Brian, it is easy to be a homer. Picking a team from your home state is the simple way out. Why don’t you try making an original move? And besides that, how can you compete with a team whose mascott is a nut? Thats right. A buckeye is nut. November 18th should be a day forever remembered in the annals of college football. This will be the day, if everything goes as it should, an undefeated No. 2 Michigan will take on an undefeated No. 1 Ohio State. The winner of this upcoming game pretty much gets a guaranteed ticket to the National Championship.

Michigan is a very good football team. They defeated No. 11 Notre Dame at Notre Dame’s South Bend, in front of Touchdown Jesus. Their defense makes the opposite team’s offense look silly. But Ohio State is a great team and not one of the other teams has come close to beating them.

Ohio State is lead by Heisman candidate Troy Smith. As a quarterback, Smith is a dual threat. He can run as well as pass. He has a quarterback rating of 166, he has completed 158 passes for 2006 yards and thrown 22 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions. He also has 206 yards on the ground. Then again, you would not have much trouble passing when you have Teddy Ginn Jr., a candidate for the Fred Biletnikoff award given to the nation’s top wide receiver who runs a 4.35 40-yard dash against the wind, and has 44 receptions for 611 yards for an average of 13.9 yards per catch as well as seven touchdowns on the year, and Tony Gonzalez (not of the Kansas City Chiefs) as your main two targets.

Michigan has the No. 4 ranked defense in the nation, but they have a struggling offense. Michigan’s offense has not been the same since they lost their top wide out, Mario Manningham. Although he is slated to return by this game, he will most likely not be at 100 percent since he is coming off knee surgery. His return will help a struggling offense, but Michigan is still going against the No. 1 scoring defense in the NCAA, which allows only 7.3 points a game (the OSU offense is averaging 36.1 points a game). If Manningham is going to be used at all, it will most likely be a decoy, and he won’t get that many looks or passes thrown in his general direction.

This game has the potential to be one of the greatest games in Big Ten or possibly NCAA history. Although this should be a closely contested game, Ohio State has no reason to lose. But that’s why football games are played. As NFL coach Dennis Green said, you don’t want to “crown them” too early.

Sources:
Sports Illustrated

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Paul, Paul, Paul, my poor misguided comrade. We share so much: a love of sports, a devotion to Marquette, a passion to write and a soft spot for fruit snacks. It hurts me to see your mind polluted with bad taste and poor reasoning. I think you’ve watched one too many ESPN All-Access packages about how unbeatable that team from Columbus is. Are they a very good team? Absolutely. Are they a great team? Not yet. In order to become that great team, Ohio State needs a victory over the most successful program in the history of college football. In order to win a Big Ten title, it must vanquish a program that has won 42 Big Ten titles.

If the history lesson doesn’t do much for you, then let’s learn how the Michigan Wolverines will be the end of the “unstoppable” Buckeyes.

To beat Michigan, one thing must be done: stop the run. They’ve been doing it well for over 100 years, so it’s no secret. Yes, they have game breaking wide receivers like Steve Breaston and Mario Manningham, but this offense is carried by its running backs. First Team All-Big Ten running back Mike Hart and his five-yards-per-carry will wreak havoc on the Buckeye defense. Wasn’t OSU rolled up by the likes of 5’5” Garret Wolfe for 171 yards? Now, I take nothing away from Wolfe; he’s proven himself as a heck of a runner. But don’t tell me the Buckeye front seven were overmatched by the “powerful” NIU offensive line. C’mon, Paul.

If you want to play the fluke card on this, I’ll take you back to the Texas game. This time a “worthy opponent” put up 172 yards of rushing. And what about the 150-plus the Fighting Paternos put up? Concerned yet? Hart and Kevin Grady provide one of the best one-two punches in the nation. Michigan’s offensive line is arguably the best in the country, with All-Big Ten and All-American candidates at every position. Ohio State’s defense, despite eleven weeks to mesh, is still young and has not seen a group as experienced and as talented as this.

Looking at intangibles, Coach Carr has the karma flowing. Yes, I know his record against “Coach Vest” is nothing to brag about, and Troy Smith has diced Michigan the last two years. But teams that beat Michigan last year have not had the same results this season. Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Minnesota were all beaten by two touchdowns or more (in ND’s case, a lot more). The Buckeyes can yell and scream about how fast Ted Ginn is and how they can run the ball, but they will quickly learn that Michigan has added some speed across their defense as well. Smith will still do his thing, but he will be prevented from taking over the game like he has the last two years.

It’ll be a nail-biter, but the Maize and Blue will put the exclamation point on their season on the foot of Garrett Rivas: Michigan 24 Ohio State 21.

