NCAAF Thread - 2009

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

My Oregon Ducks just handed USC it's second double-digit loss since 2002, and it's worst since '97. I'm sure that most of you saw it. Our offense was clicking! (We had nine trips to the RZ and only punted once!) USC's defense was completely dominated on the line and in the secondary. Their offense was stalled time and time again by our lightning-fast "Gang Green"-esque defense. It's official: The Ducks are GOOD. I'd put them against any team in the nation playing the way they are now. The question is, how do you rank them? There are several unbeaten teams in the nation (Iowa, TCU, BSU, and Cincinnati), but Oregon's strength of schedule and sheer dominance in the last few games makes a strong case for them to play leap-frog. How do you rank the top-10 now?

1. Texas
2. Florida
3. Alabama
4. Cincinnati
5. Oregon
6. Iowa
7. TCU
8. BSU
9. LSU
10. Georgia Tech

 

[Shocky]

I know you're excited that Oregon won, but there is no way you can rank them above Boise State at this point. Oregon might, and I stress might, be a better team then Boise now, but it's a 12 week season. In the current lose one game and your fucked system, Oregon is out of the contest, especially with the one team they lost to being an undefeated team in Boise St. Boise has the head to head victory, and should be ranked ahead of the Ducks. I don't like the system, but it's what we have to work with.

As far as my top ten.

1. Florida. It had been Alabama, but the champs are starting to play like a dominant team should. They should be given the benefit of the doubt regardless, because they've won 15 in a row or something to that extent.

2. Texas. This Texas team is finally starting to play like everyone thought they would all year. They are dangerous, and the defense is straight up shut down defense. The Big 12 is having an off year, but an undefeated Big 12 deserves to play for a national title, as much as it kills me.

3. Alabama: I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt at this point. They haven't been as impressive as of late, but they've played pretty good ball this year so far. There are certainly chinks in the armor, and i think LSU can get them this weekend.

4. Cincinnati: Homerism at it's finest, but I dont' give a damn. Every game but one has been decided by double digits or more. They have a top 5 offense, a long with a pretty damn impressive defense. UC has been rolling teams with a backup quarterback. 3 games in a row at home and then the Big Finally against a potential top 10 if not higher Pitt team on December 5th. IF UC is undefeated at the end of the year, I take them over a one loss SEC team any day of the week.

5. Boise St. Another team that simply has been rolling over opponents left and right. Essentially this is a bullshit spot as I could see them and TCU flip flopping and essentially tied for this 5th spot.

6. TCU. Easily can be flip flopped with the Broncos above. Hopefully the Fiesta bowl matches Boise and TCU up with one another.

7. Iowa. I am not a fan of the Big Ten. In fact, I hate the Big Ten. aside from the ACC, easily the most over rated conference in the country. Iowa is the least impressive of the undefeated teams, and deserves none of the respect that the 6 above them are getting. The teams above them have shown the ability to blow teams otu, Iowa has shown the ability to do just enough to win.

8. Oregon: Easily the best one loss team in the country right now, but LSU could give them a run for their money. The offense is clicking. I think they are a better team then the Hawkeyes, but I simply on principal can't put a one loss team above an undefeated team at this point in the season.

9. LSU: Have a chance to keep a slim national title game opportunity alive. The possibility of beating both Alabama and then Florida would launch them back up. However, I don't put them in a title game if their are two unbeaten teams from BCS conferences left, despite the unabashed love the SEC gets.

10. Pittsburgh: I might be a Big East homer, but Pittsburgh Defense is damn good. They have 3 games coming up against Notre Dame, West Virginia and Cincinnati to prove just how good they are. That defense is comparable with anyone in the country, and the running game is good enough to keep any high powered offense on the sideline.

 

[gd]

I think that the top 7 teams in the country have to be all of the undefeated ones. I'm big on the putting undefeated teams as high as possible, even if they're schedule wasn't great. If they've done all they could possibly do, you can't fault them for that.

So, here's my top 10

1. Florida - They've looked great recently and have speed everywhere.

2. Alabama - Great defense, great special teams, great running game. If McElroy can play decent, they should go far.

3. Texas - McCoy is finally starting to put in together and they have a relatively easy road from here on at.

4. Cincy - I agree with Shocky, if you go undefeated in a BCS conference, you have to be ahead of a one loss team, no question. However, they've have to beat Pitt to do so, and I don't see that happening.

