NCAA Football Thread - 2024

[Quintillus]

How 'bout those Cougars? That bend-don't-break defense, getting a stop inside the 5-yard-line to win the game. For the second week in a row.

Just as close as Georgia-Kentucky last week but more entertaining. There were fake field goals, fake punts (by San José State), going for it on fourth down from deep in their own territory early in the first quarter. Fancy plays by both teams until they pretty much ran out of them by the end of the second quarter. What felt like a thousand 3rd-and-11 conversions by Mateer. Massive momentum swings, including a 28-3 run by the Spartans, who entered the fourth quarter with a two-touchdown lead. A go-ahead touchdown by San José State with 26 seconds left, and a tying field goal by the same kicker who'd missed an extra point a few minutes before to tie it as time expired. Then two interceptions in the first overtime, a just-barely two-point conversion by Washington State, and finally the last stop by their defense.

The last time I remember a team being this fun to watch was TCU in 2022. Wild swings, close games, and somehow managing to keep on winning.

They've got Boise State next week, which should be an interesting one too. And their QB got 501 yards tonight (390 passing), and currently leads the FBS in touchdowns after adding five tonight for 16 total. Second place is this guy from Alabama named Jalen Milroe, but they've got a bye this week.

I'm not even excited about Saturday's games after this one. There could be some good ones but this one was pretty near the top of the entertainment scale.

 

[ummmm........]

Much like last night, maybe not a great day, but an exciting one. Early slate was blah but USC/Michigan was much better than I anticipated, tho I suspect that's bc USC is worse than I expected and not that Michigan is better. Mizzou survived v Vandy on a missed FG in OT lol ; p I always feel so bad for the kickers in those situations : (

Utah/Okie State was the only game that I thought might be a good one, and even it paid off. Tennessee's offense came down to earth and maybe Oklahoma found a qb. I still don't feel like I really know anything about either of those teams tho . . .

Baylor/Colorado in OT was a nice capper to my night as well, tho there are still a few games that could be interesting remaining. Just have to read about those tomorrow I guess ; p I don't think I'll ever pull for Deion's Colorado, but I am starting to feel bad for them with seemingly everyone pulling against them . . .

There were a lot of notable results in the nothing games today too. LSU had a lot more trouble with UCLA than they should have, could be real problems there. NIU probably blew their shot at being the G5 rep in the playoffs with their loss to Buffalo, A&M looked like crap v Bowling Green, UF had a get right win over Miss State, which I feel good about bc Napier really has the deck stacked against him this year . . .

Plenty of wtf results as well, with Kansas suddenly 1-3 and UNC allowing seventy to James Madison probs being the standouts . . ?

A few 'feel good' results as well, with FSU and Troy getting their first wins, and Sam Pittman at Arkansas suddenly finding himself 3-1 in a year that he really needs it . . .

So for a "nothing" weekend, we actually got a little of everything. Except meaningful games ofc ; p

EDIT: Was reminded that Bowling Green took Penn State to the wire as well so perhaps I was too harsh on A&M . . .

 

[Quintillus]

I didn't watch much yesterday, had some other things going on and then the reception was out in the evening for the Tennessee/Oklahoma game. Looks like Josh Heupel might be the real deal.

I saw that JMU 70/UNC 50 score... and James Madison only managed 13 points against Gardner-Webb. They were 11-2 last year so the Dukes are probably pretty good this year as well, but still, that's an impressive number of points. And 53-21 at halftime... I'm trying to remember a team scoring 50 points in one half.

Colorado has a hype rollercoaster going on. Deion talked a big game coming into town, they started 3-0 so people bought into it, then they crashed... I don't like his "replace 2/3 of the team from the portal every year" strategy. Maybe the best thing for them would be to become an average 7-5 team and not be the center of attention? And not having an entirely new team every year.

USC/Michigan is one where I would've preferred the opposite outcome but looks like a thrilling game. Mizzou/Vandy... I suspect the SEC won't have 6 of the top 7 teams in the rankings next week, but unless you're a Mizzou fan, a great game is what you want to see. I see Mizzou has already fallen to 11th in the just-published Coaches' Poll. I agree on feeling bad for the kickers.

And yeah, Bowling Green could be a sleeper really good team. Two losses likely puts them out of contention for a G5 nomination, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do great in the MAC after those two games against top 25 opponents.

 

[Quintillus]

I was walking home tonight thinking, "Someone has probably changed conferences since I last checked", and sure enough, Utah State has joined the Pac-12. RIP, 6-Pac.

Now they just need one more team (as does the Mountain West). Wonder if they can convince Idaho to move up from the FCS? They gave Oregon a good game this year.

 

[Quintillus]

Quite the day of games, and I don't even have coverage of the West Coast night games, which could wind up being pretty good as well.

