I hereby retract my comments re: the Gators and the SEC

No smartass commentary here, folks. Coach Urban Meyer and his Florida Gators earned this one. They outhustled, outmuscled, outplayed, outcoached, and outhearted Ohio State in every facet of the game, and quite possibly turned a Heisman-winning quarterback into a NFL third-round slot receiver.

Congrats on the 2006 National Championship, Florida.

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78 Comments

  1. Bob, you’re really showing your class with that post. Good job being a hypocrite! Get a new insult guys, that backwoods south stuff just doesn’t hold water anymore – most of you are showing yourselves to be much worse than anything (fictional) you’re describing.

    I feel sorry for LSU – they won’t have a chance to show how good they really are. All they’ll get to do is beat on a horrible Notre Dame team.

    Quiz time! What’s the last time Notre Dame has beaten a team that was still ranked at the end of the season?

    Does the truth hurt?

    GO GATORS

  2. Gomez,

    You got your green card?

    SEC lovers, especially the French ones, you still screwing your sister?

    ND haters, kiss my Irish ass…( We’ll (ND fans) always be smarter, richer, classier than you’ll ever wish to be)

    Matt, Did your Mommy write the comments, because your too stupid…

    Go Irish.

  3. Very funny to hear a ND fan complaining about hype the SEC and the Gators get. There’s no bigger fraud in college football today than Notre Dame.

    Enjoy your Commander in Chief’s Trophy because LSU is going to put hurting on the domers.

    Geaux Tigers

    and

    Go Gators!

    War SEC.

  4. Dang. Thats thar is some ruff name callin you yankee dipshit. I figger we dont think much better about yer sawry ass… in fact we really dont think aboutcha at all.

    My wife says you prolly have 1/2 yer hair, 3/4 normal height, and 1/4 yer pecker. And thats a good thing cuz ya shouldnt reproduce.

  5. SUGAR BOWL DINER
    – Serving Hungry Tigahs for 73 Years –
    MENU FOR JAN 3, 2007

    ENTREE
    – Irish Stew
    – Red Beans & “Weis”
    – Leprechaun etouffee

    TO DRINK
    – Cafe Au Lait
    – Bourbon & Coke

    DESSERT
    – Tiger Bait
    – Bread Pudding A La Quinn

    ———————–
    – Dine In or Ta Geaux –
    ———————–

  6. To Rose Bowl CEO Mitch Dorger and the other Pasadena big wigs

    From …The college football world

    Cc … ABC drooling executives who hear the cash register ringing

    Subject … Michigan vs. Notre Dame rematch in the Rose Bowl

    Don’t.

    Thanks!

    P.S. LSU vs. Michigan, if you please.

  7. I love how he thinks his Civil war jab is so creative… IT ALREADY IS A BUMPER STICKER MORON… and don’t act like that’s not where you got it from… Ask your pastor to stop sticking his tongue in your ear while you are typing to that might produce something besides this dribble of a defense that you obviously felt compelled to supply because the whole of the nation is noticing what a joke your “prestigious” football team has become… If you think you can divert fire by taking shots at real football teams than be my guest. Someone with as little grasp of the written word as you posses no threat to someone who is intelligent enough to be above the cracks you take at a general populous that may actually apply to 10% of the targeted area… My 2003 football team produced a national championship… it also produced a dentist, two doctors and an engineer… Your mistake is that you are applying your limitations to other schools in other conference… Other schools in this country can produce quality academic and football programs on a consistent basis… don’t look down your nose over the top of your coke bottle lenses at the 250 lb jock that your sister is dating and assume he couldn’t blow you away in a discussion on open market policy, free trade agreements or the weaknesses of the new silica/plastic hybrid compound they are attempting to replace the tiles on the bottom of our space shuttles with… don’t insult this area of the country by bringing our capabilities down to your own just because you and your program can’t seem how to manage both in this era of College football…

    Your team deserved the biggest drop of any top 25 team this season… it lost by the widest margin to a team ranked within 10 spots of itself going in… Getting what you deserve is as fair as it gets… your problem is your program has been getting MORE than it deserves for so long you don’t know how to handle it.

    The SEC conceived the BCS system that has screwed us over for 3 out of 4 years? Hard to believe…

    You want to talk about money hungry… Take another look within. Your program arrogantly refuses to join a conference because it gets special rights and privileges afforded to it that were earned by players, coaches and students long since gone… Your school remains independent so that they can avoid having to share any of the revenue they receive from bowls that they have no business in to begin with. *(See your dismal performance last year)

    Its only natural just after discovering you are extremely over rated to start lashing out at teams that have managed continued success while your football “program” never seems to be ranked as high as it was once it plays a descent team… Behind that giant, obnoxious, talking head you have put up we know that there is a scared little puke of a man trying to draw attention away from the fact his team can’t beat anyone ranked above 15th even at home…. pathetic…

    My only hope is that by some miricle Nuetured dame gets to play one of the top level SEC teams in the bowl matchup… especially Florida… good luck with that… tell brandy quinn to wear his sports bra that day…

  8. Then why don’t you direct your brilliant posts to those who are calling everyone overrated in the SEC & Big 10. And I already addressed your bleeding heart liberal rant about racial & class remarks & deemed your remarks just as stereotypical in a very hypocritical fashion. Additionally, you can’t say w/o a shadow of a doubt, that those posters were ND fans. I sure hope they weren’t, but if they were, then they made asses of themselves not EVERY SINGLE IRISH FAN. Man talk about stereotyping (“one fan says something deemed derogatory…they must all think that way”). I noticed you didn’t stick up for the folks in the south (regardless of color or creed) when the author of this blog took the usual stereotypical pot shots. I’m from the south & took no offense b/c the idiot who posted it told us how ignorant he is. And another thing, Florida is not going to beat ND in the Sugar Bowl…but Arkansas is after they beat florida. chill out…it’s just an opinion. The college f’ball world has waited 7 weeks for Flordia to bust out. They have the talent but I think the Hogs & LSU are playing better. This should make you happy: I think ND will get beat in the Sugar Bowl regardless of whether it’s Florida or Arkansas. See, no bias, just realism. That won’t mean that I won’t be rooting for the Irish and watching every second even if it’s a blowout. I love Notre Dame football. I’ll watch any college f’ball game over an NFL game any day of the week.

  9. “The Quarterbacks in the SEC are game managers (any commentary to the contrary would not be contested by an unbiased analyst)_further proof, go find an all american in the SEC at quarterback, once you name him, would you take him on the last drive of the game before Quinn, Smith, Brohm, Booty, White, Henne, Stocco or McCoy.”

