As we approach kick off for tonight's BCS football championship, it might be a good idea to recall the history between these two teams. Specifically, the 1966 Notre Dame 9-0-1 championship season where Alabama finished the season undefeated.
The lone tie for Notre Dame came against Michigan State University. MSU was using a talented athlete courtesy of the recommendation of Paul "Bear" Bryant, coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
As was the case for all football championships of the era, the 1966 championship was decided by sports writers and coaches rather than on the field. It was a beauty contest.
This year we have a live football game to determine the outcome. The coach for Alabama is Nick Saban. Nick coached at Michigan State University for several years.
Ironic, no?
Also consider this, there were two undefeated teams in college football this year. One was Notre Dame. The other was Ohio State. If Alabama defeats Notre Dame tonight, then Ohio State will be the only undefeated team this year. And there is one national championship award that is not obligated to go to the BCS game winner.
It could...realistically....be awarded to Ohio State.
Enjoy the game!
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Monday, January 7, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Pay To Play?
As we get ready for a day of parades and collegiate football, this might be a good time to reflect on the real cost of all this frivolity.
Brad Flory, a local newspaper fixture, had a recent column where he points out that going Bowling is largely a money losing proposition for colleges. Brad is a pretty credible guy, so I do not doubt that these bowls can end up costing colleges money for their teams to participate.
This is another story of having too much of a good thing. We went from having a handful of bowls presenting a few high caliber teams to having 35 "bowls" that include teams with losing records.
Collegiate football programs generally make money over the course of a season. In fact, they make enough to significantly subsidize other sports in many programs.
But does it really make any sense to spend some of those profits to send a team with a losing record to a bowl that the fans will not attend? Much less watch?
Does anyone know about the New Era Pinstripe Bowl? Does anyone really care?
This development seems to be yet another sign of the times where everyone gets a trophy for participating. It is also another sign of excess marketing. In the process, we have diluted the accomplishment of a truly high caliber team making a bowl appearance while simultaneously lining the pockets of those that promote this excessive number of events at the expense of students.
Brad closes his column with:
Brad Flory, a local newspaper fixture, had a recent column where he points out that going Bowling is largely a money losing proposition for colleges. Brad is a pretty credible guy, so I do not doubt that these bowls can end up costing colleges money for their teams to participate.
This is another story of having too much of a good thing. We went from having a handful of bowls presenting a few high caliber teams to having 35 "bowls" that include teams with losing records.
Collegiate football programs generally make money over the course of a season. In fact, they make enough to significantly subsidize other sports in many programs.
But does it really make any sense to spend some of those profits to send a team with a losing record to a bowl that the fans will not attend? Much less watch?
Does anyone know about the New Era Pinstripe Bowl? Does anyone really care?
This development seems to be yet another sign of the times where everyone gets a trophy for participating. It is also another sign of excess marketing. In the process, we have diluted the accomplishment of a truly high caliber team making a bowl appearance while simultaneously lining the pockets of those that promote this excessive number of events at the expense of students.
Brad closes his column with:
Sanity demands this must stop. At minimum, public universities should take a stand by refusing to participate if their money must guarantee ticket sales to marginal games.Brad hasn't been paying much attention to Washington D.C. lately...
Football coaches and bowl promoters may not like that stand, but it is simple financial prudence. We still demand that from public institutions, don’t we?
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