Had Kentucky-Ole Miss on over lunch not really expecting to watch the whole thing, but wound up watching 3/4 of it and the whole second half, what a game. Just when I was thinking that maybe Kentucky was this year's Iowa, with a good defense but reliant almost entirely on field goals for offense, they went for it on 4th and 7 and got 63 yards. Couple of plays later and they've taken the lead, and then they force the Sip to go for a field goal that goes wide. Good for them. They played so well against Georgia, finally went for it on 4th down, and got the W.

Makes you wonder how good South Carolina is, having beaten Kentucky 31-6.

Speaking of going for it on 4th down... Georgia was what, 4-of-4 on 4th down? That game was looking like a blowout, so I was watching more and more of Penn State/Illinois in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. But the Bulldogs fought all the way back, I bet @ummmm........ had a nervous 13 seconds like pretty much everyone else in Tuscaloosa. Early on I was rooting for Alabama to finally give Georgia a regular-season loss, but after Georgia came all the way back I had to root for them to finish the epic comeback. Great game. I'd say both of them are top-7 teams based on what we've seen so far.

Penn State/Illinois was a good game too, if not as dramatic near the end. Very evenly matched for a long time but eventually the Penn State defense proved superior, and their run game good enough.

Due to the poor reception on Fox where I live (they use a lower-frequency antenna that struggles to reach indoor receivers), I was not able to catch Michigan/Minnesota but that looked like it wound up being a good one too. I have many uncertainties about who the best teams in the Big Ten are. Ohio State still hasn't really played anyone, Michigan cannot throw the ball and looks like they would lose to Penn State (but they aren't playing each other this year), but Penn State barely beat Bowling Green, and Bowling Green lost to Old Dominion. Although Old Dominion almost equaled South Carolina, who pulverized Kentucky, so . This is why we don't have a four-game season, too many unknowns!

I didn't see Miami-Virginia Tech, but it looks like Virginia Tech may have been robbed on a W, the video evidence looks pretty disputable to me. I expect we'll see Miami fall out of the top 7, and Ole Miss definitely will. Penn State ought to be in, and Oregon if they get the win.

 

[ummmm........]

I didn't actually watch a lot yesterday, tho I did see the end of Kentucky/Ole Miss and UGA/Alabama. I do want to point out that UGA threw three interceptions and only lost by seven, I'm fine if we don't have to play them again, tho I guess we probably will ; p

UGA still has to lose two more times before they're out of the playoffs . . .

Other than that I guess the big result of the day was two of the top ten losing to unranked teams. And also we're down under twenty-five undefeated teams this week, which used to matter back in the day. Nineteen undefeated teams remain, two of which are Army & Navy \o/

Liberty, UNLV and James Madison are your other G5 undefeateds. Army & Navy both play Notre Dame, Liberty doesn't really have anyone, UNLV has the wins over Houston and Kansas with Oregon State still on the schedule and their regular MWC schedule is probs the best of the bunch as well? Then James Madison has that 70-50 win over UNC but nothing left on their schedule to hang their hat on. Would be cool if Army or Navy could knock of ND and rep the G5 in the inaugural twelve-team playoff. Wouldn't make up for the expansion to twelve teams, but would be really cool. Or maybe both of them could do it, remember Army/Navy is considered a non-conference game and will be played after the playoff schedule has already been announced . . .

 

[Quintillus]

Does Liberty ever schedule anyone tough? The same thing happened last year, they were 13-0 in Conference USA, played Buffalo, Bowling Green, and Old Dominion out of conference, got invited to the Fiesta Bowl and lost 45-6 to Oregon. Some years Buffalo is good but 2023 wasn't one of those years. I'd put them as #1 in the "Group of 5 Credibility Gap" exhibit currently. They were going to play App State this weekend, probably the toughest game on their schedule of Campbell, Kennesaw State, and UMass, but that one was canceled due to the hurricane.

I like the idea of one or both of the service academies making it in. I haven't been around long enough to remember when Army was dominant.

One of the commentators pointed out yesterday that while the 12-team playoff makes the games less impactful for top 4 contenders, it makes them more meaningful for a lot of other schools that might not be ready to win out early but can improve over time. This year that would be teams like Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Clemson, Michigan. Most years, they'd all be on the outside looking in, definitely out if they lose again, and even if all four win out the rest of the way, it's very unlikely that all four could make it in. With the new format, they've all still got hope. I thought it was a good point, and one that's not obvious if you are rooting for a team that traditionally can contend for a top 4 spot. I still think 12 was too many, and 8 would have been the best choice, but I can see the benefit of teams that stumble out of the gate having a better chance of redemption.

Georgia has Texas in three weeks, that should be an interesting one, with Tennessee and Ole Miss later. I wouldn't be so sure that you guys will play them again, one more loss and they might still make the 12, but likely won't make the conference championship.

I see Boise State knocked off my favorite dark horse candidate the Cougars. Oh well, at least it was to somebody good.

