College Football

[Salacious Kitty]

Lamar's not THAT much older than Stetson. Lamar just turned 26 a couple of weeks ago. 

I imagine this will hurt Stetson's draft status. Though to be honest, I have no clue where he was projected. 

Edited January 30, 2023 by Salacious Kitty

[Popples]

Even though last week the Big 12 said they wouldn't let them go until 2025, Oklahoma and Texas will be joining the SEC in 2024.

 

[Carey]

Meh.  It makes sense.  2024 is basically the debut of the "New Look College Football" so it would be odd to keep them there until 2025.  Of course, why not let them go before 2023?  Well, I would not let the best of the traditional Big 12 of football exit before playoff expansion.  Sure the Big XII champion & runner up both looked awful in their final postseason game, but at the end of the day, waiting until 2024 is perfect

[Popples]

I was wondering when we would get an off-season post.

 

[baldryanr]

Holy crap (warning, sensitive material)

There's some likely level of hazing with every sports team, but good lord that is messed up if true.

[galaxygirl76]

Pat Fitzgerald got fired by Northwestern. There was no other way out, either he knew and needed to be fired or he didn't know and needed to be fired for not knowing what's going on within his own team.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/37991452/northwestern-fires-football-coach-pat-fitzgerald

[AimingforYoko]

Yeah, they'll put up with that BS if you're winning NCs, but not at Northwestern. Football's just not big enough of a deal there to tolerate assholes.

[Carey]

To be honest, what did the guy have to lose by putting his foot down on this nonsense over a decade after the PSU stuff?  If he was afraid of losing his program, whatever; Pat never won anything anyway & would’ve been booted much sooner in a real football school.  If he was any good, he’d be smart enough in 2023 to take a stand, with one of two things taking place.

Everybody respects him & doesn’t engage in that nonsense, or…

He loses his team & gets fired.  But if he’s good enough, he’ll end up in a program full of great culture

[mojoween]

When Nick Saban paints a picture of standing at grandma’s knee waiting for a cake to bake, does anyone else picture him as he looks now, just smaller?  I have an impossible time picturing preschool Nick Saban.

[janeyjay]

On 7/20/2023 at 5:45 AM, mojoween said:

When Nick Saban paints a picture of standing at grandma’s knee waiting for a cake to bake, does anyone else picture him as he looks now, just smaller?  I have an impossible time picturing preschool Nick Saban.

And now I can't get this image out of my head. Toddler Nick with Mature Nick face and hair. It's unsettling.

[AimingforYoko]

The buzzards are circling the Pac 12, and they really have no one but themselves to blame.

[twoods]

4 teams left? I wonder who will absorb them. 

[Carey]

2 hours ago, twoods said:

4 teams left? I wonder who will absorb them. 

Maybe teams like Pittsburgh & Syracuse can team up with them to form their own conference.  I had a couple clever names to call the conference, but I might just leave those with me

[PepSinger]

On 8/4/2023 at 3:46 PM, AimingforYoko said:

The buzzards are circling the Pac 12, and they really have no one but themselves to blame.

That Apple TV deal was a joke.

[DrSpaceman73]

Most popular answer seems pac and the wac teaming up.  But who knows. All 4 might end up going their separate ways. 

Stanford best bet to stay relevant in football with automatic bids to bowls and playoff might be a partnership with notre dame of some type. They'd need at least 6 other schools though. 

[Carey]

It wasn't long ago that the Big 12 was in the same situation (maybe it was, but I think definitely within the past decade), but they managed to pull themselves together.  At least until Oklahoma & Texas bolted.  Fortunately the Big XII will be fine.  I imagine the other schools will work things out.  However, schools like Stanford may be all about academics, so I hardly think they'll suffer overall at the end of the day

[Salacious Kitty]

3 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Most popular answer seems pac and the wac teaming up.  But who knows. All 4 might end up going their separate ways. 

