Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

College Football

Minneapple

By Minneapple
in Sports

  • Reply
  • Start Topic

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 4.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

mojoween
mojoween
NUguy514
NUguy514

He is applying for the religious exemption based on his "devout" Catholic faith, so he actually is exactly defining himself through his Catholic faith in this instance.  Nothing about Catholicism is a

Popples
Popples

On one hand, I have a lifelong loathing of Notre Dame and I hate seeing them win. On the other hand, Dabo Swinney has shown himself to be an insufferable, holier-than-thou ass-mongrel. OMG,

Posted Images

Bastet

Bastet

Matt Leinart and Vince Young sitting down to reminisce about the national championship game was nice.  Obviously, I have lingering nightmares about that game, but I also have such fond memories of that era of USC football, and that's more important.  It was just such an utterly fun time to watch; they were great, they were pumped up, they ran exciting plays -- it wasn't just the winning, it was how much fun they were to root for.  Plus, that national championship game was a great one.  It just ended wrong.  :-) 

This one is shaping up early to be one hell of a game, too -- Texas is in serious underdog mode and playing their asses off, and Helton's team needs that kind of test.  I like him as a coach on the technical aspects of the game, but I'm not entirely sold on him yet in terms of creating the right attitude among players - reducing mental mistakes, not looking ahead and forgetting to play the game they're in, halftime regrouping, etc. - so this will be illuminating.  I just hope it ends better.  :-)

And I'm getting a good laugh out of the "Fine, it didn't happen - we never lost that game" stance; all the good things USC is supposed to accept never officially happened because of the overblown punishment, I think turning the narrative around and saying this didn't happen either just shows how silly it all is.

Link to comment
Calvada

Calvada

Arkansas lost again. I wonder how much longer Bielema will last there. He could have stayed at Wisconsin forever, because for some reason Barry Alvarez thought he was great, but he had to be in the SEC.  How's that working out for you Bret?  Meanwhile Wisconsin had to endure two years of Gary Andersen, but now looks set for years with Paul Chryst.  

Why is Jim Harbaugh wearing a long-sleeved dark blue shirt, and why is the Purdue coach in a long-sleeved black shirt?  Isn't is about 90 degrees there?  Do they want heat stroke?  I hope they are hydrating.  

Link to comment
Minneapple

Minneapple

  • Author
8 hours ago, Calvada said:

Arkansas lost again. I wonder how much longer Bielema will last there. He could have stayed at Wisconsin forever, because for some reason Barry Alvarez thought he was great, but he had to be in the SEC. 

Bielema’s buyout rings up at a cool $15 million, dropping to $11 million in January. He’s there unless Jerry Jones hands Arkansas a blank check.

Alvarez’s hero and mentor is Bob Devaney. Bielema was the Tom Osborne to Alvarez’s Devaney, his protege and hand-picked successor. That’s the only reason Bret wasn’t on the hot seat after mediocre seasons in 2007-08 and an embarrassing bowl loss to FSU. 

Anyway, great Iowa-PSU game. Too bad Iowa blew it. Trace McSorley is the world’s biggest douche.

  • Love 2
Link to comment
Bastet

Bastet

The officiating in the USC/Washington State game sucked.  A defender has hold of a receiver’s jersey, and they call OFFENSIVE pass interference?

But USC played like ass, instead of overcoming the bullshit calls.  The Trojans’ first drive seemed to indicate Darnold’s talk with himself about calming down and dealing with his sudden-onset confidence issues had worked wonders, but then he was back to this season’s inconsistent self and stayed there.  It’s a big issue, and I have no idea why such a smart, technical player – a contender for the first round pick! - is suddenly making such stupid decisions this year.

An interception setting them up five yards from the goal line, and they have to walk away with three?  That was a huge moment, and I was on edge from that moment on. 

I figured this would be a tight game coming in – two undefeated, ranked opponents who are in the same conference?! - but it was harder on my blood pressure than anticipated.  An offensive line consisting of three back-ups. Darnold’s issues.  And then, holy shit, Washington State’s drive to end the first half nearly caused me to lose my voice screaming at the USC defense – they just escorted them down the field into the end zone, ten yards at a time.

The second half was equally ugly for the Trojans.   The defense couldn’t wrap people up, repeatedly, and gave up a 35-yard run.  And injuries and a tough schedule – this short week, no bye until Thanksgiving, etc. - mean a season full of close calls aren’t sustainable; you can’t hang a season on fourth-quarter offensive surges (yeah, picking up the first on 4th and 13 after the world’s stupidest play call on 3rd down is beautiful, but you can’t keep putting yourself there).

When the Cougars went up by a TD five minutes into the fourth quarter – after the USC defense gave up a must-stop fourth down conversion – I knew that was it.  Then under two minutes left in the game with no timeouts to tie with a FG?   Not happening.  And then the turnover.  Fuck this game.

