Sugar Bowl was beneath Saban

[Kaos]

Alabama lost to Oklahoma because nobody cares about a rinky dink bowl game.  They didn't even try.  If it's not the championship, they're just going through the motions.

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2014/07/sorry_bob_stoops_but_nick_saba.html#incart_river

[Saniflush]

They didn't want it anyway.

[jmar]

They didn't want it anyway.

Okie gets a nice pre season spot by manhandling the depressed yet mahty tahd. How you close the season still figures in the polls.

[AUChizad]

Alabama lost to Oklahoma because nobody cares about a rinky dink bowl game.  They didn't even try.  If it's not the championship, they're just going through the motions.

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2014/07/sorry_bob_stoops_but_nick_saba.html#incart_river

I thought Scarbinsky did no wrong?

[Snaggletiger]

That has to be one of the most asinine articles that man ever did writ.  He's basically saying the amount of effort that Lord Saybinz and his players put forth to win a game is directly related to the size of the bonus Lord Saybinz gets.  The left tackle didn't try very hard on that play and AJ McTat got hammered....because well....our coach isn't making but $125K for this game.  What's the point of going all out on this play when Corch Saybinz isn't making real bank tonight?       

[Buzz Killington]

That has to be one of the most asinine articles that man ever did writ.  He's basically saying the amount of effort that Lord Saybinz and his players put forth to win a game is directly related to the size of the bonus Lord Saybinz gets.  The left tackle didn't try very hard on that play and AJ McTat got hammered....because well....our coach isn't making but $125K for this game.  What's the point of going all out on this play when Corch Saybinz isn't making real bank tonight?     

Maybe if they offered some type of profit sharing program.

[Saniflush]

Maybe if they offered some type of profit sharing program.

We feel that the University has not challenged lord saybinz enough.

[Kaos]

I thought Scarbinsky did no wrong?

 

Big difference between "does no wrong" and "usually more fair than the rest"

[jmar]

Saban spurned Texas, a team thought to be void of NFL talent. But Mack Brown beat Big Game Bob 36-20 last season. Then Oklahoma takes Saban to the woodshed. This season can't start soon enough.

[Godfather]

This story was in response to Big Bob spouting off about Big 12 being just as good as the SEC.

While I like him taking shots at $aban, give me a break Bobby.

Bob Stoops snaps at Nick Saban
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11254478/oklahoma-sooners-bob-stoops-bashes-nick-saban-consolation-remark

Bob Stoops responded to Alabama coach Nick Saban's comments about the Sugar Bowl being a "consolation game" as quickly and decisively as the Sooners did in last season's 45-31 upset of the Tide.

"They didn't look like it was a consolation game on that first drive when they scored a touchdown and everyone thought they were going to rout us," the Oklahoma coach said. "I've been in plenty of those [non-national title games]. We've played in a bunch of national championship games, right? ... That's a good one.

"So that means I've got a built-in excuse the next time we don't play for a national championship?"

Stoops was in Bristol Wednesday for a round of interviews.

On Tuesday, Saban, who was in Bristol, talked about the challenge of getting his team to play Oklahoma as to "try to play in a consolation game."

Stoops also discussed critics that suggest the Big 12 should add a conference title game. The Big 12 is the only Power 5 conference that doesn't have a league championship game.

"Think about it: mathematically we play everybody, they [the SEC] don't play everybody," Stoops said. "For instance Texas A&M. They play eight conference games.

"They have Lamar, Rice, SMU and Louisiana Monroe. Boy those are all a bunch of toughies, right? We have nine conference games. So if [Texas A&M] was fortunate enough to be in the SEC championship game, they would play nine conference games at the end of the day and they have all those four 'toughies' to go with it.

"We have nine conference games and we're playing Tennessee. In a few years we have Ohio State, we just came off a series with Notre Dame and Florida State. So that's like 10 conference games. If you're playing a tough non-conference schedule to go with nine [Big 12] games, that's a tough schedule."

Besides Oklahoma's nine Big 12 opponents this season, the Sooners' non-conference schedule features Tennessee, Louisiana Tech and Tulsa. The Sooners have one of the more ambitious future non-conference schedules, with home-and-home series against Ohio State, UCLA, Army, Nebraska, Michigan and LSU.

"In the end, it's worked for us," Stoops said. "It's refreshing when you win [those type of games]. For the most part it's been positive for us."

The win against Alabama also was gratifying for Stoops because he had previously questioned the overall strength of the SEC.

"They said 'the SEC this, the SEC that,' " Stoops said. "I said, 'You talk like all 14 teams are this, that and the other thing.' I said, 'You have to give credit to the first one or two that have won the national championship, but don't act like they're all doing that.'

"The year I said that, the bottom half of the league was like 0-36 against the top half of the league. The bottom half of the league isn't beating anybody. So they jumped on that I was getting on the bottom half of the league. Things circle and people only say what they want to hear. What I said wasn't false. The bottom half wasn't beating many people. That was my only point."

Stoops realized he would be criticized even more if the Sooners had lost the Sugar Bowl.

"After we won I didn't have to hear anybody after that," Stoops said. "That's the bottom line. Everybody had their computers loaded and their microphones loaded, and they had to delete it. That was it.

