OT The NCAA Football Season Discussion

[pk500]

It's a damn shame that Notre Dame is going to make it to a BCS bowl again. For the second year in a row, they have beaten nobody on their schedule worth mentioning.

ND is the only school in the nation that can guarantee its recruits a BCS bowl game in a two-loss season. It's f*cking money, and it's f*cking pathetic.

Take care,
PK

[bkrich83]

It's a damn shame that Notre Dame is going to make it to a BCS bowl again. For the second year in a row, they have beaten nobody on their schedule worth mentioning.

ND is the only school in the nation that can guarantee its recruits a BCS bowl game in a two-loss season. It's f*cking money, and it's f*cking pathetic.

Take care,
PK

ND played Top Tier teams this year, Michigan and USC, and lost by an average of 23 points, yet they'll play in a BCS game. Yeah, great system.

[Inuyasha]

Talking about being overrated, how about Brady Quinn. The national media hypes him up to be a top qb in the nfl but I don't see it. He's more of a Craig Krenzel type imo than an NFL Star QB.

[Leebo33]

Wow, can the Little Tuna dress for the occasion or what? John Goodman dressed classier on Roseanne.

LOL. I was thinking the same thing.

[Pete]

I love all of the ND hate on this forum. You guys are a bunch of whining bitches. b*tch, b*tch, b*tch. Cry, cry, cry. Boo hoo.

Just root for your teams and shut up about something you have no control over.

The best thing about last nights game is that now another classic whiner Lloyd Carr won't make it to the Championship game. Whiners are pathetic.

Hey, PK, how is that Syracuse football doing? You haven't said two words all year about them. Oh, yeah, they stink. Now it is all about Michigan. I see. How convenient.

bkrich, USC has won 55 of their last 58, or something like that and you still complain about stuff? JHC. Enjoy one of the best runs ever. You guys have a fantastic team and it looks promising for a long time and you complain about sh1t. Unbelievable.

Go ahead rip me. But I just don't understand it.

[bkrich83]

I love all of the ND hate on this forum. You guys are a bunch of whining bitches. b*tch, b*tch, b*tch. Cry, cry, cry. Boo hoo.

Just root for your teams and shut up about something you have no control over.

The best thing about last nights game is that now another classic whiner Lloyd Carr won't make it to the Championship game. Whiners are pathetic.

Hey, PK, how is that Syracuse football doing? You haven't said two words all year about them. Oh, yeah, they stink. Now it is all about Michigan. I see. How convenient.

bkrich, USC has won 55 of their last 58, or something like that and you still complain about stuff? JHC. Enjoy one of the best runs ever. You guys have a fantastic team and it looks promising for a long time and you complain about sh1t. Unbelievable.

Go ahead rip me. But I just don't understand it.

Alrighty then.

[pk500]

Hey, PK, how is that Syracuse football doing? You haven't said two words all year about them. Oh, yeah, they stink. Now it is all about Michigan. I see. How convenient.

Syracuse sucks. No question. But at least no one is overestimating the team's ability, including a delusional fanbase and the national media. There's honesty about the SU program. It sucks, there's a reason why Greg Robinson was an assistant for 30 years before getting his first head coaching job at SU, and everyone knows both of those facts.

You can't say the same about Notre Dame. It is vastly overrated this year, getting shellacked by the two top-tier teams on its schedule. Yet the national media, BCS brass and Irish Nation so badly want ND to be considered on a level with Ohio State, Michigan and USC.

I think this speaks volumes about that pipe dream:

Michigan 47, ND 21
USC 44, ND 24

And all of the claims about Notre Dame's "tough schedule" are a joke. From Sept. 23 through Nov. 18, the gap between the Michigan and USC games, ND played eight teams with a combined record of 37-54, a .407 winning percentage. Wow -- shiver me timbers.

As for Michigan, I started following that program avidly the day Hart stepped on campus two years ago. I never have said anything about being a longtime Michigan fan, and who knows if I'll still follow the Wolverines in September 2008, after Hart is gone.

