The College Football Thread 9/20 - 9/22

[Bored 0]

Might as well call this SEC Week as the three biggest games are all in that conference while the rest of the schedule is pretty bleak in terms of big time games. The Thursday game is a fairly interesting match-up between former powerhouses that rarely play each other and I suppose Washington/UCLA has serious Sun Bowl implications for those of you looking to visit El Paso this holiday season. The ABC primetime slot is regional this week with two terrible match-ups and I'll post the coverage map when it becomes available. Northwestern/Ohio State will be on ABC in Ohio only with Penn State/Michigan switched to ESPN.

 

Network/Basic Cable Schedule

 

THURSDAY

#20 Texas A&M at Miami, 7:30/4:30 PM, ESPN

 

FRIDAY

#4 Oklahoma at Tulsa, 8:00/5:00 PM, ESPN2

 

SATURDAY

North Carolina at #23 South Florida, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN

East Carolina at #5 West Virginia, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN2

Ball State at #24 Nebraska, 12:30 PM/9:30 AM, FSN

 

#12 South Carolina at #2 LSU, 3:30/12:30 PM, CBS

Michigan State at Notre Dame, 3:30/12:30 PM, NBC

#10 Penn State at Michigan, 3:30/12:30 PM, ABC*

Northwestern at #8 Ohio State, 3:30/12:30 PM, ESPN*

Texas Tech at Oklahoma State, 3:30/12:30 PM, FSN

 

#21 Kentucky at Arkansas, 6:00/3:00 PM, ESPN2

Arizona at #6 California, 6:00/3:00 PM, Versus

Rice at #7 Texas, 7:00/4:00 PM, FSN

#22 Georgia at #16 Alabama, 7:45/4:45 PM, ESPN

Washington State at #1 USC, 8:00/5:00 PM, ABC*

Iowa at #9 Wisconsin, 8:00/5:00 PM, ABC*

 

Purdue at Minnesota, 9:00/6:00 PM, ESPN2

Washington at UCLA, 10:15/7:15 PM, FSN

 

Digital Cable/Satellite/GamePlan Schedule

 

SATURDAY

Georgia Tech at Virginia, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPNU

Illinois at Indiana, Noon/9:00 AM, BTN

#15 Clemson at N.C. State, Noon/9:00 AM, LFS*/GP

Syracuse at #18 Louisville, Noon/9:00 AM, GP

Kent State at Akron, Noon/9:00 AM, GP

Temple at Bowling Green, Noon/9:00 AM, GP

#3 Florida at Mississippi, 12:30 PM/9:30 AM, LFS*/GP

Army at #14 Boston College, 1:00 PM/10:00 AM, ESPN Classic

Duke at Navy, 1:00 PM/10:00 AM, CSTV

Air Force at BYU, 3:00 PM/Noon, Mtn.

Wyoming at Ohio, 3:00 PM/Noon, GP

Maryland at Wake Forest, 3:30/12:30 PM, ESPNU

Colorado State at Houston, 4:30/1:30 PM, CSTV

Portland State at San Diego State, 6:30/3:30 PM, Mtn.

Connecticut at Pittsburgh, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPNU

New Mexico State at Auburn, 7:00/4:00 PM, GP

Arkansas State at Tennessee, 7:00/4:00 PM, GP

Marshall at Cincinnati, 7:30/4:30 PM, GP

San Jose State at Utah State, 8:00/5:00 PM, GP

SMU at TCU, 8:30/5:30 PM, CSTV

Utah at UNLV, 10:00/7:00 PM, Mtn.

 

All Other Div I-A Games

 

THURSDAY

Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee State

 

SATURDAY

William & Mary at #17 Virginia Tech

Illinois State at #25 Missouri

Howard at Eastern Michigan

Miami of Ohio at Colorado

Memphis at UCF

North Dakota State at Central Michigan

Northern Illinois at Idaho

Baylor at Buffalo

Florida Atlantic at North Texas

Troy at Louisiana-Lafayette

Gardner-Webb at Mississippi State

FIU at Kansas

Iowa State at Toledo

Southeastern Louisana at Tulane

Central Connecticut State at Western Michigan

Sacramento State at New Mexico

Texas Southern at UTEP

Oregon State at Arizona State

#13 Oregon at Stanford

Charleston Southern at #19 Hawaii

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Spotlight FCS games...

 

#1 Appalachian State takes on their biggest in-division team at this point in #13 Wofford.

 

Hoping to make the streak 7 games, #5 North Dakota State takes on Central Michigan. Howard also takes on Eastern Michigan. Texas Southern faces off against UTEP and Sacramento State goes up against New Mexico.

[teke184 0]

NDSU can probably beat CMU...

 

CMU has fallen apart since their coach jumped schools. (He's at Cincinnati now, right?)

[Smartly Pretty 0]

Hey, HarleyQuinn, I've always wondered why you like Division II so much. So, uh, yeah, why do you like Division-II so much?

[King Kamala 0]

Hey, HarleyQuinn, I've always wondered why you like Division II so much. So, uh, yeah, why do you like Division-II so much?

