http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxWFDgQyZgo
This is the thread where we talk about College Football. Tebow be praised.
College Football is a sport contested between teams fielded (primarily) by American universities and colleges. In a match, or "game", as they are known, two teams alternate attempts at moving an oblong spheroid, called the "football", down the pitch, or "field", towards a goal scoring area, called the "end zone". "Points" are awarded according to the manner in which the goal is scored. At the end of a regulation game, the team with the most points wins.
A more complete discussion of the rules of "College Football" is available
here
The most popular kind of College Football is called FBS -- meaning Football Bowl Subdivision. You may remember it as Division 1-A. A summary of the upcoming 2009 FBS season follows. Taylor Mays is listening.
Rather than copy and paste a patently stupid top 25 list which is sure to be demolished by week 3, I will briefly summarize the season outlooks of the "contenders" for the National title. Colt McCoy is ready.
The Contenders
University of Florida
The defending BCS National Champions return 20 starters, including 11 on defense. They have a Heisman trohpy winner in Tim Tebow, a top-3 Middle Linebacker in Brandon Spikes and a joke of a schedule. The only games in which the Gators could conceivably be favored by fewer than ten are a visit to Baton Rouge and the Cocktail Party with Georgia. The SEC championship game should be interesting, featuring a rematch of A) the LSU or Arkansas game,
Last year's SEC championship with Alabama or C) the Gators lone 2008 defeat at the hands of Ole Miss.
University of Oklahoma
Last year's BCSNG runner-up returns 9 starters from a defense that, while mediocre on paper, stood relatively tall against the withering offenses of the Big 12 south. The Sooners also return the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Sam Bradford, and electric running back Demarco Murray. One major question is the status of the offensive line, which lost 4 starters from an immensely experience unit. The schedule provides some interesting games: The neutral site opener against an always-game BYU squad and a road trip to a young-but-talented Miami squad in the non-conference, with trips to Kansas, Texas Tech, and Nebraska as well as the highly anticipated Red River Shootout with Texas in-conference.
University of Texas
No player in the nation is as important to his team as Colt McCoy. Aside from his absurd passing stats (34 TD – 8 INT; 3859 yds; 76.7% comp.*). McCoy was also the Horns’ leading rusher, running for 561 yards and 11 TD. McCoy was best in the biggest games, passing at an 80% clip against Oklahoma, 90% against a highly rated (at the time) Missouri team, and 414 yards against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, including a game winning TD drive with just over 2 minutes to play. The only blip was at Texas Tech, when McCoy went for a measly 294 yards at 58%, and accounted for TDs on all three of Texas’ final drives, including the would-be game winner with 5 minutes left.
University of Southern California
The Trojans lose key starters at Quarterback and Linebacker, but return All-American safety/cyborg Taylor Mays, a stable of proven runningbacks including Stafon Johnson and Joe McKnight, and most of an already veteran offensive line. Moreover, Pete Carroll is the only coach in college football who recruits like he's playing NCAA Football 2005 -- just 3 players on USC's 2-deep roster were rated fewer than 4 stars. The main storylines will be the Quarterback battle between Aaron Corp, Mitch Mustain and Matt Barkley and the Trojan's potentially brutal road schedule, featuring trips to Ohio State, Notre Dame, Cal, Oregon and Arizona State.
Required ReadingDr. Saturday
The good Doctor, formerly known as Sunday Morning Quarterback, is the purveyor of the finest commentary weblog on the subject. Regular news postings, thoughtful commentary and insightful analysis all come at the finest of prices: free
EDSBS
Everything Dr. Saturday is not -- partisan, obnoxious and absolutely free of insight OR analysis. Also, effing hilarious.
Smart Football
Fantastic commentary on the X's and O's.
To sum up:
What do you think of college footbal? Does [your team] suck as bad as [pundit] says it does? Will [conference other than your school's] prove itself to be completely overrated,
once again? Will Tim Tebow ascend to heaven directly after winning the BCSNCG, or will he stick around for autographs?
Discuss.
A final note: this is my first OP, so please be merciful.
Posts
also I'm not looking forward to another season of tebow dicksucking
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
If you'd spend 5 or 20 minutes around him, your life would be better for it!
:x
Same here, if I never heard about Tim Tebow again, it would be too much.
I've never understood the hype over him. Sure, he's tall, he's strong, and he has a little bit of elusiveness, but his passing is far from elite (in both accuracy and arm strength) and I've never really seen a Joe Montana sense of leadership from him.
All I've ever seen is a big, tough rube that can admittedly take a hit, but whose skill set will not translate well to the next level.
