College Football Challenge

[kamome]

I had a feeling that Vince Young was going to have a coming out party.

Dude was a one man gang. I had a feeling that whoever had the ball with 2 minutes left was going to win. I picked 'SC to win so was disappointed.

I think it was a coming out part as far as the media (outside of Texas) was concerned. He has been sensational in HS, HS MVP for the state of Texas and for the Longhorns. There are already reports that he may well leave the University for Pro football instead of finishing his fourth year.

As far as being disappointed, a lot of people were joining you. People were uninformed about how good Texas actually was.

But, what a game, huh? When was there every a bowl game between two teams, obviously the number one and two, where both teams were averaging over 50 points a game? Where two Heisman Trophy winners were playing, let alone on the same team?

It was just a great game no matter who you were rooting for. Some people have blamed the USC Coach for going for it on 4th and about one with a minute and something left. I think he made a wise gamble and it was a compliment to the Texas offense. He didn't feel they could stop Young and Texas from scoring again, so he tried for the 1st down! He makes it and he wins the game and is a hero for the call. They didn't make it and lost, but I don't think that qualifies him as a goat. Texas was really good!

Just a great game!
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Totally. Pete Carroll made the right call. There should be no criticism for him electing to go for it on 4th and 2. Especially with a kick-ass offense like SC's that was moving the ball at will against Texas and the inability of their defense to stop Young. It could have gone either way.

It's strange that anyone would be uninformed about how good Texas was. There should have been no surprise. That team was a bulldozer all year. The media maybe didn't give them their due, but if a person had watched any Texas game this year, they would know that SC was in for a true battle. For example, the Texas-Colorado game was such a nasty blowout, it was comical. I'm a UCLA guy myself, so seeing USC hanging its head in disappointment was a real joy.

[IkemenTommy]

I'm a UCLA guy myself, so seeing USC hanging its head in disappointment was a real joy.

werd

[Mulboyne]

Sorry to bring up an old thread but this didn't seem to warrant creating a new one.

I was in the U.S. recently and happened to catch some college football. It did occur to me that the popularity of college basketball and football has no real parallel in the UK. British universities and students take part in sports but, outside a legacy interest in the Oxford and Cambridge boat race, these activities draw little national attention until individuals go on to represent their country or join professional teams.

UK student sport is probably closer to the status of US college baseball which doesn't appear to have the same connection with its professional counterpart as the other two. I'm also not aware of student leagues getting much attention and funding in other European countries but that could just be ignorance on my part. I wonder if anyone knows how college basketball and footballl came to assume such prominent positions in the sporting calendar?

[AssKissinger]

I wonder if anyone knows how college basketball and baseball came to assume such prominent positions in the sporting calendar?

You mean basketball and football right? College football is a much older tradition than the NFL.

NCAA football has way bigger draw than European soccer btw.

[Mulboyne]

You mean basketball and football right?

Yes. My mistake. I've edited it to make me look less stupid.

One factor might be the different ages that players reach the top in these sports. Googling around, I see that it isn't common for an NFL player to start his career before 21 whereas there are many examples of world footballers starting as teenagers. Current England wunderkind Wayne Rooney played professionally at 17 and won his first international cap a year later. The physical demands in both sports are very different but there are also examples in rugby of teenage stars so perhaps there is something more cultural. Greg Inglis recently turned out for Australia in an international against New Zealand and was the key player. He is still 19 which is the same age that Jonah Lomu was when he first played rugby union for his country.

[kamome]

Yes. My mistake. I've edited it to make me look less stupid.

One factor might be the different ages that players reach the top in these sports. Googling around, I see that it isn't common for an NFL player to start his career before 21 whereas there are many examples of world footballers starting as teenagers. Current England wunderkind Wayne Rooney played professionally at 17 and won his first international cap a year later. The physical demands in both sports are very different but there are also examples in rugby of teenage stars so perhaps there is something more cultural. Greg Inglis recently turned out for Australia in an international against New Zealand and was the key player. He is still 19 which is the same age that Jonah Lomu was when he first played rugby union for his country.

Mulboyne, there has been a trend toward younger football and basketball players skipping years in college in order to play professionally. That's especially the case in basketball, where some amazing high school athletes are skipping college altogether to play in the NBA. Some of the most famous straight-to-the-NBA stars are Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James. Dwayne Wade and Allan Iverson played college b-ball for about two years, then quit to go professional (and make millions of dollars).