But again, I have made no bones about the fact that my allegiance to Michigan is because of Hart. And when the local hero, in an area that doesn't produce very many local heroes, is playing on one of the top three teams in the country, yeah, I get excited. My deepest apologies.

Why do people hate Notre Dame? Simple. It has been one of the most overrated programs in the nation since its last national title in 1988. There's an arrogance about the program and its fans that's unreal, almost as if they're a cut above every other program in terms of ability and class.

ND fans act as if all of its traditions and myths -- Rockne, Touchdown Jesus, Rudy, march through campus to the game, Friday night pep rally, etc. -- can't be matched by other schools. Plus the annual slurp jobs by the national media about ND -- from Tim Brown stealing the Heisman in 1987 to Ron Pawlus being ordained as a "three-time Heisman winner" by Beano Cook to the gushing over Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis in their first years at South Bend as if they were the second coming of Eddie Robinson and Ara Parseghian, respectively, are just too much.

Add in the fact that ND has its own national TV and radio network deals -- with homer announcers just like every other school, except that incredible homerism is broadcast nationwide -- and a virtual lock on a BCS bowl bid every year if it has two losses or less, and yeah, that breeds a lot of resentment.

It would be one thing if ND backed up all the bluster. But since 1988, it hasn't. The luck of the Irish -- and the incredibly sympathetic national media attention -- only goes so far, thank God.

Take care,
PK

[Leebo33]

Just root for your teams and shut up about something you have no control over.

If people only rooted for their own teams then Notre Dame probably wouldn't have the NBC contract and probably wouldn't be guaranteed of a spot in the BCS with 9 or 10 wins. I know a lot of people tune in just to root against them.

I'd be perfectly happy to ignore Notre Dame fans if they would do the same. I know the Notre Dame fans in PA certainly know how to dish it out but at least they can take it. They aren't nearly as sensitive.

[pk500]

Just root for your teams and shut up about something you have no control over.

Are you wearing a headset connected to Charlie Weis during the games? How do you have control over Notre Dame's fortunes any more than I do?

Take care,
PK

[Pete]

Why is the national media so sympathetic?

ND lost to the 2nd ranked team in the nation and the 3rd ranked. Living in Michigan, I don't have many friends that are ND fans, but the ones I do, including myself, knew that ND was vastly overmanned against Michigan and USC. The talent that Willingham recruited is/was nothing special.

I would love for ND to go to the Gator Bowl and get a bowl win. Not saying that it would be automatic, but the chances would be better than to go to a BCS Bowl. I am not delusional. USC's second team probably could have won last night.

Last years recruiting class was very good and so far this year it is good. I do believe under Weis, ND will get better. Hell, you can see it already as they are beating the teams they should beat. With Davieham, you couldn't say that.

I am not sure who is stating ND's schedule was so tough. Who said that? Anyways, taking out three teams from Michigan's schedule the opponents are 50-58, OSU's? 45-63. That is why I respect USC so much. Out of conference, they played ND, Arkansas, and Nebraska. They deserve the right to play OSU.

I guess you either love ND or you hate them. I just wish I had some cohorts on this board that are ND fans so we could talk about the team.

[bkrich83]

Hey, PK, how is that Syracuse football doing? You haven't said two words all year about them. Oh, yeah, they stink. Now it is all about Michigan. I see. How convenient.

Syracuse sucks. No question. But at least no one is overestimating the team's ability, including a delusional fanbase and the national media. There's honesty about the SU program. It sucks, there's a reason why Greg Robinson was an assistant for 30 years before getting his first head coaching job at SU, and everyone knows both of those facts.

You can't say the same about Notre Dame. It is vastly overrated this year, getting shellacked by the two top-tier teams on its schedule. Yet the national media, BCS brass and Irish Nation so badly want ND to be considered on a level with Ohio State, Michigan and USC.

