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All Purpose College Football Thread

MFS62 Sep 11 2005 10:43 AM

Just noticed we didn't have one yet. Games of interest to me yesterday: Connecticut, Notre Dame, LSU and Texas won Later

KC Sep 11 2005 12:40 PM

The only team that I've ever followed with any heart are the Black Knights of West Point - Go Army, Beat Navy. I grew up near West Point and had friends whose parents worked there and used to go to a bunch of games. Nice fall day out if ya can ever make it to Michie Stadium. Other than that, I just can't sit through a Saturday afternoon watching unless I'm gambling on the sheets or something and I haven't done that much in the last couple of years. Oh, and Army sucks - lost 44-7 yesterday to BC. All my teams suck.

Rockin' Doc Sep 11 2005 01:28 PM

Well, Duke is 0-2 after being thrashed by Virginia Tech by a score of 45-0 yesterday. No surprise there. So, when does basketball season start anyway? West Virginia is 2-0 sfter having beaten Syracuse and Wofford. We'll start to see what they really have when they take on Maryland next week. The big match up will be when they take on Virginia Tech at Morgantown on October 1. The Big East may be an even stronger basketball conference than in the past, but their current line up of teams makes for a pretty weak football conference. The Falcons of Air Force are 2-0 thanks to their victories over the Washington Huskies and San Diego State. I've always pulled for the Air Force Academy since my father spent 23 years in the Air Force and I spent most of my youth on military bases.

Valadius Sep 11 2005 02:11 PM

GWU doesn't have a football team. No one knows why, though. We did win the 1957 Sun Bowl.

Johnny Dickshot Sep 11 2005 02:34 PM

10th-ranked (1-aa) Hens rally from a 27-13 deficit to beat Lehigh 34-33 in OT.

Rockin' Doc Sep 18 2005 09:50 PM

Duke collected their annual victory with a 40-14 win over VMI. They'll pay for it next week when they head to Charlottesville to take on Virginia. West Virginia continues to roll with a 31-19 victory oer the Maryland Terrapins. WVU controlled the line of scrimmage and amassed 301 yards rushing while holding Maryland to only 50 yards (1.7 yds/carry) on the ground. The Air Force Falcons fell to Wyoming by a score of 28-27.

seawolf17 Sep 18 2005 09:55 PM

Hofstra 55, Stony Brook 0. Our kids are still smarter.

Edgy DC Sep 26 2005 03:29 PM

"Where'd he pull that play out of?"

MFS62 Sep 26 2005 03:38 PM

And Tulane, that college from New Orleans, wins! Good for them. Has Liberty scored a point yet? Later

Rockin' Doc Oct 08 2005 03:41 PM

West Virginia (5-1) is right where I would have expected them to be at this point in the season. After the pounding Virginia Tech gave them last week, the Mountaineers traveled to New Jersey and rebounded with a victory over Rutgers. They take on #23 Louisville next. Alas, the Duke Blue Devils (1-4) are also where I expected them to be. They collected their annual victory against VMI, now they prepare for the thrashing that annually comes from playing the Miami Hurricanes. The Falcons of Air Force (2-3) are having a tough season. They fell below .500 on the season with a loss to Colorado State.

seawolf17 Oct 08 2005 03:43 PM

Stony Brook (1-3) takes on Albany (0-4) at 4:00 pm in a battle for SUNY pride. The two teams, in eight games, have combined for 62 points this year, while giving up a combined 140. Yikes.

Rockin' Doc Oct 08 2005 03:51 PM

Looks like you're in for a low scoring affair. Best of luck to Stony Brook.

soupcan Oct 08 2005 05:06 PM

Freakin' UConn.

cooby Oct 08 2005 05:23 PM

Ohio State fans, prepare to cry

Rockin' Doc Oct 10 2005 01:06 PM

Belated congratulation's to cooby's Penn State Nitanny Lions for their victory over Ohio State. As expected, there was no celebrating among Duke fans after Miami finished mauling the Blue Devils. Duke did manage to score a touchdown on them so they're not so tough.

Johnny Dickshot Oct 10 2005 01:40 PM

Hens let Hoftsra ruin homecoming. Losing to Hofstra is just gross.

Methead Oct 10 2005 03:53 PM

Good Lord, the Orangemen suck.

Rockin' Doc Oct 10 2005 08:21 PM

Methead, as we Duke fans like to say during the football season, "Basketball season is just around the corner".

Willets Point Oct 10 2005 09:14 PM

A rare appearance for me in this thread, but needed to point out that my alma mater William & Mary beat conference rivals and #1 ranked New Hampshire. Equally rare, I will actually be attending a college football game when W&M plays Northeastern on Saturday. I generally attend college football games for the social aspects, but if I actually watch any of the game I'll report it here.

PiazzaFan411 Oct 14 2005 11:41 AM

Norte DamE should have tough work from the USC guys

HahnSolo Oct 14 2005 11:54 AM

Willets, I don't follow 1-AA football all that much, but your school is in a great conference for football. They've had the last two 1-AA national champs (Delaware and James Madison) and as you've said, UNH was #1 earlier this year. Hope you enjoy the game.

metirish Oct 15 2005 11:21 PM

Notre Dame V USC today was some game, an instant classic.This game had it all and I can't wait for next season because the Irish should contend for a National title next year.

martin Oct 16 2005 04:10 AM

i agree dude, that usc game was amazing. usc really just does not lose. although i do think they are giving leinart a little too much credit for the final td, because i dont think he fooled anyone into thinking he was gonna spike the ball to stop the clock for the field goal team. notre dame wasnt caught off guard, it is just hard to stop a big fella like leinart from squirming one yard. also usc is a bunch of chumps for claiming they are going for a third national title. they didnt win it in 2003, LSU (my alma mater) did. i dont buy this split national title garbage. you agree to the bcs system, you agree when the bcs doesnt award you the title.

