I love College Football. Really, I do. Not only are there so many more teams to despise, but, also, because I've been to so many schools, there are so many more teams to love. Let's get rid of the negativity first in the First Shankar-GPS Football Wishlist - Collegiate Edition.
THE TEAMS I HOPE LOSE EARLY AND OFTEN, WHOSE SLEEP IS INTERRUPTED BY CATS FIGHTING OUTSIDE THEIR WINDOWS AND WHOSE STAR PLAYERS ARE STRICKEN BY INGROWN TOENAILS
In no particular order:
1. USC Trojans (Pac 10)
2. Texas Longhorns (Big 12)
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (Big 10)
4. Michigan Wolverines (Big 10)
5. Florida State Seminoles (ACC)
6. Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC)
7. Miami Hurricanes (ACC)
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big 12)
9. Boston College Eagles (ACC)
10. Tennessee Volunteers (SEC)
Now, for the good stuff.
THE TEAMS WHO I HOPE MAKE TO THE BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (BUT I WOULDN'T COUNT ON IT)
This time I will go in order, from the least likely to have a good season, to the most likely.
6. Southern Illinois Salukis (Gateway): We can be sure the Salukis won't make a BCS game as they play in the FCS or whatever Division I-AA is called these days. When I went to school in Carbondale, they were rubbish. After I left, they became mediocre. Once I left the US, they became pretty hot stuff, advancing deep into the playoffs almost every year. This year it will be difficult as Head Coach Jerry Kill has left to coach the Northern Illinois Huskies.
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Independent): I spent two fabulous falls at Notre Dame in the mid-90s, and I just loved the place. Too bad things didn't work out for me there academics-wise, but at least the football back then was of a pretty high standard. Unlike last year when the Irish managed to lose to Navy for the first time since Roger Staubach's Heisman Trophy winning year at Annapolis. I expect another mediocre season in '08, but the Irish are too much a part of me to stop me from hoping for a booster dose of the luck o' the Irish every Saturday.
4. Texas A&M Aggies (Big 12): Similar story to Notre Dame, with me having spent two glorious falls in College Station, but producing an equally lacklustre academic performance as at Notre Dame. The Aggies reached the Big 12 Championship Game both those seasons, but haven't smelled the game since. After the steady, but unspectacular, R. C. Slocum years came the Dennis Franchione Reign of Error. Now, Brett Favre's former head coach, Mike Sherman, comes along to try and return the Ags to their roots. We'll probably lose more than we should, but I'll settle for a return of the Wrecking Crew defence.
3. Oregon Ducks (Pac 10): I need a team to root for in the Pac 10, and until UCLA sort themselves out, Nike U is my rooting choice. The Ducks seem to come so close to doing something significant almost every year, and yet, somehow, they manage to muck it all up. Still, I live in hope that Mike Bellotti's guys will one day win the Pac 10 and give those blasted Trojans something to think about.
2. BYU Cougars (Mountain West): A third straight MWC title for Bronco Mendenhall's men will be hugely popular in my circles: I have more friends in the BYU system than any other university. And if the Cougars can come through undefeated, they will surely be able to gate-crash the BCS for the first time. The BCS is the worst cartel in American sports. Only teams from the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Pac 10 and SEC make it, unless someone plays out of their skins and has a fantastic, undefeated year. The double standard is just so...un-American. For that reason alone, people should hope the Cougars make it.
And at Number 1...tune in tomorrow.
THE TEAMS I HOPE LOSE EARLY AND OFTEN, WHOSE SLEEP IS INTERRUPTED BY CATS FIGHTING OUTSIDE THEIR WINDOWS AND WHOSE STAR PLAYERS ARE STRICKEN BY INGROWN TOENAILS
In no particular order:
1. USC Trojans (Pac 10)
2. Texas Longhorns (Big 12)
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (Big 10)
4. Michigan Wolverines (Big 10)
5. Florida State Seminoles (ACC)
6. Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC)
7. Miami Hurricanes (ACC)
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big 12)
9. Boston College Eagles (ACC)
10. Tennessee Volunteers (SEC)
Now, for the good stuff.
THE TEAMS WHO I HOPE MAKE TO THE BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (BUT I WOULDN'T COUNT ON IT)
This time I will go in order, from the least likely to have a good season, to the most likely.
6. Southern Illinois Salukis (Gateway): We can be sure the Salukis won't make a BCS game as they play in the FCS or whatever Division I-AA is called these days. When I went to school in Carbondale, they were rubbish. After I left, they became mediocre. Once I left the US, they became pretty hot stuff, advancing deep into the playoffs almost every year. This year it will be difficult as Head Coach Jerry Kill has left to coach the Northern Illinois Huskies.
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Independent): I spent two fabulous falls at Notre Dame in the mid-90s, and I just loved the place. Too bad things didn't work out for me there academics-wise, but at least the football back then was of a pretty high standard. Unlike last year when the Irish managed to lose to Navy for the first time since Roger Staubach's Heisman Trophy winning year at Annapolis. I expect another mediocre season in '08, but the Irish are too much a part of me to stop me from hoping for a booster dose of the luck o' the Irish every Saturday.
4. Texas A&M Aggies (Big 12): Similar story to Notre Dame, with me having spent two glorious falls in College Station, but producing an equally lacklustre academic performance as at Notre Dame. The Aggies reached the Big 12 Championship Game both those seasons, but haven't smelled the game since. After the steady, but unspectacular, R. C. Slocum years came the Dennis Franchione Reign of Error. Now, Brett Favre's former head coach, Mike Sherman, comes along to try and return the Ags to their roots. We'll probably lose more than we should, but I'll settle for a return of the Wrecking Crew defence.
3. Oregon Ducks (Pac 10): I need a team to root for in the Pac 10, and until UCLA sort themselves out, Nike U is my rooting choice. The Ducks seem to come so close to doing something significant almost every year, and yet, somehow, they manage to muck it all up. Still, I live in hope that Mike Bellotti's guys will one day win the Pac 10 and give those blasted Trojans something to think about.
2. BYU Cougars (Mountain West): A third straight MWC title for Bronco Mendenhall's men will be hugely popular in my circles: I have more friends in the BYU system than any other university. And if the Cougars can come through undefeated, they will surely be able to gate-crash the BCS for the first time. The BCS is the worst cartel in American sports. Only teams from the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Pac 10 and SEC make it, unless someone plays out of their skins and has a fantastic, undefeated year. The double standard is just so...un-American. For that reason alone, people should hope the Cougars make it.
And at Number 1...tune in tomorrow.
1 Comment:
I know this has nothing to do with your post, but the sketch of you in the corner is very good! At first I thought it was a photograph...
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