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The Nationally Ranked USF Bulls

G-Fafif Oct 01 2007 08:34 PM

My alma mater, the University of South Florida, is No. 6 in the nation in the latest AP College Football Poll. This is the equivalent of the Savannah Sand Gnats getting to the NLDS (by beating the Mets, of course). USF has had football for all of eleven seasons, has been Division I-A for a half-dozen years, has been to two minor bowls in toto. But they've beaten Auburn, UNC and West Virginia in successive games while many more familiar schools have gone down to defeat. I'm not much of a college football fan and I chose relatively anonymous (if eventually ginormous) USF all those years ago in part because it wasn't some dopey football factory like UF, but seeing my school's name in the Top 25...the Top 10 for goodness sake...it fills me with green and gold pride. I confess my enthusiasm is tamped (or Tampa'd) down by the notion that a great start and a lot of talk about possible conference titles can all disappear at the end of a season (wonder where I got that crazy idea), but until worst comes to worst, and as Met-miserable as I am right now, I find myself over the moon over USF.

sharpie Oct 02 2007 08:42 AM

To me, USF means University of San Francisco which I used to live down the street from and somebody here's kid goes to (don't remember who).

Rockin' Doc Oct 02 2007 11:06 AM

sharpie, I believe it is JerseyShore's daughter that attends University of San Francisco. G, I congratulate your alma mater for their big win on Friday night. Unfortunately, being from West Virginia, I can't share in your joy over the result. The USF defense just added to what was a pretty miserable sports week in our household. If USF defense can contain the Louisville passing attack, they should have a good chance at running the table in the Big East, So congratulations on a great win, damn it.

G-Fafif Oct 02 2007 03:47 PM

sharpie wrote: To me, USF means University of San Francisco which I used to live down the street from and somebody here's kid goes to (don't remember who). One of the great pilgrimages for my wife and I (we're both USF alumni) was when we went to San Francisco some years ago and visited the "other" USF. They have the same colors if nothing else in common. It was very strange to see USF this and USF that completely out of context.

G-Fafif Oct 02 2007 03:52 PM

Rockin' Doc wrote: sharpie, I believe it is JerseyShore's daughter that attends University of San Francisco. G, I congratulate your alma mater for their big win on Friday night. Unfortunately, being from West Virginia, I can't share in your joy over the result. The USF defense just added to what was a pretty miserable sports week in our household. If USF defense can contain the Louisville passing attack, they should have a good chance at running the table in the Big East, So congratulations on a great win, damn it. Thank you, Doc. I'm too new to caring this deeply about college football to talk trash, so I appreciate it. I used to be a pretty big fan of UM, due to some time I spent in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area when Bernie Kosar was emerging, so I understand the concept of the "pretty miserable sports week." I had one in October 1988 when the Dodgers beat the Mets, the Irish beat the Canes and, for what it's worth, Bush outdebated Dukakis.

Methead Oct 02 2007 08:41 PM

Louisville's beatable. If Syracuse can throw the ball against 'em, you'd think any team would be able to go deep at will. I have no idea what their run defense is like since Syracuse is my only frame of reference on that. Syracuse has trouble running through that big sheet of paper the cheerleaders hold up before the game.

G-Fafif Oct 08 2007 11:05 AM

USF rises one notch to No. 5, its first Top Five ranking in school history, after holding off the Florida Atlantic Owls 35-23. Tailback Ben Williams rushed for 186 yards and four touchdowns. Losses by previous No. 2 USC (stunner!) and No. 5 Wisconsin were somewhat negated by the Bulls' battle to beat a team that could be said is a younger version of itself and Boston College's walloping of Bowling Green, which catapulted the Eagles into the No. 4 slot behind LSU (unanimous No. 1), Cal and Ohio State. Next up: Home for the UCF Knights, who earlier in the season gave Texas all it could handle (what a great football phrase) before falling short 35-32. Tough intrastate opponent. We take nobody lightly. Go Bulls!

