closetojumping

I have no doubt that Michigan would have beaten Iowa during the regular season. My point was more about, well, do they beat PSU the following week? That was a tough game on the road in the first place. Just a what-if? given the nonsense of what they actually faced. I am encouraged to hear that the SEC is likely going to a 9th game by 2026. I don't see how the ACC doesn't follow suit, especially since I'd think that inventory is worth money than the FCS games are. I think the biggest thing that probably gets the ACC off the button, if money can't, is watching the Big 12 get 3 teams in a couple of times while they're getting their ACC champion in and begging that the runner-up also get a consideration. Better be Clemson, FSU or Miami in that 2 spot at 11-2, I'm hoping.

Scheduling never gets enough scrutiny from the media, yet schedules make or break title contenders every season. Last year, Michigan opened with 4 games at home: ECU, UNLV, Bowling Green and Rutgers. They also missed Iowa. I know that they were damned good and also cheating motherfuckers, but how different is the Michigan 2023 season if they catch Texas, or go on the road to ND, or play Iowa a week before Penn State? Maybe they still win it all, but that is very, very debatable. As an alternative, think about Liberty* in 2023. They played the shittiest schedule in FBS. Yet they go undefeated and, basically by default, wind up as the highest ranked G5 team and got to go get blown out in the Fiesta Bowl. Does that game look different if SMU or Tulane plays Oregon instead? I'm sure Oregon still wins, but many more of us might have at least been inclined to have watched it. I didn't. I watched most bowl games and skipped that bullshit. Or how about something altogether different, such as Texas in 2023. If Texas went the Oklahoma/Michigan route and hid behind their brand in the hopes of making the playoffs, rather than doing something worthwhile in the non-con, does Texas get in with a 12-1 record but a win over, say, Appalachian State instead of a road win versus Alabama on their resume? No, they don't. Either both Bama and Georgia get in, or FSU gets in and UGA bawls. Either way, no one but Texas fans would have been whining for 12-1 Texas. So what about this year? Who's got a spine and who doesn't? And what might the consequences be? If not discussed here heading towards the season ramp-up, we won't see much discussion elsewhere or properly given its due, at least. The Jellyfish 1) The SEC and ACC - look, I understand why we are still dealing with this weak shit regarding 8 conference games, but I don't have to like it. I hated it when Texas wasn't in one of these conferences and I hate it now. It's spineless schedule manipulation done to get more teams into the playoffs. Add to that that in replacement of the 9th conference game, these teams all (except for Texas and Va Tech), that's 31 out of 33 conference teams, they each play a FCS program and you've got vomit-inducing, cheating-esque garbage being pushed our way as fans. No one wants to watch that shit. Further, neither conference has an argument for a bubble playoff team over a high quality alternative from the Big 12 or Big 10 getting in instead. Fucking joke. 2) Ohio State - Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall - fuck these guys. They better win out or there will be plenty to argue against their entry to the CFP. 3) Ole Miss - Furman, MTSU, @Wake, Georgia Southern. When Ole Miss is sitting at 10-2 with a loss to Georgia and another random, SEC honks everywhere will be pleading about their grind of a schedule and getting them in as the 11th seed over some 11-2 Big 12 team, laugh at them. They get 5 of the bottom projected 7 SEC teams and skip Texas, Bama, Tenn, and Mizzou. 4) Oklahoma - Temple, Tulane, UH, Maine! - at one point in time, OU would schedule anyone, anywhere. Those days are gone. Now, they crouch behind their history and hope for the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately for them, too many benefits of the doubt have been given to them in the past, only to watch them just get fucking mauled in title games and the like. Fuck OU. (I don't give a shit about the Georgia game cancellation - they could have found a P4 opponent and chose Maine and Temple instead.). 5) Notre Dame - ND gets to pick who they play every year. They know they'll get the benefit of the doubt in a close call against any conference's 3rd or worst candidate for a playoff spot if they're 10-2 or better. It appears as though they said, "yeah, fuck it, stop scheduling teams with a pulse" once the playoff expansion was announced. This year they go: @ATM, Northern Illinois, @Purdue, Miami of Ohio, Louisville, Stanford, Ga Tech (@Mercedes Benz in ATL), Navy (Met Life Stadium), FSU, Virginia, Army (in the Bronx), and @ USC. Who is the toughest team on that schedule? An overranked ATM? A weak USC? A top 20-ish FSU team? If Notre Dame is anything below 11-1 this season, they should be eliminated from the conversation unless multiple teams on their schedule really surprise with amazing seasons. Anyway, all 5 of these scheduling approaches have serious consequences for the CFP this year. Deserving teams sitting at 10-2 or 9-3 playing harder schedules are likely to get pushed out because of some of this bitch-made shit. I'm curious to see how it all plays out and figured it was worth hearing anyone else's thoughts as well. *Liberty again stands to gain the most out of everyone with their scheduling nonsense. For one, they play in the worst G5 conference - Conference USA. It's a pathetic overall group of teams that have arguably no business remaining at the FBS level. In addition to their pathetic in-conference slate, which includes 3 recent ascendants from FCS (Sam, Jax State, Kennesaw State), their non-con includes an FCS school (Campbell), ECU, App State, and UMass! Wretched. App State is at least favored to win the Sun Belt, so maybe they can save everyone from having to watch the #5 CFP seed simply walk over #12 Liberty on their way to the quarters.