    Jamarcus Russel had engineered two game winning last second drive this year (UM and UT), 2 last yeer (ASU and Alabama). What a game manager he is. He has had 6 games this year of 20 passes or more with 3 or fewer incompletions. Thats very good for you slow learners up there.

    Also, too bad all you have are fat, pale chicks with bad attitudes to choose from.

  10. Irish Realist:

    I don’t hate ND. But there are a lot of people that do, and when ND loses to Florida in the Sugar, they will be mighty happy! Look, I have no problem with ND going to the Sugar Bowl. What I have a problem with is ND fans spending the entire season calling everyone else overrated while their own team hasn’t even won a bowl game in 13 years! The folks who originated this blog owe Florida, the SEC, and everyone else they have spent the entire season calling “overrated”, and if you can’t admit that then that speaks to your integrity (or lack thereof) just like your failure to denounce the folks who were making racial and class remarks against Troy Smith did. I gotta tell you, if Troy Smith and Florida are overrated, what does that make Brady Quinn and ND? Now I like Quinn and ND, but that question is precisely why ND fans should stop bashing other players and teams until their own team actually does something. No program that goes 13 years without a bowl victory should be calling any team or any Heisman candidate overrated, that is all that I am saying, and when you look at how ND was so thoroughly outclassed by the only two ranked teams you played all year (and by 3 of the 4 ranked teams that you have played in 2 years) then you’d agree with me. Look, at least Davie and Willingham beat ranked teams! That’s how bad things have gotten for ND these days, and is why ND fans need to stop their yapping at the perceived flaws of superior teams until they actually prove that they are a superior team themselves by beating one.

  11. Nebraska,

    Who said the Big 10 was fraudulent? I mean ND played 4 teams from that conference, 3 of which are bowl eligible. That would be a faulty argument for an ND fan to make since 1/3 of their schedule is judged on Big 10 strength.

    And the Irish tried to join a conference, the Big 10, back in the early days of Rockne. The Big 10 snubbed their noses at the little Catholic university in small-town Indiana & told them to kiss their asses. So Rockne was forced to drag his team by rail all over the country to play the better teams in the nation. Paybacks are hell, i guess, b/c that little Catholic school snow-balled into what the New York Yankees are to MLB. You either love em or hate em w/ no in between.

    I’ll repeat what I stated on Nov. 16th. Remember the ‘hate ’em’ part when you’re whining about ND not deserving a BCS bid. They WILL get one & it’s got as much to do w/ the haters of ND as it does the lovers of ND. Because BCS don’t care if you love’em or hate ’em…just tune it to watch or buy a ticket to attend. They’re targeting you guys as much as they are the ND fans. BCS is only responsible for matching up #1 & #2…after that it’s all about attractive (read money generating) matchups. Is it fair? Nope. Is life fair? Nope.

  12. Well, now that Notre Dame has suffered their second loss and has yet to defeat an elite opponent in the entire Weis era, I guess there is no point in having this thread up anymore. Say what you want about Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, LSU, and Arkansas: they have beaten better teams this year than any single team that Notre Dame has beaten in two. Oh yes, and didn’t UGA beat mighty Georgia Tech yesterday? The same UGA that lost to Kentucky and Vanderbilt. And weren’t you guys talking about how weak the Big 10 was and how it made Ohio State a fraud right up until they hammered Michigan (who were somehow insulated from the fraudulent weakness of the Big 10 solely by virtue of having played ND I guess). Oh well golden domers, you had better join a conference before you go around criticizing everyone else’s. Right now, ND is at best the #6 program in the midwest behind Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, and WISCONSIN. Truthfully, Nebraska is further along in their rebuilding project than you guys are! Get better ND before you start bashing everyone else.

  13. Jay is so right, the SEC does have the most bowl wins in the past 10 yrs. That means they are the best conference EVER! That means that all the National Championships, Heisman Trophy winners & NFL draft picks by the likes of USC, Notre Dame, Ohio St., Michigan, Texas, Oklahoma, Miami & Florida State are trumped by the fact that the SEC reigned victorious in games like the Independence Bowl in beautiful Shreveport, LA or the Music City Bowl in the college football capital of the world: Nashville, TN. Yeah, the aforementioned teams have NEVER won in the Sugar, Fiesta, Rose, Orange or Cotton Bowls like the all-dominating SEC. Let’s be honest, there are too many damn bowl games & now w/ a 12th game added to te schedule, a team doesn’t even need a winning record to qualify for bowl consideration. A team in a conference like the SEC, for example, can schedule 4 out-of-conference cupcakes & go 2-6 in their conference play & they’re eligible for a trip to a bowl. Or if you give a team in a conference, like the SEC, the benefit of the doubt & they schedule one touch out-of-conference opponent & 3 cupcakes (like the mighty Citadel, SEMO, Furman, Western Florida, etc.). Ask Auburn if they regret scheduling The Citadel a few yrs. back or if Florida & Arkansas will regret scheduling the likes of Western Florida, Utah St. or Southeast Missouri State (provided one of those runs the table & has a shot at going to Glendale).

  14. Brett is kinda right. Of course every team with a loss wishes to have that game or games back. I don’t think ND has played just as many good/bad teams as anyone else. Just take a look at “SEC’s” Florida, by season end they will have played 4 teams ranked in the top 15, plus good Ala. and GA teams. I wonder why this blog is not about USC. Their one-loss can from an unranked team and they have about 2 near losses to unranked teams. Yet, they are ranked #3 above Florida and ND.

  15. To all you naysayers about the Gators and SEC, just look this fact up: What conference has more bowl wins the past 10 years. SEC, baby!

  16. Yeah, Brett’s right. Look at all the one-loss teams. They each had their shot & blew it by losing that one game. Fans from each team can throw out a million excuses, but the fact remains that they blew it.

    Now it looks as if ND will face Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl provided that Arkansas takes care of Florida which I suspect they will. I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite at this point. Hopefully, we’ll know more after the ND-USC game and I predict one of two outcomes: USC boatraces ND in a track meet OR a game similar to last year where whichever team has the ball last wins.

  17. NOTRE DAME HAS PLAYED JUST AS MANY GOOD TEAMS AND BAD TEAMS AS ANYBODY ELSE, THE HAVE WON CLOSE AGAINST UNRANKED TEAMS LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, STOP HATING AND LOOK AT REAL FACTS. EVERYBODY EXPECT OHIO STATE HAS A GAME THEY WISH THEY COULD HAVE BACK JUST STOP TALKING NON-SENSE AND GO BY FACTS

  18. The way the AP and Coaches poll have gone I’m happy Mississippi State didn’t have more than 3 victories thus far. Otherwise Notre Dame having beat Army and it’s 3 victories would have lost even more ground to Arkansas. Wait, didn’t the Irish win 40 something to 9 and didn’t play the first team most of the last quarter where the outcome was never in doubt compared with Arkansas’s close game where they played the first team the entire game and was in jeopardy of losing? Hmmmmmm! Cheese-burgers all around! Go LSU!

