The College Football thread

“Has anyone had to go on a trip in the backcountry the week your team is playing a huge game? I'm going to the Boudry Waters Canoe Area this next week and will miss the Michigan Washington game. I missed the first game Michigan played against Noter Dame after a long time apart. I didn't find out until the week after that Michigan won.”

“yeah nigal, i just finished mourning the loss about ten minutes ago. actually, i was doing yard work, but i was still mourning. i was hoping for a little better showing. now i have to wait until Thursday the 13th when they come within 60 miles of where i now live. UVA.”

“I know how ya feel. I go through the same thing when Ohio State beats Michigan. At least I only have to feel that way once every ten years. 8)”

“Maybe baume will stop posting that rediculous helmet.”

“For politeness, you can't beat the Jayhawks. We will let you buy up most of the tickets to our stadium and outcheer us.
That might be changing, though. Check back after the UCLA game.
My sympathies go out to Penn St. and Bama.
What a game between Oregon and Wisconsin.”

“It was an exciting game, in spite of the loss. 15 penalties to 0 for UCLA and 2 turnovers will get yourself beat every time. The encouraging point to BAMA fans is that we had 458 yd offense to UCLA's 300. When you get 50% more offense than the opponent you'll win most of the time. It will take time for the methods of the new staff to sink in. I hope we can get it right by the 3rd Saturday in October, right Towndawg!”

“baume, perhaps you should put an 'L' on that helmet.”

“all things are temporary”

“Could you put a temporary halt to posting that helmet? Post it when they win if they win.”

“I hate to say it but, Miami is for real.”

“Did someone say, "PEE WEE FOOTBALL"

Way to go SEC, woo-hoo!

But I admire the fact that 'bama played a tough team first round. Same with Oregon and Wisconsin.

But look at most of the top schools first one or two games--Marshal, Troy, Miama (OH). What pansies did the FL schools play? Wow, I'm SO IMPRESSED.

These teams play wimps to open with and then play their TOUGH league schedules (half the teams are perennial losers). No wonder they win 10 games every year and ensure themselves high rankings. In this phony system a highly ranked team with weak schedules will always be in the run for the national ###le. Teams just as good in tight conferences that play WORTHY non-league teams will always end up with a couple losses and thus be out of the title contention.

I want a playoff.”

“Tell me how your version of the playoffs would work.
Doesn't the BCS use strength of schedule as one of their main criteria?”

“OK.

Who thinks their school has the most unique (or interesting) mascot?

I think the answer is obvious, but what do you think?”

“My resource is the ESPN 2001 Sports Almanac.

The Gators didn't open with a huge rival, but then again, Marshall was a bowl team last year. How many folks opened with a bowl team? You think Marshall was weak, sonrisas? Wait until Louisiana-Monroe, PU.

Your jealousy is showing sonrisas. Miami just beat the snot out of PSU. Not that PSU is a good team but they do have "tradition." That was an ugly game. Or beautiful, if you're from the State of Florida. Do you watch football, sonrisa, or just talk nasty?

Alabama sure did disappoint. Looks like an up and down year for Bama fans.

I agree that small towns everywhere have a good time with their local football. The SEC sets the attendance records every year, so that's especially true here in the South.

Texas football? Not any more. Florida has three teams in the top ten. They are mostly Florida boys. Look at the rosters of teams around the country. A lot of them have Florida boys. For now, Florida is the hotbed for High School talent.

GO GATORS!”

“"Who thinks their school has the most unique (or interesting) mascot?"

Isn't South Carolina State's mascot a cock? They should change there helmets to oversized purple ones. GO COCKS!”

“OK Nigal, I'll bite. What's a blue?

Auburn is Tigers, Plainsmen, War Eagle. Take your pick.

Ohio St. is nuts.

Personally, I like the Beavers.

GO GATORS!”

“It's a wolverien. Blue is simply their dominant color. And yes, I know wolveriens are a stinky animal so don't go there. 8)”

“Hey, Nigal, I told you this before but it was many moons ago: Penn St. and Michigan were my favorite teams when I was growing up. That's before I had my epiphany:

M Go Blue!

