3642 replies to this topic

[jl89]

Nevermind.

Edited by jl89, Dec 11, 2005 @ 4:13 PM.

[Classic]

Nothing much to say yet, except for the fact that these games need to be trimmed a bit.

And that Trev Alberts needs to Shut the hell up. Dude, you don't like replay. I get it.

[indybear]

I'm not a huge Notre Dame fan, but after the way they were dissed by the moving of the pre-game show, good for them for beating Michigan!

[Douggley]

As a Notre Dame student, let's just say that win against Michigan was one of the more awesome things I've seen in my life.

[cheesesteak]

I keep waiting for Aaron taylor's eyebrows to get up and start walking off his head. They look like thick black caterpillers.

[Scotty05]

Is anyone else extremely disgusted by all the comparisons to Barry Sanders by announcers? I'm looking particularly at Tim Ryan, Keith Jackson, & Joe Tessitore, who compared DonTrell Moore, Vernand Morency, & Ryan Moats to him, respectively.

Also, does the new ABC scorebug really bug anyone else? I like MNF's, but the college one seems way too big, especially when unranked teams play and there are just two huge dashes sitting there.

And Musburger seemed really uninterested, and just downright awful, at the end of Georgia Tech/Clemson.

[Videophile]

Three and a half hours is a bit much.

The rulemakers need to follow the NFL's lead regarding starting the clock after out-of-bounds plays and incompletions. Then they could even keep the rule of stopping the clock on first downs. The NFL has been able to get most games to clock in at right around three hours. There's no reason college games can't be the same way.

Thank God there have been conference games in the SEC early in the season. Maybe it's just me but I have been mind-numbingly bored with intersectional games between mid-level teams thus far. Michigan State-Rutgers? Please spare me.

[silentbob]

Three and a half hours is a bit much

More like four hours, in many instances. This is exactly why I have stopped watching college football. Between the incessant commercials and clock stoppages, it's a ridiculous investment of time for me. Say what you want about soccer, but the action is fairly non-stop and 99% of the telecasts end within 2 hours.

[Gambling Moron]

Thank God there have been conference games in the SEC early in the season. Maybe it's just me but I have been mind-numbingly bored with intersectional games between mid-level teams thus far. Michigan State-Rutgers? Please spare me.

I think that teams are now going by the "it's not if you lose, it's when you lose" mentality in their schedules. Abusing the BCS System to their advantage. That's why you'll probably end up seeing Florida State in a BCS bowl at the end of the year.

Michigan State-Rutgers? Please spare me.

In Canada, we get ABC Detroit, and they always replace the early ABC game with and ESPN Plus Big Ten Matchup, which seems like it ends up always being Michigan State vs. Vanderbilt.

[GooberPyle]

I can watch college football all day. And I do, every Saturday. The games can last as long as they please, 'cuz I'm just gonna keep watching college football when they're done.

And the NFL can get their games done in 60 minutes flat, but as long as all they do is trade field goals and everyone winds up 8-8, it'll never come close to being as compelling as the college game.

[icequeen1501]

As a Notre Dame student, let's just say that win against Michigan was one of the more awesome things I've seen in my life.

As a Michigan fan (and hopeful student) I have disowned the football team as of this week. Damn you Lloyd Carr.

Is anyone else extremely disgusted by all the comparisons to Barry Sanders by announcers?

*raises hand*

Brian (or Brent?) Musburger is forever known to me as Mushburger thanks to my cornball of a father. Hee. Mushburger. God, why do I find that so funny?

Edited by icequeen1501, Sep 17, 2004 @ 7:45 PM.

[BewareThePhog]

Brian (or Brent?) Musburger is forever known to me as Mushburger thanks to my cornball of a father. Hee. Mushburger. God, why do I find that so funny?

Musberger is an idiot. I was absolutely elated when CBS finally showed him the door after inflicting him on their audience for virtually every sporting event they broadcast. Naturally, he landed on his feet, and is now making ABC's college football games unwatchable. Is he technically competent? Yes. Is he a shameless shill for his network? Yes. Is he a drinkin' buddy for network executives? Probably. Have I ever met anybody who liked his work? No.

[Da23rdBuchan]

As a Michigan fan (and hopeful student) I have disowned the football team as of this week. Damn you Lloyd Carr.

