2017 College Football Season thread

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I think that is open to debate ... but we do know the best conference.

4-5. Maybe the best teams at the top, but not the best top-to-bottom.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

WR on the near side should have been called for a false start on that TD.

edit: seriously, rewind it and slow-mo it on the DVR.

Didn't even need slo-mo for that one.

[Logan]

CrescentMoonie still hasn't shown up here since 12/28.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Kodos

4-5. Maybe the best teams at the top, but not the best top-to-bottom.

Yeah, I guess it depends on what "best" means and there is no doubt SEC dominance is waning. But I'll take the top 2 teams definition over top-to-bottom.

[GrantDawg]

I guess I have become numb to this. Heartbroken, but not as crushed as I used to be. You just almost get used to it being a sports fan here.

I don't understand using Chubb instead of Michel (heck, they had Swift starting vital drives). I think losing Wims for the second half hurt a lot (though our Ridely did an excellent job filling in). The missed penalties definitely hurt (block punt called back on offsides that wasn't. Horrible facemask penalty missed. False start on the td that tied the game). But making excuses about penalties doesn't help. You have to make the plays when they mattered, and Georgia didn't make enough.

Bama was the better team, and all you can do is tip the cap. UGA just has to reload, and improve. The OL is the start, and there are much better players coming along. Hopefully we will see a big jump of improvement there in the next couple of years.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Yeah, I guess it depends on what "best" means and there is no doubt SEC dominance is waning. But I'll take the top 2 teams definition over top-to-bottom.

I hate this debate, but "waning"? Rebuilding more like. Dan Mullins will have Florida in the mix in a couple of years. Muschamp likely will have the Gamecocks improving. Pruitt should improve Tennessee (that might take longer). Jimbo at ATM might make them a real threat, at least once every four years kind of thing. The SEC has had these corrections before, but eventually there is too much money and talent for the conference to stay down for long.

[jbergey22]

Last night was just a great football game and congrats to both teams on a great season.

For both teams the future seems very bright. The way the freshmen stepped up for both teams last night was very impressive. Alabama might have to scrap the ball control style for a couple of years and let Tua loose.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I think that is open to debate ... but we do know the best conference.

Clearly, it is the American Conference.

[stevew]

Georgia's kicker has to be better than anyone the Chargers employed this year

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by stevew

Georgia's kicker has to be better than anyone the Chargers employed this year

I love his glasses. Reminds me of Wild Thing from the Major League movies.

[ISiddiqui]

Well shit. Felt like the SuperBowl. We cursed in (metro) Atlanta, y'all .

At least we got Kendrick at Halftime. Yes, he lipsynced, but if you don't think all of those half time performers lipsync, there is a bridge I gotta sell you.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Logan

Didn't even need slo-mo for that one.

I didn't think so, but absolutely nobody mentioned it. I thought I caught it live and rewound to confirm.

[RainMaker]

Great game but the officiating seemed fairly one sided. With so many big missed calls that would have benefited Georgia, have to wonder if they are NC if they just get one of them.

[Edward64]

I think the momentum changed when Tua had that great run for the first down on the 3rd and long on his 2nd or 3rd series. GA had a chance to stamp out his confidence but came up short.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I think the momentum changed when Tua had that great run for the first down on the 3rd and long on his 2nd or 3rd series. GA had a chance to stamp out his confidence but came up short.

While that run was big in getting Alabama on the board, remember Georgia answered right back with the 96 yard TD drive and then got a pick. They had the ball in plus territory up 20-7 with a chance to stomp on Bama's throat. Fromm threw a pick, Alabama kicked a field goal and they were back in the game.

That stand by the Alabama D turned the game, even if it was lucky off the helmet of the other Alabama DT.

[dawgfan]

The rumors have been out there for a while, but it sounds like Jacob Eason transferring to Washington is going to happen.

[stevew]

All we need is another left handed SEC QB with the initials TT.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

The rumors have been out there for a while, but it sounds like Jacob Eason transferring to Washington is going to happen.

I'm sure your two signings are thrilled

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

I'm sure your two signings are thrilled

They're probably not stoked. That said, if they both redshirt there would be two years differentiating them from Eason. If Eason lights it up here, could be a scenario where he starts in 2019 and heads off to the NFL after, leaving three seasons for the remaining guys to compete for that spot.