"It felt good; it was positive. Because I know everybody was ready to jump on us, on me in particular, on what I had to say, if we went the other way. That all had to be deleted. There's a little bit of validation in what I had to say. Fortunately it worked out in a positive way. I still believe in what I said."

Stoops said he also heard from numerous Texas high school coaches after the Sooners' victory against Alabama.

"They were pleased how that all went," Stoops said. "We go down there, of course, through Texas/Oklahoma recruiting. I was surprised how many Texas high school coaches just pulled me aside because they felt validated.

"Half of our roster, or more, are kids from Texas. [They felt] that 'We've got good football players, too. And at the end of the day, there's not a lot of difference between the top schools in each conference.' At the end of the day, they were really pleased the way it happened the way it did. It sort of validated that area of the country.

"At the end of the day, we can play with anybody. And that was fairly evident. It wasn't fluky."

[AUChizad]

This story was in response to Big Bob spouting off about Big 12 being just as good as the SEC.

While I like him taking shots at $aban, give me a break Bobby.

And that was in response to Saban being a douche and saying Oklahoma was a consolation game. I'd say the same thing if I were Stoops. I don't disagree that the the Big XII champion can beat the 3rd or 4th best SEC team on any given day. That's what he was saying.

[The Six]

And that was in response to Saban being a douche and saying Oklahoma was a consolation game. I'd say the same thing if I were Stoops. I don't disagree that the the Big XII champion can beat the 3rd or 4th best SEC team on any given day. That's what he was saying.

Didn't Nicky say the same thing about the Sugar Bowl where they got waxed by Utah? That after Florida loss, nothing else mattered? After dropping Auburn 36-0, they had a hard time getting over it to focus on Florida?  And the only reason the next Iron Bowl was so close was because all they could think about was getting back at Florida?

I'm seeing a pattern here.

[Godfather]

And that was in response to Saban being a douche and saying Oklahoma was a consolation game. I'd say the same thing if I were Stoops. I don't disagree that the the Big XII champion can beat the 3rd or 4th best SEC team on any given day. That's what he was saying.

Again I don't mind anyone bagging on lordz saban, but isn't that what it is?  Really, unless you are in the big game what the fuck do the bowls matter except for the fans.  The players get some SWAG and get to travel, but winning or losing the game doesn't affect anything.

[Snaggletiger]

Again I don't mind anyone bagging on lordz saban, but isn't that what it is?  Really, unless you are in the big game what the fuck do the bowls matter except for the fans.  The players get some SWAG and get to travel, but winning or losing the game doesn't affect anything.

I'm down with THIS^^^  My beef is the unbelievably lame argument that Scrabjinski makes to try and save some Lord Saybinz face.

[AUChizad]

Again I don't mind anyone bagging on lordz saban, but isn't that what it is?  Really, unless you are in the big game what the fuck do the bowls matter except for the fans.  The players get some SWAG and get to travel, but winning or losing the game doesn't affect anything.

What do any games matter except for to the fans? And to the players' themselves...

...And to fill the incentive bonuses of the coaches?

Which I guess was Scarbinsky's point. But it's a dumb one.

Of course bowl games matter.

And even to that incredibly stupid point...don't most contracts have bowl wins and/or total wins for the season built in as part of the incentives?

[Godfather]

What do any games matter except for to the fans? And to the players' themselves...

To try and win a championship...be it conference or otherwise. For coaches to get raises and extensions. For players to win accolades.

Of course bowl games matter.

Why?  They did years ago, but in the current format they don't.


What I thought was stupid was Scarbo defending Saban's mouth, the point itself I didn't find all that stupid.

[Townhallsavoy]

Why?  They did years ago, but in the current format they don't.

Which is why the college football playoff is one of the worst things to ever happen to college football. 

[Godfather]

I'll add that bowl games don't even matter when it comes to players winning awards.  The only thing a bowl game matters is on the stat sheet.

[Godfather]

Which is why the college football playoff is one of the worst things to ever happen to college football.

I will hold my vote until we get a couple years in, but right now I would disagree. Things weren't going back to the way they were and since the BCS... bowl games haven't mattered. 

I will take the playoff over the BCS. Playoff leads to more teams being added which I think is what is needed.

[Townhallsavoy]

I will hold my vote until we get a couple years in, but right now I would disagree. Things weren't going back to the way they were and since the BCS... bowl games haven't mattered. 

I will take the playoff over the BCS. Playoff leads to more teams being added which I think is what is needed.

Yes it legitimizes one more game (plus the championship so I guess two more games) but still funnels the purpose of the season into one bottle - the college football playoff. 

Now there are LESS tie-ins to bowl games.  Less rivalries between conferences.  Less reason to showcase skills on television in January.  Unless you're looking at the four teams in the playoff.

Sure, it's great for TV, determining the one true champion, and putting more emphasis on professionalism in college sports.  But as for pageantry, rivalry, and tradition?  It sucks.

I'm one that wants to go back to before the BCS and have polls and have two or three champions and not wonder if Alabama lost to Oklahoma because they had no reason to care (they did, it's the SEC's flagship bowl game and they should want to win it for conference pride).  I want to watch the Rose Bowl and think it's the grandaddy of them all with two conferences engaging in football competition that started decades ago.  I want to see Peach, Citrus, and Gator in front of the word "Bowl" and not "Meineke Car Care Bowl" and "Insight.com Bowl" and whatever other corporate sponsor has taken over.

That's just me though.