 

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe HarleyQuinn is a fan of Division I-AA not Division II.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Hey, HarleyQuinn, I've always wondered why you like Division II so much. So, uh, yeah, why do you like Division-II so much?

 

That's DI-AA/FCS and I explained to Vitamin X in another College Football Thread. To summarize... A: Why not? B: Nobody else focuses on that in these threads so I stand out and C: The quality is often deemed as inferior to I-A (while somewhat true...) and yet the NFL drafts quite a few guys from the division and a lot of players transfer down from I-A teams so it's neat seeing a guy like Justin Rascati make a name for himself in I-AA when he could've been a backup in I-A instead. It's also neat knowing that talented players like Jerry Rice, Brian Westbrook, Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, etc. came from "small" I-AA schools and I get a chance to spotlight a guy who may be the next elite small school player.

[MFer 0]

Part of an article I recently read raised a good point. How is Colt Brennan gonna be a front-runner for the Heisman but Graham Harrell (Texas Tech) not even get mentioned? Aren't they both basically system QB's that put up ridiculous numbers? I've only seen Brennan a couple times so I can't really say what makes him so much better than previous Tech QB's (Kliff Kingsbury. Sonny Cumbie, Cody Hodges, etc...) or even a past Hawaii QB in Timmy Chang. As far as how their teams and competition compare, Harrell plays in a tougher conference (the Big 12 isn't that strong this year but I'd imagine it's still better than the WAC) and is on a team that should make a bowl (3-0 right now). I'm not saying that Harrell is a better player, but he should at least warrant a look.

[teke184 0]

Part of an article I recently read raised a good point. How is Colt Brennan gonna be a front-runner for the Heisman but Graham Harrell (Texas Tech) not even get mentioned? Aren't they both basically system QB's that put up ridiculous numbers? I've only seen Brennan a couple times so I can't really say what makes him so much better than previous Tech QB's (Kliff Kingsbury. Sonny Cumbie, Cody Hodges, etc...) or even a past Hawaii QB in Timmy Chang. As far as how their teams and competition compare, Harrell plays in a tougher conference (the Big 12 isn't that strong this year but I'd imagine it's still better than the WAC) and is on a team that should make a bowl (3-0 right now). I'm not saying that Harrell is a better player, but he should at least warrant a look.

1. Brennan set TD records while at Hawaii last year

 

2. I think Brennan is considered more legitimate by the "mainstream" sportswriters because he was at Colorado before getting thrown off the team for a conviction. (Burglary, IIRC)

 

 

Because he's a former blue-chip prospect from a power BCS program, he probably gets more deference than the average "system" QB from a Texas Tech or Hawaii.

[iggymcfly 0]

Actually, I think Brennan's seen as more legit because he's a 1st-round NFL prospect and has a better arm, better touch on his throws, etc. The Heisman voters don't know this from actual observation, but seem to have got the impression 3rd-hand.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

His throwing motion is ridiculous. He won't succeed at the pro level. Also, pretty sure he got kicked off Colorado for showing his dick to some co-eds. Maybe both happened, I forget.

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

His throwing motion is ridiculous. He won't succeed at the pro level. Also, pretty sure he got kicked off Colorado for showing his dick to some co-eds. Maybe both happened, I forget.

 

It was both.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Brennan's release is definitely sidearm and it's almost like he "pushes" his throws too, given the motion. In the NFL, the defensive line will be constantly knocking his passes down. I think he could be a solid pro but the QB coach will probably try and overhaul his mechanics to at least a 3/4ths delivery (similar to Vince Young) if possible.

[iggymcfly 0]

Was kinda bored and figured I'd do some early BCS projections:

 

National championship game

LSU (13-0) vs. Oklahoma (13-0)

 

Rose Bowl

Oregon (11-1) vs. Ohio State (11-1)

 

Sugar Bowl

USC (11-1) vs. Florida (10-2)

 

Fiesta Bowl

Penn State (11-1) vs. Texas (10-2)

 

Orange Bowl

Clemson (10-3) vs. Rutgers (11-1)

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Wait wait, Iggy, you're saying Oregon wins the Pac-10? Because otherwise, in your scenario, if USC wins the Pac-10, they go to Rose Bowl. In fact if it was a co-champions situation, Rose Bowl would take USC over Oregon.

[Bored 0]

If there is a two-way tie for first place in the Pac-10 the Rose Bowl will select the winner of the head-to-head match-up so if Oregon beats USC they would go to the Rose Bowl in that scenerio. The Rose Bowl only "chooses" the rep if the Pac-10 or Big Ten champ ends up in the BCS Title Game, otherwise they adhere to the normal conference tiebreak scenerios.

[teke184 0]

Who beats Texas to get them to 10-2?

 

OU and who else, A&M?

 

 

Also, how does Florida end up 10-2? Have them losing to Kentucky or SC?

