Auburn Wins, Sooners Lose, Irish on Hard Times

So I finally had a day where I could extensively watch a lot of college football. My focus was on three games though.

I intently viewed the LSU/Auburn game. Why?

I remember when Auburn hired Gene Chizik to replace the departed Tommy Tuberville. The overall feeling around the Auburn fans was a "what the hell" type of reaction. People screamed at AD Jay Jacobs for the hire as seen in this video.




My how two years can change an opinion. Chizik's record at Iowa State was as dismal as you could imagine (5-19). Chizik has proven the doubters wrong and 2010 has delivered an even an even more exciting offense due primarily to Heisman front runner QB Cam Newton. During Auburn's win yesterday, Newton set the SEC record for rushing yards by a QB in a season.

That's right. There was a SEC QB record that Tim Tebow didn't own.

Another game that piqued my attention was the night contest between Oklahoma and Missouri.

Corso back in 2002.

Shortly after ESPN's College Gameday went off the air, Lee Corso evolved into a trending topic on Twitter. Corso, in his ever popular way of picking the winner of the contest with the head of the mascot (or some variable), selected the Sooners even thought the game was in Columbia. Mizzou fans tweeted their disgust. If you're on Twitter, you know how that all works. Some tweets need not even be made.

Well, Corso was proven wrong and the Mizzou fans can rejoice in their tumbling of the #1 team. But a trend has started.

For the third consecutive week, College Gameday visited the campus of the team playing host to the nation's top ranked squad. On all three occasions, the home team knocked off #1. South Carolina took care of defending BCS champs Alabama. Wisconsin started off quickly and dispatched Ohio State. Now, the Tigers dispose of the Sooners.

Oregon better hope Gameday doesn't make it's way to L.A. next week...

But that wasn't the game where my attention was really aimed. That would be Notre Dame and Navy.

Dobbs was vital in Navy's win.

Two years in a row and three of the last four the Midshipmen have defeated the Fighting Irish. I would say a great deal of non-ND supporters more than realize that the Golden Domers have lost their shine on college football. And it has nothing to do with this one loss.

I base that solely on record. Since the last National Championship Lou Holtz brought to the university after the 1988 season, Notre Dame has fallen on hard times.

• Lou Holtz (8 seasons): 75-20-2
• Bob Davie (5 seasons): 35-25-0
• Tyrone Willingham (3 seasons): 21-15-0
• Charlie Weis (5 seasons): 35-27-0
• Brain Kelly (current): 4-3
• Total: 170-90-2 (.649)

Take away Holtz's last 8 years in South Bend and that record is 95-70 while the winning percentage falls substantially to .576. There are some programs that would take that over a 13+ year period. A few might even be ecstatic over such success. The Irish faithful aren't. They demand national titles. Kind of like New York Yankees fans, I suppose.

The main reason I hold such venom toward teams and programs of such ilk are that the fanbase becomes either obnoxious or unrealistic or both.

Titles are won on the field. Not in forums or chatrooms. Or even blogs for that matter.