College Football! [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

topspeed

09-26-2007, 03:05 PM

Well kids, we're knee deep in the new season. So, how's your team looking so far?

My Trojans are looking pretty mean right now, although I'd feel better if we didn't loose someone on defense every game! I know we have depth, but do we have to test the limits so early in the season?!? The running game looks strong (love the way Stephon Johnson looks) and it appears our passing game is finally coming around. Should be a good year. *knocks on wood*

LSU's defense is flat scary. I thought we had a good defense, but from what I've seen LSU's is ridiculous! Wow. Now let's see them play someone tough away from the comfy confines of Tiger Stadium.

Oklahoma hasn't really played anybody, IMO. Their offense is blowing people away right now, but until I see them play someone with speed on D, I'm reserving judgement. This, btw, is in no small part biased by the pre-hype to the '05 Orange Bowl before Troy's D-line spent more time in the backfield than Adrian Peterson and flamed the schooner into dust.

Florida's Tebow is impressing the heck out of me, and they sure need him. Last weekend's win over Miss was hardly impressive, regardless of Tebow's numbers. They played away from home and the defense showed a few cracks, particularly in the secondary. Let's see how LSU exploits that...

Finally, ahhhh...

Notre Dame.

Is there anything better than watching Notre Lame start 0-4? :D OK, maybe if the Bruins started 0-4, but the loss to the Utes was good 'nuff. If you're a Domer, go ahead and blame Willingham, you certainly do with everything else. Me, I'm happy as a clam because Willingham was shafted in that whole ordeal and this is proof positive of kharma. 0-8 is right around the corner...Whoo Hoo!

kexodusc

09-26-2007, 03:52 PM

Oklahoma hasn't really played anybody, IMO. Their offense is blowing people away right now, but until I see them play someone with speed on D, I'm reserving judgement.

Pfffffftttt...says you old man...Boomer Sooner!:devil:

Though I'm with you - watching Notre Dame lick llama anus is surprisingly, dare I say vindictively, rewarding...

Rich-n-Texas

09-26-2007, 06:19 PM

HOOK 'EM!

Woochifer

09-26-2007, 07:14 PM

Do me a favor, wake me up when it's basketball season! :cool:

I can tell it's going to be another one of those white knuckle seasons for my Bruins -- not good for the ole blood pressure! (Fortunately, I was at a wedding and didn't have to watch the Utah debaucle) Seems like the defense has been reading way too many of their pre-season press clippings, and not doing enough tackling drills ... or watching enough film on defending spread offenses. QB Ben Olson's also been regressing every week (he didn't play in the W against Washington last week because of a concussion). He has the physical tools to be the second coming of John Elway, but if he keeps this up, he'll wind up as the next Jeff George. At this point, I'll be happy if he's the next Wayne Cook!

And from what I've seen, a lot of the guys have got that match up with the Domers in two weeks circled on their calendars and talking about payback for that meltdown in South Bend last year. Of course, this means that they don't have the game with Oregon State (who actually beat the mighty Utes!) circled for THIS WEEK, and I'm sure you can appreciate the hazards of a trap game up in Corvallis.

I'll be happy with a W this week, no matter how ugly it is. If that happens, then I think Notre Dame is in for a merciless beatdown when they visit the Rose Bowl on Oct 6. How quickly Weis' stock has fallen, and there are only so many service academies available for the schedule! The Bruins are a mature and experienced team, so I don't think the Utah game will affect them. But, under Dorrell they have proven frustratingly inconsistent -- capable of rebounding from a bad loss and rising to the occasion in a big game, but just as capable of laying an egg after a great win and going into a funk against an overmatched opponent.

... well, at least basketball practice starts up in less than a month! :D

Up here in the Bay Area, it's all Cal all the time. Should be interesting when the Trojans visit Memorial Stadium in November, but I don't think it will be the match up of undefeateds that the media's predicting. Cal can pile up points in a hurry and they probably have the best tandem of playmakers in the Pac-10. But, this is not one of Tedford's better defenses, and they've had their share of lapses (like last year, when their late season tank job against Arizona cost them a berth in the Rose Bowl). Plus, they're headed into a potential ambush up in Eugene this weekend, and they visit the Rose Bowl after a bye week for the Bruins.

Fred333

09-27-2007, 07:08 AM

Notre Dame should have never got rid of Wilingham. Washington got a real gem there.

topspeed

09-27-2007, 10:41 AM

Kex,

I forgot you were a Sooner fan. Figures. At the Orange Bowl, the Sooner fans were the nicest people you could meet. Gracious to the very end, which was saying something considering they were getting anihilated.

This, of course, was in stark contrast to...

HOOK 'EM!

Uh, more like BOOK 'EM!

Geez Rich, where does Mack recruit from? The state pen? :lol::lol::lol:

Wooch,

Admit it, you may wear baby blue, but you bleed cardinal and gold :devil:.

Like it or not, UCLA will never return to the glory of the Donohue days until Dorrell is canned. You know it and I know it. This is exactly why he should get a 5 year extension.

The PAC 10 is really strong this year and somehow, we were "lucky" enough to get all of the tough games on the road: Washington, Cal, Oregon, ASU. Who the hell made this schedule, the Marquis de Sade?!? I hope our guys don't overlook UW, because Willingham happens to be the last coach to beat SC at home. The man can coach!

Cal vs. Oregon is going to be a shoot out this weekend and should be fun to watch. I honestly have no idea who will win. I think Cal is better, but it's at Autzen which is never a fun place to travel to.

I'm surprised no SEC fans have chimed in.:confused:

Rich-n-Texas

09-27-2007, 11:45 AM

GEAUX TIGERS!!!

Geez Rich, where does Mack recruit from? The state pen?
The same place the Cowboys got Tank Johnson the ex-con. Not recalling which prison though.

Woochifer

09-27-2007, 02:51 PM

Admit it, you may wear baby blue, but you bleed cardinal and gold :devil:.

Hmmm, obviously you weren't around the last time I slit my wrists! It formed a blue pool in the image of John Barnes... :cornut:

Like it or not, UCLA will never return to the glory of the Donohue days until Dorrell is canned. You know it and I know it. This is exactly why he should get a 5 year extension.

Donahue glory days?! :incazzato: Don't hang around too many Bruin fans, eh? We're still pining for the return of Red Sanders!

If anything, the criticism of Dorrell is that he's a Donahue clone. Good administrator, good talent evaluator, runs a clean program, but a conservative coach whose gameday decisions cost us 1 to 3 losses a year and a young guy who's learning how to be a head coach on the fly. (Toledo was the opposite -- very good gameday coach, but a lousy judge of talent who ran a very loose ship and let the program run aground) But, if Dorrell indeed follows in Donahue's footsteps, he'll hopefully adopt a less dogmatic offense and stop calling the game like he's still in the NFL (Donahue didn't start winning Pac-10 titles until he junked his beloved option offense and let Homer Smith install a more modern offense).

If you want a contract extension for Dorrell, he's already got a six-year rollover deal! But, at least the administration didn't go ape#### and give him a 10-year extension like the one that ND gave Weis midway through his first season (Willingham got off to an even better start, but was never afforded that kind of courtesy).

The PAC 10 is really strong this year and somehow, we were "lucky" enough to get all of the tough games on the road: Washington, Cal, Oregon, ASU. Who the hell made this schedule, the Marquis de Sade?!? I hope our guys don't overlook UW, because Willingham happens to be the last coach to beat SC at home. The man can coach!

Well, if your guys can get through the schedule unblemished, this will definitely be Carroll's best coaching stretch yet.

Agreed on Willingham -- it takes a GREAT coach just to get GOOD results at Stanford because of all the academic requirements. Willingham was a consistent winner and got Stanford into the Rose Bowl (even Bill Walsh and Dennis Green never got the Cardinal to the Rose Bowl; if Jim Harbaugh builds a winner on the Farm, he'll get to pick from Michigan or any number of NFL gigs). He totally got railroaded at Notre Dame, and should have been given a chance to win with his players. Faust and Davie were given chances to turn things around (and Weis will be given the chance), yet Willingham was shown the door after only three seasons. At UW though, he has a good opportunity and the team is already much improved over last year.

I think you'll be fine against UW. QB Jake Locker gave my Bruins fits last week and he already looks like the best running QB in the Pac-10 this side of Dennis Dixon. But he's a freshman and will make more than enough mistakes against a decent defense. Locker though is a freakish talent, and he'll be a formidable foe over the next few years. (check out his Wikipedia bio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Locker) -- his senior year in HS he had 24 TDs rushing and 49 passing TDs with only 3 picks, plus he was the state player of the year in football AND baseball)

Cal vs. Oregon is going to be a shoot out this weekend and should be fun to watch. I honestly have no idea who will win. I think Cal is better, but it's at Autzen which is never a fun place to travel to.

Especially for Cal -- they haven't won in Eugene since 1988. Plus, the Oregon fans are still bitter at Tedford for leaving UO, since a lot of them viewed him as Bellotti's heir apparent (and a big reason for Bellotti's success).

dean_martin

09-27-2007, 03:22 PM

ROLL TIDE!!!

Bama is a couple years away from being a legit contender for an SEC championship and dare I say a national championship, but they sure are fun to watch. My son is in his first year at Bama and he's in the Million Dollar Band having tons of fun. My family has 4 season tickets that we've been sharing so that everyone gets a chance to see him. Unfortunately, I was at the Georgia game. A lackluster start for the offense seemed to make the ending inevitable. But at least they are competing and I think they'll be in every game they play this season including the LSU game at home. I've already claimed my ticket for that game.

Auburn is struggling. Tennessee is struggling, but the Vols are always dangerous. Florida needs a few more players on the defensive side of the ball. They lost quite a few from last year's team, but there is no doubt they're good. Kentucky is probably one of the more exciting teams to watch in the SEC. I'm glad they're not on Bama's schedule this year. LSU in the West and Florida in the East are still head and shoulders above the rest. Right now, I'd put Kentucky, Bama, Georgia and South Carolina in the 2nd tier (not in any particular order), but with some luck any one of those teams could play their way into the SEC championship game. Ole Miss, Miss St., Vandy, Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas make up the bottom tier right now, but they all have the potential to knock off someone they're not supposed to. Arkansas hasn't lived up to expectations so far, but McFadden can win a game by himself.

This week's big games include Auburn vs. Florida and Bama steps out of conference to play Florida St. in Jacksonville. Florida beats Auburn handily. FSU hasn't played its best game yet and they do have some athletes as always. Bama is coming off its first loss under Saint Nick and every Bama fan is holding his/her breath to see how the team responds. I can't bring myself to call this one.

Woochifer

09-27-2007, 04:29 PM

ROLL TIDE!!!

Welcome back! One of my best friends is originally from Huntsville, and damn her family takes their football seriously!

The week of the Iron Bowl, the brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, 2nd cousins, grandparents, etc. all split up into different houses based on their school allegiances (even if they didn't actually attend either Bama or Auburn). Those who root for Bama have a list of families/houses that they will stay with for the week, and those who pull for Auburn have another list of families to shack up with. My friend backed Bama (and never attended Bama), and her brother backed Auburn (and never attended Auburn) -- ever since they were kids, they lived under different roofs the week of the Iron Bowl. None of the others talk to one another during the game week, and none of them see one another until the game's over!

