Archives
Sportz College Pigskin Notes
NOTRE DAME ISN'T BCS MATERIAL.
Yep...I said it. Look, I want them to be in the BCS because (a) they are an exciting team to watch and (b) I want to see how Charlie Weiss does when given a month to break down an opponent of the calibar in which he'll play. But, if all things were equal, the Irish should miss out.
Essentially, the Irish are banking on a close home loss to USC more than anything. That immensely difficult season on paper turned into anything buy. They won at Michigan when the Wolverines were struggling. They beat Tennessee in it's worst season in the Phil Fulmer era. They won at Purdue during their 6-game losing streak. Michigan State beat them in South Bend....then went on to lose 6 of 8 games [their only two wins were against Indiana and Illinois who went a combined 1-15 in Big Ten play]. Sure, Michigan, BYU, Navy and USC will go to bowls...but that's the only one's on their schedule that will.
The reason the Irish will be in the BCS [most likely the Fiesta Bowl] is strictly money...I know, shocking....and that is alright in the way it is set up. They will fill any stadium and city they'll play in on New Year's Day. Just don't get caught up in the fact that they deserve it more than anyone.
WHAT HAPPENED TO FLORIDA STATE??
The Seminoles may enter the bowl season with FOUR straight losses...with three of those four losses coming in the state of Florida.
The Noles were beaten at home by NC State; mauled at Clemson; mauled at Florida; and get Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game this weekend. A loss there may keep the Noles in Florida for bowl season. No...not the Orange Bowl. Not the Outback Bowl. Not the Cap One Bowl. Not the Gator Bowl. Try the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando.
They have fallen out of the Top 25...the first time they've been unranked since 2001.
Yeah, how the mighty have fallen in just six weeks. Remember, this was a top 5 team in mid-October when they went into Virginia, then lost. And they join Tennessee, Michigan and Oklahoma as recent powers [all have won National Titles in the last several years] to find themselves unranked.
SPEAKING OF THAT...WHERE ARE ALL THESE OTHER TEAMS??
At least Florida State, Michigan and Oklahoma will be in bowl games....Tennessee will not. But there are several other big name schools that will miss out on the Bowl Season.
Bill Snyder has coached his last game in Kansas State...as their season is over. No bowl game for them. Snyder built K State into a semi-powerhouse in the 1990s.
Texas A&M was a preseason darling for many people. Some felt they even had a shot to knock the Longhorns from the Big XII South title. Yeah...a 5-6 season takes them out of bowling.
Michigan State quickly became a party crasher out of the gate...winning at Notre Dame. They then lose 6 of 8 to close the season. Purdue, who were lauded both offensively and defensively, also tanked to a 5-6 mark. Maryland was the ACC champions a couple of seasons ago. Now they will sit watching the bowls. As will North Carolina....who seems to always sneak into a bowl.
THESE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES SUCK!!!
When you hear the words "championship game"...you are ready for a pretty good tilt. Um, not this year.
The best of the bunch is the SEC Championship game, which features #3 LSU vs #13 Georgia. The Tigers are favored...but the game will be played in Atlanta....so it really is a toss up. After that, the games get fugly!
The Big XII Championship Game looks to be a route....as Texas is a 27 point favorite to down Colorado. TWENTY SEVEN POINTS!!!! That's one of those September games.....not a championship game!
The First ACC Championship Game also could be a route. Virginia Tech is favored by two TDs as they take on floundering, unranked and 3-game losing skidded Florida State. The game is in Jacksonville...where FSU is sure to get some support. They better hope some talent gets out there.
Even the MAC Championship Game sucks. Akron vs Northern Illinois???? No Toledo, Miami or Bowling Green?? How many people even knew that Akron had a football program??
And, finally, the first Conference USA title game. Again, a clunker. Tulsa vs Central Florida. Remember, folks, that Central Florida had ZERO wins last season. ZERO!!!
IF THERE WAS A PLAYOFF.....
...here is how I'd line it up. I favor a 10-team format [two "play in games" before the quarterfinal round]. That keeps the riff raff out but gets the elite teams that may have had some hardship still into the dance.
