I didn’t see the Notre Dame/Air Force Academy game, like, well, probably most of you. Instead I had the opportunity to watch the #1 team in the land take on the mighty Wildcats of Northwestern here in Chicagoland.
This is what it looked like on my TV when I tuned into “CSTV”
I know what you’re thinking: What sort of supposed Notre Dame Football Blogger goes and skips an Irish Game for an OSU game? Fair Question. I really don’t have much of an answer, I’m afraid. Will it suffice to say that months ago I thought this would be a great opportunity to scout our likely opponent in the National Championship game? No. I don’t mean Northwestern. Silly. I mean OSU. Will that suffice? No? Bite me.
My thoughts:
- Jumbotrons are for sucks. There is, without a doubt, no better way to tell the world that the product you’re putting out on the field sucks than by installing a jumbotron. “Hey World, We Suck Down There! Over here! Look over here! Watch our girls’ basketball team do some stupid shit with a basketball! Hey! Over Here! Look! We’re making our own football players look really effeminate by posing them unaturally! Yeah! Buy something!”
- Troy Smith is not the best college football player in the land. He might be one of the most gifted. He might have the most potential of any player in the land, but he’s simply not a smart enough player to be the best player in the land. When you watch the guy on TV, you don’t see what he sees. When you freeze your ass off in Evanston, sitting next to the field in the end zone, you see exactly what he sees. Here’s what he sees on every passing play: Ginn is double covered. That other, “squirrely guy” that plays receiver is not doubled despite catching everything. My goldfish could make those reads. Plain and simple, his WR corps makes the guy look great. And Smith is, actually, quite uncomfortable in this simple progression. He looks mechanical. If you could force him into his 4th read, he’d be in real trouble if he couldn’t transform from QB to RB. He’ll get drafted next year and become Phase 2 of the Mike Vick Project. Hopefully the world gives up on this before Phase 3.
Doing what he does best – running.
- The Big Ten is sort of sad. Then again, so is every other conference. I forget how cool it is to be independent until I become completely enveloped in the world of conferences, and then I’m reminded. The way these conference fans scheme and dream in their minds is pathetic. They sit there hoping one of their conference brethren will do X so that they can do Y. Is that like France hoping Poland would take care of that German problem? It’s all about the conference looking good so that your own school can look good as result of some sort of residual glow. Sort of like a bunch of average looking chicks hanging out with a one or two really hot ones. And Man, after a few of the fans around me learned I was from ND, I got a lot of jabs about how, eventually, Notre Dame is going to come to their senses and join the Big 10. Yeah, sure guys. I’d look for that to happen just after the United States clamors for membership to the European Union.
- Ever complain about the ushers at a Notre Dame game before? Hey, believe me, I get it. But I’ll tell you one thing. At least they, A) are readily apparent in their yellow garb and B) know what the hell they’re talking about. Took me ten or 15 minutes to identify an usher in Northwestern’s “stadium.” Why? They were all 13, dressed head-to-toe in black, and had no idea where I might find section 120.
- Wanna know how to define “Lowest Common Denominator” of the American Public? Take the average OSU fan, and then look at the average among those who didn’t beat out the average. A collection of overalls, Busch Light, Swisher Sweets, the “F-Word” in front of small children, and bragging rights assigned to anyone who can claim absolutely no married cousins in their family. I’m not saying all OSU fans are bad. They’re really not. Quite a few of them are wonderful. It’s just that their bad apples are so bad. God should have created a smell for these folks so we could identify them approaching and burn down our cities and escape unscathed.
- OSU’s depth is awesome. ND just doesn’t have that depth. Maybe we’ll get there soon. In fact, with Charlie, I expect that. But, man, they don’t just have depth that can play in non-key situations. They have depth that can play in absolutely vital situations. That’s what makes OSU so good and what makes ND so frustrating at times. That, and that whole “tackling” thing. But that’s another rant.
- The Notre Dame Band is the Greatest Marching Band in College Football. Want proof? Watch Northwestern’s band allow themselves to be dominated by the loudspeaker – a single loudspeaker – in the corner of the end zone advertising Toyotas during half time.
- This Year, OSU rushes about as well as ND. I don’t know if the stats would show that to be true, but after seeing how stout Northwestern’s D looked against the OSU rushing “attack,” I’d like our chances against them in making them “one dimmensional.” Right up until we failed to tackle Smith and let him gaine 25 yards on a 3rd and 8.
Whoa. I’m relapsing into my “WHY THE HELL CAN’T ND TACKLE” rant. I’d better go take a nap now.