I do expect either Yankoff or Sirmon to transfer at some point, but I expected that before there was any talk of Eason transferring back. Another factor for those two is Dylan Morris who will be joining the year following and will push both for playing time.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

They're probably not stoked. That said, if they both redshirt there would be two years differentiating them from Eason. If Eason lights it up here, could be a scenario where he starts in 2019 and heads off to the NFL after, leaving three seasons for the remaining guys to compete for that spot.

I do expect either Yankoff or Sirmon to transfer at some point, but I expected that before there was any talk of Eason transferring back. Another factor for those two is Dylan Morris who will be joining the year following and will push both for playing time.

2 years? Won't Easton be a RS SO and the other two RS FR?

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

2 years? Won't Easton be a RS SO and the other two RS FR?

No. Eason is currently a true sophomore, so there's two years difference.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

Crazy finish. One job as a DB on that play, don't get beat deep.

He thought he had safety help over the top. Was it a blown coverage or did Alabama run a good route combo/Tua look the safety off? Idk, I wasn't in the Georgia huddle and haven't watched the all-22 replay, but it was 2nd down not 4th, so it's not like you can/want to completely sell out as a CB and give up anything under 15 yards downfield.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

He thought he had safety help over the top. Was it a blown coverage or did Alabama run a good route combo/Tua look the safety off? Idk, I wasn't in the Georgia huddle and haven't watched the all-22 replay, but it was 2nd down not 4th, so it's not like you can/want to completely sell out as a CB and give up anything under 15 yards downfield.

The safety was out of position. 3x1 to the field and it looked like a combo concept, 2 read to the boundary and man free to the field, so each safety would have a half. The CB on the boundary side would carry the receiver deep unless #2 (the RB) in this case released to the flat.

The RB stayed in instead and it looked like the CB hesitated when he saw the crosser coming from the other side, so he gave up a step and the safety stayed on the hash for god knows what reason. Tua did look him off, but it was quick and more than the QB's eyes you need to know what other threats you have between the hash marks and there was none, so he should have broken to climb on the go route 3-4 steps quicker than he did, which would have put him in position to make a play.

The scheme on that play was sound and receiver that should have been the go to was the drag route from the field side if the safety had reacted when he should.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

The safety was out of position. 3x1 to the field and it looked like a combo concept, 2 read to the boundary and man free to the field, so each safety would have a half. The CB on the boundary side would carry the receiver deep unless #2 (the RB) in this case released to the flat.

The RB stayed in instead and it looked like the CB hesitated when he saw the crosser coming from the other side, so he gave up a step and the safety stayed on the hash for god knows what reason. Tua did look him off, but it was quick and more than the QB's eyes you need to know what other threats you have between the hash marks and there was none, so he should have broken to climb on the go route 3-4 steps quicker than he did, which would have put him in position to make a play.

The scheme on that play was sound and receiver that should have been the go to was the drag route from the field side if the safety had reacted when he should.

So full grain of salt with this, but the poster on another board is a high school football coach in Georgia. Here's what he posted on the play:

So I was talking with a friend this morning who is a retired HS football coach. He said that he had a conversation with Kirby back in '99 when Kirby was a GA, about the very thing that happened on the last TD. His question to Kirby was if you have trips to one side and one WR to the other, how does your safety let the corner know to convert to deep quarters (from cover 2) if the inside trips WR crosses to the field to the hash on a vertical route? He said Kirby had no answer for it and didn't see it as an issue. Other coaches he later talked to said the safety would make a stay call to have the corner bail in the event of 4 verts. Did Saban know this about Kirby?

What happened on the play was Parrish did what he was supposed to and funneled the WR inside and then sat deep in the flats. The safety jumped the inside trips WR (who came across the formation and up the hash), in turn abandoning his deep half responsibility. Had the same play been run in a double twins formation, Parrish would have seen #2 WR go vertical, which would have automatically told him and the safety to bail to deep 1/4ths. Because Kirby possibly didn't have an alert call for that situation, Parrish's responsibilities stayed in cover 2 and left a void in the defense.

