the official 2010-11 college football thread! ver. Auburn VS Oregon?

[cj]

Alabama has played a tough non conference schedule lately. We beat Clemson 2 years ago we beat VTech last year We play Penn State this year what do you want from us? Yea the Georgia state thing is a sham but so what we gotta beat the shit outtta somebody on homecoming right?

 

[34-dihydroxyphen]

honestly 3, 4 we are talking a lot of shit but I truly can not wait for this Buckeyes/Canes game. I will most likely have tix, which makes it more exciting for me - but I think that any college football fan should revel in the idea of two ballers like Jacory Harris and Terrelle Pryor playing football. they both have legs that can burn the opposing defenses. perhaps it will come down to who can throw a better couple long ball shots?

and props to our respective programs for scheduling this match-up. Miami and Ohio State can both laugh at the majority of the cupcakes that the SEC schedules year-in and year-out.

when your team plays an early away game in Ohio Stadium, your team quickly sheds and jitters or nerves it might have about playing football for the rest of the year. seriously man, this stadium looks like the coliseum where the Romans fed the Christians to lions.

the consolation prize to the loser of this game is that they should still win their conference, and have an easier time doing it due to the pressures of this second game of the season

If it comes down to who can throw the better long ball, Jacory wins hands down. A common misconception among college football fans unfamiliar with Miami is that Jacory Harris is a running quarterback. While he does indeed have the legs to run, he plays exclusively as a pocket passer. I guess this is due to the fact that he is very skinny, and we have nobody of worth to play behind him. But he is very smart with his throws for the most part. His biggest flaw is arm strength, but he is very accurate and very smart. His biggest weakness is when he is under pressure, then he tends to try to make the play instead of throwing the ball away. That problem will hopefully have solved itself this year, if the Canes are to go anywhere. If he is injured, we are done. I think this game comes down to who has the better defense.

But definite props to OSU for playing Miami. I can't call you guys pussies for doing that (Florida,Florida, Florida *shakes head*). It takes balls, especially as when the game was scheduled Miami was still the King of College Football. I'm glad that the game is coming on at a time when Miami is coming back after Coker (worst coach ever) ruined our dynasty, so we can all agree that no matter the outcome of the game, it all counts. Miami is a likely top ten team at the end of this year regardless of the result of this game, so the winner will have the added advantage of gaining those extra BCS points should Boise State complete their one game season with a win against Virginia Tech.

With the Miami hate that goes on in the media, and Ohio State's lackluster performance in recent national title games, we are both likely to be the teams that are kicked out of the National Championship game should Boise State go undefeated.

Can't wait to see this game.

 

[TheLoveBandit]

And to my knowledge Love Bandit, OSU has only played a division 2 team twice, against Younstown State, which happens to be Tressel's old coaching job, which is the only reason they scheduled it in the 1st place. Playing teams not in the FBS isn't something the Buckeyes do.

I spent 6 yrs in Youngstown, just after Mr. Sweatervest left, so I know the connection And yeah, props to him on keeping his cupcakes Div1-A (other than YSU for the noble reason you gave....and maybe Akron, who is destined to be bounced to 1-AA at some point....though, I'll admit UF played them as well ).

I would just like to see some of the best SEC teams play some of the better out-of-conference talent in their pre-conference schedules. save for the National Championship, the SEC wasn't so phenomenal in their bowls games last year. I think Alabama is playing Penn State this year, though? it just kinda sucks that this will probably be a down year for PSU - but at least they are on the right track.

won't be long before OSU schedules and SEC foe, I feel like..

