2009/10 College Football Thread

[evilgEEk]

The Preseason Coaches Poll has been released.

http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy36/evilgeek/Picture4.png

I hope MacDawg doesn't mind me starting this thread without him, but I really wanted to talk a bit about Spring practice. So I thought now was a good time to start a new thread for this year!

So does anyone have any good stories about their Spring Practices? My Boise State Broncos were really focusing on trying to get an established offensive line so as to help us get our running game back that was very obviously lacking last season.

The other bit of good news for us is that it looks like Titus Young (WR) will be back this season. He was suspended for all but one, or maybe two games last year. It's great to have him back because he's really fast. Easily the fastest guy on the team. He can create some great separation in streak routes.

All in all I think our Spring was pretty good, but the part that gets me REALLY excited is that we only have TWO starting seniors! Can you believe that?? The next few years are going to be awesome on the Blue! :D

Oh, and it looks like Stafford is for sure going #1 tomorrow (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4097641). Not that anyone really expected anything different, but he's already agreed to a six year $72 million dollar deal with the Lions, and $41.7 million is guaranteed!

I'm hoping Boise State's Ian Johnson goes in the first round, but I'm anticipating he'll go in the second. ESPN will be following him around a bit tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to that.

Anyone else have any high hopes for ex-players tomorrow?

...I can't believe we still have over four more months!

:D

[Ripcurlsurfin96]

LETS GO PIRATES!!! ECU has gotten Patrick Pinkney back for a 5th season since he was injured for a good portion of one year so NCAA granted him a 5th year. Hope for another great season minus the bad bowl game performance :p

Graduating this year....I wonder if they allow alumni in the student section haha

[Tomorrow]

Wow...and it's still April. Wake me when something interesting happens :):)

[evilgEEk]

Wow...and it's still April. Wake me when something interesting happens :):)

Hey, it's draft day! That's interesting!

Anyone following it?

[Tomorrow]

Hey, it's draft day! That's interesting!

Anyone following it?

Interesting if you follow the NFL, I guess. *shrug* Sounds more like an "NFL Football Thread."

[evilgEEk]

Hmm.. Remind me again where the NFL players come from... ;)

[Tomorrow]

Hmm.. Remind me again where the NFL players come from... ;)

Dude, they go to the NFL and they don't come back. It isn't College Football anymore. It's the NFL. I don't watch, follow, or care about the NFL. If you do, enjoy - but to me, the NFL draft is not a College Football subject.

Don't worry, I'll be back.

[evilgEEk]

Hey again everyone!

Has anyone caught Pat Forde's article (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=4369091&sportCat=ncf) over at ESPN.com?

Go check out the article and then vote for your top 40 teams! (http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/ballot/_/id/3874/120-40)

It will be interesting which "big" schools don't make the cut tomorrow, and which "little" ones do.

[Badandy]

Hey again everyone!

Has anyone caught Pat Forde's article (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=4369091&sportCat=ncf) over at ESPN.com?

Go check out the article and then vote for your top 40 teams! (http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/ballot/_/id/3874/120-40)

It will be interesting which "big" schools don't make the cut tomorrow, and which "little" ones do.

I love having Pete Carroll's picture on those articles :cool:

Seriously though, I like this idea. Relegation like the premiership seems like a great idea. The problem with this setp-up, however, is that the complaints are going to be exactly the same. A couple of the 10-team conferences will be perceived as better than the others and teams will have to be advanced/kicked out based on those perceptions. Right?

USC players to watch: Joe McKnight, Taylor Mays, Chris Galippo (line-backer)

USC stories to watch: Will Aaron Corp keep the starting job he earned during the offseason? Inside rumors peg number 1 recruit Matt Barkley as possible starter...

[DiamondMac]

Another year....Another slew of "can't miss teams" that miss and "can't win teams" that can win.

The joys of pre-season confidence

[evilgEEk]

The Preseason Coaches Poll has been released.

I don't think anyone can really disagree with Florida at #1, but I was surprised to see Texas ahead of Oklahoma.

I'm happy to see Boise State at the top of the non-AQ schools, and especially being above TCU (grumble-grumble). ;)

I just hope Boise State jumps more than one or two spots after they destroy Oregon on September 3rd. :D

[iSee]

Ugh, I'm not looking forward to this year (I am a Michigan fan :eek:). I used to think losing 4 games was a really bad season.

Well, for what it's worth: Go Blue!

[dmr727]

I don't think anyone can really disagree with Florida at #1, but I was surprised to see Texas ahead of Oklahoma.

Well, we *did* beat those friggin' Sooners last season. ;) But really, I think preseason rankings are pretty lame to begin with.

[evilgEEk]

Well, we *did* beat those friggin' Sooners last season. ;)

I know, and I was behind Texas the whole way. You should have never been left out of the Big 12 Title Game. I was surprised because Texas should have been ranked #2, but I didn't expect them to be. Heh.

But really, I think preseason rankings are pretty lame to begin with.

This I completely agree with. But, it still gives us something to talk about. ;)

[yojitani]

I tend to support Texas, but I think Utah deserve a much higher ranking, possibly higher than Texas. Also, I think Iowa might surprise people this year.

(I just saw the date of the op...)

[P-Worm]

Hey, hey, hey! Utah's on the map (but behind TCU and Boise St. No offence evilgEEk, but WTF?) this season. Utah's third game is against the Oregon Ducks and I'm seriously thinking about traveling out there to see the game.

However, one of the games I am most excited to watch is - and it pains me a bit to say it, as a Ute fan - the BYU vs Oklahoma game on the 5th of September. I have my doubts that BYU will be able to pull it off, but that would be an upset for the ages if it happened. If BYU beats those Sooners it would seriously screw up the BCS polls and I am in full support of that.

Anyway, I hope my Utes fair pretty well this season. We've lost quite a few good players, but we've gained some excellent, albeit inexperienced, new ones.

Only a few more weeks before the best time of the year begins...

P-Worm

[steve2112]

Well, we *did* beat those friggin' Sooners last season. ;) But really, I think preseason rankings are pretty lame to begin with.

Yeah, and the Sooners have to replace four starters on the O-line. I think Bradford's going to be getting his jersey dirty this year. I also find preseason polls stupid. They can be a huge block on teams moving up to the top. This is similar to what happened to Auburn in 2004. They started very low in the preseason rankings, and never could break into a high enough ranking to make the BCS championship, despite being undefeated in the SEC. I think polls shouldn't be released until 3-4 weeks in, and maybe even longer thanks to the creampuff schedules many big name programs have.

Oh yeah, I can't believe the Big 12 decided to keep that silly tiebreaker rule that screwed over the Horns last year.

[P-Worm]

Yeah, and the Sooners have to replace four starters on the O-line. I think Bradford's going to be getting his jersey dirty this year.

Isn't Bradford gone now? Maybe I'm mistaken...

P-Worm

[dmr727]

Isn't Bradford gone now? Maybe I'm mistaken...


Nah - the caveman is still around. ;)

[steve2112]

Isn't Bradford gone now? Maybe I'm mistaken...

P-Worm

Nah, he decided to come back for this season. The scary part is he is still only a junior. I still think he will have some problems this year due to the offensive line.

[evilgEEk]

Hey, hey, hey! Utah's on the map (but behind TCU and Boise St. No offence evilgEEk, but WTF?) this season.

The only reason is the guys you lost to graduation. We are still a really young team, and only lost a couple starters. Our defense is going to be really strong again this year with Safety Kyle Wilson back for his senior year. There's already been talk of him going high up in the first round next draft, I just hope he has another stellar year because he's an awesome guy on and off the field and really deserves it.

However, one of the games I am most excited to watch is - and it pains me a bit to say it, as a Ute fan - the BYU vs Oklahoma game on the 5th of September. I have my doubts that BYU will be able to pull it off, but that would be an upset for the ages if it happened. If BYU beats those Sooners it would seriously screw up the BCS polls and I am in full support of that.

I'm really excited for that game too, although the logic in me doesn't give BYU a chance against the Sooners. It all depends on BYU's mindset. When they have their heads in the right place they play extremely well. They just lose confidence way too easily.

And I'm all for the BCS polls being screwed up. ;)

I think polls shouldn't be released until 3-4 weeks in, and maybe even longer ...

I think there should be no polls released until the BCS polls in week...8?

I also don't think the Coaches Poll should have ANY weight in the BCS rankings. There are SOOO many ridiculously biased coaches out there that it just makes a further mockery of the BCS rankings.

[rhett7660]

Roll Tide Roll...

[P-Worm]

I'm really excited for that game too, although the logic in me doesn't give BYU a chance against the Sooners. It all depends on BYU's mindset. When they have their heads in the right place they play extremely well. They just lose confidence way too easily.

And I'm all for the BCS polls being screwed up. ;)

BYU losing confidence is an understatement. There was a statistic in my local paper this morning that said that BYU's track record against ranked teams is something like 3-11. Ouch. Still, I'll be watching and cheering them on the best I can.

P-Worm

[P-Worm]

An interesting quote that's made a small stir from Colorado State's Coach Fairchild:

So, the Big East has zero teams ranked, and they get BCS money. The MWC has three teams ranked and we get no BCS money? That's criminal.

Twitter twitter twitter (http://twitter.com/CoachFairchild/status/3195547406)

P-Worm

[themoonisdown09]

I'm ready for this season. I already have tickets to the Michigan vs. Western Michigan game on September 5th!!!

I have a feeling that Michigan will make a big come back this year (I'm probably dreaming).

[dmr727]

I have a feeling that Michigan will make a big come back this year (I'm probably dreaming).

I definitely think they'll be improved. Programs like Michigan don't tend to stay down long. Look at it this way - there's really only one direction to go. I kept having to tell myself that after our disaster of a season in 1997.

[rhett7660]

I definitely think they'll be improved. Programs like Michigan don't tend to stay down long. Look at it this way - there's really only one direction to go. I kept having to tell myself that after our disaster of a season in 1997.

Heck... a disaster last season. Ugh. I hope big blue comes back and comes back quick. Do you know how hard it is to crap from a ND fan. Ugghhhh The pain.

[evilgEEk]

So here are the pre-season Bowl predictions from our friends over at ESPN.com

http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy36/evilgeek/Picture5.png

Florida and Texas in the NC game, eh? I could definitely see it happening.

Boise State back in the Fiesta Bowl with Oklahoma. That could be VERY interesting. ;)

Feldman is obviously trying to be funny with BYU in the Sugar Bowl. Are you kidding me? They're not even going to win their conference. :rolleyes:

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Texas will not be in the national championship game. By now, you'd have to think defenses will have figured out the "Colt McCoy can only throw the ball 5 yards downfield with any accuracy so let's just run screens and and slants all day" offense they run, they have no running game and their defense has a long, long way to go.

They lose at least 2 games this year.

[P-Worm]

Feldman is obviously trying to be funny with BYU in the Sugar Bowl. Are you kidding me? They're not even going to win their conference. :rolleyes:

Utah would be happy to go back to the Sugar Bowl. ;)

P-Worm

[DiamondMac]

I have a feeling that Michigan will make a big come back this year (I'm probably dreaming).

Didn't they win 3 games last season? Where exactly else could they go but up?

[99MustangGTman]

Hopefully the Buckeyes won't choke like they do at every bowl game.

[themoonisdown09]

Didn't they win 3 games last season? Where exactly else could they go but up?

Sadly, that's correct. I'm just ready for the team to be as good as they used to be. Maybe not this year, but next year for sure, they'll be awesome again. Like I said last year, Rich Rodriguez will be good for them... it will just take some time.

[Tomorrow]

Well, we *did* beat those friggin' Sooners last season. ;)

I know, and I was behind Texas the whole way. You should have never been left out of the Big 12 Title Game.

Oh yeah, I can't believe the Big 12 decided to keep that silly tiebreaker rule that screwed over the Horns last year.

Dear Lord, eight months later and you crybabies are still going on about this? :rolleyes:

</sarcasm>

Okay, now that that's off my chest:

Yeah, losing 4 starting linemen has me a bit concerned. Bradford is still a great quarterback, Gresham and Broyles are back, Moises Madu showed late last season he can handle being a featured back, so other than the line, the offense doesn't have me worried.

Every year, I have the same worries about the defense, and every year the defense still manages to have a guy or two step up and fill a void left by a departed player.

My opinion is that Texas lost more with their graduating class than Oklahoma did - but we'll see. The middle of October is always interesting at my house, my wife is a Texas ex-student and I'm an OU grad.

I wish I could go to the OU-BYU game across town, but only season ticket holders are getting a shot at tickets for that one. :mad:

[P-Worm]

I wish I could go to the OU-BYU game across town, but only season ticket holders are getting a shot at tickets for that one. :mad:

Pretty crazy, isn't it? The new stadium seats 80,000 and tickets disappeared like cockroaches when the lights are flipped on. Not that 80,000 is ginormous by football stadium standards, but it's not small either.

P-Worm

[steve2112]

Dear Lord, eight months later and you crybabies are still going on about this? :rolleyes:

</sarcasm>

Okay, now that that's off my chest:

Yeah, losing 4 starting linemen has me a bit concerned. Bradford is still a great quarterback, Gresham and Broyles are back, Moises Madu showed late last season he can handle being a featured back, so other than the line, the offense doesn't have me worried.

Every year, I have the same worries about the defense, and every year the defense still manages to have a guy or two step up and fill a void left by a departed player.

My opinion is that Texas lost more with their graduating class than Oklahoma did - but we'll see. The middle of October is always interesting at my house, my wife is a Texas ex-student and I'm an OU grad.

I wish I could go to the OU-BYU game across town, but only season ticket holders are getting a shot at tickets for that one. :mad:

I don't really care one way or another on who went to the title game. I don't really like UT that much. I'm an SEC fanboy. I just found the whole situation a bit odd. Of course, I suppose other conferences have odd tiebreakers as well. I remember several years ago, there was a tie in the Big 10. The winner was decided by the team that had been the longest without a Rose Bowl appearances.

I would be worried about that defense, as should most of the Big 12. It seemed like nobody in the Big 12 really played good defense last year. Then again, maybe you should be worried about that offense, too. I think we saw what happened last year when the two best offenses in the Big 12 played SEC defenses. :D

[Tomorrow]

Pretty crazy, isn't it? The new stadium seats 80,000 and tickets disappeared like cockroaches when the lights are flipped on. Not that 80,000 is ginormous by football stadium standards, but it's not small either.

For Cowboys games they're even selling standing room only tickets for $29, and for the home opener they've already sold around 20,000 of those - so there could be 100,000 people there for a friggin' NFL game. That's what's crazy. :eek:

I just found the whole situation a bit odd. Of course, I suppose other conferences have odd tiebreakers as well. I remember several years ago, there was a tie in the Big 10. The winner was decided by the team that had been the longest without a Rose Bowl appearances.

The reason the coaches voted to keep the tiebreaker is because it gives the conference's highest-ranked team a better shot at the BCS title game. That, and because it makes the most sense in a 3-way tie. :D

IIRC Mike Leach was the only coach who voted against it, and his solution was to use graduation rates as the tiebreaker. :confused:

[steve2112]

For Cowboys games they're even selling standing room only tickets for $29, and for the home opener they've already sold around 20,000 of those - so there could be 100,000 people there for a friggin' NFL game. That's what's crazy. :eek:



The reason the coaches voted to keep the tiebreaker is because it gives the conference's highest-ranked team a better shot at the BCS title game. That, and because it makes the most sense in a 3-way tie. :D

IIRC Mike Leach was the only coach who voted against it, and his solution was to use graduation rates as the tiebreaker. :confused:

Oh, so an NFL stadium will finally start approaching the size of some of the college stadiums. I always found it amusing that the largest NFL stadium (pre-Cowboys new stadium) would only be 4th or 5th in capacity in the SEC or Big 10.

I wonder why Mike Leach voted against it? :) With that system, he better hope nobody winds up in a tiebreaker with Baylor.

[Tomorrow]

Oh, so an NFL stadium will finally start approaching the size of some of the college stadiums. I always found it amusing that the largest NFL stadium (pre-Cowboys new stadium) would only be 4th or 5th in capacity in the SEC or Big 10.

