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Post by Hawkguy on Aug 18, 2015 10:48:10 GMT -5
Nah its actually gonna be between UT and UGA. Mizzou is not gonna be good, they've lost most of everything. We're a giant question mark. We'll have a better defense but we don't have a qb who has started a game and we lost or main run option. We have 1 great receiver and the rest are questions. I think the SEC is gonna have a down year. the west is almost all even to the point that their just gonna best the hell out of each other. Has UT quietly been getting good again while I wasn't paying attention, or are they a contender based on favorable schedule and stuff like that? both |
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Post by MarkInTexas on Aug 18, 2015 11:25:42 GMT -5
Mizzou is not gonna be good, they've lost most of everything. I think I heard people say that this time last year. |
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Post by Hawkguy on Aug 18, 2015 13:19:35 GMT -5
Mizzou is not gonna be good, they've lost most of everything. I think I heard people say that this time last year. the east sucked last year though yall were definitely the best. Yall will be like us this year. very much a rebuild year |
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Post by MarkInTexas on Aug 18, 2015 13:43:35 GMT -5
To be honest, I'll be surprised if we threepeat, but I didn't expect to repeat last year, and I didn't expect to win it in 2013, so my prognostication skills aren't great. I will say that we do have a somewhat more favorable schedule than Georgia does (we get Mississippi State and Arkansas, they get Auburn and Alabama), and I expect the winner of the 10/17 game in Athens to be the division winner. Tennessee is the trendy pick to win the division, but I think they're a year away at least. Kentucky will be much improved, but won't contend for the division, Florida is still rebuilding, South Carolina is expected to have a down year, and Vandy is Vandy.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Aug 18, 2015 13:47:53 GMT -5
To be honest, I'll be surprised if we threepeat, but I didn't expect to repeat last year, and I didn't expect to win it in 2013, so my prognostication skills aren't great. I will say that we do have a somewhat more favorable schedule than Georgia does (we get Mississippi State and Arkansas, they get Auburn and Alabama), and I expect the winner of the 10/17 game in Athens to be the division winner. Tennessee is the trendy pick to win the division, but I think they're a year away at least. Kentucky will be much improved, but won't contend for the division, Florida is still rebuilding, South Carolina is expected to have a down year, and Vandy is Vandy. Only 2 West games?! I can't believe the SEC doesn't get called out more for having an 8-game conference schedule with a 14 team league. That is ridiculous. |
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Post by MarkInTexas on Aug 18, 2015 15:53:31 GMT -5
And one of those West teams is a permanent opponent. After going with A&M for our first two years in the league (which, coupled with our last three years in the Big 12-2-2+2, somehow resulted in us playing at Kyle Field three years in a row and 4 out of five years), we became Arkansas's permanent game last year (though we also still played A&M). That means we'll be facing each non-Arkansas West team once every six years. The league hasn't shown no interest in adding a ninth conference game, though if the SEC champ start getting routinely passed over for the playoffs because the committee thinks its 8-game schedule isn't rigorous enough, that will probably get a 9th game added.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Aug 18, 2015 15:58:19 GMT -5
And one of those West teams is a permanent opponent. After going with A&M for our first two years in the league (which, coupled with our last three years in the Big 12-2-2+2, somehow resulted in us playing at Kyle Field three years in a row and 4 out of five years), we became Arkansas's permanent game last year (though we also still played A&M). That means we'll be facing each non-Arkansas West team once every six years. The league hasn't shown no interest in adding a ninth conference game, though if the SEC champ start getting routinely passed over for the playoffs because the committee thinks its 8-game schedule isn't rigorous enough, that will probably get a 9th game added. In what world does the college football media ever allow this to happen? |
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Post by MarkInTexas on Aug 19, 2015 11:32:12 GMT -5
