end-of-season games

[franksolich]

This week, November 18-24, isn't really the end of the season, because there's Army-Navy wrapping it all up on December 8, but usually, generally the week of Thanksgiving is, for all practical purposes, the end of the season.

There's a few between November 25-December 1, but they don't seem to count for much.

The upcoming big games this week:

Texas Christian-Texas; Texas is probably favored, but as one has no fondness for Texas, one hopes Texas Christian wins.

Nebraska-Iowa; bah humbug, what a lame end of the season opponent for Nebraska.

Louisiana State-Arkansas; I dunno if that's a rivalry or not, but probably Louisiana State'll win.

Utah-Colorado; this should evolve into a rivalry; Colorado's never going to be good enough to play with the traditional class teams.

West Virginia-Iowa State; how poor West Virginia got saddled with Iowa State, I dunno.

Washington-Washington State; an ancient first-class rivalry; probably Washington.

Arizona State-Arizona; who cares, they're from parvenu Arizona, with no history or tradition.

Stanford-UCLA; I dunno if this is a classic rivalry or not, but I bet Stanford upsets.

Oregon-Oregon State; see comment about Arizona State-Arizona, above, same thing.  Ho-hum.

Virginia-Virginia Tech; given my favoritism for teams whose last name is "Tech," I hope the home team wins.

Georgia Tech-Georgia; another "Tech," and so I hope they pull an upset.

Illinois-Northwestern; Northwestern'll probably run away with this one.

Michigan-Ohio State; it has to be Ohio State, much greater than Michigan, past, present, and future.

Indiana-Purdue; probably Purdue.

Kentucky-Tennessee; Tennessee lost to Vanderbilt, so probably no matter how bad Kentucky is, as Kentucky usually is, Kentucky wins.

Florida-Florida State; Florida has history, Florida State not, so one hopes for Florida.

Michigan State-Minnesota; oddly, probably Minnesota's going to win this one.

Oklahoma State-Oklahoma; Oklahoma, of course.  It goes without saying.

Wisconsin-Penn State; alas, poor Wisconsin, which like Nebraska deserves a first-class, top-notch end-of-season game, and this isn't it.  Perhaps Iowa and Penn State should play as their season-enders, and Nebraska and Wisconsin as theirs.

Auburn-Alabama; Bear Bryant was the best coach in the history of college football; Go, Alabama!

Mississippi State-Mississippi; I'm not going to touch this one with a ten-foot primitive.

South Carolina-Clemson; a hard one to pick, but one hopes South Carolina.

Missouri-Texas A&M; this could become the major rivalry of both teams, given that Missouri no longer plays Kansas, and Texas A&M Texas, and given that they're both considered undesirables by the snobs of the Southeastern Conference, the "leftovers."  One hopes Missouri wins, but expects Texas A&M to.

Notre Dame-Southern California; nobody, but nobody, could ever cheer for Notre Dame other than their alumni.

Yale 24, Harvard 34, yesterday, November 17, end of their seasons.

Lehigh 38, Lafayette 21, yesterday, November 17, end of their seasons. 

[JohnnyReb]

South Carolina-Clemson; a hard one to pick, but one hopes South Carolina.

No matter what kind of season either team has had....all is forgiven if they win that one. They used to play this game in the state capitol on a Thursday while the state fair was being held. That day was called "Big Thursday", but then back around  1958 a helleva  a fight broke out after the game involving everyone in the stadium... ...so since that time it's been the last game of the season so everyone will have time to get well before the next years games begin. Wouldn't want any fans to miss any football games due to some minor injuries you know.

BTW: I was there with my Boy Scout Troop that day but we missed the fight. Our scout master had marched us out before the game was over in the hopes that he wouldn't lose any of us in the crowd. We were on the cattle truck headed home when we heard about the fight. There were so many cop cars and highway patrol cars headed toward the stadium that the scout master stopped and asked what was happening...... ......the rednecks and the city slickers were having it out....

ETA: Some history and some post Civil War "Politics" in the first few paragraphs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina%E2%80%93Clemson_rivalry.

[BlueStateSaint]

Notre Dame-Southern California; nobody, but nobody, could ever cheer for Notre Dame other than their alumni.

I had thought that it's a canon of the Roman Catholic Church in America that Catholics had to pull for Notre Dame . . .

[Mike220]

Washington-Washington State; an ancient first-class rivalry; probably Washington.

Fixed

U-Dub is leading that rivalry 67-31-6 and I don't see them breaking their streak this year to a 2-9 Wazzu.

[debk]

Kentucky-Tennessee; Tennessee lost to Vanderbilt, so probably no matter how bad Kentucky is, as Kentucky usually is, Kentucky wins. 

It was horrible to lose to Vandy.

