Monday, November 24, 2008

Rouge et Or allez!

What does one say about a performance as good as Laval's on Saturday? Let's make no mistake here, the Vanier win had nothing to do with Western losing and everything to do with a crazy good football team just going out and having their way with the 'Stangs.

Laval made things look so easy that "experts" such as myself were counting them out all season. The truth is, that football team deserves to be in the conversation as the best ever.

It's a short list...UBC '82, SMU '01 and, now, I'd argue, this year's champs. I'd rank the '08 Rouge et Or as third on that list, but I might be having a different view in 10 years after various pro careers play out.

An equally interesting question is where Laval ranks all-time as a program. It's been two years since I last made an all-time Top 27. Look for an update this eek once I get done with my little court thing (don't ask).

Sadly, as always, the game, our national college championship -- the highest level of amateur Canadian football played -- got page S8 treatment outside of the cities involved. That is a debate and a lament that can't be properly addressed in a single post typed at a scuzzy Internet cafe in downtown Hamilton. But, it's something that will be addressed in detail in the near future (if I'm ever allowed to testify and continue my bloody life).

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Look for an update this eek once I get done with my little court thing (don't ask)."

Sorry - you cannot leave that morsel out there and expect no one to bite? More importantly, is "scuzzy Hamiliton internet cafe " blogger code for jail ...

Jordie Dwyer said...

Actually DR...out west here, the only place to learn about what happened at the Vanier was online...not even a mention on television anywhere west of the Ontario-Manitoba border...and no radio station in the Alberta capital had it on the radar...yet another indication of how badly marketed the CIS is...

Duane Rollins said...

I have to be careful as there is actually a publication ban on the trial I'm involved with. I'm testifying for the Crown. It has to do with something I covered last year.

Anonymous said...

Any list of best ever CIS/CIAU teams must include the 1975 Ottawa Gee Gees.
The list of players from that squad that played in the CFL is staggering.
The list includes Neil Lumsden, Mike Murphy, Jeff Avery, Doug Falconer, Eric Upton, Miles Gorrell, Rocky DiPietro, Bill Harrison, Al Moffatt, Tim Berryman and Ian MacPherson. These 11 players played a combined 90 seasons of pro ball or for an average CFL career of 8 years.
Lumsden scored a staggering 148 points that year in a 7 game schedule yet incredibly did not win the Creighton.
I saw that team and all I can say is I wish they played Laval Saturday.

Duane Rollins said...

Good point that...

Frédéric said...

Until attending that Vanier, even after that 59-10 Uteck Bowl, I kept thinking the 2003 edition of the Rouge et Or was the best ever of the program. Now I gotta say that 2008 is a better team, no doubt about it.

Congrats for the Mustangs, they never gave up and that Vanier game was the best I have ever seen, by far. And it takes 2 to tango,