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GREAT POST,
I dont know what part I enjoyed most, but it sure is true that if you go to ANY Big 10 game, these snaggle toothed cretins will always ask when ND will join their inbred club.
Visiting venues like Champaign, Evanston, Madison, Iowa City and some pasture in Pennsylvania makes me more proud than ever to belong to the biggest conference of all. The entire USA!
Awesome post. UNC fans that came to ND Stadium couldn’t believe we didn’t have a Jumbotron. It is something ND fans take for granted. Now if we can only get rid of those 5 minute TV timeouts.
all i gotta say is 617 yards!!! same starters as last year! one dimensional? hardly
and when was the last time you guys won a bowl game?
We have to appologize for blowout, folks. He’s a little ornery when they don’t give him enough of the “little orange pills” at the facility.
We’ll contact a few people and see if we can’t get someone to take him back to his bed.
Our first troll! Sweet!
“They sit there hoping one of their conference brethren will do X so that they can do Y” Domer, are you telling me then that you took no joy in all of the upsets this Saturday that helped ND move up in the polls? Well that, and the fact that you have only played one (maybe two) real games all year (not entirely ND’s fault though).
DTK, I don’t deny enjoying our sudden boost. I also didn’t sit there hoping that otherse would perform well in order to give us a boost. ND does it on their own. Sometimes we get lucky. The Big n does it together. Sometimes they get lucky too. Plus, the Big n can remind viewers ages 3-8 about the importance of sticking together, because being special and remaining independent is a bad thing! Bad! Never achieve! Never reach beyong yourself! Bad individual! Bad!
Aren’t you the smae guy who wanted MSU to not melt down so ND could enjoy a “quality” win? The biggest thing that has held ND down in the polls, IMO, is the perception that they have beat nobody. Like it or not, everyone has to root for their opponents to do well.
I personally don’t care if ND ever joins a conference, but if being an independent is so good then why not leave the Big East for all other sports?
Because all other sports are not ND Football.
And no fair holding me accountable to what I’ve written in the past. That’s my job. And the victims are supposed to be from ESPN, CNNSI, etc…
Besides, hoping my team (singular) gets a quality win is different from hoping multiple teams in my conference do well so as to benefit from the overall aura. Let’s put it this way, how long must we let Alabama get away with saying, “Gosh, this SEC sure is tough?”
Domer, there is some truth to waht you are saying, certain teams do try to make themselves look better by playing the whole “tough conference” card. By the same token though, there are many ND fans who do play the “toughest schedule” card, I am by no means including you in that group however. To sum up, my point is that I think this is a coping mechanism used by certain segments of all fan bases.
Yeah, I’ll agree the tough SEC has developed into one of those media creations that developed into indisputable facts like “Peyton Manning is the best QB ever” or “Brett Farve is a warrior” (as opposed to a turnover machine) or “global warming”. I’ll tell you what, if ND can admit it schedules the service academies for the sure victory instead of “tradition” (everyone does it, it’s fine) then Bama has to just admit that since they can no longer pay players they have just sucked.
I’ll think about it if you admit that Michigan loves it some Bowling Green/Ball State tune ups.
Well maybe not the Ball State type of tune up so much, but I will admit I do like the usual directional Michigan school in early September. There is only one rule, and ND does follow it as well as UM, you have to stay in 1A, none of this 1AA or DII crap that the SEC just seems to love.
Hey, Urban Meyer just can’t wait to showcase his offensive genius against Western Carolina.
Nobody actually knows where Western Carolina is, including me, and I grew up in Carolina.
So if I have to give up the academies, what says the Big 10 of Northwestern and Indiana? Or Iowa?
I never said you had to give them up, just the pretense that those games are scheduled for the sake of “tradition”.
Interesting trivia on Western Carolina, it is where Stuart Scott’s brother went to school. How do I know this, you ask? He tried to sell me Amway when I was living in Raleigh. I need your opinion, what is more pathetic:
A) that I got suckered into listiening to an amway pitch for more than 1 minute
B) Stuart Scott’s brother tries to trade on his brother’s fame while pitching Amway
Definitely A.
Anyway, the real question is, does “The Eye” run in the family?
i’m an 11 year old tool with no friends. my mother never loved me. my father wants to know why I wear so much pink and wont play football with the other boys.
mmmm. i do love me some elmo. hes the only one that will touch me any more.
Blowout, wow that is some fo the most disturbing stuff I have ever read on any of the fine internets i peruse daily.
Domer, the eye does not run in the family. Just picture Stu with normal eyes, balding, about 30 pounds overweight, with a defeated look on his face.
That’s like the platonic ideal of Stu.
I hope he’s managing a Radio Shack these days.