NCAA Football

[IATTBYB]

Back in my undergrad days, I was in an Anthropology class with Harbaugh. From that limited contact, he came across as a very intelligent and hard working student. I am not suprised that he is having success at "The Michigan of the West". With that said, the chances of Harbaugh ever coaching at U of M are pretty slim. He had a lot of bad things to say about the program a few years ago. I think it would take a major shakeup in the AD administration before Jimmy Hardballs gets serious consideration if and when the head coaching position at U of M opens up.

 

As an alum (and fan), the only good thing about the past two miserable football seasons is that maybe some of the bandwagon riding non-alum fans may decide to back Dantonio and the Sparty's . . . but that is not likely. RichRod has a minimum of two years before the "Fire RichRod" talk moves from the idiotic subset of the fan base to the people that really matter - the AD and President Mary Sue. Seven wins in 2010 and competing for the conference championship in 2011 is hopefully a realistic goal for this team. The offense did show significant improvement from last year (although the lack of progress during the Big Ten season is a concern) The defense this year was just plain bad as there were only a few players (Graham, Warren, Martin) who would have started for any other team in the conference. Hopefully a second season with the same DC will result in marked improvement next year.

[cryptique]

We all saw it coming, and now (reportedly) it's official:

 

Weis is out

[IATTBYB]

Is anyone else disappointed that TCU and Boise State are meeting each other in the Fiesta Bowl? While I think it is awesome that two teams from non-automatic qualifying conferences were invited to BCS bowls, I would have preferred them meeting teams from the traditionally stronger conferences. TCU v Florida and Boise State v Cincy would have been awesome.

 

And one final thought - Texas Tech will destroy Sparty in the Alamo Bowl.

[quarter23cd]

I agree that TCU/Boise is problematic in the sense that there is no goliath to be slain--so either team could win and people will just shrug and say "Meh. Sure they won, but what if they played ________."

 

On the other hand, it looks to be by far the most intriguing matchup of the non-championship BCS bowls:

 

OSU/Oregon

Here's hoping Santa brings OSU an offense for Xmas. The Buckeyes have leaned on their D all season (all decade, for that matter), but for some reason my gut tells me that this one could be a shootout. Which doesn't bode well for OSU. If Tressel shows up in a track suit instead of a sweatervest, we're in business.

 

Florida/Cinci

Cinci's program has come a long way in recent years and has been a great story, but I don't see any way they don't get squished here. Maybe I'm still biased against the football-viability of that basketball school down south. Would love to be proven wrong. Just don't see it happening.

 

Iowa/Georgia Tech

Seriously?

[IATTBYB]

tOSU v the Ducks is the one game I am looking forward to watching. After seeing TP in person for the first time this year at the Michigan game I am really impressed by his athletic ability. Tressel-ball will not beat the Ducks, but if somehow the tOSU braintrust decide to open up the offense, the Buckeyes might pull out a nice win. And for the record, that might just be the last nice thing I ever say about that team from down south.

 

Cincy doesn't stand a chance against Florida. They just barely got by both WVU and Pitt to win the Big East. Add in the fact that B. Kelly will be talking to ND about the coaching job, the athletic superiority of the Florida players at just about every position, and the fact that God won't let Tebow lose two games in a row to end his career, I just don't see how UF doesn't hang at least 50 points against the Bearcats.

 

I'm glad Iowa got the second Big Ten invite to the BCS. Stanzi should be back by January, and the Hawkeyes play good defense. It will be interesting to see if they can handle the GT option though.

[lamradio]

 

Iowa/Georgia Tech

Seriously?

 

What do you mean seriously? Just curious..

 

GT has a dangerous offense right know. They run the spread option offense, and are pretty much guaranteed to score points against any defense. The opposing team just has to score more points.

[bleedorange]

What do you mean seriously? Just curious..

 

GT has a dangerous offense right know. They run the spread option offense, and are pretty much guaranteed to score points against any defense. The opposing team just has to score more points.

 

For college football fans, any of the BCS matchups are intriguing. But for casual fans, that Orange Bowl matchup is the least interesting. At least the Fiesta can sell the fact that it has two undefeated teams. It would have been better had they not faced each other last year in the Poinsettia Bowl, though.

[cryptique]

heh.

