Scattered CFB Thoughts In Week 5 of 2021

[closetojumping 62239]

Some of this stuff might have been mentioned randomly in a thread here or there, but I haven't seen it. I'm just going to throw some CFB things out there with 1/3 of the season behind us that I find interesting in case anyone else has a POV on it or some other things to add. I know this is long for those with short attention spans, but I don't give a shit and they can click out and find a safe space.

-Notre Dame is about to play their 2nd of 5 consecutive games in which the opponent has a bye before playing them. That's 5 games of 2 weeks to prepare for ND by the opponent. I don't think I've ever even heard of that. I hate Notre Dame, but damn, that shit is rough.

-Notre Dame is undefeated, yet they're a home dog this weekend to a G5 team. Again, I don't know if I've ever heard of that. I know they've had a few seasons in the last 20 in which they flat out sucked, so maybe it's happened then, or whenever that high school coach was coaching them ahead of the Lou Holtz era. 

-The last time Iowa allowed more than 24 points in a game was November 23rd, 2018 in a win over Nebraska. Iowa has a pedestrian offense and Kirk Ferentz, so they're not a top 10 team to me and I think they will probably lose their next two to prove it, but the defense is elite. 

-BYU has a better Pac 12 conference record (3-0) this year than anyone in the conference. "That's a bullshit stat since the conference teams haven't played each other 3 times yet." Fair, but there are only 6 conference teams undefeated in conference so far, and 4 of those teams play each other this weekend. BYU still has Wazzou and USC left on their schedule. They have a pretty freaking great chance of going 5-0 in the Pac 12 on the season, which speaks to either their legitimacy as a top 15 program or the futility of the Pac 12, or maybe both.

-The Big 10 West is an absolute dumpster fire, with Iowa and Purdue the only 2 teams having no losses in conference yet. Purdue has actually played teams tough this year, losing a close game at Notre Dame in which ND pulled away late, and beating another underrated and decent team, Oregon State. They'll run over Minnesota this weekend at home, then play @Iowa after a bye, then Wiscy, @Nebraska, MSU, @Ohio State. If they go 4-2 and beat Iowa in that stretch, they've got a great shot at winning the west. Brohm has a chance to remind people that he exists.

-Tennessee could have had Greg Schiano coaching for them. They've beaten Bowling Green and Tennessee Tech. They still get to play South Carolina, South Alabama and Vanderbilt. If these idiots can sneak a win in against Missouri or Kentucky, they'll go bowling having beaten one P5 team with a winning record. I don't see how they're better than 6-6. Missouri is pretty fucking terrible as well, especially on defense, so even if Tenn wins that game, they might be 6-6 without beating a P5 team with a winning record. 

-As to Missouri, they've beaten Central Michigan 34-24 and SE Missouri State 59-28. They gave up 35 and 41 to UK and Boston College respectively. They get Arkansas and ATM from the west. The ATM game will feature one team with an above average offense against an above average defense and the other team with an abysmal offense going against an abysmal defense. Anyone thinking ATM will just roll through them in Columbia before the season has to be rethinking that position. 

-The SEC East overall is a fucking joke. Florida looked good against Alabama, but they're a Dan Mullen coached team that will find a way to finish unimpressively with a 9-4 record. Todd Grantham is still the DC there. Wow. Missouri and Tennessee would qualify as trash if that word weren't being defined currently by Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Kentucky is 4-0 by playing ULaMonroe, Missouri, Chattanooga, and South Carolina. They beat Chatt in a squeaker, 28-23. They still get to play NMSU, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Mississippi State. They will be the worst 8-4 or 9-3 team in the country. Georgia is the class of the division, obviously. Their October opponents are a combined 14-2 currently, so if they exit the month 8-0, they'll have earned the hype. They'll walk through November playing Missouri, Tenn, Charleston Southern, and Ga Tech. 

-I don't know who else watched the USC/Oregon State game, but it was a gratifying blowout that was uglier than the score reflected. Oregon State won in the Coliseum for the first time in 61 years. 

-Florida State is 0-4 and favored at home by 4.5 points against a 3-1 Syracuse team that just beat a pesky Liberty team. I assume Vegas knows something I don't. FSU has UMass on the schedule in a few weeks. There's a legitimate shot that they finish 1-11 if you take a look at the schedule. I mean, it's ugly.

-Oklahoma is giving up 10.5 points to KSU in Manhattan this weekend. In 3 home games so far against FBS opponents, OU hasn't beaten a team by more than 7 points. I don't think Vegas knows a thing here. I just think everyone is expecting OU to be better than they've looked so far. I don't expect to see that this week. They usually wait until the Texas game to get their shit together. 

-Oregon visits Palo Alto this weekend. Stanford blows, but Mario Cristobal is west coast Tom Herman. He'll fuck up a game this year somewhere, so I wouldn't be shocked if it's this one.

