iggymcfly

So open! So open! This is just painful to watch. It's one thing if there's good D and you can't move the ball for that reason, but Swanson just got absolutely scorched two plays in a row. I think Ball's just losing his confidence at this point. Take the Ball from the Maryland game and it would be a TD on either one of those plays.

How in the hell does Ball miss Calvin Johnson there? He was five yards away! Just put it in his hands and it's a TD.

Say you do have an 4-team playoff, how do you decide who gets in? Do you just take the top 4 teams in the BCS? Because if you do, Utah two years ago, Boise State this year, and pretty much any undefeated mid-major for the next 20 years still probably wouldn't get in. It works as a 'bare minimum' solution, and is definitely better than the current system, but it still leaves half the teams in I-A with exactly zero chance at a championship if they go undefeated. An 8-team playoff would be much more efficient. The other thing I like about an 8-team playoff is that it makes the conference races meaningful again. Arkansas and Florida wouldn't just be playing for a chance at some meaningless exhibition. They'd be playing for a spot in the NCAA playoffs. Rutgers with a win tomorrow would be looking at a first round game against Ohio State or USC. I think winning a major conference (unless they're absolute shit like the ACC this year) should mean something.

Don't you get it? They're completely uninterested in you. And your marriage. Because you're a gimmick account. That's why they make sure never to talk about you when they post in your thread 100+ times. Which they just happen to be reading every day.

Nah, Michael's had some genuine moments. The episode where he closes the deal at Friday's with Jan when Tim Meadows is visiting is one of my favorites. And the episode where he brings in the video when he was on the kid's show, and it's about he just wants to have a wife and a big family, that feels genuine. Or even when he's hosting the Dundee's and trying to be entertaining, but butchering the whole thing, that's funny too. But when he's proposing to someone he's known for a few weeks in front of a crowded room, or bringing a huge room full of people together to do an imitation of a prison inmate to try to make people realize "prison's worse than work" when not even a five year old would use that thought process, that's just embarrassingly bad television. Michael, the silly insecure boss? I love it. Michael the five year old incapable of rational thought? Not so much.

Well, with the Central Michigan win, I'm officially the WAC Champion. I'd assume that unless I get every pick the rest of the way wrong now, I'll be playing either Miami or Syracuse in the BCS title game.

I must be in the minority. I really haven't liked any of the last three episodes. Michael's gone from being the kind of dim-witted authority figure that we can all identify with having to deal with to being a ridiculous cartoon. The "scared straight" thing was more embarrassing than humorous. I really hope that this is just a transition phase while they combine the branches, because I haven't liked the last few episodes at all.

Terrific call on the shovel pass there. That was just a beautiful play to get the first down.

I don't get how an 8-team playoff changes any of those things. If they kept the bowl system and just added three playoff games at the beginning of December and then added a championship game at the end, they'd be making more money if anything. And it wouldn't change the schedule that much either. Notre Dame, Michigan, and USC could all play 12 games still. Texas and Texas A&M would have to play one week earlier, but it would still feel just as important since it would be the last week of the regular season. All I'm saying is make the last Saturday in November the week where we get the conference championship games and USC/UCLA. The regular season sets things up well, but can you honestly say that it differentiates USC, Michigan, Florida, and Boise State this year? Or Oklahoma, Auburn, and Utah two years ago? Of course not. They all look worthy, and we need an 8-team playoff to separate the teams. Look through my plan and show me how it costs anyone money or ruins the schedule. If we have to trade Texas playing Texas A&M one week earlier for giving every team in the country a legitimate shot at the championship, I think that's a fair trade-off.

I can't believe people are hating on the NFL network coverage. This is really the only NFL announcing crew I can stand. They sound like they actually know something about football and enhance the game, rather than someone like John Madden where it sounds like someone's playing statements recorded from his video game or something. This is far and away my favorite crew to watch a game with. As for the actual game, I've been enjoying it for now. Even though it's been low-scoring, the offenses (OK Cincy) has been moving the ball well, and the game's been exciting. I also bet on Cincy -3 which probably is the main reason for my happiness with the game thus far.

