THE TEAMS: The Wisconsin Badgers, winners of the Sanctions Leaders Division, will take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, from the Legends Division.
LOCATION: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
It's appropriate that both teams would meet in a giant barn.
WHEN: Saturday, December 1
WHERE: FOX
AMOUNT OF UNSOLD TICKETS FOR THIS GAME:A lot. Jim Delany is showing us the downside to neutral site games.
HOW DID WE GET HERE, WISCONSIN EDITION: In a word, sanctions. Wisconsin ended up placing third in its division, but because Ohio State and Penn State are currently under postseason sanctions, Wisconsin gets the ticket to Indianapolis.
To be honest, Wisconsin isn't a bad team, per say. Three of their 5 losses this year come in overtime (two of which were against Ohio State and Penn State), while their other two losses were on the road against Oregon State (a good team) and Nebraska (a good team). The big issue for Wisconsin this year has been getting anything going on offense against good defenses. Oregon State held Wisconsin to 7 points, a game in which star running back Montee Ball was held to 79 APY, including 61 yards on the ground. In a nutshell, as Montee Ball has gone, so has Wisconsin. In the loss to Nebraska, ball was again kept to under 100 yards rushing, but did get 3 TDs in goal-line situations. The Wisconsin offense has seemed to figure things out as the season progressed, spurned on by a QB switch from latest Maryland-to-Wisconsin transfer Danny O'Brien to Joel Stave. However, Stave went down with an injury against Michigan State, so senior Curt Phillips has stepped up and done an admirable job in relief.
Bucky Badger knows what's up.
HOW DID WE GET HERE, NEBRASKA EDITION: Here is what the preseason talk around Nebraska said: "If Taylor Martinez is better, then this team has a shot to be great." Suffice to say, Martinez has been pretty spectacular this season.
Martinez has shown to be a much more accurate passer, which has been attributed to an offseason working on his throwing motion. However, the season almost came crashing down after an early season loss to eventual Pac 12 South Champion UCLA, in which the historically stout Blackshirt defense showed that it was not what it used to be. Bo Pelini, who is basically the B1G version of Mark Richt, had to get his defense in order, and the Blackshirts rose to the occasion. Martinez himself showed flashes of greatness in some impressive late-game comebacks, orchestrating a 17 point comeback against Wisconsin, a 12 point comeback against Northwestern, and a 10 point comeback against Michigan State that Spartan fans are still complaining about. The Nebraska defense has also come around, finishing the regular season ranked #15 in total defense, #31 in scoring defense, and #23 in third-down defense.
Dude is just so happy!
WILL THE GAME BE COMPETITIVE? I'VE HEARD WISCONSIN IS INVOLVED: Recent history says yes. Nebraska won at home 30-27 early in the season after Taylor Martinez led a 17-point comeback. Some Nebraska fans will point out that the game probably shouldn't have been that close, as they had two fumbles that helped Wisconsin out, and that the Nebraska offense outgained Wisconsin by a lot. Don't listen to them. Wisconsin finds itself with te ability to fall backwards into the Rose Bowl, and that can make decent teams play above their heads (see UCLA last year against Oregon).
SO WHO SHOULD WE ROOT FOR? If you're a fan of the B1G, probably Nebraska. A Wisconsin win throws the Big 10 for a loop, as suddenly everyone gets moved down a slot in the bowl pecking order. That might help national perception, but better teams will be playing in worse bowls, and if there's one thing the Big 10 has a ton of, it's pride. And bad teams. We're so sorry Geebs.
However, UCLA and Stanford fans may be rooting for Wisconsin for a different reason: revenge. UCLA last played in the Rose Bowl in 1999, in a loss to Wisconsin. Stanford's last appearance was a year later in 2000, which was a loss to Wisconsin. These two schools have long memories, and would probably love to get a win back from the Badgers. Of course, UCLA would also love to play Nebraska just to continue their weird brand of dominance over historically good teams.
BUT SERIOUSLY WHO SHOULD WE ROOT FOR? Probably Nebraska, as their fans seem like good people.
