2009 College Football: Week 1 Discussion

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

As a Notre Dame fan Nevada scares me as a very underrated non-BCS team. Not because we should struggle with them if we're as good as I think ND is - our OL outweighs their DL by 52 pounds and they finished 119th in pass defense last year, plus the strength of our D is the CB's - but because of what it means if we do struggle or even lose.

Mizzou actually plays Nevada on the road this year. Pretty scary non-conference road game, but it will be a great test for some of the newer players.

[Dr. Sak]

This is a billboard that just went up outside of South Bend

[larrymcg421]

I'm still amazed that Weis still has a job. It doesn't make any sense to me. I mean, I guess the idea is that those AWESOME recruits will finally develop into superstars. But if Weis can't even beat Syracuse at home last year, what makes anyone think he can get the best out of any recruits he manages to get?

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

I'm still amazed that Weis still has a job. It doesn't make any sense to me. I mean, I guess the idea is that those AWESOME recruits will finally develop into superstars. But if Weis can't even beat Syracuse at home last year, what makes anyone think he can get the best out of any recruits he manages to get?

Despite the stumble at the end of the regular season, there was clear progress with a very young team last year - and the bowl game even against a terrible team was a nice ending note. Since there was no sure thing (Urban Meyer, Bob Stoops, etc) walking through that door it seemed best to maintain continuity, limit player turnover* and give Weis one more year. But it's basically BCS/Gator Bowl or bust this year I'd think/hope. Anything less than 9 regular season wins won't cut it.

* I wouldn't be surprised if the Rich Rodriguez situation didn't help him by proving there is no sure thing. Seeing the main rival/nearby school you compare yourself to in turmoil, running off players and creating open dissent in the alumni, after hiring as hot a commodity as was available out there didn't hurt the continuity argument.

[k0ruptr]

While Hawaii played terrible in the bowl game, they were not a terrible team by any means, they were still a Bowl team who beat 1 ranked opponent, and played excellent against a BCS bound Cinci team last year losing by 5.

[cartman]

Oh, this can't be good for Notre Dame...

Small, Unathletic Walk-On Injures 9 Starters In Notre Dame Football Practice | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

[Chief Rum]

Game on.

Looks like the air quality has improved enough to allow the UCLA game to be played. Pasadena city and fire officials, the AQMD, and officials from both schools were in on the decision, and gave the game against SDSU on Saturday the thumbs up, based on current and projected fire and air conditions.

My hope (and belief) is that health and safety were the primary concerns (especially for the non-academic entities), so if they gave it a go, I am confident they believe that it will be okay for the players to play the game.

Important game for UCLA to play. Next week is at Tennessee, and that would have been an awful pressure cooker for the kids on the Bruins' squad to get their first taste of college football. Better to get this friendlier warmup in front of a home crowd against a presumeably weaker opponent.

[molson]

Exciting day in Boise.

(What looked like) the entire Oregon team walked in their warm-ups in a line downtown for some reason, and drew polite applause (we're pretty civil in Idaho). They held up traffic on a busy street for a minute or two, just passing through.

They're putting the game on the big screen at the basketball arena. Probably normal stuff for most college towns, but a very big deal here.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by molson

Exciting day in Boise.

(What looked like) the entire Oregon team walked in heir warm-ups in a line downtown for some reason, and drew polite applause (we're pretty civil in Idaho). They held up traffic on a busy street for a minute or two, just passing through.

They're putting the game on the big screen at the basketball arena. Probably normal stuff for most college towns, but a very big deal here.

I'm excited to watch this game. Get myself fired up and ready for the big weekend slate of games.

[Chief Rum]

Assuming most haven't been following along, UCLA will be starting redshirt freshmen at QB and RB, a true frosh on the line, and have six freshmen in the two deep on offense. On that same two deep, including the freshmen, there will be 10 players who did not play more than a game of D1 college football last year (6 frosh, one out by injury, three transfers--2 JUCO, 1 D1 transfer). Some serious talent--but very, very young and untested.

Fortunately, the defense just looks nasty. They're going to beat some people up (so long as they stay relatively healthy).

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by molson

Exciting day in Boise.

(What looked like) the entire Oregon team walked in their warm-ups in a line downtown for some reason, and drew polite applause (we're pretty civil in Idaho). They held up traffic on a busy street for a minute or two, just passing through.

They're putting the game on the big screen at the basketball arena. Probably normal stuff for most college towns, but a very big deal here.

Sounds awesome. I'll be watching for sure.

[dawgfan]

Go Broncos!

[k0ruptr]

Normally I root for the WAC ,but I'm also a huge Duck fan so today is Oregon I hope. Should be a fantastic game, and we all know playing on the smurf turf sucks for visiting teams.

[molson]

Originally Posted by k0ruptr

Normally I root for the WAC ,but I'm also a huge Duck fan so today is Oregon I hope. Should be a fantastic game, and we all know playing on the smurf turf sucks for visiting teams.

I'm quite torn myself. Syracuse is my team, but I've been consoled from that somber reality in recent years by rooting for the hometown broncos, and my law school (Oregon). I'd love to see either of them get to the BCS, so this game really will just determine my 2nd biggest rooting interest for the rest of the season.

