2008-09 College Bowls/Postseason thread

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Is 4 too many, with 26:00 to go?

I'll admit to bouncing around my house when it happened, but 'Bama's D continued to not show up. 'Bama offense was a shell of it's former self with the line rework on short notice(look at 'Bama rushing yards and sacks given up), but there really was no excuse for that defense. It seems odd, but add up Utah's current bowl run, previous BSC experience, and 'Bama's overall youth and Utah was by far the more prepared team for this type of game. Utah is one heck of a well run program. Too bad they didn't get to face the 'Bama team that went 12-1. It might have been the best bowl game this year.

[kingnebwsu]

Someone said it about Penn State yesterday, so I'll say it today...

I can't believe that *this* team (Alabama) was one bad quarter against Florida away from playing for the national championship. I mean, think about it...they close out the game against Florida and they're undefeated and playing for it all.

Tongue in cheek to the person who said the same thing about Penn State

Every bowl game makes me believe that they are less of a true indicator of how a team is. It's almost like a third part of the season (non-conference games, conference games, and the bowl game). It sometimes seems that what you do in the first two has little or no bearing on what happens in the third part (see also 2006 Ohio State).

So uh...is the Mountain West better than the Big Ten? Honestly, I think they stack up pretty well in the top 3 (Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State versus Utah, TCU, and BYU). If those teams played in order I bet the MWC would win at least one (most likely BYU over Michigan State). Thoughts?

[kingnebwsu]

If we had an 8-team playoff (6 BCS conference champs plus 2 at-larges), the matchups would look like this:

#1 Florida vs #21 Virginia Tech
#2 Oklahoma vs #12 Cincinnati
#3 Texas vs #7 Utah
#5 USC vs #6 Penn State

I'm sure the 'Bama fans would be upset, but it's much better to have a team that didn't win their conference complain about no shot at the title than it is to not see USC/Penn State/Utah with a chance at it all.

Can you imagine a Final Four with Florida, Oklahoma, USC, and Texas/Utah? That would be amazing. I don't know why I bother talking about it though. It's not going to ever happen. But still Florida/USC in the semis? Wow

[ISiddiqui]

Awesome win by the Utes!! I love it when the little guy wins, especially when they knock off a Saban coached team, and even more especially when that team is Alabama.

[DeToxRox]

Honest question ..

How long until BYU and Utah are in the Pac 12?

It just makes too much sense.

[Vegas Vic]

Originally Posted by kingnebwsu

I don't know why I bother talking about it though. It's not going to ever happen.

You're right. The only reason that the NCAA permits the BCS to exist as a cartel is due to to the one game per team bowl tie-in. In order to have a playoff, it would have to be administered by the NCAA, and the revenue would be split evenly amongst all 120 teams. That's why it's not going to happen.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Honest question ..

How long until BYU and Utah are in the Pac 12?

It just makes too much sense.

It has made sense for a long time now actually. But the Pac 10 is run by anal-retentive, backward-thinking morons.

At least Hansen steps down in August. But that doesn't matter if the same douchebag college presidents are still in place.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

I'm so glad they managed to show up today. I should've known they would, but I'm so glad for them and for the Mountain West. Now Boise State should join and give us 10 teams.

The invite has gone out....Boise is "thinking about it"

[Galaxy]

Hopefully Turner Gill can cap his season with a win over UConn.

[molson]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

The invite has gone out....Boise is "thinking about it"

It makes perfect sense for football. I think Boise St. would even be competitive in the Pac-10.

But football is a huge anomaly in the Boise St. athletic program. This is a commuter school that's not particularly
good at any other sport, that was 1-AA as recently as 1995, and division II in the late 70s. The emergence of the football team has been nothing short of miraculous, but they can't bring the goods in any other sport.

Still, a Mountain West with Boise St. has a serious claim for an automatic BCS bid over the Big East.

[JW]

About Alabama. They are a very good team, a top ten team. The difference between them and some others is that they are not a dominant team. LSU played them even and would have beaten them if LSU's QB at the time had not been an interception machine. Once Utah jumped on Bama, it was pretty much over.

