I started the season disappointed with the state of college football. Seems more like pro football now, and I was thinking, why do colleges and universities sponsor professional football teams? Is that a good idea? I decided it wasn't.
So I decided not to watch. Then I decided I'd tune in for the season-opening kickoff (I'm a Michigan alum and have always followed the team). As you might guess, I got bitten by the bug; I couldn't turn off that game or any other Michigan game. I'm hopeless, a complete sucker for the tradition and pageantry of Michigan football in particular, and college football in general.
Sure, "Playing for the School" is largely mythology. But in the absence of anything else, it seems good enough for me.
"You were around in 1879 when they started playing weren't ya?"
"Yes, but I was still reeling from the effects of the Civil War, after all, it was only 14 years after the end of the Civil War, and I didn't pay much attention to football until Fielding Yost started coaching the team. Back then, the main rivalries were with University of Chicago and Minnesota, though the Michigan-Harvard games were pretty good and the series was even by the 1920s. But heck, after graduating in 1881, I was a bit old to be ga-ga over college football by then.
Yet here we are.
This past weekend Michigan had a nice win against Ohio State, in spite of the odds. But who makes this odds sh!t up anyway? It's silly.
The Rivalry has been resuscitated from life-support. Two M wins in a row have reinvigorated things, and I think that's pretty good for these two programs, if not for the Big Ten as a whole. When it's all one team, year after year, things are a lot less interesting in the college football world.
Then I began thinking, if either TCU or USC lose their championship game this weekend, who should get into the playoffs? I mean, the pundits say Georgia and Michigan are in, regardless. I dunno, but OK for now, though a Michigan loss to Purdue would look pretty bad to the NC Committee. They aren't called the Spoilermakers for nothing, and they always play Michigan tough. But, whatever.
Based on resume, schedule, talent and quality of play, my thinking is that Ohio State is the only non-conference-champ contender whose resume meets Playoff criteria. I realize that other schools will make that claim, but OSU's wins were by wider margins, against better competition, and their overall play has been very impressive, etc. I mean, CJ Stroud is one helluva QB, and Harrison Jr. will be a star in the NFL.
I almost feel badly for these two extraordinarily talented guys that they lost last weekend, but...I don't quite go that far.
I'm no Big Ten homer. I honestly think OSU has earned a place in the firmament should USC or TCU falter. I don't relish playing them again, so this isn't about that. It's about fairness. OSU belongs in if another one-loss team falters.
Perhaps I'm bending over backwards to be fair, but OSU is a very powerful and dangerous team, and they've proven that over the course of the season. Could Michigan beat them a second time? Who the hell knows.
So I decided not to watch. Then I decided I'd tune in for the season-opening kickoff (I'm a Michigan alum and have always followed the team). As you might guess, I got bitten by the bug; I couldn't turn off that game or any other Michigan game. I'm hopeless, a complete sucker for the tradition and pageantry of Michigan football in particular, and college football in general.
Sure, "Playing for the School" is largely mythology. But in the absence of anything else, it seems good enough for me.
"You were around in 1879 when they started playing weren't ya?"
"Yes, but I was still reeling from the effects of the Civil War, after all, it was only 14 years after the end of the Civil War, and I didn't pay much attention to football until Fielding Yost started coaching the team. Back then, the main rivalries were with University of Chicago and Minnesota, though the Michigan-Harvard games were pretty good and the series was even by the 1920s. But heck, after graduating in 1881, I was a bit old to be ga-ga over college football by then.
Yet here we are.
This past weekend Michigan had a nice win against Ohio State, in spite of the odds. But who makes this odds sh!t up anyway? It's silly.
The Rivalry has been resuscitated from life-support. Two M wins in a row have reinvigorated things, and I think that's pretty good for these two programs, if not for the Big Ten as a whole. When it's all one team, year after year, things are a lot less interesting in the college football world.
Then I began thinking, if either TCU or USC lose their championship game this weekend, who should get into the playoffs? I mean, the pundits say Georgia and Michigan are in, regardless. I dunno, but OK for now, though a Michigan loss to Purdue would look pretty bad to the NC Committee. They aren't called the Spoilermakers for nothing, and they always play Michigan tough. But, whatever.
Based on resume, schedule, talent and quality of play, my thinking is that Ohio State is the only non-conference-champ contender whose resume meets Playoff criteria. I realize that other schools will make that claim, but OSU's wins were by wider margins, against better competition, and their overall play has been very impressive, etc. I mean, CJ Stroud is one helluva QB, and Harrison Jr. will be a star in the NFL.
I almost feel badly for these two extraordinarily talented guys that they lost last weekend, but...I don't quite go that far.
I'm no Big Ten homer. I honestly think OSU has earned a place in the firmament should USC or TCU falter. I don't relish playing them again, so this isn't about that. It's about fairness. OSU belongs in if another one-loss team falters.
Perhaps I'm bending over backwards to be fair, but OSU is a very powerful and dangerous team, and they've proven that over the course of the season. Could Michigan beat them a second time? Who the hell knows.
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