Winners and losers determined already? So none of the schools have to play games anymore?
That's kind of the sad a$$ vibe you get from sports media anymore. It's all a big hype machine. If hype was all that matters, then Riley has already failed, Ohio State isn't the current national champion, and the Big Ten West cant compete with the SEC. All three are bullsh#t. I'm glad it's all settled on the field between the coaches and the players and not on message boards or by cocky bastards in suits on tv sets.
Eh, it's just the vibe of guys talking about sports in the off-season. If speculation, name-calling and cocky bastards are off the table, we better shut this board down.
I don't see anyone in the national sports media suggesting Riley has already failed. Most are pretty upbeat about the hire, which was unexpected in all quarters.
I see the national sports media heaping praise on Ohio State, elevating Urban Meyer above even Nick Saban, and generally admitting that the prognosticators -- including themselves -- had the season wrong. Paul Finebaum himself told the SEC nation they'd been whipped fair and square. By a third string quarterback. The "myth" of SEC dominance was based on a pretty good run and a pretty deep conference. No one is denying it ultimately gets settled on the field. That's why they play the games, and why Pat Forde ends his piece with "we'll see."
Did anyone suggest Ohio State
wasn't the current national champion? Honestly don't know what media you guys are consuming.
I think it's a sadder-a$$ vibe when Nebraska fans go to extreme lengths to find perceived slights from some monolithic national entity.
And sports without hype? What would that even look like?
You're having a very hard time with the context of the conversation.
There was no hype around Ohio St. They hardly made it into the playoff. Even after the playoff, many questioned enter they belonged. Hard point to argue now. After the fact.
I'm not wasting my time explaining the lack of hype around the Big Ten West or how the discussion changed after the Bowl games. If you missed all that, you weren't paying attention.
My point about Riley isn't sailing over your head either, but you just seem to have fun trying to create some sort of argument with me lately. This will be the last argument you invite me into that I attend. There isn't a lot of hype around the Riley hire, not comparatively. Thus, the whole context of this conversation and the two comments you quoted for some reason. There's far more hype surrounding other coaching hires.
Which is why I agreed with the point that winners and losers can't be determined until the games are played.
You get a sense from some articles, ESPN analysts, message board posters and other media that some of these situations like we've discussed here ^ have already been determined. As if we know who the winners and losers are. We don't know anything yet. We didnt know Ohio St. was the best team in the country. We didn't know a few Big Ten West teams could compete with the mighty SEC. We don't know that hiring Mike Riley makes us a winner or a loser. Which is why the game is played.
