Why I'm Rooting For Satan, aka Notre Dame

This morning Kris gave his reasons for rooting for Alabama tonight. Well I'm here folks to tell ya that Kris is just flat out wrong and why everyone should be rooting for Notre Dame.

Like Kris I would normally have no interest in this game. Unlike Kris though I still might not watch it. In truth I hate both of these teams. I hate Notre Dame, their "tradition", their ability to pretend Declan Sullivan wasn't killed on that scissor lift, or that girl who was raped and then killed herself, Brian Kelly, Lou Holts, all of it. I hate Notre Dame. Why I'm rooting for Notre Dame tonight has nothing to do with me liking them and everything to do with my white hot hatred of Nick Saban and Alabama fans. 

And that's the catch. I don't mind Alabama the team. There's no one on that team that I look at and hate. In fact I kinda like a couple of players on that team. This probably has more to do with the fact though I can really only name about three players on Alabama. 

No it comes down to Saban and Alabama/SEC fans. First of all I just don't want to see Saban win another national championship. Do you realize if he wins tonight it will be his third national championship with Alabama and fourth overall? If he wins tonight he'll be in the same class as John McKay and one behind Bear Bryant. 

Really you want a notorious dickhead to win his fourth national championship? Yes I'm well aware that Saban isn't the only prick to win a national championship. Saban though is the ultimate prick. When the NFL was running those excellent "Football Life" shows they did an episode on the 95 Cleveland Browns, a team that Saban was on. During that episode it was revealed that Saban made future Lions coach Jim Schwartz mow the lawn around a pond at the Browns facility even though Schwartz was a coach on the staff. That's the perfect Saban story. He probably didn't even know Schwartz was a coach on that team. 

I'm sorry but no matter what Notre Dame's track record is, I just cannot pull myself to root for a Nick Saban team. I just can't. Rooting for Saban is like rooting for that one asshole at work that has everyone do his dirty work and then he takes all the credit and is rewarded the most. 

And then there is the fans. What a loathsome group of individuals. Their elitism needs to be knocked down a few notches. I can't stand the thought of Alabama or SEC being able to gloat once again about their superiority in college football. 

I'm rooting against Alabama and not for Notre Dame. As you should to because Saban winning another title will be unbearable. 

Why I'm Rooting For Satan, aka Alabama

(Note from 49er16: This post is written by my friend kt1000. I'll have a rebuttal up before the game.)

In a normal times, I would have absolutely no interest in tonight’s BCS National Championship Game. I would blissfully ignore the game and go see Zero Dark Thirty again (a great movie once you get past Scott Hatteberg as a part of Seal Team 6). Two douchey coaches, two uber-arrogant fanbases; a pox on both their houses I should be saying.

And yet, come 8:15 pm, I’ll be in front of my TV like most other sports fans, ready to enjoy another championship coming weeks after both team have fallen of the rhythm of the regular season.

I’ll also be rooting harder in a neutral game then I maybe ever have in my life.

See, while Nick Saban is evil genius, and he has turned Alabama into a school that seemingly stands for nothing but turning out NFL first round picks; the Crimson Tide are by far the lesser evil playing in tonight’s game. In fact, I would go on to say that Bama taking their 3^rd National Championship in 4 years would put a smile on my face and more than make up for the three touchdown loss my Ravens are going to experience in Denver this coming Saturday.

I fucking hate Notre Dame.

Somewhere, buried in these archives, is a story I wrote concerning a game I saw at Notre Dame Stadium years ago, one tinged with nostalgia and a longing for good times gone by. Basically, I fell under the spell of what is known as” Notre Dame Exceptionalism.” Keith probably should have banned me for writing it.

This holds that the school is the bastion of all that is right and pure with college sports, people that only play there to uphold the Notre Dame tradition. That the priests who run the school only accept the best student-athletes, with the emphasis on the student, as opposed to the football factories like, say, Alabama. It is all a sham.