I guess I'm leaning Ducks, just so I can antagonize people in the office.

[RomaGoth]

I am rooting for BSU. Lived there for almost 4 years and the Broncos are a nice story. A "nothing" school into a very competitive and well-run mid-major program.

Plus I love watching Pac-10 schools lose (although not as much as seeing SEC schools lose - that is just bliss).

[Poli]

I was assumed HA was Sex from So You Think You Can Dance.

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by Poli

I was assumed HA was Sex from So You Think You Can Dance.

Which Sklar brother is that?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Poli

I was assumed HA was Sex from So You Think You Can Dance.

Wrong thread?

[k0ruptr]

Who knows, maybe we can tie it into the season somehow

[Poli]

Yeah, it's the wrong thread. Not sure how that happened at all.

[BishopMVP]

Oregon getting shut down on the smurf turf so far in Chip Kelly's debut. 7 yards with 3min left 1st half. Only down 10-0.

EDIT - 13-0 at the half. Could be worse but Boise missed 2 FG's (one chip shot).

[bhlloy]

Oregon looks bad. Masoli can't make a throw over 5 yards and the line isn't blocking anyone in the running game. I think they'll turn it around and make it close, but not good for a team that lives and dies on it's ability to score 30+ a game.

[cyril]

the blue turf just hurts my eyes, and boise state's jerseys blend in so perfectly that oregon seems to line up vs nothing.

[DeToxRox]

Oregon just looks painfully soft.

This is the time where I ran that there NEEDS to be a pre-season game allowed for college teams. Let these kids play another team. It doesn't have to be open to the public, but these openers are always so ugly, I would love to see how some of these teams look with some semblance of a game beforehand.

That's all I got.

[Chief Rum]

A lot of people picked Oregon to go far this year, but those were people not paying enough attention. Oregon lost a LOT of talent and experience on their line, and their defense wasn't anything to get excited about in the first place.

Boise State is a good team and playing at home, and it's the first game of the season. Nothing I have seen so far in this game is a surprise. Oregon has talent, so they'll be good in the long run, but it was never a reach to suggest they would really struggle in this game.

IMO, the best Pac 10 team not named USC will be Cal, with maybe Oregon State a little further back. Oregon is going to be fighting it out with Stanford and UCLA for fourth, in a bit of a step back for them.

[larrymcg421]

Glad to see Oregon avoid one of my biggest pet peeves w/r/t 2 point conversions there.

[Galaxy]

Wow.....Just wow.

[Big Fo]

Damn, Oregon's Blount just sucker punched a Boise St. player after the game and it's taking four guys to drag him into the tunnel.

Both games were pretty crappy tonight.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Damn, Oregon's Blount just sucker punched a Boise St. player after the game and it's taking four guys to drag him into the tunnel.

Both games were pretty crappy tonight.

He still was fighting and trying to start crap all the way into the tunnel (with his own players, the police?). He tried to go after the fans. He deserves at least a multi-game suspension for his behavior.

[bhlloy]

Oregon showed no class at all all night IMO. They seemed to be the ones doing all the talking while their offense laid a big turd on the field. Didn't see the Blount incident but that doesn't surprise me. Real classy for a guy who played like total crap the whole night.

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

He still was fighting and trying to start crap all the way into the tunnel (with his own players, the police?). He tried to go after the fans. He deserves at least a multi-game suspension for his behavior.

I just saw him move towards the taunting fans on the replay, good thing some Oregon people were there to hold him back.

[Lathum]

Yay respect week!!

[Lathum]

dola- neither team looked like a BCS team.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Lathum

dola- neither team looked like a BCS team.

You can say that again. Kelly isn't going to last long in Oregon if he presides over offensive performances like that.

[DeToxRox]

Kelly won't last long at Oregon if he doesn't nip that kind of stuff after the game in the bud. I know it's only his first game but he has to make a strong statement with Blount or else deal with real consequences down the line.

[dawgfan]

Not sure how much of that game was that Oregon really isn't very good this year and how much is Boise is, but Boise was very sloppy on offense and still won by 11. Great job by the Bronco defense.

LeGarrette Blount is a monumental asshat, and should be suspended for multiple games, if not kicked off the team entirely. Kelly has his hands full just 1 game into his career, and as a Washington fan, I'm loving every second of it.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Oregon showed no class at all all night IMO. They seemed to be the ones doing all the talking while their offense laid a big turd on the field. Didn't see the Blount incident but that doesn't surprise me. Real classy for a guy who played like total crap the whole night.

Having now seen it on SportsCenter, can I now think that Blount is still a classless thug but also think that Boise player is a punk who at least somewhet got what was coming to him? If you are going to make physical contact with another player and talk shit after the whistle, don't turn away laughing.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by Lathum

dola- neither team looked like a BCS team.

It's a long season.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

Having now seen it on SportsCenter, can I now think that Blount is still a classless thug but also think that Boise player is a punk who at least somewhet got what was coming to him? If you are going to make physical contact with another player and talk shit after the whistle, don't turn away laughing.

