College Football Week 11 thread (spoilers inside)

[Mr. Wednesday]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

The bizaare scenario: ND, USC, and Florida all lose. The Ohio State-Michigan game is close. Possible rematch in the title game?

You need Rutgers to lose too -- I think they would have a real shot at the champ. game if they finish up undefeated and ND, SC, and Florida all lose. (Maybe that's just wishful thinking... I think they should be in the conversation, as it is, and I abhor the idea of a rematch.)

[k0ruptr]

TD Hawaii! pending XP it will be 23-10 Hawaii

[Arles]

Originally Posted by mauboy1

If Texas loses they'll probably stay ahead of the Badgers.. which would be so sad. They'll use the excuse of "Colt was injured, so we'll give them a break." The Badgers didn't play with Stocco and they still won.

*shrug*

I hate preseason rankings.

Wisconsin against ranked teams? 0-1
Wisconsin against unranked teams (with a buffalo win)? 11-0

I'm sorry, but if you don't have one win against a ranked team, there is no way you should be in a BCS game. And before everyone starts saying all Wisconsin can do is play their schedule, remember this: In a year where they were not going to play Ohio State (known many years in advance), they scheduled such non-conference powerhouses as Bowling Green, Western Illinois, San Diego State and Buffalo.

[Swaggs]

wasn't he laying on the ground when he lost the ball there?

[Swaggs]

whoops... I take it back. Good call.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

Boise is a lot like rutgers. It doesnt matter much what they do, they have a preconception about them. Both teams are going to be counting far more on what the other teams dont do. Today helped boise as much as it did rutgers.

I agree about the perception, but Rutgers has/will have a chance to earn it since they have already beaten one top 10 team and will have a chance to beat another on Dec. 2.

[Swaggs]

Does anyone else have ESPN Gameplan and notice that they showed a Kansas basketball game on one of the channels tonight? This is the first season I have had Gameplan...do they always show a basketball game or a handful of basketball games or is this unusual (or a programming error)?

[TazFTW]

Go 300lb RB!

[TazFTW]

Hawaii gets a FG to lead 26-10 at the half.

[k0ruptr]

26-10 Hawaii at halftime, Hawaii was robbed like no other of a TD tho, it should be 30-10. I swear to god I hope they score 50 in the 2nd half.

[k0ruptr]

Taz knows what im talkin about.

[k0ruptr]

The Oregon game is over

[mauchow]

Originally Posted by Arles

Wisconsin against ranked teams? 0-1
Wisconsin against unranked teams (with a buffalo win)? 11-0

I'm sorry, but if you don't have one win against a ranked team, there is no way you should be in a BCS game. And before everyone starts saying all Wisconsin can do is play their schedule, remember this: In a year where they were not going to play Ohio State (known many years in advance), they scheduled such non-conference powerhouses as Bowling Green, Western Illinois, San Diego State and Buffalo.

Gotcha..

Lets talk stupid now:

West Virginia gets a preseason ranking of #6. Wisconsin #33. All I'm trying to say is that(and I'm sure you can agree) is that if Wisconsin was #6 to start the season, they'd be sitting in the Top 10 most likely; with a loss to Michigan @ Michigan in which Wisconsin was winning at halftime.

Cal: Preseason ranking of #9. Before today's loss they sat at #9 and had 'hopes' of a NC game still. They're gone now, but they wouldn't have had a win against a Top 25 team(at year end rankings).

Don't make me bring up Notre Dame.

I'm just saying, you have Wisconsin up there that high at preseason, they'd be getting some nods as a NC hopeful.

[k0ruptr]

Originally Posted by mauboy1

Gotcha..

Lets talk stupid now:

West Virginia gets a preseason ranking of #6. Wisconsin #33. All I'm trying to say is that(and I'm sure you can agree) is that if Wisconsin was #6 to start the season, they'd be sitting in the Top 10 most likely; with a loss to Michigan @ Michigan in which Wisconsin was winning at halftime.

Cal: Preseason ranking of #9. Before today's loss they sat at #9 and had 'hopes' of a NC game still. They're gone now, but they wouldn't have had a win against a Top 25 team(at year end rankings).

Don't make me bring up Notre Dame.

