A place for the discussion of all things not closely related to the sport and its competitive side. (Locked down several times a year during the major championships)
As for the BCS BS Championship, for me this is tough to even think about.
Since I have abhorred both ND and Bama for most of my life the only satisfactory result of the game would be for one of the teams (I don't care which) to absolutely destroy the other, this exposing the loser as an over-rated fraud !!!
A close game would just re-inforce the propaganda machines for TD Jesus and the all-powerful SEC. Ptooeey...
College football has become one big money grab and now even Boise State is getting in on the action.
A little more than a year ago, Boise State surveyed the college football landscape and made a head-scratching -- and completely unconventional move -- joining a league based 2,600 miles away for football only.
The bottom line then: The Big East offered the potential for an automatic bid into the BCS and much more money out of a renegotiated television contract, two major lifelines that would ensure the Broncos' national relevance into the future.
Today, Boise State surveyed the college football landscape and made yet another decision, a conventional one this time. The best program outside the automatic-qualifying conferences chose to spurn the Big East to stay in its current home, the Mountain West, a league that provides a better geographical fit, a spot for all its sports and the potential to earn much more money out of a renegotiated television deal. . . . . . .
As a way to keep Boise State in the fold, the Mountain West renegotiated its television deal with its primary network partner, CBS Sports Network. The league will guarantee the rights to Boise State home football games that are sold as a separate package. In addition, Boise State and other football teams in the Mountain West that appear on national television (ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox) will be paid a bonus of $300,000 per game, with an additional $200,000 for a Saturday game.
Wonder who will get the lion's share of those appearances?
jazzcyclist wrote:College football has become one big money grab and now even Boise State is getting in on the action.
A little more than a year ago, Boise State surveyed the college football landscape and made a move [to the] Big East [which] offered the potential for an automatic bid into the BCS and much more money . . . [and then reneged when] the potential to earn much more money out of a renegotiated television deal.
Big-time D1 football used to be about . . . sports, but now it's been reduced to two things 1. Name recognition, which leads to more applications and more booster money. 2. Revenue, namely football's ability to float the rest of the Athletic Dept.
Marlow wrote:There's exactly three games to watch:
Rose - today (probably only of interest to Pac-8/10/12/14/etc. or Big-10/12/14/etc. fans) Fiesta - Thursday BCS - Monday
Then there's some of train-wreck (David vs. Goliath) interest:
Orange - today Sugar - tomorrow
and, of course, the
Johnny Football (Heisman) [Cotton] Bowl - Friday
So I agree with your number (3) but will substitute Johnny football for the Rose as the whole Wisconsin with 5 losses just blows the excitement even if they win. So in summary as stated above a couple times a bit sad when Jan 1st is over and the must watch games are just getting ready to start.
Did anyone else catch Brigetta Barrett's beautiful national anthem performance before tonight's Fiesta Bowl? It's a good thing for Kimberlyn that the Bowerman doesn't include a talent competition.
Despite living only 1.5 hrs from Gatorville, I was glad to see them spanked by L'ville. Tebow notwithstanding, they tend to be a little too full of themselves. The Seminoles, meanwhile, took care of business in methodical manner.
Marlow wrote:Despite living only 1.5 hrs from Gatorville, I was glad to see them spanked by L'ville. Tebow notwithstanding, they tend to be a little too full of themselves. The Seminoles, meanwhile, took care of business in methodical manner.
I think SEC fans everywhere need to get their comeuppance to cure them of their nauseating sense of entitlement. I live five minutes from LSU, and not only does the loss on Monday not really bother me, but I would love to see the SEC go 0-3 in their last three bowl games culminating with a humiliating, lopsided defeat on Monday.
As far Florida State, they let Northern Illinois hang around much longer than they should have, and they didn't look like a top ten team IMO.
jazzcyclist wrote:That didn't take long. It's only fitting that he leaned at the finish line, err goal line, when he got to the end zone.
Impressive. Thomas(10.57/21.35) 94 yards in full football gear +/- 10 seconds(clock read 14:50 when he crossed the goal line). ESPN "clocked" him in 26.03 MPH(I'd sure like to know how they came up with THAT lol).
The Fiesta Bowl featured three tributes to track and field last night. I mentioned two of them on the previous page. True track fans should be able to recognize the third in this Fiesta Bowl promo by Modern Family's Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet.
jazzcyclist wrote:As far Florida State, they let Northern Illinois hang around much longer than they should have, and they didn't look like a top ten team IMO.
Almost all decent teams can hang with anyone for a half, but then speed and depth start to tell. Even Florida actually did mount a comeback, but far too little, far too late.
jazzcyclist wrote:As far Florida State, they let Northern Illinois hang around much longer than they should have, and they didn't look like a top ten team IMO.
Almost all decent teams can hang with anyone for a half, but then speed and depth start to tell. Even Florida actually did mount a comeback, but far too little, far too late.
A much better and undefeated Hawaii team couldn't hang with Georgia for a half in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. Iowa, who finshed second to last in the Big 10, is the only AQ-coonference team Northern Illinois played all year, and they lost to them.
If the ball carrier stays inbounds, does the football have to cross the goal line within the sidelines to count as a TD or is it sufficient if it crosses the extended goal line.
Inquiry prompted by Johnny Football's first touchdown tonight in the Cotton Bowl.. as he neared the goal line running down the left sideline, he switched the ball to his left hand and skipped into the end zone with left arm extended.. I have not seen a replay from that angle but my immediate impression was that the ball was outside the end zone side line when it crossed the extended goal line. Not that one touchdown would have made any difference.
lonewolf wrote:Question for the rules mavens: If the ball carrier stays inbounds, does the football have to cross the goal line within the sidelines to count as a TD or is it sufficient if it crosses the extended goal line.
