2010-2011 College Football Thread

[CorvusCamenarum]

No, no. Alabama can make someone else's dreams come true! Just beat Auburn, and that will happen. I'd prefer by at least two touchdowns. Don't eek out a win, otherwise voters might think Auburn is still good enough to be in the title game as a one-loss team.

The Tide has done some great things for the non-AQ's in the last few years, what will allowing themselves to be completely embarrassed by Utah in the Sugar Bowl. Now they can help get a non-AQ in to the title game!

Roll Tide Roll!!

Up until Saturday, Alabama still had a chance at taking the SEC West. It was convoluted, but there.

I really don't think it matters by how much Auburn loses. South Carolina and
LSU didn't win, we lost. Big difference. They've been playing like a second rate team between South Carolina and until last Saturday, and the X-2 record shows it. If we play like the team we should have been playing all season, it won't matter how many punches Auburn throws.

Because now we'll have two groups of crazies out and about instead of just one at a time, the shopping crazies in the morning and the beered up football crazies in the afternoon. I don't plan on being able to leave the house that day.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Has there ever been a bigger stinker of a game for College GameDay than Illinois-Northwestern at Wrigley Field? I know it's supposed to be a big deal because it's at a baseball stadium (as if that won't be lame ), but we've got a very mediocre Illinois team going up against a decent Northwestern team. Big 10 sucks (and so does ESPN).

Other possible (better) sites this week:

• Fresno St. @ #4 Boise St. (too bad it's a Friday game)
• #13 Arkansas @ #22 Mississippi State (would have been better if MSU beat Bama but still a very good matchup in a loaded SEC West)
• #9 Nebraska @ #18 Texas A&M (both teams still in contention for Big 12 division titles; last B12 road game ever for NU; possible biggest crowd in history of Kyle Field)
• #8 Ohio St @ #21 Iowa (just had GameDay at an OSU game, but still a much better Big 10 matchup; would have been better if Iowa had beaten Nortwestern)
• #7 Stanford @ Cal (Cal almost unbeatable at home this year—ask Oregon)
• Florida Atlantic @ Texas (just kidding...no one cares about this game)

 

[steve2112]

Has there ever been a bigger stinker of a game for College GameDay than Illinois-Northwestern at Wrigley Field? I know it's supposed to be a big deal because it's at a baseball stadium (as if that won't be lame ), but we've got a very mediocre Illinois team going up against a decent Northwestern team. Big 10 sucks (and so does ESPN).

Other possible (better) sites this week:

• Fresno St. @ #4 Boise St. (too bad it's a Friday game)
• #13 Arkansas @ #22 Mississippi State (would have been better if MSU beat Bama but still a very good matchup in a loaded SEC West)
• #9 Nebraska @ #18 Texas A&M (both teams still in contention for Big 12 division titles; last B12 road game ever for NU; possible biggest crowd in history of Kyle Field)
• #8 Ohio St @ #21 Iowa (just had GameDay at an OSU game, but still a much better Big 10 matchup; would have been better if Iowa had beaten Nortwestern)
• #7 Stanford @ Cal (Cal almost unbeatable at home this year—ask Oregon)
• Florida Atlantic @ Texas (just kidding...no one cares about this game)

Yeah, and to top it off, Northwestern lost their starting QB, Dan Persa, to a torn Achilles heel. He has 3000 total yards and 24 total TDs. This game also probably will end the Ron Zook era at Illinois. I agree that OSU/Iowa or TAMU/Nebraska would be much better.

 

[echeck]

#9 Nebraska @ #18 Texas A&M (both teams still in contention for Big 12 division titles; last B12 road game ever for NU; possible biggest crowd in history of Kyle Field)

Hands down this is where GameDay should have been.

Whoever made the decision to go to Chicago needs to be b*tch slapped.

 

[steve2112]

Since I haven't seen it in the thread: Another case of real life landing square in the middle of college football. Three University of Southern Mississippi football players were shot Saturday night after their game vs. Central Florida.

Coach Larry Fedora reported yesterday that LB Tim Green is unable to speak and is writing notes. There are rumors going around that another player is paralyzed, but that hasn't been confirmed.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

It's only Tuesday but I'm already getting pumped up for Saturday. They're adding extra seating areas to Kyle Field so they can get more students into the game. Looking to get about 30,000 students in there (and hoping for 90,000 overall).

They're calling it "12th Man Day".

 

[-aggie-]

It's only Tuesday but I'm already getting pumped up for Saturday. They're adding extra seating areas to Kyle Field so they can get more students into the game. Looking to get about 30,000 students in there (and hoping for 90,000 overall).

They're calling it "12th Man Day".

Is there any conceivable way for A&M to go the Big 12 championship (assuming they win out the rest of the season)?

