Worst College Football Programs 2008 – a year to forget
"Without losers, there would be no winners" – the author is unknown, but probably a loser.
As we approach the climax of the college football season, the Sage of College Football (your humble servant) suggests that we turn our attention for a few moments to these programs after those held promise of the end of the summer, only for their taste of the noodles in the frozen peat artificial reality of December. For some teams, the season ending games conclude with the ritual of tearing down the goal posts. others arise from sales outside the school used hot dogs deep freeze stage of starving students who spent their student loan money on beer.
At the professional level, the teams that finish in the bottom refer to this period year as the beginning of the golf season. And given the paychecks of most players and coaches, they need not worry too much Competition with departures for retirees. The one disappointment in 2008 has been written about college game, the Sage can not slam the Detroit Lions. The miserable old Motor City franchise seems he has finally blown all his joints and even the ownership team seems it care. At least the Lions players pay something to lose. Professional players have a paycheck coming on holiday and hope. College well, players losing teams are forced to visit their religious studies departments to find inner peace. Their coaching search employment.
Fans of losing college teams also use the offseason to contemplative reflection. One of the observations more interesting happens when the most-dedicated fan reviews how much money has been spent following the team in the toilet. The season tickets, beer and liquor, nachos and hot dogs and associated medical bills really add up.
Mental experts Health concluded long ago that the effort to spend too much time and money on his team is also hard on relationships. For the fans the chance have found a partner of opposite sex to share the misery of a disastrous season, this represents a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the fan can have someone with whom to share the burden of recovery. On the other hand, the left over good and accounts payment cards can run double. And for what? Seeing their team as well as a scratch or two wins against lower division opponents?
Sports Information offices use this time to come up with new promotional ideas. The Sage has always wanted to be in a meeting on the ORC, after a year 1 and 11. The new promo ideas usually center on how to convince the elders to neglect the increase in annual season ticket price. Or … how to creatively inform alumni that their parking spaces that have been in the family for generations, are abandoned while the school can build a new kiln for the Art Department. The names of alumni who are willing to buy their seats at inflated prices are set to Development Board of the University for immediate inclusion in the fundraising effort of the day.
Technique commonly used by institutions to lose is to cloud the record of the year by the introduction of a new head coach. The people willing to fill these positions usually extract huge sums for it. Standing in front of confused and bewildered fans and promising players and right the ship by "changing our thinking" and "Appealing to a winning attitude is something that should generate a huge salary for himself. To say such things with a straight face takes talent. The ownership of the Detroit Lions should take notice … is at least something to try.
The university staff in Washington will be a unique challenge this year. The Huskies have participated in a disastrous 0-12 season capped by a 48-7 shellacking the hands of Cal – hardly the kind of game we want to end a season. At least they played one of Berkeley. Adding insult to misery, Huskies perfect record sets a new mark for futility in the Pac-10. The wise old Sage College Football (yours truly) can not wait to see how institution runs it. The Huskies have already completed their search for a new coach and have persuaded some to abandon Steve Sarkisian some good weather in southern Cal to take on the program's doormat Pac-10's. The Wise wishes Coach Sark a hearty "good luck". He can learn to assess the fog that rolls in Husky Stadium. There are players, coaches and challenges ahead to see.
The Huskies, however, are not the only college team that has a lot to remember from 2008. And it is time to put the final nail in the coffin for these teams in 2008. For the future, some of these programs will emerge in the ranks of the worst to achieve respectability. Others stumble and fall on their snooters leaving the locker room for the game spring.
It is the will of pride as the Sage of College Football presents its selections for more than 10 college football teams. However, we should first examine a few rules. First, only teams that really harbor any ambition to become qualified BCS or GASP-competition for a national championship one day, are included. Secondly, only the major conferences are included. When was the last Middle America or the Conference U.S. team had a shot at a title long overdue? The Sage does not think the East, Central and Western Michigan serious thoughts of a national championship. So .. Without further ado, here are the pics of Sage for the worst 10 teams in college football in 2008.
1. Washington Huskies – It is obvious …. Purple dogs of north-west found a way to work in all games this year, including some monumental losses to Notre Dame, USC and UCLA. While these games are handpicked, but the soggy doggies Seattle has lost those games by a combined score of 116-14. In the process, the team purple poor sent his fans outside of Starbucks at the beginning of each home game. Even if the Huskies kept a close game or two for some time, they still gave a grand total of 136 points more than they scored in seven games at home this year.
2. Cougars Washington State – There is usually good season if the Cougars beat rival Pac-10 foe Washington at the annual campaign. Unfortunately for the Cougars, who was their only conference win. Interestingly the only other Cougar victory occurred back in September against a team from Portland State. The Sage is not certain that the Big Sky Conference rival boasted last National. The state deserves an honorable mention in 2008 FirstWorst ranking this year for the production of two of the saddest spectacles in gridiron history.