How USC comes back from this loss will tell all, because this was every weakness they have on display. 

Link to comment
nowandlater

nowandlater

8 hours ago, xaxat said:

The proliferation of night games and byes has really weakened the Saturday afternoon slate.


For the first time in years, I 1) woke up late (9 am, around the time that Gameday ends) and 2) spent 5 hours outside and away from my TV on a college football Saturday).

Even though I watched (most of) Gameday at 3 pm PT, which was weird, while simultaneously watching actual football games, I feel like I didn't miss much.

My Cal team's kickoff was 7:30 pm PT...which doesn't sound bad (to East Coasters who have 8 pm or later kickoffs their time), but as a West Coaster,  I like having games end before 9 pm PT. So that I can do other weekend stuff.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
Minneapple

Minneapple

  • Author
On 9/30/2017 at 6:28 PM, xaxat said:

The proliferation of night games and byes has really weakened the Saturday afternoon slate.

A lot of it is Fox/FS1 moving the Big Ten games to weird timeslots. And some of it is games being played on Thursdays and Fridays. 

Link to comment
Calvada

Calvada

(edited)

Nebraska fans, just when you are no longer having nightmares about Melvin Gordon, the Badgers introduce you to Jonathan Taylor.

Nothing like 22 consecutive run plays to set the tone for the 4th quarter.  It's what Wisconsin fans call "Barry Ball."

Edited by Calvada
  • Love 1
Link to comment
twoods

twoods

Always a good day when both Oklahoma and Michigan lose. Iowa State planting their flag in the middle of the field was great- I had a bad taste when Oklahoma did that earlier this year. 

  • Love 1
Link to comment
pennben

pennben

43 minutes ago, twoods said:

Always a good day when both Oklahoma and Michigan lose. Iowa State planting their flag in the middle of the field was great- I had a bad taste when Oklahoma did that earlier this year. 

Okay, I have to admit to giggling a bit earlier this year when Oklahoma planted the flag.  I then giggled, and giggled and laughed out loud as it became clearer that a flag was going to be planted in OU's field! Never plant the flag until the season is over and you've won!!  College sports are great! Lessons to be learned!

  • Love 2
Link to comment
roamyn

roamyn

3 hours ago, xaxat said:

So, if you are a kicker who wears school gear on your YouTube site, the NCAA brings out the hammer.

If you are an entire program that benefits for a series of fake classes, no big deal.

The NCAA didn't say the classes weren't fake (or rather questionable education wise), just that the athletes alone didn't just benefit.  The classes were available to the entire student body.

Therefore, no proof that the school cheated by having athletes take easy, passable courses.

Link to comment
DrSpaceman73

DrSpaceman73

15 hours ago, roamyn said:

The NCAA didn't say the classes weren't fake (or rather questionable education wise), just that the athletes alone didn't just benefit.  The classes were available to the entire student body.

Therefore, no proof that the school cheated by having athletes take easy, passable courses.

That just seems like such a lame excuse. 

So basically the loophole is as long as you let just anyone take easy courses along with the athletes, its OK.  Not only does this decision let NC get away with this, but the NCAA basically just gave out the blueprint for how to let your athletes in school and pass with ease. 

I live in North Carolina, though I am not an alum.  I like the school, follow the program, I cheer for them in most cases. 

But that decision is just such BS. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment
twoods

twoods

I was horrified that those players had to play a game in such unsafe air quality conditions because of the wildfires. I hope their lungs are okay.

Damn it Indiana, why couldn't you have beaten Michigan today so they drop out of the top 25?

  • Love 1
Link to comment
Bastet

Bastet

Holy hell, USC escaped with a win, but there are some big problems plaguing them this season.  And I don't fully understand it; I've said before I'm not entirely sold on Helton as a coach because of the players' mental mistakes, but can I really put it all on him?  It's going to be a long and illuminating season (especially with no bye week).

  • Love 1
Link to comment
Minneapple

Minneapple

  • Author
15 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

But that decision is just such BS. 

It really is. It proves the NCAA doesn't care about academics at all. The athletes weren't just taking easy classes, they were taking completely fake classes, which should make them ineligible. And if fake classes were available to the whole student body, that should make a UNC degree quite worthless. Note that UNC didn't hold a big press conference -- because they're downright embarrassed, as they should be.

Anyway, quite a weekend of upsets. Took a bite out of the Apple Cup.

  • Love 3
Link to comment
DrSpaceman73

DrSpaceman73

15 hours ago, twoods said:

I was horrified that those players had to play a game in such unsafe air quality conditions because of the wildfires. I hope their lungs are okay.

Damn it Indiana, why couldn't you have beaten Michigan today so they drop out of the top 25?