Geez, I'm a Bruin and my dad's a Trojan, and we'll still talk during game week! I guess I'm just one of them fair weather west coast fans ...

kexodusc

09-27-2007, 04:59 PM

Ok, so the Sooners play Colorado...uhhh....anyone know who CU's got? Geez, the spread is 21-22...who made this schedule?

Downside to games like this - you'll hear it all year long if you lose.

topspeed

09-28-2007, 09:21 AM

Arkansas hasn't lived up to expectations so far, but McFadden can't win a game by himself.Fixed.

The problem with Arkansas is that everyone knows they are going to run because they can't pass. The fact that McFadden racks up those numbers facing 8 or 9 in the box is astounding, but it doesn't translate to wins. Balance is what it takes, and Arkansas is one dimensional right now.

BTW, I was wondering how long it would take before we lured you back out of the shadows. :) I knew a football thread would do the trick. Wooch is right, you southern gents take football seriously! I'm about as big a Trojan nut as they come (only wear cardinal and gold on gamedays, had the kids singing the fight song at 2 years old, blahblahblah), but I'd be classified as "fair weather" by just about any of the SEC nutjobs I've run across.

Perhaps the dumbest argument amoung CFB fans is the "Which conference is best?" They even have a dedicated weekly article on espn.com to this very question. WHO CARES?!? Only one team from the conference is going to make it to the title game, so what's the freakin' difference? If you think polls are arbitrary, try picking strength of conference.

topspeed

09-28-2007, 09:24 AM

GEAUX TIGERS!!!

The same place the Cowboys got Tank Johnson the ex-con. Not recalling which prison though.
Awright...pick a team! :incazzato:
Backing the Tigers now, are we? What's next, joining Pixel in declaring LCD world domination?!?

topspeed

10-01-2007, 09:45 AM

Well.

That was an interesting weekend.

7 of the top 13 go down in the same weekend. Amazing. What was in the Gatorade?

My Trojans looked absolutely miserable and our quarterback, Booty, is going to give me a heart attack before the end of the year. All hopes that the Rose Bowl Booty (4 td's, ~ 400 yards, precise deep ball) would be my quarterback, and not the incredibly inconsistent one that plagued us through '06 are now dust. Despite the fact that some of the 16(!) penalties against 'SC were suspect, the fact remains that until we get a consistent leader under center, the only way we'll make New Orleans is with a good deal of luck. Heisman contender?!? Shoot, I'm not convinced he's the best quarter back on our team! 'Course, the icing on the cake: starting C & RG lost on the same play! Our third string corner, Shareece Wright, was also lost...and he was in because our first and second string corners were already injured!!!

Oh man, Lady Luck better be a Trojan.

LSU is the new #1, although they only looked marginally better than Troy and it could be argued Rice is inferior to Washington. In what was their most uninspired performance yet, they still looked better than SC and deserve the ranking.

Where's Kex?
See post #1.

Apparently 'Ole Miss saw something that the rest of the SEC did, too. Florida's defense isn't last year's and if you contain Tebow (a tall order), the Gators can go down. So much for Tuberville's hot seat. The next three games are all away with the next being LSU. Can you say consecutive losses?

So how'd your team do, guys?

kexodusc

10-01-2007, 10:16 AM

topspeed

10-01-2007, 10:51 AM

kexodusc

10-01-2007, 11:31 AM

OU is going to beat Texas by at least 14. Watch. The Longhorns go as McCoy goes, and so far he hasn't gone very far. Big difference between this year's 'Horns and last year's.

Honestly, I think the CU game was an aberration, a loss of focus if you will. OU doesn't have the glaring questions that UT did going into the weekend. All the K-State game did was confirm the suspicions that many CFB fans outside of Texas had about the 'Horns. I know it's a rivalry game and all that implies, but I just don't see enough in the Texas cupboard to overcome the Sooners. I don't think The Shootout will be close, but I've been wrong before :rolleyes:

Yeah, lightning strikes every now and then. Can't take anything away from a CU who showed up ready to play.
My biggest fear is that OU takes this uppercut to the national title hopes really bad and, and doesn't have a good week of preparation. Emotions are a funny thing - and if they think they're going to have an easy time with the Longhorns like everyone else does, they're mistaken.
That said, I have full confidence in Coach Stoops ability to rally the troops. Beating Texas always cures my blues...

Rich-n-Texas

10-01-2007, 12:06 PM

Awright...pick a team! :incazzato:
Backing the Tigers now, are we? What's next, joining Pixel in declaring LCD world domination?!?
Ha ha ha ha!!! Just saw this. I pick teams like I pick cars doesn't I? Well, at least LSU won their game right? :biggrin5:

SC = :sleep:

Rich-n-Texas

10-01-2007, 12:15 PM

Actually, I grew up cheering on Penn State when I lived in Jersey, but they fell flat as well. What'll come first, Joe Pa finally retires or goes blind while still on the sidelines?

dean_martin

10-01-2007, 12:34 PM

Fixed.

The problem with Arkansas is that everyone knows they are going to run because they can't pass. The fact that McFadden racks up those numbers facing 8 or 9 in the box is astounding, but it doesn't translate to wins. Balance is what it takes, and Arkansas is one dimensional right now.

BTW, I was wondering how long it would take before we lured you back out of the shadows. :) I knew a football thread would do the trick. Wooch is right, you southern gents take football seriously! I'm about as big a Trojan nut as they come (only wear cardinal and gold on gamedays, had the kids singing the fight song at 2 years old, blahblahblah), but I'd be classified as "fair weather" by just about any of the SEC nutjobs I've run across.

Perhaps the dumbest argument amoung CFB fans is the "Which conference is best?" They even have a dedicated weekly article on espn.com to this very question. WHO CARES?!? Only one team from the conference is going to make it to the title game, so what's the freakin' difference? If you think polls are arbitrary, try picking strength of conference.

Speedy - I said "a" game intentionally. I meant that although they're down now, with McFadden they can win at least one they're not supposed to win. That's usually the way it goes in most conferences. In the SEC it was Vandy last year. I think everyone knows about KY this year. I can see Arkansas sneaking up on someone especially if Felix Jones or McFadden returns a punt or kickoff for a TD and McFadden gets close to 200 yards in the same game.

I won't give any props to Auburn at all. The only reason they beat FL is because they play better as the underdog. They can't handle success. It stems from the deep-seeded inferiority complex that progam and all its fans suffer from.

Yeah, I agree with you on the conference thing. OTOH, I do like a big intersectional matchup between elites from the big conferences during the season and it's interesting to follow how the conferences do in bowls.

As Wooch said about his friend's family in Huntsville, it does get nutty down here. Reading the paper or watching the news after the Iron Bowl is interesting because there's always at least one story about someone getting stabbed, struck with a blunt object, shot, trailer burned down, etc. because of the outcome.

Before we marched into Neyland Stadium back in '86, the band director told us to place our chin straps under our chins because Tennessee fans will steal your shako (uniform hat). We normally wore our straps across our chins under the bottom lip. My first reaction was, "Damn hillbillies!" After I thought about it for a bit, I realized my head could go with the hat! I left my strap where it was.

Woochifer

10-01-2007, 02:03 PM

Well, given the general sentiment about Notre Dame, seems that we got a lot of Bruin fans this week (well, maybe except for Speedy who's lobbying the NCAA to bring back tie scores in time for this weekend)!

As far as my Bruins are concerned, don't let that 40-14 score from Saturday fool you. They looked horrible (at least the offense did) but they did persevere and finally start clicking in the last 9 minutes of the game. They were actually behind the entire game until midway through the 4th quarter, and only managed to put the game away when Oregon State turned the ball over on three straight possessions. Seeing QB Ben Olson continue to miss routine throws and get pounded in the pocket, it's hard to believe that he was the consensus HS All-American as a senior and competed for top honors that year with Vince Young. His backup Pat Cowan only had one other offer (from I-AA Sacramento State), yet he might wind up taking over the starting job when he recovers from his knee injury.

Fortunately, it looks like our defense has finally gotten its act together, so I expect that they will provide more than enough short field opportunities for the offense to pull out a comfortable win against the Domers.

With all the churning in the top 20, Cal (?!) is now ranked #3 -- their highest ranking in more than 50 years. That game against Oregon turned out to be every bit worthy of the hype, and a lot more compelling than the track meet that everyone expected. I still think Cal's defense is suspect, but they managed to contain QB Dennis Dixon (who's one of the most nightmarish matchups for any defense because of his speed and big game experience) and made the plays when needed, especially that forced fumble through the end zone at the end of the game.

I still don't think they'll run the table before their Nov. 10 showdown against the Trojans in Berkeley (for one thing, they got a potential trap game against UCLA at the Rose Bowl in two weeks), but if they do, that's already setting up as the biggest game ever in Strawberry Canyon. Remains to be seen if they can pull it out -- Cal has the longest Rose Bowl drought in the Pac-10 for a reason, and their script of high hopes in the early season and late season collapses has played out many times before.

topspeed

10-01-2007, 02:42 PM

well, maybe except for Speedy who's lobbying the NCAA to bring back tie scores in time for this weekend!:lol::lol::lol: You know, either way I'm going to be a happy camper. Either the Bruins or Domers are going down this weekend. I can't lose!

Truth be told, I'd prefer the Bruins win (Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugggghhhhh! Spontaneous combustion!!!! M-m-m-must reach fire extinguisher!) if for no other reason than Pac10 pride.

Personally, I don't think Oregon should have dropped in the rankings. If anything, if Cal is #3 then the Ducks should be in the Top 10. You can't tell me Wisconsin, a team that has played like dog doo all season, is better than Oregon. Has anybody seen both play? Wisconsin barely beat Iowa and had to turn on the jets in the second half to beat The Citadel! The Ducks crushed Michigan at The Big House!

topspeed

10-05-2007, 10:23 AM

Someone's National Title Hopes are going down the tubes this weekend. Who will it be?

Red River Shootout:
Texas and Oklahoma go at it for bragging right and the inside track to the Big 12 title. The loser can kiss their hopes of New Orleans goodbye. My pick is Oklahoma...and it won't be close.

Kitty's Roar!
The Gators come into the land of Gumbo and hookers after dropping one to Auburn. I'm telling your right now, someone better get some bibs on the LSU front line because they are absolutely drooling over the prospect of dropping the hammer on Tebow. I know he's big and strong, but the guy is still a quarterback and at some point in the game, he is going to get drilled so hard he'll see Tweety flitting around his helmet. Welcome to N'awleans, y'all! Tigers by 7.

UCLA will devour Notre Lame. 'Course my son's flag football team could do that.

OSU v. Purdue could actually be one of the best games of the day. Purdue's offense is no joke. The Boilermakers can score a lot of points in a hurry. I'm actually calling for the upset in this game. Purdue by 3.

As for my Trojans, we face a Stanford team with a rookie quarterback that has never taken a college snap. Lucky kid gets thrown into the grinder at a venue where his opponents haven't lost since 2001. No pressure.:rolleyes: That said, the way my boys are playing right now, there is no way we beat the ridiculous 49 point spread. Oh, we'll win. The problem is this game won't tell us anything. If we look great, is it because Carroll righted the ship or because we're playing Stanford? Who knows? :confused:

Good luck to your teams, guys.

kexodusc

10-05-2007, 10:37 AM

Rich-n-Texas

10-06-2007, 07:37 PM

Rich-n-Texas

10-06-2007, 08:02 PM

GEAUX TIGERS!!!
Tim TiVo WHO???

kexodusc

10-07-2007, 06:58 AM

As for my Trojans, we face a Stanford team with a rookie quarterback that has never taken a college snap. Lucky kid gets thrown into the grinder at a venue where his opponents haven't lost since 2001. No pressure.:rolleyes: That said, the way my boys are playing right now, there is no way we beat the ridiculous 49 point spread. Oh, we'll win. The problem is this game won't tell us anything. If we look great, is it because Carroll righted the ship or because we're playing Stanford? Who knows? :confused:

Good luck to your teams, guys.

