College Football -- Week 1 Thread

[Karlifornia]

Same ol' Bruins!

[Swaggs]

LSU has some serious speed.

[RedKingGold]

I think LSU has a "playa" at QB. I like that guy a lot so far.

[MrBug708]

Same ol' Bruins!

Well actually this is something new

[Tigercat]

I think LSU has a "playa" at QB. I like that guy a lot so far.

Eh. Jefferson is my boy, since he went to my HS. But while he has improved, I don't think he will ever be the complete package at QB.

IMO of course, LSU has the best offensive and defensive athlete in the nation. Russell Shepard has Harvin's skill set, but is even faster. Patrick Peterson has elite CB athletic ability on a 6'1 222 frame. The story of the game is that Miles and company has found the way to put those guys in a position to win a game. They have to be the playmakers, not Jefferson. Don't know if we can compete for the SEC with Jefferson at QB and our current OL, but with Peterson and Shepard it should be a fun ride this year.

[Noop]

For those who don't follow FCS, Jacksonville State is a solid program. They almost beat Florida State last year. Would have been a playoff team but were ruled ineligible by the NCAA for grade issues.

It felt like a lost at the time.

[the_meanstrosity]

The Turner Gill era at Kansas has started off with a loss to North Dakota State, 6-3. I wish I could tell you North Dakota State played incredible, but that clearly wasn't the case and in fact tried to give Kansas the game on multiple occasions only to have Kansas give it right back. Ugh.

[RainMaker]

As someone who follows D2, the Dakotas have always had solid football programs. Kind of underated and overlooked, but it's a passionate football part of the country that flies under the radar. They have some solid players, coaches, and fans. They've all moved up to FCS, but I can tell you that NDSU has a strong athletics department.

Edit: I also may be one of the only people here who has been to a game at the Fargodome.

[MrBug708]

Good win for BYU. Tough for Dawgfan

[Karlifornia]

The PAC-10 continues to get humbled OOC. Who's gonna step up?

[sovereignstar]

Edit: I also may be one of the only people here who has been to a game at the Fargodome.

There are at least 3 others on this board that have been to a game at the FD (including me).

[SirFozzie]

didn't know it was illegal to kick the ball out of your own endzone

[SirFozzie]

dola:And that should do it.

[RainMaker]

There are at least 3 others on this board that have been to a game at the FD (including me).
Sweet, didn't know we had anyone up in that area.

[MrBug708]

The PAC-10 continues to get humbled OOC. Who's gonna step up?

We tried to schedule Sac State but they were busy this weekend :)

[Karlifornia]

We tried to schedule Sac State but they were busy this weekend :)

When Stanford beats you next week, just don't try to blame it on Karl Dorrell.

[dawgfan]

[sigh]

Just too many unforced mistakes in this game, especially on special teams, and Locker proves that the hype machine is ahead of his game.

Props to BYU - they got the better of us on the LOS on both sides for the most part. I feared that we would lack any kind of pass-rush with Daniel Te'o-Nesheim graduated, and that proved true against what seemed to be a pretty good BYU OL. Our blitzes were ineffective, and credit to Nelson for finding DiLuigi exploiting the blown zone coverage on one of our blitzes.

And our best CB badly misplayed a long pass - if he'd tracked the ball, he could've had an easy pick, but instead he ran away from the pass and into the WR for a silly PI call.

Chris Polk looked pretty good, but once again our O-line doesn't seem to be able to consistently get push, and Sark didn't appear to have a lot of confidence in them, opting for more passes. Locker was good, but not great. Really bad decision on that 4th and 2 early in the 4th quarter - he wanted Polk and when he was initially covered he panicked and threw a low percentage pass to Kearse long; if he'd displayed a little more patience, he would've seen that Polk slipped past the LB, and all Locker had to do was gently loft the pass over the LB and Polk would've had the 1st down with plenty to spare.

And Locker panicked on that last 4th down play also, locking in on Izbicki who was double-covered and firing low where it was batted at the LOS.

Jake is better than he was before Sark arrived, but he's not a Heisman candidate, and he needs some more work to justify the 1st overall selection hype.

Just to be clear, BYU earned that win. But it was frustrating to see so many unforced errors and dumb plays on our part.

[MacroGuru]

[sigh]

Just too many unforced mistakes in this game, especially on special teams, and Locker proves that the hype machine is ahead of his game.

Props to BYU - they got the better of us on the LOS on both sides for the most part. I feared that we would lack any kind of pass-rush with Daniel Te'o-Nesheim graduated, and that proved true against what seemed to be a pretty good BYU OL. Our blitzes were ineffective, and credit to Nelson for finding DiLuigi exploiting the blown zone coverage on one of our blitzes.

And our best CB badly misplayed a long pass - if he'd tracked the ball, he could've had an easy pick, but instead he ran away from the pass and into the WR for a silly PI call.

Chris Polk looked pretty good, but once again our O-line doesn't seem to be able to consistently get push, and Sark didn't appear to have a lot of confidence in them, opting for more passes. Locker was good, but not great. Really bad decision on that 4th and 2 early in the 4th quarter - he wanted Polk and when he was initially covered he panicked and threw a low percentage pass to Kearse long; if he'd displayed a little more patience, he would've seen that Polk slipped past the LB, and all Locker had to do was gently loft the pass over the LB and Polk would've had the 1st down with plenty to spare.

And Locker panicked on that last 4th down play also, locking in on Izbicki who was double-covered and firing low where it was batted at the LOS.

Jake is better than he was before Sark arrived, but he's not a Heisman candidate, and he needs some more work to justify the 1st overall selection hype.

Just to be clear, BYU earned that win. But it was frustrating to see so many unforced errors and dumb plays on our part.

And here I was thinking we sucked it up...I think Nielsen should be our QB right now...Heaps did decent and has a great arm...But Nielsen's legs buys the time and adds that extra dimension we needed.

As for Washington...Polk is a stud and you guys went away from him to much...Just
use him to pound it and we are losing this game.


Also, our entire front seven was brand new and we got absolutely no pressure on Locker..I hope to hell we step it up.

[Glengoyne]

Fresno making a run to get back into the game here at halftime. Neither team is looking great so far, but some standout individual plays.

[Karlifornia]

LSU/UNC not quite over yet

[mckerney]

LSU/UNC not quite over yet

Wow, LSU picks up the first down yardage that will let them take a knee, but then fumble.

[RainMaker]

Wow, what a finish. Gutsy performance by NC. Had their chances to win that.

[RedKingGold]

God, I love football.

[the_meanstrosity]

As someone who follows D2, the Dakotas have always had solid football programs. Kind of underated and overlooked, but it's a passionate football part of the country that flies under the radar. They have some solid players, coaches, and fans. They've all moved up to FCS, but I can tell you that NDSU has a strong athletics department.

Edit: I also may be one of the only people here who has been to a game at the Fargodome.

