It's the College Football thread!

[Drake Tungsten]

MasterCard Alamo Bowl: Team worse than Colorado beats the Big 10's 3rd best

How can you beat Colorado 30-3 and be considered worse than them?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Btw, I must say that I'm happy that all the morons who said that with 4 weeks to prepare Charlie Weis (master tactician) couldn't lose. After all, he had 2 weeks against USC and look what he did.

I wanted to scream at my radio that Jim Tressel ain't chopped liver as a coach. But Hell, the I should have been aware of the deification of a Notre Dame coach. Hell, they wrote "Return to Glory" after Ty Willingham's first year as a coach.

[DanS]

I don't know why you bring up that old saw -- Willingham. The difference between Willingham and Weis in their first years is that Weis lost 3 games by a total of 20 points while Willingham lost 3 games by a total of 60 points, including a 31 point blowout at the hands of USC, our one and only rival.

Tressel is a first-rate coach. You can't take anything away from him (assuredly, he's not chopped liver). On the other hand, Ohio State was expected to contend for a national championship this year, so Tressel should be held to a slightly different standard than Weis, who was expected to have a rebuilding year. Also, keep in mind that Weis is being judged by the kind of players that he is recruiting and not strictly by wins and losses -- a top 5 class this year.

That said, I think Weis probably cost Notre Dame 7 points in the first quarter by being so conservative with his play calling on the goal line stand. I thought his play calling was good otherwise and he had his guys prepared. Objectively speaking, I think Ohio State was just as the final score should have been -- about 4 points better than Notre Dame.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I don't know why you bring up that old saw -- Willingham. The difference between Willingham and Weis in their first years is that Weis lost 3 games by a total of 20 points while Willingham lost 3 games by a total of 60 points, including a 31 point blowout at the hands of USC, our one and only rival.

And yet he got a book entitled "Return to Glory". It's my example of the deification of ND coaches. Weis has already been set up as the "best coach in NCAA football" by some people it seems like. I'm just tired of all this crap about the savior coach.

I mean, hell, Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia was supposed to have a rebuilding year as well this year, with a freshman at QB AND at RB (though the QB was a redshirt frosh). No one was writing odes to him though.

[DanS]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

I don't know why you bring up that old saw -- Willingham. The difference between Willingham and Weis in their first years is that Weis lost 3 games by a total of 20 points while Willingham lost 3 games by a total of 60 points, including a 31 point blowout at the hands of USC, our one and only rival.

And yet he got a book entitled "Return to Glory". It's my example of the deification of ND coaches. Weis has already been set up as the "best coach in NCAA football" by some people it seems like. I'm just tired of all this crap about the savior coach.

I mean, hell, Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia was supposed to have a rebuilding year as well this year, with a freshman at QB AND at RB (though the QB was a redshirt frosh). No one was writing odes to him though.

Unfortunately for Rodriguez, they don't have much glory to which to return. He should get a book just like Willingham's (books for everybody!), but I doubt it would sell well. Maybe he could self publish.

It's a two-edged sword for a Notre Dame coach, however. Even the likes of Era Parseghian compare and are endlessly compared by Irish fans unfavorably to Knute Rockne. Just think how many unbeaten seasons Weis has to have to get to an 88% winning percentage...

[JohnT]

Ara, Dan.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Hey, and 8 consecutive bowl losing streak (tying a record) is plenty glory, isn't it?

[DanS]

ND has plenty of glory to spare, I'm afraid. And as you point out, it is sparing it liberally. The first and second winningist coaches in football history put a lot of shine on the dome.

[reismark]

Ugh. Penn State & Florida State go to overtime.

Unlike last night, if the Seminoles win, it's not because they won it, but because Penn State let it slip away.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Ok, what in the HELL did Bowden sell to Satan for this?! Penn State misses a straight down the middle 29 yard FG for the win?! How... in the world...

And Penn State fumbles inside the 10 late in the 4th Q earlier.....

There is something supernatural at work here.

[Imran Siddiqui]

This is a painful game. The kickers can't convert their FG attemps, the offenses can't move anywhere (through ground or air). I wonder how both of these teams got here!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Triple OT now.

[reismark]

Thank god it's over.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Someone made a kick!! WOOOO!!

Penn State wins, perhaps, the most painful bowl game I've witnessed. Florida State has been involved in the two of the most painful games I've ever seen. The game against Miami earlier this season and this bowl game.

[Tuberski]

I thought it was pretty classy, something I've never thought of FSU, the way the players blocked the view of their kicker from the camera.

ACK!