Are you going to the Saturday practice? I don't know who gets invited and who doesn't. I got the invite, but I've been traveling a bunch and decided to punt. I think @RGBIII is going, and if you are as well, hopefully y'all can at least offer up your views on what you saw.

He was viewed as someone with an NFL grade, allegedly. Word from people on the UGA staff that any of us would trust is that they have more NFL talent on the offense than they've had since Smart took over, albeit not necessarily the highest end NFL talent. They think every starter this season will ultimately be drafted, with Beck and several OL going in the first (not everyone after this season, as some would be 2026-beyond). I'm personally skeptical of this analysis, including the prior views on Thomas before the latest felonious bullshit that should send his ass to prison. The WRs should scare no one. Delp is good, but he isn't Brock Bowers. Yurosek is the better receiving TE and I'd take either Texas TE over him. They have quality TBs including Etienne, but no gamebreakers. Beck is a high quality starter but he gets the benefit of the doubt as much as anyone this side of JJ McCarthy. I question the notion that every OL is a NFL prospect. Wilson is not a known commodity at C. Truss is getting Mims-level love and he played a utility role last year and G the year before. Regarding the D, the word was that they'll be good, not great, by Georgia/Bama standards. That outlook doesn't surprise me. Williams gets love due to recruiting pedigree and NFL grades, but he's yet to be a scary productive player. Mondon and Starks are legit. The rest of the Georgia defense is more recruiting ranking than collegiate output at this point. There's no doubt they'll be very well coached, nonetheless.

Texas believes that Owens has an NFL ready arm and is very bright. He's also not a complete statue and has a huge frame. He was basically ignored by the recruiting world, apparently because one of the best QB developers in the sport got on him early. He's eventually going to cost Texas some money to keep him, but they picked him up for fire sale pricing. What the fuck is this? You're not supposed to be optimistic about the OL ahead of a season. Has you handle been hacked?

Who goes to the bathroom for a half hour?

Texas Football 2024 - We Suppose To Be SEC Texas Football 2024 - Holding Our Nose In The SEC Texas Football 2024 - They Hate Us Because They Ain’t Us I don’t know. Need to think about it.

I simultaneously believe you and know that he did indeed feed a bunch of really negative shit to media in order to frame up the situation for Casey Thompson in the best possible light. That included attempted to layer staff and organizational racism into the mix. He'd probably rather not talk about all of that, which was all bullshit. This is hilarious and what makes the Internet great. You guys should have met up. FWIW, I find what he's doing hilarious and informative. I hate OU as much as anyone, but watching statsman lose it made me laugh out loud.

I think I posted this in one of the baseball threads but never here. Brauninger is involved with a select baseball organization called, shockingly, "Twelve", and they're based, shockingly, out of Katy. After the Schlossnagle Maneuver, they announced to the parents of their organization that no players on their rosters were allowed to visit or talk to Texas. They're not a good enough organization to make that demand, but they are clearly insecure enough and dumb enough. When you see their teams, you know who they are before you can read the names on the jerseys. The coaches are all either swole fat or just fat, all with beards and many mullets, sunglasses with the connectors, usually in crocs. The dads fit the same profile, all wearing maroon at least partly. The moms are as stereotypical as you could imagine as well, jorts and bedazzled tops, "BASEBALL MOM" on either hat, shirt, or both. Baseball earrings as gaudy as a Mardi Gras float.

