2012 College Football

[Paelos]

Yep, both are a HOOT, not to mention the chicks are hotter than any time I've spent in Fayetteville.

I've also been to Starksville, and that's the reason he couldn't recruit there either. That has to be the most god-awful college town in the SEC.

[HaemishM]

Starkpatch is truly a shithole of a town that quite literally would not be more than a cow pasture if it were not for Mississippi State. But then, of the 3 big college towns in the state (Oxford - Ole Miss and Hattiesburg - Southern Miss), only Hattiesburg is even remotely worth going to IMO. And none of them are good enough places to overlook the fact that you'll be forced to live in Mississippi if you are recruited there, with all that entails. Add on that none of those programs have challenged for anything like a title since Archie Manning played pretty much kills any recruitment possibilities for those universities.

But yeah, Arkansas is pretty much a shithole state too.

[ghost]

A couple of seasons of winning will do wonders for a team like Arkansas, and they do have a little history, having won the title in (I believe) 1974.  They also recruit from Memphis and east Texas/Dallas so there is a recruiting base there for them. 

I'm more thinking that Smith will be a good hire because he's a good coach and they have a stacked team this year.  They were returning a ton from last years team.  They didn't need someone to come in that was a complete newb to the system. 

To digress-  I personally find Arkansas fans to be some of the biggest idiots around.  I hate running into them at games. 

[Paelos]

A couple of seasons of winning will do wonders for a team like Arkansas, and they do have a little history, having won the title in (I believe) 1974.

1977, and it was a 5 way tie. They finished, of course, behind Alabama and Notre Dame in the AP.

[ghost]

Actually, we're both wrong.  It was 1964.  It was still contested with Alabama winning the AP, but Arky was undefeated that year.  That's the one that they officially claim.

[ghost]

Wat? 

After meetings Thursday, BCS spokesman Bill Hancock said the sport's 11 FBS conference commissioners would take "two to seven" playoff proposals -- each involving four teams -- back to their respective university presidents, athletic directors and coaches to discuss for the next five to seven weeks.

How many different ways can you do a four team playoff?   

Sounds like they've nixed an 8 or 16 team playoff.  It also sounds like they're nixing the bowl system championship, for all you playoff fanatics.

[Paelos]

They will still cock this up. There will be some stupid rule like you can't have two teams from the same conference in there.

[ghost]

Wow.  This is a great read on Urban Meyer and his time at Florida. 

They don't pull any punches with Urban. 

But none of those aforementioned drug problems was as prominent as All-American cornerback Janoris Jenkins', who, like Harvin, former players say, was protected by Meyer’s Circle of Trust. Jenkins failed a drug test at Florida under Meyer and was arrested for his part in a bar fight. He was later arrested twice for possession of marijuana within the first few months Muschamp was on the job.

In fact, in the first month of Muschamp’s tenure, three players—Jenkins, linebacker Chris Martin and defensive end Kedric Johnson—were arrested in separate incidents for possession of marijuana.

When he was dismissed from the team by Muschamp, Jenkins told the Orlando Sentinel: “If (Meyer) was still the coach at Florida, I’d still be there.”

This is the same Jenkins who, according to sources, walked out on Meyer’s postgame speech after the 2008 season opener and threatened to quit. Meyer not only brought Jenkins back without punishment, Jenkins eventually developed into a freshman All-American and played a big role in the team’s championship run.

[ghost]

So the SEC and Big 12 have decided to collaborate in Rose Bowl fashion and pit their top teams against each other on a New Year's day bowl.  This article suggests that it may be the death knell for the ACC now that the Big East has died.  If we do go to a four team playoff with the four power conferences being participants (which may be likely) then I don't see how the ACC survives.  There has been some rumbling that Florduh State may move to the Big 12.  If it happens I don't see the ACC surviving as a football oriented conference. 

[Paelos]

To be fair, the ACC hasn't been a meaningful football conference since the BCS started.

[ghost]

I've always been surprised that Miami and Florida State couldn't pull it together in the ACC.  It's a total dogshit conference.  Those two teams should have owned it and been playing for a national title every 3-4 years. 

[01101010]

I've always been surprised that Miami and Florida State couldn't pull it together in the ACC.  It's a total dogshit conference.  Those two teams should have owned it and been playing for a national title every 3-4 years. 

