Rutgers, My Ass (and other angry, drunken football thoughts)

'06 Football General NCS Football16

I am getting great pleasure from watching Rutgers get shitcanned by a pedestrian Cincinnati squad. At least I won’t have to hear any more nonsense about how they did what they had to under the current rules and “deserve” a shot at Ohio State, which would kick them into next week. I mean, they barely beat UNC, and that might be their best non-conference win. Yes, Tarheel fans, that means Rutgers is better than NC State. But national title caliber? No way. Like Mel Kiper said on ESPN Radio this week, if Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers had to face the weekly grind of the SEC, they would have at least 2 or 3 losses. Game, set, match to Mel on that one. Want proof of the SEC’s grind? Ole Miss is up two scores at LSU!

Of course, the national topic du jour is – did Michigan earn a rematch? Remember, Vegas gives 3 points to account for home field advantage. Using that formula, Michigan proved to be Ohio State’s exact equal today. I would sure as hell like to watch those 2 play again. In my mind, only 3 teams have a possible argument to get in with 1 loss ahead of Michigan – USC, Florida, and Arkansas. To be fair, the PAC-10 is not the Big East (but not the SEC, either). And USC did beat Arkansas and Nebraska OOC (and would have to beat Notre Dame, too). That’s impressive. And the SEC is easily the best conference in football, making it hard to say that any 1-loss team should get in the title game ahead of a 1-loss SEC champion. I expect Arkansas to lose to LSU next week, but what about Florida? Still, neither SEC contender will have a marquee non-conference win. And shouldn’t that be rewarded? I think so.

Notre Dame shouldn’t even be in the conversation. A weaker Ohio State team played a roughly equivalent ND squad in a bowl last year – and smacked them around. Plus, this year Michigan took the Irish to the woodshed in South Bend. Nothing has happened since to indicate that ND is markedly better, or that UM is markedly worse.

Subjectively, I think Michigan deserves a shot. They are easily the 2nd best team I have seen play this year. Naturally, this is more proof why we need a playoff. How is it fair to deny Michigan a shot? Or USC or Florida, assuming they win out?

I really hate that the castrated turkeys beat Wake Forest tonight. It is now assured that BC or Wake will win the Atlantic title, pending the Wake/Maryland game next week.

Oh yeah, Chuck still must go.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

'06 Football General NCS Football

16 Responses to Rutgers, My Ass (and other angry, drunken football thoughts)

  1. E-RO 11/18/2006 at 11:43 PM #

    I agree all of that stuff.

    Good work SFN.

  2. Lunatic Fringe 11/18/2006 at 11:47 PM #

    It is kind of an unwritten rule of nature…when the talk starts turning to unqualified teams with no losses late in the season start being considered into National Championship discussions that they are destined to lose.

    I still laugh about my prediction back in 2001 that BYU would lose to Hawaii back when BYU was undefeated going into the last week of the season. The fan base, media, administration, and coaches were all upset that BYU was getting left out of the on the BCS. They spent so much time worrying about the postseason that they ended up forgetting that they had 1 game left on their schedule.

    I am glad the Big East teams did us all a favor and took themselves out of consideration.

  3. beowolf 11/18/2006 at 11:50 PM #

    Well. what a day on SFN. We’ve gone from Sir Walter Raleigh’s execution to Chuck Amato’s predictable immolation to BJD’s ass.

  4. tvp 11/19/2006 at 12:01 AM #

    I’d rank it something like this:

    tOSU
    Michigan
    USC
    Florida
    Arkansas
    WVU
    Notre Dame

    Homefield is at least 3 points – Ohio Stadium is probably more. I’d like to see Michigan get another shot, but I think USC wraps it up with a win over ND.

    The nightmare is ND beating USC and somehow ending up in the title game…

  5. E-RO 11/19/2006 at 12:10 AM #

    I don’t think that ND can be in the title game. Michigan would have to find a way to lose another game, as well as Florida and Arkansas.

    And I think that Florida has to have their shot at OSU, because aside from OSU and maybe Michigan, Florida is the best team in the nation.

  6. LRM 11/19/2006 at 12:16 AM #

    The fundamental problem of a rematch, for me, is that it completely de-values the regular season matchup between these teams (outside of the pride issues). I thought FSU got hosed by the rematch with Florida in ’96 (even though they got blown out), and if Michigan were to beat Ohio St in a rematch, why are they more deserving than the Bucks, who rightfully earned their spot in the game by going undefeated?

    I’m against any team that doesnt win it’s own conference (Oklahoma 2003) — or division, Nebraska 2001 — from playing for the national title.

    If USC wins out, they’ve earned a chance. I dont care what Mike Hart says, he might not be impressed with tOSU’s D, but the Bucks won it on the field.

    The real problem is that college football tries so hard to create a “true” national champion that we’re left with a mess like this. I, personally, don’t see how the current system is any better than the old system where the AP and UPI/Coaches/USA Today voted on champions.

    Hell, if nothing else, it meant all the games on NEw Year’s Day meant something — remember 1990.

  7. cfpack03 11/19/2006 at 12:16 AM #

    NC State football is dead to me.

  8. LRM 11/19/2006 at 12:20 AM #

    Of course if tOSU wins in March or whenever the championship game is played, then it’s all a moot point.

  9. justaguy 11/19/2006 at 8:35 AM #

    USATODAY computer ratings (after 11/18 games)
    1 Ohio State A = 101.63
    2 Southern California A = 95.35
    3 Michigan A = 93.46
    4 Louisville A = 91.44
    5 Florida A = 90.58
    6 California A = 90.23
    7 West Virginia A = 90.19
    8 LSU A = 90.15
    9 Texas A = 88.42
    10 Notre Dame A = 87.62
    11 Arkansas A = 87.39

    60 ECU
    75 NC State
    101 UNC

    Sagarin seems to rate PAC10 team’s schedules way too high. Cal is ranked #6 with an 8-3 record. No way. So Cal is ranked too high at #2, but it doesn’t matter. If they beat Notre Dame & UCLA, they probably are #2. If they lose to either, it doesn’t matter.

  10. class of 74 11/19/2006 at 9:19 AM #

    From what I saw you go with the rematch. But maybe USC puts a beating on ND worse than the Wolverines put on ND, and wow, what a dilemma. Can we finally get a playoff? With apologies to Jeff’s POV.

  11. RickJ 11/19/2006 at 10:13 AM #

    “I really hate that the castrated turkeys beat Wake Forest tonight. It is now assured that BC or Wake will win the Atlantic title, pending the Wake/Maryland game next week.”

    If BC loses at Miami on Thursday night, Maryland can win the Atlantic with a win over Wake.

  12. Wulfpack 11/19/2006 at 1:03 PM #

    Spurrier to Miami? Wow.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2668273

    To me, I don’t think there is any question The Ohio State University and Michigan are the two best teams in the land. If the game is played in Ann Arbor or on a neutral field, perhaps Michigan wins. I don’t think Arkansas or Florida will have enough to get in. The Notre Dame/USC winner could possibly sneak in, but it’s unlikely.

  13. redfred2 11/19/2006 at 2:21 PM #

    I hope Spurrier stays in Columbia and builds that program into a perenial power. But Steve Spurrier will do what’s best for Steve Spurrier. The man is good, he knows it, and he’ll tell you about it. I can’t begrudge him for doing a job and doing it well.

  14. Woof Wolf 11/19/2006 at 4:25 PM #

    rf2: Did you mean “perennial” or “perineal?”

  15. redfred2 11/19/2006 at 4:43 PM #

    ^He is widely considered a pain in that general vicinity, butt no, that was not my intention to begin with.

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