College Football

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442

Lots of hate for USC on this thread right now. A team that is ranked #8, after all. Since your criticisms are not in response to any suggestion that USC deserves to be in the NC game, your comments look less and less like good-faith argument and more and more like jealousy.

I also think it not coincidental that two of the loudest critics support Oklahoma and Ohio St., two teams that USC absolutely dismantled in recent history. You guys look a little silly complaining about how USC is overrated when USC absolutely wiped its ass with both of your teams. I heard the same complaints about USC’s soft schedule when USC made Jason White look like the bitch that he is in the Orange Bowl.

Having said all of that, there is no denying that the Big 12 is THE conference this year. I get the impression that Alabama and LSU were/are ranked as high as they were sort of by default. Alabama exposed what, in hindsight, was an overrated Georgia team, and LSU found themselves in the top of the polls by beating an overrated Auburn team in exciting fashion.

In my opinion, the only truly top-10 SEC team this year is Florida. Any team other than Florida gets dominated by the Big 12 champion or USC.

443

[quote]rainjack wrote:
AssOnGrass wrote:
rainjack wrote:
The Big 12 South has to be THE toughest conference in football right now.

#1 UT Norman
#5 TU
#7 Red Raiders
#17 OSU

That’s 2/3 of the sub conference ranked in the top 20. Granted, Norman is going to move down, but TU, Tech and OSU should all move up.

The North isn’t nearly as stacked, but you do have Mizzou and Kansas ranked in the top 20.

And the fucking Trojans get the Stanfords, the Cals, and the Arizonas to walk over.

Put the Trojans in the Big 12 south, and they are also-rans.

I was at the Tech game yesterday and it looked like they did everything in their power to try and lose that game. I think everyone expected them to trounce Nebraska. Talk about backing into a likely 4 or 5.

Our neighbors were at the game as well. They said the same thing.

It was my fault. Every time I schedule my day to watch Tech play on TV, they play like they are a JV team. I watched the Nevada game on the internet, and the same thing happened.

I should not be allowed to turn on a Tech game unless they are ahead by 40 points.
[/quote]

You live in the Lubbock area?

This is my first time down here in Texas and it is a FAR cry from back home in Rhode Island

444

[quote]eic wrote:
In my opinion, the only truly top-10 SEC team this year is Florida. Any team other than Florida gets dominated by the Big 12 champion or USC. [/quote]

USC lost to an unranked team. Their only quality win this year is a thrashing of a still horribly overrated OSU team.

The trojans play in the weakest BCS conference in the country this year.

As I have said - if USC is in the Big 12 South, they would be lucky to be bowl eligible.

445

[quote]AssOnGrass wrote:
You live in the Lubbock area?

This is my first time down here in Texas and it is a FAR cry from back home in Rhode Island[/quote]

100 miles north east.

446

[quote]rainjack wrote:
AssOnGrass wrote:
You live in the Lubbock area?

This is my first time down here in Texas and it is a FAR cry from back home in Rhode Island

100 miles north east. [/quote]

Texas is too damn big. 100 miles any direction in RI and you are into New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Mass, Conn, NY, or the ocean.

447

[quote]red04 wrote:
Maybe BYU will just destroy the rest of the schedule and “impress” voters to leapfrog some of these classic programs, that’d be kinda fun =p

[/quote]

That would be pretty cool. The way this season is shaping up I would have no problem with that. BYU has a pretty soft schedule and I would not be surprised if they went undefeated.

I think USC and Florida won’t lose a game the rest of the season either, especially Florida.

Damn good to see Missouri lose. However, I do want them to beat Texas next week (yea I know, probably won’t happen.

