Subject: College Football

Date: Sun Jan 4 10:09:44 2009
User: Snowguy
Message:
As I was watching a few of the recent Bowl Games, I wondered how the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East have fared in the past few years. I thought the Big East was stronger, so I looked it up. (Some may recall that the ACC did a dishonorable midnight raid on the Big East, convincing three teams (Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami) to leave the conference without any advance knowledge of the other conference teams.) It reminded me of the Colts leaving Baltimore by packing their vans in the middle of the night and heading off to Indianapolis. That raid basically gutted the Big East in both football and basketball. Another less-than-honorable aspect was that the ACC had initially courted Syracuse, which agreed to make the move as one of the three. But when the Commonwealth of Virginia became involved (wanting Virginia Tech to move instead, to pair with the Virginia Cavaliers) the invitation to Syracuse was withdrawn, leaving them dangling. In any case, the move of the three gave the AC the twelve teams necessary for a big-bucks conference championship game. So, what has been the result? The ACC has been floundering on the football field (example: over the past three bowl seasons, the ACC has a record of 10 wins and 16 losses, while the Big East sports a 12-4 record. But since the Big East requested (and received) Conference USA's permission to talk with some of their teams, and those teams merged schedules into the Big East, the strength of the eight-team Big East Football group has generally done better than the twelve-team ACC. Heck, if it weren't for transplants from the Big East VA Tech, Boston College and Miami, the ACC would be third-tier at best in football. Understand that neither the Big East nor the ACC will be confused with the powerhouse SEC or Big 12 for the foreseeable future, it's still nice to see the pillaged Big East doing better, overall. Even more so, the now-16-team basketball Big East (only 8 play Division-One football) has become dominant. The "basketball-rich" ACC is now second-rate at best, overall, compared to the Big East. So, in trying to beef up its football strength (and create the cash-cow conference championship game) the ACC's ruse resulted in a dominant Big East in Basketball, at the same time as the Big East football program has rebounded. (Note: Four Big East basketball teams in the Top Ten of the country and eight in the Top Twenty. It is expected that as many as ten Big East teams will go to the 64-team "Big Dance" in March.) I love it.

Date: Sun Jan 4 11:05:29 2009
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Any chance the fact you live in a city where a certain educational institution is involved in one of these conferences prompted this post? Just wonderin'...

Date: Sun Jan 4 11:22:02 2009
User: ACC_Conference
Message:
Homers are non-credible.

Date: Sun Jan 4 12:43:55 2009
User: Snowguy
Message:
Of course, the fact that I live in the Pittsburgh area had something to do with it. If I lived in Columbus, Tulsa or even Blacksburg or Miami, I would never have brought it up. It was the Big East: 4-2 as opposed to ACC: 4-6 this year that got me going. I still love it. And, in March I might love it even more. (Not that I harbor any ill-will against the ACC since their dishonorable clandestine raid, coupled with their whipping the rug out from under Syracuse...) No ill-will, just a distaste verging on hatred.

Date: Sun Jan 4 12:59:03 2009
User: ACC_Conference
Message:
Big East sucks, especially Panthers. We would certainly have taken the Orangemen over them.

Date: Sun Jan 4 14:54:23 2009
User: Snowguy
Message:
Funny guy.

Date: Sun Jan 4 15:13:09 2009
User: xeena
Message:
from Gator Men's Basketball: UF rallies in second half to beat NC State, 68-66 Sophomore guard Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) hit the game-winning shot with 11 seconds left in regulation to rally Florida to a 68-66 win over North Carolina State on Saturday at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. WOWSERS! (wish I had gone)

Date: Sun Jan 4 15:18:35 2009
User: ACC_Conference
Message:
Better than that Georgetown/Pitt yawner, yesterday. God, almost fell out of the stands asleep scouting those two.

Date: Sun Jan 4 15:20:48 2009
User: quackisback
Message:
Go Terps!

Date: Sun Jan 4 15:34:51 2009
User: ACC_Conference
Message:
Terps - now there's a name and a mascot our league can be proud of. I mean, what's with an orangeman? And what the hell is a hoya?

Date: Sun Jan 4 15:41:59 2009
User: Snowguy
Message:
Funny guy.

