Shocking! ESPN tells us how irrelevant UM and Notre Dame are

Submitted by poseidon7902 on

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11465494/notre-dame-mich…

 

Snipet:
 

All of which brings us back to Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night. The Fighting Irish and the Wolverines conclude a stirring 35-year rivalry with a lot of fanfare and not much else. Tickets on the secondary market are more expensive than ever, an economics lesson in artificial shortage. If the Irish and Wolverines were playing next season, tickets wouldn't be so costly.

I'm like everyone else. I wish Notre Dame hadn't pulled the plug on the rivalry. There may come a time, in the distant future when this rivalry is resumed, when more than bragging rights are at stake. But the truth is, Notre Dame and Michigan are groping about for national relevance.

It has been 26 years since Notre Dame won a national championship, nearly a decade longer than the previous longest drought (1949-66). How long ago? In 1988, Irish coach Brian Kelly was an assistant coach at Grand Valley State. How long ago? Four days after the Irish completed the regular season at 11-0 by defeating No. 2 USC 27-10, Seahawks quarterback and Super Bowl XLVIII MVP Russell Wilson was born.

Notre Dame stayed nationally relevant into the mid-1990s under Lou Holtz. They came back to the top five as recently as two years ago. But they have yet to make it clear they will stay.

It has been 17 seasons since Michigan won a national championship and that's not even the jaw-dropper. It's been 10 years since Michigan won a Big Ten championship. In the 10 years before that, Michigan won four Big Ten titles. In the 10 years before that, Michigan won six. In the 10 years ... you get the point.

So we say that college football is an oligarchy, because we know that the last 40 national championships have been won by only 22 schools. But there are some different names among the powers that currently be. Yes, Oklahoma and Alabama are there. But so are Oregon and Stanford. So is Baylor. Florida State has just returned to the top after a decade in the wilderness.

Michigan and Notre Dame will play for the last time in many years on Saturday night. It's a blow to anyone who likes neighborhood rivalries. But the national news being made has more to do with the end of an era than it does the top 25.

 

In other news, ESPN thinks the SEC is the Bees Knees and no, they have no reason to be biased.  

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mgoknight

September 5th, 2014 at 1:01 PM ^

tough to argue his point here. he concedes the game is highly watched and anticipated. he recognizes the importance of the game for history purposes.  however, his point is, it doesnt (and hasnt for a while) have the significance it used to in terms of the national championship scene.  he is right. there is no arguing that. 10 years ago, we would have all said, it is a result of ND's fall off.  Now, its a two way street. like it or not, his point is valid.

Joined: 08/27/2012

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Maizenblueball

September 5th, 2014 at 1:07 PM ^

I've done a complete 180 on ESPN over the years.  When I was a kid, I would make sure I watched Sportscenter every single night after school.  Now, I can't stand watching ESPN or reading their website.  They are just unbearable now.  Their "hidden agendas" are so transparent now.  I won't even click on the link in that article.  

Joined: 12/08/2011

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denardogasm

September 5th, 2014 at 1:09 PM ^

At first I was confused as to why they'd be shitting on their own prime time matchup, but then I remembered it's on NBC, and then I remembered we have to listen to ND announcers...

Joined: 09/11/2011

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aratman

September 5th, 2014 at 2:17 PM ^

They lost, badly, but that doesn't sound irrelevent.  When was the last time Ole Miss, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Georgia or any other school not from LA or Alabama has done that? 

Joined: 10/02/2010

MGoPoints: 3942

Wide Open

September 5th, 2014 at 2:21 PM ^

If ND and Michigan are irrelevant, then Russell Wilson was Super Bowl MVP. Oh wait, he wasn't. Which makes 3 things about sports that an ESPN writer messed up in one article.

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 1045

King Douche Ornery

September 5th, 2014 at 3:37 PM ^

The truth is, the truth hurts. Michigan is relevant here, but they the second best team in the state (counting the Lions), and haven't been relevant on the national scale since 2006.

Currently, the program is reeling, and trying to right itself. Until then, Michigan is relevant only because of uniforms and a great fight song.

 

Joined: 01/03/2011

MGoPoints: 106

erald01

September 5th, 2014 at 7:10 PM ^

In a way I can agree with them and I never thought to myself Michigan would not be relevant for sooo many years..it has been 8 years already and i hope we turn this around soon..every big program has its bad years..look at ND, Miami, Texas, USC, FSU..these are big time programs that hve really suffered lately..at least FSU is heading the right direction

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BLHoke

September 5th, 2014 at 9:49 PM ^

It was relevant 2 years ago. Michigan could have, and should have easily won that game had Denard not turned the ball over 5 times and had Al not called a HB pass inside the 10 (WHAT???!)... Oh, and the Wolverines still had the ball in the last few minutes with the game still in the balance. We win that game, ND doesn't go to the NC. Simple as that. People need to relax... You realize Bama hadn't won a NC since 79' until Nick Saban got there right? Or LSU had only won 1 in their history... Or Florida could've been mentioned in the same breathe as SC or Clemson before Spurrier came along. College football goes in cycles. The SEC was the best conference for the BCS era... In the 90's it was the Big Ten. In 97' Iowa, Penn St and Ohio St were all top 6 schools when we beat them. I get so tired of the SEC dick riding, especially living here in MS... They jump to whatever SEC team holds the crown that year... Florida, LSU, Bama, Auburn... Oh wait, aside from Georgia, the rest of the conference rides those teams coattails, and 3 of them are in the same division!

Joined: 08/17/2011

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Sparty123

September 5th, 2014 at 10:14 PM ^

so apologies if this was said already (it probably has been), but...

what do you expect from the network that a vested monetary interest in seeing the SEC succeed?

ESPN is garbage.  The only thing I watch is live sporting events and even then I have the TV muted half the time so I don't have to listen to people like Eduardo Perez.

Joined: 11/10/2013

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