For a while, I've been planning to write a long diatribe about how conferences, particularly within the BCS system, have sucked the soul out of college football. I'll probably still do it, with nifty spreadsheets, an allusion to 80s Glam Rock that nobody saw coming, and verbosity not seen since another fish was described in Kon-Tiki, but that'll have to wait for the off-season. For now, just read this bit from a chat with Paul Zeise of the Pitt Post-Gazette:
SDWC: Paul, your opinion on whether Stull plays against ND?
Paul Zeise: They've been very tight-lipped about this all week. He is practicing, but I will say this -- my gut is I'd be surprised if he plays. I know they want to play him, but I would hope that two things (1) the kids health and (2) the fact that this is a non-conference game prevail in the minds of the coaches. If there is any question at all about his health -- it makes no sense to play him this week. yes, you'd like to beat notre dame and all that -- but you have four conference games coming up after Notre Dame and if you win them, you get to a BCS game. So this game is pretty meaningless to be honest. We'll see though, but again, my gut so far is that they are going to error on the side of caution if push comes to shove.
This coming from a guy who covers a team that acted like beating ND in South Bend a few years ago was like curing cancer. But I see his point, and I can actually imagine Wanny and the Panthers having the exact same attitude about this game, "Dude! It's ND, but we've got to stay healthy and ready for Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia, and Connecticut!"
Think about that: Pitt can get to a BCS game (which, frankly, is meaningless unless it's also the National Championship game) by losing to a 5-2 Irish squad and running that "gauntlet." Unreal. It must absolutely suck to cheer for a conference-affiliated team. Half your games simply don't matter in most seasons unless you're worried about being in the running for a national championship. All that is wonderful about every week of the college football season for a Notre Dame fan is effectively cut in half for other fans. It's like the self-pep-talk Michigan (sucks!) fans and players put on every time they lose to the Irish, "Our goal now is to win the Big Ten." Wow! Your goal went from being the best team in the country to the best team out of 11 that can't seem to figure out how to even hold a championship game! Yay for you! Do you hand out participation certificates at the end of every season too?
By DagerOne October 30, 2008 - 5:27 pm
…and yet, countless times each year we get innundated with thoughtful and insightful comments such as “Notre Lame (sic) needs to get off their f*@king high horse and join a conference like everyone else already!”
Um, no, thanks. We don’t need to do that. YOU need us to do that, perhaps, but we don’t need to do that.
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By The Biscuit October 30, 2008 - 5:50 pm
90 percent of most kids’ trophies today are for ‘participation’. Its sad, and likely means the ongoing survival of the crutch-i mean – conference for all these sallies. I find it hard to understand why winning a conference matters. Like in HS – you win your section. Great, but nobody REALLY cares. It’s all about State. Somehow these teams/fans have convinced themselves that winning the Section is impoertant. Sad for them.
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