That said, I'm holding up AL in our most obvious defense for this question. And, I'll make a face with Vandy since they went to the big house and nearly won, *before* Lloyd's Carr left the parking lot. Looking at the rest of the conference, where does the SEC actually take a chance OOC in general? Florida tries to hold up it's FSU rivalry, but it's been a beatdown for soooo long I don't feel I can count it. You have some regional rivalries (UGA-GT, USCe-CLEM, ARK-Big12(TT/TEX/etc), KY-LOU). LSU plays UNC/WVU this year, and has recently played Washington; Miss St has played GT and WVU; and we all saw TN matchup with CAL/UCLA/Oregon. Most teams keep one 'tough' OOC game as a rivalry game, and sprinkle in 1-3 cupcakes (some Div1-AA)....so they aren't exactly dodging the question completely.

If it comes down to who can throw the better long ball, Jacory wins hands down. A common misconception among college football fans unfamiliar with Miami is that Jacory Harris is a running quarterback. While he does indeed have the legs to run, he plays exclusively as a pocket passer. I guess this is due to the fact that he is very skinny, and we have nobody of worth to play behind him. But he is very smart with his throws for the most part. His biggest flaw is arm strength, but he is very accurate and very smart. His biggest weakness is when he is under pressure, then he tends to try to make the play instead of throwing the ball away. That problem will hopefully have solved itself this year, if the Canes are to go anywhere. If he is injured, we are done. I think this game comes down to who has the better defense.

I'd agree with all of that except the part about 'he is very smart with his throws' because of the following comment on 'biggest weakness/under pressure/make the play instead of throwing it away'. But THAT comes with experience, and I would like to think he's smart enough to have learned by now. He absolutely is a pass-first kind of QB, and the semi-weak arm might hurt, but if he's got good blocking and receivers, he can do a lot of nice things against a defense.

As to who will win the game against tOSU? You graded out MIA, since you know them better, but you didn't comment any on how you'd expect Pryor to do against your defense. I know Pryor is of a similar mold (can run/throw, makes bad decisions unless he's done growed up, etc), but I don't know anything about MIA's defense. What's your 'insider' take on that side of the matchup?

 

[34-dihydroxyphen]

I'd agree with all of that except the part about 'he is very smart with his throws' because of the following comment on 'biggest weakness/under pressure/make the play instead of throwing it away'. But THAT comes with experience, and I would like to think he's smart enough to have learned by now. He absolutely is a pass-first kind of QB, and the semi-weak arm might hurt, but if he's got good blocking and receivers, he can do a lot of nice things against a defense.

As to who will win the game against tOSU? You graded out MIA, since you know them better, but you didn't comment any on how you'd expect Pryor to do against your defense. I know Pryor is of a similar mold (can run/throw, makes bad decisions unless he's done growed up, etc), but I don't know anything about MIA's defense. What's your 'insider' take on that side of the matchup?

Jacory is a very intelligent QB, and many intelligent QB's lose their shit under pressure. When he is well protected he checks down and makes the right decision, instead of locking onto that first receiver as so many college QB's do. Better protection this year plus a year of experience (not to mention his recovery from a thumb injury, which contributed to many of his late season interceptions) should make him a Heisman hopeful at quarterback. On offense, the line will be improved but there are definite questions as to how good it can be. And this is honestly not coming from my pro-Miami bias, but we have the best core of wide receivers in the nation. Not the best single receiver, but as a whole, more talent than anybody in the nation. Jacory has weapons.

Damien Berry is our best running back, the best we have had in some time in fact, and will be difficult to stop. He is a power back with great vision and the speed to outrun most defenses if they get behind him. Mike James is our pure power runner and Lamar Miller, debuting in his red shirt freshman season, will surprise people around the country with his incredible speed (said to be 4.3 forty type guy, but you always have to doubt those numbers when they come from the school and not a combine).