Well Speedy, all I can say is the pain goes away after a big win the following week...Unbelievable...

dean_martin

10-07-2007, 03:19 PM

Another interesting weekend of college football! I was sitting in Bryant-Denny Stadium watching the Tide cruise to a 23-pt lead thinking I might get out of the sun after their first score of the second half. Man it was hot - my seat didn't get shade until late 4th quarter, but I couldn't leave. It kept getting closer and closer until finally Bama won with an interception on the last play of the game. Nobody was really happy - relieved, yeah. But Houston wasn't supposed to be that close.

Then I go out for wings and catch the first half of LSU/Florida. Florida came to play. I was thinking maybe it's just too much pressure for these kids to win big games at home with over 90K screaming fans. Florida had just went through that last weekend. I get back to my room in time to watch the 2nd half. (Oh yeah, I remember seeing a highlight of Booty getting picked off by a Stanford defender while I was licking the wing sauce from my fingers. I thought to myself, "Never with a Booty." Of course I was referring only to a national championship. There's no way they'll lose to Stanford.)

During the 2nd half, LSU stayed in the game by methodically moving the ball - not a lot of flash, just persistence on offense. Any one of those gambles by Miles could've lost that game. I thought he was sticking his neck out too far. Conventional wisdom is you go for the tie at home. I guess he was feeling lucky and his luck never ran out. (Oh yeah, then they announce a final score - Stanford 24 USC 23. Like I said last week, "That's conference play." Someone is always in jeopardy of getting snake-bitten from a bottom dweller.)

I'm taking next weekend off and staying home in front of the tube. I have to rest up for the 3rd Sat. in Oct. which means Alabama vs. Tennessee. Hmmm...Tennessee beat Georgia who beat Alabama which means...very little this year.

topspeed

10-08-2007, 09:16 AM

F**k. :(

That is all.

Rich-n-Texas

10-08-2007, 10:55 AM

Would you rather talk about the pro results TS?

How 'bout this:

EAGLES didn't lose YEAH! :biggrin5:

GMichael

10-08-2007, 11:44 AM

Would you rather talk about the pro results TS?

How 'bout this:

EAGLES didn't lose YEAH! :biggrin5:

It would have been some trick if they found a way to loose on their off week.

topspeed

10-08-2007, 12:32 PM

I thought to myself, "Never with a Booty." Of course I was referring only to a national championship. There's no way they'll lose to Stanford. Believe it or not, you're not the first one to tell me that. Years ago, when JDB came in after skipping his senior season in HS, I had other people tell me he would never lead my team to the promised land. I guess his brothers were legendary chokers as well. I dunno, never saw 'em. Honestly, I don't know if I can blame this on Booty. Sure, the 4 picks didn't help, but as with his other int's this year, a lot of the blame can be put on the receivers, who by all accounts SUCK. Wrong routes, alligator arms, stone hands. I've never seen this many dropped passes in only 5 games! I'm of the firm belief that at this level, especially if you play for a program like 'SC, if the ball hits you in the hands...you should catch the f*****g thing! I don't care if you have to reach for it, be a man and sell out! If you get your mitts on it, you should pull it in. Simple as that.

Perhaps my biggest gripe with Booty is his lack of leadership. He's so damn laid back, it kills me! :mad5: After the Washington game, his response was "We all have bad games. I guess this was mine." The man was practically asleep when he said that. How 'bout saying something about what needs to be changed, because he showed up just as bad at the Stanford game. If you don't recognize your mistakes, you can't fix them.

As for the rest of the team, we had an offensive line that couldn't block or protect, a secondary that couldn't defend, and a special teams coach that should have been fired yesterday. Sure, we're banged up, but we're also as deep as the Mariannes Trench. For all that supposed talent, I'm not seeing a team right now.

Look, I'm a diehard Trojan, win or lose. I lived through the black hole that was SC Football from basically '90 until '02 and I'll live through this. That said, there is no way we deserve a 10 ranking right now. From the stanpoint of a CFB fan, not a Trojan, we should be unranked.

Truth.

'SC is riding on reputation, not ability on the field. I haven't seen my boys play this bad since before Carroll arrived. This is the most undiciplined, unispired group of players I've had to endure since Paul Hackett defined "mediocrity" at 'SC. Perhaps spoiled by our previous success, the bottom line is fans and alumni expect a championship team every single year.

No exceptions.

This is not a Championship Team. Not even close. :(

topspeed

10-08-2007, 12:39 PM

Well Speedy, all I can say is the pain goes away after a big win the following week...Unbelievable...

or it's compounded by consecutive losses!

I'll be at the game and at this point, I have no idea what to expect. A win is certainly not a given.

topspeed

10-08-2007, 12:45 PM

Would you rather talk about the pro results TS? Sorry, Rich. I haven't seen a complete NFL game in 5 or 6 years. I'm too burned out from watching CFB on Saturdays.

I did note the following:

Matt Leinert: Broken clavicle, out for the season (he lost his job anyway)

Reggie Bush: 0-5

Carson Palmer: 1-3

It isn't exactly a good time to be a Trojan.

Woochifer

10-08-2007, 03:28 PM

Ouch!

If LSU had choked away that game against UF, I would definitely have gotten my affairs in order for the end times!

I think I'm in unison with Speedy this time -- WHEN THE F' DOES BASKETBALL SEASON BEGIN?

Geez, this weekend's loss to the Domers was about as bad a loss as I've seen in the Karl Dorrell era (and believe me, there have been many). The team was not prepared, no one stepped it up when QB Ben Olson went down with a knee injury and in came a first-year walk-on QB to replace him. The walk-on Bethel-Thompson did not look good, no surprise there considering that he only graduated from high school in June, but no one else on the offense did him any favors. If you got an inexperienced QB, you can't have false starts, dropped passes, personal fouls, predictable play calling, etc., and all of that happened.

The defense played a great game despite the score, but if the offense coughs up the ball 7 times, even the '85 Bears defense would only hold back the inevitable for so long. A friend of mind commented that it would have been better to just take a knee on every play after taking the early lead and punt the ball on every possession. Had they done that the Bruins would have easily won the game, because at least a punt would have forced the Domers' awful offense to start in their own territory rather than giving them repeated short field opportunities (or in one case, giving them the ball on the one yard line, a drive in which the Domers wound up going for big negative yardage before settling for a field goal).

Make no mistake, Notre Dame looked like a bad team out there, which makes this loss all the worse for my Bruins. The internet and press chatter have put Coach Dorrell's hot seat on meltdown mode, with plenty to chew on with a bye week this week and a showdown with Cal the week after.

Speaking of Cal ... LSU thankfully kept the Bears from assuming the #1 ranking! Even though I am a Cal grad school alum, I will say that Bear fans are insufferably obnoxious enough with just a fleeting whiff of success (and their success over the past 60+ years has been very fleeting). The Bay Area fans and media would have been on grand delusional overdrive had Cal taken over the top spot in the polls. Thankfully, the Tigers spared everyone of that agony for another week! As I've been saying, Cal will not run the table. They've got great playmakers on offense, but their defense is suspect and one of these weeks they'll come up short in a shootout.

Of course, none of this talk of a #1-ranked Cal would have been possible if not for yet another mother of all upsets over the weekend. I agree that the Trojans have looked beatable as of late, but never would I have guessed that the hapless Cardinal would be the team to break through. Seemed that while the Trojans did everything they could to give the game away, the Cardinal took advantage of those opportunities despite being undermanned at just about every position. The Bay Area media had been ripping Stanford all week long, and now they've displaced Cal as the darling of the moment.

kexodusc

10-08-2007, 03:57 PM

Anyone else got a feeling LSU is next with Kentucky playing Cinderella?
Just kinda feels like that's the way this season's going...

dean_martin

10-08-2007, 04:50 PM

Woochifer

10-08-2007, 06:42 PM

Can any of you left coasters elaborate on what Jim Harbaugh was up to during the week leading up to the 'SC game? I read or heard snippets here and there suggesting he was going Gundy or somethin'. Whatever it was, it apparently worked.

KEX - who in their right mind would make a prediction on any game at this point?

Harbaugh's been kind of a loose cannon with his quips since the pre-season. At first, he got under the skin of Trojan fans by opining that Pete Carroll's got only one year left before he bolts to the NFL (not that outrageous a suggestion given that the Chargers might again be looking for a coach by the end of this year). Then this week, he spent the whole time talking up how the Trojans were the greatest team in history, etc. No idea if this was disingenuous or what, but Harbaugh obviously got his team to totally play over their heads on Saturday.

My understanding is that his practices aren't especially organized, but he gets the players to play with an enthusiasm not seen on the Farm in years. And just getting the players to buy in (after the dour disciplinarian Walt Harris totally lost the team last year) has paid dividends. I doubt that the Cardinal will win too many more games -- their talent level's just not that good -- but they've now proven that they can pull off the upset on any given week.

dean_martin

10-08-2007, 08:23 PM

Harbaugh's been kind of a loose cannon with his quips since the pre-season. At first, he got under the skin of Trojan fans by opining that Pete Carroll's got only one year left before he bolts to the NFL (not that outrageous a suggestion given that the Chargers might again be looking for a coach by the end of this year). Then this week, he spent the whole time talking up how the Trojans were the greatest team in history, etc. No idea if this was disingenuous or what, but Harbaugh obviously got his team to totally play over their heads on Saturday.

My understanding is that his practices aren't especially organized, but he gets the players to play with an enthusiasm not seen on the Farm in years. And just getting the players to buy in (after the dour disciplinarian Walt Harris totally lost the team last year) has paid dividends. I doubt that the Cardinal will win too many more games -- their talent level's just not that good -- but they've now proven that they can pull off the upset on any given week.

That's cool. Every conference has its doormat that can step up. The week leading up to the Auburn/Miss St. game, Coach Tuberville really praised Coach Croom and the way he was handling his program. Tubs seemed to be going overboard with the compliments. Before long everyone who didn't know much (including me) was saying "yeah, right." Come Sat., Miss St. beats Auburn in Auburn. Who besides Tubs knew?

Man, I just watched the end of that Dallas/Buffalo game. It was just like the Arizona/Chicago game last year. Then I watched the Yankees go down. I'm suffering from a serious sports overload.

topspeed

10-10-2007, 03:20 PM

Regarding the MNF game, was I the only one praying for the Bills to not throw on 3rd down when Edwards tossed the pick that put Dallas back in the game?!? They were easily in field goal range and 3 points would have made it a 2 score game, just like a touchdown! As soon as I saw Edwards drop back, I KNEW he was going to throw a pick in the flat! :mad:

Crazy game. Oh, yeah...I hate Dallas.

Back to college:

I honestly think LSU has a very good chance to go undefeated. They've had some close games, but they aren't making the same mind numbing mistakes the Trojans are. Kentucky is good, their quarterback possibly great, but to keep the LSU defense honest you need a killer running back to keep Dorsey out of the backfield all day long. Who knows, maybe that's LSU's weakness?