448

[quote]Nate Dogg wrote:
This weekend’s top 25 picks:

1 Oklahoma over 5 Texas
3 Missouri over 17 Oklahoma State - possible upset here. Oklahoma State could win it but it’s going to be very hard playing at Missouri.
11 Florida over 4 LSU - I’m tempted to pick LSU for this game but am hoping the Gators can pull it off at home now that they are ready to play and have most of their players healthy and ready to go!
6 Penn State over Wisconsin
7 Texas Tech over Nebraska - upset alert! Do it for me Cornhuskers! TT is overated.
8 USC over Arizona
9 BYU over New Mexico
10 Georgia over Tennessee
12 Ohio State over Purdue
13 Vanderbilt over Mississippi State
14 Utah over Wyoming
15 Boise State over Southern Miss
16 Kansas over Colorado
20 Auburn over Arkansas
22 North Carolina over Notre Dame - But I’m getting a gut feeling that Notre Dame might win this one. I hope not!
Northwestern over 23 Michigan State - upset alert! Although, I’m pulling for Michigan State to win!

I’m tempted to call a few more upsets than what I listed above, but I’m thinking that there may not be as many upsets with this weekend’s games as in previous weeks.[/quote]

Guess I should have gone with my gut feeling as I would have called at least several of those upsets! But since I didn’t I ended up going 11-5 here!

[quote]A few non-ranked games:

Illinois over Minnesota
Kentucky over South Carolina
Miami over UCF[/quote]

I should have known about Illinois and Kentucky. Dang! 1-3 this time.

So I went 12-8 by not going with my gut feeling on a few upsets. Grrrr!

449

[quote]SSC wrote:
red04 wrote:
Edit: LSU just made a huge statement in their opening drive of the 2nd half in that game. Looked like the game was just going to get out of hand then they had that late drive and now this. 2nd half should be really good.

Eh, not so much.

Nate, I know you’re happy tonight.[/quote]

LOL! Oh yeah.

It’s about freakin’ time the Gators started using all their playmakers and played a complete game.

It baffles my mind that Urban Meyer said earlier this week that he didn’t realize what a threat Rainey and Demps could be in the offense. He said this AFTER seeing what they did in the Arkansas game.

So you’re telling me that you (Urban Meyer) recruited Rainey and Demps for their speed and talent, but didn’t think they would have much to do with the offense until five games into the season and after a loss that shouldn’t have happened against Ole Miss??? I mean, really.

The Gators talked this past week about how we haven’t seen the majority of their plays and what they are capable of. My thought is, why the hell would you NOT use your talents, players, abilities for the entire season and not just after a loss at home to an unranked team and when you finally play a good, highly ranked team?

That just sounds stupid.

Anyway, now that the Gators appear healthy and ready to use all their playmakers (not just Tebow and Harvin), they can easily control their own destiny and play for the SEC championship and the BCS championship if they will just continue playing like they did against LSU for the rest of the season.

That’s how the Gators should play every game no matter the opponent. And LSU is a good team and will probably manage to win out or only have one more loss (Alabama) this season.

450

[quote]eic wrote:
Dustin wrote:

Oh, don’t worry, it will happen. USC plays absolutely no one for the rest of the season, plus they have the media on their side. They are Notre Dame of the West.

Dustin

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/ncaa/specials/bowls/2004/01/04/orange.bowl/

55-19, beeyotch. [/quote]

That occurred 4 seasons ago. What relevance does it have to this season? None, just like your Cornhuskers.

When does Nebraska play OU?

Dustin

451

[quote]eic wrote:
Lots of hate for USC on this thread right now. A team that is ranked #8, after all. Since your criticisms are not in response to any suggestion that USC deserves to be in the NC game, your comments look less and less like good-faith argument and more and more like jealousy.
[/quote]

Far from jealousy. Pete Carrol is a great coach and recruiter. I have no problem giving the Trojans credit when they deserve it. My problem with the program is that it is located in America’s second largest media market.

They are the Notre Dame of the West. They can do no wrong. They can violate NCAA rules, players can get arrested, Pete Carrol can stand on the sideline with his shit eating grin, and nothing happens to them.

They can play a sorry schedule, lose to a team that they have no business losing to and the media will still talk about how great they are.

No one would recognize ass thrashings better than a Cornhusker fan, right?

I never said USC was overrated. I said that they play a soft schedule the rest of the way, but will still be in the National Title hunt because of the collective reach around given to them by the media.