It is a place where rape has been covered up, and led to thesuicide of a young woman. It is a place where a coach sent a young man to deathon a windy afternoon, and somehow managed to escape any repercussion for it because he has been won more games than the previous three coaches. It is a place that is as dirty a place as Alabama, where the secret shady  money from boosters that flows throughout all of college sports runs just as deep and just as hard as your Ohio States, your USC’s, your Floridas. Besides, if you hate the idea of Syracuse being an ACC team, Rutgers in the B1G, or Alaska-Anchorage in the New C-USA (aka Big East), you can blame Notre Dame for that as well. Their decision to blow up the CFA in order to make their own NBC TV deal in 1991 was the starting gun for the conference realignment shitstorm, that is making a mockery of the entire idea of college athletics. And don't get me started on secrets of the dudes who wear that leprechaun costume. 

But, somehow this image never sticks at Notre Dame. It’s still a place where people want to imagine Ned Beatty weeping in gratitude the first time he steps off the bus at the main gate to the stadium, where people want to pretend that there is still an innocent side to college football. That it’s all about a sunny, cool October afternoon. That somehow they are above the seedy underside of the game, and the lowdown grubbers of the SEC, the B1G, the Pac-12 that are only in it for the money.

Notre Dame is no different than the worst of them. But, Notre Dame will look you in the face and try to convince you that it’s about something deeper. It really is not.

Roll Tide. 

National Championship Game Live Blog

Roll Tide/War Eagle Review

I love the recent trend of sports documentaries on either ESPN or HBO. I love them because they talk about sports history and history that I either wasn't alive for yet or was too young to remember. I love learning about sports history and these docs have been very helpful. I've learned something new watching the recent sports documentary.

I bring this up because ESPN aired their last 30 for 30 documentary last night called Roll Tide/War Eagle. The only feeling that I had during this documentary was "meh". Didn't love this doc, didn't hate it. That's because this doc didn't really delve into the history of the Alabama-Auburn rivalry except for the recent history. And that's where this doc falls short in my opinion.

HBO did a wonderful job of telling the complete history of the Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry and the UNC-Duke basketball rivalry. A half hour of each of these documentaries weren't just focused on a specific two year run like 'Roll Tide/War Eagle' was.

Sure 'Roll Tide/War Eagle' focused on a few aspects of the history of the Iron Bowl before the past two years like how neither school played each other for thirty years, Bear Bryant, Bo Jackson turning the rivalry into a fair competition, and the Gene Julks controversy.

The bulk of the documentary though was spent talking about the past two years of the rivalry. So as expected we got a lot of did Cam Newton take money to play at Auburn footage and creepy Harvey "the tree poisoner" Updyke stories.

Maybe it's because these stories just happened, maybe because these are stories that I really didn't want to relive, but this documentary lost me during the last half hour of the program. I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know. Again I watch these documentaries to learn something new. This doc just rehashed what happened in the past two years.

I wanted to learn more about Pat Dye's time at Auburn and his string of success against Alabama. I wanted to learn more about Gene Stallings time at Bama. I wanted to see Tommy Tuberville's string of wins against Bama. Didn't get any of that. 

So in the end 'Roll Tide/War Eagle' left me wanting more. I wanted to know more about the Alabama-Auburn rivalry and I didn't get that. So this doc in the end gave me that "meh" feeling.

Video: Rob Ezell Does One Hell Of A Nick Saban Impersonation

Impersonations can be difficult. When done well they're impeccably funny and spot on. Alabama walk-on Rob Ezell perfectly impersonated Nick Saban. Ezell will probably just be a special teams player this year, but he'll always have a place in my heart. By the way, I'm sure the Nicktator wasn't very impressed with that impersonation. (Via Dr. Saturday)

The Links

Abigail Clancy to start the mourning...... The lost season for UConn..... Adios Ryan Garko, it's too bad Sabean and Bochy are idiots...... Gary Kubiak to stay with the Texans for a while?....... Chris Johnson wants to be the higgest paid running back...... John Wall should be trained to handle the media..... NASA would be affected by budget cuts...... Grammy ratings up because of Lady Gaga and MJ tribute...... Sandra Bullock and 'Transformer' earn Razzie nominations...... Rip Torn headed to rehab after being arrested...... Jersey Shore to return for a 2nd season, yes!..... Obama sure does like to bow down to people

