- Messages
- 30,265
- Reaction score
- 73
Don’t mind me, but while I write this, I can almost hear the Notre Dame fight song in my head (“Cheer, cheer for ole Notre Dame; Wake up the echoes calling her name”). I can just hear Knute Rockne giving his impassioned speech to his Irish troops before a game (“Boys ... get out there on that field ... and give your all ... fight, fight, fight ‘til you can’t fight any more”).
I see Ronald Reagan as George Gipp tell Pat O’Brien in “Knute Rockne All American” to “go out there and win one for the Gipper” on his deathbed.
I see Sean Astin as Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger running on to that field in “Rudy” among the crowd begging for him to get out there to the chants of “Ru-dy! Ru-dy! Ru-dy!” in his final game in the Irish uniform.
And that’s just the sappy, almost Hollywood-esque stuff. The stuff that program has done on the field is pretty darned legendary, too.
But all that nearly flew out the window — as well as a BCS berth — when Stanford, a team that had a .500 record going in, took a 31-30 lead with 1:46 left in the game when Matt Traverso caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from T.C. Ostrander.
You figured there was no way the Irish had any more luck left in them. Just not meant to be. The $1 million bowl berth is still nice, though not the $13 million BCS berth.
Then just as it looked as if the Irish were going to be left for dead, back they came led by Quinn, a Heisman hopeful quarterback, who led them on a rather easy-looking, six-play, 80-yard drive, capped by Darius Walker’s 6-yard scoring run with 55 seconds left in the game, giving the Irish the lead and eventual win.
Then I started thinking about the paragraph I just typed above this one — this is the kind of schlocky, passionate adulation proud Notre Dame alum Regis Philbin would be spewing the Monday after this kind of win about four minutes into his talk show, leaving Kelly Ripa as excited as a teacher earning the honor of running after-school detention.
Yeah, Charlie Weis has done a tremendous job since coming in (he, like, Regis is a proud Notre Dame alum) to coach the Fighting Irish to a successful season. Quinn has earned the right to make the trip to New York City in a couple of weeks to sit next to three other hopefuls politely clapping for USC’s Reggie Bush when he picks up his Heisman Trophy.
But do the Irish really deserve the at-large BCS bowl bid (they can only earn at-large bids since they aren’t part of a conference)? You’d think they would.
Just don’t tell Oregon they do. Let’s compare:
The Irish are 9-2, have beaten three Top 25 teams (Michigan, Pittsburgh and Purdue) during the season and lost to No. 1 USC on the final play of the game, 34-31.
The Ducks are 10-1, have wins over two Top 25 teams (Arizona State and California) and their lone loss was against the Trojans, 45-13.
The combined records of the Ducks’ opponents — 65-57. The combined records of the Notre Dame opponents — 58-64. Oregon played five opponents with losing records; Notre Dame played seven.
The three common opponents the two schools had were USC, Stanford and Washington. They both lost in different fashions to the Trojans, but Oregon’s wins over Stanford and Washington were by 44-20 and 45-21 margins, while Notre Dame’s wins over the two schools were by 36-17 and 38-31 margins.
It can be argued that schools tend to play up against a Notre Dame team — mainly on tradition — as opposed to an Oregon team, recently known for 2001 Heisman nominee and current Detroit Lions quarterback bust Joey Harrington and another former NFL high draft choice quarterbacking bust, Akili Smith.
But at the end of the day, what do BCS officials look for when it comes to scheduling who plays in the big games, which this year will be the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Fiesta Bowl?
Which school can put more fannies in the seats of these prestigious games.
Notre Dame has fans and alumni all over the place. This is not to argue Oregon doesn’t, but whose fans are more vocal and out there?
I rest my case.
Simply put, Oregon has the better record, has played the tougher schedule and can’t be penalized for its lone loss to the Trojans, they of the 33-game winning streak. Yes, Notre Dame lost to USC, too, and was leading until the end against the Trojans.
But I don’t care if you lost by one, 21 or 101 points — a loss is a loss. No moral victories. Oregon deserves the at-large bid for the BCS.
Sorry Notre Dame. Sorry Regis, Daniel Ruettiger and all you ecstatic and proud alum. There’s always next year.