I never realized how butt ugly that damn stadium is. Yuck.
Munkus BeaverYou don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPAregular
S E C
S E C
S E C
Oh wait what?
Sorry, habit.
Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but dies in the process.
@Nirya I'll keep linking them in the OP for them to remain there for all of eternity. Or until player awards weekend. Or until we put bowl information up there. Either way, they are nice.
0
Options
Goose!That's me, honeyShow me the way home, honeyRegistered Userregular
"It's not really a great scenario for either team," he said on a teleconference Sunday. "You play your way into the championship game, which means you're the best team in your division. It doesn't seem quite right. I don't feel good about it for our football team or their football team."
Just as a reminder, this exact same situation enabled West division runner-up Alabama to play for, and win, the National Title just last year.
CHANCES MARK RICHT WILL BE ON THE HOT SEAT, REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME OF THIS GAME: 100%
HOW DID WE GET HERE, PAAAWWWL EDITION: If it weren't for a bunch of blowhards from Southern Cal, Alabama would have come into the season ranked #1. Instead, they had to settle for two and a complete thrashing of Michigan at JerryWorld. Boy, the universe must hate Alabama.
After blowing out a clearly-overranked Michigan team, Alabama went on its usual tear through overmatched Sun Belt teams and overmatched divisional opponents that lost to said Sun Belt teams (we are looking at you here, Arkansas. You were bad this year and you should feel bad about that). Alabama was not tested this year until a trip to Tennesspffffahahahaha oh god I can't finish that. No, the real first test of the year came the following week against Missspfffffffahahahaha no they are terrible as well. For the record, Mississippi State was ranked #11 for that game. They finished the year 8-4. Their best win was against Troy. I'm not saying there is a clear SEC bias in the polls, but there is a large amount of evidence that points to this being a fact.
No, the first real test for the Tide came the following week, when the Tide went on the road to Death Valley for a night game against the LSU Tigers. Game of the Century Part 3 featured what it normally does: bad offense, good defense, and a few dumb play-calls by Les Miles to help Alabama win. Of course, the bigger game would be the following week, when Johnny Football himself came to Tuscaloosa and showed that the Alabama defense can be had when faced by a good quarterback. AJ McCarron, who was getting Heisman talk simply for playing for the Tide, had a couple of interceptions in that game that helped remind everyone that the SEC is not very good at recruiting quarterbacks. Alabama was left for dead, but thanks to the heroics of Stanford and Baylor, the Tide was given a second chance at the title (this has become a running theme for the Tide over the years). Leading up to the title game, Alabama held up its end by crushing Southern Conference member Western Carolina and soon-to-be Southern Conference member Auburn.
It's ok, AJ. We all realize eventually that we're not going to make it to the NFL.
HOW DID WE GET HERE, FUCK GEORGIA EDITION: Things you can always count on: death, taxes, and Mark Richt entering the season on the hot seat. Seriously, Georgia fans, you are the worst. The guy is a consistent 10 game winner in the SEC and you keep wanting to fire him? What is WRONG with you people?
I mean, yeah, in hindsight, that loss to South Carolina is bad (the shootout with Tennessee should have tipped us all off, but still), but we hardly blame you. Steve Spurrier can be ruthless when it comes to rivals. Just ask Clemson. At least you knew that all you had to do was beat Florida and wait for South Carolina to inevitably self-destruct. In a classic battle at the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, the Bulldogs forced 6 turnovers from a Florida offense that, if you had to say something positive about them, was slightly better than mediocre. Florida, for the record, needed a blocked punt returned for a TD in the final seconds to beat LA-Lafayette at home, and will end up playing in a BCS bowl, most likely the Sugar Bowl. SEC! SEC! SEC! SEC!
Georgia went on from that victory to win its next four games by an average margin of victory of 32. I thought about pointing out that the best team Georgia beat here was Ole Miss, but then I realized that my Bruins lost to Cal. At least Georgia knows how to beat the bad teams.
By the way, YoSoyTheWalrus would like to remind everyone: FUCK GEORGIA FUCK GEORGIA FUCK GEORGIA FUCK GEORGIA FUCK GEORGIA. I personally don't get it.
