Five Things We Learned This Weekend

2008-10-15T13:54:16-04:00

2008-10-12T15:19:12-04:00

526

2008-10-12T15:19:12-04:00

2008-10-15T13:54:16-04:00

AirRaid22

Lubbock 584244

526 JayHawk Rock...you should get your facts straight before you run your mouth about Texas Tech. 1.) The rumors about who Tech schedules isn't true. For one, Tech tried to schedule LSU and Tulsa (undefeated) into our 2008 schedule. Both programs either declined or backed out. You should ask them why they don't want to play us. 2.) Texas Tech is pretty bad? You lost to USF and almost to Iowa State??? Aren't they as good as small children in wheelchairs? Todd Reesing isn't nearly as good as you claim. So Nebraska almost pulled a win out in LBk...so what? We still won and everybody is bound to get upsetted. Just look to everybody in the top 10. What a hack. 3059508

2008-10-15T11:51:44-04:00

CPAWN2

DAVENPORT 573003

525 SAM BRADFORD HAS BETTER STATS THAN ANY OF THE OTHER TOP QB'S IN FOOTALL, ONLY THE QB FROM TULSA HAS BETTER STATS AND THAT DOESNT COUNT. BRADFORD THREW FOR 5 TD'S AND ALMOST 400 YARDS AGAINST TEXAS, DID ALL HE COULD POSSIBLY DO TO WIN BUT THE OU DEFENSE WAS AWFUL BUT THAT SHOULDNT GO AGAINST BRADFORD. MCCOY IS VERY GOOD BUT STAT WISE WAY BEHIND BRADFORD. 3058132

2008-10-15T11:44:20-04:00

382

SteveLD

Saint Paul 185352

Well if this is the case I want to move my team to the MEAC and play ppuff OOC games. You may be the best team in the country who plays the easiest schedule but the problem is there is no way to prove it. Not worth the chance in a once a year NC game for me the fan.

523 Yes, this is the point. You may be the best way that plays the easiest schedule, but there is no way to prove it. You could also be the best team playing the hardest schedule and there is no way of proving that either. From the 1950's through the 1980's the American league was clearly inferior to the National league as evidenced by the overwhelming advantage of the Nationals in winning All Star Games. However, the best teams in the American league were able to match the best teams in the National league in winning World Series' over the same time period. Clearly there was parity at the top even though the American league was inferior. 3057899

2008-10-15T11:47:17-04:00

382

SteveLD

Saint Paul 185352

Yes, this is the point. You may be the best way that plays the easiest schedule, but there is no way to prove it. You could also be the best team playing the hardest schedule and there is no way of proving that either. From the 1950's through the 1980's the American league was clearly inferior to the National league as evidenced by the overwhelming advantage of the Nationals in winning All Star Games. However, the best teams in the American league were able to match the best teams in the National league in winning World Series' over the same time period. Clearly there was parity at the top even though the American league was inferior.

524 CORRECTION OF PREVIOUS POST Yes, this is the point. You may be the best tea that plays the easiest schedule, but there is no way to prove it. You could also be the best team playing the hardest schedule and there is no way of proving that either. From the 1950's through the 1980's the American league was clearly inferior to the National league as evidenced by the overwhelming advantage of the Nationals in winning All Star Games. However, the best teams in the American league were able to match the best teams in the National league in winning World Series' over the same time period. Clearly there was parity at the top even though the American league was inferior. 3058042

2008-10-13T19:18:13-04:00

199

GameChickens

Duluth 394671

Strength of schedule has absolutely no bearing on the quality of an individual team. You can be the best team in the nation if you play the easiest schedule in the country or if you play the hardest schedule in the country.

512 Well if this is the case I want to move my team to the MEAC and play ppuff OOC games. You may be the best team in the country who plays the easiest schedule but the problem is there is no way to prove it. Not worth the chance in a once a year NC game for me the fan. 3041316

2008-10-15T11:44:20-04:00

382

SteveLD

Saint Paul 185352

2008-10-13T19:05:38-04:00

1595

Klee Irwin

Nome 582256

510 Huh? that is why strength of schedule is just one of MANY factors to consider. Your comment makes no sense. The point of a ranking is trying to pick who is best among many similarly talented teams. If 2 teams appear to be similarly talented, and have the same record, and one has played weaklings all year, and one has played tough teams all year, give me the one who has played the tough teams. That's the whole point---to discern who is better among similarly talented teams with similar records. You have to encourage teams to play a tough schedule so you can SEE how good they are, and those teams should be rewarded for that in the computer rankings. Strength of schedule absolutely has a bearing on quality of a team. You are wrong. 3041281

2008-10-15T11:30:08-04:00

382

SteveLD

Saint Paul 185352

Huh? that is why strength of schedule is just one of MANY factors to consider. Your comment makes no sense. The point of a ranking is trying to pick who is best among many similarly talented teams. If 2 teams appear to be similarly talented, and have the same record, and one has played weaklings all year, and one has played tough teams all year, give me the one who has played the tough teams. That's the whole point---to discern who is better among similarly talented teams with similar records. You have to encourage teams to play a tough schedule so you can SEE how good they are, and those teams should be rewarded for that in the computer rankings. Strength of schedule absolutely has a bearing on quality of a team. You are wrong.

