The Ladder 2018 - Bowl Season - Deadline is 11/29 (Sat) at 11 p.m. EST

[Julio Riddols]

I actually have to work Friday and Saturday night Chesapeake - I'm going to be free all day Sunday, Monday and Tuesday however. I am off those nights.

[chesapeake]

How about Tuesday night at 10 PM?

[Kodos]

No problem if you guys need an extension.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

How about Tuesday night at 10 PM?

I'm in, Tuesday at 10 works.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

I'm in, Tuesday at 10 works.

Some shuffling at work means I will not be free Tuesday night. Any chance of moving that to tonight?

If not, I will be off Fri and Sat night.

[chesapeake]

I'll try to be in game tonight between 10 and 10:30.

[chesapeake]

Sorry we couldn't connect last night. I hung out in game for a couple of hours, but it appeared that you were away from your console. What's your schedule look like the rest of the week?

[Julio Riddols]

I'm working the next 3 nights, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - But Friday and Saturday nights off. I'm good for 8:30 PM or earlier any night, and any time on Fri/Sat night.

Sorry about last night, I had shut my projector down (I almost never shut down the XBox, just the projector) So I didn't notice you had gotten on. I passed out around 10:30 anyway I think.. My son wore me out, heh. When I woke up this morning I saw your PM, which made me wish I had stayed up.

[chesapeake]

No worries. We'll try and play it on Friday night. If I can get on by 8:30 before then (doubtful), I'll shoot you a message.

[Julio Riddols]

Bah, my boss calls and tells me I am still off tonight. I'll be around at 10 PM just in case.

[Julio Riddols]

Ok, so we almost got to play tonight, problem was we kept getting a "session is no longer available" message when we tried to connect. We will try another time with our xbox's connected directly to our modems, and hopefully that will work it out. This has been quite the adventure so far, hopefully the game is worth it in the end. I know it is a big one for both sides.

[chesapeake]

Very frustrating. We could get the connection started, but the game session would end right after we both accepted our playbooks. If anyone has experienced this before and has a workaround, let us know.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

Very frustrating. We could get the connection started, but the game session would end right after we both accepted our playbooks. If anyone has experienced this before and has a workaround, let us know.

I had this happen before and it worked for me when I sent the invitation instead of accepting it. No idea why, but that worked for us.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I had this happen before and it worked for me when I sent the invitation instead of accepting it. No idea why, but that worked for us.

We each tried sending, so that didn't work.. But from scouring the internet looking for answers, the most recommended answer I can find is to connect directly to your modem with your XBox. Apparently this is a peer to peer issue involving compatibility with certain routers. A weird explanation, but the few places where I have seen someone actually reply that they tried it, it worked for them.

I'll be off and chilling at my apartment at 10 pm and later on Saturday, chesapeake. Maybe we can give it one more go then if not sooner. If it doesn't work, I dread having the game simmed when your team is quite superior from a ratings standpoint.. But that might have to happen if this solution doesn't work.

[Kodos]

I always hardwire for my games.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I always hardwire for my games.

I think I will from now on, maybe it will help prevent the lag issues I had against gstelmack.

[gstelmack]

Wifi sucks for networked games. It's too bursty / noisy.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Wifi sucks for networked games. It's too bursty / noisy.

Agreed. I wasn't on WiFi for our game, but I was connected through the router rather than direct through the modem.

[Julio Riddols]

Well, we managed to get our game in and we couldn't beat the Dukies. For all the talk of how terrible their O-line is, they blocked the shit out of my guys most of the day, and the secondary couldn't cover anyone, namely that TE. Seemed like they were a step behind on every play, including a key, key key 3rd down conversion for Duke late in the game. chesapeake completed a route short of the marker and my CB was there to make the stop, but instead of tackling the receiver, he just sort of ran in place.. It was odd. That drive turned out to be the clincher for the Blue Devils, as we failed a late 2 point conversion on a great play by chesapeake hitting my RB just as he caught the ball.

It felt like my DB's were running in molasses all game long though, not sure what was up with them. We could move the ball but couldn't secure TD's and that was the biggest difference to me. Just couldn't finish on offense, couldn't get off the field on defense. 26-28 loss is the end result, and likely no shot at the title for us.

GG chesapeake..