Uga will not put up with your bullshit, Auburn. Apparently neither will Bobby Petrino.
SO WHO SHOULD WE ROOT FOR? There are two trains of thought here. One is that Nick Saban is possibly the Devil himself, and the other is that Georgia fans will probably use a loss as an excuse to try and get Mark Richt fired, thus freeing him to go to a non-abusive home. There are a good amount of Alabama fans on this board, so depending on if you like Munkus or Langly, you may be rooting for or against Alabama. Personally, I have a friend who goes to Alabama, and listening to him bitch after a Bama loss is amazing, so I'm rooting for Georgia.
It doesn't matter, though. Both teams will lose to the juggernaut that is Notre Dame Football 2012.
BUT SERIOUSLY WHO SHOULD WE ROOT FOR? Flip a coin. Heads is Alabama, tails is Georgia.
Florida playing down to its opponents was so frustrating this year. Still we beat 4 top 12 teams including FSU in Ron Zook Field.
I just hope we get matched up with a decent opponent in the Sugar Bowl.
THE TEAMS: The Louisville Cardinals and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will attempt to play football. No guarantee if they will succeed.
LOCATION: Wherever you want it to be, man. But technically High Point Solutions Stadium in New Jersey.
I was too lazy to find a picture of the stadium, so enjoy this metaphor for the Big East instead.
WHEN: Thursday, November 29.
WHERE: ESPN
IS THERE A CHANCE THIS GAME WILL BE GOOD? If you want to hear the announcers talk about how Charlie Strong is leaving Louisville, sure! There is also news that Louisville's QB has a broken wrist, so will be operating exclusively from the shotgun, so there should be some scoring.
HOW DID WE GET HERE, LOUISVILLE EDITION: Let me tell you all a little story about Louisville football in 2012. At one point, Louisville was undefeated and ranked #9 in the country. It's true! To get there, they had to beat powerhouse teams like Kentucky (THEY SUPPOSED TO BE SEC), North Carolina (THEY SUPPOSED TO BE ACC), and Cincinnati (THEY SUCK).
Louisville was flying high. So high, in fact, that they didn't realize they had a game scheduled against Syracuse. Syracuse remembered, however, and beat the Cardinals 45-26. The Cardinals regrouped, but ended up pulling the most Big East move they could think of: a 3OT loss to Connecticut. Still, Louisville can clinch the Big East's AQ bid to a BCS game by winning tonight.
The Louisville football program approximately 20 seconds after losing to UConn.
HOW DID WE GET HERE, RUTGERS EDITION:I'm going to try to describe Rutgers football as best I can. Here we go.
Desolation. Desolation as far as the eye can see.
There was once a mighty civilization here. They had risen high, growing fat after vanquishing a mighty southern army led by their puppet king. Great monuments had been built up commemorating victories over a bunch of dogs and some strangely-colored men. And yet, like all good things, it had to come to an end.
From what I can tell, a Golden Flash swept across the land, bringing destruction with it. There would be a minor period of rebuilding. The people of Jersey believed that the disaster had been a fluke. They pointed to victories over Black Knights and Bearcats as proof of their infallibility. But a sudden and bloody attack by a group of panthers put an end to those dreams. Down came the monuments and temples. The people looked around at the once-mighty civilization they had built. Sudden realization dawned on them. They were in New Jersey, and had been pretending to care about college football the whole time. At least the Giants were doing well.
This whole preview would be pictures of tire fires if I thought I could get away with it.
SO WHO SHOULD WE ROOT FOR? If you're an ACC fan, you're rooting for Louisville, so that you can say the previous Big East champion decided to come to your conference. If you're a Big 10 fan, you're rooting for Rutgers, so that you can say the previous Big East champion decided to come to your conference. If you're a fan of anyone else, you're rooting for a meteor strike or something.
BUT SERIOUSLY WHO SHOULD WE ROOT FOR? Who cares. I'm sure you all have things to do on a Thursday night.