522 The point is that just because two "similarly talented" teams play in different conferences that differ in terms of their overall strength of the conferences they play in, there is no way of knowing with any degree of certainty which of the two teams is better. You don't even know if the two teams you are comparing are similarly talented. You don't even know in any given year which conference are necessarily better than the others. The flaw in your reasoning can be illustrated by a comparison of strength of the National and American leagues between the 1950's through the 1980's. The Nationals were clearly the superior league over the stretch winning the vast majority of all-star games. However there was parity at the top as evidenced by the fact that the American league held its own with the Nationals in terms of winning World Series. For decades, the American league champions played in an inferior league yet the best teams in that league were clearly a match for their National league counterparts. If you can imagine MLB being organized along the lines of NCAA football such that the National League and American league are two conferences among many and where teams are selected for the championship game based on computers and polls, the National league would have erroneously been selected over the American in the vast majority of years during that period. The objective criteria available for comparing the relative strength of teams that play different teams in different conferences do not provide a basis for accurately assessing the relative strength of teams. There are two many variables and too many assumptions made in the process. In light of all this, I keep asking the same question in my posts , but no one seems to want to answer, namely: Why is it so difficult for people to except the truth that the absence of a playoff there really is no NCAA football champion? Why are people so obsessed with declaring someone the "winner" when in truth there is no winner? 3057734

2008-10-13T15:13:51-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/449/996/thumb/S4020811.jpg 3583 FL

KingFootball

450436

No, because prior to playing Bama, this Kentucky dominant D was against Louisville, Norfolk State, Middle Tenn State, and Western Kentucky. That's not much of a resume to bragg about a dominant defense. Then, playing Bama, all they had to do is stop the run because Bama's not the best passing offense, though they are decent.Also, this stout Kentucky D barely saved the day giving up 14 to Middle Tennesse in a 6 point victory at home. Also, the 24 given up to South Carolina(who hasn't exactly been lights out on offense this year) doesn't do much to prove the D is dominant. To me, it looks like they dominated weak non conference teams and are now looking average-above average against conference teams, but nothing spectacular.

402 With 1 month to prepare I will take Saban over Mack Brown any day. I like the odds. Instead of "busting" on other conferences you worry about getting to that championship game for the 2nd time in 40 years and then we will see. 3039512

2008-10-14T07:28:56-04:00

Deguello

Fort Worth 582632

With 1 month to prepare I will take Saban over Mack Brown any day. I like the odds. Instead of "busting" on other conferences you worry about getting to that championship game for the 2nd time in 40 years and then we will see.

521 That's exactly what people said about Pete Carroll and Mack Brown. 3043590

2008-10-13T23:38:05-04:00

brianjgault

Petersburg 9952

520 Finish the Drill ... Ummm.... Unless I'm missing something here, Ted Ginn, Jr. got hurt on the opening kickoff of the UF-OSU game. He was the Buckeyes' deep threat receiver that year. So, since he never played an offensive down all game, I'm pretty sure that affected the offensive gameplan. Without any sort of deep threat to respect, and with a two score lead, UF was able to blitz at will. And, the bigger point I was making here was that it's looking like LSU is going through the growing pains without Bo Pelini. All the Tiger (Tigre?) fans who were so vocal last year about how great their team was are nowhere to be found now that mighty LSU got waxed. Amazing how losing a defensive coordinator of that caliber will affect a program. I suppose since you're from Georgia that you're a Dawgs fan? That legit team that got housed by Alabama at home? Talk to me when Georgia actually plays for something that matters. You clowns didn't even win your conference (or your division for that matter) last year. 3042677

