SEC Football Question for Harry

[Joe Biden 2020]

Why do most of the SEC schools like to schedule a glorified scrimmage in late November?  I agree with Game Day that the committee should penalize the schools who do this.  It's one thing to schedule them in early September, but in November you're trying to build your postseason resume.  If they want a week off, they should just schedule a bona-fide bye week, not an FCS school.  Missouri and Mississippi State are doing it correctly by scheduling SEC schools this week.  But, schools like Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, and Georgia all scheduled weak schools.  It doesn't make any sense.

[7,052,770]

I think it's because they want to get rested up for their rivalry games the next weekend.

But I agree, we as a conference should cut out FCS games altogether. We already (correctly) feast on the Sun Belt and CUSA schools enough. And maybe we could mandate no OOC games in November.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I think it's because they want to get rested up for their rivalry games the next weekend.

But I agree, we as a conference should cut out FCS games altogether. We already (correctly) feast on the Sun Belt and CUSA schools enough. And maybe we could mandate no OOC games in November.

I have no problem with an FCS school in the first couple weeks of September (especially a team like North Dakota State).  My beloved Oklahoma does that, but when conference games start in late September/early October, the FCS should be left to their own conference.  I applaud what Missouri, Miss State, and Ole Miss did by scheduling SEC opponents this week when the "big boys" scheduled cupcakes.

[bullmoose88]

Believe it or not this isn't directed at you in particular Bushie, though your comment reminded me of this issue I have...am I wrong to think it a violation for someone to like a team from a collegiate institution they didn't attend?

The most classic examples I can think of in my personal experience are a) Notre Dame fans, and  b) people who attended Penn State satellite campuses but love the main campus football team and do the whole "we are Penn State" schtick.  It's sort of related to, I didn't attend large relatively local public (or even only game in town private school) institution X but i like them anyway...which again, sorry Bushie, I also have a problem with.

More borderline is the old..."well my brother/sister/parent went there" rationale. 

Am I alone in this?  (GET OFF MY LAWN KIDS)

[Paul Kemp]

Believe it or not this isn't directed at you in particular Bushie, though your comment reminded me of this issue I have...am I wrong to think it a violation for someone to like a team from a collegiate institution they didn't attend?

The most classic examples I can think of in my personal experience are a) Notre Dame fans, and  b) people who attended Penn State satellite campuses but love the main campus football team and do the whole "we are Penn State" schtick.  It's sort of related to, I didn't attend large relatively local public (or even only game in town private school) institution X but i like them anyway...which again, sorry Bushie, I also have a problem with.

More borderline is the old..."well my brother/sister/parent went there" rationale.  

Am I alone in this?  (GET OFF MY LAWN KIDS)

You are not alone, friend.

[Indy Texas]

Believe it or not this isn't directed at you in particular Bushie, though your comment reminded me of this issue I have...am I wrong to think it a violation for someone to like a team from a collegiate institution they didn't attend?

The most classic examples I can think of in my personal experience are a) Notre Dame fans, and  b) people who attended Penn State satellite campuses but love the main campus football team and do the whole "we are Penn State" schtick.  It's sort of related to, I didn't attend large relatively local public (or even only game in town private school) institution X but i like them anyway...which again, sorry Bushie, I also have a problem with.

More borderline is the old..."well my brother/sister/parent went there" rationale. 

Am I alone in this?  (GET OFF MY LAWN KIDS)

No, you are not alone.

If you didn't go to college or went to a dinky liberal arts college or a podunk state school that nobody cares about, well, they play pro football on Sundays - pick a team and throw yourself into that.

[Paul Kemp]

Well I don't think there's an issue watching college football itself, especially if you just like watching the sport and seeing up and coming NFL prospects, but the idea of "adult superfans" and people being diehards who have no connection to the schools is a bit nauseating.

[bullmoose88]

Now I went to a pretentious, expensive (sigh) Liberal Arts college for undergrad, and an ok/decent at best private, less pretentious but no less expensive but better known law school.

Is it a violation if I am a fan of my Law School's teams IF I still let my undergraduate leanings trump it?

[7,052,770]

Believe it or not this isn't directed at you in particular Bushie, though your comment reminded me of this issue I have...am I wrong to think it a violation for someone to like a team from a collegiate institution they didn't attend?

The most classic examples I can think of in my personal experience are a) Notre Dame fans, and  b) people who attended Penn State satellite campuses but love the main campus football team and do the whole "we are Penn State" schtick.  It's sort of related to, I didn't attend large relatively local public (or even only game in town private school) institution X but i like them anyway...which again, sorry Bushie, I also have a problem with.

More borderline is the old..."well my brother/sister/parent went there" rationale. 

Am I alone in this?  (GET OFF MY LAWN KIDS)

No, you are not alone.

If you didn't go to college or went to a dinky liberal arts college or a podunk state school that nobody cares about, well, they play pro football on Sundays - pick a team and throw yourself into that.

College football is a lot more interesting and compelling than the NFL, though. The NFL is so ... sterile. The NFL will never break your heart.

[Paul Kemp]

The NFL will never break your heart.

Well... maybe not yours...

[Boris]

Eh, Harry's basically right (in terms of the heartbreak). College Football tends to be the most popular in boring/horrible areas of the country (Madison, Ann Arbor, Iowa City, Columbus, Austin, and Eugene are probably the only exceptions), forming the primary component of said area's cultural identity. When Aaron Rodgers throws six TDs against the Bears it's whatever; I still have three other sports teams and [had, when I lived in IL] a gazillion other ways to entertain myself. But if I grew up in places like Tuscaoloosa or Lincoln, wtf else am I going to do but pour my heart and soul into my college team?

[7,052,770]

An NFL team loses a game and it's "meh, whatever." There is so much parity that even the good teams lose 3-4 times a year and even Super Bowl champions have been known to lose 7 times in the same season.

In college football, you probably can't lose more than once and expect to make the playoff, and once might be too many. Case in point, the 4-6 Saints may be more likely (based on objective probability) to make the NFL playoffs than the 10-1 Mississippi State Bulldogs, whose only loss is by 5 on the road at the team ranked #1.

I was sick to my stomach for days when we blew it against Alabama. I shrugged off yet another Saints loss and continued on with my life.