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   Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Gnter Grass still thinks reunification was a bad idea.
 Forty years of writing from Taylor Branch, James Fallows, Katherine Boo, Marjorie Williams, Joshua Micah Marshall, and more.
 With help from Washington, the for-profit college industry is loading up millions of low-income students with debt they'll never pay off.
 The best recent memoir from republican Washington is a hoax. That should tell you something.
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November 25, 2006
By: FOOTBALL OPEN THREAD....As promised, I'm back in time for this week's Game of the Century. Just rolled into the driveway half an hour ago, in fact. Needless to say, though, this doesn't mean any blogging will be done tonight, since my butt will be parked firmly in front of the TV for the next few hours. My prediction: USC wins by a touchdown or two. Call it ten points. Make your own call in comments, or just engage in random (but sportsmanlike) USC and/or Notre Dame hatred. Or, if you're feeling more adventurous, try to justify the early season pretensions of Big East fans to the rest of us. Or just tell Thanksgiving stories. Whatever. See you in a few hours. HALFTIME UPDATE: A little shaky there in the second quarter, but still looking pretty good for the Trojans. That "touchdown or two" is looking like it'll end up closer to the two end than the one end. But if USC wins, will the computers finally give them the respect they need to overtake Michigan as the BCS #2? Or will 2006 be a repeat of the grim digital farce of 2003? FINAL UPDATE: Well, that was a satisfying score. And how about that final onside kick? All I can say now is: See you in Arizona, Buckeyes. (Computers and UCLA willing, of course.) —Kevin Drum 8:10 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (100)Comments
I'm with you, Kevin. USC all the way. The pounding they take at the hands of OSU will be slightly less one-sided than the one Notre Dame would suffer, making for a slightly more interesting championship game. Posted by: brewmn on November 25, 2006 at 8:16 PM | PERMALINKAs a life-long Cal fan, I have to hope that USC suffers an ignominious defeat at the hands of the Irish. ND by 3, thus paving the way for a rematch of OSU-Michigan. Boring on paper, perhaps, but it would be a damn good football game (better than watching OSU completely destroy anyone else). Posted by: MadLad on November 25, 2006 at 8:22 PM | PERMALINKI hope had everybody had a healthy and happy Thanksgiving! My team is out of the hunt, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to root for Notre Dame. I'm Irish! I do want Ohio to win it all, though. I want the team that beat my team to be the undisputed best in the nation. Posted by: American Hawk on November 25, 2006 at 8:26 PM | PERMALINKForgot to mention: While I'm rooting for the Irish, it probably ain't gonna happen. USC by 14. Posted by: American Hawk on November 25, 2006 at 8:29 PM | PERMALINKGame of the Century of the Week, you mean. Although you're an Other USC fan and they're a bit given to hyperbole about their own role in the college football universe so I guess we can forgive you. Posted by: Philip the Equal Opportunity Cynic on November 25, 2006 at 8:42 PM | PERMALINKI'm glad I got in "USC by 14" before they actually scored 14 points to the Irish's zero... Posted by: American Hawk on November 25, 2006 at 8:50 PM | PERMALINKwho cares? Either way it will be OSU vs Michigian in the national championship, as it should be. Two best teams in the nation, by far. USC is yesterday's news... Posted by: bob kornby on November 25, 2006 at 9:07 PM | PERMALINKI like ND but you can't win w/o a defense. Posted by: b. on November 25, 2006 at 9:13 PM | PERMALINKMichigan? Come on, can't even win its own conference. Better camera work than last week. Posted by: Tigershark on November 25, 2006 at 9:16 PM | PERMALINKThe NCAA has to quit pretending it can avoid the inevitable and institute a playoff system. As long as we are going to be obsessive about #1, let's get serious about fairness. The current BCS is as fair as the current 'invisible hand' is unguided. Posted by: Michael7843853 G-O in 08! on November 25, 2006 at 9:27 PM | PERMALINKAll that matters today is that VA Tech shut out UVA!!!!!! Wahoos are LOSERS!!!! SIGH unfortunately my brother the UVA alumn isn't even a football fan so I call him up to rub it in and he sez, "who cares!" Posted by: HokieAnnie on November 25, 2006 at 9:33 PM | PERMALINKMichael7843853 G-O in 08! , The funny thing is that the administrators (including my own school's Chancellor) preach self-righteously about how lengthening the season a few weeks for the few best teams will ruin the academic basis of the student athlete. First of all, every other division of football, and every other NCAA sport AFAIK, manage to find time for a playoff. Secondly, the academics horse long sense left the barn, but I guess shutting the door now makes them feel better about things. Posted by: Equal Opportunity Cynic on November 25, 2006 at 9:34 PM | PERMALINKI am one among many Buckeye fans that do not want to see a rematch with that team from up north, and not because I fear a loss. If there is a rematch, I expect OSU to win in a walk. I do not want a rematch because I want to spend the rest of my life with Michigan fans crying that they were denied a chance to prove themselves. I will sympathize, I will buy them a beer, I will laugh at them. Posted by: James E. Powell on November 25, 2006 at 9:38 PM | PERMALINKJames Powell, I like the way you think. Best take I've seen on the situation yet. Posted by: American Hawk on November 25, 2006 at 9:40 PM | PERMALINKMy all-time favorite SC-ND game was in 1974 (back in the John McKay era), when Notre Dame got off to a 24-0 lead...and then USC scored 55 unanswered points. What a turnaround! Posted by: RT on November 25, 2006 at 9:41 PM | PERMALINKIf USC can't beat Notre Dame by more points than Michigan did, and playing at home yet (Michigan