North Dakota State has certainly had some football success in their recent history, but this is a squad coming off a 3-8 season and a 6-5 season before that. They were a solid team, but they tried to give Kansas the game with numerous drive saving penalties and Kansas couldn't even do that. It looks like a long season for Kansas football with Gill and Long at the helm. The offense is just very predictable running straight up the gut on every other play.

[MJ4H]

today is my favorite day

[dawgfan]

And here I was thinking we sucked it up...I think Nielsen should be our QB right now...Heaps did decent and has a great arm...But Nielsen's legs buys the time and adds that extra dimension we needed.
Heaps showed pretty good poise for a true frosh QB, and he's got a stronger arm than I was led to believe from the recruiting scouting reports. But yeah, Nelson looked good - he was fairly accurate, made good decisions, and his feet give him an added dimension.

I would guess Mendenhall keeps the rotating QB situation until forced out of it. Why not season Heaps if he can as long as the offense performs with both playing?

As for Washington...Polk is a stud and you guys went away from him to much...Just
use him to pound it and we are losing this game.
I love Polk. But we just couldn't seem to count on our OL to consistently open up holes for him. I felt like we should have run him more, but when we did run late in the game it wasn't very successful.

I had/have hopes that another year of strength and conditioning and coaching would result in noticeable improvement in our OL, but they didn't look all that great to me. Given all the losses that BYU had in their front 7 from last year, I thought we'd have a better chance at controlling the LOS and grinding out a win on the ground with Polk.

I dunno, maybe if Sark had committed to it more it might have proved to work, but I could understand why he leaned to the passing game.

Also, our entire front seven was brand new and we got absolutely no pressure on Locker..I hope to hell we step it up.
True, though it is hard to get to Locker given his wheels. Still, I think you guys got a couple of sacks on him.

I'll be curious to see how BYU looks the rest of the season to gauge how badly I should feel about the Dawgs losing this one...

[SirFozzie]

Wow, last year the Fresno State Bulldogs had 9 sacks TOTAL. This game against Cincy? FIVE.

[mauchow]

Badgers lookin' just fine after a weird first half where the Rebels had more points (14) than yards (12).

[RainMaker]

North Dakota State has certainly had some football success in their recent history, but this is a squad coming off a 3-8 season and a 6-5 season before that. They were a solid team, but they tried to give Kansas the game with numerous drive saving penalties and Kansas couldn't even do that. It looks like a long season for Kansas football with Gill and Long at the helm. The offense is just very predictable running straight up the gut on every other play.
Yeah, I remember them and the other Dakotas more for what they did in D2. I think they'll all eventually become players in FCS in the near future.

[RainMaker]

today is my favorite day
No shit. Looking forward to next week even more when we get a taste of each. You don't realize how much you miss football until it starts up.

[Glengoyne]

Wow, last year the Fresno State Bulldogs had 9 sacks TOTAL. This game against Cincy? FIVE.
As much as I'd like to say that this was all FSU, I'm afraid that Brian Kelly is being sorely missed in Cinci.

[Izulde]

Quick comments on the Badgers/UNLV game for the UNLV end of things:

Our defense has the potential to be pretty good this year, I think. Don't let that 41-21 scoreline fool you. One of Wisky's TDs came on a fumble return and much of the yardage and the Badgers' offensive TDs came as a result of the defense having to be on the field so damned much. RB Johnny Clay did decently for the Park pride thing, though he didn't hear me or ignored me even when I started singing the Panthers alma mater, but really the Rebels' defense did well all things considered.

DB Will Chandler is my favorite Rebel after watching him return an interception 19 yards for a TD to make it a 14-7 game and just before the first half ended, returning a fumble 82 yards to set up the TD to make it 17-14 at the half and give us a fighting chance.

Our offense, on the other hand, was horrible. Like so bad it was one of the worst offenses I've ever seen in a football game and probably couldn't score on a high school defense. QB Mike Clausen was excruciatingly bad. He kept hanging on to the football and got sacked at least 3 or 4 times and when he did throw, they were usually bad ones. His only decent pass was a 16 yarder to WR Philip Payne for that late first half TD.

Payne ended up with 4 catches for 71 yards and a TD and it's safe to say he'll be our biggest offensive weapon. Made a good leap on the TD catch too that I tried to get with my camera but didn't catch.

QB Omar Clayton, who I thought would win the starting job, did quite a bit better and actually got the offense moving some after he replaced Clausen in the third. Here's to hoping he's the starter next game. I wish he wasn't a senior because our QB talent level is horrific.

MLB Ronnie Paulo had a game-high 11 tackles. He was expected to be the best player on the defense, if not the team, before the season began, so I'll be excited to watch his final season. I'm also happy Chandler and Payne are only juniors, so I'll get to see a couple years of them.

But yeah, so far it's looking like we'll have a pretty good defense and a god-awful offense that I hope will improve as Clayton, Payne and the rest of them get used to the new system. Our schedule is absolutely brutal this year, so I don't see us winning more than 4 games.

If we have a winning record, I'll consider it a fantastic season. If we go to a bowl game, I'll call it a miracle first year for Coach Hauck.

[Logan]

Syracuse may have had the "best" win of the day by dominating Akron on the road. Not a huge win, but it has been awhile since Syracuse has whipped someone in such convincing fashion.

I wish that was true :(.

[Dr. Sak]

Hey UW fans...I think I will be out for the Apple Cup. My friend goes to school there and I usually take a yearly visit to Seattle to visit him...he got us tickets for that game! I'm pretty pumped!

[Lathum]

Hey UW fans...I think I will be out for the Apple Cup. My friend goes to school there and I usually take a yearly visit to Seattle to visit him...he got us tickets for that game! I'm pretty pumped!

sweet, maybe we can grab a beer.

[mauchow]

Quick comments on the Badgers/UNLV game for the UNLV end of things:

Our defense has the potential to be pretty good this year, I think. Don't let that 41-21 scoreline fool you. One of Wisky's TDs came on a fumble return and much of the yardage and the Badgers' offensive TDs came as a result of the defense having to be on the field so damned much. RB Johnny Clay did decently for the Park pride thing, though he didn't hear me or ignored me even when I started singing the Panthers alma mater, but really the Rebels' defense did well all things considered.

DB Will Chandler is my favorite Rebel after watching him return an interception 19 yards for a TD to make it a 14-7 game and just before the first half ended, returning a fumble 82 yards to set up the TD to make it 17-14 at the half and give us a fighting chance.

Our offense, on the other hand, was horrible. Like so bad it was one of the worst offenses I've ever seen in a football game and probably couldn't score on a high school defense. QB Mike Clausen was excruciatingly bad. He kept hanging on to the football and got sacked at least 3 or 4 times and when he did throw, they were usually bad ones. His only decent pass was a 16 yarder to WR Philip Payne for that late first half TD.

Payne ended up with 4 catches for 71 yards and a TD and it's safe to say he'll be our biggest offensive weapon. Made a good leap on the TD catch too that I tried to get with my camera but didn't catch.

QB Omar Clayton, who I thought would win the starting job, did quite a bit better and actually got the offense moving some after he replaced Clausen in the third. Here's to hoping he's the starter next game. I wish he wasn't a senior because our QB talent level is horrific.