Date: Sun Jan 4 15:52:00 2009
User: TNmountainman
Message:
'Least they got those tough Friars.........

Date: Sun Jan 4 16:03:30 2009
User: cartman
Message:
hokie-turkeys, turtles, tarheels & iris birds impress me (what the hell is a tarheel? & terrapins move too slow

Date: Sun Jan 4 19:51:54 2009
User: mrbuck
Message:
How 'bout them ACC Champion and Orange Bowl winning HOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!! mrbuck

Date: Sun Jan 4 19:56:01 2009
User: cartman
Message:
hmmmm..... lets guess who will be number one in the next ncaa basketball poll? might not be carolina (or the hokies)

Date: Sun Jan 4 19:56:59 2009
User: cartman
Message:
big-east expatriot bc whipped the baby blue

Date: Sun Jan 4 20:36:44 2009
User: Snowguy
Message:
>User: ACC_Conference Message: Big East sucks, especially Panthers. We would certainly have taken the Orangemen over them.< You mean the undefeated (and new #1) Pittsburgh Panthers? >How 'bout them ACC Champion and Orange Bowl winning HOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!< Congratulations to the Hokies, who beat a Big East Team in the bargain. But "How 'bout them Tar Heels, Eagles, Tigers, Wolfpack, Hurricanes, and Yellowjackets?" (All losers.) ... NC and NS State to Big East Teams, btw...

Date: Sun Jan 4 21:00:09 2009
User: The_Longhorn
Message:
):o I've never understood this phenomenon of being a fan of a conference. A specific team, yes, but a conference? Seems silly to me. ):o Moo.

Date: Sun Jan 4 21:01:53 2009
User: ACC_Conference
Message:
You are just pissed at Oklahoma.

Date: Sun Jan 4 21:40:21 2009
User: The_Longhorn
Message:
):o Why should I be pissed at Oklahoma? We beat them. But that's still an asinine comeback, & doesn't answer my question. ):o Moo.

Date: Sun Jan 4 21:45:16 2009
User: ACC_Conference
Message:
You must really be pissed at Oklahoma. You are not thinking straight. You just answered your own question. But, as further proof, who are you rooting for, Oklahoma or Florida? And do not give us that "I do not care who wins". One thing for certain. It will not be Texas, because they are not there.

Date: Sun Jan 4 21:50:38 2009
User: mrbuck
Message:
I agree Longhorn, the conference matters little to me as well. However, there are those who have opinions on everything and have no fear of sharing them. mrbuck

Date: Sun Jan 4 22:20:17 2009
User: Dr.Bombay
Message:
My sources tell me that USC is #1, Utah is #2, Texas #3, Florida #4. Hard to fathom this year's so called national championship game.

Date: Sun Jan 4 22:23:41 2009
User: The_Longhorn
Message:
):o Thank you, mrbuck. It's nice to see an adult in this thread. ):o ACC_Conference, first of all, I don't see how I answered my own question. That just sounds like another excuse for you to dodge answering it. But to answer •your• question, I'll be rooting for Florida. Because, I'm not a Big XII fan. I'm a Texas fan. And while some people think it's good sportsmanship to root for your conference rivals in non-conference games, the bottom line is that on Friday morning, I won't have to listen to Florida fans. Furthermore, a Sooner victory is a Sooner recruiting tool. If there's some high school "blue chip" prospect who's waivering between Texas & Oklahoma, it would be easier for Mack Brown to tip his scales in our favor if Oklahoma had a reputation for choking in big contests. ):o Now that I've answered your question, I have one for you. Who's your favorite TEAM? ):o Moo.

Date: Sun Jan 4 22:26:23 2009
User: The_Longhorn
Message:
>>>Dr.Bombay: My sources tell me that USC is #1, Utah is #2, Texas #3, Florida #4. Hard to fathom this year's so called national championship game.<<< ):o I agree. And just for the record, I don't think Texas was quite ready for the title game this year. We actually did better than pre-season expectations, so I can't be too disappointed. (I know how that must piss off ACC_Conference for me to say that.) But the BCS has a lot of explaining to do, after the way Utah beat Alabama. ):o Moo.

