College football

[Vrede too]

#12 LSU +9.5 vs @#7 Auburn Exciting game and finish , they may flip-flop rankings

Rankings as of 9/16/2018

Mostly as above and a big drop by WI, loser to 21-point underdog BYU.

Coaches
Rank, School, Prev Rank

1 Alabama (3-0), 1 :gthumb:
2 Clemson (3-0), 2 :gthumb:
3 Georgia (3-0), 3 :gthumb:
4 Ohio State (3-0), 4 :gthumb:
5 Oklahoma (3-0), 5 :gthumb:
6 LSU (3-0), 13
7 Stanford (3-0), 9
8 Notre Dame (3-0), 8
9 Penn State (3-0), 10 :gthumb:
10 Virginia Tech (2-0), 11 :gthumb:
11 Auburn (2-1), 7
12 Washington (2-1), 12
13 West Virginia (2-0), 15
14 Mississippi State (3-0), 16
15 Oklahoma State (3-0), 19
16 Wisconsin (2-1), 6

AP
Rank, School, Prev Rank

1 Alabama (3-0), 1 :gthumb:
2 Georgia (3-0), 3 :gthumb:
3 Clemson (3-0), 2 :gthumb:
4 Ohio State (3-0), 4 :gthumb:
5 Oklahoma (3-0), 5 :gthumb:
6 LSU (3-0), 12
7 Stanford (3-0), 9
8 Notre Dame (3-0), 8
9 Auburn (2-1), 7
10 Penn State (3-0), 11 :gthumb:
10 Washington (2-1), 10
12 West Virginia (2-0), 14
13 Virginia Tech (2-0), 13
14 Mississippi State (3-0), 16
15 Oklahoma State (3-0), 24
16 UCF (2-0), 18
17 TCU (2-1), 15
18 Wisconsin (2-1), 6

[Vrede too]

Still many games with spreads > 10 (though only 2 with spreads > 30), and some of the others with spreads < 10 I'll bet on but don't really care about.

Go:

#8 Notre Dame -7.5 vs @Wake Forest
#23 Boston Coll. -7 vs @Purdue
@Georgia Tech +17 vs #3 Clemson, I can dream.
@#21 Miami (FL) -26.5 vs Florida Intl.
@Texas +3 vs #17 TCU, knock it out of the top 25.
#24 Michigan St. -4.5 vs @Indiana, how far MSU has fallen that the spread vs IN is so low.
Arkansas +29 vs @#9 Auburn, not that I care about Arkansas, I'm just anti-SEC dominance.
@#20 Oregon +2.5 vs #7 Stanford, tough one for me, I like Stanford and like that it's in the top 10, but I like Oregon more and it is 3-0. Maybe it could even make top 10 until WA beats it.
#18 Wisconsin -3.5 vs @Iowa
@#10 Washington -17.5 vs Arizona St.

[billy.pilgrim]

Still many games with spreads > 10 (though only 2 with spreads > 30), and some of the others with spreads < 10 I'll bet on but don't really care about.

Go:

#8 Notre Dame -7.5 vs @Wake Forest
#23 Boston Coll. -7 vs @Purdue
@Georgia Tech +17 vs #3 Clemson, I can dream.
@#21 Miami (FL) -26.5 vs Florida Intl.
@Texas +3 vs #17 TCU, knock it out of the top 25.
#24 Michigan St. -4.5 vs @Indiana, how far MSU has fallen that the spread vs IN is so low.
Arkansas +29 vs @#9 Auburn, not that I care about Arkansas, I'm just anti-SEC dominance.
@#20 Oregon +2.5 vs #7 Stanford, tough one for me, I like Stanford and like that it's in the top 10, but I like Oregon more and it is 3-0. Maybe it could even make top 10 until WA beats it.
#18 Wisconsin -3.5 vs @Iowa
@#10 Washington -17.5 vs Arizona St.

Can't imagine Auburn running the score up like that. If we get a solid lead, the bench will be in.



Did you see this

Deadspin: NCAA Weighing Ban On Keegan Brewer's Incredible Trick Punt Return.
https://deadspin.com/ncaa-weighing-ban- ... 1829137671


I agree that there should be a rule change. Too much potential for injury. Still, way cool.