MLB Ronnie Paulo had a game-high 11 tackles. He was expected to be the best player on the defense, if not the team, before the season began, so I'll be excited to watch his final season. I'm also happy Chandler and Payne are only juniors, so I'll get to see a couple years of them.

But yeah, so far it's looking like we'll have a pretty good defense and a god-awful offense that I hope will improve as Clayton, Payne and the rest of them get used to the new system. Our schedule is absolutely brutal this year, so I don't see us winning more than 4 games.

If we have a winning record, I'll consider it a fantastic season. If we go to a bowl game, I'll call it a miracle first year for Coach Hauck.

Wisconsin's game plan was pretty simple. Run, run, run, control the TOP.

You say don't be fooled by the score because of a fumble returned for a touchdown... well the Badgers fumbled the ball on the 1 yard line and the Rebels returned that one 82 yards and scored on the following play.. that makes your point moot.

Almost all the yardage for the Rebels came in the final 20 minutes of the game when the Badgers were already starting to rest their starters so if everything stayed the same, UNLV may not have even gained 100 yards and could have only had 14 points and the Badgers may have ended up with 50+ points.

It was complete domination aside from two huge mistakes(pick six, fumble returned 80 yards). The result was to be expected from a very good Badger football team.

John Clay is one FAT mofo though. He will lose about 10-15 pounds by Big Ten play and will look a little better come that time. James White on the other hand looked like the best running back on the Badgers and that's over John Clay who won the BTPOY last season. Pretty sweet problem to have for the Badgers.

[Dr. Sak]

sweet, maybe we can grab a beer.

Heck ya...will let you know.

[sterlingice]

The Turner Gill era at Kansas has started off with a loss to North Dakota State, 6-3. I wish I could tell you North Dakota State played incredible, but that clearly wasn't the case and in fact tried to give Kansas the game on multiple occasions only to have Kansas give it right back. Ugh.

I mean, I knew this year would be tough as we lost a lot of graduating talent last year (which was such a missed opportunity as I thought we should have been so much better last year), but...

SI

[Noop]

Was there any team that impressed you guys opening weekend?

I know I am being a homer but for me it was Florida State. Its been a long time since we looked like an actual team with a plan and a pulse.

The team that unimpressed me are actually a few.

Florida - It is going to be a long season for them. I guess that offense really aint nothing without Tebow and Harvin.

LSU - Les Miles can not coach. LSU has talent but they are so inconsistent and it is maddening.

[MrBug708]

When Stanford beats you next week, just don't try to blame it on Karl Dorrell.

Just you wait...

[MizzouRah]

Gettis just had a pretty amazing pick for Mizzou

We had good seats.. boring first half for sure, but Mizzou played great in the 2nd half.

Going to be an interesting season for sure.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I mean, I knew this year would be tough as we lost a lot of graduating talent last year (which was such a missed opportunity as I thought we should have been so much better last year), but...

Take heart, there's reason for some hope next week. Sounds as though the GT defense can cure a lot of offensive ills.

[Izulde]

Wisconsin's game plan was pretty simple. Run, run, run, control the TOP.

UNLV's terrible offense had a lot to do with it.


You say don't be fooled by the score because of a fumble returned for a touchdown... well the Badgers fumbled the ball on the 1 yard line and the Rebels returned that one 82 yards and scored on the following play.. that makes your point moot.

Again, it was more about the fact of the Rebels offense was a complete non-entity, so the defense got almost no rest. I'd say the defense did pretty well, all things considered.


Almost all the yardage for the Rebels came in the final 20 minutes of the game when the Badgers were already starting to rest their starters so if everything stayed the same, UNLV may not have even gained 100 yards and could have only had 14 points and the Badgers may have ended up with 50+ points.

I'm not seeing where there's any real disagreement here.


It was complete domination aside from two huge mistakes(pick six, fumble returned 80 yards). The result was to be expected from a very good Badger football team.

But those two huge mistakes could have cost the Badgers the game. Again, if UNLV had any offense to speak of, it becomes an entirely different contest.


John Clay is one FAT mofo though. He will lose about 10-15 pounds by Big Ten play and will look a little better come that time. James White on the other hand looked like the best running back on the Badgers and that's over John Clay who won the BTPOY last season. Pretty sweet problem to have for the Badgers.

He's definitely a big boy. But Wisconsin having a stable of good running backs is nothing new. The Badgers usually go at least 2 or 3 deep with really good or great tailbacks as you know.

[MJ4H]

Florida will be fine once they learn to snap the ball.

[BishopMVP]

Eh. Jefferson is my boy, since he went to my HS. But while he has improved, I don't think he will ever be the complete package at QB.

IMO of course, LSU has the best offensive and defensive athlete in the nation. Russell Shepard has Harvin's skill set, but is even faster. Patrick Peterson has elite CB athletic ability on a 6'1 222 frame. The story of the game is that Miles and company has found the way to put those guys in a position to win a game. They have to be the playmakers, not Jefferson. Don't know if we can compete for the SEC with Jefferson at QB and our current OL, but with Peterson and Shepard it should be a fun ride this year.I'm not on the ground watching every practice, but not putting Russell Shepard at QB strikes me as the type of coaching that is over controlling and scared to put the ball in the hands of your best playmaker.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I mean, I knew this year would be tough as we lost a lot of graduating talent last year (which was such a missed opportunity as I thought we should have been so much better last year), but...

SI

Never fear.........October 15th is just around the corner.

[Tigercat]

I'm not on the ground watching every practice, but not putting Russell Shepard at QB strikes me as the type of coaching that is over controlling and scared to put the ball in the hands of your best playmaker.

I can't speak on RS's ability to throw the ball at the college level, because even when at QB last year he didn't throw the ball. But it appeared last year that RS isn't the type of guy that can lead a team out of the huddle. He is a bright kid, but even though he was a QB in HS he struggled with all the little things it takes to lead an offense pre-snap. Maybe it was just freshman inexperience/jitters, but it appears that the LSU staff thinks it was more than that.

I would be surprised if you don't see him as a wildcat QB here and there this year though. (Just like Harvin did on occasion.)

[Cuckoo]

Meltdown in Soonerland after the narrow win over Utah State. First games are often sloppy, but this one did not look good based on what OU expected. It's fair to say there's a lot more concern about next week's FSU game than there was before this weekend.

[Radii]

Anyone watching Tulsa/ECU? Down 49-45 with 5 seconds left in the game on the Tulsa 33 yard line, ECU throws up a hail mary that is caught by a 6'8 250 pound tight end, ECU wins 51-49. Crazy.

[DeToxRox]

ECU vs Tulsa, just wow. 10 straight possessions ended in TD's, with ECU capping it on a hail marry with no time left to win 51-49.

[DeToxRox]

WOW

SMU's Kicker hit a 61 yard FG!

[the_meanstrosity]

I mean, I knew this year would be tough as we lost a lot of graduating talent last year (which was such a missed opportunity as I thought we should have been so much better last year), but...

