NCAAF 2014

Yeah whether it is a mistake or not it is at least a bit confusing lol.

In recruiting news. . .

Ohio State just landed two big recruits Justin Hilliard (OLB) and Jashon Cornell (DE). Hilliard is the top player in Ohio so not surprised the Buckeyes grabbed him. I was hoping my Spartans could sign Cornell though. Cornell is from Minnesota, but I know better than to think my Gophers had a shot at him.

FYI: The reason I have two teams is undergrad at Minnesota and grad at Michigan State.

fox sports list of the top 20 NCAA freaks

I really hope AZ drafts Bryce Petty next year. talk about a Bruce Arians prototype QB.

[quote]JMac31 wrote:
FYI: The reason I have two teams is undergrad at Minnesota and grad at Michigan State.[/quote]

Nothing wrong with that. One of my best buddies in college grew up a Buckeyes fan in Ohio, went to graduate school at Wisconsin and joined the cheerleading team (a former 6’5" and 290 pound Division III All-American offensive tackle), then got the shaft after three years in Madison when his academic advisor left for Minnesota so he had to pack up and become a Gopher.

Thus, he has three Big Ten rooting interests (to his credit, he’s become a pretty firm Badgers fan, really with more of a passing interest in Gopher sports just because he loves all chances to watch major college sports, and he feels much more affection for the Badgers than OSU).

I grew up more-or-less a Penn State fan, but really am pretty much a college football “atheist” at this point with no specific rooting interest. I just love the game. I kind of pick teams to back each year, but not in an “I’m going to brag that MY TEAM is good” way, really just rooting for teams based on style and/or personality of their coaches/players.

[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:
Thus, he has three Big Ten rooting interests (to his credit, he’s become a pretty firm Badgers fan, really with more of a passing interest in Gopher sports just because he loves all chances to watch major college sports, and he feels much more affection for the Badgers than OSU).
[/quote]

I absolutely cannot approve of a Badger fan lol. My Gophers will beat them one of these years … I hope.

I do give him credit for rooting for the school he attended (and spend the most time at).

[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:
I grew up more-or-less a Penn State fan, but really am pretty much a college football “atheist” at this point with no specific rooting interest. I just love the game. I kind of pick teams to back each year, but not in an “I’m going to brag that MY TEAM is good” way, really just rooting for teams based on style and/or personality of their coaches/players.[/quote]

Since my Big Ten rooting interests are well covered I usually do adopt a non-Big Ten team each year. Helps to follow some of the other conferences. Last year I liked Clemson. Note sure yet this year, but so far leaning towards Baylor. I’ll have to watch them play a few times. Speaking of Baylor…

[quote]silverblood wrote:
fox sports list of the top 20 NCAA freaks

I really hope AZ drafts Bryce Petty next year. talk about a Bruce Arians prototype QB.
http://msn.foxsports.com/college-football/story/baylor-bears-bryce-petty-elite-11-us-military-070714[/quote]

We nice article on Petty. Carrying around 50lbs sang bags is definitely right up his alley. He is a big kid.

I also love freak athletes. Being someone who aspires (and consistently comes up short) to be a freak athlete I have a great appreciation for the things these guys can do. Some very impressive stuff.

First a funny quote:

“Only two schools, LSU and California, had more than five underclassmen in this year’s draft. Six of LSU’s seven players were chosen, while only two of the six from Cal were drafted.”

How could a ONE win Cal team from last year have SIX NFL caliber players?

Possible solution: The draft pool each year consists of all persons three or more years out of high school who have not yet been drafted. If a player is undrafted he can return to school. If a player is draft they can still return to school provided they have not done anything to lose NCAA eligibility. The NHL and MLB both have similar set-up, with different rules on who long teams have to sign their picks and if unsigned picks are redrafted or become free agents. I guess one difference is baseball and hockey have minor league systems while football does not.

Thoughts?

ultimate sports song about YOUR TEAM!!!

SMU coach June Jones suggested that the power five (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC) play in the fall while the “have-nots” (American Athletic, Conference USA, MAC Mountain West, and Sun Belt) should break off and play in the spring. I guess this logic is the the small schools would not have to compete with the big schools. More TV revenue for smaller schools.

I can’t say I like this idea at all. First there are time conflicts with recruiting and the NFL draft. What about transferring? But mainly (as a pretty big college football fan) I don’t think I would care more about the smaller schools in the spring. In fact I think I would careless. At that time of year I would be more into NBA and NHL playoffs.

Remember when Nevada upset #3 Boise State at the end of November?

Here we two good football team playing with BCS (perhaps national championship) implications late in the season. Had this game taken place in the spring I don’t think I would have cared. If anything I think there is more interest in smaller schools playing at the same time as everyone else. In the fall you have high school on Friday, college on Saturday, and pro on Sunday. If you are into football these all sort of feed of each other. Even D3 is in the mix. If they know people playing high school football, you often know people playing of local D3 schools. So, when the season is going on you are thinking about that too.

Doesn’t sound like Jones’s idea will happen any time soon. All the small conference leaders are saying they are against the idea. I think that is the right call.

