USC Wuz Robbed!

Don't get me wrong. Utah wasn't a mediocre team or a team not good enough to hang with the top teams. They deserved a chance to play for the title, no doubt, especially since Oklahoma squandered their spot practically. I'd have welcomed a 4 team playoff in 2004 with USC/Oklahoma and Auburn/Utah as the semifinals, so if that's the point, I'd agree to it. But I'm really just arguing the presupposition that Utah got robbed. Look at that schedule. That wasn't a national championship schedule. There was just no way under the current system that Utah deserved the spot over USC, Oklahoma or Auburn. It makes me look like all those people who are biased against the mid majors, yes, but it is what it is. (To Harleen Quinzel) Good teams beats a 8 win team that only got a BCS spot by virtue of winning the weak conference, yes, but it's nowhere near as impressive as you'd have people think. (to Psycho Penguin)

Even though I agree that it's a dumb move to invite Palin, I do think that if for some odd reason Palin was willing to play ball, her being in the BP could be tremendous.

Who? Gio Gonzalez becomes Jeff Marquez? Terrific!

If wrestling teaches us anything, it's that it's almost nothing but high school level bullshit. And people in wrestling wonder why we're embarrassed to be fans for the most part OR want to get out to go be MMA fans or whatever where nothing like this bullshit happens.

Fair enough. I rescind the name calling. You are correct that he is "asking" for it with his attitude and so forth, but my point is we are living in the year 2008. One would think reducing getting shot on in the ring would be for the better. I'm not naive to think it never happens, but I do think it SHOULD NOT happen. If it exposes me as someone who isn't a professional wrestler, so be it, but I view it as a business, not a place to be having high school level bullshit.

I'm not sure who you're talking to, Jingus, but if you mean he had the opportunity to get beaten up in response to my post, let me clarify. I mean the opportunity to make something out of himself. No one can sit here and tell me Ken Doane did not have potential.

I'd never advocate a guy getting beaten up just because he thinks he has something to offer and he wasn't given that opportunity.

(from Rajah as I don't have a myspace account) What a crybaby. I wouldn't mind seeing a few ring vets kick the shit out of this kid. You're an idiot.

Wrong order. Undertakerhart was supposed to select.

I'm just trying to understand why people are acting like this Utah team was going places. I honestly think the 2006 Boise State team that shocked Oklahoma had a better argument for a national title or playoffs than that 2004 Utah team. I mean, really. Beating Pittsburgh is nothing. NOTHING.

Sorry dude, every time I see your predictions, I flash back to your embarrassing post declaring "Slam Diego" embarrassing the Patriots so badly experts wonder why they even liked NE in the first place.

I agree. Detroit always seem to play Thanksgiving games tougher than their norm for that season. Beating an overrated (yes, the GB and Chicago games showed me they are very much beatable against better opponents) Tennessee team would fall in line with what Detroit typically would do at this time of the year.

Well considering USC and Utah had three common opponents that season (Arizona, Colorado State and BYU), Utah won those three games by the combined score of 138-58. USC won those games by the combined score of 140-19. Beyond that, you cannot argue that Utah has been beating better teams than USC. So who cares how good Utah looked against juggernauts like San Diego State while USC "had to hang on" against the 10-2 Golden Bears? I'd actually give Auburn more of a shot to beat USC (but whoops, USC did beat the same team the previous season anyways) than Utah. But keep believin'!

It's also about the quality of the bowl opponents. USC got "lucky" to be paired up with another undefeated team while Auburn and Utah didn't have to? No, see, this is what makes USC even more deserving. The Big East and the ACC has consistently been mediocre conferences that sent out teams to get killed. By your list: USC beats an undefeated Big XII team in Oklahoma by 36. Auburn beats a weak conference (ACC) champion in Virginia Tech by 3. Utah beats weak conference (BIG EAST) champion Pittsburgh by 28. Now take a look at those three circumstances. Think about the quality of opponent. Think about margin of victory. No way USC wasn't leaving Miami without the crystal football or the AP #1.

But you don't think that Auburn and Utah earned the right to play it out on the field instead of just hearing "well, USC would've crushed you anyways" all offseason? I just think it's absurd that a team in any sport at any level can lose a grand total of ONE game (or even zero in some cases) during the regular season and have no shot at the championship. Until it benefits Michigan, right? The truth is, yes it sucks that Auburn and Utah wasn't given a fair shot at the BCS title, but seriously. Compare the bowl games. USC outclassed everyone. They deserved that title. Now 2003 would have been a better example, as USC and LSU won their bowl games in similar fashions against similarly ranked teams, therefore essentially setting up the natural title game of USC/LSU that never came under this current system.

Hey, I sifted through pages of horrible RonL picks, only to miss on Crowe. Dammit.

THURSDAY Virginia Tech at Miami FRIDAY Cincinnati at Louisville SATURDAY Notre Dame vs. Navy (in Baltimore) Northwestern at Michigan South Carolina at Florida Minnesota at Wisconsin North Carolina at Maryland California at Oregon State BYU at Air Force Texas A&M at Baylor Arizona at Oregon Boston College at Florida State Vanderbilt at Kentucky Tulsa at Houston Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the South Carolina/Florida game? 77 Tiebreak #2: How many passing yards will Tulsa's David Johnson have against Houston? 265

Because no one would seriously wonder if Auburn or Utah would beat USC that year, the same USC team that won the BCS title game by the score of 59-14. I mean, really.

Pittsburgh is not destroying San Diego. Phillip Rivers alone will keep them in the game. Pittsburgh should still win semi-comfortably though.

I'll re-draft Terrence Howard.

It's the workers that tend to be Republicans, and fans that tend to be Democrats.

I can agree a bit with what you and Cheech are saying. In some ways, USC are victims of circumstance this year, as it's not really their fault that the rest of the Pac-10 is so awful. But considering the way that the two teams' respective schedules play out, there's no way that you could reasonably argue that a one-loss USC deserves to play in the NC game more than a one-loss Florida. USC's only win of any substance will have been against a not-very-good Ohio State team playing without their best offensive player. Sadly that's true.

I understand what you're going for. I just don't agree with that being used as the reason why a team WILL win or not. Because like I said, teams don't always do what they are supposed to do.

Yeah it's been funny to see Gators fans try to pimp their team as the best when they have a much worse loss on record than USC's. You guys wanna know why USC doesn't blow out teams like Florida does? Pete Carroll doesn't believe in that practice. He looked like he wanted to kill himself after USC scored the final TD in that rout over Washington State.

What horrific injury did Cadillac suffer?