SI

The offense shouldn't be as poor as it looked last night. Play calling had a lot to do with it. You can't run 30+ times and your only runs over 2 yards are reverses. That means your offensive line isn't getting the push they need. So if that's the case then you need to change your game plan. Turner Gill and the offensive staff didn't do that, but instead threw a different QB and different RB out there. Ugh.

I'm not sure what to do with Kale Pick. He definitely has happy feet back there. There were times where he started feeling a little pressure and he would put himself into an even worse position. The sad thing is that Jordan Webb didn't look much better.

Running back and offensive line are key to this offense under Gill and those are probably the biggest weaknesses on this offense. If Turner Gill is dead set on running the ball this season then Kansas football is in for a world of hurt. And based off what I saw last night, Turner Gill is dead set on it. I did not expect this at all from Turner Gill.

[digamma]

The Black Santa resigned from UNC today.

[tarcone]

I got home about an hour ago from Iowa. Good game by the Hawks. Stayed within themselves. Scary moment when Stanzi went down.

I watched the TCU/Oregon State game. TCU is way overrated. They are like Northwestern or Missouri. A decent team. But if they played in a BCS conference they would have 3-5 losses. I hope their SOS kills any chance of the BCS title game.

[Karlifornia]

I watched the TCU/Oregon State game. TCU is way overrated. They are like Northwestern or Missouri. A decent team. But if they played in a BCS conference they would have 3-5 losses. I hope their SOS kills any chance of the BCS title game.


Completely wrong.

[RainMaker]

There isn't a conference in the country where TCU would lose 3 games. The Mountain West was better than half the BCS Conferences last year.

[Swaggs]

There isn't a conference in the country where TCU would lose 3 games. The Mountain West was better than half the BCS Conferences last year.

TCU could compete in any conference, but it isn't inconceivable that they could lose 3+ games in a good conference.

The Mountain West has had some very good years, but they were top heavy last season and pretty clearly the 7th best conference. They essentially had two elite teams in TCU and BYU, two pretty good teams in Utah and Air Force, and then five teams that were among the worst in the country.

Most of the existing BCS conferences have one or maybe two teams that are worse than the fifth best team in the MWC. That makes a big difference over the course of a full season.

[RainMaker]

TCU could compete in any conference, but it isn't inconceivable that they could lose 3+ games in a good conference.

The Mountain West has had some very good years, but they were top heavy last season and pretty clearly the 7th best conference. They essentially had two elite teams in TCU and BYU, two pretty good teams in Utah and Air Force, and then five teams that were among the worst in the country.

Most of the existing BCS conferences have one or maybe two teams that are worse than the fifth best team in the MWC. That makes a big difference over the course of a full season.
What conference do you feel like they'd lose 3-5 games in? I'm not saying they are world beaters or title contenders, but I just don't see any stacked conferences in college football this year.

[tarcone]

The Big10.
Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio St. are losses.
They would struggle with PsU, and on the road at MSU and Northwestern.
Michigan looks to have improved and would give them a game, if they played at the big house.

[Karlifornia]

The Big10.
Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio St. are losses.
They would struggle with PsU, and on the road at MSU and Northwestern.
Michigan looks to have improved and would give them a game, if they played at the big house.

Shocking answer!

[RainMaker]

Ohio State is the only team in that conference that is better than them. They'd also be playing half their games at home and likely not hitting all the top teams in the conference in the same year. They'd finish 6-2 in the Big 10.

If you think they're at the bottom of that conference, you just don't watch much college football.

[tarcone]

I didnt say they were at the bottom. They may play Minnesota, Indiana, Purdue, and Illinois.
But if you really think they are better then Iowa and Wisconsin, you guys dont watch college football.

They dont play defense in the PAC 12. It is offense, offense, offense. And TCU struggled against a PAC 12 defense.
Play a real defense (Iowa and Wisconsin come to mind. Oh yeah, PsU plays pretty good defense too. Oh yeah, Northwestern plays pretty good defense, too.). I imagine it wouldnt be a 30-21 victory wouldnt happen.

TCU may pick one of those teams off. I bet they finish 5-3 in the Big10. But then again, you have to have depth to play in a BCS conference. Does TCU have depth?

[mckerney]

The Big10.
Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio St. are losses.
They would struggle with PsU, and on the road at MSU and Northwestern.
Michigan looks to have improved and would give them a game, if they played at the big house.

I don't see that at all. Wisconsin is something like 3-10 against teams finishing in the top half of the Big Ten over the last 3 years, no way would I put them as a team that's a lock against for TCU. Iowa and PSU would both be a helluva game to watch against TCU, but I don't think either one is even close to an automatic defeat. And I'd probably pick TCU on the road against Northwestern or MSU, neither of those teams were even competitive against Penn State or Ohio State in their last home match ups. Ohio State is obviously the toughest, and even if they did win that one I think they stumble somewhere along the way, but I'd be surprised if they lost 3 games were they playing in the Big Ten this year.

[Chief Rum]

They dont play defense in the PAC 12. It is offense, offense, offense. And TCU struggled against a PAC 12 defense.
Play a real defense (Iowa and Wisconsin come to mind. Oh yeah, PsU plays pretty good defense too. Oh yeah, Northwestern plays pretty good defense, too.). I imagine it wouldnt be a 30-21 victory wouldnt happen.

It's amazing to me that actual thinking individuals still hold to this. It just proves they don't have a clue.

[tarcone]

Ok. Oregon State doesnt play defense.

[tarcone]

PAC 10 total defense rankings 2009:

13. Arizona St
25. Arizona
32. UCLA
35. Oregon
40. USC
46. Oregon St.
72. California
79. Washington
90. Stanford
120. Washington St.

LOL. I stand by my original statement. These defenses stink. Its amazing to me that actual fans think the PAC 10 plays defense. It just proves they dont have a clue.

hxxp://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2009&rpt=IA_teamtotdef&site=org

[Eaglesfan27]

Why didn't you quote 2008 when USC's defense was 1st in the nation and put their entire set of linebackers in the NFL? There have been some very good defenses in the Pac-10 this past decade.

[RainMaker]

And the Big 10 doesn't play offense.

25. Wisconsin
36. Michigan State
41. Michigan
51. Ohio State
52. Penn State
56. Purdue
71. Northwestern
81. Illinois
84. Indiana
87. Iowa
100. Minnesota

Oregon State has a better offense than anyone Iowa will see all year.

[Swaggs]

What conference do you feel like they'd lose 3-5 games in? I'm not saying they are world beaters or title contenders, but I just don't see any stacked conferences in college football this year.

I think they are legitimate title contenders, but I think they could lose 3+ games in any of the other BCS conferences. In the SEC, would it be a complete shock if they lost to Florida, Alabama, and then got picked off by an Arkansas or South Carolina or Georgia? In the ACC, it wouldn't be a shock if they lost to one of the Florida teams (FSU or Miami), Virginia Tech, and then dropped one to a BC or Georgia Tech or Clemson. In the Big 12, would you bet your house or life savings that they would be above .500 if they had a stretch of games where they played Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State?