Size, no. These are going to be platforms for people to stand on, but the stadium itself isn't any bigger. That sounds borderline frightening to me.

I've always wondered why they say football is such a grand sport in Texas, but the two pro teams have smaller stadiums than some of the colleges.

I wonder why Mike Leach voted against it? :) With that system, he better hope nobody winds up in a tiebreaker with Baylor.

Some of the stuff that flows from his trap really makes me snicker. He's a character. :D

But he voted for the tiebreaker because it would have broken the three-way tie in favor of Tech.

[steve2112]

Size, no. These are going to be platforms for people to stand on, but the stadium itself isn't any bigger. That sounds borderline frightening to me.

I've always wondered why they say football is such a grand sport in Texas, but the two pro teams have smaller stadiums than some of the colleges.



Some of the stuff that flows from his trap really makes me snicker. He's a character. :D

But he voted for the tiebreaker because it would have broken the three-way tie in favor of Tech.

Tennessee is known for doing that. They routinely add several thousand to the capacity of their stadium to give them bigger crowds. I don't know if it actually official with them, though.

As for Texas stadiums: well, pro football is just a business. College football is a religion. :D (Though high school may be just as popular. Some TX high schools have stadiums bigger than college stadiums)

I was joking about the Leach vote. I figured Tech would have beaten the other schools in graduation rates. I like Mike Leach, though. He's a unique guy in the world of coaches. He has a law degree, and never played college football. And you just never know what he will say next.

[dmr727]

Texas will not be in the national championship game. By now, you'd have to think defenses will have figured out the "Colt McCoy can only throw the ball 5 yards downfield with any accuracy so let's just run screens and and slants all day" offense they run, they have no running game and their defense has a long, long way to go.

They lose at least 2 games this year.

Aren't you an OU fan? Why don't you focus on not embarrassing the conference in your bowl game. ;)

[DiamondMac]

:d

[evilgEEk]

This is my favorite Oklahoma picture of all time.

http://i775.photobucket.com/albums/yy36/evilgeek/Picture7.png

The look on this guy's face makes me laugh every time I see it. It's like you can tell he's thinking, "are you kidding me??"

Hilarious. :D

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Aren't you an OU fan? Why don't you focus on not embarrassing the conference in your bowl game. ;)

Nope (in fact, I loathe OU). I just don't think Texas is going to be as good as everyone thinks they'll be. The Big 12 South is incredibly tough—even Baylor and A&M should be around .500 this year—and Texas has a lot more issues than people want to talk about.

As for the Big 12 tiebreaker, it sucks. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but there isn't a good tiebreaker out there when talking about 3-way ties when everyone beat everyone.

The biggest load of crap about the tiebreaker was the fact that the Longhorns are still pimping the idea that they got screwed over somehow, that head-to-head match-ups weren't taken into account somehow. How convenient for them to "throw out" the Tech game and only look at the OU game when determining a champion. Nevermind the fact that Tech, too, was 11-1 (7-1).

And no, I didn't go to Tech, either.

[dmr727]

Nope (in fact, I loathe OU). I just don't think Texas is going to be as good as everyone thinks they'll be. The Big 12 South is incredibly tough—even Baylor and A&M should be around .500 this year—and Texas has a lot more issues than people want to talk about.


This was all said about us last season too, and the team managed to beat expectations. Our schedule is stupidly easy, with our hardest games in conference being played at home. We might not be world beaters, but if we get by OU, there's not a whole lot standing in the way of the title game (oSu, Missouri maybe?). You're right in that we have some pretty strong weaknesses (our defense sure, but Colt? He's the best passer in UT history, and you're trying to tell us he sucks?) and I do think the #2 rating is a stretch.

I never cared about the tiebreaker. Without a real playoff the idea of a genuine national champion is kind of a joke. I just want UT to play interesting games (and hopefully win them). I'm pretty pissed out our non-conference schedule.

[evilgEEk]

So who here knows about Florida this year?

I honestly don't know too much, but deep down do we have another dominant Florida team to take it all?

They definitely have the schedule to go undefeated, although Charleston Southern might give them a run for their money in the season opener... :rolleyes:

They do have three preseason ranked teams on their schedule (like preseason means anything), but it doesn't seem like they are games that will be that difficult for Florida of '08.

So what's the thought? Any Gator fans out there?

[dukebound85]

i hate the gators

[Badandy]

USC's tentative starting QB Aaron Corp is injured. He chipped a bone in his knee (not that serious) and will be out 1-2 weeks. Will USC start true freshman, number one overall high schooler, Matt Barkley in his place? We'll see opening day!

[evilgEEk]

USC's tentative starting QB Aaron Corp is injured. He chipped a bone in his knee (not that serious) and will be out 1-2 weeks. Will USC start true freshman, number one overall high schooler, Matt Barkley in his place? We'll see opening day!

Either way it's good USC's opener is San Jose State. That game will give whoever it is a pancake game to get things going...

[steve2112]

So who here knows about Florida this year?

I honestly don't know too much, but deep down do we have another dominant Florida team to take it all?

They definitely have the schedule to go undefeated, although Charleston Southern might give them a run for their money in the season opener... :rolleyes:

They do have three preseason ranked teams on their schedule (like preseason means anything), but it doesn't seem like they are games that will be that difficult for Florida of '08.

So what's the thought? Any Gator fans out there?

I'm not a Gator fan, but I think there is a good chance they repeat. They return all 11 starters on defense, which was ranked in the top 10 in the country last year. I think Georgia will have a slightly down year (it's tough replacing two first round draft picks), and they don't play two of the top teams from the SEC West (Alabama and Ole Miss). Their toughest road games could be at LSU and Florida State.

Having said all of that, just keep in mind that only one team has gone undefeated in the SEC in the last 10 years.

[G4scott]

You can guess who I'm rooting for...

Got my season tickets in the mail today. Looking forward to a great season and Saturdays full of football. My group of friends tailgates pretty much all day before games in Austin- nothing like waking up in the morning, making some breakfast tacos and drinking a cold beer.

\m/

[dmr727]

You can guess who I'm rooting for...

Got my season tickets in the mail today. Looking forward to a great season and Saturdays full of football. My group of friends tailgates pretty much all day before games in Austin- nothing like waking up in the morning, making some breakfast tacos and drinking a cold beer.


I'm jealous! Hook'em!

[DiamondMac]

:d

[DiamondMac]

:d:D

[G4scott]

DiamondMac - I'm sure no player/fan from your school of choice has ever done anything stupid... :rolleyes:

[dmr727]

It's Austin - of COURSE players are going to be busted for possession! ;)

[evilgEEk]

I just saw this as a poll on ESPN.com and wanted to see what everyone here thinks...

The question is what do you think of college football teams being encouraged to shake hands prior to football games? Is it childish or does it show good sportsmanship?

I am absolutely blown away by the fact that 42% of voters on ESPN.com consider this childish. How is shaking hands childish?? I think it shows great sportsmanship. There's nothing wrong with being civil to each other and then pounding the crap out of them on the field. ;)

It's like boxers bumping gloves before the fight.

So what do y'all think?

[IgnatiusTheKing]

but Colt? He's the best passer in UT history

How long have you been watching UT football? Just because a guy has a high QB rating and completion percentage doesn't mean he's the best.

The bottom line is, when Colt throws the ball downfield, it gets intercepted. To their credit, Greg Davis and Mack Brown realized this after the '07 season and changed the offense to better suit him. Just as they did in '04 when they took the complexity out of the offense and just let Vince Young run a simple zone-read scheme to back-to-back BCS wins and a national championship.

The problem for UT is, Colt McCoy is no Vince Young. Good defenses (not that there are many in the Big 12) can take away the short pass a lot easier than they can take away talent like Young had.

McCoy will not have a national title like Young did, but they will have one thing in common: they will both be HUGE busts in the NFL. Young is already well on his way. McCoy will join him shortly.

I just saw this as a poll on ESPN.com and wanted to see what everyone here thinks...

The question is what do you think of college football teams being encouraged to shake hands prior to football games? Is it childish or does it show good sportsmanship?

I think they should shake hands after the game (like in hockey), not before.

[Tomorrow]

The question is what do you think of college football teams being encouraged to shake hands prior to football games? Is it childish or does it show good sportsmanship?

Before the game? No. I'd rather not see that. I don't necessarily think it's childish, but I think that, for me as a viewer, it would take away some of the excitement of what's about to happen.

After the game, I'm all for it.

[dmr727]

How long have you been watching UT football? Just because a guy has a high QB rating and completion percentage doesn't mean he's the best.


LOL - okay man. I dunno if Colt slept with your girlfriend or something, but it's obvious at this point that you're just trolling. Who is your team again? Lemme guess - Florida! Whoever is number one in the standings, right? Heh. :rolleyes:

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Not trolling, I just hate it when people with no perspective spout off ignorant statements based on the loosest possible interpretation of fact.

Major Applewhite was a much, much better passer than Colt is. Chris Simms was a better passer. Peter Gardere was a better passer. Hell, I'd even throw in James Brown as a better passer.

All of those QBs operated NFL-style, downfield passing games and had lots of success.

McCoy, on the other hand, threw downfield a lot in 2007 and turned the ball over a ridiculous number of times. Brown and Davis wisely changed the offense and allowed Colt to blossom as a QB, but certainly not as a passer. All he does now is throw 2-5 yards downfield or screens/slip-screens in the backfield. Is he a better QB now? Without question. Is he the "best passer in UT history" now? Laughably, no.

[DiamondMac]

Not trolling, I just hate it when people with no perspective spout off ignorant statements based on the loosest possible interpretation of fact.

I do too but in this instance, maybe you just don't like it when people don't agree with your point of view on this subject?

[IgnatiusTheKing]

I do too but in this instance, maybe you just don't like it when people don't agree with your point of view on this subject?

That is certainly possible, but dmr727 hasn't offered any counterpoint, other than to call me a troll. Refute my claims with legitimate, factual information and I will tip my cap to you.

[steve2112]

I think the jury may still be out on Colt McCoy. In 2006, he had 68% completion rate, 2570 yards, 8.08 yards/attempt ratio, and a 29/7 TD/INT ration. He did have a bad year in 2007, with 3303 yards, 65% completion, 7.79 Yards/attempt, and 22/18 TD/INT ratio. Last year, he had 3859 yards, 76.7% completion, 8.91 yards/attempt, and 34/8 TD/INT.

With his yards/attempt actually going up, this tends to indicate some longer passes, but these numbers don't take into account YAC (Yards After Catch) yards that receivers pick up. His completion percentage going through the roof would back up what Ignatius said. It is very difficult to get that kind of completion percentage without lots of short, controlled passes. For comparison, Sam Bradford had 4720 yards, 67.9% completion, 50(!)/8 TD/INT, and 9.8 yards/attempt. Bradford had almost 900 more yards on only 50 more attempts, and a full yard more per attempt, along with a lower completion percentage. Chase Daniel had similar numbers, with a 73% completion percentage, and an 8.2 yard/attempt average.

So, it does look like something big changed at UT from 2007 to 2008. I suspect it was a shift toward shorter, more controlled passes and letting receivers to more of the work after the catch. Of course, this is not to take anything away from McCoy. I'm sure the huge improvements weren't totally from the change in scheme.

[evilgEEk]

legitimate, factual information

He's SOO dreamy!!

You may now proceed with the tipping.

;)

Shaking afterwards already happens, although obviously it's not in any particular order. Personally I don't feel it wouldn't take anything away from the game, but I can see your point.

Interesting. I guess we'll see how this all plays out.

[P-Worm]

The AP poll has been released and my Utes sit at 19. Sure to go higher as the season progresses, of course. :cool:

AP poll (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankings?pollId=1&seasonYear=2009)

Football starts this next week! Get excited people! My Utes play Utah State this Thursday...

P-Worm

[dmr727]

So, it does look like something big changed at UT from 2007 to 2008. I suspect it was a shift toward shorter, more controlled passes and letting receivers to more of the work after the catch. Of course, this is not to take anything away from McCoy. I'm sure the huge improvements weren't totally from the change in scheme.

The scheme definitely changed. I think it also took him some time to shake off his 2006 injury at KSU. But it's hard to argue with the guy's results - especially given we haven't had a legitimate running game in years. ;) I'm more concerned about our defense, personally. It'll be an interesting season, that's for sure. About the only thing everyone seems to agree on is Florida. It's hard to argue with that.


Football starts this next week! Get excited people! My Utes play Utah State this Thursday...

You're gonna have to wait just a *little* longer. I think it all starts on the 3rd, which is the following Thursday. I'm certainly pumped, though! This is my favorite time of year.

[P-Worm]

You're gonna have to wait just a *little* longer. I think it all starts on the 3rd, which is the following Thursday. I'm certainly pumped, though! This is my favorite time of year.

Haha. I just realized I got my dates mixed up. Classes start this week and I had it in my mind that football started with it. :p

P-Worm

[Badandy]

USC is number 4 in both polls. That's a pretty generous ranking considering we don't really know who is going to start at QB yet, but as usual we have the necessary talent.

[dmr727]

Haha. I just realized I got my dates mixed up. Classes start this week and I had it in my mind that football started with it. :p


Believe me - I *wish* it'd start this coming Thursday! I'm trying my best to wet my football whistle with preseason NFL, but it's just so hard for me to enjoy pro ball.

USC is number 4 in both polls. That's a pretty generous ranking considering we don't really know who is going to start at QB yet, but as usual we have the necessary talent.

Do you think you'll lose much on defense this season? They were crazy good last year.

[P-Worm]

Believe me - I *wish* it'd start this coming Thursday! I'm trying my best to wet my football whistle with preseason NFL, but it's just so hard for me to enjoy pro ball.

You're telling me. College football season is my favorite time of the year and I look forward to anxiously awaiting every Saturday. I, too, don't care for pro ball (it doesn't have the same passion that college does) and usually only watch the superbowl.

Why can't it be the 3rd already?

P-Worm

[Tomorrow]

College football season is my favorite time of the year and I look forward to anxiously awaiting every Saturday. I, too, don't care for pro ball (it doesn't have the same passion that college does) and usually only watch the superbowl.

You and me both - except that I don't even watch the Super Bowl. I think the last one I saw was the Rams and the Titans, or something like that.

[Rodimus Prime]

:d

That gif me think of the Texas Tech Vs Texas last year. Oh that was a good game but Texas deserved their loss after how poor they played the first 1/2.

As for this year I want to know who Texas Tech is going to ruin for there run this year in the big 12 south. I have little hope of my school doing great things losing a good part of there talent and then there key receiver is injured right now.

At least they have another good 3 years starting quater back lined up. He will be red shirted this year, back up next year and take over for 3 years after that.

Believe me - I *wish* it'd start this coming Thursday! I'm trying my best to wet my football whistle with preseason NFL, but it's just so hard for me to enjoy pro ball.


I am with you on the pro ball. I just do not care for pro football. I will watch college football and there I really only care about one team and that being Texas Tech.

[dmr727]

I will watch college football and there I really only care about one team and that being Texas Tech.

I'm just glad we have you guys at home this season. Lubbock is where national championship hopes go to die. :D

[evilgEEk]

I LOVE this time of year!! I can't believe it's almost here!!

*jumps around like an 8 year old on Christmas Eve*

September 3rd is going to be such an awesome day! I've had the day off for about four months. Heh. It's gonna be a late day though. I can't believe the game isn't until 8:15pm MST. Oh well, it'll give us PLENTY of time to tailgate before the game. :)

How crazy would it be for Oregon to take the PAC-10 after Boise State wipes the turf with them on the Blue.

:D

[steve2112]

BTW, here is a good article breaking down Colt McCoy and the UT offense. The blog is called Smart Football, and I highly recommend it to serious football fans. This guy really knows his stuff, and gets very detailed in many of his posts..

http://smartfootball.com/passing/colt-mccoys-texas-passing-game

[Badandy]

Do you think you'll lose much on defense this season? They were crazy good last year.

I don't think there's any way the defense can be as good as last year's. That was a special defensive team.

