College Football Week 11 discussion

[MrBug708]

UCLA's O had an easy day while the D struggled more than it should have in the UCLA-UW game. Once UW lost Kikaha, their D was unable, for the most part, to stop UCLA. Shaq had more yards on more carries, but Jack had a beastly run for a TD. Good game Lathum, Dawg, HR.

On to USC and hopefully a date with gameday!

[CU Tiger]

Just heard talking heads on ESPN suggest that Bama deserves to be in the playoff over a 0 loss FSU...

Wow...stupidity ensues.

[tarcone]

ESecPN at work.

[Matthean]

I'm still under the impression that FSU is half-assing it showing up only when need be. I think I would go Miss. State, FSU, TCU, Oregon, and then 'Bama. I'm not overly excited about 'Bama's chances against Miss. State, but it will be at home. Auburn could take 'Bama down as well, so I think my four will be the ones to stick unless an upset happens. At that point ASU/Baylor get looks.

I was at work so I didn't see the game, but looking at the "highlights" the less said about Michigan vs. NW the better. I'm trying to talk myself into Michigan beating Maryland, but I'm not sure I see it. It actually might be better for the program to not go to a bowl and take time to move forward.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by miked

I don't understand where this "drop the ball as you enter the endzone" thing came from, but I really can't believe people are still doing this. If you are the coach, would you bench a guy the rest of the game for that stupidity?

Particularly dropping it behind you after looking down to see how far you are from the goal line when you get inside the five yard line, which you can clearly see him doing from the end zone cam.

Not usually one to buy into things like this, but the more I watch that play, the more it looks suspicious.

[Kodos]

I love when idiots spike the ball before scoring. Always fun!

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by miked

If you are the coach, would you bench a guy the rest of the game for that stupidity?

At the risk of going full on homer (and I dont even LIKE basketball)..thats exactly what Clemson HC Dabo Swinney did to Sammy Watkins when he made the mistake(against an FCS cupcake). Then he sat him the first series the next week to further prove the point.

[CU Tiger]

Auburn lost to an unranked team at home for their second loss of the season and is ranked #9?

WTF.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Auburn lost to an unranked team at home for their second loss of the season and is ranked #9? WTF.

I've got 'em #12 in my latest poll, but it wasn't easy to shove them down that far.

To do it I had to put Michigan State, K-State and Nebraska all ahead of them. And that ain't easy to do. K-State lost to them h2h, Michigan State's only quality win is Nebraska, Nebraska doesn't have a quality win period. Auburn has three quality wins.

And now you've got me wondering if I actually punished them too harshly for what I considered a really REALLY bad loss.

[CU Tiger]

I'll play along...

What are their 3 quality wins?

I'll give you K-State

who are your other two?
LSU who has 3 wins against teams with winning records (and one of those in Kentucky)?

I think a lot of people are falling into the history trap and combining it with the hype trap. "LSU is good because they are always good. Miss ST is good because they beat LSU this year"

And dont even get me started on Florida

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

What are their 3 quality wins?

They've beaten LSU (ranked 20th), K-State (#13 and in this very discussion) and Ole Miss (ranked 10th).

We're really talking about one of numerous teams in the 2nd tier at this point, you could shuffle at least half of the 11 ranked 2-loss teams and I'd be okay with it.

Auburn has 3
UCLA has 2
Arizona,Michigan State, Ole Miss, maybe Georgia have 1 each
GT, Clemson, Notre Dame, K-State (I don't count OU as much at this point), Wisconsin don't have any so far.

That's not the only criteria (as my own rankings illustrate) but it's certainly enough of one that I don't see anything particularly awful about anybody figuring them for the best of that particular bunch.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

I think a lot of people are falling into the history trap and combining it with the hype trap. "LSU is good because they are always good. Miss ST is good because they beat LSU this year"

LSU is good, or at worst decent, because they pushed the #3.5 team in the country to the wire last night. (3rd in one poll, 4th in the other, I actually have them 5th now personally)

And dont even get me started on Florida

No need, I wouldn't count them as a quality win under any circumstance at this point.