I think this speaks volumes about that pipe dream:

Michigan 47, ND 21
USC 44, ND 24

And all of the claims about Notre Dame's "tough schedule" are a joke. From Sept. 23 through Nov. 18, the gap between the Michigan and USC games, ND played eight teams with a combined record of 37-54, a .407 winning percentage. Wow -- shiver me timbers.

As for Michigan, I started following that program avidly the day Hart stepped on campus two years ago. I never have said anything about being a longtime Michigan fan, and who knows if I'll still follow the Wolverines in September 2008, after Hart is gone.

But again, I have made no bones about the fact that my allegiance to Michigan is because of Hart. And when the local hero, in an area that doesn't produce very many local heroes, is playing on one of the top three teams in the country, yeah, I get excited. My deepest apologies.

Why do people hate Notre Dame? Simple. It has been one of the most overrated programs in the nation since its last national title in 1988. There's an arrogance about the program and its fans that's unreal, almost as if they're a cut above every other program in terms of ability and class.

ND fans act as if all of its traditions and myths -- Rockne, Touchdown Jesus, Rudy, march through campus to the game, Friday night pep rally, etc. -- can't be matched by other schools. Plus the annual slurp jobs by the national media about ND -- from Tim Brown stealing the Heisman in 1987 to Ron Pawlus being ordained as a "three-time Heisman winner" by Beano Cook to the gushing over Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis in their first years at South Bend as if they were the second coming of Eddie Robinson and Ara Parseghian, respectively, are just too much.

Add in the fact that ND has its own national TV and radio network deals -- with homer announcers just like every other school, except that incredible homerism is broadcast nationwide -- and a virtual lock on a BCS bowl bid every year if it has two losses or less, and yeah, that breeds a lot of resentment.

It would be one thing if ND backed up all the bluster. But since 1988, it hasn't. The luck of the Irish -- and the incredibly sympathetic national media attention -- only goes so far, thank God.

Take care,
PK

Lost in all that PK, when ND fans and the national media talk of ND's "Return to Power', is the fact that ND still has lost their last 8 bowl games. Their last post season victory was in 1994, and other than the 5 point loss to FSU in the 96 Orange Bowl, just about every one of those bowl losses was of the blowout variety. They also sport a now below .500 Bowl record of 13-14. Yet they continually get shoehorned in to BCS games, because they are ND.

ND since the mid 90's has been all hype and no substance. Charlie Weis, is just continuing the tradition.

[kevinpars]

I don't hate Notre Dame, I hate the hype surrounding them. You can blame the press for that - but you can also blame Notre Dame. When you have your own TV contract, it comes with the territory.

People like Bob Davie with his constant comments about how "courageous" Brady Quinn is to stand up to the constant pass rush probably rubs people the wrong way. Hell, it probably embarrasses Quinn. Most of the soldiers serving our country overseas would probably be embarrassed if they were referred to as courageous. But that is Bob and Brent - the ultimate hype machine for the ultimate hype school. All they need is Beano to call in at halftime.

I think what rubs me the wrong way the most is the deal ND has with the BCS. But certainly there are plenty of things about the BCS that rub me the wrong way, so that is not news.

It will be very interesting to see what kind of team ND has next year with all the seniors they will lose. While they will most likely be out of the NC picture, I would guess that they could be a very fun team to watch. We will learn a lot more about the ND program next year than we did this year.

[wco81]

There are a handful of schools which get top talent while the rest get scraps.

ND has some playmakers but did a lot of people really put their overall talent on par with OSU, USC, Texas, etc.?

I think their broad following is based on tradition, sort of like the Cubs, not based on them being title contenders yet.

[Bill_Abner]

There are a handful of schools which get top talent while the rest get scraps.

I think "scraps" is a bit...wrong.

There are around 20 schools that usually get their fair share of 4 star talent every single year. That's more than a handful, and the rest are hardly scraps. A great coaching staff can have more impact in college football than any other major sport, IMO.

It was really bad back in the day when Woody and Bo would recruit who they wanted and didn't need to worry about schollie limits. The OSU teams of the 60's, for example -- their backups were high school all americans. It's vastly more competitive today.