I know it's frowned upon and it was a stupid thing to say to the media, but if I'm pissed that Pujols didn't get the MVP, then why shouldn't he be pissed? He had a higher OPS, better clutch numbers, played better defense, and played on a team that made the playoffs. The only reasons Howard got the award are: 1) He was a "fresh" candidate whereas Pujols has been good for years. 2) He played in a bigger media market. 3) Half the idiot writers don't look at any stats but BA, HR, and RBI when making their determination.

To be honest, when I initially defended him, I'd only seen the 10-second clip on Larry King. After seeing the full diatribe on the internet, and hearing his comments afterwards, yeah he's a stupid racist. As far as Seinfeld goes, I'll be just as bored with it as I was before, since I've seen every episode 5 times despite never really watching the show when it first aired.

That's fair and impartial. If you win your conference and finish with a decent ranking, you get in, and if you have a really good season, but don't win your conference (like Michigan and LSU), you get in too. I'd probably make some minor tweaks to the BCS (let the computers take margin of victory into account up to 25 points, weight the computer rankings heavier, get rid of the Harris poll), but I think in general the system is fine as a way to rank teams. The problem is that you can't possibly differentiate between the second and third place teams in the country because they usually both had worthy seasons. When you get into a 16-team playoff, you do run into the problem of devaluing the regular season. Michigan/Ohio State? Meaningless. LSU/Arkansas? Meaningless. The SEC championship game? West Virginia/Louisville? USC/Notre Dame? All meaningless. Really, who gets snubbed in an 8-team playoff that deserves to get in so badly? Wisconsin? Notre Dame? Notre Dame has two losses this year by twenty points each and Wisconsin finished third in their own conference. Do you really think that either of those teams is good enough to win a national title? No way. Division I-AA has a 16-team playoff. You know how many "big regular season games there are in I-AA? Outside of rivalry games, none. Montana (the team where I live) has made the playoffs 14 years in a row. Fourteen in a row. Basically, before the year starts, everyone knows they'll be in the playoffs and it's just a question of "how does the team look", much like it would be for Duke or North Carolina during basketball season. Do you want that to start happening for the Trojans, Buckeyes, or Gators every year? Also, you can't have fans flying to three different bowl sites to watch playoff games. It's just not practical. Maybe a couple rich alums who have their own private jets would be able to do it, but the average student who's been following the team will have no chance at getting the money together for that. If you do have a 16-team playoff, you're basically scrapping the bowl system and doing so immediately. Just say "if you're not a Top-16 team, you're screwed" and have the first three rounds at campus sites. Of course, the problem with this is that the MAC, C-USA, Mountain West, and Sun Belt champions will get nothing out of their seasons, and the gap between the major schools and mid-major schools will actually widen rather than close. The way college football's set up, with definite 'haves' and 'have nots', there needs to be some kind of playoff accessible for any team that gets through their season undefeated, but at the same time the bowl system needs to remain intact to give more realistic goals for the Central Michigan's and Middle Tennessee State's of the world to shoot for. I think my system balances both well, but a 16-team playoff would be just as bad for I-A football as the current system.

I didn't list it, but I actually had an idea for that too. The three non-semifinal BCS games would pay out $10 million each, the semifinal games would pay out $15 million each, and the championship game would pay out $20 million. Since the quarterfinals would be played at campus sites, they would just operate as regular home games for the host institutions. "Independents" is fair and gives Navy a shot if they go 12-0 some year while not giving Notre Dame any unfair advantages. I wanted every team in the country to at least have some chance of going to the title game if they go undefeated. As for the Boise State/USC game, I was just giving an example of how upsets would be possible in this system that would give small-conference teams a chance to compete. I'm not saying that they definitively would beat the Trojans, especially if they had to go the Coliseum. I do think they could give them a game though, as in their three biggest games this year, they beat Oregon State 42-14, beat Utah 36-3, and beat Nevada 35-7. In fact, Boise State/USC is a game I'd love to see in any format.

I already said the quarterfinals would be played at campus sites the first week of December. The students would still be there, and you'd have just a regular home crowd for those games. The semifinals would be January 1 and January 2. By having the championship game at the same site as the semifinal of the highest ranked team (i.e. at the Rose Bowl in my above example), it allows the fans of that team to extend their reservations and stay for the championship game. I didn't state it explicitly, but I was thinking that (for instance) Ohio State fans who had semifinal tickets would automatically be able to get championship tickets if their team won the semifinal. It would be tough for fans of the other national championship team to get there, but it would be no different than a Florida or UCLA fan trying to snap up Final Four tickets last year at the last minute after watching a regional final game across the country. I did try to make it possible for fans to travel to the games, but I think keeping the bowl system intact is also necessary for a playoff to function. The tradition's just too strong with the bowls to completely abandon them, and if all the major bowls are meaningless to the championship, the whole system will start to crumble. I thought that keeping the championship at the same site as one of the semifinals was a good compromise between incorporating the playoffs into the bowl system, and still making it possible for fans to see both games without busting their budgets.

