The top 10 best and worst things about college football
<HR width=471 noShade SIZE=1><!-- Sidebar --><!-- Story --><!-- start article -->Edition Date: 11-06-2004
<!-- story start here -->THE GOOD IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
College football is a wonderful sport for so many different reasons. Here are a few of those reasons, based on a sampling of ideas from our readers and our two college football writers, Chadd Cripe and Nick Jezierny.
10. The pageantry, the fight songs, the tailgating and the fun.
There's no better way to show your team spirit than by belting out a fight song with 30,000-plus of your closest pals (even if your fight song is really corny). Bands, cheerleaders and all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the college game are just plain cool. Homecoming, Dad's Weekends, the student section. You can't get all that in the NFL (that is, if you can afford an NFL ticket).
9. Offensive creativity.
BSU coach Dan Hawkins calls it "voodoo." Offensive coordinator Chris Petersen has heard it called "Pete's Poison.'' NFL coaches call it "too risky." Spend a Saturday watching college ball, and you'll see plenty of plays that look like your school-yard favorites.
8. Overachievers.
Players and programs can overcome shortcomings like size and money in college football. How else do you explain Brock Forsey ranking third in Division I-A history in touchdowns and Boise State ranking in the top 15 three straight years? And we'll never forget BSU receivers like Tim Gilligan and T.J. Acree.
7. Traditional rivalries.
Whether it's Ohio State vs. Michigan or Montana vs. Montana State, teams with buckets of hatred who play each at the end of the season make for great drama. We aren't TNT, but we love drama. Throw in an award like an ax or a bucket, and it's even better.
6. Naming the player who commits a penalty.
Players get pub for touchdowns, so why not penalties? College players are mature enough to handle a little yellow-hanky abuse. Plus, this year's new rule prevents game officials from inventing a holding call. By making the official give a number, it gives them (and the players) some accountability.
5. Playing games on weeknights for exposure.
Look at BSU. That's all the argument you need. All those ESPN appearances have built the Broncos into a mini-dynasty on the cusp of becoming a major power. The Broncos have built a cult-type following the past few years, mostly because they score a lot of points and play on a blue rug. The ultimate sign of mid-major respect: The Broncos have become the Gonzaga of college football.
4. Bowl games.
There's no such thing as too many bowl games. These postseason beauties are a boost to communities and a nice reward to deserving teams — unless you're the ninth-place team in the SEC and get sent to Shreveport. Even that's not a bad deal.
3. ESPN GameDay and GamePlan.
Cable television broadcasts are a guaranteed way to promote the atmosphere of college football — from coast to coast. How else could an Ohio U. fan watch the Bobcats lose to Toledo in a bar in Boise, Idaho?
2. The Heisman Trophy.
Cool award. Very cool trophy. A postseason celebration that begins with a lot of preseason debate. We like debate. So who's going to win the Heisman this season? See below ...
And the best thing about college football...
1. The game itself.
College football is played on brilliant Saturday afternoons in the fall in places called "Death Valley'' and "The Big House.'' It's "The Big Game'' and "The Civil War.'' It's Touchdown Jesus, Beat Navy, Boomer Sooner, and the 12th man at Texas A&M. "And, unfortunately, it's rooting for undefeated BCS schools to lose on last-second field goals and then hoping to see BSU climb in the Monday BCS poll,'' said reader Kelly Taylor of Emmett. Hey, that's part of the fun, too.
THE BAD IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
As much as we love college football, the sport still isn't perfect. In fact, there's plenty wrong with the game, starting with the lack of a playoff. Here is a sampling of more ideas from our readers and our two college football writers.
10. Giving players money, in addition to their scholarship.
Paying student-athletes a monthly stipend has been talked about. Bad idea. Free education, free books, free meals. That's enough. As soon as pay-for-play enters the picture, the abuses will start. You think Alabama is going to play by the rules? "They are there to get a college education. Most of them already have some sort of scholarship to pay for their schooling, and that should be the reason that they are in college,'' wrote reader Nick Stem of Nampa.
9. Dwarf-sized goal posts.
Kickers are too strong for these high school-looking relics. Bring in the big boys (NFL-sized), so officials don't have to decide if the ball was inside the uprights as it soared 10 feet above the posts.
