SpongeWorthy

Of course it's a good rule. If there was no rule, then schools would keep feeding the guys things they can sell without any limit. It would be the same as paying players. Like what? Would players start selling cigarettes out of the back of trucks or something? Game merchandise is valuable because there is a very finite supply of it.

No. But it isn't necessarily a good rule just because it's written down somewhere.

The default position of college sports fans is that every violation of an NCAA rule is an egregious act of moral depravity (as long as they don't play for your favorite team) while simultaneously whining about how horrible and stupid the NCAA is.

So BHO will pander to the gays but can't show up for his hometown team when they play the Wizards.

lol @ the foot fetish thing It's always the fatties who are into feet.

Yeah, it must be kind of awkward. But there are worse fates than being a highly paid cheerleader and getting the groupie table scraps.

Deng's been pretty damn good now that he's clearly 3rd in the offensive pecking order.

How many times do you think UMFan would have to have his head slammed into a frozen turf before he'd opt to watch a Bears game over Miss Saigon?

I realize that getting Flames to renounce his loyalty to the Packers is about as remote a possibility as UMFan renouncing his love of musical theater but a guy can hope.

Flames is a good dude which is why it's our moral obligation to beat him into submission until he renounces his Packers fandom and starts rooting for the Bears.

Anyone remember that time the Bears ended Favre's career and clinched the NFC North?

Hester:women on the 7th floor::NSBB:packers fans

Because the Packers are lame and effeminate. As are anyone that would deign to root for the Packers and Cubs simultaneously. That ain't right.

I forgot...

wsup NFC North division champ buddies *highfive*

Ed Werder just did a report saying that Favre visited a dying 5 year old on Friday. We're hosed.

I honestly can't tell if you are a Bears or vikings fan the way you are simultaneously defending minneapolis and speaking from the mind of a Vikings fan, and rooting for the Bears. Look at the guy missing the Bears game to go watch Les Miserables questioning the loyalty of someone else.

LOLLLLL

What would we be giving back?

Definitely. Jackson is crazy but he plays his ass off, can defend, shoot, and be a secondary ball handler. He'd be perfect.

JR Smith had a crazy dunk:

The only real issues with marginal teams in the playoffs are from the NBA and NHL. The NFL has had a weak NFC West for a few years now, but 1 of those teams went to and nearly won the Superbowl. Plus, you're still talking about only 12 of 32 teams getting in the playoffs, and most teams earn their way by winning either 10 games or beating other contenders head-to-head. MLB only allows 4 teams from each league of 30, no complaints there. NBA and NHL have over 1/2 the teams getting in which is [expletive]. But at least in the NHL, it has been proven that anything can happen in the playoffs, and you often have lower seeds doing very well. So, that leaves the NBA as the only legit complaint. And I think the real problem isn't a team like Boise running the table in the tourney. It's a team like Alabama or LSU who has had chances to beat heavyweights and have failed 2-3 times. They are probably still good enough to do some damage in the tournament, but their inability to beat those tops teams shouldn't get rewarded with a chance at a national title. A team with 1 slip-up like Boise is one thing, whether it's against a mediocre team or not. But a team that starts the year ranked high but loses 2 or 3 tough games is another. Alabama starting the season #1 pretty much guarantees them a shot at the national championship, because unless they lose 4 times they are going to finish ranked high enough to get in the tourney. These are fair points. I would get rid of polls for at least the first 6 weeks of the season or so. You'd still have a bias towards powerhouse programs but there'd be less anchoring effects going on in the rankings.

I don't see how the 14th best team, or whatever, is less deserving of a shot at the title than basically any other marginal team in every sport that uses a playoff system (basically all of them). If Boise or whatever ran the table in a playoff system and won it all who would have a problem with it? Besides goony

I'd rather have a substandard playoff system than the BCS.

My biggest concern is Noah getting lazy in the next couple months because he can't play and returning to the form of his first couple seasons.