College Football Week 5 thread

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by cartman

Does this portend another Upset Saturday?

ROLL TIDE !

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by cartman

Does this portend another Upset Saturday?

It would be nice. This game doesn't make the University of Ohio State look to good, hopefully Eric Decker can make them look even worse saturday.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

ROLL TIDE !

yes please

[cartman]

If TCU can get a 3rd consecutive win in Norman, you will not find a happier person in the US of A.

[Vegas Vic]

Originally Posted by cartman

If TCU can get a 3rd consecutive win in Norman, you will not find a happier person in the US of A.

TCU was the better team in 2005. That game wasn't a fluke.

[miami_fan]

Hmmm I know it is early but does USC drop out of the top 5?

[digamma]

Originally Posted by Radii

yes please

times 3!

[kingnebwsu]

So how many times are the top 2 teams in the country going to lose THIS year (to unranked opponents)? Last year it was 8, and a blast to watch as a football fan. Hopefully we can get at least 5 this year.

That's a big one to start out! Go underdogs!!!

[cartman]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Hmmm I know it is early but does USC drop out of the top 5?

I wouldn't be surprised if they drop out of the Top 10. This doesn't help Ohio State either, but it does help Penn State.

[TazFTW]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

ROLL TIDE !

Ugh, Saban or Georgia...

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by kingnebwsu

So how many times are the top 2 teams in the country going to lose THIS year (to unranked opponents)? Last year it was 8, and a blast to watch as a football fan. Hopefully we can get at least 5 this year.

This post reminds me of this:

Nervous University Of South Florida Football Team Kind Of Hoping They Lose | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

TAMPA, FL—Saying that their No. 2 national ranking is "not something we really want or need at this point," nervous University of South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt told reporters at the team's afternoon practice yesterday that he "more or less was hoping" that his team would lose one or more of their next several games. "Look, our program is barely 10 years old—we're the type of team that goes out there and tries hard, maybe gets a few points on a ranked team here or there. We don't contend for national titles," said a visibly flustered Leavitt, adding that had he known beating Central Florida 64-12 last Saturday would make the Bulls the No. 2 team in the country, he would have fielded his second-string offense in the second quarter. "Leave all this 'win or go home, play for a title every year' nonsense up to the Ohio States or the LSUs. That's not our thing. Maybe a few years from now, but certainly not this year." After realizing that his team matched up quite well with the rest of USF's remaining opponents, Leavitt reportedly contacted the NCAA to discuss downplaying the difficulty of the remainder of the season

[st.cronin]

AWESOME

[Vegas Vic]

USC won't drop out of the top ten behind Texas Tech and Brigham Young.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

USC won't drop out of the top ten behind Texas Tech and Brigham Young.

If Penn State wins they could easily drop behind the Nittany Lions.

[Eaglesfan27]

Agreed. I think maybe to #8 or so. It depends if there are any other upsets this weekend.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Agreed. I think maybe to #8 or so. It depends if there are any other upsets this weekend.

But, you know there will be. These things seem to come in groups. Makes my Saturday (which I was hugely nervous about) even more scary.

[Balldog]

Originally Posted by mckerney

It would be nice. This game doesn't make the University of Ohio State look to good, hopefully Eric Decker can make them look even worse saturday.

Did anyone really think USC would not lay their annual turd?

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Balldog

Did anyone really think USC would not lay their annual turd?

No, I thought it likely. I just figured it would come later in the season.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Tigercat

When is Pete Carroll going to be called out as possibly being a subpar coach?

8-10 years ago?

Originally Posted by mckerney

Bill Simmons wrote that he was a subpar coach after USC lost to Texas, noting something to the effect that everything he did wrong as a head coach in the NFL he still seemed to still do in college, he just made up for it with much better players. Other than that I haven't seen anyone else say something similar.

Ooooooh, oooooooh, pick me, pick me! (or any NE fan before they started winning SB's and attracting bandwagoners.) Carroll's success in college after failing here was the main reason I thought Weis would be successful at ND (which may not look quite as good right now,) but you'd be hard-pressed to find any NE fan who wanted Carroll to stay as coach (or return even after Belichick went 5-11 his first year.)

That being said, institutional advantages taken into account, the man can clearly recruit and that's 90% of coaching in college, plus he's a decent DC. He's still probably the 10th-15th best coach in the NCAA even once you take program stature into account.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by Balldog

Did anyone really think USC would not lay their annual turd?

Annual turd? How many undefeated teams are there year in and year out. Singling out USC is foolish. You could say that every that hasn't won a national title in the past decade has laid an annual turd. Except, USC has won a title...you could even say two titles, if you go by AP rankings.

Don't act like that's a USC phenomenon, just because they're perpetually near the top.

[Dr. Sak]

I know it is hard to compare teams to common opponents but this make me even more excited about Penn State after they beat Oregon State 45-17.

[Butter]

I just KNEW OSU could beat USC.

I just picked the wrong one.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Ah, one step closer to a #1 vs. #2 matchup in the Big 12 championship game just down the street from me at Arrowhead Stadium.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Ah, one step closer to a #1 vs. #2 matchup in the Big 12 championship game just down the street from me at Arrowhead Stadium.