Willets Point Oct 16 2005 02:05 PM

Went to the William & Mary @ Northeastern game yesterday in a pouring rain. As much as I mock football here, I have to say this was one of the most exciting games I've ever seen. The first half was pretty dull and ended with the score tied at 10. In the third quarter the Huskies scored three quick touchdowns with the help of a fumble and interception by the Tribe quarterback. As the third quarter was ending things looked hopeless for W&M and their second string quarterback Jake Phillips came in. Phillips simply connected 18 for 20 passes and 256 yards, quickly throwing three touchdowns to tie the game up in the 4th and then adding another touchdown in the first overtime and finally leaping into the endzone for the winning touchdown in the 2d overtime. Story

Methead Oct 17 2005 09:20 AM

Syracuse fumbled NINE times against Rutgers on Saturday. Yeeeesh.

soupcan Oct 17 2005 09:39 AM

Meanwhile I read in The Sporting News that Syracuse 'will be just fine...'. 'Good staff, good offensive schemes, blah, blah, blah...' I don't recall having a season as crappy as this in the past 20 years.

Centerfield Oct 17 2005 03:03 PM

Good Lord the Orangemen suck. You know somewhere Pasquoloni is loving this season. He probably has these games on TIVO.

Rockin' Doc Oct 17 2005 10:48 PM

WVU scored 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to tie Louisville at 24 and force an overtime. The two teams traded touchdowns and extra points in the first 2 overtimes. WVU won in the third overtime on a touchdown and a 2 pt. conversion. Louisville came back with yet another touchdown of their own, but their 2 point attempt was unsuccessful when their quarterback was stopped short of the end zone on a scramble. WVU freshman running back Steve Slaton led the comeback with 6 touchdowns in the second half and OT. The win moved WVU to #20 in the polls. Duke played patsy to Georgia Tech. The Yellowjackets trounced the Blue Devils 35-10. Air Force made the Runnin' Rebels of UNLV long for the start of the basketball season. The Falcons were easy winners by a score of 42-7.

PatchyFogg Oct 19 2005 02:55 PM

Last night, we interviewed Eric Hansen, the Notre Dame beat writer for the South Bend Tribune. The interview is 28 commercial-free minutes and focuses on the USC game. I just put it up on the web. Here's the link: http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg I hope you enjoy. Patchy ND '92 Patchy's Note: The first 10 or so seconds, I didn't turn my mic up high enough, but I fixed it soon thereafter.

Elster88 Oct 19 2005 04:00 PM

Centerfield wrote: Good Lord the Orangemen suck. You know somewhere Pasquoloni is loving this season. He probably has these games on TIVO. Elster88 never thought he would see the day where UConn beat the Orange in football. Of course, the same was true for basketball up until about 15-20 years ago, too. _____________________________ This post had the designation 138) Rickey Henderson

Frayed Knot Oct 25 2005 12:13 AM

I don't generally watch college football but there is something I've noticed and am curious about: WHAT THE HELL DO THEY SPEND THEIR TIME ON DURING THE GAMES???? In flipping channels last weekend I noted that the Notre Dame game kicked off right at 2:40. And then hours later - 6:30 to be exact - I flicked the TV on again AND THE GAME IS STILL GOING!! (it ended a few ticks shy of 4 hours). And I know this isn't an isolated instance because it's something I've noticed about college football for several years now - 3-1/2 hours seems to be the minimum. They're worse than the pros (he types as the 'Tuesday Morning Football' game of the week marches on). I mean, how many times do I need to hear that baseball games are too long (2:47 avg in the AL this year) while the same media is silent about the "pure" game on collegiate gridirons? And at least when a baseball game runs long it's because something's going on. Now it may be boring stuff - too many walks, too many pitching changes and throws to 1st, etc - or it could be legit action. But in a timed game the excess time is by definition down time - ie; commercials and stopped action. The discontinued "action" in the NYGiant game Sunday afternoon was tough enough to watch . But I don't care how exciting those ending may have been a few weeks back but those games must have seemed interminable for someone who was watching from the beginning.

Willets Point Oct 25 2005 11:15 AM

B-b-b-ut that down time in football means seeing more Budweiser and Big Breasts, two hallowed American traditions.

MFS62 Oct 25 2005 03:43 PM

In all the "big game" excitement this past weekend, did anyone notice that Army won a football game? They beat Akron 20-0 Saturday night. Later

seawolf17 Nov 12 2005 10:16 PM

As if one championship (see the "Soccer" thread) in one day isn't enough, the Stony Brook Seawolves claimed a share of the Northeast Division football title today with a last-minute 23-21 win over Central CT State. It's the school's first NEC championship, and it comes in coach Sam Kornhauser's twenty-second -- and final -- season as coach.

Valadius Nov 12 2005 11:06 PM

There are now only two unbeaten teams in Division I-A - USC and Texas.

martin Nov 12 2005 11:45 PM

Valadius wrote: There are now only two unbeaten teams in Division I-A - USC and Texas. thats right, because my alma mater LSU did some serious work in tuscaloosa today. beautiful game. geaux tigers.

soupcan Nov 13 2005 12:13 PM

Syracuse - 1-8 going into their final game next week against Notre Dame. I wonder how that game will turn out. Sheesh.

