23 rules to live by

Pat Forde of ESPN.com is filling his time by constructing 23 rules a college fan can follow for gridiron sanity. Most of which are poignant and funny, but there are a couple that need further clarification.

New Rule: Try using your real name on a message board. It might be a liberating feeling to stand behind your words, instead of hiding behind the handle GatrHatr88," or whatever lame nom de cyberplume you choose.

Excellent, my thought exactly. It’s much more difficult to spew hateful comments about a football player twice your size, when he might actually know your name. The thought of Team X’s offensive tackle bumping into you at local bar Y after your long meticulous post detailing why he should be sitting on the bench because, among other things, he isn’t man enough to handle the contact in conference Z, might just keep you from hitting the submit button. Along those same lines…

New Rule: Yes, Notre Dame is different. Get over it. If your school were important enough to get its own NBC contract and thumb its nose at conference affiliation, do you really think it would decline?

Bravo, Pat Forde. It’s great to finally hear it. More media types should just step up to the plate and admit it as well, at least then we could read a columnist’s preseason Top 10 with confidence. This should be a rule for you guys, just admit you treat Notre Dame completely different then everyone else, just do it. We all know you do, we would just like some open honesty. That way when Notre Dame loses their 9th bowl in a row at the end of this year in a game they shouldn’t be in, we all will know why and the college football universe will be at peace.