The College Football thread

“Dang, Dunadan, things have gotten so bad you're trying to score basketball tickets? How much punishment can you take?

Yeah, wow, Dunadan. Florida looks very good on offense, defense, and special teams.

But I think that the Big 12 is probably the best conference this year. They've got a number of good teams to give the conference balance. And they've definitely got some top-tier teams.

LSU getting beat up by Troy is fairly pathetic. I like LSU and would have expected better from them.

If the SEC plays the Big 12 for the mythical championship, it should be very interesting to watch.”

“Looks like LSU is going to redeem themselves late in the fourth quarter.
Stanford just couldn't hang this year.
I hope Boston College can hang on.
And.... it might be time for Notre Dame to look for another coach.”

“Go Penn State!!”

“Noooooo please noooooooo!


How can you say that, Dunadan? I'm very satisfied with Charlie Weis.

I hope Crash Bang, BFB, and bongofreek still are too!




“man im so excited about nd's new coach. the area of suckiness is over!”
Crash Bang
8:30:31 PM
6/14/05


“ya cant base a pre-season ranking on teams you havent played yet. ya have to base it on how the team finished last season and how you figured theyve improved/declined since they by way of impact players arriving/leaving, etc

and dont you dare call notre dame squishy again! not now that we got weis”
Crash Bang
7:36:21 PM
8/08/05


“Yes, Go ND. It will be so satisfying to watch the Irish return to our righful position on top. Make no mistake, the new wind in South Bend is very refreshing. We have lacked coaching and Charlie is the answer, winning will come recruiting is not a problem. Then we will have integrity, CONTINUED great graduation rates, AND on field dominance.
BFB
5:13:18 PM
7/12/05


And my personal favorite:

“arclite:

please feel free to poach any of ND's coaches from the last few years, I am sure you'll love what they do to your team. Maybe you can pick up Dietrick (former OC), so it will take 3 years to implement Meyer's offense, or Baer (former DC) so you can come in close to last in passing defense in the nation.

As some one recently said, ND's coaching change to this year's staff was like going from mall cops to the FBI. Good luck with our rejects.

And keep that traitor Meyer. If you sell out "the family" for a few extra bucks and a dorky visor, you deserve to live in Gainsville the rest of your days.”
bongofreek
3:53:46 AM
9/16/05


Gosh I miss those guys. Has anyone checked the obituaries to see where they, and their team, have gone?”

“A few years back a local paper was raking our AD over the coals for hiring Schiano and not even interviewing Weis. Things may have started out a little rough this year but it looks like Schiano will likely take us to our 4th straight bowl game... after RU only going to one in the prior 100+ years. I haven't read that rag in a while but my guess is that they never issued a retraction.

Did anyone catch the beating the Scarlet Knights put on So Florida on Saturday? That was a beautiful thing!”

“Want a coach who won a National Championship?

We will swap with Rutgers.”

“I put this on my Facebook page a couple days ago....

Big Game (Stanford vs. Cal at Berkeley) is coming up on 11/22 - this will be my 30th consecutive Big Game. Stanford's record in the last 29 Big Games is 16-12-1, a .552 winning percentage.

Family Connections
Since I met BowlderGal, Stanford's record is 12-7-1 (.600), starting with the game when Tuan Van Le blocked the field goal at the end of the '88 game to preserve the 19-19 tie. In games that she has actually attended, Stanford is 8-3-1, a .667 winning percentage. I keep trying to get her to come to the games, with limited success. After BowlderSon was born in 1995 (yes, he attended the '95 game as an infant!), Stanford reeled off 7 straight wins, the longest win streak by either team - that record is guaranteed to stand until at least 2015, since Stanford capped Cal's streak at 5 wins by upsetting them last year. Stanford's record starting in 1995 is 8-5 (.615). B-Son will be with me at this year's game.

Points
Stanford leads in games I've attended, 672-652, or an average score of 23-22. When Stanford has won, they scored an average of 31 points, while Cal scored an average of 28 points when they've won. In Stanford wins, the average margin of victory has been 12 points, while Cal's average has been 14 points. In the past 11 years, Stanford's 6 wins have been by more than a touchdown only once, in 1999, when they won 31-13. In contrast, Cal's 5 wins during those years were by more than a touchdown every time, with an average margin of victory just under 3 touchdowns.

