The College Football thread

“aawww, man, all my fun is spoiled!!”

“"grab your bag and TAKE A HIKE!"

Been there, tried it, got all the funny looks! Say, where is Naked Ape?”

“GET THEE BEHIND ME OH FALSE FLORIDA FAN!


I'm outside every weekend, rad.

I can actually get outdoors AND pay attention to college football. But then again, I have no trouble chewing gum and walking either.”

“hike! hike! hike!

come on, folks!

(i'm getting to someone, at least!)”

“It's kayaking weather down here, son. Jerbear caught the bug during our trip down the Ichetucknee. I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up to the Florida ECT hike with his own kayak.

This thread will never die! After the bowl games comes the start of recruiting season.”

“titanium backpacking televisions?”

“I need something (related to college football) to keep me occupied until the bowls start.

Which team's fans are the best, worst?

I have only been to five bowl games so I don't have a great deal of experience with fans from around the country.

Everyone I know, who went to the Fiesta Bowl in '95, said that the Cornhusker fans were great people both before they crushed us and after the morticians came to drag all our dead bodies off the field. I've never heard our fans have such universal praise for another team's fans.

Everyone I know, who went to the Sugar Bowl when we played West Virginia, said that the Mountaineer fans were the worst. Loud, obnoxious, and rude. It was a universal consensus.

In my own eperience, I have found Auburn and Tennessee to have mostly good fans (and I'm not sucking up here). While I have found most Jawja and Miami fans to be a bunch of no-class thugs.

Any opinions? Inquiring minds want to know.”

“Don't know about the best but yeah, West Virginia fans are the worst. My father is pretty active with the Rutgers team and refuses to take the trip down there anymore. They come to the stadium early and get liquored up and really rude. An assistant coach for Rutgers had security talk to a couple of their fans. He told him if they didn't shut up he was going up into the stands himself.”

“Thanks for posting the matchups, arclite. We could go against the spread, pick them straight up or pick them striaght up and assign points(20 to your best bet, 19 to the next solid gold lock and etc.). I favor the assigning points method; it's tough to pick all the games against the spread. I mean, who knows Louisville's offense and how it stacks up against BYU's defense? (and has BYU's defense arrived in Hawaii yet?) But, that's part of the fun.
On the other hand, it doesn't look like we'll have that many participants, so we should be able to determine a winner picking them straight up. I guess I'm for simplicity.
I like Dunadan'a "football god" thread idea. That'll be fun.
On the best fans, I don't have anyone to nominate, but I would like to take Michigan out of the running. The big house is a great place to see a game, but it's like a mausoleum. Waaaaaay to many old blues. They just don't make as much noise as 100,000 plus should.”

“Max - shouldn't you be studying for your exam?

XOXO”

“Get a room, you two!”

“after i just nagged him about studying! i don't think a room will be necessary!!!!”

“Best fans---Auburn

Worst fans---LSU”

“Bama fans have universal respect for Penn State fans. Our teams have played in bowl games and during the regular season. I believe plans are in the works to renew the series. Also, Bama has a home/home with Oklahoma starting 2002. We just completed a home/home with UCLA and they had great fans.”

“Nebraska fans are pretty classy.
Chicago Cubs fans are the best in the world.
Kansas State fans are drunk.
Kansas basketball fans are spoiled.”

“OK, here's my picks. They are all straight up, no points. They are in order according to Max's points system. 26 points for the first pick, (the game you are most confident in) descending to 1 point.

Cotton Bowl - - - Oklahoma
Orange " - - - Florida
New Orleans- - Colorado ST
Insight.com - - - Kansas St
Humanitarian - Clemson
Holiday - - - - - - Texas
Seattle - - - - - - Georgia Tech
Fiesta - - - - - - - Colorado
Sugar - - - - - - - Illinois
Citrus - - - -- - - Tennessee
Outback - - - - - Ohio St
Rose - - - - - - - Nebraska
Gator - - - - - - - Va. Tech
Peach - - - - - - Auburn
Silicon - - - - - - Fresno St
Liberty - - - - - - BYU
Sun Bowl - - - - Wash. St
Alamo - -- - - - Texas Tech
Motor City - - - - Toledo
Music City - - - Boston College
Galleryfurn. -- - Texas A&M
Independence- Iowa St
Las Vegas - -- - So. Cal
Blue-Gray - - - - Blue
Tangerine - - - Pitt
GMAC - - - -- - - Marshall


-The Football God!”

“The Foosball God maybe (with pointy ears).

Well, the AP All-America team was announced Tuesday and nobody mentioned it. I thought that I would correct this oversight.