It'll be nice to see A&M in a bowl for once.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Is there any conceivable way for A&M to go the Big 12 championship (assuming they win out the rest of the season)?

Yes, there are a couple of scenarios:

1. A&M wins out and OSU loses their last two.
2. A&M wins out, OU wins out, OSU beats KU but loses to OU. In that case, it will come down to who is ranked highest in the BCS. Or, if A&M is ranked higher than OSU but lower than OU, but only by one spot, then A&M wins the tiebreaker.

Confusing enough?

It'll be nice to see A&M in a bowl for once.

We were in a bowl last year. It will be nicer to see us win one (haven't seen that since 2001 Houston Bowl against TCU).

 

[benhollberg]

Has there ever been a bigger stinker of a game for College GameDay than Illinois-Northwestern at Wrigley Field? I know it's supposed to be a big deal because it's at a baseball stadium (as if that won't be lame

Football and baseball share stadiums all the time. Why is it such a big deal?

 

[steve2112]

Football and baseball share stadiums all the time. Why is it such a big deal?

Because they have different needs, seating arrangements, etc. All NFL and MLB (actually, I'm not 100% sure about Oakland) teams have dumped their dual-use stadiums. Most major college campuses I have seen have football and baseball seperated. The two sports have different seating requirements, open space on sidelines, etc. Because of the "dual use" mentality, you wound up with bland and sometimes ugly stadiums like the old Three Rivers. Ever see footage from Candlestick park with football players running over the pitchers mound? Some football guys got hurt doing that kind of thing.

 

[benhollberg]

Because they have different needs, seating arrangements, etc. All NFL and MLB (actually, I'm not 100% sure about Oakland) teams have dumped their dual-use stadiums. Most major college campuses I have seen have football and baseball seperated. The two sports have different seating requirements, open space on sidelines, etc. Because of the "dual use" mentality, you wound up with bland and sometimes ugly stadiums like the old Three Rivers. Ever see footage from Candlestick park with football players running over the pitchers mound? Some football guys got hurt doing that kind of thing.

Yes I know now that it is not very common but it used to be. Whoever, I quoted before said it was a big deal that this game was at a baseball stadium. And, yes I agree with you that watching a football game at a baseball stadium wouldn't be good. And the other way around.

 

[steve2112]

Yes I know now that it is not very common but it used to be. Whoever, I quoted before said it was a big deal that this game was at a baseball stadium. And, yes I agree with you that watching a football game at a baseball stadium wouldn't be good. And the other way around.

Well, it is a big deal because it's Wrigley Field. It's not just another baseball stadium, it's one of the oldest and most famous baseball stadiums in the country. Or at least it's being sold that way. In reality, it's not that unusual, since the Chicago Bears played at Wrigley until the late 60s, I believe.

 

[benhollberg]

Well, it is a big deal because it's Wrigley Field. It's not just another baseball stadium, it's one of the oldest and most famous baseball stadiums in the country. Or at least it's being sold that way. In reality, it's not that unusual, since the Chicago Bears played at Wrigley until the late 60s, I believe.

Yes I guess. I don't follow baseball at all but Wrigley Field is one stadium I could name, that and maybe Yankee Sadium and AT&T Ballpark, Citi Field, and that I think it.

I'm done with baseball talk now.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Well, it is a big deal because it's Wrigley Field. It's not just another baseball stadium, it's one of the oldest and most famous baseball stadiums in the country. Or at least it's being sold that way. In reality, it's not that unusual, since the Chicago Bears played at Wrigley until the late 60s, I believe.

It's going to be an abomination, just like when they put football fields in other baseball parks where they don't belong.

Safeco Field (note the teams stand on the same sideline)

AT&T Park (San Francisco)

New Yankee Stadium

 

[echeck]

Wow. That's disgusting, especially Safeco. Really no other way to explain it. Heh.

 

[steve2112]

It's going to be an abomination, just like when they put football fields in other baseball parks where they don't belong.

Safeco Field (note the teams stand on the same sideline)


AT&T Park (San Francisco)


New Yankee Stadium

Like I said, there is a reason most cities got rid of those horrible multi-purpose stadiums like the old Three Rivers stadium. Back in the 60s and 70s, many cities got the bright idea to combine the stadiums for their MLB and NFL teams into one. They ended up with these generic, cookie cutter designs that sucked for both sports. I can sports like soccer and football using the same field, but baseball and football are just too different.

I guess this latest wave of crossovers is an attempt by cities to make some money for their baseball stadiums during the off season. I can only guess that the schools involved are getting a pretty good paycheck out of the deal. Noticed you don't see schools like Michigan or Texas doing this kind of thing.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Like I said, there is a reason most cities got rid of those horrible multi-purpose stadiums

None of those are multi-purpose, and THAT is what makes them so bad. Yeah the Three Riverses of the world sucked, but not nearly as bad as squeezing a football field into a space for which it wasn't designed. Check out the endzones at the new Yankee Stadium. There WILL be an injury on a fade pass. Horrible.

