World Cup
- Thread starter bama alum
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bama alum
Member
From the newest (to me) and best reporter because he loves both college football and soccer! Yes, he's a winner, although he'll have to rethink Spain...And Brazil = Bama. Hope not! Brazil is overrated.
A World Cup guide for college football fans
Talk about it in Talk of Champions
By Nenad Jukic and Chris Wright
Special to The Tuscaloosa News
We created a college football fan's guide to the World Cup for those of you who know college football but are a bit confused about the World Cup. To help you choose your teams to cheer for (and against) we have looked at all 32 countries that are competing and matched them up with their college football doppleganger. Each of the paired teams have something in common that can help you pick your favorites.
Algeria - Kentucky: Just happy to be here. Will be overwhelmed in every game. Teams that have to play them will be relieved to have at least one gimme in their schedule.
Argentina - Florida State: One of the best teams in the tournament with one of the best players in the field. Champions in decades past on the backs of huge stars with huge egos. Since then they've been a sleeping giant, but the giant might be waking up.
Australia - Wyoming: A team to put on your schedule to make your cupcake opponent sound like a bit less of a cupcake.
Belgium - Baylor: After a long spell in obscurity, all of a sudden they are a team that no one wants to play against.
Bosnia Hercegovina - Central Florida: A team that is a lot tougher than it sounds on paper.
Brazil - Alabama: The big kahuna. Always the favorite, never an underdog, no matter where they play, no matter who they play.
Cameroon - Cincinnati: Occasional flashes of success, but ultimately a flame-out.
Chile - Texas Tech: Zippy and scrappy, yet never ready for prime time.
Colombia - Stanford: A really good team that at the end never wins anything.
Costa Rica - Fresno State: Solid team that has nothing to lose as a perennial underdog.
Croatia - South Carolina: A team that is capable of playing against anyone, and also capable of inexplicable losses.
Ecuador - Northern Illinois: Scrappy team that on most days can stay in the game with all but real elite teams.
England - Notre Dame: Great tradition, great fans. Should be good. A lot of people hope they are good. They are no good.
France - Texas: A lot worse than they should be. Some success over the years, but basically a habitual underachiever.
Germany - Ohio State: Tradition of excellence and supremacy. Will dominate until paired against other excellent teams.
Ghana - Michigan State: A reputable competitor that will be a tough game for any team facing them.
Greece - Minnesota: Occasionally competitive when playing against average teams. They will get exposed quickly against better competition.
Honduras - Tulane: Glad to be making an appearance.
Iran - Florida International: If they do not lose every game, it will be a miracle.
Italy - LSU: Traditional powerhouse. Some years better than others, but always a very tough team to play against. Also, prone to caring as much about their appearance as the game itself.
Ivory Coast - Louisville: Can play spectacularly at times, but still not a top-tier team.
Japan - Utah: Building itself into credibility with each passing year. Not yet there though.
Mexico - Virginia: A team that once upon a time was a contender, but has slowly and surely fallen off of everyone's radar-screen.
Netherlands - Auburn: You never know when they will be good but if they are winning you don't want to play them. If and when they are fully-on, they can win the whole thing.
Nigeria - Clemson: Excellent players on a team that somehow never quite achieves what it is capable of.
Portugal - Texas A&M: A really good team that highly depends on the brilliance of one player who is amazing on the field and amazingly frustrating off of it, and without whom they would be an average team.
Russia - Iowa: Can be good here and there, but no record of real success to speak of.
South Korea - BYU: Always plays with effort and discipline, and often overachieves.
Spain - Oregon: Throughout history regarded as a solid team. In the last couple of decades transformed itself into a total powerhouse.
Switzerland - Northwestern: Used to be a team that everyone would love to have on their schedule. Not anymore.
Uruguay - USC: Despite wild oscillations, a top tier team that no one is going to underestimate.