blew them away in South Bend); then it will just be the typical coastal bias factor that gets USC in the championship game. Posted by: Brian on November 25, 2006 at 9:45 PM | PERMALINKRT tx for the reminder, I knew there was an astonishing version of NC-ND that I had seen decades ago. Thats the one that made this game special to me. Kinda like Montana at the Cotton Bowl. Posted by: Michael7843853 G-O in 08! on November 25, 2006 at 9:53 PM | PERMALINKBrian, I think you'd do better to blame the bias toward overrating recent results. While that's an interesting discussion -- is a regular-season victory in November really more important than a victory in September? -- it's somewhat consistent with the general philosophy behind other sports' playoffs. Of course this is still the regular season, and for example the NFL doesn't count December victories worth more than September ones. But given the absurdly abbreviated postseason, overrating late results is the only way to provide the same buildup that multiple rounds of playoffs do in other sports. In other words, Bowl > November > September in CFB whereas Super Bowl > Wild card games > Regular season games in the NFL. Just an idle thought. Posted by: Equal Opportunity Cynic on November 25, 2006 at 10:05 PM | PERMALINKGo Heisman commercials! That gigantic nut rolling down the road is too hilarious. I don't really have a dog in this fight, but I'm leaning for Notre Dame to win. I think it's time for Ohio State beat another team from Florida for the national championship. Although, I wouldn't mind sitting down to a plate of nachos to see Ohio and Michigan take another whack at it. Fun Game Fact: a woman was responsible for setting up the USC v. Notre Dame game. Oh yeah! Posted by: sa rose on November 25, 2006 at 10:07 PM | PERMALINKWe know you hope by the time of the big decision, USC - not Michigan - is ranked #2. Michigan got to be #2 by beating Notre Dame badly. USC fans should be hoping for more than a win, but a BIG win. Posted by: pgl on November 25, 2006 at 10:13 PM | PERMALINKAnd...thank goodness: 1. They're using that overhead cam shot for replays only. 2. The commentating seems a level above the usual idiotic drivel. Posted by: sa rose on November 25, 2006 at 10:18 PM | PERMALINKit's time for Ohio State beat another team from Florida for the national championship If its OSU vs FLA in the championship game(dont believe it can happen), bet the house. Was w/o cable for most of this year, had to watch SEC(FLA) almost every week(in rural Iowa!). They have no bsns in the top 10. Fla is astoundingly erratic. They have some good players, but they are not a good team. Posted by: Michael7843853 G-O in 08! on November 25, 2006 at 10:21 PM | PERMALINKAs a transplanted Buckeye into Indiana, I had to call some people before being informed that my loyalty was supposed to be with ND despite being a Purdue graduate. I'm not expecting much, but alas. Posted by: Kit on November 25, 2006 at 10:25 PM | PERMALINKIf USC wins out the rest of their games, they'll be #2. That's the consensus, and those types of prophecies tend to be self-fulfilling, since the polls are still a big factor in the BCS. Speaking as a lifelong Big Ten fan, I would not want to see a Michigan-OSU rematch in the national title game. That's not good for anyone. OSU has to earn their title by playing another great team from a different conference - most likely USC, or possibly Florida. Notre Dame, with all due respect, can go to hell. Posted by: Shag on November 25, 2006 at 10:34 PM | PERMALINK"Notre Dame, with all due respect, can go to hell." Usually, if people ask me if I like Notre Dame (I'm from Chicago), I simply tell them "I'm a Big Ten fan." 'Nuff said. Posted by: brewmn on November 25, 2006 at 10:45 PM | PERMALINKOkay - top this for a Thanksgiving weekend - marry off your best friend, have one child announce they are getting a divorce and another one come out at Thanksgiving dinner. Posted by: Pissed off and armed pre-menopausal redhead(any questions?) on November 25, 2006 at 10:51 PM | PERMALINKBrent Musberger reached his maximum shelf life about 10 years ago. Now, he stinks. Posted by: lk on November 25, 2006 at 11:01 PM | PERMALINKThis game is over. Bleah. Best games this season? Ohio State v. Michigan and that Oregon v. Oregon State game last night. In spite of those hideous Oregon uniforms, I truly enjoyed watching that game! And redhead...sounds fairly traumatic. But I would ask the divorcee and the outed one "How does this affect me?" Just make sure they ain't moving back in with you. And if they even hint at moving back in, well, convert those spare bedrooms within the next 24 hours. Posted by: sa rose on November 25, 2006 at 11:20 PM | PERMALINKI don't know who to root for. On one hand, I want to root against ND because no team deserves their own network TV contract. OTOH, if Notre Dame wins, the most likely championship game scenario is OSU-Michigan. People within college football have already been griping that if this happens, the system must change, perhaps to a playoff. Anything that builds up pressure for I-A football to initiate an actual playoff system is good. Posted by: Kevin S. on November 25, 2006 at 11:25 PM | PERMALINKSa Rosa - The minute I unloaded the last one at their dorm I sold the house and moved to an apartment that is way too small for extra people. Nipped that one in the bud five years ago. Posted by: Pissed off and armed pre-menopausal redhead(any questions?) on November 25, 2006 at 11:30 PM | PERMALINKAnd Drum succumbs to the moronic CW that while other conferences are strong because their teams can't run the league table, the Big East is weak for that very same fact. USC has a good defense and a decent offense but OSU's gonna run over them. ND has a good quarterback in Quinn but that's it; their defense is lame. Beating Notre Dame isn't that much of a feather in USC's cap. Posted by: Eric on November 25, 2006 at 11:30 PM | PERMALINKI think Ohio State vs. Southern Cal sounds like a helluva game....IN THE ROSE BOWL ON NEW YEARS DAY!!!!