I think one reason why college basketball and football are so popular is that many collegiate athletes are already playing at near-professional levels, so you get to see a great game with the added drama of playing for school spirit. At my college alma mater (University of Virginia), I was able to see Tiki Barber and Ronde Barber playing on the same team, and they were clearly playing like pros at that time.

[Mulboyne]

...you get to see a great game with the added drama of playing for school spirit...

I think that's where the real difference lies. College sports are so popular in the US that teams must derive a lot of support from people who never attended a university. By contrast, in the UK, college teams often don't generate much interest among their own student bodies let alone anyone else. I just finished reading "I Am Charlotte Simmons" by Tom Wolfe and the the picture he drew of the status of student athletes, albeit fictional, was eye-opening. Japan seems to fall somewhere in the middle: rugby may still be a minor professional sport but university matches regularly appear on television and there is an annual playoff between the college champion and pro champion. The school spirit appeal is most evident in the way the country grinds to a halt during the high school baseball championships.

[canman]

I find there is hardly any school spirit in japanese institutions of higher education. A few weeks ago there was a hockey game between the two rival schools here in the city, and I suggested to the coach of one team, a friend of mine, that the school bus in a group of students to watch and cheer on the team. But he said nobody would come, and the school wouldn't pay for the buses. I went to the game and what a sad turnout, only about 20 fans on either side. I think its amazing the way fans support their teams in the US. Of course sometimes the boosters go overboard, and then you have coaches like Bob Cousins, I think his name is, the former Cincinatti Bearcats coach, who graduated something like 11% of his players. But I think all in all it invigoarates a school.

[Gilligan]

I think that's where the real difference lies. College sports are so popular in the US that teams must derive a lot of support from people who never attended a university.

While this is likely true, especially in places like Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, which aren't close to any professional teams, don't forget that some of these major universities have student bodies of over 30,000 students. And often times parents become supporters of the schools where they sent their children.

And schools like Boston College, Villanova, and Georgetown have religious connections to their "local" communities, while Notre Dame has the same connections on a national scale.

Personally, I'll never forget the road trip that my friends and I took from up-state New York to Virginia to see our football team play William and Mary. And a few years back when our football team played in the division 1-AA champioship game in Chatanooga, a number of my friends flew there from various parts of the country to see the game. In fact, the first thing I do every Sunday morning in the fall is check the football scores to see how we did, and in the winter I check the hockey scores every Saturday and Sunday morning to see how we did.

[kamome]

Yeah, school spirit is an amazing thing at schools large enough to qualify as small cities in their own right. Schools like U of Michigan, U of Maryland, U of Texas, Ohio State, etc., have massive student bodies and their programs produce a lot of money for the school. School spirit is also magnified by the amount of media attention focused on football/basketball programs that routinely produce professional players.

You won't go too long before seeing an Ohio State football game broadcast on national TV because they are perennial powerhouses. And likewise with axhools like the University of North Carolina during basketball season (UNC was the alma mater of Michael Jordan, Vince Carter and Rasheed Wallace, to name a few).

[AssKissinger]

Hey Hawaii are no longer the "Rainbows" - they are the Rainbow Warriors. Hmm...wonder when that happened?




Timmy Chang - NCAA record holder career passing
with 16,667 yards!

Rainbow Warriors rolling late in the 4th. 59-33

Hawaii has another hotshot quarterback.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/ncaa/specials/bowls/2006/12/25/brennan.nfl.ap/index.html?section=si_latest

HONOLULU (AP) -- After breaking the NCAA single-season touchdown record, Colt Brennan isn't sure he's ready to take a shot at the NFL just yet.

So far, Brennan says he'll return to Hawaii for his senior year unless an NFL team indicates it will select him with a high draft pick.

"Right now, I'm planning on coming back next year," Brennan said.

Brennan broke the NCAA record for touchdown passes with 58 in Hawaii's 41-24 victory over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl on Sunday night.

BTW, The Utes won their sixth consecutive bowl game!

[SIZE="7"][color="Red"]GO UTES!!![/color][/SIZE]

[IkemenTommy]

The rainbow warriors