[CU Tiger]

I get the quality win argument I suppose.
(And listen this isnt a Clemson argument, with out current QB they shouldn't be in a Top 50 argument even despite this Defense)

But to me that is where the cyclical conference argument takes hold. I dont know who is good. Seriously I hear a lot about Ole Miss because they beat Alabama and A&M..well we now know that A&M is hot garbage ( the AU win not withstanding) So what win made Ole Miss good? Was it Boise ST? La Lafayette? Memphis? Presbyterian?

I'm just tired of the ESPN love affair with the SEC this year, and Im a long time Southern Football fan. Heck I even own half the coin on the trademarked "Southern Fried Football" moniker. But to me that why if we are stuck at 4 give me the best each conference has to offer (and I dont care how you name that: conference champ game, coin flip, regular season record, conference coaches vote, penis measuring contest...you name it) and let them match up and settle it on the field. To take 2 teams from a conference and keep 2 other conferences out of the tourney to me just pushes a narrative.

Sorry I'm all over the board tonight and havent slept much in a couple days due to travel and family illness so I am probably borderline incoherent...but let me put it this way...I think GT would be a favorite over a solid Half the SEC regardless of venue. We will see how it plays out.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

LSU is good, or at worst decent, because they pushed the #3.5 team in the country to the wire last night. (3rd in one poll, 4th in the other, I actually have them 5th now personally)

I think LSU and Bama are both Top 15 teams. I dont think either has any business sniffing a Top 5.
(LSU maybe 15-20)

How about this for an inflammatory statement. From inside the Clemson football offices...GT scares Clemson more than Bama, LSU or Ole Miss would.

[Matthean]

That 'Bama win might look a lot differently if they end up with four losses as well because that's really not out of the realm of possibility.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

A&M is hot garbage

They are 7-3. I would think somebody labeled "hot garbage" would at least have a losing record. Honestly, I wouldn't rule them out beating Missouri who is 7-2 with one of the worst loses of the season for a ranked team.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by Matthean

They are 7-3. I would think somebody labeled "hot garbage" would at least have a losing record. Honestly, I wouldn't rule them out beating Missouri who is 7-2 with one of the worst loses of the season for a ranked team.

They lost 3 games by a combined 91 points. Outside of Auburn they have beaten no one with a winning record outside of Rice.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

How about this for an inflammatory statement. From inside the Clemson football offices...GT scares Clemson more than Bama, LSU or Ole Miss would.

{shrug} Schemes. And maybe a little history too.

If Watson plays I give us no chance at all.
If Stoudt starts it might just be a dogfight.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

They lost 3 games by a combined 91 points. Outside of Auburn they have beaten no one with a winning record outside of Rice.

And yet how many people would be surprised if they beat Missouri? Probably not as high as you think.

[panerd]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

I get the quality win argument I suppose.
(And listen this isnt a Clemson argument, with out current QB they shouldn't be in a Top 50 argument even despite this Defense)

But to me that is where the cyclical conference argument takes hold. I dont know who is good. Seriously I hear a lot about Ole Miss because they beat Alabama and A&M..well we now know that A&M is hot garbage ( the AU win not withstanding) So what win made Ole Miss good? Was it Boise ST? La Lafayette? Memphis? Presbyterian?

I'm just tired of the ESPN love affair with the SEC this year, and Im a long time Southern Football fan. Heck I even own half the coin on the trademarked "Southern Fried Football" moniker. But to me that why if we are stuck at 4 give me the best each conference has to offer (and I dont care how you name that: conference champ game, coin flip, regular season record, conference coaches vote, penis measuring contest...you name it) and let them match up and settle it on the field. To take 2 teams from a conference and keep 2 other conferences out of the tourney to me just pushes a narrative.

Sorry I'm all over the board tonight and havent slept much in a couple days due to travel and family illness so I am probably borderline incoherent...but let me put it this way...I think GT would be a favorite over a solid Half the SEC regardless of venue. We will see how it plays out.

We get it you are a Clemson fan. The problem is you can't explain why the ACC, Big 12, Big 10, Pac-12, etc are better because the SEC basically demolished them OOC so therefore you try to create some other narrative. Your team got beat by Georgia and likely will lose to South Carolina. Georgia Tech will have their chance against Georgia as well. Come back after that game and fill me in on how that went for them.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by panerd

We get it you are a Clemson fan. The problem is you can't explain why the ACC, Big 12, Big 10, Pac-12, etc are better because the SEC basically demolished them OOC so therefore you try to create some other narrative. Your team got beat by Georgia and likely will lose to South Carolina. Georgia Tech will have their chance against Georgia as well. Come back after that game and fill me in on how that went for them.

