InkStainedWretch

Whatever. There is no answer I could give you that would satisfy you.

Basically, I believe college football is a business as much as it is a sport, and I have no problem with that.

I have no problems with the federal courts … and I will remind you that the Supreme Court decision that opened the door to this was 9-0 and that noted left-winger Brett Kavanaugh signaled strongly that he was ready to go even farther toward the players’ side … getting involved in this business/sport and making sure it follows the same laws as any other businesses.

I have no problem with players getting paid and with coaches no longer getting to be absolute dictators over peons, the ones who can’t abide it will get out like Saban and Dabo’s days are numbered.

I do have a problem with the wide-open portal.

I think the biggest reason old-line fans … and I am pushing 70 … are so butt hurt is that while fans certainly “pay the bills,” although the reality is more nuanced than that, they are learning that they never really had any concrete ownership in this stuff like they thought they had and that they aren’t going to be the primary factor in the equation of this sport moving forward, the players are no longer going to be transitory and disposable gladiators whose only purpose is to entertain the fans.

If that squashes some traditions, so be it, because while the devotion to tradition has certainly been part of what makes the sport great, it’s also IMO held it back in ways.

Where we are right now was absolutely inevitable once the money became insane and once the right court case was filed, everything before was a house of cards held together by “tradition.”

Ohio State would not come close to being unbeaten playing a conference schedule in the SEC.

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When you play in the stacked SEC your strength of schedule can be more than enough even if you have 2-3 losses.

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This is what the OP isn’t getting. The SEC is inherently superior to all other conferences, any team can beat any other team on a given day when the planets align, and with a 9-game schedule I am not playing jack caca out of conference.

Again, Indiana is the media darling this year because the media likes underdogs and, especially, likes new faces, and the media is going to ride that to the bitter end. They’ll get dropped like a sizzling tater if they lose.

People have been obsessing that they’re just a bunch of 3 star players compared to our 4 and 5 stars. But if the 4 and 5 stars don’t execute and make mistakes, and the 3 stars execute and don’t make mistakes, who really has the advantage?

I know that but Jack was quoted in the book as basically saying that he thought Arnie was an obstacle he had to destroy to be the greatest golfer in the world which he was determined to be no matter what it took. Again, in hindsight and with more maturity he realized he took it too far although he never stopped being hugely competitive.

I think Amarillo is talking about Western Pennsylvania people who live outside big cities like Pittsburgh, like I’m talking about people who live outside Seattle in Washington.

I’m very confident about this game even though I do think Indiana is a quality team, they’re not just lucky they’re good. But when you get to the second round of the playoffs you’re supposed to be good.

That’s more true in today’s politically polarized environment but there’s also a fatigue factor involved, people outside their fan base despised the Yankees back in the 1950s when they won all those championships, there was even a hit Broadway musical about hating the Yankees.

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We aren't going to be a great rushing offense, but I sure would love to see us be able to run effectively enough to get the play action going and keep teams from playing on the pass. At this juncture, I'd love to see a 3 digit rushing total but just want the primary ball carrier to average 4 per.

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All this …