I think for the SEC to be left out of the playoffs completely, it would take every team to have at least two losses, or a lot of college football royalty at the top of the polls ahead of the SEC champ. If you have, say, a 13-0 USC, a 12-1 Oregon whose only loss was to USC in the title game, a 13-0 Ohio State, and a 11-1 Oklahoma that lost Bedlam to a 10-2 Oklahoma State by less than a touchdown, a 12-1 Alabama who lost to 7-5 Auburn and just barely got by 9-4 Georgia in the championship game might be left out. Replace those teams, but not the records, with, say, Arizona, Washington State, Illinois, and Baylor (losing to Texas Tech), and 'Bama will certainty be in there.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Aug 19, 2015 11:40:07 GMT -5
I think for the SEC to be left out of the playoffs completely, it would take every team to have at least two losses, or a lot of college football royalty at the top of the polls ahead of the SEC champ. If you have, say, a 13-0 USC, a 12-1 Oregon whose only loss was to USC in the title game, a 13-0 Ohio State, and a 11-1 Oklahoma that lost Bedlam to a 10-2 Oklahoma State by less than a touchdown, a 12-1 Alabama who lost to 7-5 Auburn and just barely got by 9-4 Georgia in the championship game might be left out. Replace those teams, but not the records, with, say, Arizona, Washington State, Illinois, and Baylor (losing to Texas Tech), and 'Bama will certainty be in there. I don't see any way that that Alabama doesn't get picked over Oregon in that scenario. I think it would really take someone like your hypothetical 9-4 Georgia team winning for them to leave out the SEC champ. |
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Post by beastofman on Aug 19, 2015 14:12:49 GMT -5
Continuing my look at the Power Five Conferences
Oregon coach Mark Helfrich faces life without Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariotta. To fill the void, they signed a fifth year transfer from Eastern Washington Vernon Adams. Running backs Royce Freeman and Thomas Tyner rushed for nearly 2,000 yards last season and the receiving team welcomes back Bralon Addison. The defense also welcomes back defensive end DeForest Buckner. They have to replace a few key positions and they have a young backfield
Although Stanford had an 8-5 record they lost three of those games by only three points. This season should see the continued improvement of Quarterback Kevin Hogan, and running back Christian McCaffrey was strong at end of season. The offensive line is returning 4 of 5 starters. Their defense was tight last year, but their secondary is very inexperienced this year due to graduation and selections by both the NFL and MLB drafts.
USC Quarterback Cody Kessler had 39 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Although they will miss Javorius “Buck” Allen and his 1,489 yards rushing, they intend to replace him with Justin Davis and Tre Madden. The Trojans still look strong on defense even with the los of defensive Leonard Williams and leading tackler Hayes Pullard.
Arizona State won't have to look far to replace Taylor Kelly at quarterback. In three relief starts last year, Mike Bercovici demonstrated his abilities. The running game will be handled by a trio of Demario Richard, Kalen Ballage and Gump Hayes. They have to replace losses on defense: Jaelen Strong went to the NFL and Cameron Smith will miss the entire season after knee surgery. The defense lost a number of key players: defensive lineman Marcus Hardison and safety Damarious Randall, However they retain three starters in the secondary.
UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley is now off to the NFL, and the Bruins look to replace him with. nation’s top quarterback recruit, Josh Rosen. He'll be behind an offensive line that returns all five starters. The defense will have to make due without linebacker Eric Kendricks, defensive end Owa Odighizuwa and cornerback Anthony Jefferson. The defensive line looks promising but the secondary is untested
In his third season at Arizona, Rich Rodriguez led his team to the conference title game. His quarterback returns. Anu Solomon passed for 3,793 yards and 28 touchdown passes, braking school freshman records. Last year, tailback Nick Wilson rushed for 1,375 yards in his freshman year. Last year Cayleb Jones caught 73 balls for 1,019 yards. On defense, senior end Reggie Gilbert was awarded a fifth year by the NCAA. Also returning is linebacker Scooby Wright who had 163 tackles, 29 tackles for a loss and 14 sacks.
If Oregon has lost a step due to Mariotta's departure, then it looks as if the field is wild open. We may have someone from the South division. USC looks like a contender again.
