College Football

[SergioCQH]

If the ACC and the Big 12 were matched up on neutral fields thus:

Oklahoma - Virginia Tech (Big 12 win)

Texas - Boston College (Big 12 win)

Texas Tech - Georgia Tech (ACC win)

Oklahoma State - Florida State (Big 12 win)

Missouri - North Carolina (Big 12 win)

Nebraska - Clemson (Big 12 win) Remember Nebraska almost beat VT.

Kansas - Maryland (Big 12 win) Kansas is no longer ranked so Maryland will get crushed.

Baylor - Wake Forest (ACC win)

Colorado - Miami (ACC win)

Kansas State - NC State (ACC win)

Texas A&M - Virginia (ACC win)

Iowa State - Duke (ACC win)

So that's 6-6, but if you only look at possible bowl matchups, the Big 12 would be 6-1. Yeah, the ACC's bottom-feeders are better than the Big 12 bottom-feeders, but the Big 12 would crush the ACC in bowls.

[Lukkake]

See, those are made up games. What really happened this season was the ACC going 4-0 against the Big 12.

There isn't really an agreed upon metric for deciding which conference is best. But you can't just choose the top 6 teams in a 12 team conference. If I'm stuck with Duke and Al Groh, then you're stuck with A&M and Colorado. And I don't really think the ACC is the best conference this year, the Big 12 is. We are by far the most improved though, and I'd like to see ACC teams earn more credit for going through what turned out to be some of the toughest schedules in the country.

[HokieStone]

[quote name='SergioCQH' post='1612689' date='Dec 8 2008, 13.28']If the ACC and the Big 12 were matched up on neutral fields thus:

Oklahoma - Virginia Tech (Big 12 win)

Texas - Boston College (Big 12 win)

Texas Tech - Georgia Tech (ACC win)

Oklahoma State - Florida State (Big 12 win)

Missouri - North Carolina (Big 12 win)

Nebraska - Clemson (Big 12 win) Remember Nebraska almost beat VT.

Kansas - Maryland (Big 12 win) Kansas is no longer ranked so Maryland will get crushed.

Baylor - Wake Forest (ACC win)

Colorado - Miami (ACC win)

Kansas State - NC State (ACC win)

Texas A&M - Virginia (ACC win)

Iowa State - Duke (ACC win)

So that's 6-6, but if you only look at possible bowl matchups, the Big 12 would be 6-1. Yeah, the ACC's bottom-feeders are better than the Big 12 bottom-feeders, but the Big 12 would crush the ACC in bowls.[/quote]

I wouldn't bet against UNC, Clemson or Maryland in those games you list as a "Big 12" win. You also keep saying that "VT barely beat Nebraska". I was at the game...the score was closer than it should've been. And VT is much better now than we were at that point in the season. I see all these yards that Big 12 QBs are putting up, and my first thought isn't "wow, they have some great QBs in that conference", it's "wow, don't they play any defense in that conference?"

Anyway, my point - as I said - wasn't to proclaim the ACC the best conference. I think the Big 12 and SEC are still better. But the ACC isn't nearly as bad as had been claimed. And your mediocrity comment doesn't hold water, IMO. If it's the SEC, there's parity because everyone is so good. If it's the ACC, it's because they're all mediocre. Again, not saying the ACC is better than the SEC (we had some bad OOC losses), but it's a damn sight better than the talking heads would have you believe.

[lokisnow]

strength of conferences:
1. Big 12
2. SEC
3. ACC
4. Big 10
5. Big East
6. Pac 10

I hate that, but it's the way things have shaken out at the end of the season. That doesn't mean by any stretch of the imagination that every top six team in the big twelve would beat the equivalently ranked team in the ACC.

It will be interesting to see if Nebraska reminds the Big 12 that defense is also part of football in the next couple years, certainly most of those vaunted B12 south teams and Kansas and Missouri seem to have forgotten about that half of the game.

