College football

[Vrede too]

He sure didn't punt from that close to the sideline. It wasn't a direct trot to the sideline, but more in that direction than the center of the field. I'll settle for, "It was close - he almost drew the penalty," thanks. My point all along is that it was a dirty hit, whether or not it was technically a penalty, and the reporter's point was that the refs did not zap Auburn when it was "close" and "almost" and they could have. That's not a pro-Bama bias.

I’ll go with some of that. It was an unnecessary hit. The kicker probably would have taken himself out of the play if the guy had just gotten in front of him. He kicked from just outside the hash mark.
Had there been a penalty, I hope that I would have been more pissed at the Auburn player than the refs.

Cool.

Notice that on the same play the bama tackler sort of picked the Auburn runner up by his legs/feet and after dropping him on his head another bama player straddled him so he couldn’t get up. That started a lot of pushing and shoving both ways.
No flags.
Could be that got all the attention.

I did not see that replay.

btw - my son agrees with you that there could have been a penalty

Cool.

But the slanted article was written by a bama fan or an Auburn hater. How is this not biased?

“The call was one of a number of decisions by the officials that earned scrutiny from fans and coaches,

(All fine, except all of her examples are pro bama)

including an incompletion on what appeared to be a first down catch from Jermaine Burton

Called an incompletion on the field and by review. It was ever so close but his toe was in the white)

"ever so close" is hardly a definitive bias.

and a review for an illegal forward pass from Jalen Milroe.

(What controversy, he went several yards over the line before throwing the ball)

Again, the refs never called it illegal. When review calls it, that equals controversy even if we, the analysts and the reporter ultimately agree that review got it right.

The Crimson Tide pulled out a 27-24 win on Jalen Milroe's heroic
(and of course the bama an is a heroic guy)

(and of course the bama an is a heroic guy)
31-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond on 4th and goal.”

Now really, on what planet is this an unbiased article?

A game winner like that is certainly something. Are you really griping because of the adjective she chose? Non-heroes would have missed the receiver.

Once again, this is a USA Today article that raised the possibility of OPI. If she wanted Bama to look unquestionably "heroic", she never would have written the article. A Bama booster would leave it to others to whine about the possible OPI.

[Vrede too]

FCS Championship - Quarterfinals, Missoula, MT
9:00 PM 36°, ESPN2/ESPN+
@2 Montana (11-1, -17.0 ) > Whack9's 7 Furman (10-2)

No other games on or even being played. I'm thrilled that we'll ALL be watching GO Griz! If Montana wins it will get yet one more home game for the Semi, along with most of an extra day to rest/practice.
https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/football/fcs/2023

[GoCubsGo]

41 College Bowl games.

Why? The money can't be that good for little watched sparsely attended Potato Bowl or Camellia Bowl.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/college-bo ... 19169.html

[O Really]

It would have been nice if they list had included locations of the games. Not that hardly any of them matter except as a potentially fun excursion for the teams and a few fans.

[Vrede too]

41 College Bowl games.

Why? The money can't be that good for little watched sparsely attended Potato Bowl or Camellia Bowl.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/college-bo ... 19169.html

Better money than not playing at all, I guess

It would have been nice if the list had included locations of the games. Not that hardly any of them matter except as a potentially fun excursion for the teams and a few fans.

2023-24 college football bowl game schedule, scores, TV channels, matchup information
(all times ET)

You have:
Wednesday, Dec. 27
Holiday Bowl
No. 15 Louisville vs. Southern Cal
San Diego, California
8 p.m. ET | FOX
Tickets as low as $43

Not bad. There are others in SoCal. I've got:

Monday, Dec. 18
Bahamas Bowl (Temporarily renamed the Famous Toastery Bowl)
Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion
Nassau, Bahamas (Temporarily relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina)
2:30 p.m. | ESPN


Wednesday, Dec. 27
Duke's Mayo Bowl
North Carolina vs. West Virginia
Charlotte, North Carolina
5:30 p.m. | ESPN


I'll pass on both. In the saner football system:

FCS Championship - Quarterfinals, Missoula, MT
9:00 PM 36°, ESPN2/ESPN+
@2 Montana (11-1, -17.0 ) > Whack9's 7 Furman (10-2)

