Official College Football Championship Week Thread
 

We've reached the end of the college football regular season. With all due respect to the Army-Navy game next weekend, all other teams wrap up play this weekend. There is only one matchup of BCS Top 25 teams not connected with a conference championship game, Texas at Kansas State.

Here are the Conference Championship games:

Northern Illinois vs. Kent State - MAC
UCLA vs. Stanford - PAC 12
Central Florida vs. Tulsa - Conference USA
Alabama vs. Georgia - SEC
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech - ACC
Nebraska vs. Wisconsin - Big Ten

Times, just for the heck of it

NIU - Kent St 7p Fri ESPN2
UCLA-Stanford 8pm Fri on Fox
UCF - Tulsa 12n ESPN2
Bama - UGA 4p CBS
FSU - GT 8p ESPN
Texas - KState 8p ABC
Nebraska - Wisconsin 817p Fox

Not sure how the Texas-K State game is gonna turn out. David Ash turned back into the horrible 2011 version against TCU, with two picks in the red zone and an incomprehensible fumble on a throwing motion near their own end zone. Case McCoy has been named the starter for the game. But a pissed off K State team has had two weeks to prepare, and they have had Texas's number the past few years.

Hope Rutgers doesn't choke at home. Also would like to see Kent State get into a BCS game over some retread major conference team that's played a better schedule and tougher competition. Naturally would prefer the former over the latter but both doing their jobs would be fine.

Might as well add the Rutgers - Louisville game as it's a de facto conference championship, with the winner getting the BCS bid. ESPN Thursday night at 7:30.

I'm not a big fan of saying someone should be fired, but I just listened to the Mora press conference after the Stanford game, and that reporter should be fired. How any media outlet would want him representing them is beyond me.

I feel so dirty that I have to root for Texas so OU can be the sole Big 12 Champion.

TJ Simers, ladies and gentlemen. He is an utter and complete douche and his sole purpose is to get a rise out of people so he can write about it. He is one of the main reasons I would have to avoid the LA Times if I bothered to still have a paper.

Nice to see the national championship game scheduled so early for once. :D

I kinda want to see GT win and Kent St. get into a BCS bowl game. The Orange Bowl pitting GT against Kent St. would get tens, maybe even hundreds of viewers.

And Kent State might even win. A MAC team winning a BCS game. Yes please.

Well at least until the half when Kent had a 4 or 5 TD lead. At that point I figure interest would wane.

Kent should probably be an underdog at NIU, but I'll be rooting hard for them and against UCLA and Texas.

Kent vs. Georgia Tech would be hilarious, 2 of the most run heavy teams in the country. The Orange Bowl could offset some of the losses from having an empty stadium by painting rocks and substituting them in for the footballs.

Flying up to NJ to catch the RU-UL game. Sadly, this is my first RU home game since I graduated a while ago. Last RU game I went to was at the Ville a few years ago, we had a 4 TD lead or something and Brohm came back to win.

I had no idea a win, coupled with a Kent State win, could put RU in the Sugar Bowl. Apparently there will be some reps from the Sugar Bowl there in case we win. I guess RU is more attractive than Kent State for the Sugar.

Anyone know what the revenue increase would be for the MAC if they get a team in the BCS?

Quick look at the bowl/payout schedule tells me that their 3 bids combine for $1.825MM. They can take a 4th spot some years but I don't imagine that would increase the pie very much. BCS game payouts are around $17MM, and I'm not sure if the MAC gets a small, small slice from the pie or not every year for being part of the "system".

I'm not sure how the conference shares bowl revenue.

In ten years this will make a great trivia question:

A team that finished third in their division played in their conference championship game. Name that team.

Which one? Wisconsin or Georgia Tech? If you follow the ACC tiebreakers, the Jackets would be eliminated from the three-team tie based on the loss to VPI.

Does the three team tie count as first, second, third? Wisconsin is third without any ties in front of them.

Kind of random, but I just read that (provided Kansas doesn't beat WVU in Morgantown on Saturday) the Big 12 didn't lose a game this season to a non-bowl team. Every team in the conference except for Kansas finished bowl eligible despite playing 9 conference games and the only four OOC losses came to:

12-0 Notre Dame (over Oklahoma)
11-1 Northern Illinois (over Kansas)
7-5 Arizona (over OSU)
6-6 Rice (over Kansas)

I just threw up in mouth a little.