  19. Yawn November 18th, 2006 at 11:26 pm

    Are you ND people actually arguing with Arkansas fans? Show some pride. Everyone in the SEC knows to just dismiss their squealing. They’ll be back to their mediocre selves soon enough (you can only hire so many high-school coaches as assistant coaches to get recruits).

    Let me see, how many coaching award has you coach won this year VS “THAT HIGH SCHOOL COACH! LOL

  20. What are you all fighting about? To see who can get in the big game and get blown out by the Buckeyes? Remember last year Notre Dame fans? It wasn’t pretty, and it would be much worse of a beating this year.

  21. Are you ND people actually arguing with Arkansas fans? Show some pride. Everyone in the SEC knows to just dismiss their squealing. They’ll be back to their mediocre selves soon enough (you can only hire so many high-school coaches as assistant coaches to get recruits).

  22. “I don’t think you watch or know too much about college football. Darren McFadden gives Arkansas many different ways to score. He can either run it himself, or leave the defense focused on him to open up the passing game. Or his presence on the field can open up a play for the other RB, Felix Jones. The options with McFadden on the field are numerous.

    So, to answer your question, yes, McFadden would be directly and indirectly involved in the “36-point differential”.

    Please, think about what you write before posting it so you don’t embarass yourself in the future. ”

    Oh, I’m hardly embarrassed. Yes, he does give Arkansas many ways to score. But let me remind you that Arkansas got their asses beat by USC, by a margin of OVER 5 TOUCHDOWNS. In case you weren’t aware, in football, that’s a lot of points. If McFadden plays in that game, maybe they don’t lose by over FIVE TOUCHDOWNS, but they still don’t win. You still need SOME sort of a team effort to beat a team like that. One guy ain’t gonna do it alone, I don’t care how much you’ve deluded yourself into thinking McFadden is Football Jesus.

  23. No need to shed light, Hawgexcentric. We know what a talent McFadden is, now you just need a head coach who can take you to the next level. He cost the Hogs vs. USC. They went into that game hoping not to get blown out while they should have gone in knowing they had a shot to win. Nutt plays “not to lose” instead of playing “to win”.

    As far as an ND vs. Ark matchup in the SUgar Bowl. According to your former SID, Hog fans may prefer an Irish match up over the national championship game. That’s crazy. It’s not like ND has returned to it’s previous glory just yet…give ’em another year or 2. In the meantime, we have to be happy w/ 9-3 & 10-2 seasons. It sure as hell beats the 2 previous regimes.

    I remember when the Hogs knocked #1 UNC (w/ Jordan) in b-ball back in the early ’80s. That story ran on the front page of your paper (not just the sports section, the front page) for days on end. I can only imagine how long the story will run if you beat the Irish in the Sugar. As much as ND is hated in the south (for the most part), they sure take a lot of pride when they get a chance to beat ’em, especially in a down cycle that started in 1997.

    Anyway, good luck vs. the bulldogs, tigers & gators.

  24. The football slams don’t bother me. Trash talk comes with the territory, and is to be expected no matter what Division or Conference.

    That being said however, the comments about the South were uncalled for and show that bigotry can come in any form, regardless of age, race, or anonymity over the internet (which seems to be a popular forum for people of your ilk!). You know what they say about karma….

  25. Good article except for the slurs to our Southern neighbors. To that; it is difficult to read these disparate things you have written and detracts from the quality of your information.

    I would love it if it were true that ND is the class of College Football this year but they are not and it was apparent during the GT game and became more obvious with Michigan. (Though credit should be given to players for both teams ND played a so-so game.) Michigan and Ohio State really are; and yes they have had some close games against lesser opponents like the rest of the ncaa, so what. ND has gotten better as have most other teams and I feel that they are more capable and would give Michigan a better game today. However ND still needs a power back/fullback who can get those needed two yards before it can rise to the level of the elite.

    As for Florida, I do question the hold Urban Meyers has on the sports writters and other coaches. His team isn’t really up to the ranking from all I’ve seen. What’s to be done?

    Strength of schedule is a tough one because most schools schedules are done so far in advance, in that a team can be up for two years when they enlist to be played but ultimately when game day arrives they’re not so good, ie ND vs UNC. (UNC did play a tough defensive game and they will be a great defense next year so look out if they’re on your schedule.) Maybe the BCS should take into account when a teams schedule is made and where the teams were at the end of said season. That way the meaning of these games can be put into perspective. And if you play a 1-AA team like Troy you the 1-A team should have an extreme threshold to overcome in order for that game to mean anything. Or, it is included in the loss column reguardless to outcome. The BCS could be more objective and less subjective but I fear the complaints would be as they always have been.

  26. Just wanted to shed a little light…. About Darren McFadden… 1219 Rushing yards, that is roughly 79yds more than the entire ND team, and just 120 less than the entire USC team who, if they played Arkansas at this point in the season(IMO) WOULD GET WHOOPED……

    Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing but repect for Notre Dame and USC, both are very high caliber teams, and very good games, at this point in the season. I will look forward to a game against ND.

    Oh, for all of you that dispise the BCS, I have been research as much as I can, trying to figure out what the hell the BCS is all about. SOS, OOC games, etc… EVERYTHING that I can get my hands on. And the conclusion of my studies is very disturbing. If Akansas and Notre Dame both win out the season, they have the right to the National Championship… Disturbing because you Fighting Irish and us HOG fans both know, THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN….

    Good Luck anyways…..

  27. I feel your pain Bailey, b/c ND gave up 5 turnovers to Michigan. Not to say Michigan wasn’t the better team that day, but I think fans from both sides expected a much closer battle. That was the one game on our schedule that I thought would go down to whoever had the ball last.

    My point is most teams can look back w/ regrets about their one loss…especially Ark. & ND. And I agree about the “DUMBASS coach” comment. Maybe ole Gus Malzahn can take over the reins before Houston pisses him off & he goes elsewhere. You can’t afford to lose him.

    I bet Malzahn called more imaginative plays this year than the Right Reverend Houston has called in the last 8 yrs. Malzahn’s playcalling reminds me so much of Charlie Weis: take what the defense gives you & don’t be afraid to run or pass regardless of situation.

  28. “Arkansas played without Darren McFadden against USC. Considering McFadden is accountable for 90% of the Arkansas’ offense, I think they’d put a whooping on USC if they were to play right now.”

    I’m sure he’d single handedly account for the, what, 36 point differential?