SEC- 8 players
Big 12- 7 players
ACC- 3 players
Big East- 3 players
PAC 10- 2 players
big 10- 2 players

The record keeps standing. In fact, it must be getting leg cramps. This is getting embarrassing.


I'll go for this format. Picks to follow in a day or two, after I think about this. Can you smell the smoke?”

“Aw, Dunadan! How can you pick against my Tide. I know you're picking your Big XII brethren, but the Tide is gonna roll.”

“I would have to say that Nebraska Cornhusker fans are biggest class act I've ever seen.

Colorado Buffalo fans are in my opinion the worst fans, ever, period. They seem to riot for anything. Nothing like a pepperball in your face after a win, right?”

“Sorry, dayhiker, I agonized over that one. I would not be heart-broken if the Tide does roll, but I think Iowa St will be hungrier and they have an exceptional running back.
I am looking forward to Bammy getting out of the current mess they are in and getting back on track. I love it when they are the class act of the SEC.
Hey, Arc, want to send your back-up quarterback to us?”

“We could not justify sending one of our classy quarterbacks to some team that has fans who love it when Bama is the "class act" of the SEC. We've got too much class for that.”

“That doesn't make the Bear very happy when you say things like that, Arc. One of the reasons that I like Alabama is that they are a small state that has a hard time getting national respect, just like Kansas.”

“Don't get me wrong, Dunadan. I like and respect Bama, always have.

But when someone makes an obviously bigoted, prejudical, corn-pone, dumb-ass, obnoxously low-life comment about Bama being "the" class of the SEC, well I must respond by reminding that person that the rest of us are just as classy. YOU DRUG CRAZED FREAK!”

“I had avoided pegging low class fans, but the the last post was the last straw. I think the majority of the posts in this thread point to why many folks feel that UF has some of the worst fans. Tearing a person down, I'm hoping in jest, and then saying how classy your fans are, is a little inconsistant.”

“PS. I'm not going to get in a big flame debate. I'll simply follow BobK's higher road and ignore it.”

“You got some drugs?
I know nothing about Fla fans, so I can't comment, but I know several die-hard Bammy. It's always fun to watch a game with them. I grew up watching a lot of games with Bear Bryant at the helm and I guess he captured my imagination.
I'm serious, Arc. Call Brock Berlin and tell him to get in touch with Mark Mangino in Lawrence, Kansas. Thankyou for you help.”

“Hey, Dun, there's a decent chance that he may transfer. 'Course I don't think that I'd have any pull on his decision.

No dayhiker, tearing another person down and talking about how classy your fans are is called sarcasm (S...A...R...C...A...S...M). It can also be called irony (I...R...O...N...Y).

Good gosh, and my ex always complained the people from the midwest have no sense of humor. Dunadan, she owes you an appology, my friend.

I would have to say (And so I will. Was there any doubt?) that some people from the great State of Alabama may be taking themselves just a little toooooo seriously here.”

“good observation arclite”

“Yeah, when you are buying off high school players and their parents and coaches, (and probably ministers, friends, and neighbors), it's time to rethink your priorities.
Wait til they get to college, then give them the Porsche.

Hey, if no one else makes picks, this contest will be even easier than I had anticipated.
-Drug Crazed Fotball Divinity!!!!”

“Football”

“If that was sarcasm, then I apologize. I didn't take it that way. I took it as another example of smash mouth. Again, my apology.

Dunadan, of all the people we're getting in trouble for, only 1 made it into school. His only semester on campus his gpa was 0.0. Evidently, Dubose not only had some shady dealings, but he got players who were never able to play. What an idiot.”

“dayhiker, where there is a major college football program, lunacy is not far behind. I honestly do not understand how the NCAA picks out programs to hit. I don't think you could spit in any direction and not hit a national title contender that wasn't at least skating on thin ice with the rules.
The NCAA used to have their headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas, until they decided to go to the highest bidder and wound up in Indianapolis. Wonder who butters their bread?
Back in the late 70's, Wichita State was knocking on the door of the national basketball championship until they became the most penalized school in the nation. Thanks a lot for killing our chances on some pretty flimsy charges. But, when you are a small school with no clout, forget about it. You will get the heavy hand while the Nebraskas, UCLAs, etc, etc get by with worse. Still a sore spot with me after all of these years.
I will say that they seem a bit more lenient these days.”

“Supposedly the penalties have been more lenient since '97 when a new chairmen of the Infractions Comm. took over. Bama is hopeful that we won't get hit with any more penalties than what we self-imposed. Wisconsin was hit with lighter penalties, yet they were charged with either the dreaded Failure to Monitor or Lack of Institutional Control. I don't remember which, but we were not charged with either one. I guess we were guilty of stupidity as opposed to organized cheating. Chili probably could add info since he's in Memphis. That is the center of the controversy and it boils down to a UT/UA terf war.”

