College Football 2015-16

I swear, college sports are going to erase years off of my lifespan.

 

Just read a recap Dynamo. That's a heartbreaker. To give up a big lead and then have the potential winning 18 yard FG blocked at the end. Tough.

Coastal rolled today. Lots of close calls in the FBS though. I enjoyed seeing ND lose. And the SEC keeps getting crazier week after week.

 

Sometimes college football makes no sense:

How do you explain ASWho losing 35-0 to USC at home and then going to the Rose Bowl and beating UCLA by 15? Florida has looked just okay, while Ole Miss looked ready for a playoff run.. a 38-10 Gator romp ensues, huh?

Sometimes it does make sense:

For my daughter's whole life I told her 'when you get older and go to parties NEVER drink the punch' She just turned 21 and it still is a running joke. Why didn't I heed my own advice and drink the Georgia Kool-Aid? I know it means waking up with a migraine, wondering where it all went wrong but yet I do it anyways.

Other thoughts;

The Big 10 is way up, but how long can OSU and Sparty keep going? Indiana had the ball at the 5 yard line with a minute to go, but couldn't cash in. I truly think the Michigan State was better last year in spite of their ranking, they barely hung on against Purdon't.

Lax, Iowa is up to 5-0 and will be ranked this week, care to readjust your 6 win prediction?

Matt, solid win for your Aggies, and good call on Arkansas.

Tim, standout performance by Northwestern (sorry Encore, you called it), at Michigan next week is going to be a huge game.

Congrats to the winners, sorry to all of us on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

EDIT: I just saw this, and felt the need to vent. Ohio State QB Cardle Jones made an innocuous tweet basically saying '5-0, Go Bucks'. The garbage and phenom he got back from Buckeye fans ripping him (on his twitter account), calling for the backup, is beyond embarrassing. Tweeting to a 20 year old kid some of the crap I just read makes me sick. These are the same idiots that if they saw him in person would run up to him for an autograph and selfie. Apparently the Golden Rule doesn't apply to twitter.

 

REALLY good takes, Joe. This year, in my casual fan eyes, shows the attraction of college football.
- esp as I'm writing this watching the Dolphins making fools of themselves at Wembley. I'd start with firing the ENTIRE Defensive coaching staff.

As to the Buckeye fans. I guess I just have to grin and bear it. I recognize it with just a pinch of denial.
For my personal bigot side, glad to see ND got beat. That sorta puts me in the same ranks as the idiots, aforementioned, but I've long admitted on here: I have my bigotries and so does everyone else.

- Again, those Texas teams are FUN!

 

Look at the bright side Dynamo, you're developing the perfect resume to become the voice of the Tennessee Vols. Speaking of, I spent a chunk of the day thinking I might have blown it not going with my gut on Iowa. But once Tennessee went up 14-0 I knew my upset pick was secure.

I think UCLA's injuries might have finally caught up to them. Only explanation I've got for that loss to ASU. Didn't see the Ole Miss game but maybe Joe was right & they just can't handle prosperity. They certainly ran into a buzz saw last night. I think parity is winning out & while someone may manage to go undefeated, I think you're going to see alot of 1 & maybe even 2 loss teams atop the conferences.

The Kool Aid thing isn't fool proof. Not partaking worked for me with GA, not with Clemson. Although it looked like the Tigers were trying to Clemson it.

My Ags looked pretty solid. I'm still not sure if we're a contender, but we have a bye before getting Bammer at Kyle Field & they get to bust heads with Arky next week. We did a pretty cool thing in our game last night. During the break between the 3rd & 4th quarters fans held up their phones during the War Hymn/sway & it looked like stars around the field.

I'm not one to carp about rankings this early, but all week I read how A&M's wins weren't as impressive b/c AZ St & Arky appeared to have been overrated. When does that apply to Ohio St (beat 2-3 VA Tech) & Michigan State (edged 3-2 Oregon at home)? OSU started at the top but have looked like anything but a #1 team & Sparty vaulted to #2 on the back of the Oregon win that doesn't look nearly as impressive. Clemson, Utah & Florida are all undefeated with better wins. You could make a case for OU in there as well. It will sort itself out but I'll be disappointed if MSU is still #2 today.

Joe, you're wrong about Twitter. The Golden rule does apply....piss on everyone.

And Fog is also right about Texas football. But your mileage may vary if you like defense. Heck even the Horns are entertaining in a train wreck sort of way.

 

Some big conference games, but first a couple of BIG rivalry games with LITTLE significance:

Red River Rivalry: #10 Oklahoma v Texas. Would expect the Longhorns to play with a little pride, but is there any left? Boomer Sooner

Miami at #12 Florida State. The Canes coach Al Golden needs a statement W real quick or a pink slip might not be far behind, he ain't getting one on Saturday.