8. Scheduling.
BCS schools won't play non-BCS schools on the road, where those teams might have a chance, but they will play I-AA teams at home. It's all about big money and big wins, not creating competitive, entertaining games.
7. Clueless sideline reporters.
When they offer insight, they're great. The problem? There aren't enough good ones (Bonnie Bernstein). Most of the time we get fluff and dumb skits where sideline folks talk about things like potatoes.
6. Neutral-site home games.
If you can't fill your own stadium, too bad. Louisiana-Monroe claiming a home game in Little Rock, Ark., is moronic. Idaho playing home games at Washington State — except when the Vandals play the Cougars — is ludicrous. Today's game against Arkansas State in Pullman — homecoming, to boot — might be the dumbest idea in all of college football this season.
5. Eleven teams in the Big Ten.
Either kick Penn State out (Joe Pa really does need to retire), or rename the conference the Big Eleven. It doesn't look good when student-athletes are working for a league that doesn't know how to count.
4. Notre Dame's own rules.
If the Irish don't join a conference, get rid of their special BCS status. These guys aren't good enough anymore to have their own high-and-mighty rules. Force the Irish to use their luck — like the rest of the non-BCS schools.
3. Coaching salaries.
These guys work hard, and we certainly don't want to hinder the free-enterprise system, but college coaches don't need to make $2 million a year. "It turns good people into something besides just a coach,'' reader Paul Hoffman of Boise says.
2. Overtime.
College teams start at the 25 and OT sessions seem to last forever. This cheapens 60 minutes of regulation and warps the stat book. This is one instance where the NFL and its sudden death policy is better.
And the worst thing about college football...
1. The BCS (or lack of a playoff).
Computers, ratings, fractions? A Rhodes Scholar can't figure out the weekly Bowl Championship Series standings that rule college football. The system is elitist and produces nothing except controversy. "There is way too much money at stake ($14 million per BCS bowl team) to allow this current system to dictate the end-of-year cash reward. It does not seem right that the schools are competing for prize money, but that is what the BCS has created,'' wrote reader Terry Andrew Geis of Mountain Home.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041106/NEWS0301/411060345/1001/NEWS
<!-- end article -->
<HR width=471 noShade SIZE=1><!-- Sidebar --><!-- Story --><!-- start article -->Edition Date: 11-06-2004
<!-- story start here -->THE GOOD IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
College football is a wonderful sport for so many different reasons. Here are a few of those reasons, based on a sampling of ideas from our readers and our two college football writers, Chadd Cripe and Nick Jezierny.
10. The pageantry, the fight songs, the tailgating and the fun.
There's no better way to show your team spirit than by belting out a fight song with 30,000-plus of your closest pals (even if your fight song is really corny). Bands, cheerleaders and all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the college game are just plain cool. Homecoming, Dad's Weekends, the student section. You can't get all that in the NFL (that is, if you can afford an NFL ticket).
9. Offensive creativity.
BSU coach Dan Hawkins calls it "voodoo." Offensive coordinator Chris Petersen has heard it called "Pete's Poison.'' NFL coaches call it "too risky." Spend a Saturday watching college ball, and you'll see plenty of plays that look like your school-yard favorites.
8. Overachievers.
Players and programs can overcome shortcomings like size and money in college football. How else do you explain Brock Forsey ranking third in Division I-A history in touchdowns and Boise State ranking in the top 15 three straight years? And we'll never forget BSU receivers like Tim Gilligan and T.J. Acree.
7. Traditional rivalries.
Whether it's Ohio State vs. Michigan or Montana vs. Montana State, teams with buckets of hatred who play each at the end of the season make for great drama. We aren't TNT, but we love drama. Throw in an award like an ax or a bucket, and it's even better.
6. Naming the player who commits a penalty.
Players get pub for touchdowns, so why not penalties? College players are mature enough to handle a little yellow-hanky abuse. Plus, this year's new rule prevents game officials from inventing a holding call. By making the official give a number, it gives them (and the players) some accountability.
5. Playing games on weeknights for exposure.
Look at BSU. That's all the argument you need. All those ESPN appearances have built the Broncos into a mini-dynasty on the cusp of becoming a major power. The Broncos have built a cult-type following the past few years, mostly because they score a lot of points and play on a blue rug. The ultimate sign of mid-major respect: The Broncos have become the Gonzaga of college football.