Next Week: I wrap up my preseason round up with the SEC
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Post by MarkInTexas on Aug 19, 2015 16:01:12 GMT -5
I think for the SEC to be left out of the playoffs completely, it would take every team to have at least two losses, or a lot of college football royalty at the top of the polls ahead of the SEC champ. If you have, say, a 13-0 USC, a 12-1 Oregon whose only loss was to USC in the title game, a 13-0 Ohio State, and a 11-1 Oklahoma that lost Bedlam to a 10-2 Oklahoma State by less than a touchdown, a 12-1 Alabama who lost to 7-5 Auburn and just barely got by 9-4 Georgia in the championship game might be left out. Replace those teams, but not the records, with, say, Arizona, Washington State, Illinois, and Baylor (losing to Texas Tech), and 'Bama will certainty be in there. I don't see any way that that Alabama doesn't get picked over Oregon in that scenario. I think it would really take someone like your hypothetical 9-4 Georgia team winning for them to leave out the SEC champ. Picking 'Bama for my scenario was a mistake, since a 12-1, SEC champion Tide will almost certainly be selected for the playoffs, even if the other schools in contention are Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Oklahoma, and Southern Cal. However, keep my original scenario the same, but replace Alabama with, say, Ole Miss or Mississippi State, and I think the SEC would be on the outside looking in. The bottom line is that being college football royalty will confer perhaps an unfair advantage over "lesser" schools. While it's impossible to argue now that the committee made a mistake in picking Ohio State over Baylor and TCU, I do think that the fact that Ohio State is Ohio State and Baylor and TCU are Baylor and TCU played at least a small role in the decision-making process. |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Aug 19, 2015 16:13:50 GMT -5
I don't see any way that that Alabama doesn't get picked over Oregon in that scenario. I think it would really take someone like your hypothetical 9-4 Georgia team winning for them to leave out the SEC champ. Picking 'Bama for my scenario was a mistake, since a 12-1, SEC champion Tide will almost certainly be selected for the playoffs, even if the other schools in contention are Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Oklahoma, and Southern Cal. However, keep my original scenario the same, but replace Alabama with, say, Ole Miss or Mississippi State, and I think the SEC would be on the outside looking in. The bottom line is that being college football royalty will confer perhaps an unfair advantage over "lesser" schools. While it's impossible to argue now that the committee made a mistake in picking Ohio State over Baylor and TCU, I do think that the fact that Ohio State is Ohio State and Baylor and TCU are Baylor and TCU played at least a small role in the decision-making process. Oh, for sure. Granted, there were other factors there, but if it had Texas and/or OU in that Big 12 mix at the end of the year, I think that could have played out differently. |
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Post by beastofman on Aug 20, 2015 9:14:33 GMT -5
The bottom line is that being college football royalty will confer perhaps an unfair advantage over "lesser" schools. While it's impossible to argue now that the committee made a mistake in picking Ohio State over Baylor and TCU, I do think that the fact that Ohio State is Ohio State and Baylor and TCU are Baylor and TCU played at least a small role in the decision-making process. Oh, for sure. Granted, there were other factors there, but if it had Texas and/or OU in that Big 12 mix at the end of the year, I think that could have played out differently. Do we think that expanding the playoffs to eight teams will make a difference, or will the same issues exist but at a smaller level? |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Aug 20, 2015 9:35:21 GMT -5
Oh, for sure. Granted, there were other factors there, but if it had Texas and/or OU in that Big 12 mix at the end of the year, I think that could have played out differently. Do we think that expanding the playoffs to eight teams will make a difference, or will the same issues exist but at a smaller level? Well that's always the argument against expansion, isn't it? There will always be a cut-off line with upset teams on the wrong side of it. That being said, I think the validity of those complaints would go way down with 8 teams. I would assume that in an 8-team scenario that conference champs would be, if not official, at least de facto auto-qualifiers for the playoff, eliminating the issue of at least one major conference getting left out each year. I would think that 3 wild-card slots would be sufficient to deal with any massive conference championship upsets, good Notre Dame teams, or 1-2 loss teams ridiculously over-powered divisions, or logjams at the top of the Big 12. And even if there was controversy over those 7th or 8th spots, it would certainly be quieter than the Baylor/TCU uproar last season. |
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Post by MarkInTexas on Aug 20, 2015 12:17:07 GMT -5
My guess is if/when it does expand to 8, the "Group of 5" minor conferences will be lobbying very, very hard to get an auto qualifier. Right now, the only way for a non-Power 5 school to get in would be to run the table, and even that will probably not be enough, unless the non-Power 5 school was prescient enough to schedule a non-conference game with a Power 5 team that would go on to have an otherwise incredible season.
However, if such a qualifier is granted, it will probably come with the condition that the highest ranked Group of 5 team be ranked higher than the lowest-ranked conference champion. That wouldn't have been a factor last year, since Boise State was the highest ranked Group team at #21 in the AP's last poll of the regular season, but if, say, 14-0 Boise is ranked #6, and ACC champ Georgia Tech is ranked #10, then yeah, Boise needs to be in there.
I would expect the Power 5 to agree to that because with the AAC no longer an automatic qualifier, the odds of a Group of 5 team ranked higher than a Power 5 champion are a lot slimmer, and if Boise or Marshall or Memphis or BYU go unbeaten, they should get the chance to prove themselves in the playoffs.
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Post by ganews on Aug 20, 2015 13:52:53 GMT -5
It is completely, completely unavoidable, but just imagine if we didn't have national college football championships. If teams played games against other teams in their own conference with the occasional historical inter-conference game. If bowl games were still end-of-season rewards to visit someplace nice in winter. All the hand-wringing we could avoid.
