Forde's Top 40 College Football Villains
A headline on the front page of ESPN, the omniscient Pat Forde lists the top 40 College Football Villains of all time. Some of the gems are as follows:
4. Maurice Clarett...seems ok.
12. Desmond Howard...of course?
13. (and Winner for most tastless entry) Hurricane Katrina
14. Kickers
24. Richard Nixon
26. The Pollsters
28. Rich Rodriguez
34. Tim Tebow!!!
39. Charles Woodson??
I guess I see what he is trying to do...but the list seems kind of ridiculous after a while, with him just listing the biggest and most recent figures in the sport and saying who hates him/it. I mean Tennessee fans definitely hold a grudge against Charles Woodson i'm sure, but I think "college football villain" is an accurate description. I don't see him as one of football's top 40 most reviled figures. Shouldn't Braylon be the villain in MSU's football world?
Still a fun read though.
Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=440…
August 17th, 2009 at 2:39 PM ^
so I'm not justifying his job by reading his article.
I will ask, however, why in the world he's throwing (his co-worker) Desmond Howard at #12? What has he ever done to warrant being on this list? And if his co-workers are fair game, where the hell is Herbstreit?
August 17th, 2009 at 2:42 PM ^
He may or may not be a moron, but it is an interesting read nonetheless. Articles that are inherantly subjective like this one are a lot more fun if you don't take it personally.
Howard is in at twelth because of his heisman pose, which is a pretty arrogant move (which makes me love it even more)
August 17th, 2009 at 2:47 PM ^
then as well, because he made the pose after Howard had already won the trophy, which I would argue is a more arrogant, taunting move than what Howard did. Especially considering that Bailey's Heisman pose sucked and Howard actually got the pose right.
I don't take the article personally. Pat Forde is an idiot (that's an e-fact no sugar coat his pad level sucks and he lays bricks), and instead of falling into the trap of reading the work of people (like Rosenberg, Sharp, Mariotti, Paige, the woman who the WLA always goes after) who frequently write garbage, I choose to ignore their work which affects them the best way possible, by reducing their pageclicks.
August 17th, 2009 at 11:36 PM ^
Bailey's pose is nationally and historically insignificant. Until you mentioned it, I had never even heard of it.
And technically speaking, Howard didn't get the pose correct either.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:44 PM ^
And if his co-workers are fair game, where the hell is Herbstreit?
What exactly did Herbstreit do to earn villain status? Outside of avoiding losing to Michigan every year he was on the team by leading the Buckeyes to a tie his senior year?
August 17th, 2009 at 2:49 PM ^
"Breaking" that Les Miles was going to be the next coach of Michigan. Abusing his position as an "impartial" analyst of college football by attempting to unsettle not only his alma mater's biggest rival (UM), but also trying to unsettle a team who would possibly play his alma mater in 4 weeks for the national title (LSU).
August 17th, 2009 at 2:57 PM ^
You can't possibly be foolish enough to believe Herbstreit did that on purpose, can you?
God lord.......
August 17th, 2009 at 3:07 PM ^
Not only was Herbstreit's poor reporting not malicious, why would an ESPN.com article ever highlight such a colossal reporting mistake by another ESPN personality?
August 17th, 2009 at 5:21 PM ^
Haven't commented in in a while due to my recent lashing, but I have to comment here.
I have always wondered why Herbstreit's influence on the outcome of the Miles/UM debacle was not more fully analyzed, perhaps even by the NCAA or some other body with some influence. I am not saying he made the thing up, but I do think his choice to report what was misinformation when he did was malicious. It was too perfect. And I am by no means a conspiracy theorist - I actually think most of the conspiracies theories going around are silly. But I can't come to grips with there being a lack of maliciousness in the timing and nature of the whole thing. Herbstreit said something to the effect of "I have it from my most reliable source that Les Miles is the new head coach of Michigan" the day LSU was to play their game. He forced Miles to answer, knowing that only one answer was possible due to the nature of the game LSU was to play that day. Herbstreit could have said something less definitive such as "I heard a rumor that Les Miles might be the new head coach of Michigan" which would have been much more responsible journalism, even if he thought it was true. Instead he was insistent. He could even have chosen to wait until after the game when 1) if it were true he would not have a detrimental effect on the college kids playing, or 2) it not being true, Les would not be forced to give the only answer he could in those conditions, effectively taking himself out of the coaching search. I am by no means unhappy with who we got, but Herbstreit's influence on the Miles debacle is undeniable. His intent is uncertain, but it certainly seems malicious.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:47 PM ^
He can be a moron, true. He put Howard at #12 because he saw the pose as an emblematic moment of the Michigan dominance during the John Cooper era, saying that he is a villain to the OSU fans. Also it makes him even more of a villain to these people because he was from Cleveland...so there's that.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:47 PM ^
Desmond is on there for the Heisman pose and justifiably so. We would despise any Buckeye player if they did that during a game.
August 17th, 2009 at 3:16 PM ^
I despise any Buckeye, even if they don't do anything on the field against us.
August 17th, 2009 at 6:24 PM ^
You really think the Heisman pose makes him one of the top 40 villians in college football?
