College Football

[mojoween]

Hearing that Kyle McCord wears number six because he liked watching Mark Sanchez on the Jets when he was in first grade has made me feel the oldest I have ever been.

[Carey]

Whew!  I expected better from Indiana.  Well back to being a (has-been) hoops team that has a football program.

On a related note, Notre Dame opens as a 1.5 point favorite over Georgia

[roamyn]

4 minutes ago, Carey said:

Whew!  I expected better from Indiana.  Well back to being a (has-been) hoops team that has a football program.

On a related note, Notre Dame opens as a 1.5 point favorite over Georgia

I didn't watch it, but hubby said the IU QB threw 2ints in the first 5 min.  That told me all I needed to know.

[Carey]

Man, imagine how bad Bama would've been waxed had they been playing today in Happy Valley! /s

[roamyn]

34 minutes ago, Carey said:

Man, imagine how bad Bama would've been waxed had they been playing today in Happy Valley! /s

That's all we're gonna hear until next August.  But Bama did it to themselves by losing so badly against OK.

If Jennings hadn't thrown three Int's in the first qtr and fumbled (even tho he was down, he still fumbled) maybe SMU would've been able to fight.

[Chit Chat]

8 minutes ago, roamyn said:

That's all we're gonna hear until next August.  But Bama did it to themselves by losing so badly against OK.

As a Bama fan, I'm fine with how things ended up. I'm not playing the 'what if' game.  The team was inconsistent, and the chips fell where they did.  Hopefully they'll have a good Bowl game in Tampa. 

I would've been okay with Miami or Florida making it into the playoffs though.  I watched about 3 quarters of the game last night but got bored with it.  Same with the Penn St. vs. SMU game today.  Total bust on those 2 for me.   This Clemson vs. Texas game is much more interesting.  

My main disappointment in college football at the moment is the number of players on bowl-eligible teams who abandoned ship and transferred out.  As Saban said, there's not much loyalty anymore.  That's what he saw when recruiting players.  It was only about the money.  Not about the school.  College football will be in the crapper in the near future if these issues aren't dealt with.

Here's hoping the other Bowl games are better than some of them we've seen so far.  

[roamyn]

2 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

Here's hoping the other Bowl games are better than some of them we've seen so far. 

So far the TNvtOSU game is a rout, too.

[Salacious Kitty]

These games have been so bad that I haven't watched the second half of any of them. This game appears to be on the same track. 

[AimingforYoko]

All the home teams won comfortably, so the detractors of the expanded playoffs will say "I told you so." I'm OK with it, it's the first round. There's a lot of blowouts in the 1st round of the B-ball tournament. 

[bluegirl147]

8 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

All the home teams won comfortably, so the detractors of the expanded playoffs will say "I told you so." I'm OK with it, it's the first round. There's a lot of blowouts in the 1st round of the B-ball tournament. 

In the NFL playoffs most home teams win. Higher seeds are higher seeds for a reason.

[DrSpaceman73]

 

I didn't watch it, but hubby said the IU QB threw 2ints in the first 5 min.  That told me all I needed to know.

No he didn't. He threw one into and the ND qb threw an int.  Husband needs to pay attention. 

 

Considering how all first round games went not as horrible as all the pundits implied on Saturday morning. 

 

As a Bama fan, I'm fine with how things ended up. I'm not playing the 'what if' game.  The team was inconsistent, and the chips fell where they did.  Hopefully they'll have a good Bowl game in Tampa. 

I would've been okay with Miami or Florida making it into the playoffs though.  I watched about 3 quarters of the game last night but got bored with it.  Same with the Penn St. vs. SMU game today.  Total bust on those 2 for me.   This Clemson vs. Texas game is much more interesting.  

My main disappointment in college football at the moment is the number of players on bowl-eligible teams who abandoned ship and transferred out.  As Saban said, there's not much loyalty anymore.  That's what he saw when recruiting players.  It was only about the money.  Not about the school.  College football will be in the crapper in the near future if these issues aren't dealt with.