 

Christ Turns Down 3-Year, Multimillion Dollar Deal To Coach Notre Dame

 

December 5, 2009 | Issue 45•49 | Onion Sports

 

SOUTH BEND, IN—Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Savior of All Mankind, and current defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee State, said Monday that He would not accept Notre Dame's 3-year, $5.6 million offer to coach the Fighting Irish. "I love Notre Dame and respect their football legacy, but no matter what you've accomplished before coaching there, once you're a Golden Domer, the expectations, frankly, are unrealistic," said Christ, whose family has been involved with the university since its founding. "I've had people turn on Me before, and it really put Me through hell. But even more importantly, I've made a commitment to stay with the Blue Raiders through 2015." Christ denied asking Notre Dame to remove His likeness from the building overlooking their stadium, saying He liked a good joke as much as anybody.

[lamradio]

For college football fans, any of the BCS matchups are intriguing. But for casual fans, that Orange Bowl matchup is the least interesting. At least the Fiesta can sell the fact that it has two undefeated teams. It would have been better had they not faced each other last year in the Poinsettia Bowl, though.

 

That's why they need to go to a bracket play off system. If you win your conference, you get to go to the playoffs. So the playoffs would start with 12 teams who have won their conference. For conferences with divisions, the winner of the conference title game goes to the playoffs. For the conferences without divisions, the team with the most wins goes to the playoffs.

 

Why don't they do this???? It would be SO much more interesting.. Yeah there would be the teams in the crappy conferences that would get smeared in the playoffs, but every team would have a chance to go to the national title game.

[bleedorange]

That's why they need to go to a bracket play off system. If you win your conference, you get to go to the playoffs. So the playoffs would start with 12 teams who have won their conference. For conferences with divisions, the winner of the conference title game goes to the playoffs. For the conferences without divisions, the team with the most wins goes to the playoffs.

 

Why don't they do this???? It would be SO much more interesting.. Yeah there would be the teams in the crappy conferences that would get smeared in the playoffs, but every team would have a chance to go to the national title game.

 

It's not going to happen. The best you could probably ever hope for would be some type of Plus-One System.

[mpolak21]

Why don't they do this????

 

Because of...

 

Though I was pulling for Nebraska, because I hate the BCS and want complete chaos at the end of every season, I am kind of glad Texas ended up getting that second back. If that's the game ended that way, McCoy/Brown would have done the stupidest thing I have ever seen at the end of a game (the only possible explanation for that call is that Brown forgot he had a timeout left), and neither of them deserve that on their record.

 

West Virginia gets Florida State in Bowden's last game in the Gator Bowl. I have a feeling the fact Bowden left WVU for FSU in the seventies will be mentioned 437 times by CBS during the telecast fun times.

 

--Mike

[lamradio]

Because of...

 

 

 

 

I've always heard that $ is the reason, but I don't understand why. There would be 12 playoff games and 1 championship game, all generating a ton of $. Heck, they can even keep the non BCS bowls like they are... ??

[bleedorange]

I've always heard that $ is the reason, but I don't understand why. There would be 12 playoff games and 1 championship game, all generating a ton of $. Heck, they can even keep the non BCS bowls like they are... ??

 

There are plenty of factors, which all make some sense depending on how much stock you put into each explanation:

 

Traveling costs for teams and fans

Missed time from classes (this one rings the most hollow)

The rest of the bowls (you think no one cares now about these bowls, wait until there's a long playoff system in place)

Adding an extra 2-3 weeks to an already long season

 

There are more, but I'm going off the top of my head. I've gone back and forth on this, but I've come to the conclusion that a plus-one is the best way to go. Think about how it could have worked this year with Alabama playing TCU in the Sugar Bowl and Texas playing Cincinnati in the Fiesta Bowl. Boise might get left out in this scenario, but I think it's an easy argument to make that there are usually, at most, 4 teams with legitimate championship chances. And leaving out team #5 stings less than team #3.

[OOO]

Despite this being a down year for my Trojans, I am really excited about the Emerald Bowl - my sister went to Boston College so I will enjoy the personal connection.

 

I will be cheering for Oregon in Rose Bowl, as I enjoy the Pac 10's current dominance over the Big 10.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

There are plenty of factors, which all make some sense depending on how much stock you put into each explanation:

 

Traveling costs for teams and fans

Missed time from classes (this one rings the most hollow)

The rest of the bowls (you think no one cares now about these bowls, wait until there's a long playoff system in place)

Adding an extra 2-3 weeks to an already long season

 

There are more, but I'm going off the top of my head. I've gone back and forth on this, but I've come to the conclusion that a plus-one is the best way to go. Think about how it could have worked this year with Alabama playing TCU in the Sugar Bowl and Texas playing Cincinnati in the Fiesta Bowl. Boise might get left out in this scenario, but I think it's an easy argument to make that there are usually, at most, 4 teams with legitimate championship chances. And leaving out team #5 stings less than team #3.