And even though I don't share tarcone's enthusiasm for the Big Ten, I still think playing a stretch of Michigan, Wisconisn, Ohio State, Penn State, (even) Purdue or Indiana, and then Iowa is a pretty tough stretch to go through without a couple of losses.

In most of the existing BCS conferences, you aren't going to have double digit spreads over more than one or two of your conference mates in any given season. In the Mountain West, over the past few seasons, if one of the big three (TCU, Utah, BYU) go undefeated against the other two, they are going to be double digit favorites over the other six teams in most seasons. They are extremely top heavy because of the varying levels of program development and dedication within the league.

[Swaggs]

Aren't there enough defensive players from USC in the NFL to pretty well negate the "Pac 10 doesn't play defense" mantra? :)

You could pretty much field an entire defense from current NFL defenders out of Southern Cal.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Why didn't you quote 2008 when USC's defense was 1st in the nation and put their entire set of linebackers in the NFL?

You mean the year their schedule included teams ranked:
#119,#118,#115, and #110 in scoring offense? That's 4 of the 11 least productive offenses in D-1.

I'll acknowledge that they held both Arizona & Cal, who were high scoring teams in '08, far under their averages & that's good.
But when 1/3rd of your schedule is against the absolute offensive pits, it certainly helps the scoring defense number.

[MrBug708]

Aren't there enough defensive players from USC in the NFL to pretty well negate the "Pac 10 doesn't play defense" mantra? :)

You could pretty much field an entire defense from current NFL defenders out of Southern Cal.

I would assume that if the PAC-10 had offenses like those of the Big-11, we'd see much better defensive ratings. The opposite holds true as well

[tarcone]

I was thinking about the whole Pac 10 doesnt play defense and the Big 10 doesnt play offense. And I think we are both right. The Pac 10 is a conference that is geared towards dynamic offenses. And that makes the defenses worse. While the Big 10 is, and has always been, 3 yards and a cloud of dust. And that makes the offenses look worse.

So in reality, yes the Pac 10 doesnt play good defense and the Big 10 doesnt play good offense. Or the Pac 10 plays very good offense and the Big 10 plays very good defense.

I guess it depends on how you look at it.

[tarcone]

Just as mrBug said and I didnt read before I posted. :)

[Swaggs]

Kind of a bummer (even though I know he might not have many fans at Penn State or USC), but Vidal Hazelton is out for the season. He had to sit out all of last season as a transfer and then injured himself in Cincy's first game against Fresno State.

[Lathum]

I was thinking about the whole Pac 10 doesnt play defense and the Big 10 doesnt play offense. And I think we are both right. The Pac 10 is a conference that is geared towards dynamic offenses. And that makes the defenses worse. While the Big 10 is, and has always been, 3 yards and a cloud of dust. And that makes the offenses look worse.

So in reality, yes the Pac 10 doesnt play good defense and the Big 10 doesnt play good offense. Or the Pac 10 plays very good offense and the Big 10 plays very good defense.

I guess it depends on how you look at it.

I would look at it from the POV of who puts the most talent from that side of the ball into the NFL.

The PAC 10 puts plenty of defensive guys into the NFL, how many offensive studs come out of the Big 10?

[tarcone]

I would look at it from the POV of who puts the most talent from that side of the ball into the NFL.

The PAC 10 puts plenty of defensive guys into the NFL, how many offensive studs come out of the Big 10?

Plenty of offensive linemen and running backs. But then again, the Big10 plays smashmouth.

And, just because you put defensive studs into the NFL, doesnt mean you play good defense. Sure it helps, but its not the end all to a great defense.

[Matthean]

The PAC 10 puts plenty of defensive guys into the NFL, how many offensive studs come out of the Big 10?

Michigan alone has been known for putting OL in the NFL.

EDIT: Oh, and Michigan has had it's share of QBs go as well.

[Swaggs]

I would look at it from the POV of who puts the most talent from that side of the ball into the NFL.

The PAC 10 puts plenty of defensive guys into the NFL, how many offensive studs come out of the Big 10?

Drew Brees and Tom Brady?

[Lathum]

OK, so 2 guys in the last 10 years. My point is they aren't putting an insane amount of offensive skill players into the NFL.

[Swaggs]

I dunno, maybe not everyone has panned out, but Michigan, Michigan St., and Ohio State have all put a ton of receivers into the NFL as high picks. Ohio State and Penn State have done pretty well with getting RBs drafted.

I continue to think that there isn't a whole lot of difference between the talent across college football. The style of play from the coaching and the officiating is probably a bigger contributor than talent inequality.

[tarcone]

Iowa has put Ladell Betts and Shonn Greene in the NFL recently And TE Tony Moeaki this season.

[Chief Rum]

My guess is the skill position talent is generally greater in the Pac 10 because most of their players are from California and a little bit from Texas. The Big 10, though, probably has more brawn, as they draw their kids from the colder Midwest (the Big Ten's draw will be wider, because they are closer to key spots in the South, Florida, and the East Coast, in addition to their own territory, but a higher percentage of kids out West end up at Pac 10 schools).

I think the local clime doesn't just affect the development of kids in those areas, but also the types of offenses and defenses which work the best, and the local attitudes about those offenses and defenses as well.

[mauchow]

It is pointless to talk about INDIVIDUAL players in a game where TEAM means so much.

[Atocep]

Took 1 week to be reminded of how terrible a coach Fridge is.

[tarcone]

Im real excited about the game tonight. Should be a barn burner. Or as Hayden Fry says "A high porch picnic."

[Galaril]

So this is considered a neutral field? I hope Boise smokes VT.

[Galaril]

bad call their on the PI I think.

[RainMaker]

College uniforms have jumped the shark.

[k0ruptr]

Boise Football !!! FUMBLE!!!

[k0ruptr]

I think the uni's look pretty sharp actually.

[Galaril]

I think the uni's look pretty sharp actually.

Me too.

[k0ruptr]

Good opening Defense for VTech. 3-0 boise. I'm rooting for Boise, but I'd like to see VT play a solid game still.

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

College uniforms have jumped the shark.
i see those vt uniforms and all i can think of is zubazz.

[Young Drachma]

3-0 Broncos. I prefer they win, only because fairly or not..if they lose, voters plan to take it out on every mid-major the rest of the year.

[wade moore]

bad call their on the PI I think.

How in the world can you possibly make this claim?

[Honolulu_Blue]

I shat several items today that look better than these uni's. Boise St should have to forfeit wearing jerseys uglier than the Detroit Lions throwbacks.

I think the Boise St. uniforms look fine. Then again, I really liked the Detroit Lions throwbacks, so what do I know.

[Galaril]

How in the world can you possibly make this claim?

It looked like he had turned back to the bakll at the last minute and was going for the ball. But it probably was the right call on a second look to be honest.

[RainMaker]

I like Virginia Tech's but think they'd be better if the numbers were solid. Agree on Boise looking like the Lions' throwbacks.

[Galaril]

Wow who is the mid major in this game?