A loud critic of Oklahoma footall, whose team hasn’t come close to measuring up to the success OU has had this decade. You’re the one looking silly.

And since when do bitches when Heisman Trophies?

[quote]
In my opinion, the only truly top-10 SEC team this year is Florida. Any team other than Florida gets dominated by the Big 12 champion or USC. [/quote]

Why do you love USC so much? They got physically dominated by garbage Oregon State team. I admit they are talented, but no where near as good as people think.

Dustin

452

[quote]Nate Dogg wrote:
SSC wrote:
red04 wrote:
Edit: LSU just made a huge statement in their opening drive of the 2nd half in that game. Looked like the game was just going to get out of hand then they had that late drive and now this. 2nd half should be really good.

Eh, not so much.

Nate, I know you’re happy tonight.

LOL! Oh yeah.

It’s about freakin’ time the Gators started using all their playmakers and played a complete game.

It baffles my mind that Urban Meyer said earlier this week that he didn’t realize what a threat Rainey and Demps could be in the offense. He said this AFTER seeing what they did in the Arkansas game.

So you’re telling me that you (Urban Meyer) recruited Rainey and Demps for their speed and talent, but didn’t think they would have much to do with the offense until five games into the season and after a loss that shouldn’t have happened against Ole Miss??? I mean, really.

The Gators talked this past week about how we haven’t seen the majority of their plays and what they are capable of. My thought is, why the hell would you NOT use your talents, players, abilities for the entire season and not just after a loss at home to an unranked team and when you finally play a good, highly ranked team?

That just sounds stupid.

Anyway, now that the Gators appear healthy and ready to use all their playmakers (not just Tebow and Harvin), they can easily control their own destiny and play for the SEC championship and the BCS championship if they will just continue playing like they did against LSU for the rest of the season.

That’s how the Gators should play every game no matter the opponent. And LSU is a good team and will probably manage to win out or only have one more loss (Alabama) this season.
[/quote]

Nate:

Urban IS (not just seems) like a smart guy…but somehow, someway he just didn’t “see” Rainey and Demps as being effective “between the tackles” kind of running backs? (The funny thing is that Demps position on the official Roster is still listed as “athlete”!)

Now I’m not saying that was wrong. At 5ft 8in and 5ft 9in, these kids are far from being big bruisers. But there is an old saying:

“You can’t tackle what you can’t catch!”

DAYUM!!!

The Gators just put a down home ass-woopin’ on LSU (as they they would say in the Bayou!). I don’t think ANYBODY could have predicted the one-sided nature of this game.

And I agree. While Texas and Alabama may have some valid arguments, the SEC and the BCS are now Florida’s to lose.

It’s in their hands.

Mufasa

453

Awesome. Hook 'em!

454

[quote]Mufasa wrote:
Nate Dogg wrote:
SSC wrote:
red04 wrote:
Edit: LSU just made a huge statement in their opening drive of the 2nd half in that game. Looked like the game was just going to get out of hand then they had that late drive and now this. 2nd half should be really good.

Eh, not so much.

Nate, I know you’re happy tonight.

LOL! Oh yeah.

It’s about freakin’ time the Gators started using all their playmakers and played a complete game.

It baffles my mind that Urban Meyer said earlier this week that he didn’t realize what a threat Rainey and Demps could be in the offense. He said this AFTER seeing what they did in the Arkansas game.

So you’re telling me that you (Urban Meyer) recruited Rainey and Demps for their speed and talent, but didn’t think they would have much to do with the offense until five games into the season and after a loss that shouldn’t have happened against Ole Miss??? I mean, really.

The Gators talked this past week about how we haven’t seen the majority of their plays and what they are capable of. My thought is, why the hell would you NOT use your talents, players, abilities for the entire season and not just after a loss at home to an unranked team and when you finally play a good, highly ranked team?

That just sounds stupid.

Anyway, now that the Gators appear healthy and ready to use all their playmakers (not just Tebow and Harvin), they can easily control their own destiny and play for the SEC championship and the BCS championship if they will just continue playing like they did against LSU for the rest of the season.