    3 of the td’s were from fumbles that would not have happened if our DUMBA$$ coach would have let the defense hit the backs in pre-season,ala 3fumbles. Arkansas would beat USC now. NO QUESTION

  29. Let us have USC now!!
    They won’t be able to stop DMac (Darren McFadden), who was nowhere near 100%, and our o-line is the most underrated in the country. I feel we would dominate the line of scrimmage.
    Cal is going to take care of USC Saturday, but if not, I will be rooting for Rudy to show up next weekend…I will be rooting for the Irish, because if we win out and beat Florida in Atlanta, we will overtake you guys in the polls anyhow, so I hopefully won’t have to root against y’all…I always said my 2nd favorite team is ND…I root for y’all unless you play the Hogs.

  30. Thanks to Goldenboy for the link. That was some article. I didn’t realize the corruption followed Tressel from Youngstown St. to the degree it did. If that was Notre Dame, he’d been George O’Leary’d long before it got to the point it has at OSU.

  31. Goldenboy, envy will get you nowhere. You only help to prove my point. We are supposed to be discussing football but the creed of ND fans seems to be “If you can’t beat them on the field, beat them in the classroom”. The article you reference is a joke, obviously biased against OSU. Most of those incidents involved players that weren’t recruited by Tressel and I think Clarrett has just proven to be a bad person not the product of lack of supervision. To even mention Miami or Tennessee in the same breath shows me that writer has no objectivity. Tressel’s teams always conduct themselves with class and sportsmanship, they are a product of their fine coach. And although I appreciate the comments from the Irish Realist I do disagree with his prognostication of guaranteed future success. Top 10 recruiting classes do not guarantee anything. OSU has had only one recently and there are teams that consistently are top 5 or top 10 that always finish below the Buckeyes where it matters most. Coaching is the key and ND fans seem to think that Charlie Weis is Knute Rockne reincarnate, which I do not, but at least he is not Gerry Faust! But if Can’t-Miss-Jimmy Clausen turns into Ron Powlus even ND realists would have to say ‘here we go again’.

  32. “They are putting that fine ND education to work” The stupidest, most assinine comment of the year. Notre Dame basically holds its students to Ivy League standards and the football team has an oh let’s see here 95 percent graduation rate. Ohio State is a STATE university, the botttom of the barrel across the country as far as college educations go, that is an absolute fact. BRUTUS, I would imagine even you could get in there.

    Let’s check out Sweatervest boys’s graduation rate…drum roll please 55 percent. Impressive!

    Here’s a nice little article about the players at the new “ThugU.” http://www.sportsline.com/columns/story/9799793/1

  33. Alright, here’s the skinny. We love ND, you hate ND. That’s cool. Swapping stats isn’t gonna get us to change ea. other’s minds. This isn’t abortion or gun control. Brutus, don’t worry, precious Troy will get his trophy & unless Lloyd Carr can spike OSUs gatorade, I would imagine that OSU will handle Mich. by 10 pts or more (just my opinion).

    Now here’s the bad news for you Irish haters. You don’t have long, maybe the rest of this year & next season (or earlier, but I figure ND’s gotta break in a new QB). Get in all your shots between now & the end of ’07 b/c guess what? By then, Weis will have 3 top 10 recruiting classes under his belt & the underachieving of the Davie/Willingham era will be completely OVER. He’s done his best w/ sub-ND talent (w/ a few exceptions like Quinn) these last 2 yrs, but after ’07 it’s on. Besides, everything’s cyclical…it just took a little longer for ND to get the right coach. Kind of like at Nebraska trying to replace Osbourne or OSU replacing Hayes…it takes awhile.

    Now before they announce the bowl selections, go ahead and get the 1st draft of your diatribes completed. Because, if ND finishes 10-2, they’re still going to a BCS bowl. Fair? Probably not. Is life fair? nope. Bottome line: the bowls don’t give 2 shits about who DESERVES to go to the BCS games w/ the exception of the Nat’l Championship game. After that it’s all about putting butts in seats & eyes on TV sets. And as the bowl officials are already saying, they don’t care what you think about ND as long as you’re not indifferent. They know the ND fans will travel & tune in b/c of their loyalty & that the ND haters will tune in b/c of their hatred. I think it’s called Capitali$m. Now I would prefer that ND beat USC & make this a moot point. But if they don’t, remember you all are just as repsonible. Because w/o the haters, there’s half as few people watching & the BCS knows this. After all, that’s why NBC hooked up w/ the Irish.

    If the Irish TCB, finish 11-1, then I expect an ND vs. Arkansas match-up in the Sugar Bowl (I agree w/ JohnnyB, McFadden & ARK are the real deal)…which will be a great game. If ND falls to USC, I expect the same match-up but a not-so-great game. In other words, I don’t think ND deserves to be in a BCS game if they lose to USC, b/c it will show that ND cannot beat the elite teams. But don’t say I didn’t warn you, ND is going to a BCS bowl if they finish 10-2 & the only solace you can take is a possible embarrassment in the bowl game.

    Thank you for bearing w/ me. Go Irish beat Army & SC; Go Michigan (I can’t believe I just typed that) beat OSU; Go Florida beat Arkansas in the SEC championship; Go WVU beat Rutgers and so on and so on (whatever favors ND).

  34. “A fraud as a perrenial power?”

    How can you win 11 National titles, have 7 heisman trophy winners, 177 all-americans, 811 all-time wins and be called a fraud. No matter what teams anyone plays, to put up those numbers is no fraud my friend. That OSU education’s making you look pretty bright, buddy…

  35. JohhnyB, don’t get too upset, ND fans miss most of the game because they are looking at the stat sheet. They are putting that fine ND education to work. Besides they are all about excuses when people aren’t telling them how great their team is. Talk about using bravado and arrogance to hide their insecurity. Forget what Arkansas would have done against USC with McFadden in the lineup, I am more interested to see what Arkansas would do the Irish lack-of-defense. There can’t be a team in the top 25 with a worse defense. And ND feels they are under appreciated? I would love to see them in the SEC, Big 10, or Pac 10 and see them in the middle of the pack every year. As it is now they get to perpetuate this myth of playing a tough schedule and being better than they are. ND is a has-been, a fraud as a perrennial power, and to suggest that OSU fans or any others for that matter are jealous only proves one thing – that in addition to being a bunch of arrogant whiners they are not very smart.

  36. “I’m sure he’d single handedly account for the, what, 36 point differential?”

    I don’t think you watch or know too much about college football. Darren McFadden gives Arkansas many different ways to score. He can either run it himself, or leave the defense focused on him to open up the passing game. Or his presence on the field can open up a play for the other RB, Felix Jones. The options with McFadden on the field are numerous.

    So, to answer your question, yes, McFadden would be directly and indirectly involved in the “36-point differential”.

    Please, think about what you write before posting it so you don’t embarass yourself in the future.