Shoot, we've got enough problems rather than worrying about LSU right now!

kexodusc

10-13-2007, 05:22 PM

Holy crap!

Cal, you're next!

jrhymeammo

10-13-2007, 05:40 PM

Did you guys see how UK fans "Stormed" the field?
I live in Lexington and this town really dont give a hoot about college football. I just hope they wont lose a game until Nov. 24th!!

UT will win the East.... I hope.

dean_martin

10-14-2007, 07:00 AM

Holy crap!

Cal, you're next!

Kexo - you're on a roll. Please post your picks for next weekend's games.

First BCS poll comes out today, I think. Should be interesting.

kexodusc

10-14-2007, 10:03 AM

Kexo - you're on a roll. Please post your picks for next weekend's games.

First BCS poll comes out today, I think. Should be interesting.
LOL.
Yeah, me and 4 million other people picked the big upsets. Always seem to pick them when I have no money riding on the games. :rolleyes5:
Wow.

This has definitely been one of the more entertaining seasons in recent memory so far.

Never thought I'd see OU back at #4 this year....

Woochifer

10-15-2007, 11:13 AM

Wow! Yet another crazy weekend -- definitely one of the more unpredictably entertaining seasons in recent memory, but also not for the faint of heart or those who are emotionally invested in any of the frontrunners!

The Bay Area is still reeling from that Cal game over the weekend. OMG was that a bizarre finish. Of course, Memorial Stadium was also the site of "The Play" (the infamous 9-lateral romp through the Stanford band that ended John Elway's collegiate career and his last chance for a bowl game) so weirdness on the field is pretty much the norm in that part of Berkeley. It's been a long time since I've seen that kind of a total brain fart by a QB (going down with the ball on a scramble with less than 12 ticks on the clock and no timeouts), but geez I feel bad for the kid because he's a freshman back-up getting thrown into an emergency start.

Understandably, there will be hiccups whenever a team has to go with a freshman back-up QB (as my Bruins so charitably demonstrated against ND), but Cal has to overcome that kind of adversity if they want to lay claim to a top-two ranking. A team with #1 aspirations should not be in a position where an inexperienced freshman QB can cost them a game on one boneheaded play. Needless to say, it's been a long time since I've seen a crowd that stunned at Memorial Stadium.

Talk about weirdness in the Pac-10, Arizona State is now alone in first place in the conference, while UCLA is still somehow alone in second place. If my Bruins can get injured QB Pat Cowan back, then I think they can beat Cal and bounce them out of any chance for even the Rose Bowl. Amazing to think that around 7pm on Saturday, Cal was momentarily the #1 team in the country. Now, they're one loss away from being lucky to hold onto a Sun Bowl bid.

Meanwhile, SC wins and drops in the rankings. :shocked:

topspeed

10-15-2007, 02:51 PM

Meanwhile, SC wins and drops in the rankings. We deserved it, trust me. There was no way we should have been ranked #10 in the first place. Seeing them in the flesh only cemented what I feared;

USC is not very good...and we're going to get worse.

Yep, another game, another rash of injuries. Besides losing our two-time All American LT Sam Baker (You know, the guy that keeps our quarterback's uniforms nice and shiny?), we also lost All American MLB Rey Mauluaga (the heart of our D). Throw in another cornerback and another right guard injured and you have a Trojans squad that looks nothing like the one we thought we were putting on the field in the pre-season. We have one starter left on the O Line, the rest are 3rd string or converted defensive ends (I'm not making this up :( ) We've got a 3rd string corner on one side and a true freshman at the other. Let's not forget our back-up quarterback, Mark Sanchez, who quickly threw two picks on consective passes in the 2nd quarter.

Hoo boy...gonna be a loooooong year.

As for the rest of the nation, a guy on ESPN said it best when asked who is going to be Number 1 in the BCS rankings: "Who cares?!? They going down next week anyway!!!"

I'm hereby declaring Kex as the Official Upset Alert maven! Some people see dead people, Kex sees dead teams.

*Question*
Does anyone really want to see OSU in the Big Game?!? Seriously, who have they beaten?!? Kent? The Citadel? Any Big Ten team? Big whoop...and yet here they are at #1. They, and their league, were exposed last year and this Buckeye team isn't even as good as the one last seen left for dead in Miami.:rolleyes:

In what is, by all accounts, a bizarre season we have to remember that it's only half over!

kexodusc

10-16-2007, 08:01 AM

*Question*
Does anyone really want to see OSU in the Big Game?!? Seriously, who have they beaten?!? Kent? The Citadel? Any Big Ten team? Big whoop...and yet here they are at #1. They, and their league, were exposed last year and this Buckeye team isn't even as good as the one last seen left for dead in Miami.:rolleyes:

In what is, by all accounts, a bizarre season we have to remember that it's only half over!
I don't particularly think OSU is any better than the 5 teams underneath them but what do I know. I still think LSU has a chance if they win out the rest of their games, but will they do that?

The big question now is can convincing wins and a 1 loss record be enough to put a team in the BCS title game? My Sooners have the rough part of the season behind them, and a renewed sense of opportunity - I think LSU has one more loss in them still with Alabama and Ole Miss in their future.

Can Michigan State keep the upset streak alive? I'm going to have to say no chance on that one...Boston College seems to be the more likely target this week, and I believe will go down to Virginia Tech. They're a #7 or #8 team ranked at #2 by no doing of their own...time to live up to expectations.

South Florida is safe....for this week.

kexodusc

10-19-2007, 03:28 AM

South Florida is safe....for this week.

Well, my little streak is over, but more importantly my Sooners have caught another huge break here, and the bizarro-world NCAA Football season continues to be a memorable one.

...having second thoughts on my "no chance" call on the Michigan St. upset over Ohio St.
Who wouldn't?

:shocked:

topspeed

10-19-2007, 09:50 AM

Am I the only one that is completely confused by this season? Rankings mean absolutely nothing. Every team is succeptible to an "upset," if that's what you want to call it.

Right now, being promoted to a top ranking is akin to Darth Vader promoting you to admiral. Good luck with that!

topspeed

10-22-2007, 11:43 AM

USF goes down to Rutgers
Cal chokes at UCLA
South Caroline loses to...uh, Vanderbilt?!?

Ahh...another wacky weekend of College mayhem.

Troy looked good at Notre Lame, but I could put a team together from the local Adult Education school that could beat the Frightened Irish. Wow, they suck. 'Course, no idea if the real USC is going to show up. Still too many bone-head penalties, still too many dropped passes, still too many guys hurt. After facing the nation's worst most and offensive offense, we get the nation's Numero Uno at Oregon: 550ypg and 46.5ppg.

Gulp.

OSU may finally meet a real team in Penn State at Happy Valley, the last place they lost to a Big Ten opponent. No idea if JoPa's kids are any good after watching them choke against Michigan, but I'm rootin' for 'em. The Buckeyes are frauds and I can only hope one of the weaklings in the Big Ten can muster enough to prove that true. LSU, even with a loss, is a better team. Unfortunately, I still can't shake the image of the Michigan game out of my mind and have to go with OSU.

Boston is having a nice October, eh? Sox are in the series and the Eagles slid into the 2 spot. If they can beat VaTech in Blacksburg, the Eagles will very likely run the table. The rest of their schedule is very doable. FSU, Miami, Clemson, & Maryland don't exactly instill abject fear in their opponents like the good ol' days. The Hokies have been playing good ball the last month, so this could be the "upset" of the weekend. Here's hoping for the Hokies.

Arizona State hosts a demoralized Cal squad that has every reason to go into the tank for the rest of the season. From #1 (briefly) to #21 in two weeks. Oof. After two tough losses, will Tedford shake that glazed look out of their eyes or are the Bears done for the season? Because it's in Tempe and because Cal's players looked shell shocked after the UCLA game, I'm going with the Devils.

How'd your teams do, fellas?

dean_martin

10-22-2007, 12:39 PM

How'd your teams do, fellas?

Not bad. Thanks for axin'.

Alabama 41, Hillbillies 17.

Bama and LSU have off-weeks before they meet in Tuscaloosa on 11/3.

topspeed

10-22-2007, 02:00 PM

That will be a great game, Dean! I've never been a fan of Saban, but I despise Miles.

Roll Tide!

dean_martin

10-24-2007, 09:45 AM

That will be a great game, Dean! I've never been a fan of Saban, but I despise Miles.

Roll Tide!

Here's how you finish off an opponent:

http://vmedia.rivals.com/video/publishermedia/885RammerUT.wmv

Woochifer

10-26-2007, 12:49 PM

Troy looked good at Notre Lame, but I could put a team together from the local Adult Education school that could beat the Frightened Irish. Wow, they suck.

Yeah, and if not for my Bruins, the Irish would still have an oafer for the season! And knowing how they've been under Karl Dorrell, they very well COULD lose to an adult school team one week after knocking off would-have-been-#1-ranked Cal! I'm very nervous about the Bruins' trip up to Pullman this weekend. Wazzu sucks, but that's a bad road trip and UCLA is 2-5 in their previous visits to WSU.

'Course, no idea if the real USC is going to show up. Still too many bone-head penalties, still too many dropped passes, still too many guys hurt. After facing the nation's worst most and offensive offense, we get the nation's Numero Uno at Oregon: 550ypg and 46.5ppg.

If you guys play like you did at Washington, it very well might be an ugly game. QB Dennis Dixon is a nightmare matchup for any defense, and he seems to keep getting better every week. But, Oregon's defense also hasn't looked too good (they gave up huge yardage against Washington and Cal), so at the very least your guys should be able to win a shootout. But, with dropped passes and penalties and the crowd noise at Autzen, it could turn into a blowout going the other way in a hurry.

Arizona State hosts a demoralized Cal squad that has every reason to go into the tank for the rest of the season. From #1 (briefly) to #21 in two weeks. Oof. After two tough losses, will Tedford shake that glazed look out of their eyes or are the Bears done for the season? Because it's in Tempe and because Cal's players looked shell shocked after the UCLA game, I'm going with the Devils.

UCLA actually had a chance at turning the Cal game into a blowout. In the second half, the Bruins started steamrolling the Bears, but a combination of boneheaded coaching decisions and inopportune penalties reversed whatever momentum the Bruins had. Cal was in position to steal the game, but Verner's last minute TD interception return bailed the Bruins out. It aggravates me to no end that Karl Dorrell keeps coaching as if he's still in the NFL, where emotion and momentum don't matter nearly as much as in college ball. He managed that Cal matchup like an NFL coach, and it nearly cost the Bruins the game.

I doubt that Dennis Erickson, if given a chance to go in for the kill against Cal, would take his foot off the gas pedal. I think ASU wins this one going away. Cal's in too much disarray right now. Tedford's teams have been able to turn things around when the season appears to be going into a death spiral, but ASU won't be where the turnaround begins.

kexodusc

10-30-2007, 05:28 AM

Well...another week, another USC loss, and Ohio State is starting to make believers out of a lot of people.

My Sooners had the week off as they prepare to mix it up with those, dirty, smell, stinky Aggies...
I don't think the boys will be too over-confident going into this one. The Aggies always play them tough and I think that lost to Colorado earlier is still stinging awful bad....keeps'em honest.

4 games left...what's gonna happen next?

Woochifer

10-30-2007, 01:56 PM

4 games left...what's gonna happen next?

