tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post7673975732397045330..comments2024-02-16T02:12:08.305-08:00Comments on Fire Jay Mariotti: Why Bother Supporting Your Claims With Evidence or Explanations? That Takes Too Much TimeLarry Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141943214237719821noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post-19241671202835599242007-12-04T17:34:00.000-08:002007-12-04T17:34:00.000-08:00the thing is, booty is healthy and USC has a defen...the thing is, booty is healthy and USC has a defense fast enough to line up with the spread O...it doesn't look good for a U of I team that is by their own rights, very goodChris Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12152452626681072765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post-78284608147312506282007-12-04T15:16:00.000-08:002007-12-04T15:16:00.000-08:00Touche, tone, touche. Sounds like I touched a ner...Touche, tone, touche. Sounds like I touched a nerve. You U of I people can get scary on the teg blogowebs, I've seen your collective work in the Deadspin/TBL comments sections and I want no part of it. Your points are all valid, and Illinois is a fine team. Your loss to Iowa is a little ugly, but overall, it's a solid body of work. Let me explain myself from a slightly less pathetic angle: I hate USC. Hate them with a passion. But save for that little blip against Texas in the 2006 title game, they ALWAYS get up for their bowl games and dominate people. Michigan in 2007. Oklahoma in 2005. Michigan in 2004. Iowa in 2003. Ever since I've been an undergrad, it seems like those assholes just embarrass someone in their bowl, year after year after year. BOOOOOO. So my comment was really made in frustration about the fact that I just expect USC to roll everyone at this point; it was not meant to shit on Illinois. Although I can see how it could be construed that way. I didn't mean to offend. I still think it'll be something like a 14 point USC victory. But my hatred for the Trojans is tied up in that. As if I needed to say so, though, I will definitely be wearing orange that night.larry bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13646537145612677810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post-42607598923774944812007-12-04T14:28:00.000-08:002007-12-04T14:28:00.000-08:00Larry,I find it hilarious that you just wrote, "As...Larry,<BR/><BR/>I find it hilarious that you just wrote, "As for USC, they lost to Stanford. They could lose to anyone." <BR/><BR/>You also echoed this sentiment in your NO CRAPPY SPORTSWRITING HERE post on 11/30... 'USC over UCLA ("These guys are unstoppable! They would crush both Missouri and West Virginia right now! Put them in the national championship game! It's not like they lost to Stanford at home or anything!")'<BR/><BR/>You're probably asking yourself why I find this hilarious. Here's why...<BR/><BR/>In your post, WHY BOTHER SUPPORTING YOUR CLAIMS WITH EVIDENCE OF EXPLANATIONS? THAT TAKES TOO MUCH TIME, you wrote, "The USC/Illinois matchup, well yeah, he's got me there. Probably will be a blowout."<BR/><BR/>You continued with, "USC/Illinois: Yawn. Stanford over USC gets more ridiculous every time I think about it. Illinois beat Ohio State because no one could tackle Juice Williams. USC won't have the same problem."<BR/><BR/>So what you're saying is that USC can lose to any team on any given game... just not Illinois. They're not good enough, right? They only have the 8th ranked rushing attack in the nation because lesser teams (like #1 Ohio State) can't tackle Juice Williams, right? Those turnover margins (Illinois +.8, USC -.8), those won't matter in the Rose Bowl.<BR/><BR/>What about Rashard Mendenhall, one of the nation's best pro prospects, rushing for 1,526 yards at 6.2 a pop and 16 tds this season? What about the wins against Penn State and Wisconsin, in addition to going into the Horseshoe and beating Ohio State in convincing fashion by basically controlling the entire game... but you're right, USC/Illinois will be a blowout. <BR/><BR/>Illinois has never been blown out this year, including a last second loss to Missouri on an interception by their backup QB in the redzone, but the Rose Bowl will be that game, right? USC can lose Stanford, and you even backed up how beatable they are, but they will still for sure blowout Illinois... You don't make sense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post-63704068184970532162007-12-04T13:25:00.000-08:002007-12-04T13:25:00.000-08:00They would have beaten 'Bama. As for USC, they lo...They would have beaten 'Bama. As for USC, they lost to Stanford. They could lose to anyone.larry bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13646537145612677810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post-1449736081055339972007-12-04T12:55:00.000-08:002007-12-04T12:55:00.000-08:00they would have lost :shrug:they would have lost :shrug:Chris Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12152452626681072765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post-24958725382682039122007-12-04T11:52:00.000-08:002007-12-04T11:52:00.000-08:00It's