[S John]

[quote name='lockesnow' post='1613326' date='Dec 9 2008, 00.42']strength of conferences:
1. Big 12
2. SEC
3. ACC
4. Big 10
5. Big East
6. Pac 10[/quote]

Heh, its really funny to me how my perception of the Big East (in football) lives and dies with WVU. I really do try to be objective but its really hard to completely remove the homer glasses. However, and I've noticed this about WV fans, when we're disappointing we don't generally play up the competition, instead we'll just bitch about how we suck so bad that we couldnt even beat ____! But I guess even Syracuse (thank God we beat them, it was fairly close) is probably a little better than the Washington teams.

Now again 8-4 isnt terrible, but this is just a rough situation. We did lose some key personell, so its hard to pinpoint what was wrong. Was it poor coaching, bad play calling, lack of Slaton, lack of Schmidt, poor recieveing, all of the above...who knows? I will say though, we've got some pretty good recruits coming in, if they stick with thier word, but we are going to suck next year. Thats inevitable, between last year and this year we will have lost a lot of key people. Next year wouldve been a rebuilding year no matter who was running the show. So, here we go again.

[Ken Stone]

[quote name='lockesnow' post='1613326' date='Dec 9 2008, 00.42']It will be interesting to see if Nebraska reminds the Big 12 that defense is also part of football in the next couple years, certainly most of those vaunted B12 south teams and Kansas and Missouri seem to have forgotten about that half of the game.[/quote]

Here's hoping! Although we didn't have a stellar D this year considering the lack of talent on that side of the ball they really did over-perform. Callahan completely screwed us on that side of the ball, by focusing all recruiting on the Offense. The starting linebackers this year consisted of a true freshman WALKON (yeah, as a starter), a redshirt freshman WALKON, and a senior who had played RB for 3 years and moved to LB in the spring. There was absolutely no talent or experience in the group as a whole yet they still got the job done. They didn't play great, but they played hard. I expect that squad to develop and improve drastically in the next couple of years.

[turinturambar]

[quote name='Lukkake' post='1612844' date='Dec 8 2008, 16.43']See, those are made up games. What really happened this season was the ACC going 4-0 against the Big 12.

There isn't really an agreed upon metric for deciding which conference is best. But you can't just choose the top 6 teams in a 12 team conference. If I'm stuck with Duke and Al Groh, then you're stuck with A&M and Colorado. And I don't really think the ACC is the best conference this year, the Big 12 is. We are by far the most improved though, and I'd like to see ACC teams earn more credit for going through what turned out to be some of the toughest schedules in the country.[/quote]
Last Bowl Season the 4th best BIG XII team beat the ACC champion. The 5th best BIG XII team beat the 2nd or 3rd best ACC team.

As others have said, the bottom half of the ACC is probably better than the bottom half of the BIG XII, but the top half, the strength of the conferences is heavily favored by the BIG XII.

[turinturambar]

[quote name='lockesnow' post='1613326' date='Dec 9 2008, 01.42']strength of conferences:
1. Big 12
2. SEC
3. ACC
4. Big 10
5. Big East
6. Pac 10

I hate that, but it's the way things have shaken out at the end of the season. That doesn't mean by any stretch of the imagination that every top six team in the big twelve would beat the equivalently ranked team in the ACC.

It will be interesting to see if Nebraska reminds the Big 12 that defense is also part of football in the next couple years, certainly most of those vaunted B12 south teams and Kansas and Missouri seem to have forgotten about that half of the game.[/quote]
We'll see how the BIG XII defenses perform during the bowl season. A lot of the "defensive" problems in the BIG XII are a result of some very good and innovative offenses.

[S John]

I think some of you might enjoy [url="http://www.themonkeycage.org/2008/12/bcs_declares_germany_winner_of.html"]this[/url].

[dornish prince]

:rofl:

that's excellent! thanks for sharing, SJ

[Bronn Stone]

I think Germany faced a tougher non-conference schedule than Texas Tech, to be sure.