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Like the news, it is too easy to focus on the negative in the sports world. While thinking of a topic for this column, I kept coming back to the Miami-FIU brawl. Since the incident, I see a clip of it every time I turn on my TV. It is a shame that this story is getting so much attention when there are a lot of positive stories to focus on instead. Last year, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Gulf Coast and forced the Saints on the road for their entire season. This year, the Saints have given their fans something to cheer about. Through some clever scheduling work and the Saints’ strong commitment to play their home games in the Superdome, the team is currently undefeated at home after three games and will play a full contingent of eight home games this year at the Superdome.

Just getting the Saints to play games in New Orleans might have been enough good news, but they have also been downright good. The Saints are 5-1, and coming off their bye week, they sit atop the NFC South, a division that is supposed to be one of the strongest in the NFL. Drew Brees has been amazing in his first year, leading an impressive offense that has made the Saints an exciting team even for the non-fan to cheer about.

Even though Reggie Bush has not been quite as much of a game breaker as he is on Madden 2007, he has been a perfect example of how NFL stars should act. After falling to the second overall pick back in April, it would have been easy for Bush to complain about going to New Orleans. Instead, after a brief contract holdout, Bush came to practice and has acted with the utmost respect for the Saints organization. He has not whined about having to split playing time with Deuce McAllister, or opened his mouth to the media to voice any petty complaints. Instead, he has made the best of the situation, allowing the team to utilize him as a decoy and a receiver. After week six of the NFL season, Bush had 38 receptions, tying him for the third most in the NFL. More importantly, Bush has made headlines and turned heads by pledging to donate 25 percent of his share from the sale of his jersey this year.

Bush has also teamed with Diet Pepsi to raise money to rebuild New Orleans. Diet Pepsi has pledged to donate money to Rebuilding Together for every yard Bush gains. Diet Pepsi and Bush have also combined to auction items on e-Bay to further aid rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast region. This effort is collectively called “Yard by Yard,” and donations can be made through their Web page, www.yardbyyard.com.

Saints games have also been exciting. (Many of us recall the Packers-Saints game that ended in dramatic fashion.) Five of the Saints’ six games have been determined by seven or fewer points. The Saints are 4-1 over that span with their only loss being against the Carolina Panthers, a potential Superbowl contender.

I bet it feels good to be a Saints fan these days; I cannot wait to try it out in week eight.

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It’s Saturday morning, you wake up early and you’re not even upset. Why? It is a necessity, and not even a sacrifice, to get up early to enjoy hours of tailgating before Marquette’s football game against top rival Notre Dame. Campus is buzzing; the stadium is going to be overflowing. College Gameday is televising their pre-game show live in front of the multimillion-dollar stadium. Alumni have flown in from across the country to witness this ultimate event for Catholic school bragging rights. A sea of blue and gold has just erupted in the loudest chants of “Ring Out Ahoya” and “We Are Marquette” you’ve ever heard because Lee Corso has just donned the Golden Eagle mascot head. Let’s not forget we are No. 1 and they are No. 2. Obviously this dream is unrealistic right now with no varsity football team at Marquette, but could it ever become realistic?This past May, Old Dominion University, a commuter school in eastern Virginia, announced it will field a football team in 2009 for the first time since 1940. It’s only been 46 years since Marquette gave up football. Could we resurrect our program? Marquette officials have said the answer is “no” since the day the sport was dropped. Would anything change their minds? “It would take a minimum of a $100 million gift to Marquette’s endowment fund to even consider reinstating intercollegiate football,” the Rev. Robert A. Wild said. Let’s start fundraising!

Why the high price? For starters, we would be adding more than a football program. Due to Title IX, a statute that requires women be given the same participation opportunities as men, Associate Athletic Director Mike Broeker said, “We’d also have to add large squad-sized women’s teams such as crew and swimming, creating even more expense, not to mention the increased pressure the addition of 100-plus student-athletes would put on critical areas such as academic support, athletic training and strength and conditioning.” In truth, the women’s sports expenses would be negligible compared to the costs of a Division 1-A football squad.

The first obvious expense would be a football stadium. These are so pricy that teams easily spend $200 million on them. (Ohio State spent a similar amount just for renovations.) Old Dominion was lucky to already have one it can use for comparatively minimal renovation costs. It is possible to have the stadium built without a dime from the university. Oklahoma State has been able to get the majority of their facilities donated from one man, T. Boone Pickens, who according to Sports Illustrated, recently donated $165 million to allow OSU to touch up their stadium and practice field while still having $50 million leftover to use toward building a new indoor practice facility. Pickens is a bit of an exception. There are other ways to raise the money.

