That was a good story ... TWO FSCKIN DAYS AGO! JT
----- Original Message ----- From: "Joel Perry" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'BamaFan'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "'RollTideFan'" <RTF@RollTideFan.net> Sent: Friday, February 25, 2005 8:49 AM Subject: [RollTideFan] With 7 year deal, why gamble? > Anyone awake these days at Auburn? > Tigers clearly didn't learn from Orange Bowl 'snub' > > COMMENTARY > By Matt Hayes > The Sporting News > Updated: 8:05 p.m. ET Feb. 23, 2005 > > > The e-mails came pouring in from the Plains the day > after Southern > California disposed of Oklahoma and secured the > national title. Auburn was > robbed. Auburn would've given the Trojans a better > game. Auburn this, Auburn > that. Auburn, Auburn, Auburn. > > At this point, I'll introduce Pat Hill. You know him > as Fresno State's brash > and bold coach, a guy who has built a program from the > scrap heap and will > play anyone, any time, any place to gain respect. > > So I placed a call to Hill last week and told him > Auburn just added a home > game against Division I-AA Western Kentucky to > complete its 2005 schedule. > And before I could ask the question, he gave the > answer. > > "We called them," Hill interrupted. "We wanted to play > them. I guess their > schedule was already filled." > > No, it wasn't. Fresno officials called before Auburn > added Western Kentucky, > and Hill is speaking with a politically correct tone > because, well, he'd > love a shot at Auburn somewhere down the road. Yeah, > good luck with that. > Auburn has bigger fish to flop. > > > Like The Citadel. Or Western Kentucky. Or big, bad > Ball State. > > This is why Auburn wasn't one of two teams playing in > the Orange Bowl > national title game last season, why the Tigers were > stuck in the Sugar Bowl > politicking for respect. Respect? Play someone with a > pulse outside your > conference, then we'll talk. > > Wait, I take that back. Aubie played USC in the 2002 > and '03 seasons and > lost by a combined 47-17. The Tigers also played > Georgia Tech in 2003 and > lost 17-3. Hence, the reason for last year's brutal > nonconference slate of > Louisiana-Monroe, The Citadel and Louisiana Tech. And > the reason the Tigers > weren't playing USC in the Orange Bowl. > > Look, Auburn shouldn't have to apologize for its > schedule; it plays in the > SEC, the toughest conference in college football. But > like it or not, teams > must prove themselves outside of their conferences to > earn style points. > It's as much a beauty pageant as it is a demolition > derby. > > Auburn was put in this predicament after Southern Miss > bailed out of a game > because of conflicts with the new Conference USA > schedule. But here's the > hitch: Southern Miss informed Auburn last September. > University officials > knew for five months -- through a magical unbeaten > season, through the > controversy of not being able to play for the national > title because of a > pathetic nonconference schedule -- that they needed a > nonconference game for > 2005, yet they chose to continue down the same path. > > A university spokeswoman says Auburn needs seven home > games per season to > make budget. Fresno State didn't want a game in > return -- "We usually play > on the road; we know that," Hill says -- but Auburn > steered clear of a team > that is 10-8 against BCS teams since 2000. > > Fresno State eventually signed up to play at two-time > defending national > champ USC -- which also will play nonconference games > at Hawaii, against > Arkansas and at Notre Dame. Notice the lack of cupcake > directional schools. > > Albert Einstein once defined insanity as doing the > same thing over and over > again and expecting a different result. Change was > staring Auburn in the > face not so long ago. And the choice was Western > Kentucky. > > (c) 2005 The Sporting News > URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7019705/ > > > _______________________________________________ > RTF mailing list > RTF@rolltidefan.net > http://rolltidefan.net/mailman/listinfo/rtf_rolltidefan.net _______________________________________________ RTF mailing list RTF@rolltidefan.net http://rolltidefan.net/mailman/listinfo/rtf_rolltidefan.net
