The College Football Thread 11/13 - 11/17

[Hogan Made Wrestling 0]

Just to play devil's advocate, isn't the uncertainty of the next three weeks and all the scenarios that surround it, a playoff itself?

 

I'm totally with you, despite the fact that my team has been all but eliminated from the national championship picture (and deservedly so, after last night's debacle). College football is the only sport where I find myself caring about most of the results during the "regular season", rather than just the ones involving my team (and maybe in the case of the NHL, my team's division rivals). Honestly, if it weren't for gambling or fantasy sports (the latter of which I detest, but that's for another thread), how many of you would care about the week-to-week happenings of baseball, basketball, hockey, and even pro football, to the extent that you follow college football, track every team's record, map out scenarios for how the season could play out (we do see this in the NFL somewhat, I know), and so on? If last night's game was Arizona against Seattle in the NFL, would anyone have given it a second look?

 

A four team playoff, which would remove some of the randomness and prevent scenarios that actually are distasteful (such as undefeated BCS conference teams being left out of a shot for the title), would be a pretty acceptable compromise. But barring that, I greatly prefer the current setup to something ridiculous like a 16 team playoff, where a bunch of teams could start resting their starters right now, assuming they didn't care too much about getting the best seeds. The last few weeks of college football are like nothing else in sports, and I would hate to see that uniqueness disappear and sports get more and more homogeneous.

[Bored 0]

The only logical, true playoff that could work is eight teams with the six BCS conference champs and any non-BCS conference unbeaten gets an automatic bid. Use the BCS formula (under some other name) to pick the at large team(s) and seed them using the formula. First round are played at the higher seeded teams stadiums, semi-finals and finals are played at neutral sites. Four team playoff will never happen as the BCS conferences would never agree to a playoff that could leave their champion out of it and a 16 team playoff would be awesome, but overkill and have many logistical issues.

 

I'll give you two words as to why their isn't a playoff already: Rose Bowl. They want nothing to do with it.

[MFer 0]

So, apparently Dixon was playing on a TORN ACL???

[Guest Vitamin X]

Well, and I haven't thought this out much, but I agree with a smaller field for playoffs, and maintaining a bowl game intact for the rest of the teams ranked. For example, keeping the BCS system in place, and let's send, say, the top 6-8 teams to a playoff for the national championship. The rest of the rankings can get included to play some respective bowl games, so that remains intact as well. I like having random bowls, and I know advertisers/sponsors as well as the schools like it themselves. All the other divisions in college football do it, and I personally like seeing a playoff system in place. Maybe even send some of the losers in the smaller team playoffs to some other bowls to play each other? More games = more money, and more fun and excitement for college FB fans.

[Nate 0]

I think what they should do is whoever the top 16 teams are by the start of December they do a 16 team playoff which would culminate in the national champion, that way we would know for sure whos for real and whos fake

[Hawk 34 0]

16 teams would be a mess. You don't need Clemson playing for the rights to claim the national title. No more then 8 teams. Six conference champions and two at-large spots. If a conference champion fails to meet certain standards, they get pushed out for another at-large. The logistics of 16 team playoff is a mess with schools and the strict restrictions many must adhere to.

 

I honestly don't think we need a playoff anymore. I can't be convinced that a rigid 8-16 team format would be more exciting then the drama of multiple teams facing win or die situations throughout the season.

 

Edit: Let me clarify. I won't be against the prospect of a playoff system being implemented for college football. I'm not a traditionalist who refuses to let go of the bowl system (I'm not really concerned what happens to the historic Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl or the prestigious Meineke Car Care Bowl). I question the ability to formulate a system that would be advantageous to the teams, host sites and most importantly, the fans while producing quality and a sense of legitimacy.

[iggymcfly 0]

I'm usually all over the idea of a playoff, but this year, I'm actually glad we don't have one. Every team's already gotten a fair shot and now it's just about who wins the games they're supposed to. FWIW, with an 8-team playoff w/the Top 6 conference champs getting auto-bids, all these teams would still have a realistic chance:

 

Boston College

Clemson

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Connecticut

Cincinnati

West Virginia

Ohio State

Michigan

Kansas

Missouri

Oklahoma

Arizona State

Oregon

UCLA

USC

Florida

Tennessee

Georgia

LSU

Boise State

Hawaii

 

That just seems like overkill to me. It's the better system long-term for years like 2004 when USC, Oklahoma, Auburn, Utah, Cal, and Boise State were all worthy to get a shot at the title, but this year I'm glad for the BCS.