G-Fafif Oct 13 2007 03:20 PM

On the eve of the first BCS rankings of the season, USF did what it could to convince voters it's worthy, pummeling midstate rival UCF 64-12. The game was decided late in the first half when, leading 22-10, Matt Grothe marched the Bulls downfield for a late score. We went into the half up 29-10, came out smoking and it was a certifiable blowout. I didn't hear (I actually sat and listened to an audio stream) how it got from 50-10 to 64-12, but it didn't seem like a run-up-the-score obnoxious blowout, just a convincing one. Green and gold and giddy I am.

Methead Oct 13 2007 08:34 PM

Yeah, that was pretty goddamn decisive today.

OlerudOwned Oct 14 2007 07:29 AM

I'm thinking USF might be the #2 team when the new BCS poll is released.

Rockin' Doc Oct 14 2007 07:34 AM

Upsets to both LSU and Cal open the way for USF to climb to new and dizzying heights in the polls. I suspect that Ohio State will assume the role as the new #1. Boston College and USF will battle it out for the #2 and #3 spots. Enjoy it while you can, be tread carefully for it is apparently an unstable pedestal that the top teams must stand upon. No one seems capable of staying on top too long without getting knocked off.

jerseyshore Oct 14 2007 10:58 AM

sharpie wrote: To me, USF means University of San Francisco which I used to live down the street from and somebody here's kid goes to (don't remember who). mine

martin Oct 14 2007 01:23 PM

the BCS is projected to be: ohio state south florida LSU i think that if all 3 teams run the table, (my alma mater) lsu would pass south florida on strength of schedule, and play ohio state in the titl game.

G-Fafif Oct 14 2007 05:30 PM

First BCS rankings mirror the new AP poll (which, ironically, isn't part of the BCS): 1) Ohio State 2) USF 3) Boston College A long way to go. I'm hoping Coach Leavitt channels every coach who ever lived (and my favorite fictional coach, Eric Taylor of Friday Night Lights) and reminds his boys they haven't won anything yet.

G-Fafif Oct 19 2007 12:31 AM

The unlikely national championship dream took a probably fatal hit Thursday night in Piscataway as Rutgers ran over USF 30-27. We led 17-10 at the half but had a blocked field goal that we'd run in for a signaled touchdown called back on account of illegal forwarding of the loose ball. Rutgers' defense sacked Matt Grothe seven times and Ray Rice shoved the ball down our throats for nearly 200 yards. Still, we appeared to drive within potential tying FG range when our receiver was called for a push-off. Very ticky-tacky stuff, but I'm not objective. I was enjoying this improbable rush to upper echelon of college football. I'm sorry it's over for now.

Centerfield Oct 19 2007 09:42 AM

Somewhere Scarlet Knight beams.

Valadius Oct 19 2007 11:03 AM

Where is Scarlet, by the way?

G-Fafif Oct 19 2007 11:15 AM

Scarlet is indeed beaming and doing well. In fact I owe her a Carvel ice cream helmet next season based on last night's results.

metirish Oct 19 2007 11:38 AM

Getting lots of attention. http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/nervous_university_of_south http://www.slate.com/id/2176019/fr/flyout

G-Fafif Oct 19 2007 05:00 PM

Great Slate article! Thanks Irish!

MFS62 Oct 20 2007 09:23 AM

G-Fafif wrote: The unlikely national championship dream took a probably fatal hit Thursday night in Piscataway as Rutgers ran over USF 30-27. We led 17-10 at the half but had a blocked field goal that we'd run in for a signaled touchdown called back on account of illegal forwarding of the loose ball. Rutgers' defense sacked Matt Grothe seven times and Ray Rice shoved the ball down our throats for nearly 200 yards. Still, we appeared to drive within potential tying FG range when our receiver was called for a push-off. Very ticky-tacky stuff, but I'm not objective. I was enjoying this improbable rush to upper echelon of college football. I'm sorry it's over for now. As has been said many times on this board, "Freakin' Rutgers". Looks like that kept a Big East team from playing in the National Championship Game. Later

martin Oct 20 2007 11:21 PM

thats too bad for your bulls. but whooohoo!, how bout my LSU tigers! what a beautiful game that was against auburn. that les miles is a lunatic, he doesnt give a shit. he will go for it on fourth down, throw to the endzone when a FG wins it, that guy is mental. florida, kentucky, auburn, the SEC is brutal. gotta make the title game if you win the conference.

