College Football Week 12 discussion

[cartman]

Four match ups of Top 25 teams this weekend:

Mississippi State at Alabama
Auburn at Georgia
Nebraska at Wisconsin
Clemson at Georgia Tech

[Butter]

Ohio State @ Minnesota may be a good game as well. Minnesota manhandled Iowa, and that place will be going crazy. I think it being a noon kickoff instead of a night one will work in Ohio State's favor.

[Atocep]

Not looking good.

UAB Athletic Director Brian Mackin confirmed the investigation Friday afternoon, saying, “We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter. That is the only comment we will have at this time.”
update_grey_gray_barThe University of Alabama Birmingham has opened up an investigation into reports UAB defensive end Chris Rabb may have been part of a point-shaving scheme with Jameis Winston ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Here's what we know ... UAB is currently in fact-finding mode -- contacting people who may know something about the allegations to figure out if Rabb has done anything wrong.

One email, sent by a UAB official to someone involved in the story, includes a line which reads, "These allegations may affect Chris’ eligibility so it is very important that we speak as soon as possible."

The allegation in question ... Jameis tanked the 1st half of the FSU vs. Louisville game to help Rabb win a $5,000 bet.

Of course, point-shaving is illegal ... but it seems UAB is also interested to see if Rabb was gambling on college sports at all -- a huge no-no for active college athletes.

We contacted UAB for comment several times -- but the school refused to comment.

Read more: Jameis Winston's Friend -- UAB Launches Probe Into Betting Allegations | TMZ.com

[Butter]

Was reading the guy that broke that story has a history of hoaxes in his wake, so even though I'm no Jameis Winston fan, I have to reserve judgment on this one.

[Thomkal]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you:

FCS Rankings 2014: Week 11 Coaches Poll Standings Revealed | Bleacher Report

Coastal Carolina at #1 in the FCS Coaches Poll. Still #2 behind New Hampshire in the The Sports Network Poll. North Dakota State drops to #4 in both polls. First to challenge the Chants #1 ranking will be fellow Big South (even though they are in NJ) member Monmouth College. Monmouth was beaten by Liberty last week, leaving both Coastal and Liberty undefeated in league play. Next week those two will likely battle for the Conference title, though Liberty has a tough game this week to get through. If they win, Liberty will likely also be ranked for the contest against Coastal. Both this week and next week games are at home for Coastal thankfully.

Go Chants!

[tarcone]

Iowa travels to Illinois. If we lose this one, all hell will break loose.

[Matthean]

Another huge weekend for football and I'm going to UCon so I likely won't know anything until I get home early Sunday. My guess for 'Bama depends on if what version of Sims shows up.

[Matthean]

Damn that ESPN SEC agenda putting all of the SEC teams in the Top 4.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Mizzou and KC Chiefs have an announcement tomorrow. Rumor is that it will be to announce a home/road/neutral series with BYU with the neutral game at Arrowhead. Would be a big draw in this area with the large Mormon population in the KC metro area.

[MacroGuru]

So the talk right now around Utah is the fact 3 of their assistants contracts weren't renewed and they are up at the end of the season. One of those is Kalani Sitake's contract, the DC of Utah and one of the major reasons they have been winning. The defense is tops.

What's great is to see one of your best friends from growing up having success in coaching and now having his name thrown around in the press positively.

I think Kalani can write his own ticket, but inside sources have said if BYU comes a calling and they get somewhat close to what he is making, he would bolt to his Alma Mater in a heart beat.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

I think Kalani can write his own ticket, but inside sources have said if BYU comes a calling and they get somewhat close to what he is making, he would bolt to his Alma Mater in a heart beat.

Probably just to be able to coach a game at Arrowhead Stadium. It would be amazing with all of the Mormons in the KC area. Rumor has it that they will bring in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and set an unbreakable decibel record.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Mizzou vs. BYU announced for November 14th, 2015.

Jackson County, Missouri (where Arrowhead is located) is considered the 'Garden of Eden' by the founder of the Mormon religion. They recently built a temple in the area for that reason and own a lot of land in this area that they consider sacred.

An American Garden of Eden? | Mormonism Research Ministry

[cartman]

No mention of the Mormon War of 1838? Mormons used to own a lot more land in the area, until the governor of Missouri signed an extermination order, which kicked off the process that caused them to eventually land in Utah. You are always so eager to bring up the Jayhawk raids, I'm a bit surprised you glossed this over.

[cartman]

But, back to actual football. I don't think this weekend will give any more clarity to the playoff situation. If Alabama beats Mississippi State, how far do the Bulldogs fall?

