e out what went wrong in South Bend. The team is 0-3, and has not yet scored an offensive touchdown this season.True, the team is young and inexperienced. But Michigan was not exactly a juggernaugt when they met last weekend. The problem with Notre Dame right now is thier coaching. The world is starting to discover that Charlie 'The HunchBack' Wies is not the genious everyone hyped him up to be. The public bought into the media PR machine, and now everyone is feeling a bit foolish.
Just because a guy worked for a successful franchise (in this case, the Patriots) it does not mean that the guy really was responsible for that success. Now Notre Dame is praying for a miracle, and their current saviour is feeling the pressure. Meanwhile the fans are starting to regret losing Ty Willingham.
Lloyd Carr is another of the freaks right now. On the verge of losing his job, the man is seemingly capable of denying reality. He has yet to display any sense of urgency or panic, and treats every press conferance as just another day at the office. Its as if he has not even seen their games this season. Somehow he believes that the 'big win' over Notre Dame was the turning point and the ship is now headed in the right direction. Even Gilligan had a better sense of direction that Lloyd Carr has right now.
Michigan is in trouble. The Big House has become a House of Horrors. If they don't do something right away, it will become a House of Echos as fans abandon the sinking ship.
Perhaps the biggest freak of all is Joe Paterno. The man is the Energizer Bunny of college football. He just keeps going and going. A few years ago, everyone was calling for his retirement, claiming his best days are behind him. Now Penn State is on the verge of becoming a serious contender again. They are not yet ready to compete for the national championship, but they are going to be knocking on the door. Next season they will be a team that can shake up the rankings.
Keep in mind that Paterno is over 80 years old. Its hard to forget, considering that the guys on ESPN continue to remind us every time they mention his name. But despite his age, he remains as active on the sideline as any coach in sports today. Last year he suffered a broken leg during a game. Two weeks later, he was back on the sideline. He has not lost any of the fire that he possesed in his younger days. If anything, the fire burns even stronger these days.
Appalachian State is certainly a freak. Its a giant fish in a tiny pond. For the past two years it has obliterated everything in its path. The only problem is that the path consisted of Division II teams and the Citadel. This year the team took a giant leap in evolution, and knocked off Michigan in the first game. Perhaps this game destroyed the psyche of Michigan and is the cause of all thier current woes. More likely is the possibility that Appalachian State is just an incredible team that has outgrown its current home.
This week, Appalachian State received FIVE votes in the AP poll. Thats not a big number, but its the only five ever received by a Division II team. Yes, the rules were just changed last week to allow them to get the votes, but that still does not diminish the accomplishment.
The Miami Hurricanes are also freaks. Call them 'The Incredible Disappearing Franchise.' They have quietly faded into oblivian. When Oklahoma pounded on them mercilessly, it barely even made a blip on the radar. Everyone celebrated Oklahoma's win, but most failed to even mention who they played. Thats the price of success: If you send enough players to the NFL, you don't have much left to play with next season.
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