College Football

[S John]

Some Monday cfb thoughts:

I know someone's gotta be ranked but I don't know about Maryland. They got [i]crushed [/i]by Virginia 31-0 and VT beat them pretty solidly too. Ah well. Who knows whats going on in the ACC anymore? Its really hard to tell if everyone is solid or if everyone sucks. Seems likely though, that if they go up against anyone other than possibly the Big East champion in the BCS...play it safe and put your money on that streak extending.

This year could defintely shake out to be another muddled, crazy ending, and I hope it does. Every murky ending is another step toward a playoff, and its fun to watch the blowhard analysts try to make sense of it. As mentioned above, Missouri could really wreck everything for the Big 12. I hope they bring thier big game face for once. What if TT beats Oklahoma and then loses to Missouri? Would it be possible for Texas to then go to the NC without even winning thier division?

We could have a similar situation in the Pac-10 if Oregon State wins out, USC could go to the title game without having won thier conference.

Then what if Florida loses to Florida State (highly unlikely) but then beats Alabama?

And despite a below average year, the Big East title might be on the line when we visit Pitt in 2 weeks. That would be just grand, as this is supposed to be the year of the 'Stache in the Big East. I can see it now, crying Panther fans shuffling out of Heinz field. Almost brings a tear of [i]joy [/i]to my eye. If we beat Louisville this weekend, I think I'm going to get tickets to the Pitt game, the price and the drive to Pittsburgh is totally worth this possibility.

[Gold Storm]

[quote name='Triskele' post='1590468' date='Nov 15 2008, 19.57']w00t!!!!! A great win for us. My brother got robbed!!! Cal in despair and he gets a pick to the house in garbage time but a late-whisteled false start called it back. So then Keenan Lewis gets one on the next play. But it's all good.


yes, the Rodgers boys should be starting for Texas, not Oregon State. But we'll take 'em! :cheers:[/quote]

Your brother got robbed big time, we were all jumping around and yelling when he intercepted that ball, then they had that late false start penalty. We were like crap, the refs just gave Cal another chance; then POW next play Lewis got this pick-6. I think your brother will be watching a lot of game tape on Gronkowski he was over half of Arizona's offense against the Ducks.

[TheHoundRules]

Will Muschamp has been named head coach in waiting at Texas. He will replace Brown when he leaves who still has 8 years on his contract. This coach in waiting stuff is a bit crazy to me. I know people do not want to lose coaches, but this is starting a bad trend I think. What if the Texas defense starts tanking in a few years. Will Texas change their mind? He could have had another HC job possibly.

[Commodore]

I had never heard of [url="http://fedex.com/us/sports/orangebowl/bcs.html"]this Notre Dame rule[/url]:

[quote]Automatic Access For Institutions Without Guaranteed Access

Should a team from a conference which does not have an automatic selection or an independent institution be ranked in the top six* such team shall be guaranteed selection in one of the games of the Bowl Championship Series. [b]In this event, should Notre Dame have a top ten ranking* or a record of at least 9 wins**, Notre Dame shall be guaranteed selection in one of the games of the Bowl Championship Series. [/b][/quote]

I can understand a clause for non-BCS schools in general, but giving Notre Dame a special clause is bullshit. Can you imagine if Notre Dame had managed to get 9 wins this year and got a BCS berth. There schedule is a joke next year and that's probably gonna happen, even though they suck.

[Mr. X]

[quote name='Triskele' post='1593521' date='Nov 18 2008, 22.11']There's a reason that they have lost something like 11 straight bowl games. They are systematically put into better games vs tougher competition than their season merits.[/quote]
The reason being that a Notre Dame bowl game draws viewers (or at least people who make decisions about these things seem to think so) -- ND fans will watch in the hopes that this year will be different, those who love to hate ND will watch in hopes that the Irish will get pasted.

ETA: Er, by reason I was referring to why ND keeps getting placed in bowl games over their heads, not why they have lost so many bowl games in a row.

[lokisnow]

I bet that 9 wins was enacted when they only played 11 games, it should be changed to 10 though the rule really should not exist at all. fucking notre dame.