In an 10-team format, there would be the six BCS conference champions plus four wildcard teams. I'd use the BCS standings to determine the wildcard teams and the seedings.
The conference champs would be Virginia Tech [ACC], West Virginia [Big East], Penn State [Big Ten], Texas [Big XII], USC [Pac 10] and LSU [SEC]. The four wildcard teams would be Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame and Miami.
FIRST ROUND [Dec 10]
West Virginia at Miami
Notre Dame at Oregon
SECOND ROUND [Dec 17]
West Virginia/Miami at USC
Notre Dame/Oregon at Texas
Ohio State at LSU
Virginia Tech at Penn State
SEMIFINALS [Dec 24]
USC/Miami/West Virginia vs Penn State/Virginia Tech
Texas/Notre Dame/Oregon vs LSU/Ohio State
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME [Jan 2]
sportzassassin at 11:57:00 AM EST Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | 
digg this
-
I have NEVER read so many "If this", "if that" comments about ONE team in my life! The IF about ND is this: IF you score more points than your opponents, you win. Period. "No 'if's, and, or buts about it". IF your opponent scores more points than you, you lose. Period.
Those who are complaing have a legitimate right to do so. ND is playing where they are based upon REPUTATION and $$$, NOT their record. Please explain the how and why of Oregon, with one loss - to USC by the way - gets the shaft. Want an "IF"? Try this: "IF" Oregon had beaten SC, THEY would be going to the Rose Bowl and ND might be in some 'who cares bowl' where they belong.
As far as their "Heisman Trophy QB" - - PLEASE! Do the names Matt leinart, Drew Olson, Vince Young mean anything to you? Any NOT ONE OF THEM is even in the running! Reggie's name is already engraved on the trophy - - it was done about 5 minutes into the Saturday USC demolition of UCLA.
"Win one for the Gipper" - - "Knute Rockne" - - those days are long gone. And thank God, so is Lou Holtz! His weekly whining news conferences about how weak his poor ND teams were when compared to the upcoming opponent should be put on a DVD and sold as one of the best comedy tracks in sports history. What a farce!
FIGHT ON, TROJANS! Irish? See in So Cal next year. CAN'T WAIT! -
I'm not biased or anything but to all you ND haters, shut up. Notre Dame is playing so deal with it. It's going to be a great game. Plus I don't know if you've looked lately but our quarterback is definitely on Heisman watch, so back off and go watch your team play in a toilet bowl.
-
To all your ND fans who think your team is so high and mighty, guess what...your not! Being ND shouldn't give you the right to play in a bcs bowl game. Sadly enough, it appears that it does. ND does have a very good football team this year, but there are other schools who deserve a bcs bid over the Irish...namely Oregon. Sure ND is #6 in the bcs, but Oregon is #5. Last time i checked it was better to be #5 than #6. The point of bcs bowls is to match up the best teams with each other, and ND is not better than Oregon. Since when has a 10-1 Pac-10 team been worse than a 9-2 independent team whose schedule really wasn't as tough as many people are making it out to be? Since the bowls are all set, I just hope we are able to see a repeat of the 2001 Fiesta Bowl where ND was embarrassed by Oregon State in a 41-9 ass kicking. On January 2, Ohio State will be my favoite team.
GO DUCKS & GO BUCKEYES! -
For all you pathetic ND haters out there who are peeved the Irish won the right to play in the Fiesta Bowl -- that's right -- WON THE RIGHT -- Top 6 in the final BCS Poll, idiots -- automatic qualifiers. Here's the key: We're ND -- and You're Not! The true emotion coming out of all these Irish bashers -- jealousy. I mean they probably went to a second rate college, or no college, or a college with a bad football team, or one not playing in a BCS game. Not to mention of course the rasher of ND Rejects out there. Remember, ND's popularity and TV appeal is a function of its longstanding gridiron glory and never say die spirit. We're ND.
And You're Not. Get used to it.
12/6/05 12:53 PM