[wade moore]

It looked like he had turned back to the bakll at the last minute and was going for the ball. But it probably was the right call on a second look to be honest.

Gotcha...

And Boise St. beats VA Tech at their own game and end up with a TD.

[Galaril]

Well this is a bit of a surprise. It is only 10-0 but just the total domination by Boise was something I was certainly not expecting and basic on the home field of VT.

[CU Tiger]

wow.....

[kingfc22]

Boise is no joke folks. Somehow I still see a BCS screwjob forth coming later this yet.

[Galaril]

Boise is no joke folks. Somehow I still see a BCS screwjob forth coming later this yet.

Maybe this will shut up Cowherd on ESPN Radio and all the hate the guy has for BS.

[wade moore]

This Coles kid is a moron.

[wade moore]

Maybe this will shut up Cowherd on ESPN Radio and all the hate the guy has for BS.

Meh, he's all an act.

[RainMaker]

Really dumb penalties.

[Radii]

looks like that dude went out of his way to shove the punter... way to go dumbass.

[wade moore]

looks like that dude went out of his way to shove the punter... way to go dumbass.

Yeah, I didn't get the "that was close" commentary - there was absolutely no need to push him, the guy went out of his way to push the Punter over.

[Galaril]

#18 out to get a blanket party by his teammates tonight after this one. So, I guess Beamer will be the elder statesmen in College coaching to be asked to resign after this season if this game is any indication on VT's season.

[wade moore]

Is Boise St. that good, or is Tech again overrated?

Right now, the Broncos sure as hell look good.

[Young Drachma]

Wow.

[kingfc22]

Damn that was one hell of a catch. I thought he had no chance to get it from the live camera angle.

[larrymcg421]

Is Boise St. that good, or is Tech again overrated?

Right now, the Broncos sure as hell look good.

Could be a little of both, but Boise State is seriously making some great plays, regardless of how good/bad Va Tech is playing.

[Izulde]

Keep on looking good, Boise State. The better our future conference members look, the better for our conference when they join in two years. :)

[Noop]

Virgina Tech is pissing me off. Cmon Hokies ACC pride!

[Galaril]

Meh, he's all an act.

Yup, which I guess why I play him in my office every morning:) But still he says some of the most assine things.

[Galaril]

Keep on looking good, Boise State. The better our future conference members look, the better for our conference when they join in two years. :)

Hey what do you mean our conference BS joined our (MWC) conference;)

[Galaril]

Could be a little of both, but Boise State is seriously making some great plays, regardless of how good/bad Va Tech is playing.

The thing I am most surprised is how quick AND athletic Boise State is.

[Swaggs]

I like Virginia Tech's but think they'd be better if the numbers were solid. Agree on Boise looking like the Lions' throwbacks.

I think VPI's helmets are awesome, but the numbers really screw up the jerseys for me.

Boise State's look like a CFL uniform.

[MJ4H]

Thought he didn't have controll of the ball before he went out of bounds, myself. Surprised that held up.

[Izulde]

Hey what do you mean our conference BS joined our (MWC) conference;)

Right but they don't officially join until 2012. Hence why I said future.

[Radii]

is anyone else fixated on how hideous the cheerleader next to the replay booth looks? Poor girl. Maybe its just too much makeup.

[Swaggs]

What was the spread on this one?

[RainMaker]

What was the spread on this one?
Jumped around a bit. Ended up being even at the end.

[Radii]

What was the spread on this one?

I have Va Tech at +2 in the new lock of the week contest that duckman started up here. That was as of Friday I think, dunno how it moved from there.

[Lathum]

Maybe this will shut up Cowherd on ESPN Radio and all the hate the guy has for BS.

Cowherd has said many times he loves BS and the program and that he just doesn't think they are as good as top bcs schools.

[wade moore]

Cowherd has said many times he loves BS and the program and that he just doesn't think they are as good as top bcs schools.

And not that I'm a Cowherd fan, I'm not, but I think he's a pretty big VT hater too.

[SirFozzie]

Tech gets nothing after so many breaks? Stick a fork in them, they're DONE.

[Dr. Sak]

Cowherd knows how to play to his audience...he just says stuff to rile people up.

[MJ4H]

These idiot announcers are pretty biased. Driving me up the wall. When BSU does something positive they are through the roof with excitement. When VT does something positive, they are deadpan (esp. Musberger).

[Dr. Sak]

Tech gets nothing after so many breaks? Stick a fork in them, they're DONE.

Hmmmm

[mauchow]

annnd we've got a ball game.

[JonInMiddleGA]

BIG touchdown for VT right there.

[Suicane75]

Boise really needs a time consuming scoring drive of any sort to start the second half and keep the score and clock on their side.

[tarcone]

Sorry about the size. Here are my daughters at their very 1st Iowa game. This is after the game. These were our seats. A great time had by all.


http://i53.tinypic.com/2u62oux.jpg

[Scoobz0202]

Beautiful daughters. Too bad their dad doesn't know shit about good football :)

[JPhillips]

Hurts my heart to think how sad they'll look after the OSU game.

[Dr. Sak]

I think he got away with DPI there

[k0ruptr]

good game so far. VT looking solid after a really slow and bat start. Boise isn't done, I think we all know that. should be a great final 25 minutes.

[k0ruptr]

dola I knew Boise was good but I am a lil surprised how good they have been so far from home and in front of mostly VT fans.

[Dr. Sak]

Fumble...VT ball

[Scoobz0202]

Musberger(sp?) sounded disappointed that VT recovered that.

[k0ruptr]

lol great game!

[Galaril]

I love how now Musberger has jumped over to the VT band wagon to funny. What a front runner.

[Dr. Sak]

I'm just glad this isn't Ohio State coming back...because I dont think I could handle the excitement between Brent and Kirk.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I can't imagine too situations where I'd say this but ... Hokie Hokie Hokie Hi !

[JonInMiddleGA]

A pick six would be great right about here

[Dr. Sak]

I can't imagine too situations where I'd say this but ... Hokie Hokie Hokie Hi !

I agree!

[k0ruptr]

WOW that was crazy! fast mofo.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Brent Musberger is listed as day-to-day (hamstring) injured while jumping from one bandwagon back to the other.

[Dr. Sak]

Gotta say this game is better than the Florida State - Miami shit fests that are usually played on this night.

[RainMaker]

Can't think of a game where two teams with such highly praised special teams played so poorly.

[larrymcg421]

Gotta say this game is better than the Florida State - Miami shit fests that are usually played on this night.

Uh, last year's Miami-FSU game was one of the best they've had.

[Lathum]

Sick game, what a horrible penalty to take

[Radii]

I can't imagine too situations where I'd say this but ... Hokie Hokie Hokie Hi !

I think this is the one and only situation to say that. Go Hokies!

[k0ruptr]

WOW. Huge fucking difference there from a fkn field goal horrid miss to an EZ walk in touch down on 4th down. + two point conversion maybe could be an 8 point swing.

[tarcone]

This is an exciting game. Good times.

[Dr. Sak]

Uh, last year's Miami-FSU game was one of the best they've had.