I'm just saying, you have Wisconsin up there that high at preseason, they'd be getting some nods as a NC hopeful.

Very valid points.

[General Mike]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

Oregon State, after that USC win, will help them out. I think Oregon state(not sure if they even played today) will finish top 25, and boise creamed OSU.

On a sad note though, their star RB is i nthe hospital now.

I don't see how Oregon State is going to finish the year ranked. They lost today to UCLA by a fairly large margin, and I don't see where they get the style points from.

[k0ruptr]

Originally Posted by General Mike

I don't see how Oregon State is going to finish the year ranked. They lost today to UCLA by a fairly large margin, and I don't see where they get the style points from.

well Hawaii will finish the season ranked, thus giving BSU a win over a top 25 opponent.

[ntndeacon]

Wake Forest is having their best season ever. Wake goes to the ACC championship game with a win over Maryland regardless of what happens in next week's VT game.

[k0ruptr]

Originally Posted by ntndeacon

Wake Forest is having their best season ever. Wake goes to the ACC championship game with a win over Maryland regardless of what happens in next week's VT game.

Wake Vs VT should be a great game, but I expect Wake to win by at least a TD.

[ntndeacon]

Originally Posted by k0ruptr

Wake Vs VT should be a great game, but I expect Wake to win by at least a TD.

Well the fact it is at Groves Stadium does help. I think it will be a pretty good game as well. I will of course be rooting for another rout for my Demon Deacons

[k0ruptr]

I hate the new clock rules...

any chance they change them back next year?

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by k0ruptr

I hate the new clock rules...

any chance they change them back next year?

I think that they almost certainly will change it next season, after Wisconsin demonstrated how it can be exploited.

[mauchow]

Oh, puhlease.

I didn't realize you could call penalties on reviewed plays.

Just call it inconclusive evidence and give them the touchdown already.

[k0ruptr]

Colt with the 2 yard TD run. 33-10 Warriors.

[k0ruptr]

Originally Posted by mauboy1

Oh, puhlease.

I didn't realize you could call penalties on reviewed plays.

Just call it inconclusive evidence and give them the touchdown already.

What you talkin bout.. update me please.

[mauchow]

Roffle baby...

A reversal of a reversal in the USC/Oregon game.

This is nuts, I say.

[General Mike]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I think that they almost certainly will change it next season, after Wisconsin demonstrated how it can be exploited.

What Wisconsin did was mentioned in Joe Schad's blog on ESPN.com

If you had a chance to check out a story that ran on ESPN.com, former Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said coach Bret Bielema made a "hell of a call" by having the Badgers go offsides intentionally on kickoffs at the end of the first half last week.

Bielema was able to manipulate new clock rules that have the clock start as soon as the ball is kicked, frustrating Penn State coach Joe Paterno, whose team was unable to get off an offensive play as the final 23 seconds rolled off the clock.

On Thursday, the Big 10 director of officials Dave Parry said not to expect this to happen again. Parry said officials have been instructed this week to utilize Rule 9, Article 3, which allows them to have, as he said, "lasting power to do what is deemed fair and equitable when an unfair tactic is used."

If a team is clearly going offsides on a kickoff in order to gain an unfair advantage, then an official could give the receiving team the option to keep the ball plus a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

An official also has the option of warning an offending team that on the next kick, the ball clock won't be wound until the ball is received. In a little-known fact that on Wisconsin's third kickoff last week, the officials told Bielema that the clock would not be started until touched by a Penn State player, and that's what happened.

Could this tactic be attempted again?

"I think there's almost no chance," Parry said. "Now that it's happened, now that it's been done, the whole world will be watching for it again."

Parry said he has submitted a suggestion to the NCAA Rules Committee that in the final two minutes of each half, clock-winding rules not apply.

[mauchow]

Well, here's what happened:

4th and goal for Oregon, Leak runs around and eventually throws it into the endzone where it was tipped and then caught in the back of the endzone by an Oregon player for a touchdown...

USC challenges, saying the receiver was out of bounds and came back in.

Well, apparently he did and they ruled it a penalty and turnover on downs...

Well, Oregon challenges and all hell breaks loose and 15 minutes later there is a reversal of the previous reversal..