  37. Goldenboy:

    I do not disagree that ND is a very good team who has played a tough schedule. I merely disagree with the bashing of other teams who, like ND, are very good teams who have played good schedules. Now sure, the other teams have flaws. So what? So does Notre Dame. If Notre Dame didn’t have flaws, Michigan wouldn’t have hammered you at home by almost three times as many points as they beat Central Michigan by. And really, give this I – AA thing a rest. I – AA teams give out scholarships and send players to the NFL, OK? Service academies DO NOT. There are tons of I – AA teams that would slaughter Army and a great many of the other losing I – A teams. As a matter of fact, North Carolina needed a fourth quarter comeback to beat Furman by 3 points! And didn’t Stanford lose to a Division II team last year? That’s right, the same Stanford that pushed Notre Dame to the limit lost to 35 scholarship Division II UC – Davis, and that loss actually kept Stanford from going to a bowl game. Stanford lost to a school in its first year in I – AA and was still limited to 35 scholarships because it was on “provisional” status, and went on to win 5 games on the I – A level, including 3 in the PAC – 10! So next time you bash folks for playing I – AA teams, remember that a 35 scholarship Division II team beat the same Stanford team that you guys had to pull out a 38 – 31 win to get your $14.5 million dollar BCS payout for giving up 600 yards against Ohio State last year. Mad at Troy Smith’s Heisman candidacy? Well, you guys kicked it off by allowing him to complete all of those deep balls against your defense. And you guys are the reason why Troy Smith can win the Heisman just by beating the same team that bombed you guys in South Bend! Again, consider the flaws on your own team more and bash other teams less. The way your offensive line has looked against good competition this season, you really ought to be glad that you don’t play Florida, LSU, or anyone else with a dominant front seven, and you had better hope that you will be able to block USC’s DEs and LBs in a couple of weeks. Oh, but you will be ready for USC, because you will be battle – tested by Army, Air Force, Navy, North Carolina, Stanford, MSU, and Purdue, right?

  38. ND is a non-conference school! They have the freedom to play whoever they want and should play nothing but 1-A school. These conf. school are forced to play teams in their conference that are not that good. However, ND is not subjected to Texas/Okla. and Florida/GA-like conference dog fights every year. Not to mention that some of these conferences have a championship game, on top of a reg. season. Also, 1-AA teams don’t count towards SOS unless it is a loss for 1-A school. So, if you play NO 1-AA school your SOS should be high. Plus, the determining factor for divisions is SIZE. There is a number of good 1-AA teams that can’t be 1-A because they don’t have enough STUDENTS and vice versa. These are the 1-A schools ND plays, the ones that are not that good, that if a couple thousand students transferred they would be 1-AA schools themselves. In addition, good point Nebraska.

  39. “Arkansas played without Darren McFadden against USC. Considering McFadden is accountable for 90% of the Arkansas’ offense, I think they’d put a whooping on USC if they were to play right now.”

    I’m sure he’d single handedly account for the, what, 36 point differential?

  40. Even though I think ND is overrated, I hope they blow out USC.

    The Trojan superstars are gone..bye bye Leinart, Bush, White, and others – their superstar status is finished. Who gives a flying f*** about Booty or Washington?

    USC’s dynasty is over. I hope they lose back to back to Cal and ND!

  41. Strongly agreeing with that statement, not to mention ND fans are attacking others schedules because ND’s strength of schedule has been attacked all season long, arguing who plays the easiest teams gets old when every single team in the nation schedules patsies, some bigger patsies than others, and bottom line there is that ND does not schedule 1-AA schools. If you look at ND’s schedule and the history of all the teams on it, on paper it appears as one of the toughest schedules in the country. Year in and year out ND has always played one of the toughest schedules in the country.

  42. Wow, this bashing of other teams is real nice. As if it is Florida’s fault that YOU WERE BLOWN OUT AT HOME BY MICHIGAN. Gee, if you weren’t BLOWN OUT AT HOME BY MICHIGAN, then you wouldn’t need to be on here pointing out the flaws of every other team in the nation week in and week out. And to think that fans of a team that played North Carolina, Stanford, Army, Navy, and Air Force would have the gall to pick on someone else’s schedule? Of course, that is not to say that Michigan State, UCLA, and Purdue are these great powerhouses. Even Georgia Tech and Penn State, Notre Dame’s best wins in TWO YEARS, are barely in the top 20 if they are at all! I mean, did you see Georgia Tech against UNC on Saturday? They needed two UNC penalties to keep their lone scoring drive of the day going, and they had to pick off UNC TWICE in the end zone just to preserve the “victory.” And that’s your best victory in TWO YEARS? Notre Dame hasn’t even won a bowl game since 1993, and you guys sit around pointing out flaws in everyone else’s schedules? Well then maybe Notre Dame needs to play Western Carolina too! Maybe THEN they would win a bowl game! Again, this is not to discredit anything that Notre Dame has accomplished this season or to inflate any other team. But the way Notre Dame fans sit around casting stones at everyone else while ignoring their own glass house is ridiculous.

  43. Ladies and gentlemen, your Western Carolina Cantamounts!

    Please folks, keep on talking that Service Academy bullcrap.

    As of this coming postseason the Naval Academy will have appeared in four consecutive bowl games. They’re 2-1 in the three bowl games they’ve played during this time and since 2003 have compiled a 33-14 record, including an 11-6 record vs. BCS schools not named Notre Dame.

    Air Force? Ask the folks down in Rocky Top what they think about the Falcons.

    Army? As bad as they are, last season they dusted the champion of the MAC Conference–a favorite punching bag for the Big Ten–the University of Akron by a score of 20-0.

    Meanwhile, in Gator Country, the University of Florida plays the Division I-AA Western Carolina Catamounts this weekend. The Cantamounts currently stand at 2-8 for the season, their wins coming against fellow I-AA Eastern Kentucky and Chowan. Yes, Chowan. No, that’s not the name for a concoction of fish guts and blood used to bait great white sharks. I believe that’s chum. Chowan is a Division II school that is currently riding an 0-10 record into post-season glory.

    At some point in time people are going to need to come up with something better than “the Service Academies suck because I said so” to back up your stupidity. And at some point the BCS should start subtracting points from a school’s ranking if they play I-AA puds.

  44. Here are some facts on conference strengths, since most people can’t/don’t use them to support their arguements (ESPN and CBS included).
    Since 1990, the best conferences (all numbers based on College Football Database Calculations) [all time rank included for comparison]
    Rank Conf Points All time Rank
    1. Big 12 934.585 3
    2. ACC 873.35 5
    3. PAC 10 868.025 4
    4. SEC 858.96 1
    5. Big 10 855.615 2
    6. Big East 676.105 6

    So it would seem that the SEC and Big 10 are resting on their history a littl emore that the ACC, Big 12 and PAC-10.