[billy.pilgrim]

I'm gonna have to start posting Boobee info. He's the redshirt freshman who stood the Washington player up and then knocked him over.

Boobee also fumbled. It was a helmet direct hit on the ball that not many would have held onto. Boobee's mom met him on the way to the dressing room and told him to drop and give her 50.

My son told me that he ran for 104 yards against lsu, 78 of them were after contact.

Lafayette (pronounced La - Faye - et) even has a Boobee Whitlow Day.


Besides, his name is way more fun to say than last year's Kerryon Johnson

[Vrede too]

Running "for 104 years" is hard.

... Go:

... Arkansas +29 vs @#9 Auburn, not that I care about Arkansas, I'm just anti-SEC dominance....

Can't imagine Auburn running the score up like that. If we get a solid lead, the bench will be in.

Depends on when in the game the thumping happens. A 28-point lead in the 4th gets the bench, maybe not if it's earlier. Besides:
Sat, Sep 8, 2018: Auburn 63, Alabama St. 9

Did you see this

Deadspin: NCAA Weighing Ban On Keegan Brewer's Incredible Trick Punt Return.
https://deadspin.com/ncaa-weighing-ban- ... 1829137671

I agree that there should be a rule change. Too much potential for injury. Still, way cool.

Loved the play, mixed feelings about the rule change. Guess I'll be okay with whatever the NCAA does or doesn't do.

[billy.pilgrim]

Forest, Forest Gump could have done it.
(Under the kids are so mean category) my dad went to a one room elementary school (mom a one room 1st through 12). There was a real slow kid named Forest, they called him Thicket. Maybe Leo could get a laugh and use this in his 1958 / 2018 funny comparison.


We were playing true freshman in the 2nd quarter. We played people who will be redshirted and won't play again this year.

Arkansas will likely be a closer game than ala. state, but if we do get a crazy lead in the 2nd quarter, don't expect to see the score run up past a sure winning score before the bench comes in. We may even have one more game before the low end of the bench has to redshirt.


The past Arkansas coach loved to run up the score when he was at Wisconsin? and he did enter our conference bragging about what he was going to do to the sec, but he's gone (I think). I would have loved to see us run up the score on him.

[Vrede too]

To be fair, there is incentive for running up the score even though there's not supposed to be. If a team like Arkansas scores 2 garbage TDs against the bench in the last 5 minutes, the 14 point win looks less impressive than a 28 point win. Then, if AL or LSU beats Arkansas by more than 14, they look better than Auburn.

Still many games with spreads > 10 (though only 2 with spreads > 30), and some of the others with spreads < 10 I'll bet on but don't really care about.

Go:

#8 Notre Dame -7.5 vs @Wake Forest
@Missouri +14 vs #2 Georgia, I can dream.
#23 Boston Coll. -7 vs @Purdue
@Georgia Tech +17 +16.5 vs #3 Clemson, I can dream.
@#21 Miami (FL) -26.5 vs Florida Intl.
@Texas +3 +3.5 vs #17 TCU, knock it out of the top 25.
#24 Michigan St. -4.5 vs @Indiana, how far MSU has fallen that the spread vs IN is so low.
Arkansas +29 +29.5 vs @#9 Auburn, not that I care about Arkansas, I'm just anti-SEC dominance.
@#20 Oregon +2.5 +2 vs #7 Stanford, tough one for me, I like Stanford and like that it's in the top 10, but I like Oregon more and it is 3-0. Maybe it could even make top 10 until WA beats it.
#18 Wisconsin -3.5 -3 vs @Iowa
@#10 Washington -17.5 -7 vs Arizona St.

[Vrede too]

... UCF and Boise need to try playing a schedule. Until then, it's all whining.

Wait, the same UCF that beat Auburn in the 2018 Peach Bowl?

Anyhow, UCF 56, FAU 36 tonight, 16 straight wins. They beat the 13.5 point spread, but 17 out of 18 of us thought they would.

Half, #10 PSU 21 - @ILL 17. Nice, I've got IL +28. They could even win.

[Vrede too]

... Half, #10 PSU 21 - @ILL 17. Nice, I've got IL +28. They could even win.

PSU 63 - @ILL 24. Really?!

[billy.pilgrim]

... UCF and Boise need to try playing a schedule. Until then, it's all whining.