That’s how the Gators should play every game no matter the opponent. And LSU is a good team and will probably manage to win out or only have one more loss (Alabama) this season.

Nate:

Urban IS (not just seems) like a smart guy…but somehow, someway he just didn’t “see” Rainey and Demps as being effective “between the tackles” kind of running backs? (The funny thing is that Demps position on the official Roster is still listed as “athlete”!)

Now I’m not saying that was wrong. At 5ft 8in and 5ft 9in, these kids are far from being big bruisers. But there is an old saying:

“You can’t tackle what you can’t catch!”

DAYUM!!!

The Gators just put a down home ass-woopin’ on LSU (as they they would say in the Bayou!). I don’t think ANYBODY could have predicted the one-sided nature of this game.

And I agree. While Texas and Alabama may have some valid arguments, the SEC and the BCS are now Florida’s to lose.

It’s in their hands.

Mufasa

[/quote]

I agree 100% with both of you. Rainey was really impressive in the first few games, but then stopped being productive when they stopped getting him the ball, like Nate said. I think Demps has been solid all around, and is only getting better.

It’s good to see Brandon Spikes make a huge play, I definitely think he’s probably the best professional linebacker prospect this season… highly underrated outside of the SEC, too.

The Gators tasted what it’s like to play to their full attention, let’s hope they get hungry for it the rest of the season.

455

warning all caps below

BOWDEN IS FINALLY GONE!! SOMEONE FINALLY HAD THE BALLS TO FIRE HIM DOWN HERE! AMEN TO THAT!

end of all caps

thank you god, I know this season may be done for but it is a small price to pay since Bowden had been here 10 years and never won 10 games in a single season(including bowls)

456

[quote]Dustin wrote:

Far from jealousy. Pete Carrol is a great coach and recruiter. I have no problem giving the Trojans credit when they deserve it. My problem with the program is that it is located in America’s second largest media market.

They are the Notre Dame of the West. They can do no wrong. They can violate NCAA rules, players can get arrested, Pete Carrol can stand on the sideline with his shit eating grin, and nothing happens to them.

They can play a sorry schedule, lose to a team that they have no business losing to and the media will still talk about how great they are. [/quote]

You mean like when the Sooners lost to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl in 2006 or to Colorado last year in the regular season?

[quote]A loud critic of Oklahoma footall, whose team hasn’t come close to measuring up to the success OU has had this decade. You’re the one looking silly

Why do you love USC so much? They got physically dominated by garbage Oregon State team. I admit they are talented, but no where near as good as people think.[/quote]

I am from southern California and followed USC since I was a kid. I went to Nebraska for grad school, but just moved back to CA (to lazy to update profile on T-Nation). I love both the Huskers and USC.

I actually agree to some extent that USC is often overrated. Before USC played Texas, ESPN had already declared them the best college football team ever. I disagreed with that kind of BS. A very talented team, yes, but no need to crown them kings. When USC gets hot, like they did at the start of the season, everyone wants to hand them the trophy. This is wrong, but it does not diminish the fact that USC has been a tremendous program for the last 4 or 5 years.

Losing to Oregon State does not change that. It is hard to play with a #1 ranking week in and week out. A flashy team like USC that has a #1 ranking becomes a huge target for teams. This means that teams which have no business playing the #1 team will play them close. This is why the #1 ranking has been so “slippery” the past few seasons. The #1 ranking is almost like a kiss of death. I know USC plays so much better when they are ranked high, but not #1 or #2. No more upsets when that happens.

Consider this: Since 2002 and including this seasons, USC has played 29 ranked opponents. In that span, they have gone 74-9. Most shockingly, in that time they have never lost a game by more than a touchdown. In other words, USC has been in every single game; USC does not get blown out. That is something that NO other college football team can say, and that includes your Sooners.

This comes despite the fact that USC routinely loses juniors to the NFL draft every year. USC is constantly taking young kids, developing them into quality athletes, then watching them disappear.