Don't they play in the regular season first? If so i would guess that the loser wouldn't climb back up to #2 by the end of the season.

[sooner333]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

Don't they play in the regular season first? If so i would guess that the loser wouldn't climb back up to #2 by the end of the season.

No.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Ah, one step closer to a #1 vs. #2 matchup in the Big 12 championship game just down the street from me at Arrowhead Stadium.

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

Don't they play in the regular season first? If so i would guess that the loser wouldn't climb back up to #2 by the end of the season.

Originally Posted by sooner333

No.

Yes, Texas does play Mizzou in the regular season.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by cartman

Yes, Texas does play Mizzou in the regular season.

Merely roadkill on the way to Arrowhead.

[digamma]

So, an OSU > USC, but tOSU < USC?

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

I just KNEW OSU could beat USC.

I just picked the wrong one.

[Dr. Sak]

Crap got Oklahoma and Texas confused on Missouri's schedule. With the Big 12 being tougher, in my opinion, than the Pac 10 I think it will be tough for one let alone two teams to go the whole way undefeated. In the North there is Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado...the south has Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. But if any one gets out undefeated, they punched their ticket to the BCS title game.

I wouldn't call what USC did choking but it just seems that they lose each year to a team they have no business losing to...Oregon State...Stanford...UCLA a few years ago. They get up for the big games and in the others they think by just showing up they will win.

If they would've lost to Arizona State, Oregon, or Cal, no one would said anything. But honestly, they lost at the right time of the year because come late November, this loss will be a mere memory. Excuses will be made why they should be in the title game if they run the table the rest of the way.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

Crap got Oklahoma and Texas confused on Missouri's schedule. With the Big 12 being tougher, in my opinion, than the Pac 10 I think it will be tough for one let alone two teams to go the whole way undefeated. In the North there is Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado...the south has Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. But if any one gets out undefeated, they punched their ticket to the BCS title game.

The Big 12 is ridiculously good from top to bottom this year. Mizzou gets their first test next week on the road at Nebraska.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

I wouldn't call what USC did choking but it just seems that they lose each year to a team they have no business losing to...Oregon State...Stanford...UCLA a few years ago.

They lost once each to those teams in consecutive years... and Oregon State also in the year they lost to UCLA. They have a choke against a massive underdog every year.

I can see losing to a decent team, but they always seem to choke it up against one of the Pac-10's bottom 5. I guess time will tell about Oregon State this year, but their previous performances this season suggest they will finish up near .500.

[TroyF]

Have to agree with VPI on the depth factor. USC has such incredible depth, it wears out most teams by the second half. Especially on the lines. Texas did the same thing in their great years. (They made a habit of trailing OSU by 20 and coming back and blowing them out simply by overwhelming them with their talent) They just wear people out and explode in the second half. but lets not knock Pete Carrol on this account. MOST bigtime college coaches are average or below when it comes to the X's and O's.. College is about recruiting. Get the most talented athletes and pretty much any system you want to run will be successful. Don't get the athletes, prepare for a ton of L's and a pink slip.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

Crap got Oklahoma and Texas confused on Missouri's schedule. With the Big 12 being tougher, in my opinion, than the Pac 10 I think it will be tough for one let alone two teams to go the whole way undefeated. In the North there is Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado...the south has Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. But if any one gets out undefeated, they punched their ticket to the BCS title game.

I wouldn't call what USC did choking but it just seems that they lose each year to a team they have no business losing to...Oregon State...Stanford...UCLA a few years ago. They get up for the big games and in the others they think by just showing up they will win.

If they would've lost to Arizona State, Oregon, or Cal, no one would said anything. But honestly, they lost at the right time of the year because come late November, this loss will be a mere memory. Excuses will be made why they should be in the title game if they run the table the rest of the way.

USC now needs A LOT of things to go right. Just running the table won't do it. Looking at the schedule, it's not entirely unlikely that when the year finishes, USC will have only played 2 teams in the year end top 25 and none in the top ten. Can you say ouch?

There could be a case made that a 2 loss SEC team would have a better resume for the title game than USC. The only real hope is to not only not lose the rest of the way, but for this to happen:

1) Blow everyone out. Close games against the teams they are playing won't work. If they beat ASU 21-17, people will look at what Georgia did to them. They need to simply crush teams the rest of the way.

2) They need the Big 12 and SEC to beat the hell out of each other. A one loss team from either conference jumps ahead of USC for the title game. A one loss team from both conferences pushes them out of the title game.

3) Sinse at least one team in the Big 12 or SEC will have one loss and get in (probably 2, but I'm trying to give them a shot here, so I'm saying just one does it), they also have to hope nobody runs the table in the Big 10 or ACC. Wake Forest, Penn St, Wisconsin run the table? Buh Bye. Nice knowing you.

That's a lot that has to go right. Could it happen? Sure it could. But I wouldn't bet on it. The strenght of schedule is going to kill USC. They will take the fall for the conference being as poor as it is.

