Sports Discussion Forum.

[Gary Swartzlander]

There are certainly a few people on here who enjoy sports. Let's use this to engage in a friendly discussion of our favorite sports.

Ok, well we have to wait till next week for the friendly discussion cause this week is the UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN WOLVERINES vs the ohio state university nuts.

For discussions sake what are the best rivalries in college football?


Go BLUE!!:fav18

[James Riggsby]

I have lived in the midwest, the west and the south, and I have seen some good fottball in all areas. But I would have to say that no rivelry is bigger than Alabama and Auburn, they are the only "big" schools in the state and you either love one or the other, there is no pulling for the other team except when we play each other going on here, Alabama fans and Auburn fans hope the other is killed every week in every sport.

Gary, still planning on being in your neck of the woods the 27th through the 30th of December at a basketball tournament at Albion, you can check out our team at www.uwsuper.edu

James

[Alex Manly]

Go Hawgs.....Wooooooo Pig Sooooie:fav18

[Cindi Hammons]

Making no predictions at this time! But, of course you know that Ohio State's last 4 games, they have scored over 40 points. I see no reason why the trend should not continue. :basic03

Later,
Cindi H.

[Gary Swartzlander]

A bit of bittersweetness tonight as ABC Monday Night Football is on for the final time. Time moves on, and change happens.

"Turn out the lights, the party's over, they say that all good things must end".

Dandy Don Meridith.

[Gina Stevenson]

This is what I tho't of when I saw this thread revived. Those with cable or satellite can continue to get it through ESPN, I've heard; those of us with only network TV ... well, can't even take a peek at any games, even if we don't tend to watch a whole game ;) at once. :(

ONE QUESTION, tho' ... they're not going to stop showing even the super bowl game on "normal" TV, too, are they!? Network's fading out bigtime, if they do something like this.

A bit of bittersweetness tonight as ABC Monday Night Football is on for the final time. Time moves on, and change happens.

"Turn out the lights, the party's over, they say that all good things must end".

Dandy Don Meridith.

[Gary Swartzlander]

I'm hoping to watch alot of it. Should be some good pro games, and the college bowl games should be great, starting with Michigan beating Nebraska on Wednesday night.

[Billy Cox]

I thought that Monday Night Football was a premier sporting event, so what happened?

[Gary Swartzlander]

Next year Monday Night Football will be on ESPN. I'll try to find out more on the reasons and get back with you.

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

I thought that Monday Night Football was a premier sporting event, so what happened?

It probably says more about the popularity of cable and satellite TV than it does about any lack of popularity of Monday Night Football.

[Jim Franklin]

So I saw the first Monday night NFL game and the last on ABC. During my growing years such entertainment as listening to or watching a sporting event on Sundays was not being a good Nazarene so I appreciated being able to see what I had only read about in Monday newspapers and appreciated ABC for scheduling the telecast of a professional football game so that Nazarenes could watch. Never did care for Howeird Cosell. I once heard a story about Coach Abe Lemons who at the time was coaching the basketball team at Oklahoma City University before he went on to coach Texas. It seems that the first time the OCU team was invited to play in a tournament at Madison Square Garden. During the first half the team was in such awe that it affected their playing and they stunk so Abe being Abe had his team scrimmage shirts and skins at halftime instead of going into the locker room. The got so warmed up that they overcame a wide deficit and won the game. Afterwards Cosell went to Abe and said "Of all the bush things I have seen in sports that scrimmage at half time was the most bush." To which Abe replied, "I come from a small town in Oklahoma and the people there do not even know what a Howard Cosell is." Told to me by Coach Dr. Jim Poteet former coach at BNC.

[Mike Norris]

..As I understand it , networks and cable channels have to bid for the right to broadcast sports events. ESPN bid more than the other channels for the broadcast rights. NBC will now carry the Sunday night game ( formerly carried by ESPN ).
Money from the networks has become so important to the football teams because each team gets a share of that money......which , of course , goes to defray operational costs of the team.
I wish I could recall the figure that I saw was paid by ESPN for the right to broadcast. Seems to me.....it approached a billion dollars for the term of the contract. Could be wrong on that figure.....but it was a VERY high dollar amount.
As to the best college rivalry.......I still think that Ohio State/ Michigan has to rate as the most intense rivalry I know of. People here in Ohio won't even mention the name " Michigan ". Following the example of the late Woody Hayse......they refer to it as " That team from up North '. I have attended several Ohio State/ Michigan games.....and can tell you from experience....it is a sports experience unlike any other I have experienced.

[Gary Swartzlander]

1.1 Billion dollars is what I read that ESPN is paying per year for MNF. Wow!!

[Jim Franklin]

The Boise State Broncos are playing Boston College at the MPC Bowl in Boise right now and I was all set to watch it but someone else chose to watch something else an that is the only TV that is available to me at time so if anyone is watching and can send the quarter by quarter score to me I would appreciate it, perhaps on the chat room. Thank you for caring.

[Bruce Carriker]

ESPN and ABC are both owned by Disney. They just decided that there was more money to be made by putting football on ESPN and returning to regular programming on Monday nights.

[Gary Swartzlander]

Why do these bowl games insist on having such horrible halftime shows during these great games? I'm not sure what that was I just saw on the halftime of the Orange Bowl.

[Gary Swartzlander]

Let me add to that thought. Why do these games have to start so late? It's rediculous to have games ending at 1:00 in the morning, I don't care how many overtimes there are.

[Glenn Newton]

Finally, a sports forum! Good idea.

