College Football. Does anybody watch?

[marcos_eirik]

Having been a student in the US for a little while now, I have actually gotten into American football. "My" university has a pretty good team; The Texas Tech Red Raiders, who are currently ranked #2 in the nation, yay...

The early games we played against shit teams like East Washington Eagles, and Southern Methodist Mustangs were fairly boring, but the game last weekend against the University of Texas Longhorns was epic. Yesterday, the Red Raiders absolutely humiliated the Oklahoma State Cowboys 56-20. Next up is University of Oklahoma in two weeks...

[hemoh]

Ahh, Texas Tech! Congrats on beating Texas last week!

One of my younger brother's good friends is a defensive lineman for the University of Wisconsin Badgers (sadly not of the honey kind, though that would be pretty cool). Their season's been a bit of a letdown as they've only won two conference games, but on the 15th have a chance to get three against the hated Golden Gophers of Minnesota.

The winner gets an axe symbolic of the Paul Bunyan legend. Only in America.

[Whappeh]

I don't watch College Football that often, since I don't go to University and I HATE the ranking system.

Texas Tech is the feel good story of the year so far.

[godlikepagan]

I love college football. And ever since i went to the Insight Bowl in 2006 and saw Graham Harrell lead the comeback against Minnesota I have been a closet Tech fan. But as far as my team and family school, the Arizona Wildcats, they just became bowl eligible for the fist time since 1998 . So here's to hoping Tech slaughters the Sooners and Arizona runs the table.

[kEv H]

I started to follow college football once I started going to college. I go to Penn State, and was very disappointed when we lost to Iowa yesterday. Now with that one loss we fell from #3 to #8 I don't really understand the ranking system, and why its used over something better than opinions. (Not that we would have much of a shot vs Texas Tech, Alabama or Texas, in a potential BCS game)

I'm going to the game this weekend vs Indiana, hopefully we will return to winning!

[BlaRo]

Seeing as I go to Syracuse, I don't watch college football because it's too depressing.

[marcos_eirik]

Seeing as I go to Syracuse, I don't watch college football because it's too depressing.

Well, at least they're not SMU...

[tigger]

Having been a student in the US for a little while now, I have actually gotten into American football. "My" university has a pretty good team; The Texas Tech Red Raiders, who are currently ranked #2 in the nation, yay...

"Pretty good" yeah . You guys kicked our ass this year (I go to KSU). But then again, everyone's been kicking our ass this year. We even lost to Colorado! BAAAHHHHH. At least Ron Prince is fired, that made my semester.

I saw that Red Raiders v Longhorns game though. Epic indeed. I know the word is way overused, but that game really was.

I don't watch College Football that often, since I don't go to University and I HATE the ranking system.

I never understood why we don't just have play-offs.

[Crazyjeeper]

Well, at least they're not SMU...

SMU has always sucked at football, beating them is no achievement

/I nearly went to Texas Tech
//Go Red Raiders, or whoever is winning this year

[Seasonone]

I started to follow college football once I started going to college. I go to Penn State, and was very disappointed when we lost to Iowa yesterday. Now with that one loss we fell from #3 to #8 I don't really understand the ranking system, and why its used over something better than opinions. (Not that we would have much of a shot vs Texas Tech, Alabama or Texas, in a potential BCS game)

I'm going to the game this weekend vs Indiana, hopefully we will return to winning!

The rankings are important because they are what setup the BCS title game and serve as tie breakers for conferences title games (which the big 10 doesn't have)

Penn State played a weak schedule, part of the ranking system is "who did you beat" and their schedule is filled with a bunch of nobodies. They have 1 win vs a team that is currently ranked, so looking at the season as a whole (as it's done every week) they aren't that impressive. You don't just drop a spot or two with a loss and are guaranteed a safe landing, if you have a weak strength of schedule and there are other 1 loss teams that have bigger wins under their belt you're going to fall to the bottom of the pack.

Only people to really blame for that would be (other than the people involved in the loss) the athletic director or whoever is in charge of scheduling the out of conference games. You can't expect much when you start out against a Div-AA team and have a bottom feeder of the big east with some mid majors sprinkled in. Florida can get away with playing Citadel because they play at Georgia (preseason #1) LSU (defending champs) and their out of conference games include FL St and Miami, both in state rivals and FL is the #3 recruiting state in the US behind the 2 giant states of Texas and Cali... oh and of course since they have a conference title game they get #1 'Bama in a few weeks.