About USC and the AP poll. In my paper this morning is an AP story touting USC as #1. So we've got ESPN, ABC (Brent Mushmouth in particular), and AP itself touting USC as #1. And I know USC is at least as good as anyone in the country, but they were lucky even to make the Rose Bowl. But if there is an alternate #1 at this point, it should be Utah. Utah. Period.

About a playoff. The system we have is flawed. An 8-team playoff or something like that would be great. But consider the fact that 60 or so teams went to bowl games this year. Hell, the Sunbelt champion gets to go to a bowl game. La Tech and N. Ill. played in a bowl game. Nothing against those teams, but the bowl industry is HUGE. What happens to the bowl system if you go to a playoff? There is so much money invested in the bowl system. Would the bowl system co-exist with the playoff system?

And a playoff still doesn't settle who the best team in the country is. No system does that. Though I would like a playoff system, a playoff just settles who won the playoff.

And one more thing. Let's get ND in a conference.

[MJ4H]

No system will settle who the best team in the country is. That's not the point. The point is to settle who is the champion. Those are different things. One is totally irrelevant. The other is the whole point of the season.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

No system will settle who the best team in the country is. That's not the point. The point is to settle who is the champion. Those are different things. One is totally irrelevant. The other is the whole point of the season.

+infinity

I hope Utah gets the AP #1, I really do. If you go unbeaten, beat a top 10 team in a BCS bowl, under the current screwed up rules, you deserve a share of the championship over a team with 1 loss. Plus it will only embarass the BCS even more, who really don't want any non-BCS conference teams in the mix in the first place.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by JW

About a playoff. The system we have is flawed. An 8-team playoff or something like that would be great. But consider the fact that 60 or so teams went to bowl games this year. Hell, the Sunbelt champion gets to go to a bowl game. La Tech and N. Ill. played in a bowl game. Nothing against those teams, but the bowl industry is HUGE. What happens to the bowl system if you go to a playoff? There is so much money invested in the bowl system. Would the bowl system co-exist with the playoff system?

Imagine if the BCS winners played next Sunday, would that impact how much people enjoyed the other bowl wins (ie, Arizona fans, Iowa fans, Kentucky fans, Nebraska fans, KU, ...)? That's essentially what a playoff would be.

The reality is that people love the smaller bowl games because they are football and they love their school/conference. They will love them just as much if we had a small 8-team (or even 4 team) playoff.

[Noop]

Is anyone watching the Army All American game?

[MJ4H]

Yes, I am.

[MJ4H]

lol drama queen

[Noop]

So far I can't say anyone is really impressing me.

[Noop]

Willie Downs has me excited that he is going to Florida State to bad he won't qualify.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Noop

Is anyone watching the Army All American game?

I'm watching as well. So far, no one has really impressed me either. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow night and seeing Matt Barkley. From what I've read, he completely dominated the competition in the skills competition yesterday throwing it about 15 yards further than any QB and showing more accuracy than the competition as well.

[Noop]

This game is not as good as the past years. Tom Lemming has way to many Notre Dame players who have no business being on the field.

[Dr. Sak]

I know it's late but hats off to USC. Hands down way better the Penn State, and I even think Pete Carroll took his foot off the pedal in the 3rd quarter. Losing Royster so early really hurt Penn State. He's more of a power back than Green. I think one huge play was the sack-fumble on Sanchez that was called back due to an offsides penalty.

The Rose Bowl and everything surrounding it was amazing. The scenery is beautiful, the people were all nice. I found it funny that it was about 60 degrees and all the Penn State fans were tailgating in short sleeves and jeans, while all the USC fans had jackets and space heaters.

I took the red-eye home on Jan 2nd at 1am and ended up running into, and talking to PSU's QB Darryl Clark in the Houston airport. Very nice young man.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Arles

Imagine if the BCS winners played next Sunday, would that impact how much people enjoyed the other bowl wins (ie, Arizona fans, Iowa fans, Kentucky fans, Nebraska fans, KU, ...)? That's essentially what a playoff would be.