As for the best football rivalry in college ball, it really depends where you live. I have lived in different parts of the country and have seen equally fierce rivalry's... for example when I was a teen, Oklahoma vs Nebraska was huge, now that I'm in SEC land, Auburn vs Alabama has to be as heated as it gets.... there's always the Red River War with Texas vs. Oklahoma.... and then you can't forget the Miami vs. Florida St. game every year.

In the Pro's, I'm a huge Bronco fan, and I love the Raider Hater week.

By the way, did Vince Young play the most amazing game you have ever witnessed last night in the championship game or what? He totally dominated that game with his feet and quick decisions.... He was the Danny Manning of football, and carried his team to the championship.... I believe if he goes Pro, he will be the number one pick, and will be a better pro than both Bush or Linert... what do you think?

Glenn

[Gary Swartzlander]

It was an amazing performance. He would have nothing to gain by returning to school for another year, I expect he'll turn pro. I really don't recall that he made one mental error at all during the game, and under those conditions it's hard to perform at that high of a level for the entire game.

Thanks for joining in here.

[Bruce Carriker]

Glenn Newton wrote: "In the Pro's, I'm a huge Bronco fan..."


We in Kansas City forgive you and pray that God will give you the gifts of wisdom and discernment.

[Paul Whitaker]

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COMMENTARY
Picking Trojans looks easy with rose-colored glasses
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
DAVID LASSEN

Twenty-five reasons Southern California will extend its win streak to 35 games today — and win the Rose Bowl in the process:

25. Since 1970, teams ranked No. 2 are just 1-3 in the Rose Bowl — even though they’ve played a lower-ranked team in each case.

24. A victory for USC is a victory for the more mediafriendly program — access to the Texas program is far more restrictive — which certainly matters to journalists and ought to matter to you, too. Greater access allows for better coverage.

23. The Trojans are riding a tidy little 50-year winning streak against Texas. So the teams haven’t met since 1967; USC is still 4-0.

22. It’s difficult to imagine Texas could draw much motivation from hearing its band play I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.

21. There’s that whole Texas vs. California thing. In the last 30 years, Texas has played six games against California schools and is 2-4 (2-2 vs. Stanford, 0-2 against UCLA). In the past 30 years, USC has played 12 games against schools from Texas and is 10-2.

20. More Texas vs. California: All time, USC is 3-1 against Texas schools in bowl games. Texas has never beaten a California school in a bowl game. (OK, so it’s never played one, either.)

19. USC has a four-game win streak in the Rose Bowl dating to 2000 (three wins over UCLA, and the 2004 Rose Bowl game) and a three-game win streak in the Rose Bowl game.

18. Texas has lost its last three bowl games against higher-ranked teams.

17. No. 1 usually beats No. 2. In the history of the AP rankings, No. 1 teams are 21-12-1 in such meetings. While the edge is just 9-6 in bowl games, No. 1 has won five of the last six meetings in bowls.

16. Two Rose Bowls have featured No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups. The top-ranked team won both times.

15. Matt Leinart is 37-1 as USC’s starting quarterback. It’s not like Texas can throw anything at him he hasn’t seen.

14. Vince Young is the third quarterback to play in the Rose Bowl the same season he won the Davey O’Brien Quarterback Award. The others were Chuck Long, whose Iowa team lost to UCLA 45-28, and Eric Crouch of Nebraska, which lost 37-14 to Miami in 2002.

13. Texas will be driven to distraction by having to listen to Conquest and Fight On 1,274 times in a single afternoon.

12. ESPN’s Lee Corso calls Texas the most complete team he’s seen this year, which should pretty much confirm the Trojans have an edge.

11. USC’s 2-0 advantage in Heisman Trophy winners in uniform ought to be worth something.

10. A USC win might, however slightly, lower ESPN’s rather high opinion of its significance, something we should all root for. (Various ESPN commentators are suggesting their series matching USC and the best teams in college history is a significant motivator for Texas.)

9. It’s the final chance for Leinart to display the footwork he learned in the world’s most famous ballroom dancing class.

8. Leinart did not stick around and pass up millions from the NFL to lose his final collegiate game.

7. USC is a better finisher. Since 1962, the Trojans have been undefeated entering their final game six times. They’ve won five of them. Since 1962, Texas has been undefeated going into its final game six times — and lost four of them.

6. Unlike Bevo, USC’s mascot is not likely to end up on the dinner menu at Sizzler.

5. Reggie Bush.

4. You wouldn’t want to prove Texas wrong about all those nice things they’ve been saying about the Trojans, would you?

3. The inexperience factor. Texas has not played in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game since 1969.

2. The experience factor. USC is playing for at least a share of the national championship for the third straight year. The last time Texas was in that position was in the 1984 Cotton Bowl, when Young was 7 months old. (Oh, and Texas lost.)

1. When your school’s prominent alumni include John Wayne and George Lucas, and your roster has this much star power, a Hollywood ending is not only appropriate, it’s expected.

David Lassen is a sports columnist for Scripps Howard News Service.


Copyright © 2006, The Columbus Dispatch

[Gina Stevenson]

... it wouldn't be the first time someone has wasted a bit of time making predictions via a "list of reasons." 'Recall the "88 reasons why Jesus was to come in 1988" ... ?? And the list goes on ... and the lists go on ............ [sung to the tune of "and the beat goes on ..."] ;)

[Gary Swartzlander]

This is an interesting piece on him from ESPN.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?id=2288712