G-Fafif Oct 21 2007 02:01 PM

martin wrote: thats too bad for your bulls. but whooohoo!, how bout my LSU tigers! what a beautiful game that was against auburn. that les miles is a lunatic, he doesnt give a shit. he will go for it on fourth down, throw to the endzone when a FG wins it, that guy is mental. florida, kentucky, auburn, the SEC is brutal. gotta make the title game if you win the conference. LSU gets my mythical No. 1 vote.

Rockin' Doc Oct 21 2007 02:29 PM

My WVu Mountaineers continue their slow climb up the rankings after their defeat at South Florida on Sept. 28th. The Mountaineers scored 31 points in their 5 opening drives against Mississippi State, then coasted to victory as starting quarterback Pat White sat out the second half to allow nagging injuries to heal. Next up, a trip to Freakin' Rutgers next Saturday. Should be an interesting game.

Elster88 Oct 28 2007 07:38 AM

Huskies

G-Fafif Oct 28 2007 04:33 PM

Perhaps I need to rename this thread the almost no longer Nationally Ranked USF Bulls after the Huskies of Connecticut handed them their lunch in the first half Saturday and then USF choked on the leftovers in the second half for a 22-15 disgrace of a defeat. That's two weeks in a row during which changes in latitude did not agree with the team that will soon go back to being referred to as South Florida. Nice win for UConn.

martin Nov 03 2007 10:59 PM

ouch. another loss for the bulls. have they won a game since they hit number 2? they look as if they desperately hate being ranked. in happier news. LSU knocked off their 5th top 20 team today. who else is beating ranked teams as often as the tigers?

martin Nov 03 2007 11:00 PM

i dupe posted, but i cant find the delete button. if this post stays here it will mean i cannot figure out how to delete posts.

G-Fafif Nov 04 2007 12:22 AM

martin wrote: have they won a game since they hit number 2? they look as if they desperately hate being ranked. Since ascending to No. 2, they have lost by 7, then 3, then 5 and played Amazin'ly sloppy football. Eight turnovers against a Cincinnati team that let them stay in to the final play. You nailed it: they look desperate to lose.

Nymr83 Nov 04 2007 12:38 AM

the Charlie Weis shit-show continued this weekend as Notre Dame lost to Navy for the first time in 43 years, the last time Navy beat Notre Dame their quarterback was some guy named Staubach

G-Fafif Nov 04 2007 01:32 PM

When it was mentioned that Navy (like Army and Air Force) doesn't recruit -- can't recruit -- for football per se, it made me root that much harder for them to break the streak. Nobody should lose 43 straight times to anybody (unless it's the Yankees to everybody).

Nymr83 Nov 04 2007 02:06 PM

they do recruit to some extent i've been told...its not just "hey welcome to Annapolis, can any of you guys play football?" but they obviously dont have a cash cow football program like most schools

Rockin' Doc Nov 04 2007 05:12 PM

The military academies also have weight restrictions that all cadets must fit within, at least during the off season. That is why the Notre Dame lineman generally outweigh the their counterparts from the military acadamies by 30-50 pounds per man in most instances. The military academies do recruit for all spots, but they are recruiting from a much smaller pool of players. Recruits must not only meet their stringent admissions requirements, but they must also be willing to make a commitment to serve in the armed forces following the ir graduation. The Academies are at a decided disadvantage when it come s to recruiting. That's why I always love it when any of the military academies are able to beat a large school in an athletic event.