Stanford best bet to stay relevant in football with automatic bids to bowls and playoff might be a partnership with notre dame of some type. They'd need at least 6 other schools though. 

I think the Mountain West could absorb them. They already have California teams, so there's precedent. 

[Carey]

On 8/6/2023 at 1:43 AM, PerformingArtist said:

That Apple TV deal was a joke.

Couldn't agree more.  It's like an Internet surfer seeing a WAH job or this one easy thing for $5,000 or $10 Grand or whatever spam one would fall for.  Despite their demise, the best of the Pac 12 being in a better spot is great for people, their fans that couldn't care less what conference they're playing in

[SuprSuprElevated]

I live smack in the middle of (the former, traditional) Big10 territory, and it is amazing to see how exercised people around here are about the new teams. 

While I do see validity in the argument about travel time, I think that is a strawman argument to some extent. It feels like most are unhappy because different. If the past two and half years have taught us nothing else, they have taught that different waits for no one.

With little exception, I root for teams not conferences, though I know others feel differently.

Edited August 9, 2023 by SuprSuprElevated

[Phebemarie]

As long as FOX and ESPN control college football, re-alignment is going to continue happening to every remaining conference whenever media rights are renewed.   Small market schools are going to pay the price  because they don't bring the big bucks to Fox or ESPN.  

[Carey]

Well, welcome back to College Football.  I'll go with Louisville, Utah, and Minnesota ATS.  That's for the pre-Saturday slate. Cardinals still lose

Utah/UF under 44.5

G Tech/Cards under 49.5

Nebraska/Minnesota over 42.5

[kathyk24]

Spectrum decide to pull the ESPN networks tonight. I wanted to watch the Finebaum show to hear the Gator fans lose their minds.

 

[janeyjay]

12 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

Spectrum decide to pull the ESPN networks tonight. I wanted to watch the Finebaum show to hear the Gator fans lose their minds.

 

Just an FYI from a 4th generation UF graduate... we're not all bat guano crazy and losing our minds after last night. Won't bore you with my take on things, but did want to speak up for myself, even if I am in the silent minority.

[Carey]

I'm not a Gator fan, and while I would have no reason for an opinion, all I can say is that I probably wouldn't be that upset at the outcome.  While I have USC winning the Pac-12, I considered & thought of Utah.  That's a real team.

Furthermore, my pro team has been in a lot of similar cases.  Being upset happens, usually based on the way you don't win.  However, if you're opponent is expected to win, and they do, I can only say Oh Well, and then move on

[janeyjay]

Exactly. People (many of whom I know well) have indeed lost their damn minds and are already calling this season a disaster. It's the first game of the season; one game on the road against a ranked opponent. There's plenty to improve upon -- penalties especially -- but it wasn't a blow-out in regards to the score. 

Plus people and current fans forget or weren't around for the dark years BS (Before Spurrier.) Talk about bad. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go yell at some kids to get off my lawn. #OldGator

[AimingforYoko]

On 8/31/2023 at 6:33 PM, Carey said:

Nebraska/Minnesota over 42.5

Swing and a miss. Looks like Fleck's going to have to change the offense by necessity.

[roamyn]

We have DirecTv streaming and there's a block on CBS while they negotiate a new contract.

Of course The Ohio State would be on CBS.

[Carey]

Yeah I could not be anymore wrong about Nebraska & Minnesota.  Shoulda just stuck with the under throughout all of my picks.

I guess there's a sign saying people have to obtain YouTube Television if they don't want to deal with the nonsense from Spectrum, cable, etc.