As a Michigan alum and fan a big FAT WORD to the above. Who is ready to start www.firelloydcarr.com?

[LAgator77]

Tracy Wolfson please SHUT UP now.

[Senor Audacity]

I would ask Tim Brando to shut up now, and later. He seems to be such a solid guy, but during his updates and halftime show he spewed hack phrases and made stupid voices. Who is he, Chris Berman?

MusHberger seems to be a nice guy and he was still unfairly shitcanned at CBS, but my God does he suck. He's a aural cocksucker, and he tends to give the players and teams stupid nicknames during the broadcast. To this day I still remember him actually say, on the air, "And here comes Martin Gramatica -- Automatica!!!" like he was the Copy Machine Guy from Saturday Night Live. And his cadence is unlistenable -- dramatic sentences that always end with him shouting: "Long throw over the middle ... CAUGHT BY SWIFT! AND A TIMEOUT CALLED BY TENNESSEE!!!" Not to mention his brother being an agent automatically puts any trust in his objectivity in doubt.

Fantastic Vols-Gators game tonight; what's with all these missed PAT's and short field goals in college football this year? And Wilhoit follows that fubar with a 50-yarder? SEC football is great, but it's jarring that a national network would lavish so much attention on the one conference they have rights to, and thus only one area of the country. (I don't get Sonic up here.) Still, I don't know about you guys, but I love CBS' college football theme song. They've used it for the past decade or so, and they should be using it for at least that long.

[icequeen1501]

Who is ready to start www.firelloydcarr.com?

You mean there isn't one already?!

The College Gameday crew was on-scene for the Mich. St-Notre Dame game this week and from what I've read, Lee Corso wasn't too well-liked by the MSU students. I guess he was waving around a Notre Dame flag and just layering on the praise, so some Michigan State students started throwing debris at him. Hee! Serves you right, "Coach."

Is it wrong that I'm going to start calling Gramatica "Automatica" from this day on? Oh Mushburger, you are always good for a laugh.

Edited by icequeen1501, Sep 19, 2004 @ 10:53 AM.

[Videophile]

I watched "College Game Day" very closely this past Saturday morning (10/17) since my son attends Purdue and I knew that he would be in the crowd with several of his friends. I became increasingly irritated because every time the camera panned the crowd there was a gigantic promo which took up at least one quarter of the screen. I don't think he was ever on camera but I'll never know since he would have been blocked out of the picture anyway.

Edited by Videophile, Oct 18, 2004 @ 2:19 PM.

[Da23rdBuchan]

Wow, Ty Willingham gets fired and the world of sports seems to stop on it's ear. Hope all the talk and indignation doesn't last too long. Ty was a great guy by all accounts but an average coach... if Ron Zook and the Nebraska coach who went 9-3 last year can be whacked no one should be surprised that Ty was "not retained"

Edited by Da23rdBuchan, Dec 1, 2004 @ 10:32 AM.

[Hasbro]

Wow, Ty Willingham gets fired and the world of sports seems to stop on it's ear. Hope all the talk and indignation doesn't last too long. Ty was a great guy by all accounts but an average coach... if Ron Zook and the Nebraska coach who went 9-3 last year can be whacked no one should be surprised that Ty was "not retained"

As an avid Nebraska hater and Colorado Graduate, I can't stand that 9-3 stat that is tossed out about Frank Solich. It really points to the lack of backchecking and homerism displayed by some analysts (ev-tray alberts-ay.) Nebraska is notorius for scheduling cupcakes in their non conference play, 3 of those wins came against SMiss, Troy State, and 1-AA McNeese and since CU beat them 62-36 three years ago Nebraska had only 1 win versus a ranked opponent (an inispiring season opener against #25 Ok STate.)

As reactionary as boosters are they knew that 9-3 record didn't hold water.

[silentbob]

Exactly. By contrast, Notre Dame rarely has any cupcakes on their schedule. So Willingham's record would be much better if ND was actually affiliated with a conference for football.

I'm holding out hope that he'll consider returning to Stanford.

From what I can tell, ESPN commentators like Herbstreit agree that Willingham's firing was unfair.

[keg411]

BTW, Willingham was fired because Urban Meyer, one of the hottest coaches in college football is leaving Utah and is pretty much a lock at Notre Dame. I know people are pissed and there is some use of the "race card" (and yes, it is pretty bad when there are only 2 African American coaches in all of college football), but Willingham wasn't really improving the program anyway.