G-Fafif Nov 11 2007 05:40 PM

USF whacked Syracuse Saturday 41-10. We'll be that much more attractive to the Azek Trimboards Bowl as a result.

G-Fafif Nov 18 2007 03:23 PM

USF 55 Louisville 17 in the final home game. Record up to 8-3 with a trip to Pitt next week. Win that and I think we have a splendid shot at the Lemon Ice King of Corona Bowl.

G-Fafif Nov 19 2007 07:14 AM

Hey, we're nationally ranked again! No. 23 in the current BCS. If one looks past the fact USF was No. 2 in October, that's...well, it's better than nothing.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 19 2007 07:54 AM

Not to butt in here but a note of interest as my school, the Fightin Blue Hens of Delaware, will face its first state neighbor, the Hornets of Delaware State, in the I-AA playoffs on Friday. This is a bigger deal than it sounds because, incredibly, despite being only 40some miles apart in a tiny state, and both schools competing in the same 1-AA class (but not the same league) for decades and decades, they have never played one another in football. Ever. Understanding why this is so requires understanding some weird shit, not only the racial overtones (DSU is a traditional black school, UD wasn't integrated till the Jackie Robinson era and is apparently the one refusing to make the date) but also the state's longtime political/social/economical division separating the DuPont/Banking powermongers and the large population centers upstate from the rural chicken farmers downstate. The same line (the C&D canal) separates Delawarean Phillies fans from Delawarean Orioles fans.

Rockin' Doc Nov 20 2007 05:21 AM

WVU has improved their record to 9-1 and has reached the #3 ranking in the BCS poll. They now must try to avoid getting knocked off their perch in their final two home games. They next face the challenge of #20 UConn. It should be an interesting contrast with the explosive West Virginia offense facing off against the suffocating defense of UConn.

Edgy DC Nov 20 2007 05:51 AM

Is there yet a novelist who sets all of his or her stories against the backdrop of the subtle-to-outsiders but deep and generations-old class lines of the sons and daughters of Ceaser Rodney? You could be that man!

smg58 Nov 20 2007 09:46 AM

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Not to butt in here but a note of interest as my school, the Fightin Blue Hens of Delaware, will face its first state neighbor, the Hornets of Delaware State, in the I-AA playoffs on Friday. When were you at Delaware? I spent an abortive first year of grad school there in 92-93.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 20 2007 09:50 AM

I graduated in 89 but was still living nearby. Hey, I screwed a few graduate students in 92-93 and they had to get abortions too.

smg58 Nov 20 2007 06:57 PM

I watched a lot of Phillies games that spring, out of necessity. But they did have Lenny and had that great start. I remember getting into a conversation with an ecstatic Phillies fan, and telling him that I liked the team but didn't think they could go all the way with Mitch Williams pitching the ninth. The Mets were at the Vet my last week there, so I went up to Philly to see a game. I sat in rightfield surrounded by a horde of drunkards mercilessly heckling Bobby Bonilla. I'm not sure they were all Phillies fans.

Rockin' Doc Nov 24 2007 07:01 PM

The Mountaineers of WVU staked their claim for a spot in the national championship game by demolishing #20 UConn in Morgantown this afternoon. WVU scored 66 points against a Huskies defense that had been ranked in the top ten in scoring defense, having allowed an average of 14 points per game coming into this match up. WVU amassed 624 yards of total offense and 517 yards of rushing in a national display of how devastating their offense is capable of being. Now they must avoid looking ahead and take care of business when they host Pittsburgh in their final game of the season next Saturday.