Miami hasn't been the same without Butch. They started losing out when the SEC and the BCS took over though. FSU? Fuck FSU - (I went to Miami for a brief 4 years of graduate school)

[ghost]

Two current Auburn football players shot and wounded over the weekend, and two former players killed.  Auburn is a wretched hive of scum and villainy.  They are pretty much the epitome of everything that sucks about the SEC in football. 

Two former Auburn football players, Ladarious Phillips and Ed Christian, and another man identified as Demario Pitts were killed in the shooting.

Current Auburn football player Eric Mack and Xavier Moss and John Robertson were wounded, Dawson said. Robertson was undergoing surgery for a gunshot wound to the head and "fighting for his life," Dawson said.

I can deal with Bama because of their tradition, I like LSU because of The Hat, I'm a Kentucky fan, and I like UGa.  The rest of the SEC can rot. 

[Paelos]

Guys arguing over chicks, football players get shot?

It sounds like the football players weren't involved. Then again, who knows. There are certain parties you don't go to.

[ghost]

Guys arguing over chicks, football players get shot?

It sounds like the football players weren't involved. Then again, who knows. There are certain parties you don't go to.

Auburn is the trailer park of college football.

[ghost]

Well, it appears as if a 4 team playoff is coming our way for college football. 

I know most of you here know that I'm against the idea of a playoff and would prefer the old, pre-BCS bowl system but I guess who cares at this point.  It's going to happen so might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.   

The author also feels like I do, BTW, but it's a good article:

But the playoff is not a panacea. Playoffs don't identify the best team of the season. They identify the best luckiest team at the end of the season. It well may be an incremental change in the game, but it is a sea change in the philosophy of the postseason.

[Paelos]

A playoff would identify the best team though, because College Football is different than other sports. The teams don't all play each other at some point, and the playoff field is small. It would be different if the playoff field was 16 and there were teams getting in with 9-3 records. With a 4 man field, you'll get teams with 1 loss at most.

That said, there are things I like and things I don't like about the proposal. First, I like the idea of a committee in favor of conference champs, because winning your shitty conference doesn't mean you deserve to be the playoffs. If you conference is terrible and you scheduled nothing outside of that, you suck. (I'm looking at you ACC and Big East). Second, I like the idea of the 4 teams because it means that you don't get 2 loss teams in the playoffs (barring a weird season, 2007 jumps to mind).

What I don't like? The fucking Bowls are still involved in the semi-finals, and the championship games goes to the highest bidder. So instead of having it be an additional home game for the higher seeds in the semi-finals, they have to travel to one of the BCS bowl locations, then travel again to the championship location which could be anywhere. That's ridiculous. It needs to all at one location, or it needs to be home games with a BCS bowl final location. Fans can't travel twice easily to locations because they don't know who will win, so you'll get corporate crap taking over the games just like the Super Bowl. Whatever. It's money grubbing, but I'll live.

[ghost]

There's no guarantee that the playoff in football would determine the best team.  What about the teams that are left out of a playoff?  Boise State and Stanford probably would have gotten the shaft last year and they still won't get "their shot" which is what this mess is all about anyway.  

I've never been a big fan of having the tournament choose who is the "champion" for the year in any sport.  There should probably be separate awards, really, for who wins the polls in the regular season and who wins the post-season tournament- very similar to what they do in NCAA basketball conferences.  I know that the idea is to try and give the "little guy" a chance to show their stuff and to alleviate any bias in the polls that might be brought on due to perceived conference difficulty but there's just always too much luck involved in a single elimination playoff.  Take the Giants last 2 superbowls.  I don't think there's a reasonable way to argue that they were the best team in either of those years, when the year is considered as a whole.  They just got hot and lucky at the right time.  That can happen with a 4 team playoff, too.  I don't think Oklahoma State had any business being in the final four, but they would have been.  And if they got hot and won it it hasn't proved much.  Same thing with Boise State.  

Addendum-  but yeah, fuck it.  You and I have argued this into the ground.  Bring on a playoff and let's see what happens!