I think it's a 14 or 15M increase to what they normally get from the BCS.

Under the current system, non-AQ conferences split 18% of the BCS pie if one of their teams makes a BCS bowl game and 9% if none of them does.


But they'd have to share that with the other non-AQ conferences, so it gets split about 60 ways or so, so each would get about $400k or so.

If the MAC was an AQ conference, they only have to share that $28.2 million with the 12 other members of the MAC. So it's a pretty big difference and that revenue split won't change under the new system, they'll still have to share that revenue for a BCS bid that's reserved for the MAC/Big East/MWC/Sun Belt/C-USA in the new system too.

56 non-AQ schools plus Army, Navy and BYU. So their share would be split 59 ways and in two years, the Big East gets added to that pot. ;)

Cannot wait for tonight. Was wide awake at 5:52 and got in to work early, will be out of here by 1 or so and headed to Brunswick. Going to be perfect November football weather tonight.

My fiancee thought I was a nutjob because last night I kept trying on different layering methods of clothes for the game to figure out the best combination. It didn't help that I paced around the apartment for two hours afterwards.

I expect the team to win. Too much to play for in front of the home crowd, Louisville is banged up, especially Bridgewater who we should be able to get to.

A loss would obviously be tremendously disappointing given the spot the team was in two weeks ago. There's a billion reasons to love it, but this is really why I'm so ecstatic about the Big 10 move. Because if we ended up stuck in the Big East with the schools they've recently and continue to bring in, nights like tonight wouldn't have the same meaning.

Let's fucking go.

I don't think that's how it works.

Based on 2011 payouts (2010 season), when TCU was an AQ, The non AQ conferences got 24.72M total with the Mountain West getting 12.75 Million. They got 24M in 2010 (2009 season) with the MWC getting 9.8 and the WAC getting 7.8M for having the 2 BCS teams.

I would expect the MAC to get close to 15M a team with the other 4 conferences dividing up the rest. Army, Navy and BYU as independents get 100K, but aren't included in the non AQ pool.

Honey Badger to enter the draft. Might as well since he's smoked away his college career. He might as well get what he can as a pro while he has little chance left.

The Bengals should open up as favorites at 5/1 here

Ok, I just looked at the wiki page too and saw that. That makes more sense to me. There were other sites that seemed to misinterpret what the MAC would get, probably because no one seriously considered this ever happening.

Big Nebraska fan this weekend! GO CORNHUSKERS!!!

Empire State Building lit red tonight for Rutgers.

Louisville backup Will Stein gets the start.

First play on offense for Rutgers.

85-yard touchdown pass.

ugh, that penalty on the fake field goal is a huge momentum swing as Louisville goes down the field and scores a td

yuck

The only positive is they're moving the ball through the air and there's a whole quarter. So there's that.

Yahoo, 6-8 here we come

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets get bowl waiver approved by NCAA - ESPN

Ok, I can't watch this game anymore. I hope they win, but they're just so frustrating.

Same. old. Rutgers.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bowl here we come.

Least surprising result of the week. At least Rutgers is a family. :p

Someone get Logan the biggest bottle of peppermint schnapps they can find

WOO HOO!!!

I've seen enough Gary Nova for one lifetime.

When the Scarlet Knights come out in all black (aside from our ghettofabulous Chrome helmets), sporting F.A.M.I.L.Y. on every jersey, we deserve everything we get.

WR Tim Wright needs to take a long look in the mirror.

Whole team sucked overall. Take away the 2 big plays and we basically punted all night while letting a crippled QB pick us apart.

Hey, maybe next year...right? When the Big East is even weaker? We have a one year window before becoming the B1G doormat.

Those helmets were pretty popular on Twitter. ;)

Does this mean Pernetti has the green light to drop Flood as head coach prior to the B1G move?

Seriously? Holy crap, WTF? It's like they were playing for the joining the Big 10 and then when that was accomplished it was done.

Thank you kindly.

What Teddy Bridgewater did last night on one ankle and with one wrist was really amazing. He threw some beautiful balls, especially on 3rd downs, and his receivers made big plays when they needed to. Simply put, they executed when we didn't. Their WRs spin three times adjusting to a ball in the air on a deep post, and make diving 30 yard catches on 3rd and long, while our 5th year senior WR drops a wide open bomb, possibly a TD, and then drops a crucial long 3rd down pass and also manages to knee the ball into the defender's arms.

