buckalum01
They Call Me Assassin
This year (before the Rose Bowl at least) USC was heralded as the Greatest College Football team ever. Before that, OU was regarded by many experts to be the greratest. Prior to that it was Miami. Before that, the mid 90's Nebraska teams. The list goes on.
Now maybe it is just me, but I get a little tired of that oft repeated tag line thrown out there by media types and 'experts'. It is one thing alltogether to have a favorite team, or a favorite dynasty in college ball, but it gets old to keep seeing the experts (since they act as such!) to keep jerking off over every new team of the day. Since when did it become necessary to quantify, identify, and qualify every team to ever suit up as the greatest ever? It never works out.
Last night was great for me and for Texas for that very reason. ESPN, as well as countless other sports news services have been fawning over USC all year. USC was a great team. I repeat: they were/are a great team. They won a lot of games. They had a lot of talented players. They certainly deserve everything they have gotten. But the agenda-less
news-hounds of the world couldn't just say that? No. Instead they ran a poll to see how would USC stack up against the teams of the past with equal or similar accomplishments. All before USC had even played and beaten the last team on their schedule.
One could argue that USC was the beneficiary of a favorably weak schedule as much as they were of having the ultimate talent pool ever assembled in college football. One could argue that they would have had a tougher road to travel had they perhaps been in the Big Ten or the Acc or the SEC. One could argue that it is increasingly easier for a player to win the Heisman putting up gawdy numbers against inferior opponents every week coupled with a news media that gets a notion in their head that a particular team is the greatest ever and airs an infinite number of nationally released stories proclaiming such. I do not dicount what Reggie Bush did in any way. I would have voted for him myself if given a Heisman vote. I'm just saying.... He looked somewhat more pedestrian and less God-like once he went up against a stout defense and an equally talented offense.
Even throwing all that aside. The announcers could let go of their most sacredly held story-line: that of the greatest such-and-such ever. Before the game it was USC is the best of all time. Matt Lienhart was one of the best of all time. Reggie Bush sweepstakes permeated all of the NFL draft talk. He was going #1 no matter what. "Who is he the most like?- Walter Payton, maybe?"
After the game, a new story emerged (without mention or alteration of the previous story even). I would assume that if USC was the GREATEST TEAM EVER, that since Texas beat them they would inherit that title? No you say? Silence abounded about that. Best not to rehash the past I guess. But what emerged after the game was more of the same, just new names. 'Vince Young should go Pro- he'll go #1', 'Vince Young is the greatest college quarterback I have ever seen' , 'This was the greatest college football game I've ever seen, let alone bowl game' , etc.
I heard all of those things said last night by various announcers and experts. Of course those same experts were too busy singing the praises of the mighty Trojans before the game to make those statements. There seems to be a bit of a credibility issue when one announcer, commentator, expert, or sports anchor makes bold statements before the game and then follows those up after the game with new statements jumping on the bandwagon of the new GREATEST TEAM EVER, GREATEST QUARTERBACK EVER, GREATEST FOOTBALL GAME EVER PLAYED.
It all just seems a little tired and old. I mean that is whay the games are played right? To determine things on the field? Texas was insulted repeatedly before the game was even played. ESPN and others made it sound like there was no reason to even play. It was a foregone conclusion. They should have tabled their discussion of the greatest team ever until after they played.
Sorry about the long-winded diatribe, but I couldn't go without venting on this.
Now maybe it is just me, but I get a little tired of that oft repeated tag line thrown out there by media types and 'experts'. It is one thing alltogether to have a favorite team, or a favorite dynasty in college ball, but it gets old to keep seeing the experts (since they act as such!) to keep jerking off over every new team of the day. Since when did it become necessary to quantify, identify, and qualify every team to ever suit up as the greatest ever? It never works out.
Last night was great for me and for Texas for that very reason. ESPN, as well as countless other sports news services have been fawning over USC all year. USC was a great team. I repeat: they were/are a great team. They won a lot of games. They had a lot of talented players. They certainly deserve everything they have gotten. But the agenda-less
news-hounds of the world couldn't just say that? No. Instead they ran a poll to see how would USC stack up against the teams of the past with equal or similar accomplishments. All before USC had even played and beaten the last team on their schedule. One could argue that USC was the beneficiary of a favorably weak schedule as much as they were of having the ultimate talent pool ever assembled in college football. One could argue that they would have had a tougher road to travel had they perhaps been in the Big Ten or the Acc or the SEC. One could argue that it is increasingly easier for a player to win the Heisman putting up gawdy numbers against inferior opponents every week coupled with a news media that gets a notion in their head that a particular team is the greatest ever and airs an infinite number of nationally released stories proclaiming such. I do not dicount what Reggie Bush did in any way. I would have voted for him myself if given a Heisman vote. I'm just saying.... He looked somewhat more pedestrian and less God-like once he went up against a stout defense and an equally talented offense.
Even throwing all that aside. The announcers could let go of their most sacredly held story-line: that of the greatest such-and-such ever. Before the game it was USC is the best of all time. Matt Lienhart was one of the best of all time. Reggie Bush sweepstakes permeated all of the NFL draft talk. He was going #1 no matter what. "Who is he the most like?- Walter Payton, maybe?"
After the game, a new story emerged (without mention or alteration of the previous story even). I would assume that if USC was the GREATEST TEAM EVER, that since Texas beat them they would inherit that title? No you say? Silence abounded about that. Best not to rehash the past I guess. But what emerged after the game was more of the same, just new names. 'Vince Young should go Pro- he'll go #1', 'Vince Young is the greatest college quarterback I have ever seen' , 'This was the greatest college football game I've ever seen, let alone bowl game' , etc.
I heard all of those things said last night by various announcers and experts. Of course those same experts were too busy singing the praises of the mighty Trojans before the game to make those statements. There seems to be a bit of a credibility issue when one announcer, commentator, expert, or sports anchor makes bold statements before the game and then follows those up after the game with new statements jumping on the bandwagon of the new GREATEST TEAM EVER, GREATEST QUARTERBACK EVER, GREATEST FOOTBALL GAME EVER PLAYED.
It all just seems a little tired and old. I mean that is whay the games are played right? To determine things on the field? Texas was insulted repeatedly before the game was even played. ESPN and others made it sound like there was no reason to even play. It was a foregone conclusion. They should have tabled their discussion of the greatest team ever until after they played.
Sorry about the long-winded diatribe, but I couldn't go without venting on this.