-Nebraska is 2-3 and still plays Northwestern this weekend and @Minnesota in a few weekends. They also get Michigan, Purdue, Ohio State and Iowa at home, and Wisconsin on the road. It's not difficult to see them finishing 4-8 in Frost's 4th year on campus.

-Finally, ULaLa plays an undefeated South Alabama team this weekend. As far as things go for Texas' bowl outlook and national POV at the end of this season, provided Texas is sitting on something like 9-3 or better, it would be great if ULaLa was 11-1. This is actually a key game for them getting there. 

Sorry for the tl;dr aspects of this, but figured some folks might give a shit in discussing it. 

 

[Zeus 5950]

The SEC East is a joke?

Florida or Georgia would win the Pac 12, the Big 12, and the ACC. 

Hilarious take

[closetojumping 62239]

14 minutes ago, Zeus said:

The SEC East is a joke?

Florida or Georgia would win the Pac 12, the Big 12, and the ACC. 

Hilarious take

It's Georgia and a bunch of also-rans or outright trash. I realize that you're a Florida homer and a Dan Mullen apologist, but the rest of us with a pair of eyes can see them for the run of the mill 8-4 team that they'd be in most conferences. They'd finish no better than 3rd or 4th in either the Pac 12 or Big 12, and I'm not a fan of either of those conferences. 

If the SEC weren't pussies with the scheduling and actually scheduled other P5 teams, played 9 conference games, and stopped demeaning the sport with the disgusting FCS bullshit, the entirety of the SEC East outside of Georgia and Florida would have losing records and Florida would be staring down the barrel of 8-4. Take your weak SEC-is-the-goat-conference bullshit to a ready and willing audience of room temperature IQs over at SECRant. 

[Wally Pryor 5244]

Targeting situation getting a look, thankfully. 

 

Among high-ranking college football leaders, there is movement afoot to at least consider an adjustment to the targeting foul’s most harsh individual punishment—the ejection. In fact, the NCAA’s own coordinator of officials, Steve Shaw, and a handful of conference commissioners as well as athletic administrators and coaches, expect the rule to be examined this offseason. By the time the 2022 season kicks off, the hope is that the policy looks different.

There is, however, a problem. At this point, a proposal does not exist to modify the rule that has universal agreement among the sport’s various bodies.

“I have not seen a sophisticated plan and structure,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey says. “I will be the first to say I’m open to alternative approaches, but they have to be grounded in eliminating these hits. The ejection and suspension from the next half of a game is a fairly blunt instrument, but it makes the point to change behavior.”

 

May be going to a level system similar to a Flagrant 1, Flagrant 2 situation in hoops.   But that may muddy shit up even more. 

 

https://saturdaytradition.com/big-ten-football/report-change-to-college-footballs-targeting-rule-may-be-coming-in-offseason/

 

[Don Johnson 4745]

FWIW, Mullen has only had one 8-4 season at Florida.  Last year...with a 10 game all SEC schedule, no OOC games, Bama in the SECCG, and OU in the Cotton.  

The other two seasons, he won 10 and 11 games finishing in the Top 7 both years.

[Zeus 5950]

14 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

It's Georgia and a bunch of also-rans or outright trash. I realize that you're a Florida homer and a Dan Mullen apologist, but the rest of us with a pair of eyes can see them for the run of the mill 8-4 team that they'd be in most conferences. They'd finish no better than 3rd or 4th in either the Pac 12 or Big 12, and I'm not a fan of either of those conferences. 

If the SEC weren't pussies with the scheduling and actually scheduled other P5 teams, played 9 conference games, and stopped demeaning the sport with the disgusting FCS bullshit, the entirety of the SEC East outside of Georgia and Florida would have losing records and Florida would be staring down the barrel of 8-4. Take your weak SEC-is-the-goat-conference bullshit to a ready and willing audience of room temperature IQs over at SECRant. 

 

[Surly Bevo 24696]

Florida

 

[Jimbob 417]

The ACC is absolutely terrible this year.  I mean, outside Clemson they are every year but this year is special. 
 

Wake Forest and Boston College are the cream of the conference, the only 2 undefeated teams left.   
 

The upcoming shuffled B12 sans UT/OU is getting some run about not being a P5 conference as they will be lacking a blue blood program, but it’s still a better conference than the ACC particularly once Dabo leaves when Saban retires and Clemson regresses to their mean.
 

Aggy should be concerned about how fisher left FSU, they became a dumpster inferno with no end in sight. But aggy is too busy being aggy with raises and extensions desperately clinging to their national championship by proxy.  The best thing FSU could do in my opinion is lobby the SEC for entry, if they will take them?   Too lazy to look it up, where do you see them getting that win to get to 1-11, on the surface it looks like that team has quit. 

Edited September 28, 2021 by Jimbob

[Hanrahan 1306]

That dude tortured and killed someone in prison.

[ztejas 43265]

Yeah - Clemson having 2 losses already makes the ACC look really, really shitty. Miami and FSU both blow and FSU might have one of the worst seasons in their history - or at least since Bowden. Wake is not a top 25 team - that shit is hilarious. Wake would probably struggle to contend in the American let alone a decent P5 conference. 