If a receiver catches the ball in the end-zone, he only needs to get a foot down to score a TD. So, I'm guessing same holds true for a runner.
lonewolf wrote:Question for the rules mavens: If the ball carrier stays inbounds, does the football have to cross the goal line within the sidelines to count as a TD or is it sufficient if it crosses the extended goal line.
If a receiver catches the ball in the end-zone, he only needs to get a foot down to score a TD. So, I'm guessing same holds true for a runner.
True, but in that case the ball would have crossed the goal line within the side lines.
lonewolf wrote:Question for the rules mavens: If the ball carrier stays inbounds, does the football have to cross the goal line within the sidelines to count as a TD or is it sufficient if it crosses the extended goal line.
If a receiver catches the ball in the end-zone, he only needs to get a foot down to score a TD. So, I'm guessing same holds true for a runner.
True, but in that case the ball would have crossed the goal line within the side lines.
Even if the ball crosses outside the pylon, it's a touchdown if the ball carrier touches the end zone or goal line in bounds.. Rule 8, section 2 in the NCAA rules linked to below. Good examples are given in the later Interpretations section under Rule 8, section 2, and parts VI and VII apply to this scenario.
As stated in the rules:
A touchdown shall be scored when:
a. A ball carrier advancing from the field of play has possession of a live ball when it penetrates the plane of the opponent’s goal line. This plane extends beyond the pylons only for a player who touches the ground in the end zone or a pylon. (A.R. 2-23-1-I and A.R. 8-2-1-I-IX).
Matchups and timing mean everything. The same Florida defense that got carved up by Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater shut down Johnny Manziel and Georgia's Arron Murray.
jazzcyclist wrote:Matchups and timing mean everything.
I'm not sure it was matchups or timing. You had a coach(Strong) who was extremely motivated after being passed over for the Florida job, despite the fact he was already on the staff at the time, while his team was prepared to go through hell for him after he turned down Tennessee to stay at Louisville. Then you had a Florida team that had been told for a month all they had to do was show up and the game would be over. The outcome was predictable.
jazzcyclist wrote:Matchups and timing mean everything.
I'm not sure it was matchups or timing. You had a coach(Strong) who was extremely motivated after being passed over for the Florida job, despite the fact he was already on the staff at the time, while his team was prepared to go through hell for him after he turned down Tennessee to stay at Louisville.
Yeah, but Strong was just coaching, not playing.
guru wrote:Then you had a Florida team that had been told for a month all they had to do was show up and the game would be over. The outcome was predictable.
That sounds very similar to what the Florida State team had been hearing for a month. Was that outcome predictable too?
EDIT: FYI, according to the Vegas wise guys, Louisville's Orange Bowl win was the biggest upset in BCS history. TCU was favored over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl and Boise State had a higher BCS ranking than Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Thing is, if Ohio State AD Gene Smith had passed on the Gator Bowl last year as a self-imposed bowl ban, Bama wouldn't even be playing tonight. It's got to be killing Urban Meyer.
As much as I don't like Bama, I like that the insufferable ND fans got their comeuppance. Watching the talking heads for the last coupla days, those that favored Bama acknowledged the seriousness of the task at hand. The ND fawners talked about the fact that Bama wouldn't even get a TD against the Irish D.
Time to reiterate the idea that the Bama team last night could have handled many pro teams of only 30 years ago. Just look at the size of the Bama O and D lines and the power of their RBs and tell me they couldn't be effective back then.
Marlow wrote: Time to reiterate the idea that the Bama team last night could have handled many pro teams of only 30 years ago. Just look at the size of the Bama O and D lines and the power of their RBs and tell me they couldn't be effective back then.
And yet Johnny Football beat them, and Georgia came up just 5 yards short.
guru wrote:And yet Johnny Football beat them, and Georgia came up just 5 yards short. One more year until the playoffs
Everyone gets an off-game (and it took Johnny FOOTBALL to do it). I'll grant that ND was 'off' last night, but Bama was 'ON' (!) and would have handled TA&M last night.
The 4-team play-off won't settle all that much, because individual games are still about what 'breaks' you get (receivers bobbling passes that are intercepted, weird fumbles, untimely penalties, a missed tackle that leads to a TD, etc. - T'eo much?!) .
Well that was sure fun last night. Glad to see ND get pounded, even though I dislike Alabama. ND was so overrated with a fairly easy schedule and luck to boot. Should have lost to Stanford at home, barely beat BYU at home and met USC without their QB.
Oregon, Alabama would have been a much better pairing.
guru wrote:Thing is, if Ohio State AD Gene Smith had passed on the Gator Bowl last year as a self-imposed bowl ban, Bama wouldn't even be playing tonight. It's got to be killing Urban Meyer.
I'm not so sure about that. Ohio State has weak computer rankings due to an unusually weak schedule.
guru wrote:Thing is, if Ohio State AD Gene Smith had passed on the Gator Bowl last year as a self-imposed bowl ban, Bama wouldn't even be playing tonight. It's got to be killing Urban Meyer.
I'm not so sure about that. Ohio State has weak computer rankings due to an unusually weak schedule.
Yes, the Big 10 was a big suck this year. And remember ND barely beat Michigan who got pounded by Alabama back in September.
As for the computer rankings, which put ND first, ha...
This wasn't Catholics vs. Cousins as the souvenir T-shirts mocked. This was Men vs. Boys. Only the BCS computers looked worse than Notre Dame did. Has a 12-1 team ever been more exposed in a big game?