4. Bowl games.
There's no such thing as too many bowl games. These postseason beauties are a boost to communities and a nice reward to deserving teams — unless you're the ninth-place team in the SEC and get sent to Shreveport. Even that's not a bad deal.
3. ESPN GameDay and GamePlan.
Cable television broadcasts are a guaranteed way to promote the atmosphere of college football — from coast to coast. How else could an Ohio U. fan watch the Bobcats lose to Toledo in a bar in Boise, Idaho?
2. The Heisman Trophy.
Cool award. Very cool trophy. A postseason celebration that begins with a lot of preseason debate. We like debate. So who's going to win the Heisman this season? See below ...
And the best thing about college football...
1. The game itself.
College football is played on brilliant Saturday afternoons in the fall in places called "Death Valley'' and "The Big House.'' It's "The Big Game'' and "The Civil War.'' It's Touchdown Jesus, Beat Navy, Boomer Sooner, and the 12th man at Texas A&M. "And, unfortunately, it's rooting for undefeated BCS schools to lose on last-second field goals and then hoping to see BSU climb in the Monday BCS poll,'' said reader Kelly Taylor of Emmett. Hey, that's part of the fun, too.
THE BAD IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
As much as we love college football, the sport still isn't perfect. In fact, there's plenty wrong with the game, starting with the lack of a playoff. Here is a sampling of more ideas from our readers and our two college football writers.
10. Giving players money, in addition to their scholarship.
Paying student-athletes a monthly stipend has been talked about. Bad idea. Free education, free books, free meals. That's enough. As soon as pay-for-play enters the picture, the abuses will start. You think Alabama is going to play by the rules? "They are there to get a college education. Most of them already have some sort of scholarship to pay for their schooling, and that should be the reason that they are in college,'' wrote reader Nick Stem of Nampa.
9. Dwarf-sized goal posts.
Kickers are too strong for these high school-looking relics. Bring in the big boys (NFL-sized), so officials don't have to decide if the ball was inside the uprights as it soared 10 feet above the posts.
8. Scheduling.
BCS schools won't play non-BCS schools on the road, where those teams might have a chance, but they will play I-AA teams at home. It's all about big money and big wins, not creating competitive, entertaining games.
7. Clueless sideline reporters.
When they offer insight, they're great. The problem? There aren't enough good ones (Bonnie Bernstein). Most of the time we get fluff and dumb skits where sideline folks talk about things like potatoes.
6. Neutral-site home games.
If you can't fill your own stadium, too bad. Louisiana-Monroe claiming a home game in Little Rock, Ark., is moronic. Idaho playing home games at Washington State — except when the Vandals play the Cougars — is ludicrous. Today's game against Arkansas State in Pullman — homecoming, to boot — might be the dumbest idea in all of college football this season.
5. Eleven teams in the Big Ten.
Either kick Penn State out (Joe Pa really does need to retire), or rename the conference the Big Eleven. It doesn't look good when student-athletes are working for a league that doesn't know how to count.
4. Notre Dame's own rules.
If the Irish don't join a conference, get rid of their special BCS status. These guys aren't good enough anymore to have their own high-and-mighty rules. Force the Irish to use their luck — like the rest of the non-BCS schools.
3. Coaching salaries.
These guys work hard, and we certainly don't want to hinder the free-enterprise system, but college coaches don't need to make $2 million a year. "It turns good people into something besides just a coach,'' reader Paul Hoffman of Boise says.
2. Overtime.
College teams start at the 25 and OT sessions seem to last forever. This cheapens 60 minutes of regulation and warps the stat book. This is one instance where the NFL and its sudden death policy is better.
And the worst thing about college football...
1. The BCS (or lack of a playoff).
Computers, ratings, fractions? A Rhodes Scholar can't figure out the weekly Bowl Championship Series standings that rule college football. The system is elitist and produces nothing except controversy. "There is way too much money at stake ($14 million per BCS bowl team) to allow this current system to dictate the end-of-year cash reward. It does not seem right that the schools are competing for prize money, but that is what the BCS has created,'' wrote reader Terry Andrew Geis of Mountain Home.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041106/NEWS0301/411060345/1001/NEWS
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