Regardless, our safeties are still ridiculous. Taylor Mays, projected by most NFL scouts to be a top 5 pick, is the headliner. This guy is 6'3", 235 pounds, and runs a 3.3 flat. He's an absolute freak (in a good way). We also have him paired up with a couple great strong safeties that we can rotate in and out. We will not give up the long ball because of Taylor Mays. Offenses don't throw passes near him.

Our linebackers are all pretty new. Over the past two years we've lost Cushing, Maualuga (sp), and Keith Rivers. We have the number 1 prospect out of high school named Chris Gallipo. He's pretty amazing but has struggled with injuries so far. We all hope he's healthy. Stopping the run is going to be the challenge. As usual, we have all 5 and 4 star recruits on the line but they are young so we'll see how they respond.

Should be an interesting season. I'm really curious (as is SportsCenter apparently) how our QB race will end up.

[DiamondMac]

How crazy would it be for Oregon to take the PAC-10 after Boise State wipes the turf with them on the Blue.

:D

Not really that crazy. I doubt Oregon wins the Pac-10 but I doubt any heads will turn if BSU beats them. Both are solid teams but neither are that great in '09.

Boise State's schedule is just....I mean....it is really terrible. They could probably kill every team on their schedule and barely end up making an At-Large BCS game bid.

[lag1090]

Go Boilermakers! Granted, I didn't see Purdue on the list, but I can still wish the best for them.

[P-Worm]

Not really that crazy. I doubt Oregon wins the Pac-10 but I doubt any heads will turn if BSU beats them. Both are solid teams but neither are that great in '09.

Not to mention that Utah is going to beat Oregon on the 19th of September. ;)

P-Worm

[evilgEEk]

Not really that crazy. I doubt Oregon wins the Pac-10 but I doubt any heads will turn if BSU beats them. Both are solid teams but neither are that great in '09.

I completely disagree. This game is garnering a LOT of national attention as one of the most important games of the season for both teams, not to mention one of the best (meaning entertaining) games of the year.

Boise State is still a "little guy", but is gaining a lot more respect as one of the two biggest schools in the non-AQ conferences (the other obviously Utah). When Boise State beats them it will set them up for another BCS bid.

I'm not being fanboyish here, I'm seriously curious. How do you figure Boise State won't be "great" in '09? I guess it all depends on your definition of great...

Boise State's schedule is just....I mean....it is really terrible. They could probably kill every team on their schedule and barely end up making an At-Large BCS game bid.

Now this I *completely* agree with you. That's the thing with the non-AQ schools. We have to completely slaughter all of our competition to get any respect. An at-large bid is our only shot.

It's a tough situation to be in. No larger schools will come to our House to play us (in which I give huge props to Oregon for doing it), so we're stuck with 1-and-none's. That's all well and good, but is it really worth risking your entire season (and potentially millions of dollars for the program) on a game where the other school doesn't even respect you enough to come to your House the next year?

There's no way a one-loss non-AQ team gets to a BCS bowl. We have to be perfect, and we have to wipe the floor with our competition just to keep moving up the ranks.

All you fine people who support BCS schools don't know what it's like for the rest of us. Those of us that are good enough to get in to your Dance have to fight like hell just for the scraps. The Fiesta Bowl was program-changing for us. Not only because of the money, but because of the notoriety. Those of you in BCS conferences take this for granted because you don't have to worry about it. It will always be there. Every team in your conference will get millions of dollars every single year from the BCS Bowls.

The WAC is weak, absolutely. But we make do with what we can. Generally we have one big game, and then the rest are usually a game or two from the MAC/C-USA/MWC and then the rest is eaten up by our own weak conference.

It's not like we're the only team to schedule weak non-conference teams. I mean, look at Florida's non-conference schedule! Charleston-Southern, Troy and Florida International. A D-IAA team and two from the Sun Belt. Whoo! Those'll be some barn burners!

;)

[IgnatiusTheKing]

This guy is 6'3", 235 pounds, and runs a 3.3 flat.

They're running the 30-yard dash at SC now?

[DiamondMac]

I completely disagree. This game is garnering a LOT of national attention as one of the most important games of the season for both teams, not to mention one of the best (meaning entertaining) games of the year.

For you all, I am sure it is....but nationally, I am not sure I have seen a single person not a UO or BSU fan considers this a game of the year.

It is a solid non-conference game but nothing more on a national scale.


I'm not being fanboyish here, I'm seriously curious. How do you figure Boise State won't be "great" in '09? I guess it all depends on your definition of great...
You are but that is ok. That is what most people do when supporting their team. Support it no matter what.

The entire DL is gone, RB is gone, slew of WR's, etc....not even double-digit starters returning on both sides total excluding punter/kicker....and you actually can't understand why someone says BSU won't be "great"? I mean, you do understand why someone not affiliated would see that statement and laugh, right?

That's all well and good, but is it really worth risking your entire season (and potentially millions of dollars for the program) on a game where the other school doesn't even respect you enough to come to your House the next year?

Considering you really don't have a choice, is that really a question that needs to be asked?

You said it yourself....you can't get teams to come to you....and if you want to take that next step into the world of Top 5-10 consistently....beating Top 5-10 teams needs to be done and the only way to accomplish that is to go on the road and do it.

Though BSU fans may find it unfair or whatever, that really is the only solution for them. Sitting in their own house playing D2 teams and complaining won't really get them anywhere.

It's not like we're the only team to schedule weak non-conference teams. I mean, look at Florida's non-conference schedule! Charleston-Southern, Troy and Florida International. A D-IAA team and two from the Sun Belt. Whoo! Those'll be some barn burners!

Honestly, how you compare your Non-Conference schedule to Florida's considering who they play in the regular season and you do...is beyond me.

I am not sure UGA has stopped scoring against you all from my last memory of BSU playing an SEC school

[IgnatiusTheKing]

I completely disagree. This game is garnering a LOT of national attention as one of the most important games of the season for both teams, not to mention one of the best (meaning entertaining) games of the year.

I would LOVE to agree with you, because I think Boise is entertaining as hell to watch, but I didn't even know this game was happening.

The problem with the "little" schools is that there is very little perspective from their fans. I have a friend who is a big-time TCU fan (and grad) who just can't understand that, while they have had a great run the last few years, they don't play in a tough conference. Just because you play a tough non-con game now and again doesn't put you in the same league as the big boys, like Florida, USC, Texas, OU, LSU, Ohio State, etc., who play brutal conference schedules.

Yes, Utah, Boise and even TCU are solid programs who have had some great seasons, but they just aren't in the same league as the top tier. It would be great if they got the chance to be, but under the current system, they don't. Even when they get the chance to play and beat some of the really elite programs, it's not the same as playing the sort of schedules the Texases, Floridas and OU's of the college football world play.

[evilgEEk]

For you all, I am sure it is....but nationally, I am not sure I have seen a single person not a UO or BSU fan considers this a game of the year.

It is a solid non-conference game but nothing more on a national scale.

Gonna have to disagree (http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4348393). :)

Yes, yes, it's only one example. There are more if you look, but I have a lot to respond to and I'm already exhausted. :)

But regardless, look at what I said again. I said it was gaining attention as one of the most important games of the year for both teams. I never said it was a National Game of the Year. :)

You are but that is ok. That is what most people do when supporting their team. Support it no matter what.

The entire DL is gone, RB is gone, slew of WR's, etc....not even double-digit starters returning on both sides total excluding punter/kicker....and you actually can't understand why someone says BSU won't be "great"? I mean, you do understand why someone not affiliated would see that statement and laugh, right?

Umm. We are talking about the same Boise State, right? The one in Idaho? Because you are very, VERY wrong here. I mean, facts are facts and you are just flat out wrong.

We lost 20 seniors last year, and of those 20 only 8 were starters, and of those 8 only 2 (Bingham/Williams) regularly started on the DL. We were the youngest team in the top 25 last year, and are by far the youngest team this year.

We lost our top running back, but to be perfectly honest he was only our top back because he got the most carries. Johnson had a much diminished role last year because he had some lasting effects of an injury from the previous season. Jeremy Avery had a higher run average than Johnson, and he was only a sophomore last season.

We lost our top receiver, but again he was only our top receiver because he had the most balls thrown to him. Austin Pettis had a higher average last year, and Pettis was also just a sophomore last year.

But to replace Childs we have Titus Young, whom I believe would have been our top receiver last year had he not screwed up and been suspended from the team. But he's back this year, and he's even faster now then he was last year.

I would be more than happy to break down all of our starters for you, past and present, just ask. :)

Considering you really don't have a choice, is that really a question that needs to be asked?

You said it yourself....you can't get teams to come to you....and if you want to take that next step into the world of Top 5-10 consistently....beating Top 5-10 teams needs to be done and the only way to accomplish that is to go on the road and do it.

Though BSU fans may find it unfair or whatever, that really is the only solution for them. Sitting in their own house playing D2 teams and complaining won't really get them anywhere.

I've never said anything was unfair. The BCS has been, and will be great for us. But to expect a team to go out and play teams that are obviously bigger, faster, stronger is ridiculous. If we win, it's a fluke, unless we do it consistently. If we lose, well that's what was supposed to happen anyway, right? And if we lose then we have ZERO chance of making it to a BCS bowl and gaining the attention of new recruits.

You can't just magically be a great team. It takes years of getting the right personnel in place to recruit the right people. You have to have great seasons and get national attention, because otherwise we have no chance at landing bigger recruits. Even now we still don't land huge guys, but our coaching staff knows talent when they see it and we pounce on the guys that get overlooked by the "better" schools. Ryan Clady was one of these guys. Chris Carr, Orlando Scandrick, Derek Shoumann. These were all guys that were passed over by larger schools in the last few years. I'm sure you've never heard of them, so Google them. They all have starting spots on their respective NFL teams.

My point is, we don't have the luxury of a one or two loss season. We have to be perfect every year in order to have just a chance at the money that will build our program. You're comparing Boise State to SEC teams that have been around forever. Boise State has only been a D-IA team since 1999, so we're obviously still in the "growing phase".

As we get more national exposure we will continue to improve, and we will continue to schedule bigger schools. Last year we beat Oregon, this year we'll beat them again. ;) Next year we play Va. Tech. in D.C., which is basically a home game for Hokies.

Our schedules will continue to improve over time as our team does. But to schedule a top-five team would be ludicrous, because we would not only lose the game, but more importantly we would lose our one desperate shot at the BCS money. The money that is required to build a program.

This is why it really depends on the definition of "great". You define "great" as anyone in the top 10, but I see anyone in the top 20 as a great football team. That's the top 20 out of 120 schools in the FBS. That's a little under 17%. In my book the top 17% are "great" schools.

Honestly, how you compare your Non-Conference schedule to Florida's considering who they play in the regular season and you do...is beyond me.

If Florida is such a great team (which they are) then they shouldn't have any problem scheduling at LEAST a top 50 school in their non-conference schedule, right?

Seriously, how can you defend Florida's non-conference schedule? The only team that got a vote was Troy, and they're 53rd in the preseason poll. You have to admit that is pretty pathetic.

Yeah, they have a very tough conference schedule, but that has absolutely nothing to do with how extremely weak their non-conference schedule is.

I am not sure UGA has stopped scoring against you all from my last memory of BSU playing an SEC school

Heh heh. True, but hey, we all have bad seasons. But comparing a current team to a team from four years ago is just as meaningless as me saying Boise State could beat anyone in the Big 12 because we beat Oklahoma three years ago. Pretty ridiculous. :)

Thanks for the fun discussion, DiamondMac! :)

[evilgEEk]

Just because you play a tough non-con game now and again doesn't put you in the same league as the big boys, like Florida, USC, Texas, OU, LSU, Ohio State, etc., who play brutal conference schedules.

Why do people keep thinking I'm comparing Boise State to the "big boys"? :)

I have never said that they are as good as or better than anyone (except Oregon! ;)). I simply said this game is on the national radar, and is being pegged as a very important game by the media.

Of course we're not as good as those programs, and I've never said we are. :)

[spaceboots06]

I follow neither College nor NFL but my favorite player by far is Brandon Jacobs. That guy IS a snow plow! :cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSi1EZix56o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JINAd2R1-To&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJjOFWdILJo&feature=related WOW.

This guy IS a weapon.

[DiamondMac]

But regardless, look at what I said again. I said it was gaining attention as one of the most important games of the year for both teams. I never said it was a National Game of the Year. :)

I don't really disagree with that then.

I mean, facts are facts and you are just flat out wrong.

Where exactly am I wrong in numbers? I know that whenever a team loses a bunch of starters, their fans want to throw out as many excuses as possible (ie, a player wasn't that good, his backup played a lot, etc...) but losing a starter is losing a starter

Excluding punter/kicker, do you have double digit STARTERS from last year returning?

We lost our top running back, but to be perfectly honest he was only our top back because he got the most carries.................We lost our top receiver, but again he was only our top receiver because he had the most balls thrown to him.

So, let me get this straight.....you lost your "top running back" but he was only your "top back" because he got the most carries? Also, you lost your "top receiever" but again....he was only your "top receiver" because he was thrown it the most?

I would say someone rushing the most and getting thrown to the most tend to be the "top" players at their positions on teams.

Our schedules will continue to improve over time as our team does. But to schedule a top-five team would be ludicrous, because we would not only lose the game, but more importantly we would lose our one desperate shot at the BCS money. The money that is required to build a program.

Well, when you do schedule a Top 5 team and take that chance....you will start to get that Elite respect that you all want. Until then, people will continue to look down upon BSU so much so that a "perfect season" for you all will continue meaning at best an At-Large BCS bid if even that.

Yeah, they have a very tough conference schedule, but that has absolutely nothing to do with how extremely weak their non-conference schedule is.

So, you are actually trying to argue that because Florida plays a weak OOC schedule, you all should be given the leeway? You actually expect someone to dismiss the SEC schedule that comes with UF and the WAC schedule you all get?

Do you ever have any success with that argument to someone not a BSU fan?

While UF plays FSU, UGA, LSU, UT, etc....in between their cupcake OOC games....you all play North Dakota Community College, Canada Junior College, and Hawaii Tech in between your cupcake (excluding Oregon) OOC games. What is the difference? What exactly is the similarity? People give UF a break because they known weeks later they are playing a good team. People don't give BSU a break because their entire season has 1 good team on it.

[themoonisdown09]

I used to not watch NFL (except for Thanksgiving games and super bowls) and only college football, but ever since I realized that I had the NFL network, I've been watching lots of pro ball.

By the way, a week from tomorrow is the first Michigan game!!!!!1!! OMFG.

[SactoGuy18]

I think right now, I would not be surprised at a Florida versus Texas matchup in the BCS Championship Game.

(Mind you, I'd like to bonk the heads of the wags at ESPN who think a Notre Dame versus Florida matchup is possible--Florida would steamroll Notre Dame in no time flat. :rolleyes: )

[Tomorrow]

(Mind you, I'd like to bonk the heads of the wags at ESPN who think a Notre Dame versus Florida matchup is possible--Florida would steamroll Notre Dame in no time flat. :rolleyes: )

That was Lou Holtz, I think - he's just being a ND homer. And Saint Tebow is the popular choice right now.

[evilgEEk]

...Brandon Jacobs. That guy IS a snow plow! :cool:

No kidding. This guy is really fun to watch. It's the same reason I really like watching LeGarrette Blount for Oregon. Although I hope to not see much of him next Thursday!

I don't really disagree with that then.

Excellent! We can agree on something! ;)

Where exactly am I wrong in numbers?

Excluding punter/kicker, do you have double digit STARTERS from last year returning?

Yep. Although after further review I realize I was wrong in my last post. We lost 9 starters, not 8, because I was only counting seniors and we had one underclassman declare for the draft. Here's who we lost:

Sean Bingham - DT
Tim Brady - LB
Jon Gott - OL
Ian Johnson - RB
Vinny Peretta - WR
Ellis Powers - S
Mike T Williams - DE
Andrew Woodruff - OL
Jeremy Childs - WR

We did lose two other LBs, but they weren't considered starters because they were on a regular rotation with two other underclassmen.

A typical offense has 12 starting positions counting the three WRs and the FB, combined with the 11 positions on defense gives us a total of 23 starting positions.

