ESPN.com saying UM 5th worst team in NCAA?
Mark Schlabach lists what he calls the "bottom 10." I don't know if he means that these are 10 teams that are just not playing well, or if he really thinks these are the 10 worst teams in NCAA. Either way, he has UM listed at #5. Does UM belong in the same list as WKU, EMU, and a host of other non-BCS conference teams that have 0 or 1 wins? Even though we've had some tough losses, I still don't think we deserve to make the list with those teams.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom10110409
November 6th, 2009 at 1:37 AM ^
They put a major program on that list every week that shat the bed the previous week. It doesn't actually mean we're in the bottom 10.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:32 AM ^
And spot 5 has historically been reserved for that team.
Perhaps he could use an FAQ?
November 6th, 2009 at 10:28 AM ^
That team = Notre Dame
Historically Speaking.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:53 AM ^
Your history must not start until 2007 then :)
November 6th, 2009 at 10:56 AM ^
Or maybe 1994, the last time you all won a bowl game...
November 6th, 2009 at 11:39 AM ^
FTW...
November 6th, 2009 at 12:24 PM ^
Ouch! Had it really been that long before last year's Hawaii bowl? The was one long return to glory.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:39 AM ^
Last year? Maybe.
This year? Not a chance we are one of the 10 worst teams.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:39 AM ^
this list is generally for either the truly putrid or people playing really awful. i recall some really good teams being on that last after awful games/huge upsets/etc.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:39 AM ^
I don't read ESPN.com much.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:39 AM ^
He had us there all year last year. Simple column formula - without some big names in that list, who would read it?? So you put in the remaining winless teams (usually 4-5) and make jokes about them so morons can laugh. Then you throw in the big conference team to get a response, and then some other bad teams.
Week 1: Oregon, UVA, Washington
Week 2: Colorado, UVA
Week 3: Lane Kiffin/Urban Meyer
Week 4: Cal, Miami, Ole Miss, PSU
And so on. Add stupid song lyrics/titles, post. With everything we've faced this season and last, this is just about the lowest possible priority.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:44 AM ^
I don't even see why does that. It's not like the fans of the teams that belong there check back every week to see where he has their team.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:25 AM ^
to throw in over the top references to/pictures of hot girls which you think makes you cool with the college-age sportsfan set but actually you just come off as creepy (looking at you Mandel, Forde, TMQ)
It's basically a madlib:
Coach A is on the hotseat for doing X, Team B is on a mission because of Player Y, Conference C clearly sucks at football because of flawed syllogism Z. Cheerldrz r HOTT!! Add in cutesy third-person name for yourself. Lather, rinse, repeat weekly, collect paycheck from major sports outlet.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:01 AM ^
is garbage regardless of what they say. I'd put them in my bottom 5 of sports sites on the net. They employ Pat Forde. When you pay idiots you lose credibility.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:02 AM ^
and then, on saturday...well, i guess you know what happened.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:02 AM ^
They are just trying to put the bow wow back into the big house (because apparently ESPN thinks wolverines bark) ESPN could almost pass for the freep the way their articles are written these days. It's been absolute crap for a while now. Forde is ESPN's Rosenburg. There was one article that was written about the new yankee stadium luxury seats behind home plate that was pretty good and the Meeler story was pretty well done too but that's been about it.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:10 AM ^
The thread basically ended with the first response - I don't think the rest of you folks "get" the way that feature works.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:49 AM ^
Mathematically, is it even possible that a team who's above .500 (like Michigan who's 5-4) could be ranked in the worst five teams in the country? No?
Okay, then. Use a little common sense.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:20 AM ^
The Bottom 10 isn't exactly literary genius, nor is it journalistic excellence, but come on, it's all in jest.
I've been a pretty regular reader of the Bottom 10 in the past, but I've forgotten about it most of the season. I think 15 minutes of my day today will be devoted to reading about the collective woes of the "worst" 10 teams in 1-A football.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:01 AM ^
The Bottom 10 segment didn't even originate on ESPN. If memory serves me, it was a syndicated feature that used to run in a lot of newspapers - maybe as far back as the 80's. ESPN brought it back to life a few years ago. As MH, Magnus, Wahoo, and others have pointed out, it's all in fun.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:57 AM ^
I did not know that. That's actually kind of cool that ESPN brought it back. I've always enjoyed that feature even though Michigan has been on the list far too often in the last 3 years.
Is that why he always says "With apologies to Steve Harvey..."? Is that the guy who originally wrote the Bottom 10? I was always confused about that line in it.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:21 AM ^
Thanks. Although next time feel free to use Let Me Google That For You to really put me in my place. http://lmgtfy.com/?q=bottom+10+wiki&l=1 would have done very nicely.
Honestly one week after reading it, I did try to find out the answer to my question. Obviously I didn't try very hard but I often forget that wikipedia actually does have useful information. I just googled "Steve Harvey" and got nowhere because there are way too many results for the comedian.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:23 AM ^
As in the WWE, the "E" in ESPN stands for "entertainment." And, in a professional wrestling kind of way, the list is kinda cute. It will be a lot cuter if OSU is on it in two weeks, though.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:33 AM ^
Putting a big name on that list gets it read. You read it, so it works. Every fan of team xx will read that and say they don't belong there, but they still read it and ESPN can still sell advertising. Not much different than The Star or the other tabloids in that respect.
November 6th, 2009 at 11:50 AM ^
Kobe or Michigan
LebRon or Michigan
Kobe or Lebron
Lebron or Michael Jordan
Kobe or Tate Forcier
Kobe or Gerg
Kobe or Mike Williams
see - Espn is really on to something
November 6th, 2009 at 11:56 AM ^
I remember when the Bottom 10 list was reserved for such noteworthy teams as Temple and random Sun Belt schools. Seeing us on here, while maybe deserved, still pains me.
Thank God we have Hockey and Basketball.