As for Tech, i hope you lose a boring game vs Oklahoma and Texas gets the higher rank and makes the big 12 title game and the NC. Colt McCoy (best name ever) for the Heisman.

The winner gets an axe symbolic of the Paul Bunyan legend. Only in America.

I personally like the Old Brass Spittoon

A list in case any forigners stumbled into this thread and want a laugh at some traditions

I never understood why we don't just have play-offs.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

"The big BCS conferences get $14 million to $17 million if they have one team in one of the five bowls; a second team, an additional $4.5 million. Last year (obviously the 06 season if ND is mentioned), the six conferences and Notre Dame received a total of $118 million"

There are some semi-legit reasons against it, the players have to miss a lot of class for a long playoff series and afterall they are STUDENT-athletes. Those extra games are an extra chance for a player to get hurt, nothing worse than a career ending injury when you were a pro prospect. It's a lot to ask fans of a team to travel to multiple locations to watch a playoff if they are on neutral fields, and if there are "home teams" that takes away from the people who have brought you those bowl games for years and takes away from those cities. And of course there is the tradition of the whole thing, we've had bowls for years, it's rare to have 3 undefeated teams so for the most part the regular season is the playoffs. If you lose a game and don't make it in you don't really have that much to complain about.

[vegasrebel29]

SMU has always sucked at football, beating them is no achievement

/I nearly went to Texas Tech
//Go Red Raiders, or whoever is winning this year

What.

The Doak Walker Award, an annual collegiate award given to the "most outstanding college running back", is named after SMU Heisman Trophy Winner Doak Walker.

The SMU football program has also produced many professional football standouts, such as Don Meredith, Doak Walker, Kyle Rote, Eric Dickerson, Jerry Ball, and Craig James. Currently four Mustangs are active in the National Football League. Cornerback Kevin Garrett (Carolina Panthers), running back Keylon Kincade (Dallas Cowboys), defensive back Alvin Nnabuife (Green Bay Packers), and most recently, defensive end Justin Rogers who was selected in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots.

From 1980–1985 SMU had the winningest program in Division 1A College Football. They posted a record of 55-14-1, and finished as the #21, #7, #2, #19, and #8 in the nation.

Of course, then they got the death penalty, but still.

[phuckingduck]

Marcos, your description of the college football experience made me laugh.

Feel good everyone, I'm a UW fan.
/wrists

[Whappeh]

I never understood why we don't just have play-offs.

From what I can understand the two main arguments against it are:

1) There isn't enough time to do a full playoff using all applicable teams. Since there are more conferences then god, even if you took the top 2 teams from each conference, it'd take like a month and a half of playing once a week to do it. You would also have to find a better way to rank the teams, if that was the case too, since coaches polls are based on wins and how hard your schedule is (From what I can understand). Since the SEC has more competition then the ACC, it doesn't matter what an ACC team does, the SEC teams will always get more credit... thus making it impossible to have a playoff.

2) Too much money in the BCS. Sponsorship rights for the bowls, TV coverage and advertisements... list goes on and on.

I think it fucking sucks and taints the game, personally. Opinion based national championships are not national champions.

[Sruikyl]

but the game last weekend against the University of Texas Longhorns was epic.

Im still bitter about that lol.
we were doing so good this year too..

[gtrietsc]

What.



Of course, then they got the death penalty, but still.

Beat me to it. But then, he is 19, so he doesn't remember them ever being good. (Full disclosure, SMU can SUCK IT though, as far as I am concerned!)

I was in Vegas for the TCU/UNLV game, so I missed watching the Tech/Texas game. We listened to the finish on the way back to our hotel. What a game!

Iowa upsetting Penn State Saturday was unexpected to say the least.

I have been enjoying college ball a lot more this season than in the past, especially with my Cowboys not playing to a degree worth watching!

[airmenair]

I actaully graduated high scholl with Graham Harrell. I had all the same classes with him, played baseball and basketball with him. Kind of bizarre really knowing someone that well who is becoming very well known.

[marcos_eirik]

I was in Vegas for the TCU/UNLV game, so I missed watching the Tech/Texas game. We listened to the finish on the way back to our hotel. What a game!