No other games on or even being played. I'm thrilled that we'll ALL be watching GO Griz! If Montana wins it will get yet one more home game for the Semi, along with most of an extra day to rest/practice.
https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/football/fcs/2023

Exciting game WE watched
Montana defense was mostly tough.
Montana offense was anemic.
Furman led by a point for 12 minutes in the 2nd half.
Montana missed a 42-yard FG, twice!
Montana scored a TD+2 with 9:40 left.
Furman scored a TD with 0:13 left, 28-27, went for 2 and failed, game won! But, nooo, false start Furman kicked the PAT, OT!
The hero of regular time was Montana native Junior Bergen, ran back a kickoff AND a punt for TDs, responsible for half the Griz scoring so far.
Montana scored its first offensive TD since its 3rd possession.
Furman came up 13 yards short, 35-28 in OT1.
I know y'all were on the edge of your seats.
Semi in Missoula next weekend! First Semis since 2011.


GO:
FCS Championship - Quarterfinals
(all times ET)

12:00 PM 33°, ESPN/ESPN+
8 Villanova (10-2) > @1 South Dakota State (12-0, -21.0 )
Take out the big dog. A loss won't count in my tally.

2:30 PM 34° flurries, ABC/ESPN+
@3 South Dakota (10-2) > unseeded North Dakota State (10-3, -6.5)
Oust the perpetual champs! Winner loses to Montana.

Go football:

10:00 PM 32° snow, ESPN+
5 UAlbany (10-3) vs @4 Idaho (9-3, -4.5)

[O Really]

You have:
Wednesday, Dec. 27
Holiday Bowl
No. 15 Louisville vs. Southern Cal
San Diego, California
8 p.m. ET | FOX
Tickets as low as $43

Not bad. There are others in SoCal.

Yeah, something called the "Rose Bowl" about an hour and half away But I don't think there are any $43 tickets.

[Vrede too]

Yeah, something called the "Rose Bowl" about an hour and half away But I don't think there are any $43 tickets.

4 Alabama vs 1 Michigan
Tickets as low as $510
They would have to pay me to attend.

Also:
LA Bowl
UCLA vs. Boise State
Inglewood, California
7:30 p.m. | ABC
Tickets as low as $48

[Vrede too]

GO:
FCS Championship - Quarterfinals
(all times ET)

12:00 PM 33°, ESPN/ESPN+
8 Villanova (10-2) > @1 South Dakota State (12-0, -21.0 )
Take out the big dog. A loss won't count in my tally. 12-23
Looked like Villanova had a shot for awhile, but then they sputtered.
South Dakota State gets a home Semi next week.

2:30 PM 34° flurries, ABC/ESPN+
@3 South Dakota (10-2) > unseeded North Dakota State (10-3, -6.5)
Oust the perpetual champs! Winner loses to Montana in Missoula.
17-45, crap! Having upset Montana St last week NDSU could single-handedly cancel the state, as a visitor.

Go football:

10:00 PM 32° snow, ESPN+
5 UAlbany (10-3) vs @4 Idaho (9-3, -4.5)

1-1

[Vrede too]

Florida State should boycott the Orange Bowl
The school's anger at being snubbed is beyond valid. So why not blow up the bowl system in the finale of the 4-team playoff?



Just do it, FSU, end your season now. We won't think you're afraid of Georgia, promise. I'm sure there's some 5-win team that would be thrilled to play Georgia in the Orange Bowl.

[billy.pilgrim]

I doubt that it has anything to do with Georgia.

They lack the understanding of playing by bama rules.

Hell, from 1934 through 1992 (58 years) we played every game but one on their home field.

[Vrede too]

I doubt that it has anything to do with Georgia.

I was joking. I doubt they'll boycott, too. Piles and piles of money to play, plus the lawsuits for breach of contract if they don't play.

They lack the understanding of playing by bama rules.

Hell, from 1934 through 1992 (58 years) we played every game but one on their home field.

[O Really]

I'd like to see FSU wreck it, but it really wouldn't be in their long-term best interest to do so. Within the context of something that really doesn't matter to me, I despise the selection committee. I'd like them better if they just said up front "we're going to pick Alabama and whoever else we want to invite to the party" instead of jumping through computer rankings, projections, scientific mumbo-jumbo or any other pretense of objectivity.