If Meyer wasn't leaving Utah and there hadn't been murmurs that Penn State was finally going to drop Paterno to get Meyer in, Willingham would've probably gotten all of the 5 year contract that their coaches have gotten recently.

So really, I don't think the firing was particularly unfair, since if ND didn't get Meyer now, they'd probably never get him, and they needed to strike while the iron was hot (Meyer was an assistant coach at ND and they considered hiring him at one point and decided he was too green. Plus, Willingham wasn't even ND's first choice when they did hire him.)

[Da23rdBuchan]

BTW, Willingham was fired because Urban Meyer, one of the hottest coaches in college football is leaving Utah and is pretty much a lock at Notre Dame.

Time for Plan B.... Amusing to see this blow up in ND face... I wonder how many coaches they'll have to offer the job to this time.

Edited by Da23rdBuchan, Dec 3, 2004 @ 4:25 PM.

[Senor Audacity]

I've been confused by the analysis of what this shitcanning says about Notre Dame. On the one hand, the talking heads (Aaron Lewis of ABC Sports and the columnists of ESPN.com, among others) wax existential and say Willingham's ouster two years short of his contract being a sign that Notre Dame isn't "Notre Dame" anymore, i.e. it doesn't want to be the high-standard beacon it once was. But then they say that Meyer opting for Florida instead is a sign that Notre Dame isn't "Notre Dame" anymore, i.e. people no longer want to coach at a place where academic success is looked on just as importantly as wins. How can you shake your head over ND dumbing itself down and coaches turning down the program because it's too "smart"? That sounds like a contradiction. Seriously, can someone explain this to me?

Speaking of Lewis, I like him, but *looking around before whispering* I am pretty bugged that his mouth is pinched on one corner. Every time I look at him I go, "Why are you talking out of the corner of your mouth?" Archie Manning, Patriarch of the Gunslinging Manning Clan yet a disciple of the Kit Culkin School of Overbearing Team Negotiating, made a pretty fine guest studio analyst alongside the annoying Tim Brando. Best, however, goes to Spencer Tillman; like Clark Kellogg, he's fast yet has pertinent information about a game and a team's season. Plus, *whispering again* he's got deeply hypnotic eyes.

Quick personal plug: The BCS is horseshit, and we here at TWoP Nation know it. I don't know why they need to go through a selection show, but we all know they'll soft-pedal the controversy of three major unbeaten teams. (Aside: Do you know what really pisses me off about the BCS? Every year I become aware of some obscure rule that makes the polls not what they appear to be. This year I found out that if there are two non-BCS teams that are ranked 6 or higher, they bump out any team from a BCS conference that doesn't win its conference -- in this case, Cal. I think I'm a pretty savvy college football fan and I didn't know there was a rule like this. I can understand it -- and hey, it would've only been Cal, so fuck 'em -- but this is another example of the BCS's total lack of transparency that only serves to confuse and anger the fan.) There should be a playoff. In fact, they should use the model I have. It's not rocket science, I just used the best ideas I've heard from other people, but I'm proud of what I've created. So proud, in fact, that if any of you want to see it, e-mail me and I'd be glad to send it to you.

Edited by Senor Audacity, Dec 5, 2004 @ 6:24 AM.

[BewareThePhog]

I don't think that they're saying that ND is trying to dumb itself down...I think that they're saying that ND is trying to have its cake and eat it too. Sure, ND's AD said that Willingham's teams were wonderful "From Sunday to Friday" (thus giving a nod to academics), but he said that they weren't up to par "On Saturday" (thus showing that in the end, football success is 1A at ND, and academic success is 1B).

At the same time, I don't think that ND is going to relax their academic standards. Unfortunately for whoever they bring in to coach, they're also not willing to accept that their current academic requirements and scheduling practices are in conflict with the goal of winning 10 or 11 games a year and competing for the national championship. Even with the recruiting advantage that the NBC contract gives them, the current model doesn't work in my opinion. Clearly Urban Meyer thought his chances were better at Florida.