~ Buckaroo Banzai
Thom Brenneman, somehow worse than Lundquist and Danielson. Note: I otherwise love Verne.
I know you have more material on your cards douchebags, talk about something else!
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
also team prediction time! win, loss, can win if the right team shows up
Florida Atlantic
Arkansas State
Virginia Tech*
Louisiana-Lafayette
Missouri *
Texas Tech
Iowa State
Baylor*
Oklahoma
Kansas*
Kansas State
Colorado*
8-4 season probably with a bowl appearance. I have higher hopes for the road games this year since they won't start with 5 home games, so the team should get the road nervousness out a lot sooner.
Michigan fan?
Well done. Should be like 7-5, if Forcier is as good in real games as he was in spring practice/the spring game, maybe 8-4 or with the Big Ten sucking 9-3. But 7-5 is the most likely.
We'll be back in a few years, this team is super young. Lloyd lost his passion for the game at some point (he was talked out of retiring after 2006 by the AD and you could tell in '07) and that hurt recruiting his last few years, thus: last year (add in the conversion of offenses...). Main goal this year is don't see Nick Sheridan take the field and make a shitty bowl game. Maybe keep the OSU game competitive and ideally beat ND and MSU. But as I said, expecting 7-5, though I haven't worked out the losses yet (OSU, PSU, annnnd after that the Big Ten sucks).
If you're a football geek, then Smart Football is a great read.
Oregon, it's pretty bad when I can't even tell if lsufreek is joking or not about new uniforms.
*Tebow flagged for taunting.
Thom Brenneman: That might be the first thing Tebow has ever done wrong! (Tebow had already thrown 2 INTs in the game)
Oklahoma DB says Tebow would be the 4th best QB in the Big 12.
Thom Brenneman: That's probably the most ridiculous statement ever made.
Unfortunately, the Tebow worship overshadowed what was the best exchange from FOX's announcers during that game.
*Oklahoma ball on the Florida 2 yard line.
Thom Brenneman: Should they go for it?
Charles Davis: Yes, go go go!
TB: It's risky.
CD : Go go go!
*Oklahoma rushes for no gain, bringing up 4th down.
BTW - you can always tell when a game's on FOX. The key indicator is if you take a shot every time the TV shows the band, you know a game was on FOX when you wake up in the hospital with a tube down your gullet.
On BCS hatred news
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) gave an OP-ED in Sports Illustrated yesterday.
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1157360/index.htm
Complaints about the college football Bowl Championship Series are nothing new. Indeed, it seems every year an obviously deserving team is left out of the BCS due to its arcane and, to put it bluntly, biased nature.
Leaders in Washington are catching on to—and even echoing—the negative feelings about the BCS. During his campaign for president, Barack Obama said he believed the system should be scrapped in favor of a playoff, a stance he reiterated after he was elected. In May the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the BCS. And the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee, of which I am a member, has announced it will hold hearings later this month to investigate the antitrust implications of the system.
Although there seems to be a fair amount of public support for these efforts to expose and potentially remedy the unfairness of the BCS, some have questioned whether, given all the challenges our nation faces, it is appropriate for the federal government to expend time and resources on college football's bowl system. However, I believe the case for government involvement—whether from Congress, the courts or the Justice Department—is compelling.
First and foremost there are serious questions regarding the legality of the BCS. The Sherman Antitrust Act prohibits contracts, combinations or conspiracies designed to reduce competition. I don't think a more accurate description of what the BCS does exists.
Under the current plan six conferences, which include slightly more than half of the teams in Division I-A, receive automatic bids to play in the five most prestigious and lucrative bowl games—even if teams from the other five conferences have had better seasons. For instance, in 2008 the only two undefeated I-A teams (Utah and Boise State) were from non-BCS conferences. And two other outside teams (Brigham Young and Texas Christian) finished higher in the BCS rankings than at least one of the champions of an automatic-bid conference. Yet only Utah was invited to play in a BCS game. And although the Utes had plenty of big wins, the BCS system denied them the chance to play for the national championship. So while every conference is technically part of the BCS agreement, the existing arrangement intentionally and explicitly favors certain participants.
In addition, every team from a preferred conference automatically receives a share from an enormous pot of revenue generated by the BCS, even if they fail to win a single game. On the other hand, teams from the less-favored conferences are guaranteed to receive a much smaller share, no matter how many games they win. The numbers are staggering. Last year the Mountain West Conference had one team qualify for the BCS, Utah, as did three of the automatic-bid conferences. Yet under the BCS formula the Mountain West received $9.8 million—roughly half of what the three bigger conferences got. And despite having the nation's only other undefeated team, Boise State, the Western Athletic Conference received just $3.2 million in BCS revenue.