5. Iowa - They may not have looked great every week, but they get the job done in the end. They have a great D-Line and have wins against Penn State and Arizona. A game at Ohio State is the only thing separating them from an undefeated season. Plus, they're currently #2 in the computers, so they have a decent shot at the national title game.

6. Boise State - Most of their schedule is shit, but the win against Oregon is impressive.

7. TCU - Not sure how good the MWC is this year, but they're undefeated, so they are ranked highly.

8. Oregon - The looked awesome against an overrated USC team. Their early season slip up is the only thing keeping them from being squarely in the middle of the national title picture.

9. Pitt - I would call this homerism, but I don't think it is. I think Pitt is the #2 one loss team in the country right now. They have a tough schedule coming up with 3 of the next 4 agains ND, Cincy, and WVU. However, only the WVU game is on the road. They have a legit shot at winning all of those games and winning a BCS game. However, I'm still not sure if I'm ready to trust Bill Stull.

10. Georgia Tech - I love the way they play, it's crazy seeing a team that hardly ever passes be so dominant. They are in the rather weak ACC, but are still very impressive.

 

[Shocky]

Georgia Tech is a fun team to watch, and they are my #11. Like you said, that offense they run is a pain in the ass, and they took it to Virginia Tech, which always impresses me with their D. i'm not big on the ACC but they are certainly a team to watch,a nd certainly look like they are going to be the BCS representative. If Pitt knocks out UC, I could see Pitt and GT in the Orange Bowl. I know most non Big East/ACC fans would hate that game, but I personally would love to watch that game.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

There are some bad situations that the BCS can be in besides a whole lot of teams being undefeated. Say that Alabama beats LSU but loses to somebody else before the championship game and Florida remains undefeated. Then Alabama beats Florida for the SEC Championship. Do you think it's possible that Florida and Alabama will be #1 and #2 especially if Texas loses or wins unimpressively in the Big 12 Championship Game?

 

[gd]

Georgia Tech is a fun team to watch, and they are my #11. Like you said, that offense they run is a pain in the ass, and they took it to Virginia Tech, which always impresses me with their D. i'm not big on the ACC but they are certainly a team to watch,a nd certainly look like they are going to be the BCS representative. If Pitt knocks out UC, I could see Pitt and GT in the Orange Bowl. I know most non Big East/ACC fans would hate that game, but I personally would love to watch that game.

Ya, the Orange Bowl generally is ACC/Big East, and regardless of what team wins, no one thinks much of it because they say that both conferences suck. It was a big deal when WVU beat Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl a couple of years ago, because the Big 12 is perceived as being on a completely different leve. I still think the ACC is decent enough though, better than the Big Ten and possibly Pac 10.

Also, I'd have LSU at #12 behind Penn State. From what I've seen from them, their offense is just abysmal. Jefferson isn't a very good QB at all. They should've lost the Miss St if it wasn't for a goal line stand and I don't see them having a chance against Bama. If they weren't in the SEC, I don't think they'd be thought of as highly as some people think of them.

There are some bad situations that the BCS can be in besides a whole lot of teams being undefeated. Say that Alabama beats LSU but loses to somebody else before the championship game and Florida remains undefeated. Then Alabama beats Florida for the SEC Championship. Do you think it's possible that Florida and Alabama will be #1 and #2 especially if Texas loses or wins unimpressively in the Big 12 Championship Game?

I think that'd be complete bullshit. I get that the SEC is good, but why should a 1 loss SEC team get the nod ahead of an undefeated Cincy or Iowa? They just shouldn't. I'd even make the argument that TCU or Boise would be ahead of them. Hopefully some crazy things happen in the next few weeks that really shake stuff up at the top of the standings. I don't think the BCS will change until there is a truly disatorous year that clearly shows what a horrible system there currently is.

 

[Theo Mays]

Goodbye Hawkeyes. Iowa's undefeated season has come to an end, as they just lost to Northwestern. As a Penn State fan this makes me happy, as I can stand Iowa. Now PSU stands a chance and needs to take out Ohio St today.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

The BCS hasn't been without controversy and I see another scenario on the horizon which could put the BCS in even more negative light. I'm assuming that the Top 4 of the BCS standings will be like this.

