The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-11-25
FOOTBALL DOPE
UNRELIABLE
Changes in Rules Have Made
Comparative Scores Out
Of Question
Bruce in the Duluth Herald theor-
ICES thusly on the conference football
ait,,of}on.

u In the OulUtn t1eralu cne0f.
lies thusly on the conference football
situation:
If you have time and patience
enough. and sufficient leisure at your
disposal there is little doubt that you
might be able to sit down and figure
one of the high school football teams
AZ h champions Of the country. That
would be on paper only. 1t would be
over the comparative score route.
mon sense conviction. The reason that
you might be able to do this. is be-
cause this season the dope has been
put through the third degree and
made to confess to. crimes Of deep de-
ception and also of being a most hor.
rtble liar. :
II you ever start figuring the dope
on the cams Of the west, you are lost.
By the comparative cor method Chi
yet there are few followers Of the
game who would not play the Wolver-
ines against the Maroons-that is. IL
they were not broke. ''
Cornell beats Michigan and then
comes out to Chicago and Is beaten by
Papa Stages braves. Minnesota runs
up: bigger score on Iowa than Wis
consin, though it is true that Iowa
scored twice on the Gophers through
the medium Of the field goal, and then
the Badgers turn around and play the
Minnesota boys an even game.
In this case the loss Of Pickering
ma be one of the saving causes that
the dope and the believers in dope can
plead. -
But in many of the games played
this season the dope has been clear
OFF. Since the first few weeks Of the
season there has been a hesitancy to
pick. probable winners, for the very
reason that the dope has been mis-
chievously misbehaving and has re-
fused to run true to form.
All of this only points to what many
coaches have often claimed-that the
new game is uncertain and that often
the better team does not win.
-. Fumbles, made more frequent by
the new rules. and intercepted for.
ward passes. have the present season
turned seeming victory into disheart-
ening defeat. The open play
and the uncertainty Of the forward
pass have in many instances made the
stronger teams less certain Of victory
when 1t cornes to the playing of the
final games of the season.
The season almost at an end has
been n in which surprises have been
common and the expected the uncom-
mon. Dope has created a scandal and
people are talking about 1t on all
sldes. 1T Is not to be relied upon at
al. None of US know what to think.
Figures don't count. Illinois was beat
en- by Chicago by the score, of 81 to
0 and Chicago fell at the hands Of
Minnesota by the scor Of 80 to 0-and
yet. in the face Of all, some of US
may await with apprehension the
playing OF the game with the boys Of
Urbana.
In the face Of things it looks as II
Wisconsin were stronger than Chica-
go-but back to a George Shawism:
you never can tell" 1t may be that
Minnesota was at its top form Of the
season when it gave the Maroons that
drubbing at Northrup field. The
Gophers' game against Wisconsin
might not have been their best play Of
the ear Chicago's defeat of Cornell
adds new interest to today's game be-
tween Chicago and the Badgers. The
sharp point Of grim humor scor-
ing into the situation. Suppose that
Chicago should defeat Wisconsin.
In that case: who would be the
champions of the conference? Such
an event would please the Minnesota
men. 1t would make the Gophers the
leaders Of the big light" Minnesota
would be the only indicated team
in the sweet gathering.