[Lukkake]

[url="http://deadspin.com/5104501/now-this-is-the-way-to-end-a-press-conference"]Bill Stewart will lubricate the world[/url]

I'm starting to like Bill Stewart as much as I like Al Groh.

I can't decide which is worse, being lubricated by a football coach or being lubricated by a West Virginian.

[TheHoundRules]

[quote name='Lukkake' post='1613968' date='Dec 9 2008, 17.42'][url="http://deadspin.com/5104501/now-this-is-the-way-to-end-a-press-conference"]Bill Stewart will lubricate the world[/url]

I'm starting to like Bill Stewart as much as I like Al Groh.

I can't decide which is worse, being lubricated by a football coach or being lubricated by a West Virginian.[/quote]
:dunce:

[S John]

Heh, maybe Bill is starting to crack under the pressure. All but the most homerific of homers have had a few pointed criticisms of the new regime. Guys a really geniune person, by all accounts a great guy, so I hate to hate on him..... but that doesnt win football games.

[HokieStone]

[quote name='turinturambar' post='1613672' date='Dec 9 2008, 13.46']Last Bowl Season the 4th best BIG XII team beat the ACC champion.[/quote]


Wrong. In the 2008 Orange Bowl, the ACC Champion's offensive coordinator beat the ACC champion.

[TheHoundRules]

Mississippi State is hiring Florida's offensive coordinator. Good. Maybe he can take Tebow with him. I do not think UGA play them next year.

[Arakasi]

Figured I would post in this thread for the people still posting in the other one.

Curious what people think of Harrell being left out. I'm guessing they left him because of the stigma of being a system QB. Then again OU has had a pretty powerful system as well.

[Bronn Stone]

[quote name='Triskele' post='1614345' date='Dec 9 2008, 22.56']As someone who has rooted for the Ducks and then the Beavers in my life, I never thought I'd see the day when UW was so frickin' bad. Does everyone remember that they were nothing less than a superpower for roughly a decade?[/quote]

I hold a grudging respect for the Husky program and back in the 80's, when all Cal fans had to have a different team to root for when bowl season came around, Washington (and Don James) were the ones I liked. I also think they have the second-best marching band in the conference. The two best Pac 10 teams I ever saw were 2004 USC and 1991 Washington. And I think the Huskies win that matchup when it (someday) will be played in heaven.

As my buddies and I watched Cal dismantle and then toy with the Huskies last weekend, we felt more than a bit sad.

If I had my druthers, the perennial powers in the Pac 10 would be Oregon, Washington, Cal, UCLA and USC, with the other five teams having occasional 'bump up' years. It is just wrong looking out and seeing UCLA and UW totally sucking wind.

[TheHoundRules]

[quote name='Arakasi' post='1616688' date='Dec 11 2008, 19.19']Figured I would post in this thread for the people still posting in the other one.

Curious what people think of Harrell being left out. I'm guessing they left him because of the stigma of being a system QB. Then again OU has had a pretty powerful system as well.[/quote]

I am thinking that most people in that region split votes b/w him, Colt, and Bradford. McCoy and Bradford probably got more. In the other regions, I am guessing it was also Colt and Bradford. They just had more air time throughout the entire season. I think he should be there and considered, but 3 QB's from the same conference is tough. Those votes get split up.

[H von T]

[quote name='TheHoundRules' post='1615431' date='Dec 10 2008, 18.59']Mississippi State is hiring Florida's offensive coordinator. Good. Maybe he can take Tebow with him. I do not think UGA play them next year.[/quote]
I'm glad it was Mullen and not our DC, Charlie Strong. Mullen's been a good coordinator, but he's definitely not irreplaceable. Why Mullen would want to go the bizarro Bulldogs is beyond me. Miss St is easily the the poorest team in the SEC and it's going to tough going up against Saban, Miles, Petrino, Nutt, and whoever they hire at Auburn. I wish him luck, but success at MSU is 7-5.