Of these 23 we have 14 returning. 15 if you count our Kicker/Punter, which we're not. ;)

Now for the really crazy part. This year we only have a total of five seniors on the team, and only two are starters.

Obviously we don't know anything yet, but we have the potential to be very good this year. But what's scary for our opponents (Va. Tech!) is that we'll be even better next year. :D

So, let me get this straight.....

Heh heh. Admittedly that sounded rather crazy, but what I was trying to get across is that we had very capable backups who, had they been given equal chance, could have potentially out-performed the starters.

Well, when you do schedule a Top 5 team and take that chance....you will start to get that Elite respect that you all want. Until then, people will continue to look down upon BSU so much so that a "perfect season" for you all will continue meaning at best an At-Large BCS bid if even that.

You seem to keep misunderstanding me. I've never once said we deserve to be in the Elite. We're definitely not there yet. We're going in the right direction, but we're DEFINITELY not there yet. :)

The point you're missing here is that it's not a chance worth taking. Even if we scheduled three Top 5 teams and beat them all, we still would only be eligible for an At-Large BCS bid. Unless we're ranked #1 or #2 we still have no guarantees because we're not in a coveted BCS Conference.

So why risk losing those millions of dollars that come with a BCS bid just to say we gave it a shot against Florida, USC, Texas or Alabama?

Of course depending on how Va. Tech does this year, we may actually have a Top 5 team in our schedule next year. :)

So, you are actually trying to argue that because Florida plays a weak OOC schedule, you all should be given the leeway? You actually expect someone to dismiss the SEC schedule that comes with UF and the WAC schedule you all get?

Do you ever have any success with that argument to someone not a BSU fan?

Heh heh. I have to admit, I'm not sure what you're arguing here, and I don't know what leeway you think I'm asking for. I didn't ask you to dismiss anything..? And I'm certainly not dismissing Florida's (and a lot of other team's) conference schedules. It's leaps and bounds harder than the WAC, and I never said it wasn't.

I would hope that you could tell that I'm not the kind of guy that can see no wrong with his team/conference. I'll be the first to admit that our OL is still really young and our conference is WhACk. Get it?! ;)

I've never said we deserve any leeway, because I know we don't. Which is why I brought up Florida, because I don't believe they deserve any either. You keep saying Boise State should schedule a Top 5 team in their non-conference. So if we should do that, why can't the most dominant football team in the country do it?

......................

Okay DiamondMac... We've been having a pretty fun discussion here, but there is one thing that I think it's time for you to disclose...

Who is your team?

:)

[SactoGuy18]

That was Lou Holtz, I think - he's just being a ND homer. And Saint Tebow is the popular choice right now.

It's more than Lou Holtz--Beano Cook said the same thing on Colin Cowherd's radio show just this past week.

[steve2112]

It's more than Lou Holtz--Beano Cook said the same thing on Colin Cowherd's radio show just this past week.

Yeah, but remember that Beano Cook is also senile. This is the same guy who predicted that Ron Paulus would win the Heisman twice while at Notre Dame.

Having said, that, it could happen. Notre Dame has an easy schedule this year (USC excepted), and since they have the Notre Dame exception in the BCS, I don't think it's out of reach they could end up in a BCS title game. Notre Dame...first team with three losses to be in a BCS title game! (Why, no, I don't like ND, why do you ask? :))

[DiamondMac]

Which is why I brought up Florida, because I don't believe they deserve any either.

But UF and you have absolutely nothing in common which is my point. UF can get away with scheduling cupcakes and not many will scream bloody murder because they realize that the next week....they are playing UT, UGA, LSU, etc....

That isn't the case with BSU who will live and die with their OOC schedule

[evilgEEk]

But UF and you have absolutely nothing in common

This just isn't true!

We have the same colors. :D

So why are you so reluctant to tell us who your team is?

[DiamondMac]

So why are you so reluctant to tell us who your team is?

Because I find that when I do so, the discussion turns away from the point and into some pissing contest because the original poster doesn't agree with my point of view

This way ensures it stays on topic.

[DiamondMac]

Heh heh. Admittedly that sounded rather crazy, but what I was trying to get across is that we had very capable backups who, had they been given equal chance, could have potentially out-performed the starters.

Well, then your coaches are not that good at what they do apparently. Stating the backups are better is what a fan does....but it rarely ends up being true. In some situations, yes. In most, it is just what the fan hopes rather than what actually is occuring the year the backups actually take over.

The point you're missing here is that it's not a chance worth taking. Even if we scheduled three Top 5 teams and beat them all, we still would only be eligible for an At-Large BCS bid. Unless we're ranked #1 or #2 we still have no guarantees because we're not in a coveted BCS Conference.

If you beat 3 Top 5 teams and ran the table, you would be in the running for the NC.

But baring that, you will never be....and thus BSU will be stuck needing to play perfect every year and even when they do, nobody will ever take them THAT seriously....even with an OU win in the Fiesta.

It just is the way it is in today's game unfair or not.

[TRAG]

Go LSU Tigers!

[steve2112]

Go LSU Tigers!

You misspelled Go. It's supposed to be spelled Geaux Tigers. I was about 10 years old before I realized it wasn't actually spelled that way. :D

[evilgEEk]

Because I find that when I do so, the discussion turns away from the point and into some pissing contest because the original poster doesn't agree with my point of view

This way ensures it stays on topic.

So basically you're more than happy to tear down other teams, but don't want to reveal who you support in fear of people doing the same thing to your team? Hmmm....

Now don't get me wrong, I really have enjoyed our little banter here, but knowing that you are either too insecure, or that you simply don't respect me enough to know this won't become a "pissing match" really takes a lot of the fun out of it for me.


..........So, moving on!

I saw Lou Holtz's comment about Notre Dame going to the NC to play Florida too. The guy is losing it. They would have to go undefeated to play in the NC, but the problem there is that no way will they beat USC. Heh.

What a boring National Championship game that would be too, because Florida would absolutely crush them. :)

[steve2112]

..........So, moving on!

I saw Lou Holtz's comment about Notre Dame going to the NC to play Florida too. The guy is losing it. They would have to go undefeated to play in the NC, but the problem there is that no way will they beat USC. Heh.

What a boring National Championship game that would be too, because Florida would absolutely crush them. :)

Holtz has always been a ND homer. Of course, now he is going senile, so that combined with his ND fandom produces such comments. I don't know that ND would have to go undefeated, but it would be close. They only have to finish in the top 8 to get a BCS bowl, so I figure with them being ND, and the press' love of ND, they should only have to be ranked 3rd or 4th to get the title game. :)

Seriously, though, they could win 10 games this season. Their schedule is favorable for it. I personally wouldn't mind seeing them lose 10 games, but that isn't going to happen. I'll just take comfort in the fact that my lowly alma mater is making as much money from the SEC TV contract and BCS contract as Notre Dame is making from their exclusive TV contract and BCS membership.

[IgnatiusTheKing]

So basically you're more than happy to tear down other teams, but don't want to reveal who you support in fear of people doing the same thing to your team? Hmmm....

I actually agree with him. Knowing who he roots for has no bearing on the point, other than giving you the potential to sidetrack the argument by saying "well I know BSU is better than Team X so you're just jealous/stupid/etc."

Who any of us root for shouldn't matter at all, so long as the arguments we put up are valid. For instance, someone on this thread assumed I was an OU fan because I was pointing out potential weaknesses that could derail Texas' hunt for a title. Instead of countering my argument, he (assuming I liked OU) jumped in and bashed Bob Stoops for not being able to win bowl games. What did that have to do with Texas? Nothing.

[Tomorrow]

I actually agree with him. Knowing who he roots for has no bearing on the point, other than giving you the potential to sidetrack the argument by saying "well I know BSU is better than Team X so you're just jealous/stupid/etc."

Who any of us root for shouldn't matter at all, so long as the arguments we put up are valid. For instance, someone on this thread assumed I was an OU fan because I was pointing out potential weaknesses that could derail Texas' hunt for a title. Instead of countering my argument, he (assuming I liked OU) jumped in and bashed Bob Stoops for not being able to win bowl games. What did that have to do with Texas? Nothing.

This is exactly why I had to bail out of this thread last season. It turned from a discussion on "why my team is better" into a discussion on "your team sucks." That's not an enjoyable discussion, IMO.

[TRAG]

You misspelled Go. It's supposed to be spelled Geaux Tigers. I was about 10 years old before I realized it wasn't actually spelled that way. :D

Like a true fan. Geaux Tigers!

[dmr727]

I'm sorry, but this is a college football thread. Smack talk is part of the fun of it, IMO. It's all about rooting for a team. We can spew stats all day long, but to me, the whole fun of college sports is the emotion behind it. It's easy to sit here and tear down everyone's teams when you don't have to worry about getting anything back.

[DiamondMac]

So basically you're more than happy to tear down other teams, but don't want to reveal who you support in fear of people doing the same thing to your team?

Your over-exaggeration by stating that I am tearing down other teams pretty much explains my point.

Now don't get me wrong, I really have enjoyed our little banter here, but knowing that you are either too insecure, or that you simply don't respect me enough to know this won't become a "pissing match" really takes a lot of the fun out of it for me.

There isn't anything insecure about my respect towards my school. I just prefer to keep it to myself. People in real life know who I root for and I go to see them most weekends. But online, I can't stand the amount of times I have seen arguments just sway off topic due to petty little insults or idiotic rants that have nothing to do with the point....just said to insult the other posters teams.

So, I keep my team to myself and post away.

If you prefer to keep your team in every post, more power to you. That is your choice.

[evilgEEk]

Ha ha ha!

Wow, so you guys think I wanted to know his team just so I can start raggin on it? When have I ever given the indication that I would belittle you or your team?

Pathetic. :rolleyes:

Anyway....

So ESPN.com has another video with Lou Holtz saying Florida will upset Notre Dame in the NC game.

Obviously he said it as a joke, but wow. Heh. ;)

[dmr727]

But online, I can't stand the amount of times I have seen arguments just sway off topic due to petty little insults or idiotic rants that have nothing to do with the point....just said to insult the other posters teams.

We're not curing cancer on this thread. It's college football - a game where a bunch of 18-22 year olds run up and down a field. Lighten up a bit and have some fun! :)

It's 5:33pm and OU still sucks!

See how that works? I don't *really* have any negative opinion about the University of Oklahoma (but don't tell those crazy Sooners that, please!).

[Tomorrow]

See how that works? I don't *really* have any negative opinion about the University of Oklahoma (but don't tell those crazy Sooners that, please!).

Too late - you've been doing that for as long as I've been on this forum. ;)

[dmr727]

Too late - you've been doing that for as long as I've been on this forum. ;)

Oh man! Busted! :D

[DiamondMac]

Wow, so you guys think I wanted to know his team just so I can start raggin on it? When have I ever given the indication that I would belittle you or your team?

Well, let's see.....you stated that I was tearing down teams, claimed I may be "too insecure" unless my team is discussed, and asked...what was it...2 times why you didn't already know what team I rooted for.....I think those are the typical indications that you wanted to fight back with some attitude for whatever team I root for....things that have nothing to do with BSU and their schedule

[DiamondMac]

We're not curing cancer on this thread. It's college football - a game where a bunch of 18-22 year olds run up and down a field. Lighten up a bit and have some fun! :)

It's 5:33pm and OU still sucks!

See how that works? I don't *really* have any negative opinion about the University of Oklahoma (but don't tell those crazy Sooners that, please!).
I would say I have as much fun as anyone with college football

I just don't equate my fun of college football with having to tell everyone online who it is that I support.

If you do, have it.

[evilgEEk]

Mercy.

Okay, this is ridiculous.

I take full responsibility for every wrong I have done to you and everyone else on this thread.

I apologize.

Better?

Now let's talk football!!

Is Ohio State still the team to beat in the Big Ten? Any Penn State fans around to give us any insight?

[steve2112]

Like a true fan. Geaux Tigers!

I'm actually not an LSU fan. I just grew up 90 miles from Red Stick, and saw those bumper stickers all over the place. I did almost go to LSU, though, but I missed having my out of state tuition waived by one point on the ACT. I actually can't stand most LSU fans. They are some of the rudest, most obnoxious fans in the entire SEC. And that is saying quite a lot. I have to admit, though, that Alabama fans are very close. It's just that I have never had Alabama fans throw whiskey and beer bottles at me while in their stadium.

I'm sorry, but this is a college football thread. Smack talk is part of the fun of it, IMO. It's all about rooting for a team. We can spew stats all day long, but to me, the whole fun of college sports is the emotion behind it. It's easy to sit here and tear down everyone's teams when you don't have to worry about getting anything back.

I actually agree with dmr727 here. In SEC country, it's part of the deal. Alabama fans make fun of Auburn fans. Florida fans make fun of Tennessee fans. It's all part of the fun.

[Badandy]

Is Ohio State still the team to beat in the Big Ten? Any Penn State fans around to give us any insight?

I thought Penn State shut it's doors after last year's Rose Bowl...

[evilgEEk]

I thought Penn State shut it's doors after last year's Rose Bowl...

That's basically my question. Has Penn State taken over the role, or was last year a one-time shot?

From what I hear (which isn't much, granted) Penn State won't be up to what they were last year.

But on a different note. Have you seen Barclay throw yet? I haven't seen any film of him, but he sure seems to have impressed the coaches!

[dmr727]

I haven't seen any film of him, but he sure seems to have impressed the coaches!

No kidding! I think it's the first time USC has started a true freshman. Exciting times, that's for sure.

Only a couple more days! I'm having a bunch of people over for Oregon/Boise St. on Thursday - it should be fun.

[Badandy]

But on a different note. Have you seen Barclay throw yet? I haven't seen any film of him, but he sure seems to have impressed the coaches!

No kidding! I think it's the first time USC has started a true freshman. Exciting times, that's for sure.


I haven't seen Barkley throw in person yet. Apparently, and I'm going off of coach's impressions, ESPN analysts, and teammates here, he's a phenom. I believe Mel Kiper Jr. said Barkley will be the number 1 overall pick when he goes pro.

That being said, I don't think we're going to use him all that much. We have deepest roster of RB's in the country (Tailback U, right?) and everyone around here expects us to use them more than ever. We'll probably run it 70% of the time and throw deep the other 30%. This might skew towards running though because our second best receiver and speed-machine Ronald Johnson just got injured and will be out 8 weeks. Not good.

[P-Worm]

Alright everyone, let's hear some noise! (http://www.xbo85.dial.pipex.com/wavs/rumble.wav) Football season kicks off today. My Utah Utes take on the Utah St. Aggies at home. Normally, I would think this would be a push-over game, but Utah St. might have some tricks up its sleaves. Utah St's new head coach is Utah's old defensive coach, so it's an understatement that he know how Utah likes to play. Might be interesting. :)

Also, Boise St. takes on the Oregon Ducks tonight as well (I know evilgEEk is looking forward to this one). I would love to watch this game live, but I will be at Rice Eccles Stadium cheering on the mighty Utes. I have the game set to record and I'll watch it tomorrow.

Any other games tonight that people are excited for? I'm just happy that the greatest time of the year starts today. Welcome to 2009-2010 college football!

P-Worm

[steve2112]

Also, Boise St. takes on the Oregon Ducks tonight as well (I know evilgEEk is looking forward to this one). I would love to watch this game live, but I will be at Rice Eccles Stadium cheering on the mighty Utes. I have the game set to record and I'll watch it tomorrow.

Any other games tonight that people are excited for? I'm just happy that the greatest time of the year starts today. Welcome to 2009-2010 college football!

P-Worm

No kidding. THIS is the most wonderful time of the year. :D

BTW, is that Utah game on TV? It might be interesting.

[dmr727]

I'm pumped - this is definitely the best time of the year! :D

[P-Worm]

No kidding. THIS is the most wonderful time of the year. :D

BTW, is that Utah game on TV? It might be interesting.

It's being broadcast on The MTN, but I assume you don't have that question since you are asking if the game is on TV in the first place.

The MTN (http://www.themtn.tv/pages/tvschedule)

However, the best game to watch tonight will be the Oregon vs BSU game on ESPN. The odds have the game being close (one I looked at had BSU by only a field goal).