Only not so much.
The SEC forbids the bottom feeders from playing Power 5 OOC...or seriously limits them forcing scheduling through the SEC office and such. When's the last time you seen Vandy or Kentucky play a top half Power 5 school? The the SEC thumps their chest when the ACC sends Duke (pre cut a few years ago) or UVA down to Tuscaloosa.

The SEC as a conference has played less than half the number of OOC games against the Power 5 as the next lowest conference over the last 5 years.

This has NOTHING to do with Clemson. Yes UGA beat them (with 7 starters out for the game but their own doing so no excuses) but what about last year? Was the ACC clearly better than the SEC because Clemson beat UGA and FSU beat UF? Oh..so it matters this year but not last?

The SEC has a spin team the POTUS is envious of. The SEC invented the cupcake before the OOC rival 3 years before anyone else could enact it, then the conference paid the break fee for their members to orchestrate it.



Let's do a quick experiment.
Without looking anything up pick 3 random teams from each Power 5 conference.

[heybrad]

Originally Posted by panerd

We get it you are a Clemson fan. The problem is you can't explain why the ACC, Big 12, Big 10, Pac-12, etc are better because the SEC basically demolished them OOC so therefore you try to create some other narrative. Your team got beat by Georgia and likely will lose to South Carolina. Georgia Tech will have their chance against Georgia as well. Come back after that game and fill me in on how that went for them.

Maybe I just missed it but has the Pac 12 played the SEC at all this year?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

The SEC forbids the bottom feeders from playing Power 5 OOC...or seriously limits them forcing scheduling through the SEC office and such. When's the last time you seen Vandy or Kentucky play a top half Power 5 school?

Kentucky plays Louisville every season at this point.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Kentucky plays Louisville every season at this point.

Fair point, and they are a P5 team now (and one that gave CU all they wanted !).

[cartman]

It now isn't out of the realm of possibility that the Big 12 sends two teams to the playoffs. Would have been a lot more likely had LSU beat 'Bama.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by Juggles The Clown

The SEC, specifically the West, has gotten to the point that they're living off of past achievements and not playing anyone who could damage that reputation.

Note, this argument was made when the SEC was winning all but one BCS title. You want to hate on the SEC? Fine. Just keep ignoring their OOC and bowl records while you do.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Note, this argument was made when the SEC was winning all but one BCS title. You want to hate on the SEC? Fine. Just keep ignoring their OOC and bowl records while you do.

Look at WHO they play OOC.

And it is even easier to win the BCS when you play each other (LSU v BAMA) and leave Oregon and Ok St sitting on the outside. But its ok those High Flying Offenses wont work in the SEC with their real D. You just wait until those two middle of the pack Big 12 teams join the SEC and we show you how those stupid gimmick offenses work around here.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Look at WHO they play OOC.

And it is even easier to win the BCS when you play each other (LSU v BAMA) and leave Oregon and Ok St sitting on the outside. But its ok those High Flying Offenses wont work in the SEC with their real D. You just wait until those two middle of the pack Big 12 teams join the SEC and we show you how those stupid gimmick offenses work around here.

LSU/'Bama was done once. How about all of those other times? How about the SEC's ability to have the best bowl record? Oh, you mean those former Big 12 teams who have yet to win the SEC conference? A&M hasn't even won the West. Yeah, look at all of those points they score. Just ask Oregon about high scoring and all those banners they have hanging for winning the title. Speaking of Oregon, they have had their chances against the elite SEC teams and have a big oh fer for it. And please, if you think OSU with Weeden was beating 'Bama...

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Look at WHO they play OOC.

'Bama with Saban plays a Power 5 conference team to start the season and said team to my knowledge almost always has a winning season. LSU played Wisconsin who could go to the Big Ten title game. Auburn played KSU on the road. And please, Clemson played South Carolina St. for crying out loud. Do I even dare look at the "murder's row" of OOC teams that the ACC played against? Elon, Troy, Gardner-Webb, Kent State?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Juggles The Clown

That puts us at 4 of 14 SEC teams not playing a single team from the other 4 conferences at any point during the season.

