The Orange Bowl Thread, Take 2

[Angel_Grace_Blue 0]

The UCLA. Upper Corner of Lower Alabama.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

Why would you ask to be banned and then decide to come back 3 hours later?

because he has shit for brains.

[CanadianChris 0]

Thanks Chris. ACC should be pretty stacked with the addition of Boston College, giving them 5 teams that ranked in the Top 25.

True. Problem is, are any of them going to be able to get past the rest of them without tripping somewhere along the line? It's going to take a really special team to make it to the Rose Bowl out of the ACC.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

I don't see my BC Eagles being a big threat next year. They did pretty good this year because they were in the remains of the Big East, and even then they couldn't win it because they can't beat Syracuse. All BC is good for at this moment seems to be churning out good O-Linemen and the occasional above average RB.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I don't like BC's chances much either, considering that this year's squad got whacked by Wake, one of the ACC's non-glamour teams. I do think BC will make a bowl next year, but they'll probably be fortunate to place 5th or 6th in the conference.

 

The ACC is going to be incredibly rough, especially for everyone in the Coastal division (Miami, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Duke, North Carolina). I don't see FSU having too much trouble at least getting to the championship game in the weaker Atlantic division, but we'll likely see another year where the champ is a 2-loss team heading to the Sugar Bowl. The biggest question marks are going to be whether or not Maryland and NC State will be back on track next season.

[Vern Gagne 0]

The only question about Michigan is how will they give away the game at Pittsburgh next season? It happens every year. Michigan either loses at ND, or at another non-conference opponent.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Interesting that USC wanted Mike Riley, Dennis Erickson, and Mike Belloti. I also remember them being interested in Jeff Fisher. But, Peter Carroll was the 4th choice. Mike Garrett got lucky here.

[iggymcfly 0]

Wake Forest isn't just a non-glamour team in the ACC. They actually went 1-7 in the conference.

 

As for who should do well next year, Va. Tech will be absolutely stacked with Marcus Vick coming back to play QB, and almost every other position returning starters. They should meet Florida State for the conference championship.

 

I've actually been thinking a lot about what will happen next year and here's what I came up with:

 

ACC: Virginia Tech over Florida State

SEC: Alabama over Florida

Big XII: Kansas State over Texas

Big East: Louisville

Big Ten: Michigan

Pac-10: California

BCS at-larges: USC and Texas

 

I think with all the talent that Texas has coming back, they'll finally break the jinx against Oklahoma, but Mack Brown will still find a way to blow their conference championship.

 

USC won't be able to win at Berkley, but with their preseason #1 ranking, they'll move back into the mix when Cal slips up somewhere else along the line.

 

The national title game will then likely be 11-0 Michigan against 10-1 USC, and with a month to prepare for the bowl game yet again, Carroll will make a tremendous gameplan and the Trojans will win their third straight title at home in the Rose Bowl 38-24.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I give Wake a little more credit than the 1-7 in-conference record because they keep it close. Most years they pull out 3 or 4 surprising wins; this year they only managed one. Still, pretty damn unimpressive.

 

Also, Marcus Vick coming back is no big shake for VT. He's nowhere near his brother's level or even Bryan Randall's. His suspension was the best thing to happen to that team this year. The Coastal division should be a three-way race between the two Virginia schools and Miami. My Cavaliers' fortunes in that race will rest on three key factors: how many of the NFL-ready juniors return, whether or not Marques Hagans can get better looks downfield, and whether or not we can return to getting a heavy pass rush out of the 3-4 rather than playing that damned soft zone that gives up easy 8-10 yard passes.

 

Overall, VT does have a bit of a schedule edge since they're the only one of those three teams that doesn't have to play Florida State in the regular season.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I agree, Marcus Vick is a terrible player. He has all of his brother's worst qualities and none of his strengths. Virginia Tech had better hope they have a better QB on that team or it's going to be a long season.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

I think Auburn is kinda fucked heading into next season. They lose both RBs, their QB, and a couple people in that secondary. Their pass rush and run defense will be good but I think they could sport 3 or 4 losses with all the turn over in personnel.

[Guest The Shadow Behind You]

Way too early 2005 predictions

 

Big Ten Champions: Michigan

Big Twelve Champions: Texas

Southeastern Champions: Tennessee

Atlantic Coast Conference Champions: Florida St.

