Comments on: Bloggers Know: Conference Picks

By: Gatorpilot

Gatorpilot — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:00:47 +0000

You’re certainly right that Ohio State’s football program is par excellence in both recent and past vintages. The Big 10 might not be at the level of the SEC currently, but there are damn few programs in the land which can claim to be as consistently good as the Bucks. It’s a shame that these back-to-back title losses seem to actually cost the Bucks rep points — it’s more of an indictment of a conference than the individual program that represented it. And unless you’re a fan of Florida or LSU, WTF did *your* team do those years?

By: JMIK

JMIK — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:38:45 +0000

Vico…Good points. I live in Phoenix and have been to ASU games. Half of the people couldn’t tell you who was playing at a Sun Devil game. I think importance or “mattering more” depends on what other entertainment options you have available. There are boatloads of “other” things to do in this market. I do have tix to the ASU-Georgia game. I’m ready to see if the Bulldogs are NC contenders, but ASU is no powerhouse.

By: Steve G

Steve G — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:08:47 +0000

ONLY in football is it worst to lose in the biggest game than suck the whole year. Look at the Bills and the Vikings from the NFL…losers. Not conference champions, but Super Bowl Losers. In MLB or the NBA if you lose in the championship, you are somehow still a worthy opponent, but if you lose a championship game in football, it would be better if you just lost in the playoffs or some crap bowl game. It’s not fair, but then again it doesn’t have to be, because football is full of mythologies (SEC Speed) that is perpetuated by those who don’t understand the wonderful nuances of this game.

Besides, the weak like to kick a champ when they have fallen.

And none of it matters anyway because it’s always better to be an OSU man than an SEC fan.

By: Jason

Jason — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 04:05:22 +0000

V, I’m not an expert on this, but I’m decent at taking quasi-educated guesses and from a pure emotional standpoint, nothing will measure up to Buckeye games in your eyes. You and I are probably the wrong type of people to be evaluating crowds from other schools, because, quite frankly, nothing will ever come close to the goosebumps you get when you walk into the Shoe or hear Hang on Sloopy.

We’re too biased/indoctrinated to make an evaluation.

I see your point about the costumes they throw on for the games and you’re correct. It’s kind of hilarious to see people dressed for church and cheering for a first down.

By: cl

cl — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:45:00 +0000

And you guys will like this if your a fan of the roll:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YR42cdfRO0&feature=related

By: cl

cl — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:09:04 +0000

Check out who the new #7 is and his tats:

http://dottingthei.com/index.php/speed-kills/

By: vico

vico — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:18:06 +0000

On Walt, I’d be really surprised if Harris joins the staff if the rumors of him being an overbearing taskmaster are true. Tressel runs a program focused on quiet teaching rather than strict disciplinarianism. I can’t imagine Walt would mesh well in the Tressel regime, if indeed Pete Carroll’s son is correct on Walt’s style.

By: vico

vico — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:13:02 +0000

Yeah, I’ve only been to Bama games, but I don’t see where much is different across the SEC (at least on TV). I don’t see where fans of most SEC schools treat home games as anything other than some combination of a picnic or church. There’s a certain level of narcissism that goes into putting on makeup and wearing your Sunday best to a football game, I think, and something that indicates that it’s not about your team of choice… just that it’s about you. It’s a trend in the South, it is not a trend at Penn State, Wisconsin, Ohio State or any other place in the Big Ten.

And for the record, I’ve been to both Alabama openers since I’ve been down here (2006, where they were following a 10-2 Cotton Bowl winning 2005 squad under Bear Shula and 2007, with the arrival of Bear Saban) and didn’t see anything that wowed me. Indeed, I found myself bored both times. I’ve been to other games too and still haven’t been impressed. And Alabama is supposed to be one of the most obsessive fan bases in the SEC.

That said, LSU fans look like they’re into it. They travel high and low and their home atmosphere appears to be the most electric in the SEC (Florida should have a claim here too. Every other SEC stadium looks the same inside and out in my opinion, same goes with the fans).

My broader point is that the claim that Southerners make that football just “matters” more in the South is ill-specified and at best, well, cute. I’m sure you’ve seen the quote that college football is a tourist attraction in the West, but “religion” in the South. Their treatment of Midwestern college football as “cannibalism” or a “slugfest” (depending on what exact quote you encounter) is proof positive that, sure, college football matters to people in the southeastern portion of the United States, but that they ultimately have no real basis for comparison. It means a lot to Southerners; it means a lot to us. So how exactly does it matter “more” for the South? Because they say it does? Because they have more good teams?

We can’t stop them from saying it, but for the love of God, don’t believe it. Buckeyes are coming to Knoxville in about a decade and Penn State will be raiding Tuscaloosa in a few years. On both occasions, I don’t think either fan base/city is going to know what hit it in terms of nationalist zeal (especially Tuscaloosa. If they think LSU fans are rowdy, they’ll be more than shocked when Penn State comes into town). I’m planning on being at the Penn State-Alabama game, since I have a coworker that owes me a ticket.

By: Poe McKnoe

Poe McKnoe — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:10:37 +0000

Hey, speaking of QB Coach Joe Daniels…

Anybody hear a rumor that Walt Harris might become part of the Buckeyes staff to ‘help out’ Joe. Joe’s been recovering from cancer, and certain names get thrown around, and Walt Harris seems like a good name.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:18:39 +0000

I’m guessing that you’ve only been to Bama games during the past handful of (down) seasons. And while Ohio State fandom is on a level all by itself and rivals that of anywhere in the nation, I’m arguing depth. Georgia, Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Bama (when good), Auburn, hell even the Gamecocks.

Just track the number of CFB articles that roll out of the AJC as opposed to the Dispatch or even Trib.