If you're selling tickets for those games, doing anything else is pretty foolish as long as you've got adequate SOS otherwise.

There is zero obligation to make life harder for yourself than you have to, doing so is rather foolish frankly.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by Matthean

'Bama with Saban plays a Power 5 conference team to start the season and said team to my knowledge almost always has a winning season. LSU played Wisconsin who could go to the Big Ten title game. Auburn played KSU on the road. And please, Clemson played South Carolina St. for crying out loud. Do I even dare look at the "murder's row" of OOC teams that the ACC played against? Elon, Troy, Gardner-Webb, Kent State?

Again, I'm not advocating Clemson be ranked anywhere. This isnt about them.
And yes Clemson played SC State. The week after they went TO ATHENS to start the season. And they will finish the season with SC. That's 2 SEC teams OOC out of 4 games and yes Clemson plays 2 cupcakes..everyone does its a financial necessity...you know since the SEC forced both Ole Miss and Vandy to drop home and home series with Clemson in the last 3 years.

Let's look at the SEC OOC
EAST
UGA - Clemson and GT.
Ten - Utah St, Chatanooga, Arkansas State, Oklahoma.
FL - Idaho, Eastern Michigan, Easter Kentucky, FSU.
SC - East Carolina and Clemson.
Kentucky - UTM, Ohio, UL Monroe, Louisville
Missouri - SD State, Toledo, UCF, Indiana
Vandy - Temple, UMASS, Charleston Southern, Old Dominion

West
Miss St - Southern Miss, UAB, South Alabama, UTM
Bama - WVU, FAU, Southern Miss, Western Carolina
Auburn - San Jose St, K State, Louisiana Tech, Samford
Ole Miss - Boise St, UL Lafayette, Memphis, Presbyterian
Texas A & M - Lamar, Rice, SMU, UL Monroe
LSU - Wisconsin, Sam Houston State, UL Monroe, New Mexico State
Arkansas - Nichols State, Texas Tech, Northern Illinois, UAB

Seriously. No one outside of UGA plays 2 out of conference teams with a pulse. If you dont think that is systemic schedule manipulation I can not help you.

You gloss over my earlier point. 5 years ago the SEC mandated that all teams that have an OOC permanent Rival must play a "tune up" game the week before.

The issue just isnt about record and chance of loss. When you play a Samford, a FAU, to your point a SC State...you get the ability to evaluate younger players and REST veteran key players to allow them to heal up from minor injuries.

The other thing the SEC does is they rarely schedule the d2 teams, instead they schedule bottom of the barrel FBS teams from outside the Power 5. Then they tout their OOC record against D1 opponents.

Additionally they shrewdly negotiate bowl contracts so they are typically playing down to an opponent.

I am not arguing that the top of the SEC isnt good. I am not arguing that Miss St shouldn't be in a playoff. IMHO if you go undefeated in a P5 conference you should be in, period. But this past week Auburn lost, at home, to an unranked team they dropped from #3 to #9. You keep bringing Clemson into the conversation by comparison they have 2 losses #1 (road OT) and #16 (road). Again I hate to even go down that road because my argument isnt Clemson should be higher. TBH I am not sure Id rank them Top 20 right now. But this SEC fellatio fest on ESPN, you know the largest sports company on the globe whose single largest partnership deal (financially) is with the SEC. There is an agenda, there should be an agenda, if there wasn't ESPN/ABC executives should be investigated by the FTC for not upholding stock holder value.

I'd like to see a 16 team playoff. Each division winner from the P5 gets a spot with the conference championship games becoming R1 games. The n 6 wildcard spot teams.

[cuervo72]

Heh, and the East. UT lost to OU, Vandy lost to effing Temple (Temple! In a rout!) and Mizzou lost to Indiana. A team that has lost to Bowling Green, Penn State (face it, they're awful this year) and Iowa (also wik).