Date: Sun Jan 4 23:09:54 2009
User: Snowguy
Message:
I don't think it's so much being a "fan" of a conference; rather a validation of one's favorite team/teams. If your team dominates a sucky conference, it really doesn't mean that much. But if your team competes in a strong conference and still does well, then (again) it's a form of validation. I think most football (and basketball) teams, especially, want their primary competition to do well (except when playing them, of course!) Therefore, there is all the discussion regarding relative strength of conferences. Is that being a "fan" of a conference? I don't see it that way, but that's only my take on it.

Date: Mon Jan 5 06:02:35 2009
User: ACC_Conference
Message:
I did not understand the extent to which you are pissed at Oklahoma. Americans do not wish ill on their opponents. Rooting for a team like Florida against a neighbor like Oklahoma is similar to the Nazis making an alliance with Italy so they can invade Poland.

Date: Mon Jan 5 07:03:39 2009
User: The_Longhorn
Message:
):o Thanx, Snowguy, your answer makes sense. ):o ACC_Conference, you still didn't answer my question. And it doesn't matter whether I'm "pissed" at Oklahoma. I'll have to put up with their obnoxious behavior for the next several months if they win. In your conference, the teams aren't all "neighbors". If Florida State wins your conference, Boston College fans don't have to listen to it, because I doubt there are very many Seminole fans in Boston. And it's not likely that Boston College does a lot of recruiting in Florida. Here, it's very different. Not only are there a lot of fair-weather Oklahoma fans in Texas, but they DO recruit here, because high school football in Oklahoma isn't very good. Too many of their small towns don't even have teams. ):o So the Sooners are Nazis invading Texas? Nice analogy. No wonder I don't like them. ):o And you can drop the act of me being "pissed" at Oklahoma. It doesn't make sense for me to be pissed at a team that we beat. It was Texas Tech that messed up our shot at a national title. But I'm over being pissed at them, since they've already begun their descent back into the mediocrity from which they came. I hope they stay there, because their fans were incredibly rude after they beat Texas. Not only does their team fold like a cheap lawn chair every time they come close to doing something great, their fans don't handle success very well, either. ):o Moo.

Date: Mon Jan 5 07:39:31 2009
User: ACC_Conference
Message:
The fact that you would even attempt to respond to my statement shows how pissed you are at Oklahoma. I rest my case. To show you what a nice guy I am, I will root for Texas tonight. Not that I do not like Ohio State, but I like you despite the fact that your a neocon.

Date: Mon Jan 5 11:09:45 2009
User: xeena
Message:
Florida State? Seminoles? NO, it's the Florida Gators (University of Florida, not Florida State) that I believe you are referring to if you are referring to the Florida/Oklahoma game coming up. FLORIDA: UF FLORIDA STATE: FSU When someone refers to "Florida", they mean UF. If that's not what they meant, then they are ignorant as to the proper usage. Just thought I'd clear that up.

Date: Mon Jan 5 11:10:36 2009
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Although I'm no fan of Texas, we must remember how bad of a thug Woody Hayes was, and thus be against Ohio St. on those grounds if nothing else. But if any additional reason *is* needed, Columbus is a very boring, flat place, not to mention having a Yankee baseball farm team there. 'Nuff said....

Date: Mon Jan 5 11:48:56 2009
User: Snowguy
Message:
My distase for the ACC aside, one thing I can't quite get a handle on is the "hatred" of one team's fans for a rival team. (Example,: Ohio State/Michigan. Steelers/Browns and (now) Ravens. At one time, Pitt/Penn State (no longer an issue, because the rivalry is in a coma.) For example, many WVU fans "hate" PItt and vice-versa. Why? I was always happy to see Penn State and WVU win; except against Pitt, of course. (And even then,, when Pitt totally sucks and WVU has a chance to do soemthing great, I tend to lean toward WVU, with the rationale that it was Pitt that didn't perform to expectations. It was the same against Penn State. (Last year was one example.) WVU could have played for the national championship, but in the rivalry game, an under-performing Pitt team beat them. (There was some discussion on Pittsburgh radio about who should win the Pitt-WVU game, and several Pitt fans called in and said WVU (they were #2 at the time and were headed to the Bowl Championship Game.) Other Pitt fans were outraged at that. But there was some serious local disappointment that Pitt actually beat WVU (along with the glee from the win.) Of course, WVU went on and whipped- if I recall correctly- Oklahoma in another bowl game. But be that as it may, I don't see one city's fans "hating" another team, even though Pittsburgh is as guilty as any other town. But the ACC? I still harbor the dislike. (Did anybody notice that the past two ACC Championship games were played by Boston College and Virginia Tech; two former Big East Teams? I didn't notice. Right.