If you keep this kind of thing up, I'm going to start convincing myself that he might actually show up to bust somewhere in college.

He allegedly had a great camp in Atlanta this summer against top tier competition. If true, that's a driver for OTF. All 4 of their guys, GH, BB, CJV, and BM have connections to both the scouting world for MLB and to the college baseball world.

OTF talked to the player and family and their takeaway was that he'd be committing to Georgia soon and that him actually taking the OV in the fall to Texas was unlikely. Then today he comes out and says he's about to announce. Hold out hope if you'd like.

Okay, I follow. I thought that was debunked as a known NFL scam artist under police investigation already?

Can you explain in plain English what you're referring to in that last paragraph?

To be clear, if Elliott finds someone at a key point in the cycle that he has to have, and that recruit or transfer is interested in Texas, Nebraska nor anyone else is relevant at that point. He’s not allowed to just say that about anyone though.

I had a nice roast duck breast with a plum compote at a Ffrench restaurant in The Bahamas last night. I thought, as I ate it, “fuck those sorry motherfuckers”. I feel like I willed this into existence.

I read your posts and often assume that there is a high probability that you are just batshit crazy. That said, there’s another part of me where I read stuff like this and I think “well, fuck, I’m never going to that stadium again. “

To be clear, Gerry has not heard from the family that the recruit made a commitment too quickly. When I read what he wrote earlier, I read it as Gerry speak that different gurus were spouting off about that but he’d talked to the mom and she didn’t say anything like that to him. I could be wrong, but my batting average interpreting Gerry’s comments is pretty high. The bigger thing the Sharma visit indicates is that Texas came back to the table on the NIL side. Not certain of that, but it fits the puzzle nicely.

We’re all starting to understand as well as anyone that the batshit crazy recruitment can scare up some weird levels of money. Obviously this could be one of those recruitments. That said, OU has focused on football, gymnastics, and softball. They’ve overspent in football for the 2024 cycle and had to pull back a few times in heated recruitments in order to win some others. If Chavez is a $500k recruit, the first of her kind in WBB, and they’re paying that, they will be robbing peter to pay Aaliyah. As the numbers go higher, it makes their squeeze elsewhere more acute. LSU is currently making ridiculous promises to football recruits, setting the market in baseball, paying for gymnastics and WBB. There is significant doubt that they’re going to be able to live up to their promises in football and their own $9.95ers have admitted on multiple occasions that they can’t match the big boys. Kelly also admitted as much with his “we don’t get involved in bidding wars” nonsense. Does Mulkey have someone backing her that can make all of that irrelevant? I don’t know. Texas has serious money interested in ensuring that WBB is a priority in NIL. There’s also work being done to line up a strong corporate sponsorship component. My view is that Texas can win this recruitment even though Texas might not be the choice without NIL. They need to get an OV and lay it all out.

I went to CS many times while my daughter was going there a decade ago. It really did always feel like you drove 30-45 minutes through the countryside to drive right into a boring suburb of Houston with some of the saddest architecture and landscaping around. A true nothing of a place.

Yeah, it’s just something we’re going to see across all sports. Every cycle, someone, somewhere is going to go crazy for a player or two in most sports. I am assuming Chavez is going to cost a ton. I’m interesting in seeing how committed Texas is to getting her if the money is the deciding factor. WBB has a lot more support at the moment.

The rankings should for sure trend more like On3 and not at all like the shit heap that 247 puts out. Net gain/loss values plus fit for need could be pretty cool.

Texas has “nutty” benefactors in multiple sports. The football payroll for the 2024 cycle (recruiting and roster management getting us to this season) was met at a number close to the fucking Tampa Devil Rays payroll. Basketball, WBB, baseball, volleyball, fucking golf. You want to land the likes of Canady in softball, go find someone who just loves Texas and loves softball who also happens to be worth billions. $1M for a softball player is like paying a football player $10M/year out of your own pocket.

I read this on the beach today. It was well done. Multiple spots were humorous but the ULM write-up was legit hilarious.

The only risk with Terry is that Oregon decides they have to have him and make any objections moot. So the only risk is all of the risk. I’m waiting for the moment when Texas decides it’s tired of losing guys it wants in this cycle. That’s happened every cycle since Sarkisian got here. That will play a role with what you mentioned. Also, Jonah Williams sounds more and more like he’s MLB bound. Texas has as much interest in signing him for the hype and keeping that hype away from ATM or OU as they do in ever seeing him on campus.