CURIOUS INDEX, 10/27/08
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GET YOUR WAR ON. Georgia/Florida. The terrible people, doing the terrible dances, with the terrible jerseys, terrible domestic beers in large plastic bottles, and the terrible things in public places with the terrible music. We couldn’t be happier to see humanity at its non-murderous ugliest come back around. Viva la coke orgy! Batten ‘em down. We don’t think there’s necessarily a party line at ESPN–we really, really don’t. It’s not like they have little Frank Luntz talking points they vomit up, and dissent seems to be tolerated well enough, especially when they can split-screen said dissent and blast it at high volume. Yet, here’s the Penn State Watch, a largely sentimental movement dismissive of Penn State’s less-than-robust strength of schedule and lack of a championship game. Mike Golic, this morning on Mike and Mike: “Well, it looks like Penn State’s a lock for the title game.” If it will make him look more arch than he already fancies himself, Mark May will come out swinging against this with top hat and cape on, presumably announcing this while tying a bewigged Lou Holtz in a maiden outfit to railroad tracks. Punishments=tied to chair with Jim Delany in a werewolf mask holding a blowtorch. The Big Ten Commish and Kim Jong-Il of college football’s influence sphere says the Big Ten replay officials were in error when they made some shit up about the pylon being part of the playing field, even when you touch it out of bounds. We were so looking forward to receivers running, picking up the pylon, and then catching passes cleanly in the front row of the endzone stands for TDs, if only to watch opposing fans play pass defense. Sacks allowed: 3. What an irresponsible, gimmicky offense: three sacks allowed, a 12 yard plus average per catch, 5.5 yards per carry average on the ground, zero games lost to injury for the qb (who never, ever gets touched) and as many fourth down conversions as punts on the season. Texas Tech will never get anywhere with that foolishness. Bill Stewart, Carlton fan. In his petite profile on SN Today, WVU head coach Bill Stewart lists the following as his favorite television shows: What’s on TV: CSI, The George Lopez Show and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air The idea of Bill Stewart guffawing at full volume at the Carlton dance is serving as a substitute for our eighth cup of coffee this morning. |
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51
M1EK says:
“f PSU does go to the NC, odds are pretty good that they’ll see defensive talent on a par or superior to what they saw last Saturday”
Alabama, maybe. But Texas’ defense, albeit strong for the Big XII, would be in the lower half of the Big Ten.
What you saw in that game was a good offense being called very conservatively (the ‘pucker-up on the road’ factor) against a good defense, and on the other side, a decent offense against a great defense.
Just keep talking, though. The same exact things were said the last 4 times we destroyed a team named UT in a bowl game.
October 27th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
52
TAFKastOSUB says:
Conference Argument Dept:
Should, should, Penn State pull it off and win the NC this year it sure would shake up the conference arguments.
Since 1997: Big 10 would have 3 (Mich, OSU, PSU) and the SEC would have 3.5 (Tenn, LSU, Florida).
I refuse to acknowledge the 96 Gator NC because our beating ASU in the Rose bowl is the only reason they were awarded the NC. /bitterness off
October 27th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
53
Pete the Streak says:
@49 – Perhaps. And yet, Utah and PSU actually had two common opponents this year: Michigan and Oregon State. Does that mean anything?
Utah vs. UM: 2 point win
Utah vs. OSU: last-second FG to win
PSU vs. UM: blowout
PSU vs. OSU: blowout
Utah tried to schedule a few tough OOC games; UM was a tough team when they were scheduled, and Oregon State is more than respectable.
PSU did the same. Syracuse was a 10 win team when scheduled (but they certainly blow now), and OSU is OSU. All you can do is win.
Yes, I understand the fear of a Big Ten team in the MNC after the Ohio State debacles, but tell me: when was the last time you saw a Paterno team embarrassed in a bowl game? Remember ‘87 vs. The Mighty Miami? The game was only a formality on paper. And yet that one game was the impetus for the whole BCS system. An excellent read:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=fiesta87
(sorry – no hot link)
What the hell – ‘07 Michigan lost to App. State, yet they smoked Florida (OMG Florida!) by Bowl Time. No one said it meant anything.
Let things play out. Plenty of time to gripe later.
October 27th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
54
Mr.Pelican Pants says:
Terrell Pryor will be a Heisman candidate sooner than later. He is a guy to build around, and if Tressel can get some QuarkBacks like RichRod is trying to do, tOSU once again will rule the Big 10….and if TX and Bama(getting past Florida is a big “if” with everyone healthy) wins out and JoePa gets left out of the BCS, you will see the Big 10 commish start changing his tune bout that playoff thingy.. Just add Notre Dame into your conference..then we could have the winnars of the SEC,Big 10,Big 12 and the Pac 10(just pick someone or 2 out of the Mountain West-TCU,BYU), or an at large berth if one of the main conferences isnt in the Top 4 at yrs end..it would be a Plus 2 scenario…1v3,2v4, then winnars in the BCS,and make it the Rose Bowl…or rotate the place the BCS should be played at via the conference tie in….baby steps…..or coin flips….
October 27th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
55
Pat says:
AAAAAAAARGH! STOP IT, dangit!!
Penn State’s strength-of-schedule is not that bad! It is not worse than Ball State’s. It is not worse than Utah’s.
Look at every single statistical ranking used in the BCS – Colley, Wolfe, Massey, (not Billingsley because he’s insane) – Penn State’s schedule strength is only marginally worse than Alabama’s. If you look at the two schedules side-by-side, they’re not that much different. Unless you fear the massive power of Western Kentucky that much more than Coastal Carolina.
Orson, your article yesterday (the Alphabetical) used numbers on Penn State’s SOS that didn’t include this week. And teams from a BCS conference’s SOS gets stronger as the season goes on, whereas a team from a non-BCS conference gets weaker as the season goes on.
Utah? Ball State? Are you kidding me?
October 27th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
56
RotoJeff says:
@54 – The Big Ten has courted Notre Dame on numerous occasions. They’ve resisted every entreaty – and I can’t really blame them, given their TV contract.
October 27th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
57
MSR says:
TAFK,
First of all, you’re a raging buffoon. This, however, is not news to anyone who frequents this site.
Secondly, it’s mindblowingly disingenuous for you to pretend that LSU’s BCS Championship is worth a mere half of a national title.
For better or worse, the BCS is the system used to determine the national champion. The schools (including USC) and, in turn, their conferences agreed to participate in the system and be bound by its determinations. The fact that a bunch of nerdy, hopelessly biased sportswriters decided to vote USC #1 despite not playing in the NC game does nothing to diminish the fact that LSU won the 2003 National Championship. Please stop making a fool of yourself.
October 27th, 2008 at 2:18 pm