And now a break from our normal political stuff...

Dear college football pundits,

I must hereby inform you that Virginia Tech is NOT America's Team, and respectfully submit that you quit pretending it is.

Yes, the campus shooting was a tragedy. Yes, our hearts go out to those involved, and we sympathize knowing it could have been anyone on any college campus. But last year, Tulane was hardly "America's Team" in spite of Hurricane Katrina. And the schools hit by previous disasters were hardly afforded that honor, either. Heck, it took a movie to remind the rest of us about the Marshall disaster.

I also wish to remind you of the two most famous football players in Hokie history. Here's a hint: both share the same last name as a well-known cold rub. Now, you may argue that the actions of a couple of bad eggs shouldn't reflect poorly on the whole school. I respond that Vick basically put Virginia Tech on the map. I also respond that up until just a few months ago, he was the face of Virginia Tech football success. Maybe it's not fair. But the fact is that the most famous players ever to don the maroon and orange have disgraced themselves and their school. (I should also point out that both brothers left the program early.)

When it comes to college football, America doesn't have a team. Notre Dame arguably has the most widely-distributed fan base, but read any message board and you'll see more haters than followers. If you live in Alabama, your two favorite teams are (Auburn/Bama) and whoever is playing (Bama/Auburn.) You only care about anything else if it affects (Auburn/Bama)'s chances at the SEC title.

That's college football. (And that's why the College Football Hall of Fame was such a ridiculously stupid idea for South Bend's city fathers to try to attract. The Hall of Fame isn't the Mecca of college football: it's $your_school's_campus.)

Subtle shifts

I'm going to remain focused on the GOP race for now, since that's where the action is. It looks like Giuliani is fairly steady at just under 30%. Some of the luster has worn off Thompson - so far he's all dressing and no meat. But Romney's campaign is starting to make some headway. He's got the support to carry several states. Historically, the GOP candidate who has won two of the first 3 primaries/caucuses has won the nomination, and he's got the buzz and name recognition such that he just might pull it off.

He's got a lot ground to cover, but he's also got the means to do it. Money isn't a problem. His conservative credentials are, as is the fact that he's a Mormon. He'll have to work hard to win the Bible Belt, but I think that with the right people in the right place and the right campaign message, he could steal it from Giuliani. Of course, the ideal situation for him would be if Thompson decides not to declare and/or McCain drops out. I don't think Giuliani would get more than 25% of voters from those camps, whereas a surging Romney just might win enough support to put him over the top.