Official College Football thread - Week 8

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by M GO BLUE!!!

I could have sworn that on one play that last drive the left side of their line moved just before the snap, but I must have been wrong as there was no flag.

I think it was the TE; yes, he moved early.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Gonna' be tough to beat the Huskers in Lincoln next week for MSU though and if they don't, a shot at the Big Ten title may end up falling to the wayside.

One thing going for State is Nebraska isn't a good passing team. A passing team has the chance to torch them. Unfortunately, there's nobody in the Big Ten who can nail them for it. Wisconsin was supposed to have a balanced attack to do it but yeah.

[MJ4H]

Man Texas Tech is taking it to Oklahoma. 31-7 now early 3rd quarter.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by TroyF

I actually think they SHOULD have ruled inconclusive. I didn't see anything that proved the ball crossed. It LOOKED like it crossed, but proof? You couldn't see the ball. How can you say it did? Michigan St. deserved to win the football game, so I'm not bothered by it, but I think the replay booth needs to learn what definitive actually means, because I didn't see anything in the replay that showed it was a TD. Again, think it's a TD shouldn't work in that case.

I'm looking at all of this stuff late but I agree with you. I don't see how in the hell that call is overturned unless I'm missing a video angle, a still shot, or something I haven't seen yet. It MIGHT have been a TD but it sure isn't conclusive.

[MJ4H]

I think you guys must've been missing a shot because I saw one that was very clear and one that was pretty clear in addition to that.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I give them the touchdown.

One thing I could not at all believe was that the clock actually continued to run for three seconds after the incomplete pass. There should have been :07 left when that final play started. Who is running the clock up there in East Lansing these days?

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by M GO BLUE!!!

I give them the touchdown.

One thing I could not at all believe was that the clock actually continued to run for three seconds after the incomplete pass. There should have been :07 left when that final play started. Who is running the clock up there in East Lansing these days?

I only got to watch the last couple of minutes and the play clock was horribly run. At least one extra second ran off in a number of situations.

[Big Fo]

That was an interesting time to try the fake punt (Texas Tech was up 14 with around a quarter of the game left and it didn't work out). Oklahoma might just come back from 28 down.

[MJ4H]

24. It was 31-7.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Stanford rolls up over 440 yards rushing... Domination.

First off, it's a complete joke to see a team like Boise State ranked ahead of Stanford. Stanford is easily a top-5 team, and they'd tear the Broncos a new one.

Second, Jesus Fucking Christ I'm sick of pathetic defensive performances by the Huskies. I thought we were past that now, but Stanford just did whatever the fuck they wanted running the ball tonight, and the Huskies were utterly helpless to stop them. The Huskies are making some progress in getting tougher and more physical, at least on offense, but Stanford just showed them how far they still have to go.

I've been attempting to maintain some patience with Nick Holt and the defensive coaches - I've been saying Husky fans need to wait until next season is complete and they've had 4 years to change things around - but a "performance" like this one makes me wonder if Sark shouldn't pull a Harbaugh and bring in a new DC for his 4th season.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

That was an interesting time to try the fake punt (Texas Tech was up 14 with around a quarter of the game left and it didn't work out). Oklahoma might just come back from 28 down.

TT should have got the FG instead of going for it. My theory is keep putting points on the board to keep things going for you and to force the other team to keep up. Missing the fake punt is just another chance to breathe life into OU.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

I think you guys must've been missing a shot because I saw one that was very clear and one that was pretty clear in addition to that.

Looks pretty hard to argue with this, but this isn't even the most definitive angle I saw.

[Matthean]

Within the first couple of minutes in the 2nd half I knew OU was winning. 31-24 TT and yet I still have no doubt OU is winning.

[Matthean]

Kudos to TT for looking to prove me wrong.

[Matthean]

OU FG hits the goal post. TT up 10 and under 3 minutes.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

No one can ever convince me Bielema is a good coach. Ever. Not ever.

Well he does tend to finish higher in the season standings then he does in the recruiting standings.

He may be a poor game coach but I think he does a nice job of getting his players better. Its not like Wisconsin is bringing in great classes every year.