 

[Bamspeedy]

UNLV

I just heard their QB quit. (Havent looked up any articles, so correct me if i get some details wrong)

Apparently the coach verbally promised him he would get paid 100k. He hasnt seen the money, so he dropped out after game 3 (if he doesnt play again this season he still gets another year of eligibility, to presumedly play elsewhere).

Radio commentator was saying who would want him if he quits on his team, but can anyone blame him if he isnt getting paid what he was promised?

Life lessons. Get things in writing, not verbal promises. His backup did win, and after one game, looks like he could be better, but it is only one game. Will have to wait and see.

 

[ummmm........]

That UNLV report is accurate, afaik . . .

EDIT: There are never as many two-loss teams remaining at the end of the year as you might think. I think any major team with fewer than three losses is making it into a twelve team field. Three was the perfect number for the postseason, with a declared champion, play-in game then a chance for that team to knock off the champ, but the dam has broken and we're never going back so just have to accept it ; p

Oregon State/WSU cannot get a 'conference champ' slot, they're in the same boat as Notre Dame, have to get in as an at large : /

 

[Quintillus]

Some interesting games today. So far I've only caught the Ohio State/Iowa game live, where both teams did their best to keep the score down in the first half. But Ohio State's defense was sharp (the only score allowed was with backups in the 4th quarter), and the offense looked pretty good too, despite a couple turnovers in the first half. Two fantastic receivers, one a true freshman, and two great running backs... a lot to like, and it should be a good game next week against Oregon.

Indiana has become the first Big Ten team to be bowl-eligible. Probably not the preseason favorite for that. And Nebraska is 5-1 after knocking off undefeated Rutgers (another odd sentence to be writing in October, though they have been improving in recent years). Indiana/Nebraska in two weeks should be interesting.

Meanwhile, in the SEC... I suspected Missouri might not be Top Ten material this year with such close wins against Boston College and Vandy, but I did not see 41-10 coming. It wasn't like A&M had been dominant all year either.

And speaking of Vandy... they've outscored top 10 opponents 67-65 over the last two weeks. They might actually be good this year. Either that or they found some good rat poison.

 

[Quintillus]

I thought the upsets might be over when I left the barbecue joint after seeing Washington knock off That Team Up North. They had an innovative approach to getting the go-ahead touchdown - throw an interception downfield, and then force a fumble and recover it.

But no, it was not over. Arkansas defeats Tennessee. Minnesota defeats USC. And it might not be over yet, California is currently leading Miami in the ACC After Dark game.

Five of the top eleven teams, maybe six, losing, and all but one of them to unranked teams, with the only tanked team being #25. And here I had thought this would be a fairly quiet start to October.

Is Vanderbilt the best team in Tennessee? Did Michigan forget how to win when they don't have the other team's signs? Is Texas A&M back? Will Minnesota beat every 2023 Pac-12 team on their schedule but lose to every 2023 Big Ten team they play?

So many questions. I am glad I do not have to fill out an AP Top 25 poll tomorrow, there's no way to make sense of a lot of this.

 

[ummmm........]

Holy colossal upsets batman! It's shakeup weekend in October! Everybody's losing up in here! Miami needed a 21-3 fourth quarter at 2:30am Miami time to defeat conference rival Cal or half the top ten would have lost ! ! !

Except . . . there has been no shakeup. All five of the day's big losers -- six if you're counting Louisville -- have exactly the same path to a twelve team field as they did before today's results, tho some have played their way out of their margin for error. This would have been true for Alabama, Tennessee and Missouri even in the old four team model, but at least they would have had to win out and likely win their conference as well. Instead, today's shocking results have no real impact. Oh well . . .

We're down to twelve undefeated teams -- which would have mattered back in the day -- four of them in the Big Ten. Only Army, Navy and ofc Liberty are unbeaten in the G5. There's a very real chance that Army & Navy could play in the AAC championsihp game Decemeber 6th and then play again in the actual Army/Navy game eight days later, with the winner of the first game likely being the G5 playoff rep regardless of the outcome of the second game. Nothing to see here, everything is normal . . .

In local news, four out of the five DI schools in Alabama lost this week, with only DI newcomer Jax State saving us from the o-fer : /

On to next week then. Alabama better wake up for the 11am South Carolina game is all I have to say. If we lose again then, uh, we'll find ourselves in a situation where we can't afford to lose again? I guess? Maybe . . ?

 

[Quintillus]

What a place to lose your margin for error, though - "The only place that's not hard to place in the SEC" to quote Coach Saban. I guess the players must have taken that to heart.

Miami needed a 21-3 fourth quarter at 2:30am Miami time to defeat conference rival Cal

Definitely did a double-take at the bolded part. I did not stay up to watch that game. Good thing for Miami the refs continue to give them the benefit of the doubt when it counts!

 

[ummmm........]

Three way tie for eighteenth in the AP this week. Means nothing, but I don't think I've ever seen it before either ; p