    Just some objective tought for a change

  45. First, the SOS means nothing! You have 2 tough teams on your schedule Mich., who you lost to, and USC. Second, never said you LOSS to Ga Tech, they exposed you. Lil info there is no such thing as a home field advantage. If your the #2 team in the NATION there is no way an unranked team should do what they did to in the first game of the season. This is why people have wrote off ND this year. Followed loss to Mich. and 2 come from behind wins against UNRANKED TEAMS.

  46. At least the service academies are Division 1-A. Every team in the SEC has a Division 1-AA team on the schedule. Outside of Texas, OSU has only played 2 teams w/ winning records thus far. Wisconsin ends their season vs. mighty Buffalo & didn’t have to play conference foe, Ohio St. Speaking of Texas, they played Division 1-AA Sam Houston St. Those wins shouldn’t count towards bowl eligibility. Plus, ND doesn’t have to rely on re-loading their depleted roster w/ JUCO-thugs every year. Let’s just wait ’til the end of the season & see where everyone’s opponents end up. Year in, year out, NO team plays a more competitive schedule than ND

  47. Come back and talk about Notre Dame’s tough schedule when they join a conference and drop the annual gimmes against the service academies.

  48. I agree, I don’t see why everyone is loving the SEC. Sure, there’s parity in the conference, but does that make them good? It’s only natural that all the southern folk are biased towards the SEC. Florida has got to be the MOST overrated team in the country. I’ve watched them all season and they’re offense is pathetic. Sad to admit it, but Notre Dame is also overrated. Defense wins championships and in the end, their porous defense will come back to haunt them.

    Why do we keep getting jumped in the polls? Start getting used to the frustration Irish fans. I was in school back in the ’60s and through the years, when Notre Dame’s program is doing good, EVERYONE either loves us or hates us. I tend to think more people hate us. We just haven’t seen it in over a decade since the program was in the dumps from the mid ’90s until last year.

  49. Fair enough…I agree. Plus, I figure we deserve some payback for 1993 final poll (yeah, I’m still bitter about that one), so anything can happen.

    Go IRISH!

  50. The Tim Tebow at fullback was a shot at Florida fans, talk about delusional, they get a hard on about Tim Tebow everytime he comes in the came and he basically has a 5 play package and that’s all, the kid really hasn’t thrown a good pass all season.

    I agree Ndukwe and Zibby both bite on the play action far too often, you’re right, but at times like you said I think Rick Minter is sending the house and not getting to the QB has left those 2 out to dry on more than a few occasions. Urlacher was a safety at New Mexico, and I could def. see Zibby taking on that role in the NFL and being successful, the speed is there and so is the mentality.

    I agreed back in September that ND wasn’t a NC contender after getting beat by Michigan, but I think that no matter what the D does or how the O-line plays the Irish can still play with anybody in the country and of course that biggest reason is Brady Quinn, and Jeff, with an offensive genuis calling plays. If the Irish get a shot, the D could step up and that may be the only opening they need, I think they are as worthy of a shot as anyone else.

  51. Well, Brady’s been sacked 84 times so far in his carreer; I don’t really know how that stacks up against other QB’s in the NCAA, but I know that if you don’t get injured after getting hit 84 times by men weighing 250+ pounds, you’re one tough kid (not a “girly man” as described by Mike).

  52. NDSPORTSFAN, you’re right, I’m continually amazed how Quinn has taken a beating (mostly his 1st 2 yrs) and never been knocked out of action w/ an injury (knock on wood). I wonder if any other prolific QB has been sacked as many times as Quinn has this year?

    Regarding Florida, do you really think they can stop Darren McFadden? The guy can do it all & that doesn’t take into account that the other back, Felix Jones is the #4 rusher in SEC & the 3rd back, Michael SMith, would be a feature back on most teams. Their running back stable reminds me of the late 80s – early 90s Holtz led Irish teams (Bettis, Watters, Levens, Johnson, Brooks, Ismail, Culver, et al).

  53. goldenboy, you’re the one that said Kiper has seven players going in the draft. I love Zibby, but even an expert like you should see that he doesn’t have the cover skills down yet to play safety in the league. Since you’re the talent evaluator (Tim Tebow @ fullback?), how do you think Zibby would fare as a LB (seriously..no sarcasm intended). I can’t remember for sure, but I think Brian Urlacher was a safety in college. And can you at least admit that he & Ndukwe bite on the play action 9 out of 10 times the opponent runs it. Now, I love the way they hit & make things happen, but they continue to get burned by inferior offenses. Of course it helps to get a consistent pass rush w/ blitzes when the DBs are man on man. My point is that some ND fans can’t face the fact that this is not the year for a Nat’l Champ & when they ignore the pasting laid on us by Michigan it insults people’s intelligence & that’s why the talking heads & opposing fans stay bitter towards the Irish. Could it happen..yeah. But there’s a handful of teams that look to have a stronger case & better play on both sides of the ball. You’re right, hating teams are what rivalries are all about. Maybe I listen to too much national sports talk radio where they love to point to how delusional the ND faithful are b/c they have an “undeserving 5 ranking in the BCS poll”. Hopefully, Penn St. & Purdue can finish strong enuff to be ranked which should strengthen this years schedule when all is said & done. Add that to a Ga Tech & USC win & I’m ready to talk BCS.

  54. Florida will have its work cut out for them when we play Arkansas. Any of the top SEC teams can beat any other SEC teams given the right circumstances. Florida will have to play in the second half to beat Arkansas. In Florida we all know that the Florida-FSU game is different from any other game, but honestly. The only way FSU could beat Florida this year is if switched coaches with them. And even then it would be iffy.

    Meyerbadhire? Give me a break. He’s the best thing to happen to Florida since Spurrier.

  55. Irish Realist, why do you keep saying that ND will get embarassed in a BCS game if we lose to USC?(which we won’t even make a BCS game if we lose on the 25th.)ND in my opinion has proven that they can hang with about anybody. there is so much parody in football now you get past Michigan or OSU and anybody can beat anybody. The SEC is down this year, every SEC faithful says that its so tough to win all the games thats why we schedule pansies out of conference. Please, the SEC is a great conference, usually, but this year it just seems weaker then usual, IMO. No matter whether its a rivalry game or not if your the best team in any matchup you should win that game(see Auburn vs Georgia.) I know there is a lot of anti-ND hatred out there but please lets all admit that anybody, can beat anybody, “That’s why you play the game!!!”

