Tag: BCS Championship

Louisville SB Nation site editor rips Rudy’s father to shreds in piece

Did you like how Ned Beatty’s character behaved in the film?

Notre Dame plays Louisville this coming weekend, so a lot of Cardinals fans might be watching “Rudy” to get in the mood. Among them is Mike Rutherford, the editor for Card Chronicle, the Louisville site for SB Nation.

Rutherford watched the movie many times growing up, and he has decided to dedicate an entire piece to why [autotag]Rudy Ruettiger[/autotag]’s father, played by Louisville native Ned Beatty, is the worst character in the entire movie.

Rutherford qualifies his comments by saying not much is known about how the senior Ruettiger was in real life. He then gives one specific example after another about how awful the on-screen senior Ruettiger is.

I can’t say it’s a completely unfair assessment. My late father-in-law, an avowed Notre Dame hater and Alabama fan who loved the outcome the 2013 BCS title game, was triggered by Ruettiger saying Notre Dame Stadium was “the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen”. Given that he was married and had built a family, it shows how he lacked perspective.

Just to drive the point homer, Rutherford makes his feelings known right off the bat when plugging the piece on social media (warning: NSFW language):

So whether you agree with how this character carried himself or not, there’s a perspective out there that he was exactly not how a father should be. It definitely gives one cause to think.

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On3 says Notre Dame still is college football blue blood – for now

Will the Irish remain a top dog in college football?

There’s no question Notre Dame is one of the biggest brands in college football. But how much longer can it retain that status? It’s a question worth asking as its last national championship gets further and further away.

Andy Staples of On3 revealed the programs he believes to be the blue bloods in college football. Notre Dame made the cut alongside Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Penn State and USC. With the possible exception of one or two, they all belong on the list.

However, in explaining his reason for picking the Irish, Staples did so with some caution mixed in:

“The Fighting Irish dominated the sport for generations, but they haven’t won a national title since 1988. So why are they still on this list? Because Brian Kelly made them nationally competitive again by taking them to a BCS national title game and two CFP appearances. In the era of the 12-team College Football Playoff, though, Notre Dame is going to have to actually win some of these high-stakes postseason games to stay on the list.”

So the Irish’s future as a blue blood rests in the hands of [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and his staff with the support of [autotag]Pete Bevacqua[/autotag]. The fan base won’t be happy if he can’t sustain that tradition of excellence, and that also could mean a blow to the program’s reputation. Hopefully, he won’t let that happen.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89