How about the very real prospect of an Arizona State v. Boston College national championship game? :eek:

All that this would require is both teams running the table and Ohio State stumbling at some point in the next few weeks (very possible with a resurgent Michigan team lying in wait). Before the season started, who would've thought that the Pac-10 game of the year would potentially be Arizona State v. Oregon? Or that the Cal-USC game would turn into an elimination game for the Sun Bowl?

Even though LSU is currently ahead of ASU, I think that an ASU victory over Oregon this weekend would vault them ahead of the Tigers. Of course, if Oregon beats ASU, that would land them at either #3 or #4 as well, and they've got a legit Heisman candidate in QB Dennis Dixon (think Vince Young, only not quite as slow!).

Despite a horrific performance last weekend against Washington State, my Bruins believe it or not still control their own destiny for the Rose Bowl and the Pac-10 championship. Win out and they're in.

Of course, they still have to play Oregon, Arizona State, and USC. Then again, the Bruins have been beating the teams with winning records, while getting inexplicably pounded by teams with losing records. Unfortunately, this weekend they play Arizona and their 3-6 record -- chalk up another loss for my Bruins!

topspeed

10-31-2007, 10:17 AM

Huh, I actually had a whole response posted two days ago. Wonder what happened to it? :confused:

Another interesting weekend passed. 3 out of 4 teams in the SEC lost to lower ranked opponents. Figures. LSU now gets a shot at Saban this weekend in what should be one of the most raucous games of the weekend. Will Miles finally step out of the long shadow of Saban? LSU just suspended two more players for a bar fight and I doubt Dorsey is at full speed even after two weeks off. Should be a good one, but I'm thinking LSU by 3 at Birmingham (even tho I'd love to see 'Bama win).

Just think, the PAC 10 could have had 4 teams sitting in the Top 10 if USC and Cal wouldn't have choked. 'Twas a dream of mine...

Well, for the first time in two years, I was actually wanting Booty to come in as quarterback. :yikes: I haven't concealed my dislike of JD Booty at the helm of Troy, but at least he doesn't throw game killing interceptions in the opponents Red Zone. I feel sorry for our defense; they hold Oregon to half their YPG and PPG only to watch the offense give the ball back 3 times in the second half on turnovers. BTW, USC's offensive co-ordinator, Sarkasian, is a f**king moron. 4 and 1 at the 12 after the Ducks fumble the opening kickoff and we go for an empty backfield sweep with a patchwork offensive line held together by chewing gum and baling wire?!? NEWSFLASH: Leinart and Bush are playing on Sundays! Give me the 3 points.

Idiots.

Oregon vs ASU for the Pac 10 title, how weird is that?!? I know theoretically UCLA still has a shot (Hell, even 'SC has a shot), but let's be real for second here: UCLA will not beat 'SC at the Coliseum. Won't happen. Even if Troy loses every game leading up to that one (astonishingly, a very real possibility), payback for last year will drive them to a win. Thus, the Bruins will have two in-conference losses and be eliminated. BTW, Oregon will beat ASU at Autzen this weekend. The Sun Devils don't have the defense to keep up with Dixon and Co and ASU's QB has a sprained thumb on his throwing hand.

Interestingly enough, OU kind of dropped off the radar in all the championship discussions. Everything seems to be centered around who is going to get the 2 slot in the BCS. The question seems to be if BC, LSU, Oregon, or ASU will meet OSU in the big game. There is a fair contingent that believes whoever wins the Oregons/ASU game will vault over LSU, regardless of what the Tigers do.

Interesting scenarios abound, but there's still a month of football left. We'll see...

Woochifer

10-31-2007, 01:21 PM

Well, for the first time in two years, I was actually wanting Booty to come in as quarterback. :yikes: I haven't concealed my dislike of JD Booty at the helm of Troy, but at least he doesn't throw game killing interceptions in the opponents Red Zone. I feel sorry for our defense; they hold Oregon to half their YPG and PPG only to watch the offense give the ball back 3 times in the second half on turnovers. BTW, USC's offensive co-ordinator, Sarkasian, is a f**king moron. 4 and 1 at the 12 after the Ducks fumble the opening kickoff and we go for an empty backfield sweep with a patchwork offensive line held together by chewing gum and baling wire?!? NEWSFLASH: Leinart and Bush are playing on Sundays! Give me the 3 points.

That call surprised me as well. No surprise that they would go for it, but that play was bizarre. All in all, Oregon did not play their best game and had some potentially costly mistakes, yet still controlled nearly the entire game. Seems that SC's got a lot of talented players just going through the motions and passing time until they can start collecting their NFL paychecks. (And with the Bush investigation creeping back into the spotlight, you gotta wonder if Carroll's also got the NFL in the corner of his eye, especially with his former team, the 49ers, likely to be in the market for a new coach after this season)

Oregon vs ASU for the Pac 10 title, how weird is that?!? I know theoretically UCLA still has a shot (Hell, even 'SC has a shot), but let's be real for second here: UCLA will not beat 'SC at the Coliseum. Won't happen. Even if Troy loses every game leading up to that one (astonishingly, a very real possibility), payback for last year will drive them to a win. Thus, the Bruins will have two in-conference losses and be eliminated. BTW, Oregon will beat ASU at Autzen this weekend. The Sun Devils don't have the defense to keep up with Dixon and Co and ASU's QB has a sprained thumb on his throwing hand.

Well, that's part of the fun of these rivalry games - they're not played on paper! I have no idea who Dorrell will have left to plug into the starting lineup (right now, the Bruins are missing their top 2 receivers, 2 of their top 3 RBs, along with most of the D-line, and the top two QBs are both recovering from knee injuries). But, as the old cliche goes, anything can happen in a rivalry game. Maybe if both Cowan and Olson can't play in the SC game, Dorrell will insert speedster Ossar Rashaan at QB and start running the option (wishful thinking)! Otherwise, you're probably right -- IF SC's highly rated players actually play with some urgency and motivation, then by all rights, they should beat the Bruins. But, for whatever reason, this season has hardly followed form.

UCLA's chances at the Rose Bowl right now still exist (tied for second in the Pac-10 with Oregon), but I have a feeling that they'll go by the wayside after this weekend. Dorrell's teams usually rebound after bad losses, but the injuries have piled up the last couple of weeks and the infirmary will probably get more crowded this week since Stoops' Zona squads play dirty (lot of late hits and intentionally rolling up on opponents' knees and ankles).

So chalk up a loss for this weekend ...

And then watch the Bruins knock off Oregon and ASU, and setup the SC game for a trip to the Rose Bowl (it's entirely possible, because the first tiebreaker is head-to-head, and losses to doormats like Wazzu and Zona are less consequential than losses to contenders like Oregon and ASU) ... been that kind of a season!

dean_martin

10-31-2007, 03:57 PM

"Another interesting weekend passed. 3 out of 4 teams in the SEC lost to lower ranked opponents. Figures. LSU now gets a shot at Saban this weekend in what should be one of the most raucous games of the weekend. Will Miles finally step out of the long shadow of Saban? LSU just suspended two more players for a bar fight and I doubt Dorsey is at full speed even after two weeks off. Should be a good one, but I'm thinking LSU by 3 at Birmingham (even tho I'd love to see 'Bama win)."

Oh, man talk about your high anxiety. LSU fans and probably Miles, too would love to draw blood this weekend. LSU has the depth and talent and all Bama fans have been doing is reminding LSU fans that Saban recruited most of that talent including 16 LSU starters. When will we learn to keep our mouths shut? Bama has played only one complete game this year and that was its last one against Tennessee. It has the potential to be ugly but I think Bama will be competitive. Yes, LSU has some players that are doubtful for Sat's game including its back-up QB Periloux (no, I did not look up the spelling so it may be wrong). One of my biggest concerns was how Bama was going to contain a running QB operating from the spread. Saban has someone on the scout team simulating Periloux this week. Apparently, Saban doesn't think Miles will hold him out of the game. I believe LSU's best receiver Early Doucet is back at full speed from an injury. On the Bama side, 5 players including 2 starting offensive linemen and a tailback who has started a couple of games were suspended on the Fri. before the Tenn game for possible violations relating to receipt of textbooks. The big win kinda overshadowed this development but the Bama nation is growing concerned as nothing official has come out yet.

On a side note, this game will be on UA's campus in Tuscaloosa. Bama hasn't played in Birmingham in 10 years or more. With recent additions, Bryant-Denny stadium on campus holds over 92,000.

As Speedy reported, three ranked teams in the SEC went down on Sat. including Florida to Georgia, South Carolina to Tennessee and Kentucky to Mississippi State. Kentucky was down to its 4th and 5th running backs and its leading receiver was out with an injury. Mississippi State controlled the game with its defense, take-aways, and timely plays on offense. After jumping out to a 21pt lead, South Carolina came storming back in the second half and should've won the game, but turnovers killed the Gamecocks. Tennessee's offense looked pathetic in the second half. I was surprised Spurrier's boys couldn't finish them off in regulation. What can you say about Georgia? I think Mark Richt pulled off his best coaching job of his career. It had very little to do with his game plan and more to do with his firing up the team. I remember his first season with Georgia. He let the game clock run out in at least 2 games when his offense was in position to score the winning points. The interesting thing here is that now Georgia controls its destiny in the SEC East and if Bama can beat LSU (hey, anything's possible) there could be a rematch in the SEC Championship Game. As a rule, I don't like rematches in post season, but there's always an exception to the rule especially when your team has a chance for revenge.

Around the country-
The PAC 10 seems to be just as wild as the SEC this year. I'll be trying to follow the Oregon/ASU game this weekend from Tuscaloosa because it will have national implications. The Cal/ASU game had such a late start that I couldn't stay up with it. I need to check the time of that Ducks/Devils matchup. And yes 'SC looked like it had to go with its second string QB. I'm not a big fan of the Booties either, but I thought he could've helped 'SC win that one.

Is anybody left on OSU's schedule capable of pulling off the upset? Unfortunately, I don't think so. For some reason, I don't find Big 10 football all that entertaining, but it looks like THE Ohio State University is on track to return to the BCS Championship Game. When they whoop Meeechigan, is Carr out the door?

Looks like BC passed its biggest test by finally showing up in the last 2 minutes against Va. Tech. If they go undefeated, do they get the #2 spot? The only potential stumbling block left is FSU which is a team with strength and speed on defense and athletes on offense who just can't seem to get it together. If they happen to click on offense, they could knock off BC, but that's a big "if".

Woochifer

11-04-2007, 06:44 PM

Woo hoo! With Oregon's victory over ASU, my Bruins are still in control of the Rose Bowl race! :rolleyes:

As expected, Zona played their usual dirty game and sent several Bruins to the trainer's table, only this time they also came away with a victory. At this point, I think that Coach Dorrell has to run the table to save his job. And let's see, the remainder of the schedule consists of Oregon, Arizona State, and USC! Win out, and UCLA goes to the Rose Bowl ... and the program's stuck with Karl Dorrell for the foreseeable future! Lose one of the next three games (especially if that one is against the Trojans), and the coach search is on for the off-season.

Yes, I would love to see the team recover, win out, and stabilize the situation (as well as save next year's recruiting class, which is already top 10 caliber). But, then again, trading another loss or two for a new coach isn't all bad either. Yes, I'm rationalizing!

And my sports weekend nearly turned into a total disaster when the Bruin basketball squad also caught the injury bug in an exhibition game. Fortunately, starting PG Darren Collison's knee injury was not serious and he'll only miss a couple of weeks (though the team did lose swing man Mike Roll for two months with a foot injury).

topspeed

11-05-2007, 01:24 PM

Another week, another #2 goes down!