P.S. - What was that DB doing trying to lateral on that pick 6 you were going to have? I'd bench that fool.

[chesapeake]

Great game, Julio. My dbs, who can normally cover receivers like the proverbial glove, flatly refused to cover your guys today, either. Very frustrating.

Still not sure how I hit LB on the pick six to toss it back to your lineman. I would have been extremely upset if that gaffe had cost me the game.

Neither of us could rush the passer worth a damn, and I tried very, very hard to do so to try and disrupt your momentum.

[Julio Riddols]

You did a hell of a job finding the open man, I know that much. I don't control anyone defensively because I am not yet comfortable with that side of the ball enough to trust myself, but I would try and watch the secondary and I'd think everyone was pretty well covered, but you were patient in the pocket and those crossing routes were backbreakers. Turns out our best pass rush came on a play where we rushed literally one guy.

I'll be looking forward to a rematch.

[gstelmack]

My game against Duke becomes HUGE with that win by Duke - all 3 of us now tied with one loss, although Julio is in the other division so probably still makes the championship game. One way or another there will be a rematch, and it will be against the winner of Duke / South Florida.

[chesapeake]

There can be only one.

[Kodos]

I'm hoping to get another crack at USC in the Big Ten championship game. We can do better than what we showed earlier this season.

[Kodos]

Welcome to Week 12!

=============== #1 USC Trojans (9-0) ===============
Last week, USC won 77-3 against Arizona State (4-6).
This week, the Trojans travel to Seattle to face the Washington Huskies (5-4).
In recruiting news, the following USC targets have announced their decisions:
- (****) C Tony Andrews has committed to USC
- (****) CB Marcus Daniels has committed to USC


=============== #4 South Florida Bulls (8-1) ===============
Last week, South Florida won 34-7 against UNLV (3-6).
This week, the Bulls travel to Austin to face the #9 Texas Longhorns (7-3).


=============== #5 Indiana Hoosiers (8-1) ===============
Last week, Indiana won 45-10 against Penn State (3-7).
This week, the Hoosiers will host #7 Ohio State (7-2).
In recruiting news, the following Indiana targets have announced their decisions:
- (***) K Andre Mitchell has committed to Indiana
- (****) WR Scott Atkinson has committed to LSU
- (****) HB Buster Thomas has committed to Duke
- (***) FS Michael Hale has committed to Georgia
- (***) WR Maurice Rucker has committed to Indiana
- (***) LOLB Curtis Mitchell has committed to Fairbanks


=============== #6 Duke Blue Devils (8-2) ===============
Last week, Duke won 28-26 against UTSA (8-1).
This week, the Blue Devils are idle.
In recruiting news, the following Duke targets have announced their decisions:
- (****) HB Buster Thomas has committed to Duke


=============== #8 UTSA Roadrunners (8-1) ===============
Last week, UTSA lost 28-26 against Duke (8-2).
This week, the Roadrunners travel to Lincoln to face the #22 Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-4).
In recruiting news, the following UTSA targets have announced their decisions:
- (***) WR Joe Palmer has committed to UTSA


=============== #16 Florida Atlantic Owls (9-0) ===============
Last week, Florida Atlantic won 35-28 against UCF (4-6).
This week, the Owls travel to Raleigh to face the NC State Wolfpack (5-5).
In recruiting news, the following Florida Atlantic targets have announced their decisions:
- (***) K Andre Mitchell has committed to Indiana


=============== #21 Buffalo Bulls (9-1) ===============
Last week, Buffalo won 62-10 against Pittsburgh (3-6).
This week, the Bulls travel to West Lafayette to face the Purdue Boilermakers (2-7).
In recruiting news, the following Buffalo targets have announced their decisions:
- (**) TE Michael McDowell has committed to Army
- (***) LE Zac Dingle has committed to Buffalo
- (***) HB J.P. Smith has committed to Buffalo
- (***) LE Joel Bullock has committed to Iowa State
- (****) C Tony Andrews has committed to USC

[Julio Riddols]

Joe Palmer is not going to be a WR, even if the game thinks so.

Can't wait to take out my frustrations on Nebraska after last weeks near miss.

[Julio Riddols]

Destroyed Nebraska. 63-14. The defense was making up for last weeks sluggish play, 7 sacks and less than 300 total yards for the Huskers. Offensively, we threw it all over the yard, one of the better passing days of the season.