Methead Nov 14 2005 09:25 AM

Hopefully it's their final game. I could swear I saw someplace they had a game against Louisville after that. A valuable lesson for any aspiring coach : You can't just say you're going to institute a west-coast offense and magically make it happen if you don't have the right players.

cooby Nov 14 2005 09:30 AM

Maybe they'll get a bowl bid

Methead Nov 14 2005 02:31 PM

34-point underdogs to Notre Dame as of now.

Rockin' Doc Nov 14 2005 10:31 PM

West Virginia moves to #13 in both the AP and the USA Today polls after dominating Cincinnati 38-0. The offense is starting to click better now that freshman Pat White has been inserted into the starting quarterback slot. He and freshman running back Steve Slaton are making the present and future look bright in Morgantown. Duke continues to show up and take a beating each week. This week Clemson got to administer the beating, 49-20. Air Force fell to Army by the same score, 27-24, that it fell to Navy earlier this season. I guess the big Army-Navy match up should be a good one this year.

MFS62 Nov 15 2005 10:53 AM

Bobby Ross has turned around that good old Army team. I'm not sure if Army Navy will be a good game or not, but at least it won't be an emabrassment to the Pentagon that it has been in recent years when Army went into the game with 0-2 wins. My son -in-law is in the National Guard. Last year his unit was assigned to homeland defense. They get stationed at West Point. (Why the furure Generals need protection is another matter). I told him the best way he could protect them would be to keep busses of visiting football teams from entering the gates of Michie Stadium. Later

jerseyshore Nov 15 2005 07:14 PM

GO COCKS.......( The South Carolina Gamecocks)...in consecutive weeks beat Tennessee in Knoxville for the first time ever , then beat Florida for the first time since 1939!!!

soupcan Nov 15 2005 09:44 PM

You just can't lick those cocks.

jerseyshore Nov 16 2005 03:19 PM

soupcan wrote: You just can't lick those cocks. nor can any one hold our COCKS for four periods

soupcan Nov 19 2005 03:43 PM

'Cuse leads Notre Dame 3-0 in the 2nd quarter. Not like they'll even come close to winning this game but the year this team has had, holding ND scoreless through a quarter and a half is newsworthy.

OlerudOwned Nov 19 2005 04:45 PM

@#!&!#@$!!!! ...Michigan

cooby Nov 19 2005 07:28 PM

Yes!! Big Ten Champs!

OlerudOwned Nov 19 2005 07:56 PM

="cooby"] Yes!! Big Ten Champs! Better them than the Buckeyes. Congrats.

ScarletKnight41 Nov 19 2005 08:17 PM

Congrats Penn State :)

cooby Nov 19 2005 08:22 PM

Believe it, baby!!! Yeah!!

KC Dec 03 2005 02:37 PM

oose mah rah rah osse mah rah rah oose mah oose mah oose mah rah rah GO ARMY! BEAT NAVY!

martin Dec 03 2005 10:09 PM

if today had gone perfectly, usc and texas would have lost, allowing LSU to slide into the rose bowl. things didnt go well. now that LSU lost the SEC championship i will direct my fan energies towards hoping texas beats USC. i have had enough of them saying they are looking for a 3rd straight national title. damn them, LSU won the BCS in 2003 and USC is in a BCS conference! go texas.

cooby Dec 03 2005 10:10 PM

martin wrote: if today had gone perfectly, usc and texas would have lost, allowing LSU to slide into the rose bowl. go texas. Excuse me, martin dear, I believe you mean PSU. But go texas, indeed!

martin Dec 03 2005 10:25 PM

hey, i wouldnt mind PSU/LSU both in the rose bowl, that would be beautiful. but you are right, there is no way LSU would have passed PSU as one of the one-loss teams in the rose had there been some losses by the two big boys. especially not with human voters loving joepa so much. i would have argued that beating georgia late should have put LSU over the top, but thats all moot now, dang it.

cooby Dec 03 2005 10:55 PM

:) Maybe next year

ScarletKnight41 Dec 04 2005 08:18 AM

Hey - Freakin' Rutgers is going to its first bowl game in ages this year!

MFS62 Dec 04 2005 11:45 AM

Hook 'Em Horns! Later

Hillbilly Dec 11 2005 02:31 PM

Not only are we going to a bowl game, but the NY Times seems to have noticed! I would have likely planned on attending if it was going to be in the Big Easy, but some how Lafayette doesn't have quite the same allure. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/sports/ncaafootball/11arkstate.html?adxnnl=1&emc=eta1&adxnnlx=1134328719-wdn41Vd9uYkKBN13sAmM+Q

ScarletKnight41 Dec 26 2005 01:33 PM

Freakin' Rutgers is in the Insight Bowl Tuesday night. Go Freakin' Rutgers!

MFS62 Dec 26 2005 01:56 PM

Do you have any insight as to whether Rutgers will cover the point spread ? Later

ScarletKnight41 Dec 26 2005 02:51 PM

I'm looking for them to win the whole thing.

ScarletKnight41 Dec 27 2005 09:14 PM

Freakin' Rutgers actually has a 17-7 lead in the first quarter. This is not a defensive matchup - tune into the Insight Bowl if you enjoy high scoring games.

MFS62 Dec 28 2005 07:30 AM

Well, they covered the spread. They represented the Big East against the PAC 10 (or whatever they are these days) very well. This team led mighty USC for a while. Maybe eastern football is better, and western football is weaker, then people think. Hook 'Em Horns! Later

KC Dec 31 2005 02:43 PM

There's an awful lot of empty seats at most of the bowl games I've flipped through so far. If they're such a big deal, why is attendance so bad?

