2013 NCAA Football Thread

[North King]

Favorite, or preference?

I think the favorite would have to be... Jameis Winston? I guess. Stupid and a mockery of everything the Heisman stands for, but there you have it.

My personal favorite is BC running back Andre Williams (seriously, look up his stat line if you don't know about him).

A realistic compromise between actually reasonably likely to win and me liking him would be NIU QB Jordan Lynch.

 

[Formaldehyde]

If both teams win their conference championship games, their SOS rankings in the relevant BCS computers will both be in the 50s, which actually makes them above average schedules compared to all of college football. Hypothetically speaking, where would your schedule cutoff be? Teams must play a schedule in the top 25% of the sport in order to be considered for a title? 15%? 30%? Curious to where the line us.

Yeah. "Above average" schedules should certainly be good enough for a national championship.

It is bad enough that they play so many weak teams in their own conference. Not much can really be done about that other than eliminating those teams from the conference. But they certainly have a choice with non-conference games.

They get away with whatever they can. At least the BCS rankings factor in the toughness of the schedule so it isn't quite as bad as it used to be. But as long as having a perfect record is stressed far more than playing the toughest teams in the country, it will continue to be a dog and pony show carefully crafted by coming up with a schedule which is just tough enough instead of a real championship.

I think Auburn, Alabama, and Missouri are all far more deserving of a national title shot than FSU or Ohio State. But they all played colleges they should not have played. If the BCS took the top 8 teams and had them play in single elimination at the end of the year, it would be far more fair. As it stands now, it would also give Stanford and South Carolina a shot despite having 2 losses.

 

[ummmm........]

Wait so if Alabama beats Auburn or Missouri beats South Carolina in a single elimination tournament they're more deserving of a national title than Auburn and South Carolina would be? Both teams in both pairings would be 1-1 vs. each other . . .

 

[downtown]

Yeah. "Above average" schedules should certainly be good enough for a national championship.

Sure, that's the way the sport has been run since forever, including the BCS era.

I think Auburn, Alabama, and Missouri are all far more deserving of a national title shot than FSU or Ohio State. But they all played colleges they should not have played. If the BCS took the top 8 teams and had them play in single elimination at the end of the year, it would be far more fair. As it stands now, it would also give Stanford and South Carolina a shot despite having 2 losses.

I agree that a playoff would be more fair (and an 8 team grouping certainly seems to be where we're headed right now), but the statistical difference between Alabama and FSU/OSU's schedules really isn't very strong (Alabama is at 48 in Sagarin, and could potentially go down if Auburn loses the SEC Title Game. After the ACC and B1G title games, Ohio State's will be around 58-59, and FSU's between 60-62).

Missouri's isn't THAT much better (41), and it's not like they played anybody tough out of conference either. Ohio State's win over Buffalo is higher ranked in the BCS computers than Missouri's best OCC win (Toledo).

Unrelated, but I was just thinking about how just about every QB in the SEC who is any good is leaving next season. Who is going to be the best QB in the league next year? Bo Wallace (lolol). Maty Mauk? Guess that means we'll get to read a ton about how THE SEE EE CEEEE DEFENSE IS BACK BABY next season.

 

[sophie]

It is bad enough that they play so many weak teams in their own conference. Not much can really be done about that other than eliminating those teams from the conference. But they certainly have a choice with non-conference games.

This is kind of a crapshoot as most of the out-of-conference games are scheduled years in advance. The OSU-Cal games were scheduled ten years ago. They're a nightmare to arrange and schedule, and there's no guarantee of the quality of the team that far into the future. Who would have been able to predict the resurgence of Stanford and Oregon and the near-total collapse of USC back in 2004?

 

[downtown]

And for that matter, who could have predicted TCU, Northwestern and Florida would have sucked so bad this season?

 

[ummmm........]

Unrelated, but I was just thinking about how just about every QB in the SEC who is any good is leaving next season. Who is going to be the best QB in the league next year?

Probably Mauk. Or Nick Marshall

Guess that means we'll get to read a ton about how THE SEE EE CEEEE DEFENSE IS BACK BABY next season.

Only as much as we had to endure 'SEC defense are weak' talk this year

 

[Serutan]

Unrelated, but I was just thinking about how just about every QB in the SEC who is any good is leaving next season. Who is going to be the best QB in the league next year? Bo Wallace (lolol). Maty Mauk? Guess that means we'll get to read a ton about how THE SEE EE CEEEE DEFENSE IS BACK BABY next season.

Obviously it means Kentucky will win the conference next year.

 

[downtown]

So Petersen is leaving Boise State for Washington. Huge win for the Huskies, who probably have a legitimate upgrade at head coach, and also for Petersen, who has been tied to this job for a while and picked the perfect time to bail Boise State.

Is this the end of the road for the Broncos? They've replaced coaches before, but this program has one of the 25 lowest recruiting budgets in FBS, a tiny stadium, a terrible footprint, and is now in a conference that's going to get a lot worse now that Utah State and SJSU have gone through coaching changes (and USU's Matt Wells is probably gone next year anyway).

Crazy to think about the runs Boise and NIU have had, given their programs have essentially NOTHING.

 

[ummmm........]

If BG can hang on, maybe Alabama can get a better BCS bowl opponent . . ?

 

[ummmm........]