 

Not to be harsh...but all commonly stated reasons for not allowing DIVISION I to have a playoff are bullshit. THERE ARE PLAYOFFS IN EVERY OTHER LEVEL OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

If the NCAA doesn't do something soon, some grandstanding US Repesentative, Senator or PRESIDENT will.

[bleedorange]

Looking over the various Bowl matchups, it looks like there are a lot of intriguing games this year. Bowl season usually bores me, but I'm actually looking forward to a lot of these. And all the BCS matchups are solid.

[quarter23cd]

What do you mean seriously? Just curious..

 

GT has a dangerous offense right know. They run the spread option offense, and are pretty much guaranteed to score points against any defense. The opposing team just has to score more points.

I'm a few days late on answering this, but I just meant that I don't really see either team as being very "elite" this year. This would make an intriguing second-tier bowl (yes, I know GT won their conference), but it just doesn't strike me as an impressive BCS matchup.

 

GT's offense is interesting to watch. Would be nice if they played more defense. Iowa? Having watched the OSU/Iowa de-facto B10 championship game in person--even though it turned out pretty exciting in the end, I couldn't help but think to myself through it all that neither of these teams really belongs in the BCS this year. The fact that they both got in? Meh.

 

Iowa/GT might actually turn out to be a great matchup, I just don't think its a particularly marquee one. Does that make sense?

[lamradio]

I'm a few days late on answering this, but I just meant that I don't really see either team as being very "elite" this year. This would make an intriguing second-tier bowl (yes, I know GT won their conference), but it just doesn't strike me as an impressive BCS matchup.

 

GT's offense is interesting to watch. Would be nice if they played more defense. Iowa? Having watched the OSU/Iowa de-facto B10 championship game in person--even though it turned out pretty exciting in the end, I couldn't help but think to myself through it all that neither of these teams really belongs in the BCS this year. The fact that they both got in? Meh.

 

Iowa/GT might actually turn out to be a great matchup, I just don't think its a particularly marquee one. Does that make sense?

 

Understood, I don't disagree with you or anything, just curious to see what your reasons were. GT's offense is fun to watch indeed. It wasn't fun to watch them wax my Clemson Tigers with it, but still.. The opposing defense never knows where the ball is going to be (and neither does the camera man).

[bleedorange]

I know Brian Kelly is the hot name. But didn't they just fire an offensive genius of a coach. How does a guy who wins 52-49 in the Big East translate to anything better than what they had under Charlie Weis?

[quarter23cd]

I know Brian Kelly is the hot name. But didn't they just fire an offensive genius of a coach. How does a guy who wins 52-49 in the Big East translate to anything better than what they had under Charlie Weis?

I'll jump on this bandwagon. Kelly did a great job at Cinci, but that program's turnaround had been a few years in the making already. Mark Dantonio before him got the ball moving in the right direction and he is still struggling to change the culture with Sparty since he made his "big move". Kelly built on that momentum and took Cinci to yet another level, but who is to say he will do anything more for the Irish than give a new name to blame? Or not. He might do better, simply for the fact that he isn't the polarizing figure that Weis was.

 

And give him credit for knowing when his hour in the spotlight was upon him. Ralph Friedgen and whatisname at Rutgers can attest to that, I'm sure.

[jakobnicholas]

Though I was pulling for Nebraska, because I hate the BCS and want complete chaos at the end of every season, I am kind of glad Texas ended up getting that second back. If that's the game ended that way, McCoy/Brown would have done the stupidest thing I have ever seen at the end of a game (the only possible explanation for that call is that Brown forgot he had a timeout left), and neither of them deserve that on their record.

 

--Mike

 

 

McCoy admitted that he didn't know the rule was changed to the clock wouldn't stop until the ball hit something out of bounds. McCoy thought it stopped once the ball passed the 1st down marker.

 

STILL...