[cabbageboy 0]

Well, in my view they practically HAVE a tourney all but set up, but aren't smart enough to figure it out. The BCS has 10 teams right now that make it. So you can't eliminate 2 teams for an 8 team field. I'd just invite 6 more and make it a 16 team tourney. You can keep the major bowls for the Elite 8 of this, teams just advance to it. Keep the jobber bowls for the other teams, since those still would be fun for fans of those teams and draw decent enough TV ratings (could they be more pointless than now?). I'll even give you the bracket as it would currently be, though Oregon is still #2 in it:

 

1) LSU vs. 16) Hawaii

8) Arizona St. vs. 9) Georgia

4) Oklahoma vs. 13) Texas (rematch!)

5) Missouri vs. 12) Florida

6) West Virginia vs. 11) USC

3) Kansas vs. 14) Virginia

7) Ohio St. vs. 10) Virginia Tech

2) Oregon (using current BCS) vs. 15) Clemson

 

By the way Iggy for 2004 U of L beat Boise St. in the Liberty Bowl, so no Boise didn't deserve a shot at the title.

[nogoodnick 0]

Now with your hypothetical playoff system how would pay outs work? Would schools be paid to play in each round of the playoffs or make ticket money or what? In the current system there is the bowl payout, which is divided amongst the other schools in the conference. Curious as to how would a playoff deal with that.

[Slayer 0]

The whole "The regular season IS the playoffs" argument has been defunct for awhile now

[iggymcfly 0]

Good game between Nevada and Hawaii going into the 4th for all you that are up late. Hawaii's down 20-19, but is driving after the refs blew the play dead way too early on a Davone Bess fumble,

[Fökai 0]

Well, that's what happens when the defenders stop forward progress.

 

To be fair, it's a fumble after seeing the replay, but it's certainly not a conclusive one when you're seeing it in real time. The same applies to the catch Rivers made later on in that drive, with one foot dragging along the field, which they called an incompletion.

[Fökai 0]

Tyler Graunke is absolute ass. I don't even care what he does after this next play. He just has nothing to offer to this team.

[Jorge Gorgeous 0]

Tyler Graunke is absolute ass. I don't even care what he does after this next play. He just has nothing to offer to this team.

 

I want to kiss you.

[Fökai 0]

FUCK TYLER GRAUNKE.

 

I will not watch this team if he's starting next year. I just refuse to watch him play anymore. I'd put Funaki, their 3rd-stringer, in at this point.

[Hawk 34 0]

Like Dixon last night, Hawaii is getting killed by their star QB being on the sidelines. BTW, where do we stand with Heisman Award right now? Unless someone has a major game in the next couple of weeks, does anyone really look deserving of it?

[Guest]

Right now, gotta go with McFadden, but if Georgia wins the SEC, I'd give it to Knowshon Moreno. Guy's a beast.

[Fökai 0]

Dixon's injury leaves the door open for Chase Daniel and maybe even Reesing from Kansas to get it.

 

I don't like McFadden's chances with Arkansas' record.

[Fökai 0]

FUCKING NEVADA.

 

FUCK.

 

EDIT: FUCK YOU NEVADA. I LOVE DAN KELLY.

[MFer 0]

The ultimate "FUCK YOU" kick right there.

[Hawk 34 0]

God damn. Kelly murdered the fucking ball. I think he would have cleared 70 yards with that. Nevada coach=idiot. They could have have 40+ seconds left and instead tried to be cute and gave his players nothing to work with. He deserved to lose that game.

[iggymcfly 0]

I can't believe Chris Ault is in the coaching Hall of Fame. He has the IQ of an orangutang. God that was a stupid decision to let the clock run and then waste the timeouts.

[Fökai 0]

Yeah, but he would've looked like a genius if Kelly missed that kick at the end.

 

Too bad he didn't know that Kelly has balls of steel. This is the third time that he's saved their season with a kick from 45+.

 

EDIT: My bad. I did forget that he did use those timeouts to attempt to ice Kelly before he called the final timeout. I take my defense back; that was a fucking horrible call.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

"Leave time on the clock for my team to try to come back and win the game if they make the kick? Why would i do that?"

 

 

Dumbest fucking call ever.

 

 

He could have done his 2 timeout thing w/ 50 seconds left on the clock.

[iggymcfly 0]

Best-case scenario, saving both timeouts makes it 1% more likely that Hawaii misses the kick. Honestly, I think it's more likely to help the kicker to get a practice kick. Meanwhile, if Nevada gets the ball with :50 left and 3 timeouts, they're at least 25% to drive for a field goal, probably higher.

 

RETARDED decision. He has the IQ of an orangutang, I tell you.