I'll get to the rest of the defense in another post, but I will answer your question about how I think we will do against Pryor. Miami has struggled against running quarterbacks the past couple seasons, and with tight ends in the flat, mostly due to inconsistent linebacker play. If the offensive line is the biggest question mark on offense, Linebacker is undoubtedly our biggest question mark on defense. How we contain Pryor depends on how much our linebacking core has improved. Sean Spence, the Strong side linebacker, was a monster and probably our best overall player as a freshman, but struggled due to injury his sophomore year. He should be back and play like a mad man this season. Colin McCarthy is expected to move over from Weak side linebacker to the middle, and nobody knows how he will adjust, even though he was a very good player for us at his old position. The new weakside linebacker will either be Jordan Futch or Ramon Buchanon, both athletically talented players that remain mostly unproven. So will Spence return to his freshman form? Will McCarthy be a good MLB? And will either Futch or Buchanon be able to fill the WLB spot? Those will be very important questions come Ohio State day.

 

[TheLoveBandit]

B. Kelly speaks to NBC about pace of his offense

"Let's take this brief timeout here on NBC, oops, Notre Dame just snapped the ball."

You can imagine something like coming from Tom Hammond's mouth as NBC figures out how to deal with Brian Kelly's no-huddle offense. His spread is one of the more deadly in the country, but to TV? Kelly admitted Tuesday to speaking with network officials about the pace of his offense.


"We've talked to NBC about the way we like to play the game versus how it was played in the past," Kelly said at a press conference. "Those conversations have taken place. There is certainly a need for us to address it and we're working with NBC to make sure they get what they need on it from an advertising standpoint, but also as the network that carries Notre Dame, that we're able to do things that we need to do as well.

"The model out there has been ABC/ESPN for college football, because of the sheer volume of games they carry. There's a model out there. All we've tried to do is address the model that we think would work well with us, and there's gotta be a meeting somewhere halfway. I'm very confident we're going to be able to do the things we do in terms of pushing the tempo and doing the things we need to do without having to go to a commercial break. That conversation has taken place. Getting into the specifics, I'm not willing to do that, but I can tell you that that conversation between Jack [Swarbrick, AD] and myself along with the production people at NBC has taken place. And I think we're going to be able to meet somewhere in the middle."

You can guess that NBC is getting nervous about how to get its commercials in if Notre Dame starts running 80 plays a game. Kelly's Cincinnati offense averaged 77 plays per game last season, that was 10 more than the national average. Houston led the country with 82 plays per game.

NBC might want to consult with ABC/ESPN and their coverage of the World Cup where there were no commercials during play.

Really? So, The NotreLame Broadcasting Cunts are talking to the coach about how to run the offense around commercials? Or at least, worried they can't get enough advertising in? This reeks, having 'pace of game' discussions between any team/conference and it's tv carriers. I understand the need to ensure advertising revenue needs are met, but the game is played as the coaches need to do to win....not to ensure their channel gets enough time-outs.

 

[TheLoveBandit]

Gahhhhh, I'm going nuts.

Since we've started talking tOSU @ MIA, let's see what games are worth talking about for the opening weekend, shall we?

Thu SEP 2
6:30 PM ET Presbyterian at Wake Forest - only listed here because it is the *first* game. Only comment I can offer is, with the cracks on SEC cupcake games....um, anyone check out the ACC?
7:30 PM ET Marshall at No. 2 Ohio State - tOSU, on a Thursday night? No tv coverage listed. :yawn:
7:30 PM ET Florida A&M at No. 13 Miami (FL) - on ESPN3.com, :yawn: But there is the recurring theme of keeping cupcake money in-state as a lot of teams do (you, too, tOSU).
8:30 PM ET No. 15 Pittsburgh at Utah - #15? Really? Opening on the road....at Utah? With no tv coverage, natch.
11:00 PM ET No. 14 USC at Hawaii - Go Rainbow Warriors!!