Well, in case you missed it, here's the ending to that epic game:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaN_ce47MOY[/YOUTUBE]

The Graham Harrel - Michael Crabtree combination (6+5=7) has been quite awesome this year. Also, Baron Batch, Detron Lewis ans Shannon Woods have all been doing good. But then again, the Texas Tech offense has traditionally been very strong, the difference this year is that the defense has raised their game dramatically.

The rumor is that Crabtree will go pro next season and play with the Dallas Cowboys.

[Seasonone]

I think it fucking sucks and taints the game, personally. Opinion based national championships are not national champions.

It's not just opinion based, they have 2 opinion based polls but there are 6 different computers that rank teams and have more say in the BCS than people do. Computers don't have friends at schools and don't favor historic teams.

And the polls just get you INTO the title game, you still have to win it (ask the big 10)

It may not be perfect but the champs are still the champs, the years where there is huge controversy still don't compare to the years where it is a true winner. When Texas beat USC they were the only 2 undefeated teams in the nation.

And if you're saying they aren't the real national champs than who is?

Im still bitter about that lol.
we were doing so good this year too..

There is still hope, the "tie breaker" when 3 teams are tied in the big 12 is based on (after a long list of stuff that is still even) who is ranked higher in the BCS at the end of the year. With an Oklahoma win over Texas Tech it becomes a story of "who had the best year"

Texas would have; wins over Oklahoma, Mizz, Ok St with a loss to Tech
Oklahoma would have; wins over Tech, now unranked TCU, Oklahoma state, and a loss to Texas
Tech would have; wins over Texas and Oklahoma State with a loss to Oklahoma

All would have a win vs a top ranked team and a loss vs a top ranked team along with a ok st win, the differences would be down to Missouri (most likely big 12 N winner) vs TCU between Oklahoma and Texas.

Of course a best case scenario has Oklahoma beating Tech and and Baylor somehow beating tech too, making the only 1 loss teams Oklahoma and Texas and the tie breaker in that case would be head to head which texas won.


The only other long shot would be if Bama beats FL Tech beats Oklahoma but than tech loses to Missouri in the Big 12 title game, than hope Utah doesn't get enough votes and USC's cupcake schedule keeps them out.

The rumor is that Crabtree will go pro next season and play with the Dallas Cowboys.

Not sure where that rumor started but it's next to impossible, next person that tells you that you have my permission to slap in the face. You don't get to pick what team you play for.

Most scouts have him either the #1 or #2 WR depending on where you put Heyward-Bey, and Dallas doesn't have a 1st round pick. He will go to a top 10 pick like Oakland or Seattle.

They also don't have a first round pick because they traded it (along with others) for WR Roy Williams.

[marcos_eirik]

There is still hope, the "tie breaker" when 3 teams are tied in the big 12 is based on (after a long list of stuff that is still even) who is ranked higher in the BCS at the end of the year. With an Oklahoma win over Texas Tech it becomes a story of "who had the best year"

Texas would have; wins over Oklahoma, Mizz, Ok St with a loss to Tech
Oklahoma would have; wins over Tech, now unranked TCU, Oklahoma state, and a loss to Texas
Tech would have; wins over Texas and Oklahoma State with a loss to Oklahoma

All would have a win vs a top ranked team and a loss vs a top ranked team along with a ok st win, the differences would be down to Missouri (most likely big 12 N winner) vs TCU between Oklahoma and Texas.

Of course a best case scenario has Oklahoma beating Tech and and Baylor somehow beating tech too, making the only 1 loss teams Oklahoma and Texas and the tie breaker in that case would be head to head which texas won.

Well, let's hope Texas Tech beats Oklahoma, and then you basically don't have to worry about a tie breaker at all... Considering how Tech has done this season so far, I wouldn't hold it against them, I'd say a win against Oklahoma more possible than not. And a Tech loss against Baylor is highly improbable, especially as it's a home game for Tech.

[Seasonone]

Ya Baylor shouldn't win but if they (tech) beat Oklahoma they get the big 12 south locked, a problem with teams who "haven't been there" is they look ahead. Tech has never been to the big 12 title game, and have only had a share of the title twice but that was back in the old conference not the big 12. Not likely but than again Oregon State being USC wasn't likely.