The SEC has done a great job of gaming the schedule system. Other conferences play cupcakes too, but nobody takes, say, an 8-1 Nebraska seriously because they are in the Big 10 and they just don't have the reputation [well, recent reputation anyway]. In the SEC, a win over 8-2 Ole Miss is good because they are a team on the rise (yes, they did beat Bama). Nobody is ever going to consider a 7-2 team like Minnesota a team on the rise (yeah, the Illinois loss - certainly didn't help, and yes they may well be 7-5 soon). On the other hand, it is hard to have a team lose its luster in the SEC. A 3-loss LSU team is still LSU. A 3 (or 4) loss Auburn team will still be Auburn.

But yeah, the timing of those cupcakes and byes. Take Bama; they have a real OOC team in WVU. Not a great one, but a decent one. Week 1, so they are well rested. They play LSU off a bye. They play Auburn after playing W Carolina. This week is tough playing Miss St after LSU, but eh, nobody figured Miss St would be very good. LSU - started out with Wisky in W1, had New Mexico St before Auburn, had a bye before Alabama. Same deal. Auburn beat K-St on 12 days rest (which in fairness, K-St had too), had LaTech before LSU, a bye before S Carolina, and has Samford before Alabama. There's no grinder schedule - it's a couple cupcakes, then a couple games, then a bye, then a couple games, then another cupcake, then a rival.

(I also think it benefited the SEC greatly to have Missouri and A&M come in and kick ass, rather than having them suck. That's instantly two more teams that can be sold as quality teams, rather than the middling teams that they were in the Big 12.)

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Heh, and the East. UT lost to OU, Vandy lost to effing Temple (Temple! In a rout!) and Mizzou lost to Indiana. A team that has lost to Bowling Green, Penn State (face it, they're awful this year) and Iowa (also wik).

In Indiana's defense, they've been playing with their 5th-string (from the depth chart last spring) true freshman QB since Nate Sudfeld went down for the season. IU would have beaten PSU with Sudfeld (a credible threat in the passing game). The team that beat Mizzou was better than the team that has been out there after the Iowa game where Sudfeld was injured.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Kodos

In Indiana's defense, they've been playing with their 5th-string (from the depth chart last spring) true freshman QB since Nate Sudfeld went down for the season. IU would have beaten PSU with Sudfeld (a credible threat in the passing game). The team that beat Mizzou was better than the team that has been out there after the Iowa game where Sudfeld was injured.

No doubt they would have beaten PSU. But just as a note...PSU is currently playing with 48 scholarship players. So for them to have 5 wins is a bit of a feat.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Kodos

In Indiana's defense, they've been playing with their 5th-string (from the depth chart last spring) true freshman QB since Nate Sudfeld went down for the season. IU would have beaten PSU with Sudfeld (a credible threat in the passing game). The team that beat Mizzou was better than the team that has been out there after the Iowa game where Sudfeld was injured.

Not that Mizzou shouldn't have won that game, but IU is light years ahead of the FCS team that the B12 gets to beat as conference opponents each year. KU and ISU are TERRIBLE. IU is making good steps in the right direction, but has had a ton of bad luck and injuries this year.

[Kodos]

Yep. I'm well aware that PSU is not at full strength. My brother is an alum.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

No doubt they would have beaten PSU. But just as a note...PSU is currently playing with 48 scholarship players. So for them to have 5 wins is a bit of a feat.

Yeah - didn't mean to diminish what James is doing up there with what he has, but this isn't the PSU of old, that's for sure.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Not that Mizzou shouldn't have won that game, but IU is light years ahead of the FCS team that the B12 gets to beat as conference opponents each year. KU and ISU are TERRIBLE. IU is making good steps in the right direction, but has had a ton of bad luck and injuries this year.

Yep. Our season was lost because of 1. Sudfeld's injury and 2. Tre Roberson and Cam Coffman transferring out before the season, leaving us with no legitimate backup QB. Otherwise, we probably would have won 6 or 7 games and made a minor bowl.

Now, it's wait until next year. Again. With no Tevin Coleman.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

But yeah, the timing of those cupcakes and byes.

Which is pretty much how anyone with a brain would schedule.

Oregon had South Dakota before Michigan State, a bye before Arizona

K-State had SMU before starting their 3 game gauntlet

Mich St had Jax State before Oregon, Wyoming before Nebraska, a bye before Ohio State

Az State had 11 days before UCLA, had a bye before Stanford

It's not everybody who can work it out that way but it's certainly not an SEC thing.