Wait, the same UCF that beat Auburn in the 2018 Peach Bowl?

Anyhow, UCF 56, FAU 36 tonight, 16 straight wins. They beat the 13.5 point spread, but 17 out of 18 of us thought they would.

Half, #10 PSU 21 - @ILL 17. Nice, I've got IL +28. They could even win.

Wait, the same UCF that that would have lost if a certain official had not blown a play dead as Auburn was running for a defensive touchdown in the 2018 Peach Bowl?

Even going along with all the other bad calls - tackling defensive player by the facemask on final score etc., blowing a play dead during a scoring run is not the way it is supposed to happen. The play is supposed to continue and review can overturn and spot the ball if needed. Missed calls can be legitimate, but the officials are trained not to stop a play like this one.

Could it be that Big 12 officials have your sec bias?

And to my only point, if Auburn had played a ucf type cupcake schedule and been healthy, the outcome would have been very different. We beat two #1 teams at the end of the season. They beat an injured team with help from a bunch of bad calls.

Yeah, they should try playing a schedule, not just one top ten team at the end of the year.

[O Really]

Nevermind the schedule, what they need is a real tournament if they're going to crown a "champion." Otherwise, it's all just bar talk.

[billy.pilgrim]

Nevermind the schedule, what they need is a real tournament if they're going to crown a "champion." Otherwise, it's all just bar talk.

As long as the teams with cupcake schedules don't get to whine their way into 8 team playoffs, or the playoffs are so extensive that these teams have to play several top teams.

There will likely never be a playoff, but it could be done.

Shorten the season back to 9 or 10 games.
After Thanksgiving the top 32 play.
Two more rounds before Christmas and the top 4 play on new year's Day. Or one round and top 8 play on Jan 1.
Losers still play bowl games as usual.
Champion game on January 10 or 20 if 8 teams on new year's Day.

Or these teams could simply try playing a tough schedule. The bar talk has mostly worked in the past. That changed the year Petersen's blue field team started whining about their undefeated team not getting the respect they (didn't) deserve.

FSU was pretty much a nothing team from a firmer women's college, until they started playing top teams at their home. It meant a lot of road games, but respect followed -

It's not hard to see, given their location, that ucf will be a top 20 team at some point, but they are going to have to change conferences or find a way to add 3 or 4 top ten teams to their schedule to get my respect.

[O Really]

So why is it no real playoff will happen? Money drives everything in college football, so if the money is the same or more, why wouldn't they do it? After all, March Madness is one of the biggest sports events in the world, and anything called "playoffs" gets increased attention in every sport - hell, even including NASCAR, that isn't a playoff at all, but more a demolition derby.

What do you think the real resistance is?

[Vrede too]

UCF rules!

It can be done, the FCS already does it with 24 teams, with 8 getting a 1st round bye, 23 total games. 32 teams, 31 games with no byes, would be the same number of weeks.

The money will not be "the same or more", nor would it be distributed the same. There are now 40 Bowls involving 78 teams, and people watch even the crappiest ones which could involve two 5-7 teams because it's called a 'Bowl'.

No one in their right mind would create the modern Bowl system from scratch, but there's probably too much money in it now to do away with it.

[billy.pilgrim]

So why is it no real playoff will happen? Money drives everything in college football, so if the money is the same or more, why wouldn't they do it? After all, March Madness is one of the biggest sports events in the world, and anything called "playoffs" gets increased attention in every sport - hell, even including NASCAR, that isn't a playoff at all, but more a demolition derby.

What do you think the real resistance is?

All dissenters used to loudly say that it would be a hardship on the players to go beyond January 1, but I didn't hear a squeak from the same people when the BCS extended the season well into January. So it doesn't look like they were being honest then, I'm sure the same still applies.

I don't know why there isn't something better than what we have now. Maybe with the 2, now 4 team playoff we are moving toward a playoff deep enough to test teams that don't have a tough schedule by playing at least 4 top ranked teams in the playoffs.

The scenario I gave doesn't change bowls and only adds a few games (dollars) to what we have now, but gives all the Bosie and UCF type teams a real shot.

[billy.pilgrim]

UCF rules!

It can be done, the FCS already does it with 24 teams, with 8 getting a 1st round bye, 23 total games. 32 teams, 31 games with no byes, would be the same number of weeks.