Streaks
Starting in 1987, Stanford played 6 straight games without losing to Cal. After Cal's wins in '93 and '94, Stanford rattled off their record 7-game streak. Now that Cal's win streak has ended, does this mean that Stanford will win the next 7 years to make an 8-game win streak?

Location, Location, Location
In games at Stanford, Stanford leads in games I've attended, 10-5. At Memorial Stadium, Cal has won half of the 14 games, with Stanford taking 6 of them, and, of course, the tie was at Cal. So Stanford could even the number of wins in games at Cal during this period of time by winning this year. They'll have to score more points than in recent history, though, since they have averaged only 10 points in the past three games at Cal, all victories for the Bears. My location for this one? Come find me in Section KK, Row 58....

Go Stanford!!”

“I thought Stanford was in England!

LOL.”

“I'm curious.. Did the 1982 band game have any effect on the series looking forward?

'32oz”

“Bowlder, you are a true fan. It's easy for some folks to sit in those stands when their team sits on top of the rankings. It's better to sit in those stands and cheer on your team just for the fun of it.

I've been hearing about Michigan having its 1st losing season in over 40 years and 1st time in 33 years without a bowl appearance. I've also heard that Michigan has NEVER lost 8 games in a season. That's pretty impressive. It will be even more impressive if Michigan maintains its record of stadium sellouts.

I can't feel too bad for Michigan fans considering I remember sitting through Florida's 0-10-1 season in 1979. It was loud then, it's loud now. We still sell out the stadium every week.


I saw Rutgers/USF, violin. That was a jaw dropper. Now if Schiano can stop that butt-pucker conservative stuff, continue to open up the offense, and Teel keeps his confidence, they'll be in a good bowl. But Notre Dame's going to take the Gator Bowl aren't they? Well ain't that spiffy!


BTW- The weather's beautiful here.”

“32,

I think there was an element of "let's get revenge for that game" for a while, but not any more. The kids playing for the past several years weren't even born when that happened, so it's definitely ancient history to them. The fans still like to tease each other about it.

Actually, I was just remembering this morning how great a game that was, even before "the play" happened. It was John Elway's (and my) senior year, Stanford was going to be in a bowl game if they won, and he led them for an amazing drive in the last minute, including a spectacular 4th-and-forever pass down the middle to a leaping Emile Harry for a key first down.

And, remarkably, the refs' questionable non-calls on the final play were minor compared to a TD call early in the game when a Cal guy trying to catch a pass in the end zone dribbled the ball like a basketball right in front of the Stanford student section - the ref's view was screened by the WR's body, so it looked like a catch to him. Today's reviews would have definitely overturned that play. For years afterward, Stanford fans reacted to any questionable call by signaling "touchdown," as they believed the ref did on that day (gee, I didn't see it, might as well give him the TD).

The best part of the game that year for Stanford folks was that some people from the Stanford newspaper created a fake Cal newspaper that said the game's outcome had been overturned by the NCAA. They went to secretly distribute it on campus the following Monday morning, and by shear luck, the Cal paper was late that day. It turned into one of the greatest pranks ever in the history of the rivalry.

We did get some measure of revenge 8 years after "the play," when we scored 9 points in the final 12 seconds, culminating in a FG with time expiring to win. I met the kicker who won that game a few months ago, and have gotten to know him - he's a really cool guy.

I always hope for an exciting game without bad behavior on either side, whether by players or fans. There have been some ugly incidents over the years, but it's gotten a little more civil lately. The students of both universities can be quite clever and funny if they try (I always love a good prank!), so it's disappointing when all they can think of to do, is say "xxx sucks!" or whatever.”

“Oh, forgot to add:


Go Spartans! Beat Joe Pa!
last edited: 11/19/08 11:28:15 AM”

“Q. What does the average OSU player get on his/her SAT?
A. Drool.”

“arc - I'm 2 hours south of you visiting the mouse. The weather is spectacular.”

“Hope you enjoy every minute.

