“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

Last week’s issue of Cardinal and Gold blared these words across a full-page ad depicting a recent sampling of both their own work and the work of Gridiron: ISU.

Their intention was as clear as their message:

As far as covers and center graphics are concerned, Gridiron is blatantly ripping off C&G.

Clearly, such an accusation deserves an answer, and we at Gridiron are more than willing to offer one.

For starters, the depicted covers of the magazines could not have been more different. C&G featured a static shot of the Cy-Hawk Trophy and some grass while Gridiron went with our traditional mascot artwork.

The dispute, then, must have been with our decision to include a cover at all — a feature Cardinal and Gold has used for some time.

The truth is, however, that our use of a cover (rather than jumping straight into text) had nothing to do with the precedent-setters at C&G. You’ll just have to believe us on this.

Certainly the biggest issue, though, was the center graphic. Both magazines feature a full-color depiction of the starting lineups and rosters in the middle of each issue.

So because C&G was around first, Gridiron must have copied them, right?

Well, if you believe that, I’ve got a long list of culprits for you.

Because, you have to understand, Gridiron: ISU is not the first publication to blatantly rip off this cutting-edge Cardinal and Gold convention.

Bama Magazine uses it. So does the Mountaineer Report and Hawgs Illustrated. In fact, you’ll also find similar graphics in Sooners Illustrated, the Irish Report, Tennessee’s Rocky Top News and Syracuse’s Big Orange.

The carnage doesn’t stop there, however, as even NFL magazines have pilfered C&G.

Dolphin Digest, Viking Update and the Ravens Insider all use C&G’s graphic. Redskin Review has used it since the early ’90s and the Packer Report stole it around 1988.

All of this thievery despite Cardinal and Gold only being around since last year.

The complaint C&G printed in their bold, full-color page was preposterous. It would have been no different than Coke whining that Pepsi sells their product in factory-sealed cans. Or Ford complaining that Chevy’s trucks feature four wheels and a steering column.

C&G could just as easily have whined about our use of pages or newsprint or photos. All three are long-time staples of Cardinal and Gold and all three have since been picked up by Gridiron.

The truth is, you’re not likely to ever see anything original in an issue of C&G — not the writing, not the format and certainly, not the graphics.

By running their full-page ad, Cardinal and Gold proved just two things.

They demonstrated the immaturity of their staff and showed, by comparison, the inferiority of their product.

You see, we knew Iowa State already had a football preview.

We just figured it deserved a good one.