MrRant 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 SAN DIEGO -- Unhappy with college football's split national championship, the head of a computer company thought he could entice Southern California and LSU to play each other later this month by offering $30 million in scholarship money. The NCAA quickly hit the "delete" button, saying there was no way such a game could be played. Ted Waitt, chairman and CEO of Gateway Inc., which is based in the San Diego suburb of Poway, offered each school $10 million in scholarships for disadvantaged students if they'd play each other the weekend of Jan. 24-25. The winner would have gotten an additional $10 million in scholarships and $1 million in Gateway products. "Everybody wants to see it happen," Waitt said. "It'd be fun. But everybody is afraid of the NCAA. We just want to know one good reason why this can't happen." Waitt made his proposal in letters faxed Thursday to LSU Chancellor Mark Emmert, USC President Steven Sample and NCAA President Myles Brand. "It's just not as simple or easy as doing that," said Wally Renfro, the senior adviser to Brand. "Decisions about postseason football are made by the membership of the association. Those two institutions would not be able to make that decision in any event. "Right now, by the bylaws, it couldn't happen." And the NCAA wouldn't jump even with $30 million in scholarships up for grabs? "No," Renfro said. Besides numerous logistical problems, games aren't allowed after Jan. 4, which was the date of the Sugar Bowl. USC was No. 1 in both the AP media poll and USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll at the end of the regular season, but slipped behind No. 2 LSU and No. 3 Oklahoma in the computers and the final BCS standings because of a weaker strength of schedule. LSU won the BCS national championship by beating Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl while USC won The Associated Press title by beating Michigan in the Rose Bowl. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1703748 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ANKLELOCK 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Thats a shame. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 The NCAA quickly hit the "delete" button, saying there was no way such a game could be played. Actually, it's quite simple. You get a stadium on the offweek of football between the last conference game and the NFL Championship, sell a shit ton of tickets, and make more money than ever. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
razazteca 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 This would make the BCS the equivant of the NIT in college basketball? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damaramu 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 I just don't think it can be done without enough build and planning. First of all you have to sell the tickets, get the stadium ready, notify the teams and let them have time to practice. Plus they'd have to get out of class for a week to participate...the 2nd week of class at that. If these 2 teams want a piece of one another so badly then they should schedule them as a non-conference opponent next year. Hell I think LSU and Oklahoma should do it. It'd be good to have a rematch early in the season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Except that the non-conf schedules are already set in stone, pretty much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damaramu 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Except that the non-conf schedules are already set in stone, pretty much. I thought they weren't. I thought that the Conference was set in stone. Hell I was looking on OU's website and they have the conference schedule all the way up to 2008. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teke184 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 LSU's got one opening on their schedule for next year, which was created when Virginia Tech pushed back their contracted visit to Tiger Stadium until 2008. VT scheduled a game against USC in its place, BTW. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
razazteca 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 But non conforence games are only reserved for jobbers from lower conferences or rivals, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 That is correct. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 All the scheduling is done a year or two in advance. The conference schedule is a lot easier because every team is always playing the same opponents in the same rotation (unless teams switch conferences). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damaramu 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 But non conforence games are only reserved for jobbers from lower conferences or rivals, right? Yeah usually. I think that they're there to run up your stats and make you look impressive. I mean who did OU play this year? North Texas? Alabama(ok they gave OU a run for their money), Fresno State? UCLA? Aside from Alabama they walked all over the non-conference opponents. I just think it'd be awesome if a team scheduled some more challenging non-conference opponents. Then you really think they earned it all season. That'd be cool. No more of these cupcakes! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damaramu 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 All the scheduling is done a year or two in advance. The conference schedule is a lot easier because every team is always playing the same opponents in the same rotation (unless teams switch conferences). Well damn. I wish they'd post the non-conference schedule already! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
razazteca 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Too bad everybody will be avoiding the MAC next year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damaramu 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Too bad everybody will be avoiding the MAC next year. Why is that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
