I was listening to Mel Kiper on ESPN radio the other day and he made some stupid comment about how Notre Dame should be in the BCS championship game if both Texas and USC were to lose. First of all that's probably the dummest thing he's ever said and that's saying something since he once considered Trent Dilfer to be the best QB prospect in years. Not only does Notre Dame not deserve to play in a championship game but they shouldn't be in the BCS at all.
Their overall record is 9-2 which is respectable but no better than several other one and two loss teams that are more worthy for a BCS bowl bid most notably Oregon, Auburn and Miami. When you examine Notre Dame's record you learn that they have no real good wins over high ranked teams. Their best win was over a 7-4 Michigan team that was a big disappointment this year. Their only other wins over teams with winning records were BYU and Navy both of which finished barely above .500 with very easy schedules. In fact, the combined record of all the teams they beat this year is 42 wins vs 56 losses. The computer rates their strength of schedule at 88th in the country and it's only that high because of USC's record. And while most people laud Notre Dame for playing USC close since when did losing a close game against a good opponent make you a good team. The same Notre Dame apologists who say they deserve a BCS bid must have forgotten the Irish also lost to a below average Michigan State team.
The problem with Notre Dame is all the hype and mythology surrounding the program. Sure they were good back in the late 80's and early 90's but they have lost their last 7 bowl games and haven't won a bowl game since 1993. Can anybody even remember their last big win over a top 10 team? But you see it doesn't matter how good the Irish are because college football is all about money and Notre Dame is all about money.
Notre Dame and their selfish greed is exactly what's wrong with college football. The have their own TV contract and their own BCS agreement because they don't want to share any of the money they make with other schools. It's about time that someone in the NCAA stands up to Notre Dame and tells them they need to play by the same rules as other schools. But unfortunately until fans start to see through the fraud that is college football this will never happen.
6 comments:
As a die hard fanatical Notre Dame fan I do not think they deserve to be in the championship game if both USC & Texas lose.
Do they deserve to be in a BCS game? That is up for grabs in my opinion. Obviously I think they are the best 2 loss team out there. Should Oregon be in a BCS game with one loss? Probably, but you're right the issue does come down to money & more people will tune in to see Notre Dame play than they will to see Oregan play...
BUT that is not Notre Dame's fault. It's not because they have their own contract with NBC... heck there was speculation a year ago that NBC might not renew their contract with Notre Dame once the current one expired. It's not because they are an Independent... why did Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech & Boston College all join the ACC? For the money!
For most schools it's better for them to be a part of a conference but that isn't the case for Notre Dame at this time.
All college presidents are greedy. All of them want to get as much money as they can for their schools... not just Notre Dame.
The fraud that is both college football and basketball (Div. 1 that is) is the hypocrisy that is the NCAA.
Don't blame Notre Dame... blame the NCAA, the big time sports college & university presidents and the TV networks for creating this mess.
All Notre Dame is guilty of is good business sense... using their mystique to leverage a good financial deal for their school.
Notre Dame's last big win over a top 10 team...this season, defeating #3 Michigan in Ann Arbor 17-10.
Sorry, Derek, Notre Dame is already in a conference. ND has been in the Big East in every sport, except football, for years.
ND football gets special treatment and probably will get an undeserved BCS bowl, simply because they bring viewers and $.
I don't like it, but they aren't doing anything wrong. They are just doing business like the Yankees. ND football brings in millions of dollars in profits (college athletics are business not amateur sports) and hasn't need to join a conf. The TV contract is part of that. Too bad so many of those who are anti-ND tune in hoping to watch ND lose. I refuse to watch ND even if they are getting humiliated. But it is not just TV revenues, it is ticket sales and big time product/licensing sales.
My prediction is that the BCS will soon force ND football to join the Big East. The BCS needs the Big East's key market viewers and Big East football is lacking in quality. (My favorite Syracuse was a horrible 1-10 this year) Expect the Big East to exert its basketball might and put more pressure on ND as well.
And as Jeff referred to, another major piece here is scheduling. ND is finding it harder and harder to schedule. ND typically demands 2 home games for 1 away in their 3 season deals with other teams. (Penn State used to do this and the Big East turned them away, so a few years later PSU joined the Big 11) Most other teams are tied into their conference schedules and there are fewer non-conference games available. So ND ends up playing a bunch of weak teams.
ND will reap what it sows. Unless they join a team (conf), they'll be left out on their own. It's worked so far for ND, but....
I left out the obvious fact that ND doesn't have to share its football revenues by being independent. Thus ND's reluctance to join a conference.
USC, BEST TEAM TO PLAY COLLEGE BALL!!
The real BCS joke is Florida State at 8-4 going to a BCS bowl game. I know, I know... they won the ACC championship game & an automatic birth but their division is much weaker than the other ACC division... Bobby B. must have a lot of sway.
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