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by cartman

But, back to actual football. I don't think this weekend will give any more clarity to the playoff situation. If Alabama beats Mississippi State, how far do the Bulldogs fall?

Not much. I think they could be #5-7 afterwards depending on the outcome. Let's not forget they would be in the pack of 1 loss teams, and they would have lost to the then #5 playoff team on the road. Look at it this way, MSU was essentially handled fair easily by OSU while playing at home and dropped four spots. A 1-3 point loss on the road is going to be difficult for them to drop much.

[cartman]

It seems that the committee is putting quite a bit of weight on non-conference schedules. That's one of the reasons they mentioned that Baylor is behind TCU, even though Baylor won the head-to-head. MSU's slate of Southern Miss, UAB, South Alabama and UT-Martin isn't going to help them much. They would have to keep the game close to keep from dropping too much.

[Logan]

Looking forward to being in mid 30s weather for a full day to experience the beauty of Rutgers-Indiana.

[cartman]

Looks like Trevor Knight is out for OU this weekend against Texas Tech.

[cartman]

Todd Graham's 8 team playoff proposal (Power 5 winners plus 3 at-large) is probably the next step in the playoff evolution. Especially if the SEC somehow gets shut out of this year's group of four.

[Jas_lov]

I hope they don't change it. 4 is just right. All these games are important. #1 can't afford a loss because then they might drop to 5. And what if some crap team gets lucky and wins the conference championship game, are they then in the playoffs?

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

I hope they don't change it. 4 is just right. All these games are important. #1 can't afford a loss because then they might drop to 5. And what if some crap team gets lucky and wins the conference championship game, are they then in the playoffs?

To qualify, you would still need to win the division of whatever league you're in, so the likelihood of them being "crap" is pretty small. I know there have been a couple weak divisions within a conference somewhat recently, but if they manage to beat the better team in the championship game, a team that likely would have been in the playoff discussion anyway if was still 4 teams...yeah, I think that's okay if they're in an 8 team playoff.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by cartman

Todd Graham's 8 team playoff proposal (Power 5 winners plus 3 at-large) is probably the next step in the playoff evolution. Especially if the SEC somehow gets shut out of this year's group of four.

We can all come up with variations but the bottom line appears to be that the current structure is contractually in place until 2025.

A deal worth over $7B for 12 years is a bit like turning around a very large ship, tearing it up & starting over it's not something you do on a dime.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Logan

Looking forward to being in mid 30s weather for a full day to experience the beauty of Rutgers-Indiana.

Wish we had a Big Ten-caliber QB to put out there. I think you'll probably win easily.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Wish we had a Big Ten-caliber QB to put out there. I think you'll probably win easily.

I saw somewhere their 5th stringer is starting...

[cartman]

FSU and Ole Miss kick off their 2016 seasons with a Labor Day match up at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

I hope they don't change it. 4 is just right. All these games are important. #1 can't afford a loss because then they might drop to 5. And what if some crap team gets lucky and wins the conference championship game, are they then in the playoffs?

Crap conference champ wouldn't have to be ranked in the Top 5. They would just need to make the playoffs as a second team from a conference could be ranked ahead of them. I think it will be hard to win a conference and still be bad. Case in point, the Big Ten could be the one conference to miss out this year. Tough to consider OSU a weak conference champ considering the current run they are on. FSU, Miss. State, Oregon, OSU, and TCU/Baylor aren't really lacking as options.

EDIT: If say somebody like Georgia got in, I would just have them seeded lower.

[MrBug708]

Holding aside, that was a pretty nice TD for Cincy

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Crap conference champ wouldn't have to be ranked in the Top 5. They would just need to make the playoffs as a second team from a conference could be ranked ahead of them. I think it will be hard to win a conference and still be bad. Case in point, the Big Ten could be the one conference to miss out this year. Tough to consider OSU a weak conference champ considering the current run they are on. FSU, Miss. State, Oregon, OSU, and TCU/Baylor aren't really lacking as options.

EDIT: If say somebody like Georgia got in, I would just have them seeded lower.

Duke or GT knocking off FSU in even a final 8 would be really stretching it to put even into an 8 team playoff this year. Tech could get there with at least one regular season win over a ranked team (Clemson, who they have to beat to get the chance at FSU) but Duke's best win prior to the title game would be over GT.

I mean, you can theoretically put in champs as automatics I suppose but I'm not in favor of it.

[digamma]

Down to the last five in a college football survivor pool. In addition to only picking a team to win once, you can only pick a team to lose once. (So you can't pick against Kansas or Iowa State every week.)