Big 10 showdowns:

#13 Northwestern at #18 Michigan. Tighten up the chinstraps this is going to be an old fashion donnybrook. Going with Michigan at home, but if Tim's boys can win the turnover battle (maybe even take one back) they can smash and grab one in Ann Arbor

Illinois at #22 Iowa. The Illini are a surprising 4-1 and the Hawkeyes are a bigger surprise at 5-0, Lax's alma mater keeps it going.

Speaking of surprises, don't think too many people had this one circled before the season:

#24 Cal at #5 Utah. Not sure about that ranking for the Utes, but they are a tough-minded group. Cal has been very lucky the last few weeks, but unless Jared Goff goes insane the magical run ends for the Bears in Salt Lake City.

This game is worth noting, #8 LSU at South Carolina (but being playing in Baton Rouge). Devastating rain in Columbia made the change of venues necessary. Would expect the Gamecocks to play incredibly hard for their community. Also very classy of LSU to send their chartered plane to pick South Carolina up.

Upset Alert

** Washington at #17 USC. The ** is for the simple fact I brain cramped and didn't think this game was being played Thursday. I swear I would've of picked this game for the simple fact that the Washington juniors and seniors were recruited and abandoned by USC's coach Sark. It's 17-12 Huskies w/4 minutes left and I need the old bang your head on the wall icon. Yes, Matt I know this doesn't count.

#11 Florida at Missouri. How can I pick this after the Gators destroyed Ole Miss a week ago? Florida is coming off 2 straight emotional home wins, throw in a long plane ride, and Missouri finally getting closure on QB Maty Mauck's situation spells the Tigers giving the Gators all they want.

 

My Ags are on their bye this week, resting up & prepping for Bama.

Texas v Oklahoma - 2 or 3 years ago the Horns rolled into the RRR looking like they had no chance in hell & smoked OU. However that team had a much better defense & this one has an offense where the only threat is the qb running. Zero U rolls.

Miami @ FSU - I'm not impressed with the Noles but I'm even less impressed by the Canes. At some point FSU's lack of offense will bite them, but I don't think it happens in this game at home.

Northwestern @ Michigan - Both teams have played stellar defense but the Cats are one of the worst teams in FBS at converting red zone trips into td's. That'll cost them in the Big House.

Illinois @ Iowa - I get the sense that Iowa is a good team whereas the Illini just feel lucky to me. Hawkeyes win.

Cal @ Utah - Sometimes there are big warning signs that scare me off of a team. Goff is great, but the Bear D gave up 44 to that terrible Texas offense I referenced above. Utes win.

USC east @ LSU - Not sure if we're really meant to pick this one but Carolina has nothing for LSU. The Gamecocks are in rapid decline.

Upset Alert(s) - First off, I'll give you credit for the UW win b/c you've always struck me as a stand up guy. Besides, I thought the same thing. Not quite strongly enough to pick it with the game in LA, but I don't doubt for one second you would have. Good win for the Snarlins.

So I'll take 2 this week as well.

Indiana (+7) @ Penn St - I showed a lack of respect for Kevin Wilson's Hoosiers last week so I'll give it to them this week. They should have a confidence boost from the OSU game & Penn St doesn't have Ezekiel Elliott or an o-line.

GA Tech (+7.5) @ Clemson - The Tigers are coming off a big win while the Jackets have lost 3 straight. The Ramblin Wreck have given Clemson tons of trouble recently & return a starting running back & one of their better defenders this week. If there was ever a spot to Clemson it, this is it. Tech wrecks Clemp's po hopes.

 

Goals for this weekend: Get revenge (and first Div-I conf. win) against the state of Florida, have NC State not let me down when this game is done, and Illinois to not play like they did against Carolina.

 

Oh well, what can I say..... B1G is starting to be really entertaining... or frustrating if you're either a fan or making odds.
With Michigan's performance, it's sort of amusing to go back a few weeks and reading 'Harbaugh out' from idiot fans.... face it, There's lots fewer core MI fans than Bucks', but they are just as idiotic.

I stand on what I say about Texas football. In fact, I'd rather Baylor ranked #1 today!!!!
Their hundreds of fans deserve the short taste of meaningless glory.

 

I'm done with the state of Indiana. I've picked Purdue, ND & Indiana for upsets in recent weeks and gone 0 for 3. At least the Irish came close. I'm also done picking on Clemson. Ironically, I saw Dabo's post game comments on one of the highlight shows & he's right. I will not use the word Clemsoning again this season.

I agree the B1G is frustrating. Not sure how entertaining it is, although I've enjoyed what I've seen of Iowa. Haven't watched alot of Michigan but their results speak for themselves. And where the heck did that performance from Encore's Gophers come from?!?

I watched just about all of the RRR and I still don't know how OU stunk it up so bad. It's like they'd never seen a blitz or running qb before. I subscribe to the theory that coaches lose effectiveness at some point after year 10 in one spot. Maybe Georgia & the Landthieves should trade coaches, b/c UGA is in the same boat. Heck of a comeback by the Vols btw. I missed the start & Nick Chubb's injury, but the still photo of it was stomach turning.