[k0ruptr]

Brennan's 3rd TD pass puts Hawaii up 40-10

[mauchow]

I was trying to get an idea of what might have been going on in the coach's heads along with the refs, but I have no idea what every little bit of information was being thrown around. Which player was being challenged for being out of bounds and coming back in. It looked like both players that touched the ball were at one point out of bounds.. lol

Who the hell knows.

[k0ruptr]

Colt and Hawaii up 47-10 after another TD pass by the man.

[k0ruptr]

I hate oregon right now tho.

[k0ruptr]

although Jaison Williams from Oregon will be a top 10 pick in 2 years.

[k0ruptr]

dola, Hawaii TD. 54-10 Warriors winning, Colt is probably done for the day, after less then 3 quarters . ARG I hate that .

[k0ruptr]

TD Hawaii 61-10, hmm I guess these 60 point games are getting old.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by mauboy1

Roffle baby...

A reversal of a reversal in the USC/Oregon game.

This is nuts, I say.

That was the most bizarre replay sequence I've ever seen. Still, it was nice to see USC get a convincing win against a good team despite turning it over a few times inside the red zone.

[k0ruptr]

Game over, Hawaii 61-17. Improves their scoring avg to 48.7 on the season.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by mauboy1

Gotcha..

Lets talk stupid now:

West Virginia gets a preseason ranking of #6. Wisconsin #33. All I'm trying to say is that(and I'm sure you can agree) is that if Wisconsin was #6 to start the season, they'd be sitting in the Top 10 most likely; with a loss to Michigan @ Michigan in which Wisconsin was winning at halftime.

Cal: Preseason ranking of #9. Before today's loss they sat at #9 and had 'hopes' of a NC game still. They're gone now, but they wouldn't have had a win against a Top 25 team(at year end rankings).

Don't make me bring up Notre Dame.

I'm just saying, you have Wisconsin up there that high at preseason, they'd be getting some nods as a NC hopeful.

I agree to a point. But atleast West Virginia scheduled a good Maryland team and Cal scheduled a good Tennessee team nonconference. If you happen to be ranked poorly and also have a down conference schedule (only 1 ranked team), you lost the ability to bitch (IMO) when you go out and schedule 4 obvious patsies. Now, if one happened to be a Miami or UCLA who is having a down year (but normally solid), I could see a little leeway.

Still, the truth is if Wisconsin would have gone out and schedule a nonconference game against a Georgia Tech, Arkansas or Cal and won, they would be in the BCS hunt right now. When you decide to schedule 4 patsies, you always run the risk of having a down conference schedule season (esp when you know OSU isn't on your schedule) and being eliminated with one loss. This is a good thing in that the system is setup to reward a team like Cal (Tenn), Arkansas (USC), WV(MD), ND and others who schedule a tough nonconference road. If a team like Wisconsin could be top 7 with no top 25 wins and 1 loss, why should any major conference team schedule a tough nonconference game?

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

I really wonder if Rutgers can beat West Virginia on the road. ]

I for one doubt it

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I am thinking Boise State is going to have a real tough time moving up the rest of this season. I think the coaches, both consciously and subconsciously, will start to realize that they are legitimate threat to crack the BCS and take a spot away from one of the big boy conferences, so they will have a tough time moving up. Their less than dominating win today will not earn them any goodwill in the polls.

I've watched a few of Rutgers games on TV and there is no doubt in my mind that they are head and shoulders above Boise State. The Broncos came here to Wyoming and if it weren't for some shifty calls by the refs, interesting spots late in the game, etc., they would've left Laramie with a loss.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

I for one doubt it

Me too, but I also doubted we'd even keep it close with Louisville a few weeks ago.

[timmynausea]

The coaches' poll is out. Rutgers jumped up to number 8. Interestingly, they are one spot behind West Virginia.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex

[dime]

Originally Posted by Arles

Still, the truth is if Wisconsin would have gone out and schedule a nonconference game against a Georgia Tech, Arkansas or Cal and won, they would be in the BCS hunt right now. When you decide to schedule 4 patsies, you always run the risk of having a down conference schedule season (esp when you know OSU isn't on your schedule) and being eliminated with one loss. This is a good thing in that the system is setup to reward a team like Cal (Tenn), Arkansas (USC), WV(MD), ND and others who schedule a tough nonconference road. If a team like Wisconsin could be top 7 with no top 25 wins and 1 loss, why should any major conference team schedule a tough nonconference game?