[Matthean]

OU made it mildly interesting, but they still fall. Will be interesting to see if they can make it back into the title race in a year with a number of unbeatens remaining.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Matthean

OU made it mildly interesting, but they still fall. Will be interesting to see if they can make it back into the title race in a year with a number of unbeatens remaining.

Stanford and Oklahoma State have to be happy about today. Especially Stanford. Oklahoma St controlled their own destiny in a way by facing Oklahoma later in the year.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by M GO BLUE!!!

I give them the touchdown.

One thing I could not at all believe was that the clock actually continued to run for three seconds after the incomplete pass. There should have been :07 left when that final play started. Who is running the clock up there in East Lansing these days?

The clock shown on TV also started about 3 seconds late on the play.

[Schmidty]

Just finished watching watching the recording of the MSU-UW game. My voice is gone. That was awesome. I'm very happy right now.

Reading all of the MSU hate in this thread and around the web makes me smile. TroyF calling them dirtbags and Matthean whining about them is so cute. Scoreboard boys!!

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Not the 30 point win I was hoping for after the first 20 minutes, but USC with a solid 31-17 win over ND.

I'm drunk, I come home to find USC rolled ND somewhat convincingly and Dayne Crist was the goat, perfect night

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

Reading all of the MSU hate in this thread and around the web makes me smile. TroyF calling them dirtbags and Matthean whining about them is so cute. Scoreboard boys!!

They are dirtbags. This is simply a repeat of last year where we learn how lacking the Big Ten is. I just hope MSU decides to show up against a quality bowl opponent because their options just got harder, and Dantonio has yet to win a bowl game with MSU. Being the big fish in a little pond only gets you so far in terms of credibility. If you want to look at scoreboards, how about 31-13 and 49-7. Those are the scores of the last two games MSU has played against non-Big Ten teams that have a pulse.

[Thomkal]

Completely disgusted with Coastal Carolina right now. Coming off the big loss to Liberty they got a Gardner-Webb team at home. coming into town with a five game losing streak and down to their third string QB. GW led most of the game until Coastal got an 80 yard punt return TD with just under 2 minutes to play to go ahead by 1.

They got called for excessive celebration on the TD cause the coaches couldn't control the players on the sidelines, kick return for GW got them to midfield and two Coastal penalties on the return got them within easy FG range. They were able to run out the clock and get the game winning FG to knock off Coastal.

I knew the ranking they were given was not deserved, but didn't think they would be amongst the worst teams in the Big South either. Now they have to go all the way to New York to play Stony Brook which will likely be another loss and have nothing left to play for after that. Very disgusted.

[CU Tiger]

Nice win by my Tigers yesterday, bit surprised by the nature to be honest. To score 59 in 3 quarters and sit the starters for the 4th I would ave never believed coming in. Even the defenselayed better (final score a bit misleading as 3rd string d gave up 2 long drives)

With Wisky and Sooner losses Clemson may have an outside chance if they can remain unbeaten. Any team that wins a BCS conference and 2 out of conference games against SEC teams should look good in the formula....but all that is a long way away and lots of land mines between here and there.

[booradley]

Wake Forest pips Duke 24-23, beating the Devils for the 12th year in a row! Wake is now 5-2, 4-1: we are just 1 win away from being bowl eligible, which is amazing following the horror scene that was last year.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by TroyF

I actually think they SHOULD have ruled inconclusive. I didn't see anything that proved the ball crossed. It LOOKED like it crossed, but proof? You couldn't see the ball. How can you say it did? Michigan St. deserved to win the football game, so I'm not bothered by it, but I think the replay booth needs to learn what definitive actually means, because I didn't see anything in the replay that showed it was a TD. Again, think it's a TD shouldn't work in that case.

I thought it was a touchdown the moment it happened.

I am fairly certain that this will end up in my training video either this week or the next. If I remember, I will try to clip it and show you guys.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Blah, blah, blah blah.

Sour grapes? Cheer up, there's always next season young man.