The money will not be "the same or more", nor would it be distributed the same. There are now 40 Bowls involving 78 teams, and people watch even the crappiest ones which could involve two 5-7 teams because it's called a 'Bowl'.

No one in their right mind would create the modern Bowl system from scratch, but there's probably too much money in it now to do away with it.

My scenario leaves the bowls intact and includes a 16 team playoff.

[Vrede too]

My scenario leaves the bowls intact and includes a 16 team playoff.

Ah, you said "the top 32 play" before.

Would be fine with me, even an 8-team playoff would be an improvement. I think the fear is that non-playoff Bowls would be diminished in importance, attendance, viewership and revenues.

Also, those 16 teams would play 15 games to decide the champ. If we assume that we're not adding to the postseason total number of games, that leaves 25 non-playoff Bowls with 50 teams, a total of 66 teams vs. the current 78 teams.

Then, shortening the regular season means 65 fewer games for every week that it's shortened.
This source says that the average attendance at a Football Bowl Subdivision game is 42,203.
I can't find the average ticket price for FBS games, but this source says the cheapest SEC average is Missouri at $27.
So, 65 x 42,203 x at least $27 = at least $74,066,265 each week. Wow, and that's not counting TV and streaming revenue.

[billy.pilgrim]

My scenario leaves the bowls intact and includes a 16 team playoff.

Ah, you said "the top 32 play" before.

Would be fine with me, even an 8-team playoff would be an improvement. I think the fear is that non-playoff Bowls would be diminished in importance, attendance, viewership and revenues.

Also, those 16 teams would play 15 games to decide the champ. If we assume that we're not adding to the postseason total number of games, that leaves 25 non-playoff Bowls with 50 teams, a total of 66 teams vs. the current 78 teams.

Then, shortening the regular season means 65 fewer games for every week that it's shortened.
This source says that the average attendance at a Football Bowl Subdivision game is 42,203.
I can't find the average ticket price for FBS games, but this source says the cheapest SEC average is Missouri at $27.
So, 65 x 42,203 x at least $27 = at least $74,066,265 each week. Wow, and that's not counting TV and streaming revenue.

I meant 16 or 32 and even some number in between would work if some had a bi.

With 16 it doesn't change regular season if the 1st round is, say Dec 10 and 2nd round is Dec 20, leaving 2 games on Jan 1 and 1 game Jan 10.

All losers on Dec 10 and 20 would play in bowls no different than today.

The only difference I see is not knowing if your team plays in a bowl or advances until Dec 10 or 20.

That, and 12 extra money games.

[Vrede too]

I meant 16 or 32 and even some number in between would work if some had a bi.

Nttawwt.

With 16 it doesn't change regular season if the 1st round is, say Dec 10 and 2nd round is Dec 20, leaving 2 games on Jan 1 and 1 game Jan 10.

Ah, you had said, "Shorten the season back to 9 or 10 games," earlier.

All losers on Dec 10 and 20 would play in bowls no different than today.

Unless the total number of postseason games are increased, that would further decrease the total number of teams playing in postseason games if some teams both lose a playoff game and then play in a Bowl.

The only difference I see is not knowing if your team plays in a bowl or advances until Dec 10 or 20.

That, and 12 extra money games.

How so?

I'm with you on what should happen, all other sports use playoffs. But, I just don't see the NCAA doing it without assurance that it won't lose money.

[billy.pilgrim]

You may be able to look back, or you'll just have to believe me that my son and I have been discussing this for at least 10 years.
I have been mostly consistent with a 16 team scenario, but wavering a little towards his steadfast 32. I also liked your mention of FCS using 24 teams.

My disagreement with him has been strictly that 32, (and
now the 24 teams), either extends the season too far into winter semester (don't forget, these are full time students) or cuts regular season games.

I'm not sure that I understand your - how so? with a top 16 playoff.

Keep regular season and conference playoffs as is.

Keep the same number and dates for all bowl games.
All bowls scheduling teams ranked below 16 wouldn't change. Invitations to teams in the top 16 would go to loser of 1st round playoff, or to loser of 2nd round playoff, with the New year's day games and championship game having the same rotating schedule as they have now for top 4.

Net plus 12 big money games from 1st and 2nd round playoffs.
Yeah sports, go money.