Southern Football Superiority

[Sabanball]

Very interesting read....

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2010-08-26-north-south-split_N.htm

[KantoSooner]

I think a national trend has shifted in favor of the Texas Zone and that this area will remain an economic and demographic magnet for the next generation or two. Culturally as well, the nation will be increasingly influenced by Texas or Southwestern values.
This is not unique: the Northeast set the tone for the nation from the end of the civil war until WWII and the North Central largely carried on that tradition. Following WWII, it was California and 'the West' in general.
With the economies of those ares largely in ruins and the population shifting, to some degree, towards the South Central, the influence of these areas are waning.
You'll see increasing emphasis and focus on this part of the country going forward. That, and the concomitant population growth does not bode well for sporting success in the rust belt.

[IslandSooner]

Good read, Thankx...

[Mark_in_Tulsa]

So Republicans are better than Democrats in football for the most part. ?

[Sabanball]

So Republicans are better than Democrats in football for the most part. ?

Not sure about that, but the GOP in power has certainly helped you guys, at least historically. Interesting that of your 7 AP NC's, only two of them were during democrat administrations--'50 and '00. OTOH, of our 7 AP NC's, 5 of ours were won under democrat administrations and only 2('61 and '92) were won when a republican was living in the white house.

[swardboy]

It's Bush's fault....

[OUinFLA]

It's Bush's fault....


What'd Reggie do now?

[Crucifax Autumn]

I never did like Gavin Rosdale.

[Fraggle145]

I think it is funny that OU is mysteriously absent from that article even though we have won more hardware than ut in the last ten years.

[GKeeper316]

I never did like Gavin Rosdale.

he doesn't care. he's busy tappin gwen stefani's tight ***.

[East Coast Bias]

Part of this is obviously self-imposed by the Northern part of the country. There is no football craziness up here like what is in-bred( red-neck reference) in the South. Hockey and baseball are the kings. Baseball in particular. Certainly the talent and population base is here, just not the focus. If that focus were to change the south would be in trouble. For now the football power up here is represented by teams like Boston College......

[MichiganSooner]

Part of this is obviously self-imposed by the Northern part of the country. There is no football craziness up here like what is in-bred( red-neck reference) in the South. Hockey and baseball are the kings. Baseball in particular. Certainly the talent and population base is here, just not the focus. If that focus were to change the south would be in trouble. For now the football power up here is represented by teams like Boston College......

Football is king in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Nebraska which are places I have lived.

Mark Ingram comes from Flint, Michigan. Goes to school down south and wins the Heisman. That means the South has all the great players?

[badger]

Football is king in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Nebraska which are places I have lived.

Mark Ingram comes from Flint, Michigan. Goes to school down south and wins the Heisman. That means the South has all the great players?

tOSU will probably be the first to point out that they still have a lot of titles and Heismans. Michigan will then point out they have the biggest stadium and the most wins. Then, they will join their Big Ten brethren in burning couches, while Nebraska watches in awe of what they are about the join :P

[yankee]

That means the South has all the great players?

nah, just most of 'em.

[Mark_in_Tulsa]

Football is king in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Nebraska which are places I have lived.

Mark Ingram comes from Flint, Michigan. Goes to school down south and wins the Heisman. That means the South has all the great players?

No one said the best players come from the South. (just most of them)

But what was said was the best programs in the country are in the South.

And Ingram is a bad example of good players from the North.

[delhalew]

tOSU will probably be the first to point out that they still have a lot of titles and Heismans. Michigan will then point out they have the biggest stadium and the most wins. Then, they will join their Big Ten brethren in burning coaches, while Nebraska watches in awe of what they are about the join :P

:eek: :P

[oudivesherpa]

So Republicans are better than Democrats in football for the most part. ?

No, I think football is politically neutral. Both parties just love beating the crap out of each other. (In the name of peace and bi-partisanship).

[bluedogok]

Part of this is obviously self-imposed by the Northern part of the country. There is no football craziness up here like what is in-bred( red-neck reference) in the South. Hockey and baseball are the kings. Baseball in particular. Certainly the talent and population base is here, just not the focus. If that focus were to change the south would be in trouble. For now the football power up here is represented by teams like Boston College......
I think that is true for the Northeast and New England but the area that is traditionally called the Midwest is football territory.

[badger]

:eek: :P

they are totally setting rich roddy on fire

[delhalew]

they are totally setting rich roddy on fire

Richy and the Zooker may both get torched by next off season.

[IronHorseSooner]

I think that is true for the Northeast and New England but the area that is traditionally called the Midwest is football territory.

The Midwest, outside of Indiana which is BBALL country, is definitely football country. Most folks from the states of Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska are rabid fans. Penn, which isn't Midwest, but is on the Northeast, is also rabid football country, maybe more than any other Northern state.

Now, I married a New Yorker, and they do love their football, but it is generally the NFL. Most couldn't tell you who Syracuse was playing, their record, or when their season starts. They haven't cared about football up there since McNabb and Marvin Harrison were there, and that was only on the side. This has also hurt ND, as a lot of those blue-collar Catholics, like my in-laws, have stopped watching them, and now follow their favorite NFL team. In New England, it is hockey and the MLB. Ironically, up in the Northeast and NY, college lacrosse may be more popular than college football.

[bluedogok]

This is something I had a discussion with someone born and raised in NYC when I lived in Dallas. He was a die hard NYC sports guy (Yankees, Giant, Knicks) and could not understand the fascination with college athletics and why it was bigger than pro sports for the most part in this part of the country. I told him it was simple, major level pro sports didn't exist in this part of the country until the sixties and didn't exist west of St. Louis until the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to LA. I told him that the St. Louis Cardinals had a big following in years past because that was the closest team and had a radio reach in the region before the age of television. So for the most part our forefathers weren't as exposed to them like those who grew up in those markets that had them, so college sports became the substitute for state pride instead of city pride in pro sports teams. That has remained even though pro sports are in place mainly because of growing up in that environment where the college team is the familial team.

[Sabanball]

I agree, I think one reason for it and our devotion to the college game are and has been the lack of pro sports where a lot of us live. Also, for all the negative things and stigmas associated with the South, particularly the Deep South, football was the ONE thing we were good at and something in which we could take a lot of pride.

[MichiganSooner]

Sabanball said it. All most of us have down here for sports is college football.