Losing to Kentucky?

Coach is already fired, and not going to be there, which is a good thing. Otherwise he would probably get tarred and feathered, then run out of town.

[ChuckJ]

Georgia Tech-Georgia

I'm a bigger the GT fan than Georgia fan BUT Georgia has a chance (though extremely slim) of making it to the championship game so I've got to pull for Georgia.

South Carolina-Clemson

I like the ball coach so I've also got to go with Carolina.

My answer brings to mind a question that JohnnyReb maybe can answer. I have never given it any thought before, but around my part of Georgia most people refer to South Carolina as simply 'Carolina'. North Carolina is usually always called North Carolina. Is there any reason for this?

Missouri-Texas A&M

I like A&M for some reason.

Notre Dame-Southern California

I used to hate Notre Dame. The hatred left when they beat Miami (a team I loathe) back in 80s. Since them I've come to be a fan.

[franksolich]

I just saw Maryland's joining the Big 10.  Why?

And Rutgers is expected to follow.  Why?

Why even have conferences if this sort of thing keeps going on?

Two parvenus; I can't believe the traditional teams, teams with history, of the Big 10, are letting them in.

[franksolich]

Akron 23
Toledo 35 (Tuesday)

Texas Christian 20
Texas 13 (Thursday)

[franksolich]

Syracuse 17, Temple 13, second quarter

Ohio 6, Kent State 21, second quarter

Nebraska 3, Iowa 0, first quarter

[franksolich]

Oopsy-doops.

Nebraska 3, Iowa 6, first quarter.

[franksolich]

Nebraska 3, Iowa 7, first quarter

[franksolich]

Nebraska 27-12-2 against Iowa.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Go freaking Horned Frogs! So proud of my alma mater last night! And Frank, yes, no one roots for Texas unless they went to school there.

Sorry about the Huskers at the moment...

[BigTex]

Go freaking Horned Frogs! So proud of my alma mater last night! And Frank, yes, no one roots for Texas unless they went to school there.

Sorry about the Huskers at the moment...

What? I know a bunch of people that didnt go to Texas that root for them. Especially after 2005

[Ralph Wiggum]

What? I know a bunch of people that didnt go to Texas that root for them. Especially after 2005

True, sorry BigTex!  Was just so thrilled with the win last night, I had my Horned Frog colored glasses on for that post.

[BigTex]

True, sorry BigTex!  Was just so thrilled with the win last night, I had my Horned Frog colored glasses on for that post.

Congrats on the win, watch out though if yall get too good Texas will refuse to play yall

[franksolich]

Well, damn, I wonder what happened to Nebraska.

Nebraska 13, Iowa 7, apparently the final score.

Someone mentioned the wind was really bad over in Iowa City this afternoon.

[franksolich]

Okay, Nebraska goes to the Big 10 title game, but I'm out of the loop.

Who are the possible opponents?

You know, I was going to try to figure out this really stupid Legends and Legacy division, but I bet with the addition of Maryland and Rutgers to the Big 10, it gets messed up again, and so it's probably a good thing I didn't bother wasting time trying to figure it out.

I really wish Maryland and Rutgers would've gone to the Ivy League instead, as that's more like where they belong.  (Of course, probably the snobbish Ivy League didn't invite them anyway.)

But after this narrow win over Iowa, it's sort of embarrassing that Nebraska's considered the best team in the Big 10--Ohio State excepted, for obvious reasons.

[BigTex]

Okay, Nebraska goes to the Big 10 title game, but I'm out of the loop.

Who are the possible opponents?

It will be Wisconsin

But after this narrow win over Iowa, it's sort of embarrassing that Nebraska's considered the best team in the Big 10--Ohio State excepted, for obvious reasons.

A win is a win, and Nebraska is 10-2 with 1 loss being to the undefeated Ohio State thats pretty good. But the big 10 is down this year and has been losing ground for a bit thats a big part of why they added Maryland and Rutgers to expand their TV exposure and recruiting base.

[franksolich]

It will be Wisconsin

Thanks, sir; I've been preoccupied with a whole lot of other things, and wasn't keeping track.

[franksolich]

Whoops.

Washington 7, Washington State 10, second quarter.

[Mike220]

Well, all right then. 

[franksolich]

Well, all right then. 

Yeah.

That surprised me too, Washington 28, Washington State 31, final.

[franksolich]

I see that dumping the old stale Big 12 for the hip trendy cool with-it Pacific 12 isn't working out well for Colorado.

Utah 42, Colorado 35, final.

Too bad for Colorado, which along with Penn State has the sorriest-assed fans.

[franksolich]

Arizona State 41, Arizone 34, final.

Ho-hum.

Two more teams trying to buy "instant" tradition.