[NU Sports] Sugar Bowl ...

[John Labbe]

Was Notre Dame selected for the Sugar Bowl due to a "special 
exemption"?  They finished 10-2, ranked in the top 12 of the BCS 
rankings, and were therefore eligible for selection, and the Sugar Bowl 
selected them.  The Sugar Bowl didn't have to select them, but 
obviously if Notre Dame is eligible for selection, they'll almost 
certainly be selected.  But I don't think the rules make it any easier 
for Notre Dame to be "eligible" than any other team.  What it sounds 
like you want to do is tell the Sugar Bowl they can't select Notre Dame 
if there's a higher ranked team even if Notre Dame is eligible for 
selection.  I think that would amount to a "special exclusion."

In any event, I have to say that Charlie Weis really laid a big egg 
both tonight and throughout this whole season.  His team not only lost, 
but got embarrassed, in all three of its marquee matchups.  Even if you 
forgive him for not having a great defense, the offense was nothing 
special, either.

They really ought to fire that guy, but whoops, I guess they already 
signed him to a long-term contract after last season.

John


On Jan 3, 2007, at 11:04 PM, SjT (Stephen J. Truog) wrote:

> Well, looks like a big Bayou blowout for LSU over the
> Evil Empire. Thanks BCS - Roll Tigers!:)
>
> I tell you, LSU has a LOAD of talent there, but they
> just seem to play so sloppy every time I see 'em on TV
> - hence it's not the pasting that Michigan and SC put
> on the Irish. But much like the Fiesta Bowl last year
> where OSU jumped out to a big lead and then fell
> asleep, the Irish may have made a game of it at half,
> but the outcome was never really in doubt.
>
> Instead of Fox constantly hyping the Notre Dame
> "experience" and giving the Doh!mers a 30 minute
> commercial during the last half of the rout, it'd have
> been nice to see them raise the biggest question of
> the night.
>
> Isn't it time the BCS drops their preferential
> treatment of Notre Dame and makes the Irish earn their
> big to their (now-annual) bowl (loss) like every other
> team? Surely Boise State's win showed that it's time
> to give everyone a chance and the Irish should have to
> earn that bid like every other school.
>
> Remember that, had Rutgers won that OT game at WVU,
> there would have been an two 11-1 teams in the top 5-6
> (Louisville and Wisconsin ... both now 12-1) left out
> of the BCS in favor of an Irish team that barely beat
> two mid-bowl teams in UCLA and GaTech and got
> clobbered by the two BCS bowl teams they faced.
>
> They didn't play a tough schedule to earn the bid and
> they certainly didn't show they deserved it on the
> field. So it's time for the B(C)S to end these special
> exemptions for the Irish to sneak into a B(C)S game
> where they show time and time again that they don't
> belong. It's not like they needed ND to sell tickets
> in New Orleans.
>
> They're giving them the big bucks they haven't earned
> (nor will they share, unlike every other team in
> conferences) and leaving more deserving teams out
> who'd give us a better game. Oregon State, Ohio State,
> LSU - how much more do they need to realize that
> everyone should be on equal footing in terms of
> getting BCS consideration.
>
> BTW - I have never seen a team cry as much as the
> Irish did that first half. Samardzija looked more like
> Krybaby Kobe Bryant out there, screaming for a penalty
> every pass play (when often it was #83 in blue pushing
> off). And Weiss wasn't much better. It actually seems
> like most of the calls have gone ND's way from that
> early replay that even Terry Bradshaw could see wasn't
> incomplete to the recent play where Zbikowski horse
> collared ans spub the LSU player out of bounds and it
> was LSU called for unsportsmanlike conduct for
> responding. Sheesh.
>
> Go Big Ten!
> GO CATS!!!
> -SjT
>
> PS - With only one game left, Mark Ament and Neil
> Kaplan are deadlocked for the bowl pool title and both
> picked OSU. No one else is within one, so congrats to
> both for winning the D'Wayne Bates Award. Mark did
> better on Big Ten picks, only missing PSU's win over
> the Vols - and Mark picked Boise State as well - but
> Auburn, Georgia and Florida State's wins helped Neil
> catch up and overcome his pick of Oregon.
>
> * * * * * * * * *
> STEPHEN J. TRUOG
> sjtruog at yahoo.com
> GO CATS!!!
>
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