[Paelos]

I'll say this:

1 - You can't compare pro leagues to college leagues. One has 30 teams, the other has over 120 up to 300+.
2 - 4 teams out of 120 FBS is a percentage of 3.33% in the college playoffs. In the NFL it's 12 out of 32 or 37.5% in the playoffs.
3 - The chances of you choosing an unworthy team in 3.33% of your league is minimal. In 37.5% of your league it's very possible.
4 - This smaller playoff with a committee isn't designed to give smaller schools a chance, which is good in my opinion. If you want to play big boy ball, get in a big boy conference and play.
5 - Fuck Boise State. Playing 10 games against high school teams doesn't sway me.
6 - Fuck the SEC teams (like mine) who schedule patsies for their home teams that screw over their own fans. I have to put up with Buffalo, FL-Atl, and GA-Southern? No thanks.
7 - Fuck the big bowls and their money grubbing officers. They are the #1 reason this system doesn't work yet.

[ghost]

Look, we've already beat this thing to death.  I would prefer the old way but it isn't going to happen.  I lose.  You're right.  I do agree with  you about most of what you've presented. 

[Paelos]

Now if only OKC wins, your journey to the dark side will be complete! 

[ghost]

They won't.

And you're still an asshole.   

[Nebu]

I'll say this:

1 - You can't compare pro leagues to college leagues. One has 30 teams, the other has over 120 up to 300+.
2 - 4 teams out of 120 FBS is a percentage of 3.33% in the college playoffs. In the NFL it's 12 out of 32 or 37.5% in the playoffs.
3 - The chances of you choosing an unworthy team in 3.33% of your league is minimal. In 37.5% of your league it's very possible.
4 - This smaller playoff with a committee isn't designed to give smaller schools a chance, which is good in my opinion. If you want to play big boy ball, get in a big boy conference and play.
5 - Fuck Boise State. Playing 10 games against high school teams doesn't sway me.
6 - Fuck the SEC teams (like mine) who schedule patsies for their home teams that screw over their own fans. I have to put up with Buffalo, FL-Atl, and GA-Southern? No thanks.
7 - Fuck the big bowls and their money grubbing officers. They are the #1 reason this system doesn't work yet.

When you look at the high impact teams in the NCAA, the pool gets much smaller.  The rest I pretty much agree with though the SEC is probably the class of the NCAA.  

As for the rest, I can tell you that the players on the best teams want a playoff system.  I played in a bowl game (we won the Independence Bowl).  As someone on the field, the whole thing felt like a money grab even then. It's the schools that don't want the playoff.  The schools want to suck as much money out of the machine as they possibly can.  The only solution to this whole fucking mess is to get the money out of college sports.  Of course that's never going to happen.  

[Paelos]

I think the SEC is probably the best conference as well, followed by the Big 12, then the PAC-12 and lastly the Big Ten. I don't count the ACC or the Big East as football conferences.

Still, just because your schedule is hard doesn't mean you should schedule THREE home pattycake games. Two was bad enough, but three is a completely money grab dick slap to your fans. I mean FFS there is a middle ground between playing USC in a home and home vs. playing Mississippi Directional school for the blind. Why not schedule some of the lower class teams in the Big 12? Why not bring in a team like Texas Tech? Or an ACC team like Boston College? Or a Big 10 team like Illinois? What does that hurt? It would at least generate more interest in the game than some podunk D2 squad.

[ghost]

The schools want to suck as much money out of the machine as they possibly can.  The only solution to this whole fucking mess is to get the money out of college sports.  Of course that's never going to happen.  

Not when the NCAA is running things.  They want the money in the machine even more than the schools do.  

Nevermind that most schools don't make any money on athletics.  

[Nebu]

Nevermind that most schools don't make any money on athletics.  

It's near free marketing.  Some of the best marketing available.  You'd be frightened to know how many freshmen make their school decision based on the athletics program. 

[Paelos]

Nevermind that most schools don't make any money on athletics.  

It's near free marketing.  Some of the best marketing available.  You'd be frightened to know how many freshmen make their school decision based on the athletics program. 

I know that played into my decision to go to Georgia when I was living in Texas.

[ghost]

It's near free marketing.  Some of the best marketing available.  You'd be frightened to know how many freshmen make their school decision based on the athletics program.  

This is true for the big name schools.  I don't think it holds much water for Baylor or Iowa State or Washington State.  There are also some outliers, like Minnesota ( ) who seem to have a great sports following despite being putrid at most athletic events.  

I know that played into my decision to go to Georgia when I was living in Texas.

That and the signed order to expel you from the state? 

It looks like Texas is scheduling pretty well this year in OOC.  I like the Wyoming game. 