Now to try and close on the other 13-14 recruits I am either in the hunt for or leading by a wide margin.. We have our QB of the future in Palmer, but we need more than that obviously.

[MacroGuru]

Purdue played us tough, we pulled out the game in the end and the score says blowout but it took us dominating in the 4th to put the game out of reach.

[Kodos]

Indiana spanks Ohio State 49-12. Felt nice.

[gstelmack]

We go down 47-34 in Texas in OT when we fumble on our OT possession and they return for a TD.

We kept moving the ball, but threw one my-fault pick, one BS pick (the safety my TE had beat caught it over his shoulder), one fumble I'm not sure about (the announcer said something about a bad pitch, either a bug in the announcer code or I accidentally brushed against the shoulder button), and the last fumble in OT which was just a bad die roll.

We could not consistently stop their offense, and got down 14 early after one of our turnovers, but clawed back in to tie it thanks in part to a late fumble when they were trying to run the clock out that gave us an opportunity for the tying drive. We almost won it in regulation when they fumbled again after the kickoff, but they recovered.

But otherwise a good game between two matched teams, I probably win it at home. I'm also pretty firmly in the "don't touch the sliders" camp right now.

[Eaglesfan27]

Thurman had almost 100 yards rushing in the 1st quarter and then he got knocked out of the game. Our offense struggled until he returned and settled for several FG attempts (which we missed 2 of 3.) However, once he returned the offense was explosive even though he ran much less after his return. Still, he had almost 150 yards rushing, 300 plus yards of passing and 5 TD's tossed in a 52-3 route.

Also, his likely successor had an amazing 47 yard run in which he juked 2 defenders although he got hurt the next play and will probably sit the rest of the season as a result.

We beat Washington 52-3. We had a balanced offense with over 300 yards rushing and 300 yards passing.

Edit: We are all set to advance

[Kodos]

Week 12 Results
USC beat Washington, 52-3
Indiana beat Ohio State, 49-12
UTSA beat Nebraska, 63-14
South Florida lost to Texas, 47-34
Florida Atlantic beat NC State, 56-21
Buffalo beat Purdue, 44-24
Duke had a bye

Week 13 Matchups

There will be a Texas-sized throwdown in the Lone Star state between Top 10 teams in Week 13, as UTSA hosts Texas with the SEC West title on the line.

Oregon (4-6) at #1 USC (10-0)
#4 Indiana (9-1) at Wisconsin (6-4)
Georgia (6-5) at #5 Duke (8-2)
#6 Texas (8-3) at #7 UTSA (9-1)
#9 South Florida (8-2) at Auburn (6-4)
Kentucky (3-7) at #11 Florida Atlantic (10-0)
#18 Buffalo (10-1) has a bye

[Julio Riddols]

Been waiting for Texas to come to our house for a while. When they arrived on the field, we blinded them with science and came out swinging, put up 35 in the first half, and cruised from there to a 59-20 final. They tried to run on us early, we anticipated it and ate their RB alive. Later we had built a lead, so we played every coverage scheme in our book and tried to force turnovers so we could get all our recruiting bonuses.. I think we only missed a couple of them overall, one being the elusive 4 deflections. We had 3 and 2 picks, I wish picks counted as deflections.

Here's hoping we get a rash of signings coming off another big win over a top 25 team, It feels like that is all we have played this year.

[Eaglesfan27]

We picked up a big recruit this week as we got a 6'5 240 lb QB who can run well.

We also added a nice 4 star C this week.

Now, we face Oregon

[chesapeake]

Laid an egg against Georgia for the second year in a row, but this time at home with the stands full of recruits. This loss will likely cost me 2 or 3 good players. Very disappointing.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oregon's offense looked good early, until we took out the starting QB on the end of their 1st drive. Their starting QB was lightning fast and could throw. The backup was fast but could not throw. In fact, he was the worst passer I've ever seen in the game. Only thing he could complete was screens and short slants. We shut him down to 60 yards going into the 4th. He also had horrible pocket awareness and ran into a lot of sacks. In the 4th, we put in all of our backups and he got some more yardage but still we dominated them most of the game for a 63-19 win.

Thurman makes our offense go and he had over 100 yards rushing and over 350 yards passing while accounting for 7 TD's before I pulled him in the 4th.