P-Worm

[leomac08]

FINAL!!!!!!!!!!

(i live about 40 miles to pasadena! btw)


USC vs the top 6 college teams in the the coaches poll!!!!!



go TROJANS!!!!! UCLA SUCKS:D

the BCS national championship is being hosted in our southern california!!!!!!

the trojans have been dominating the rose bowl!!!!, it's time the trojans dominate the BCS!!!!!<, like in 2006 against TEXAS!!!!!!!



MARK SANCHEZ! even took Bret favre out of his position,!!!!!!! (i know he didn't!!! but USC!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!) the jets are cool!! btw

[P-Worm]

FINAL!!!!!!!!!!

(i live about 40 miles to pasadena! btw)


USC vs the top 6 college teams in the the coaches poll!!!!!



go TROJANS!!!!! UCLA SUCKS:D

the BCS national championship is being hosted in our southern california!!!!!!

the trojans have been dominating the rose bowl!!!!, it's time we dominate the BCS!!!!!<, like we were so close in 2006 against TEXAS!!!!!!!



MARK SANCHEZ! even took Bret favre out og his position,!!!!!!! (i know he didn't!!! but USC!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!)

This guy isn't just excited for football, he's 66 exclamation points excited.

P-Worm

[leomac08]

This guy isn't just excited for football, he's 66 exclamation points excited.

P-Worm

i know!, this is what happens when Los Angeles, CA doesn't have a football team!:D

[Tomorrow]

i know!, this is what happens when Los Angeles, CA doesn't have a football team!:D

Including USC. ;)

[dukebound85]

Christ, the announcers can not give Boise State credit where its due

They are routing #16 Oregon and the announcers just say "yea Boise can beat any team a night of the week but they can't do it week in and week out" he says any BCS team can do what Boise does

what the heck, he keeps saying this over and over

how many upsets do they need to gain some respect:mad:

[Badandy]

Christ, the announcers can not give Boise State credit where its due

They are routing #16 Oregon and the announcers just say "yea Boise can beat any team a night of the week but they can't do it week in and week out" he says any BCS team can do what Boise does

what the heck, he keeps saying this over and over

how many upsets do they need to gain some respect:mad:

Upset? They're ranked higher than an Oregon team who was supposed to have a competent head coach. The sheer number of coaching mistakes made Oregon's chances slimmer than they already were.

But seriously, their headline win is going to be against an Oregon team who we, as of now, have no clue where they'll end up in the Pac 10.

[dukebound85]

Upset? They're ranked higher than an Oregon team who was supposed to have a competent head coach. The sheer number of coaching mistakes made Oregon's chances slimmer than they already were.

But seriously, their headline win is going to be against an Oregon team who we, as of now, have no clue where they'll end up in the Pac 10.

Did you watch the game? The announcers kept saying how Boise State can't play with the big boys every week even though they were easily dispatching Oregon

When I said upsets, I am talking about the last couple years

At some point, people need to stop saying non BCS teams that are building names for themselves just happen to get "lucky" every week when they play competition and win

[Badandy]

Oh, I don't think they got lucky. I just saw an awful Oregon team (we'll see if this season's games back up that judgement) and a Boise State team that had all the chances in the world to put the game away and kept cracking.

They won fairly, no question about that. But is that big enough of a win to get respect when it comes time for BCS bowl season?

[dukebound85]

Oh, I don't think they got lucky. I just saw an awful Oregon team (we'll see if this season's games back up that judgement) and a Boise State team that had all the chances in the world to put the game away and kept cracking.

They won fairly, no question about that. But is that big enough of a win to get respect when it comes time for BCS bowl season?

Not stating it is a big enough win

Im merely commenting on the commentors

Did you listen to them?

[Badandy]

Not stating it is a big enough win

Im merely commenting on the commentors

Did you listen to them?

I did my best to ignore them. They were terrible.

"So far Boise St. has run 7 rushes, 8 passes, and 9 passes."

[P-Worm]

It took nearly 3 whole quarters for Oregon to get one single first down. It's a shame the final score doesn't reflect how much Oregon was controlled by Boise. At no time in that game did I think that Oregon was going to pull it out.

And what's with that Oregon player punching the BSU player in the jaw after the game? He should be ejected more than one game for something like that. :mad:

Cowardly punch n' run. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQC4BKi6qwk)

Anyway, Utah won their game, but I thought it was pretty ugly. I'll tell you what, it's going to be an uphill climb this year for my Utes.

P-Worm

[evilgEEk]

Wow.

What. A. Game! :)

This was by far the best game in Bronco Stadium that I have ever witnessed!

Badandy, there is some truth in what you said about Oregon being awful tonight. But you also have to realize that a HUGE reason as to why they were "awful" was because Boise State's defense completely shut them down!

There are a lot of people out there once again taking credit away from Boise State because we made Oregon look so foolish that at first glance there is only one conclusion to draw, and that is that Oregon must be truly awful this season.

I don't think this is the case. Our defense just completely shut them down. End of story. They couldn't get ANYTHING going until halfway through the third quarter because we shut them down every time.

There were first-game jitters and sloppy play from both teams, but you have to give credit to Boise State for only allowing a total of 14 yards in the first half.

Now on the flip side, Boise State's offense was also shaky at best. And Oregon's linebackers played pretty well. They didn't miss many tackles, and I believe we only had one rushing play that went for more than 20 yards. So Oregon was solid there too, but our offense tried to beat itself quite a few times with turnovers.

I'm staying positive and attributing this to nothing more than first-game jitters. We had some shining moments, and then we had some complete flops (special teams, anyone?).

There were a lot of Ducks fans in attendance too, and not just in the visitor's section. Word is that over 300 ducks fans bought Boise State season tickets just for this game. We had a group of green and yellow just to the left of us. They looked pretty uncomfortable the entire game aside from Oregon's one offensive drive that got them their only points. It was fun taunting them. Heh.

............................

And then there's "The Sucker-Punch"...

Ugh. First, I hope Byron Hout is suspended a few weeks for being an idiot and smacking Blount on his shoulder pads.

That being said, I honestly think Blount should be suspended for the rest of the season for how he reacted. I mean his reaction of actually throwing the punch, and then his subsequent reactions like wrestling cops and security to try to get to fans, and then actually elbowing a cop.

But talk about an uproar. The in-house production crew is who caught it on video and gave it to ESPN. But they looped the punch in slow motion on the jumbo-screen for about five minutes after it happened. The entire crowd erupted.

Even when we left there were probably 2-3000 Boise State fans mulling around the Oregon busses waiting for Blount to come out.

I absolutely hate that this is what's going to be plastered all over the news tomorrow, and Boise State's win is now a footnote to the infamous Sucker-Punch.

It was still an absolutely awesome game though. My voice is nearly gone, and my whole body aches from screaming and stomping and clapping and standing. Heh.

So with that I'm gonna go to bed. I have to be to work in six hours. Stupid Thursday games.

[DiamondMac]

Oregon will be lucky to make a bowl game this year. I thought they looked just absolutely terrible with the exception of a few players. BSU looked solid but I really didn't think it was the big W that they needed to really vault up the rankings to totally solidify a BCS game. By the end of the year, I suspect this game won't be looked upon as much help for BSU as Oregon wins just several games

What exactly did the BSU player expect by smack talking the UO player after the game ended? Did he think a good result was going to happen? Also, the BSU fans reaction when he jumped towards the fans was hilarious....fans are yelling at him then jump backwards with faces of terror when they think he is going to charge them....then the police grab him and they start up again :rolleyes:

[SactoGuy18]

In my opinion, Hout will be suspended two games. Blount will get an indefinite suspension until Oregon head coach Chip Kelly determines that Blount has the right mindset to play again--and that could be quite a while.

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Did you watch the game? The announcers kept saying how Boise State can't play with the big boys every week even though they were easily dispatching Oregon

When I said upsets, I am talking about the last couple years

At some point, people need to stop saying non BCS teams that are building names for themselves just happen to get "lucky" every week when they play competition and win

I actually agree with the announcers. Yes, Boise has been a great story the last few years and yes, they've had some huge wins, but until they play and beat Oregon and OU-type teams 6-8 times a year, they will continue to be looked at with more scrutiny. Why? Because it's much easier to win 10+ games every year when the bulk of your schedule is against New Mexico St, Utah St, San Jose St, etc. than it is when your schedule is against, say, the Big 12 South.

As for the game itself...Boise's defense looked fantastic. Their offense was mostly inept. They had a hundred chances to bury Oregon but didn't do it until about...never. Their domination was incomplete because, as badly as they outplayed Oregon for most of the game, the Ducks were never out of it.

And the sucker punch: the Boise player probably deserved it because he was taunting him, but you just can't punch people on the field...ever. That kid from Oregon has had problems before. If I was the new coach, I'd make a statement by kicking him off the team forever. It's not just that he reacted poorly and punched someone, it's that he completely lost his ***** after that and made a spectacle of trying to go into the stands, of attacking security guards and teammates, etc.

[IgnatiusTheKing]

And one other thing. Did you Boise fans not know that you were ranked higher than Oregon? How stupid is it to chant "over-rated" when you are beating a team ranked lower than you? Bush league.

[P-Worm]

And one other thing. Did you Boise fans not know that you were ranked higher than Oregon? How stupid is it to chant "over-rated" when you are beating a team ranked lower than you? Bush league.

Because it looked like Oregon shouldn't have been ranked at all.

P-Worm

[dmr727]

Heh! What a way to kick off the CFB season. I don't know what to think about the game - Boise State's defense looked great, both offenses were sloppy. Maybe it was just first game jitters, I dunno.

Although I never condone throwing a punch, I have to say that I smiled a little when that smug grin was knocked right off the Boise State player's face. :)

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Because it looked like Oregon shouldn't have been ranked at all.

P-Worm

And yet Boise turned the ball over repeatedly and only beat them by 11. So what does that say?

[dukebound85]

And yet Boise turned the ball over repeatedly and only beat them by 11. So what does that say?

its says that Oregon sucks for not capitalizing and shouldnt have been ranked ata ll...aka overrated

[DiamondMac]

And the sucker punch: the Boise player probably deserved it because he was taunting him, but you just can't punch people on the field...ever. That kid from Oregon has had problems before. If I was the new coach, I'd make a statement by kicking him off the team forever. It's not just that he reacted poorly and punched someone, it's that he completely lost his ***** after that and made a spectacle of trying to go into the stands, of attacking security guards and teammates, etc.

Right.

You don't punch someone period but I am not sure what the BSU kid expected taunting him on the field right after the game. Considering the tensions were already high, I just don’t get it. I have a sneaking suspicion the BSU guy did it thinking he could say/do whatever he wanted without the UO player retaliating.

[dukebound85]

Right.

You don't punch someone period but I am not sure what the BSU kid expected taunting him on the field right after the game. Considering the tensions were already high, I just don’t get it. I have a sneaking suspicion the BSU guy did it thinking he could say/do whatever he wanted without the UO player retaliating.

you do realize Blount was talking smack before the game right

[P-Worm]

its says that Oregon sucks for not capitalizing and shouldnt have been ranked ata ll...aka overrated

Exactly. Just the fact that Oregon didn't get one single first down until halfway through the third quarter and suffered 5 straight 3-and-outs (I literally have never seen anything like this before) goes to show that Oregon's "PAC-10 offense" for this year was highly, I mean highly overrated. BSU pulled out a safety against OU for crying out loud. This game was supposed to be a dead heat between the two teams and, even though the score doesn't reflect it, it was all BSU.

Sure BSU had some messy offense last night, but their defense really kicked it into high gear. And even thought BSU was ranked slightly higher that OU before the game, I have no qualms with people saying Oregon was overrated.

P-Worm

[DiamondMac]

you do realize Blount was talking smack before the game right

Why would I care?

When you have just won the game, smack talk or not before hand, the time to taunt the other team is not while they are walking off the field. If the BSU player was too stupid to understand that, then he has a lot more problems than I originally thought.

The punch should never have happened, period.

Neither should the BSU player trying to smack right after the loss.

[dukebound85]

Why would I care?

When you have just won the game, smack talk or not before hand, the time to taunt the other team is not while they are walking off the field. If the BSU player was too stupid to understand that, then he has a lot more problems than I originally thought.

The punch should never have happened, period.

Neither should the BSU player trying to smack right after the loss.

if you don'ttalk smack about needing to give BSU an ass whuppin, then there is no need for the BSU to call the player who made that comment out after BSU beat them

dont make pre game smack unless you can actually back it up or be prepared to get called out for it:rolleyes:

all the BSU player did was respond to those pre game comments after proving them wrong

[P-Worm]

Why would I care?

When you have just won the game, smack talk or not before hand, the time to taunt the other team is not while they are walking off the field. If the BSU player was too stupid to understand that, then he has a lot more problems than I originally thought.

The punch should never have happened, period.

Neither should the BSU player trying to smack right after the loss.

I agree with this to a point. I think post game smack talk is pretty classless. However, it pales in comparison to punching another player in the jaw.

P-Worm

[DiamondMac]

if you don't talk smack about needing to give BSU an ass whuppin, then there is no need for the BSU to call the player who made that comment out after BSU beat them

dont make pre game smack unless you can actually back it up or be prepared to get called out for it:rolleyes:

all the BSU player did was respond to those pre game comments after proving them wrong

Ah, I see....so the BSU player was justified in doing what he did. Well, that means the Oregon player was more than justified for knocking him the hell out in front of the whole country. Logic makes little sense but hell, if some people want to be childish, I guess the responses can be just that.

People smack talk all the time before games. It really isn't new to sports, especially college sports. If BSU players are so mentally weak that they can't learn to wait until after the game, then they really are much further from becoming a big-time team then we thought. I see high school players doing what the BSU player did....I rarely see USC, UF, UGA, OSU, etc....running up to opposing teams players after games mocking them.

[IgnatiusTheKing]

its says that Oregon sucks for not capitalizing and shouldnt have been ranked ata ll...aka overrated

Exactly. Just the fact that Oregon didn't get one single first down until halfway through the third quarter and suffered 5 straight 3-and-outs (I literally have never seen anything like this before) goes to show that Oregon's "PAC-10 offense" for this year was highly, I mean highly overrated. BSU pulled out a safety against OU for crying out loud. This game was supposed to be a dead heat between the two teams and, even though the score doesn't reflect it, it was all BSU.

Sure BSU had some messy offense last night, but their defense really kicked it into high gear. And even thought BSU was ranked slightly higher that OU before the game, I have no qualms with people saying Oregon was overrated.

P-Worm

That's all fine and good, but if Oregon sucks then Boise State must only be slightly above suck. After all, they had the Ducks at home and completely dominated them defensively yet still had to sweat out the victory because they were almost as inept offensively.

My point is that, whether or not the Ducks are overrated (and I agree they are), chanting "over-rated" when barely beating another team only makes you team look worse by comparison. If, on the other hand, Oregon is actually a really good team that just happened to get dominated by a better team, then they aren't "overrated" at all, Boise is just better.

Boise's play on the field speaks volumes about the kind of "giant-killing" program they have become. Boise fans taunts in the stands speak volumes about the sort of Napoleon complex they have.

[dukebound85]

Blount has been suspended for the rest of the season
http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/10024268/Ducks-RB-Blount-suspended-for-rest-of-season

serves him right

you dont punch and you certainly do not go after fans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bennx-TSauc

[Tomorrow]

My point is that, whether or not the Ducks are overrated (and I agree they are), chanting "over-rated" when barely beating another lower ranked team at home only makes you team look worse by comparison.

FTFY. :cool:

Consider the team in question - Boise State is not a traditional powerhouse, so a win over a middle-of-the-pack Pac-10 team is worth pounding your chest over; their program isn't as accustomed to such a win. It's the "act like you've been there before" syndrome.

Boise is a good team, without question, and that program has been strong for a number of years; but until they've been strong for many years, if not decades, wins over teams like Oregon are going to be something they feel the urge to crow about.

