College Football 2015-16

The Ohio State team on display yesterday has been the one we haven't seen since January. Talent wise the Buckeyes and Alabama are the two best teams, but they got no one to blame but themselves.

Put me in the non-Iowa believer camp w/Matt (only terms of winning it all), but they are certainly capable of beating a Michigan State team that is good, but not great.

Notre Dame has to be wondering how close they came to being in the playoffs. I'm a Pac 12 supporter, but no way even if the beat USC again does a 2 loss Cardinal deserve to get in.

Didn't include the Clemson game, because I thought they'd blow out a poor South Carolina team. Their game with North Carolina should be very interesting.

EDIT: Didn't notice this before, but Mark Richt is the big-time SEC coach to leave, the soap opera at LSU has been an egg on your face disaster, but Miles will be back. Richt won a ton of games, but not the 'Big One'. He did one of his better jobs this year considering the injury to Nick Chubb. He's a class act and after 15 years I can see why Georgia is doing this.

 

I don't know if I'd call it a tough break Matt, though you are right - it was coming. Coastal was not playing their best ball at the time when they needed it. Four turnovers on offense leading to 20 Citadel points and only one forced punt on defense (plus one TO on downs) pretty much can only lead to one result.

I watched the Iron Bowl and can only wonder how different would have been if Johnson had any sort of accuracy. He was off on nearly every pass - even the one's that were completed. It's obvious that Muschamp needs to work on rushing defense and tackling. Where's Henry in the Heisman talk by the way?

 

First domino to fall and to be honest it's a little surprising is Clay Helton has been named the permanent coach at USC. The Trojans are on their 4th coach in four years and maybe Pat Haden didn't want a 5th.

@AggieMatt, rumors already swirling around Larry Fedora with him and Mississippi State's Dan Mullen being the leading candidates at Georgia..so far. Will the Georgia opening force Texas to take action?

 

I think Fedora would be an interesting choice for Georgia. He doesn't play your typical SEC brand of football, but the guy has a plan and he sticks with it. In 4 years at Southern Miss, he had them within 1 game of Sugar Bowl. Now in 4th year at UNC, he has them being talked about upsetting the #1 team in the country, but at the very least, in the championship game. I think MS State fans and Mississippi are getting a little tired of Mullen. He has had the talent and has been sub par in their minds.

 

They had the guy from Orangebloods on the radio earlier and he said Texas was targeting TCU Co-OC Sonny Cumbie for their OC position. Sounds like Strong will get another year. Of course, they still have a game left with Baylor & getting humiliated could change things (imo).

I'd seen Bama DC Kirby Smart linked with Georgia. He's a former Dawgs player & assistant.

If Mullen were to leave, now would be the time with Prescott graduating.

USC wasn't the first domino to fall per se:

VA Tech, Iowa State & Hawaii have all gone out & filled their openings. Minnesota, Illinois and now USC have hired their interim coaches.

Sounds like Bowling Green HC Dino Babers will be announced at UCF soon. Same for Michigan DC DJ Durkin at Maryland.

The carousel is spinning fast this year.

 

Spinning like I've never seen it before. Scott Frost the Oregon O-Coordinator lands at UCF, and Cal's Sonny Dykes interviews at Mizzou. That one surprised me at first, but looked and Cal has a new AD and any time you weren't hired by the acting AD it makes you a little nervous. Dykes took over Cal at rock bottom and have turned them around in 3 seasons. Kirby Smart indeed leaving Bama for Georgia.

The last few weeks have weeded out the competition and it looks fairly simple. The one recurring theme this week is 'the us against the world, nobody respects us' card. Who will be playing it?

ACC: #1 Clemson v #10 North Carolina: Both will be playing the card. UNC feels they are under appreciated and ranked much lower than they should be. Dabo Swinney will be pointing to every single pundit who has picked the Tar Heels this week (I haven't heard one person pick Clemson yet). I've wanted to pick UNC in this game for awhile when it looked they were on a collision course. However, when everybody and their mother picks one way, go the other. Clemson wins this.

Big 10: #4 Iowa v #5 Michigan State: This is a true quarterfinal match with the winner advancing. Iowa will be the team with a big chip on their shoulder. The Hawkeyes have stopped feeling the pressure of being undefeated because no one gives them a chance. Sparty is a better team than Iowa, but not by much. Screw it, sorry @LaxAttack in advance if I've given your team the kiss of death, but going with Iowa.

SEC: #18 Florida v #2 Alabama: Florida will play the card, but it won't make a bit of difference. The way the Gators have looked over the last month you wonder how they got here in the first place. Bama easy-peasy.

Best of the Rest

Pac 12: #7 Stanford v #20 USC: Team Sybill aka USC will take on Stanford for the second time this season. I'm going with the Trojans as my upset special, but already regretting it.

