2008 College Football

[Abagadro]

Aaaaaand here comes the collapse.

[Abagadro]

HOOK AND LADDER!

[Abagadro]

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTES!!!!!!!!


God damn I wish I would have gone to that game.

[sigil]

Congrats man, hell of a job by them. Be Proud :)

[Paelos]

Utah is once again proving they belong on the National stage. Many, many upsets so far in later bowls. I mean, sonuvabitch Kentucky, way to pull it out when you needed to.

It's well known that I didn't like Bama beating us the way they did, but I hate it even more that after their coach gets declared "Coach of the Year" they pull this shit. You know what Saban, you are akin to Tony Romo in my book if you keep that up. You lost the games that mattered most.

[Triforcer]

Gratz to the Utes!  They are here to stay.  Also, as to the Big 10- I agree with Ab.  We can salvage SOME dignity with a victory over Texas, but I give that about a 3% chance.

[SnakeCharmer]

Man oh man.  Utes came to play, they were prepared, and executed properly.  Bama came in looking to just show up, looked sloppy from the get go / lost, and couldn't do a thing right.  I'm really not even sure if having Andre Smith and Mike Johnson in their proper spots would have mattered the way Utah took us to the woodshed.

Too much hype?  Too many accolades?  Too many people telling them how awesome for real they were?  Is Utah really that good, did Bama just play that badly?  Combination of both?

Lots of distractions for Bama (Smith, Kevin Steele getting hired away by Clemson, too many pats on the back, etc), but it really shouldn't mattered. 

Ah well.  Nice job Utes, and gratz Abrabadro. 

Helluva job on an undefeated season.

Only 245 more days 'till 2009/10 season 

[Abagadro]

Man oh man.  Utes came to play, they were prepared, and executed properly.  Bama came in looking to just show up, looked sloppy from the get go / lost, and couldn't do a thing right.  I'm really not even sure if having Andre Smith and Mike Johnson in their proper spots would have mattered the way Utah took us to the woodshed.

Too much hype?  Too many accolades?  Too many people telling them how awesome for real they were?  Is Utah really that good, did Bama just play that badly?  Combination of both?

Lots of distractions for Bama (Smith, Kevin Steele getting hired away by Clemson, too many pats on the back, etc), but it really shouldn't mattered. 

Ah well.  Nice job Utes, and gratz Abrabadro. 

Helluva job on an undefeated season.

Only 245 more days 'till 2009/10 season 

I would say a bit of a combo of both. I think Alabama exceeded expectations this year and were pumped up a bit beyond what they really were. This Utah team is also really, really good in a lot of subtle ways. Their D is fast and smart, they have unbelievable lock-down man-coverage corners that allow the front 7 and safeties a lot of freedom (something ignored by the commentators last night, but that's why Sylvester had such a great game) and Brian Johnson is one of the coolest cucumbers you will ever see.  They are also a great bowl team.

I will go to my grave still thinking the 2004 team was better and could have legitimately beat any single team in the country that year, but this team had more grit and heart than that team did (only because that team basically massacred everyone).  They obviously had a huge chip on their shoulders and even with both the offensive and defensive coordinators leaving to go to other schools were able to be incredibly focused.  Sorry it came at your expense, but that game was freaking awesome for a Utah team that deserved some respect and wasn't getting it.

Finally, that is one of the worst butcherings of my board name ever. 

[SnakeCharmer]

Ha!  Sorry about that.  Oops.

I was really impressed with that 6'5" something corner on the Utes. 

And the end of the year, I'd agree with your assessment of 'Bama.  It really, honestly, came down to being a group of overachievers.  I don't want that to sound like I'm taking anything away from what Utah did, because as I said in an earlier post 'you don't go undefeated without being pretty darn good' (or something to that affect).

I imagine that Utes everywhere are screaming for a +1 playoff about right now.

[Abagadro]

I was really impressed with that 6'5" something corner on the Utes. 

That's Sean Smith. I think he will be playing on Sundays because of his size and technique. He's a ridiculous trash-talker and meglomaniac though.

I imagine that Utes everywhere are screaming for a +1 playoff about right now.

Knowing how things work, they'd probably put in USC over us anyways. 

[Triforcer]

First blood for the Bucks!  I'm shifting my prediction from Texas 38-3 to Texas 38-6!

[Triforcer]

OSU at the half, 6-3, courtesy of a terrible INT by McCoy in the closing seconds.

Morbidly obese film critic Jay Sherman takes the lead!  Ladies and gentlemen, DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES??


...Seriously though, OSU is boned.  They had red zone opportunities and squandered them.  At some point, the sky is going to fall and UT is going to start pouring on points.  OSU needed to go into the half 13-3 at least to have a shot. 

[Abagadro]

Neither of these teams looks particularly sharp.

[Montague]

Neither of these teams looks particularly sharp.

This is OSU's normal offensive showing. Against slower teams they can execute enough to get 30ish some points. Against teams with equal or better speed they struggle, because the teams invariably know what's coming other than a few "trick plays"; i.e. middle screens and wheel routes that virtually any other 21st century team runs on a regular basis. The worst thing that happened to OSU in the long run was winning the 2002 NC, because Tressel is now convinced his way is the right way.

[Abagadro]

That was a rather lousy 2 point conversion attempt, but this shit just got real.

[Triforcer]

A big stop on Texas.  OSU has a chance...just get in FG range...

[Abagadro]

Ok, I don't like either of these teams for various reasons, but I've decided I want to see Ohio State win just because of Mack Brown's incessant whining and bitching about not being in the title game.