We Are OSU. When I say OSU I mean everywhere but a small portion of SoCal. Its OSU 1, MI 2 now. So it is now, so it shall be(when all is said and done). Posted by: Michael7843853 G-O in 08! on November 25, 2006 at 11:42 PM | PERMALINKWell, there's a very good chance that Southern California will finish the season undefeated against teams that don't go by "OSU". Posted by: Philip the Equal Opportunity Cynic on November 26, 2006 at 12:05 AM | PERMALINKShame about that Oregon State thing. By rights, USC should be ranked below Wisconsin Posted by: Lettuce on November 26, 2006 at 12:05 AM | PERMALINKKevin: "But if USC wins, will the computers finally give them the respect they need to overtake Michigan as the BCS #2?" Ever heard of a little team called Boise State? They're undefeated, including a complete 42-14 dismantling of Oregon State. Surely, you and other USC fans remember what happened when the Trojans played Oregon State? The BCS is a joke. If Boise State does draw a bid to one of the so-called "major bowls", they'll no doubt be matched up against the weakest team in the field, the same way an undefeated Utah drew an overmatched Pittsburgh a couple years ago. I don't want to hear any cracks from USC fans about Boise State being from the WAC, and therefore not worthy of consideration. You all know as well as I do that the Trojans were damn lucky to beat Fresno State last year in the Coliseum. Posted by: Donald from Hawaii on November 26, 2006 at 12:06 AM | PERMALINK11:06 2nd Qtr: Hawaii 14, Purdue 0 Hawaii QB Colt Brennan has yet to throw for a TD, but he's racked up 179 yards passing so far. Posted by: Donald from Hawaii on November 26, 2006 at 12:13 AM | PERMALINKU---C---LLLLLLLLL---A!!! U-C-L-A FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! Posted by: schmog on November 26, 2006 at 12:14 AM | PERMALINKDonald from Hawaii, My position is that any competition where a team can go undefeated and untied and not be eligible for the "championship" based on name recognition, preseason expectations, a popularity contest, or whatever is simply not a real championship, full stop. Posted by: Philip the Equal Opportunity Cynic on November 26, 2006 at 12:37 AM | PERMALINKDonald from Hawaii, Should Boise State take care of business in the Fiesta Bowl, most likely against Oklahoma, they'll get some respect. Last time they played a "respected" football team, they got torched at Georgia. I think they can beat Oklahoma, but they'll have to play a great game to do it. As an aside Donald, can Hawaii be next year's Boise State. I would love to see Hawaii get off the islands for a BCS game--people might actually watch them. RT, That 55-24 smackdown was on ESPN Classic the other day and I got a chance to watch it, which is pretty fucking pathetic to admit. Anyway, USC scored 49 points in the first 17 minutes of the 2nd half. It was truly unbelievable. Posted by: Double B on November 26, 2006 at 12:40 AM | PERMALINKGood for you, redhead! Oh, the horror stories some of my colleagues share with me about their grown kids getting divorced or becoming a single parent and then moving back in to the ol' homestead. Eeegah. And I'm with Lettuce. What about the Badgers? Should be ranked higher. Although, I was hoping they'd make it down here for the Alamo Bowl, but I think they've scored the Capital One Bowl. Which is cool, because they do have a nice record. Badger badger badger badger. Alamo Bowl. Hmmm. We'll get the Hawkeyes and...??? We always like the Cornholers to come to town. They stay for a week enjoying the mild weather and spend gobs of money down on the riverwalk. Love me some corncob hats. Posted by: sa rose on November 26, 2006 at 1:08 AM | PERMALINKPhilip: I agree. College football was far better off when there was no BCS or Bowl Alliance to "determine" who the "two best teams" are. Now, we have one game for all the marbles, while all the other bowl games are rendered irrelevant. Contrast that to the 1983 season, when all the New Years' bowl games figured into that year's nat'l championship picture, which was won by Miami (FL). Boise State has now gone undefeated - again. but so sorry, Broncos. Standin line behind an undefeated Tulane (1998) and an undefeated Marshall (1999), both of whom could probably have also matched up with the best any of the so-called BCS conferences had to offer. An Ohio State-USC matchup in the Fiesta Bowl would be nothing more than a made-for-TV vanity production. USC lost to an Oregon State team that Boise State easily ran off the field by halftime. Yet in the eyes of college football's so-called experts, USC's prestige grants them a mulligan, while Boise merits no serious consideration and Louisville's loss to a surprisingly good Rutgers team eliminated them from further contention. It's halftime, and Hawaii is leading Purdue, 17-0. Colt Brennan has thrown for 231 yards, but no TDs so far. He has 48 TDs on the season, with only 8 picks. Next week, Hawaii closes the season with the aforementioned Oregon State (8-4). If the Rainbow Warriors run the table here, they'll finish 12-2, with their two losses coming on the road at Alabama (25-18) and Boise State (41-34). However, unless the Rainbow Warriors run the table and go undefeated next year, they'll go nowhere. Since I've lived here, I've seen them win nine or more games at least eight times, with only one mainland bowl bid to show for it. That was the 1992 Holiday Bowl, and that was only because that game was obligated to take the WAC champion. Hawaii beat the Big Ten's #2 team, Illinois, 27-17, and finished the year ranked #20. Posted by: Donald