There was literally no one else in that race. SI had run a cover during that season about the Heisman race. It had Desmond on it and (I think) the word "Runaway." He made incredible catches and run backs every week, from ND through OSU. The Heisman was his before that game. He then won by 1,574 votes! At the time, only OJ Simpson had won by more votes. Since then, only Charlie Ward has won by more votes.
Was the pose in the best tradition of no "I" in team. Well, of course not. But it doesn't make him a villian, let alone a top 40 villian.
By the way, wasn't the game with OSU already a blow out when he did that pose? (I miss Cooper.)
August 18th, 2009 at 12:10 PM ^
But it doesn't make him a villian, let alone a top 40 villian.
You need to read the article. It's tongue-in-cheek, and it's actually good that Howard was included, because it indicates that he pissed off OSU fans. That's always a good thing.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:39 PM ^
I read it more as an story piece rather than comprehensive/rigorous list.
One point of note was that Nick Saban came in at 29th, one spot higher(or lower, depending on how you look at it) than Rich Rodriguez.
Now I know that may be a fair assertion that RR is currently more hated, but how did that ever happen? I mean, I do know how it happened, but it is ridiculously unfair that Rodriguez is grouped with borderline cheaters and perennial job hoppers like Saban.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:47 PM ^
But this isn't offensive. If you take the time to read it, it's not "hated by all fans", it's "most hated by certain fanbases". I'd say the hate from WVU towards RR is stronger than any specific fanbases hate towards Saban. It's not like the numbers really matter. If Forde would stick to inoffensive shit like this instead of pretending to be a real writer I'd like him more.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:50 PM ^
i read it in the same light. Although I think Hurricane Katrina was probably hated by all fans.
He, like most forms of entertainment and media outlets, relies on shock factor to get views. He just shamelessly writes offensive shit so people will read his garbage...so I'm glad to see you resist the temptation.
August 17th, 2009 at 5:55 PM ^
I don't know. LSU's fan base hates Saban with the same excessive hate-lust, or at least it seemed so last year. It's not made any better by the fact that they play each other.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:48 PM ^
You've gotta make sure you read this as "football personalities certain groups hate" rather than "football personalities everyone hates."
August 17th, 2009 at 2:51 PM ^
Obviously Forde isn't taking himself too seriously with this article, neither should we. He's just having a little fun before the season starts and some the descriptions and reasons are accordingly very funny.
I like Pollsters, Tebow, Meyer and (sadly) Tressel the best. Funny stuff.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:55 PM ^
I thought we had finally won at something. :(
August 17th, 2009 at 3:00 PM ^
this wasn't a bad article, and was actually a pretty fun read. I'm surprised Mike Hart didn't make the list, with Michigan State fans identified as the group that hates him, given his vocal (and awesome) disdain for the Spartans, and 4-0 record against them.
August 17th, 2009 at 3:05 PM ^
I don't think the Spartans register enough nationally for ESPN to care. I noticed that they weren't mentioned at all in the Saban section, despite the fact that my wife still refers to him as $aban from when he bolted for LSU (that's right LSU fans, you got what you paid for, a guy who would leave the second he could get more money elsewhere).
August 17th, 2009 at 3:06 PM ^
Why are you specifically questioning Woodson? That's the most obvious one.
August 17th, 2009 at 3:06 PM ^
Surprisingly, unlike his previous pieces (of shit), he doesn't really take potshots at Michigan. That's not what his article is about. It's kind of a dumb article but has some funny things in there.
I think he does kind of stretch the use of villain in some cases.
Bernie Kosar?? Seriously?
Ty Willingham - "Inflicted more damage on a program in three years' time than anyone in football history." Bad coach, but I think that's going a little far.
Bear Bryant?
Including Katrina was a bit tasteless
For one thing, I think that giving an opponent nightmares doesn't necessarily make one a villain. If that's the case, he could include Biakabatuka for ruining the Buckeyes' season in 1995.
Left out:
Pac-10 officiating crews - hated by Oklahoma, Washington (excessive celebration penalty vs. BYU) and maybe Stanford
Tom Osborne - hated by Michigan fans, and for good reason
John Cooper? - Ohio State
Gary Barnett - anyone with a sense of decency
Bobby Petrino - kind of a scumbag
August 17th, 2009 at 3:10 PM ^
I think he should be hated by Michigan as well, not just Alabama. I believe he was the one who voted us fourth in the poll to make sure that we split the national championship? I could be wrong - I was only a kid when that happened.
And for the love of God, can Tennessee get over Woodson winning the Heisman?
August 17th, 2009 at 4:47 PM ^
It should be noted that the list is in alphabetical order, not ordered based on how great a villain the person/thing was.
August 17th, 2009 at 5:19 PM ^
Thank you, I was waiting for somebody to realize this.
August 17th, 2009 at 5:19 PM ^
Thank you, I was waiting for somebody to realize this.
August 17th, 2009 at 5:56 PM ^
I have no idea why he is on the list, the heisman pose wasn't anything to be hated. I thought it was really cool.
August 17th, 2009 at 7:27 PM ^
Do people ever read the articles here? He is hated by the Ohio State fanbase.