Related note: do the Florida Marlins still play at Joe Robbie/Land Shark/WhateverTheyCallItNow Stadium?

I guess this latest wave of crossovers is an attempt by cities to make some money for their baseball stadiums during the off season. I can only guess that the schools involved are getting a pretty good paycheck out of the deal. Noticed you don't see schools like Michigan or Texas doing this kind of thing.

You're absolutely right, but there are new football stadiums in all those places (except for SF, where the Niners still use Candlestick). And don't be so quick on dismissing who will be playing where. If Texas manages to win their next two, it is entirely likely that they will end up playing a bad Big East team (is there any other kind?) in the Pinstripe Bowl.

 

[steve2112]

None of those are multi-purpose, and THAT is what makes them so bad. Yeah the Three Riverses of the world sucked, but not nearly as bad as squeezing a football field into a space for which it wasn't designed. Check out the endzones at the new Yankee Stadium. There WILL be an injury on a fade pass. Horrible.

Related note: do the Florida Marlins still play at Joe Robbie/Land Shark/WhateverTheyCallItNow Stadium?



You're absolutely right, but there are new football stadiums in all those places (except for SF, where the Niners still use Candlestick). And don't be so quick on dismissing who will be playing where. If Texas manages to win their next two, it is entirely likely that they will end up playing a bad Big East team (is there any other kind?) in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Oh yeah, the endzones and sidelines on those fields are crazy. It's like arena league or something. What I was talking about with Texas and the like is that you aren't very likely to see Texas, for example, playing in the Ballpark at Arlington during the regular season because they would have to be paid a LOT of money to make more than they do at a home game on campus. I would imagine Illinois and Northwestern are probably making more money playing in this game than they would make playing at home.

 

[benhollberg]

I would never pay to go to a football at those places.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Oh yeah, the endzones and sidelines on those fields are crazy. It's like arena league or something. What I was talking about with Texas and the like is that you aren't very likely to see Texas, for example, playing in the Ballpark at Arlington during the regular season because they would have to be paid a LOT of money to make more than they do at a home game on campus. I would imagine Illinois and Northwestern are probably making more money playing in this game than they would make playing at home.

Fair enough, but UT plays OU at the Cotton Bowl every year, Florida plays Georgia in Jacksonville at the Jags' stadium, A&M plays Arkansas at Cowboys Stadium for at least 8 more years, Notre Dame is playing Army at Yankee Stadium this week, OU played BYU at Cowboys Stadium last year, etc.

So yeah, those games (except for ND-Army) aren't quite the stunts that Northwestern-Illinois is, but I think they prove that the schools will do almost anything for additional revenue.

 

[steve2112]

Fair enough, but UT plays OU at the Cotton Bowl every year, Florida plays Georgia in Jacksonville at the Jags' stadium, A&M plays Arkansas at Cowboys Stadium for at least 8 more years, Notre Dame is playing Army at Yankee Stadium this week, OU played BYU at Cowboys Stadium last year, etc.

So yeah, those games (except for ND-Army) aren't quite the stunts that Northwestern-Illinois is, but I think they prove that the schools will do almost anything for additional revenue.

Yeah, most of those are in actual football stadiums.

The "neutral site" games still puzzle me a bit. I suppose most of them are holdovers from the days when such stadiums were bigger than on-campus stadiums. Us and Ole Miss used to play 2-3 games apiece every year in Jackson (including the Egg Bowl), back when that stadium was bigger than either of our stadiums. Now, both on-campus stadiums are bigger and all home games are back on campus. Personally, I hated those Jackson games. No atmosphere, and Jackson is a heavy Ole Miss town (what do ya expect, it's where all the lawyers and doctors are) so it really was a home game for them.

BTW, I thought the Red River Rivalry was moving to Cowboys Stadium? Anyway, the only thing I can figure out is that both schools in that one are getting extra money from the city or state, since both have bigger stadiums than Cowboys stadium. (Wikipedia lists it at 80k, though I swear I read it was 100k). I figure some sponsor or the stadium must have cut some good deals somewhere. Alabama has also played a neutral site game at the Georgia Dome two years in a row, but that one has been sponsored by Chic-Fil-A, so I figure there was some sponsor money there.

A few funny things I noticed when looking up stadium capacities: If 80k is the correct capacity for Cowboys Stadium, that would place it 8th in the SEC and 5th in the Big 12, yet it is in 3rd place among NFL stadium capacity. MState's stadium is puny among SEC schools, ranking 11th at 55k. Yet it would be 7th in the Big 12 and 8th in the ACC. Ah well, at least we have the biggest baseball stadium in the SEC.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Yeah, most of those are in actual football stadiums.