[petermcphee]

Here in Portland, Oregon, there are a ton of Duck fans. Today, it's impossible to turn on the radio in the car without hearing this story. That said, I am glad that Blount was suspended for the remainder of the season. It's a shame that the Ducks will be without their "star" RB for the season, but it's a bigger shame that he was unable to control his emotions.

[dmr727]

Yeah, I've never understood the overrated chant. I agree with ItK - it's pretty bush league. Act like you've been there before. At least they didn't rush the field and tear down the goal posts. :)

[thegoldenmackid]

Cannot wait for our NC State game given that lackluster performance last night.

[dukebound85]

Cannot wait for our NC State game given that lackluster performance last night.

the first game is always just getting back into the swing of things imo

[steve2112]

Yeah, I've never understood the overrated chant. I agree with ItK - it's pretty bush league. Act like you've been there before. At least they didn't rush the field and tear down the goal posts. :)

I realize I am probably in the minority here, but I actually like that stuff. I like it when a team that is unranked beats a highly ranked team, and the fans start up with that. I like storming the field after a huge win. When we beat Alabama for the first time in 15 years, it was a blast when we stormed the field. The same when we beat Arkansas to win the SEC West. Amazing stuff. It's one of the reasons I prefer college football over the NFL. But I do agree that the overrated stuff from Boise was silly. They were ranked higher.

Speaking of that game, I think suspending Blount for the season was the right thing. If it had just been the punch, maybe a few games would be OK. Going after fans pushed it over the edge. I also think the BSU player should be suspended for a game or so. Taunting after the game is stupid.

the first game is always just getting back into the swing of things imo

Don't underestimate South Carolina. They were ranked in the top 15 in the country in total defense last year. How many times did we see a USC defender run the NC State QB down from behind?

On another note about USC: What has happened to Steve Spurrier? His offense has been terrible during his USC tenure. I realize the talent level isn't what he had at Florida, but I still expected some improvement. Wow.

[DiamondMac]

Don't underestimate South Carolina. They were ranked in the top 15 in the country in total defense last year. How many times did we see a USC defender run the NC State QB down from behind?


South Carolina will be the same 7-8 win team that it has been since Spurrier arrived. Nothing more.

Their D will be solid, Their O will leave people lacking

NCSU's O is an absolute joke so I am not taking too much away

Garcia really had an average game helped out by some dinks and dunks

[steve2112]

South Carolina will be the same 7-8 win team that it has been since Spurrier arrived. Nothing more.

Their D will be solid, Their O will leave people lacking

NCSU's O is an absolute joke so I am not taking too much away

Garcia really had an average game helped out by some dinks and dunks

That's what I was talking about in regard to Spurrier. I really expected he would have them doing better by this point, especially on offense. Their running game has been especially bad. They averaged around 3 YPC last year. He should be very glad Ellis Johnson accepted the defensive coordinator position. When he was our D-coordinator, we managed to win 8 games while having one of the worst offenses in the country.

Edit: I also agree with NC State killing themselves. They had bunch of dropped passes and other self inflicted mistakes. It was kind of surprising coming from a Tom O' Brien team.

[Badandy]

On another note about USC: What has happened to Steve Spurrier? His offense has been terrible during his USC tenure. I realize the talent level isn't what he had at Florida, but I still expected some improvement. Wow.

That's interesting. I went to www.usc.edu and didn't find any mention of Steve Spurrier.

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3G 16GB: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A400 Safari/528.16)

Yeah, I've never understood the overrated chant. I agree with ItK - it's pretty bush league. Act like you've been there before. At least they didn't rush the field and tear down the goal posts. :)

I realize I am probably in the minority here, but I actually like that stuff. I like it when a team that is unranked beats a highly ranked team, and the fans start up with that. I like storming the field after a huge win. When we beat Alabama for the first time in 15 years, it was a blast when we stormed the field. The same when we beat Arkansas to win the SEC West. Amazing stuff. It's one of the reasons I prefer college football over the NFL. But I do agree that the overrated stuff from Boise was silly. They were ranked higher.

Speaking of that game, I think suspending Blount for the season was the right thing. If it had just been the punch, maybe a few games would be OK. Going after fans pushed it over the edge. I also think the BSU player should be suspended for a game or so. Taunting after the game is stupid.

the first game is always just getting back into the swing of things imo

Don't underestimate South Carolina. They were ranked in the top 15 in the country in total defense last year. How many times did we see a USC defender run the NC State QB down from behind?

On another note about USC: What has happened to Steve Spurrier? His offense has been terrible during his USC tenure. I realize the talent level isn't what he had at Florida, but I still expected some improvement. Wow.

The problem here is that Boise was not unranked. In fact, they were ranked higher than Oregon and favored to win.

[dukebound85]

That's interesting. I went to www.usc.edu and didn't find any mention of Steve Spurrier.

har har har

[P-Worm]

Brutal college football hits (http://www.complex.com/blogs/2009/09/03/the-50-most-brutal-college-football-hits/)

P-Worm

[dmr727]

I realize I am probably in the minority here, but I actually like that stuff.

No, you're right - I was being unclear. I meant when two teams are generally evenly matched. Upsets are indeed fun, and I enjoy it when the fans go nuts after the game. Although even in that case, I still think an overrated chant does nothing but diminish the winning team's accomplishment.

[evilgEEk]

It definitely wasn't a clean game for Boise State's offense, and that will ultimately hurt us until we can prove that it was just first-game jitters. We need to come out in our next game and completely dominate on offense and defense.

As far as the sucker punch goes, it was very poor judgement on Hout's part to tap Blount on the shoulder. I honestly think had he only mouthed off without the shoulder tap then Blount wouldn't have thrown the punch.

Obviously Hout showed extremely poor judgement and poor sportsmanship in what he did, but the bottom line is Blount should have never reacted that way. And it wasn't just a temporary lapse in judgement, because he kept it going as he went down the tunnel. He was definitely heckled, and there are reports that a fan even hit him as he rushed the crowd. I didn't see that, but it wouldn't surprise me if some stupid (likely drunk) fan decided to get involved. But Blount rushed the crowd before the fan supposedly hit him, and then elbowed a cop in the ensuing wrestling match. I saw that first hand. How stupid can you be?

Blount obviously has some serious anger management issues that got the better of him in an incredibly frustrating environment.

And now he's suspended for the rest of his senior season. I kind of feel sorry for the guy, because I would be very surprised if any NFL team will ever give him a second look now. This young man has potentially destroyed his career. That's sad.

[thegoldenmackid]

The fact that Hout is not getting any punishment is ridiculous in my opinion. It in no way excuses the actions that were taken by Blount, but without Hout doing what he did, I doubt very many of us would know who Mr. Blount was.

[evilgEEk]

The fact that Hout is not getting any punishment is ridiculous in my opinion. It in no way excuses the actions that were taken by Blount, but without Hout doing what he did, I doubt very many of us would know who Mr. Blount was.

For what it's worth I completely agree that Hout should have been suspended for at least one game. I feel that Blount felt justified in his sucker punch because Hout touched him first. Granted Blount overreacted, but Hout should still have some disciplinary action against him as well.

In regards to the "over-rated" chants, I never heard any so ESPN must have caught a little group chanting it. First, Boise State was only ranked higher than Oregon in the AP poll. The Coaches Poll has Oregon higher than Boise State. And second, if you say larger schools never chant "over-rated" then you're one brick short of a load because I heard those exact same taunts during the Texas/Oklahoma game last year.

I love how every little thing about smaller schools is nitpicked and called immature when the exact same thing happens all over the country. :rolleyes:

I see fans taunt/heckle players as they leave fields all the time on TV. And there are PLENTY of high-emotion games where there is post-game smack talk. So get over yourselves when you say this would never happen in the BCS conferences.

[Heb1228]

Just want to throw a Go Hokies! in here for tomorrow night's game.

I know no one in sports media thinks an SEC team could possibly lose a game like this, but I think Tech has a good chance at this one. Did you hear them in last night's game?


South Carolina's players are so much bigger and more athletic!
South Carolina has just been dominating this game! (When it was 7-0)
NC State just can't handle the speed of an SEC defense!


Really both teams looked bad and 6 minutes left in the game it was anyone's ball game. Announcers just make me sick with their drooling over any and all things SEC (or the USC Trojans).

[gibbz]

And second, if you say larger schools never chant "over-rated" then you're one brick short of a load because I heard those exact same taunts during the Texas/Oklahoma game last year.

Yeah this is true. I had to endure it while sitting in the Cotton Bowl last year as Texas fans gave us the business :(

[Heb1228]

And second, if you say larger schools never chant "over-rated" then you're one brick short of a load...

You're right, they do chant overrated... and they're idiots for it.

From the Cheering Guide at Tail Gate Fever (http://www.tailgatefever.com/Handler.cfm?action=CheerGuide):

Chants of "Overrated" only make us look like a bunch of small-timers getting a lucky win. It also means that you just beat a team that wasn't very good….so what are you so excited about? Losing with class and winning with class should be a given at this point.

[evilgEEk]

You're right, they do chant overrated... and they're idiots for it.

From the Cheering Guide at Tail Gate Fever (http://www.tailgatefever.com/Handler.cfm?action=CheerGuide):

Oh, I'm not defending it. I think it's stupid too. I was just making the point that larger schools' fans do it too.

Point made.

The only thing I did was mockingly hold up my hands in an 'O' (Duck fans always do this) and yelled "Oh and One!"

I thought it was clever. ;)


Oh! And Go Hokies! I want Va. Tech to do really well this season so as to make our meeting next year even more interesting. :D

[dmr727]

Yeah this is true. I had to endure it while sitting in the Cotton Bowl last year as Texas fans gave us the business :(

And that's lame.

EDIT: Welp, looks like you Sooners are getting the last laugh over this particular Longhorn. I was looking forward to a great day of watching football and drinking beer, and I just now got a call telling me that I have to take a couple of OU fans to Dallas tomorrow. Day. Ruined.

[steve2112]

Just want to throw a Go Hokies! in here for tomorrow night's game.

I know no one in sports media thinks an SEC team could possibly lose a game like this, but I think Tech has a good chance at this one. Did you hear them in last night's game?


South Carolina's players are so much bigger and more athletic!
South Carolina has just been dominating this game! (When it was 7-0)
NC State just can't handle the speed of an SEC defense!


Really both teams looked bad and 6 minutes left in the game it was anyone's ball game. Announcers just make me sick with their drooling over any and all things SEC (or the USC Trojans).

Yeah, both teams played poorly. Both offenses were terrible, and they both had a bunch of mistakes. But the thing about the SEC defense is true. South Carolina was ranked number 13 in the country last year in total defense. The SEC had three teams in the top 10 in total defense, and five in the top 20 in total defense last year. Tennessee and Alabama were #2, and #3, respectively. Florida shut down the #3 offense in the country, and Ole Miss shut down the #4 offense.

Defense: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/ncaa-m-footbl-fbs-team-total-defense.html

Offense: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/ncaa-m-footbl-fbs-team-total-offense.html

The speed advantage the upper level SEC teams have isn't just the "skill" positions. Everybody has fast WRs, RBs, and DBs. The speed is on the line. When Florida played Ohio State in the 2007 BCS title game, Troy Smith was repeatedly run down from behind by defensive linemen. The first time it happened, Smith had a shocked look on his face. I don't think he encountered that very often in Big 10 play. Southern Cal often has similar speed, and it shows in their results.

Of course, all this does bring up a chicken and egg type arguement. Are the defenses in the SEC that good, or are the offenses so bad that it makes the defenses look good? (The SEC had 3 teams in the bottom 20 in total offense. Not surprisingly, two of the three have new coaches.)

As for the Bama/Va. Tech game, I think it could go either way. I think the defenses will dominate the game. Bama has a new QB, and the Hokies lost their #1 RB. I don't think either team will dominate.

[evilgEEk]

Day. Ruined.

That sucks! :(

Call in sick? ;)

[Tomorrow]

I just now got a call telling me that I have to take a couple of OU fans to Dallas tomorrow. Day. Ruined.

Yeah, but they'll get over it once they're in the stadium. :cool:

[DiamondMac]

I love how every little thing about smaller schools is nitpicked and called immature when the exact same thing happens all over the country. :rolleyes:

I see fans taunt/heckle players as they leave fields all the time on TV. And there are PLENTY of high-emotion games where there is post-game smack talk. So get over yourselves when you say this would never happen in the BCS conferences.

Yes, it happens usually through the press afterwards.

I don't see many teams players running up to other players after the game mocking them....except in High School now and then

[dmr727]

Call in sick? ;)

I'd love to, but I'd get in some serious trouble for it, that's for sure. This is a pretty good trip - usually when they book late like this, there's some substantial money involved.

Yeah, but they'll get over it once they're in the stadium. :cool:

Touche!

Gameday everyone! Hook'em! :D :D

[P-Worm]

The Oklahoma v BYU game is tonight. Someone sent me this picture of a sign in a hotel they are staying in on their trip to watch the game. Thought you might enjoy this.

P-Worm

[dmr727]

^^^ that's hilarious. It looks like I'll be the guy drinking Sprite, unfortunately.

[Tomorrow]

The Oklahoma v BYU game is tonight. Someone sent me this picture of a sign in a hotel they are staying in on their trip to watch the game. Thought you might enjoy this.

P-Worm

Awesome pic :D

Boomer Sooner!!

[evilgEEk]

...this picture of a sign...

Ha ha! That's awesome.

Anyone watching the Notre Dame/Nevada game?

Nevada's OL isn't doing so hot... heh...


EDIT: Neither is their defense. ;)

[rhett7660]

The Oklahoma v BYU game is tonight. Someone sent me this picture of a sign in a hotel they are staying in on their trip to watch the game. Thought you might enjoy this.

P-Worm

Ha,,, that is freaking great!!!!!! Don't like either team but hey, the sign makes a point!!!!!

[dukebound85]

ohio state.........man maybe overrated applies there

[evilgEEk]

ohio state.........man maybe overrated applies there

Yeah, they just barely got out of there with the W.

I wonder why Navy decided to pass on the 2 point conversion. I guess they were hoping to catch Ohio State off guard. Regardless it was a horrible throw anyway.

But good for Navy anyway, it was a good game.

[Tomorrow]

I wonder why Navy decided to pass on the 2 point conversion. I guess they were hoping to catch Ohio State off guard. Regardless it was a horrible throw anyway.

But good for Navy anyway, it was a good game.

For years, Navy has lived and died by the run. I was scratching my head at that call, too. They even lined up in a spread formation with a single back - I didn't get it. But you're right, we either learned something about Navy today, or we learned something about Ohio State. Next week's game against USC will tell us more.

I'm watching the Oklahoma State/Georgia game right now. I'm impressed with how the Cowboys have turned it around after the first 20 minutes or so.

[DiamondMac]

The only thing I have gotten out of the OSU game is that OSU is a solid but far from great team while UGA misses Stafford badly

[evilgEEk]

Wow, OK State just caught Georgia sleeping. Heh.

I've switched over to ABC now. ND up 35-0 isn't very entertaining. Heh. I didn't think Nevada would win, but I thought they would at least score! Heh. Their secondary is just too weak.

Yeah, the USC/Ohio State game is going to be interesting. I wonder if Ohio State was simply overlooking Navy?

We'll see!


EDIT: You guys still watchin the OK State/Georgia game? That was a horrible call against Georgia. It was a clean hit. Stupid.

[Tomorrow]

EDIT: You guys still watchin the OK State/Georgia game? That was a horrible call against Georgia. It was a clean hit. Stupid.

Agreed - that was a good, hard, clean hit. Fortunately it wasn't a difference maker; the Cowboys won this one without the officials' help.

Listening to the Gameday crew go on and on about how Georgia was going to win this one because they're in the SEC was aggravating at the time; now it's laughable.

[P-Worm]

BYU is playing much better than I thought they would. 4 3 and outs for the Sooners so far. That dropped punt was UGLY though.

P-Worm

[SLC Flyfishing]

As much as I want to see BCS teams lose to non BCS teams, I just can't bring myself to pull for the Cougars today. I truly hope they lose and lose terribly.

SLC

[P-Worm]

As much as I want to see BCS teams lose to non BCS teams, I just can't bring myself to pull for the Cougars today. I truly hope they lose and lose terribly.