Munkus BeaverYou don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPAregular
Florida reminds you why college football is nuts.
Best resume of wins.
Eaked out a shotty win against bad teams.
Lost to Georgia.
The hell.
Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but dies in the process.
No, Oklahoma vs TCU and Kansas State vs Texas both have an impact on who gets the BCS slot.
OU loss -> Kstate is in the BCS
OU win/Kstate win ->Kstate is in the BCS
OU win/Kstate loss -> OU is in the BCS
Not necessarily. With the way the BCS is set up, there are 3 at-large slots available, and a conference can only put in one extra team beyond their AQ. Oregon and Florida already have two of those. OU should get the third one if both teams win, while KState could still get an at-large with a loss. OU loses and they're basically out of the BCS, and you're looking at Clemson getting an at-large bid.
And most people are projecting that UCLA wouldn't drop below Kent State in the final poll, as voters would hold the Kentucky loss against Kent State to keep them out of the BCS.
So Nebraska and OU have set up a home/away duet of games for the 2021/2022 seasons. The 2021 game will be on the 50th anniversary of the Game of the Century. Cool I guess
But 9 years away...Argghh. Most young fans have no idea how important the NU/OU game used to be in determining who played in the Orange Bowl (and coincidentally the NC) so many years.
Was hoping the series would be set up much sooner. But I know teams have schedules filled out years in advance these days.
No, Oklahoma vs TCU and Kansas State vs Texas both have an impact on who gets the BCS slot.
OU loss -> Kstate is in the BCS
OU win/Kstate win ->Kstate is in the BCS
OU win/Kstate loss -> OU is in the BCS
Not necessarily. With the way the BCS is set up, there are 3 at-large slots available, and a conference can only put in one extra team beyond their AQ. Oregon and Florida already have two of those. OU should get the third one if both teams win, while KState could still get an at-large with a loss. OU loses and they're basically out of the BCS, and you're looking at Clemson getting an at-large bid.
And most people are projecting that UCLA wouldn't drop below Kent State in the final poll, as voters would hold the Kentucky loss against Kent State to keep them out of the BCS.
Munkus BeaverYou don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPAregular
Munkus BeaverYou don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPAregular
Breakfast at kiffanies.
Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but dies in the process.
I mean Lane burned down Oakland and then he burned down USC, those sound like good things to me
0
Options
Munkus BeaverYou don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPAregular
Dont forget tennessee!
Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but dies in the process.
Posts
I never realized how butt ugly that damn stadium is. Yuck.
Thanks for putting them together! :^:
XBox LIVE: Bogestrom | Destiny
PSN: Bogestrom
You are next.
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
S E C
S E C
Oh wait what?
Sorry, habit.
THE TEAMS: The Alabama Crimson Tide, winners of the West, will take on the Georgia Bulldogs from the East.
LOCATION: The Georgia Dome in Hotlanta, Georgia.
STILL NOT BIG ENOUGH TO CONTAIN ALL THAT SEC SPEED, PAAWWWWWWLLL
WHEN: Saturday, December 1.
WHERE: CBS
ANY FUN QUOTES ABOUT THIS GAME? BOY ARE THERE!
Just as a reminder, this exact same situation enabled West division runner-up Alabama to play for, and win, the National Title just last year.
CHANCES MARK RICHT WILL BE ON THE HOT SEAT, REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME OF THIS GAME: 100%
HOW DID WE GET HERE, PAAAWWWL EDITION: If it weren't for a bunch of blowhards from Southern Cal, Alabama would have come into the season ranked #1. Instead, they had to settle for two and a complete thrashing of Michigan at JerryWorld. Boy, the universe must hate Alabama.
After blowing out a clearly-overranked Michigan team, Alabama went on its usual tear through overmatched Sun Belt teams and overmatched divisional opponents that lost to said Sun Belt teams (we are looking at you here, Arkansas. You were bad this year and you should feel bad about that). Alabama was not tested this year until a trip to Tennesspffffahahahaha oh god I can't finish that. No, the real first test of the year came the following week against Missspfffffffahahahaha no they are terrible as well. For the record, Mississippi State was ranked #11 for that game. They finished the year 8-4. Their best win was against Troy. I'm not saying there is a clear SEC bias in the polls, but there is a large amount of evidence that points to this being a fact.