GO GATORS!”

“Lets talk recruiting? What black athlete could resist going to school in a racist backwoods town in a backwoods State in the middle of nowhere?

How bout them Hogs!”

“roll tide, roll. roll tide, roll. around the bowl, and down the hole. roll tide, roll.”

“Wow, that was original eemberato. We've managed to talk for 170+ posts with folks from all over the country and a guy from TN makes the first negative post. TownDawg, you should kick his butt.”

“Oh Arclite, what would I have to be jealous of?

Yes I watch football. Nasty talk? Who is nasty?

Arclite, Arclite, I understand. You wanted 'Bama to win and they didn't. I'm sorry. I don't expect that everyone agrees with my views on anything, but to call them "nasty?"

Am I really jealous? or are you just being touchy and overly sensitive?

As for FL players being so dominant in colleges...perhaps they are in some parts. In the west every team is loaded end to end with players from CA, but not FL. It is a matter of geography and population. FL & CA are among the most populated states.

Oh, and I think last weekend showed that those players from CA are about as good as those from other places.”

“Oh Arclite, what would I have to be jealous of?

Yes I watch football. Nasty talk? Who is nasty?

Arclite, Arclite, I understand. You wanted 'Bama to win and they didn't. I'm sorry. I don't expect that everyone agrees with my views on anything, but to call them "nasty?"

Am I really jealous? or are you just being touchy and overly sensitive?

As for FL players being so dominant in colleges...perhaps they are in some parts. In the west every team is loaded end to end with players from CA, but not FL. It is a matter of geography and population. FL & CA are among the most populated states.

Oh, and I think last weekend showed that those players from CA are about as good as those from other places.”

“Dunadan: Since you asked,

How about an automatic birth for each league champion. Then pick the likely best additional 21 teams for a total of 32. Some leagues would only have one team. Better leagues could end up with several teams.

What about the bowls? Use the existing bowls for the tournament bowls, with the larger, more traditional and prestigious bowls rotating through the final rounds--kind of like the BCS. Little bowls that few care about will hold the first round of the tournament. Advertiser would still get theirs. The schools that would have been in bowls anyway still get their $$.

Would it make the season too long? No. 32 teams would play off in four weekends. Some teams play 13 games now. Start the season a week earlier and all teams would play between 11 and 13 games, with the two finalists playing 14, assuming no byes. The bowls would end at the same time as now.

We would have a champion that proved it on the field. Politics, geograpphy, tradition, hype, guesses about schedule strength, etc. etc. wouldn't determin the champion. They'd do it themselves on the field.

I'm sure that there would be problems or tradeoffs. But any more than now, with the system that gave us BYU for champs with a WAC schedule or didn't let 11-1 Washington have a BCS bowl, even though the beat Miami, who got one?

And yes, the BCS does figure schedule strength into it, but that can be meaningless between any two given teams considering their styles and other intangibles. BCS also considers rankings and those are certainly influenced by schedules, tradition and hype.

OOOO! Rutgers and Duke! Won't be challenged there!”

“

GO PENN STATE!”

“I like a lot of what you are saying, sonrisas. Two points I'd like to make. The colleges and the pros are competing for market share, and I don't think the pros would like "tournament weekends" cutting into their TV exposure. I also don't think extending the season, even by one game, is a positive step. Cut everyone's schedule down to 9-10 games, then have playoffs. Less chance for injury. I want to see these guys have their pro careers, if they can make it.”

“Everybody knows that the Jayhawks are the most unique and cool mascots in the whole U. S. of A!

Arc, get the NCAA record book. Get yourself set right.”

“I've never been right in the head, in my life Dunadan. What particular stats are you questioning? I have another Sports Almanac at home (I forget who published it). It coroborates the stats I've posted, although I don't have the records for last year. So tell me, Dunadan, where is my information incorrect.

Sonrisas, your posts speak for themselves. You have an overly emotional lack of any logical respect for Florida teams. It's hard to deny what is in print.

