He does not like to travel any farther south than Payson. (PUBLISHER’S NOTE: So Steve has never attended a real college football game. JRG)

Steve Eighinger brings his hot takes to Muddy River News on a daily basis. Him cracking on someone’s haircut is the irony of ironies.