from Hawaii on November 26, 2006 at 1:17 AM | PERMALINKAt 68 I've seen a lot of football games, but I don't remember ever seeing a guy on the receiving team take the onsides kick in for a touchdown" that has to be the most superbodacious play of the year! Posted by: Brian Boru on November 26, 2006 at 1:19 AM | PERMALINKIf USC can't beat Notre Dame by more points than Michigan did, and playing at home yet blah blah blah blah blah . . . Oh. My. God. Put your hands where we can see them and step away from the keg! Posted by: James E. Powell on November 26, 2006 at 1:24 AM | PERMALINKEvery one is giving the national championship game to USC even though they still have to play UCLA. Just a bit premature. I think the Big East has two very good teams in Louisville and Rutgers. I basically think Boise State should play Ohio State just because they are both undefeated. Of course, it will never happen. Anyway, go Huskies go. Maybe next year. The reason I like college football is that it is often unpredictable. It's so much fun to see the "experts" fall on their faces. Posted by: Mazurka on November 26, 2006 at 1:31 AM | PERMALINKFinal 5: Go Big Ten! Donald, I never got the impression the Hawaii athletic program really wants to go to a "minor" bowl game off the islands. It seems to be a win-win for both the school (save a ton of money) and the Hawaii bowl itself for Hawaii to play their bowl game at home. Unless they're invited to a January 1 bowl game or better, they're probably better off staying at home. Posted by: Double B on November 26, 2006 at 1:57 AM | PERMALINKKevin must have a short memory, and Brian Boru must not watch as much football as he says he does. In UCLA's 50-38 victory over Northwestern in last year's Sun Bowl, Brandon Breasell returned TWO successive onside kicks for touchdowns. Craziest ending to a football game I've ever seen. Posted by: SteveK on November 26, 2006 at 2:17 AM | PERMALINKCan we just stop it with all the "college football needs a playoff system" talk? A playoff is no better than polls or bowls at determining the best team; all it does is determine who wins the playoffs. Proponents of such a system typically denigrate 1-loss teams (see Tigershark's comment at 9:16) and point to the NCAA basketball tournament as an example. Frankly, that's idiotic. Does anyone seriously want to argue that last year's Florida team, or Carmello Anthony's Syracuse team, were the best in college basketball? They won the postseason tournament and were designated champions, but that doesn't mean that they were the best teams, or that polls did a "worse" job than the tournament at determining the best team. - In 2003, Syracuse won neither the regular season title nor the Big East tournament. - In 2006 Florida finished tied with two other teams for third in the SEC, sharing that dubious honor with 10-6 teams from Arkansas and Alabama. The fact is that Connecticut was a better team than Syracuse in 2003, and Kentucky was a better team than Florida in 2006, regardless of how they fared in the NCAA tournament. And if a football tournament somehow allowed Cal or Auburn to win an NCAA football championship this year, that would prove only that they got hot and won the tournament. That might be good entertainment, but I think it would be less desirable than a system that might end up matching Michigan and Ohio State for a second time this year. Posted by: keith on November 26, 2006 at 2:30 AM | PERMALINKDouble B: The "minor" bowl games on the mainland really depend upon putting people in the stands, and you're not going to get the numbers needed from Hawaii fans. It's simply too far a trip. Plus, the football team makes five road trips a season - this year they went to Tuscaloosa, AL (Alabama - 8,400 mile R/T); Boise, ID (Boise State - 6,000 mile R/T); Fresno, CA (Fresno State - 4,800 mile R/T), Logan, UT (Utah State 6,000 mile R/T); and Las Cruces, MN (New Mexico State 6,500 mile R/T). Next year, they open at Gainesville, Florida against the UF Gators. The additional burden of paying to go to, say, the Outback Bowl in Orlando, FL, would be cost-prohibitive. With 0:58 to go -- Hawaii 42, Purdue 35. It turned into a real-barn-burner. Colt Brennan has thrown for 440 yards and 3 TDs. He's now only 3 TDs short of the NCAA record of 54 TDs, set by Houston's Dave Klingler in 1990 -- and Klingler won the Heisman Trophy that year. Posted by: Donald from Hawaii on November 26, 2006 at 2:37 AM | PERMALINKFINAL SCORE: Hawaii 42, Purdue 35 Colt Brennan was 33-48-1 for 444 yards. He threw 3 TDs in the 4th quarter, including two in the final three minutes of the game -- not his best game, but a real clutch and gutsy 4th quarter performance. A trip to New York's Downtown Athletic Club now beckons. He won't win, but the fact that he'll finish in the top five is a singular accomplishment for both him and the program. keith:/b> "And if a football tournament somehow allowed Cal or Auburn to win an NCAA football championship this year, that would prove only that they got hot and won the tournament." We could say the same thing regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super bowl triumph this year. Posted by: Donald from Hawaii on November 26, 2006 at 2:46 AM | PERMALINKI was driving along the other day when a vast array of police motorcycles and cars pulled everyone out of the way. I thought at first it was the president coming, but even he doesnt rate such emperial treatment. Then came two huge super-luxurious black busses with the windows blacked out and giant graphics plastered on the sides. It was the University of MD