[bdunn13]

If teams would stop playing ND, they would go away or join a conference.

[pk500]

There are a handful of schools which get top talent while the rest get scraps.

I think "scraps" is a bit...wrong.

There are around 20 schools that usually get their fair share of 4 star talent every single year. That's more than a handful, and the rest are hardly scraps. A great coaching staff can have more impact in college football than any other major sport, IMO.

Exactly. Look what Greg Schiano did this year at Rutgers with "scraps."

Truth is, Schiano doesn't have scraps. He made a concerted effort to penetrate Florida when he became Rutgers head coach, and that hard work has paid off with some talented athletes.

Schiano's successful recruiting of the "scraps" in Florida is one of the many reasons he's atop the list of candidates for the open job at the U.

One of the reasons why Syracuse is going nowhere with Greg Robinson as head coach is because Robinson has all but abandoned recruiting in Florida. His predecessor, Paul Pasqualoni, made a concerted effort to recruit in Florida, and it paid off with SU being a perennial Top 25 team throughout the 90s.

Robinson inexplicably thinks he can get the job done with Northeastern kids, which is a joke. Again, there's a reason why this guy was an assistant for 30 years before he got his first head job at SU.

Take care,
PK

[tjung0831]

Talking about being overrated, how about Brady Quinn. The national media hypes him up to be a top qb in the nfl but I don't see it. He's more of a Craig Krenzel type imo than an NFL Star QB.

I think you are going to be wrong on that one. He's an NFL Quarterback, and a good one no question about it.

[XXXIV]

Talking about being overrated, how about Brady Quinn. The national media hypes him up to be a top qb in the nfl but I don't see it. He's more of a Craig Krenzel type imo than an NFL Star QB.

I think you are going to be wrong on that one. He's an NFL Quarterback, and a good one no question about it.

There are no sure things...I heard the same crud about other ND qbs....Mirer and Powlus(Beano Cook was giving him 4 Heismanns...is that hype or what?)...They sucked...

The great ND NFL qb...Montana...was the one everyone dismissed.

Everything about every ND player is over blown and over hyped....yes there are great ND players that have played in the NFL...but not nearly as many as the hype machine and clowns like Brent Musburger would have ya believe.

[Sully]

In a shocking turn of events, ND drops to number 10 in the latest BCS rankings, which no longer guarantees them of a BCS bowl...if I'm not mistaken. I thought they had to be Top 8, with non-BCS schools being in the Top 12 to be eligible.

[EZSnappin]

In a shocking turn of events, ND drops to number 10 in the latest BCS rankings, which no longer guarantees them of a BCS bowl...if I'm not mistaken. I thought they had to be Top 8, with non-BCS schools being in the Top 12 to be eligible.

It is going to be close as Wisconsin is ranked higher, but they can't play in a BCS bowl due to the no more than two from a conference rule.

I've got my fingers crossed they miss out!

What about Oklahoma? If they hadn't got screwed in Eugene they are a one-loss team. Has any coach done a better job than Stoops this year - lose the QB before the season and Peterson early on and still be 10-2, counting the screwjob?

[pk500]

In a shocking turn of events, ND drops to number 10 in the latest BCS rankings, which no longer guarantees them of a BCS bowl...if I'm not mistaken. I thought they had to be Top 8, with non-BCS schools being in the Top 12 to be eligible.

From the AP report:

>>>Notre Dame dropped five spots to 10th place, which means the Fighting Irish are no longer in position to earn an automatic BCS bid. They needed to be in the top eight for that to happen. However, Notre Dame remains eligible to receive an at-large bid by finishing in the top 12. And if the Irish are eligible, they're a great bet to get picked by either the Rose, Sugar or Orange.<<<

Of course Notre Dame is a lock for a bogus BCS bid because ... well, gosh, gee wilikers, it's Notre Dame. Need you even ask?

Plus don't forget that Brady Quinn draws that coveted under-21 female demographic like nobody's business, an age group that every bowl game committee wants more than free booze at a pre-game party ...