Playoffs! Talk of who's best is just so much banter until they have a playoff. There are only two leagues that even have a championship game. The other leagues need to come on board. If 1AA can do it, so can 1A.”

“dayhiker....if i appologize, will you call off TownDawg?”

“Sure, nobody messes with da dawg. TownDawg is a UT fan, I'm assuming you are as well. UT & AU fans are the most likely to know that diddy.”

“i appreciate your kindness in not getting me whupped.”

“Howdy, dayhiker. You cummin down here for our big game? I really look forward to our growing rivalry. Although not as old as Bama-Tenn., it sure has produced some good ones.

If any of you Tennessee fans are cummin down, let me know.”

“I hope Bama plays you Florida guys. If we do then it means that we've made it to the SEC Championship game. The BAMA/FL game at the Swamp two years ago was a classic. I'd feel the same way if we'd lost by 1 instead of winning by 1.”

“I'd be in favor of a Nat. Championship system that maintained the tradition of the New Year's Day games. I'd personally hate a system that threw away 100 years of the Rose Bowl as the goal for Michigan.

Maybe they could set up a system that awarded one place per conference for the 7 best conferences. Some of the bowls could be conference championship games creating an automatic entry into an 8 team tournament. Conferences like the Big Ten could create a system to rate the teams in their leagues after the bowls and select their entry. The final spot would be an at large from independents and other conferences. BTW, force Notre Dame into the Big Ten.

Rank the teams 1 through 8 using some sort of formula like the present BCS. Play the round of eight at the home sites of seeds #1-4. Play the second round like this as well. Wouldn't we love to see 110,000 fans sitting in Michigan Stadium as Michigan plays Miami in a foot of January snow?

The Championship Game could be played in the week before the Super Bowl at a neutral site.”

“Interesting idea RF. Most of us agree we need a playoff. This BCS nonsense just postpones the inevitable.

Yes dayhiker, Bama and Florida have had some good ones. The SEC championship games in '92, '93, and '94 were all great games. '96 and '99 weren't as close but it's still always an interesting match-up. As is the Tennessee-Florida game. Every year that game can go either way.

Sorry dayhiker, I screwed up. I meant to extend the invitation to TownDawg. I don't suppose you'll be coming down here to see THE TWO BEST TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE play.”

“arcy puts the RAB in Rabid fan! Yeaahh BAYbay!”

“I think I'll pass. Hearing Rocky Top and seeing Coach Superior would be too much for me. I believe FL will be too much for TN. Too bad TN didn't get the W last year when the won the game.”

“Unfortunately I have to keep wiping the spittle off my screen, Nigal.

Strider knows how rabid I am. We came out of the Olympic Hot Springs campground to watch Tennessee play Florida last year. I was frothing in the corner of a little bar in Port Angeles. The locals were trying to watch the Washington game but I was much louder all by my lonesome. The waitresses loved my spirit. I think the guys at the bar thought I was crazy. Good guess.

Grrr...grrr...foam...froth...”

“Arc. You misunderstand me. I do respect FL teams as good, even great teams. My point is that that their leagues (minus SEC) don't have many worthy opponents for them. Consequently they are assured perfect league records nearly every year. I know that in recent history syracuse, Clemson, BC, W. Virginia and so forth have had some good teams but they certainly aren't on the level of the top teams in the country, and they certainly are not consistent. The FL schools have divided between them and thus have perfect league records. Then, for non-conference games they usually start out with wimps. The result is that they will routinely win 10 or more games. Thus they always start with the benefit of a high ranking and with those schedules they will stay there.

That is the point I tried to make before--not that they are not good teams. I know that they do sometimes play top teams from other conferences. When this happens they win some and they lose some. Remember WA/Miami last year; FSU/OK...

The difference is that WA and OK face teams like Nebraska, KSU, TX schools, Colorado, UCLA, USC, the Oregons, Stanford, AZ etc every week. Even the weaker teams from these conferences knock off the leaders once or twice a year (WSU always gets USC, UCLA or WA). They are very tight leagues. When a team from one of these conferences is undefeated they are the National Champs.