The Purple Wizard, Bill Snyder, almost did it again...with a 3rd string qb. I'll always wonder what he could have done with a program with better resources.

And screw Baylor!! Play someone first. Their schedule is seriously backloaded. They may well be legit, but no one knows that yet.

Class move by Leonard Fournette. Glad the NCAA broke form & are allowing him to auction his jersey for charity for SC flood victims.

 

Sark was put on indefinite leave of absence at USC after showing up to practice intoxicated. Rumors of him being under the influence during their ASU win have popped up, and he 'showed up lit to meetings again' according to a player today. If he needed to hit rock bottom to get his life together save to say it's happened.

 

Hell, I just suggested baylor as #1 to point out it's meaningless, even at this point in the season. Generally the top 25 makes sense... except AP where ND moved up despite a listless win against Navy at home.
Watched replay of 3rd qtr MiSt at Rutgers. Weird watching a major college football game where there's Div 3 crowd noise in background. I'd think that embarrassing.

 

Early front runner for coach of the year has to be McElwain at Florida. Nobody expected them to be undefeated six games into his first season. They travel to LSU next, so we'll see if it's legit then, I reckon. If they make it past the Tigers, they've only got Georgia and the Noles that should give them trouble.
Around here, everybody's already talking hoops. Kentucky still has a shot at a decent season, but if history holds true, they'll fade as the SEC schedule gets heavy. Louisville has a decent defense, but too many issues on offense to be watchable, although they may yet earn another minor bowl bid. Both were off this weekend: Kentucky plays Auburn at Commonwealth Thursday night and the Cards are at Fla. St., Saturday. Loss, loss. Not to worry. Oct. 15th is almost here.

 

Lol, I know what you meant. I just despise Baylor, both the school & the football program, for too many reasons to list here. One of the bigger ones though, is for their President Ken Starr trying to block A&M's move to the SEC by threat of lawsuits.

 

Glad to see Maryland canned Randy Edsall. I hated that hire from the start b/c it was a terrible fit. The Terps can recruit skill positions and secondary well & have done a pretty good job getting linebackers. They struggle recruiting both lines. Edsall's system relies too much on winning individual matchups, especially at the los & MD doesn't have the horses.

I'd wanted them to hire Leach at the time. Hopefully this time, they go after someone who runs an up tempo, spread style offense that will spread things out, get the ball out quick & take advantage of the strengths of their talent while covering up their weaknesses. And hopefully will attract better qb talent.

Read Sark is going through a messy divorce. Adds some context.

 

My Illini came frustratingly close to upsetting the Hawkeyes in Iowa city. Had the ball down 6 with a chance to win it before our Freshman running back (who had just gotten laid out) fumbled. In the end, between injuries and an already thin roster, we didn't have quite enough. Regardless, it was a hell of a performance from a team that was without its best WR and RB (not to mention we fired our coach a week before the season).

For the first time in a long time, Illinois is a team without any glaring deficiencies. Our passing game is good, running game is serviceable, D line has been impressive, and the secondary is solid. I'm looking forward to seeing what this team can do with the heart of the B1G season coming up. We have Wisconsin coming up at home after a much needed week off to get healthy.

 

@AggieMatt , I have no idea where the Gophers pulled that performance from. Actually, I know exactly where they pulled it from, but this is a family message board.

We were actually able to run the ball in this game, so that took a ton of pressure off of our inconsistent quarterback. I believe on one of our TD drives, we ran the ball 13 straight times! "If it ain't broke" was the motto there.

I believe we are hosting the Cornhuskers on Saturday, which should make for some good drama since both programs are struggling a bit with consistency this year.

 

@ChicagoCottager We were actually watching the Illinois game on the way to Tallahassee on game day, got through 3 quarters before we got to the stadium. Positives: Kicking a GW field goal after having one blocked last week and getting our first Div-I conference win against a Florida team. Negatives: spending more time on the bus than off of it, let alone the actual state of Florida.

Also, NC State s*tuff* is in full effect already this year.

 

I may have jinxed 'em....

http://espn.go.com/college-football...ded-season?ex_cid=sportscenterFB&sf14046464=1

 

Iowa-NW is going to be tough for Iowa this year. We have lost three of the last four in Evanston. And I hate to be "that guy" talking about injuries as every team has injuries at this point but Iowa is pretty beat up right now. It really needs the bye week (which is one week away).

Likely will be without our preseason #1 WR, #1 RB, #1 DE and both of our starting tackles and our QB has been limping and taking shots each week. We had a true freshman who came to Iowa as a center plating at RT at the end of the game last week against Illinois (and he was getting abused while trying to pass block).

And Northwestern will be hyped up as they are honoring their 1995 Rose Bowl team and wearing 1995 throwbacks.

That all said, this year has been a fun one. Considering I said it was going to be 6-6/7-5 type season, it has been a lot of fun going in with no expectations.