[Oasis]

The cognoscenti chatter I see online and hear on TV says it hurt Christian's chances a lot that we didn't make the playoffs.  A one-loss Stanford probably would've made the playoffs.  On the other hand, we could easily have lost to Washington State and Notre Dame and be headed to San Antonio or Vegas.

What irritates me is that Stanford consistently sends guys to NY who are excellent players and excellent students and we lose -- four times now -- to one or another factory. I'm not saying the competition haven't had real Voldemort credentials or that they're not real students.  It's just that after four times of sending exceptional people in both respects to the Voldemort finals and consistently not winning you start to think it's something else.

There's also the Narrative.  The hard-times-to-fame story never seems to get old.  Our guys all come from stable, well-off families and attend an elite institution.  Not as emotionally compelling.  I noticed no one (at least no one I saw) on the Voldemort show or just about anywhere else mentioned that Christian is an Academic All-American.  If Henry or Watson had been, I have no doubt we'd have heard about it over and over.  Christian's academics aren't part of the Narrative.

And of course -- although I know this isn't going to happen -- it is irritating that these football and media bozos do not acknowledge what Garvin calls the moral and athletic superiority of Stanford. They should because it's true.  Christian is the exemplar of that. It is better than what Alabama and Clemson do.  So there.

But to hell with the Voldemort voters.  I'm ready for Christmas and the Rose Bowl.

[Oasis]

The cognoscenti chatter I see online and hear on TV says it hurt Christian's chances a lot that we didn't make the playoffs.  A one-loss Stanford probably would've made the playoffs.  On the other hand, we could easily have lost to Washington State and Notre Dame and be headed to San Antonio or Vegas.

What irritates me is that Stanford consistently sends guys to NY who are excellent players and excellent students and we lose -- four times now -- to one or another factory. I'm not saying the competition haven't had real Voldemort credentials or that they're not real students.  It's just that after four times of sending exceptional people in both respects to the Voldemort finals and consistently not winning you start to think it's something else.

There's also the Narrative.  The hard-times-to-fame story never seems to get old.  Our guys all come from stable, well-off families and attend an elite institution.  Not as emotionally compelling.  I noticed no one (at least no one I saw) on the Voldemort show or just about anywhere else mentioned that Christian is an Academic All-American.  If Henry or Watson had been, I have no doubt we'd have heard about it over and over.  Christian's academics aren't part of the Narrative.

And of course -- although I know this isn't going to happen -- it is irritating that these football and media bozos do not acknowledge what Garvin calls the moral and athletic superiority of Stanford. They should because it's true.  Christian is the exemplar of that. It is better than what Alabama and Clemson do.  So there.

But to hell with the Voldemort voters.  I'm ready for Christmas and the Rose Bowl.