When a Germany-Brazil World Cup semifinal devolves into a 5-0 drubbing before intermission, what’s Twitter to do but talk college football?
Host Brazil marched into the 2014 World Cup confident and a heavy favorite. And why not? The Brazilian National Team had not lost in its home nation in a competitive match since 1975.
College football has not seen a home win-streak snap quite as suddenly nor as unexpectedly since Washington visited the Orange Bowl in 1994 and ended the Miami Hurricanes’ 58-game, nine-year run of dominance.
That game lives on in college football lore as the Whammy in Miami. Could the Germany-Brazil World Cup drubbing go down as the Estadio Mineirao Massacre? I’ll have to work on that.
But in the meantime, the Whammy in Miami comparison only carries so much weight. After all, the Huskies actually had to battle back from a halftime deficit. No, the first half of Germany and Brazil was more reminiscent of Alabama’s visit to Georgia in 2008 (h/t @FBSchedules).
Barring a miracle comeback-and a collapse from the Germans that would put Florida’s Choke at Doak to shame-the Brazilian fans had every reason to weep in the first half. And Germany’s continued onslaught in the second half was the kind of piling-on that would have made Wisconsin-era Bret Bielema beam with pride; Arkansas Bielema, maybe not so much.
College football fans nationwide can sympathize with the anguish many Brazilians felt Tuesday. While the stakes of a typical fall Saturday are much lower than the semifinal of the once-every-four-years World Cup, die-hards invest deeply into their programs-which is why a Texas Tech fan will still go Guns Up trailing 63-6.
brazil right now pic.twitter.com/ZAIGxxfV26
— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) July 8, 2014
As college football fans know, when a team that’s favored to win a big game not only loses, but loses in a most gut-wrenching of fashions as Brazil against Germany, it’s called Clemsoning.
@kensing45 At the same time, the Clemson reference is quite apropos http://t.co/5ZM59Y83HG
— Patrick Walsh (@LATechPWalsh) July 8, 2014
In 2013, Clemson’s most recent Clemsoning was a 51-14 loss at home to Florida State, in a showdown of unbeatens. Surely the national primetime stage that helped elevate Jameis Winston to the forefront of the Heisman Trophy discussion at the expense of the Tigers’ Tajh Boyd and a lopsided win over a conference rival would be enough to make even the most rabid Florida State fan happy, right?
Of course. #FSUTwitter is the most benevolent and forgiving of groups, thus…I’m sorry. I can’t finish the sentence, even in jest.
FSU Twitter is college football social media’s version of Lord Humongous and his roaming band of marauders. It preys upon weakness and mercilessly attacks any perceived slight of the Seminoles. Picked against Florida State?
You will know the vengeance of Lord Humongous FSU Twitter.
— FSU Sports Memes (@FSUSportsMemes) July 8, 2014
At least Heather Dinich is in good company after Germany’s 7-1 shellacking of Brazil went final.