Football team coming home from the airport! I said to myself, this has really gotten out of hand. We could hardly do better if we TRIED to mess up the lives of those young men in the busses, making them kings for a few years, throwing money and women at them, bumping their egos to incredible heights and then throwing them away when they are no longer eligible to feed our lust for the sport. Shame, I say, on the whole rotten edifice! Posted by: James of DC on November 26, 2006 at 3:38 AM | PERMALINK"A playoff is no better than polls or bowls at determining the best team; all it does is determine who wins the playoffs. " Let's take this line of thinking a step further, the score of a particlar game doesn't really identify the better team, it just identifies the team which scores more points relative to their opponent as the circumstances of that particular game unfolds. Posted by: jeff on November 26, 2006 at 3:39 AM | PERMALINKWe could say the same thing regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super bowl triumph this year. And we do, but so what? Posted by: James E. Powell on November 26, 2006 at 3:45 AM | PERMALINK"Notre Dame isn't that much of a feather in USC's cap." USC OSU sounds like a great matchup. I wouldn't ordain OSU the winner quite yet. I'd prefer OSU wins but I wouldn;t assume it. Posted by: jeff on November 26, 2006 at 3:46 AM | PERMALINKJames E. Powell: "And we do, but so what?" My point, exactly. Thank you. If we insist upon crowning a champion in college football, then why not a tournament? Of course, let's also be honest enought to admit that the matter of how we choose and cede its participants will be subject to as much speculation and conjecture as is the present system. Speaking strictly for myself, as a native Pasadenan I miss the Big Ten v. Pac 10 tradition that was the Rose Bowl and underscored the pageantry of the Tournament of Roses Parade. Seeing the likes of Texas, Miami, Nebraska and Oklahoma play there on New Year's Day has consigned "The Grandaddy of Them All" to the ranks of the ordinary. Posted by: Donald from Hawaii on November 26, 2006 at 4:07 AM | PERMALINKThe 1974 game between USC and Notre Dame was quite the comeback, but it was also pretty much all over by the end of the third quarter, at which point it settled down as just another USC route. There was a more dramatic comeback, curiously enough: The situation was that USC came into the 1964 ND game hoping to salvage a Rose Bowl invitation after having tied for the league title with Oregon State. Notre Dame came in undefeated and untied, Ara Parseghian's first great squad. They had the Heisman trophy winner at QB and a true all-American at wide receiver (Jack Snow) and they were solid from top to bottom. The final game of the season against USC was supposed to be the icing on their national championship cake (ND used to refuse bowl invitations), and the first half looked just like that was going to happen, with ND running up a big lead. USC battled back bit by bit, and on their last offensive play with just a few seconds left in the game, Craig Fertig hit Rod Sherman for a touchdown, with the game ending 20 - 17 for the trojans. It was remarkable and dramatic, a true upset, and may be thought of as the template for a series of dramatic comebacks that John MacKay teams made over the rest of the decade. Having seen OSU play Michigan, I can say that they look very, very good, but experience over the past thirty years or so has shown time and again that in championship games, Big Ten teams find west coast pass defenses to be at a higher level than what they have been used to in the upper midwest. One possibility is that this year's USC team has the defense that would have won last year's championship, and an offense that is starting to find itself. In other words, in a BCS championship game between OSU and USC, OSU will be favored by 5 or 6 probably, but you shouldn't start planning how to spend your winnings just yet. As one example, the way that OSU receivers routinely dominated Michigan defenders will not occur against the trojan secondary, and it is safe to say that OSU has not seen a collection of receivers like USC has. If OSU's offensive line can dominate, and if OSU's defensive line can put on a good pass rush, then OSU will win, but otherwise, USC will win by 10. (note: I also picked the Democratic pickup in the Senate and House on this board) Posted by: Bob G on November 26, 2006 at 4:59 AM | PERMALINK...based on name recognition, preseason expectations, a popularity contest, or whatever is simply not a real championship, full stop. This is a fine argument that falls apart completely when one's own team is involved. If things continue as expected, USC will have finished the season by beating their three big rivals one after another. It is only fitting that they should face one of their historic rivals in the championship. And don't give me this west coast bias crap. When was the last time anyone in the chattering classes rooted for USC? Wasn't Nebraska supposed to destroy them? Didn't the whole country want Texas to win last year? I even remember some Dems saying it was ok to root for texas because they are from Austin. Turns out Young's knee was down, and they never should have won that game. I don't have a point, but I shoveled 200k into that school and damnit I'm going to get my money's worth. Posted by: enozinho (wetorture.com) on November 26, 2006 at 6:04 AM | PERMALINKUntil College football establishes a play off we will continue to have years like this one where the number one team will play the number