Fri SEP 3
2 games, not worth talking about

Sat SEP 4
Collective Yawn
12:00 PM ET Miami (OH) at No. 4 Florida - wait, we're spending money on Ohio cupcakes? Wtf?
12:00 PM ET Youngstown State at No. 19 Penn State - and who says JoePa isn't wanting to be more like Tressel? (Reality, I'll be the leagues work out a lot of these cupcakes games since you'll see the same chump hit multiple teams in a league over a few years - ref Troy @ several SEC schools recently for example)
12:00 PM ET Samford at No. 20 Florida State - Bwahahahahaa......this was scheduled as a going away present for Bowden, since this was supposed to be his last year and Samford is where he started (and a lot of his 'wins' were counted, though they were from this Div1-AA school). Too bad he's gone now, and Dumbo Fisher is left having to play the game...I'm not sure he'll win ).
3:30 PM ET No. 5 Texas vs. Rice* - Oooh, road game cupcake match, though *neutral site (yeah, right)
3:30 PM ET Purdue at Notre Dame - I like Chip Kelley, but my dislike for ND trumps my dislike for the Big10+2. Go Boilermakers!
7:00 PM ET Washington at Brigham Young - Huskies still bringing that 'play anyone' attitude. Hrm, not sure who to pull for in this one.
7:45 PM ET No. 24 Oregon State vs. No. 6 TCU* - one of only 2 ranked matchups. Do we pull for the BCS buster, or for the Quack Attack? Go Ducks.
8:00 PM ET No. 21 LSU vs. No. 18 North Carolina* - a closer matchup for ranked teams. Somehow, I believe LSU will win (ie, overranked UNC) but it seriously would not surprise me if UNC wins - either thru Les Miles screw ups or through UNC actually bringing it on opening day and catching an unprepared Tiger team.
11:00 PM ET No. 12 Wisconsin at UNLV - @UNLV? Really? Ummmm.....ok?

Sun SEP 5
Two more bad games. Blech.

Mon SEP 6
8:00 PM ET No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech* - Ahh, the best game of the weekend, perhaps. Again, BCS Buster, or perennial wannabe? Go Hokies.....then lose a later game

 

[HighonLife]

12:00 PM ET Samford at No. 20 Florida State - Bwahahahahaa......this was scheduled as a going away present for Bowden, since this was supposed to be his last year and Samford is where he started (and a lot of his 'wins' were counted, though they were from this Div1-AA school). Too bad he's gone now, and Dumbo Fisher is left having to play the game...I'm not sure he'll win ).




7:45 PM ET No. 24 Oregon State vs. No. 6 TCU* - one of only 2 ranked matchups. Do we pull for the BCS buster, or for the Quack Attack? Go Ducks.

1st part: seriously?

2nd:Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers

 

[TheLoveBandit]

1st part - dead serious. Fact.

Bowden then returned to Howard (now known as Samford) as head coach, where he compiled a 31–6 record between 1959 and 1962

He also coached at WVU (42-26) for those that didn't know. More to the point of his counting those lower division wins (circa 2005):

The issue for some Penn State fans, as they have related in letters and e-mails, is that Bowden earned 31 of his 359 victories at Samford from 1959 to 1962. Samford, then known as Howard College, did not play major college football at the time. It is now in Division I-AA.

I'm actually with Penn State on this one. If FSU wants to count his non-Div1-A wins, then both Bobby and JoePa should give it up now, they'll never catch Eddie Robinson (408–165–15). EDIT - actually, I see as of this year, Joe Pa is at 394–129–3, so it is very feasible for him to take the crown after this year and maybe next year; and he'll do so with a much better winning percentage, and against tougher competition. That would leave him undoubtedly the all-time winningest coach as the Nittany Lion faithful often proclaim. I wonder if after these 2 years he'd finally step down?


Actually, digging deeper I've found that the Bowden tie-in probably isn't the only reason the game got scheduled. It appears the new coach also has ties there. Both graduated from that school, and Fisher will be having his head coaching debut against them:

Fisher’s inaugural schedule begins with Samford, where he not only starred at quarterback as the 1987 Division III National Player of the Year, but launched his coaching career in 1988

2nd part - my bad. Still Ducks > Beavers > Horned Frogs in my ranking of who to cheer for that weekend. Later, I'll go back to being a fan of TCU, just not when they jeopardize the (unholy) sanctity of the BCS with their weak ass schedule. I've always been, and probably will be, a fan of the Ducks (crazy uniforms, and a pissed off Donald Duck. Who can't love a pissed off Donald Duck as a mascot?).