C-USA: Southern Miss at Western Kentucky: Dtown's Golden Eagles great turnaround continued last week and know have a big hill to climb at WKU. Hard to pick against the home team in this one.

AAC: #22 Temple at #19 Houston: The winner will be the highest ranked non-Big 5 team and get a New Year's Day game. Tbh, have only seen Temple play, and have liked what I've seen (blew out Penn State and played Notre Dame to a stand still), so will go with the Owls.

 

The last few weeks have weeded out the competition and the playoff scenarios looks fairly simple. The one recurring theme this week is 'the us against the world, nobody respects us' card. Who will be playing it?

ACC: #1 Clemson v #10 North Carolina: Both will be playing the card. UNC feels they are under appreciated and ranked much lower than they should be. Dabo Swinney will be pointing to every single pundit who has picked the Tar Heels (I haven't heard one person pick Clemson yet). I've wanted to pick UNC in this game for awhile when it looked they were on a collision course. However, when everybody and their mother picks one way, go the other. Clemson wins.

Big 10: #4 Iowa v #5 Michigan State: This is a true quarterfinal match with the winner advancing. Iowa will be the team with a big chip on their shoulder. The Hawkeyes have stopped feeling the pressure of being undefeated because no one gives them a chance. Sparty is a better team than Iowa, but not by much. Screw it, sorry @LaxAttack in advance if I've given your team the kiss of death, but going with Iowa.

SEC: #18 Florida v #2 Alabama: Florida will play the card, but it won't make a bit of difference. The way the Gators have looked over the last month you wonder how they got here in the first place. Bama easy-peasy.

Best of the Rest

Pac 12: #7 Stanford v #20 USC: Team Sybill aka USC will take on Stanford for the second time this season. I'm going with the Trojans as my upset special, but already regretting it.

C-USA: Southern Miss at Western Kentucky: Dtown's Golden Eagles great turnaround continued last week and now have a big hill to climb at WKU. Hard to pick against the home team in this one.

AAC: #22 Temple at #19 Houston: The winner will be the highest ranked non-Big 5 team and get a New Year's Day game. Tbh, have only seen Temple play, and have liked what I've seen (blew out Penn State and played Notre Dame to a stand still), so will go with the Owls.

 

OUCH JOE! First and foremost, at 7 point dawgs, Southern miss wins by 2! Either way, every Southern fan I know is happy with this turnaround. From what I've heard, they are taking quite the crowd up to WKU for the game.

For me, the rest:

Clemoson v UNC - I'm with you 100% on this one. I wanted to go with UNC, but by now Clemson has to be getting pissed off with all the talk being about UNC. Two things on this though, Larry Fedora was the coach at Southern Miss when they played Houston for the CUSA title. I believe Houston was top 10 and with the win would have gone to the BCS. they were also double digit favorites. Southern played lights out and Houston was never in the game. Secondly, it's CLEMSON! They blow it every year. All that being said, Clemson doesn't blow it.

Iowa v Mich St. - I think Mich St is the overall better team, but for whatever reason, Iowa just keeps on winning. Would love to see Iowa run the table and keep going, but I think Sparty gets out of this one.

Alabama Alabama Alabama Alabama Alabama Alabama - does florida play with 11 men on Offense?

I like Stanford to take the Pac 12. I wish they had real fans though. I can't stand watching their home games on TV with the stadium empty. drives me nuts.

So, obviously my upset special will be Southern Miss winning.

 

Miami lands alum Mark Richt & Maryland named Michigan DC DJ Durkin. Smart may prove to be a great hire for UGA but I'd be concerned getting someone with no HC experience for a job that big.

Clemson v UNC - Clemson seems like they've regressed while the Heels have been playing great. However, UNC has been kicking over tomato cans & I think Clemson's big game experience sees them through.

Iowa v Mich St - Sparty have a great record in big games under Dantonio, while Iowa isn't really battle tested. Said before I'm not fully sold on the Hawkeyes, Spartans win.

Florida v Alabama - The Gator offense has gone further & further into the ditch since Will Grier was suspended. Florida has zero chance to win this game. None, nada, zilch.

Stanford v USC - The Tree won on SC's home field so this should be no problem. However that was in the midst of the Sark mess & Stanford was w/o 2 of their starting cb's v ND last week & it showed. Factor in a boost from naming Helton HC and I'll take the Trojans.

So Miss @ W Kentucky - looking at these 2, the Hilltoppers stack up very similarly to how La Tech did. I'll ride with the Eagles for another week.

Temple @ Houston - Ward is healthy & Houston really impressed me last week v Navy. This one is a coin flip so I'll take the Cougars @ home.

 

Congratulations Joe. You had the fortitude to pick the mighty Western Kentucky Hilltoppers over Brett Favre U....and they prevailed, 45-28!

 

That was a tough one. Southern Miss was rolling until their defensive players (6 key starters injured) started dropping like flies. Then the offense turned it over a couple of times & Western Kentucky took the lead & ran away with it.

