So what's the problem ?
That's brilliant. When we had not played Florida State, there necessarily was no needle moving from playing Florida State.
No thats not the reason...the reason is were better educated in the NE as to the dangers of allowing or exposing our young to the real dangers(as much as it dismays me) of HSFB by parents. We soon may find CFB unrecognizable(also dismaying) in the near future and have maybe Lax try to fill the gap? I hope not!?! FB is FB and great athletes are great athletes even in Maine...nothing but ignorance is superior in the south IMPO. The culture though WILL CHANGE with the rapid northeastification of Fla/Ga and all the other low tax states!
B1G=BeeGeeOne how about ACC=AllCupCake? is not turnabout fair play?Re[MSND + followers lol.
I think we'd be surprised at how many are in traditional Anglo-ScotsIrish states now that a third of the NE is down there bolstering they're population in NC/SC/Ga/Fla since we were kids!?! True enough though that a large segment of the NE is where the IC's have traditionally called home *NH,Mass,NJ,NY,Conn,RI,Del,MD,Pa* but the Irish(due to the railroads+canal's) and more recently the Slav's and Italian's are spread all over the land! Many don't even call themselves Irish anymore(or converted religion) and say American like predecessor's the Scots-Irish further complicating the numbers.
Personally, I couldn't care less about Notre Dame and their motives for wanting to play in the ACC vs B1G. I'm simply replying to your statement that I bolded. Yes, right now, southern football is better than northern football. There is absolutely no disputing that at all - championships don't lie and there is no disputing the success that southern college football has had in the past decade +. Sports are cyclical though. So we have to ask why southern football is better than northern football. I've got a few potential reasons (my opinion, nothing more):
- uptempo offenses will, for the most part, favor southern football. When there is absolutely zero weather concern during the season (maybe 1 game per season), it is much easier to run an uptempo speed game than it is in the north. Now, that doesn't explain why Oregon is so successful at running a high octane offense. I guess there are exceptions to the rule (not to mention, Oregon recruits southern CA very heavily), but the majority of uptempo offenses in the south are going to be able to run it much more smoothly than in the north when they do not have to worry about the elements. High school factories in the south can therefore prep their kids appropriately all year. High school factories in the north, which traditionally produced the better (but slower) OL/DL and strength prospects, are growing more and more obsolete as the game continues to get faster.
- the rules favor uptempo offenses, for now. This applies across all levels of football, right on up to the pros. Defensive players aren't allowed to touch receivers, they can only hit in certain areas of the body (safety concerns are justified), defenses can not substitute players who are gasping for air without using a precious timeout, and defensive players who are injured are booed relentless and face a possible penalty for delay of game so there is real pressure to fight through. Thus far, all of the safety rules passed favor offense. Offenses are allowed to pick (albeit through a disguised "route") defensive players and, as we saw with Aqib Talib in the AFC Championship Game, injure. If the same contact went the other way (Talib hit Welker), he gets a flag. Granted, the same set of rules apply to both northern and southern football so maybe southern football has been quicker to adapt to the changes than northern football. But let's see what happens when somebody finally figures out that it is equally as dangerous to play defensive football as it is to be on offense and some rules are introduced to slow down the game. It is almost criminal that defenses aren't allowed to substitute out a player who is having an asthma attack or who got injured 3 plays ago but it isn't quite serious enough to warrant going down. Protecting the defensive player is every bit as important as protecting the offensive player...it just hasn't been adopted yet because there is more money to be made by allowing uptempo offense. And while conferences and schools make money on uptempo offense, this will be slow to change.
- big games are all located in climate controlled venues. The one very real advantage northern football has over southern football is playing in the elements. I LOVE that this past Super Bowl was held in New York/New Jersey. I hope that the college game follows the NFL's lead and alternates playoff games in northern venues that are not protected from the weather outside. There is no reason, if schedules align, why games can't be played at Soldier Field or MetLife Stadium. I want to see southern schools play in the elements, the way football is made to be played. I want to see uptempo offenses be forced into adjusting their game plans to incorporate more of a power ground game because the footing isn't there to continue to be pass-happy. At some point, you have to think that the college game will test it out like the NFL did last year and play a big game in the north. When that day happens, I think you will see a leveling off. Had Notre Dame played Alabama at Soldier Field or MetLife in early January, then I would wager a hefty sum that the game would have been MUCH closer than it was.
These are my opinions. There is no doubt that southern football is the rule of the roost right now. That said, rules change constantly and as a fan of a northern football school, I hope that they do. I realize that offense boosts ratings but there has to be a way to give defenses a fighting chance. Perhaps there could be a 5-10 second substitution period before the play clock starts between plays to allow for each side to make an unpenalized substitution? When you slow the game and put more emphasis on a power running game, you should start to see a more equal playing field between north and southern football. And how about the buzz/ratings that would come from a Playoff game played in the snow? I'd watch that the same way I love to watch NFL games played in extreme weather and I know I wouldn't be alone.
You can't blame Notre Dame for taking advantage of their sweetheart deal and moving football to the ACC. If UCONN had a sweetheart deal where we had our own TV deal and a conference that made us a very generous offer to play their schools while being able to remain Independent to make our TV millions, I'd want that too. Tapping into southern high school football will be huge for them and allow for Notre Dame to play more of a "southern" style of game with smaller but faster players. Since that's the trend of today's football, it's smart for Notre Dame to align with a southern presence. And let's be honest, the ACC offers Notre Dame a selection of MUCH easier opponents to play against than the SEC does. It's really a no-brainer for them.