I'm running thin on options this week, but have it narrowed down to (team I would pick to win first):
Michigan State at Maryland
Arizona State at Oregon State
Tennessee vs. Kentucky
Arizona vs. Washington
Rutgers vs. Indiana

Three people have Notre Dame left, so I think that will be the majority selection this week. And if I can get through the next two weeks, I have Baylor and TCU lined up for weeks 14 and 15 (vs. Texas Tech and Iowa State, respectively). First things first, of course.

Any local fans have any thoughts on the games above?

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Mizzou and KC Chiefs have an announcement tomorrow. Rumor is that it will be to announce a home/road/neutral series with BYU with the neutral game at Arrowhead. Would be a big draw in this area with the large Mormon population in the KC metro area.

Awwww...and we were all worried that Mizzou wasnt going to acclimate well.

This is almost as good as UGA playing Boise ST in a neutral game in Atlanta, GA.

Good job, Mizzou!
We knew you could do it.

[MrBug708]

Max Teurk is a piece of crap. That's about the 5th knee he's ruined this year on straight dives

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by digamma

I'm running thin on options this week, but have it narrowed down to (team I would pick to win first):
Michigan State at Maryland
Arizona State at Oregon State
Tennessee vs. Kentucky
Arizona vs. Washington
Rutgers vs. Indiana

I honestly wouldn't touch UT vs UK if it's avoidable. Vols are a scrambling QB injury away from falling apart all over again.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by digamma

Down to the last five in a college football survivor pool. In addition to only picking a team to win once, you can only pick a team to lose once. (So you can't pick against Kansas or Iowa State every week.)

I'm running thin on options this week, but have it narrowed down to (team I would pick to win first):
Michigan State at Maryland
Arizona State at Oregon State
Tennessee vs. Kentucky
Arizona vs. Washington
Rutgers vs. Indiana

Three people have Notre Dame left, so I think that will be the majority selection this week. And if I can get through the next two weeks, I have Baylor and TCU lined up for weeks 14 and 15 (vs. Texas Tech and Iowa State, respectively). First things first, of course.

Any local fans have any thoughts on the games above?

Picking against Indiana would be prudent.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by digamma

Down to the last five in a college football survivor pool. In addition to only picking a team to win once, you can only pick a team to lose once. (So you can't pick against Kansas or Iowa State every week.)

I'm running thin on options this week, but have it narrowed down to (team I would pick to win first):
Michigan State at Maryland
Arizona State at Oregon State
Tennessee vs. Kentucky
Arizona vs. Washington
Rutgers vs. Indiana

Three people have Notre Dame left, so I think that will be the majority selection this week. And if I can get through the next two weeks, I have Baylor and TCU lined up for weeks 14 and 15 (vs. Texas Tech and Iowa State, respectively). First things first, of course.

Any local fans have any thoughts on the games above?

I wouldn't bet against UW vs.Arizona. We have a really good defense . I would think MSU is going to be good and angry.

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Awwww...and we were all worried that Mizzou wasnt going to acclimate well.

This is almost as good as UGA playing Boise ST in a neutral game in Atlanta, GA.

Good job, Mizzou!
We knew you could do it.

I never understood how these games are considered to be played at neutral sites?

[panerd]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Awwww...and we were all worried that Mizzou wasnt going to acclimate well.

This is almost as good as UGA playing Boise ST in a neutral game in Atlanta, GA.

Good job, Mizzou!
We knew you could do it.

It's a home and home with mizzous home game in Kansas City. It would be like Clemson decided to play their end of a home and home in Charleston. It's hard to take your SEC rants seriously when you don't understand what you are talking about half the time.

[MrBug708]

Pac 12 refs...haha

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Pac 12 refs...haha

No words...

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

No words...

Ditto. These refs were horrible.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by digamma

Down to the last five in a college football survivor pool. In addition to only picking a team to win once, you can only pick a team to lose once. (So you can't pick against Kansas or Iowa State every week.)

I'm running thin on options this week, but have it narrowed down to (team I would pick to win first):
Michigan State at Maryland
Arizona State at Oregon State
Tennessee vs. Kentucky
Arizona vs. Washington
Rutgers vs. Indiana

Three people have Notre Dame left, so I think that will be the majority selection this week. And if I can get through the next two weeks, I have Baylor and TCU lined up for weeks 14 and 15 (vs. Texas Tech and Iowa State, respectively). First things first, of course.

Any local fans have any thoughts on the games above?

You didn't mention next week, but if you don't have a plan for it...I'd hold Michigan State for then at home against Rutgers. They're going to beat us up real good.