Willets Point Dec 31 2005 03:08 PM

Probably 'cause there are 8 cajillion bowl games, many of them featuring the likes of Nowhere State Univeristy versus Neverheardofem College.

cooby Dec 31 2005 04:03 PM

The good bowl games are Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Frayed Knot Jan 01 2006 10:11 PM

KC wrote: There's an awful lot of empty seats at most of the bowl games I've flipped through so far. If they're such a big deal, why is attendance so bad? Because they're not a big deal. One of the reasons they even sell as many tickets as they do is that season the local businesses and mover/shaker types who buy season tickets for the local team that plays at the stadium where bowls are played are generally stuck buying the bowl tickets too. Most just consider it just a cost of doing business and a worthwhile price to pay in order to get the in-season seats which are in big demand and can be used for execs and clients and such. But then if the teams that wind up invited to that bowl don't generate a lot of local interest than those tickets go unused even though they're bought and paid for. So between this near guaranteed ticket selling scheme and the fact that espn will always pay to televise them (like what else are they going to show during the end-of-year holiday weeks?) these things generate enough cash to make schools fight for the payouts and it's the reason why the whole bowl system is kept afloat. It's also why the playoff system that many wish for isn't close to happening; they're afraid all these minors bowls would die out as a result. The real question should be why these things are treated as if they're important? I mean I understand why the students and alums of the schools playing pay attention, but why the sports media and the public at large does is something that totally escapes me.

cooby Jan 02 2006 04:48 PM

Notre Dame vs Ohio State will be a good game too

Frayed Knot Jan 02 2006 11:06 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 02 2006 11:24 PM

Another thing about these bowl games ... can any one of them finish in under 4 hours?? And when a timed game runs long then that excess is by definition down time. IOW, less than one quarter of the game is actual game. I just checked in on the Sugar Bowl. It was an 8:50 kickoff. I think it was supposed to be more like 8:30 but the 4:30 whatever bowl which preceded it (actual kickoff around 5PM) didn't end until just about 8:50 so the TV folks probably held it up. It's now past 11:00 ... and they're still in halftime.

cooby Jan 02 2006 11:21 PM

Gotta agree with you there, Frayed Knot. The Orange Bowl, which I do care about because, after all, PSU has about sixty thousand of our hard earned bucks, is on a work/school night tomorrow. Doubtful we'll see the end of it.

Rockin' Doc Jan 03 2006 12:56 AM

How about those Mountaineers? Led by a pair of freshman, the West Virginia Mountaineers jumped out to a 28 - 0 lead on the University of Georgia in Atlanta. Then they battled to hold on for a 38 - 35 win in the Nokia Sugar Bowl. West Virginia upheld the honor of the much maligned Big East conference football.

cooby Jan 03 2006 09:09 PM

Congrats, Hottie. But yuck, I forgot that the Seminoles do that stupid tomahawk chop thing

Rockin' Doc Jan 04 2006 07:22 AM

Congratulations to you on Penn States marathon victory over Florida State last night/this morning.

cooby Jan 04 2006 07:37 AM

WOOOOOO!

ScarletKnight41 Jan 04 2006 08:17 AM

Congrats cooby!

cooby Jan 04 2006 09:18 AM

And yeah, we did stay up!

ScarletKnight41 Jan 04 2006 10:13 AM

One of the girls who works at my gym is a Penn State alum and a big fan - she goes to all of the home games. So yesterday, I wished her luck. She asked if I was going to stay up for the game, and I told her I didn't think so. Her parting words to me were, "Hopefully they'll have a big enough lead at halftime so we can all just go to sleep." I'm sure she's dragging today.

cooby Jan 04 2006 10:18 AM

No she's not. Trust me! :)

DocTee Jan 05 2006 12:45 AM

WOW-- Two great Bowl games to end the season--- Vince Young is a God and, according to my four year old, Matt Leinart is a sore loser.

Frayed Knot Jan 05 2006 10:25 AM

That makes the Longhorns both the reigning college football AND (more importantly) baseball champions. That's something that probably hasn't been pulled off many times. I haven't heard if it's a first -- and probably won't come to think of it because I'm not sure that those who have been beating this game to death for the last few weeks and will analyze it to death for the next few days are even aware that baseball is played at the university level.

Elster88 Jan 05 2006 10:30 AM

Is there a 4 hour minimum for all college games? And the bands gave me a headache by the end of the first series. When will the world realize that the only one who wants to hear their music are the band members themselves and their parents? Let them do their little halftime show, but other than that stop trying to kill me. Do you regular college football watchers just not hear it after a while? I think that constant barrage would drive me insane. It may have already done so.

Edgy DC Jan 05 2006 10:34 AM

Mr. Dickshot, your rebuttal?

cooby Jan 05 2006 10:44 AM

Elster, I never noticed the Blue Band, but I absolutely noticed that frickin Tomahawk chop song the FSU band played practically non stop

Elster88 Jan 05 2006 10:46 AM

FSU wasn't in yesterday's game, though. I couldn't distinguish between the two bands, all I remember is what sounded like the exact same thing over and over and over. I guess there were two distinct things going on.

cooby Jan 05 2006 10:49 AM

No, I mean Tuesday night, I didn't watch last night They played the Tomahawk thingy (complete with a whistle intro) and some tune that sounds like a funeral dirge

Elster88 Jan 05 2006 10:50 AM

It is every game then.

cooby Jan 05 2006 10:51 AM

No, I mean Tuesday night, I didn't watch last night They played the Tomahawk thingy (complete with a whistle intro) and some tune that sounds like a funeral dirge

Elster88 Jan 05 2006 10:52 AM

Gotcha. What I'm saying is that every game includes a nonstop barrage of the same thirty seconds of band music.