Hell, Ga Tech had a bye between Va Tech & Miami, has a bye between Clemson & UGA ... and I'd be inclined to smack an AD upside the head if he didn't do that when he could.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Which is pretty much how anyone with a brain would schedule.

Oregon had South Dakota before Michigan State, a bye before Arizona

K-State had SMU before starting their 3 game gauntlet

Mich St had Jax State before Oregon, Wyoming before Nebraska, a bye before Ohio State

Az State had 11 days before UCLA, had a bye before Stanford

It's not everybody who can work it out that way but it's certainly not an SEC thing.

Hell, Ga Tech had a bye between Va Tech & Miami, has a bye between Clemson & UGA ... and I'd be inclined to smack an AD upside the head if he didn't do that when he could.

Part of the SEC schedule is that they're scheduling for 14 teams in divisions. It results in byes and non-conference games at odd times during the schedule. Some of it is their doing, but some of it is related to the fact that 12 and 16 teams are a much easier schedule than 14 teams.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Which is pretty much how anyone with a brain would schedule.

Oregon had South Dakota before Michigan State, a bye before Arizona

K-State had SMU before starting their 3 game gauntlet

Mich St had Jax State before Oregon, Wyoming before Nebraska, a bye before Ohio State

Az State had 11 days before UCLA, had a bye before Stanford

It's not everybody who can work it out that way but it's certainly not an SEC thing.

Hell, Ga Tech had a bye between Va Tech & Miami, has a bye between Clemson & UGA ... and I'd be inclined to smack an AD upside the head if he didn't do that when he could.

Well yeah - I never said the SEC or the ADs weren't smart for doing that. If they're doing it, then ALL teams who want to compete should be working the schedule in a similar manner (except not all can, because these non-SEC conferences somehow need quality OOC wins). But as the argument always boils down, as a generally unaffiliated viewer I don't want Alabama on a bye in November, or playing Western Carolina (I seriously had to look up if the W was West or Western) in the penultimate week of the regular season. I mean, I like watching SEC football, but look at the slate here:


Saturday, November 22

TIME (ET)	MATCHUP
TBD	Eastern Kentucky @ Florida
TBD	South Alabama @ South Carolina
TBD	Missouri @ Tennessee
TBD	Charleston Southern @ #20 Georgia
TBD	#11 Ole Miss @ Arkansas
TBD	Western Carolina @ #5 Alabama
TBD	Samford @ #3 Auburn
TBD	Vanderbilt @ #1 Mississippi State

If that ain't the biggest ball of shit...

(ETA: and yeah, I understand that to a certain extent there's only so much that can be done if there are uneven numbers of divisional teams and all the other major conferences are in conference play. But man, it would be nice to have another interdivisional game in there, though I know that makes no sense because that's just additional conference losses.)

[digamma]

It is actually more a conference issue than an individual school issue. Both the SEC and the ACC have gone to "scheduling parameters" which require OOC games to be scheduled certain weeks. The conference is then responsible for filling in the conference slate. Here are the ACC's:

1. Non-conference games (not including the Notre Dame game) may only be scheduled in weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 or the final two weeks of the season. NOTE: If an ACC game is scheduled for Labor Day, schools playing in such game can be granted an exception to place a non-conference game within the core ACC block of the season.

2. No more than two conference road games may be scheduled consecutively (a school may have a non-conference away game for a third, though ACC will try to avoid).

3. No more than three home Conference games may be scheduled consecutively (a school might have a non-conference home game for a fourth, though ACC will try to avoid).

4. Best efforts to accommodate one special scheduling request for one weekend per year (e.g. away or open on Fall Break, religious holiday); no more than three requests per school; requests must be rank-ordered in terms of priority; no requests can impact conference game on-field football equity issues other than home week/away week/bye week requests.

5. With the exception of Labor Day and three Fridays (including Thanksgiving Weekend), ACC can only schedule Thursday and Saturday games.

6. For Thursday night games, best efforts for both schools to have at least seven days between games prior to a Thursday night. If both schools do not, then both schools must have the same amount of rest (short week game). For short week games, make best efforts for both teams to be at home the previous week. If this is not possible, the team that is the visitor in the Thursday night game will be at home the week before, while the team which will be home on the Thursday night will travel the previous week.