The fact that USC is often overrated by the media is actually a hindrance, because that adds one more thing that Carroll needs to do to keep his kids’ heads on straight so they can play.

It is ridiculous to call USC the “Notre Dame of the West.” The problem with Notre Dame was that they legitimately sucked yet still had/have their games televised on NBC and were invited to BCS bowl games. USC gets a lot of attention, no doubt, but they deserve 90% of it. Again, I can only conclude that you are just jealous of USC.

Hopefully your Sooners won’t choke AGAIN in a BCS bowl this year (if they even make it into one).

457

[quote]Rocker3829 wrote:
warning all caps below

BOWDEN IS FINALLY GONE!! SOMEONE FINALLY HAD THE BALLS TO FIRE HIM DOWN HERE! AMEN TO THAT!

end of all caps

thank you god, I know this season may be done for but it is a small price to pay since Bowden had been here 10 years and never won 10 games in a single season(including bowls)
[/quote]

Congratulations. As someone who went through the Callahan era, I know how frustrating it is to watch a team year in and year out that is being held down by an obviously incompetent coach. I remember well the relief I felt the moment he was fired. Good luck to you!

458

[quote]eic wrote:
Rocker3829 wrote:
warning all caps below

BOWDEN IS FINALLY GONE!! SOMEONE FINALLY HAD THE BALLS TO FIRE HIM DOWN HERE! AMEN TO THAT!

end of all caps

thank you god, I know this season may be done for but it is a small price to pay since Bowden had been here 10 years and never won 10 games in a single season(including bowls)

Congratulations. As someone who went through the Callahan era, I know how frustrating it is to watch a team year in and year out that is being held down by an obviously incompetent coach. I remember well the relief I felt the moment he was fired. Good luck to you![/quote]

appreciate it man! Man I’m so damn happy right now, haven’t been this happy about my team since before the season started, there is a God!

459

I have to disagree with you RJ. If USC had to play in the Big 12, I think they would do better than you think. Pete Carroll knows how to get his team up and ready for a game, and in most cases, knows how to dismantle the other team. What happened at Oregon State was just a team who got lazy, FOR ONE GAME.

They performed surgery against teams like Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and some other very good teams. You cannot say that a team is overrated by one freak loss. They put out more Heisman trophy winners, more first round draft picks, more NFL players overall than any other team in the country.

True the Pac 10 isnt much of a competition for USC, but put them against any team in the country and I would bet they will not only beat them, but convincingly conquer them.

460

I think USC’s biggest problem is that they play to the competition, it appears to be Pete Carrol’s one and only coaching flaw. His team is ALWAYS up for the big game, you never ever see them have a let down against another big team. On that same token though, they routinely have these tough grind it out games against teams that have no business being on the same field as them.

I’m not jealous of USC, I have a healthy respect for their program. I just happen to think that their fans in general talk down on other people which is why you see other teams’ fans getting defensive. Teams have bad games, all of them, USC has just been “good” about not having them in bragging rights games. On the flip side of that, if you would quit having slip ups you’d be in those NC games more often and these arguments wouldn’t ever happen.

461

Making a separate post for this for sake of quoting+discussion.

Nobody posted new polls yet so I’ll get that started since it was a big shakeup this week.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex

Texas got the expected leapfrog over 'Bama, both the AP and Coaches are giving the Big12 some big respect. After that the polls are actually decently different, the coaches are giving USC big ups and slotted them as the highest ranked 1 loss team; but the AP has OU and Florida both ahead of them. That’s going to really hurt USC’s chances in the BCS rankings, with what their SoS will end up at they NEED to be #1/2 in both of these come season’s end or they’re Rose Bowl bound yet again.

OKState got big votes for their Missouri win, cracking the top10 in both, #8 in AP. LSU got bounced HARD after the big loss to Florida, and now joins OSU in that “needs everyone to lose a 2nd time” area if they want any chance at another title game.

BYU is staying strong around that 8-9 spot, if they keep it up they’ll get an at-large BCS bid for sure.

No other changes seem really notable, point them out if I’m being dumb though.