G-Fafif Nov 27 2007 03:42 AM

The only team to beat likely BCS finalist West Virginia, your University of South Florida Bulls, accomplished a lot this past weekend. First they beat up on the Pitt Panthers in the most boring, noncompetitive 48-37 game imaginable, which was all well and good, except for sapping the life out of me so I napped through the WVU-UConn game that followed. Second, they improved their record to 9-3, much better looking than 8-4 and encouraging after that inconvenient little three-game losing streak (by a total of 15 points) that derailed their higher aspirations. Third, they nudged themselves to No. 21 in the BCS rankings, No. 15 according to the computers that don't care where you came from, just how well you're doing. Fourth, by playing that game Saturday at Heinz Field after several high school title games were played there a day earlier, they and Pitt helped glop up the field to create a lovely quagmire Monday Night that likely helped the Dolphins lose 3-0 to the Steelers which I hope Don Shula choked on as he deals not only with the Patriots potentially unseating his undefeated 1972 team from sole ownership of perfection and the current Dolphins sinking in the muck of 0-11 but the flashback guilt he must feel a quarter-century after not placing a tarp over the Orange Bowl field for the 1982 AFC Championship Game on 1/24/83 which screwed over Freeman McNeil, not like I'm bitter or anything. Finally, the best 11-year-old program in Division I or whatever Division I is called now has been invited to the Brut Sun Bowl, better known as the Sun Bowl to play some Pac 10 runner-up, maybe Oregon. This is fine news to me because a) after two years of playing in the moral equivalents of the Uncle Jack's Steakhouse Bowl and the Crazy Freddy's Motor Group Bowl, which was acceptable before we started being the Nationally Ranked USF Bulls, I've heard of the Sun Bowl; b) it's on my birthday and c) it's at two in the afternoon as opposed to the first bowl we were in, which was at like eight in the morning, or at least felt like it. Best of luck to WVU in securing that national championship berth. The only team to beat you in 2007 to date basks in your reflected glory.

metsguyinmichigan Nov 27 2007 07:29 AM

I'm a proud University of Missouri School of Journalism grad. So I care about college football for the first time. When I attended, the team was so bad that I never once saw them win a game in person.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 27 2007 07:40 AM

The first-ever First-state rivalry was a rout as my Hens pounded the crap out of their southerly neighboreenos at DelState, 44-7 and Omar Cuff (how can this guy not be a star with a name like that?) rushed for 288 f'in yards. They advance to play undefeated top seed Northern Iowa Saturday in Cedar Falls.

martin Dec 01 2007 09:09 PM

man, this college football season has ended in a complete clusterfuck. west virginia has the NC game set up for them and they collapse againt pitt. oklahoma is killing number 1 missouri. ohio state is in the NC game, no clue who else. could be any of 4 or 5 teams!

John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 01 2007 09:34 PM

go hens ]Flacco Leads Delaware In Upset of No. 1 UNI Dec. 1, 2007 By Kent Schmidt Special to CSTV.com from CollegeSportingNews.com CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Led by quarterback Joe Flacco, the Delaware Blue Hens (10-3) came to a winter weathered eastern Iowa and upset top seeded UNI (12-1) 39-27 in front of 15,803 fans inside the climate controlled UNI-Dome. Flacco threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for another. Running back Omar Cuff ran for 102 yards and a score to aid in the Blue Hen victory. "We have two of the top players in America on offense," said coach K.C.Keeler.

Rockin' Doc Dec 02 2007 06:52 AM

It seems no team can scale the precipice of college football. Every team that reaches the top has been unable to sustain their position for any length of time. West Virginia's high powered offense stalled in the face of a tenacious Pittsburgh defense. Five West Virginia fumbles, three of which they lost, and two short field goal misses helped to seal the teams fate. Pittsburgh made them look bad on national television. Missouri was defeated by Oklahoma for the second time this season. Statistically, the game was closer than the final score would indicate, but that will offer no solace to the Tiger faithful this morning. Ohio State will return to the NCS, but who will they face? Several teams have a legitimate claim to the other spot in the title game. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. Johnnie, congratulations on Delaware's run. Hopefully, they can hold it together the remainder of the way through the playoffs and bring home a title.