United States - West Virginia: They sound better on paper than they really are. Teams that have to play them give them respect, and quietly rejoice that they do not have to play someone else.
Nenad Jukic, orginally from Croatia, spent six years at the University of Alabama while receiving his M.S. and Ph.D. in computer science. He is now a professor of information systems at Loyola University Chicago. Chris Wright is a station manager at WKLS-FM Rock 105.9 in Anniston. The two have been friends for almost 25 years and share a love of both college football and soccer.
A World Cup guide for college football fans
Talk about it in Talk of Champions
By Nenad Jukic and Chris Wright
Special to The Tuscaloosa News
We created a college football fan's guide to the World Cup for those of you who know college football but are a bit confused about the World Cup. To help you choose your teams to cheer for (and against) we have looked at all 32 countries that are competing and matched them up with their college football doppleganger. Each of the paired teams have something in common that can help you pick your favorites.
Algeria - Kentucky: Just happy to be here. Will be overwhelmed in every game. Teams that have to play them will be relieved to have at least one gimme in their schedule.
Argentina - Florida State: One of the best teams in the tournament with one of the best players in the field. Champions in decades past on the backs of huge stars with huge egos. Since then they've been a sleeping giant, but the giant might be waking up.
Australia - Wyoming: A team to put on your schedule to make your cupcake opponent sound like a bit less of a cupcake.
Belgium - Baylor: After a long spell in obscurity, all of a sudden they are a team that no one wants to play against.
Bosnia Hercegovina - Central Florida: A team that is a lot tougher than it sounds on paper.
Brazil - Alabama: The big kahuna. Always the favorite, never an underdog, no matter where they play, no matter who they play.
Cameroon - Cincinnati: Occasional flashes of success, but ultimately a flame-out.
Chile - Texas Tech: Zippy and scrappy, yet never ready for prime time.
Colombia - Stanford: A really good team that at the end never wins anything.
Costa Rica - Fresno State: Solid team that has nothing to lose as a perennial underdog.
Croatia - South Carolina: A team that is capable of playing against anyone, and also capable of inexplicable losses.
Ecuador - Northern Illinois: Scrappy team that on most days can stay in the game with all but real elite teams.
England - Notre Dame: Great tradition, great fans. Should be good. A lot of people hope they are good. They are no good.
France - Texas: A lot worse than they should be. Some success over the years, but basically a habitual underachiever.
Germany - Ohio State: Tradition of excellence and supremacy. Will dominate until paired against other excellent teams.
Ghana - Michigan State: A reputable competitor that will be a tough game for any team facing them.
Greece - Minnesota: Occasionally competitive when playing against average teams. They will get exposed quickly against better competition.
Honduras - Tulane: Glad to be making an appearance.
Iran - Florida International: If they do not lose every game, it will be a miracle.
Italy - LSU: Traditional powerhouse. Some years better than others, but always a very tough team to play against. Also, prone to caring as much about their appearance as the game itself.
Ivory Coast - Louisville: Can play spectacularly at times, but still not a top-tier team.
Japan - Utah: Building itself into credibility with each passing year. Not yet there though.
Mexico - Virginia: A team that once upon a time was a contender, but has slowly and surely fallen off of everyone's radar-screen.
Netherlands - Auburn: You never know when they will be good but if they are winning you don't want to play them. If and when they are fully-on, they can win the whole thing.
Nigeria - Clemson: Excellent players on a team that somehow never quite achieves what it is capable of.
Portugal - Texas A&M: A really good team that highly depends on the brilliance of one player who is amazing on the field and amazingly frustrating off of it, and without whom they would be an average team.
Russia - Iowa: Can be good here and there, but no record of real success to speak of.
South Korea - BYU: Always plays with effort and discipline, and often overachieves.
Spain - Oregon: Throughout history regarded as a solid team. In the last couple of decades transformed itself into a total powerhouse.
Switzerland - Northwestern: Used to be a team that everyone would love to have on their schedule. Not anymore.