 

"On any given gameday..."
So the teams that should win, won. But, in all but a few, the margins weren't exactly definitive.
In my bailiwick, the 2nd and 3rd best B1G teams played for the right to lose to 'Bama .
Hey.. see my first line. The Buckeyes COULD have thwarted Bama again in the marbles race. But they arent in it because of coaching deficiencies. Sh*t happens.

Clemson is a good team but their only chance to make it to the Champs game is if they dont draw MSU or Bama in first round. But they JUST MIGHT beat Oklahoma. Clemson is this year's Oregon.

How the seeding should look:
1 Alabama
2, 3 Oklahoma / Clemson take your pick
4 MSU
* I dont give a crap what 538 says

There you have it. The most competitive matchup will be MSU / Alabama. For about 3 quarters. Not saying WHICH 3 quarters but, in the end, Bama wins it all.
Yeah... MSU fans should pray to be seeded 2 or 3, But that's really a stretch.

- Sidenote: Nick Saban says his players were distracted by NFL draft rumors last year. I dont doubt it for a minute.
OTOH, what was it about OSU 53 / Wisc ZERO that failed to get their attention?
heh...

 

Mr. Fog knockin' it outta the yard, great stuff.

When Sparty's qb was attempting to throw the ball away and it hit his own O-lineman and bounced into a pair of Hawkeye hands I thought it was going to be Iowa's day, and for large parts of the game it was. Amazing 22 play drive to get the Spartans in the playoffs.

Christian McCaffrey is a beast for Stanford. 461 yards of all purpose greatness to break Barry Sanders single season record (How good was Barry? he did it in 2 less games). Time will tell, but thought SC jumped the gun on hiring Helton full-time, they've played 5 good teams and they were 2-3.

Saw the Clemson score when they were up 22 in the 4th and figured they cruised. Had no idea that they barely held on, with a phantom offside call negating UNC getting an onside kick down only a td and 2 pointer.

Bama was Bama.

Dumb pick of the Week: Temple's coach interviewed for the Mizzou gig, Houston coach said no to other schools and signed an extension, that always has an effect on a locker room. On that info alone not picking the Coogs was plain stupid

 

Nice one Joe. So I was right about honor and appreciation.
Some east or northeastern coach seems about right for Mizzou at the moment. Guess someone from Temple might work. Someone who is used to dealing with sensitive precious snowflakes fairly often. Have they looked at Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale?

 

Considering we haven't been to the Rose Bowl in 25 years (and it is in my backyard), I think a trip to the Rose Bowl is a nice consolation prize for losing yesterday.

 

Also, tip of my cap to MSU for that last 22-play drive. They earned that win.

 

My only issue with the CFP committee (and it's very minor) is that they talked about resume when seeding 1 loss MSU & 1 loss OU. However 1 loss Bama, who has the fewest quality wins of the four, were placed ahead of them b/c they were adjudged to be better by the eye test? I'd have ranked them 1 Clemson, 2/3 OU/MSU (it's a coin flip to separate them imo) & 4 Bama. Doesn't really matter though as I agree with the 4 & the matchups are good either way. I'll hold off on making picks just yet.

I am glad they positioned Iowa for the Rose Bowl. Based on past evidence, the BCS probably would have punished Iowa for that Championship game loss and sent OSU instead.

Much further down the pecking order...Bring it on, Jumpy!!! (Music City Bowl)

 

got to disagree with you on this one Jump, picking WKU was the easy pick. they were favored by 7.5 I believe. With that being said. Still a huge season compared to last three years for So Miss.

I loved hearing them talk about Iowa and the Rose Bowl. much deserved for them and what a great game that championship was.

UNC getting hosed on a phantom offside call. That sent the ol Twitter into conspiracy land.

 

In the 'Also-Participated' Bowls, I was just scouting around once I saw the picks and almost swallowed my teeth when I read this:

2016 Fiesta Bowl advanced stats tale of the tape: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
Summary: ND favored by 6.5
Well, I can't pass that up. Here's my FB post on it:
Hey, everyone! Looks like Notre Dame is the safe bet vs OSU in the Fiesta Bowl; so call yer Book and go ALL IN!

-heh.. I just can't help myself..I have the feeling I am gonna be giggling maniacally by the end of the game. "INTANGIBLES" is what they used to call it.
wink emoticon
Except they really aren't THAT intangible. For reasons we already outlined above. Plus 'Fiesta Bowl'. If any place on Earth is 'Ohio Stadium - West', that is it.
So I'm pretty sure Brian Kelly is gonna tell his players to not believe a word of that statistical BS.
Question is, will they believe him?

 

Whoa, Nellie!!!

My interest in college football has been stoked this year by the thread (and my lil' guy's interest), after many years of not caring. Thank you, and 'fog, OSU will roll ND.