[2GOLD 0]

Best-case scenario, saving both timeouts makes it 1% more likely that Hawaii misses the kick. Honestly, I think it's more likely to help the kicker to get a practice kick. Meanwhile, if Nevada gets the ball with :50 left and 3 timeouts, they're at least 25% to drive for a field goal, probably higher.

 

RETARDED decision. He has the IQ of an orangutang, I tell you.

 

Unless he was somehow worried his quarterback would fumble a snap to take a knee, I didn't understand any of that. You can easily kill 50 seconds with kneel downs when the other team can't stop the clock.

 

Regardless, good job to fight back again by Hawaii.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

1. Amazed Hawaii won without Brennan, on the road no less. I still wouldn't rank them, but nice work nonetheless.

 

2. With Dixon done, Heisman begins and ends with Tim Tebow. His stats are unbeatable--significantly better than Dixon's were, even--and he's both the best player on his team and probably the most valuable component of any team. I'd also like to see Darren McFadden, Dixon, Glenn Dorsey, and Chris Long get invites to New York. I know defensive players never win it, but those two guys have gotten insane production out of their respective positions, have affected entire offensive lines every game, and have been absolute game-changers.

 

3. A playoff. I like bowls because they're a completely unique season finale and oh so very college; they give a lot of players a chance to do something fun and special after the regular season, and can make a mediocre season seem good if the game breaks right. With the inevitable logistics, revenue, and participation problems (see Bored's reference to the Rose Bowl), I don't think a large-scale playoff could ever work. But, hypothetically: I think a 16-team playoff is too big, and an 8-team playoff too exclusive and limiting by just a smidge. I'd rip off the NFL and do 12 teams. Rules:

 

-ACC, SEC, Big XII, Big Ten, Pac-10, SEC champs get automatic bids

-Any mid-major conference champ ranked within the top 16 gets an automatic bid

-The remainder of the 12 slots are filled with at-large teams in order of the rankings regardless of conference

-Independents must qualify for an at-large slot to make the playoffs

-Seeding is strictly by ranking

-Top 4 teams gets a bye, while #5-8 host #9-12

-Rankings are formulated by a selection committee that also utilizes several of the computer ratings systems to inform their decisions, a la RPI

 

Last year's teams would have been

 

1. Ohio State (B10 champ)

2. Florida (SEC champ)

3. Michigan

4. LSU

 

5. USC (Pac-10 champ)

6. Louisville (Big East champ)

7. Wisconsin

8. Boise State (WAC champ, #8)

9. Auburn

10. Oklahoma (B12 champ)

11. Notre Dame (Ind., #11)

12. Wake Forest (ACC champ)

 

Benefits and problems solved:

-There's a reward for winning your conference, but overall performance is most important

-No "2 BCS teams per conference" restriction, allowing teams like #7 Wisconsin to get their deserved shot.

-Sufficient protection for mid-majors and independents.

-Regular season still matters, as the best teams get a bye while the next tier gets home games (Auburn @ Boise, smurf turf! You love it!)

 

The logistics of any system that develops a playoff but tries to preserve the bowls too is really troublesome. But, in a "let's just make a playoff" world, I think the above solution mitigates most of the problems still present in both the 8- and the 16-team variants and would yield a really fun and decisive end of the year.

[iggymcfly 0]

2. With Dixon done, Heisman begins and ends with Tim Tebow. His stats are unbeatable--significantly better than Dixon's were, even--and he's both the best player on his team and probably the most valuable component of any team. I'd also like to see Darren McFadden, Dixon, Glenn Dorsey, and Chris Long get invites to New York. I know defensive players never win it, but those two guys have gotten insane production out of their respective positions, have affected entire offensive lines every game, and have been absolute game-changers.

 

On this, just wanted to say that while you're mostly right, I think the one player who can still pass Tebow is Chase Daniel. His stats are almost good, and if Mizzou wins their last 3 games, they go to the national championship. If that happens, I think he takes the trophy, but otherwise it's Tebow's to lose.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Good call. Considering that the last 4 winners have played in the national championship game, that series of events wouldn't surprise me either.

[nogoodnick 0]

How about Jonathan Stewart if he can come up big these next 2 weeks. It looks like hes healthy and should be getting 30+ carries. UCLA and OSU have good defenses, but he rushes for 100 pretty much every game. He should finish with 1500 yards. With Dixon back there people kinda took him for granted, now he gets a chance to prove himself. Not saying he should win it, but if he can carry Oregon to two more wins he certainly has a case to be there.

 

Season stats: 1273 yards 6.2 ypc 10 TD's