Here's hoping the other Bowl games are better than some of them we've seen so far.  

Its only been about money for the schools for years. That's why we have mega conferences down to the power 4.  The schools havent had the players best interest for a long time. No reason the players should act any different. 

Edited December 22, 2024 by DrSpaceman73

[Carey]

 

In the NFL playoffs most home teams win. Higher seeds are higher seeds for a reason.

True, but usually it's a 60 minute game.  Of course, the NFL competition is much better so those are more likely to come down to the wire.  The first round games were over by halftime if not well before the final quarter.

Part of the situation was that warm weather teams were playing in cold weather places in wintertime.  So that's not good.  Indiana has cool weather so they lost because they suck.  Same goes for Clemson; they were playing in hot Texas, who might win it all.

As mentioned elsewhere, I'm in the category of "games suck but it's Year One".  Forget the fact that it's the first round & on one's home field.  This is the first year they're doing this 12-team format.  I'll wait at least a year or two to give better judgement.  Personally, I'm more upset that there's no re-seeding & how less elite teams get a winning path that should be for the most elite.

Either way, people are going to feel angry, but it's not a big deal.  The pretenders are out (Tennessee is out but not a pretender) and now we'll get 8 teams going for the title.

Things were not pleasant, but the teams that made it can't say they weren't given the nod to play for the title.  Maybe next year well get people that'll lose by less than 5 scores because they're actually close to the level of the eventual winner.

So, moving on.  It's a double digit margin in terms of favorites for Penn State & Texas, while Ohio State is favored over Oregon by the same margin Notre Dame is against Georgia (1.5)

[bluegirl147]

So the question is are the eight teams remaining the best teams?

[roamyn]

45 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

No he didn't. He threw one into and the ND qb threw an int.  Husband needs to pay attention.

I may have misheard him.

 

35 minutes ago, Carey said:

Part of the situation was that warm weather teams were playing in cold weather places in wintertime.  So that's not good.  Indiana has cool weather so they lost because they suck.

What's TN excuse?  They play at Rocky Top, which is on the top of a mountain and it snows there on occassion.

[Carey]

30 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

So the question is are the eight teams remaining the best teams?

Out of the 12 playoff teams?  No.  However, it's close.  I'd say yes if you swap Tennessee & Arizona State.  Not sure what to make of Boise State, but I think they're definitely better than Indiana, SMU, and Clemson.  Boise State, like Ohio State, nearly escaped Eugene in a positive way.  Speaking of the Buckeyes:

3 minutes ago, roamyn said:

What's TN excuse?  They play at Rocky Top, which is on the top of a mountain and it snows there on occassion.

Their excuse is that they played their first playoff game against one of, if not the best teams in the country.  A team that's seasoned & has playoff experience.  Plus, a team that I think will definitely make the CBF Playoff for the rest of time.  Probably had more to do with their competition & less the weather than before, and I'd pick them to beat teams like SMU and Indiana anywhere

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

The schools havent had the players best interest for a long time. No reason the players should act any different. 

Respectfully, Saban was all about player development.  He instilled discipline too.  I've seen more undisciplined Bama players this season than I did the whole time Saban was coach.  Of course he wanted to win, but his main focus was on the individual players and making them all-around better people. 

I worked for a guy who got to go to some of the practices and then attend the meetings in which Saban spoke.  It was interesting to get the inside scoop on Saban & the team at that time.  

If they don't get NIL & the transfer portal under control, I really do believe that it'll turn fans away, then where will they be?  

48 minutes ago, roamyn said:

What's TN excuse? 

I truly expected better of them. Looks like they got outplayed to me. No excuses. 

[mojoween]

This is why, if they were so hell-bent on expanding the playoffs, it should have gone from four to eight and not vaulted directly to twelve.

