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The Eyes Have It

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By Erich R Pilcher

An American Football season is unlike any other, no matter the level at which it is competed at. It doesn’t have the plodding nature of a baseball season, and it lacks the lulls that hockey and basketball provide. It is a nine-to-twenty-game sprint (depending on level of competition, location, etc.) to desired championship glory. It is what happens during that sprint that keeps us captivated, and in college football, it has opened a firestorm of controversy and hot takes.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are currently 9-2 and are ranked ninth in the College Football Playoff rankings. Since starting the season 0-2. They have won nine consecutive games and have dominated in doing so, beating all opponents by double digits. Their ranking would give them one of the coveted 12 spots in the playoffs if the season ended today. That is where the perceived issues begin.

One of the teams Notre Dame lost to (in week one), the Miami Hurricanes, are ranked 12th. They currently have identical 9-2 records. This has led many to cry for Justice, brand bias, and other ridiculous claims. What makes them ridiculous is that they are not based in fact or even on what the eyes see.

POINT 1: YES, HEAD TO HEAD MATTERS, BUT…

Since the aforementioned loss, calling Notre Dame dominant would be an understatement. They have won 9 consecutive games by close to thirty points per game. They have done so against two ranked opponents (USC and at Pittsburgh) and two Group of 5 teams (Navy and Boise State) that could play for their conference championship. Notre Dame’s only other loss occurred to Texas A&M two weeks after the Miami loss. That loss was by one point (due to a botched hold on an extra point try and an egregious missed holding call on the game-winning touchdown). Texas A&M is undefeated and ranked fourth.

Miami is a different story. They lost at home to unranked Louisville, then on the road to unranked Southern Methodist University (SMU). Since that win, Louisville is mired in a three-game losing streak. SMU has surged, but the Louisville loss still hurts the Hurricanes in a larger way because of what they have shown as of late.

I do think head-to-head matters, but it is not empirical. Basing a decision on one game, especially one from week one, does not tell the whole story. By basing it only on that result, you are saying a team cannot improve or get worse. Two things we know to be false.

POINT 2: JUST COMPARE THEM AGAINST EACH OTHER
This seems like a logical conclusion, and it is one made in large part by Miami supporters. However, it does not help Miami’s case; as a matter of fact, it hurts it even more. In the table below (Courtesy of Bryan Driskell of Irish Breakdown), you see a better comparison is Notre Dame versus Alabama (ranked tenth). In almost every comparison, Notre Dame is better than Miami. This includes key metrics Strength of Record (SOR), Strength of Schedule (SOS), and quality wins.

IMAGE COURTESY OF BRYAN DRISKELL OF IRISH BREAKDOWN

POINT 3: WHO NEEDS THE COMMITTEE, THEY JUST GET IT WRONG ANYWAY
Before the playoff began in the 2014 season, college football used the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). This would put various rankings into the computer and average teams out. Another common crying point by Miami is that the committee does not know football. In the table below, we see that Miami would not even be in the playoffs using the BCS formula, as they wouldn’t be in the top twelve. Also of note, Notre Dame is ranked in the top twelve in all of them except one (A&H) and holds an average ranking of seventh. This would not only put Notre Dame in the playoffs, but also give them a home playoff game

FINAL POINT: STOP SCHEDULING NOTRE DAME

This is just as ridiculous as the age-old diatribe “Notre Dame should join a conference”. The only reason Miami is even in consideration for a playoff spot is that they beat Notre Dame. Without that game, they would need countless miracles to get back into consideration. Miami is currently fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) standings. To even get to the conference championship game, they need to win at Pittsburgh and get a lot of help. If that win over Notre Dame was against a lesser team, they would not even be in the top 20.

As we approach the final regular-season weekend, the case for Miami is not comparing it to Notre Dame. It is what you see from them. When you watch Miami, do you see one of the 12 best teams in the country? I do not feel that is the case. They have been inconsistent, and in the games they have lost, they have given away the game through penalties and inexcusable turnovers. If Miami misses the playoffs, they have no one to blame but themselves. Not a committee and certainly not Notre Dame.

From a Dream to a Nightmare

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By Erich R Pilcher

“I know you won’t believe me when I say this, but I wish kids, especially black kids, didn’t dream so much about playing in the NBA”

-NBA Hall of Famer/Turner Basketball in-studio analyst Charles Barkley

Those are the words Barkley wrote in the introduction of the book Hoop Dreams, which acts as a companion to the landmark documentary with the same name (this was reviewed on Matt Connarton Unleashed this week). Barkley would explain that while it is good to chase your dream, he has seen so many that could have done anything because of how smart they were. However, because they were only focused on basketball, when that was over they had nothing to fall back on.

A recent picture of the two stars of the 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams, William Gates and Arthur Agee.
Photo Courtesy: Dallas Morning News

For the film’s two stars William Gates and Arthur Agee, they never made it to the NBA. But, due to the film were able to improve the lives of their families. If you have ever watched a college sporting event you have seen the commercial where the NCAA touts that “98% of our athletes become professionals in things other than sports”.

While that is accurate, it does not tell the whole story. Sometimes these youngsters chase the dream of playing professional sports and when it does not happen for whatever reason may be, their flameout is often as bright and explosive as their meteoric rise. There are these tales sprinkled throughout the sport’s lore of these athletes. I have selected some that will show when a sports dream is shattered, life sometimes is not far behind.

This cover of Sports Illustrated launched Sebastian Telfair’s hype into the stratosphere. Sadly, the hype was never realized due to many issues. Photo Courtesy: Sports Illustrated

Sebastian Telfair: Telfair was the number one ranked player in the country in 2004 and committed to play for the University of Louisville. However, following being on the cover of Sports Illustrated and a neighborhood shooting that claimed the life of a friend, Telfair turned pro. He was drafted by the Trail Blazers in the first round, despite his diminutive size (6’0 on a good day). He became a starter but was not able to produce at a pro-level. He played for 11 different teams in the United States and China over his 13-year career that was plagued with legal issues and questions about his maturity. On October 7, 2021, he was among 18 players indicted for defrauding the NBA health and welfare benefit plan. The case is still pending. 

Lawerence Phillips shortly after being drafted by the St Louis Rams despite a criminal history while in college. Photo Courtesy: USA Today

Lawrence Phillips: For three seasons Phillips was arguably the best Running Back in college football. While playing at the University of Nebraska he rushed for 3,102 yards and 33 touchdowns. He also ran afoul of the legal system. He broke into a teammate’s apartment and violently assaulted an ex-girlfriend by smashing her head into a mailbox. Despite this, he was drafted by the Saint Louis Rams with the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NFL draft. While he did show flashes of brilliance, Phillips could not avoid his legal demons. During his two years with the Rams, he spent 23 days in jail. He was cut after storming out of the team facility when he learned he was being demoted. Later he signed with the Miami Dolphins. They cut him after he assaulted an adult dancer at a club. Then San Francisco took a gamble, but his work ethic and attitude were so bad the team paid him to not play. Phillips was sentenced to ten years in prison in October 2008 for running three teenagers over with his car. Then in 2015 Phillips’ cellmate was found dead and he was charged with murder. On January 12, 2016, while in segregated custody awaiting, Phillips tragically committed suicide by hanging himself. 

The list could go on and on. The reason I bring this up is with the NCAA Tournament starting when rooting for our favorite players or teams, when their run ends, we cannot stop rooting for these athletes. We should root for their continued success after athletics. Because to live a stellar life is far better than having a shattered one because of an unrealized, narrow-minded dream that has manifested into a nightmare.