The P12 is not a complete lost cause to me - even though as a whole they are really shitty I think Oregon is legit and not sure I actually expect them to drop a game - and I think UCLA is pretty damn good (although I don't buy Fresno being good at all - I think that was just a big upset). 

This may be the best B10 year we've seen in awhile, top to bottom, although until any of them besides tOSU do anything in the postseason (or, you know, beat tOSU or win the conference) it's hard to take the likes of Iowa or Michigan seriously. 

[Da Fino 2740]

14 minutes ago, Hanrahan said:

That dude tortured and killed someone in prison.

Dan Mullen?

[Orange&White 5516]

32 minutes ago, Jimbob said:

The best thing FSU could do in my opinion is lobby the SEC for entry, if they will take them? 

No, no, no.

No can do. "Gentlemen's agreement", sir.

aggie out front should have wailed it to you.

[Jimbob 417]

16 minutes ago, Orange&White said:

No, no, no.

No can do. "Gentlemen's agreement", sir.

aggie out front should have wailed it to you.

I admit it would be epic awesomeness if FSU lobbied and Sanky said “no, we have a gentleman’s agreement with UF as the flagship Florida team not to take an in-state also ran”. 

[Crockett 488]

1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

-BYU has a better Pac 12 conference record (3-0) this year than anyone in the conference. "That's a bullshit stat since the conference teams haven't played each other 3 times yet." Fair, but there are only 6 conference teams undefeated in conference so far, and 4 of those teams play each other this weekend. BYU still has Wazzou and USC left on their schedule. They have a pretty freaking great chance of going 5-0 in the Pac 12 on the season, which speaks to either their legitimacy as a top 15 program or the futility of the Pac 12, or maybe both.

I love this for many reasons, but doing this at the same time as getting an invite to the B12 after being snubbed by the P12 for many years is extra fun. 

[Helobious 9481]

53 minutes ago, ztejas said:

 

The P12 is not a complete lost cause to me - even though as a whole they are really shitty I think Oregon is legit and not sure I actually expect them to drop a game - and I think UCLA is pretty damn good (although I don't buy Fresno being good at all - I think that was just a big upset). 

 

Does not compute. Lost to Oregon by a TD, beat UCLA, got a dark horse heisman contender at QB.

Speaking of Heisman… sounds like it’s Matt Corral’s to lose. Despite non-eye popping stats he’s the odds on favorite right now.

[Parliament 14134]

Cincy is a good team, but ND wins that one.

Rutgers is legit (by the standards bottom 1/3 programs are held.)  Tennessee coulda had Schiano as their HC.  Lol Tennessee.

 

[Tex Pete 20179]

2 hours ago, Zeus said:

The SEC East is a joke?

Florida or Georgia would win the Pac 12, the Big 12, and the ACC. 

Hilarious take

Your homer is showing.

[Soliver465 398]

Good read, thanks.

I live 90 minutes from Columbia and may go watch them play a&m just for laughs.

Edited September 28, 2021 by Soliver465

[Tex Pete 20179]

1 hour ago, Don Johnson said:

FWIW, Mullen has only had one 8-4 season at Florida.  Last year...with a 10 game all SEC schedule, no OOC games, Bama in the SECCG, and OU in the Cotton.  

The other two seasons, he won 10 and 11 games finishing in the Top 7 both years.

And how many G5 or FCS teams did Florida play in those 10 and 11 game schedules?

[elfenix 34171]

2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

They usually wait until the Texas game to get their shit together. 

[Royale with cheese 1459]

1 hour ago, Jimbob said:

The best thing FSU could do in my opinion is lobby the SEC for entry, if they will take them?  

You're forgetting about the "only one from each state" gentlemen's agreement. Florida will doubtless object and that will keep Free Shoes out, just like aggy did to Texas. Oh, wait . . .

[Texasrocks 2124]

This is a weird season where no outcome is shocking. Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Clemson have all been regular playoff participants and are struggling so far, at least by their standards. NC State beating Clemson was an upset, but was it really all that surprising given how they've played? Would anyone be shocked if OSU lost to Indiana? I could see OU losing 3 or 4 games (or having a crazy series of fluke plays that allow them to pull out every game despite sucking). Bama looks like the best team, but they don't look like the soul crushing machine they were last year. Saban has only had two undefeated seasons and I wouldn't bet on a third this year. Though he'll probably win the championship. Again. Georgia has an amazing defense and who knows on offense. Plus Kirby Smart is contractually required to lose a game he shouldn't. Then there's a cluster of 10 or 12 teams who I wouldn't be surprised if they beat anyone in the top 10 or lost to anyone in the top 30. I could see Arkansas beating Georgia and losing to Auburn.

[Zeus 5950]

10 minutes ago, Royale with cheese said:

You're forgetting about the "only one from each state" gentlemen's agreement. Florida will doubtless object and that will keep Free Shoes out, just like aggy did to Texas. Oh, wait . . .