Eighteen years ago: The day that changed the NHL (SB Nation)

Potential D-League replacements for Chris Paul (Ridiculous Updside)

A beautiful tribute to friendship and sports (Rock M Nation)

2010 Senior Bowl fallout (Big Cat Country)

Kiffins recruiting class is imploding while UCLA fans are giddy (Bruins Nation)

Ken Whisenhunt offered Warner the Favre deal (Larry Brown Sports)

A guide to Super Bowl prop bets (Kissing Suzy Kolber)

Is there a Canadian media conspiracy against the Capitals? (Puck Daddy)

Alabama is still teasing Texas over the national championship game (Dr. Saturday)

100,000 hookers have descended to South Florida for the Super Bowl (The Big Lead)

Spoof of the Tebow Super Bowl commercial (With Leather)

College Football Open Thread: BCS National Championship Game

Posted by JFein because 49er16's computer is still being attended to by the Geek Squad

After the weeks of talk, previews, and hype, the day has finally come. For better or worse, a national champion team will be crowned tonight in Pasadena. Will the Horns Hook 'Em or will the Tide Roll?

Join us for the live blog unless you are one of the 12,324 trolls or spammers that have been showing up at the open threads over the past few days. If you troll or spam, we will ban you.

The Links

Marisa Miller is a nice way to start the mourning..... So long Brad Penny, it was nice knowing you..... Vinny Del Negro's time in Chicago could be running out.....With the game on the line, Flacco stumbles...... Nothing comes easy for the Packers..... Five issues for the next NCAA president..... Think the Patriots will use this column as motivation?...... The Trail Blazers are starting to become a sinking ship

Martin Brodeur: The greatest hockey goalie of all-time (SB Nation)

England will serve 80% British food at the 2012 Olympics. The athletes are not too pleased because British food sucks (BBC)

A.I.'s Philly homecomming was ruined by one of this former teams (Denver Stiffs)

Inside a typical night at the NBA on TNT (Sports Media Watch)

Caroline Wozniacki showing off her bikini body (Guyism)

Tiger Woods sexing mistresses with no condoms? No Tiger no!!! (Black Sports Online)

Baseball opening day in Australia? (SI)

A blond women has been taken from Tiger's house in a ambulance (Sports by Brooks)

Ray Rice doesn't like Green Bay. Think he realizes he plays in Baltimore? (PFT)

Why a 96 team NCAA tournament is a horrible idea (Rush the Court)

In a not so surprising move, Vegas likes Alabama over Texas (Dr. Saturday)

I can't imagine David Stern is too pleased seeing one of his owners go through a table on WWE Raw? Then again, it was only Mark Cuban.

Saint Timmy In Tears As the Gators Season Goes Down the Drain

So much for Florida being the chosen team. And so much for Tim Tebow winning a third national championship in four years. The Florida Gators were beat 32-13 by Alabama who claim a spot in the National Championship game.

The picture and video of the night from this game, will be Tebow crying on the sideline as Alabama took a knee to ice the game.



While the video and pictures are certainly funny, who doesn't like seeing men cry, I will miss Tebow in college football. Say all you want about how the media fairly or unfairly fawned all over him, but get one thing straight, he was special to watch. Admit it, your going to miss Tebow.

Your going to miss that shovel pass to Hernandez. Your going to miss that option play Tebow used to run with Percy Harvin. And your going to miss Tebow running over defenders. Call him overrated all you want, but he was special to watch. And you knew whatever game he was in, it was special to witness it.

Now I really don't know what type of NFL career Tebow will have. And I don't know whether or not he will play quarterback. And to tell you the truth, I don't care. I do consider it an honor to watch Tebow in his four years at Florida, despite the constant media attention he received. He was special to watch and he only has one more game left in his special college career.

College Football Links

Ah, football has finally returned. Specifically college football. So let's get the day started with college football specific links, to start the day. Throughout the day I will update you on the action, across the nation.