I guess while I'm at it I could imagine taking all the money out of the game and doing away with alumni-funded athletic associations. Why did I even start to write this post - but here it is, no sense deleting now.
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Post by MarkInTexas on Aug 24, 2015 10:39:01 GMT -5
The first AP poll is out, and Ohio State becomes the first team ever to be the unanimous preseason #1. Of course, every other team that had 90% or more of the #1 votes in the preseason poll failed to win the national championship, so Urban Meyer should probably hold off trying to figure out where to put the 2016 trophy for a bit.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Aug 25, 2015 8:29:28 GMT -5
Anybody have something intelligent to say about the Baylor situation? It will be interesting to see if the Big 12 ends up adopting stricter transfer rules I guess, but beyond that I assume nothing will come of it, unlike any of the other cover-up scandals you can point to.
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Post by Hawkguy on Aug 25, 2015 9:18:24 GMT -5
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Aug 25, 2015 9:20:00 GMT -5
Why are the MAC and C-USA playing a bowl game in the Bahamas? |
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Post by Hawkguy on Aug 25, 2015 10:07:03 GMT -5
Why are the MAC and C-USA playing a bowl game in the Bahamas? because from those places wouldn't want to go to the Bahamas in December? |
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Aug 25, 2015 10:16:43 GMT -5
Why are the MAC and C-USA playing a bowl game in the Bahamas? because from those places wouldn't want to go to the Bahamas in December? I have always thought that they should use the Pizza Bowl in Detroit as a punishment for the worst FBS teams. |
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Post by ganews on Aug 25, 2015 10:35:17 GMT -5
When is KFC going to sponsor the Famous Bowl?
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Aug 25, 2015 11:11:40 GMT -5
When is KFC going to sponsor the Famous Bowl? Now everything else about bowl season is going to be disappointing because this game isn't happening in Louisville  |
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Post by beastofman on Aug 25, 2015 11:51:10 GMT -5
So FSU's Dalvin Cook has been found not guilty of hitting a woman outside a club this summer. I am getting a little tired of wondering about the legal staus of members of my team.
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Post by MarkInTexas on Aug 25, 2015 14:08:52 GMT -5
The Baylor situation is definitely sleazy, and it's a bit too uncomfortably reminiscent about what happened to the basketball program there back in 2003, but it's hard to say if any NCAA rules were violated. I suspect that the school might give Briles some minor punishment, but there's no way that he's going to lose his job over this.
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Post by Superb Owl 🦉 on Aug 25, 2015 14:27:13 GMT -5
The Baylor situation is definitely sleazy, and it's a bit too uncomfortably reminiscent about what happened to the basketball program there back in 2003, but it's hard to say if any NCAA rules were violated. I suspect that the school might give Briles some minor punishment, but there's no way that he's going to lose his job over this. I know people have mixed feelings on how the Penn State stuff played out, but I really do think it's a damn shame the NCAA backed off on them almost completely. They had a chance to change course and really force schools to keep their athletic departments in perspective and they got scared the second they got any pushback, abandoned the effort the second it got difficult. There should be a precedent for Baylor to get hit hard for allowing this kind of crap to happen, but now there isn't. |
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Post by beastofman on Aug 26, 2015 11:50:25 GMT -5
Finishing my look at the Power Five Conferences
Nick Saban's Alabama has to reload their offense. They lost The single-season passing record holder, Blake Sims, the receivers Amari Cooper, DeAndrew White and Christion Jones, and the school’s fourth all-time leading rusher, T.J. Yeldon. They also lost three of the five starting linemen. Luckily for them, Alabama recruits very well and have plenty of candidates to fill those positions. Quarterback Jake Coker is the most likely starter, but redshirt freshman David Cornwell looks to make an impact. Receivers Chris Black and Robert Foster will give him plenty of targets and the running game will be helped by Derrick Henry. Kenyan Drake returns from his broken leg suffered last year. Inside linebacker Reggie Ragland, who had 95 tackles last season decided to return for his final year. The secondary loses their starting safeties Landon Collins and Nick Perry.
Auburn is also having to replace six starters on offense. Departing quarterback Nick Marshall will be replaced by his backup Jeremy Johnson. D’haquille Williams Who had 45 catches, 730 yards, and five touchdowns is returning for the receiving team. Former Florida head coach and Fred Flintsone look alike Will Muschamp arrives as defensive coordinator. Carl Lawson returns from a torn ACL that cost him last season. The top three tacklers from 2014: safety Johnathan Ford, linebacker Cassanova McKinzy and linebacker Kris Frost all return as well as Jonathan Jones, who had six interceptions.