Picks Time!  Tennessee, Michigan, Oklahoma, TCU, Iowa, Ole Miss, Oregon, Washington, OSU, Texas, ND, Wisconsin, Georgia, USC, Texas A&M, Penn State, Alabama, LSU, North Carolina, Clemson.   ETA: I have Indiana, Utah State, and Duke covering

Conference Champions

ACC: Clemson
Big Ten: Michigan
Big XII: Texas
Pac-12: USC
SEC: LSU


CFB Playoff: LSU, Michigan, Clemson, USC
LSU over USC, Michigan over Clemson
LSU over Michigan

For my O/U: I'll go over for Ohio State/Indiana Penn State/West Virginia, Georgia/Whomever, and FSU/LSU.  Under for the games featuring Tennessee, TCU, Notre Dame, Clemson, and the Carolinas.  Not sure the total for ND and UGA might be (55.5 and 56.5 respectively)

Edited September 2, 2023 by Carey
Spread and O/U stuff

[mojoween]

It occurred to me today that Michigan has a LOT of haters, but I just can’t quite put my finger on why…

 

[AimingforYoko]

Deion Sanders generates a lot of hype, but he just may be that guy.

[NUguy514]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

It occurred to me today that Michigan has a LOT of haters, but I just can’t quite put my finger on why…

 

Give me a minute...the reason will come to me...

Still, I'll take Michigan any day of the week and nine times on Saturday over Ohio State.

[kathyk24]

8 hours ago, roamyn said:

We have DirecTv streaming and there's a block on CBS while they negotiate a new contract.

Of course The Ohio State would be on CBS.

Spectrum pulled all the channels owned by Disney so no ESPN for me.

[AimingforYoko]

It was a little weird seeing Caleb Williams in a Wendy's ad. 

Speaking of ads:

 

[SuprSuprElevated]

8 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

It was a little weird seeing Caleb Williams in a Wendy's ad. 

Speaking of ads:

 

I saw this yestrday. I giggled.

[Bastet]

"Why are you leaving?"
"TV revenue.  You wouldn't understand."
"So we're just not rivals anymore?"

Ha!

[Crs97]

21 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Deion Sanders generates a lot of hype, but he just may be that guy.

That game was amazing!  I assume both teams will be focusing on defense this week.

I keep trying to like Deion, but then he says something stupid and the hill gets harder for me to climb.  I’m rooting for Colorado this year, though.

[Phebemarie]

Beavers looking good at the half.  Still think a Sunday game really weird, but at least they're on CBS rather than PAC 12(2) at Night.

Edited September 3, 2023 by Phebemarie

[SuprSuprElevated]

Is it only me that is having trouble hearing the talking heads over the background noise at sporting events? This FL v LSU game is a good example. I get that the crowd is part of the ambience if you will, but if you can't moderate the sound to where I can actually hear your overpaid announcers, why have them there?

I'm noticing this across all networks and events.

[Carey]

Hate is a strong word, and when you hate someone despite one's success at Cincy or South Bend, it's at the sports level.  Not in real life.

That being said, there are several people who'll pick a champion before the season starts, then they'll be out before Week 2 when things go South right away.  Then there's me, who is still looking forward to this season, and maybe even more!

[SuprSuprElevated]

9 hours ago, Carey said:

Hate is a strong word, and when you hate someone despite one's success at Cincy or South Bend, it's at the sports level.  Not in real life.

That being said, there are several people who'll pick a champion before the season starts, then they'll be out before Week 2 when things go South right away.  Then there's me, who is still looking forward to this season, and maybe even more!

BK never did anything to me, and one can't hardly argue the good he did for my Irish, but yeah, I enjoyed the hell outta that final score. 

Irrational? Probably

Edited September 4, 2023 by SuprSuprElevated

[Chit Chat]

Awesome game, FSU!!  

15 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Is it only me that is having trouble hearing the talking heads over the background noise at sporting events?

The crowd noise seems to be getting louder each year!  The war chant by the FSU fans gets annoying, but I understand their excitement. The worst for me are those damn cow bells at Mississippi State.  It's bad enough hearing it on TV.  I can't imagine having to hear that in the stadium.  My ears can't take that kind of noise!! 