Uruguay - USC: Despite wild oscillations, a top tier team that no one is going to underestimate.
United States - West Virginia: They sound better on paper than they really are. Teams that have to play them give them respect, and quietly rejoice that they do not have to play someone else.
Nenad Jukic, orginally from Croatia, spent six years at the University of Alabama while receiving his M.S. and Ph.D. in computer science. He is now a professor of information systems at Loyola University Chicago. Chris Wright is a station manager at WKLS-FM Rock 105.9 in Anniston. The two have been friends for almost 25 years and share a love of both college football and soccer.
bama alum
Member
We play Portugal Sunday at 5:00. This will be a HUGE match. Portugal is without at least three players, and it's possible Ronaldo could miss this game as well. The US needs to pull this one off because the next game is against Germany, who is just unstoppable. (I think they're going to run away with this.)
If the US gets out of the group stage, anything is possible.
If the US gets out of the group stage, anything is possible.
planomateo
Member
bama alum
Member
Germany "rallies" to tie Ghana.
Part of me would have preferred for Germany to win that game, which they should have. Some people with their heads in the sand say that now we have to win today...Dude, we're going to win today!
Btw, that was a great game, as was the Nigeria-Bosnia game. Five of the teams (Portugal today will be six) have already been eliminated. After today, three powerhouses: Spain (WTH???), England, and Portugal...This is looking eerily like a college football season where all the big powers fall of one by one.
This morning's game between Belgium and Russia will be a really good one.
Part of me would have preferred for Germany to win that game, which they should have. Some people with their heads in the sand say that now we have to win today...Dude, we're going to win today!
Btw, that was a great game, as was the Nigeria-Bosnia game. Five of the teams (Portugal today will be six) have already been eliminated. After today, three powerhouses: Spain (WTH???), England, and Portugal...This is looking eerily like a college football season where all the big powers fall of one by one.
This morning's game between Belgium and Russia will be a really good one.
bama alum
Member
Belgium was one of the heavy picks to at least make it to the semis. Like Germany, they are stacked with talent. Because they had already advanced, their manager didn't play two of his superstars yesterday (well, Hazard came in for the last five minutes). Still, they lost a player due to a (questionable) straight red yesterday, and they looked...well, less daunting.
Michael Bradley still hasn't shown his top form yet. I think Tuesday would be a GREAT time for him to come back to his regular ways.
Right now, all that matters is SURVIVE and ADVANCE.
Michael Bradley still hasn't shown his top form yet. I think Tuesday would be a GREAT time for him to come back to his regular ways.
Right now, all that matters is SURVIVE and ADVANCE.
PhillyGirl
Member
that was tremendous. up five-oh only 18 minutes in. The only thing that would've made it perfect would've been a shutout. Did you see how empty the beach was after the match? Brazil never got the tourism boost they were wanting, and domestic productivity dropped 30 percent - a mult-billion dollar fiasco.
bama alum
Member
That was a historic ass-whipping! I saw someone post on the ESPN or FOX Soccer fb page that if Neymar would have played, Brazil would've won 2 or 3 - 1. BS!! Brazil could have both Silva and Neymar today and that wouldn't have made a difference at all. Brazil completely quit after Klose scored his record goal. Even David Luiz was caught lolly gagging on defense to catch Schuller for his first goal.
And yes, @PhillyGirl, that crying stuff on TV was hilarious!
Hey! Our 1 - 0 to Germany doesn't look so bad now, does it?
And yes, @PhillyGirl, that crying stuff on TV was hilarious!
Hey! Our 1 - 0 to Germany doesn't look so bad now, does it?
bama alum
Member
Hey Jill, do you watch the evening wrap up shows, particularly The Men in Blazers duo? OMG! They killed it tonight. All those crying fans "who look like they're being interviewed by Barbara Walters." LMAO!!
PhillyGirl
Member
PhillyGirl
Member
planomateo
Member
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