The reality is that people love the smaller bowl games because they are football and they love their school/conference. They will love them just as much if we had a small 8-team (or even 4 team) playoff.

Well, that's the thing- no one is really arguing that you'd take away the small bowls or that someone would enjoy them less. It's a strawman set up by the people who don't want a playoff. You'll see no one more convinced that there should be a playoff than myself on this board and that's despite the fact that Kansas will make the playoff once every 25 years, if lucky.

But I sure am happy we get to go to the 2000 Flushes Toilet Bowl when we do and no playoff would diminish that. It's not like anyone except for the schools involved and degenerate gamblers and football fans (you know who you are and most of us are on this board ) watch the minor bowl games as it is.

SI

[sterlingice]

Very impressive win by Utah. Especially in the second half when they were fighting Bama's momentum and the refs. I remember there was one call where the announcers were trying to find where it was and were just in silence for a minute during the replay but didn't dare say anything about it and went onto the next play.

SI

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

No system will settle who the best team in the country is. That's not the point. The point is to settle who is the champion. Those are different things. One is totally irrelevant. The other is the whole point of the season.

Yeap. That is why the games aren't played on paper.

[bhlloy]

hxxp://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-marve010308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Wasn't Shannon supposed to be one of the good guys? Denying a kid a transfer to an instate school when his dad is dying of cancer seems shitty in the extreme, especially when UM probably won't play most of those schools in the next 3 years. It's also going to kill them in recruiting - Plant is a major powerhouse that had at least 2 guys in the All American game this year and UM needs to keep getting guys away from Florida and FSU if they are going to be relevant once again. On the face of it, this makes no sense at all to me.

Any Cane fans have any insight into this?

[cartman]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

+infinity

I hope Utah gets the AP #1, I really do. If you go unbeaten, beat a top 10 team in a BCS bowl, under the current screwed up rules, you deserve a share of the championship over a team with 1 loss. Plus it will only embarass the BCS even more, who really don't want any non-BCS conference teams in the mix in the first place.

The state of Oklahoma disagrees. Stay classy, Okies.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/fp/fl...f&pollId=65891

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by cartman

The state of Oklahoma disagrees. Stay classy, Okies.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/fp/fl...f&pollId=65891

Don't worry, it will change by the end of the week. Remember, a day before, it was USC who deserved to be #1 or split. Next it will be Texas when they dismantle Ohio State. And then if either Florida or Oklahoma gets a garbage TD to win by ~10, then it will have been a "dominating" performance and Utah will long have been forgotten.

SI

[ISiddiqui]

Why exactly is saying 'no' mean that they are not classy?! How bizarre.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

UNC EV to win vs. WVU L
Miami +8.5 vs. Cal W
Oregon/OK St under 76 W
Iowa -3.5 vs. S.Carolina W
Clemson -2.5 vs. Nebraska L
Georgia -7.5 vs. MSU W
VaTech +115 vs. Cincy W
Utah +305 vs. Alabama W
Texas -8 vs. Ohio St.
OU +130 vs. Florida

Anyone else want to throw out some predictions?

Add in the TCU and ND picks and I'm doing quite well again, especially with the longshot Utah pick actually coming through. I just wish I could pick any other sport as well as college football.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Why exactly is saying 'no' mean that they are not classy?! How bizarre.

Ask them if they thought their undefeated team would be deserving of a piece of a national title, and the answer might be a bit different.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by cartman

Ask them if they thought their undefeated team would be deserving of a piece of a national title, and the answer might be a bit different.

Yeah, their undefeated team has played a tougher schedule.

I think saying that you can't disqualify a team because of the schedule they played is classless in itself.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Yeah, their undefeated team has played a tougher schedule.

I think saying that you can't disqualify a team because of the schedule they played is classless in itself.

I'd agree with that as well. But that wasn't the point being made. If that was a more widespread sentiment, I'd think Florida would show the similar results to Oklahoma.

