| If You Don't Try, You Can't SucceedKOLO Blog Listing | |||||
|
Recent Blog Topics
|
||||
Save
Email
Print
|
Over this past weekend, I was frequently asked this question by Wolf Pack fans: Why do we continue to play big name schools like Notre Dame who embarrass us on national television? Here's my response: Wolf Pack Fans: I understand your frustration with Nevada. It is difficult to go through months and months of hype leading up to a game against a big program only to watch your team lay an egg pretty much right from the get-go. That being said, no team can ever get better by playing a flat schedule. You might win all of the games, but you won't get any respect. Case in point, Utah has gone undefeated twice against a soft schedule (in 2004 and 2008) and neither time were they awarded a shot at a BCS Championship. All it takes is one good showing against a Nebraska; Missouri; or Notre Dame and people around the nation will start talking about your program. I'm not sure if you got the chance to watch Washington host No. 11 LSU on Saturday, but the Huskies, who didn't win a single game last season, hung with the Tigers for most of the game. They did lose by double-digits, but the fact that they gave a BCS Championship caliber school a run for the money will undoubtedly help them as a program down the road. Again, all it takes is one game. Yes, Nevada has played four top-notch programs - Nebraska, Missouri, Texas Tech and now Notre Dame - in the past three years. Yes, for the most part, they have gotten embarrassed in all four games. But, just the hype leading up to these games can really help a program blossom. All week, ESPN was talking about the pistol offense and Colin Kaepernick. When else would they ever even as much as mention a WAC school (other than maybe Boise State and in the past couple of years, Hawai'i)? There's nothing good about losing 35-0 on national television, but it's still no reason to stop playing big name schools because there is always a chance that one day the Pack will at the very least make things interesting. That's what college football at a mid-level conference is all about. Keep the faith. |
| Post Your Comments |
|
|