SLC

Oh come on. At least root for a close loss. MWC reputation is on the line. Not to mention it will look all the better when us Utes rip them apart at the end of the season.

P-Worm

[dukebound85]

As much as I want to see BCS teams lose to non BCS teams, I just can't bring myself to pull for the Cougars today. I truly hope they lose and lose terribly.

SLC

this is for the conference

[Tomorrow]

Both teams looking sloppy - lots of penalties and fumbles.

BYU just scored - OU is lucky not to be down by a couple of scores.

[SLC Flyfishing]

Screw the conference, sorry but I hate the Cougars just that bad.

On another note, did anyone hear the interview with the Pac 10 commissioner saying that they are considering possibly expanding the league by two more teams?

The local sports stations reported that they're eyeing the University of Utah and the University of Colorado. And will be ready to decide in 18 months.

SLC

[dukebound85]

Screw the conference, sorry but I hate the Cougars just that bad.

On another note, did anyone hear the interview with the Pac 10 commissioner saying that they are considering possibly expanding the league by two more teams?

The local sports stations reported that they're eyeing the University of Utah and the University of Colorado. And will be ready to decide in 18 months.

SLC

Sorry, but if you want Utah to have more credibility in the eyes of the media, you NEED other conference teams to do well against the powerhouses


Also, why on earth would CU leave the Big 12 to go to the Pac-10?? That would be a step down

Unless you meant CSU?

[Tomorrow]

Bradford's down - that can't be good.

[dukebound85]

Bradford's down - that can't be good.

Hope he's ok

Thats a LOT of weight to have when you land on your shoulder

[SLC Flyfishing]

Sorry, but if you want Utah to have more credibility in the eyes of the media, you NEED other conference teams to do well against the powerhouses


Also, why on earth would CU leave the Big 12 to go to the Pac-10?? That would be a step down

Unless you meant CSU?

I'm not saying Colorado would want to go to the Pac 10, or even that Utah would want to. Just that the Pac 10 commissioner mentioned that those were the two teams they had their eye on.

And I'll root for everyone else in the conference to do well against the powerhouses, but never BYU. I want nothing but pain and anguish for the TDS.

SLC

[steve2112]

Screw the conference, sorry but I hate the Cougars just that bad.

On another note, did anyone hear the interview with the Pac 10 commissioner saying that they are considering possibly expanding the league by two more teams?

The local sports stations reported that they're eyeing the University of Utah and the University of Colorado. And will be ready to decide in 18 months.

SLC

I know the feeling. I like seeing most other SEC schools lose, especially LSU and Alabama. And Tennessee, if for no other reason than the obnoxious orange uniforms and terrible fight song. And, of course, I want to see Ole Miss lose every game in every sporting event.

I find it funny that the Pac 10 is now considering expansion. Just a few months ago, they said they had no interest in expanding. I think they are finally seeing the huge amount of revenue a championship game can bring. While I think Utah would be a good addition, I really don't see Colorado leaving the Big 12. I think Boise State would be a good addition. You wanna prove you belong with the big 6 conferences? Join one.

[P-Worm]

Wow talk about stupidity in Oklahoma's part. How do you get a delay of game against you on 3rd and 1 foot?

P-Worm

[Tomorrow]

Wow talk about stupidity in Oklahoma's part. How do you get a delay of game against you on 3rd and 1 foot?

P-Worm

I'm still fuming over that. Talk about boneheaded.

I'm getting nervous

[P-Worm]

I'm still fuming over that. Talk about boneheaded.

I'm getting nervous

Haha. You should be now. :p

P-Worm

[rhett7660]

At least Big Blue won today.......... Can't wait for next weeks game!!!

[dukebound85]

good win BYU!

[P-Worm]

Incredible! Those crazy Cougars pulled it out! MWC! MWC!

P-Worm

[dukebound85]

Incredible! Those crazy Cougars pulled it out! MWC! MWC!

P-Worm

I love the MWC

GOOOOOO RAAAMMMMS

Heres to the Rams beating the Buffs tom!

[Tomorrow]

OWCH!!

Stupid mistakes cost the Sooners tonight. They didn't look anything like a Top 10 team.

Congrats to the Cougars. :(

[SLC Flyfishing]

Well that didn't go the way I would have liked it, but now I have to ask:

HOW CAN ANYBODY SAY THAT THE MWC DOESN'T BELONG WITH THE REST OF THE BIG 6 CONFERENCES. THE BCS SUCKS AND THIS PROVES IT.

Two back to back wins against the cream of the crop from the SEC and the Big 12. Both of them essentially home games for the "big boys", and you're going to say we still can't hang with the elite college football teams?

Your tired "Week In and Week Out" excuse is shot. OU was as fresh as can be.

SLC

[dukebound85]

Well that didn't go the way I would have liked it, but now I have to ask:

HOW CAN ANYBODY SAY THAT THE MWC DOESN'T BELONG WITH THE REST OF THE BIG 6 CONFERENCES. THE BCS SUCKS AND THIS PROVES IT.

Two back to back wins against the cream of the crop from the SEC and the Big 12. Both of them essentially home games for the "big boys", and you're going to say we still can't hang with the elite college football teams?

Your tired "Week In and Week Out" excuse is shot. OU was as fresh as can be.

SLC
but but but our mwc teams dont play every week in the big boy conferences lol

nevermind we beat the arguably best teams from the two best conferences

[steve2112]

but but but our mwc teams dont play every week in the big boy conferences lol

nevermind we beat the arguably best teams from the two best conferences

Odd, I don't recall Florida losing to a MWC team lately.

In other news, I just noticed Virginia lost to William and Mary. I think Al Groh's seat just went from hot to blazing inferno. Duke has also resumed being Duke by losing to Richmond. Washington is also looking pretty good. How did this team go winless last year?

[dukebound85]

Odd, I don't recall Florida losing to a MWC team lately.


Hence why I said arguably.

The Tide were like #1 most of last year

Regardless, the point has been made

[evilgEEk]

I can't believe BYU won! That's awesome! :D

I only watched about halfway through the second quarter, and then turned off the TV to spend some time with the wife since all day had been football. ;)

When did Bradford go down? Obviously that's a huge loss and I'm assuming contributed heavily to the loss, but was Oklahoma just sloppy?

Watching Washington and LSU right now. Has Sarkisian really turned the Huskies around this quickly? They're looking pretty good! Only down by 4 at half.

[Badandy]

Your tired "Week In and Week Out" excuse is shot. OU was as fresh as can be.


You know, besides the fact that Mr. Heisman didn't play in the second half.

In other news, USC looked fantastic. Barkley was really impressive in his first start and Joe McKnight entered his name for Heisman contention. He's perfectly healthy and he looks great. He just glides.

[dukebound85]

You know, besides the fact that Mr. Heisman didn't play in the second half.

lol i should have expected excuses to somehow downplay the win

I can't believe BYU won! That's awesome! :D

I only watched about halfway through the second quarter, and then turned off the TV to spend some time with the wife since all day had been football. ;)

When did Bradford go down? Obviously that's a huge loss and I'm assuming contributed heavily to the loss, but was Oklahoma just sloppy?

Watching Washington and LSU right now. Has Sarkisian really turned the Huskies around this quickly? They're looking pretty good! Only down by 4 at half.

He went down literally right at half time

Regardless, BYU was impressive shutting OU down while Bradford was in the game as well. I mean, OU was the craziest offensive machine last year

In other news, USC looked fantastic. Barkley was really impressive in his first start and Joe McKnight entered his name for Heisman contention. He's perfectly healthy and he looks great. He just glides.

You know, I had my hopes up when USC was trailing early on lol

[Tomorrow]

When did Bradford go down? Obviously that's a huge loss and I'm assuming contributed heavily to the loss, but was Oklahoma just sloppy?

I honestly don't think Bradford going down (late in the second quarter) had much to do with the loss.

Oklahoma's O-line was sloppy with penalties, most of them coming at very bad times. The backup QB allowed a delay penalty on 4th down from the one foot line as well.

Neither team looked really good, IMO. I don't know if it was first game jitters or what, but there was a lot of sloppy play and penalties on both sides.

[gibbz]

I can't believe BYU won! That's awesome! :D

I only watched about halfway through the second quarter, and then turned off the TV to spend some time with the wife since all day had been football. ;)

When did Bradford go down? Obviously that's a huge loss and I'm assuming contributed heavily to the loss, but was Oklahoma just sloppy?

Watching Washington and LSU right now. Has Sarkisian really turned the Huskies around this quickly? They're looking pretty good! Only down by 4 at half.

He went down late in the second quarter.

We (meaning I am an OU fan) had the opportunities to win even with him out, but blew them. The offensive line played like crap. Way too many penalties. When OU went ahead 13-7, they could have easily gone up 17-7. 4th and goal at the foot line and they are going for it, only to get a bleeping delay of game.

On one hand, we played a half without our Heisman quarterback, and the entire game without our All-American TE (Gresham), which put OU in a disadvantage. However, they deserved to lose with how they played.

The good news is that it was a non-conference 1-point loss on a neutral field. They could hypothetically run the table and still play in a BCS bowl, maybe even for a NC. The season isn't over and at OU we are so spoiled with these winning seasons. Hopefully every Sooner fan will step off the ledge and realize they can still have a great year.

[evilgEEk]

lol i should have expected excuses to somehow downplay the win

Heh heh... Come on now, I'm obviously all for the "little guys", but losing Bradford had to have a pretty big impact on the team.

He's obviously a very talented QB, but more importantly he's the team leader. It's like if Utah would have lost Brian Johnson last year and was replaced by a redshirt freshman that has never played a game. Any team in the country would struggle with that.

Imagine if Florida were to lose Tebow. :eek:

[dukebound85]

Imagine if Florida were to lose Tebow. :eek:

I would be soooooo happy if he wasn't able to play from a football point of view

I hate the gators

[steve2112]

I can't believe BYU won! That's awesome! :D

I only watched about halfway through the second quarter, and then turned off the TV to spend some time with the wife since all day had been football. ;)

When did Bradford go down? Obviously that's a huge loss and I'm assuming contributed heavily to the loss, but was Oklahoma just sloppy?

Watching Washington and LSU right now. Has Sarkisian really turned the Huskies around this quickly? They're looking pretty good! Only down by 4 at half.

He went down right before halftime. And yeah, losing a Heisman winning QB who threw 50 TDs last year makes a difference. :) It was a combination of things. There were some plays Bradford probably would have made, but nothing really bad. I think maybe the coaches got too conservative in their play calling after he went down. To be honest, though, Max Hall won that game. There were several plays where he managed to get away from pressure and make some great throws. He really took over that game.

I was wondering the same thing about Washington. Can this be a repeat of Notre Dame? Willingham gets some talent in, doesn't do anything with them, gets fired, and the next coach does a good job with his recruits. I dunno.

One other note: Virginia Tech needs to find an offense. 155 yards of offense isn't going to win you many games, regardless of how good your defense and special teams are.

[evilgEEk]

Oye. Lou Holtz going on about Notre Dame's victory over Nevada.

I think I'm gonna throw up.

I can't stand him anymore, and have never been able to stand Mark May.

/puke

[Tomorrow]

Two back to back wins going back to last season against the cream of the crop from the SEC and the Big 12. Both of them essentially home games for the "big boys", and you're going to say we still can't hang with the elite college football teams?

Are you seriously suggesting that the MWC has played its way into a different echelon based on two - count 'em - TWO games, played in two different seasons?

I'll easily grant you that the MWC is one of the top 6 conferences in the country, especially given that the Big East doesn't have a single team ranked right now. But with all due respect, I'd like to see your "shot all to hell" (my words, not yours) argument be backed up by more than two (two! A whole two!) games played in two different seasons.

It's been said before, and I'll say it once again: until the MWC can negotiate deals with large-payout bowl games and play well in them consistently, then the BCS will not include that conference. The BCS came about because the bowls in question already had standing deals with the "big 6" conferences. I'm not convinced that the bowls will be in a rush to break those agreements just because a handful of MWC teams have won some games against "big 6" teams.

[evilgEEk]

I've seen a lot of short kicks today. I don't think they've all been intentional, but some of them have been, including the one opening up the 2nd half in Washington.

What's with that?

...Wow, I thought that Huskies lineman pulled LSU's QB down by the facemask, but it was the shoulder pad. Heh.

[dukebound85]

Heres my plan

Expand the Pac-10. With the Pac 10, geography is vital: USC-UCLA, Oregon State-Oregon, Washington-Wazzu, Arizona-ASU, and Cal-Stanford. Each rivalry is huge for each school. Without a natural geographically close rival, a team simply won't be considered for Pac-10 play, if it ever wanted to expand.
I suggest having the teams be CU-CSU

Now, Utah and BYU would go to the Big 12

BSU would go to the MWC, which would iinclude the prominent teams of TCU and AF among the rest. Possibly add in Hawaii as well

[Badandy]

lol i should have expected excuses to somehow downplay the win


Oh goodness, you don't think the win should be downplayed at all? It's like beating the Bulls without Michael Jordan.

I honestly don't think Bradford going down (late in the second quarter) had much to do with the loss.

That's flat-out delusional. I'm no OU fan (I dislike them, in fact), but you have to be crazy to think that losing Bradford didn't have much to do with the loss. You think OU scores only 13 points with him in the whole game? He's the most outstanding QB in the country, not just a good player. I guarantee you he puts up points in the second half.

[steve2112]

Are you seriously suggesting that the MWC has played its way into a different echelon based on two - count 'em - TWO games, played in two different seasons?

I'll easily grant you that the MWC is one of the top 6 conferences in the country, especially given that the Big East doesn't have a single team ranked right now. But with all due respect, I'd like to see your "shot all to hell" (my words, not yours) argument be backed up by more than two (two! A whole two!) games played in two different seasons.

It's been said before, and I'll say it once again: until the MWC can negotiate deals with large-payout bowl games and play well in them consistently, then the BCS will not include that conference. The BCS came about because the bowls in question already had standing deals with the "big 6" conferences. I'm not convinced that the bowls will be in a rush to break those agreements just because a handful of MWC teams have won some games against "big 6" teams.

I dunno, at this point, I would say the MWC is about as good as the Big East. I believed after the defections from the Big East to the ACC, the conference should have lost their automatic bid. Of course, as mediocre as the ACC has been the past couple of years, maybe they don't deserve it. :) And the pain continues this weekend for the ACC. Two teams lost to 1-AA (FCS, whatever) teams, Wake Forest lost to Baylor, and VA Tech had less than 200 yards of offense in a loss to Alabama. Ouch.

[evilgEEk]

Heres my plan ...

In your scenario Utah and BYU would go to the PAC-10 before it went to the Big 12, simply because there wouldn't be a conference with 14 teams.

Of course regardless nothing will happen for a very long time. Heh.

I'm honestly okay with the fans of the "Big 6" not respecting Boise State, because ultimately they don't matter anyway. The voters are obviously giving us more and more respect, such as Boise State getting the highest pre-season ranking for a non-AQ school ever.

The conferences aren't going to change anytime soon, and the BCS isn't going to change ever. Heh. So I'm okay with Boise State continuing to grow and continuing to schedule at least one tough non-conference opponent every year to set up their season. The rest of the WAC isn't going to step up, so we just have to continue to dominate and take a shot at the at-large bid.

Just have to keep that money coming in to build the program. Ten years from now it might be different, but I'm not holding my breath. :)

[dukebound85]

In your scenario Utah and BYU would go to the PAC-10 before it went to the Big 12, simply because there wouldn't be a conference with 14 teams.



remember i had cu going to the pac-10 lol

[SLC Flyfishing]

Are you seriously suggesting that the MWC has played its way into a different echelon based on two - count 'em - TWO games, played in two different seasons?

I'll easily grant you that the MWC is one of the top 6 conferences in the country, especially given that the Big East doesn't have a single team ranked right now. But with all due respect, I'd like to see your "shot all to hell" (my words, not yours) argument be backed up by more than two (two! A whole two!) games played in two different seasons.


Utah ran the table last year, which was more than any other team can say.

Then BYU beats OU before they go through their "torturous" conference schedule.

