I suppose if one must spend the day on the couch recovering from a cold, the least the universe could do for you is to provide seven hours of nonstop football to help pass the time.
It's always fun to watch the Aggies lose. Not so much because I like Texas - I just like A&M a lot less. I guess it's all right by me that Mack Brown is in a position to have his team play for the championship after so much Oklahoma-induced frustration, but speaking as a Rice fan, I don't have that much sympathy for anyone else's woes. Believe me, I know the feeling better than you do.
Normally, a Nebraska-Colorado matchup is bad news for me, since I don't like either team, but it's almost not as much fun hating the Cornhuskers these days. Almost. Thankfully, there were two factors that helped me tip the scales in this one: One, I always like to see a Big XII team get knocked out of their title game, and two, the classless display the Buff fans put on at the end. I think the refs should have been flagging CU for unsportsmanlike conduct after the second instance of debris-throwing, not that it would have mattered in the game. Hopefully, the jerks who injected themselves into the action will be caught and punished.
In the last minute or two, one of the ABC announcers said something like "I wonder what the bloggers will be saying now" about embattled Husker head coach Bill Callahan. Well, this blogger doesn't really give a darn, but if Nebraska were to fire him two years after firing Frank Solich and deliberately going in an entirely different philosophical direction, it would be proof to me that they no longer care about winning. Let the guy get a senior class of his recruits, then judge him. Same is true for A&M's Franchione, who is rumored to be headed to Kansas State. I can't stand the guy, but three years ain't enough time to judge him, and speaking as a taxpayer, eating $10 million of his contract isn't exactly sound fiscal policy.
I'll close with an evil thought: If UT stubs its toe in the Big XII title game, will that finally be enough to convince people that a playoff is necessary? Discuss.
Posted by Charles Kuffner on November 25, 2005 to Other sports | TrackBackMuch to the chagrin of our neighbor, a diehard UT fan, I was rooting for A&M today. Penn State is #3 in the BCS and I desperately want them to make the MNC game. So I guess I'm now the world's biggest UCLA fan.
I didn't see much of any of the games today. I did one of the scariest things a Houstonian could do today: I went to the Galleria.
Posted by: Sue on November 25, 2005 7:55 PMI understand your annoyance with A&M. Sometimes they annoy me too...and I WENT there. I did not intend to watch the blowout, but after the Chronicle gloated about it on the FRONT PAGE, even I had to root for the poor Ags. Imagine my surprise to see them winning in the 3rd quarter. Alas, one fumble too many did them in, but I take solace in the fact that the Aggies not only cost Vince Young the Heisman, but they took literally MILLIONS of dollars out of Longohorn wallets by crushing the spread.
Now, that's something even a Rice grad can appreciate.
Posted by: RedScare on November 25, 2005 8:30 PMBy the way, taxpayers don't pay Coach Fran's salary. Lowry Mays over at Clear Channel does.
Posted by: RedScare on November 25, 2005 8:33 PMFair enough. It's still not a wise use of $10 million, though.
Posted by: Charles Kuffner on November 25, 2005 9:41 PMIf either UT or USC loses the next game they play, things could get pretty interesting in BCS land. If only that last second in the Penn State-Michigan game had been different, JoePa's boys would be undefeated and have a good claim on the MNC game even if neither UT nor USC lose. If UCLA wins, which is more likely than UT losing in the Big 12 title game, I'll for sure be yelling that Penn State ought to be in the MNC game.
Frankly, I think UT has the best team in the country right now. They've steamrolled everybody (until today) except for one team, Ohio State. USC nearly lost to Arizona, Arizona State, and Notre Dame and could have lost to Fresno State.
If USC loses to UCLA but still plays UT in the MNC game and wins while Penn State plays in the Orange Bowl and wins, who is the nation champion? There'll be a good argument for both, especially if Penn State wins by a larger margin than USC. It's not unfamiliar territory for Nittany Lion fans; I still boo Nebraska for the year they claimed half of the National Championship with Penn State.
ESPN just did a "Why You Can't Blame" on this. And their number one reason for there being no playoff in 1A football is the university presidents.
Posted by: Sue on November 25, 2005 11:09 PMI don't know how anybody in their right mind can root for Texas (especially being a Rice grad). That school bleeds arrogance with their football team, yet hasn't won a conference title since 1996 and a national title since 1970.
It's apparent to me Sue that you haven't really watched USC play. They've had some sluggish first halves in which it took them awhile to get going and then they've kicked ass. Their defense is suspect, but their offense is the real deal. They've played a ton of very good football teams (Oregon, Notre Dame, Fresno State) and many of those were on the road. Who, other than Ohio State (who played their second string QB for much of that game), has Texas played? The Big XII is as bad as it's ever been. USC has won 33 straight and should make it 35 by the end of the season.
If Penn State isn't in the national title game, they aren't getting a share of anything. This isn't 2003.
Posted by: Double B on November 27, 2005 9:30 AMBy the way, taxpayers don't pay Coach Fran's salary. Lowry Mays over at Clear Channel does.
Posted by RedScare at November 25, 2005 08:33 PM
Fair enough. It's still not a wise use of $10 million, though.
Posted by Charles Kuffner at November 25, 2005 09:41 PM
Agreed, but I can't think of many I'd rather see use their money unwisely than Lowry "Let's Burn Dixie Chicks CDs" Mays. Maybe Bill Bennett or Rush Limbaugh. Oh, wait....
Posted by: Mathwiz on November 28, 2005 5:05 PM