leblanc@rochester.UUCP (Tom LeBlanc) (01/10/84)
From: Tom LeBlanc <leblanc> To all of those people that scream at Nebraska for (a) playing their regulars too long in one-sided games (about 2 quarters worth) and (b) running up the score, here are two recent quotes re: the national championship. Norm Schnellenberg (?) head coach of national champ Miami - If we stayed close, we knew we could wear them down in the fourth quarter. Most of their guys haven't played four quarters of football all year. Fred Akers (?) head coach at Texas - Even if we win in the Cotton Bowl, we won't win the national championship unless Nebraska loses. We'd be undefeated, but they'd vote for Nebraska just because of the lopsided scores. What do these tell us? It is very hard to lead the polls from wire to wire. If you use your first string all the time and run up the score, everyone hates you except the pollsters. If you don't run up the score, you're not given serious consideration; if you spell your starters all the time, you're ripe for an upset when things get close at bowl time.
pector@ihuxw.UUCP (Scott W. Pector) (01/11/84)
1. What is the difference as far as the polls are concerned between winning
by 30-40 points versus by 60 or more points? Scores do not need to be
run up too much!
2. In a game where the score is really run up (i.e., victory margin > 60
points), how much of a workout did the starters get by being left in
for 3/4 or more of the game versus just half of the game (and winning
by ONLY 40 points)?
Scott Pector