[add-on]

[quote name='TheHoundRules' post='1593337' date='Nov 18 2008, 18.18']Will Muschamp has been named head coach in waiting at Texas. He will replace Brown when he leaves who still has 8 years on his contract. This coach in waiting stuff is a bit crazy to me. I know people do not want to lose coaches, but this is starting a bad trend I think. What if the Texas defense starts tanking in a few years. Will Texas change their mind? He could have had another HC job possibly.[/quote]
To me, this just felt like Texas trying to make sure Muschamp didn't take any of those other possible jobs. If his defenses do start performing poorly, I could definitely see Texas backing out. Seems like Muschamp is getting a raw deal here.

[S John]

[quote name='Commodore' post='1593462' date='Nov 18 2008, 21.30']I had never heard of [url="http://fedex.com/us/sports/orangebowl/bcs.html"]this Notre Dame rule[/url]:



I can understand a clause for non-BCS schools in general, but giving Notre Dame a special clause is bullshit. Can you imagine if Notre Dame had managed to get 9 wins this year and got a BCS berth. There schedule is a joke next year and that's probably gonna happen, even though they suck.[/quote]

And thats just for the BCS, other bowls have Notre Dame clauses of thier own. The Gator bowl, for example, one of the Big Easts only decent tie-ins, can opt out of taking a BE team in favor of a [i]bowl eligible[/i] Notre Dame. So you could technically get a 6-7 win Notre Dame getting picked over a 9 win West Virginia. Thankfully it seems Pitt laid the possibilty of that happening this year to rest by beating ND a couple weeks ago. And unfotunately that deal was struck by the Big East commissioner, in an effort to keep our Gator tie-in when the traitors left. Hopefully it expires soon, I think we can probably hold the tie-in on our own now.

[Bronn Stone]

[quote name='lockesnow' post='1593573' date='Nov 18 2008, 20.11']I bet that 9 wins was enacted when they only played 11 games, it should be changed to 10 though the rule really should not exist at all. fucking notre dame.[/quote]

It was 8 before.

[Kalbear]

[quote]To me, this just felt like Texas trying to make sure Muschamp didn't take any of those other possible jobs. If his defenses do start performing poorly, I could definitely see Texas backing out. Seems like Muschamp is getting a raw deal here.[/quote]It's probably a way to get around any odd Rooney-esque rules.

[Ken Stone]

I don't understand why the BCS feels the need to bow before ND. What happens if they didn't include special ND rules? Would ND join another conference or something? Give me a break! BCS is the only game in town. Even if ND is the most popular team at the end of the day if they want to play with the big boys they are going to have to go with what ever deal the BCS gives them. Why then does there need to be special ND rules?

[Kalbear]

[quote]I don't understand why the BCS feels the need to bow before ND. What happens if they didn't include special ND rules? Would ND join another conference or something?[/quote]Essentially ND and the bowls refused to go into the BCS unless the BCS caved to them. And at the time, the BCS could not reasonably say no to that.

You have to understand that ND is huge money to a bowl. The notion that a 9-win ND team wouldn't make it to one of the marquee bowl games was absolutely foreign a few years ago.

[L'Sana]

[quote name='Kalbear' post='1594319' date='Nov 19 2008, 12.52']Essentially ND and the bowls refused to go into the BCS unless the BCS caved to them. And at the time, the BCS could not reasonably say no to that.

You have to understand that ND is huge money to a bowl. The notion that a 9-win ND team wouldn't make it to one of the marquee bowl games was absolutely foreign a few years ago.[/quote]

Honestly, I don't see any reason to bitch about Notre Dame getting an automatic bid if they win 9 games. Why is a 9-3 Notre Dame going to a BCS bowl a travesty when a 10-3 or 9-4 ACC champion also gets an automatic bid? And the Big East has certainly had more than one year when their conference champion was nothing to write home about.

The BCS conference have power, and they used it to insure that their champions would always get a bid. Notre Dame has power, and they used it to make sure that they would have just as good a chance of getting a bid as any team in the BCS conferences. If you want to moan about the general unfairness, go ahead, but I don't think ND deserves to be singled out.