The anomaly

[JonInMiddleGA]

Did someone mention FSU?

[Lathum]

2 stupid penalties uncharacteristically taken by Boise.

[Dr. Sak]

Dear Kirk...you can use the football to keep you up. Just as long as your knee or elbow doesnt hit.

[mauchow]

That was a pretty sweet run..

[k0ruptr]

wow. I thought he was down. crazy play.

[Dr. Sak]

And if you use the football to keep you up and you fumble...it is the only time the ground can cause a fumble.

[k0ruptr]

Williams wow what an awful game besides the TDs

[k0ruptr]

big play right here on 3rd down.

[k0ruptr]

what a great game

[mauchow]

Was Taylor really yelling at the center? The whole team wasn't even set, dude. Relax.

[kingfc22]

That running into the kicker on the missed FG is looming HUGE right now!

Talk about a game decided by special teams play.

[BishopMVP]

The Big10.
Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio St. are losses.
They would struggle with PsU, and on the road at MSU and Northwestern.
Michigan looks to have improved and would give them a game, if they played at the big house.1-0 (too soon?)Is Boise St. that good, or is Tech again overrated?Good thing they don't call games after the 1st quarter. :)

btw, my pet peeve of the week - retards celebrating plays where they didn't affect the outcome. ND had a pass into the end zone where Floyd broke free but the QB overthrew him as the DB was desperately clutching at his jersey. Both officials saw the PI but (correctly) signaled "uncatchable" - as the CB and S are high-fiving and dancing a jig in the foreground.

[Galaril]

I don't understand the somewhat conservative gameplay calling by BS with all the runs up the gut.

[tarcone]

Too early. Ill do it after we beat Ohio St. :)

[Dr. Sak]

Good no call

[wade moore]

I saw live it was on the side, I was surprised the flag was thrown.

[kingfc22]

Good no call

+1

Thought he hit him on the side live. The ref reacted to the VT bench.

[wade moore]

God damn I'm glad football is back.

[kingfc22]

That is a HORRIBLE late hit call.

[wade moore]

I think they should have no-called the late hit.

[BishopMVP]

Late hit on that? Weak.

[Dr. Sak]

Now I am not a fan of this personal foul call...only because the whistle was late and it wasn't clear he was OOB.

[wade moore]

Yeah, exactly Sak - even Pettus thought the play was live still.

Man, late hit into that poor camera guy ;)..

[tarcone]

Will a TCU/Boise ST. National Championship game Cause a playoff system?

[wade moore]

wow.

[wade moore]

Right before the ball was snapped on that play, FedEx was louder than it has EVER been for a Skins game.

[kingfc22]

Ummm Brent...BSU is not Cinderella anymore nor have they been for sometime. They are damn good football team.

[Young Drachma]

How do you leave Pettis open like that?

[wade moore]

How badly does BSU want that botched EP back now?

[kingfc22]

Now let's see what Taylor can do.

[Dr. Sak]

I want some OT!

[wade moore]

What a horrible angle by number 30 on that return - he should have had the returner at the 20.

[mauchow]

Holy crap. How can there be 1 on 1 coverage that deep down the field. I'm sorry but that's just horrible.

[BishopMVP]

How badly does BSU want that botched EP back now?Ehh... VT wouldn't have gone for 2, so it's a wash.

So close there.

[kingfc22]

Looked like 13 misjudged it and at the last moment got his hand in there.

[Dr. Sak]

You can't take a sack like that...throw it away.

[mauchow]

I wouldn't mind this game going into OT.

[wade moore]

Ehh... VT wouldn't have gone for 2, so it's a wash.

So close there.

Good point - hadn't thought about that.

[Galaril]

That was worse that VT's pass play call.

yes it was terrible but the TD looked inevitable. It probably would have been better for BS if they did not call it since they probably would have ran more time off the clock scoring.

[Bigsmooth]

Great game. Love college football!

[kingfc22]

Either way, both teams have shown that they seem to be legit Top 10 squads this season.

[wade moore]

4th and 11 - biggest play of Tyrod's career?

[wade moore]

Another good no-call.

[kingfc22]

WOW. He should have caught that ball.

[mauchow]

Oh, man. He had it.. wow

[wade moore]

(although I would think that VT fans feel it was horrible call)

[Dr. Sak]

There was no DPI there...no advantage gained.

[Galaril]

Win or lose VT and their fans got nothing to be ashamed that is for sure. BS is damn lucky to win this one

[Young Drachma]

Game, set, match. Great game, heck of a start to the season.

[k0ruptr]

GAME OVER~! YEA BOISE!!! WOOOOHOOO!!!

[wade moore]

And VT ices the game before that with a simple run call.

I agree that they were over-thinking it by throwing a pass, but it wasn't "over" with a run call.

[kingfc22]

It's going to be an interesting college FB season to say the least.

[k0ruptr]

VT Played GREAT, Boise played GREAT, both teams are damn lucky. Boise was better on this day. that is all.

[wade moore]

Game, set, match. Great game, heck of a start to the season.

Big time. Great friggin' game to finish off the first weekend of real football.

[Young Drachma]

Props to Virginia Tech for having the courage to even play this game.

[BishopMVP]

Holy crap. How can there be 1 on 1 coverage that deep down the field. I'm sorry but that's just horrible.Still better than VT's coverage on the Boise TD. I still don't know what that safety was thinking - there is 1 receiver on your half of the field, and 2 other defensive players in front of you - don't let Pettis get open behind you.

Oof, another borderline non-call against VT. I really hope Oregon St. beats Boise - the rest of that schedule is a joke.

[Galaril]

Two great teams for sure.

[kingfc22]

I thought both looked pretty sketchy and the playcalling for VT may lose them another game or 2.

I think some of that can be contributed to it being the first game of the season.

[wade moore]

It takes the clock down to a minute at the most and puts much more pressure on BSU.

And BSU scored in less than a minute, your point?

[k0ruptr]

Props to Virginia Tech for having the courage to even play this game.

exactly.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Pity Va Tech didn't bother to show up for the start of the game. Bad news for the ACC is that I suspect this makes them more dangerous than they would have been otherwise.

For Boise, they just have to avoid losing to any of the high school teams that make up the rest of their schedule, bully for them.

[k0ruptr]

I think Boise , if they go undefeated, there season really really depends on how VT does the rest of the year.

[k0ruptr]

#24 ranked Oregon St. is a high school team now.

Boise's schedule is weak, but that is the WAC. There OOC schedule includes 2 top 25 teams. Nevada from the WAC could very well be in the top 25 by the end of the season as well. They have a great team this year. So lets see. The schedule isnt great, but the part they control is not bad at all. They will probably end up playing 4 -5 bowl teams this year. I dunno , I think its weak, but not nearly as bad as people seem to think.

[RainMaker]

#24 ranked Oregon St. is a high school team now.
The ACC is a power conference.

[kingfc22]

For Boise, they just have to avoid losing to any of the high school teams that make up the rest of their schedule, bully for them.