2008-10-13T19:05:39-04:00

brianjgault

Petersburg 9952

511 To clarify my earlier post (since I had to run), my point in bringing up D'Antonio leaving Ohio State was this: 1. Ohio State hasn't really beaten anyone of consequence since he left. For some reason (with the exception of the UT game where Colt McCoy was QB), the Bucks just don't seem to get up for the big game. 2. If you look at the overall picture of the UF-OSU NC game, Ted Ginn got hurt on the first play, taking a major weapon away from the Bucks. Tressel has a horrible gameplan, and the defense couldn't stop the methodical plodding that UF did. After UF got up two scores, they pretty much pinned their ears back and blitzed every single play. OSU did not have any sort of answer for that blitz, and thus ate many incomplete passes and sacks. So...in a roundabout way, the defense not being able to stop UF allowed the Gator's defense to just bullrush Troy Smith and contributed to changing OSU's conservative gameplan. 3. The bigger issue here (and my original point in making this post) was that I firmly believe LSU is now doomed to the same fate of the Buckeyes. Although much credit is given to crazy Les Miles for the Tigers' success, I truly believe Bo Pelini had just as much (if not more) to do with how fearsome the Tigers were. He's a coach that is going to be next to impossible to replace. Ohio State hasn't been able to do it, and I don't think Les Miles will be able to either. 3041238

2008-10-13T22:29:00-04:00

Finish the Drill

Marietta 499584

To clarify my earlier post (since I had to run), my point in bringing up D'Antonio leaving Ohio State was this:1. Ohio State hasn't really beaten anyone of consequence since he left. For some reason (with the exception of the UT game where Colt McCoy was QB), the Bucks just don't seem to get up for the big game.2. If you look at the overall picture of the UF-OSU NC game, Ted Ginn got hurt on the first play, taking a major weapon away from the Bucks. Tressel has a horrible gameplan, and the defense couldn't stop the methodical plodding that UF did. After UF got up two scores, they pretty much pinned their ears back and blitzed every single play. OSU did not have any sort of answer for that blitz, and thus ate many incomplete passes and sacks. So...in a roundabout way, the defense not being able to stop UF allowed the Gator's defense to just bullrush Troy Smith and contributed to changing OSU's conservative gameplan.3. The bigger issue here (and my original point in making this post) was that I firmly believe LSU is now doomed to the same fate of the Buckeyes. Although much credit is given to crazy Les Miles for the Tigers' success, I truly believe Bo Pelini had just as much (if not more) to do with how fearsome the Tigers were. He's a coach that is going to be next to impossible to replace. Ohio State hasn't been able to do it, and I don't think Les Miles will be able to either.

519 Look at this bunch of revisionist history. Nice try pal, but I'm calling bs on this. Florida and LSU didn't ever have to "pin their ears back." Their respective D lines were much faster and physical than the OSU O line. Your WRs were not dangerous enough to warrant much more than man coverage, so that allowed LSU and Florida to send extra guys in the box to stop the run. Your head coach seems incapable of making on the fly adjustments nor second half adjustments for that matter. You can't blame any of that on a departed D coordinator. Look man, your coach got caught with his pants down three times now. Take it like a man and stop hating on teams that are legit. 3042233

2008-10-13T19:18:13-04:00

199

GameChickens

Duluth 394671

2008-10-13T22:22:57-04:00

bigsqueezeindecatur

Decatur 93138

518 Hey, I went to a MEAC school that won a 1-AA National Championship!! Don't hate on the MEAC!! :) 3042225

2008-10-13T20:09:07-04:00

StupidMoron

Timbuck2, Tx 189655

516 futbal king, i think youse guys in lsu are scaredy cats. how come youse guys dont wanna play the raiders home and home? if lsu is such a good team, how come their qb looks like me??i bet since he went to youse guys skool, he probably is about as smart as me too. sec and lsu is like watching futbal in lether helmet days. 3041596

2008-10-13T20:53:04-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/449/996/thumb/S4020811.jpg 3583 FL

KingFootball

450436

futbal king, i think youse guys in lsu are scaredy cats. how come youse guys dont wanna play the raiders home and home? if lsu is such a good team, how come their qb looks like me??i bet since he went to youse guys skool, he probably is about as smart as me too. sec and lsu is like watching futbal in lether helmet days.