Minnesota recently broke ground on a 50,000-seat, $248 million football stadium. They were able to sell the naming rights for the stadium to TCF Bank for $35 million, which will mean the Golden Gophers will play at TCF Bank Stadium for 25 years. The name will be renegotiated after those 25 years, most likely at a much higher price.

To achieve Division 1-A status Marquette would need to average 17,000 fans per year. (This seems like an easily attainable goal; the university averages almost 14,000 for basketball.) This would require building a 20,000- to 30,000-seat stadium. Such a stadium would likely cost anywhere between $50 million and $70 million. Marquette is able to offset much of the cost of their academic buildings by selling naming rights, so there is no reason they shouldn’t be able to raise $15 million or more by selling naming rights for a stadium.

According to the Milwaukee Business Journal there is discussion of building a 20,000-seat soccer stadium in downtown Milwaukee in hopes of attracting an MLS team. It is possible for soccer and football to share a stadium, and with MU alum Martin Greenberg spearheading the effort, this is a partnership Marquette could utilize to save money on the stadium. This would also mean that the city and taxpayers could cover some of the cost. Loans are another option, and often people are willing to donate them without interest. Stadium revenues from ticket sales and memorabilia can help pay for the loans.

Once the stadium problem is solved, there is still the need for other facilities, such as a practice field. Valley Fields would work for a short time, but even that would need a suitable locker room built nearby. The university either would need to completely overhaul the three-year-old academic support, strength and conditioning and training rooms – because the ones recently built in the Al McGuire center were not made to accommodate a football team – or build a whole new facility for football. A new building makes the most sense as the football staff would also need their own offices, including a large film room with all the standard tape-editing equipment and another room for watching film. The University of Kansas recently announced plans to build a facility very similar to what Marquette would require, and it will cost the Jayhawks $31 million. A few wealthy alumni could pull a T. Boone Pickens and cover much of this cost.

This would basically set up the program as far as facilities are concerned. There are still the annual costs of fielding and staffing a team. Scholarships for the players, of which the NCAA allows no more than 85, would cost Marquette roughly $3.5 million per season, and doesn’t even account for the additional 85 female scholarships. At San Diego State University, which boasts one of the smallest football budgets in the country, the football coaches make $1.1 million per year. The table below shows a few miscellaneous costs accrued during the season.

San Diego State, again one of the smaller budgets in the country, spends on average $5 million to $6 million per season. Washington University, one of the higher budgets, spends $15 million a season on football. All of the Big 12 schools spend somewhere between $6.8 million and $15.3 million a year. The Rev. Wild’s requested endowment of $100 million is wise, because at a 5 percent pay-out every year (which is typical for a university) it would supply $5 million for the football team’s annual budget. This endowment alone will not be enough, but with ticket sales and Big East profit sharing revenue (about $2.5 million) the university could be almost assured that there would be enough money to cover the gridiron expenses every year. For alumni and students who want football, the ball has been placed in our court. It’s easy to complain about how Marquette doesn’t have a football team. If we’re serious about getting one, we need to step up, become agents of change and like another football agent, Jerry McGuire, show them the money.

Sources: Marquette University Athletic Department, Sports Illustrated magazine, Milwaukee Business Journal, interview with university President Rev. Robert Wild

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The Warrior recently sat down with Pat Winters, first year starting right guard of the Marquette club football team. The team will take on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers, its Milwaukee rivals, in the Brew City Classic October 14. Did any players on Marquette’s team not play in high school?
Most of the kids that play on the team played in high school and haven’t lost their love of the game. There are some first timers that are coming along very well.

How is playing at the club level?
We play more or less for fun, but we are still very serious. We want to win. The coach’s name is Mike “Red” Maloney, but players also do a lot of running the team.

What are practices like?
Practices are Wednesday through Friday and some on Saturday. A lot of it is individual work by position.

As a right guard, do you worry about holding or ever catch yourself holding?
There is holding on every play. You have to do anything to outsmart or out-maneuver your opponent. It’s a great sport where you can assault someone. There is combat on every play. It’s one-on-one so the best man wins.

What do you say to people who say “it’s just club football?”
It’s not “just club football.” We play against programs that have players on scholarships. This is serious football and we want to win.

What is your favorite thing to do before a game?
In high school I had a whole routine. Now I listen to a lot of Metallica and Eminem. Right before the game begins, I listen to Al Paccino’s Any Given Sunday speech.

If someone is interested in playing, but needs some encouragement, what do you say?
Come out for the team! We are always looking for new people. Every game we are out numbered. If you have played before that’s great, but players that are new to the game are also great.

