12-07-2020, 10:21 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-07-2020, 11:02 PM by CardinalSagehen.)
Here's what Vince Lombardi had to say about second place:
"Second place is meaningless. You can’t always be first, but you have to believe that you should have been – that you were never beaten – that time just ran out on you."
"There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that’s first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don’t ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win."
The problem is, we can't get first, as everyone already knows. With a win, which is no small feat against Oregon State this year, we would be guaranteed second place in the tie-breakers regardless of whatever else happens.
If Oregon wins, we can claim a "tie for first" in the North, but so can Oregon, UW and possibly even Wazzu. Oregon wins the division and we're technically second based on the best record in head-to-head games among the tied teams.
If UW wins, we can claim an outright second place with a Wazzu loss, or we'd be tied with Wazzu and our better division record edges them out. We aren't "tied for first" but we're a clearer second, and we beat the first place team. Time just ran out on us.
If Oregon or Washington can't play in the CCG due to Covid (which would be horrible and nobody is rooting for it), the second place team would be the replacement, per Bruce Feldman's report.
Perhaps a more important implication is that second place might draw us a better opponent from the South during the CCG week - for example, the loser of the USC-UCLA game. That LA team would be the next-ranked team from the South aside from Colorado, which we've already played.
I personally don't need a win against Oregon State to be more meaningful than it is - winning is more fun and better for the program in many other ways. Stanford Football can't take any wins for granted these days! But second place and/or a "tie for 1st" is a whole lot better than third through sixth!
To be clear, I am NOT looking past Oregon State, but as a fan I don't influence the outcomes and have the luxury of thinking ahead whenever I want. Superstitions mean nothing to me, but sorry if I've offended some by offending the Woofing gods!
"Second place is meaningless. You can’t always be first, but you have to believe that you should have been – that you were never beaten – that time just ran out on you."
"There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that’s first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don’t ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win."
The problem is, we can't get first, as everyone already knows. With a win, which is no small feat against Oregon State this year, we would be guaranteed second place in the tie-breakers regardless of whatever else happens.
If Oregon wins, we can claim a "tie for first" in the North, but so can Oregon, UW and possibly even Wazzu. Oregon wins the division and we're technically second based on the best record in head-to-head games among the tied teams.
If UW wins, we can claim an outright second place with a Wazzu loss, or we'd be tied with Wazzu and our better division record edges them out. We aren't "tied for first" but we're a clearer second, and we beat the first place team. Time just ran out on us.
If Oregon or Washington can't play in the CCG due to Covid (which would be horrible and nobody is rooting for it), the second place team would be the replacement, per Bruce Feldman's report.
Perhaps a more important implication is that second place might draw us a better opponent from the South during the CCG week - for example, the loser of the USC-UCLA game. That LA team would be the next-ranked team from the South aside from Colorado, which we've already played.
I personally don't need a win against Oregon State to be more meaningful than it is - winning is more fun and better for the program in many other ways. Stanford Football can't take any wins for granted these days! But second place and/or a "tie for 1st" is a whole lot better than third through sixth!
To be clear, I am NOT looking past Oregon State, but as a fan I don't influence the outcomes and have the luxury of thinking ahead whenever I want. Superstitions mean nothing to me, but sorry if I've offended some by offending the Woofing gods!