Florida still plays them every year.

[BigOrange1 6422]

2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

 

-Tennessee could have had Greg Schiano coaching for them. They've beaten Bowling Green and Tennessee Tech. They still get to play South Carolina, South Alabama and Vanderbilt. If these idiots can sneak a win in against Missouri or Kentucky, they'll go bowling having beaten one P5 team with a winning record. I don't see how they're better than 6-6. Missouri is pretty fucking terrible as well, especially on defense, so even if Tenn wins that game, they might be 6-6 without beating a P5 team with a winning record. 

-Florida State is 0-4 and favored at home by 4.5 points against a 3-1 Syracuse team that just beat a pesky Liberty team. I assume Vegas knows something I don't. FSU has UMass on the schedule in a few weeks. There's a legitimate shot that they finish 1-11 if you take a look at the schedule. I mean, it's ugly.

 

 

wasn't supreme ass clown clay travis one of the loudest voices in the schiano/tennessee thing?  makes it even funnier if so.

florida state ended up favored over louisville last week.  i saw it as a pick and thought wtf and then saw it at fsu -1 about an hour later.  i stayed away because i thought vegas knew something i didn't.  turns out it was just a bad line.  this week feels like more of the same.

[Royale with cheese 1459]

3 minutes ago, Zeus said:

Florida still plays them every year.

 

[Helobious 9481]

34 minutes ago, Tex Pete said:

And how many G5 or FCS teams did Florida play in those 10 and 11 game schedules?

3 in 2018, 2 in 2019. And they weren’t 10 & 11 game schedules, they were 13 game seasons.

[GabrielsHorn 2142]

Mizzou's run defense is absolutely atrocious, allowing >5 YPC against Kentucky and Boston College. TAMU will barely have to pass on them.

[Tex Pete 20179]

27 minutes ago, Helobious said:

 And they weren’t 10 & 11 game schedules, they were 13 game seasons.

Of course. I wasn't reading what I was typing.

These SEC apes who keep beating their chests over all their big wins always omit that most of them weren't big wins at all.

[sidis 9749]

florida is tough to read right now imo.  they haven't actually looked particularly sharp against three really awful teams...florida atlantic (2-2 and air force beat them worse), south florida (1-3), and tennessee (2-2).  their best showing was the moral victory against alabama.

the thing i like about them is when their dbs are paying attention, they are really good.

giving too much love to georgia just yet could be a mistake imo.  as was stated in the op, their whole season is in october with arkansas, @auburn, kentucky, and florida.  but their september is a joke. their quality scheduling win has been shown to be a bit of a farce and beating clemson 10-3 may be more a of a knock at this point than worthy of credit.  uab is the next best win.  south carolina and vanderbilt are both pathetic.  unless arkansas can get up one more time and really put together an incredible game, even that october is really just one game against florida.  mullen gave kirby a pretty good depantsing last year.  if georgia gets by florida, then it just comes down to atlanta against alabama...and as horrible as college football is this year, i think even if they lose that game, they may still make the playoff since the acc and big 12 likely won't send anyone.

[formermav43 4599]

2 hours ago, Jimbob said:

The upcoming shuffled B12 sans UT/OU is getting some run about not being a P5 conference as they will be lacking a blue blood program, but it’s still a better conference than the ACC particularly once Dabo leaves when Saban retires and Clemson regresses to their mean.

The Big 12 is and will remain better than both the ACC and Pac 12 top to bottom. They just have a perception problem without a blue blood (same thing that has hurt to a lesser degree with Texas being down/OU getting pantsed in the playoffs).

[closetojumping 62239]

3 hours ago, Don Johnson said:

FWIW, Mullen has only had one 8-4 season at Florida.  Last year...with a 10 game all SEC schedule, no OOC games, Bama in the SECCG, and OU in the Cotton.  

The other two seasons, he won 10 and 11 games finishing in the Top 7 both years.

From 2014-2017, Dan Mullen's Mississippi State teams proceeded to lose a minimum of 2 of their last 4 games in each season. In one of those seasons, they reached the ranking of #1 before collapsing. 4 seasons of deteriorating to close the year. I didn't bother looking at prior years but I'm betting it's the same or worse.

In 2018, Dan Mullen's Florida team lost games 8 and 9 on their schedule before reeling off 4 in a row to finish the season. Those 4 wins were against a mediocre South Carolina, Idaho, Wizard Willie Taggert's first team at FSU (5-7), and a strong Michigan team. Florida beat 3 teams with a winning record in 2018 and in addition to playing a feckless Idaho team, opened the season against the always formidable Charleston Southern. Florida left the state of Florida 3 times in a 13 game schedule in 2018, twice to Tennessee and once to Mississippi.