[Rasix]

What the hell is with the bands striking up after every single play? Did I just not notice this in every other damn bowl game I watched?

Both of these teams look terrible.  USC or Utah would pound these guys.

[Triforcer]

Offsetting pass interference?  Does that even really exist?

EDIT:  TOUCHDOWN!!!  Two minute drill time for McCoy.  I have a very bad feeling about this...it has to be a TD though, so maybe there is a shot. 

EDIT:  DONT FUCK THIS UP

[Abagadro]

Doh!

[Montague]

You've gotta be kidding me. Anderson Russell costs them the bowl.

[Triforcer]

NO FUCKING WAY

[Abagadro]

I'd say it was the D coordinator who decided to put 7 guys in the box for some inexplicable reason.


EDIT: Heh, and then Beckman does the one thing you can't do there, get sacked.

[Montague]

I'd say it was the D coordinator who decided to put 7 guys in the box for some inexplicable reason.


EDIT: Heh, and then Beckman does the one thing you can't do there, get sacked.

I'd have to see the play again, but seriously one of the linebackers or D backs had to blow a coverage, the safety shouldnt be one on one with a wideout - but you CANT miss that tackle.

And allowing a sack on a 3 man rush is an OSU specialty on the o-line.

[Abagadro]

It will  now be fun to watch the national media talk about how a 1-loss team that squeaked past the #10 team is better than an undefeated team that kicked the crap out of the #4 team.

[Paelos]

Bottom line, that was a shitty game. Both teams played badly. Both teams would have been slaughtered by any other top 5 team. Texas has ZERO right to say it belongs in a championship game. Ohio State needs to play in the Mountain West so they can earn some respect.

[Nebu]

Article on Utah makes a point.

It's not particularly well written, but it does make a good point on one of the many ways the BCS is flawed.

[Paelos]

And now Utah is thinking about suing the BCS.

Perhaps legal options are the only way to force these fuckers into a playoff. I doubt it, but I'm willing to take a no holds barred stance to get a change made.

[WayAbvPar]

God I hope they do it. I seriously can't bring myself to watch any of the bowl games any more. I used to love them, but the BCS murdered any meaning the non-championship game bowls have. They are glorified exhibition games now.

Put a playoff together and I will watch rabidly.

[Nebu]

Feel free to correct me on this list, but this is the root of the problem... especially the "New" bowl games.

Bowl Name 2008-09
   
Alamo Bowl   
Armed Forces Bowl (Formerly Fort Worth Bowl)   
Capital One Bowl (Citrus Bowl)   
Champs Sports (Previously Tangerine Bowl)   
Chick-fli-A Bowl (Previous Peach)   
Cotton Bowl   
EagleBank Bowl (New 2008) 
Emerald (Previously San Francisco Bowl)   
Fiesta Bowl   
Gator Bowl   
GMAC Bowl (Previously Mobile)   
Hawaii Bowl (new 2002)
Holiday Bowl   
Independence Bowl   
International Bowl   
Insight Bowl (Previous Copper)   
Liberty Bowl   
Las Vegas Bowl 
Meineke Car Care Bowl ( Previous Continental Tire Bowl)   
Motor City Bowl   
Music City Bowl   
New Mexico Bowl 
New Orleans Bowl 
Outback Bowl   
Orange Bowl   
PapaJohns.com Bowl   
Poinsettia Bowl 
Roady's Humanitarian Bowl (Previously MPC Computers Bowl, and Humanitarian Bowl)   
Rose Bowl   
St. Petersburg Bowl (New 2008) 
Sugar Bowl   
Sun Bowl   
Texas Bowl (Houston Bowl)

It's all about the $$$.  A playoff system could never generate the same payout that the bowl system does.  This being the case, changing the current system seems unlikely. 

[WayAbvPar]

If you structured all those bowls into a playoff, then they all become relevant, and the TV revenues/interest would shoot through the roof. As it is now, the only people who care who wins 90% of those bowls are the kids playing, their parents, some of the student body, and the alumni. The general public doesn't give a shit.

[Nebu]

If you structured all those bowls into a playoff, then they all become relevant, and the TV revenues/interest would shoot through the roof. As it is now, the only people who care who wins 90% of those bowls are the kids playing, their parents, some of the student body, and the alumni. The general public doesn't give a shit.

My point is that you can't possibly have a playoff involving this many teams.  It would take too much time.  I can see a 16 team playoff, but not 64.  By my count, the list includes 33 bowl games.  That means 66 Universities are getting extra revenue from ticket sales and possible tv contracts.  If you cut the playoff to a 16 team system, then 50 schools get less $$.

[Nevermore]

Why the bowl system won't be changing anytime soon.

But if Hell freezes over and there is a playoff system of some kind, you don't have to eliminate the non-playoff linked bowls.  Those are the bowls that the non-playoff teams can get invited to. 

[Nebu]

But if Hell freezes over and there is a playoff system of some kind, you don't have to eliminate the non-playoff linked bowls.  Those are the bowls that the non-playoff teams can get invited to. 

Compare NIT revenue to that of the NCAA tournament.  Still a big revenue loss to those minor teams making a lesser bowl. 

I'm 100% in favor of a playoff system, but you have to consider a) $$$ and b) the time required of student athletes and staff.

[Abagadro]

Don't put too much stock in anything our AG Mark Shurtleff says about suing the BCS for anti-trust violations.  He is a huge attention whore and is just starting his 2012 run for Governor with this stuff.