Frayed Knot Dec 02 2007 10:19 PM

martin wrote: ... this college football season has ended in a complete clusterfuck Personally, I always root for clusterfucks ]ohio state is in the NC game, no clue who else. could be any of 4 or 5 teams! It's LSU, a choice which could probably be justified thru results although is equally likely to have been chosen due to attendance (the game will be in Louisiana) "buzz", and reputation factors.

martin Dec 03 2007 07:42 AM

i was only briefly confused about who would oppose ohio state in the title game. of course it is my alma mater, LSU. the right choice. what a saturday that was. pittsburgh, who i think was 4-7, beating west virginia was beautiful. like we mentioned before, nobody can hold on to number 1 or 2. even my lsu fellas lost as a #1. with a month for lsu to heal up their terribly wounded team, they will throttle ohio state like they did vtech early in the season. and ohio state will match up with another SEC team they way they did against florida last year in the title game, losing 41-14. i dont think attendance was a factor. these computer polls and coaches polls and such dunno about that stuff.

Frayed Knot Dec 03 2007 09:14 AM

]i dont think attendance was a factor. these computer polls and coaches polls and such dunno about that stuff. I don't think attendance is the main factor and obviously the computers don't care. But the humans who vote on these things I believe are either under some of pressure to put "name schools" into the championship, or at least tend to do so as the result of years of momentum and familarality. And in the "lesser" bowl games teams are absolutely chosen and assigned with perceived attendance draw in mind.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 17 2007 07:43 AM

The dream is over for the Hens, who got their asses kicked in the 1-AA championship game to my brother-in-law's alma mater, Appalacian State, who won their 3rd straight title.

G-Fafif Dec 30 2007 07:29 PM

Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow will find it hard to sleep tonight. They know the Brut Sun Bowl is on its way, featuring your No. 21 University of South Florida Bulls (-6) and the University of Oregon Ducks, CBS, 2:15 PM EST kickoff. And you thought New Year's Eve didn't get going until 11:59.

Elster88 Dec 30 2007 08:06 PM

Should I lay the points?

Nymr83 Dec 30 2007 11:40 PM

Elster88 wrote: Should I lay the points? yes. the bulls will cover. also take Kentucky in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. yes i just wanted to say that name because its so absurd.

G-Fafif Dec 31 2007 04:30 PM

Final from El Paso: Oregon 56 USF 21. I never heard of college football.

themetfairy Dec 31 2007 04:50 PM

At least you got a New Year's Eve bowl. Rutgers plays this coming Saturday, at noon, on ESPN2, IN CANADA! Not exactly inspiring....

Frayed Knot Jan 01 2008 07:13 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 01 2008 02:33 PM

="G-Fafif"]Final from El Paso: Oregon 56 USF 21. Not that I was watching the game (seeing as how the only U-Oregon athlete I can name is Steve Prefontaine and he's been dead for 30+ years and, frankly, I had never heard of the Univ of South Fla until a month or three ago) but I was listening to WFAN when they cut out to cover the game at 1:45. Now I'll assume there was some pre-game nonsense thrown in and that kick-off was more like a few minutes after 2PM. So anyway, I'm flipping TV channels at 5:30 and passed by the game which was not only still going but was just 10 seconds or so into the 4th quarter!?! IOW, it took 3-1/2 hours to play just 3 quarters. I believe the final gun was somewhere in the 6:15 range. And I know that televised baseball has it's time/commercial/filler problems too (as I've been yapping about it as much as anyone) but college football is just brutal these days, worse even than the NFL. Even their reg season games are now blocked out for 3-1/2 hours of TV time per game, instead of the old standard of 3, and they're constantly overflowing those slots too. And these are timed games meaning that every extra minute of game length is - by definition - dead/filler time. But trying to watch this one had to a chore even for those with a stake in the outcome*. Essentially it took approx 250 minutes to get in 60 minutes of game time; a better than 3:1 'dead time:game time' ratio. Ouch! * that these games draw enough of an audience among those withOUT a stake in the outcome to get on national TV remains a complete mystery to me too - but that's a seperate discussion altogether

