In just a few hours, the Bowl Game that matters comes on:
My beloved Mountaineers take on the Georgia Bulldogs, and I am a nervous wreck. WVU is a really young team, the SEC is the best conference in football, and Georgia just has so much talent and so much experience, not to mention this is essentially a home game for the Bulldogs.
The other problem is that Georgia is my #2 team- when I am not rooting for WVU, the only other team I root for is Georgia (my mom went there so we were brought up rooting for the Bulldogs- it is in the blood), so of course my favorite teams would have to meet.
I want WVU to win, but what I really weant more than anything is for neither team to be humiliated in a blow-out and for both of them to be good representatives for their schools.
Go Eers!
*** Update ***
31-21 WVU at the half. Georgia is so much bigger, WVU has the edge in team speed, but Georgia has speed in the right places. Should be a wild second half.
Go Eeers!
Gold Star for Robot Boy
I’m in a big-money pool, and to tie for third (and about $125) I need to run the table on the last four games.
I picked WVU to cover, so I’ll be rooting right there with ya, John.
Rocky Smith
Nope- None of the bowl games matter. I never understood all the interest in college sports. March madness really leaves me scratching my head. Unless you went to school there, who cares?
SoCalJustice
Good luck, Mountaineers. Do it for the trapped miners….
Having said that, screw the BCS. Let’s get some playoffs. The BCS (and bowl system in general) is fundamentally un-American.
Stormy70
What is this “football” you speak of?
I got the boxed set of all seasons of Buffy, and picked up a boxed set with all five seasons of Angel for $125 at Costco if any fans of the series are interested. I have only seen season one of Angel so I am really stoked. I have only just emerged from my livingroom, since I have been marathoning season 2 and 3 of Buffy this weekend. I will start Angel at the end of Buffy’s season 3. Yes, I know all of you are interested in this Buffy/Angel gorge-fest going on in my house. Aren’t you?
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Fixed.
Mac Buckets
Fixed.
Gregory Markle
The SEC is the best conference in college football? Really? With only half of it’s teams managing to finish over .500 for the year? I’m a Penn State fan (yes, I went there) and consequently a Big Ten proponent and although the conference had a decent year I wouldn’t go as far as saying they’re the “best in football”…and they certainly are better than the SEC overall IMHO.
The top of both conferences do have one similarity though…losses were mainly to other top-ranked in-conference teams which makes any real comparison tough as there aren’t enough games against common opponents.
Grotesqueticle
Speaking as a Georgia fan, the Big 10 was a better conference this year. But, generally speaking, the SEC and the Big 10 are the best conferences in college football.
Damn, John, you’re Moutaineers just scored on a huge play on their first posesssion.
Gregory Markle
I forgot to mention, I’m also a pretty big LSU fan for no good reason…I like the SEC but they just weren’t impressive as a conference this season. In fact I don’t think any conference showed that it deserved singular accolades as a conference. The SEC and Big Ten were standouts but even they had their issues this year.
WVU happens to be cursed/blessed by being in a suck conference (The Big Least) and will have trouble making any national strides if they don’t start playing real teams (thank God PSU turned down their offer to join the Big East.) Seven wins against teams with .500 or worse records and only two ranked teams played: one of which kicked their ass and the other a squeeker win in the third overtime? Not much to brag about there.
But I wish WVU all the luck in the world…I detest Georgia!! Enjoy the game John, my day was complete when Notre Dame went down.
Sam Hutcheson
At this point, I would like to see either Slaten or that little White fucker pop and ACL. That would amuse me.
Sam Hutcheson
Yep. Absolutely time to start targeting knees.
Sam Hutcheson
What kind of crap formation was that?
Sam Hutcheson
The PAC-10 officials are apparently pussies.
Sojourner
The Buckeyes won easily tonight and Penn State will likely do the same. Wisconsin already has.
The Big 10 rocks! Go Bucks!
Otto Man
Thanks, Mom.
As far as the SEC goes, I’m thrilled to see that we’ve finally found something that Mac Buckets and I can agree about. That conference is still riding on hype from the Bear Bryant era.
SoCalJustice
Maybe, but the conference of the three-time defending NCAA champion has a nice ring to it. (And like all self-respecting Angelinos, I’m a Bruin fan).
5-10 years ago, sure.
HH
Go Dawgs!
Sam Hutcheson
It’s not that hard to go undefeated in the PAC-10. It’s not like they have more than three real teams out there.
Also, this year’s USC team is rather significantly overrated.
SoCalJustice
You can say the same for almost every conference this year. Some have four “real” teams. But only one conference is on the verge of having a 3-time defending NCAA champion and will have the first two picks in the upcoming NFL draft.
We’ll see. True, they had a lot of slow starts, but they only had one close game this year, and it was on the road against a resurging rival.
Sam Hutcheson
Did I mention that the PAC-10 officials are apparently women? Good god. It’s a block, you limp-wristed pantywaist.
Far North
Hey, PAC-10 rules.
This is one hell of an entertaining game.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Arizona State?
SoCalJustice
I guess when you’re average margin of victory is 29 points, a 10 point game can be considered “close.”
But they’ve won 34 games in a row, I think they just get bored and lazy sometimes.