In 2019, Dan Mullen's Florida team lost games 7 and 9 on their schedule before reeling off 4 in a row to finish the season. Those 4 wins were against a 3-9 Vanderbilt, 6-6 Missouri, 6-7 Wizard Willie Taggert FSU, and the juggernaut 9-5 Virginia. They beat 3 teams with a winning record that year, 2 of which were 8-5 Kentucky and Tennessee teams. They also played not one, but two! FCS teams in an effort to inflate and pad their overall performance on the season by beating hapless Tennessee Martin and Towson state. 

I'm sorry, but in any other situation but the rigged circumstances of Florida's current schedule, Dan Mullen is a 7-6/8-5 season waiting to happen. They had to trade a bum from the west this season for Alabama, so now they're all but assured the 9-3/8-4 premise I already called for, because that is who Dan Mullen is and that is who Florida is. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18523]

4 hours ago, closetojumping said:

-Oklahoma is giving up 10.5 points to KSU in Manhattan this weekend. In 3 home games so far against FBS opponents, OU hasn't beaten a team by more than 7 points. I don't think Vegas knows a thing here. I just think everyone is expecting OU to be better than they've looked so far. I don't expect to see that this week. They usually wait until the Texas game to get their shit together. 

KSU is on their third string QB, I believe, pending the status of their backup who got injured last week. It's the only reason in the world that I can imagine that OU is a double digit road favorite against a team that it has lost to twice in a row.

[Don Johnson 4745]

30 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

From 2014-2017, Dan Mullen's Mississippi State teams proceeded to lose a minimum of 2 of their last 4 games in each season. In one of those seasons, they reached the ranking of #1 before collapsing. 4 seasons of deteriorating to close the year. I didn't bother looking at prior years but I'm betting it's the same or worse.

In 2018, Dan Mullen's Florida team lost games 8 and 9 on their schedule before reeling off 4 in a row to finish the season. Those 4 wins were against a mediocre South Carolina, Idaho, Wizard Willie Taggert's first team at FSU (5-7), and a strong Michigan team. Florida beat 3 teams with a winning record in 2018 and in addition to playing a feckless Idaho team, opened the season against the always formidable Charleston Southern. Florida left the state of Florida 3 times in a 13 game schedule in 2018, twice to Tennessee and once to Mississippi.

In 2019, Dan Mullen's Florida team lost games 7 and 9 on their schedule before reeling off 4 in a row to finish the season. Those 4 wins were against a 3-9 Vanderbilt, 6-6 Missouri, 6-7 Wizard Willie Taggert FSU, and the juggernaut 9-5 Virginia. They beat 3 teams with a winning record that year, 2 of which were 8-5 Kentucky and Tennessee teams. They also played not one, but two! FCS teams in an effort to inflate and pad their overall performance on the season by beating hapless Tennessee Martin and Towson state. 

I'm sorry, but in any other situation but the rigged circumstances of Florida's current schedule, Dan Mullen is a 7-6/8-5 season waiting to happen. They had to trade a bum from the west this season for Alabama, so now they're all but assured the 9-3/8-4 premise I already called for, because that is who Dan Mullen is and that is who Florida is. 

Yeah, let's use his MSU career against him, rather than realize it shows how good he was.  A school where Mullen is the first coach to leave shitty MSU with a winning record (69-46) since Darrell Royal in 1955.

Its not Florida or Mullen's fault that FSU (and Miami in 2019) have been dogshit lately.  The also play LSU every year cross division.

I don't like playing FCS schools, but its not like the W/L record would've changed if they played Rice instead.  Their OOC games that year were against MIami and FSU with cross division games vs. #1 LSU and #15 Auburn.  There's nothing scared about that when scheduling.  And lost their starting QB 3 games into the season.

Edited September 28, 2021 by Don Johnson

[sidis 9749]

2 minutes ago, Don Johnson said:

I don't like playing FBS schools

clearly, neither does florida's a.d.

[UncleBuck 6445]

Random thought I've been having: UH maybe going after Jeff Traylor. They obviously can't continue heading toward the Big 12 with Dana.

Now if Traylor would consider it, I haven't thought that through, but UH should probably shoot the shit out of that shot.

 

[Wulaw Horn 18980]

8 minutes ago, UncleBuck said:

Random thought I've been having: UH maybe going after Jeff Traylor. They obviously can't continue heading toward the Big 12 with Dana.

Now if Traylor would consider it, I haven't thought that through, but UH should probably shoot the shit out of that shot.

 

By Holgo hasn't worked out there after that Tilman Ferntits power move.  Sort of surprised.  UH in the American should be a pretty easy place to win.  I mean, against their level of competition.  

[ztejas 43265]

2 hours ago, Texasrocks said:

This is a weird season where no outcome is shocking. Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Clemson have all been regular playoff participants and are struggling so far, at least by their standards. NC State beating Clemson was an upset, but was it really all that surprising given how they've played? Would anyone be shocked if OSU lost to Indiana? I could see OU losing 3 or 4 games (or having a crazy series of fluke plays that allow them to pull out every game despite sucking). Bama looks like the best team, but they don't look like the soul crushing machine they were last year. Saban has only had two undefeated seasons and I wouldn't bet on a third this year. Though he'll probably win the championship. Again. Georgia has an amazing defense and who knows on offense. Plus Kirby Smart is contractually required to lose a game he shouldn't. Then there's a cluster of 10 or 12 teams who I wouldn't be surprised if they beat anyone in the top 10 or lost to anyone in the top 30. I could see Arkansas beating Georgia and losing to Auburn.

