My favorite college teams

[MikePA]

Penn State graduate and Penn State proud!

Although, this year, patience has been the operative 'P' word. The joke making the rounds was that a local mini-market, 7-11, was going to change it's name to 0-11 to honor PSU football. But then they had to go and win /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Kelvin]

I broke in my brand new University of Tennessee football season tickets at the first college football game that I ever attended, which was about 2 years after I graduated UT.

During Knoxville's 1982 World's Fair (while I was a student at UT) there was this big commotion around town that had something to do with college football. It took me a few years to understand that there might be some significance of breaking an 11-year losing streak to some team named the Alabama Crimson Tide coached by someone named "Bear" (who was in his last year of coaching).

I grew up in Georgia, moved to Tennessee (Maryville) after a 4-year tour in the Air Force. I didn't care anything about college football until after I graduated college; then my blood turned orange. However, I pull for the Georgia Bulldogs and even Georgia Tech when they aren't playing against UT.

My support of both Tennessee and Georgia (both extreme SEC rivals of the Florida Gators) puts me squarely on the opposite side of the fence of gatorboy. At least gatorboy and I can agree when it comes to tractor brands.

Kelvin

 

[shade2u2]

The Buckeyes come to Happy Valley tomorrow... Good luck, but Go Bucks!

 

[radman]

My vote is for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Excellent football tradition, coaching and values. Easily in the top 10 for over 30 years, multiple national championships. No. 1 in the NCAA for academic all Americans - yes more than Notre Dame. If you think about the relative small population of the state (about 1.75 million) and yet it continues to be a top program. Nebraska doesn't have beaches, great weather, mountains, or large population base but still ranks in the top 10 and often top 5 every year. NE has the NCAA record for consecutive sellouts.- I believe over 290 games. No one else comes close. Should be a great game tomorrow with BCS poll #1 Oklahoma vs. #2 Nebraska. I'll see you at the game!

 

[ERNIEB]

I'm not a rabid fan, but since I went there I usually pull for Texas A&M. It was nice to see them beat Notre Dame this year.
Radman, I have to agree with you on Nebraska. Great program.
I wonder if anyone has any strong opinions, about allowing college players to recieve a small salary, or whatever you might want to call it. I know the Colleges are against it. Some of these kids come from very poor backgrounds. Even on a full scholarship, they need basic items, tolet items, laundry detergent, and so on. Geez, a couple of bucks to get a beer and pizza. Nothing big, maybe a couple of C notes per month. Would that be so terrible? These Universities are making plenty off these kids.

Ernie

 

[cowboydoc]

Ernie,
Seeing firsthand I would have to give a resounding YES! I don't think people realize the amount of time that you have to put in to play football. During the season figure seven hours, at a minimum, a day is devoted to football. We had practice for three hours a day. Films were at least two hours a day. Then we had to be in a one hour weightlifting and a one hour conditioning class as well. This didn't even include meetings. In the offseason you put in about four or five hours a day. We had meetings, two hour weightlifting classes, a one hour conditioning class and then we had spring ball as well. In the summer you had to condition yourself as well. At Oregon you didn't show up to get in shape. Rich Brooks was the coach then and if you didn't show up ready to play you might as well forget playing that season. It was a full-time and a year round job. You can't even begin to consider that a scholarship for school even comes remotely close to paying you for what you give to the school AND that's just the lucky ones who get a scholarship! Then you can't even have a job by NCAA rules. What the heck are kids supposed to do? The NCAA has created this mess. You can't even consider a college athlete like you would a minimum wage worker. They are the best at what they do and they make $10k-20K a year for all that work. Not to mention what it does to your body. I had two shoulder operations and four knee surgeries from playing five years. How many people would take a job that's going to abuse your body that bad for 10-20k a year? Kids should at least get something every month like you said to pay to take a girl out once in awhile or have some money just to go with your buddies and have a burger.

Now granted it's a great thing to be able to play college ball and everything but athletes are slave labor to the colleges. Especially football and basketball. Those two sports pay for everything else that there is athletically in just about every school in the country. The money some of these conferences make off of football and basketball is mind boggling. Yes it needs to be changed and athletes need something for playing and making the sacrifices that it takes to be a student athlete.

 

[radman]

Update: On why NE Cornhuskers are my favorite:
Todays score - Nebr. Cornhuskers - 20, Oklahoma Schooners - 10

 

[Hillbilly]

You better put that Buckeye flag at 1/2 staff thanks to the coaching genius of the great Joe Paterno and his team..............
Joe Paterno= class act!!!!!!!!

 

[MikePA]

Amen! Number 324 today. JoPa, Number 1 in wins!

Penn State proud.

 

[ronjhall]

Wolverines 32 /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Hawkeyes 26

Spartans 42 /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Badgers 28