“Dayhiker, it would appear that Albert Means had no knowledge of the payoffs as he was cleared to play for the University of Memphis this season. The biggest problem for the UA in this entire ordeal is that this was a high profile, no holds barred, no attempt to disguise, 100% payoff. No matter how you look at it, Albert Means was bought. I honestly believe that the University of Alabama did not have any more knowledge than did Albert Means. However, the problem is that as obvious as this was,,,what was their duty to look more closely?? The self imposed sanctions were appropriate in my opinion. (and yes, this comes from a UT fan). However, a message has to be sent to all schools that the actions of boosters has to be scrutinized at all times. When boosters are solicited for money (as was the case with Means) there needs to enough integrity with the program to encourage full disclosure. As for what it is worth, the coaches who sold Means are permanently suspended from coaching in the State of Tennessee. (However at last report, one of the coaches was employed in Mississippi in a coaching related position). Go figure.”

“No appology necessary, dayhiker. I have tried to make myself the butt of the joke by being the totally obnoxious sports fan with many of my posts. Apparently I succeeded beyond my wildest imagination. I'll post more on that later, as well as my picks.

I hope Bama comes through this nasty business. I am not a fan of the NCAA. Some of their rules and regulations seem ridiculous to me. Florida went through two investigations before Spurrier got here. Many of the infractions, uncovered by the investigating commitee, were for buying players hamburgers at McDonalds. That's an extremely serious charge according to NCAA rules. It took Florida years to get back to respectablity both on and off the field.

One piece of evidence, that the investigating commitee is using in this case, is a letter sent by Spurrier to the Bama coach at the time. In it, Spurrier states that he became aware (presumably from linebacker Travis Carroll, who transferred from Alabama) of Bama buying a player out from under his oral commitment to Florida. Bama did well to get rid of that coach. I hope they come through this without too much damage to the program.”

“They were refering to Justin Smiley. Spurrier said in his letter to tell the kid we had too many lineman already or that Spurrier would turn us in. He went on to say that no one bought a player from him. Sounds like a little blackmail.

The thing that most disturbs me is that we signed a player named Kenny Smith that never played for us. He didn't qualify, and signed with and played for TN the next year. Our first charge is that they say we payed this guy. This all happened about 5 months after our first probation. We get our first probation in forever and then Dumbose and his boys do it again 5 months after the first ruling comes down. What a freakin' idiot.

The Memphis thing is a turf war between UA former booster Logan Young and UT former booster Roy Adams. Evidently, both of them are a little loose with the checkbook.

It looks like we'll find out the results here in a couple of weeks. If some things don't change quick, we're gonna turn into the SWC. I read a report where a kid who signed with an ACC school said that the only two programs to not recruit him negatively were UA and UGA. The main thing these two schools have in common is first year coaches, who don't know what a bloodfest the SEC has turned into. I hope Fran keeps recruiting this way.”

“In the absence of college football I watched Cleveland get bent over and screwed by the NFL. Seeing the zebras running for their lives under the wrath of the dawgpound was a bit comforting but I would have preferred to see the the Browns get a fair shake.”

“nigal wanted to shake his browns. huh huh.”

“nigal,

It was pretty clear to me that Cleveland got robbed.”

“Good way to loose a franchise as well as a game though.”

“I wrote this over the weekend. Sometimes I just need to write things down to get the garbage out of my system. After Dayhiker was kind enough to apologize for his misunderstanding, I thought that I would post this now, as an early Grand Finale for the obnoxious sports fan.

I would like to thank, and apologize to, all of the good people who had the courage and stomach to last here this long while I made a complete jacka$$ out of myself with my obnoxious sports fan act. I had a bad reaction to some earlier posts and went a little off the deep end. I do not think much of people who believe what they read or hear in the media as being gospel truth. I do not think much of people who form a set of beliefs based on second hand information or on the basis of other people’s opinions. I don’t think much of people who get so emotionally twisted by these beliefs that they feel free to insult people behind their backs. My reaction was in regards to some of the posts I read about Steve Spurrier and his moral character.

I have a terrible character flaw that gives me the delusion, at times, that I actually have something important to teach people. I would be better served, at those times, by just keeping my mouth shut. People cannot be taught who feel threatened when questioned on the assumptions upon which their beliefs are based. Maybe the fact that some folks feel they can insult someone behind their back, by expressing opinions that they are either unwilling or unable to defend, is all in good fun. Maybe it was I who missed the point.