I understand what you're trying to say, but if you really think the reason wisconsin isn't ranked higher is because they didn't beat georgia tech or cal, I think you're a bit naive. It should be clear now that they're better than both of those teams anyway.

As for not scheduling "tough non-conference games", the SEC is notorious for avoiding such games. In recent years they've made an effort to improve, but it's disingenuous to suggest they are some sort of model or that this is why they all start the season in the top 25. Those teams are ranked highly now because of the SEC's image, and because they all started the season ranked and took turns beating each other in conference play. The Badgers don't have that luxury, they were never on the preseason radar and their conference opponents who are usually ranked (iowa, purdue, minn, penn st) have not been this season.

[timmynausea]

Man, I didn't really realize how many big games are left. Every team in the top 9 plays another top 9 team before the end of the season (including the SEC championship game).

[Swaggs]

I am not completely surprised, but I still find it hard to believe that WVU is ranked so far ahead of Louisville in the coaches' poll.

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by dime

I understand what you're trying to say, but if you really think the reason wisconsin isn't ranked higher is because they didn't beat georgia tech or cal, I think you're a bit naive. It should be clear now that they're better than both of those teams anyway.

As for not scheduling "tough non-conference games", the SEC is notorious for avoiding such games. In recent years they've made an effort to improve, but it's disingenuous to suggest they are some sort of model or that this is why they all start the season in the top 25. Those teams are ranked highly now because of the SEC's image, and because they all started the season ranked and took turns beating each other in conference play. The Badgers don't have that luxury, they were never on the preseason radar and their conference opponents who are usually ranked (iowa, purdue, minn, penn st) have not been this season.

Lets face the facts, Wisconsin was gifted not having to play both OSU and Michigan. If they had, they would have 2 losses and your argument would be totally defunct.

As for their OOC schedule, lets compare.
USC has arkansas and ND
Arkansas has USC
Cal has Tenn
Tenn has cal
Florida has Florida state(generally a very tough game, so i wont fault them)
ND has michigan, GT, USC, michigan state
GT played ND

Wisconsin played....no one...and your argument about then down big 10 says it all...they have beaten up teams who arent very good this year. I like wisconsin, but the only reason they are where they are at is becuase they got an incredibly favorable schedule.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by timmynausea

The coaches' poll is out. Rutgers jumped up to number 8. Interestingly, they are one spot behind West Virginia.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex

How the @%$#! does Notre Dame gets to be #5 when the only good teams they won against were Penn State and GA Tech?

Oh wait...

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

While I agree that OSU v. Michigan rematch would suck, I think it's incorrect to assume that a title game is supposed to decide the "best" team. The title game is about determining a champion on the field. That is not necessarily the same as best team.

Example: I doubt many people would say that the 83 Hurricanes were better than the 83 Cornhuskers. But the Hurricanes won the title game on the field.

I have used that exact same example every year here when we argue about playoffs. In the NFL and College Hoops, the best team does not always win the last game. Sometimes you are rewarding those teams that got streaky at the end vs a stretch during the season. Even with a College football playoffs, there will be many that felt another team was the best and perhaps, it might be best (as in the case of what happened in 1983 and maybe 2006) to have a final subjective poll instead of an automatic one because the BCS told you who to vote. In the end, have OSU/Mich play USC in the Rose, UF/Ark play ND in the Sugar and BE/Texas in the Orange. Then vote for the teams that you felt had the best season from 1-25.

[duckman]

Heh. Hawaii still hasn't cracked the Top 25 in either polls.

[Mr. Wednesday]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

How the @%$#! does Notre Dame gets to be #5 when the only good teams they won against were Penn State and GA Tech?

Oh wait...

Sagarin's BCS vote:
1. Michigan
2. Rutgers
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Southern California
6. Wisconsin

[k0ruptr]

Originally Posted by duckman

Heh. Hawaii still hasn't cracked the Top 25 in either polls.

No love for scoring 60+ 4 times this year. 26th in the AP and 27th in the USA Today.

In other Hawaii news, Hawaii's AD apparently declined a road game @ Louisville for 2007 this past week. I hate our AD.