[Nebu]

There are also some outliers, like Minnesota ( ) who seem to have a great sports following despite being putrid at most athletic events.  

I'm guessing that you're not a hockey fan!  

I like the Wyoming game. 

I'd like it more if it were played in Laramie.  Things change when you play at 7300 feet.

[ghost]

There are also some outliers, like Minnesota ( ) who seem to have a great sports following despite being putrid at most athletic events.  

I'm guessing that you're not a hockey fan!  

I like the Wyoming game. 

I'd like it more if it were played in Laramie.  Things change when you play at 7300 feet.

They did play in Laramie in 2009.  I'm assuming it was a 2 for 1 deal or UT may be going back up there.  They certainly gave the longhorns everything they wanted there, that's for sure, and it was closer than the 41-10 score would indicate. 

And hell, I grew up a Kentucky football fan.  It doesn't get any shittier than that. 

[01101010]

And hell, I grew up a Kentucky football fan.  It doesn't get any shittier than that. 

Vanderbilt. If there are any fans that is. 

[ghost]

As for the rest, I can tell you that the players on the best teams want a playoff system.  I played in a bowl game (we won the Independence Bowl).  As someone on the field, the whole thing felt like a money grab even then. It's the schools that don't want the playoff.  The schools want to suck as much money out of the machine as they possibly can.  The only solution to this whole fucking mess is to get the money out of college sports.  Of course that's never going to happen.  

I have to say that, if true that the players want a playoff, then that is the way to go.  It's a game changer on the decision and should be what sways the end result, not necessarily what the fans want. 

[ghost]

Miami is up shit creek.  Al Golden breaks recruiting rules for the second time in his two years.  I suspect that his days are numbered and Miami may be ready to get the death penalty.  This is some seriously SMU shit they have going on down there in south Florida.  

Citing unidentified sources, Yahoo! Sports reported Friday that former Miami football employee Sean Allen -- who has been linked to one-time booster and now convicted Ponzi scheme architect Nevin Shapiro through the improper-benefits scandal that broke last year -- assisted members of Golden's coaching staff with recruiting.

For the second straight season, Al Golden and his Miami staff are accused of breaking the rules.
If true, that could be a major NCAA violation by the troubled program, despite Golden's repeated insistence he wants to "get it fixed."

Here is the Yahoo article, which is much more in depth and the source of the ESPN blurb. 

Less than one week after the University of Miami hired Al Golden as coach, members of Golden's coaching staff began using Sean "Pee Wee" Allen – a then-equipment manager and onetime right-hand man of convicted Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro – to circumvent NCAA rules in the recruiting of multiple Miami-area players, Yahoo! Sports has learned.
Golden, hired by Miami in mid-December 2010, had direct knowledge of Allen's improper involvement with Miami recruits, according to a former Hurricanes athletic department staffer and federal testimony given by Allen in Shapiro's bankruptcy case. Additionally, multiple sources interviewed by NCAA investigators have told Yahoo! Sports that Allen has become a focal point in the association's probe into Miami athletics. The sources said investigators focused on Allen's role in providing impermissible benefits to Hurricanes players, as well as his contact with Miami recruits.

Golden is fucked.

[ghost]

The NCAA is set to punish Penn State on Monday, but it won't be the death penalty. 

NCAA president Mark Emmert has decided to punish Penn State with severe penalties likely to include a significant loss of scholarships and loss of multiple bowls, a source close to the decision told ESPN's Joe Schad on Sunday morning.

But Penn State will not receive the so-called "death penalty" that would have suspended the program for at least one year, the source said.

The penalties, however, are considered to be so harsh that the death penalty may have been preferable, the source said.

The NCAA will announce "corrective and punitive measures" for Penn State on Monday morning, it said in a statement Sunday. Emmert will reveal the sanctions at 9 a.m. ET in Indianapolis at the organization's headquarters along with Ed Ray, the chairman of the NCAA's executive committee, and Oregon State's president, the news release said.

This should be interesting.  I suspect that it won't be as bad as the death penalty, but will probably hamstring PSU for the foreseeable future.  It also appears as though they have skipped a few steps to get to this point, including the typical Infractions Committee.  Well, 8 AM can't come soon enough.  Drama here we come!   

[Paelos]

Hit em in the wallet, take away their TV revenue.