[ISiddiqui]

Florida kinda has Florida State and Miami fans in the same state.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

hxxp://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-marve010308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Wasn't Shannon supposed to be one of the good guys? Denying a kid a transfer to an instate school when his dad is dying of cancer seems shitty in the extreme, especially when UM probably won't play most of those schools in the next 3 years. It's also going to kill them in recruiting - Plant is a major powerhouse that had at least 2 guys in the All American game this year and UM needs to keep getting guys away from Florida and FSU if they are going to be relevant once again. On the face of it, this makes no sense at all to me.

Any Cane fans have any insight into this?

I have no inside information but I can say that this week was the first time I heard anything about his father's health being a reason for the transfer request. Marve has been unhappy with his situation this year and the transfer request was pretty much a given after the suspension this year.

Here is a link to a blog with a statement that has come out from the university. YMMV

Eye on the U | UM partially lifts SEC ban for Marve

[ISiddiqui]

Yeah, this is the first I hear about the dying father as well, though its been reported Marve wanted out.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Interesting numbers in the Big 12 bowls thus far......

Big 12 North: 3-0
Big 12 South: 0-2

Hopefully OU and UT can pick it up for the south. 5-2 would be pretty impressive overall.

[Vegas Vic]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Interesting numbers in the Big 12 bowls thus far......

Big 12 North: 3-0
Big 12 South: 0-2

I guess it's too late to trade Oregon, Ole Miss, Ohio State and Florida for Northwestern, Minnesota and Clemson.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

I guess it's too late to trade Oregon, Ole Miss, Ohio State and Florida for Northwestern, Minnesota and Clemson.

But it's all relative. The B12 North teams were playing teams of similar caliber and all won their games. I'm not terribly surprised that OSU wasn't up to snuff, but Texas Tech getting man-handled was a pretty big surprise IMO.

[Dr. Sak]

I feel dirty rooting for tOSU.

Texas can't tackle and their DE are rushing too fast upfield. Pryor will eat that up.

[DaddyTorgo]

Please let UT assrape OSU? Please please please? Fucking ohio. piece of shit state.

[Cuckoo]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

I feel dirty rooting for tOSU.

I don't...

Never understood those SEC folks and their conference allegiances. I don't care what it says for the Big 12. I hope Texas gets demolished.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

I feel dirty rooting for tOSU.

Texas can't tackle and their DE are rushing too fast upfield. Pryor will eat that up.

Then root for the Horns!

Texas will get their adjustments in at the half. The 3rd quarter has been their best quarter all season. That first possession after the half will be a big key to how the second half will look.

[JW]

The question here is which is a bigger factor, Big 12 defensive suckage, or OSU general suckage.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Cuckoo

I hope Texas gets demolished.

That would mean the Big 12 South would go 0-4 in bowls this season.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Cuckoo

Never understood those SEC folks and their conference allegiances.

Neither have I. I don't quite understand rooting for your biggest rival in a bowl game. Then again, it allows them present a united front in the "X conference is the best" discussions as they are willing to support their rivals to that extent against "the others".

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by cartman

Then root for the Horns!

Texas will get their adjustments in at the half. The 3rd quarter has been their best quarter all season. That first possession after the half will be a big key to how the second half will look.

I gotta pull for the Big Ten no matter how much it hurts. Sorry Cartman. Plus if Texas and Oklahoma lose we might hear how overrated the Big 12 was and take some of the heat off the Big Ten.

[Cuckoo]

Originally Posted by cartman

That would mean the Big 12 South would go 0-4 in bowls this season.

Not so fast my friend...

/Corso

[kingfc22]

After watching a half of the Fiesta Bowl, there is no way you can convince me that USC wouldn't destroy these two teams.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

After watching a half of the Fiesta Bowl, there is no way you can convince me that USC wouldn't destroy these two teams.

I was just thinking the same thing. Furthermore, from watching all of the Big 12 South bowl games, I'm thinking the Big 12 South was overrated and Florida is going to demolish Oklahoma. Florida-USC would have been a great game.