[DrSpaceman73]

1 hour ago, Chit Chat said:

Respectfully, Saban was all about player development.  He instilled discipline too.  I've seen more undisciplined Bama players this season than I did the whole time Saban was coach.  Of course he wanted to win, but his main focus was on the individual players and making them all-around better people. 

I worked for a guy who got to go to some of the practices and then attend the meetings in which Saban spoke.  It was interesting to get the inside scoop on Saban & the team at that time.  

If they don't get NIL & the transfer portal under control, I really do believe that it'll turn fans away, then where will they be?  

I truly expected better of them. Looks like they got outplayed to me. No excuses. 

Saban was making over 10 million a year

Alabama football was bringing in $130 million a year. 

Making that much and complaining about NIL hypocritical. 

[roamyn]

I have to agree with @Chit Chatthat yes, Saban & AL made tons of money off college football, but he did instill discipline and he does care about the players.  He may have the same last name (pronunciation) as me, but I've never been a Saban fan.

However, he does care about the quality of the product and the young men who play it.

[Carey]

Another thing that doesn't get mentioned enough: Sure coaches leave, to where the issue of them bolting was accepted but not a student athlete.

There is a difference.  A coach isn't going to be in 3 (plus) different institutions in as many years.

I'll be dead before there's a concrete review on the current era of NIL & the transfer portal, but I think it'll definitely be an interesting read when it comes to a "Where Are They Now" story on these athletes.  Spending 11 years in school, transferring to 14 programs due the one's inability to handle a half ounce of adversity.  What was the endgame?  What good came out from doing so to where the future was bright?

Definitely something worth paying attention to, and hopefully something that gets addressed to where it's not so much a tough documentary down the road

[Chit Chat]

25 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Making that much and complaining about NIL hypocritical. 

He's actually for NIL, but it needs some tweaking.  Other coaches agree with him. 

I don't think it's hypocritical of him to speak out about the issues with it either.  Yeah, Saban made a lot of money, but he gave back to the community through service and charity.  He always set a great example in that regard to his players. 

He said that recruiting guys now comes down to the player and/or family asking how much they're going to make, not how the coaches & university can help the player.  If Saban was being hypocritical, he wouldn't have bothered to start Nick's Kids, or to partner with Habitat for Humanity and ask the players to help when they've built and dedicated homes to folks, and other endeavors.  He could've banked his money, done his job, went home and called it a day.  He leads by example and the players were better for it, just ask his former players who are now in the NFL.  They speak highly of him.

[baldryanr]

You're not going to believe this, but Steve Belichick is expected to join his dad at UNC next year

Probably for the best that UNC's next head coach gets acquainted with the program now.

[Carey]

Here's a take courtesy of The Sporting News on the flaws of the College Football Playoff.

I agree about seeding being an issue, but I disagree that it's the biggest flaw.  The criticism is fair that the seeding isn't ranked 1 to 12 regardless of the conference champions.  All of the road teams were routed, so maybe they weren't good enough to begin with.  They did earn the spot, but the teams that won would still win the road teams were hosting instead.

Although nobody is going to find out until 4 weeks from tomorrow (as of this post), the biggest flaw (or a big flaw) is the lack of re-seeding.  Unlike March Madness, that's a rather easy fix.

Of course, I'll always agree to disagree about the NFL structure, which I'll get into but not before next Thursday at the earliest.  In brief, maybe the NFL can have 2 divisions (of 8 teams) per conference to solve their issue.  However, I think if the Big 10 and SEC are going to have 24 teams, they actually need divisions (at least two).  The top 2 teams isn't actually fair, especially if 3 teams are undefeated & don't play each other head-to-head.  Of course, that wouldn't be a big deal in those conferences.  The ACC, Big 12, and American?  Yeah that would be an issue.

But not really since they're not getting more than one team without a loss, headed to championship weekend

 

[Stats Queen]

On 12/22/2024 at 12:01 PM, roamyn said:

I have to agree with @Chit Chatthat yes, Saban & AL made tons of money off college football, but he did instill discipline and he does care about the players.  He may have the same last name (pronunciation) as me, but I've never been a Saban fan.