[Kalbear]

[quote]Honestly, I don't see any reason to bitch about Notre Dame getting an automatic bid if they win 9 games. Why is a 9-3 Notre Dame going to a BCS bowl a travesty when a 10-3 or 9-4 ACC champion also gets an automatic bid?[/quote]Because I'd rather an 11-1 BCS team get to a bowl over a 9-3 ND team, honestly. That's happened a couple times already, and it was stupid. But the whole thing's about money, so it really doesn't matter about fairness.

And make no mistake, this had nothing to do with the power of ND; this had to do with the bowls wanting the money that ND brings. If ND decided that they'd just not be in the BCS unless the BCS caved and the bowls were fine with it, they wouldn't go to a BCS bowl and that would be that.

[L'Sana]

[quote name='Kalbear' post='1594417' date='Nov 19 2008, 13.59']Because I'd rather an 11-1 BCS team get to a bowl over a 9-3 ND team, honestly. That's happened a couple times already, and it was stupid. But the whole thing's about money, so it really doesn't matter about fairness.[/quote]

And I repeat: why is a travesty that a 9-3 ND team might make the BCS but perfectly fine that a 10-3 or 9-4 ACC team might? Why is ND uniquely bad?

[quote name='Kalbear' post='1594417' date='Nov 19 2008, 13.59']And make no mistake, this had nothing to do with the power of ND; this had to do with the bowls wanting the money that ND brings. If ND decided that they'd just not be in the BCS unless the BCS caved and the bowls were fine with it, they wouldn't go to a BCS bowl and that would be that.[/quote]

Same difference. The fact that there fans bring money gives ND a certain amount of power over the BCS. The same is true for the major conferences. Both have used that power. I don't see that anything ND has done is any worse than anything that the officials all of the major conferences have done.

[Kalbear]

[quote]And I repeat: why is a travesty that a 9-3 ND team might make the BCS but perfectly fine that a 10-3 or 9-4 ACC team might? Why is ND uniquely bad?[/quote]They're not, except I feel like the champion of a BCS division is more qualified to go to a better bowl than a random independent. The situation with Pitt a couple years ago similarly sucked, mind you, but that's been since hotfixed. ND hasn't.

[S John]

[quote name='L'Sana' post='1594516' date='Nov 19 2008, 17.36']And I repeat: why is a travesty that a 9-3 ND team might make the BCS but perfectly fine that a 10-3 or 9-4 ACC team might? Why is ND uniquely bad?[/quote]


I would say becuase ND hasnt won thier games in the BCS era. What is ND at now? 11 straight bowl losses? The much maligned Big East, for example, has 6 BCS wins since the BCS started. Notre Dame, despite 3 appearances, has 0. In only one of thier BCS appearances did they have more than 9 wins. There is no way in hell they would ever send a 9 win West Virginia into the BCS as an at-large over a 9 win Notre Dame, despite West Virginia's much better showing in BCS bowls. Thats what makes people bitter, they get put in over better teams becuase of money. Thats bad for the game, imo. Notre Dame is like the spoiled favorite little brother whose dad buys him a BMW even though he has a DUI, is unemployed, and is failing math class. Even though his older brother had to bust his ass and buy his own damn car.

Lol, [url="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3713537"]case in point.[/url]

[lokisnow]

The ND rule is awful because it enforces the old powers monopoly on the top bowls, I'd much rather have an undefeated Ball State have a shot at a BCS bowl than that very deserving team be passed over by a 9 win ND team. the rule acts as a suppressant on equality. It's a some are more equal than others bullshit privelege.

[Mr. X]

[quote name='Kalbear' post='1594417' date='Nov 19 2008, 15.59']Because I'd rather an 11-1 BCS team get to a bowl over a 9-3 ND team, honestly. That's happened a couple times already, and it was stupid. But the whole thing's about money, so it really doesn't matter about fairness.

And make no mistake, this had nothing to do with the power of ND; this had to do with the bowls wanting the money that ND brings. If ND decided that they'd just not be in the BCS unless the BCS caved and the bowls were fine with it, they wouldn't go to a BCS bowl and that would be that.[/quote]
I agree with all of this.

[HokieStone]

Thank you Georgia Tech. And thank you Maryland for beating UNC last Saturday. One week after blowing it, VT now controls their own destiny again.