(Personally, as someone who doesn't drink the ND Kool-Aid, I'd like to see them join the Big 10. In terms of combining academics and athletics, that's a very fine conference. It's an obvious geographic fit, and it would get the conference up to the magical 12 team mark. They already play Michigan and Michigan St each year. Sure, they'd give up that independence that sets them apart - but their recent actions are showing that they're not really that different after all.)

In terms of TV coverage, this morning on the Sports Reporters William Rhoden tried to compare Willingham to Jackie Robinson, and said that while Branch Rickey backed Robinson, ND's administration didn't back Willingham. While I agree that the current situation vis-a-vis Black coaches in NCAA football is deplorable, Rhoden did overlook one key difference in the two situations - Robinson's on the field performance was much higher than Willingham's. (Sure, there are reasons that I've stated above that make winning tough at ND, but clearly their administration is looking strictly at the bottom line, and if the goal is BCS-level play, then Willingham fell short.) If Robinson had not performed on the field, Rickey would have been in a different situation.

Edited by BewareThePhog, Dec 5, 2004 @ 11:11 AM.

[MisterIdol]

BCS Selection show always irritiates me because since the BCA horseshit of the mid nineties started I have pushed for a playoff. Hell, a playoff using the bowls would be even better and fair for both systems.

But when Auburn beats a ranked team by 10 and looses ground to an Oklahoma team that stomps a team that barely reached .500 in conference I don't get it. Furthermore, I cannot fathom why Texas gets ahead of California or Utah in the BCS. (Then again, I hate Texas more than Oklahoma and hate the Sooners more than Auburn and I HATE Auburn). The system sucks and at least ABC Sports and ESPN have started to press for more change.

Frank Beemer is looking old on the Selection Show!

Edited by MisterIdol, Dec 5, 2004 @ 5:47 PM.

[Lakers Suck]

I think it is pretty safe to say that this year's BCS is the biggest crock of shit in the history of the system. Three teams (Auburn, Cal, Boise State) have had magnificent seasons and have all gotten screwed. Being a Golden Bears fan, I am incredibly furious about Cal not going to the Rose Bowl. Their only loss was a 6 point nailbiter versus USC and they are ahead of Texas in the polls. Words can't explain how furious I am right now.

[Hasbro]

The system sucks and at least ABC Sports and ESPN have started to press for more change.

In SI this week, the one with the Detroit cover, they detail problems with the BCS and mention that the nets were pushing for a playoff or at least a plus one game. But the presidents don't want it.

SI even talks about a study that said the NCAA would make more money with a playoff.

I don't buy the crap about missing classes. A)Like the NCAA gives a shit about acedemics and B) D-2 has a playoff and those guys actuly need their degrees.

[SpchProf]

Well, if we had the old system in place, rather than the BCS, USC, Oklahoma, and Auburn would all most likely be playing in different bowls. The BCS was set up so numbers 1 and 2 could play each other this year, and that was accomplished. I disagree that this is the worst result of the BCS. Nebraska making the Rose Bowl a few years ago and last year's debacle were much worse.

But when Auburn beats a ranked team by 10 and looses ground to an Oklahoma team that stomps a team that barely reached .500 in conference I don't get it.

Because the BCS does one thing well that I like: they take into account the entire season rather than who played well the previous Saturday.

Furthermore, I cannot fathom why Texas gets ahead of California or Utah in the BCS.

It can be debated all day who's better. Texas has wins against 3 ranked opponents to California's one. Add to the fact that the Big 12 South alone was a better conference than the Pac-10 and you may have an answer.

[GooberPyle]

I feel your pain, Lakers Suck. The Rose Bowl slot going to Texas (who barely beat Kansas, by the way. Fucking KANSAS!!!) has pushed my Sun Devils down to the Juarez Bowl.

[mtvcdm]

And what of Utah? They were screwed out of gaining any respect because the BCS tossed up Pittsburgh as a sacrificial lamb after everyone had spent the second half of the season discrediting the Big East in general.

Then Idiot Boy on the selection show has to call it a 'good game', when it's become increasingly clear all season that Utah would slaughter anyone the Big East offered up.

As for Cal, I wholeheartedly agree that you got the shaft. You'd be in the Rose Bowl had the Texas coach not unleashed a sob story worthy of Queen For a Day about Texas not being in the BCS for FOUR WHOLE SEASONS. The punishment? I advocate voodoo when they play Michigan.