Frayed Knot Jan 05 2006 11:00 AM

The Florida State "Tomahawk Chop" is supposedly the genesis for the one Atlanta Braves fans do - although the FSU version was originally an imitation of a throwing, not chopping, motion as it's modeled after their Seminole Indian mascot throwing his spear into the ground from atop his horse as he does before games. One story has it that it was some college buddies of FSU-alum Deion Sanders who brought it with them when he was playing w/Atlanta. The lengthy halftime shows are only one reason why these games are taking forever. there's a whole host of other factors. But the bottom line is that when you've got nearly an [u:5cb6f31c68]hour's more[/u:5cb6f31c68] [u:5cb6f31c68]downtime than a NFL game[/u:5cb6f31c68] then you've got problems.

Elster88 Jan 05 2006 11:09 AM

Not stopping the clock on first downs was mentioned on the radio yesterday. Makes sense to me.

Willets Point Jan 05 2006 11:11 AM

Not stopping the clock at all (a la soccer) makes sense to me.

MFS62 Jan 05 2006 11:30 AM

Frayed Knot wrote: That makes the Longhorns both the reigning college football AND (more importantly) baseball champions. And last time I looked, they were in the top 5 in men's basketball. But upsetting Duke in the finals may be a more daunting task than beating "unbeatable" (heh heh ) USC in football. Hook 'em Horns! Later

Rockin' Doc Jan 05 2006 01:06 PM

The constant band noise is far worse in bowl games than during most regular season match ups. Generally, only the home team has a band for most regular season games due to the expense of taking the band on the road. Without another band to "battle" in an effort to out do one another, most of the games are much quieter than last night's game. Plus the made for television halftime show is much more extensive at major bowl games than during most other games. It's much like all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the Super Bowl as opposed to a typical regular season game.

seawolf17 Jan 05 2006 01:13 PM

From The [url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060105]Sports Guy[/url]: ]Note: I loved watching the Monday Bowl games, when the No. 9 team was battling the No. 12 team, and people were pretending that this was even remotely interesting. Oooooooh, if they lose, they could drop from No. 9 to No. 14 for the season! Who cares? Does anyone even keep track of this stuff? Imagine if, one day before the NFL playoffs started, San Diego played Kansas City to determine who was the 13th best team in the NFL? Or what if the AFC and NFC Championship losers met one day before the Super Bowl to battle for the No. 3 ranking? Would anyone care? Of course not. So why would anyone follow these meaningless college bowl games? I find the whole thing perplexing. I don't think I'll ever really care about college football.

cooby Jan 05 2006 01:14 PM

So, if he doesn't like them, why the hell is he watching them? And worse, subjecting us people who do like them to his "commentary"?

cooby Jan 05 2006 01:26 PM

btw, I mean the "sportsguy", not you seawolf. Your comments are not exciting the masses.

Hillbilly Jan 05 2006 03:38 PM

You'll never understand the passion, the tradition, the total craziness that is college football until you become intimately involved with one of these big time programs. There are very few large state schools near New York and most of those aren’t big-time football schools. So couple that lack of intimacy with the saturation of professional sports, and you’ll hardly notice college football. I know that’s the way it was for me. My first glance at the college game as a cultural phenomenon was when I went to use the Penn State library on a Saturday in the late eighties. There were literately 100,000s of people in town, most stuck in traffic jams. I ditched my car and walked and soon learned Norte Dame was in town. I had the library to myself. Then when I got to Auburn in the early 90s, I really got an education on college football. Sure that 86,000+ seat stadium right in the center of campus was hard to ignore, but I had no idea that thousands of RVs would start showing up on Tuesday for a Saturday game and by Thursday campus would look like it was hosting the State Fair – people everywhere. Well sure you say that’s where the word ‘fan’ comes from – fanatic. It so much more. During a game in Auburn town would be empty, no people no traffic – nothing. Many stores would be closed. Every (and I do mean every) store that was open would have the game blasting on the radio, every restaurant on the TV. Every play big play would be met with a cheer in the stores, restaurants – by everybody in whole area. Nothing would have prepared me for, and I have no way of really explaining it. You have to be involved with one of these universities to really appreciate the college game. It’s a lot of fun.

cooby Jan 05 2006 03:42 PM

Hillbilly wrote: You'll never understand the passion, the tradition, the total craziness that is college football until you become intimately involved with one of these big time programs. There are very few large state schools near New York and most of those aren’t big-time football schools. So couple that lack of intimacy with the saturation of professional sports, and you’ll hardly notice college football. I know that’s the way it was for me. My first glance at the college game as a cultural phenomenon was when I went to use the Penn State library on a Saturday in the late eighties. There were literately 100,000s of people in town, most stuck in traffic jams. I ditched my car and walked and soon learned Norte Dame was in town. I had the library to myself. . Ah, a compadre!

Willets Point Jan 05 2006 03:47 PM

Well I'd agree that's true of all college sports teams that to be interested you would have to be: a) student, alumni, employee of college/university b) have a close family/friend affiliated to college/university whose fandom is contagious or c) grow up and/or live in college town. The rest of us just aren't going to care that much.

Elster88 Jan 05 2006 03:56 PM

cooby wrote: So, if he doesn't like them, why the hell is he watching them? And worse, subjecting us people who do like them to his "commentary"? His running commentaries are the best of his stuff, and I love most of his stuff. Maybe it's an idiot thing. I'm an idiot and the Sports Guy reminds us constantly that he is an idiot. I wonder what Johnny Damon thinks.