And since you're enjoying our hospitality so much, don't forget to tell your team to be kind to Florida in Atlanta.

Tickets do not look promising.”

“Jeebs. Tech put it all over Miami last night - racked up, like, 1000 yds rushing.

Dogs'll have their paws full with them yella bastages next week-or-so.”

“I hope that this has sucked the life right out of the canes. I hope they all quit and just mail it in next saturday.”

“Violin, you may be interested in this:

Over at the Star-Ledger, Tom Luicci lays out bowl options for Rutgers should the Scarlet Knights win its last two games and should the Big East find itself with more eligible teams than spots. A lot of that is predicated on Notre Dame, which won its sixth game against Navy this past week and should get a seventh against Syracuse this week, taking the league's spot in the Gator/Sun Bowl.

It's not all quite so neat, though. See, Notre Dame in 2006 forged an agreement with the Cotton Bowl, and the Cotton Bowl forged an agreement with the SEC, whereby that New Year's Day bowl could pick the Irish over an SEC team once from 2006-2009. And since this is the last year the Cotton Bowl will be in the Cotton Bowl (it moves to the Cowboys' new joint next year), bowl president Rick Baker told the AP, he'd love to have Notre Dame, if only for nostalgia purposes. If that happens, the Gator or the Sun Bowl could again be open to a Big East team and the shuffling begins anew. Now the league's second-place team could go to Jacksonville or El Paso, instead of Charlotte, the third could go to Charlotte instead of Birmingham or Toronto and on and on.

Either way, Mike DiMauro up in Connecticut is absolutely incensed at the power Notre Dame has in all this. He quotes Baker saying Notre Dame could ultimately get its pick of the Cotton and Gator, he says that's absurd and he's accusing Notre Dame of stealing from its ostensible Big East partner. Mike's got some funny Notre Dame jokes, so I'd definitely check his column out.

I will ask you this, though: If Notre Dame ends up in the Gator and the league does end up searching for another bowl spot and Rutgers has the option of, as Tom suggests, either the St. Petersburg Bowl or the Hawaii Bowl... would it really be smart for Rutgers to accept the latter? Do you really think, in this economic climate, Rutgers is going to get enough of its fans to pony up for THAT airline fare.


I've always respected what Notre Dame has meant to college football. But I've always disliked that Notre Dame has often been over ranked, put in bowls they don't deserve, has a recruiting advantage with its own TV station, and acts as a snobbish bully to the rest of the Big East.

It may be time to rethink the Big East.”

“Any team that turns down a bowl is shooting themselves in the foot. A bowl game gives a month more practice time that a non-bowl team doesn't get.”

“I haven't been much of a Notre Dame fan, ever. I think I've rooted against them in every bowl game I've seen them play (all on TV) and most of the regular season games, but I have to admire the university for the commitment it shows to the student side of the student/athlete equation. They are consistently at or near the top for graduation rates for their football players. Duke, Boston College, SMU, Navy also have been doing very well.

Sadly, the Longhorns are usually well down into the bottom half of the list.”

“Go GREEN!!! For the 1st time in a long time, Michigan State is playing for a potential Big 10 championship against Penn State....

And, **** ducking **** I have to admit that I'm actually hoping that Michigan beats Ohio State tomorrow....only because that would make MSU the outright top of the Big 10 if we beat Penn State.....

I'm normally root for MSU and anyone playing Michigan, but this is one time I need Michigan to beat OSU.... (as unlikely as that is!) As 1 friend put it, Michigan has nothing to lose but their pride, so I can see them "going for it" on a 4th down and 20 play... Why not? They aren't playing for a bowl game--even the Tydee Bowl doesn't want them... :-D”

“Keep your rooting Spartan clod buster. We don't need it.”

“I'm hoping for a great game tomorrow. The greatest rivalry in all of the sports world.

And isn't there some sort of iron thingy this week end too?”

“Yeah! Go State!!


Um, pedxing, you forgot Stanford in there - often in the top few in the country. I think in the latest stats the rate is 93%. Our rival, Cal, who continually try to position themselves as an academic equal, had a huge improvement from last year to this year: 52% wayyyyyyy up to 53%!!!”