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Cincinnati

Cincinnati has the toughest schedule out of the four in my opinion because they still have to play Pittsburgh and West Virginia. If all four teams are undefeated going into championship week, it's guaranteed that one of the top four is going to lose since Alabama and Florida will play against each other. If Cincinnati can win out that will put them in a good position. What happens if Texas loses in the Big 12 Championship game? Oklahoma did in 2004 but yet they still went to the BCS National Championship game. If the Alabama/Florida and Texas/??? games are close, then it could be a possibility that one of those two teams can still be ahead of Cincinnati. I hope this doesn't happen because Cincinnati is a damn good team and it would be unfair if they win their conference and still are behind Texas and Alabama/Florida who lost their title game.

What do you think about this scenario? How strong of a possibility do you see this of occurring?

 

[gd]

The projected standings I saw had had TCU at 4 and Cincy at 5 which shows you how highly the BCS ranks Cincy. I think that a close SEC Title game or a close Texas loss could keep the loser in the national title picture and I think it's almost certain that we'll see Texas v. Bama/Florida winner though. None of those teams have particulary tough schedules, and even if Cincy goes undefeated, I don't think they will, I'd be surprised to see them in the BCS National Title Game. Is it right? No. But that's just the way it is.

 

[Shocky]

Figures UC gets screwed by the BCS, but that's okay. UC's strength of schedule if they win out will get them to jump TCU. It just appears that TCU is the darling of the world this year, and that UC playing in the "over rated" Big East is the scapegoat that's going to take the fall. Put UC and TCU on a neutral field, and UC wins by 21, easy. The Mountain West is a joke, let's hope Utah takes care of business come Saturday night.

 

[BooCocky]

I can't believe my beloved Panthers lost last night. They should have destroyed WVU. But when you miss two field goals and you turn the ball over twice you wont win many games. Stull was ineffective outside of one pass to Baldwin. Our receivers couldn't catch anything outside of Baldwin, and it was just a big mess. Our defense played strong outside of one run by Devine. We're gonna have to tighten up if we want a chance to beat Cinci. Stull is gonna have to play better. 16-30 and two interceptions just wont cut it. O well, I still have some faith for next Saturday.

Hail_to_Pitt.

 

[Shocky]

This weekend starts the Bowl Season, 34 games of thrilling college action over the next 3 weeks. (of course it's "impossible to run an 8 team playoff with other bowl games being played during this period, because you know, the students can't handle it, blah blah blah). So we begin with the opening weekend.

The Prestigious New Mexico Bowl.

Fresno St. v. Wyoming.

I love Pat Hill. The bulldogs started off slow this year, but ended up winning the last 7 of 8 games they played. Their running game is the 3rd? best in the country, or top ten somewhere. Regardless, they are beast. They have the best rusher in the country (his name escapes me, which is sad because he's going to be a Heisman candidate next year).

All of this doesn't bode well for they wyoming Cowboys. Why you ask? Well simple, Wyoming has a rush defense that is ranked in the 90's. This is why I hate the bowls, because an undererving 6-6 team is crapping everything up. Now Wyoming has potential to be decent the next few years, but not this year.

Shocky Pick: Fresno State wins hands down. They are going to run the ball down Wyoming's throat. It's probably going to be unwatchable because Fresno will have the ball damn near 40 minutes.


St. Petersburgh Bowl

UCF vs. Rutgers.: Talk about a home game for Central Florida. A college in Orlando gets to play it's bowl game in Tampa, seems pretty fair to me. Holy domino effect. If a Big East team jumps to the Big Ten, UCF has already been mentioned as a possible replacement team to jump.

UCF has a top 25 win against Houston, Rutgers plays against the likes of Pitt, WVU, and Cincy throughout the year. Rutgers also has a core of Freshman skill players on offense that are good now, and can be deadly in years to come.

Shocky Pick: The Big East is exceptional in Bowl Season, and I don't see them losing here. Granted, Rutgers is very freshman oriented, so a bad beginning could lead to a shaky game. Rutgers should win.


New Orleans Bowl:

SMU vs. Mid Tennessee St. Oye, New Orleans needed another bowl game [/sarcasm]. This games scheduling doesn't do it any favors either, going up against the Sunday Night Football game. Two Mid Majors in a meaningless bowl game, and no one is going to watch.

Shocky's pick: In all honesty, I haven't watched any of these two play at all, one snap this year. I'm sure it's a big game to the kids on the team. I hear that Mid Tennesse has a good defense, and SMU has a good offense. I like Offense, so I go with SMU.