[gstelmack]

It is looking like I'm going to have to drop out, at least for a while. Work is finally slowing down, so we are making up some time with the kids, and I just don't know when I'm going to find time to get my games in, especially with human opponents. I've had a ton of fun and will miss it, but I just don't see how I regularly get games in for a while.

[Kodos]

Could we go to putting your team on autopilot for weeks you can't play?

[gstelmack]

Maybe, but I don't expect to have time until some point into January.

[Kodos]

It's up to you. I'd rather keep you on board, but it's your choice, of course.

[Julio Riddols]

We probably won't be into the next season until January anyway, right?

[Kodos]

Probably. With all the holidays, things usually move at a slower pace.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Could we go to putting your team on autopilot for weeks you can't play?

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Maybe, but I don't expect to have time until some point into January.

This sounds like a good solution and you won't miss too much between now and then. I enjoy having you in the league and hope you come back.

[Kodos]

Welcome to Week 14!

=============== #1 USC Trojans (11-0) ===============
Last week, USC won 63-19 against Oregon (4-7).
This week, the Trojans will host Fresno State (4-6).
In recruiting news, the following USC targets have announced their decisions:
- (*) FB Todd Lee has committed to Oklahoma


=============== #3 Indiana Hoosiers (10-1) ===============
Last week, Indiana won 56-10 against Wisconsin (6-5).
This week, the Hoosiers will host Michigan State (7-4).
In recruiting news, the following Indiana targets have announced their decisions:
- (****) C Tanner Collins has committed to Duke
- (***) LOLB Mike Lester has committed to Indiana


=============== #4 UTSA Roadrunners (10-1) ===============
Last week, UTSA won 59-20 against Texas (8-4).
This week, the Roadrunners travel to Houston to face the Rice Owls (2-9).
In recruiting news, the following UTSA targets have announced their decisions:
- (***) ROLB Matt Gutierrez has committed to Wisconsin
- (***) DT Jonathan Stanford has committed to UTSA
- (*) FB Jared Dixon has committed to UTSA
- (*) FB Todd Lee has committed to Oklahoma


=============== #5 Florida Atlantic Owls (11-0) ===============
Last week, Florida Atlantic won 77-24 against Kentucky (3-8).
This week, the Owls will host Marshall (2-9).
In recruiting news, the following Florida Atlantic targets have announced their decisions:
- (***) CB Terrance Jones has committed to North Carolina
- (***) DT Brian Williams has committed to Florida Atlantic
- (***) WR Darius Dunbar has committed to Memphis


=============== #7 South Florida Bulls (9-2) ===============
Last week, South Florida won 30-20 against Auburn (6-5).
This week, the Bulls will host #15 Duke (8-3).


=============== #15 Duke Blue Devils (8-3) ===============
Last week, Duke lost 16-13 against Georgia (7-5).
This week, the Blue Devils travel to Tampa to face the #7 South Florida Bulls (9-2).
In recruiting news, the following Duke targets have announced their decisions:
- (****) C Tanner Collins has committed to Duke


=============== #16 Buffalo Bulls (10-1) ===============
Last week the Bulls were idle.
This week, the Bulls will host Northern Illinois (3-8).
In recruiting news, the following Buffalo targets have announced their decisions:
- (***) TE Brock Young has committed to Buffalo
- (**) FB Damarcus Wilson has committed to Iowa
- (***) MLB Rodney Curry has committed to Connecticut

[Kodos]

Indiana secures a rematch with USC in the Big Ten title game with a 51-14 win over Michigan State.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Indiana secures a rematch with USC in the Big Ten title game with a 51-14 win over Michigan State.

Congrats! Look forward to the rematch

[Julio Riddols]

We scored our first 14 points on Rice via kick and punt returns, but played a sloppy game overall. The scores we got offensively were generally off long gains, and they actually forced us to punt several times, which was unexpected.

I guess it says something about how bad Rice is since we put up 59 on them anyway. I only hope we can seal up the SEC somehow and still snag a shot at the National Championship.

[Kodos]

I've had 2 (possibly 3) kick/punt return TDs called back on penalties this year. So annoying!

[MacroGuru]

Poor NIU....that is all....

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Maybe, but I don't expect to have time until some point into January.

What does this mean for our matchup this week?