Letters to the Editor
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UT - Cal
King, I watched the game Sat night & I've been watching SEC ball for the last 30 odd years & that was the first time I've ever seen UT get 'out-athleted'; as in Cal's speedy dudes were just too speedy for UT's speedy dudes.
That NEVER happens to UT...but it sure did Sat. night! Congrats.
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App. State
I was at the game on Saturday and can attest to a few things. First, Michigan did not take this game seriously. Typically the Michigan players come storming out of the tunnel and under the "GO BLUE" banner and beging jumping up and down in a small, tightly packed circle. On Saturday, that level of enthusiasm was not there. Players were shuffling around on the sidelines, joking around and smiling. There was no evidence at all that the players or coaches even considered losing a realistic possibility. Michigan did something else uncharacteristic: they won the toss and elected to receive. In all my years following Michigan football I have NEVER seen the team elect to receive. Never. I think the coaches figured they'd get on the board early with a TD (which they did), intimidate App. State into a quick 3-and-out (which they almost did), and then cruise from there. By the time the second half rolled around the second- and third-stringersd would be in and it wouldn't matter who was kicking off to start the half.
There was no gameplan for this game apart from "rest the starters and escape without any injuries." And then App. State scored on a long touchdown. And then they scored again. And again. And again. And suddenly Michigan was down 11 at halftime.
Michigan played better defense in the second half and the offense chipped away at the lead before taking the lead with about 4 minutes left on one of the most amazing runs I've ever witnessed in person. Ultimately, however, they were too cocky to hold on, too unwilling to adapt to App. State's utterly predictable (but effective) spread offense.
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Nope
The "didn't take it seriously" stuff doesn't cut it.........There is one primary explanation for the score of that game and the secondary excuses falls so far below it, they are for all intents and purposes non-existent----App. State has a bunch of really good players.
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Where's the rest of the column?
Why is this Sports Daily only 1 page long? It seems to end abruptly with a statement that's not really elaborated on. Either there was a glitch in the column website this morning or King really doesn't have a good argument.
Anyway, I still don't buy King's original complaint. There's a lot wrong with college football, for example, I think it's stupid that there's no playoff system and that Michigan's season is essentially over already. But having top-25 teams schedule cream puffs early in the season doesn't bother me. It either makes for a memorable upset or gives the powerhouses a chance to flex their muscles. Blowouts happen in every sport, at every level. The powerhouses will get enough stiff competition within their conference.
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The exception proves the rule
Coming to a football factory scheduling room near you:
"Our cheir fear is Boise State...and Appalachia State.
Our two fears are Boise State and Appalachia State...and some MAC upstart.
Amongst our fears are..."
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It's Damn Tough
Being Lloyd Carr today. But it can always get worse. He's gotta be praying that Appy State doesn't go down to Lenoir-Rhyne next game........Hey, then Appy State can say they weren't taking that game seriously.
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the game is just fine in the Pac 10
check out the Univ of Washington schedule. Try going undefeated when you have to play every team in the Pac 10. What you are really talking about is the sham that is the Big 10, the ACC, and the SEC schedule.
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Didn't take it seriously?
If that's so, and I don't think it is, then Michigan didn't just have a bad game, they have a bad program.
I can see not taking it seriously before kickoff, it shows the coaches are slacking off but it happens. But a light should have gone off after they didn't get that 3 and out. And they should have started dominating after A.S. got that first score.
The only reasonable explanation why they didn't, or didn't at least dominate the second half, was that they couldn't. Appalachian State was too good.
I can understand you wanting to think it was that they were overlooking a supposedly lesser opponent. I'd want to think that too, because this could be a very long year for you if that wasn't the case. But the fact is that Michigan didn't lose that game, Appalachian State won it.
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If anything its going to make it worse
What marquee team is going to play App state now? They have contracts with a few (Georgia, LSU, and Florida was mentioned by ESPN), but what happens after that?
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If anything its going to make it worse
What marquee team is going to play App state now? They have contracts with a few (Georgia, LSU, and Florida was mentioned by ESPN), but what happens after that? It's going to be funny to see these big, bad programs running away from a tiny D-1AA team but it's going to happen! I bet at least one of those 3 schools got lawyers looking for ways to void their contract right now!
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(by which I mean...
(by which I mean Appalachian State, of course)
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Go back to two-a-days, Kaufman.
Absolutely horrible, Mr. Kaufman. You ought to have your Sports Writers badge pulled for this article. Not only is your ill-founded critique factually baseless, your black-hearted cynicism makes one wonder why you even bother covering sport.
Now, I'm gonna do a little Arsenio Hall here and hit you with the digits, so brace yourself, fool.
2006 was perhaps the greatest college football season ever. Shall we begin with Boise St. vrs. Oklahoma? No no no. What a bore that was. And besides, much like boxing, the fix was clearly in there. Then there was Notre Dame's stunning fouth quarter comeback versus Michigan St. But we can't take that seriously because ND plays Navy, right? Florida v Auburn? Oregon St. v USC? Oh, what a terrible state this once great game finds itself in. Shame!
What you seem to say is that college football is jacked because of the big dogs not playing top tier teams every single game. In what other sport do the best compete with the best week in and week out? The Spurs play Bucks, the Yanks play the Royals. Tiger plays Mediate, etc etc etc.
There certaily are mis-matches every week, but the sport is far from being 'rife' with them. And were it not for the odd mis-match, we wouldn't have Appalachian St over Michigan. Without the 'little games' would there be any 'big' games? And conference play is extremely exciting (check Duke/Vandy 2006 here).
The only sensible thing you say is that the college football experience is unbeatable. And that's exactly what it's supposed to be--an experience--for the players, the fans, the boosters, everyone. The sport is not corrupt. The bowl system works for the fans. Just ask Wisconsin fans headed to Pasedena. It's only those whiners crying about HAVING to have a clear national champ that upset the party. And those chumps just don't get what college football is all about.
Watch any SEC game this season, then tell me again about the state of the game.