[mauchow]

Yeah, about the end of the game for the Badgers - I was sitting at a bar watching it. The second it happened I picked up and left - I knew it'd be overturned. What a horrible night. THe Badgers started out hot and then got a bit too relaxed, Wilson made some costly mistakes, Abbrederis dropped a touchdown pass, mis-timed his jump on the final play of the game, Bielema called a timeout with 30 seconds to go in the game when MSU was ready to go into overtime, so many bad things happened today. If we meet them in Indy again, that game will be bigger to the boys than the Rose Bowl will be, imo. I wouldn't be surprised to see a Bama/msu type game from last year.

[MrBug708]

If Stanford can beat Oregon, they just earned a spot in the title game

[Crapshoot]

Stanford has a shot at the national title which seems surreal, though many many hurdles still to go. They're above Boise in the BCS, and one of LSU-Alabama will drop after nov 5. This year, they get to play Oregon at home which should help. still, has any team with the academic hurdles Stanford faces competed this far in modern day CFB? even Notre Dame isn't close.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

Sour grapes? Cheer up, there's always next season young man.

Has nothing to do with MSU beating Michigan. I simply don't respect the Spartans. As someone born and raised in Spartan country, I want to. They just keep failing at it.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Has nothing to do with MSU beating Michigan. I simply don't respect the Spartans. As someone born and raised in Spartan country, I want to. They just keep failing at it.

That's ok. I don't think they (or I) care if you respect them.

[tarcone]

An interesting side note. Iowa moved their 2nd string QB to LB. AJ Derby was recruited as an athlete, but promised a shot at QB. He won the 2nd string job, but got arrested this season for public intox and punching out a bus window. He was suspended for 2 games and lost his 2nd string job. He is 6'2" 234 lbs.

[Easy Mac]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Completely disgusted with Coastal Carolina right now. Coming off the big loss to Liberty they got a Gardner-Webb team at home. coming into town with a five game losing streak and down to their third string QB. GW led most of the game until Coastal got an 80 yard punt return TD with just under 2 minutes to play to go ahead by 1.

They got called for excessive celebration on the TD cause the coaches couldn't control the players on the sidelines, kick return for GW got them to midfield and two Coastal penalties on the return got them within easy FG range. They were able to run out the clock and get the game winning FG to knock off Coastal.

I knew the ranking they were given was not deserved, but didn't think they would be amongst the worst teams in the Big South either. Now they have to go all the way to New York to play Stony Brook which will likely be another loss and have nothing left to play for after that. Very disgusted.

Furman losing to Coastal continues to baffle me, especially since we just beat the #4 team in the country.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Furman losing to Coastal continues to baffle me, especially since we just beat the #4 team in the country.

It baffles me too. Probably just being the first game and not being ready to play yet, and a lot of luck.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Stanford and Oklahoma State have to be happy about today. Especially Stanford. Oklahoma St controlled their own destiny in a way by facing Oklahoma later in the year.

Nothing changes at all for OSU. The OU game is still going to knock them out if they lose, regardless if OU has no losses or 2 losses. If anything, it lessens the impact of a win (marginally, but still) over OU that they aren't still undefeated when they play.

OSU and KSU both have a fairly tough schedule coming up. Tough to see either of them surviving it.

[Ksyrup]

We were at softball all day Saturday, so I didn't get to see a second of FSU. Glad they won it fairly easily, though.

The more I think about it, the more ticked I am that we were rated so high at the beginning of the year solely for ESPN/ABC to tout an early season top 5 game. We are clearly another year, probably two, away from really being a legit contender. I expected more this year, but you can tell in the shuffle of older guys for Jimbo recruits that this year was about transitioning to the guys he recruited/wants on the field. And that transition sometimes doesn't happen painlessly, especially when you add in a bunch of injuries and 4 new starters on the OL.

[MacroGuru]

Didn't post about BYU as we played an FCS team halfway into the season. Idaho State was thumped as it should have been. Big matchup for BYU as they play TCU in Jerry's house on Friday night.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

The more I think about it, the more ticked I am that we were rated so high at the beginning of the year solely for ESPN/ABC to tout an early season top 5 game.

Yes, that must've been the sole reason.

[Ksyrup]

I believe it was.

FSU was 9-4 last year and got trounced in the ACC Championship game. We beat a disfuntional, falling apart UF handily. We beat South Carolina in the bowl game, largely because we knocked Lattimore out early in the 1st quarter. We played a solid game, but USCe wasn't that great, especially without their RB. We recruited well. Our new starting QB wasn't going to be a total newbie, thanks to injuries that got him some playing time the previous 2 years. That's about it.