OK, BC is out of it and LSU now slides into the 2 spot. It happened a week later than I thought, but as long as the Eagles are out of it, I'm happy.

I think if you took a poll of what the fans would like to see, Ohio State vs LSU OR LSU vs. Oregon in the big game, the majority would want to see the latter. OSU's claim to fame this year is they took the time to not schedule anyone that could beat them. Our last hope is Michigan and while they have won 8 straight, let's not forget what Oregon did to the Wolverines. Bottom line is that this is starting to look a lot like 2002 when the Ducks should have played for the title but didn't get the chance.

Here's the thing, I don't think LSU is the best team in the country right now. They've had to claw back and escape in their last three games while Oregon has played ahead of everyone, including my beloved Trojans. OSU had to come back after being down to Wisconsin in the second half. No, right now the Ducks are the best team in the land.

On a side note, this game will be on UA's campus in Tuscaloosa. Bama hasn't played in Birmingham in 10 years or more. With recent additions, Bryant-Denny stadium on campus holds over 92,000. Whoops! I shoulda known that.

Great game, BTW. Too bad the Tide couldn't hold on. I was rootin' for 'em! :) One thing's for sure, you've got a lot to look forward to after this season.

Yes, I would love to see the team recover, win out, and stabilize the situation (as well as save next year's recruiting class, which is already top 10 caliber). But, then again, trading another loss or two for a new coach isn't all bad either. Yes, I'm rationalizing! You're in a tough spot. For the first time, AD Guerrero didn't publicly back Dorrell in an interview last week. The man hasn't beaten a team with a losing(!) record this year! The cracks are starting to show, but how do you fire a guy that got you to the Rose Bowl?

Ahh, don't worry about it. My Trojans will make the decision easy for you ;).

Speaking of Troy, 9 sacks sure does feel nice for a change. In a game clearly dominated by our defense, Booty was rusty, although a lot of the balls were catchable. 9 games in and we still don't have receivers that can hold on to the freakin' ball. Thankfully, our D was so overpowering, all we needed was someone to manage the game. As long as we don't need our quarterback to win the game on his own, we might be OK during this murderous final stretch.

Woochifer

11-05-2007, 02:00 PM

You're in a tough spot. For the first time, AD Guerrero didn't publicly back Dorrell in an interview last week. The man hasn't beaten a team with a losing(!) record this year! The cracks are starting to show, but how do you fire a guy that got you to the Rose Bowl?

And the Bruins haven't yet lost to a team with a winning record! How's that for bass ackwards?

Like I said before, I think Dorrell did a lot of good things to stabilize a program that had spun out of control under Bob Toledo, but he's not a good gameday coach and doesn't always make the best use of his players.

Dorrell's reminding me more and more of former hoops coach Steve Lavin. Lavin came into a chaotic situation created by the former coach. He was young coach in over his head. His teams ran exotic sets and were prone to making mistakes. And his teams were just as capable of beating a top-ranked team as losing to Cal State Northridge -- it's that inconsistency on the field that will probably end the Karl Dorrell era. For every step forward taken (and there have been many), it's almost always followed up by another step back (many of those too).

Fortunately, AD Dan Guerrero knew when to cut bait with the basketball coach, and lure Ben Howland to Westwood. Time might be up for him to take a similar approach with the football program.

Ahh, don't worry about it. My Trojans will make the decision easy for you ;).

You mean your boys are going to tank the game to save Karl Dorrell's job? Some Bruin fans might say thanks but no thanks! :cornut:

Sonnie

11-06-2007, 07:43 PM

Roll Tide!

Woochifer

11-08-2007, 10:59 AM

Roll Tide!

Sonnie! :cool:

Welcome to the AR board! Not quite as many Behringer Feedback Destroyer experts here as you got on your Home Theater Shack site, but a fairly high percentage of the regulars on this site have made good use of your BFD Guide. So, feel free to hang around and enjoy the gratitude. (But, if you just want to sit here and talk SEC football, that's cool too)

kexodusc

11-10-2007, 07:06 PM

topspeed

11-12-2007, 01:26 PM

Ohio State and Michigan take it on the chin...and in the 3rd qtr Boston College is on the ropes...
It's almost becoming predictable - where are the conspiracy theories?
Hawaii and Kansas might be the only 2 unbeaten teams - if so, they deserve to be in the BCS Championship game just for surviving 2007 as far as I'm concerned.
Well, it's official: The clear, clean, Canadian air finally made you go loopy!

Hawaii has beaten WHO exactly? I'm a Colt Brennan fan, but c'mon! Also, I refuse to vote for Kansas simply because:
1) They won't get past Oklahoma
2) Mangini looks like a Cabbage Patch doll with waaaay too small sunglasses.

The best thing to come about this weekend (besides a Troy win ;) ), was the Buckeyes finally ridding the country's fear of seeing them in New Orleans. Now, the two best teams are actually in position to play for the championship. As of right now, the Ducks and Tigers are better than everyone else. Of course, in this season of discontent, who knows who will be best next weekend?!?

A couple of "legends" got the rep's smacked down a bit as Spurrier and Saban both went down again. Saban's in his first year, so that was to be expected until he can fill the coffers. Spurrier is in dire need of a quarterback that isn't an idiot.

On the west coast, it looks like the Thanksgiving Game of USC vs. ASU will determine who gets to go to the Rose Bowl. USC swam its way past Cal in monsoon conditions at Memorial Stadium while ASU finally proved that UCLA can lose to teams with winning records just as well as those with losing records. Remember that, Wooch; December 1st is right around the corner. Unfortunately, whoever does win is forced to face the OSU/Michigan winner. I say "unfortunately" only because they both suck. My hope is 'SC vs. Michigan. Pete Carroll flat owns Carr and I'd love to send him into retirement with a fourth straight Rose Bowl loss. We did it to Schembechler, so it has agreeable synergy. :)

kexodusc

11-12-2007, 04:14 PM

Well, I don't think the Hawaii or Kansas are great teams, but that said - it's funny if one of them goes unbeaten.

I figure my Sooners are just 2, maybe even 1 miracle away from the big game...fingers still crossed...that's about 5 fewer miracles than I need a month ago. Thanks to everyone else for losing so we don't feel as bad...

Oh....and I was loopy looooong before moving to Canada.

kexodusc

11-16-2007, 06:00 AM

I figure my Sooners are just 2, maybe even 1 miracle away from the big game...fingers still crossed...that's about 5 fewer miracles than I need a month ago. Thanks to everyone else for losing so we don't feel as bad...

1 miracle down....

So, let's say the Sooners beat Kansas - what's the consensus, are we in?

dean_martin

11-16-2007, 10:14 AM

1 miracle down....

So, let's say the Sooners beat Kansas - what's the consensus, are we in?

If the Sooners don't lose either of their remaining reg season games and beat Kansas (or possibly Missouri) in the Big 12 Championship Game, they're in. If they go into the Big 12 Championship Game with 2 losses, then I think you have to look elsewhere even if the Sooners win their conf. championship. I think a one-loss team like West Virginia might overtake them. Right now, the #2 spot in the BSC Championship Game is in the Big 12's hands. Let's see how the Okies, Kansas and Mizzou handle themselves (and the #2 curse) down the stretch.

Oh, and what happens if LSU stumbles? Wouldn't it be a statement for a playoff system if LSU stumbles, an undefeated #1 ranked Kansas and a one-loss #2 ranked OK meet in the Big 12 Championship Game, OK wins and moves up to #1 and Kansas falls only one spot to #2 resulting in a dreaded re-match for the BCS Championship?

Last night's game was unfortunate for Dixon and Oregon. It always bothers me a little when a team has to play without its best player (not as much if the player is suspended, but when the player is lost due to injury). Nevertheless, AZ did expose some of Oregon's defensive and special teams problems.

BTW, I'm still smarting from Bama's loss to Mississippi State. Apparently, Bama doesn't have a back-up QB ready for play. JP Wilson single-handedly lost that game with 2 interceptions one of which was returned from goal line to goal line that changed the whole complexion of the game. Bama was up by 6 and was inside State's 5 yard line when the pick was thrown just before half time. It seems Bama's red zone woes from last year re-appeared. The other pick set State up deep in Bama territory for the only offensive TD of the game. Bama really has to win out to show improvement from last year. That means they have to break Auburn's 5 game winning streak at Auburn. Next year Bama's schedule is tougher with road games at Ark., Georgia, Tenn and LSU. Bama went 2-2 against those teams at home this season. They lost their marquee non-conference game against FL State in Jacksonville. The details are still being worked out for a game against Clemson in the Georgia Dome on Aug. 30th next season. I think it's an interesting and somewhat novel trend to schedule a single big-time non-conf. game at a neutral or somewhat neutral site rather than a 2-year home-and-home deal. We'll see how it plays out. I guess the telling factor will be whether the 2 schools can sell out a neutral site venue.

Speaking of large crowds, I haven't seen a team (that doesn't mean they're not out there) that travels better than LSU. At away games, their fans always outnumber their allotted tickets.

topspeed

11-19-2007, 12:33 PM

Oregon loses Dixon and sure enough, their offense goes into the tank. It was surprising that their defense folded as easily as it did, however you have to wonder if losing their team leader and offensive catalyst had an affect on the other side of the ball as well. Either way, there is a very real chance of Oregon losing to Oregon State in the big rivalry game, something that my Trojans need to happen.

SC faces Arizona State at Tempe on Thanksgiving and if we win and the Beavers defrock the Ducks, SC goes to the Rose Bowl. ASU has given up the second most sacks in D1 ball (49) and they'll be facing the #3 defense in the country. With the way our defense has played recently, I like our chances. The days of the "blow-out" is long gone, but I think it will Troy by 7.

Kansas has now stepped into the cursed #2 slot, just in time to face Mizzou. In this circus season of "upsets," the last thing you want to be is #2 in the BCS. If the curse holds, they'll go down this weekend and put WV into the 2 spot. If they don't, OU takes them out in the Big12 championship provided Bradford can find his marbles. I just don't see Kansas making the big game.

Speaking of not making it, Dino...what in the world happened?!? That's almost as bad as Michigan's faceplant against App. State! I know I don't have a lot of room to talk after the Stanford game, but you have GOT to get a new QB. That guy is awful.

Which seque's nicely to Chad Henne. Mr. I'm-coming-back-for-my-senior-year-to-beat-OSU was as bad as they come on Saturday. Sure, OSU's Gholston spent more time in the backfield than Hart, but Henne misfired with all the time in the world plenty of times. Granted, quite a few passes should have been caught that weren't (apparently taking a page out of USC's playbook), but the fact of the matter is that this loss is pinned directly on Carr. Carr kept his Senior quarterback in when switching to his backup, even though he's a freshman, was the right thing to do for the team. Perhaps knowing he was retiring all along, in my mind Carr kept Henne in because he was a Senior and had made a point of plowing through his dislocated shoulder to play in the only game that mattered to him. Fair enough. However, if you play to WIN, you pull Henne and insert the backup that created the longest drive for your offense in the second half. This game was winnable for UM. Just not with Henne under center.

kexodusc

11-19-2007, 12:50 PM

I dunno - OU is just too inconsistent this year - I don't like their chances agains Kansas now - what's the motivation? Spoiler? Please...
That one hurt...real bad.

