So, a lot happened while I was flying across the country from Seattle to Atlanta last weekend.
First, Auburn showed the nation what I have been preaching for weeks -- that the Tigers are grossly overrated. The only thing that surprises me about the thrashing Auburn took at the hands of Georgia is the fact that so many people were shocked. You mean Brandon Cox isn't a good quarterback? Really? We just figured this out in mid-November? All this time I thought having a one-dimensional offense was a good thing.
Let's just say this: If Florida was a cat, it would be on life 8 right now. They had to block an extra point AND a field goal to hold off 5-5 South Carolina? That's not good. At all. And I thought Urban Meyer was bringing an exciting and electrifying offense to the SEC. This team has gotten worse offensively every game. On top of that, the Gators face powerhouse Western Carolina this weekend. The same Western Carolina team that got shutout 21-0 to Liberty. Let that sink in a minute. I know Notre Dame faces the service academies this season, but Western Carolina is on a whole other level of awful. Florida should be placed on probation for scheduling this game.
Then there's Texas. Sure, you can blame the Longhorns loss against Kansas State to quarterback Colt McCoy injuring himself early in the game. That's fine. Do it. Go ahead and think that way if it makes you feel better. However, I'm going to go out on a limb here and blame the Texas defense, which surrendered an amazing 45 points to the Wildcats.
45 points. To Kansas State. And it's Colt McCoy's fault for being hurt? That makes sense. I'm going to go bathe in broken glass now.
I'll say this about Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers: Just because you're the smartest retard, doesn't mean you're smart.
When I fell asleep on the plane, somewhere around Idaho, California was up on Arizona 17-3 at half. I woke up a couple hours later and the Wildcats somehow came from behind to pull off a 24-20 upset. I promptly proceeded to high-five all passengers around me.
So now that four one-loss teams have fallen, somehow, someway, whether-deserving-or-not, Notre Dame has risen back into national championship contention. The Irish have a very conceivable route to the big game. Obviously, they must beat Army and Southern Cal, and also hope the Trojans win next weekend against the Golden Bears. Next, they need either OSU or Michigan to win by more than a few points. And finally, they don't necessarily need Arkansas and Florida to lose, but it surely doesn't hurt.
I am well aware that it is too early to even think about ND making the title game because 1.) Too much can to happen still and 2.) ND has not gotten past a very good USC team.
Still, it's too enticing to pass up. Assuming ND beats USC, does Notre Dame deserve a chance at the national title? Here are some reasons for and against that scenario:
Pro: Notre Dame will be 11-1 -- The Irish will have just one loss, albeit a bad one, to the No. 2 team in the nation. The Irish will boast wins against GT on the road, a blowout of a respectable 7-4 Penn State squad, and a victory on the road against a top 5 BCS team late in the season. Questions of whether Notre Dame is legit should be buried with the conquering of Troy.
Con: Notre Dame is 11-1 -- While that record is very good, the Irish completely stunk against Michigan. I was there and it was embarrassing. It's hard to argue that a one-loss ND team should get a second chance against the Wolverines when Michigan absolutely thrashed the Irish the first time around. Arkansas could also be 11-1 and have a flawless record in SEC play. The Razorbacks surely have an argument for making the title game. And don't forget about Rutgers, who might be sitting a perfect 12-0 assuming the Scarlet Knights defeat West Virginia.
Pro: Notre Dame is a sexier matchup than other one-loss teams -- If you want ratings, the Irish are your team. Because Notre Dame stirs so much emotion in college football fans, the Irish will draw a gigantic fan base to watch the title game. Would Arkansas, West Virginia, Rutgers, or anyone else make the national championship contest must-see TV? Probably not. Sponsors are on ND's side.
Con: That's an unfair way to choose the national championship opponent for the OSU/Michigan winner -- I agree. I hope ND gets picked for its merit on the football field and not for outside reasons. The strongest candidate, if it wins against LSU and Florida, is Arkansas. The Razorbacks are flat-out nasty and have played so well since the USC debactle that people are starting to say that game was 'closer than the score', as Mark Schlabach from ESPN.com said in a recent chat. By the way, the Trojans won that game 50-14.