Since there's not a whole lot going on right now, I'm going to post my plans for how I'd run I-A football if I had the option: 1. Regular season ends the last week of November. Conference championship games, USC/UCLA, and everything else is all finished by the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Also, 12 games is the absolute maximum, so if your conference holds a championship game, you only get to schedule 11 regular season games. 2. 8-team playoff is implemented to crown a national champion. 16 teams would be too many and would devalue the regular season as teams started to clinch playoff berths far ahead of time. 4 teams isn't a real playoff. It's just another way to set up a big game. If a team like Boise State or Utah goes undefeated, I think they should have at least a chance at a national title. 3. Teams qualify for the I-A football playoffs as follows: (i.) All independents ranked in the Top 8 of the final BCS standings automatically get in. (ii.) The top 6 conference champions in the BCS rankings qualify regardless of conference affiliation. (iii.) Any remaining spots are filled by at-larges by BCS ranking. 4. Quarterfinal games are played at campus sites the first week of December. At-larges are ineligible to host first-round games, but independents are not. The top four conference champions/independents in the BCS rankings are seeded 1-4 and all host quarterfinal games. The highest seed will face the lowest BCS ranked team, the second highest will face the second lowest, etc., unless two teams from the same conference are set to meet in the first round. If so, the high seed will switch pairings with the team ranked directly below them. 5. The bowl system remains intact. Most of the lower bowls will still function the same way that they always did. A few useless ones will be removed, but for the teams out of the national title race, the postseason will remain largely the same. 6. The national semifinals will be held at bowl sites. The Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, and Cotton Bowls will play host to the two national semifinals as well as three other major bowl games. The higher ranked team will determine the site of the semifinals. If the higher ranked team in the semifinal is from the Pac-Ten or Big Ten, the semifinal will be played at the Rose Bowl. If the higher ranked team is from the SEC, it will be the Sugar Bowl. If from the Big XII, the Fiesta Bowl. If from the ACC, the Orange Bowl. If an independent, Big East, or mid-major is the higher ranked team, the semifinal will be played at the Cotton Bowl. If a Pac-Ten team is #1 going into the semis and a Big Ten team #2, the Big Ten team will play at the Cotton Bowl site. In the reverse situation, the Pac-Ten team would play at the Fiesta Bowl site. 7. The teams narrowly missing playoff berths will play "snub games" at major bowl sites. The lowest-ranked conference champion that loses in the first round of the playoffs will play the highest-ranked conference champion that misses the playoffs in a BCS game. Likewise, the lowest-ranked at-large/independent that loses will play the highest-ranked at-large missing the playoffs. If no at-large/independent loses in the first round, the 2nd lowest ranked conference champion will fulfill this obligation. The two remaining first-round losers will also play a game at a major bowl site. 8. The two semifinal winners wil square off in an officially recognized NCAA Championship game. This game will be played on the first Monday that is at least a full week after the 2nd semi is played on January 2, at the site of the bowl game of the highest ranked team entering the semis. This gets the title game site set a month in advance and also allows fans of the best team in the country to not have to make multiple travel plans. Here's an example of how the playoff field might look this year: Quarterfinals Oklahoma at (1)Ohio State LSU at (4)Louisville Boise State at (2)USC Michigan at (3)Florida Major Bowl games: National semifinals Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Louisville Cotton Bowl: Boise State vs. Michigan Games of interest Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Oklahoma Sugar Bowl: Florida vs. USC Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame vs. LSU Obviously, the semifinals would be even more guesses than the quarterfinals would, but I wanted to give an idea how the "snub" concept could make the bowl games with no title implications more interesting.