[albionmoonlight]

The last few posts have me thinking about how much different it is to be a football fan in 2017 than when I was growing up. You didn't used to hear fans say things like "I haven't seen the all-22 yet, but . . . "

Our ability to understand and discuss the chess match is so much better than it used to be. I like it.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

The safety was out of position. 3x1 to the field and it looked like a combo concept, 2 read to the boundary and man free to the field, so each safety would have a half. The CB on the boundary side would carry the receiver deep unless #2 (the RB) in this case released to the flat.

The RB stayed in instead and it looked like the CB hesitated when he saw the crosser coming from the other side, so he gave up a step and the safety stayed on the hash for god knows what reason. Tua did look him off, but it was quick and more than the QB's eyes you need to know what other threats you have between the hash marks and there was none, so he should have broken to climb on the go route 3-4 steps quicker than he did, which would have put him in position to make a play.

The scheme on that play was sound and receiver that should have been the go to was the drag route from the field side if the safety had reacted when he should.

Originally Posted by digamma

So full grain of salt with this, but the poster on another board is a high school football coach in Georgia. Here's what he posted on the play:

I think quite honestly that comes down to how you want to scheme different route packages and this package puts the defense in a bind. I know there is a big difference between HS and College in terms of speed of the game, but in my years coaching the secondary I would have never had a CB sit on a deep drag route from the other side of the field. The linebackers should have passed him off and the outside backer to the boundary should have run with him, while the field side backer lets him go and picks up Harris who leaked out and ran a shallow crossing route to the field (I missed this watching the game live and the replay)

I will disagree with him on the safety jumping the deep drag from the other side. If you look at :03 of the clip the safety is 12 yards on top of that route and should not have diagnosed that as a vertical threat. You can see on that same time point that he is getting off the hash late and should have been there much quicker. The CB did do a good job of funneling him inside to the safety and in watching the clip that backside route may have cause him to pause, but I still think he should have carried the WR deep. it is always better to come off that route and help the LBers running with him.

The funny thing is I think the purpose of leaking Harris out to the field was to hold the LBer to his side and create space for the crossing receiver as they passed off responsibilities and get a chunk of the yardage back. Again I am speculating based on experience and how I would have coached it, and as we always say however has the chalk last wins. It's easy to scheme when you don't have to be the one on the field making split second decisions

Tua Tagovailoa marvelous game winning TD in OT: Georgia vs Alabama National Championship - YouTube

[MizzouRah]

Congratulations to the Alabama fans! Roll tide..

That being said.. I still don't understand why Georgia didn't use #1 more often, especially late in the game.

Anyway.. a fantastic and exciting game from a neutral fan, but it does make me want an 8 team playoff even more.

[tarcone]

I saw an article proposing a 16 team playoff. I am not going to look for it and it was a few days ago that I saw it. But here is the gist:
Power 5 got to 14 teams. ND to ACC taking them to 15.
Each conference split into 2 divisions.
Get rid of conference championship game.
Play 11 conference games. Allows cross over rivalries.
Take the 10 division champs.
Take the Other 5 champions.
Have one bye.

So you would have Alabama as the byue this year.

Start the games the 1st week of Dec. when the conference championships are but have the higher seeds host the 1st round. Same for 2nd round.

Semis on Jan.1
Finals a week later.

Keep the 30 Bowl games for the also rans.

This is where I fall now.

EDIT: Not a bye but a wild card.

[hollmt]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I saw an article proposing a 16 team playoff. I am not going to look for it and it was a few days ago that I saw it. But here is the gist:
Power 5 got to 14 teams. ND to ACC taking them to 15.
Each conference split into 2 divisions.
Get rid of conference championship game.
Play 11 conference games. Allows cross over rivalries.
Take the 10 division champs.
Take the Other 5 champions.
Have one bye.

So you would have Alabama as the byue this year.

Start the games the 1st week of Dec. when the conference championships are but have the higher seeds host the 1st round. Same for 2nd round.

Semis on Jan.1
Finals a week later.

Keep the 30 Bowl games for the also rans.

This is where I fall now.

16 is too many. I am all for expanding it a bit, but not a watered down mess.
6 or 8 is plenty.

We don't want people getting mad at 'participation trophies' being handed out but we also want to keep the league from being the biased/judged beauty pageant that it currently is.

Also, 30 bowl games is too many. While I think most do not entirely agree on the playoff structure, most probably do agree that 30 bowl games are stupid, boring and pointless.

[Logan]

Yeah, hard pass from me.