No, the first real test for the Tide came the following week, when the Tide went on the road to Death Valley for a night game against the LSU Tigers. Game of the Century Part 3 featured what it normally does: bad offense, good defense, and a few dumb play-calls by Les Miles to help Alabama win. Of course, the bigger game would be the following week, when Johnny Football himself came to Tuscaloosa and showed that the Alabama defense can be had when faced by a good quarterback. AJ McCarron, who was getting Heisman talk simply for playing for the Tide, had a couple of interceptions in that game that helped remind everyone that the SEC is not very good at recruiting quarterbacks. Alabama was left for dead, but thanks to the heroics of Stanford and Baylor, the Tide was given a second chance at the title (this has become a running theme for the Tide over the years). Leading up to the title game, Alabama held up its end by crushing Southern Conference member Western Carolina and soon-to-be Southern Conference member Auburn.
It's ok, AJ. We all realize eventually that we're not going to make it to the NFL.
HOW DID WE GET HERE, FUCK GEORGIA EDITION: Things you can always count on: death, taxes, and Mark Richt entering the season on the hot seat. Seriously, Georgia fans, you are the worst. The guy is a consistent 10 game winner in the SEC and you keep wanting to fire him? What is WRONG with you people?
I mean, yeah, in hindsight, that loss to South Carolina is bad (the shootout with Tennessee should have tipped us all off, but still), but we hardly blame you. Steve Spurrier can be ruthless when it comes to rivals. Just ask Clemson. At least you knew that all you had to do was beat Florida and wait for South Carolina to inevitably self-destruct. In a classic battle at the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, the Bulldogs forced 6 turnovers from a Florida offense that, if you had to say something positive about them, was slightly better than mediocre. Florida, for the record, needed a blocked punt returned for a TD in the final seconds to beat LA-Lafayette at home, and will end up playing in a BCS bowl, most likely the Sugar Bowl. SEC! SEC! SEC! SEC!
Georgia went on from that victory to win its next four games by an average margin of victory of 32. I thought about pointing out that the best team Georgia beat here was Ole Miss, but then I realized that my Bruins lost to Cal. At least Georgia knows how to beat the bad teams.
By the way, YoSoyTheWalrus would like to remind everyone: FUCK GEORGIA FUCK GEORGIA FUCK GEORGIA FUCK GEORGIA FUCK GEORGIA. I personally don't get it.
Uga will not put up with your bullshit, Auburn. Apparently neither will Bobby Petrino.
SO WHO SHOULD WE ROOT FOR? There are two trains of thought here. One is that Nick Saban is possibly the Devil himself, and the other is that Georgia fans will probably use a loss as an excuse to try and get Mark Richt fired, thus freeing him to go to a non-abusive home. There are a good amount of Alabama fans on this board, so depending on if you like Munkus or Langly, you may be rooting for or against Alabama. Personally, I have a friend who goes to Alabama, and listening to him bitch after a Bama loss is amazing, so I'm rooting for Georgia.
It doesn't matter, though. Both teams will lose to the juggernaut that is Notre Dame Football 2012.
BUT SERIOUSLY WHO SHOULD WE ROOT FOR? Flip a coin. Heads is Alabama, tails is Georgia.
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
And I just realized the Big East title game is tonight. Gonna write that super-fast.
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
YOU ARE MISQUOTING ME SIR THIS WILL NOT STAND
YOU WILL BE HEARING FROM MY LAWYER
I just hope we get matched up with a decent opponent in the Sugar Bowl.
THE TEAMS: The Louisville Cardinals and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights will attempt to play football. No guarantee if they will succeed.
LOCATION: Wherever you want it to be, man. But technically High Point Solutions Stadium in New Jersey.
I was too lazy to find a picture of the stadium, so enjoy this metaphor for the Big East instead.
WHEN: Thursday, November 29.