I really hope they play an SEC team in whatever bowl game they end up in. It seems like that is the only way some of the good ole boys will ever accept any team having any talent outside of the "best conference" in the world.:rolleyes:

Maybe one of the SEC teams should schedule a home and home with BSU instead of scheduling the likes of San Jose State, Georgia State, Appalachian State, etc if they have a problem that BSU might take their entitled spot in a major bowl game due to the conference they play in.

[RainMaker]

I really hope they play an SEC team in whatever bowl game they end up in. It seems like that is the only way some of the good ole boys will ever accept any team having any talent outside of the "best conference" in the world.:rolleyes:

Maybe one of the SEC teams should schedule a home and home with BSU instead of scheduling the likes of San Jose State, Georgia State, Appalachian State, etc if they have a problem that BSU might take their entitled spot in a major bowl game due to the conference they play in.
Or Jacksonville State.

And remember that Utah curbstomped Alabama a couple years ago in a BCS game.

[wade moore]

Different pressure running a 1 minute drill than a 2 minute. A couple of yards on the ground potentially changes the punt distance etc. Quite a few variables starting with chopping their time in half. May not have won the game but it was something that very directly led to the loss (as an example of bad playcalling/execution all night).

That's all fine and good.

You made the claim that a run would have "iced" the game.

That's simply not accurate. It would have made it tougher, but BSU showed they are capable of scoring in under a minute.

[kingfc22]

And remember that Utah curbstomped Alabama a couple years ago in a BCS game.

"But Alabama didn't even want to be there so they didn't play hard". (SEC homers)

But whatever. We'll see how this season plays out. Fun end to week 1 and I'm looking forward to see what happens the rest of the way.

[Lathum]

It was a great game, but sadly games like this make it less and less likely teams like Boise, TCU, BYU, etc... will have any luck booking a tough OOC schedule.

[kingfc22]

It was a great game, but sadly games like this make it less and less likely teams like Boise, TCU, BYU, etc... will have any luck booking a tough OOC schedule.

Which is why we need some type of playoff system so that games like this can be played. But that will never happen.:rant:

[BishopMVP]

Maybe one of the SEC teams should schedule a home and home with BSU instead of scheduling the likes of San Jose State, Georgia State, Appalachian State, etc if they have a problem that BSU might take their entitled spot in a major bowl game due to the conference they play in.Most schedules are agreed on 4-5 years in advance... and 5 years ago when Boise played Georgia they got taken behind the woodshed. Did anyone in 2005 really think that Boise State would be a top 10 team in 2010? Plus, for what it's worth they are opening against Ole Miss next year.

[RainMaker]

Most schedules are agreed on 4-5 years in advance... and 5 years ago when Boise played Georgia they got taken behind the woodshed. Did anyone in 2005 really think that Boise State would be a top 10 team in 2010? Plus, for what it's worth they are opening against Ole Miss next year.
Teams do back out too. Like Texas Tech who replaced TCU with Weber State.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Plus, for what it's worth they are opening against Ole Miss next year.

That does not bode well for Ole Miss. I mean, we've seen what happens when they play a I-AA team ;)

[Ksyrup]

Would be hilarious if OSU lost to both TCU and BSU, then wins the PAC-10.

Really, all BSU can do is win the games, but if VT and OSU don't win 9-11 games this year, those wins will easily be discounted. If VT ends up 8-4, all this hype will have been for nothing. They'd need a perfect storm of upsets to force the voters to choose them over a bunch of 2-3 loss teams.

[molson]

I think most Boise St. fans are more than happy to beat another BCS team - this one a #10 on the "road", and then go through the rest of the reason while everyone else freaks out over the ramifications and, while some try to minimize their accomplishments with reasons that are a real stretch. They've beaten almost everyone in front of them the last 4-5 years. And I think people misunderstand the schedule arguments. Yes, a good schedule creates a better resume for things like national championships, and provides more direct evidence that a team is GREAT. But the reverse isn't true. A weaker schedule isn't evidence that a team isn't GREAT. If one assumes Alabama is the best team in the country - they'd still be the best team in the country if their schedule was entirely made up of 1-AA teams. You would just have to rely on more circumstantial evidence to get to that conclusion.

This game though, was pretty solid direct evidence of how good Boise St. is. We'll see how many schools beat teams ranked in the top #10 on the road this season. That won't be a huge number.

Boise St. and their fans, thank god, doesn't live yet in the depressing world of big-time college football where you either win a championship or you suck. Amd a player/coach/fan that doesn't control the schedule - undefeated means a lot, more than the conclusions of people on message boards and the media about what that means, and maybe even more than a national championship determined by means completely outside their control.

[Matthean]

"But Alabama didn't even want to be there so they didn't play hard". (SEC homers)

It didn't help that their OL had to be rearranged so close to the game as well. Still, no excuse for that defense to mail it in like they did. It's one game that will forever irk me.

[Poli]

And if you use the football to keep you up and you fumble...it is the only time the ground can cause a fumble.
PING: ClintStoerner4Heisman.

[MJ4H]

See I knew it.

[Poli]

Knew what? ;)

[Ksyrup]

This game though, was pretty solid direct evidence of how good Boise St. is. We'll see how many schools beat teams ranked in the top #10 on the road this season. That won't be a huge number.

Again, let's see where VT ends up. Beating #10 mid-November is (or can be) a lot different than beating #10 the first weekend of the year. Every year, there are 2-3 teams ranked in the top 10 that don't even end up ranked at the end of the year. This win might not end up being all that impressive.

[molson]

Again, let's see where VT ends up. Beating #10 mid-November is (or can be) a lot different than beating #10 the first weekend of the year. Every year, there are 2-3 teams ranked in the top 10 that don't even end up ranked at the end of the year. This win might not end up being all that impressive.

True. It's one of those unique things about college football. But I'm just saying outside those dark upper-administrative rooms in athletic departments where nobody really knows what happens - nobody else has any control over who plays who. (That whole argument about "Boise St. doesn't deserve acclaim, they should schedule better" doesn't apply to any player and any coach on the team, who just go where they're told to go.) So going undefeated is really all that is important to everyone else that is directly involved, and last night was a big step in getting towards that. Perhaps to a SEC school, different kinds of external recognition are more important (and more within their control to attain), and that's fine for them. They can take pride in their brutal schedule of giants, one after another, but Boise St. and schools like it are just in a different position. They got their own thing and their own goals. They can't just choose to play an all-SEC schedule tomorrow or something.

[BishopMVP]

I'd argue the head coach does have a fair amount of control over the schedule. Not that he can go out and get Alabama to play them at home, but whether the AD tries to set up a tough game or a cupcake.

[Young Drachma]

They've beaten almost everyone in front of them the last 4-5 years.

This.

They just find ways to win more often than not and it's fun to watch a well-coached team of hungry kids who people consistently doubt perform so well.

For any team at the highest level to lose just four games in four years, it's saying a lot about what they're doing and whether it's playing JV competition or not, it's clear that when they do have to play a big opponent they manage to get the job done more often than not.

Too bad Wyoming will beat them in two weeks in Laramie. ;)