three of four team. I have watched both Ohio State and USC play, and think that at a neutral site Michigan could beat either. Posted by: Ron Byers on November 26, 2006 at 8:25 AM | PERMALINKIf we insist upon crowning a champion in college football, then why not a tournament? If you're going to have a playoff, then you're going to have playoff upsets. End of story. The Steelers have already been mentioned, and I would also point out your 83-78 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. The BCS has produced its share of howlers (Nebraska 2001, Oklahoma 2003), but overall it has done a better job of matching up the champion and the "best team" than any multi-knockout system would have done. Posted by: Thlayli on November 26, 2006 at 8:44 AM | PERMALINKWhat we learned last night: ND was WAY overrated by the MSM of the sports world. ND gets a sympathy vote from sportswriters not for what they've done in the current season but for what they did decades ago. Gimme a break. That their QB was mentioned in the same sentence as Heisman was laughable. USC is a great team but no more deserving of a shot at OSU than Michigan, Florida or any of the other one-loss teams. The BCS is broken and will NEVER determine a national champion, only the winner of a game of opponents chosen through a popularity contest (and teams that will generate the most TV revenue). Rotten to the core until there is a playoff system. Posted by: jc_atl on November 26, 2006 at 9:06 AM | PERMALINKSee Madison , it is so beautiful & so far left Karl is considered a corporate sellout. Posted by: Michael7843853 G-O in 08! on November 26, 2006 at 9:13 AM | PERMALINKDonal from Hawaii, June Jones does not receive the credit he deserves. But, as to the Big Game of yesterday, yes, Missouri did flatten the Jayhawks. However, in the really BIG game, KU held on in overtime to defeat Number One Florida in Vegas. Basketball at it's best. Posted by: thethirdPaul on November 26, 2006 at 9:44 AM | PERMALINKso to answer the initial question ... No, no real heavies on the right The right is in quite good shape regarding influencial pundits and both Steyn and Hanson are at the top of the class. Steyn coined the term "Eurabia" and his recent book "America Alone" lays out Europe's dismal future in brutally clear fashion. Europe as we know it is dying. GWBs move to gain distance from Europe while strengthening alliances with India, Japan, Australia, Central Europe, etc. will prove to be out shrewdest tactical shift since forming NATO. The world is changing. GWB is changing with it. Posted by: rdw on November 26, 2006 at 10:52 AM | PERMALINKDaniel Pipes' Weblog They go by the euphemistic term Zones Urbaines Sensibles, or Sensitive Urban Zones, with the even more antiseptic acronym ZUS, and there are 751 of them as of last count. They are convienently listed on one long webpage, complete with street demarcations and map delineations. What are they? Those places in France that the French state does not control. They range from two zones in the medieval town of Carcassone to twelve in the heavily Muslim town of Marseilles, with hardly a town in France lacking in its ZUS. The ZUS came into existence in late 1996 and according to a 2004 estimate, nearly 5 million people live in them. Comment: A more precise name for these zones would be Dar al-Islam, the place where Muslims rule. (November 14, 2006) Bottom line: I really don't give a damn. Posted by: BroD on November 26, 2006 at 11:16 AM | PERMALINKHah! Haven't watched college or pro football for over 10 years. Don't give a purple damn one way or the other. Don't generally watch TV at all, either. One of us is really weird. Posted by: JHFarr on November 26, 2006 at 11:18 AM | PERMALINKAnd now we return to the orignal sports thread. Some twit took the wrong off ramp, had his accelerator stick and smashed into the popcorn machine. Of course, as one kernal of the buttered corn is approximately the size of the twit's feeble brain, it is so appropriate. Posted by: thethirdPaul on November 26, 2006 at 11:19 AM | PERMALINKWe didn't learn last night that ND was overrated. They've been that way all year. The only decent teams they played beat them convincingly, and UCLA and MSU, two average teams, almost did. Other than that, how many teams show such a preference for playing the service academies (how did they overlook VMI and the Coast Guard Academy)? I'm just glad the game is over so I no longer have to hear Musberger's oral orgasms over Brady Quinn, who threw 17 more passes than Booty in order to get 9 more yards. Posted by: dogofthesouth on November 26, 2006 at 11:37 AM | PERMALINKHow dare you, I say, how dare you, sir, impugn the Citadel!! Posted by: stupid git on November 26, 2006 at 11:44 AM | PERMALINKCool Stuff, Rajeev Posted by: Rajeev on November 26, 2006 at 11:51 AM | PERMALINK>>Of course, as one kernal of the buttered corn is approximately the size of the twit's feeble brain, it is so appropriate. Before or after popping? I personally live in terror that he'll start spamming us all with pictures of his 'I ♥ GWB' tattoo. Posted by: CFShep on November 26, 2006 at 12:12 PM | PERMALINKKevin, I was AT THE GAME, a friend called about 11:00 AM and asked if I wanted to go. Heck, yes. Even a well connected blogger such as you, had to watch on TV. :) Posted by: RLA on November 26, 2006 at 12:19 PM | PERMALINKWhoever is matched up with OSU, they should be prepared for the dirty little bags of tricks that OSU uses in its big games. Maybe another double overtime Magic Trick? Yeah, Im still bummed over that one. Tricks are for kids.