However, he does care about the quality of the product and the young men who play it.

Kirby Smart is the same at Georgia. And he learned so much from Saban

[Notabug]

SEC shorts trolls the Tennessee fans who invaded Columbus last weekend hoping to see a blowout:

 

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/tennessee-football/sec-shorts-chronicles-tennessees-cfp-blowout-with-epic-balltar-episode/

[roamyn]

21 hours ago, Carey said:

However, I think if the Big 10 and SEC are going to have 24 teams, they actually need divisions (at least two). 

The B1G has two divisions, East & West.  East  has historically been stronger w/tOSU, TTUN, and Penn St.  Oregon & USC entered into the West.

[AimingforYoko]

On 12/24/2024 at 4:31 PM, roamyn said:

The B1G has two divisions, East & West.

Had. Divisions are gone precisely because of the imbalance between East and West.

[kathyk2]

1 hour ago, AimingforYoko said:

Had. Divisions are gone precisely because of the imbalance between East and West.

The eighteen team Big Ten was a category on Jeopardy tonight.

[roamyn]

3 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Had. Divisions are gone precisely because of the imbalance between East and 

Then that's brand new, because when it was announced that OR & USC would enter the Big 10, it would be in the Wes division.

[Notabug]

20 hours ago, roamyn said:

Then that's brand new, because when it was announced that OR & USC would enter the Big 10, it would be in the Wes division.

It was new this season.  The Big10 did away with divisions mainly due to the balance of power issue.  The east division was so much stronger than the west; that it seemed unfair that the championship game would not necessarily feature the two best teams.  As of this season, the championship game is between the two teams with the best record.

[ebk57]

The Pop Tarts Bowl is the best thing ever!

[mojoween]

48 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

The Pop Tarts Bowl is the best thing ever!

Facts.

I mean, thankfully a team that I semi sort of care about is in it (Miami) but I would watch this up to and including the post-game spectacle even if it were two teams I had never paid a whit of attention to.

[ebk57]

45 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Facts.

I mean, thankfully a team that I semi sort of care about is in it (Miami) but I would watch this up to and including the post-game spectacle even if it were two teams I had never paid a whit of attention to.

I was neutral on the game, but I just extended the recording because I must have the toasting of the mascot! 

I'm hoping my brother comes to visit from Italy so he can see it.  He's a huge Pop Tarts fan and they don't sell them over there.  Which is rude!

[Chit Chat]

Are the announcers getting a commission every time they say "pop tarts?"  They sure seem extra excited about it! 

[mojoween]

The Iowa State kids, on the other hand, didn’t really seem all that into the Pop-Tart part of the festivities.

[ebk57]

12 minutes ago, mojoween said:

The Iowa State kids, on the other hand, didn’t really seem all that into the Pop-Tart part of the festivities.

Heh.  I wasn't even paying attention to them.  I was just there for the Pop Tarts!

[roamyn]

2 hours ago, ebk57 said:

The Pop Tarts Bowl is the best thing ever!

Oh gosh, I was going to mention the post game festivities, but thought people would think this 60yr old woman was nuts.

What a great ritual, where can I sign up to get a giant Brown Sugar Cinnamon pop tart?

[Stats Queen]

4 hours ago, ebk57 said:

The Pop Tarts Bowl is the best thing ever!

OMG, next year I am watching from the pregame show to the end. In fact, I want to go. I don’t really care who plays in it! 

[ebk57]

I was looking around for a tshirt or sweatshirt with just the Pop Tarts logo - not the teams.  And I finally found one, but it's white.  I don't wear white because it wouldn't be white for long.  So I continue to look...  

The white on had "dreams do come true" on the back, which would have been perfect - if it was black.  Or blue.  Or gray.  Anything but white.