  56. I wasn’t even talking about Zibby and Harris, I’m talking about Brady, J.S. and possibly Abiamari. Your argument was that only 3 guys make this team, and it’s just plain wrong. Darius Walker, Rhema Mcknight, Derek Landri, Ndukwe, Richardson, Crum, Travis Thomas, Laws, all of these guys are very solid players and key contributors. Some may be playing on Sundays, some not, either way they are still huge parts of this 9-1 team.

    Plus, saying Harris, and Zibby abosutely won’t go in the first round….you have no clue, who was the last NFL team that paid you to scout and evaluate talent?

    And my first post actually said nothing about the O-line so wtf are you talking about?

    Idiotic comments are the reason people hate ND? College fans hate ND because they are a storied program and are a worthy and dangerous opponent everytime you play them regardless of the year they are having. The same reason I hate USC and I hate Ohio State (well also because they are a dirty program) but I digress. Hating other teams are what rivalries and being a fan of one team is all about.

  57. GoldenBoy says Mel Kiper projects 7 ND players being drafted…SO WHAT? First, Kiper is an admitted ND fan & I’ve seen his projections & there’s no way Zibby & Ryan Harris are 1st rounders. At least show a little objectivity. Besides, look at all the Domers in the league who played under poor teams coached by Davie & Willingham. That’s a weak ass point.

    I’d like to know what O-Line you’ve been watching all year. Those guys can’t pass protect for 4 qtrs & Quinn’s 30+ sacks proves it. Try being a little realistic & you won’t look so ignorant if/when ND gets embarrassed again in a BCS game. Don’t get me wrong, I want them to go & win one two but only if they are deserving. And losing to USC would not qualify as deserving.

    Stop looking at everything thru your gold-colored glasses. I’m all for being a loyal fan, but your idiotic comments are the reason college football fans hate ND.

  58. The person who wrote this article has no football intelligence whatsoever. McSweeney, you truly have no clue what you’re saying, do you?

    Arkansas played without Darren McFadden against USC. Considering McFadden is accountable for 90% of the Arkansas’ offense, I think they’d put a whooping on USC if they were to play right now.

    At the beginning of the season, Florida had THE toughest schedule out of any other team in the nation, according to all preseason magazines. To say that they have come out of it so far with a 9-1 record is short of amazing. The SEC always looks incredibly tough at the beginning of the year because of their preseason rankings. But, because the the SEC is so good, they have a tendency to quote “cannibalize” each other as the season progresses. Thus, almost no SEC team is able to come out unscathed because of the conferences innate strength. Therefore, you see down teams like Georgia able to put a whooping on Auburn.

    Florida knows how to win games, either by good play or good luck. If it wasn’t for their idiot offensive coordinator, they’d have been able to put 30+ points many times this year.

    My point is this: Florida, Auburn, Tennessee (with Erik Ainge), Arkansas, LSU, and maybe even Georgia could ALL put a good whooping on the University of Notre Dame football program.

    ND would not last two weeks in the gladiatorial scene that is the SEC.

  59. As a lifelong Domer, I have to disagree w/ your comments about the SEC in general. They are the conference w/ the largest number of “good teams”. But, so what? The pendulum will eventually swing back to the Big Ten or the PAC 10. That’s the way it is.

    What we are seeing is true parity in college football, which is a good thing for everybody (except for the BCS, which we all know sucks).

    ND is a good football team this year but not a great one. They are like the Indianapolis Colts. Without Brady Quinn or Peyton Manning, they may be .500 teams. But thank God for QBs like this- guys who have the “it factor”- that cannot be taught! They are worth their weight in diamonds because they find a way to win and they “know” they are going to win.

    The frustration of ND being dropped or jumped 4 times after wins/byes this year is absolutely valid. Whether you love or hate the Irish, how can you possibly justify that? Why- because the wins were close or against “inferior teams”? (see parity comment above) Did Florida drop after their 1-point win against South Carolina? Of course not, nor should they. Double standard, plain and simple.

    Lastly, the mean-spirited comments about people from the South are just plain rude and wrong. Remember one of the many things that makes Notre Dame great- IT’S CLASS. We don’t riot and burn things when ND wins or loses. We don’t disparage other schools or teams- or at least we shouldn’t!
    And if you don’t believe that- see the article on ESPN.com written USC fans/students who were on campus after NDs last second loss to USC. They explain that they had never been treated with so much respect and class than when on the ND campus. They had ND students and fans saying “Welcome to Notre Dame”, giving up their seats on shuttles to the stadium. After the game, they had ND students/fans shaking their hands and saying “great game, congratulations”. Am I saying every ND student/fan is like that? Of course not. There are idiots EVERYWHERE. But let’s remember what makes Notre Dame, well Notre Dame. We’re not better than anybody, but win or lose, we will hold ourselves to a higher standard.

    As much as I love college football and ND football, I remind myself that it is just football. These are kids, extremely talented kids. North, South- we are all AMERICANS. That may sound corny, but in this age we live in, you better remember it!

    GO IRISH!

  60. Still waiting for one decent argument, folks. At least you’re not as bad as the OSU idiots last week who after more than a hundred posts never managed to remotely refute the fact that Troy Smith is a statistically inferior QB to Brady Quinn who has faired strikingly worse against common opponents.

    But that was last week. Now I’m faced with staggeringly brilliant posts like:

    Why is Florida ranked above Notre Dame? Easy. Notre Dame is a bunch of girly-men. Everyone knows that. We are surprised you don’t. ***Apparently we need a “12 and under” blog.

    …now that they are hitting the easy part of their shedule with Colorado, a respectable foe. ***Respectable? Colorado is 2-9, a record that includes a loss to I-AA Montana State at home. Most sane people would rank them in the bottom 15-20 teams of the entire 119-team Division I-A.

    Florida beat Georgia who beat Auburn who beat Arkansas etc. ***October 7, 2006, Arkansas 27-Auburn 10, at Auburn. Again, the only team that’s beaten Arkansas is Southern Cal…in Fayetteville…by 36 points.

    Fact: ND, the most storied college football team, expected to return to glory this season. Justified by…weak schedule hype. ***Fact: ND currently has a strength of schedule ranking of 22, an SOS exceeded by only eight teams in the Top 25. Up until two weeks ago, ND maintained a Top 10 SOS through the entire season. You load your puds on the front-end. We do it on the back-end.

    Then, you got your a** handed to you in your SEASON OPENER to GA Tech on national television. ***First Auburn beats Arkansas, and now THIS? What’s with you SEC guys just making shit up? September 2, 2006, Notre Dame 14-Georgia Tech 10. ND goes on the road and holds GT to zero points in the second half while limiting Calvin Johnson to 2 catches for 14 yds in the final 2 quarters.