What to look for from Alabama (AL.com)

USC's Matt Barkley will feel the heat in his first college start (LA Times)

Chip Kelly shows great leadership by suspending Blount (OregonLive.com)

Pass happy Oklahoma goes against the original pass happy school BYU (Oklahoman)

Stakes are high for both Michigan and Michigan State (Detroit News)

Ohio State will have trouble against Navy's triple-option (Columbus Dispatch)

People are showing up for the debut of Paulus (Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician)

Bring it Oklahoma (Vanquish The Foe)

Not the way Washington State wanted to start their season: 13 players sick which could be Swine Flu (The Olympian)

College football picks (Mr. College Football)

"The Punch" took the spotlight off of Rich Rodriguez and Michigan for a while (CFT)

Great special teams will be on display between Alabama and Virginia Tech (Rivals)

The Links

Alexis Bledel to start the week.... 'Inglorious Basterds' slays the box office.... Do Americans ever win this event?.... Milla Jovovich single life, bites the dust.... Find this guy who illegally shot an Grizzly Bear.... Bernie Madoff is dying of cancer in prison

Can the NCAA investigate you for taking a fishing trip? (The Big Lead)

JaMarcus Russell will start for the Raiders at the beginning of the season (PFT)

DirecTV will no longer carry Versus (LA Times)

A look at baseball players who tried to cover up their injuries staring, Jeff Kent, Clint Barmas, and Cole Hamels (ESPN)

Time for Memphis to find a new A.D. after the Calipari mess. (Commercial-Appeal)

There could be a lockout in the horizon for the NFL (NY Times)

Anything exciting happen at the Little League World Series? (Fire Andy Reid Now!)

A look at the quarterback battles in the NFL (Shutdown Corner)

NBA owners are making it rain (Reds Army)

Advice for Plaxico before he goes to prison (The Big Picture)

Eric Bruntlett turned an unassisted triple play yesterday to end the the Phillies-Mets game

The Links

That's Alyssa Milano, in case you didn't know. She is at a book-signing for her new "tell all" book about her relationships with Baseball players.... Detroit Tigers have released Garry Sheffield... Tony Bennett left Washington St. for more money.... Dwight Howard is still a beast.... Jay Cutler forfeits a lotof money

- Now NBA owners are giving themselves bonuses (Sports by Brooks)

- Dick Vitale is dancing to Detroit (Awful Announcing)

- Anthony Grant is both a quality and historical hire at Alabama (AL.com)

- The worst of the night in the NBA (Basketbawful)

- Shawn Johnson is having a couple of rough weeks (Deadspin)

- Cal is selling photos of our favorite pole vaulter (Busted Coverage)

- A female basketball player had an "O-gasm" last night (HHR)

- The Big Picture doesn't like Kid Rock

- Poor Economy + Needy Women = Strippers (Stiles Points)

- Todd McShay should be very afraid (The Sports Hernia)

- Having fun with the gator girls (College OTR)

This idiot attempts a backflip. Guess how many attempts before he finally lands one:

Alabama Coach Mark Gottfried Has Quit?

Alabama men's basketball coach Mark Gottfried has resigned as the coach of Crimson Tide according to SI.com.

Gottfried has quit after 11 seasons coaching his Ala mater. He leaves after both fan and player criticism came after losing seasons and the departure of Ronald Steele.

As I said last week, the departure of Ronald Steele would be the deathblow to Gottfried. There were to many questions around Steele's departure and many fingers started to point in Gottfried's direction. Plus with Alabama struggling the past couple of years and struggling this year, Gottfried would probably been fired after the season.

You will start hearing former Kentucky coach Tubby Smith's name start dropping as a replacement for Gottfried. He knows Alabama AD Mal Moore so his name will be the logical choice. You will start hearing Smith's name a lot till Alabama finds their next coach. This should be an interesting development.

You Can't Blame Ronald Steele

It's the same old story. A college basketball player gets worn down by his coach and then abruptly leaves. Add Ronald Steele to the list.