[Stats Queen]

19 hours ago, ebk57 said:

I was looking around for a tshirt or sweatshirt with just the Pop Tarts logo - not the teams.  And I finally found one, but it's white.  I don't wear white because it wouldn't be white for long.  So I continue to look...  

The white on had "dreams do come true" on the back, which would have been perfect - if it was black.  Or blue.  Or gray.  Anything but white.

Where did you find it.

[ebk57]

6 minutes ago, Stats Queen said:

Where did you find it.

https://fcsmerch.com/collections/pop-tarts-bowl-all-products/products/2024-pop-tarts-bowl-dreams-sst

 

I try to buy only from the official site because otherwise, I have no idea who I'm giving my info to. 

[Stats Queen]

35 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

https://fcsmerch.com/collections/pop-tarts-bowl-all-products/products/2024-pop-tarts-bowl-dreams-sst

 

I try to buy only from the official site because otherwise, I have no idea who I'm giving my info to. 

Thank you!!!

[AimingforYoko]

Oh yeah, Alabama definitely should've been in the playoff.

At least Indiana was able to beat Michigan.

[mojoween]

Now I’m not a ribs eater, but the ones they were holding in the booth at the Texas Bowl didn’t look like ribs, and also looked super grody.

Related, does anyone know who the color commentator is for the Texas Bowl?  He’s super handsome.

[roamyn]

1 hour ago, AimingforYoko said:

Oh yeah, Alabama definitely should've been in the playoff.

At least Indiana was able to beat Michigan.

I despise TTUN, but I actually rooted for the cheaters to win against AL jus to put a pin in the "we should've been there" chatter.

Can't wait for Finebaum to bitch abt firing Kalen DeBoer.  

[kathyk2]

2 minutes ago, roamyn said:

I despise TTUN, but I actually rooted for the cheaters to win against AL jus to put a pin in the "we should've been there" chatter.

Can't wait for Finebaum to bitch abt firing Kalen DeBoer.  

Paul won't complain but Alabama fans will.

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

Paul won't complain but Alabama fans will.

Not all of us will.  As I've said before, the team was too inconsistent this year and lacked discipline.  Many of us understood that and weren't upset that they didn't make the playoffs.   

I wish the ones who are so vocal about it and who thought they should've made the playoffs would shut up.  Although they beat some good teams, they faltered when it counted.  I'm still proud of the teams they beat.  It was still a winning season.   They had some good moments, and here's hoping they can build on that.   

Although Bama's bowl game was a disappointment, I'm happy for the other SEC teams who won theirs.   🙂

Edited January 1 by Chit Chat

[kathyk2]

24 minutes ago, Chit Chat said:

Not all of us will.  As I've said before, the team was too inconsistent this year and lacked discipline.  Many of us understood that and weren't upset that they didn't make the playoffs.   

I wish the ones who are so vocal about it and who thought they should've made the playoffs would shut up.  Although they beat some good teams, they faltered when it counted.  I'm still proud of the teams they beat.  The season wasn't a total loss.  There were successes along the way.  Many of us won't jump off of the bandwagon after a season like this.  They had some good moments, and here's hoping they can build on that.   

Although Bama's bowl game was a disappointment, I'm happy for the other SEC teams who won theirs.   🙂

I was thinking of the callers on the Finebaum show. I know that fans don't think alike I'm a Patriots fan who would have kept Bill Belichick.

[Chit Chat]

27 minutes ago, kathyk2 said:

I was thinking of the callers on the Finebaum show. I know that fans don't think alike I'm a Patriots fan who would have kept Bill Belichick.

I quit listening to Finebaum years ago!  Some days he talks like he's Bama's biggest fan, then the next day he acts like he hates them.  I really don't know where he stands with Bama football! 

I'm surprised to see Belichick going to North Carolina.  I thought he'd go to another NFL team, not a college team.  I wish him luck!

[mojoween]

I love how Eric Dickerson is like “I do not want Saquon Barkley to break my record” and Barry Sanders is like “I have my popcorn ready, go get it young fella!” about Ashton Jeanty.