Okie State's looking like Northwestern out there . . .

EDIT: This is a tough game for me. I want Auburn to win but it's tough to pull for them so soon after they dashed our title hopes . . .

All this scoring is making me uncomfortable. I think I'll switch over to Texas/Baylor . . .

McCoy channeling Manziel there . . .

That's a little chintzy on the unsportsmanlike call there. Shouldn't matter though . . .

This SEC title game just isn't any fun to watch . . .

That was dirty play. Borderline ejectionable . . .

Eleven TD drives of 75+ yards through three quarters. Borderline unwatchable . . .

Well, I suppose this fourth quarter has been a little more palatable . . .

I guess that sews up Malzahn's coach of the year award . . .

Ahh. 3-0 and 0-0 at the end of the first. This is more like it . . .

Also, wowie at USA, Stanford and Duke . . .

SEC Fun Fact! Auburn has defeated two top five teams in the past eight days. Ohio State is 0-5 vs. top five teams over the past eleven years . . .

Oh, wowie Rice as well, since I apparently failed to mention it earlier . . .

We'll have to wait and see what adjustments Meyer can make at halftime, but right now I don't see this MSU defense giving up three scoring drives . . .

There's one . . .

USA fighting hard for that sixth win. Up 30-0 at the half . . .

Ohio State looks like they've settled in a bit . . .

Good call bringing it down to a one possession game. A failed TD attempt could be a killer here. I still think the first couple of possessions of the second half are going to define the game . . .

MSU must answer or this will get out of hand . . .

That's it. Any kind of points here and I say Ohio State runs away with it . . .

Really nice coverage there . . .

I'm really impressed with this MSU defense, but I don't know if they're going to be able to score again now that OSU has settled down. And now they've got like 97 yards to go . . .

24 unanswered should be enough to cinch it . . .

OTOH, it is still the third quarter. OSU can't afford to just stop tackling . . .

MSU's got to go for it here I think. They're clearly outmatched, have to take a chance . . .

MSU really needs a TD, but either way at least they're giving their D a nice rest . . .

I don't think field goals are going to get it done . . .

This has been a really great day of football. It's been a long time since I haven't had a dog in the fight. It's kind of nice . . .

Rutgers is bowl eligible. Stanford to the Rose . . .

I thought Ohio State's defense was better than this. They're not giving me a lot of confidence that they're going to make the BCS Title game much of a matchup . . .

Idk, that seems like a bad call under college rules. Penalty in the NFL . . .

Ohio State has now allowed more points than half of MSU's opponents this year, including defensive powerhouses Western Michigan, South Florida and Purdue . . .

USA secures bowl eligibility . . .

I really thought James Earle Jones was dead . . .

I also thought his middle name had an trailing 'e' . . .

Much like Malzahn in the Alabama game, Dantonio's foolish gamble doesn't cost him . . .

Duke scores ! ! !

I find myself kind of pulling for OSU here. I don't think Auburn would fare well vs. FSU, and I'd rather the SEC not be invited than be invited and lose . . .

That block should help . . .

FSU's gone final . . .

MSU needs to eat clock more than they need points. If they end a play out of bounds or snap the ball with more than five seconds on the play clock, I'm counting that as a fail . . .

Not sure the clock should have stopped there . . .

But it won't matter. OSU's offense can't do two scores in 2:16 . . .

Okay, let's project the BCS bowls . . :

BCS Title: Auburn/FSU. Auburn's going to need all the destiny they can get . . .
Orange Bowl: Ohio State/Oregon. I'm assuming the Orange would rather replace FSU with Ohio State or Alabama rather than ACC #2 Clemson. They can't pick Alabama unless the Sugar consents, plus Alabama was in the Orange last year and our fans don't travel well when we're not playing for a title. Oregon seems like a good first pick after the AQ teams are settled. They may pick Clemson instead based on proximity . . .
Rose: Michigan State/Stanford. Should be at least as good as tonight's Big Ten title game . . .
Fiesta: Baylor/UCF. Baylor deserves better . . .
Sugar: Alabama/Clemson. Could be Alabama/Oregon instead, depending on what the Orange does . . .

What do you think? Will Okie State get in ahead of Oregon or Clemson . . ?

 

[emzie]

Damn...

Hats off to MSU. Rose Bowl looks good.

That was a hell of a game. Sucks to lose it. But a hell of a game.

 

[ummmm........]

Rose Bowl looks good.

Good old-fashioned football . . .

 

[Archbob]

Looks like Auburn vs FSU in title game.

 

[ummmm........]

Yes . . .

 

[emzie]

eff it, I'm rooting for Auburn on a blocked field goal to preserve a win.

 

[ummmm........]

Not likely. If Auburn wins it will be because FSU's D doesn't show . . .

 

[emzie]

Not likely. If Auburn wins it will be because FSU's D doesn't show . . .

I've watched two Auburn games this year. Not likely sounds like a sure bet.

 

[ummmm........]

Maybe they used up all their destiny with that MSU win . . ?

EDIT: Now I'm seeing Oklahoma to the Sugar? How does that make sense . . ?

FSU opens at -7, O/U 63.5 . . .

 

[ummmm........]

BTW, this year is one more example of why the playoffs are a terrible idea. Does anyone other than FSU or Auburn have a legitimate claim to the title . . .?