And give me a hearty, “Cheer, cheer for ole Notre Dame; Wake up the echoes calling her name,” while you’re at it.
Source: Palatka Daily News
I see Ronald Reagan as George Gipp tell Pat O’Brien in “Knute Rockne All American” to “go out there and win one for the Gipper” on his deathbed.
I see Sean Astin as Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger running on to that field in “Rudy” among the crowd begging for him to get out there to the chants of “Ru-dy! Ru-dy! Ru-dy!” in his final game in the Irish uniform.
And that’s just the sappy, almost Hollywood-esque stuff. The stuff that program has done on the field is pretty darned legendary, too.
But all that nearly flew out the window — as well as a BCS berth — when Stanford, a team that had a .500 record going in, took a 31-30 lead with 1:46 left in the game when Matt Traverso caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from T.C. Ostrander.
You figured there was no way the Irish had any more luck left in them. Just not meant to be. The $1 million bowl berth is still nice, though not the $13 million BCS berth.
Then just as it looked as if the Irish were going to be left for dead, back they came led by Quinn, a Heisman hopeful quarterback, who led them on a rather easy-looking, six-play, 80-yard drive, capped by Darius Walker’s 6-yard scoring run with 55 seconds left in the game, giving the Irish the lead and eventual win.
Then I started thinking about the paragraph I just typed above this one — this is the kind of schlocky, passionate adulation proud Notre Dame alum Regis Philbin would be spewing the Monday after this kind of win about four minutes into his talk show, leaving Kelly Ripa as excited as a teacher earning the honor of running after-school detention.
Yeah, Charlie Weis has done a tremendous job since coming in (he, like, Regis is a proud Notre Dame alum) to coach the Fighting Irish to a successful season. Quinn has earned the right to make the trip to New York City in a couple of weeks to sit next to three other hopefuls politely clapping for USC’s Reggie Bush when he picks up his Heisman Trophy.
But do the Irish really deserve the at-large BCS bowl bid (they can only earn at-large bids since they aren’t part of a conference)? You’d think they would.
Just don’t tell Oregon they do. Let’s compare:
The Irish are 9-2, have beaten three Top 25 teams (Michigan, Pittsburgh and Purdue) during the season and lost to No. 1 USC on the final play of the game, 34-31.
The Ducks are 10-1, have wins over two Top 25 teams (Arizona State and California) and their lone loss was against the Trojans, 45-13.
The combined records of the Ducks’ opponents — 65-57. The combined records of the Notre Dame opponents — 58-64. Oregon played five opponents with losing records; Notre Dame played seven.
The three common opponents the two schools had were USC, Stanford and Washington. They both lost in different fashions to the Trojans, but Oregon’s wins over Stanford and Washington were by 44-20 and 45-21 margins, while Notre Dame’s wins over the two schools were by 36-17 and 38-31 margins.
It can be argued that schools tend to play up against a Notre Dame team — mainly on tradition — as opposed to an Oregon team, recently known for 2001 Heisman nominee and current Detroit Lions quarterback bust Joey Harrington and another former NFL high draft choice quarterbacking bust, Akili Smith.
But at the end of the day, what do BCS officials look for when it comes to scheduling who plays in the big games, which this year will be the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Fiesta Bowl?
Which school can put more fannies in the seats of these prestigious games.
Notre Dame has fans and alumni all over the place. This is not to argue Oregon doesn’t, but whose fans are more vocal and out there?
I rest my case.
Simply put, Oregon has the better record, has played the tougher schedule and can’t be penalized for its lone loss to the Trojans, they of the 33-game winning streak. Yes, Notre Dame lost to USC, too, and was leading until the end against the Trojans.
But I don’t care if you lost by one, 21 or 101 points — a loss is a loss. No moral victories. Oregon deserves the at-large bid for the BCS.
Sorry Notre Dame. Sorry Regis, Daniel Ruettiger and all you ecstatic and proud alum. There’s always next year.
And give me a hearty, “Cheer, cheer for ole Notre Dame; Wake up the echoes calling her name,” while you’re at it.
Source: Palatka Daily News