Wow...Kansas - the most unlikely BCS champ ever?

dean_martin

11-19-2007, 02:04 PM

Speaking of not making it, Dino...what in the world happened?!? That's almost as bad as Michigan's faceplant against App. State! I know I don't have a lot of room to talk after the Stanford game, but you have GOT to get a new QB. That guy is awful.

I dunno...I'm dumbfounded about the whole thing. The back-up QBs must really stink. We've only seen'em in the Spring Game and at the end of the first game - a blowout against Western Carolina. In the past, Wilson has come back from bone headed interceptions and sacks (when he should've gotten rid of the ball) to make plays. He's had a gun-slinger mentality until the Miss. St. game when it became obvious that his confidence is shaken. Now he's scared to make certain throws and he's trying to aim the ball instead of just letting it go. Part of the problem has been the offensive line which, after some shuffling, started to click just before 2 starters were suspended. But the ULM game was a complete let down. The defense couldn't get critical 3rd and long stops. When they did get the ball back to the offense 3 times in the last 5 minutes, a running back fumbled deep in ULM territory and the offense failed to convert on 4th down twice. Bama's best kick/punt returner went down with an injury which seemed to add to the gloom and doom mentality. These are basically the same players Bama had last year. With few exceptions, they aren't that talented, and word is that some of them think they are more talented than they really are. The "team concept" hasn't taken deep roots yet. Hiring Saban wasn't going to turn this group of players around overnight, but I expected them to win the games they are supposed to win.

Bama got word late Fri. or early Sat. that the "text book 5" were cleared to play in the Auburn game. I thought that would give the rest of the team a little boost, but then it was announced that DJ Hall was in Saban's dog house. He was benched the first half and was probably supposed to sit out the whole game, but he played the 2nd half. It didn't help. This is not the way you want to go into your in-state rivalry game. Auburn has had a week off to lick its wounds after getting slammed by Georgia. The game's in Auburn. There are rumors flying around that Tommy Tuberville might be leaving for Texas A&M. Most Aubs will want him to stay if he beats Bama again. He'll have some contract negotiation leverage with Auburn if he beats Bama. I really don't see anything in Bama's favor for this game. So, I guess if things continue the way things have gone this season, Bama will win.

topspeed

11-19-2007, 06:45 PM

Geez, Kex, don't even talk to me about inconsistency. Actually, I guess I can't reall say that; Troy has been consistently mediocre :(.

Deano,

I hear Saban runs his team like a boot-camp. Hard to imagine players not picking up the concept after 10 games, but if the attitude problems exist that you're talking about, it could explain a lot of things.

topspeed

11-26-2007, 11:55 AM

Another wacky weekend :crazy:

Not only did the curse hold true for #2 Kansas (they were a fraud anyway), but LSU takes in the shorts from a Razorback team who has one...and only one...game plan: Run the Ball! How do you lose...at home no less...to a team as one dimensional as Arkansas?!? Didn't see that one coming, and neither did Miles apparently. Perhaps Les is feeling a bit Blue these days?

So now we have Mizzou and WV sitting atop the CFL world. OK, raise your hand if you saw that one coming in August. Both have one game left, WV against Pitt and Mizzou against Kex's Sooners.

Kex, I'm going to ask a huge favor from every CFL fan not in Norman and wherever it is you live in the Great White North:

Let Mizzou win.

Seriously.

WV will destroy Pitt and if the Sooners win, the title game will be WV vs. OSU, and there isn't a man, woman, child, or pet hamster alive that wants to see the Buckeyes in the title game again. Remember what Florida did to them last year? Now picture WV's dual threat combo in the mother of all spread offenses. It won't be pretty.

'Twould be far better to allow the Buckeyes to meet my Trojans (*knock on wood*) in a classic Rose Bowl, at which they will receive an equally classic butt kicking so the rest of the country will finally realize the Big Ten ain't what they think it is. 'SC has met Big Ten opponents in 3 of their last 5 BCS games and kicked the stuffing out of all of them. If Troy can continue to play like they did against ASU, they will be very tough to be beat. It took 11 games and one humiliating loss, but USC finally looked like, well...USC. Having our original offensive line intact for the first time since the beginning of September sure didn't hurt.

How'd you guys do?

Rich-n-Texas

11-26-2007, 01:03 PM

All's I know is I picked the wrong year to get my interest back in the college football ranks. The Horns lost to TAMU, LSU lost their #1 ranking... and so on. Crazy!

dean_martin

11-26-2007, 02:17 PM

Yes, it's been a wild ride this year. The only problem with weekly shakeups like this is that highly anticipated matchups for the BCS championship game go out the window.

Now the upset is too predictable. OK will probably beat Mizzou for a second time putting OSU in the championship game.

Hey, Speedy. Any chance at all of 'SC and LSU meeting in a BCS bowl?

topspeed

11-27-2007, 12:12 PM

I don't think so, although my guess is that it would be the most watched bowl game, including the Nat. Champ game. That's the game everyone has been wanting since the split title of '03.

Our current BCS ranking really only aligns us with the Rose Bowl, Carroll's preferred destination every year. We either beat UCLA and go there or lose and end up in a second tier bowl like the Holiday or Alamo. If WV or Mizzou falters and OSU makes it in the title game, the Rose Bowl gets first choice on who to replace the traditional Big Ten/Pac 10 matchup, in which case Illinois would be next in line. There are, however, rumors that Georgia would also enjoy a trip to Pasadena and considering the way they are playing, that could be an intriguing matchup. As LSU meets Tennessee for the SEC championship, the victor will play in the Sugar and Lord knows where the loser will play?

kexodusc

11-27-2007, 12:38 PM

Sorry speedy, OU ain't jobbing to Mizzou - the way I see it, if WV and USC lose this weekend, OU is as good a pick as any team to make the BCS game...won't happen, but that's an uninspiring list of candidates if ever I saw one...

topspeed

11-28-2007, 11:43 AM

Rich-n-Texas

12-02-2007, 11:41 AM

I would say Kex is a very happy boy today. :thumbsup:

kexodusc

12-02-2007, 12:05 PM

Yeah, I knew it was a pipe dream, Kex. LSU is ranked higher than OU so even if your scenario played out, chances are the Tigers would make the dance before the Sooners. OSU's huge advantage is their season is done and therefore will sit there with one loss while the other one and two loss teams (that are better than the Buckeyes) pound away on each other.

BTW, what car did you end up buying? I must have missed it.

Yes, beating Missouri was a nice consolation prize...I think it will win some votes, but not enough.

Speedy - we haven't bought anything yet and truth be told I'm driving my cousin's 2002 Dodge Neon temporarily. The leases ended and we were going to buy new vehicles but we're sort of in limbo for the time being. My wife's been offered work in Melbourne, Australia and we're trying to immigrate. Which is proving to be more difficult than we hoped. Needless to say, I didn't want to buy or lease another car only to have to turn around and take a hit on it a few months later.
If we're still here in the spring I'd say we aren't going and we'll get something new then. She's leaning towards the Mazda 3 Sport - but I'm curious to see what the new Matrix/Vibe turn out like next year.

I'm getting used to having just 1 vehicle - might try and talk her into downsizing. Maybe.

kexodusc

12-03-2007, 04:30 AM

Well congrats to LSU for winning the lottery and getting to go to the big game.
Am I happy about it? No. But, there's no point in complaining, OU controlled it's destiny in games against Colorado and Texas Tech. LSU is as deserving as any and I can't think of another team that would generate less controversy.

I see some positive coming out of the nonsense though - there's more talk than ever about a playoff format. If next year has even half as many big upsets I think its safe to say there's more parity and competition acrosst he board. We can only hope. Sureley the lure of big money will be enough to finally make this happen.

The other thing I'm hearing - those traditionally heavyweight conferences like the Big 12 and SEC aren't quite as tough as everyone wants to believe. Time for teams to quit resting on reputation and supposed strength of schedule.

topspeed

12-03-2007, 11:14 AM

The other thing I'm hearing - those traditionally heavyweight conferences like the Big 12 and SEC aren't quite as tough as everyone wants to believe. Time for teams to quit resting on reputation and supposed strength of schedule.
Tell that to Hawaii.

If you'll remember what Boise State did to OU last year, imagine what Colt Brennan could do to Ohio State. In this, the year of discontent, why not an undefeated Hawaii? I know; "They didn't play anybody." Fair 'nuff. Tell me who OSU played that was decent? Was it Akron? Kent State? Youngstown State? To mention the teams from the woeful Big 0 may be construed as piling it on. So we're stuck with "traditional" powers OSU vs LSU. Here's to LSU kicking the bejeezus out of the Buckeyes in their home stadium.

This past weekend, I froze my tail off watching 'SC send Karl Dorrell, coach of the Bruins, off into the sunset. It was about ball control. It was methodical. It was boring as hell. Oh, and did I mention it was cold? Not Canada cold, but definitely SoCal cold when I'm stupid enough to wear shorts. Troy needed to blow the doors off of the Bruins, much like they did ASU on Thanksgiving, to even be considered. They didn't and even though rivalry games are never as easy as X's and O's, they couldn't provide a "statement" when one was desperately needed.

So, who is best?

Oklahoma looked pretty good dismantling Mizzou...not so much against Tech a few weeks earlier.

Georgia was smoking hot in their final games, but they didn't even win the division.

Kansas is a joke. Enough said.

LSU walloped the Vols by a staggering 7 points after losing to an unranked team...at home...less than 10 days ago.

USC is finally healthy and playing decent ball, but alas the Stanford Tree casts a mighty long shadow and voters have mighty long memories.

If ever there was a need for a playoff system, this is it. While there are probably 6 or 7 teams that have a legitimate argument that they deserve to play in the title game, none can state their team is unequivocally better than any other. I'm as diehard a fan as they come, yet not so blind to confuse this year's squad with that of '04 when we destroyed all comers (particularly OU in the Orange Bowl) with a suffocating defense and explosive offense.

This year, for the first time in memory, there wasn't a team that truly separated itself from the others. If you held a top ranking, it simply meant you were going to lose to the next unranked team on your schedule.

Unfortunately, this year's bowl pairing won't really resolve anything either. I would have loved to seen USC vs. Georgia in the Rose Bowl, but the people in charge decided tradition was more important than resolution and took 13th ranked Illini from the Big 0.

Yippee.

Anybody want tickets to the Rose Bowl? I've got 4 for sale.

Seriously.

Woochifer

12-03-2007, 12:34 PM

Well, needless to say, not one of my better sports weekends!

First, my Bruin footballers lose a rather uninspired game to the Trojans. Next, Cal completes their inexplicable season ending spiral by handing The Axe back to Stanford. Then, the Bruin hoopsters lose their first game of the season to Texas (D.J. Augustin made me a believer in his AA credentials). And to top it all off, our little girl had a 103-degree fever all weekend after receiving her first flu shot on Friday!

As far as the football game goes, neither team really brought their A game, but the Bruins just played worse and the Trojan defense single-handedly kept the game out of reach. Very much an encapsulation of Karl Dorrell's tenure all wrapped up in one game -- uninspired effort after a gutty (albeit very ugly) victory the week before, anemic offense, predictable playcalling, head scratching coaching decisions, inconsistent execution, etc. Frankly, I would have been embarrassed for this team to wind up in the Rose Bowl -- this is a very different situation than when Rick Neuheisel led a 6-4-1 Bruin squad into the Rose Bowl game after winning 6 of their last 7 regular season games.

