Everyone Is a Loser When Conservative Coaches Go for Ties

After tens of millions of viewers suffered through watching John Robinson and Bobby Bowden kiss their sisters on Saturday, it’s incumbent on a market-oriented NCAA to change some rules--fast.

As I recall, the two-point conversion was inserted as an alternative to overtime. Clearly, for whatever reason, it isn’t working adequately.

It just needs a simple new wrinkle to stiffen the spines of college coaches everywhere: Make it imperative that any team trailing by seven points that scores a touchdown with less than five minutes to go must do the manly thing and try to win the game. A “tie one for the Gipper” outcome is an insult to everyone who invested three hours in watching the game.

CRAIG LESLY

Santa Ana

*

What happened to playing to win at USC? If John Robinson was so concerned about the Trojans’ ability to get the ball back after their last touchdown, he needed to try for the two points and the victory.

DAVID A. GOTTLIEB

Los Angeles

*

The Notre Dame/USC dog is 12 years old and he now has a son, UCLA-USC, that is 4 years old.

SCOTT LITMAN

Woodland Hills

*

A tie may be akin to kissing one’s kid sister, but this one saved the coach’s job, broke an 11-game losing streak, won the Trojans a trip to the Cotton Bowl and said something about the luck of the Irish.

For one, I’m not fit to be tied. I’m calling it a moral victory for the Trojans. It truly was a victory of some kind.

RICHARD LINDE

Camarillo

*

A large group from San Diego attended the Notre Dame-USC game Saturday at the Coliseum. As incredible as it may seem, here is some of what we experienced. Remember, the temperature hovered at 45 degrees and the wind chill at 30 degrees for the entire game.

1. Absolutely no coffee or hot chocolate being served.

2. Hot dogs were not available before halftime--they were being thawed.

3. Absolutely no pretzels.

4. Nachos went for $5, plus 50 cents for cheese.

5. Light failures in the male and female toilets.

6. Flooding and wet floors in male and female toilets.

Why should Los Angeles citizens tolerate these conditions, let alone we visitors?

I can’t end this letter without mentioning that ice cream and cold drinks were being hawked (I heard it through my earmuffs).

VIC TALLARIDA

San Diego