I think UGA is the best team in the country. That doesn't mean I think they'll win the title necessarily - but they seem to have fewer issues than everyone else. 

Hard to bet against Saban. Again. 

Penn State makes me wonder - but I just don't think their QB is good enough. 

Texas shouldn't be THAT far away from a lot of these teams. If we win the next 2 it won't be hard for me to believe that we could beat pretty much anyone on the right day. The drop off from the top 3-5 to the rest just doesn't seem as stark this season. 

[UncleBuck 6445]

4 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

By Holgo hasn't worked out there after that Tilman Ferntits power move.  Sort of surprised.  UH in the American should be a pretty easy place to win.  I mean, against their level of competition.  

Any time a UH fan starts ragging on Texas, I have to remind them that their current head coach tanked a college football season, then sent his QB to Miami where this year he was listed near the top of preseason Heisman watch lists (granted that hasn't turned out, but: Miami).

[notre dame joe 172]

4 hours ago, ztejas said:

(although I don't buy Fresno being good at all - I think that was just a big upset). 

the Fresno Dogs also put a scare into Oregon in Eugene, so either they are good or the entire PAC is bad.  Both are possible.

[notre dame joe 172]

3 hours ago, Texasrocks said:

This is a weird season where no outcome is shocking. Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Clemson have all been regular playoff participants and are struggling so far, at least by their standards. NC State beating Clemson was an upset, but was it really all that surprising given how they've played? Would anyone be shocked if OSU lost to Indiana? I could see OU losing 3 or 4 games (or having a crazy series of fluke plays that allow them to pull out every game despite sucking). Bama looks like the best team, but they don't look like the soul crushing machine they were last year. Saban has only had two undefeated seasons and I wouldn't bet on a third this year. Though he'll probably win the championship. Again. Georgia has an amazing defense and who knows on offense. Plus Kirby Smart is contractually required to lose a game he shouldn't. Then there's a cluster of 10 or 12 teams who I wouldn't be surprised if they beat anyone in the top 10 or lost to anyone in the top 30. I could see Arkansas beating Georgia and losing to Auburn.

This year is as close to parity as college football is going to get.  That's most likely because of all the 5th year+ playing at Tier 2 schools.  Normally I say 'except for Bama' but UF scored a bunch of points on the Tide, both this year and in last year's SECCG.  

Clemson may be dismal but UGA beat them 10-3, with the 1 TD coming from a pick-6.  So unless the Dawgs are head and shoulders below Bama/UF I don't think the SEC is that far ahead. 

Notre Dame had to cobble together an offensive line by starting a true frosh at LT (injured) and accepting a transfer from Marshall.  We cannot block anyone and thus our tree trunk transfer QB had to learn the 3 step drop.  We're undefeated because our front 7 has, so far, simply brushed aside the opponents on their way into the backfield.  In short we haven't looked like this in 15 years and no one knows what will happen, not even the bookies. 

 

[Zeus 5950]

31 minutes ago, ztejas said:

I think UGA is the best team in the country. That doesn't mean I think they'll win the title necessarily - but they seem to have fewer issues than everyone else. 

Hard to bet against Saban. Again. 

Penn State makes me wonder - but I just don't think their QB is good enough. 

Texas shouldn't be THAT far away from a lot of these teams. If we win the next 2 it won't be hard for me to believe that we could beat pretty much anyone on the right day. The drop off from the top 3-5 to the rest just doesn't seem as stark this season. 

When Florida beats Jawja then will @closetojumping finally jump or will that just mean Georgia isn't good?

[Zeus 5950]

3 hours ago, Texasrocks said:

This is a weird season where no outcome is shocking. Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Clemson have all been regular playoff participants and are struggling so far, at least by their standards. NC State beating Clemson was an upset, but was it really all that surprising given how they've played? Would anyone be shocked if OSU lost to Indiana? I could see OU losing 3 or 4 games (or having a crazy series of fluke plays that allow them to pull out every game despite sucking). Bama looks like the best team, but they don't look like the soul crushing machine they were last year. Saban has only had two undefeated seasons and I wouldn't bet on a third this year. Though he'll probably win the championship. Again. Georgia has an amazing defense and who knows on offense. Plus Kirby Smart is contractually required to lose a game he shouldn't. Then there's a cluster of 10 or 12 teams who I wouldn't be surprised if they beat anyone in the top 10 or lost to anyone in the top 30. I could see Arkansas beating Georgia and losing to Auburn.