 

That was INEXCUASABLE. First, Brown should have called a timeout once it was apparent that McCoy was letting TOO much time tick away. When McCoy snapped it, I assumed he'd spike it instantly. When he nonchalantly rolled out and was scanning the field, I seriously thought the game was gonna end. McCoy was VERY fortunate to get that second back. If he arcs that ball slightly higher or throws it slightly longer, that last second ticks off.

 

That, combined with the fact it took a BONEHEADED out-of-bounds kickoff by the Nebraska kicker PLUS the 15-yard horse-collar tackle to get Texas in field goal range, makes me think Texas IS NOT deserving of going to the championship game. I'd much rather see TCU take on Alabama. McCoy does not look like a good quarterback when pressured, and Alabama will pressure him as much as Nebraske.

 

 

 

I feel bad for the Cincinatti players that Nore Dame lured their coach away. Some of the them are TICKED OFF and I don't blame them. One player said that Kelly thanked the players for playing so well and thus helping him to be able to get a job at Notre Dame. If I was a Cinci player, I'd be like, "screw you!" One player said that college football is now just a game of coaches moving up the ladder to get a big paycheck. He's right. Mack Brown getting 5.1 million just raised the bar to another insane level.

 

Speaking of coaches leaving a team to go to a better-paying job, Kansas is in the hunt for a new coach. Rumors are the Turner Gill (Buffalo), Skip Holtz (East Carolina) and Jim Harbaugh (Stanfor) have all talked to KU's A.D. It's gonna suck for one of those teams if KU lands one of those coaches.

 

Tommy Tubberville has now stated he'd like to coach at Kansas. Wow! As a KU fan, that would be VERY NICE.

[IATTBYB]

 

Speaking of coaches leaving a team to go to a better-paying job, Kansas is in the hunt for a new coach. Rumors are the Turner Gill (Buffalo), Skip Holtz (East Carolina) and Jim Harbaugh (Stanfor) have all talked to KU's A.D. It's gonna suck for one of those teams if KU lands one of those coaches.

 

Tommy Tubberville has now stated he'd like to coach at Kansas. Wow! As a KU fan, that would be VERY NICE.

I would be shocked if Harbaugh left Stanford for KU. No offense to the Jayhawks and their fans, but that move would not be a step up IMHO. I think KU should just hire Gill. He's a great coach and I think that he would be able to recruit well enough to make KU a regular contender in the Big 12 North.

[bleedorange]

When you're getting sacked nine times, no quarterback is going to look good. That's something Texas will definitely need to fix to neutralize any pressure from Alabama.

 

I disagree with you on Texas deserving to go to the title game, though. When did an entire season come down to one game? What if the final games of the season came down to Texas destroying Oklahoma State on the road and Alabama needing two blocked field goals to beat Tennessee? Would you then say Alabama didn't deserve its title shot?

[jakobnicholas]

I would be shocked if Harbaugh left Stanford for KU. No offense to the Jayhawks and their fans, but that move would not be a step up IMHO. I think KU should just hire Gill. He's a great coach and I think that he would be able to recruit well enough to make KU a regular contender in the Big 12 North.

 

 

KU's willing to pay in the $2.5 million range. That's tempting for anybody.

 

Plus, his wife is from the KC area and the Big 12 North is quite attractive, as no team in that division is elite. Win the Big 12 North, then get a one-game shot at beating Texas or Oklahoma to go to a BCS game. It almost worked out for a Nebraska team that couldn't even beat Iowa State on its home field.

[jakobnicholas]

When you're getting sacked nine times, no quarterback is going to look good. That's something Texas will definitely need to fix to neutralize any pressure from Alabama.

 

I disagree with you on Texas deserving to go to the title game, though. When did an entire season come down to one game? What if the final games of the season came down to Texas destroying Oklahoma State on the road and Alabama needing two blocked field goals to beat Tennessee? Would you then say Alabama didn't deserve its title shot?

 

 

Texas deserve it as much as any other undefeated team I guess. But I'm not very impressed with Texas' offense and would rather see someone like TCU play Alabama.

 

I saw Kansas rack up 400+ yards against Nebraska and KU made Suh a non-factor. Texas couldn't do squat against the Cornhuskers. The Longhorns were very fortunate to win the game.

 

I'm not super high on Alabama either. But their dominate win against a back-to-the-wall, highly-ranked, senior Tim-Tebow-led Florida team makes me VERY ok with the Crimson Tide going to the championship. Nebraska basically has a non-existant offense, and I though the Cornhuskers STILL looked like the better team.