The Magnificent Obsession

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Recently, we’ve been accused of “obsessing” with the Notre Dame game.

I plead guilty of this so-called obsession, but I don’t think too much emphasis can be placed upon this one moment in Temple football history.

There are a few reasons:

  • It’s the next game and you take them one at a time. (We’ll probably obsess about Villanova the week before that game.)
  • Most people think Temple will “take a step back” this season. A win over ND would do a lot to debunk that notion.
  • Eyeballs. This game will be on the bar in every tavern in the country.
  • It’s a long walk through the scheduling desert to get to 2024 and that is the next “national” name opponent on the Temple schedule: Oklahoma. While there are some interesting regional opponents, like Boston College and Maryland and Rutgers, none hold the cache of Notre Dame or Oklahoma and probably none will for another seven years.
  • Seven years. That’s a long time. Does Pat Kraft strike you as a person who is seeking rid the Owls of the Bucknells and the Idahos and schedule more national games? I didn’t think so.
  • Nothing would give the Owls credibility with the Joe Philadelphia Subway Alumni fan as beating Notre Dame and this is likely their last shot to do so.

The Owls have done a lot since Al Golden took the job over a decade ago. They have soundly beaten an ACC team (Maryland) and a SEC team (Vanderbilt) and a Big 10 team (Penn State). They’ve been to two AAC title games, winning one. They have not beaten Notre Dame. Beating Notre Dame on NBC National television during the first week of the season and that’s the kind of promotion that money cannot buy—especially if Notre Dame goes on to have a decent season and beat Georgia the next week after losing to the Owls.

Win this one, and a lot of good can come out of it.

So, yeah, it’s a big game.

Obsessing over this game does not mean the other games are unimportant.

So consider this a Magnificent Obsession.

Wednesday: Owls at Media Day

Friday: The Big Uglies

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10 thoughts on “The Magnificent Obsession

  1. Obsession? Temple football fans and obsession? Compared to the “big” programs, Temple fans don’t even have football obsession in their vocabulary.
    It’s totally acceptable to analize and get excited over a big game like this, but to call it obsessive, for Temple, is ridiculous. Mike, your analysis is right on. Well, gee whiz, maybe looking forward to the game this far in advance for a Temple fan IS obsessive, when you’re a TU Owl, huh? Geesh….

  2. Nothing would give the Owls credibility with the Joe Philadelphia Subway Alumni fan as beating Notre Dame …

    Depends on what the Eagles do. The mindset of the media is like lead-in’s to Action News: “WW3 declared today, but the big story is a fire somewhere.”

    In which case: “The Owls go for a perfect season and a bowl win today, but the Eagles must win this week to be able to finish at 8-8.”

  3. Mike, I too agree with what you wrote especially regarding not having another such high profile game for 7 more years and the tremendous amount of exposure such a game gives the program and the university. If the Owl’s pull off the upset at ND, it will be one of the greatest wins in TUFB history. So it’s huge for that reason alone. But I’m not sure if given the choice of beating PSU last year or beating ND, which one I’d choose. The second win at PSU would hang over them until they got a chance for revenge. Thereby putting pressure to reschedule TU. But a win at ND would be remembered for as long as TU plays football. Moot point I know with the PSU loss last year (a winnable game). Still an interesting hypothetical to me.

  4. we must play a different type of game than the one we played last…, we need more explosive plays on offense, and more mayhem on defense.., little chance of success with 3 yards and a cloud of dust over four quarters

  5. I wasn’t obsessed until today, but now I expect an OT win followed by a cloud burst and marian apparition over the stadium.

  6. I sit here basking in the still warm afterglow of victory over Navy. We were there for that glorious win and had a thousand new temple friends, that is how friendly our section was, I can not stress to you often enough the joy of Temple fandom at that game.
    That win last fall was as satisfying as the beat down of PSU Lions the year before. Know what ? We Temple fans have the joy of knowing we will win again , some time, even If not this year, and I think we will be close to winning most games in 2017.
    What a feeling to know we are a good team. Go Owls.
    I will do a rosary before the ND game, in case it helps !!!!

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