Damn this was good. I'm thrilled for you, my dude. When I saw the official playoff announcement I couldn't help but yell out an ecstatic "GODDAMMIT OLAF!!"
As someone with no allegiance to any university in the U.S., I always root for the "little guys" to upend the FBS cartel, so this year I'm rooting for the Bearcats. The AAC Championship Game wasn't televised on ESPN Brasil, but the Big 12 Championship Game was. If I was relieved that Oklahoma State didn't advance the ball a few more inches in that last play, I can only imagine how that must have felt for Cincinnati fans
Absolutely adored this. More generally, your love and enjoyment and revelry in the successes of the Bearcats has mirrored my own extremely vocal and borderline obnoxious joy surrounding those other Cayuts from the I-75 corridor as we are in the middle of the most successful stretch since the Bear left town. I audibly applauded when I read the line "none of that matters." Because it doesn't. It just doesn't. Congrats to you, congrats to Bearcats everywhere, and congrats to us all for getting to follow it through your eyes!
Congrats. I have been rooting hard for the Bearcats. The talk of a G5 team not belonging and your team just winning their way through it to shut up the naysayers has a lot of parallels to the 1999 season for VT. At the time, a lot of people said VT didn't play anybody (even though Miami was still Miami and all of those Pitt, WVa, and Syracuse teams were hard, physical teams) and that they didn't belong in the National Championship conversation. They too needed to pull out the last minute win (Miracle in Morgantown) to preserve their perfect season. They needed a few blue bloods ahead of them in the polls to lose for them to slowly creep ip the rankings.
All of this to say, that I kind of have a reference point to how you are feeling and I am so happy for you. Most importantly, win or lose this season, Cincinnati now has their foot in the door. The respect has been earned. Add that to entering a P5 conference next year and it means that they won't have to scratch and claw just to get table scraps. Now they have a place at the table.
In case you somehow need a Monday boost, after making stoverij yesterday, my wife's responses were: "This is the greatest thing you ever made that didn't come off the smoker" and "Action Cookbook is the best thing you ever found on the internet!"
And thanks for your writing that captures how this ridiculous, flawed, wonderful game always manages to pull me back in and why it means so much to so many. Go Bearcats!
Scott, I (and I'm sure so many of us here and on twitter too) am so happy for you. I've rooted for the Bearcats the entire season hoping for this to happen, both because of your interest in it and to see if the powers that be would actually do it should they be forced into such a scenario.
So let me ask you this: are you just happy to be here? I mean obviously you want your team to win the whole thing, but realistically I would venture to guess you think it's still a bit of a longshot to happen. So are you simply hoping for a competitive game against Nick Saban and the best college football program ever, or are you diving in headfirst, maniacally driving the train without brakes straight into Indianapolis CHAMPIONSHIP OR BUST BABY?
I saw you were going to the championship and got scared you were gonna die given how the Tulsa game went. Getting old is hard. Really happy for y'all. Enjoy this run. Legit great team
As a football fan who has a hard time explaining my love of the game to non-sports people, I felt this in my soul. And as a Michigan fan who has suffered through some rough times lately, I rejoice with you! I hope we get the honor of playing each other on January 10th. Up until then, I'll be cheering for you guys!
Damn this was good. I'm thrilled for you, my dude. When I saw the official playoff announcement I couldn't help but yell out an ecstatic "GODDAMMIT OLAF!!"
Man, I legitimately could not be happier for anyone on this God-forsaken Internet than you for precisely this reason.
As someone with no allegiance to any university in the U.S., I always root for the "little guys" to upend the FBS cartel, so this year I'm rooting for the Bearcats. The AAC Championship Game wasn't televised on ESPN Brasil, but the Big 12 Championship Game was. If I was relieved that Oklahoma State didn't advance the ball a few more inches in that last play, I can only imagine how that must have felt for Cincinnati fans
Absolutely adored this. More generally, your love and enjoyment and revelry in the successes of the Bearcats has mirrored my own extremely vocal and borderline obnoxious joy surrounding those other Cayuts from the I-75 corridor as we are in the middle of the most successful stretch since the Bear left town. I audibly applauded when I read the line "none of that matters." Because it doesn't. It just doesn't. Congrats to you, congrats to Bearcats everywhere, and congrats to us all for getting to follow it through your eyes!
https://store.theonion.com/products/man-walks-on-moon-front-page-poster-from-the-onions-our-dumb-century
Enjoy!
I loved this Scott, both your palpable joy but also your construction here.
Fantastically written, as always.
Congrats. I have been rooting hard for the Bearcats. The talk of a G5 team not belonging and your team just winning their way through it to shut up the naysayers has a lot of parallels to the 1999 season for VT. At the time, a lot of people said VT didn't play anybody (even though Miami was still Miami and all of those Pitt, WVa, and Syracuse teams were hard, physical teams) and that they didn't belong in the National Championship conversation. They too needed to pull out the last minute win (Miracle in Morgantown) to preserve their perfect season. They needed a few blue bloods ahead of them in the polls to lose for them to slowly creep ip the rankings.
All of this to say, that I kind of have a reference point to how you are feeling and I am so happy for you. Most importantly, win or lose this season, Cincinnati now has their foot in the door. The respect has been earned. Add that to entering a P5 conference next year and it means that they won't have to scratch and claw just to get table scraps. Now they have a place at the table.
So excited and happy for you Scott!! Let's go Bearcats!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In case you somehow need a Monday boost, after making stoverij yesterday, my wife's responses were: "This is the greatest thing you ever made that didn't come off the smoker" and "Action Cookbook is the best thing you ever found on the internet!"
And thanks for your writing that captures how this ridiculous, flawed, wonderful game always manages to pull me back in and why it means so much to so many. Go Bearcats!
Scott, I (and I'm sure so many of us here and on twitter too) am so happy for you. I've rooted for the Bearcats the entire season hoping for this to happen, both because of your interest in it and to see if the powers that be would actually do it should they be forced into such a scenario.
So let me ask you this: are you just happy to be here? I mean obviously you want your team to win the whole thing, but realistically I would venture to guess you think it's still a bit of a longshot to happen. So are you simply hoping for a competitive game against Nick Saban and the best college football program ever, or are you diving in headfirst, maniacally driving the train without brakes straight into Indianapolis CHAMPIONSHIP OR BUST BABY?
Just curious.
BE-AR-C-A-T-S Go Cats Go! One of the best march cadences around.
Beat Bama!
GO BEARCATS
I saw you were going to the championship and got scared you were gonna die given how the Tulsa game went. Getting old is hard. Really happy for y'all. Enjoy this run. Legit great team
As a football fan who has a hard time explaining my love of the game to non-sports people, I felt this in my soul. And as a Michigan fan who has suffered through some rough times lately, I rejoice with you! I hope we get the honor of playing each other on January 10th. Up until then, I'll be cheering for you guys!
crazy that Gene Cernan is still the most recent person on the moon. This means that Purdue still owns it, right?