Last year people said Bama didn't want to play in the sugar bowl, others said they lost because they were tired after playing the SEC schedule. Still they lost, and Utah finished #2.

This year OU hasn't played anyone yet, no excuses for them having to play in the Big 12 since they haven't played any games yet. Everyone wants to say we don't get how physical the Big 12 and SEC are. Then Bradford gets tackled and injured, and OU loses the game.

Sounds like the Big 12 could use a lesson in how physical the MWC can be.

SLC

[evilgEEk]

When discussing team dominance it's important to use more than one or two seasons as a measuring stick.

Let's go back to 2002, since that's as far back as ESPN.com will go, and we'll use the AP Poll rankings at the end of every year.

2002
#5 - Oklahoma
#15 - Boise State
NR - Utah

2003
#3 - Oklahoma
#16 - Boise State
#21 - Utah

2004
#3 - Oklahoma
#4 - Utah
#12 - Boise State

2005
#22 - Oklahoma
NR - Boise State
NR - Utah

2006
#5 - Boise State
#11 - Oklahoma
NR - Utah

2007
#8 - Oklahoma
NR - Boise State
NR - Utah

2008
#2 - Utah
#5 - Oklahoma
#11 - Boise State


EDIT: Oklahoma has been ranked preseason every one of those years, and higher than any non-AQ school. Boise State gained a preseason rank in 2005, 2007 and 2009. Utah was ranked in 2004 and 2009 preseason.


I'll let you come to your own conclusions...

[leomac08]

day-ummmmmmmm

the trojans (#4 in the nation) out run their opponent by over 500 yards!

[dukebound85]

day-ummmmmmmm

the trojans (#4 in the nation) out run their opponent by over 500 yards!

outrun? it was 342 vs 9 lol srill impressive

USC did outgain by 499 yards, 620 to 121

I think the most impressive blowout was the thumpin by Tennessee today

Score:
Tenn: 63
WK: 7

Total Yards:
Tenn: 657
WK: 83

Passing Yards:
Tenn: 277
WK: 49

Rushing Yards:
Tenn: 380
WK: 34

[jecapaga]

Nice to see the freshman quarterback for USC. Oklahoma is possibly screwed now with Bradford down. Best game I was able to dvr>watch was Alabama/Va tech.

[evilgEEk]

Hey, at least the Spartans scored first!! :)

Anyone know what USC's payout was to San Jose?



EDIT: I just read that BYU only had 27 yards rushing on 32 attempts. Was Oklahoma's defensive front that good, or was it because BYU's Unga wasn't in the game?

BYU's gonna struggle again this year if they can't get a running game established.

[Tomorrow]

I suggest having the teams be CU-CSU

Now, Utah and BYU would go to the Big 12

BSU would go to the MWC, which would iinclude the prominent teams of TCU and AF among the rest. Possibly add in Hawaii as well

The speculation I've read the most about is this:

BYU and Utah to the Pac-10
Iowa State leaves the Big 12 North and is replaced by Air Force
Baylor leavs the Big 12 South and is replaced by TCU

I wouldn't bet any money on any of that coming to pass, however.

That's flat-out delusional. I'm no OU fan (I dislike them, in fact), but you have to be crazy to think that losing Bradford didn't have much to do with the loss. You think OU scores only 13 points with him in the whole game? He's the most outstanding QB in the country, not just a good player. I guarantee you he puts up points in the second half.

He wasn't outstanding tonight; he didn't really play any better than his backup.

If OU doesn't get the delay of game call on the goal line and they get a touchdown instead of a field goal, we'd have a different game - but that applies regardless of who the quarterback is.

OU got beat because of (1) excessive penalties by the offensive line, (2) lost fumbles, and (3) an inability to consistently stop BYU's passing game. None of that had anything to do with Bradford.

Yeah, on paper his injury is why OU lost; but the reality is that he wasn't playing all that well to begin with (under 100 yards passing at halftime), and his backup wasn't really any worse.

This year OU hasn't played anyone yet, no excuses for them having to play in the Big 12 since they haven't played any games yet. Everyone wants to say we don't get how physical the Big 12 and SEC are. Then Bradford gets tackled and injured, and OU loses the game.

Sounds like the Big 12 could use a lesson in how physical the MWC can be.

SLC

This is even worse than your first argument, in that you're basing your claim on only ONE game this time. You said so yourself.

[evilgEEk]

I think the most impressive blowout was the thumpin by Tennessee today

Score:
Tenn: 63
WK: 7

Total Yards:
Tenn: 657
WK: 83

Holy crap.

Obviously these smaller schools agree to play because of the money involved, but that has GOT to be incredibly demoralizing to them...

[leomac08]

is SAM BRADFORD!!!!! and oklahoma!!!!!!!!!!!!!


my high school coach always told me "the most important game in the season is always the first!, then the second.":D

in college football, ONE LOST means EVERYTHING!, luckily is early though.

[dukebound85]

Holy crap.

Obviously these smaller schools agree to play because of the money involved, but that has GOT to be incredibly demoralizing to them...

I watched the game and it wasnt even funny. Every time WK had the ball, they would lose yards and then Tenn would get huuuuge plays on offense

Lane Kiffen got off on the right foot!

is SAM BRADFORD!!!!! and oklahoma!!!!!!!!!!!!!


my high school coach always told me "the most important game in the season is always the first!, then the second.":D

in college football, ONE LOST means EVERYTHING!, luckily is early though.

I disagree

If OU were to finish out with no loses, they would be in the championship talk most likely

Early losses are ALWAYS better than late ones

[leomac08]

I disagree

If OU were to finish out with no loses, they would be in the championship talk most likely

Early losses are ALWAYS better than late ones

Well in high school, early losses are bad, cause u will be last in the standings.

I agree early losses are better in college football, (just remember what happend to Georgia, and Alabama! in 08)

They were #1 for weeks, then EPIC FAIL!, and ended up in the tostitos fiesta bowl and sugar bowl, i think:D

[evilgEEk]

It will be very interesting to see what the polls do tomorrow with Oklahoma's loss.

I can't imagine they will drop out of the top ten, and I can't imagine BYU will go any higher than 15.

But who knows. :)

LSU pulled away in the second half. That's too bad. I've never really liked them. Heh heh.

It's been a great first Saturday of College Football!

But now I'm out.

G'night!

[dukebound85]

ooooor

theres always hope for the scenario like the 01 huskers had haha

were #1 i believe until the CU game on thanksgiving (second to last game that season) where CU throttled them 62-35. CU then went to the Big 12 title game and beat Texas to win the Big 12

Neb then fell to number 2 in the BCS just BARELY edging out CU for the spot to play Miami in the title game (which Neb lost)It will be very interesting to see what the polls do tomorrow with Oklahoma's loss.

I can't imagine they will drop out of the top ten, and I can't imagine BYU will go any higher than 15.

But who knows. :)

LSU pulled away in the second half. That's too bad. I've never really liked them. Heh heh.

It's been a great first Saturday of College Football!

But now I'm out.

G'night!


and tomorrow is the Rocky Mountain SHOWDOWN!!!!!!!!

[Tomorrow]

It will be very interesting to see what the polls do tomorrow with Oklahoma's loss.

I can't imagine they will drop out of the top ten, and I can't imagine BYU will go any higher than 15.

I hope you're right.

For my part (keep in mind I'm an OU alum), I saw an OU team that started out the game with a lot of jitters, and they never really got over them. The defensive front finally began to stuff BYU's run game in the second half, but the secondary leaked like a sieve when BYU was passing. That, combined with Bradford's injury, and I'm not confident they'll be in the Top 10. But we'll see.

BYU, on the other hand, started out jittery as well - but by halftime they seemed to start firing on all cylinders. They didn't back down from a team that many thought should have won by 20 or more - and that's a good sign. They could easily go as high as 15.

[P-Worm]

Here's something that really irks me about stating that the BYU OU game would have been much different if Bradford didn't get injured. It's true, losing a key player to an injury hurts and it hurts bad.

But you know what? If you want to talk about a team hurt by injuries, you need not look further that BYU. Seriously, the deck was stacked against them from the start. For one, they were missing one of their star players Harvey Unga. I can promise you that if Unga was playing, BYU's offense would have looked quite a bit better. On top of that, nearly the entire BYU offensive line was out due to injuries.

If your going to play the injury card in the BYU OU game, you need to consider the teams a wash, or one slightly worse than the other. But just because OU had some injuries doesn't mean the game didn't look dark for BYU.

Seriously, who actually thought BYU even had a shot at this game? No one, but some crazy zoob fans.

P-Worm

[DiamondMac]

My thoughts on opening weekend

- LSU looked very average. Maybe they will win the West but it will be with several losses at the minimum.
- OklaStateU looked pretty good but they will at best be 10-2 as their D is not THAT great.
- OU is screwed beyond belief without Bradford
- Why anyone thinks anymore highly of ND now than they did before is beyond me. They beat Nevada....and yes, I know of their semi-success the last few years. Means little to nothing in the big picture. Hell, celebrating this W means how far down ND really is I guess
- Ohio State seems like they usually are....very good but not great. Wouldn't shock me to see them win out besides USC and make a big BCS game only to be beaten yet again by an SEC team.
- I give Alabama credit. They made mistakes but got through them. Outside of their captain being an absolute punk who should have been suspended for some time for shoving an official, they seemed prepared and resilient when they needed to be

[SLC Flyfishing]

When discussing team dominance it's important to use more than one or two seasons as a measuring stick.

Let's go back to 2002, since that's as far back as ESPN.com will go, and we'll use the AP Poll rankings at the end of every year.

2002
#5 - Oklahoma
#15 - Boise State
NR - Utah

2003
#3 - Oklahoma
#16 - Boise State
#21 - Utah

2004
#3 - Oklahoma
#4 - Utah
#12 - Boise State

2005
#22 - Oklahoma
NR - Boise State
NR - Utah

2006
#5 - Boise State
#11 - Oklahoma
NR - Utah

2007
#8 - Oklahoma
NR - Boise State
NR - Utah

2008
#2 - Utah
#5 - Oklahoma
#11 - Boise State


EDIT: Oklahoma has been ranked preseason every one of those years, and higher than any non-AQ school. Boise State gained a preseason rank in 2005, 2007 and 2009. Utah was ranked in 2004 and 2009 preseason.


I'll let you come to your own conclusions...

I didn't say team dominance. I was talking about the conference(s).

Sept 3 2005: Oklahoma vs TCU
OU 10 TCU 17

Jan 1 2007: Oklahoma vs Boise State
OU 42 Boise State 43

Sept 5 2009: Oklahoma vs BYU
OU 13 BYU 14

That's 3 losses to the WAC and the MWC in the past 5 years against one of the most dominant teams in all of college football, and 2 out of those 3 losses came in the early part of the season when Oklahoma should have been strongest not gone through the "Big 12 Gauntlet" yet.

The WAC is 1 and 1 against the Sooners in the last 5 years (Utah State lost to them in 2007)

The MWC is 2 and 1, (TCU lost to them early last year).

But Oklahoma is 2 and 3 against the two conferences in the last 5 years. That should be telling enough. Most people talk the line that they should be 5 and 0.

Where's the dominant big 12 play?

I can't believe you EvilGeek, you're part of the problem if you're going to make apologies for the BCS.

SLC

[steve2112]

My thoughts on opening weekend

- LSU looked very average. Maybe they will win the West but it will be with several losses at the minimum.
- OklaStateU looked pretty good but they will at best be 10-2 as their D is not THAT great.
- OU is screwed beyond belief without Bradford
- Why anyone thinks anymore highly of ND now than they did before is beyond me. They beat Nevada....and yes, I know of their semi-success the last few years. Means little to nothing in the big picture. Hell, celebrating this W means how far down ND really is I guess
- Ohio State seems like they usually are....very good but not great. Wouldn't shock me to see them win out besides USC and make a big BCS game only to be beaten yet again by an SEC team.
- I give Alabama credit. They made mistakes but got through them. Outside of their captain being an absolute punk who should have been suspended for some time for shoving an official, they seemed prepared and resilient when they needed to be

LSU did look average, but I wonder how much that road trip from hell played a part. I know I was getting tired just staying up watching them at midnight Central time. I think they only flew out the day or so before the game, so they had to be having some jet lag. Not making excuses, but it could play a part. I still think Alabama's defense is strong enough to allow them to win the SEC West.

Okie State will probably win 9-10 games, but I still think Texas takes the Big 12 south. I think the bigger problem for OU is their offensive line. They were playing a converted tight end at center last night. That does not bode well. It's a cliche that football is won on the lines, but it is true. Bradford got hit repeatedly, and they couldn't run the ball last night. With the line being that bad, it doesn't matter who is playing QB.

Ohio State: Yep, typical Big Ten(eleven). They look good playing each other, then go play somebody like USC or the various SEC teams, and look really bad. See USC-tOSU or USC-Penn State last season.

Notre Dame: Ahh, Notre Dame. Clausen has a 300 yard day against a team that had the worst pass defense in the country last year, and he's suddenly a Heisman candidate. (I swear I saw that on one of the shows last night) You are 100% correct. It shows how far they have fallen if they are celebrating this as a big win. This is one reason I can't stand ND. Or rather, I can't stand the media glorification of ND.

[rhett7660]

I would be soooooo happy if he wasn't able to play from a football point of view

I hate the gators

I hear that!!!!!

[evilgEEk]

Here's something that really irks me ... if you want to talk about a team hurt by injuries, you need not look further that BYU.

Wow. I can't believe I didn't think of that. That is a VERY good point. This is exactly why BYU's run game was so lacking. Had they not lost (was it three?) OL starters to injury and their star running back then their offense would have been very different.

Good point, P-Worm! :)


I can't believe you EvilGeek, you're part of the problem if you're going to make apologies for the BCS.

Hey, I'm not making excuses. I'm just being realistic.

Boise State, Utah, TCU and BYU have some awesome football teams. But the consistency just isn't there. We need to have our teams ranked consistently at the end of every year if we want to claim that we are national powers.

A couple of great examples of this is what happened after both of our first Fiesta Bowl wins. Those wins were literally program-changing for both of us, but then Utah finished '05 NR, and Boise State finished '07 NR. I don't see any other traditional powers doing this.

I honestly hope Utah can finish this year ranked to buck that trend, but we'll just have to wait and see on that one.

Don't think I'm making excuses for the BCS and the BCS leagues, because I'm not. But I'm also not going to sit here and say Boise State or Utah could dominate in the Big 12 or SEC.

The system we have might suck balls for us smaller schools, but it's the system we have, and it will be for a very long time. So until that changes we have to take advantage of this system and make the most of it.

[Badandy]

Hey, at least the Spartans scored first!! :)

Anyone know what USC's payout was to San Jose?

Someone said high six figures. All I know is that San Jose State would run most of the other "cupcake" teams other people played off the field.

I literally can't believe UCLA gave up 14 points to San Diego State.

Ohio State's D-line and O-line's looked awful. I don't know what they're going to do on defense against a stable of tailbacks (we have 4 five-star recruits playing every game at that one position) or against Everson Griffin and the rest of our D-line when they're on offense.



Here's something that really irks me about stating that the BYU OU game would have been much different if Bradford didn't get injured.


If your going to play the injury card in the BYU OU game, you need to consider the teams a wash, or one slightly worse than the other. But just because OU had some injuries doesn't mean the game didn't look dark for BYU.

The point is that the Heisman winner went down in the middle of the game and people think that doesn't affect the outcome in the second half. They had like 50 passing yards second half without him. Heisman winners are the kind of players who have bad halfs and then come back guns blazing and light up defenses for hundreds.

It changed the game in a big way. I can't believe this is even being debated.

[evilgEEk]

t changed the game in a big way. I can't believe this is even being debated.

The loss of Bradford certainly hurt, but I think OU's horrible OL decided the game. Especially OU's right tackle Cory Brandon. I mean, two holding calls and three false starts? And the last false start is what turned a (virtually) game-winning 49 yard field goal attempt in to a desperate 54 yard bomber to win.

Bottom line is BYU gritted their teeth and drove the ball 78 yards for the go-ahead score and OU couldn't answer.