I'm pretty confident Rutgers wins this week, as Indiana has really struggled being on their 5th string QB as was mentioned earlier, and this team has to be up for the opportunity to beat up on an inferior opponent after getting thrashed in three straight games. But I also read that his passing has improved a bit each week, and while I'm not 100% sure how correct that is, it wouldn't be surprise me if it was against us when it finally clicked. Plus Coleman is great and we've done poorly against every top RB we've faced.

Basically if I was an outsider and didn't want to feel responsible for you possibly getting kicked out, I'd say Rutgers. But since I don't want that on my conscience, Arizona State over Oregon State looks pretty tempting.

But definitely MSU over RU next week. Good luck.

[Kodos]

Diamont's passing has improved from game to game, but it's still nowhere near enough of a threat to keep opponents from packing the box against Coleman.

[tarcone]

Michigan St. is going to be PO'ed. They will roll Maryland, who isn't that good.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Diamont's passing has improved from game to game, but it's still nowhere near enough of a threat to keep opponents from packing the box against Coleman.

Our LBs stink all of a sudden and can't tackle, and our SS (Waters) clearly never took a geometry class because he takes the worst angles to the ball carrier that I've had the pleasure of seeing on this team since Glen Lee.

Just watch, a couple creases on a slant and those 7 yard passes turn into 70 yard TDs.

This is gonna be fun...

[Kodos]

I sure hope you're right, but I fear you are underestimating the suckitude of our passing game.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by Logan

You didn't mention next week, but if you don't have a plan for it...I'd hold Michigan State for then at home against Rutgers. They're going to beat us up real good.

I'm pretty confident Rutgers wins this week, as Indiana has really struggled being on their 5th string QB as was mentioned earlier, and this team has to be up for the opportunity to beat up on an inferior opponent after getting thrashed in three straight games. But I also read that his passing has improved a bit each week, and while I'm not 100% sure how correct that is, it wouldn't be surprise me if it was against us when it finally clicked. Plus Coleman is great and we've done poorly against every top RB we've faced.

Basically if I was an outsider and didn't want to feel responsible for you possibly getting kicked out, I'd say Rutgers. But since I don't want that on my conscience, Arizona State over Oregon State looks pretty tempting.

But definitely MSU over RU next week. Good luck.

Thanks.

I've picked against Rutgers already. If I make it to next week it is going to be a real mess.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by digamma

Thanks.

I've picked against Rutgers already. If I make it to next week it is going to be a real mess.

If it's looking bleak, might be a good idea to start with the teams who will be eliminated from bowl eligibility after this week. Not as much to play for, letdown, etc.

Then again, you've gotten this far on your own .

[Butter]

Agree that I would stay far away from Tennessee / Kentucky in that list. For me, Michigan State seems like the surest bet, followed by AZ/ASU.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by digamma

Down to the last five in a college football survivor pool. In addition to only picking a team to win once, you can only pick a team to lose once. (So you can't pick against Kansas or Iowa State every week.)

I'm running thin on options this week, but have it narrowed down to (team I would pick to win first):
Michigan State at Maryland
Arizona State at Oregon State
Tennessee vs. Kentucky
Arizona vs. Washington
Rutgers vs. Indiana

Three people have Notre Dame left, so I think that will be the majority selection this week. And if I can get through the next two weeks, I have Baylor and TCU lined up for weeks 14 and 15 (vs. Texas Tech and Iowa State, respectively). First things first, of course.

Any local fans have any thoughts on the games above?

MSU over Maryland is the easiest pick in that list. Rutgers should also win as well, but MSU is well above everybody else in the conference outside of OSU.

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Duke or GT knocking off FSU in even a final 8 would be really stretching it to put even into an 8 team playoff this year. Tech could get there with at least one regular season win over a ranked team (Clemson, who they have to beat to get the chance at FSU) but Duke's best win prior to the title game would be over GT.

I mean, you can theoretically put in champs as automatics I suppose but I'm not in favor of it.

Again, put them as an #8 so they have to play whoever is #1. They'll be gone soon enough.

[Kodos]

Email shows Penn St. narrowly missed death penalty - Yahoo Sports

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Email shows Penn St. narrowly missed death penalty - Yahoo Sports

That may be the case but someone explain the emails that came out that NCAA bascially said they can do anything they want to Penn State because Penn State was too embarassed to fight back?

New NCAA Emails Reveal PR Was A Motivation for Penn State Sanctions - Onward State

Or the other ones that surfaced two days ago that had proof that the NCAA was having weekly conversations with the Freeh "independent" group telling them who to interview and who to ignore.

Emails show NCAA worked with Louis Freeh in Penn State investigation | Dr. Saturday - Yahoo Sports

I said this in last week's thread...there is a reason why the NCAA and the Board of Trustee's (along with former PSU President Erikson) is fighting to keep these emails private and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.