Evening star., 1939-10-24
The
SPORTLIGHT
Squad Strength, Polish
Put Tennessee at TOP
BY GRANTLAND RICE.

Put Tennessee at Top
BY GRANTLAND RICE.
epecial CORRESPONDENT Of The Star.
NEW YORK. Oct. "a (N.A.NA.).
Tennessee, without wasting any
needless debate, is the best football
team in the country, including
squad strength.
But the four team that have
played a much harder schedule and
therefore have done a better Job
are Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas
A. and M. and Oklahoma. These
four have had by all odds the
tougher highways through which to
wend their unwearied ways.
Bob Neyland, one of the great
coaches, says 1T can't be helped, but
1t seems shame to send that mag
nificent all-around Tennessee out
fit against so many outclassed op-
ponents.
For you see such teams as the
1889 Volunteers in action only about
once every decade. I believe Ten
nessee could face the hardest sched-
ule Of the year and still go through
unbeaten. But Tennessee has no
such schedule. Neither has Mich
igan, another fast, powerful outfit.
So the actual playing glory so far
belongs to Notre Dame, Ohio State,
Texas A. and M. and Oklahoma.
kotre Dome's Achievement
Regarded Best to Dote
Week by week they have had to
night their way through class-and
this is the matter that counts. Ten
nessee and Michigan have no such
week-by-week opposition-an ex-
tremely vital factor.
Many of the games that Ten
nessee and Michigan play would be
something like tossing in the YAM
KEGS against one of their class B
farms.
Among the unbeaten and united
survivors in the top flight, Notre
Dame has done the better job
Purdue-Georgia Southern
Methodist-Navy. This has been the
seasons finest achievement so far.
No one can argue with you about
that unless he happens to be COM
ical in the conk.
Purdue is one of the best teams in
the Big Ten. Georgia Tech is one
Of the better teams in the South,
although no Tennessee. Southern
Methodist certainly is one of the
best teams in football strong enough
to tie Oklahoma on Oklahoma turf.
The Navy is strong only defensively.
Ohio State has beaten a good
Missouri team decisively, North
western and Minnesota-a high
class start.
Cornell Eost's Lone Team
With Chance to Shine
Oklahoma has tied S. M. u,
smashed Northwestern and has
moved along at high speed-one of
our best teams.
Texas A. and M. has proved its
place around the top.
Meanwhile, this star Tennessee
team has played only one hard
game-Alabama-where Michigan
has faced no opposition worth talk
ing about. So here we have Ten
nesse and Michigan facing, with one
exception. nothing but setups where
October is on the border of Novem-
ber. This doesn't make any sense
at all-but there it stands.
Cornell is the lone Eastern team
that has chance to get anywhere
The Big Red game with Ohio State
this week will be one of the hotter
spots. The pick of the Ivy League
against one of the main picks of
the Big Ten.
Duquesne still is unbeaten-a good
team. But Duke was at least IA
points better than Pittsburgh
maybe more. Pennsylvania is riding
along at full speed-one of the few
teams that may give Michigan trou-
ble-but hardly good enough to win.
New York U. Deserves
High Grode Rotine
Pennsylvania is one team that
might challenge Cornell's supremacy
IN the East If Penn and Cornell
flod up the East will have little left
to challenge any supremacy
Bowl teams in the East are few
and farther apart. I think N. Y. u
has done one of the better jobs. Ma,
Stevens ably coached squad has
beaten Colgate and Carnegie Tech
and 1t outplayed North Carolina
most of the way.
And North Carolina was gooc
enough to tie Tulane. The Tar Heels
belong, hanging high. Ole Miss, un-
der able Harry Mehre, is another
strong Southern team-and so j!
Clemson-don't underrate Clemson
Cornell and N. Y. U. have been
the two looking Eastern teams
30 far.
Moving to the stretch, I'd
say that Tennessee belongs on tor
not by way of schedule-but by
way of the stuff that Tennessee has
I think Tennessee and Michigan
may easily 60 unbeaten-the easy
way.
There is a chance that Notre
Dame will hit the same shining tar
eet-but over much harder path