1996 Week 8
November 8, 1996
I'm still stunned by the BC point shaving scandal. I can't believe that they shaved points against Pitt. I'm wondering if that somehow tainted Pitt's victory. I don't understand why people throw events. Maybe that's why Dole accussed Katie Curic of chewing that wacky tobaccy and spitting into brownies. He was trying to throw the election because Vegas had given a spread of 80 electoral votes and he wanted in on the action.
Do you know the beginning of betting lines on college football? It all started with John T. Heisman coaching Georgia Tech. GT beat Cumberland College 222-0 one year. The CC Fans were pretty upset because they knew that there was no way they were going to win but they still wanted a chance to win their bets. So they wanted to give underdog teams a fair chance by creating lines. Most people think lines were started by guys named Guido, but it wasn't the case. It was started by some southern boys in Georgia.
Speaking of GT reminds of the true story behind "Rudy". People think that the movie was true to life, but it couldn't have been further from the truth. The guys on the team thought Rudy was a pest and didn't care to give him the time of day. They would basically throw him around like a rag doll and then laugh about it later. They almost made a contest of who could toss him the furthest until someone pulled a groin trying to beat the 30 yd. marker.
Anyway, the truth is, that against GT, ND was given 6.5 as a over/under for sacks. Well, late in the game, Dan Devine realized that ND had already gotten 6 sacks and since he had placed a bet for the under, he didn't want another sack. So he told Rudy to go into the game becuase he figured that with him as linebacker, there would be so much confusion on the field, ND wouldn't be able to blitz and get the QB. Well, we all know what happened. But the truth is, Rudy wasn't carried off the field. His teamamtes were protecting him from Devine who was threatening to kill him. Meanwhile, fans all across the US were screaming and hollering for Rudy's scalp as well. It was not a nice day in Chicago.
BC vs. Notre Dame. Sounds like Catholics vs. Convicts all over again.