Pro: There is no outstanding one-loss team that separates itself from the pack -- If Notre Dame beats USC, it's going to be hard to pick a team, such as Arkansas (who lost to the Trojans so badly early in the season) over the Irish. It will also be difficult to choose a Florida team that has looked unimpressive as of late and hasn't beaten anyone since its Tennessee victory in September.
Con: The Irish nearly lost to Michigan State and UCLA, they can't be the best one-loss team -- A win over the Trojans makes those close victories seem better. However, critics will argue that a team that should have lost to the Spartans and the Bruins has no right to be in the title game.
As strange as it sounds, if Notre Dame beats USC ( a big if, I know) they will probably go to the title game. Why? Because they will jump Florida, (who no one thinks deserves a shot,) hold off Arkansas (who got blown out by the same Trojans earlier this year) and push away Rutgers (name one team either the Scarlet Knights, Mountaineers, or Cardinals has beaten, besides themselves this season). It might seem unfair, uncanny, or unbelievable, but it's likely the scenario for the Irish.
We'll have a much better idea in the next 12 days.
First, Auburn showed the nation what I have been preaching for weeks -- that the Tigers are grossly overrated. The only thing that surprises me about the thrashing Auburn took at the hands of Georgia is the fact that so many people were shocked. You mean Brandon Cox isn't a good quarterback? Really? We just figured this out in mid-November? All this time I thought having a one-dimensional offense was a good thing.
Let's just say this: If Florida was a cat, it would be on life 8 right now. They had to block an extra point AND a field goal to hold off 5-5 South Carolina? That's not good. At all. And I thought Urban Meyer was bringing an exciting and electrifying offense to the SEC. This team has gotten worse offensively every game. On top of that, the Gators face powerhouse Western Carolina this weekend. The same Western Carolina team that got shutout 21-0 to Liberty. Let that sink in a minute. I know Notre Dame faces the service academies this season, but Western Carolina is on a whole other level of awful. Florida should be placed on probation for scheduling this game.
Then there's Texas. Sure, you can blame the Longhorns loss against Kansas State to quarterback Colt McCoy injuring himself early in the game. That's fine. Do it. Go ahead and think that way if it makes you feel better. However, I'm going to go out on a limb here and blame the Texas defense, which surrendered an amazing 45 points to the Wildcats.
45 points. To Kansas State. And it's Colt McCoy's fault for being hurt? That makes sense. I'm going to go bathe in broken glass now.
I'll say this about Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers: Just because you're the smartest retard, doesn't mean you're smart.
When I fell asleep on the plane, somewhere around Idaho, California was up on Arizona 17-3 at half. I woke up a couple hours later and the Wildcats somehow came from behind to pull off a 24-20 upset. I promptly proceeded to high-five all passengers around me.
So now that four one-loss teams have fallen, somehow, someway, whether-deserving-or-not, Notre Dame has risen back into national championship contention. The Irish have a very conceivable route to the big game. Obviously, they must beat Army and Southern Cal, and also hope the Trojans win next weekend against the Golden Bears. Next, they need either OSU or Michigan to win by more than a few points. And finally, they don't necessarily need Arkansas and Florida to lose, but it surely doesn't hurt.
I am well aware that it is too early to even think about ND making the title game because 1.) Too much can to happen still and 2.) ND has not gotten past a very good USC team.
Still, it's too enticing to pass up. Assuming ND beats USC, does Notre Dame deserve a chance at the national title? Here are some reasons for and against that scenario:
Pro: Notre Dame will be 11-1 -- The Irish will have just one loss, albeit a bad one, to the No. 2 team in the nation. The Irish will boast wins against GT on the road, a blowout of a respectable 7-4 Penn State squad, and a victory on the road against a top 5 BCS team late in the season. Questions of whether Notre Dame is legit should be buried with the conquering of Troy.
Con: Notre Dame is 11-1 -- While that record is very good, the Irish completely stunk against Michigan. I was there and it was embarrassing. It's hard to argue that a one-loss ND team should get a second chance against the Wolverines when Michigan absolutely thrashed the Irish the first time around. Arkansas could also be 11-1 and have a flawless record in SEC play. The Razorbacks surely have an argument for making the title game. And don't forget about Rutgers, who might be sitting a perfect 12-0 assuming the Scarlet Knights defeat West Virginia.