[bob]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I saw an article proposing a 16 team playoff. I am not going to look for it and it was a few days ago that I saw it. But here is the gist:
Power 5 got to 14 teams. ND to ACC taking them to 15.
Each conference split into 2 divisions.
Get rid of conference championship game.
Play 11 conference games. Allows cross over rivalries.
Take the 10 division champs.
Take the Other 5 champions.
Have one bye.

So you would have Alabama as the byue this year.

Start the games the 1st week of Dec. when the conference championships are but have the higher seeds host the 1st round. Same for 2nd round.

Semis on Jan.1
Finals a week later.

Keep the 30 Bowl games for the also rans.

This is where I fall now.

EDIT: Not a bye but a wild card.

Actually sounds like Alabama wouldn't have gotten in. Not a division champ.

[tarcone]

I dont see watered down or participation with this lay out.
You play the 6 teams in your division and 5 in the other. That eliminates Mercer-type games in week 12.
You earn your spot.
And it keeps the UCFs in the world from crying.
And a 1 loss Alabama is still in the play offs with out the bitching that they didnt win their conference.

I dont see the down side.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by bob

Actually sounds like Alabama wouldn't have gotten in. Not a division champ.

I meant wild card not bye. Sorry for the confusion.

So Alabama would have been the wild card.

[stevew]

Rotate a bye between the 5 majors. Have the 4 remaining champions have a play in game week after conference championship. Take the bye team, 2 winners and one at large team into a playoff like now.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I dont see watered down or participation with this lay out.
You play the 6 teams in your division and 5 in the other. That eliminates Mercer-type games in week 12.
You earn your spot.
And it keeps the UCFs in the world from crying.
And a 1 loss Alabama is still in the play offs with out the bitching that they didnt win their conference.

I dont see the down side.

Its not feasible. Its a non-starter.
If you went to this schedule, day 1 you have to expand to 100 or 110 scholarships. Have to.


Then you get into the root of all evil. Money.
Athletic Departments would take a huge hit with the loss of a home game. But it would be catastrophic for local businesses in small college towns. No one wants to talk about it but this is the problem. A study done a few years ago showed that a home game Saturday brings roughly $12MM to the town of Clemson, SC. Now half that goes straight to the AD. The other 5-6MM is spread among the 50 or so local business owners. Or a $120k impact each. For most small businesses thats the difference between profitable and closed doors.

[digamma]

That seems like a super boring season.

[I. J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I saw an article proposing a 16 team playoff. I am not going to look for it and it was a few days ago that I saw it. But here is the gist:
Power 5 got to 14 teams. ND to ACC taking them to 15.
Each conference split into 2 divisions.
Get rid of conference championship game.
Play 11 conference games. Allows cross over rivalries.
Take the 10 division champs.
Take the Other 5 champions.
Have one bye.

So you would have Alabama as the byue this year.

Start the games the 1st week of Dec. when the conference championships are but have the higher seeds host the 1st round. Same for 2nd round.

Semis on Jan.1
Finals a week later.

Keep the 30 Bowl games for the also rans.

This is where I fall now.

EDIT: Not a bye but a wild card.

11 conference games, so one out of conference game a year? Sounds kind of boring

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Athletic Departments would take a huge hit with the loss of a home game.

For some (many?) that could be the loss of more than one home game at least some years.

[larrymcg421]

Why mandate anything to the conferences? Just let them have whatever structure they want, whatever tiebreaker they want, and each sends an automatic qualifier to the 16 team playoff. That leaves 5 wildcard spots open. Yes, that 6th wildcard team would still complain, but I'd rather have them complain than the #5 team overall.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by I. J. Reilly

11 conference games, so one out of conference game a year? Sounds kind of boring

Yeah, those Alabama/Mercer games are thrilling.

I know, I know, someone will bring up the Ohio St./Oklahoma type games. But you would have those in conference.

I would rather see Alabama/Missouri than Alabama/Mercer

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

and each sends an automatic qualifier to the 16 team playoff.

Except that there's zero point to a 16 team playoff.
Most years even 4 is pushing it.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Except that there's zero point to a 16 team playoff.
Most years even 4 is pushing it.

This year you would have
Clenson, Miami, tOSU, Wisconsin, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama (WC), USC, Stanford, Oklahoma, TCU, UCF, FAU, Toledo, Fresno St, Troy.