too bad- even if they beat Georgia in the Sug...It's too bad- even if they beat Georgia in the Sugar this year, which I'm hoping for because the SEC is annoying as hell, Hawaii opens their season against Florida next year. With Brennan gone, they're going to lose like 42-3, and everyone will laugh and talk about how theire 2007 season was a fraud and no one should ever pay attention to a non-BCS conference team ever again. Stupid system. If only Alabama and USC hadn't pussed out from playing Hawaii this year, we could have seen how they really stacked up in regular season play against decent opponents.larry bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13646537145612677810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post-24842841336789416902007-12-04T11:32:00.000-08:002007-12-04T11:32:00.000-08:00I'm not saying Hawaii shouldn't make the BCS. I'm...I'm not saying Hawaii shouldn't make the BCS. I'm saying that complaining about Kansas playing a D-III schedule and then describing Hawaii's lack of respect is extremely hypocritical.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post-28052581868387687072007-12-04T09:39:00.000-08:002007-12-04T09:39:00.000-08:00If you go unbeaten, you should get a crack at the ...If you go unbeaten, you should get a crack at the BCS as long as there are other BCS teams with more than one loss.<BR/><BR/>If it came down to Hawaii and real teams with 1 loss, maybe I could see leaving them out, but the bottom line is you can only win the games you scheduled...there's really no more that you can do...Chris Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12152452626681072765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post-22508651562490750462007-12-04T08:17:00.000-08:002007-12-04T08:17:00.000-08:00Are you honestly defending Hawaii by contesting th...Are you honestly defending Hawaii by contesting the bad schedule Kansas played? Hawaii had to make a huge comeback to beat Washington by a touchdown. As in, the University of Washington. As in, the worst team in a weak BCS conference. And this was Hawaii's first game of the season against a BCS conference opponent. Based on this logic, North Dakota State has just as strong of a claim as Hawaii does. They beat Minnesota and a bunch of scrubs so they should be in the BCS. Good call.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post-59849295874325619772007-12-03T22:20:00.000-08:002007-12-03T22:20:00.000-08:00I find all this media outrage over all these two l...I find all this media outrage over all these two loss teams being "snubbed" hilarious - while Hawaii is an afterthought.<BR/><BR/>What happens if LSU beat Ohio State, as it should, and Hawaii beats Georgia? Is the winner of another BCS game somehow more deserving than a 13-0 team in a season where no other team would have lost less than 2 games? In college basketball, the mid-majors have finally begun to get some respect in the rankings and tourney seedings - perhaps if a mid-major wins a BCS game for the third straight time, they'll be afforded the same respect as their hardwood counterparts?<BR/><BR/>But that would be too easy for Mandel or any other college football writer to talk about. Instead we can talk about a team like Kansas that played a Division III schedule, and we have an Ohio State team that beat ONE team that was ranked at the time of the game playing for the national title. God bless the BCS.Miserable Bastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275506476452693194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post-84807366614947698092007-12-03T11:47:00.000-08:002007-12-03T11:47:00.000-08:00Well put, Anonymous, well put. I still think if t...Well put, Anonymous, well put. I still think if they limit turnovers they'll give Tech a game. Tech's offense is not as good as their point totals would indicate, and KU's defense is underappreciated.<BR/><BR/>As a Colorado native I'm crushed that Callahan got fired. <I>I</I> certainly didn't see anything wrong with the job he was doing.larry bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13646537145612677810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6300012139741038635.post-2259370331041078442007-12-03T10:09:00.000-08:002007-12-03T10:09:00.000-08:00Actually Larry, Kansas is terrible not because the...Actually Larry, Kansas is terrible not because they lost to Missouri, but because they ate patsies for lunch all season long and lost to the only good team they faced all year.<BR/><BR/>You and I could and the taxi squad of the XFL's Memphis Maniax (and coached by Skip Bayless) could probably beat most of these guys:<BR/><BR/>Central Michigan<BR/>Southeastern Louisiana<BR/>Toledo<BR/>Florida International<BR/>Baylor<BR/>Bill Callahan's Nebraska Cornhuskers™<BR/><BR/>Of the team's remaining five wins, only one came against a school with a winning record, 7-5 Texas A&M.<BR/><BR/>Mandel didn't explain any of this, of course, which doesn't make any less self-evident.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com