7. All schools must play on Thanksgiving Weekend (the week before the ACC Championship Game).

[Easy Mac]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Well yeah - I never said the SEC or the ADs weren't smart for doing that. If they're doing it, then ALL teams who want to compete should be working the schedule in a similar manner (except not all can, because these non-SEC conferences somehow need quality OOC wins). But as the argument always boils down, as a generally unaffiliated viewer I don't want Alabama on a bye in November, or playing Western Carolina (I seriously had to look up if the W was West or Western) in the penultimate week of the regular season. I mean, I like watching SEC football, but look at the slate here:


Saturday, November 22



If that ain't the biggest ball of shit...

(ETA: and yeah, I understand that to a certain extent there's only so much that can be done if there are uneven numbers of divisional teams and all the other major conferences are in conference play. But man, it would be nice to have another interdivisional game in there, though I know that makes no sense because that's just additional conference losses.)

I'm confused.

Florida, Georgia and Carolina are all done with their conference slate by then.

Ole Miss and MSU are playing conference games the week before playing eachother.

Auburn and Alabama have easy games before they play each other. Auburn plays UGA this week, Bama plays MSU. I think essentially a week off is OK.

The other game is a conference game.

What else should they do?

Oregon has a bye this week, then Colorado. They basically have 2 weeks off before their rivalry game.

Clemson plays Georgia State next week.

TCU has 12 days off, then 9 days off between games in the coming weeks.

Its just how things work out around now.

[flounder]

No one is saying that it's not smart to play as easy a schedule as possible. We're just saying that you can't play a cupcake OOC schedule and then point to your OOC W-L record as proof you're a good team.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Its just how things work out around now.

Yeah, and I'm saying as a viewer - one that has been reared on the NFL mind you - "how things work out" kinda sucks.

Outside of a bye week (and I'm not really a huge fan of those to begin with), there is no "week off" in the NFL. Any given Sunday! CFB is "Any given Saturday - except weeks 1, 2, 3, 7, and 10."

BUT WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO DO?? I want all of the major conference teams to play 12 games against other major conference teams, is what I want them to do. Pipe dream, but that's what I'd want.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Yeah, and I'm saying as a viewer - one that has been reared on the NFL mind you - "how things work out" kinda sucks.

Outside of a bye week (and I'm not really a huge fan of those to begin with), there is no "week off" in the NFL. Any given Sunday! CFB is "Any given Saturday - except weeks 1, 2, 3, 7, and 10."

BUT WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO DO?? I want all of the major conference teams to play 12 games against other major conference teams, is what I want them to do. Pipe dream, but that's what I'd want.

That may be a bit closer than you think. I don't think the movement to the Power 5 creating their own subdivision is that far off relatively speaking.

[Kodos]

That'd be great. And that's coming from a Power 5 bottom feeder.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Florida, Georgia and Carolina are all done with their conference slate by then.

Which is, in part, the cost of having UGA & SC play each other on 9/13 and having SC play A&M on 8/28.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Yeah, and I'm saying as a viewer - one that has been reared on the NFL mind you - "how things work out" kinda sucks.

And that (the NFL thing) may be part of it.

As an ACC fan first & foremost but reared in SEC territory, I find vs Citadel or vs Western Carolina or (historically) vs Georgia Southern at least equally if not more interesting than random B12 or random PacWhatever opponent. (I did criticize the scheduling choices of both Ole Miss & Miss State this past week, UT-Martin is stretching it pretty hard afaic)

Nobody in college football territory particularly gives a rat's ass about Washington State or Colorado or whomever. By the same token, there is an alumni base for most of these I-AA style programs here, and if we aren't alums then we at least know people connected to those schools & the game takes on additional interest.

I parked cars for last year's UGA game against Appy State & was amazed at the turnout the victim managed to have. And I talked to quite a few of their fans, including the parent of one of their OL starters. He said "I know what's going to happen, I don't care ... just to know he has the opportunity to play in a stadium like this, in front of this many fans ... it's a dream far beyond anything we ever imagined in our lives. I've seen every game he's played since he was five years old, this is just ... I can't get my head around it. I just can't."

In college football territory, it's not football ... it's a religion. It's life. And that's why you don't hear the same degree of concern.

[Buccaneer]

It's also idolatry.