Elster88 Jan 05 2006 03:58 PM

Reading that article reminds me, I thought Keith Jackson was absolutely terrible yesterday. My favorite part was when the 3rd quarter ended and he spent (literally) 5-10 seconds trying to figure out (out loud over the air, mind you) which team had called timeout and why.

Elster88 Jan 05 2006 04:03 PM

]Funny shot of Leinart warming up and wearing a conspicuous knee brace. After the Saints locked up the No. 2 pick, do you think Leinart went to USC's doctor and asked, "Can you give me the biggest, scariest looking knee brace you can find?" HAHAHAHA I love it. (Maybe I shouldn't laugh, is it taboo to make fun of anything associated with NO still?) ] All right, is there a dumber sports rule than "If your knee hits the ground, the play is over ... even if if you weren't touched" in college football? That's right up there with "You can't just intentionally walk someone, you have to throw four balls," "You don't get an extra foul for overtime," "You can call a timeout while you're in midair" and "You aren't allowed to punch A-Rod in the face during a game" in the pantheon of Dumb Rules That Only Make Sports Less Fun.

cooby Jan 05 2006 04:06 PM

Elster88 wrote: Reading that article reminds me, I thought Keith Jackson was absolutely terrible yesterday. My favorite part was when the 3rd quarter ended and he spent (literally) 5-10 seconds trying to figure out (out loud over the air, mind you) which team had called timeout and why. lol, now I wish I'd watched

Elster88 Jan 05 2006 04:17 PM

You missed some great moments, cooby. I missed this one yesterday: After the two point conversion: ]-- Jackson: "Only 19 seconds to play ... clock didn't move on that play." -- Fouts: "That's an extra point, it's probably not going to ... "

ScarletKnight41 Jan 05 2006 04:19 PM

Willets Point wrote: Well I'd agree that's true of all college sports teams that to be interested you would have to be: a) student, alumni, employee of college/university b) have a close family/friend affiliated to college/university whose fandom is contagious or c) grow up and/or live in college town. The rest of us just aren't going to care that much. I can see Willets' point. Last week was the first time that a school I was affiliated with ever went to a bowl game in my lifetime (it may be the first time that a school I've been affiliated with ever had a football game with a winning season while I was there), and I really had a lot of fun watching the game. Otherwise, I have absolutely no interest in college football.

cooby Jan 05 2006 04:21 PM

Keith Jackson often seems dazed and confused at late, I've noticed that too

seawolf17 Jan 05 2006 04:22 PM

Living in Rochester, I never understood the obsession with Syracuse. I know Rochester didn't have any D-I sports of their own, but it's Syracuse! Our mortal enemy as a city! I understood the Bills fandom, but Syracuse... bleh.

Frayed Knot Jan 05 2006 04:31 PM

]You have to be involved with one of these universities to really appreciate the college game. Y'see, I understand all that even though I'm not a part of it. Heck, I've got 3 relatives who attended Duke and I know how they get during ACC basketball season. But what I don't "get" about college sports (echoing Willetts here) is why so many who have no connection to those schools are interested and why the media treat what essentially are "minor leagues" on a level with pro sports. What fuels a lot of this IMO is simple bandwagon jumping. Non-students/alums attach themselves to a program (how did teams become "programs"?) that wins alot to give themselves the opportunity to walk around on Sunday morning with their chests puffed out 8 weeks out of 11 (in a bad year) because "their" team won. I've met a lot of Big-10 fans over the years here in NY, funny how they've all been Ohio St or Michigan fans. I've yet to see a guy in a Minnesota Golden Gophers sweatshirt walking around the mall. I remember one time on the old MoFo, during a discussion on what other teams/sports people followed, one chap chimed in with; "well I'm a Miami Hurricanes fans in football but a UNC Tarheels fan in basketball:; and I'm thinking, 'wow gee, not the other way around ... how'd you ever come up with those two?!?!' There's also the media bandwagon jumping. Not just on winners (although they do that too) but that they latch on to the school/community spirit that Hillbilly talks about even though it's got nothing to do with them! They're pretending they're apart of something and basking in it to suit their own needs. They also have the sneaky habit of treating the sport as amateur when that serves their purpose ("abuses, what abuses? ... this is "pure" sport) yet treat it as professional when that becomes convenient to do so (like when THEY and their coaching pals - and not the players of course - are making a fucking fortune off of it). College sports can be wonderful. I just wish they'd remain more confined to the campuses.

seawolf17 Jan 05 2006 04:40 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: But what I don't "get" about college sports (echoing Willetts here) is why so many who have no connection to those schools are interested and why the media treat what essentially are "minor leagues" on a level with pro sports. My point exactly. If they're going to be a minor league, then pay the players and treat them as such. If they're going to be "student-athletes," then guess what? They have to be students also. None of this three-credits-of-ballroom-dancing Matt Leinart crap. I work at a D-I university; I know athletics can be a cash cow if done well, and it's plenty of free national exposure (Hey! We were on Sportscenter when UConn kicked our asses last week!) that raises the public perception. But that doesn't mean it's always ethically correct.