Pro: Notre Dame is a sexier matchup than other one-loss teams -- If you want ratings, the Irish are your team. Because Notre Dame stirs so much emotion in college football fans, the Irish will draw a gigantic fan base to watch the title game. Would Arkansas, West Virginia, Rutgers, or anyone else make the national championship contest must-see TV? Probably not. Sponsors are on ND's side.
Con: That's an unfair way to choose the national championship opponent for the OSU/Michigan winner -- I agree. I hope ND gets picked for its merit on the football field and not for outside reasons. The strongest candidate, if it wins against LSU and Florida, is Arkansas. The Razorbacks are flat-out nasty and have played so well since the USC debactle that people are starting to say that game was 'closer than the score', as Mark Schlabach from ESPN.com said in a recent chat. By the way, the Trojans won that game 50-14.
Pro: There is no outstanding one-loss team that separates itself from the pack -- If Notre Dame beats USC, it's going to be hard to pick a team, such as Arkansas (who lost to the Trojans so badly early in the season) over the Irish. It will also be difficult to choose a Florida team that has looked unimpressive as of late and hasn't beaten anyone since its Tennessee victory in September.
Con: The Irish nearly lost to Michigan State and UCLA, they can't be the best one-loss team -- A win over the Trojans makes those close victories seem better. However, critics will argue that a team that should have lost to the Spartans and the Bruins has no right to be in the title game.
As strange as it sounds, if Notre Dame beats USC ( a big if, I know) they will probably go to the title game. Why? Because they will jump Florida, (who no one thinks deserves a shot,) hold off Arkansas (who got blown out by the same Trojans earlier this year) and push away Rutgers (name one team either the Scarlet Knights, Mountaineers, or Cardinals has beaten, besides themselves this season). It might seem unfair, uncanny, or unbelievable, but it's likely the scenario for the Irish.
We'll have a much better idea in the next 12 days.
2 comments:
Good to have you back.
But in no way does ND deserve a second chance against Michigan. I have no problem with ND playing OSU--but a rematch with Michigan proves nothing and makes college football and it's bowl system look even sillier than it already does.
So ND beats Michigan. That means they split the season "series." Somehow ND is the REAL national champion? I don't buy it.
There will be another one loss team other than the loser of the OSU-Michigan game. Florida, Arkansas and definitely Rutgers deserve the chance to play Michigan before ND does for a second time.
But if OSU wins this argument is moot as I think everyone in the country would like to see OSU-ND for the national title.
And I'm going to ignore the point you make about ratings and sponsors. For someone who loves sports as much as yourself you should make comments on how BAD those things are for sports--not how they can help a team play in a game they might not deserve.
Like I said, it's great to have you writing again. Keep writing so I try to keep up with you--I mean we all know who the BETTER writer is anyway...kidding.
Rutgers is undefeated at 9-0, and has beaten the #3 team in the country. To me, that’s worth more than a #7 ranking (AP poll).
The Big East doesn’t get credit for its conference victories because their out of conference schedule is weak, but look at their out of conference wins compared to the SEC, which is widely recognized as one of the strongest conferences in the country.
SEC:
Florida: Toughest out of conference game was Southern Mississippi (6-4); Florida won 34-7.
Arkansas: Toughest out of conference game was USC (8-2); Arkansas lost 50-14. Best out of conference win was over South Eastern Missouri St. (4-6).
Auburn: Toughest out of conference game was Washington St. (6-4); Auburn won 40-14.
Big East
Rutgers: Toughest out of conference game was Navy (7-3); Rutgers won 34-0.
West Virginia: Toughest out of conference game was Maryland (8-2); West Virginia won 45-24.
Louisville: Toughest out of conference game was either Miami (5-5), or Kentucky (6-4); Louisville won the games 31-7 and 59-28, respectively.
I’m not saying that the Big East is better than the SEC, but I don’t think that it should be written off as it has been.
Did these facts above surprise anyone?
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