[closetojumping 62239]

1 hour ago, Don Johnson said:

Yeah, let's use his MSU career against him, rather than realize it shows how good he was.  A school where Mullen is the first coach to leave shitty MSU with a winning record (69-46) since Darrell Royal in 1955.

Its not Florida or Mullen's fault that FSU (and Miami in 2019) have been dogshit lately.  The also play LSU every year cross division.

I don't like playing FCS schools, but its not like the W/L record would've changed if they played Rice instead.  Their OOC games that year were against MIami and FSU with cross division games vs. #1 LSU and #15 Auburn.  There's nothing scared about that when scheduling.  And lost their starting QB 3 games into the season.

I think Dan Mullen is a good coach. I don’t think he’s a great coach. I think he has a history of having a weaker back half of seasons than the front. That holds up irrespective of the school for whom he’s coaching, from my perspective. 

As to winning records at MSU, if Jackie Sherrill had the kind of scheduling silliness all SEC teams benefit from now, he’d have a winning record there. Maybe don’t hire laughingstocks like Sylvester Croom. 

As to the scheduling pleading and then attempting to throw shade regarding Rice, dude, your own fucking team almost lost to Rice 3 weeks ago. The gap between bad FBS teams and bad FCS teams is night and day. Maybe you don’t lose to Towson Shithole State if they’re on the schedule instead of North Texas? I don’t know. What I do know, is there is not a viable defense for scheduling FCS teams other than “hey, we’re gaming the system at the expense of fan enjoyment, fuck it”.  So take the equivocation on that subject elsewhere. 

Of course, I’d expect an Arkansas fan to attempt to defend terrible scheduling. Other than putting Texas on the schedule, I’m not sure you guys ever do much else besides add the Colorado States and SJSUs of the world to go along with the indefensible FCS trash. It’s fucking pathetic.

As to the UF stuff, the point was that the poster attempted to take the position that UF would just roll through 2 other P5 conferences, because … SEC. It’s typical, uninformed, nauseating SEC honking while hiding behind fucking Mercer and Tennessee Tech. 

I can’t wait to watch you motherfuckers go to 9 conference games, eliminate the FCS nonsense and then see records normalize. It’s coming, as an expanded CFB playoff and an expanded SEC will basically demand it. Then y’all will blame mean old Texas, I’m sure, for the dawn of less embarrassing games. 

[closetojumping 62239]

9 minutes ago, Zeus said:

When Florida beats Jawja then will @closetojumping finally jump or will that just mean Georgia isn't good?

You’ve attempted this bizarre form of shittalking about my handle in the past. I see mouthbreathers do it from time to time and it’s always odd.

You do realize that this handle wasn’t assigned to me, right? You understand that I picked it myself and like it and everything it connotes? It doesn’t seem like it. Then again, you chose to name yourself after a cow rapist and you’re an SEC fan, so I guess it all makes sense. 

[cafe society 2840]

6 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Some of this stuff might have been mentioned randomly in a thread here or there, but I haven't seen it. I'm just going to throw some CFB things out there with 1/3 of the season behind us that I find interesting in case anyone else has a POV on it or some other things to add. I know this is long for those with short attention spans, but I don't give a shit and they can click out and find a safe space.

-Notre Dame is about to play their 2nd of 5 consecutive games in which the opponent has a bye before playing them. That's 5 games of 2 weeks to prepare for ND by the opponent. I don't think I've ever even heard of that. I hate Notre Dame, but damn, that shit is rough.

-Notre Dame is undefeated, yet they're a home dog this weekend to a G5 team. Again, I don't know if I've ever heard of that. I know they've had a few seasons in the last 20 in which they flat out sucked, so maybe it's happened then, or whenever that high school coach was coaching them ahead of the Lou Holtz era. 

-The last time Iowa allowed more than 24 points in a game was November 23rd, 2018 in a win over Nebraska. Iowa has a pedestrian offense and Kirk Ferentz, so they're not a top 10 team to me and I think they will probably lose their next two to prove it, but the defense is elite. 

-BYU has a better Pac 12 conference record (3-0) this year than anyone in the conference. "That's a bullshit stat since the conference teams haven't played each other 3 times yet." Fair, but there are only 6 conference teams undefeated in conference so far, and 4 of those teams play each other this weekend. BYU still has Wazzou and USC left on their schedule. They have a pretty freaking great chance of going 5-0 in the Pac 12 on the season, which speaks to either their legitimacy as a top 15 program or the futility of the Pac 12, or maybe both.

-The Big 10 West is an absolute dumpster fire, with Iowa and Purdue the only 2 teams having no losses in conference yet. Purdue has actually played teams tough this year, losing a close game at Notre Dame in which ND pulled away late, and beating another underrated and decent team, Oregon State. They'll run over Minnesota this weekend at home, then play @Iowa after a bye, then Wiscy, @Nebraska, MSU, @Ohio State. If they go 4-2 and beat Iowa in that stretch, they've got a great shot at winning the west. Brohm has a chance to remind people that he exists.