Hillbilly Jan 05 2006 04:40 PM

ScarletKnight41 wrote: ="Willets Point"]Well I'd agree that's true of all college sports teams that to be interested you would have to be: a) student, alumni, employee of college/university b) have a close family/friend affiliated to college/university whose fandom is contagious or c) grow up and/or live in college town. The rest of us just aren't going to care that much. I can see Willets' point. Last week was the first time that a school I was affiliated with ever went to a bowl game in my lifetime (it may be the first time that a school I've been affiliated with ever had a football game with a winning season while I was there), and I really had a lot of fun watching the game. Otherwise, I have absolutely no interest in college football. "I can see Willets' point" pun inteaded? My point is that this is a regionist view. Your first taste with 'the State University of New Jersey' is like getting a drop of sea water on you and thinking that you understand the vastest of the Atlantic. I know because I'm a product of that region. I didn't have a clue what all the fuss was about. People in most parts of the country are nuts for college football. In these places it's the number one sport without any rivals and fans are not limited to those on Willet's list.

Elster88 Jan 05 2006 04:40 PM

I got into UConn basketball when I was 8 because I was complaining that with the end of football I had no sports to watch, and my parents (both alumni) told me to watch it.

ScarletKnight41 Jan 05 2006 04:57 PM

Hillbilly wrote: "I can see Willets' point" pun inteaded? I wish I could say it was, but I was accidentally witty in that case.

Hillbilly Jan 05 2006 04:58 PM

'why so many who have no connection to those schools' With all due respect, and not counting some lame-brains in the mall or on the MOFO, this is a poorly thought out statement. Take a university like Ohio State with an undergraduate enrollment of 50,000+. Just about everybody in central Ohio has a direct connection with the university. Regionally it's the number one employer by a long shot. Entire families get their degrees there -- for generations! The universities impact on the regional economy can't be measured: the workforce is trained there, industries R & D occurs there, it's the only cultural center available. If you think about it loyal allegiances to pro teams seem silly in comparison.

Elster88 Jan 05 2006 05:07 PM

]If they're going to be "student-athletes," then guess what? They have to be students also. None of this three-credits-of-ballroom-dancing Matt Leinart crap. Well, couldn't any student do this?

Hillbilly Jan 05 2006 05:33 PM

[url]http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/Internet/attendance/IA_AVGATTENDANCE.pdf[/url] Check out these attendance numbers. It takes a lot more than 'media hype' or bandwagon jumping" to expalin these.

seawolf17 Jan 05 2006 05:45 PM

Elster88 wrote: ]If they're going to be "student-athletes," then guess what? They have to be students also. None of this three-credits-of-ballroom-dancing Matt Leinart crap. Well, couldn't any student do this? Not ones who make millions of dollars in ticket sales and merchandising.

Willets Point Jan 05 2006 06:45 PM

College town can of course mean college region or college state in some places especially where there are no professional alternatives.

MFS62 Jan 05 2006 09:37 PM

And many who went to schools with no football team, or who liked the college sport but never went to college, there was always Notre Dame. Later

Rockin' Doc Jan 05 2006 11:59 PM

Why do I (and many of my friends) enjoy college sports? 1) I’m a fan of the game - I like baseball. I enjoy watching the Mets play, but I can also enjoy watching the Twins and White Sox play because I am a fan of the game. I can enjoy watching the College World Series or a minor league game for the same reason. I also like basketball and football. 2) I enjoy watching players that play for the enjoyment of the game – Certainly Vince Young, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinnart, and a few of their respective teammates will make a living playing in the NFL, but the majority of those that participated in the Rose Bowl will never get into a NFL game without buying a ticket. Many people have grown tired of the constant strikes and bickering over massive sums of money that accompanies professional sports. I enjoy seeing the youthful exuberance and passion for the game exhibited by true student athletes. They do exist. 3) I admire the commitment it takes to be a student athlete – College is hard enough as it is. Spending large amounts of time in practices and meetings, missing classes while traveling for competitions, and rehabbing from injuries only add to the rigors of getting a college education. 4) The atmosphere of college athletics is hard to match - It is hard to beat the atmosphere and excitement surrounding a UNC vs. Duke basketball game or U Conn vs. Syracuse game. Army and Navy or can’t wait for their annual clash on the grid iron. There is so much pride at stake for the schools and their fans. As Hillbilly says, you almost have to experience it to appreciate it. 5) I’m a competition junky – I have always enjoyed the rush of athletic competition. I also enjoy watching others, amateur and professional alike; pursue excellence on the athletic field. 6) I, like millions of others in this country, don’t live near major metropolitan areas with pro teams – Those segments of the population that are born and raised away from large metropolitan areas can often better relate to a state university as a fan than they can a distant pro team. Why would a kid born and raised in Alabama give a damn about the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox or Braves? Pulling for Auburn or Alabama gives them something to discuss and argue about with their peers. I was born in New York and raised around the world as a military brat. I became a fan of the Mets, Giants, and Knicks (when I actually cared about the NBA) because I considered my birthplace of New York as home. Those allegiances have stuck with me throughout my life as a fan. I am a fan of WVU because I attended school at a branch campus as a student athlete and my best friend played football at Morgantown while studying pre-law. I am a Duke fan, though I never attended school there, because North Carolina is now my home. Upon moving here more than 20 years ago, I quickly grew tired of constantly hearing about UNC from my partner and most of my patients. I also grew tired of hearing many locals knock Duke as a school for “a bunch of spoiled, rich kids from the Northeast". Such is the perception that exists among many UNC and NC State fans. My New York roots gained a perverse satisfaction when the spoiled, rich New Englanders beat their teams on the field of competition (other than the gridiron) and quieted their fans.