[JTMacc99]

On 9/2/2023 at 7:33 PM, kathyk24 said:

Spectrum pulled all the channels owned by Disney so no ESPN for me.

Technically, Disney pulled its channels from Spectrum, not the other way around.

This is not a normal dispute like the DirecTV CBS one. Spectrum told Disney that they feel that the Spectrum customers should get access to the streaming Disney stuff as opposed to paying for it twice. Disney said no, you will pay us higher fees and force more of your customers to have our channels in their non-negotiable bundles (so that Spectrum has to pay for them every month.)

Spectrum declined to cave in to Disney’s strong arm negotiating tactics, for like the first time ever, and here we are. There are probably ways to get a lot of the missing content through Hulu/ESPN+. I saw someone in the tennis topic say a streaming service had a two week free trial that would give them ESPN. 

[Crs97]

We can watch ESPN through YouTube TV.  I cannot keep up with all these streaming platforms.

[Carey]

I have yet to test YouTube TV outside of my area, but that's probably due to the fact that the place I was at had a ton of options.  They also had Spectrum, so it could be an issue when I'm there later on.  Minor at best.  In addition, and as mentioned, the ton of options would address a successful plan B if this pathetic battle lasts forever

[Carey]

So much for a rare absence of Clemson as a Top 5 team; maybe it was a mistake to put them in the Top 10!

[JTMacc99]

11 hours ago, Carey said:

In addition, and as mentioned, the ton of options would address a successful plan B if this pathetic battle lasts forever

Spectrum collects $2.2 Billion dollars annually for Disney from it's customers. Disney was most likely looking to increase that by around 10%. This is not a small spat.

I was reading some investor takes on it this morning, and that community was analyzing it as "permanent". Mostly because not caving into Disney's demands increases Charter's (Spectrum's) value as a company going forward. 

[Carey]

There’s no reason to mention Georgia and Michigan as the relates to their respective first and second place spots in the first AP Poll (as in first rankings after everyone has played), but I guess I can since it’s not a federal crime.  Ohio State dropped 2 spots which is interesting.  Indiana covered against them, but that was a road game for the Buckeyes.  I guess I’d look at it as two teams moving up & jumping over them in Alabama and Florida State and not OSU stumbling.

Clemson nearly feel out of the rankings after being ranked in the Top 10.  Despite my remark about their placement, Duke might be better than usual this season.  It’s too soon to tell after one game, but Duke is ranked.  Might be a sample of overreaction, similar to what Colorado is getting, as they also entered the Top 25.

Tennessee & Notre Dame enter the Top 10 after LSU & the mentioned Clemson drop out of it
 

[Magog]

Is there anyway possible to root for neither in the Texas-Alabama game tonight? 

[Carey]

19 minutes ago, Magog said:

Is there anyway possible to root for neither in the Texas-Alabama game tonight? 

It may have been possible if the College Football overtime rules emulated the NFL overtime rules.

Week 02 Game Picks: Notre Dame, Colorado, Utah, Kansas State, Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State, Clemson, Texas A&M, Michigan, Tulane, Tennessee, Tulsa, UNC, Oklahoma, Duke, Texas Tech, Alabama, Wisconsin, LSU, TCU, Florida State, Oregon State, USC

IDK what the current O/U is for Colorado/Nebraska, but I'm taking the over.  Colorado covers; IDK if Nebraska will do anything, but chances are they don't have to do anything since Colorado can get to the over on their own

ETA: Michigan doesn't cover 37.5 & Alabama covers -7.  Under in both games (56.5 & 53.5, with the former being the same as the one for Colorado/Nebraska)

Edited September 9, 2023 by Carey
Michigan & Bama picks

[AimingforYoko]

And the Buffaloes' bandwagon is only going to get bigger, at least until they play Oregon and USC.

Meanwhile it's always a good day to see the fans in Tuscaloosa sad. Also nice to see Sark do well after he threw away his last shot at a big-time job.