“Don't forget the Apple Cup!!! UW (0-10) vs. WSU (1-10) - Battle of the worst!!”

“I agree Go State!!!!! NC State!!!!!!!!!

41-10 smack down of the tarheels keeps our bowl eligibility alive and takes away their ACC championship hopes.

I love football again”

“Go Penn State!!”

“You jus cain't help yerself, huh crash.”

“C'mon Virginia Tech! Beat Duke!”

“BowlderMan --

I stand corrected. Stanford definitely deserves to be placed among the very top. I was going from memory and definitely dropped the ball. Thanks for picking up my fumble.”

“I'm rooting for OU to beat Texas Tech. I was thinking that without the home field frenzy, Tech wouldn't match up to OU - especially when OU at home has a chance to get back into the mix for BCS #1.

Early in the game its looking good (OU up 7 early). If Tech can take this one though, I'll have to tip my hat to them.”

“stupid charlie weis

i dont know why, with just a few minutes to go and just a 6 point lead, the irish go for a field goal 4 yards longer than the kicker's personal best. he's likely to miss (he did) and leave the woeful orangemen a short field to the end zone

PUNT YOU #&%!$!”

“OMG Texas Tech is getting hammered.”

“We are! ...”

“Amazing game. I wanted OU in a close one. Don't know if it was the home field or the two weeks rest or what, but they sure took the wind out of those sails and fast.

Poor Charlie Weiss - much heralded, but I wonder how long he will keep that job.”

“I wonder what bandwagon crash has jumped on now?

Is it NC State's, Penn State's, Alabama's, Florida's, Oklahoma's, Texas', USC's, ...?
last edited: 11/23/08 10:03:30 AM”

“Naw, Crash is for Ball State. Is there a Hummer State?”

“Nigal, thank God you've still got your sense of humor!”

“Hey, yesterday was a no pressure day for me. Rodriguez had already given Michigan it's worst season in school history, broken Michigan's bowl tradition/streak and shamed the school and fans. Losing to OSU was pretty much a foregone conclusion to the worst season ever. His first season at WV he went 3-8 and within three years was in the hunt for a national championship. This, or his firing, is the only thing I have to cling to.

Thankfully Michigan Sate got their asses caved in by Penn St. so at least I don't have to listen to Pinkbubbles crow. LOL!”

“Poor Charlie Weiss - much heralded, but I wonder how long he will keep that job

i still cant believe we gave him a TEN YEAR CONTRACT

Crash is for Ball State. Is there a Hummer State?�

I'd rather Ball U. than I.U. (ladies)”

“Nothing like a 41-10 beatdown of a hated rival to lift your spirits all week long. To think we have 52 more weeks of SCOREBOARD on them. Gotta love it.

Now bring on Miami so we can get our 6th win and become bowl eligible. Its not a great season, but anytime you can go from 2-6 and still have a chance at a bowl at teh end of teh season has to be put in the GooD column”

“Gentlemen, let's keep this talk of "graduation rates" off of this board. It just confuses most college sports fans. Although, I think I remember back to when a basketball player actually graduated from KU. That was a good year.”

“would just like to say that the ACC went 3-1 against the SEC today”

“Yep, yall kicked our butt. Not a good day for the SEC. I do think our overall depth is down this year. That may contribute to Bama being 12-0 right now. I'll take the 12 wins though. arc, want to make a friendly wager? I'd bet a bottle of whiskey but know you don't drink. Any thoughts?

Roll Tide. What a way to break a 6 game losing streak to your in-state rival. I'm giddy.”

“I say if Bama wins, arc has to drink a bottle of whiskey.”

“Bama had Siran Stacy as honorary captain at the Bama/AU game. Stacy was a really good RB from the late 80's/early 90's. One year ago his family, consisting of wife and 5 kids were in an car wreck. A drunk driver hit them. Siran and one daughter were the only survivors. In the last 3-6 months he has been a regular speaker at churches across the state.

Here is a video and photo of him on the field. From what I have read, there were few dry eyes in Bryant Denny Stadium on Saturday night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi-3RPJWmo4&eurl=http://tidefans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80161&feature=player_embedded

”