[quote]silverblood wrote:
ultimate sports song about YOUR TEAM!!!

[/quote]

“We’re great, you suck!”

Reminds of my days sitting in the student section. That is not that far off for many of the “clever” chants that get started lol.

Sounds like Jimbo Fisher thinks the Big 12 should be the conference not in the first playoff.

“I think every conference should have to have (a conference championship game),” Fisher said. “We got a championship where not everyone plays the same number of games and does the same things. I think it’s ridiculous.”

I see no problem with the Big 12’s way a doing things. They have 10 teams and everyone plays 9 conference game (i.e. each team plays each other). I do think it is really that big of advantage or disadvantage.

First Coaches poll is out: NCAA College Football Coaches Poll | USA Today Sports

Doesn’t mean too much this early, but a few interesting things. Bama is #2 despite no #1 votes, and #9 South Carolina in the third highest SEC team in the poll yet the only SEC team receiving a #1 vote.

With the rankings out here is a (non-exhaustive) list of week 1 match-ups:

#1 FSU vs. unranked) OK ST (neutral site) (GameDay)
#13 LSU vs. #14 Wisconsin (neutral site)
#16 Clemson @ #12 Georgia (week 1 rematch from last year)
#20 Texas A&M @ #9 South Carolina

I think I am most interested in the LSU vs. Wisconsin game, but all these should make for a pretty strong start to the season.

[quote]JMac31 wrote:
Doesn’t sound like Jones’s idea will happen any time soon. All the small conference leaders are saying they are against the idea. I think that is the right call.[/quote]

It’ll never happen. It’s a terrible idea.

With that said, as a Division III alum and fan, I am a bit scared of the possibility that the Big Five conferences could decide to create their own separate entity. As much as I dislike the current model and the NCAA, the fact is that March Madness and the TV money from it funds a lot of the lower-tier NCAA championships (i.e. the NCAA pays for all flights and travel in D3 football playoffs: a separate conversation for anyone interested, this creates a wacky playoff model in which first-round playoff matchups are determined not by seeds, but by the arrangement that minimizes the number of flights, i.e. if two teams from Texas are in the bracket, it’s almost certain they will play each other in the first round even if they are seeded 1st and 2nd in their region).

[quote]JMac31 wrote:
#1 FSU vs. unranked) OK ST (neutral site) (GameDay)
#13 LSU vs. #14 Wisconsin (neutral site)
#16 Clemson @ #12 Georgia (week 1 rematch from last year)
#20 Texas A&M @ #9 South Carolina

I think I am most interested in the LSU vs. Wisconsin game, but all these should make for a pretty strong start to the season.
[/quote]

Agreed. Clemson-UGA and LSU-Wisconsin are my favorites from that list. I’m honestly expecting TAMU to fall off a cliff without Johnny Football and Mike Evans. South Carolina is legit now, somehow Steve Spurrier’s job there still feels overshadowed by what he did at Florida but it probably shouldn’t be. They used to be a laughingstock. They’re good now.

[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:

[quote]JMac31 wrote:
#1 FSU vs. unranked) OK ST (neutral site) (GameDay)
#13 LSU vs. #14 Wisconsin (neutral site)
#16 Clemson @ #12 Georgia (week 1 rematch from last year)
#20 Texas A&M @ #9 South Carolina

I think I am most interested in the LSU vs. Wisconsin game, but all these should make for a pretty strong start to the season.
[/quote]

Agreed. Clemson-UGA and LSU-Wisconsin are my favorites from that list. I’m honestly expecting TAMU to fall off a cliff without Johnny Football and Mike Evans. South Carolina is legit now, somehow Steve Spurrier’s job there still feels overshadowed by what he did at Florida but it probably shouldn’t be. They used to be a laughingstock. They’re good now.
[/quote]

I do not really have a lot of faith in LSU this year and can see them having a similar season to what Georgia had last year. Losing Rivers, who I thought would finally be a halfway decent option at QB, is going to hurt them.

[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:
It’ll never happen. It’s a terrible idea.
[/quote]

Enough said right there. I think he even said something to the effect of “like the USFL” when he proposed it lol. I don’t even know if he was serious bringing it up. I think he probably just wanted people to be aware of some of those fears you just expressed.

[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:
I’m honestly expecting TAMU to fall off a cliff without Johnny Football and Mike Evans.
[/quote]

I thought the same thing when I saw these ranking. Of course I do not know too much about A&M other than these two guys (and the #6 overall pick Jake Matthews that they lost), but I do not see them doing too well this year. I mean it is very very hard to replace Johnny Football in the college game.

[quote]jbpick86 wrote:
I do not really have a lot of faith in LSU this year and can see them having a similar season to what Georgia had last year. Losing Rivers, who I thought would finally be a halfway decent option at QB, is going to hurt them. [/quote]

I am not very high on LSU this year either, but we won’t have to wait long to see because they have a pretty good test week 1.

Since you brought up Georgia I actually like them this year. I know Murray is gone, but they cannot possibly be so unlikely with injuries this year.