I thought I would make obvious how obnoxious a person can be who closes his mind and speaks with resentful emotions about opinions rather than knowledge. I can imagine some folks reading this and thinking, “Well that doesn’t apply to me. My self-concept is of a good person; therefore, it follows that my thoughts and actions are all good ones.” My self-concept is of a good person as well. But I realize, through critical self-examination, that my thoughts and actions are not always good ones. And so I have indulged this character flaw of mine and it has done no good for anyone. It has even caused me to tap reservoirs of impatience and anger that I would like to put behind me. I tried to make myself the butt of the joke, while indulging my delusion, but apparently some folks didn’t see it that way.

I am normally a preternaturally happy man. I come to work in the morning with a smile on my face and I leave that way in the afternoon. People who pass me in the corridors often break into a smile when they see the expression on my face. I am not normally an angry person. So let me once again apologize for my over-the-top obnoxious antics which may have confused some of the good people here.

Dunadan, Max, and anyone else involved here, I swear, if you folks do better than I on this bowl betting thing, I will gladly pay my penance with a laugh each month. And if poke you in the ribs every now and then, I hope you’ll understand the spirit in which it’s delivered.

YOU DRUG CRAZED, SECOND RATE, COLLEGE FOOTBALL PROGNOSTICATORS!


Orange Bowl- Florida
Rose Bowl- Miami
Galleryfurniture.com Bowl- Texas AM
New Orleans Bowl- Colorado St.
Sun Bowl- Wash. St.
Cotton Bowl- Oklahoma
Seattle Bowl- Stanford
Holiday Bowl- Texas
Liberty Bowl- Louisville
Citrus Bowl- Tennessee
Music City Bowl- Georgia
Motor City Bowl- Toledo
Silicon Valley Bowl- Fresno St.
Outback Bowl- S. Carolina
Humanitarian Bowl- Clemson
Sugar Bowl- LSU
Gator Bowl- Fla. St.
Tangerine Bowl- N.C. St.
GMAC Bowl- Marshall
Alamo Bowl- Texas Tech
Peach Bowl- Auburn
Independence Bowl- Alabama
Fiesta Bowl- Colorado
Insight.com Bowl- Kansas St.
Las Vegas Bowl- Southern Cal.
Blue-Grey- Grey”

“Keep ranting arclite, I for one have come to appreciate it. H@ll, you even got me to admit that I like the Gators more than I do other, non-conference, teams. Besides, if I only wanted to hear things I agree with, I would have to stay home and talk to myself.”

“arcy! lay off the shrink, man!

and give 'em hell!”

“Is it that obvious that I may have been spending wayyyy too much time with a buddy of mine who's a psychiatrist? I've got some of the buzzwords down at least.

Hey rad, if I bring this guy along for our ONF hike, do you think he can cure you of wanting to throw Tennessee fans into GATOR infested swamps?”

“arc, I am very hopeful that he can, otherwise you might want to befriend a orthopaedic surgeon..LOL.”

“I'm afraid that it will be too late for the orthopaedic surgeon once you in the jaws of a GATOR, chili. But we promise to say something nice after you're gone.”

“gee,,,,thanks for the thought. While I am not so naive as to believe that you guys could not throw me to the gators if you are so inclined,,,,,I am confident enough to believe that I won't be in there alone,,,, hmmmmm,,,,will it be arc??? or will it be rad???”

“I am so sorry to have made an egregious error in my picks. I'm too busy liking my chops here, and made a mistake in my post. I meant to place the Stanford game a little lower on my list. Here ya go:

Orange Bowl- Florida
Rose Bowl- Miami
Galleryfurniture.com Bowl- Texas AM
New Orleans Bowl- Colorado St.
Sun Bowl- Wash. St.
Cotton Bowl- Oklahoma
Holiday Bowl- Texas
Liberty Bowl- Louisville
Citrus Bowl- Tennessee
Music City Bowl- Georgia
Motor City Bowl- Toledo
Silicon Valley Bowl- Fresno St.
Outback Bowl- S. Carolina
Humanitarian Bowl- Clemson
Seattle Bowl- Stanford
Sugar Bowl- LSU
Gator Bowl- Fla. St.
Tangerine Bowl- N.C. St.
GMAC Bowl- Marshall
Alamo Bowl- Texas Tech
Peach Bowl- Auburn
Independence Bowl- Alabama
Fiesta Bowl- Colorado
Insight.com Bowl- Kansas St.
Las Vegas Bowl- Southern Cal.
Blue-Grey- Grey”

“Well, Dunadan, with the bowl games starting tonight, it looks like you and I are the only ones participating in this bet.

Good Luck!”