The silver lining to Saturday's loss is that it virtually guarantees the curtain getting pulled down on the Karl Dorrell era. The rumors are that UCLA has opened up third-party discussions with Texas Tech's Mike Leach, Boise State's Chris Peterson, and former Cal and 49er coach Steve Mariucci. Supposedly, Mooch has the inside track, partly because he would be immediately available and cost less than the other two (no high existing salary to match, and no contract buyout). Other names mentioned in different rumor mills include Rick Neuheisel, Norm Chow, and current DC DeWayne Walker.

As far as the BCS goes -- very appropriate for chaos to reign after a regular season like this one where BCS frontrunners have fallen on a weekly basis. I used to look forward to bowl season, but the BCS has devalued even the major bowls to a point that I think a playoff is an imperative. Just look at the excitement and fan interest that annually accompanies the NCAA basketball tournament. Imagine a 16-team football tournament where all the conferences (not just the BCS members) are included -- think that wouldn't generate a fair share of compelling games, stunning upsets, and Selection Sunday controversy every year? Unfortunately, this idea makes too much sense for it to ever come to fruition!

UPDATE: As expected, Karl Dorrell was fired today. Let the coaching search begin ...

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=Av6H2FdASsk7e7uYZJe276AcvrYF?slug=ap-ucla-dorrellfired&prov=ap&type=lgns

Woochifer

12-03-2007, 01:07 PM

Unfortunately, this year's bowl pairing won't really resolve anything either. I would have loved to seen USC vs. Georgia in the Rose Bowl, but the people in charge decided tradition was more important than resolution and took 13th ranked Illini from the Big 0.

Yippee.

Anybody want tickets to the Rose Bowl? I've got 4 for sale.

Seriously.

Ick! I agree, not the best matchup. Even Hawaii would have provided a more compelling storyline, and likely more interesting game.

Illinois had better hope that Illini alum Hugh Hefner doesn't invite the team to his annual NYE party, like he did the last time the Illini reached the Rose Bowl in '84.

Rumor is that several of the Illini players were partying it up way into the morning hours at the mansion, and they got absolutely destroyed the next day by the Rick Neuheisel-led Bruins (19-point underdogs and they wound up winning 45-9 -- I've never heard of a double-digit point spread turned around to that extreme). But, even if the Illinois coaches decide to turn that week into a virtual boot camp, I don't know how much of a chance they'll have against the Trojans. I mean, if the choice is between losing vs losing by a lot after a night of partying at the Playboy Mansion, taking Hef up on an invite might not be such a bad thing!

Since this is the Illini's first trip back to Pasadena since that debaucle, I would imagine that you'll have plenty of takers for those tickets. If this is anything like the last time, SoCal will be swarming with Illini fans, since a Rose Bowl berth is more of a once-in-a-generation event for them.

dean_martin

12-03-2007, 01:13 PM

well, well...here we are at the end and what have we learned?

Missouri - play and lose in your conference championship game and miss out on a BCS bid while the team you beat 2 wks ago and is ranked lower is selected.

Georgia - lose the right game (TN), miss your conf. championship game and go to a BCS bowl. But wait - now YOU will answer the question whether Hawaii is any good. No pressure at all, Coach Richt. Why is Richt complaining that he's not in the nat'l championship game? Because he's a dumbass who's setting his team up for a letdown, shocker, surprise, etc. against Hawaii.

LSU - everyone with any vote, pull, say-so, microphone, tv-time, etc. wanted LSU in the championship game. Missouri, not surprisingly, obliged and WV screwed itself. LSU has lots of folks to thank.

Ohio State - almost no one wanted these jokers in the nat'l champ game, but what could anyone with a vote do? They had to be the default pick. OSU has lots of folks to thank as well.

Much more could be said about the coaching exits, the Heisman and the upsets but why bother.

topspeed

12-03-2007, 01:24 PM

Woochifer

12-03-2007, 04:48 PM

Of the possible coaches mentioned, anyone but Chow is fine with me. As long as Troy never faces a Norm Chow offense, I'm a happy camper. There is no question in my mind that if Carroll would have holstered his ego and kept Norm Chow as OC, USC would be a 4 time defending National Champion.

I'm dead serious.

That seems to be the one X factor working in Chow's favor -- knowing the kind of uproar that hiring him would create among the Trojans. But, I also keep hearing that he's not big on recruiting, and he's not an especially compelling guy in a closed room. No question Chow's one of the greatest offensive minds ever. But, he's a totally unproven commodity as a head coach, and after the Karl Dorrell experiment, I can't see UCLA going with a first time head coach yet again. And if UCLA goes with a coordinator, there's a strong sentiment to promote DC DeWayne Walker.

topspeed

12-05-2007, 04:56 PM

Woochifer

12-06-2007, 11:26 AM

There was an article in the LA times regarding Dorrell's replacement calling for someone with swagger. After Dorrell's painfully laid back manner, I think they are absolutely right. Chow is too quiet, Peterson at Boise has bowed out, and I'm not sure Mariucci can coach all that well. He didn't exactly light up everyone at Cal. Their best bet could be Neuheisal. I know he brings a ton of baggage, but he also brings a ton of wins. That said, after Toledo, the regents may not be willing to take the risk.

Mooch though only had one year at the helm at Cal, and I think they would have done quite well if Mariucci had stayed. UCLA seems to be looking for an offensive minded coach, and though Mariucci's a west coast offense guru like Dorrell, he also helped engineer one of the biggest one-year turnarounds I've ever seen when he took over as Cal's OC in 1990. He seems to better know how to get an effective college offense into place quickly.

A popular sentiment among some Bruins I know regarding Rick Neuheisel is that if UCLA had hired him after Terry Donahue retired, the Bruins would have racked up one or two national championships and a laundry list of NCAA sanctions in the aftermath. Skippy's got the resume and the demeanor to take UCLA football to a championship level, but he's ethically challenged and a magnet for NCAA investigators, and he has already done long-term damage to both the Colorado and Washington programs. Hiring him is a potential deal with the devil -- he'd conjure up a few years of glory, followed by a decade of cleaning up after the mess he leaves behind.

Supposedly, Mike Leach, who would most definitely bring his own brand of swagger, is interested, but UCLA is not. Other coaches that have popped onto the rumor lists are Seahawks assistant Jim Mora, Jr., Wake Forest's Jim Grobe and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly. Mora apparently was holding out for the Washington position, but is now available since Washington announced that Willingham will be back next year. Grobe and Kelly, I know nothing about, though Grobe might be an interesting choice given that WF has similarly high admissions hurdles as UCLA. Grobe and Kelly would also follow a similar pattern to how AD Dan Guerrero selected Ben Howland to take over the basketball program.

I also read that Norm Chow's reps made first contact with UCLA and he's interested, so who knows how this whole process will shake out. Right now, I think it's going to be either Mariucci or DeWayne Walker.

As long as Carroll stays in Cardinal and Gold, get whoever you want. We'll still own your a$$ ;).

Ironic that you would use $$$ signs given that the Reggie Bush investigation recently got brought back into the spotlight. :cornut:

As far as Carroll goes, I have a feeling that there will be a lot of pressure on the 49ers to go after Carroll after the season's over. Carroll is a Bay Area native and a former DC with the Niners. The questions are whether the Yorks will open up the checkbook, and whether they'll want to bring someone back with ties to the DeBartolo/Policy/Seifert regime.

topspeed

12-06-2007, 03:38 PM

The questions are whether the Yorks will open up the checkbook, and whether they'll want to bring someone back with ties to the DeBartolo/Policy/Seifert regime Oh, you mean the regime that did nothing but win championships? That one? The Yorks have destroyed a once proud franchise. They aren't as bad as that senile ol' coot across the bay, but they aren't far off.

Truth be told, I'm not worried about the Niner's, it's the Bolts that have my attention. The SoCal rumor mill is rife with stories of Spano's willingness to give Carroll the whole enchilada if he defects to San Diego. Complete control is what he's always asked for and that's exactly what they will give them after their monumental blunder of firing Marty for Norv.

I can't imagine why Carroll would want to leave 'SC. He's practically a deity in LA and is treated like a friggin' rock star! He is one of, if not the highest paid coach in college, likely pulling down somewhere around Saban's $4m a year. That number doesn't include the perks you know wealthy alum are showering on the guy. Seriously, the only reason to leave is ego...and that's exactly why I'm worried.

Woochifer

12-07-2007, 02:15 PM

Oh, you mean the regime that did nothing but win championships? That one? The Yorks have destroyed a once proud franchise. They aren't as bad as that senile ol' coot across the bay, but they aren't far off.

No kidding. After DeBartolo was forced to hand over control of the 49ers to the Yorks, they papered over as many links to the old regime as possible. Players from the DeBartolo era used to constantly drop by the 49ers facility, but from what I've read a lot of them no longer feel welcome. Sad to see for a team that has had such an illustrious recent history not embracing that kind of legacy, especially since so many of those Niner greats still live in the Bay Area.

The Raiders should have just stayed in L.A. (though I never accepted them as an L.A. team), built their stadium in Irwindale, and spared us East Bay taxpayers from having to pour millions every year into that Coliseum sinkhole. Aside from a couple of good years under Gruden and their Super Bowl appearance under Callahan, the Raiders' return to Oaktown has been a disaster all the way around.

Truth be told, I'm not worried about the Niner's, it's the Bolts that have my attention. The SoCal rumor mill is rife with stories of Spano's willingness to give Carroll the whole enchilada if he defects to San Diego. Complete control is what he's always asked for and that's exactly what they will give them after their monumental blunder of firing Marty for Norv.

I can't imagine why Carroll would want to leave 'SC. He's practically a deity in LA and is treated like a friggin' rock star! He is one of, if not the highest paid coach in college, likely pulling down somewhere around Saban's $4m a year. That number doesn't include the perks you know wealthy alum are showering on the guy. Seriously, the only reason to leave is ego...and that's exactly why I'm worried.

You're probably right. If the Spanoses are willing to hand control of the team over to Carroll, that's more than he'll likely get from the Yorks. Plus, I would guess that Spanos and Carroll's mutual ties to Pacific don't hurt. Carroll's in a cushy situation right now, but I get the impression that he still feels the need to prove himself at the pro level.

Rich-n-Texas

01-03-2008, 06:04 AM

GEAUX TIGERS!!! :ihih:

topspeed

01-08-2008, 03:35 PM

Well, college football season is over and what have we learned after the bowls?

* LSU will be crowned BCS Champion. Congrats. Still, I have a hard time believing they are the best team in the land right now. Slaughtering a Big Ten team doesn't mean a whole lot. Ask App. State, Oregon, or USC.

* Contrary to popular belief, it's isn't the Rose Bowl's fault Georgia vs. SC couldn't be put together. The Sugar Bowl had first choice after losing LSU to the title game and even if they wanted to, the Rose simply couldn't get the Bulldogs. Too bad, that would have been a helluva lot better than...

* The Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl both stunk on ice. USC destroyed the Illini in a yawner and Georgia showed the world why the WAC is, well...the WAC. Aloha!

* Every bowl game outside of the title game has been reduced to a state of irrelevance. I watched the Rose because Troy played. It bored the stuffing out of me. I watched a bit of the Capital One (aka Citrus) Bowl only because I despise Meyer and loved watching Carr go out on the shoulders of his players. He may not be the best coach, but Carr was always classy and deserved this treatment far more than the constant berating from the Blue fanbase.

* We need a playoff. Seriously.

That is all, time for me to go into a sports coma until late August.