Sam Hutcheson
They’re living off of the reputation of last year’s team.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Speaking as an ASU alum, I am pleased yet confused why anyone would label the Sun Devils – the team that coughed up late leads to LSU and USC; the team that gave up 45 points to Stanford; the team reached bowl eligibilty only by squeaking past Arizona – as
resurgent“resurging.”SoCalJustice
I was refering to Notre Dame.
Sam Hutcheson
Do they actually play flag football in the PAC-10?
Sam Hutcheson
I would really like to see Steve Slaton break his damned leg. In two. With bone showing.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Whew. Thanks, SoCal. I thought I was going nuts for a moment.
SoCalJustice
No worries.
Besides, does ASU consider ‘SC a rival?
——————
Ask Oklahoma.
Jon
Pac-10 officials are uniformly the worst in college football. I’ve seen enough of them in the last two years to think that they should definitely stay longer in Berkeley and get some weed for that glaucoma.
Pac-10’s better than people give it credit for. SEC’s still legit, but hasn’t had a multi-year dynasty to hang its hat on since Spurrier fled for the Redskins. Big Ten is back and impressive. Big 12 is the most overrated conference and will continue to be so until they can produce a champion that doesn’t faint like a goat in the BCS title game. ACC has improved a lot by stealing VaTech and the U. And the Big Least doesn’t even deserve an automatic berth in the BCS, tonight notwithstanding; if West Virginia hangs on, they will be the only team in the conference to score a win in the bowls this year.
Actually, if I were running the Pac-10, I would be raising bloody hell over the fact that the Big Ten and SEC each have three or more teams playing on New Years’ Day and the Pac-10 runner up is ticketed for the Holiday Bowl. Lack of exposure on the showcase day is a big reason the rest of the world doesn’t take Western football seriously.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
This is easily the most entertaining game of the day.
Best game of the bowl season so far… I’d say the Hawai’i Bowl: UCF comes back from down 10 in the final minutes to force OT, only to lose on a missed extra point.
John Cole
You have no class, Sam. None.
Sam Hutcheson
John, football has nothing to do with class. It’s a simulacra of war. It’s violence. Pretending it’s an essay writing contest is just silly.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Nah. ASU knows it’s outclassed by the Boys from Troy. Hell, we can barely beat the Wildcats.
The Pac-10’s problem is, it always has goodprograms, seven deep or so, but it rarely has more than one great team at any given time. This, as compared with the SEC and Big Ten, which have a few upper-echelon programs beating up on a bunch of stiffs.
Sam Hutcheson
There is exactly one SEC team that wouldn’t win 7-9 games in the PAC-10, and no one really considers Vandy a real SEC team.
SoCalJustice
Wow, that was awesome. (fake punt)
True, but ‘SC and Oregon finished as top ten BCS teams, and UCLA was up there for much of the year. Even CAL’s been decent of late.
Of course, the days are long gone, sadly, when the Bruins, Huskies were perennial contenders.
I blame Rick Neuheisel.
Sam Hutcheson
See, class is just an excuse not to flagrantly foul somone on these “run out the clock” plays. Greg Blue comes through and decapitates White as he’s kneeling: that would be entertainment.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
I’m not going to dignify remarks from a d1ck who openly roots for injuries.
ppGaz
Congrats to the WV-ites. Good game.
Sam Hutcheson
Wuss.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Gotta have a pair of big brass ones to make that call.
SoCalJustice
Are Kentucky, Ole Miss, Mississippi St, and Arkansas “real” SEC teams?
Please.
Sam Hutcheson
Only Kentucky. The rest are in the west. Aside from LSU, the SEC ends in Alabama.
cac
Ahhhhh. There is nothing as sweet as seeing Georgia lose.
Go Gators!
Sam Hutcheson
Ah, Gator fans. On the internet. Writing. It’s amazing what spell-check can do these days.
demimondian
It’s not the correct spelling which surprises me — it’s the correct grammar.
Could have hired someone from FSU to take dictation, though. That would explain it.
Sam Hutcheson
Could have hired someone from FSU to take dictation, though. That would explain it.
Gator fans do not hire people. They are hired.
demimondian
Who said anything about hiring people? I mentioned hiring someong from FSU.
Mac Buckets
My favorite part was when the announcer said that “no one — NO ONE — gave WVU a chance” to win that game straight-up. Funny — my bank account says otherwise! Now if only Texas can overcome Mack Brown’s poor coaching for one more game…it’ll be Moet and Swishas at my house like Biggie was still alive.
HORNyInTexas
Speaking of the best conference in the 2005-06 season, how can anyone overlook the Big12? Let’s break this down. Oklahoma spanks Oregon (Pac10, No.2), Texas wins National Championship against the greatest football team ever (hah)Big12 was 2-1 against the Pac10 this year. Big12 was 3-0 against Big10 including wins over Ohio State, Michigan and Iowa. The SEC doesn’t play non-conference games against anyone north of the Mason/Dixon line, but they beat the hell out of the MAC this season…Hmm.
Now, if you want to use the bowl games as a measuring sticj, then look at eight appearances by Big12 teams (5-3), ACC had eight appearances (5-3), Pac10 had five appearances (3-2)…it gets ugly for the other conferences after that including the SEC Champ being defeated.
So, gimme the Big12 with the National Champions Texas Longhorns.
Big12 was 2-1 against the Pac10 this year