While I am thinking of it, I’d like to dispute a few myths that have reared their ugly heads early in this college football season. For whatever reasons, the vast majority of college football observers seem to believe these to be true, despite strong evidence that suggests otherwise.
Without wasting any more space in introductions, here are the Top 5 pervading myths in college football and why they are not true:
1) Oregon State’s Mike Riley is a “great” coach. How do you figure? Riley is nice to the media and smiles easily, so the media showers him with adulation in return. Whenever the Beavers are mentioned, commentators never miss a chance to tell you what an awesome coach they have.
The Riley cheerleading is getting old. The bottom line is, his teams rise up and win a game they aren’t supposed to win once a while – the USC upset of a few years ago comes to mind -- but they also lose far too many games that they are supposed to win. His 2009 team that went 8-5 had the talent go 11-2 but came up way short of its potential. Riley is 69-56 (55 percent) at Oregon State and hit a new low by losing to Sacramento State in the season-opener. Last week’s 35-0 humiliation at Wisconsin was supposed to be the type of game for which the Beavers give an inspired performance; they aren’t even doing that anymore.
2) Georgia’s Mark Richt is a “bad” coach. The idea that Richt needs to start keeping an eye on his inbox for the pink slip that might be delivered is baffling. He took over the program a decade ago and immediately changed its fortunes for the better. Richt is 96-36 (73 percent) at Georgia, 7-3 in bowl games and 2-1 in BCS bowls. You’d think a 6-7 season mired in injuries and suspensions wouldn’t be the death knell of his career.
It’s understood that Georgia is 0-2. There aren’t a whole lot of teams in the country that wouldn’t have that record after facing Boise State and South Carolina. Georgia would have beaten the Gamecocks by three scores if quarterback Aaron Murray hadn’t gift-wrapped the game for them. Richt can still coach and he can still recruit, as freshman running back Isaiah Crowell proves. Cut Richt some slack.
3) Notre Dame is on the brink of greatness. What I wouldn’t pay to see ESPN hit a permanent mute button on the ubiquitous, senile, in-studio Notre Dame mascot Lou Holtz. At first, his non-stop homerism was sort of charming. Now, it’s pathetic. His Notre Dame ramblings fill up way too much of the airwaves, and he’d have you believe that Notre Dame’s 0-2 start is somehow going to end in a 12-0 finish and BCS title bid.
The Irish are 43-34 since 2005 and likely headed toward a 7-5ish year. There’s no crime in that record, but never has a mediocre program been so widely hailed as something else. How Dayne Crist allegedly beat out Tommy Rees in spring practice, I’ll never know. Rees was the reason the Irish ended last year on a three-game win streak and had deserved optimism heading into this season. Starting Crist was coach Brian Kelly’s first mistake; believing the media’s hype of his team was the second.
4) All the new uniforms are cool. They say if you look good, you feel good. Well, most of the new college football uniforms look bad. The last thing we need is a constant reminder of just how influential The Giant Shoe Company and The Really Big Gear Company are on the game.
I liked the comment last week from the TV broadcaster who noted Penn State’s and Alabama’s jerseys weren’t flashy, but, “When you turn on the TV, at least you know who’s playing.”
5) Taking the ball last in overtime is the “correct” strategy. This has to be most back-ass-ward line of thinking I have ever heard. To wit: “That way, you know exactly what you need to get!”
Since when was this pressure a good thing? How about putting 7 points on the board and forcing your opponent into a do-or-die situation? In poker, chess and even Scrabble, the idea of staying on the attack and forcing your opponent into pressure situations seems to work. Taking the ball second is meek, and puts you in the position of reaction instead of taking action.
Most NFL coaches (except Marty Mornhinweg) take the ball if they win the overtime toss. I realize the NFL uses sudden-death overtime, but I’m just stunned college football coaches don’t see the merit in striking first. I fully intend to celebrate the first time I see a college team choose offense when it wins the overtime toss.
Hopefully, it’s soon.
.....yeah just a simple opinion....I do like your style though....assuming your opinion is fact....and the opposite therefore must be "myth"....greatness
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