The OU thing didn't last long, but yes it was just as bad as the USC stuff now for most of the year that LSU won the title. Oklahoma was being compared to other teams to see if they were "the best of all-time". Bob Stoops was the best football coach since Ara Parseghian. Jason White led the most explosive offense in college football history. Then they lost to Kansas State and not only did they lose "best team ever" status, but they became the poster children for everything wrong with the BCS. Dama really is like a jilted lover here, as USC basically displaced OU as the object of ESPN's affection. Edit: When I say the USC stuff "now", I really mean the USC stuff last year. USC gets a little bit too much credit in the media, but it's nothing like last year.

But don't let it be a black and a white one. They'll slam you down to the street top. Black po-lice showing off for the white cops.

The bottom of their schedule was tougher, as in Stanford was better than Western Carolina and Washington was better than Vanderbilt. However, the top performances against good competition clearly favor Florida over USC, and Michigan over either one. Here's something I wrote on 2+2 comparing USC's resume to Florida's and I think we can all agree that Michigan's a better team than Florida is right now: "Actually, it's too close to say confidently either way, but I think when you look at their entire resumes this year, Florida deserves a title shot more than USC. Their big road win (over Tennessee with Ainge completely healthy) was better than USC's big road win (over Arkansas with McFadden getting 9 carries and no QB). Remember, Arkansas just wasn't that good at the beginning of the year as if Vandy and Alabama could kick FGs, the Hogs would have started 1-3. Their big home win (by 13 over LSU getting the benefit of a lot of turnovers) was better than USC's big home win (by 20 over Notre Dame getting the benefit of a lot of missed 4th down conversions). I don't think anyone would argue that ND's as good as LSU right now. If they played, I'd give it to the Tigers by at least two touchdowns. And Florida's loss was nowhere near as bad as USC's was. For all the talk about Auburn being overrated, they went 10-2 in the SEC. Oregon State went 8-4, and lost to Boise State and Cal by 4 TDs each. More recently, they gave the most anemic offensive performance I've seen from a Top 30 team in a loss to UCLA. If we're looking one more game down, I'd say a neutral site win over Arkansas in the SEC championship, the way they're playing now, with McFadden and Jones pounding the ball for 200 yards a game would be better than a home win over Cal, no matter what the score. Both teams had close calls against low-to-mid-level opposition whether it's South Carolina and Florida State or Washington and Washington State, and I really could care less if Stanford's better than Western Carolina. At the top of the schedule, Florida accomplished more than USC and thus deserves to be in the championship game over the Trojans. Now why did I spent six paragraphs arguing who the #3 team in the country is? I have no idea. I will say without hesitation that Michigan deserves to be #2 over either USC or Florida. That's an argument I'll save for another time though."

Be on the verge of getting voted into the national championship game over more deserving Michigan and Florida teams on the basis of national reputation alone. I'm not going to be pissed off now about something that Mack Brown did two years ago, but I will be pissed about the team that's unjustly getting into the title game this year.

How does Spoontoaster get banned for the funniest post he made during his whole duration posting here? If you think that post was racist, I honestly feel sorry for you.

The Office is really funny, but you have to get the right episode. The last couple episodes this season, have been way overdone on everything to the point that they're just not funny anymore. Every episode from Season 1 though and about 90% of the episodes from Season 2 were just downright hilarious. If you watch 'Diversity Day' and still don't like the Office, you just have a shitty sense of humor.

Congratulations Leena. It sounds like you've got something good going despite your misgivings, and I hope it works out for you. I guess when your engagement thread's in the Chocolate Socket, it's expected that you'll get some people trolling it, but ignore them. If you've got a chance to get some real happiness, go for it.

I'm pretty sure that if Notre Dame goes to the Rose Bowl, then the Sugar Bowl will take Louisville to play the SEC Champion and LSU will end up going to the Orange Bowl. However, Michigan/Notre Dame was such a blowout the first time, that I wouldn't be surprised if the Rose Bowl committee takes LSU. LSU will travel just about as well as Notre Dame would, and I'd think the interest from football fans in the matchup would be enough to counteract the national interest of 'OMG, Notre Dame's playing'.

Notre Dame won't be in the Top 8. They're currently ranked #10 and won't pass USC no matter what. The only way they get an automatic berth now is if Louisville loses to UConn and drops below them along with Arkansas. I didn't know that the automatic berth for the Top 4 could only be applied to one team though. If so, yeah Louisville's got no shot at an at-large. Luckily, there's still that 80% chance that West Virginia beats Rutgers.