Hey, I'm guess I'm just grateful that FSU didn't get beaten by 128 to nothin'...got to look damned hard for a silver lining. Straight down hill since Bobby's dynastic hubris sent Mark R. to GA. Posted by: CFShep on November 26, 2006 at 12:34 PM | PERMALINK3rd, Cf, Check out those maps of France? Rather amazing isn't it? Here's something else to consider. Most of our readers are aware of Mark Steyn's "Demography is Destiny" theme, which he has elaborated in much of his recent writing. Steyn thinks that low birth rates among Europeans, in particular, will inevitably lead to their replacement on the European continent by Muslims who are reproducing at a far faster rate. Steyn pursues the theme in today's article in the Chicago Sun-Times, Quartet of Ladies Shows Where We're Headed. He contrasts Fatma An-Najar, the 64-year-old Palestinian grandmother who became a suicide bomber, with Katharine Jefferts Schori, the new Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church: An-Najar gave birth to her first child at the age of 12. She had eight others. She had 41 grandchildren. Keep that family tree in mind. By contrast, in Spain, a 64-year old woman will have maybe one grandchild. That's four grandparents, one grandchild: a family tree with no branches. Meanwhile, what of the Episcopalians? Bishop Kate gave an interview to the New York Times revealing what passes for orthodoxy in this most flexible of faiths. She was asked a simple enough question: "How many members of the Episcopal Church are there?" "About 2.2 million," replied the presiding bishop. "It used to be larger percentage-wise, but Episcopalians tend to be better educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than other denominations." This was a bit of a jaw-dropper even for a New York Times hackette, so, with vague memories of God saying something about going forth and multiplying floating around the back of her head, a bewildered Deborah Solomon said: "Episcopalians aren't interested in replenishing their ranks by having children?" "No," agreed Bishop Kate. "It's probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion."
***************************************** I have different take on Bishop Kate. I think this is Darwin in action. We are watching the gene pool cleanse itself. She provides further proof education has no connection to common sense except perhaps to eliminate it. Hopefully Kate is not and will never be a mother. Posted by: rdw on November 26, 2006 at 12:44 PM | PERMALINKeither way, usc vs. osu or evil um vs. osu, the bcs is a farce. get a playoff system; crown a real champion. the ncaa is about as progressive as the republican party. Posted by: mudwall jackson on November 26, 2006 at 12:54 PM | PERMALINKThus spake the local chairman of United Morons for Bush who maintains the delusion that we give a shit for his crackpot obsessions. And back on topic: Big shout-out to AR for saving me from another outbreak of toxic LSU triumphalism. Whew. Posted by: CFShep on November 26, 2006 at 12:54 PM | PERMALINKI will never forget the sports drink commercial Bobby Bowden did with the FSU basketball coach ah-la tastes great, less filling. The end of the commercial has Bowden sticking his face in the ground positioned (makes people look big) camera and pronouncing How bout them Noles? This was the first game of the 1988 season with FSU rated #1 and Miami #2. The commercial was shown once before the game and once after. Final scoreMiami 31, FSU 0. Yeah, how bout them Bowdens. I meant to say 'for almost' saving me another outbreak - put up a hell of a fight. I like purple and gold for Mardi Gras just fine mind you. Hey, Terry and Tommy are fine but I'm betting Jeff's phone ain't exactly ringin' off the wall. Posted by: CFShep on November 26, 2006 at 1:15 PM | PERMALINK"Episcopalians aren't interested in replenishing their ranks by having children?" "No," agreed Bishop Kate. "It's probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion."
You've got to at least agree evolution is working here? Posted by: rdw on November 26, 2006 at 1:45 PM | PERMALINKI agree that I need more eggnog. Paul, can I get you a refill since I headin' that way anyway. For you I'll even break out the VSOP. Posted by: CFShep on November 26, 2006 at 2:17 PM | PERMALINKI agree that I need more eggnog. Darwin nailed it didn't he? BTW: Kate is doing her part. One child. Her daughter is an Air Force pilot. They are moving toward extinction. Posted by: rdw on November 26, 2006 at 2:44 PM | PERMALINK
Here's another sign that the Cold War is really over. The U.S. Navy has eliminated the Atlantic Fleet, after a century of existence It's was one thing to pull all of our troops out of Europe. Now the fleet which patrolled the Atlantic and Med are gone. Nah, we're not pulling away from Europe! Posted by: rdw on November 26, 2006 at 6:05 PM | PERMALINKrdw: I think this is Darwin in action. We are watching the gene pool cleanse itself. I had something similar in mind when I went to the polls Nov. 7. American Electorate Anything in mind to save your secularists cousins in Europe? Posted by: rdw on November 26, 2006 at 7:05 PM | PERMALINKFarce my ass. USC looked FAR less impressive than Michigan against its common opponent. USC's one loss is to Oregon State, Michigan's to undefeated Ohio State. The reason the computers think Michigan is better is because they clearly are. Posted by: Justin on November 26, 2006 at 7:24 PM | PERMALINKWe understand, rdw. It's embarrassing to be one of the cleansed ones, isn't it? No wonder you keep trying to change the subject to take attention off your humiliating defeat. Misdirection's in your inferior genes. Posted by: American Electorate on November 26, 2006 at 9:44 PM | PERMALINKWas at Byrd Stadium last night for the ACC Atlantic Division showdown and came away quite impressed with Wake Forest, a superbly coached team. The Deacons -- who heretofore have never won 10 games in a season and traditionally have ranked with the likes of Iowa State and Indiana as weaklings of college football -- will face Georgia Tech next week for a berth in the Orange Bowl. Good luck to the Deacons, a great story. However, in the really BIG game, KU held on in overtime to defeat Number One Florida in Vegas. Basketball at its best. Posted by: thethirdPaul on November 26, 2006 at 9:44 AM Basketball's other #1 team -- the University of Maryland women -- had a considerably easier time of it, blasting Mississippi 110-79 in the finals of the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas. The Terrapins look to be as good, if not better, than last year's national champions. They're a fun team to watch, extremely talented yet disciplined. Even folks who don't traditionally like women's basketball would enjoy this team. Posted by: Vincent on November 26, 2006 at 9:44 PM | PERMALINK生态餐厅
Way up yonder: Can we just stop it with all the "college football needs a playoff system" talk? A playoff is no better than polls or bowls at determining the best team; all it does is determine who wins the playoffs. That is true, and also entirely misses the point, as do several preceding comments. The point of instituting a playoff is emphatically NOT that we're likely to pick the "best team" more often. A playoff is higher variance than a poll (more different teams might win on any given day), but it's also not systematically biased. Saying that Ohio State starts off with a greater claim to the championship than Boise State, before any games have been played, simply by dint of the name Ohio State versus Boise State, is entirely unsporting. There's also the related and elusive idea of "fairness". If a team who may well be the theoretically best team loses in the NCAA men's basketball semifinal -- say, UNLV in 1991 -- no one says that the system was unfair to that team. They might say that if the game were replayed ten times, the favorite would win eight of them, but that's not unfair. Conversely shutting out a theoretically inferior team is never going to produce the "wrong" champion, but viscerally we can tell that it's unfair. Fairness and/or unbaisedness is totally different from predictability/lack of variance/propensity to pick the "right" champion. I suppose if you care more about the latter attribute, a twelve-game regular season is about twelve games too long. Let's just vote on it in August. Then the "best" team will never have to worry about upsets or playing less than their best on any given night. They can just rest on the laurels of their pseudochampionship without having to risk that a lesser team might produce a "wrong" result through grit and determination "on any given day." Posted by: Philip the Equal Opportunity Cynic on November 27, 2006 at 1:43 AM | PERMALINKHello children. According to Sagarin at USA Today sports, USC has the 3rd hardest schedule in the nation. Michigan has the 13th. The Pac 10 is also rated the hardest conference with the Big 10 being 4th. Michigan has only itself to blame for scheduling cupcakes like Central Michigan and Ball State. USC scheduled Arkansas and Nebraska. Think Sagarin is full of crap? Well the Colley matrix has USC schedule ranked 4 and Michigan at 23. USC has beaten 8 top 50 teams, 4 of the top 25. Michigan has beaten 4 of the top 50 and a grand total of 1 of the top 25. attract women pheromones
attract women pheromones Phil: We could sit here and argue till the cows come home. The bottom line is both Michigan and the SPoiled Children are excellent teams both worthy of taking on the poisonous nuts. You lost to an unranked team (at the time) by 2 and Michigan lost to the number 1 team in their very hostile house by 3. That means something regardless of the valid points you make. The mindlessness of having USC advance over Michigan in the human polls because they were less dominating over ND at home than was Michigan in South Bend. Either opponent will be a great game. Posted by: Charles Stanton on November 27, 2006 at 9:02 AM | PERMALINKMisdirection's in your inferior genes. I'm no secularist. It's liberal secularist not reproducing. They're saving the world you know. I wouldn't go that far but they are improving the quality of the gene pool. Posted by: rdw on November 27, 2006 at 10:03 AM | PERMALINK裸体图片 美女自拍 激情图片 激情小电影 性感图片 性交图片 做爱图片 成人小说 偷拍走光 美眉图片 人体写真 性虐待电影 写真集 激情电影 免费影院 日本av电影 美少女贴图 性感美女图片 美女写真 漂亮妹妹图片 同志电影 性交姿势 美女走光 A片下载 毛片 偷窥图片 裸体视频聊天室 成人网站 成人论坛 性爱论坛 性变态图片 淫女 女大学生 美女下阴图 女性生殖器 操逼图片 激情论坛 两性生活 性教育片 两性知识 美腿图片 三级片 成人性爱电影 写真电影 美女阴图 美女乳房 性电影 成人电影下载 性爱视频 偷拍图片 泳装图片 性感内衣 性爱贴图 性生活图片 作爱图片 性交电影 做爱电影 性福 人体摄影 裸女图片 免费小电影 免费电影在线 免费影片 最新大片 看免费电影 情色电影 激情视频下载 明星露点图片 两性写真 阴部图片 乳房图片 全裸美女 美女脱衣电影 裸体美女 手淫图片 波霸美女 淫水图片 阴户阴毛图片 美女图库 美女口交图片 韩国电影 性知识 最新电影 经典电影 恐怖电影 人体艺术 美女图片 强奸图片 色情图片 黄色小说 黄色电影 强暴电影 乱伦图片 轮奸电影 迷奸电影 夜曲 为什么相爱的人不能在一起 约定 不得不爱 触电 Posted by: 手机图片 on November 28, 2006 at 4:40 AM | PERMALINK
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