Did that add up to a top 5 ranking? Even factoring in the horrid ACC, I don't believe so. The ESPN talking heads talked FSU up (I think Robert Smith had them as high as #3, and most of their people had them in the top 7-8 at worst). I thought, at best, we should have been maybe top 15. The Tally folks were saying ESPN was targeting the OU game since spring, and needed a hook to bring the GameDay crew there. I'm absolutely convinced they pushed FSU for top 5 to sell the game. And I believe it was the highest rated college game so far this year, so they got what they wanted, and now FSU is dealing with "failed expectations" in a season they probably weren't going to win more than 10 games, at best, anyway. And with Miami and UF looking like they've regained their footing, 8-4 sounds more reasonable.

With everything that's come out about ESPN, there's no reason to turn away from a plausible conspiracy theory, IMO.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I believe it was.

You're being silly. Almost all publications had FSU in the top 5 or at the worst top 10.

Here's a quick (but incomplete composite) that shows FSU was ranked in the top 5 or 6 by Athlon, Lindy's and Sports Illustrated. Even the Vegas guru himself Phil Steele, who advertises that he is right more than everyone else, had them at #10.

If you buy your conspiracy theory, you have to go pretty deep into a tangled web of nefarious television executives.

[Ksyrup]

Those mags came out well after the hype began. Shortly after recruiting ended, actually. They were talking Gameday visit during spring practice.

I'm not suggesting they were all in on it; I'm suggesting they were influenced by it.

[Ksyrup]

Oof.

BryanDFischer Bryan Fischer
Kansas is allowing 50 points and 550 yards per game. Still have the 2nd, 7th and 12th-ranked offenses to play.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Oof.

BryanDFischer Bryan Fischer
Kansas is allowing 50 points and 550 yards per game. Still have the 2nd, 7th and 12th-ranked offenses to play.

I don't think that's right. Using PPG, 7th is Baylor and 13th is A&M but we already got lit up by #2 Okie State to the tune of 70, thank you very much. We don't need to play them again.

EDIT: I guess in YPG, that's Baylor, A&M, and Mizzou.

SI

[bronconick]

I thought FSU was somewhere between 10 and 15 this year, and from the moment that they had the #1/2 ranked recruiting class, the hype just kept going up. Their QB was taken #12 and was probably a reach, but still obviously not easy to replace, and the O-line was always thin, having to replace the center (originally with a JC transfer), one guy who had concussions to the point where he was a shadow of his former self, and a 4 time all-conference guard. One tackle gets injured, and his replacement is a 17 year old true freshman. Whoops.

I'm just waiting to see what the final score of the game vs. NC State is so I know what side of the line to bet on vs. BC.

[Ksyrup]

I would have had them somewhere between 12 and 15, as an optimistic fan. To me, it's a huge jump to top 5 from there, especially on the strength of a recruiting class, the majority of which you wouldn't expect to make THAT big a contribution in the first year.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

No one can ever convince me Bielema is a good coach. Ever. Not ever.

After their last 2 games against Indiana, I was quite happy to see that Wisconsin lost to MSU. I hope Bielema never wins anything of consequence in his coaching career.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

If Stanford can beat Oregon, they just earned a spot in the title game

I think Stanford will beat Oregon but I dont think they are in the clear from Oklahoma St taking that final spot. In fact if Okie St wins out I think it will be them vs LSU/Bama winner.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I would have had them somewhere between 12 and 15, as an optimistic fan. To me, it's a huge jump to top 5 from there, especially on the strength of a recruiting class, the majority of which you wouldn't expect to make THAT big a contribution in the first year.

Saban after his first full class, which ranked #1, went 12-2 losing only to Florida, who won the title, and Utah. I do think anytime a team is doing a change over at OL expectations need to be put in perspective. I think there was a year where much was expected of OU, but they had a inexperienced line. They fell far from expectations. The same year a lesser ranked team had a veteran line and they far exceeded expectations.

[Karlifornia]

Oklahoma will beat Okie State, I think.