[Dr. Sak]

Last year they lost to Stanford and people were saying it was a shame that USC wasn't in the title game cause they were the best time at the end of the year.

Votes are 2/3ths of the BCS equation...never under estimate the stupidity of voters.

[Dr. Sak]

And why shouldn't USC see the same sort of drop that tOSU did? tOSU lost to USC...a top 5 team at the time. USC lost to an unranked 2 loss team. Yes they should be out of the top 5 and even the top 10.

Edit: But what is going to be comical is seeing the breakdown of votes that has tOSU over USC in the polls.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

Votes are 2/3ths of the BCS equation...never under estimate the stupidity of voters.

What's a thirth?

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

Last year they lost to Stanford and people were saying it was a shame that USC wasn't in the title game cause they were the best time at the end of the year.

Votes are 2/3ths of the BCS equation...never under estimate the stupidity of voters.

1) USC also lost to Oregon last year. They had 2 losses.

2) Yes, some people said that about USC. Some people also said it about Georgia.

3) Ohio St. had 1 loss. There were 5 two loss teams who wanted to play for the title. USC, Georgia, Oklahoma, Va Tech, Missouri. USC finished behind all but Missouri in the final AP poll and finished behind ALL of them in the BCS rankings because of the computer.

4) When it comes to the BCS standings, that 1/3 of the computer rankings is going to destroy USC. But don't kid yourself, it's also going to hurt them with the voters when being compared to other 1 loss teams. See last year with all of the two loss teams for an example.

5) Anything can happen. I'm not saying it's impossible. This is college football afterall. . . but it's highly improbable.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

What's a thirth?

HAHAHA

[Dr. Sak]

Troy, I agree with everything you've stated, but some teams get a free pass for slip ups and USC is one of those teams.

[timmynausea]

If this year is as crazy as last year, and I think it will be, USC may be better off to have lost early (assuming they only lose once, of course.)

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by timmynausea

If this year is as crazy as last year, and I think it will be, USC may be better off to have lost early (assuming they only lose once, of course.)

Ditto.

With that said, I see Ohio State losing again, I see OU and Mizzou both once during the regular season and I don't see any SEC teams coming out unscathed, so assuming USC only loses once they'll be in the title game.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Ditto.

With that said, I see Ohio State losing again, I see OU and Mizzou both once during the regular season and I don't see any SEC teams coming out unscathed, so assuming USC only loses once they'll be in the title game.

Ummm, no, they won't. A 1 loss SEC and Big 12 team will be in the title game before a 1 loss USC team. I'd be a large sum of money on that right now.

USC needs last years scenario to happen. They need to be the one loss team with a bunch of two loss teams from the SEC and Big 12. That's their only hope with their conference power ranking. That 1/3 of the computer is going to be very, very ugly for USC this year. And they have no way of improving it the rest of the year.

Their only real hope as far as that goes is Ohio State running the table. Then that win becomes huge, both in the minds of voters and the computer and they move up. But I've seen OSU and I don't think they run the table in the Big 10. I also think it's likely that Big 12 and SEC both have at least one, one loss team. That will eliminate the Trojans from title contention.

We'll revisit this in late November.

[Vegas Vic]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

The Big 12 is ridiculously good from top to bottom this year.

Let's not get carried away. The top eight teams in the Big XII are playing at a fairly high level. Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Baylor are terrible.

[timmynausea]

I'm looking forward to the Friday night game more than usual. It'll be interesting to see if Louisville is really starting to come around under Kragthorpe, or if last week was a bit of a fluke. I kind of expect Victor Anderson and Louisville's speed to control it, but Connecticut is a scrappy group. Edsall has racked up a lot of wins without a lot of talent.

[Balldog]

Originally Posted by Karlifornia

Annual turd? How many undefeated teams are there year in and year out. Singling out USC is foolish. You could say that every that hasn't won a national title in the past decade has laid an annual turd. Except, USC has won a title...you could even say two titles, if you go by AP rankings.

Don't act like that's a USC phenomenon, just because they're perpetually near the top.

Every year they seem to lose to a team they shouldn't. They get up for the big games and relax against the bums.

[MJ4H]

Well, time to watch Hooten Dale get his mudhole stomped in the swamp. At least one game today will be fun to watch.

[Vegas Vic]

The Miami Hurricanes are definitely making good progress in rebuilding their program. They're up early over UNC, 14-0.

[terpkristin]

My first weekend watching the Terps on high def. Damn, Fridge looks HUGE on TV, even at the game last week I didn't realize he was quite that big. Maybe he can blame it on me having a 52" tv?

/tk

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

The Miami Hurricanes are definitely making good progress in rebuilding their program. They're up early over UNC, 14-0.

I think they could be back next year, as a long as they continue to develop with these two recruiting classes.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

And why shouldn't USC see the same sort of drop that tOSU did? tOSU lost to USC...a top 5 team at the time. USC lost to an unranked 2 loss team. Yes they should be out of the top 5 and even the top 10.

Edit: But what is going to be comical is seeing the breakdown of votes that has tOSU over USC in the polls.

Ohio State was already teetering after barely beating Ohio University the week before.