Our OL got abused at the LOS while we could barely get near Bridgewater (who wasn't relying on his own mobility) unless we were sending the house...at which time he calmly found the soft openings in our D.

Time of possession was 42-18 in Louisville's favor. Simply can't win that way. Some of that is offset by the two quick TDs we scored, but all year, our ability to sustain drives was an issue.

Forgot to add of course that the illegal man downfield penalty was the backbreaker. Would have been 21-3, instead Louisville marches downfield, scores a TD, we fumble the kick return, and they score again. 17-14 UL.

Agree. The atmosphere in the stadium wasn't the same after Louisville's first TD.

UCLA at Stanford tonight. Repeat of last week's game, which was a regularly scheduled conference game, only this time at Stanford.

I have to think Stanford will win this one, since they beat UCLA on the road and are now coming home. But there has been some thought that this will be a very even game, more than last week, because: A) UCLA didn't have anything to play for last week; their spot in the conference championship game was set, and they were already guaranteed to be on the road for it; B) Because UCLA didn't have anything to play for and knew they would play Stanford, they went very conservative in their playcalling, to show less to Stanford going into this game, which is for the Rose Bowl; and C) tThe old cliché, it's hard to beat a good opponent twice in the same season.

That said, I just think Stanford is a more disciplined and experienced team which won the last week's game in the trenches, and that's a difficult liability to overcome (because, really, what has changed from last week?). UCLA has a young team and I don't think they're quite ready for that challenge.

Still, if anyone told me before the season that UCLA would repeat as Pac 12 South champs and go to the Holiday or Alamo Bowl with (at least) 9 wins, including a win over USC, I would have gladly accepted that.

Man that game was great but depressing. We really had a few big plays, but that fake FG that was called back was huge. I mean, instead of 21-3, we punt and they score and it's 14-10...then 17-14 on the ensuing fumbled kick. The whole 3rd quarter was dead in the stadium.

We got no pressure on Bridgewater, his WR made the great (and routine) catches our guys didn't. And Flood running Jamison/Huggins in to the line every 1st down is getting old. It's seemed like Flood had 3 plays in the book...run straight, stretch run (where the OL get no blocks) and bomb. I actually thought we had a chance to tie it up when Nova got them to the 50 with a minute left and a timeout, but then the mixed up bomb that was picked. I don't know why Nova felt they had to get 40 yards on every pass play, but the middle was open with a minute left and 1 timeout...they should have used it.

Ugh...now seeing pictures that indicate that the ineligible man downfield call was blown. The flagged player appears within 3 yards of the LOS at the time the ball was thrown. WVU 2006 all over again.

Gonna be a wet and messy game in Palo Alto

That's probably the last big east football game I'll ever watch.

Give it a year or two, there might be a last Big East football game anyone watches.

Nice finish going on in front of the half empty stadium.

dola: I love watching games that he is calling, football or basketball.

This is an amazing fucking game. Just amazing. Should have gone. #regrets

Stanford has ~5,000 undergrad students. Its not a big school, and the Bay Area doesn't live and die with its college teams.

It's almost halftime in Coastal Carolina's playoff game at # 3 Old Dominion-and OD leads 28-21. It would be a monumental upset if Coastal pulled it off. I think they had the most losses of any team in the playoffs this season.

Edit: They were at the one yard line near halftime...and didn't score. :(

See! You! L! A! SeeYouLA You! Guys! Suck! All kidding aside, that was a great effort by the Bruins, and you guys should feel happy with that coaching staff going forward. They had a brilliant gameplan, and yuckla should have won.

Congrats to Tulsa on winning CUSA

So Oregon State is playing Nicholls State this week (I assume its rescheduled from that LA hurricane in Week 2?). What would have happened if Nicholls made the FCS playoffs?

I haven't been this nervous since before the 1980 Sugar bowl.

I'm all sorts of uncomfortable with 'Bama's chances in this game. At some point the uber talented but mentally flawed team flips the switch. I prefer it not being now. :lol:

Georgia may have flipped the switch after the USCe/Kentucky debacles, but there's no real way to tell because their schedule has been abysmal. They're lucky Alabama is viewed as such a good win that they'll automatically make the BCS title game if they win today, because other than that they only have 2 wins worth anything and I'd be tempted to put K-State, Oregon or even Florida into the title game over them.