 

[HighonLife]

i just meant: seriously?.......you think FSU will loose to Samford?.....Seriously?


and since im a DFW'er myself, ima hafta tell there is no way the state of Oregon is better then them there horney toads

cant wait to go see a few TCU games this year

 

[MD Specialist]

don't let your Big Ten hate blind you. I don't know why you are so far up Nebraska's jock, but they haven't been anything since the late 90s and I don't really think they will destroy the Big 10. this is hilarious talk, really.

Nebraska will be a middle of the pack Big Ten team, along the lines of Wisconsin or Iowa. the best thing since Frank Solich just left the Huskers, in Ndamakung Suh.

Nebraska will not win the Big 12 this year. I am relying heavily on a Boomer Sooner Big 12 year.

I remember last year I was also on that Miami tip, but they failed me. I suspect they will fail you, too. I think Miami will be a great team but it is absurd to think that they will go to the National Championship. again, if you didn't let the Big Ten hate flow so numerous like the river of Ohio State All-Americans, you would remember that Wisconsin totally dismantled Miami last year.

the U will be on top of the ACC, but are not quite NC caliber (sadly). hand me some of that crack you're smoking

Wait.... I'm too high.... Is that you on the left me, or is that you over there across the room??? Damn this shit is good.

When one team has consistently been on top of the conference, then do so poorly (in recent years) when they make it to the national championship, it makes it really hard for me to respect the conference. I don't hate the Big Ten.. I just don't don't respect them as a strong conference.

Maybe my Miami expectations are a little high.. But they have talent with a lot of potential. Depending how the season goes and if they are a one loss team they could definitely be bidding for a spot in the big game. Would they win it? Don't really think so.

Nebraska has something to prove, and one hell of a strong, hard headed, kill mentality coach. Nebraska will have an easier schedule once it's in the Big Ten then it does in the Big 12, which will make it easier to win the conference.

Oklahoma?? C'mon Man. And you think I'm on something?

 

[Hypnotik1]

I figure you guys will get a kick out of this.....

The last decade of the SEC according to Facebook

 

[axl blaze]

Nebraska will be a middle of the pack Big Ten team, and they are a slightly higher middle of the pack Big 12 team. now that Texas is weak sauce and Oklahoma has lost some players, the Big 12 is very weak. what does the Big Ten have to do for you? last years' convincing Bowl Games of PSU out-brawling LSU and OSU putting up huge stats against Oregon should swelter some of this hate.

but it isn't. and for some reason you think Nebraska is an almost National Championship caliber team. they haven't had an offense since the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust type shit in the 90s. this is why I think you are crazy

 

[34-dihydroxyphen]

Nebraska will be a middle of the pack Big Ten team, and they are a slightly higher middle of the pack Big 12 team. now that Texas is weak sauce and Oklahoma has lost some players, the Big 12 is very weak. what does the Big Ten have to do for you? last years' convincing Bowl Games of PSU out-brawling LSU and OSU putting up huge stats against Oregon should swelter some of this hate.

but it isn't. and for some reason you think Nebraska is an almost National Championship caliber team. they haven't had an offense since the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust type shit in the 90s. this is why I think you are crazy

Agree. Nebraska is my #1 pick to disappoint this season. I don't know how the fuck they got that top 10 ranking, especially after losing Suh. The fact of the matter is, Nebraska is in a bad recruiting region, which means that they generally have to recruit nationally. That means you have less time to scout your talent and have to spend more on travel in order to visit prospects, which means that they have to choose from a smaller, less well scouted, group.

