Mandel, Sweet Mandel
by tasser10 on Nov 14, 2007 12:30 PM PST
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PrintWe here are often harsh on writers in the MSM, who often write without doing any research and never ask tough questions. Stewart Mandel is not always right, but he is often far more knowledgeable about the game than a lot of other writers. This week, in his Mailbag, he has a couple of gems.
How the heck can college football increase the number of games in a season, keep the same bowl eligibility requirements (six wins), and the Pac-10 still not manage to produce enough teams to fill its bowls?--Jeff G., Ellicott City, Md.
Two words, my friend: Karl Dorrell.
It was great meeting you last week at your book signing for Fiesta Bowl volunteers. However, I must admit some disappointment. I was shocked to see Arizona State on the short end of your "Upset Special" pick last week. Never mind that UCLA was coming off two straight losses, but just two days earlier you were on Arizona soil! Being so close to Tempe, did you truly not hear the heartbeat of a team that knows not the meaning of the word "quit?" [...]
--Ari Spiro, Phoenix
[...]
But yeah, I did bomb on that Upset Special. I was convinced that the aforementioned Dorrell was going to pull off one last out-of-nowhere upset before he leaves town. (And of course, he still could, so beware, Oregon and USC.)
A few things here:
- Aside from earning a paycheck that he does not deserve, Toast is now directly costing UCLA AND the Pac-10 revenue that would otherwise come from going to a bowl game.
- So, so, so very sad that UCLA is now relegated to pulling an "out-of-nowhere" upset when it comes to potentially beating Arizona State. How low we have sunk my friends.
- "before he leaves town"...I hope it is as foregone a conclusion as Mandel makes it out to be.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
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How sad
by NickBruin on Nov 14, 2007 1:31 PM PST reply actions
BUT THE RECRUITS
Every argument ever based on keeping him is rooted in the future, as if these people are Miss Cleo or something. All evidence based on the past and present point to a horrible coach that needs to be fired.
I almost prefer
Yes, we may have a very good recruiting class coming in next year. Ok, fine. However, number one, these guys are freshmen. Most freshmen are not superstars, let alone starters, let alone second-stringers. Number two, Dorrell and his staff have not exactly produced a wealth of NFL talent. In other words, you can have the greatest recruits in the world but it's what you do with them that really matters.
The bottom line is this: We could go 0-12 and the Dorrellistas would still clamor to give Dorrell another chance. Nothing will change their minds.
That's a great line by Mandel
That being said, much of the reason why the
Pac-10 can't fill its bowl tie-ins relates to the fact that every team in every other conference added a nonconference game against the likes of Louisiana Tech while Pac-10 teams added a conference game. Instead of every team getting an extra win, only 1/2 of our teams do. If WSU had replaced its game against USC with a game against Idaho, WSU would probably be bowl eligible. For example.
People in the media do not recognize this major difference between the Pac-10 and other leagues. It's not surprising that the general public also misses the point.
Someone has noted the extra conference game
Sadly but not surprisingly, the MSM has not the power of logical reasoning to make the same finding.
Undervalued is right
Great catch tasser
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