As an alum of Indiana, its frustrating to see games like that over and over where they have chances to make statement wins and just can't do it. 

Its also frustrating to be placed in the same division of the same conference as Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan.  Not to mention a usually pretty good Michigan State team. 

The team is on the right track and the program is building, but it definitely limits the ceiling of any expectations you have for the team in the future. 

The divisions in the Big Ten are ally unbalanced and they knew this from the start. 

But still the team has gone from pretty much a joke to respectability at least in the last several years. 

Link to comment
Minneapple

Minneapple

  • Author

The divisions in the Big Ten are ally unbalanced and they knew this from the start.

They started out with balanced divisions and it didn't work. I didn't mind them, but other Wisconsin fans were furious because we were split from Minnesota and Iowa. A lot of Michigan and Ohio State fans were also annoyed at being in different divisions.

Butch Jones, Mike Riley, Bret Bielema. Lots of coaches on the hot seat today. Although I don't know how Arkansas could fire Bielema, since he has a huge buyout clause in hia contract.

Link to comment
xaxat

xaxat

4 hours ago, mojoween said:

What’s up with these ugly ass Ohio State uniforms?  I didn’t even recognize them or their helmet.

Unless I have an established rooting interest I always cheer against any team wearing alternate jerseys. They are so annoying. 

Link to comment
Minneapple

Minneapple

  • Author
3 hours ago, xaxat said:

Unless I have an established rooting interest I always cheer against any team wearing alternate jerseys. They are so annoying. 

Pretty much every NCAA team has some kind of alternate nowadays. Maybe the only exceptions are Penn State and Alabama. And I’m fairly certain that even PSU has gone with the throwback unis at some point recently. The kids seem to like them and they are harmless. Well, I suppose except for when Oregon’s neon colors hurt the eyes.

Link to comment
xaxat

xaxat

9 hours ago, Minneapple said:

The kids seem to like them

And coaches like them even more. Because they get a cut of that sweet sponsorship money.

I assume he's safe this season, but is Florida State going to regret that $40 million buyout for Jimbo Fisher after next season?

  • Love 1
Link to comment
Silver Raven

Silver Raven

13 hours ago, Minneapple said:

Pretty much every NCAA team has some kind of alternate nowadays. Maybe the only exceptions are Penn State and Alabama. And I’m fairly certain that even PSU has gone with the throwback unis at some point recently. The kids seem to like them and they are harmless. Well, I suppose except for when Oregon’s neon colors hurt the eyes.

Does Oregon ever wear the same uniforms twice?

Link to comment
Stuffy

Stuffy

(edited)
3 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Oklahoma and Ok State have given up on having any pretense of a defense, on either side.

OU's defense sucks period. Mike Stoops may be out of a job after this season. I can't see them keeping him now that his brother isn't the coach. Baker and the offense has been willing the team to victories in spite of the defense. The defense and Stoops is lucky they only have one loss. 

Edited by Stuffy
Link to comment
Bastet

Bastet

(edited)

Other than the Trojans remembering how to play again and winning after letting the Wildcats tie the score, thus controlling their division destiny, my favorite part of the USC/Arizona game came from the announcers discussing the rash of QB injuries in the NFL and one of them (I can't remember who) saying that, nevertheless, the strangest NFL QB story was that Colin Kaepernick doesn't have a job.  Testify.  And good on all those who continue to say it.

Edited by Bastet
  • Love 4
Link to comment
Magog

Magog

(edited)

It was so nice seeing the U (Miami Hurricanes) become relevant again in College Football. That ass whooping that they give to Notre Dame last night was great to watch. It was also nice seeing that Turnover Chain throughout the night. Hopefully, their magical run will continue & we get to see more of that beautiful chain.

Edited by Magog
  • Love 3
Link to comment
Popples

Popples

Butch Jones out at Tennessee.

 

28 minutes ago, Magog said:

It was so nice seeing the U (Miami Hurricanes) become relevant again in College Football. That ass whooping that they give to Notre Dame last night was great to watch. It was also nice seeing that Turnover Chain throughout the night. Hopefully, their magical run will continue & we get to see more of that beautiful chain.

That was a beautiful thing to watch. Seeing the perennially overrated Notre Dame getting absolutely thrashed is always a treat.

  • Love 4
Link to comment
Bastet

Bastet

I did not expect the OU/TCU game to be that lopsided.  I'm good with the outcome (lots of family in Oklahoma; OU is basically their pro team and I root in solidarity), but I was expecting a much tighter, more exciting game.

I was almost - almost - feeling sorry for Colorado, because it just wasn't their day.  USC kind of repeated last week's performance against Arizona - dominate, ease up on the throttle too early, and thus have to dominate again.  That's coaching, so I'm still iffy on Helton.  At least they're back in the Pac-12 championship game.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...