517 Ladies and Gentlemen, This is what a public education in the State of Texas gets you. 3041792

526

<div class="photo_container image_center"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/sweep.maclin.getty.jpg" alt="Sweep" width="614" height="350" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes">After defeating Oklahoma, Texas must now face Missouri and Oklahoma State. G. Norman Lowrance/Getty Images</div> <div class="photo_attributes"> </div> </div> 1. That Nobody's making it out of the Big 12 undefeated. After watching undefeated squads Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma State beat up on lightweights over the season's first six weeks, the nation watched the Sooners and Longhorns and Tigers and Cowboys both stage thrilling contests. You know you're in a tough league when, in Oklahoma's case, your quarterback, Sam Bradford, throws for five touchdowns, and you still lose. And the team whose defense had the most to prove, Okie State, thwarted Mizzou star Chase Daniel. At the end of the day, the two teams with the most favorable schedules -- Oklahoma and Missouri -- lost. As good as Colt McCoy and the Longhorns looked, they have the unenviable task of taking on the Tigers, Cowboys and 6-0 Texas Tech the next three weeks. Both the Red Raiders and Oklahoma State have yet to face the other three heavyweights in their division. Much like the SEC, I'd be surprised if the Big 12's elite don't wind up knocking each other off. The good news: As was Florida and LSU's case the past two years, one loss won't preclude a national-title berth. 2. That LSU's defense ain't what it used to be. In hindsight, the warning signs were there all along. First, the Tigers became the only team to date to allow Auburn's woeful offense to look respectable. Then Mississippi State moved the ball surprisingly well in Baton Rouge. And Florida obviously represented a serious upgrade in offensive capability. But 51 points? Seriously? From the defending national champions? From a team whose defense has consistently ranked among the very best in the country the past several years? On the one hand, it should be expected that LSU would suffer a drop-off on that side of the ball after losing stalwarts like Glenn Dorsey, Craig Steltz, Ali Highsmith and Chevis Jackson. And it didn't help that Ricky Jean Francois missed the game with an injury, or that the Tigers' ill-performing offense continually put its defense in bad positions. Either way, it's clear LSU's defense isn't at championship level this season, and it makes you wonder how much they miss departed coordinator Bo Pelini. 3. That Rich Rodriguez has a confidence crisis on his hands. Coming into the season, all but the most blindly delusional Michigan fans knew they were in for a rough transition season. They could forgive a couple of ugly losses (and ugly wins) along the way, and, while it would be tough to accept, they could forgive an uncharacteristic, 6-6 type season. But they won't forgive losing to Toledo anytime soon, and they shouldn't. Appalachian State was a Caribbean cruise compared to the misery of scoring 10 points and passing for 120 yards against a 1-4 MAC team. With the exception of one fourth-quarter outburst against Wisconsin, the Wolverines have showed almost no progress over the past six games. Certainly, there are promising pieces -- most notably freshman RB Sam McGuffie -- but an offense is only as good as its quarterback, and it's quite clear Michigan's QB of the future is not currently on its roster. Rodriguez better hope one of next year's freshmen is capable of taking over the reins immediately. In the meantime, it could be another 11 months, or longer, before the faithful will have any reason to regain confidence. 4. That Kendall Hunter belongs on all Heisman lists. For all the talk about the Big 12's Heisman-caliber quarterbacks, it's no coincidence that the two victors in the Oklahoma-Texas and Oklahoma State-Missouri clashes were the ones that produced 100-yard rushers. Texas' Chris Ogbonnaya only burst onto the scene two weeks ago, but the Cowboys' sophomore tailback has been quietly churning out big games all season. His 154-yard performance against Missouri marked his fifth 100-yard output in six games (the other: 90 yards against Texas A&M). Watching Hunter plow over Missouri defenders Saturday night, it struck me just how rare a runner he is. In most shotgun-based offenses like Oklahoma State's, the tailback is usually a slasher. While Hunter is listed at just 5-foot-8, 190 pounds, he is unquestionably a power runner. Time and again, he would take the shotgun handoff from Zac Robinson, head straight through the line and start dragging defenders as he ate up chunks of yardage. It makes it awfully tough on opponents when both the Cowboys' pass and run games are equally potent. 5. That Tim Brewster is a miracle worker. When Minnesota originally hired its new coach two years ago, the initial reaction was: "Who?" When he proceeded to produce a 1-11 record in his first season, a lot of Gophers fans were asking, "Why (did we hire this guy?)" When he managed to woo a top-20 recruiting class to Minnesota, the whole country wondered: "How?" And now we're left asking the same question now that Brewster has inexplicably turned the Gophers from 1-11 to 6-1 (even finding a way to mysteriously beat Illinois despite allowing 550 yards). Having talked to Brewster, it's easy to see why players buy into him. His relentlessly upbeat, energetic personality is contagious. Minnesota still has a ways to go in building up its talent level, but several of Brewster's imports are already paying dividends. Freshman RB Deleone Eskridge ran for 124 yards and two TDs against the Illini, while juco LB Simoni Lawrence returned a fumble for a touchdown. Having already faced Ohio State, and with no Penn State or Michigan State on the schedule, the Gophers could well win eight or nine games. Can you say Coach of the Year? 13521 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/940/61/thumb/mandel_stewart.jpg 2 NY

Stewart Mandel

New York 94361