Miami, Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, LSU, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma (they recruit the state of Texas), and USC will never be down forever because they have the prestige that comes from winning titles (which Nebraska and Notre Dame have) plus proximity to fertile recruiting grounds. If you don't have both, however, being down can mean you are down forever no matter how much money is thrown into the situation. Sorry Nebraska fans, but I don't see much hope in that program having a championship caliber future ever again. At best they will crack the top 10 every few years.

 

[axl blaze]

I see Nebraska as being a Wicsonsin-like team in the Big Ten. sometimes great, sometimes sub-par - but mostly a little above average. at least the Huskers know how to run the ball and play defense, a definite Big Ten staple (which can be detrimental for the bowl season if you can't out-muscle your opponent).

should be a great season. most Ohio State fans are asking two questions (and lets not kid ourselves):

1) can OSU win the National Championship?

or

2) can Pryor win the Heisman Trophy?

outcome 1 is very dependant on outcome 2. while Pryor isn't the most intelligent QB, he is perhaps the most athletic of this year. I will not kid myself, I have seen both outcomes, but I have seen the outcome as to where OSU has a three-loss season (which would be a let down for sure).

while I can't glamour myself into believing that TP at QB can put up Heisman-esque numbers in a usual boring Jim Tressel offense, I still hope that a National Championship is in reach. it has only been eight years since the last - but trust me, it feels like forever after all the heartbreak

 

[34-dihydroxyphen]

I see Nebraska as being a Wicsonsin-like team in the Big Ten. sometimes great, sometimes sub-par - but mostly a little above average. at least the Huskers know how to run the ball and play defense, a definite Big Ten staple (which can be detrimental for the bowl season if you can't out-muscle your opponent).

should be a great season. most Ohio State fans are asking two questions (and lets not kid ourselves):

1) can OSU win the National Championship?

or

2) can Pryor win the Heisman Trophy?

outcome 1 is very dependant on outcome 2. while Pryor isn't the most intelligent QB, he is perhaps the most athletic of this year. I will not kid myself, I have seen both outcomes, but I have seen the outcome as to where OSU has a three-loss season (which would be a let down for sure).

while I can't glamour myself into believing that TP at QB can put up Heisman-esque numbers in a usual boring Jim Tressel offense, I still hope that a National Championship is in reach. it has only been eight years since the last - but trust me, it feels like forever after all the heartbreak

Can OSU win the national championship? Yes.


Can Pryor win the Heisman? Fuck no! Pryor is a good enough QB to take you guys all the way, but I just don't see him putting up Heisman numbers. No way, no how.

Before you get defensive about it (I don't think you will, but I want to be clear that I'm being serious and not shit talking here) ask yourself this: Would you rather have a Heisman winner on your team or a national championship? The two are not even correlated.

All the Heisman talk surrounding Pryor stems from his high ranking in high school, and those rankings are generally made by people who have never played a down of football in their lives. The hype often carries over into college careers, and players who are pretty damn good like Pryor are expected to be elite, leading to under-appreciation of what you have.

 

[34-dihydroxyphen]

Who is not looking forward to another rendering of "Yeah we're coming... to your city.......if you put a little ying yang in your zing zang.......". Has there ever been a greater song created than this? I mean, seriously guise, how is this not the best song ever?


Somebody shoot me. I'd almost rather lose to OSU, Florida State, and Duke than have to listen to that song again. Almost...

 

[Kenickie]

I think LSU will be better than Florida this year. I see the SEC between Bama and LSU.

i wish i had met you when i had the chance

 

[axl blaze]

for what it's worth, I don't think that TP will win the Heisman. I think that he quite possibly could, but not likely. come on man, I'm not that defensive. as much as I'm a Buckeyes homer, I am still a reasonably intelligent football aficionado.

 

[Pander Bear]

the homerism is that hes even being mentioned in the same sentence as Heisman.

Not being snarky. btw.

 

[cj]

Mark Ingram had knee surgery this morning he is out for the first week but Alabama is keeping it hush hush about his stutus beyond that.