Date: Mon Jan 5 13:20:28 2009
User: The_Longhorn
Message:
>>>ACC_Conference: The fact that you would even attempt to respond to my statement shows how pissed you are at Oklahoma. I rest my case.<<< ):o In that case, I'll start ignoring you. ):o And xeena, the Florida Gators are not in the ACC, which is what we were discussing. I hope I cleared that up for you. ):o Moo.

Date: Mon Jan 5 13:40:31 2009
User: The_Longhorn
Message:
):o Oh, by the way, "ACC_Conference" stands for "Atlantic Coast Conference_Conference", so you're redundant, anyway. ):Þ ):o Moo.

Date: Mon Jan 5 13:46:48 2009
User: xeena
Message:
You ignored them for 20 minutes. Probably seething all that time. Yup, I have to agree, you sound pissed. Glad I'm not a rabid sports fan. ;}

Date: Mon Jan 5 13:47:09 2009
User: FilthyMcNasty
Message:
I can see getting obsessed with strippers, but college football? All this rationalization for liking or disliking this team or that conference ... a whole lot of somebodies need to get their necks rethreaded.

Date: Mon Jan 5 13:47:54 2009
User: ACC_Conference
Message:
You really are upset. You need to calm down. Even though Duke does refer to itself as the Harvard of the South, we do know better. Neocons tend to be constipated, so take something before the game tonight knowing that I am on your side.

Date: Mon Jan 5 16:47:42 2009
User: The_Longhorn
Message:
>>>xeena: Yup, I have to agree, you sound pissed.<<< ):) You need to turn your speakers down. ):) Is this going to be our new "running" joke? My, xeena, you looked pissed this afternoon! ):o Moo.

Date: Mon Jan 5 17:05:42 2009
User: BCS
Message:
It was a toss-up between Oklahoma and Texas. We gave it to Oklahoma just for the musical score. We hope that did not piss off Texas fans.

Date: Mon Jan 5 17:08:05 2009
User: Jack_of_Clubs
Message:
I think BCS is pissed.

Date: Mon Jan 5 17:54:57 2009
User: BCS
Message:
What is the matter, The_Longhorn so pissed he cannot answer for himself? We do not know what the problem is. Texas made the top four. It was a decision based on money. We thought Utah was better, but Texas gives us better ratings tonight.

Date: Mon Jan 5 18:07:40 2009
User: BurlingtonNorthernSantaFe
Message:
>>>BCS: What is the matter, The_Longhorn so pissed he cannot answer for himself? We do not know what the problem is.<<< Yep, he's pissed, all right. You can tell by the inflection of his keyboard.

Date: Mon Jan 5 18:16:37 2009
User: BCS
Message:
Step 1 - We admit we are powerless over our anger - that our life has become unmanageable. Good, The_Longhorn, now read step one again, and let's work on that tonight.

Date: Mon Jan 5 20:07:25 2009
User: Bobby_Jindal
Message:
I haven't seen Sarah_Palin lately. I hope she's not pissed...

Date: Mon Jan 5 20:08:08 2009
User: Colt_McCoy
Message:
I think she's pissed 'cuz you beat 'er at Free Cell.

Date: Mon Jan 5 20:55:07 2009
User: BCS
Message:
Colt, you are getting paid good money. What are you doing texting from the sidelines? If you lose this game because of this DB, there will be hell to pay. The_Longhorn will never live it down.

Date: Mon Jan 5 21:13:04 2009
User: The_Longhorn
Message:
):o We'd like our guy to be relaxed while we're on defense. ):o Moo.

Date: Mon Jan 5 21:40:47 2009
User: julia
Message:
Colt, you need to get off the db and in the game. You aren't doing too good right now son.

Date: Mon Jan 5 21:47:14 2009
User: bu11sgits
Message:
He's 19 for 25, with 195 yards in the first half.

Date: Mon Jan 5 21:48:25 2009
User: BCS
Message:
And that got 3 points.