But with their schedules how often does that happen? With FSU & Miami's schedule it happens a lot more. That is my point, not that FL teams are bad or that I even dislike them. I really don't care about any team much--I'm nuetral except for the team from my home town but lately they have lost 50% of their games so I'm used to losing.

Are you a FL Gator fan? I assume you are. They have a good league. They always end up with a couple losses more, and lower rankings, than FSU or Miami. Isn't that true? At the end of last season I think they looked better than either. I think that they would have done better against OK than FSU did. I think they usually are just as good if not a little better. But with the current scenario we'll never know. I wouldn't think that Gator fans like the current situation either. The gators are in the same situation as top teams from the Pac 10, Big 12 or Big 10.

Just my opinion...but as I read it over it sure doesn't seem like "NASTY" or "overly emotional." Perhaps I am as nasty or emotional as you are reactionary or offended by different points of view. Lighten up, it is just conjecture about a game.

Dun, on the playoff...

I think shortening the regular season to 9 or 10 games would be fine. I don't know much about pro, I just watch college. But don't the colleges and pros both play in December now, when the playoff would occur? If competition is a problem then maybe some games could be on Friday. I wouldn't mind having more football on TV, but maybe my wife would! College playoffs could be done on Jan 1.

However it was worked out I think the best teams would have a fair chance then we'd all know who the real champion was.”

“Actually I meant to say that both pro and college season overlap and we seem to deal with the conflict well enough. I know that college regular season is wrapped up for most of December. But still, late games and early bowls are also played in December...”

“I see your point, Son. My point was that extra games for the colleges would have to be scheduled at times other than those currently sacred to the pros. I am definitely ready for a playoff system. I like to hear everyone's idea on the subject.
I like reformed's idea of allowing the leagues to pick which team will represent them.
Notre Dame in the Small 11? I hope not in my lifetime.”

“I agree wif you totally, sonrisas. Except that Miami beat us handily in our bowl game. I didn't understand how Florida could be ranked above both Miami and Oklahoma at the start of the season. Florida plays in the SEC, which is the toughest league in the nation top to bottom. Last year, according to the BCS, Florida played the toughest schedule in the nation. That's probably still true this year. FSU and Miami play in weak leagues. Although the Big East did well in it's bowl games last year. The Big 12 has traditionally been a weak league with only Nebraska and Oklahoma being any good. Colorado made a run at respectability a few years back. Kansas St. has made a run in the last few years. Texas has finally awakened from a long slumber. I always liked Texas (hook 'em horns!). Now the big 12 has four good teams. But the SEC will still have the most bowl teams this year, AGAIN. The PAC 10 has a loosing record to the teeny-tiny 10 in the Rose Bowl. Their record against the SEC is worse.

Miami and FSU should have joined the SEC, but weaker schedules mean national championship games. The GATORS can easily loose to Tennessee, Mississippi St., LSU, or FSU. Throw in Georgia, Auburn, and South Carolina (that sneaky Lou Holtz), and you've got a lot of places to stub your toe if you have a letdown. Next year we pick up Miami for two years. Unless there is a playoff system, you don't make many national championship games with a schedule like that.

Friend of mine says that he watched a program about which coaches were for and against a playoff. Not surprisingly, Spurior wants a playoff, Bowden doesn't.

It should all start with conference championships. It's time to move into the 21st century and start some new "traditions."”

“I am opposed to a playoff system.”

“Are you an employee of the NCAA, bacpac? Well, that would make sense.”

“What ever happened to "my team can beat your team?" You guys sling stats around like personal injury lawyers.”

“Dunadan!

I'd like to see Notre Dame in the Big Ten because I'd like to see Michigan play them every year. It's a natural rivalry. It's only about 2 hours or so drive between the schools. And it puts big public U against the college of God.

But if Notre Dame doesn't want to join - and I were the Big Ten commissioner - I'd ban the teams from scheduling ND. Why should Notre Dame be able to pack its schedule with our teams and not help out the conference? If Notre Dame wants to play MAC schools all season long, let 'em.”

“Aren't the two schools with the highest win percentage (ND) and the most wins total(UM) Michigan and ND?”