Ultimate sports song by my team. USC Marching band playing System of a Down’s “Toxicity”

[quote]MaximusB wrote:
More than anything, I look forward to a playoff system. And the last year of sanctions for my Trojans. [/quote]

Is this the last year USC in short on scholarships? If I recall correctly they were post season eligible last season?

Also solid marching ban performance. I love marching bands. One of the many things that is so great about the atmosphere of college football. I am a football fan. So, I like the pros too, but definitely prefer the college game. Just something about the atmosphere.

Has anyone ever turned in a crappier resume than Lane Kiffin while repeatedly coming into cushy positions?

He bombs as the Raiders coach…and, OK, maybe he’s just not a fit in the NFL, so he gets hired at Tennessee. He burns all kinds of bridges, breaks all kinds of rules, and generally alienates everyone IN A SINGLE YEAR…and gets offered the USC job! He actually coaches USC moderately well under the circumstances (bowl ban, scholarship reductions) but ultimately is let go…and watches the Trojans roll off a winning streak under Orgeron. He has arguably NEVER improved a team OR left a team in better shape than when he was hired…and somehow people keep hiring this guy?!

Most appalling was the situation at Tennessee. Watching him get offered the USC job right after that had to be like watching your 4-year-old son throw a temper tantrum in public, spit on some old lady, run out into the street and cause a car accident…then seeing a stranger give him an ice cream cone as a reward for good behavior.

And the strange thing, despite all this…I like Alabama’s decision to hire him as OC. Whatever you think of him, Nick Saban is such a dominant personality and wields such complete authority that Kiffin will be able to focus on his strengths (coaching offensive football) without any responsibility for the things he’s clearly NOT as good at (handling the media, juggling personalities and egos). It might ultimately be his last shot - if he bombs as the Alabama OC after three straight bombed HC positions, I can’t see anyone hiring him (besides a small school looking to drum up interest, like Western Kentucky hiring Bobby Petrino last year).

^ He rode his daddy’s coat tails to the bitter end.

Autonomy passes. It will be interesting to see the effects of this down the road. On one hand I like to idea of “scholarships for life”, etc. On the other I do not want FBS to split. I like the idea that maybe a Boise St.(or Utah/TCU when they are in smaller conferences) could crash the party. Also within the “big 5” there is a wide range of money and football power, I wonder how this will effect some of the less “big 5” programs (my Gophers?).

I know college sports is already a lot about the money, but this will shift it even more towards the money. What will happen to ticket prices? Non-revenue sports?

[quote]JMac31 wrote:
Autonomy passes. It will be interesting to see the effects of this down the road. On one hand I like to idea of “scholarships for life”, etc. On the other I do not want FBS to split. I like the idea that maybe a Boise St.(or Utah/TCU when they are in smaller conferences) could crash the party. Also within the “big 5” there is a wide range of money and football power, I wonder how this will effect some of the less “big 5” programs (my Gophers?).

I know college sports is already a lot about the money, but this will shift it even more towards the money. What will happen to ticket prices? Non-revenue sports?
[/quote]

  1. Totally agree that Division I schools should award 4-year scholarships that cannot be revoked for anything but serious disciplinary problems. I do think that schools should have the right to revoke a scholarship for serious disciplinary problems (i.e. if a player is arrested and/or flunks out of school), not just the vague “violation of team rules” that gets trotted out every so often. Bullshit. If you’re kicking the kid off the team, you should be able to give a reason: he was arrested, he flunked out, etc. I do not think schools should be able to “fail to renew” a scholarship for a kid that’s done everything right, but wasn’t quite as good as they hoped and/or got injured and didn’t pan out as a prospect.

  2. On one hand, I really don’t want FBS to split either. I will miss the occasional rise of a Boise State or a TCU, the upsets occasionally pulled off by MAC and Sun Belt schools against the big boys, etc.

On the other hand, I have hated nearly every move that’s happened since the 1990s. So part of me might be OK with a Power Five that essentially ONLY plays games against other Power Five schools (this also is being discussed, although I can’t imagine most schools will agree to it because it means playing only 6 home games a year instead of the 7/8 that most have become accustomed to), and a smaller division for the MAC, SunBelt, etc.

  1. One of the fascinating trickle-down effects here: a LOT of schools have reclassified from FCS to FBS over the last decade or so chasing the dollars from the big conferences (App State, Charlotte, UT-San Antonio, UMass, etc). What happens to those programs now? If the Power Five DO establish their own division, I suspect that most of those programs would have been much better off staying where they were in FCS.

Point is, I think we’re about to see a bunch more realigning over the next five years, just when I thought we were done with all that. Even further down, if the Power Five try to leave the NCAA, who knows what happens with ALL lower-division sports, including my beloved Division III football.


On a totally separate note: my girlfriend has just been hired as a professor at Central Michigan University. From what I can tell after my first two visits, the town is beautiful and looks like a great place to catch a game on a nice fall day. Really hoping to catch a few games this season (tickets are like $10). If we eventually settle there long term, I will TOTALLY adopt the Chippewas as my new team of interest. FIRE UP CHIPS!