Anyway, I've wasted enough energy thinking about Notre Dame. Go UCONN!
I saw somewhere on RU's board a few minutes ago some retired RU professor said he heard from a high ranking UConn official that UConn was going to the B12!?! I only know the rumour no 1st hand knowledge ....not sure but think it was on BB board?Personally, I couldn't care less about Notre Dame and their motives for wanting to play in the ACC vs B1G. I'm simply replying to your statement that I bolded. Yes, right now, southern football is better than northern football. There is absolutely no disputing that at all - championships don't lie and there is no disputing the success that southern college football has had in the past decade +. Sports are cyclical though. So we have to ask why southern football is better than northern football. I've got a few potential reasons (my opinion, nothing more):
- uptempo offenses will, for the most part, favor southern football. When there is absolutely zero weather concern during the season (maybe 1 game per season), it is much easier to run an uptempo speed game than it is in the north. Now, that doesn't explain why Oregon is so successful at running a high octane offense. I guess there are exceptions to the rule (not to mention, Oregon recruits southern CA very heavily), but the majority of uptempo offenses in the south are going to be able to run it much more smoothly than in the north when they do not have to worry about the elements. High school factories in the south can therefore prep their kids appropriately all year. High school factories in the north, which traditionally produced the better (but slower) OL/DL and strength prospects, are growing more and more obsolete as the game continues to get faster.
- the rules favor uptempo offenses, for now. This applies across all levels of football, right on up to the pros. Defensive players aren't allowed to touch receivers, they can only hit in certain areas of the body (safety concerns are justified), defenses can not substitute players who are gasping for air without using a precious timeout, and defensive players who are injured are booed relentless and face a possible penalty for delay of game so there is real pressure to fight through. Thus far, all of the safety rules passed favor offense. Offenses are allowed to pick (albeit through a disguised "route") defensive players and, as we saw with Aqib Talib in the AFC Championship Game, injure. If the same contact went the other way (Talib hit Welker), he gets a flag. Granted, the same set of rules apply to both northern and southern football so maybe southern football has been quicker to adapt to the changes than northern football. But let's see what happens when somebody finally figures out that it is equally as dangerous to play defensive football as it is to be on offense and some rules are introduced to slow down the game. It is almost criminal that defenses aren't allowed to substitute out a player who is having an asthma attack or who got injured 3 plays ago but it isn't quite serious enough to warrant going down. Protecting the defensive player is every bit as important as protecting the offensive player...it just hasn't been adopted yet because there is more money to be made by allowing uptempo offense. And while conferences and schools make money on uptempo offense, this will be slow to change.
- big games are all located in climate controlled venues. The one very real advantage northern football has over southern football is playing in the elements. I LOVE that this past Super Bowl was held in New York/New Jersey. I hope that the college game follows the NFL's lead and alternates playoff games in northern venues that are not protected from the weather outside. There is no reason, if schedules align, why games can't be played at Soldier Field or MetLife Stadium. I want to see southern schools play in the elements, the way football is made to be played. I want to see uptempo offenses be forced into adjusting their game plans to incorporate more of a power ground game because the footing isn't there to continue to be pass-happy. At some point, you have to think that the college game will test it out like the NFL did last year and play a big game in the north. When that day happens, I think you will see a leveling off. Had Notre Dame played Alabama at Soldier Field or MetLife in early January, then I would wager a hefty sum that the game would have been MUCH closer than it was.
These are my opinions. There is no doubt that southern football is the rule of the roost right now. That said, rules change constantly and as a fan of a northern football school, I hope that they do. I realize that offense boosts ratings but there has to be a way to give defenses a fighting chance. Perhaps there could be a 5-10 second substitution period before the play clock starts between plays to allow for each side to make an unpenalized substitution? When you slow the game and put more emphasis on a power running game, you should start to see a more equal playing field between north and southern football. And how about the buzz/ratings that would come from a Playoff game played in the snow? I'd watch that the same way I love to watch NFL games played in extreme weather and I know I wouldn't be alone.
You can't blame Notre Dame for taking advantage of their sweetheart deal and moving football to the ACC. If UCONN had a sweetheart deal where we had our own TV deal and a conference that made us a very generous offer to play their schools while being able to remain Independent to make our TV millions, I'd want that too. Tapping into southern high school football will be huge for them and allow for Notre Dame to play more of a "southern" style of game with smaller but faster players. Since that's the trend of today's football, it's smart for Notre Dame to align with a southern presence. And let's be honest, the ACC offers Notre Dame a selection of MUCH easier opponents to play against than the SEC does. It's really a no-brainer for them.
Anyway, I've wasted enough energy thinking about Notre Dame. Go UCONN!
I agree I would like to see them come into the B1G for my own reasons plus think they are a B1G type school and earned the payday but WV needs partners according to the comment section/thread there!?! Maybe it'll push the B1G or ACC to move quicker as the irons hot right now for UConn!!!
Or that when the NCAA thing shakes out it will be a lot better in a P5 conference.
