Woo Hoo…I’m strokin’ my football like a mutherf*ck! A game that deserves to be played! Not like last year’s game. All the other bowl games are teasers…ignore them…they are just 4 hour commercials for a company with guys running over their logo on the field. This one though is the worth watching. USC’s got offense and defense. Texas has offense, but will the defense keep the game close? I don’t think so…but there will be great plays from both sides that will provoke that “WTF…Did you just see that?” response.
Well I like Texas by 7 touchdowns. But then again, I’m biased. I say USC 30, Texas 33. USC will break 30 on the Texas defense, and I think Texas will break 30 on the USC defense. The question is whether the good Texas D can hold against an awesome USC offense versus the good Texas offense can keep pace against a fair USC defense. And which UT defense shows up.
Speaking of which,
a) I’m going to be traveling to Chicago for a U-Chicago interview – I’ll be arriving Jan 4.
b) There’s a chance that there is no resident’s dinner that night before so I may be looking for something to do.
c) I’m gonna be staying Hyde Park-ish (on Lakeshore Drive about 2 miles from U Chicago).
Anyone know of a good place to watch the game around there? Or anywhere within reason in Chicago? Especially one that may be Texas Alum heavy?
Up front: I live in Austin, but I didn’t go to school here. I gew up in New York and went to Columbia (where we USED to hold the record for consevutive losses by a college football team- thank God for Prairie View A & M, who erased that record). So, while I could be VERY wrong in my prediction, I’m not swayed by pro-Longhorn bias.
I like USC a lot. Reggie Bush is a hell of a player (sorry Vince Young, Reggie DESERVED that Heisman). Matt Leinart is a gutsy QB. Their offense is one for the ages. But that defense has been porous at times, often letting weak teams score a lot. And Texas is not a weak team.
Moreover, I think Oklahoma exposed the PAC 10 as a weak conference.
So, I foresee a high scoring game, the type in which the last team with the ball will win.
Well, if someone actually, you know, LIKES college football, then the other bowl games are a treat. Inter-conference and cross-country match-ups are interesting and fun! Do you only watch college basketball if Duke is playing? Only care about golf if Tiger Woods is in the tournament?
As I posted in the thread Omniscient linked to above, I think Texas has enough defense to slow USC down a little. I haven’t seen USC’s defense slow anybody down.
In other words, I expect something like:
I will be interested in a NCAA Division I Championship when and if they ever actually come up with a playoff system. Until then, I watch cause I like college football but not because I consider it a “National Championship” game.
Oh… USC 31 Texas 30. Unless one of 'em decides to send the little league all-star team like Miami apparently did last night it should be a grrrreat defensive match up.
Well, if the game was on the same day as the Rose Parade, then yeah, the mudder would be a contender…BUT, it should be a great weather tomorrow.
That was an arguable and credible case last year, but this year…they got the two teams right. But I do agree that some sort of playoff system would be ideal and quite thrilling.
Of course I would be interested in any games that LEAD to a championship, like NCAA Basketball Tournaments…Duke or no Duke (although I’m not a Duke fan). The football games OTH, do not give the winners the right to advance to the next tier like Basketball does, and for good reason…the recovery time after a football game takes much longer than basketball. Would you watch the consolation brackets in basketball if there was one. I wouldn’t, because those games will not determine a champion. Regular season, I could watch some of those games to see if they MIGHT become championship bound, but not if they have been eliminated earlier in the season. I’ve got so many hours in the day, and other things to do rather than watching #19 taking on #25, etc. I did (by accident) see Alabama win by that ugly field goal as time ran out…that was pretty exciting…but how they got to the tie before that play…meh…I could have cared less.
USC’s defense gave up an average of one more touchdown per game over Texas’ defense, but USC has beaten 5 ranked teams to Texas’ 3. I’m gonna harp on this again, but many people who don’t normally watch the Pac-10 discounts the strength of the conference, which is usually a mistake that’s been getting repeated these last few years.