The Boise player should have restrained himself, but let's be serious here - Blount talked shit about the Broncos before the season started, and then had himself an awful game and deserved to eat a lot of crow. The Boise player probably wouldn't have gotten the reaction he did from Blount if he hadn't slapped his shoulder pad before rubbing his words back in his face, but there's no excuse for Blount's reaction.

On a scale of 1-10 in terms of bad, what the Boise player did was a 1.5, and what Blount did was a 10.

It's not just the punch Blount threw at the Boise player, it's the shove in the face he gave to his own teammate who was trying to calm him down and Blount having to be restrained and manhandled into the locker room by several security guards and Oregon personnel to keep him from attacking Boise fans in the stands.

Blount should be suspended for multiple games, if not kicked off the Ducks altogether.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Lathum

dola- neither team looked like a BCS team.

I'm actually rather impressed that Boise could play such a sloppy game and still win comfortably. Though I'm not sure if that means Boise is really good, or if it means Oregon is seriously over rated this year...

[Balldog]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

The Boise player should have restrained himself, but let's be serious here - Blount talked shit about the Broncos before the season started, and then had himself an awful game and deserved to eat a lot of crow. The Boise player probably wouldn't have gotten the reaction he did from Blount if he hadn't slapped his shoulder pad before rubbing his words back in his face, but there's no excuse for Blount's reaction.

On a scale of 1-10 in terms of bad, what the Boise player did was a 1.5, and what Blount did was a 10.

It's not just the punch Blount threw at the Boise player, it's the shove in the face he gave to his own teammate who was trying to calm him down and Blount having to be restrained and manhandled into the locker room by several security guards and Oregon personnel to keep him from attacking Boise fans in the stands.

Blount should be suspended for multiple games, if not kicked off the Ducks altogether.

Exactly, Blount talked all kinds of shit leading up to the game then didn't back it up. I'd be shocked if they kick him off the team, since he is one of their best players.

[Dr. Sak]

The NCAA is emphasizing sportsmanship this year in a big way. I've been to 4 meetings so far this season and in each one we have had to watch at least 1 15 min video on sportsmanship and how conferences can watch the tape after the game and decide if they will or will not suspend a player for his actions in a game.

Saying that, the punishment Oregon hands down could be far less than what the Pac 10 does.

[CU Tiger]

Blount should be done permanently, no questions asked.

But this pre game handshake is stupid.....save that for after the game.

[Jon]

Originally Posted by Logan

Rutgers and Cincinnati open the season Monday on ESPN in a game that could end up deciding the BE Championship.

It's a really interesting matchup on both sides of the ball. You have an explosive Cincy offense going against a very tough Rutgers D. Meanwhile, a Rutgers offense that has one of the best OLs in the country and a solid set of RBs, but a (probable) starting QB with 5 collegiate passes under his belt throwing to a very inexperienced group of WRs, all taking on a Cincy defense that loses 10 starters from a great unit last year but will be replacing them with a lot of talent.

And I'll be there checking out the newly renovated 54K seat stadium in all of its glory. It should be a good game. Greg Schiano hasn't publicly named his starting QB, but odds are it's Natale. He released his 2 deep chart earlier this week and had a bunch of ORs
for some of the positions. He's also converted a DB to WR and QB DB Jefferson to TE. Big game for Rutgers, b/c they have an awful out of conference sched.

[Samdari]

Isn't Blount automatically suspended one game (by the NCAA) for punching an opposing player?

Seriously, the school looks horrible if they wait for the NCAA or the conference to suspend him. They need to act on their own, and quickly. And it has to be multiple games, given his further actions leaving the field.

The Boise St. player was clearly out of line, but it wasn't quite so overt. Even if Blount deserved to be told, "So, I guess you STILL owe us an ass-whupping" classy teams don't say it. Don't know if he quite deserves a suspension, but he'll sure be running extra or benched for some time in their next game.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

I'm actually rather impressed that Boise could play such a sloppy game and still win comfortably. Though I'm not sure if that means Boise is really good, or if it means Oregon is seriously over rated this year...

I'd imagine that being the first game, Boise will get less sloppy on offense. Defense looked very good though.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Blount should be done permanently, no questions asked.

But this pre game handshake is stupid.....save that for after the game.

I agree on both accounts.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Lathum

dola- neither team looked like a BCS team.

It's way too early for any sort of judgement like that.

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that they will probably both get better as the season goes along

SI

[spleen1015]

That dude lost his mind. I don't think I would feel safe as a coach with that dude on the field.

[miami_fan]

Was the action by the BSU player that much worse than say pointing at the scoreboard when a receiver celebrates a first down when his team is down 50 with a minute left in the game? I get it, he did not need to say anything to him but that seemed mild to me given that trash talk that went on before and during the game.

I think Blount should be gone for the rest of the year. I hate to say that because I believe in second, third and fourth chances. However the totality of his actions really are shocking. Yes, he threw a punch. He was also prepared to throw more if someone else approached him. He also tried to go into the stands, and finally finally was beyond the control of his teammates, his coaching staff, or even the police. His actions went far beyond the emotions of the game IMO.