Edgy DC Jan 06 2006 12:11 AM

Part of me enjoys the strikes. I don't think they're constant, though I wish that not every contract led at least to the brink of one. But sports is big business, and I enjoy seeing the guys risking the most fighting for their share. The youthful exuberance is nice, but sometimes I feel complcit in the exploitation of that youthful exuberance. At least the pros who risk horrific knee damage, steroids side effects, and worse are being well compensated for their peril --- rather than do it all to enrich another.. I think the NFL players would do well to strike a couple of times.

Frayed Knot Jan 06 2006 12:32 AM

]Take a university like Ohio State with an undergraduate enrollment of 50,000+. Just about everybody in central Ohio has a direct connection with the university. Regionally it's the number one employer by a long shot. Entire families get their degrees there -- for generations! The universities impact on the regional economy can't be measured: the workforce is trained there, industries R & D occurs there, it's the only cultural center available But those are the people with connections to the schools that I'm talking about. Ones who went there, go there now, have relatives there, work for the univ, live or grew up in it's shadow, etc. It's the "fans" outside of those groups that I have a hard time understanding. Nor do I find the college sports "atmosphere" to be refreshing as compared to the pros. Many of the big-time hoop & football programs - and those are the ones we're really talking about here - are in a race to the sewer.

Hillbilly Jan 06 2006 12:46 PM

I guess we are moving towards an agreement here. My central point remains that because of where you we’re born and raised, your primarily contact with the college game is through these fans that you describe, and TV. These fans are on the periphery and not the people that make college football what it is. Believe me you can’t find people that are true fans saying I’m an Auburn football fan, but an Alabama basketball fan. Also you can remove TV from the equation and 100,000 complete fanatics would show up for every home game in Knoxville, even when Tennessee is a sub-.500 team like this year. I would suspect the fact that Kentucky, which rarely has a winning football team and is rarely on TV, yet still averages 60,000+ for home games, is surprising to you and doesn’t fit the theses of a team whose fans are randomly picking a winner so they feel good about themselves. If by a race to the sewer, you are talking about the negative affects that college athletics has on the larger mission of universities, you’re not going to get an argument from me. I have quite the love/hate relationship with big-time (Auburn) football for that very reason.

Frayed Knot Jan 06 2006 02:25 PM

I still think you're missing my point a bit. That college sports are popular in their surrounding areas neither surprises nor annoys me. I perfectly understand the school/community spirit thing that drives it. I do get a bit disturbed when the "adults" (for lack of a better term) who support it get all exorcised over the athletic exploits of adolescent amateurs -- what with their win at all costs attitude, the "fire Coach X" websites, etc. -- but that's kind of a side issue. The main thing I don't "get" about it all is why these regional alliances: ACC basketball, SEC football, and so on, garner national interest and are considered to be on a par with the national pro sports in the minds of those who aren't part of that core group (students, alum, locals) with real connections to the school. I guess a lot of it dates back to the time in the early/mid part of the last century when the college versions of both football & basketball were considered superior versions to their pro cousins which were then either non-existant or still in a nascent stage with only little regional interest. Why that view still exists in many minds escapes me, and when the answer to that comes back (again, from the outsiders) about the purity of amateurism and lack of the corrupting influence of big money, I strongly suspect that the speaker is full of it. If he were really interested in those playing the game for the experience of it he'd be watching his local Div 3 game instead of "deciding" that he's enthralled by Nebraska football or Kentucky hoops. Mostly, in my mind, the REAL reasons are more likely to be along the lines of opportunistically siding with a winner or vicariously latching on to a tradition he's never been part of. I know there are people using the phrase "my Sooners" who not only didn't go to Univ of Oklahoma, but have also never set foot in the state of Oklahoma and are probably no better than even money to be able to spell Oklahoma.

MFS62 Jan 06 2006 02:44 PM

Knot, that's what I meant by my comment about Notre Dame. That school attracts many people who like the college game but have no school of their own to root for. As for the regional allegences, pure ethnocentrism. (for lack of a better word) And I plead guilty to some extent. In a big college game, I'll always root for the Eastern team over the Western team, or the Northern team over the Southern team, except when Michigan is either the Northern or Eastern team. I can understand why folks in the Mid-Atlantic States pull for the ACC, and folks in the West think PAC-12 football is king. I can't explain it, but I can understand it. Later

Elster88 Jan 06 2006 02:56 PM

The ACC is the root of all evil in the world.

Frayed Knot Jan 06 2006 04:52 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 07 2006 08:54 AM

Notre Dame is a bit of a special case. Yeah, a lot of peeps root for them because they've traditionally won all the time, but there are also several generations of Irish-Catholic kids who have been taught since just after conception that rooting for ND is a matter of birthright -- particularly in the early/mid 20th century as they were just starting to gain ground in the Protestant-dominated university system. There's a (somewhat dated) joke from those days that the definition of an athiest was someone who didn't care who won the Notre Dame vs SMU game. It's an "our guys vs theirs" kind of thing.

apmorris Jan 07 2006 02:53 AM

jeesuz - who knew that marcus vick was such a dick? can anyone say maurice clarett?

Willets Point Jan 07 2006 05:32 PM

Just this past weekend a friend of mine and I agreed that we were both Irish-American Catholics who cared not a thing for Notre Dame football. It does remind me of a joke though: At a Notre Dame football game two Texans were seated behind two nuns. After a touchdown by the Fighting Irish, one Texan said to his friend, "I can't wait to get back to Dallas. There are only ten Catholics there." After Notre Dame scored again his buddy added, "I can't wait to get back to Houston. There are only five Catholics there." Finally, one of the nuns commented, "You both should go to hell! There aren't any Catholics there! (Note while I do not approve of the religious bigotry in this joke, I still find it funny to imagine a nun saying "go to hell").