This disbursement scheme places teams from these smaller conferences at a disadvantage when it comes to hiring staff and improving facilities. Because of their increased visibility and status BCS schools also receive an unfair advantages in recruiting top players and coaches. These inequities also extend far beyond the football field, as many schools in the country depend on the revenue generated by their football teams to fund other athletic programs and academic initiatives.
There's no denying that college football is a business. Most schools advertise and market their teams as they would a commercial product. There are also television networks, advertisers and the corporate sponsors that invest in and profit from these bowl games. All told, the BCS games generate hundreds of millions of dollars every year. If the government were to ignore a similar business arrangement of this magnitude in any other industry, it would be condemned for shirking its responsibility. In essence, those making the argument that the BCS is too trivial a matter to receive governmental attention are saying that we should hold colleges and universities to lower standards of fairness and ethical behavior than we would a commercial entity. I must respectfully disagree.
These justifications aside, government intervention into the BCS would be regrettable. There are many issues and challenges competing for Congress's attention. Those with the power to reform the system should do so voluntarily. If not, legislation may be required to ensure that all colleges and universities receive an equal opportunity. Most have argued that some sort of playoff system would be the fairest approach; frankly, almost anything would be better than what we have now. One thing is clear: No changes will take place if Congress does nothing.
Longtime football fan Orrin Hatch is the senior Republican in the senate.
and here is an interesting look at the BCS system Economicaly by a Professor from BYU
http://www.econosseur.com/
NCAA Bowl Finance: Something changed in 1995
With Senator Orrin Hatch's (R-UT) editorial in this week's Sports Illustrated and congressional hearings ready to get underway tomorrow, I couldn't wait any longer to put up this picture. The figure below shows total NCAA bowl payout revenues adjusted for inflation (2008 dollars, CPI) and divided into revenues that went to BCS conference teams and non-BCS conference teams.
The three red vertical lines represent the evolution of the BCS system. Some history about the evolution of the BCS system from 1992 to 1998, along with the revenue plot above, gives some insight into the incentives and objectives of the BCS organizers. In 1992, the Bowl Coalition was instituted which took teams from five conferences (SEC, Big 8, SWC, ACC, and Big East) and Notre Dame to play in six bowl games (Orange, Sugar, Cotton, Fiesta, Gator, and John Hancock/Sun Bowl).
The Bowl Alliance was instituted in 1995. It looked just like the current BCS except that the Big 10 and Pac 10 remained with their Rose Bowl contract. So the Bowl Alliance involved the SEC, ACC, Big East, and the newly formed Big 12. The Bowl Alliance only included the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl.
Finally, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was instituted for the 1998 season. This consisted of six conferences (SEC, Big 12, Big 10, Pac 10, ACC, Big East) and Notre Dame, and originally only included four bowl games. The BCS now includes five bowl games. The top two teams play for the national title, and the conference champions from the six BCS conferences get automatic bids.
The remaining two slots are considered at-large berths. However, the selection rules are such that the probability of ever having more than one non-BCS team play in a BCS game are close to zero. In fact, before 2006, no non-BCS team could play in a BCS game unless they were in the top six in the final BCS rankings.
In the figure above, the spike in non-BCS revenues in the 2004 season represents the 6th-ranked undefeated University of Utah's (MWC) BCS berth in the Fiesta bowl to play the 21st-ranked Pittsburgh, who Utah defeated 35-7. No non-BCS team played in a BCS game in the 2005 season. In the 2006 season, undefeated Boise State (WAC) earned a BCS bid to play in the Fiesta Bowl and defeated Oklahoma 43-42. Hawaii (WAC) earned a chance to play Georgia in the 2007 season Sugar Bowl, and Georgia won 41-10. And in the 2008 season, the undefeated University of Utah earned it's second BCS bid and defeated Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl.
The following numbers put in perspective the degree to which NCAA bowl revenues have been concentrated over the last 10 years. In the 2008 bowl season, the SEC, Big 12, and Big 10 had bowl payout revenues of $143.2 million, which was 56% of all 2008 bowl revenue. Compare that to the $36.4 million earned in 2008 by all six non-BCS conferences and the independent teams (including Notre Dame) for a whopping 14.3% of 2008 bowl revenues. Note that 55 non-BCS teams took part in that $36.4 million, while 35 SEC, Big 12, and Big 10 teams took part in the $143 million.