Ronald Steele is a former player for Alabama. He would routinely play 40 minutes a game during his first two seasons. Then he needed knee surgery. Then he needed another knee surgery. Sat out an entire season and tried to make a comeback this season. Plantar faciitis and his rehabbed knee slowed down his game and he decided to leave Alabama.

Bill Bryant of the Huntsville Times, says "can you blame him".

Bryant says: "Can you blame a guy who spent close to 40 minutes per game on the basketball court during his first two years in Tuscaloosa? Then, during his junior year, when his sore knees became an issue, he was still out there for more than 30 a night?"

He goes on to say: "Betrayed by his body, Steele has gone from a dual-threat point guard to one that has trouble defending and settles too easily for 3-point attempts. His shooting percentages - 47.3 percent as a freshman, 41.6 as a sophomore, 38.4 as a junior and 36.6 this season - reflect his diminished skills, something his heady, old-school savvy can't overcome."

Alabama coach Mark Gottfried's entire Alabama coaching career lately has relied on Steele. There has been a lot of speculation that if Alabama couldn't reach the tournament Gottfried would be out of a job.

"Some may question why he left unfinished business on the court, but during his tenure as Alabama's point guard, Steele has always thought about the team first."

You can't blame Steele. His whole basketball career is flashing in front of his eyes and he still has a broken down body. He needs to collect his thoughts for he can come back with a team stronger than ever.

The Links

Utah rolled the tide in the Sugar Bowl... Marbury to the Celtics?.... Lebron and Cavs still perfect at home... The recession could be over soon?

- Alabama went home with their tail between their legs after last night's loss to Utah (AL.com)

- Utah's win was biggest ever for school (Salt Lake Tribune)

- The Cardinals finally sold out their game (NY Times)

- Adruw Jones and the Dodgers are splitting up (LA Times)

- Nepotism starts early for these high schoolers (NBCSports.com)

- Georgetown is at it again (The Big Lead)

- John Travolta's son died (ABCnews.com)

- Probation and one crazy picture for Heather Locklear (BBCnews.com)

- Viacom almost pulled MTV and other channels from airwaves (MSNBC.com)

Alabama Player Suspended

The best offensive lineman in the country, Alabama's Andre Smith, was suspended for the Sugar Bowl. Coach Nick Saban didn't go into a lot of detail on which rules where broken.

“The University of Alabama, the team and the football program are more important than any individual player,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said in a statement Monday. “Everyone on our team depends on each other to be responsible, to make good choices and decisions relative to their actions.”

Smith is a junior and is expected to forgo his senior year. He is expected to be a high draft choice for an NFL team.

With Smith's suspension though, Alabama's chances in the Sugar Bowl have been hampered. While they are still expected to beat Utah, without Smith this could be a difficult. Alabama already averages less than a sack and a half per game, but without Smith John Parker Wilson's backside will be UN-protected.

This will be an interesting sub plot in this year's Sugar Bowl.

College Football Links

(What are you looking at?)

- Bob Stoops has a past at the Orange Bowl in Miami (KC Star)
- Alabama has to respect Utah (The Huntsville Times)

- Washington was introduced to Steve Sarkisian yesterday (Seattle Times)

- Bob Stoops hasn't had any recent luck in the BCS games (The Oklahoman)

- Texas is the latest victim of the BCS (Austin American Statesman)

- Ranking the bowls from worst to first (Rivals.com)

The Mourning After: Final Weekend of College Football

Barring any sort of computer breakdown, Oklahoma and Florida will meet in the national championship game.

Everyone and their mother will pick Florida over Oklahoma and with good reason. Their win was more impressive.

The Legend Grows: With Alabama taking a four point lead over Florida and controlling most of the clock in the 3Rd quarter. You would think Florida would counter that with quick touchdowns wouldn't you. Wrong. Florida controlled the clock and ate up 5 minutes and scored the game winning touchdown. They added another score to put the game out of Alabama's reach. The Crimson Tide have nothing to hang their heads on. They improved vastly this year and only have room to improve. And with Nick Saban as their coach and lead recruiter, I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the SEC championship game next year.