Take care,
PK

[bkrich83]

In a shocking turn of events, ND drops to number 10 in the latest BCS rankings, which no longer guarantees them of a BCS bowl...if I'm not mistaken. I thought they had to be Top 8, with non-BCS schools being in the Top 12 to be eligible.

From the AP report:

>>>Notre Dame dropped five spots to 10th place, which means the Fighting Irish are no longer in position to earn an automatic BCS bid. They needed to be in the top eight for that to happen. However, Notre Dame remains eligible to receive an at-large bid by finishing in the top 12. And if the Irish are eligible, they're a great bet to get picked by either the Rose, Sugar or Orange.<<<

Of course Notre Dame is a lock for a bogus BCS bid because ... well, gosh, gee wilikers, it's Notre Dame. Need you even ask?

Plus don't forget that Brady Quinn draws that coveted under-21 female demographic like nobody's business, an age group that every bowl game committee wants more than free booze at a pre-game party ...

Take care,
PK

LOL. What a joke. Only ND, could get away with playing that schedule, coming away losing to USC and Michigan by an average of 23 points, and still get a BCS bid.

[pk500]

In a shocking turn of events, ND drops to number 10 in the latest BCS rankings, which no longer guarantees them of a BCS bowl...if I'm not mistaken. I thought they had to be Top 8, with non-BCS schools being in the Top 12 to be eligible.

From the AP report:

>>>Notre Dame dropped five spots to 10th place, which means the Fighting Irish are no longer in position to earn an automatic BCS bid. They needed to be in the top eight for that to happen. However, Notre Dame remains eligible to receive an at-large bid by finishing in the top 12. And if the Irish are eligible, they're a great bet to get picked by either the Rose, Sugar or Orange.<<<

Of course Notre Dame is a lock for a bogus BCS bid because ... well, gosh, gee wilikers, it's Notre Dame. Need you even ask?

Plus don't forget that Brady Quinn draws that coveted under-21 female demographic like nobody's business, an age group that every bowl game committee wants more than free booze at a pre-game party ...

Take care,
PK

LOL. What a joke. Only ND, could get away with playing that schedule, coming away losing to USC and Michigan by an average of 23 points, and still get a BCS bid.

Exactly. Very well said.

Take care,
PK

[wco81]

There are a handful of schools which get top talent while the rest get scraps.

I think "scraps" is a bit...wrong.

There are around 20 schools that usually get their fair share of 4 star talent every single year. That's more than a handful, and the rest are hardly scraps. A great coaching staff can have more impact in college football than any other major sport, IMO.

It was really bad back in the day when Woody and Bo would recruit who they wanted and didn't need to worry about schollie limits. The OSU teams of the 60's, for example -- their backups were high school all americans. It's vastly more competitive today.

Sure a school isn't going to get the top 2 QB prospects in the same year, since one will obviously opt to go somewhere else.

But it just seems like they get the pick of the litter from the hotbeds.

If there are 4-star players left over, it's only because it was a bumper crop year.

I think the dichotomy between great recruiters and coaches who know their Xs and Os, making the most with their talent, is greater in college basketball than football. In hoops, you only need to sell your program to a couple of key players and you could have a dominant team ... which ultimately gets upset by lesser opponents.

In football, you need more than a couple of big recruits. You need a couple of big recruit classes.

The top recruiting schools also happen to have very good coaching. There was a time when the Pac 10 sent a lot of coaches to the NFL while the dominant schools were coached by people like Switzer (and how was he as an NFL coach?). Now, the NFL-college connection is spread through all the conferences.

[pk500]

The top recruiting schools also happen to have very good coaching. There was a time when the Pac 10 sent a lot of coaches to the NFL while the dominant schools were coached by people like Switzer (and how was he as an NFL coach?). Now, the NFL-college connection is spread through all the conferences.

Switzer was the winning head coach in Super Bowl XXX and had a 45-26 career NFL coaching record. Not too shabby.

Take care,
PK