Sports : Bragging rights for college football fans of our state

"We're No. 1!"� Now that Clemson has defeated Alabama to win the NCAA Championship, it's time to think about which teams may be better than Clemson. Clemson's only loss this year was to Pittsburgh - which ironically helped keep Penn State from the playoffs by beating them early in the season. Pitt lost its final game to Northwestern. Teams that beat Northwestern include Illinois State. Illinois State lost to Eastern Illinois, which lost to Southeast Missouri State, which lost to Tennessee Tech, which lost to Wofford, which lost to Samford, which lost to Chattanooga. Chattanooga lost to Alabama, 31-3 on the final week of the regular season. The Mocs (formerly the Moccasins), despite losing to the Tide, can boast that they beat the team that beat the team that beat the team that beat the team that beat the team that beat the team that beat the team that beat the team that beat Clemson. But let's go on, to see who has more bragging rights. Samford also lost to East Tennessee State, which lost to Coastal Carolina, which lost to Charleston Southern, which lost to Gardner-Webb, which lost to Kennesaw State, which lost to Liberty, which lost to Jacksonville State, which lost to James Madison, which lost to the University of North Carolina, which lost to Duke, which lost to Georgia Tech, which lost to Miami, which lost to Notre Dame, which lost to Texas, which lost to Kansas, which, as everyone in Cyclone nation knows, lost to Iowa State. So Cyclone fans, take heart: Your team beat the team that beat the team, and so on.. that beat the NationalChampions. Of course, as everyone in Cyclone Nation also painfully recalls, Iowa and UNI fans can also claim that their team beat the team that beat the team, and so on that beat the Champions. So savor the moment, Panther, Cyclone and Hawkeye fans. Our teams beat the team that beat the team that... well, you know. Now if only, we could find a way to cut out the middleman and beat them ourselves.