Welcome back! Let's continue the Alumni Bracket.
(2) Rice v (9) UCSB:
Rice-
Why they should win: The Owlz are the second smallest school to compete at the top level of NCAA football. During their first 40 years, Rice was somewhat of a powerhourse, but never won it all. Since then, it's been difficult to compete with larger schools. Recently, the team had a 45 year bowl drought, which was the second longest in NCAA football history.
Why they shouldn't win: Their stadium is the location where JFK announced that the US would be working on getting to the moon. It was the site of Super Bowl VIII. The team was in the New Orleans Bowl in 2006 and finished with a 9-3 record and a Texas Bowl victory as recently as 2008.
UCSB-
Why they should win: Talk about heartbreak. The Gauchos have gone to the tournament after thrilling Big West tourneys twice since I went to the school. Once, during my Sophomore year, they lost thanks to the refs to Arizona. Last season, they beat the spread, but got messed up by Ohio State. In the history of all UCSB sports, we have won just 2 National Titles.
Why they shouldn't win: The much loved basketball team just won the Big West after an impressive second half of the year, and made it to the NCAA tournament, which is huge for the Gauchos. In 2006, the men's soccer team beat Wake Forest in the national championship. Rioting ensued in Isla Vista. How can you be suffering (unless from a hangover) in IV?
And the winner is... Rice. Despite having a solid baseball team, any fan base of a NCAA fooseball team with only 2 bowl games since the Vietnam war is seriously suffering.
(3) Providence v (8) Johns Hopkins
Providence-
Why they should win: Again, a topic I'm not qualified to write about. Any yet, we press on. The Friars of Rhode Island have only had two final four appearances in school history, with the most recent coming in 1987. The basketball team finished last season 12-19, and enjoy routinely being killed by LSF rival, Notre Dame.
Why they shouldn't win: The hardwood team has made it to 5 post season tournaments since the 2000/2001 season (NIT and NCAA combined), which is pretty impressive, and they went 19-14 in the ultra competetive Big East in 08/09. Last year's leading scorer, Jamine Peterson averaged just about 20 PPG, the second best mark for the team since 1999.
Johns Hopkins-
Why they should win: Well, evidently there was a rumor that Brandon played goalie for their LAX team, which produced mild to moderate suffering. No lacrosse title since 2007 is actually a big pain in the Jay's hearts.
Why they shouldn't win: 44 National Championships. Sorry, I really wanted to hand JHU the upset here, but a title crazy team like this doesn't deserve it.
And the winner is... Providence. Shocker. The only NCAA team called the Friars in the whole country takes the cake in round one.
(4) Notre Dame v (7) USC:
Notre Dame-
Why they should win: A bowl record of 14-15, no National title for the Nation's team since 1988, and the recent Charlie Weis era that made us look like fools? Weis' career, which was made to look much better ealry on thanks to Ty Willingham recruits finished 35-27. The Clausen experiment failed. The "smartest offense in college football" failed. It was a mess. The 5 season under Weis featured the worst winning percentage since '81-'85 for the Irish. And...we lost Golden Tate.
Why the shouldn't win: Much like the 49'ers in an earlier bracket, Notre Dame are a glory team of the days of yore. 11 National Titles, an all time winning percentage of .734, 7 Heisman winners, and 95 consensus All Americans. Add to that the hope and promise of new coach Brian Kelly and new QB Dayne Crist.
USC-
Why the should win: With all the love that these douchebags get, would you believe that SC hasn't won a National Championship since 2004? They only really have 2 titles from 1979-2010. Doesn't it seem like more? Last season, SC lost 4 games. It was their first season with 2+ losses since 2001. And now, they lost their Jesus-esque coach and have replaced him with a bum they're pretending to love.
Why the shouldn't win: They're anoying, stuck up, and think they are God's gift to football. Why hurt their egos with an award for suffering?
And the winner is... Notre Dame, but I don't see them going too far in the tourney based on amazing historical success.
(5) FVHS v (6) UCLA
FVHS-
Why they should win: No CIF titles since 1988 for the football team, and constant defeats at the hands of rival Edison. It just gets old losing to the Chargers.
Why they shouldn't win: Kyle Middlebrooks. The star RB has turned the Barons team around, led the Barons to a playoff run last year, and completely changed the mindset around campus.
UCLA-
Why they should win: 1954. That was the last time the Bruins earned a national football title. They have floundered as of late, yo yo-ing around, completely overshadowed by the Trojans around town.
Why they shouldn't win: The Bruins have won 125 National Championships across the board, more than any other college in the Nation. How can you claim suffering when you win titles like that?
And the winner is... UCLA. This fan base has been suffering at the hands of USC and the USC biased media in LA long enough.
So, the second round matchups in the Alumni Bracket will be as follows:
(1) Wake Forest (bye)
(2) Rice v (6) UCLA
(3) Providence v (4) Notre Dame
Man, that 5/6 match is a bitch! Next post in the tournament will walk us through the All American bracket. Don't forget to add a post or comment to share why you think a certain team should win, or why you're mad about the choices so far.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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