Will They Get Exposed: Whitlock had a great column today talking about how Missouri's spread offense got exposed by defenses that can get pressure and make open field tackles. He also talked about how Oklahoma could get exposed by Florida. Sam Bradford and the rest of the Big 12 quarterbacks have had great years because of the week defenses in the conference. But if they face a tough defense that can get pressure Bradford might get exposed. He doesn't have the arm strength or accuracy to deal with the pressure. This should be an intriguing matchup.

Their Is Only Room For Improvement: While UCLA lost again to USC, their is only room to improve for this team. A young offensive line and injuries hurt this team this season. If Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow can find a great quarterback look out, the monopoly in LA could end. While the Rose Bowl will get a great matchup between USC and Penn St.

If They Provide It, Then Don't Come: Virginia Tech and Boston College played in the ACC championship yesterday in an half-full Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The ACC championship has been an utter disappointment since its foundation. It doesn't help though that neither Florida St. or Miami haven't played in it. But Florida is just not ACC territory. North Carolina is ACC territory, and hopefully for the ACC when their championship moves to Charlotte in 2010, the stadium will be full.

East Carolina Is Still Relevant: After beating West Virginia and Viriginia Tech in the opening weeks, East Carolina looked like a team heading for a BCS berth. But after a loss to N.C. State the bottom fell out. They eventually recovered and won the Conference USA east division tittle. Yesterday they forced Tulsa into seven turnovers and won the Conference outright.

Player of the Week: While Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford both had great games, Cal running back Jahvid Best had the best day. He ran for 317 yards on 17 caries and four touchdowns, beating a horrible Washington team. While I know the SEC likes to proclaim that they have the fastest players in college, Jahvid Best might be the fastest player in college football.

Going Out In Style: Last week Phil Fulmer lead Tennessee to a win in his last game. So this week it was up to Tyrone Willingham. And good ole Ty definitely went out in style. He watched his team lose 48-7 and give up 300 yards to Best. He won't be missed in Washington.

Heisman Watch:

1. Tim Tebow, Florida

2. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma

3. Colt McCoy, Texas

4. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech

5. Javon Ringer, Michigan St.

Bow Projections:

National Championship Game: Florida vs. Oklahoma

Rose Bowl: USC vs. Penn St.

Orange Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Texas

Fiesta Bowl: Ohio St. vs. Utah

The bowl picks come out today and we will report on it then.

College Football Links

- The Spread offense turns decent quarterbacks into statistical legends (KC Star)

- UCLA showed against USC that there are better days ahead (LA Times)

- Saban accepted responsibility for Alabama's loss yesterday (Scarblog.com)

- The Willingham era is finally over in Washington (Seattle Times)

- The Final weekend winners and losers (Rivals.com)

College Football Must List

Well it is always a sprint to the end of a season in college football. And we are headed to the finish line. There will be championship games played and some hold over regular season games. But the SEC championship game and Big 12 Championship game will be the focal points of this weekend.

Who's wills will overcome the challenge: Florida's offense or the Alabama Defense: I said yesterday that I liked Alabama because of their defense. The Alabama is lead by their 3RD ranked defense that is averaging 11.5 points per game. The Florida offense is also 3RD ranked that is averaging 46.3 points per game. This will be a battle of wills and I think Nick Saban's will is stronger. His defense will pressure Tim Tebow and force him to make mistakes. When Tebow is pressured he does not make the best throws and the entire Florida offense literally runs through him. Alabama will win this game.

Will the Big 12 Championship pull another surprise: Just ask the 2003 undefeated Oklahoma team that was hammered by Kansas St. in the Big 12 Championship game. The 1996 Nebraska team also felt the wrath of the Big 12 Championship game. While Missouri has been disappointing and did loose to Kansas last week at Arrowhead Stadium, where the championship game will be played this year, they will have a home field advantage. The weather will be miserable and could slow down the up-tempo Oklahoma offense. This game will be the most interesting game of the weekend.

After the end of the weekend most of the questions will be answered. We will know who will be playing in the BCS games. So have a fun time watching the last weekend of college football.