MFS62 Jan 01 2008 08:13 AM

FK, IMO the biggest contributor to the increased length of college games is the recent rule that requires the clock be stopped after a first down. Think of how many first downs per games and multiply that by, what? ,15-20 seconds? Later

Frayed Knot Jan 01 2008 10:05 AM

I didn't think that rule was all that recent, that it had been a part of college games for a while. Either way, while that does kill some time the clock is only stopped while they "move the chains". They don't need to wait for the snap in order to re-start. But the main villian is - as always - commercials and other TV stoppages. The whole: Kick ... commercial ... 3-and-punt ... commercial ... drive ... FG attempt ... commercial ... new kick ... commercial ... etc., pattern wrecks the whole flow of the game. Half-times are longer than NFL games too, especially at these "event" games and don't get me started on replay reviews. It's gotta be hell sitting in the stands for games like that unless it's your home game and you're drunk in the stands with your friends. Increasingly though college games have migrated from their traditional Sat afternoon time over to weeknight and prime-time slots which cater to everyone except students.

Elster88 Jan 01 2008 07:00 PM

="Frayed Knot"] ="G-Fafif"]Final from El Paso: Oregon 56 USF 21. Not that I was watching the game (seeing as how the only U-Oregon athlete I can name is Steve Prefontaine and he's been dead for 30+ years and, frankly, I had never heard of the Univ of South Fla until a month or three ago) but I was listening to WFAN when they cut out to cover the game at 1:45. Now I'll assume there was some pre-game nonsense thrown in and that kick-off was more like a few minutes after 2PM. So anyway, I'm flipping TV channels at 5:30 and passed by the game which was not only still going but was just 10 seconds or so into the 4th quarter!?! IOW, it took 3-1/2 hours to play just 3 quarters. I believe the final gun was somewhere in the 6:15 range. And I know that televised baseball has it's time/commercial/filler problems too (as I've been yapping about it as much as anyone) but college football is just brutal these days, worse even than the NFL. Even their reg season games are now blocked out for 3-1/2 hours of TV time per game, instead of the old standard of 3, and they're constantly overflowing those slots too. And these are timed games meaning that every extra minute of game length is - by definition - dead/filler time. But trying to watch this one had to a chore even for those with a stake in the outcome*. Essentially it took approx 250 minutes to get in 60 minutes of game time; a better than 3:1 'dead time:game time' ratio. Ouch! * that these games draw enough of an audience among those withOUT a stake in the outcome to get on national TV remains a complete mystery to me too - but that's a seperate discussion altogether Also the halftime shows. It feels like those take about two hours.

Frayed Knot Jan 02 2008 11:30 AM

Yeah I mentioned the half-times in my next post. Just heard that the Georgia/Hawaii game kicked-off New Year's night at 10 minutes to 9 (EST) and ended just after 1AM. As if starting in that late on a night where virtually everyone is tired and getting set to go back to work/school isn't dumb enough but stretching out to over 4 hours (and not exactly a cliff-hanger either) must have done wonders for the ratings. Hope FOX enjoys eating the money they shelled out for the rights on that one, even though I'm sure their Honalulu affiliate absolutely dominated that market in the all-important 5 in the afternoon time-slot (local time) .

Rockin' Doc Jan 02 2008 10:32 PM

The West Virginia Mountaineers took out their frustrations of the past few weeks on the Oklahoma Sooners to record a 48-28 victory in the Fiesta Bowl. WVU used their speed and quickness to neutralize the massive size of Oklahoma.

themetfairy Jan 05 2008 01:59 PM

The second annual International Bowl is now history. On the shores of Lake Ontario, Freakin' Rutgers beat up on Ball State by a score of 52-30! And I agree about the length of these games - this one took almost four hours to complete.