LSU coach Les Miles has yet to clarify who will start at quarterback: Anthony Jennings or Brandon Harris. Tailback Leonard Fournette is returning as well as Travin Dural, who had 37 receptions for 758 yards last season. New coordinator defensive coordinator Kevin Steele will most likely run a 3-4 base defense. Cornerback Tre’Davious White also returns.
Ole Miss replaces quarterback Bo Wallace with Chad Kelly. Although he's the nation’s No. 1 junior college quarterback, he was dismissed from Clemson last spring and was later arrested after a bar fight. Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade are also potential signal callers. All five starters return on the offensive line and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell returns from injury. Robert Nkemdiche returns at defensive tackle. Defensive coordinator Dave Wommack shuffled the secondary around, moving returning starter Mike Hilton to safety and will start Tony Bridges and Tee Shepard at corner.
Mississippi State has only seven returning starters but one of them is Dak Prescott, who set a dozen single-season records last season. They have to replace Josh Robinson who ran for 1,203 yards. Receiver De’Runnya Wilson returns. He caught 47 passes for 680 yards. The team will have new starters at tackle, guard and center. The defense loses three starters on the line and hey also allowed the most passing yards in the conference last year. Unfortunately they lost three starters from the secondary, including both safeties.
Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin hired LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis for a team that allowed 27 sacks last year. Quarterback Kyle Allen had a good showing at the end of the season.
Last season Georgia's Nick Chubb rushed for 1,547 yards as a true freshman, also backing up Todd Gurley. He's back, as well as Sony Michel and Keith Marshall. Four starters are back from the offensive line, but the quarterback position has still not been determined. Both outside linebackers Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins decided to return for one more year.
Florida replaced the aforementioned Will Muschamp with Colorado State coach Jim McElwain. He has to make a decision between quarterbacks Will Grier and Treon Harris. Last year their offensive line was riddled with injuries. Linebackers Antonio Morrison and Jarrad Davis continue to recover from knee injuries sustained late last season. However their secondary retains four starters.
Missouri's quarterback Maty Mauk returns, but lost all three starters at receiver. Last year, Russell Hansbrough rushed for 1,084 yards and 10 touchdowns. Although the defensive line is inexperienced, the linebackers look strong and three experienced cornerbacks and senior safety Ian Simon returns.
South Carolina's coach Steve Spurrier needs to find a quarterback to replace Dylan Thompson, who set the school’s single-season passing record last year with 3,564 yards. Brandon Wilds and David Williams will do the heavy lifting in the backfield after Mike Davis’ departure for the draft. The offensive line must also replace A.J. Cann. Defensive coordinator Jon Hoke, who coordinated defense for Spurrier at Florida and spent the last thirteen years in the NFL as a defensive backs coach will switch to a base 4-3 for defense and they have recruited seven defensive linemen.
Tennessee is in their third year under coach Butch Jones. He'll have the return of quarterback Joshua Dobbs. Also returning is Marquez North from a shoulder injury. Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara look to take on the running game for the Volunteers. Back for the defensive are Derek Barnett and Curt Maggitt, who combined for 21 sacks last season. The Volunteer's secondary also looks strong.
If Alabama is able to reload their offensive, then they will be the team to beat in the SEC. Unless another team steps up, look for them to play Georgia for the championship, providing that Georgia can stay healthy.
Next week: I'm going to talk about a few independents, and have a preview of Week one, Which is usually a rather boring week.
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Post by ganews on Aug 26, 2015 14:34:01 GMT -5
Finishing my look at the Power Five Conferences CHUBB IT UP I am honestly glad that Will Muschamp is landing on his feet. I hope we see more of the good Dak Prescott this season and less of the bad Dak Prescott. I will be in Disneyland for week 1. I wonder how much football I will watch this year? Or whether we will give in and temporarily add the ESPN package to our cable plan? |
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Post by beastofman on Aug 26, 2015 20:40:08 GMT -5
Finishing my look at the Power Five Conferences CHUBB IT UP I am honestly glad that Will Muschamp is landing on his feet. I hope we see more of the good Dak Prescott this season and less of the bad Dak Prescott. I will be in Disneyland for week 1. I wonder how much football I will watch this year? Or whether we will give in and temporarily add the ESPN package to our cable plan? Awesome. Have a Dole Whip for me. Are you going to visit Cars Land? |
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