The "neutral site" games still puzzle me a bit. I suppose most of them are holdovers from the days when such stadiums were bigger than on-campus stadiums. Us and Ole Miss used to play 2-3 games apiece every year in Jackson (including the Egg Bowl), back when that stadium was bigger than either of our stadiums. Now, both on-campus stadiums are bigger and all home games are back on campus. Personally, I hated those Jackson games. No atmosphere, and Jackson is a heavy Ole Miss town (what do ya expect, it's where all the lawyers and doctors are) so it really was a home game for them.

BTW, I thought the Red River Rivalry was moving to Cowboys Stadium? Anyway, the only thing I can figure out is that both schools in that one are getting extra money from the city or state, since both have bigger stadiums than Cowboys stadium. (Wikipedia lists it at 80k, though I swear I read it was 100k). I figure some sponsor or the stadium must have cut some good deals somewhere. Alabama has also played a neutral site game at the Georgia Dome two years in a row, but that one has been sponsored by Chic-Fil-A, so I figure there was some sponsor money there.

A few funny things I noticed when looking up stadium capacities: If 80k is the correct capacity for Cowboys Stadium, that would place it 8th in the SEC and 5th in the Big 12, yet it is in 3rd place among NFL stadium capacity. MState's stadium is puny among SEC schools, ranking 11th at 55k. Yet it would be 7th in the Big 12 and 8th in the ACC. Ah well, at least we have the biggest baseball stadium in the SEC.

biggest sponser deals and they get to screw the students out of money (do not have to give the student free or massively reduced seat cost. Ticket cost are generally higher.
Oh and did I tell you that the TV deals are better.
It is about getting money. Screw the fact that I think the sports teams should be their for the students. It is just one more thing in the long list of how corupt college football has become.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

I thought the Red River Rivalry was moving to Cowboys Stadium? Anyway, the only thing I can figure out is that both schools in that one are getting extra money from the city or state, since both have bigger stadiums than Cowboys stadium. (Wikipedia lists it at 80k, though I swear I read it was 100k).

Nope. They re-upped last year through at least 2015 in a deal that guarantees them something like $4M per year (that's how most of these deals work). After recent renovations, the Cotton Bowl holds 92k now. It was a waste of money to renovate it, if you ask me, because it's still a ****hole in a terrible part of town. I hope the Aggies never end up in the TicketCity Bowl that starts playing there this year. Worst. Stadium. Ever.

biggest sponser deals and they get to screw the students out of money (do not have to give the student free or massively reduced seat cost. Ticket cost are generally higher.
Oh and did I tell you that the TV deals are better.
It is about getting money. Screw the fact that I think the sports teams should be their for the students. It is just one more thing in the long list of how corupt college football has become.

Neutral site games are bogus deals for the students/alums/fans, I agree. The ticket prices to A&M-Arkansas are outrageous (cheapest nosebleed seats are $85; decent seats $125 - $250; good seats $325) but they did have cheaper tickets for students (I think they were $50).

The schools treat these games like in-season bowl games, so they think they can justify the higher cost, but the problem with recurring games is that people aren't going to want to go to the same "bowl" game every year if it costs so much. I think we'll be seeing a lot more of these types of games when/if we eventually get a playoff system in place, because any playoff bigger than four teams is going to have to play a round or two at campus stadiums instead of in smaller bowls.

 

[steve2112]

Nope. They re-upped last year through at least 2015 in a deal that guarantees them something like $4M per year (that's how most of these deals work). After recent renovations, the Cotton Bowl holds 92k now. It was a waste of money to renovate it, if you ask me, because it's still a ****hole in a terrible part of town. I hope the Aggies never end up in the TicketCity Bowl that starts playing there this year. Worst. Stadium. Ever.



Neutral site games are bogus deals for the students/alums/fans, I agree. The ticket prices to A&M-Arkansas are outrageous (cheapest nosebleed seats are $85; decent seats $125 - $250; good seats $325) but they did have cheaper tickets for students (I think they were $50).

Sometimes I think if these athletic departments had their way, they would get rid of the student sections so they could charge the full price for the tickets. I think at MSU, the student tickets are still around $10/game or so. I know they would love to be able to charge full price for those tickets.

I have been to the Cotton Bowl. Not a nice area at all. Is the actual Cotton Bowl going to be there, or did it move? Maybe I was thinking of that game moving to Arlington.

Oh yeah, it looks like you aren't the only one talking about safety at that Wrigley Field game.

 

[Tomorrow]

I have been to the Cotton Bowl. Not a nice area at all. Is the actual Cotton Bowl going to be there, or did it move? Maybe I was thinking of that game moving to Arlington.

The Cotton Bowl game did move to Arlington. OU/UT is still at the Cotton Bowl stadium, during the State Fair.