The Rest of College Football

[Jeff Buchanan]

Interesting.

Casteel to Arizona.

http://tucsoncitizen.com/wildcatreport/2012/01/10/source-arizona-set-to-annouce-jeff-casteel-as-defensive-coordinator-on-wednesday/

[Mike]

Looks like the jackass learned something.

[hodgkal]

And finally:

"Does this Scottish/Irish theory extend to Texas as well?"

Without a doubt, esp. eastern Texas which is the most heavily populated area.

[DennisT]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AnkxOb4IE4"]Steve Earle & The Dukes - Harlan Man (@ The House of Blues L.A.) - YouTube[/ame]

[UMStan White]

Too little too late. (RE Casteel)

[Chuck Mallory]

Interesting conversation here. I may be the only "true" southerner on this forum. I'm def southern born, good southern boy accent and all, although I lived in Michigan for a few years and have a CMU education. My dad and his family hails from Michigan. People down here are def more passionate about football. I'm very passionate about it as well, Michigan football that is.

Did anyone watch the show on the History Channel a few months ago titled...You Don't know Dixie? Very good show. They had a piece on there about college football in the south. Bobby Bowden was on there and he stated that he thinks it all comes from the Civil War.... I tend to agree with his statement.

All that being said I absolutely hate the SEC! I will never pull against a B1G team against an outside opponent no matter what. I loved it that during the Carr years he owned SEC teams in bowls, other than Tennessee in 01. I hate the SEC speed theory, I get sick as hell of hearing people talk trash about thier superiority.

Doc, that book Born Fighting sounds interesting, I may have to check it out.

[Chuck Mallory]

One of my greatest moments is when I was about five years old and Michigan played South Carolina in Columbia in '85 I think it was. Michigan had a rought season in '84 and SC came into the game ranked really high. SC fans were really talking smack before the game. SC came out to the space odyssey music and the place was on fire!! On the first play of the game Jamie Morris got his helmet knocked off!!

Michigan went on to win something like 35-3! At the end of the game only Michigan fans were left in the stadium and the guy with the M flag came up to us and I got to wave it and had my picture taken. Needless to say my maize and blue roots were firmly being planted!!

[whodean]

People down here are def more passionate about football.

You definitely don't see the Michigan stadium "blue hairs sitting on the hands" syndrome in the SEC.

[Chuck Mallory]

No, but all that being said the game day atmosphere in AA is just about second to none in my opinion. I've been to UNC,NCSU, USC, UGA, Clemson, etc.

[hodgkal]

Having the press box-VIP suites slanting inward certainly has increased the noise level. I've been to Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, MSU, and Purdue and none have the atmosphere I cherish in Ann Arbor. I will say the folks at Champagne hate Michigan more than any of the others and the folks at Madison are the most inebriated, boorish, and focused on crazy distractions. The most civilized were at Iowa City.

[Jamie H]

You definitely don't see the Michigan stadium "blue hairs sitting on the hands" syndrome in the SEC.

That whole theory is overrated. I guarantee you anyone that was there for the ND game this year had no complaints about crowd participation or noise level, except maybe Notre Dame.

[Dr. Strangelove]

There's still a much stronger regional identity in the south than anywhere else in the country. That fuels the "us versus them" mentality.

Like we talked about weeks ago, the SEC states used to have no professional teams in any major sport and still have very few with any passionate fanbases or long-term success. That meant generations of Alabama folks had only the colleges to follow back in the day when you only got local teams on radio or tv.

[Clashmore Mike]

That whole theory is overrated. I guarantee you anyone that was there for the ND game this year had no complaints about crowd participation or noise level, except maybe Notre Dame.

My family has had season tix since '86, and the '11 ND game was easily the loudest I've ever heard the big house...that includes Driesbach's game winner to Hayes (?) in '95 kickoff classic as well as '97 OSU.

Perhaps acoustic theory about the luxury boxes bouncing sound back...perhaps the first night game and 10+ hours of drinking...perhaps the single largest crowd in CFB history...all let others argue the reasons, the result cannot be argued.

[hack]

Blue-haired ones in the stands I think is great. If you're still coming and squeezing into those little spots and dealing with the noise and the walking and the hassle, that's an indication of passion too. I don't think it has to be equal with noise or painted faces or whatnot.

[Ghengis Jon]

The couple next to me have had those same seats since 1965. And he's had both knees replaced. Talk about troopers...