It's one thing to say "well, they lost their start QB so they'll be a weaker team" but quite another to say "they aren't as good as they were but they still won out even without their QB so WTH we won't even let them play."

[Vrede too]

LSU QB Jayden Daniels tops field to win Heisman Trophy

I'm not sure I watched any LSU games this year. I would have like to see UW's Penix get it, but Daniels had a great year and I don't have an opinion on who "deserved" the award.

[Vrede too]

Does it get worse? UNC going to the Mayonnaise bowl is bad enough, but it has to be the "Duke" bowl?

Yes, it gets worse.

North Carolina QB Drake Maye entering NFL draft

... Maye, a redshirt sophomore, started all 26 games of his career during the past two seasons at UNC. He told ESPN that he will not play in the Duke's Mayo Bowl against West Virginia. He'll leave school with a 17-9 record as a starter....

First, the Duke's Mayo Bowl is made for a guy named Maye.

More seriously, I get the fear of injury and consequent hit to the wallet, but UNC gave him the chance to make all of this money and his teammates made it possible. It's even worse that the Bowl is in Charlotte where many North Carolinians would have had the chance to watch his finale. I'm disappointed.

[Vrede too]

FCS Championship - Semifinals
7:00 PM ESPN2/ESPN+
GO 5 UAlbany (11-3) > @1 South Dakota State (13-0, -20.0 ugh)
The other SDSU C'mon Great Danes, knock the big dog out! A loss won't count in my tally.
LA Traitors redux, 0-42 end of 3

[Vrede too]

GO:

FCS:

12:00 PM ABC/ESPN+
Celebration (HBCU) Bowl, Atlanta
Howard (6-5) > Florida A&M (11-1, -6.5)

4:30 PM ESPN2/ESPN+
@1 Montana (12-1, -2.0) > unranked perpetual champ North Dakota State (11-3)
GO Griz!

FBS:

3:30 PM ABC/ESPN+
Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl, Orlando
Appalachian State (8-5, -6.0) > Miami (OH, 11-2)

5:45 PM ESPN/ESPN+
New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque
New Mexico State (10-4, -3.5) > Fresno State (8-4)

9:15 PM ESPN/ESPN+
Independence Bowl, Shreveport, LA
California (6-6) > Texas Tech (6-6, -3.5). Mediocre Bowl

[Vrede too]

FCS Championship - Semifinals
7:00 PM ESPN2/ESPN+
GO 5 UAlbany (11-3) > @1 South Dakota State (13-0, -20.0 ugh)
The other SDSU C'mon Great Danes, knock the big dog out! A loss won't count in my tally.
LA Traitors redux, 0-42 end of 3
0-59 final, SDSU will be the favorite in the 1/7 Championship game in Frisco, TX.

[Vrede too]

Court ruling gives Oregon State and Washington State control of the Pac-12
The two schools argued that they should be the only ones with voting rights after eight other schools left this summer

... Earlier in October, a Washington state court judge gave Oregon State and Washington State control of the conference — and all of its assets, estimated at around $400 million — after the schools were granted a preliminary injunction. The Whitman County Superior Court judge ruled that the two schools should be the only ones making decisions for the conference because four are leaving for the Big Ten, four are leaving for the Big 12 and two are off to the ACC....

STFU, UW and the other traitors. You made your beds . . .

[O Really]

Somebody shoulda read the fine print. Don't all those other schools have lawyers for that?

I have no idea how "the conference' can have $400mill in assets, but I guess it's media rights and stuff, not buildings and property.

[Vrede too]

Somebody shoulda read the fine print. Don't all those other schools have lawyers for that?

I have no idea how "the conference' can have $400mill in assets, but I guess it's media rights and stuff, not buildings and property.

There might even be exit fees

... As the legal battle plays out, Yahoo! Sports reported that the Pac-12 is "expected to operate as a two-member conference at least for [2024]" and would be recognized under a two-year grace period, until 2026, to meet conference requirements in the NCAA bylaws.

Then, one possibility is a merger with the Mountain West Conference (SDSU, Blufield, etc), perhaps "under the Pac-12 brand". Still Power 5 with a dedicated Playoff berth if they do?