Longtime Rivals More Than Students of Game

Skip Bayless in the Chicago Tribune: “Northwestern and Stanford square off Saturday before 90,000 at the L.A. Coliseum.

“Check that. Two fallen giants who fancy themselves as Northwestern and Stanford match graduation rates and admission restrictions in the 72nd edition of this storied rivalry. This is Notre Dame-Southern Cal?

“Hold ‘er, Knute. Two of the most public pro football factories have gone back to college. Administrators at both schools have decreed no more double standards for jocks. No more partial qualifiers, full-time truants, juco mercenaries or NFL-bound outlaws.

” . . . What if someday ND-USC is just another game?”

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Trivia time: What is Notre Dame’s largest winning margin against USC?

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War games: Detroit Piston Coach George Irvine, on being asked if there has been a leadership void since Grant Hill left to join the Orlando Magic:

“Let me tell you something. Jerry Stackhouse is more of a leader right now than Grant ever was. Jerry has done everything we’ve asked, and everything you want your leader to do.

“If there is anybody I would want in a foxhole with me, it would be Jerry. And I think that’s how the rest of the guys feel about him.”

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Tough act to follow: Ron Rapoport in the Chicago Sun-Times: “You could look it up: Bud Selig’s appearance before a U.S. Senate subcommittee Tuesday reminded me of Casey Stengel’s famous double-talking filibuster in the same setting many years ago that left everybody in the room laughing with incomprehension.

“Selig wasn’t nearly as funny, but nobody seemed to know what he was talking about, either.”

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Election stats: Jim Armstrong in the Denver Post: “Straight from [Colorado sports information director] Dave Plati’s release for the Nebraska game:

“ ‘Colorado is 4-9-1 in games following presidential elections: 3-3 when Democrats have taken over the Oval Office, 1-5-1 when a Republican made it to the White House, and 0-1 when Floridians tie up the election because a certain number of them can’t punch a hole in the right place.’ ”

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Blackout: Tom FitzGerald in the San Francisco Chronicle: “The Giants’ addition of black jersey and new caps to their wardrobe reminds us of Steve Rushin’s complaint in Sports Illustrated:

“ ‘Every time I switch off my TV, the players, arena names, uniforms and logos are randomly scrambled. Sports have become harder to follow than Roger Clemens’ train of thought.’ ”

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Just fits: From now on, Duke’s basketball team will be playing on Coach K Court at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Coach Mike Krzyzewski found this honor both moving and practical.

“I think it was smart that they just used Coach K for the name,” he said. “If it were Krzyzewski, they’d have to change the dimensions of the court, or they would have to build a new place.”

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Dented but serviceable: “Here’s some good news,” says Jay Leno. “Tonya Harding has reunited with her ex-boyfriend. Remember the guy she hit in the face with a hubcap? She doesn’t love the guy--she just needed the hubcap back, or as she calls the hubcap, ‘the good silverware.’ ”

Looking back: On this day in 1900, USC and Los Angeles High School played to a scoreless tie.

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Trivia answer: The Irish won, 51-0, at the Coliseum in 1966.

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And finally: Sign held up by two guys, one in an Al Gore mask, the other in a George W. Bush mask, at Saturday’s Tennessee-Arkansas football game at Knoxville: “The Electoral College. Another Florida school we can hate.”