Big East Champions: Louisville

Pac10: USC

 

Rose Bowl

USC Vs Michigan

 

Sugar Bowl

Texas Vs Miami (at Large)

 

Fiesta Bowl

Iowa (at large) Vs Louisville

 

Sugar Bowl

Florida St. Vs Tennessee

[Art Sandusky 0]

The more I think about it, the more I agree with the above post, 'cept Michigan as the Big Ten champs (Ohio State is scary next year) and Florida State as the ACC champs. I can't come close to calling a winner in the ACC this year.

 

The SEC is in a rebuilding phase, with LSU losing Saban and going back to just-below-national-champion level this year and the next. Auburn's losing a lot of its big stars, but Alabama's on the rise, and Arkansas can be golden one year and crap the next. In the East Georgia's losing a good number of starters, Florida's a year away from an SEC title still with the new coach, and South Carolina's got a LOT of work to do. Tennessee's year will be this year if they don't want the kind of ungodly competition the conference has been the last several years, and I see them being a good one or two-loss team.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Alabama's not winning anything with Mike Shula as their coach. The man was a lousy offensive cordinator, and he clueless has a head coach.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Ok. It's been discussed. Where does USC rank all time.

 

Going by what I remember. The 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers are head and shoulders better than anyone else. They dominated their opponents and averaged like 52 points a game. This USC team, had too many close games against mediocre opponents. They play like their capable of than it's a different story.

 

1987-Miami

1994-Penn St.-So what if they didn't win the National Championship. An awesome offense.

2001-Miami

1999-Florida St. Looks like the last hurrah for FSU dominance. Peter Warick outdueld Micheal Vick in the Sugar Bowl.

1997-Michigan-Should of won the title outright. One of the best defenses of all time.

1983-Nebraska-Vaguely remember this team. Arguably the most explosive and best team in CFB history.

1996-Florida-1 loss against FSU. Got revenge in the Sugar. Air Spurrier at it's best.

[CanadianChris 0]

Alabama's not winning anything with Mike Shula as their coach. The man was a lousy offensive cordinator, and he clueless has a head coach.

Eh...prevailing wisdom was that Pete Carroll was clueless as a head coach until he got to USC. I'm interested to see what happens.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

I'd call the 1993 Florida State Seminoles better than the 1999 team. That offense scored 536 points and won the Sugar Bowl over Nebraska. Also the defense only allowed 129 points all year with the highest being Notre Dame(who won 31-24, causing FSU to finish the year 12-1).

[Slayer 0]

Re: The difference between Carroll as NFL head coach vs. college coach

 

I remember an interview he did about halfway through his first season ('01) where he talked about how he loved coaching college way more than NFL because he liked to have fun and be a fun guy and that the NFL was too serious for him while college was allowing him to be himself.

 

I don't think he would (or should, personally) go back to the NFL.

[iggymcfly 0]

Alabama absolutely will be a force in the SEC next year. They had the second best defense in the country, and they were in every game they played into the fourth quarter.

 

The only reason they didn't win any of those games was that they had nobody that could produce at the QB position after Brodie Croyle went down. If you watched the Music City Bowl, you would have seen the whole team make big play after big play in crunch time, but then Pennington would overthrow a receiver or just miss an open receiver completely whenever they had a chance to score.

 

Almost everybody's coming back next year, and as long as Brodie Croyle stays healthy, they should be a 9 or 10 win team and a strong contender if not favorite to win the SEC.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Alabama's not winning anything with Mike Shula as their coach. The man was a lousy offensive cordinator, and he clueless has a head coach.

Eh...prevailing wisdom was that Pete Carroll was clueless as a head coach until he got to USC. I'm interested to see what happens.

Carroll was always a solid defensive of cordinatator in the NFL. His style just didn't click, in the NFL. What did Shula ever prove, coaching the malaise offenses of Miami and Tampa Bay.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

What did Shula ever prove, coaching the malaise offenses of Miami and Tampa Bay.

That your offense is fucked without a good QB?

[Matt Young 0]

I know this is slightly off topic, but I was talking to a friend of mine named Patrick who attends the University of Oklahoma and I mentioned Damaramu. Apparently, he has been blessing the OU message board with posts similar to what he contributes to this place.

 

I don't actively dislike the guy or anything, and he seems nice enough, but I found that to be amusing. I guess he has to get his opinions off his chest somewhere since he can't post here for the time being.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Not too suprising.

 

He should seriously consider a OU blog. That way he can rant and rave, and not take up space in a messageboard.