 

If you have them losing to LSU twice, that should be *11-2* for their record.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

If there is a two-way tie for first place in the Pac-10 the Rose Bowl will select the winner of the head-to-head match-up so if Oregon beats USC they would go to the Rose Bowl in that scenerio. The Rose Bowl only "chooses" the rep if the Pac-10 or Big Ten champ ends up in the BCS Title Game, otherwise they adhere to the normal conference tiebreak scenerios.

 

So I guess that means in Iggy's scenario, USC's only loss is to Oregon then. That's very possible but I think USC would lose to Cal or UCLA again before they would lose to Oregon.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I've written off UCLA after that Utah game. Oregon can beat SC, but I think Cal has a better chance to do it.

[Angel_Grace_Blue 0]

Oh, man, this is awesome. Just got this email from AU's Dean of Students (It's a school-wide email). Gotta love the classiness exhibited by loyal college kids.

 

Just for those that don't know what this is stemming from/didn't watch the game: Senior QB Brandon Cox was pulled after throwing interceptions with his first two passes. Freshman Kody Burns was put in, despite knowing all of five plays. However, he performed decently, but as the game wore on, Cox's leadership or maybe just his knowledge of some passing plays was needed, so he came into the game. For this, he was booed. He was also booed as he passed the student section during halftime and I think someone ate his dog.

 

Also, the Dean has the best name ever. Unless it was Jean Green. Dean Jean Green would be nice.

 

Dean Green urges sportsmanship

 

Dear Students,

 

Football season is one of my favorite times of the year. Each week, I can’t wait for Saturday to watch my Auburn Tigers play their best against the rival team. And each week, I am thankful that Auburn students share in my enthusiasm and come out to cheer on the Orange and Blue. However, I was disheartened this past Saturday to hear boos coming from our student section - not aimed at the other team but aimed instead at our own players.

 

As a former Auburn football player, I can tell you first-hand that no one wants to win more than the young men that prepare and give their all on the field each Saturday. A loss is devastating but lessons are learned and you move on. Booing your own team - your own classmates and fellow Auburn students - does nothing toward motivating them to a win. In fact, it is times like these when they need to hear your “War Eagle” cries and cheers of support the most.

 

As the season progresses, please be mindful of the importance of good sportsmanship. Nobody is perfect and a true fan supports his team not just during the good times but also during the adverse times. I hope to see all you true fans there this Saturday as the Tigers take on New Mexico State at 6 p.m. at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

 

Johnny Green

Dean of Students

 

I just think it's hilarious that the Dean's gotta say "Look, kids, stop being stupid assholes. Please?"

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Dean Green! Great name.

[CanadianChris 0]

Too bad his first name isn't Joe. Dean Joe Green would be awesome.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Speaking of awesome: I'm sure most of you have seen this by now, but god, I love it: K-State's

[iggymcfly 0]

Yeah, I'm projecting that USC picks up their only loss against Oregon. The talent level's really close, and with the game being in Eugene, I think the Ducks pull it out. I think Oregon beats Cal too, but probably blows the UCLA game on the road. With both Oregon and USC having 8-1 records, UO would get the tiebreaker and the Rose Bowl.

 

Florida, I have losing at LSU and at South Carolina. I think the Gators are better than the Cocks, but it's another case where home advantage can be the difference in a close matchup. That would likely leave both South Carolina and Florida 6-2 in conference play and SC would "win" the tiebreaker to be Tiger Bait and pick up a third loss in the SECCG, knocking them out of BCS consideration.

[Slayer 0]

Speaking of awesome: I'm sure most of you have seen this by now, but god, I love it: K-State's

Oh man, that video just set us back to the pre-Snyder days

 

It's Manhattan, not Lawrence. We are worlds apart in culture and overall smell.

 

Reply: Now I know Lawrence isn't talking crap about Manhattan's smell, with all those tree huggers and free thinkers not showering for a week to conserve water in Lawrence.

It was almost worth it just for this crack

[Guest Vitamin X]

UCLA this year is like last year's Oregon. Disappointment abound.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

What's the dichotomy between Kansas and K-State? Is one the "smart" Kansas school? Is one the party Kansas school? Or does everyone at both of them mostly just regret living in Kansas?

[AboveAverage484 0]

So looking at the schedule, Alabama has a reasonable chance to go 11-1. I mean, they outrank all of their opponents sans LSU, and play most of their big games at home, with the exception of FSU and Auburn, who aren't nearly as good as in past years, at least so far.

 

It's probably a long shot, but I could see them sneaking up on people as the weeks progress, which would make the LSU game in Tuscaloosa that much bigger.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

And Nick Saban might know a thing or two about LSU, so there's an upset that could happen there.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

The whole video is cheesy-good, but the epilogue in which we're reminded a second time not to forget our power towels is what really pushes it over the top. You'd think it'd be the half-costumed (failed?) mascot dancing in front of a Windows Media Player visualization that does it, but no.

[AboveAverage484 0]

And Nick Saban might know a thing or two about LSU, so there's an upset that could happen there.

 

You know, I didn't really think about that. I still think they drop one, maybe two to teams other than LSU but it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that they'll be playing that game for the right to play in the SEC title game.