Thursday, November 09, 2006

Louisville vs Rutgers would be a great game...On the basketball floor

Tonight's meeting between Louisville and Rutgers is a pivotable game in the national title chase, with huge BCS implications. Come on now. Stop the joking and let's be serious.

Huh? This isn't a bad joke? Rutgers? Louisville? What kind of world are we living in? A college football bizarro world, we can all agree. I'm not sure I like this new bizarro football world. It seems to me that teams who play games on Thursday aren't normally the sort you would think would even sniff national title contention.

Does anyone seriously think that Louisville would survive a Big 10, SEC, Pac 10, or Big 12 type of schedule unscathed? You look at the Big East, with Rutgers and Louisville at the top of the standings, and I see a glorified MAC. They would be a second tier team in a serious football conference. Any team that let West Virginia run unfettered through their defense for a total of 575 yards is not a national title threat. A threat to my sensibilities, maybe. A threat to be embarrassed in a BCS game, definitely. But not a threat for the mythical national title.

As for Rutgers? Don't make me laugh. That tonight is the biggest game in the Rutgers' history says volumes.

Neither of these teams have played anyone decent. No, "The U" doesn't count, not this season. Then again, most teams in the national title hunt haven't exactly been tested most weeks.

It's unfortunate that we don't see the big intersectional matchups anymore. Since no one wants to play anyone remotely tough in their out of conference schedule, or only one semi-tough game at best, college football fans are stuck with the likes of Lousiville and Rutgers (GAK!) being the featured game of the week. On a Thursday night, for chrissake.

Games with national title implications aren't played on a Thursday. Teams that are desperate for TV time on the Worldwide Leader play on Thursday. From where do the teams normally hail on the Worldwide Leader's Thursday night game? From conferences like the MAC, Big East, Conference USA, and Mountain West, which does not exactly make for a college football murderer's row. That isn't even a manslaughterer's row. If you ask me, pranksters row seems to fit.

That Louisville and Rutgers are dominating college football's BCS talk may just be the biggest prank of all.

1 comment:

  1. I've got a family connection to Rutgers so I was very proud of them playing in a game that mattered and winning.

    Otherwise, yes, agree totally. Hard to take it serious if an important bowl has the Scarlett Tomatoes in it.

    Nonetheless, I hope one does!!

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