College football: Second look
By Tom D'Angelo, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 7, 2002
Quit your cryin', Jackie
Instead of whining about teams running up the score, perhaps Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill should worry about improving his own team.
Of course, for Sherrill, that would mean burning the rule book or, like many of his Southeastern Conference rivals, just ignoring it all together.
Twice in the past three weeks, Sherrill has complained that his Bulldogs were unnecessarily humiliated by the opponents. Sherrill wasn't happy South Carolina threw a touchdown pass with 1:34 remaining in the Gamecocks' 34-10 victory Saturday, and let Lou Holtz know.
After Auburn's 42-12 victory in Starkville two weeks ago, Sherrill questioned Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville's character, which is like Tony Soprano calling the Feds scumbags.
Sherrill, of course, can't hide from his history. Just two years ago this humanitarian hung 61 points on Middle Tennessee State.
Air Force touchdown on BCS bowl bash?
Air Force is on its way to a sixth consecutive Commander-in-Chief's Trophy after beating Navy 48-7 Saturday.
But the bigger challenge is crashing the BCS New Year's party, which the Falcons could do with victories over BYU, Notre Dame and Colorado State, whom they play in the next month.
Since the BCS started, pollsters have become enamored with teams like Fresno State and Marshall. But after Marshall was crushed by Virginia Teach, the 5-0 Falcons are the non-BSC team du jour.
As far as Bowling Green? Not a chance. The Mid-American Conference (along with the Sun Belt) does not belong in Division I-A. Sure, schools from the conference will pull off occasional upsets as Bowling Green did against Missouri, but nobody from the MAC, including Marshall, ever will have a legitimate Top 25 team, nevermind one that has a chance of playing in a major bowl.
Just call 1-800-NEWPOST
Used to be the price of playing Florida or Florida State at home was humiliation, for being whipped in front of 80,000 alumni and students.
Now, the costs are much more tangible. A pattern is developing when either the Gators or Seminoles walk into an opponent's stadium. Along with both teams' mystique and championship hopes, the goal posts seem to be exiting the stadium.
Last year North Carolina and Auburn had to spring for new posts. This season students at Louisville and Mississippi paraded them around campus after big upsets.
Granted, the ultimate sign of respect is when students storm the field and climb the crossbars after your team has been beaten.
North Carolina, Auburn, Louisville and Mississippi are respectable opponents. If Vanderbilt and Wake Forest are ordering new goal posts after their games against Florida and Florida State this season, then the two schools have much more to worry about.
Hey, you're not Northwest-Colorado
Kansas State fans who take offense to criticism about the Wildcats' embarrassing schedule should be taking their anger out on coach Bill Snyder for not preparing his team for the rigors of the Big 12.
Loading up with teams that include hyphens and directions in their names does two things: It hurts your power rating in the BCS and it gets you beat when you start playing decent competition.
Kansas State proved that Saturday against Colorado. Now, 6-0 N.C. State is next.
Dye-in-the-wool 'Bama basher
Pat Dye can't stand to see Alabama win, even when the Crimson Tide football program is on not just probation, but life support after the NCAA considered giving it the death penalty for a series of infractions that made SMU blush.
So when Dye, the former Georgia All-America and Auburn coach, said the Bulldogs were not "man enough'' to beat Alabama, his intent clearly was to motivate his alma mater.
Dye made coach Mark Richt's job easier. The oddsmakers fired the first insult by making the seventh-ranked Bulldogs a three-point underdog against a team that was 4-1 and whose victories were against Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Southern Miss and Arkansas.
Blame it on the Seminoles
Leave it to Florida State to ruin what would have been a first this week.
Just 10 days ago, this was shaping up as Semifinal Saturday -- Miami vs. Florida State; Texas vs. Oklahoma.
But Louisville's upset of the Seminoles took care of that. Now, is there any way the Hurricanes can move their Dec. 7 game against Virginia Tech to this week so we have a true Semifinal Saturday?
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