Seed them 1 through 16

Sounds pretty good. No bitching because you play your conference to qualify. Other 5 are represented. And UCF could beat a Miami.

I think it would be awesome.

[Vince, Pt. II]

One quarter of that playoff bracket has a less than zero chance of winning the title. 16 is too many.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by tarcone

This year you would have
Clenson, Miami, tOSU, Wisconsin, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama (WC), USC, Stanford, Oklahoma, TCU, UCF, FAU, Toledo, Fresno St, Troy.

Seed them 1 through 16

Sounds pretty good. No bitching because you play your conference to qualify. Other 5 are represented. And UCF could beat a Miami.

I think it would be awesome.

How many games do you think is the reasonable max an 18/19 year old kid should play in a season?


I think the better solution is this. A 12 team playoff with the current conference championship games serving as round one and 10 of the 12 teams. Then 1 more game comprised of at large selections. With a mandate of at least 1 G5/Independent.

Then you have 6 left standing not 4.
1 and 2 seeds get a bye and structure it like the NFL playoffs.

That is the farthest I ever want to see it expand. I find it odd that Alabama is the best team in the country but not the best team in their conference.

Personally I think we have it right now. 4 is the right number.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by tarcone

This year you would have
Clenson, Miami, tOSU, Wisconsin, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama (WC), USC, Stanford, Oklahoma, TCU, UCF, FAU, Toledo, Fresno St, Troy.

Seed them 1 through 16

Sounds pretty good. No bitching because you play your conference to qualify. Other 5 are represented. And UCF could beat a Miami.

Sounds like crap, frankly. Fucks given about "the other five" is a value slightly above zero, but very slightly. Likewise for most of those teams you listed. This year was a bit of an outlier, there were actually five teams who had a credible argument for being a contender. The rest? That's why they make other bowl games.

As for the bitching, let glorified high schools like UCF go play I-AA if they want, no meaningful number of people would notice the difference. They're a decent little team, could have probably finished in the top 4-5 of several major conferences ... but anybody who believes they're capable of more than that is fucking delusional.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

With a mandate of at least 1 G5/Independent.

At this point we might be better served just to eliminate the G5 altogether, or put it in a revised I-AA (type) structure.

If having them around means listening to madness like 16 team playoffs or kindergarten graduation parades at Disney then it's time to put the rational world out of their misery.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

How many games do you think is the reasonable max an 18/19 year old kid should play in a season?


I think the better solution is this. A 12 team playoff with the current conference championship games serving as round one and 10 of the 12 teams. Then 1 more game comprised of at large selections. With a mandate of at least 1 G5/Independent.

Then you have 6 left standing not 4.
1 and 2 seeds get a bye and structure it like the NFL playoffs.

That is the farthest I ever want to see it expand. I find it odd that Alabama is the best team in the country but not the best team in their conference.

Personally I think we have it right now. 4 is the right number.

Georgia played 15 this season.

The scenario I put up, the Championship game would be game 15. There would be no difference.

[tarcone]

Didnt UCF beat SEC East Champion Auburn?

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Georgia played 15 this season.

The scenario I put up, the Championship game would be game 15. There would be no difference.

Uhhh re-read what you posted dude.
11 conference games and 1 out of conference. Thats 12.
Conference champ game is 13.
Then you have a field of 16...

That's 17 games for the champ.

And stop with "eliminate the conference champ game" before you go there. The ACC, SEC, B1G, Big 12, Pac12 dont give 2 shits about the CFP. They need their conferenc echamp games to make money it aint going away.


College football is the greatest damn sport in the world and it seems everyone loves it and is determined to change it and screw it up simultaneously.

[panerd]

I like UCF’s story this season and would have personally preferred to see them in the playoffs over Bama but the narrative being written by them and casual college football fans that nobody will play them is a bit disingenuous. I mean look at their schedule the last five years they have played (and lost to) Missouri, South Carolina, Michigan, and Penn State. At one point (when the schedules were likely made for this season and 2018) they were 0-12. It’s not like teams were ducking them they were actually probably playing them for an easy win and Florida recruiting exposure. I guess I just don’t understand the Alabama is scared to play them argument I’ve heard. Maybe for the 2025 season but who thought they would be 12-0 in 2017 back when the schedules were made to duck them?