They probably would have cancelled it, and Nicholls would have gotten a buyout-type sum for it. Same would have gone if Oregon State had won their division and played in the PAC-12 championship game.

Now THAT was a throw.

Georgia beat Florida.

And its tied at 35 as they near the end of the third quarter...

Alabama best find a way to score soon. The longer they leave Georgia in this game, the better the chances for an upset become.

Georgia had the worse loss, etc.

How you figure? Georgia lost to the higher ranked team, away, in a game they where a underdog. Florida loss to the lower ranked team, in a game they were favored. I love how we always ignore context in these discussions.

And just like that its 49-35 ODU :(

I think he means scoreboard wise. Georgia got boat raced, while UF lost to UGA by a touchdown or so (can't remember the exact score of either game)

Georgia was never in the game after the first 10 minutes, Florida had the ball with a chance to tie in the last minute. I also don't think it makes sense to use the teams ranking at the time as the arbiter. Does Stanford get more credit for beating USCw than Notre Dame or UCLA does because USCw was #2 at the time?

I'm not even saying I'd definitely go for Florida over Georgia, but I don't think Georgia should be the lock for the title game that they will be with a win. Florida has more quality wins and K-State has beaten more decent teams. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, Alabama is regarded as a juggernaut and a win over them validates any team as elite.Probably, but it would have been interesting if Oregon State had stayed in the discussion for the title game. Would they have tried to cancel it just to avoid the SoS downgrade?

How is that not a penalty?

The ref was looking right at it. People get pissed at me for being hard on the refs. The ref who was looking right at that play and didn't throw a flag should NEVER ref another football game again. He should be walked off the field at halftime.

The Alabama player who had the cheap shot should be kicked out of this game and suspended for the next one. The powers that be in the NFL and college football both talk about safety, but refuse to do anything about it. A personal foul of that nature should have SEVERE consequences.

If Bama ends up with a FG because of the 15 free yards, this will be a shame.

Additionally, the ref should be kicked in the balls by the UGA player of Aaron Murray's choosing.

'Bama up despite their numerous mental errors. If they play smart, it will be a fun second half. The fake punts have to be killing my Dad. He HATES Bobby Williams who coaches the special teams for 'Bama.

Monster drive by GA there. They needed to answer the last part of that second quarter. They did in a big way. Bama will have made adjustments as well. The D needs to step up to support what the offense just did.

WOOHOOO!!!!

Well, can't complain about the missed personal with the missed call that lead to a blocked FG and TD. Did I mention how much my Dad hates Bobby Williams? :banghead: Congrats on the title Georgia.

Huge play. If GA can somehow win, I will forgive Stanford for beating OR. Long way to go though.

Sheesh. Not even close to stopping the run.

Dawgs must answer right now, or it's over.

I guess Bama woke up after that blocked FG.

When was the last time the refs didnt just crap all over the team you wanted to win?

Game on!

Alllllllrighty then.

Epic game?

I thought the Georgia Dome had all of those multi-colored ceiling tiles?

Upset Alert:#2 Alabama 25, #3 Georgia 28 - 12:54 4th Qtr

Don't ever change, ESPN Scoreboard.

Saw this on Twitter, from legendary WWE announcer (and uber college football fan) Jim Ross
Can only imagine how the late, great Larry Munson would be while calling #Bama vs #UGA. Classic, real passion & memorable descriptors.

Ol' JR is right about that one. No matter my feeling about the Dawgs, Munson would have provided a call for the ages today.

I would be seeing the same thing if it happened FOR the team I wanted to win. People always forget that I go crazy even if the call goes for my team.

As for that particular play, it was dangerous, cheap and the intent was to simply knock the QB out of the game. The ref saw this and chose to not call it. It was a disgusting call and it would have been just as disgusting had the hit been against the bama QB.

If you disagree with my assessment, have at it.

Georgia needs to add a guy to the box or something. This is ridiculous.

Saban does the Dawgs a favor by throwing on 3rd and 6...

The only thing that concerns me when you get a team grounding and pounding like this is what happens when they are forced into a third and long. The QB is a little out of rhythm and converting in those situations becomes tough. I didn't think GA was going to stop them, but when they did on two consecutive plays the third down was missed.

GA really needs some first downs here, even if they don't get a TD. Their defense badly needs a rest.

Agree

The back seemed to have a hole on that 3rd down play. Couldnt really tell if it was a poor effort by him or a great play by the bama tackler.