razazteca 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Miami (OH) upsets? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Secret Agent 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Sorry, but if USC had played against LSU they would have lost by a lot more than OU did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damaramu 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Miami (OH) upsets? I'm almost positive that the Top 3 from this year(LSU, USC, OU) would trounce those teams. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Too bad everybody will be avoiding the MAC next year. Why is that? No one wants to play a mid-major team (read: strength of schedule drain) who can legitimately beat them. At least not in football...basketball is getting a little better about that sort of thing. If a team is going to schedule a non-conference game against a team from a weaker conference, they're going to make DAMN SURE it's a team they know they'll beat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Miami (OH) upsets? I'm almost positive that the Top 3 from this year(LSU, USC, OU) would trounce those teams. Point is, they're too afraid of the upset to even try. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Sandusky 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 But non conforence games are only reserved for jobbers from lower conferences or rivals, right? Yeah usually. I think that they're there to run up your stats and make you look impressive. I mean who did OU play this year? North Texas? Alabama(ok they gave OU a run for their money), Fresno State? UCLA? Aside from Alabama they walked all over the non-conference opponents. I just think it'd be awesome if a team scheduled some more challenging non-conference opponents. Then you really think they earned it all season. That'd be cool. No more of these cupcakes! Tennessee and Miami scheduled each other the last two years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 I'm sick of all this crap. If LSU and USC really want to know who is the better team, they would have played in some park by now... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Oklahoma is playing Bowling Green next year (at least that's what they said during BGSU's bowl) Not that it matters much...Josh Harris is gone and any hope goes with him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Oh...and Dama... That Kansas State team that blew out OU? Yeah...they got beat by Marshall (not one of the top 3 MAC teams) earlier in the year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damaramu 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Oh...and Dama... That Kansas State team that blew out OU? Yeah...they got beat by Marshall (not one of the top 3 MAC teams) earlier in the year. They also didn't have Ell Roberson at the time. Kansas State probably would've followed a similar vein as OU...hell maybe even have gone undefeated if they'd had him all year. And yes I think OU is going to walk all over Bowling Green with ease. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest El Satanico Report post Posted January 9, 2004 I'm sure they could find a suitable stadium and boarding at this time of the year. Between all of the college stadiums and NFL teams not in the playoffs, there's a stadium open somewhere. The teams could be prepared if you gave them a week. They couldn't get done for January 25th like the article said, but they should be able to get it done within a month. The NCAA isn't worried about IF they could do it, they just don't want it to happen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damaramu 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 But non conforence games are only reserved for jobbers from lower conferences or rivals, right? Yeah usually. I think that they're there to run up your stats and make you look impressive. I mean who did OU play this year? North Texas? Alabama(ok they gave OU a run for their money), Fresno State? UCLA? Aside from Alabama they walked all over the non-conference opponents. I just think it'd be awesome if a team scheduled some more challenging non-conference opponents. Then you really think they earned it all season. That'd be cool. No more of these cupcakes! Tennessee and Miami scheduled each other the last two years. That's what I'm talking about! Competition! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Oh...and Dama... That Kansas State team that blew out OU? Yeah...they got beat by Marshall (not one of the top 3 MAC teams) earlier in the year. They also didn't have Ell Roberson at the time. Kansas State probably would've followed a similar vein as OU...hell maybe even have gone undefeated if they'd had him all year. And yes I think OU is going to walk all over Bowling Green with ease. Of course they will... 90% of the BG offense just graduated Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Damaramu 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 Oh...and Dama... That Kansas State team that blew out OU? Yeah...they got beat by Marshall (not one of the top 3 MAC teams) earlier in the year. They also didn't have Ell Roberson at the time. Kansas State probably would've followed a similar vein as OU...hell maybe even have gone undefeated if they'd had him all year. And yes I think OU is going to walk all over Bowling Green with ease. Of course they will... 90% of the BG offense just graduated They probably would've walked all over them this year as well. Let's not forget OU walking all over everything in site during the season. Yes they got beat up on by Kansas State(at Top 10 team) and they got beat by LSU(not beat up on) the best team in the country. But let's face it......BG isn't in the same league as LSU and KSU. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2004 BGSU would have smoked the team that showed up to play against Kansas State. You're making the same mistake that all the teams that mid majors beat make... thinking you're always going to beat a team your better than. If that always happened...we wouldn't have sports. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