3. Idaho Vandals-The Sage has suffered another season of waiting in vain for Idaho to change its unfortunate name. The name "Vandals" normally inspire images of a wild treasure looting of villages and taking opposing cheerleaders. This team does not provide much – other than a good excuse to remove some cold local Git N Go. The Vandal victories (admittedly a contradiction in terms) came in games against other programs in terrible state New Mexico and Idaho.
4. New Mexico State Aggies – The Sage thought that all the programs called "Aggies" was forced to change by former disgruntled. Especially for someone who lives a few minutes the smell of Las Cruces, you know it are many agro-industry is not a place there, except for miles of feedlots along the I-10. One might think that the school would be willing to change the names and maybe try to attract a quality rookie or two. Unfortunately for the Aggies, the 2008 team should have be forced off the field. Despite a victory against archrival decent El Paso, Texas, the Aggies can not handle more points in games against Alcorn and Nevada.
5. Indiana Hoosiers – It is alternately a pleasure and a bit of disappointment to include a Big Ten team in the rankings FirstWorst. A conference most floors of the college football has a tradition of great rivalries and exciting games. Unfortunately, in Indiana, the rivalry is with the basketball program to see who can attract more fans to a unique game. Since the departure of Bobby Knight, which has become very interesting. Yet basketball at Indiana attracts great athletes who might be able to give the team a good game of football. Indiana does not deserve praise for trying to follow a proven path to respectability. After the lineup of games with Western Kentucky and Murray State called someone (also Kentucky) The Hoosiers cut the travel costs to pay someone to visit the school and lose. After starting 2-0, the Hoosiers return to reality, a single management conference win – their game on Homecoming Northwest.
6. Duke Blue Devils-The Devils have been blue a favorite whipping boy for FirstWorst rankings over the years. As they play in a conference football monster winning seasons are rare. However we could think of any brain power at Duke, the program should at least compete for something other than last place. To their credit, Duke pulled off a couple pretty good wins over Virginia and Vanderbilt. Imagine calling a victory over the Cavaliers and the Commodores 'quality' wins.
7. Louisville Cardinals-The Cardinals had a really good time in their 2008 campaign to return to the bowl picture. But dropping nearly 200 points in their last five games sealed their place in the ranking FirstWorst. Cards finished strong with a fifth game losing series including losses Syracuse Smackdown and 64-14 at the hands of Rutgers.
8. Syracuse Orange teams with team names singular (Orange or if Stanford "Cardinal") deserve to lose. Football is a team sport played by several players. Although it may be grammatically correct to call a team a singular noun, practice deviates from the established tradition and the teams that stray from tradition deserve to get big blow. But we are moving away … Syracuse has managed to beat # 7 Louisville in 2008. They also managed a victory on the agenda of the central north-east. Each team, there is a game that justifies the increase of annual season ticket prices, and Syracuse did not disappoint, providing a massive effort in a win exciting over Notre Dame in late November. Another victory of quality is not a season make.
Diego State Aztecs 9.San-Oh! Ouch! Season with wins against Idaho and Nevada Las Vegas is not considered a record year. But the Aztecs play at San Diego and the recruits have signed to play there thanking their lucky stars they have not signed with Buffalo or somewhere where it's cold. And after a loss, players Aztec can still go to the beach and oogle girls in bikinis. The Aztecs had some decent games on the schedule for 2008 and they came through losing most of them – including a 21-13 loss at Notre Dame two weeks. The Aztecs best effort came against Brigham Young, in which the Aztecs unusually delivered a solid road victory 41-12. Alumni should be looking for their price increases in the mail shortly.
10. Wyoming Cowboys-All teams playing in the house brown uniforms will have trouble on the ground. Recruiting players to the cold and windy Laramie is difficult enough without disguise in the same colors AS-same – a part of the field swept by the wind and cold that is used by the cows. For many years one of the highest property of the State of Wyoming has been the football stadium. And now, the Cowboy faithful can expect to pay slightly more for their seats at the War Memorial Stadium because of the victory over Cowboys (I can not believe I'm writing this), the Tennessee Volunteers. Certainly, UT had a banner year difficult, but losing to Wyoming? Oweee! Anyway .. Cowboys managing a top ten FirstWorst eventually manage a single win Mountain West and more San Diego State.
If the 2008 college football season draws to a close for the programs at the base. The offseason will be filled with coaches looking for work and players looking for cheerleaders. Without doubt, the Detroit Lions coaching staff will be dropped in the ranks of schools FirstWorst scouring for players wishing to continue their tradition of losing.
As fans of college football games and wait for spring look ways to build false hopes for the year 2009, the Sage will continue to bring you the wild side and shocking loss.
For more wit and wisdom, please visit the home page Sage http://firstworst.com
About the Author