  61. Quit playin’! This article has half a paragraph of valid info against Florida & the SEC. The rest of the article was just stupid. SEC is the best conference hands down, that’s why there non-conference schedule is like that. They play in a tough conference, followed by a SEC championship and major bowl game. I bet LSU would beat ND. Also, stop hatin’, it’s always something; Florida/SEC, Quinn vs. Smith, Voter ranked ND too low… face the fact. Fact: ND, the most storied college football team, expected to return to glory this season. Justified by a preseason FILLED with, #2 ranking; “NFL caliber QB”; Super Bowl winning OC as HC; and weak schedule hype. Then, you got your a** handed to you in your SEASON OPENER to GA Tech on national television. A loss to Mich. followed by near losses to Mich. St. and UCLA. Charlie must have found a 4-leaf clover on campus, this team is too lucky.

  62. Your article has excellence points that I agree with. Too bad you negated it with your south of the Mason Dixon line trying to be cute. They were offensive and down right stupid.

  63. SEC Facts
    1. Florida hasn’t scored more than 30 pts since week 2.

    2. The Quarterbacks in the SEC are game managers (any commentary to the contrary would not be contested by an unbiased analyst)_further proof, go find an all american in the SEC at quarterback, once you name him, would you take him on the last drive of the game before Quinn, Smith, Brohm, Booty, White, Henne, Stocco or McCoy.

    3. It is a league of parity, just because the games play out like NFL games doesn’t mean the teams are NFL caliber as CBS and ABC would have you think (until they kinda changed their mind on Nov. 11th)

  64. A win is a win is a win! Yes some of them have been sloppy! That’s why we continue to watch them and be amazed by things that happen in football! Never the less… (and I have ALWAYS heard this) Really good football teams FIND a way to win!…Good football teams win the ones they are supposed to! Florida’s overall schedule is as hard as is any other team in the NCAA. They are also playing without a lot of the people that showed up earlier this year, just like all the others.

    Win-Loss record, against who? don’t forget days gone, now that they are hitting the easy part of their shedule (besides the “warm-up”)with Colorado, a respectable foe.

    Florida beat Georgia who beat Auburn who beat Arkansas etc.

    It is survival of the fittest at the end!

  65. The same Cal that just got beat down by Arizona? Seriously?

    Notre Dame is 6-6 if not for Brady, Jeff, and Carlson, are you kidding me? One of the dumbest posts I’ve read in awhile. Mel Kiper has at least 7 Irish players being drafted this April, with the possibility of 3 first rounders. You may be the Irish realist but you are out of touch with reality.

    UNC defense’s comments were completely moronic coming from a 1-7 team who just got 45 points dropped on them. By their statements apparently they should be getting 50 points on them every single week if their other opponents are more athletic.

    I would say it’s a stretch to call Florida overrated, but they are no better than ND that is for sure. Their senior QB only continues to regress in a poor offensive system, thank god we didn’t go with Meyerbadhire. Tim Tebow is a fullback trying to play QB and is not the answer Florida fans, sorry. Florida loses to Arkansas, and maybe even reeling FSU.

  66. You’re going to look like an idiot after ND loses to USC in two weeks — a two-loss USC team, since USC won’t beat Cal this weekend. Go Bears!

  67. While I agree that the SEC is down, I wouldn’t get too cocky b/c ND is projected to be playing the SEC champ in the Sugar Bowl. As much as I hate to admit it, ND is just as overrated as the SEC.

    ND is a 6-6 team if not for Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardjzia & John Carlson. Outside of those 3, the squad is littered w/ Davie/Willingham also-rans. The O-Line has regressed & would struggle to fend off the speedier defenses of Florida or Arkansas. Even the UNC defense admitted that they see faster athletes in the weak ACC than they saw on the field @ South Bend. And that porous defense can’t prevent ANY team from putting points (double digit, no less) on the board.

    My worst nightmare is that ND gets embarrassed (again) by USC & gets an undeserved invite to a BCS bowl (again) where they will get throttled by the Darren McFadden-led Razorbacks. This guy possesses that rare 5th gear that we only see in the likes of Reggie Bush or Rocket Ismail. And he has the size to go w/ it!

    Now if the Gators luck out & beat the Hogs, I’ll be more confident that ND can compete b/c as you stated, they are average, at best. You can throw Texas in the mix too. How come they didn’t get the national scrutiny of playing weak teams & coming from behind to beat average teams the way ND did? Auburn enjoyed a higher rank than deserved as retribution from the writers who screwed them 2 yrs ago.

    While we continue to rail vs. the BCS we ought not forget the extremely biased AP writers & coaches who use the polls to grind axes. Look back over the last 30 yrs before the BCS…it’s not like there wasn’t controversey back then.

    Get rid of the 12th game, institute a playoff that doesn’t wait ’til mid-January to decide a champ & keep the writers’ & coaches’ opinion out of the discussion.

    Go Irish…beat USC (after beating ARMY, of course!)

  68. Ryan,

    Economic success…..kind of a reach when you are speaking of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, don’t you think????

  69. Why is Florida ranked above Notre Dame?

    Easy. Notre Dame is a bunch of girly-men. Everyone knows that. We are surprised you don’t.

  70. I think we can all agree that the BCS is unfair, obtuse, and often baffling. We can also agree that Florida has enjoyed a certain amount of luck this season. I go to Florida and most people here don’t identify with the “South” or with most other members of the SEC. The jabs at intelligence and the “genetically challenged” are ignorant and sound like sour grapes. From year to year the SEC is, without a doubt, the most challenging conference in college football. It seems this year that college football across the nation is catching up to the SEC, and that can only be good for everyone. You seem very bitter. Then again, I’d be bitter too if I lived in Indiana. Notre Dame was overrated preseason and now Florida and USC are a little overrated. And as far as the war goes, it seems the only people dwelling on it are the northerners who are jealous of the climate, economic success, and migration the sunbelt has been enjoying for the last 20 years.

  71. And to me the champion of the SEC bowl game should be the national champions

    You mean like the so-called “Big Least” champion West Virginia that manhandled SEC Champion Georgia in last year’s Sugar Bowl?

    But on the other hand personally I can’t see how USC jumped up in front of Florida when they have lost to a crappy team and has played no one.

    If “they has played no one,” then what exactly do you call USC’s 36-point ass whuppin’ of Arkansas? If this year’s possible SEC Champion Razorbacks are “no one” in your mind, then what’s that say about the rest of the conference?

  72. Well let me tell you something! To start of the SEC is the best conference hands down. And to me the champion of the SEC bowl game should be the national champions. Every other conference has pretty crappy schedules where they play unranked and no name teams. So therefore they are ranked pretty low, which sucks because most of those teams have potential. But on the other hand personally I can’t see how USC jumped up in front of Florida when they have lost to a crappy team and has played no one. This season is just really pissing me off.

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