-Tennessee could have had Greg Schiano coaching for them. They've beaten Bowling Green and Tennessee Tech. They still get to play South Carolina, South Alabama and Vanderbilt. If these idiots can sneak a win in against Missouri or Kentucky, they'll go bowling having beaten one P5 team with a winning record. I don't see how they're better than 6-6. Missouri is pretty fucking terrible as well, especially on defense, so even if Tenn wins that game, they might be 6-6 without beating a P5 team with a winning record. 

-As to Missouri, they've beaten Central Michigan 34-24 and SE Missouri State 59-28. They gave up 35 and 41 to UK and Boston College respectively. They get Arkansas and ATM from the west. The ATM game will feature one team with an above average offense against an above average defense and the other team with an abysmal offense going against an abysmal defense. Anyone thinking ATM will just roll through them in Columbia before the season has to be rethinking that position. 

-The SEC East overall is a fucking joke. Florida looked good against Alabama, but they're a Dan Mullen coached team that will find a way to finish unimpressively with a 9-4 record. Todd Grantham is still the DC there. Wow. Missouri and Tennessee would qualify as trash if that word weren't being defined currently by Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Kentucky is 4-0 by playing ULaMonroe, Missouri, Chattanooga, and South Carolina. They beat Chatt in a squeaker, 28-23. They still get to play NMSU, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Mississippi State. They will be the worst 8-4 or 9-3 team in the country. Georgia is the class of the division, obviously. Their October opponents are a combined 14-2 currently, so if they exit the month 8-0, they'll have earned the hype. They'll walk through November playing Missouri, Tenn, Charleston Southern, and Ga Tech. 

-I don't know who else watched the USC/Oregon State game, but it was a gratifying blowout that was uglier than the score reflected. Oregon State won in the Coliseum for the first time in 61 years. 

-Florida State is 0-4 and favored at home by 4.5 points against a 3-1 Syracuse team that just beat a pesky Liberty team. I assume Vegas knows something I don't. FSU has UMass on the schedule in a few weeks. There's a legitimate shot that they finish 1-11 if you take a look at the schedule. I mean, it's ugly.

-Oklahoma is giving up 10.5 points to KSU in Manhattan this weekend. In 3 home games so far against FBS opponents, OU hasn't beaten a team by more than 7 points. I don't think Vegas knows a thing here. I just think everyone is expecting OU to be better than they've looked so far. I don't expect to see that this week. They usually wait until the Texas game to get their shit together. 

-Oregon visits Palo Alto this weekend. Stanford blows, but Mario Cristobal is west coast Tom Herman. He'll fuck up a game this year somewhere, so I wouldn't be shocked if it's this one.

-Nebraska is 2-3 and still plays Northwestern this weekend and @Minnesota in a few weekends. They also get Michigan, Purdue, Ohio State and Iowa at home, and Wisconsin on the road. It's not difficult to see them finishing 4-8 in Frost's 4th year on campus.

-Finally, ULaLa plays an undefeated South Alabama team this weekend. As far as things go for Texas' bowl outlook and national POV at the end of this season, provided Texas is sitting on something like 9-3 or better, it would be great if ULaLa was 11-1. This is actually a key game for them getting there. 

Sorry for the tl;dr aspects of this, but figured some folks might give a shit in discussing it. 

 

My nephew is in law school in Eugene, where he also obtained his undergraduate degree.  I called him right after their upset of tOSU and while he was pleased, he lamented that Cristobal and the Ducks would set themselves on fire against someone like Wazzoo or Zona.  It's tradition.

The Beavers win over TrojanU was a great way to wrap up the day.

I wonder if Tennessee will find a way to blame Schiano for their NCAA infractions.  Idiots.  If knaves like Clay Travis are going to exert that much control over your athletic department you should just close up shop.  Maybe we can pawn Plonsky off on the the Great Smoky Dreamsicles.  

[Underdog 28455]

7 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Kentucky is 4-0 by playing ULaMonroe, Missouri, Chattanooga, and South Carolina. They beat Chatt in a squeaker, 28-23. They still get to play NMSU, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Mississippi State. They will be the worst 8-4 or 9-3 team in the country.

 

Dude, collision course with Bama for the SECCG*  is still on schedule.  

 

 

 

 

* Fully expecting a 56-3 beatdown at the hands of the Gators Saturday night. 

[NWAustinDude 2252]

I watched Oregon St. USC so i could laugh at Bru, Jake, Malc, and Kuntay.

 

And by watch, I mean I fell asleep in the 3rd quarter with a drool of that moonshine they sell in a Junes' Coast-to-Coast urine jar.

[mdleast 8261]

Preseason top 10:



Versus current top 10:



5 preseason teams are now out of the top 10. I wonder what the normal attrition has been in other seasons.

[hornian 5205]

1 hour ago, mdleast said:

Preseason top 10:



Versus current top 10:



5 preseason teams are now out of the top 10. I wonder what the normal attrition has been in other seasons.

They nailed #9 though!

[South Austin 52144]

OU sucks. Scatter that.