WHERE: ESPN
IS THERE A CHANCE THIS GAME WILL BE GOOD? If you want to hear the announcers talk about how Charlie Strong is leaving Louisville, sure! There is also news that Louisville's QB has a broken wrist, so will be operating exclusively from the shotgun, so there should be some scoring.
HOW DID WE GET HERE, LOUISVILLE EDITION: Let me tell you all a little story about Louisville football in 2012. At one point, Louisville was undefeated and ranked #9 in the country. It's true! To get there, they had to beat powerhouse teams like Kentucky (THEY SUPPOSED TO BE SEC), North Carolina (THEY SUPPOSED TO BE ACC), and Cincinnati (THEY SUCK).
Louisville was flying high. So high, in fact, that they didn't realize they had a game scheduled against Syracuse. Syracuse remembered, however, and beat the Cardinals 45-26. The Cardinals regrouped, but ended up pulling the most Big East move they could think of: a 3OT loss to Connecticut. Still, Louisville can clinch the Big East's AQ bid to a BCS game by winning tonight.
The Louisville football program approximately 20 seconds after losing to UConn.
HOW DID WE GET HERE, RUTGERS EDITION:I'm going to try to describe Rutgers football as best I can. Here we go.
Desolation. Desolation as far as the eye can see.
There was once a mighty civilization here. They had risen high, growing fat after vanquishing a mighty southern army led by their puppet king. Great monuments had been built up commemorating victories over a bunch of dogs and some strangely-colored men. And yet, like all good things, it had to come to an end.
From what I can tell, a Golden Flash swept across the land, bringing destruction with it. There would be a minor period of rebuilding. The people of Jersey believed that the disaster had been a fluke. They pointed to victories over Black Knights and Bearcats as proof of their infallibility. But a sudden and bloody attack by a group of panthers put an end to those dreams. Down came the monuments and temples. The people looked around at the once-mighty civilization they had built. Sudden realization dawned on them. They were in New Jersey, and had been pretending to care about college football the whole time. At least the Giants were doing well.
This whole preview would be pictures of tire fires if I thought I could get away with it.
SO WHO SHOULD WE ROOT FOR? If you're an ACC fan, you're rooting for Louisville, so that you can say the previous Big East champion decided to come to your conference. If you're a Big 10 fan, you're rooting for Rutgers, so that you can say the previous Big East champion decided to come to your conference. If you're a fan of anyone else, you're rooting for a meteor strike or something.
BUT SERIOUSLY WHO SHOULD WE ROOT FOR? Who cares. I'm sure you all have things to do on a Thursday night.
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
Best resume of wins.
Eaked out a shotty win against bad teams.
Lost to Georgia.
The hell.
but there's one thing missing
why have you ignored the MACtion!?
The MACtion game is tomorrow, so it wasn't as crucial to get to as the Big East Tire Fire Classic. I'll get to it tonight, probably.
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
It is always crucial.
OU loss -> Kstate is in the BCS
OU win/Kstate win ->Kstate is in the BCS
OU win/Kstate loss -> OU is in the BCS
EDIT: Oh OU is out if it loses, gotcha.
Not necessarily. With the way the BCS is set up, there are 3 at-large slots available, and a conference can only put in one extra team beyond their AQ. Oregon and Florida already have two of those. OU should get the third one if both teams win, while KState could still get an at-large with a loss. OU loses and they're basically out of the BCS, and you're looking at Clemson getting an at-large bid.
And most people are projecting that UCLA wouldn't drop below Kent State in the final poll, as voters would hold the Kentucky loss against Kent State to keep them out of the BCS.
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
Was hoping the series would be set up much sooner. But I know teams have schedules filled out years in advance these days.
I know. I shoulda said the "automatic berth"
The press release talks about wanting to pursue NFL opportunities but jesus, talk about falling on the sword for your son.
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
3DS: 2981-5304-3227
To be fair, his defense has sucked shit this year. Don't know why. Not like USC doesn't buy recruit plenty of 5 star talent.
also known as Kiffing disease
I mean Lane burned down Oakland and then he burned down USC, those sound like good things to me