It is clear that the conferences leading the BCS system acted strategically in how it was structured. The dissolution of the Southwest Conference and the Big 8 in 1995 and the creation of the new Big 12 at the same time as the Bowl Coalition was clearly a market consolidation. The question that the congressional hearings starting this week will have to answer is whether this constitutes a violation of antitrust law.
I am currently in the process of estimating a model of NCAA football that fits the dynamics of the percentage of BCS and non-BCS teams playing in both BCS and non-BCS bowl games. I can then simulate how annual conference revenues would change over time for BCS and non-BCS conferences if the BCS system were changed. For example, how would revenues change if a playoff system were instituted? Antitrust or not, the figure above demonstrates the resources at stake. Both BCS and non-BCS conferences would do well to evaluate their options carefully.
Arch,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_goGR39m2k
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
Man, that one 70-3 Texas/Colorado game, they didn't even show the seats for the last half..
They aren't exactly a sleeper, when the Rebels crush the gators in the SEC championship game and its called the "shocker of the nation"......it wont be....I just hope we get to see Tebow cry on national television again....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96vAbtpakLg
Sob, cry....lose some more....in the swamp...take that championship and pack it in your ass.....
GO REBS!!!!
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD
They also have a weak schedule this year (Most difficult games: Virginia Tech in Atlanta, Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee all at home, and at Auburn) that should turn into an undefeated regular season.
If they face Florida in the SEC championship game, it should be a tossup. If it's any other team, they should dominate them.
With no QB, the tide lose to the rebels..even if its played on the moon...when it happens can i quote myself?
Helps your recruiting rankings when you oversign so much that they have less than two months to kick 10 guys off the team to hit the scholarship limit.
Arch,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_goGR39m2k
I don't know if I can support Div-1A anymore until they actually have a conclusive championship determination. I played at Div-1A and Div-2, and Div-2 has an honest-to-god playoff system, as does the other two divisions that aren't in the BCS leagues. It works fine, I promise you.
Another year of mediocre Michigan State football. On the plus side, no Ohio State on the schedule this year, and we play Western Michigan late in the season, so it's kinda like an off week.
However, no Ringer is gonna hurt. No Hoyer might hurt too, although he never struck me as a particularly talented QB.
Weak Big Ten though, Sparty might be the third best team, and with no OSU on the schedule...
It's probably them or Wisconsin, to be honest.
Is this something new?
:P
Well, outside of OSU's complete inability to beat an SEC team and Michigan's inability to beat a PAC 10 team (but we beat SEC teams!) they do reasonably well in bowl games usually. Except last year, and probably this year.
It's just hard to see perennially the sports media treat the Big 10 like they're the second or third best conference when there's no post-season history to refute such a claim. The Big Ten, for the most part, would have trouble keeping pace with the ACC, or possibly even the Mountain West with BYU, TCU, and Utah on their side.
I think mostly I'd like to see Notre Dame join up and have them play a true championship like the two best conferences, SEC and Big 12, do. And that goes for the Pac-10 as well.
It'll be more interesting (for me, personally) to see how Mississippi State does with their old one. (Probably not well, as we're in the toughest division of the toughest conference, but we'll see. At least our away games aren't utter destroyers.)
Utah still beat Alabama, and pretty easily too.
The Utes' bigger issue than respect this year is that their roster was basically emptied out by graduation after 2008. Their QB was a 3-year starter and MWC Player of the Year - he's gone, and the backup threw 7 total passes last year. Of their 7 all-conference players, 6 graduated. They lost their top 3 WRs, 60% of their total yards from scrimmage, and the best kicker in the country - who in 4 games decided by 4 points or less was 11/11 on FGs.
Utah should be competitive for the MWC title, but they're not close to a #1 ranking this year - and I thought they were #1 last year (almost losing is still better than losing). They're not set up like a USC who can just reload their roster every year, the reason Utah only shows up every 4-5 years is because they usually have a group of seniors who have played together for 4 years and developed amazing cohesiveness. That's what they had in 2008 and 2005 (Alex Smith's senior year).
Plus Utah is @ Oregon, @ TCU, and @ BYU this year. Those were all home games for them last year. They also lost both coordinators.
TCU are the frontrunners to crash the BCS party.
Except until postseason, they're not likely to play a top 10 team. Or possibly even top 20.
I found out yesterday I have tickets for the USC game. So fucking awesome.
Magic Online - Bertro
WE ARE
Disappointing?
Perennially over-rated?
Choke artists?
Coached by Methuselah?
Ok, I guess he is old and biblical so we'll let it go for now
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!