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When John F. McCormick S.J., spoke at a celebratory event at Marquette in 1929, he said “the football team is a rallying point for the sentiment that centers around any college.”This statement might evoke a pang of jealousy that we can’t rally around a Division 1 football team on Saturday afternoons. But that wasn’t the case for Marquette students in the late 1800s.

Marquette University’s football program was created in 1892, 11 years after the university’s founding in 1881. In the inaugural season, the team played only three games, losing to Milwaukee High School twice and defeating St. Ignatius College of Chicago in a 10-0 shutout.

But the early stages of the team were not as lackluster as most brand-new programs, as the team went 10-4 in the first four seasons. The team defeated other small programs at Concordia College and Carroll College.

In the first decade of the 20th century, however, the program really began to take flight. Between 1901 and 1903, Marquette’s record was 16-2-2, and in 1904 the rivalry in basketball that students cherish today between Marquette and the University of Wisconsin began on the gridiron, resulting in a 33-0 Badger victory.

In 1905, Marquette hired its first paid coach, John Ford, who went 2-3-1 that year, defeating Beloit College and Lake Forest while taking a 30-5 loss from Northwestern University.

As the program progressed, so did the quality of competition for Marquette. The team continued its match-up with the University of Wisconsin, but lost each of the first seven competitions, including an 85-0 massacre in 1915.

However, in 1909, Marquette performed well against the two all-time leaders in winning percentage in college football history: University of Michigan and University of Notre Dame. Michigan barely pulled out a 6-5 victory, while Marquette held Notre Dame to a scoreless draw under head coach William Juneau. In all, Marquette faced Notre Dame six times in the early 1900s, going 0-3-3 against the legendary program.

In perhaps the most successful season in its football history, Marquette went 7-1 in the 1936 regular season, earning them a bid to the first ever Cotton Bowl. That year the Golden Avalanche took down powerhouses of college football including a 33-7 victory over Mississippi, and 13-7 and 12-6 wins over Michigan State and Wisconsin. Despite the 16-6 loss to Texas Christian University in the Cotton Bowl, quarterback and captain Ray Buivid finished third in the Heisman trophy voting to Larry Kelley, a defensive end out of Yale. Buivid later played two seasons for the Chicago Bears.

Coach Frank Murray was also an integral member of that team, as well as a staple in Marquette’s sporting history.

With an all-time record of 90-32-6, Murray is the coach who brought in the most wins. He led the team to three undefeated seasons in 1922, 1923 and 1930, and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993. Murray also displayed his wide array of coaching ability by leading the Marquette basketball team to a 94-73 record in his years as head coach in 1920 through 1929.

Marquette football has also had its fair share of great players as well, the most famous being George Andrie.

After playing three years at Marquette and not being able to participate in his senior year because of the cancellation of the program, Andrie was selected in the 6th round of the NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. The 6’ 6,” 250-pound DE instantly became a star with the team, joining with DT Bob Lilly to create the original Dallas Doomsday defense.

In his career, Andrie was a member of the Super Bowl VI champion Cowboys, and also played in the 1967 NFL Championship loss to the Green Bay Packers nicknamed the “Ice Bowl,” in which he recovered a fumble for a touchdown. In all, Andrie played in five Pro Bowls, earning four starts, and was Pro Bowl co-MVP in 1970 along with Chicago Bears Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers.

Aside from Andrie, more than 70 Marquette football players played professionally, including numerous members of AFL and NFL Championship games.

Out of this number, four Marquette players have been inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. Lavern Dilweg was a stifling defensive end for Marquette in the early 1920s, and at 6’ 3” was one of the most intimidating members of the team. In his playing days at Marquette, Dilweg was a two-time Walter Eckersall All-American, and later went on to win three NFL Championships with the Green Bay Packers along with fellow Marquette players Joseph “Red” Dunn and Howie “Whitey” Woodin. Dilweg also showed off his talents away from the playing field, as he earned a law degree from Marquette and was elected as a Democrat to the 78th Congress.

Marquette University’s football program racked up 36 winning seasons in its history, nine of which the team went undefeated. But Dec. 8, 1960, after only 10 wins in the previous six seasons and creating debt for the school, the program was cancelled by the school despite incredible student opposition. Although students may never see Division 1 football again at Marquette, the stories and legends that have passed through this campus can at least offer us a glimpse of what it was like.

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Every Saturday, my roommate wakes me up by turning on the television for college football. Although college football occupies the Saturdays of many Marquette students, we have no varsity team of our own to follow.

During their time at Marquette, every student inevitably discusses our lack of a football team.
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