College Football Week 8 Discussion

[BishopMVP]

Games I'm looking forward to this weekend: Picks vs. Spread 12-17-1 (aka I hope no one is using this post for anything other than a reminder what games are on ) Not a good weekend last weekend, but at least I was out watching my school put itself back into the playoff race with a win over UNH than watching my picks go down in flames.

South Florida @ Pitt (-6.5) 12:00 ESPN360 - Neither team has beaten anyone, so would it count as a quality win if they get one here?

UConn @ West Virginia (-7) 12:00 ESPNU - I'm loathe to pick a game with as much emotion as this one, but if West Virginia just stopped fumbling so much they'd have a very good offense.

Arkansas @ Ole Miss (-6.5) 12:21 ESPN360 - Weird start time. I'm sticking with the hot hand.

Clemson @ Miami (-4.5) 3:30 ABC - I could plausibly argue Clemson as a top 10 team if it weren't for that 2nd straight choke against Maryland. They definitely do have the athletes on defense to matchup vs. Miami, and a win here would be huge for TCU.

BC @ ND (-8) 3:30PM NBC - Maybe I saw them against the wrong opponents (Clemson and VT), but how did BC possibly put up 52 last weekend? That makes me think ND's poor defense will put the offense in another one-possession shootout. Last year, it came down to ND's O-Line being dominated by BC's front 4 (and Mark Herzlich) and Jimmy Clausen overthrowing Kyle Rudolph up the seam 3 times, and Clausen/ND's O-Line have improved while BC lost Herzlich and Brace. To be honest, I just want the win over the Eagles. 6 straight is too much for any team, but at least USC is USC. 6 straight to BC is embarassing, especially with the series going on hiatus soon. Last week's comeback was nice, but the result was as expected - 2 more losses from Weis and say hello to Brian Kelly.

Penn St. @ Michigan (+4.5) 3:30 Big 10? - Hey, it's a real opponent for Penn St! And a real defense for Rodriguez/Forcier to play against. I think PSU is back to being underrated after that late choke vs. Iowa - the defense is just too good for Michigan this year.

#14 UMass @ #1 Richmond 3:30 No TV - Win here, and we're basically into the playoffs. Lose and we have to win out. RB Jonathan Rodriguez was huge last weekend.

Iowa @ Michigan St. (-1) 7:00 Big 10 Network - Iowa +2.0 turnover margin (2nd in nation), MSU -0.7 (93rd). If Iowa wins this one, I'll have to get over their narrow escapes vs. UNI and Ark St and put them in the top 10.

Florida @ Mississippi St. (+23) 7:30 ESPN - MSU South is 3-4, but all 4 were to good teams and 3 were close. I haven't seen enough out of Florida's offense to think they cover a spread this big.

TCU @ BYU (+2.5) 7:30 Versus? - Stat of the game: BYU converts 70% of its 3rd downs, TCU gives up 28%.

Auburn @ LSU (-7.5) 7:30 ESPN2 - Maybe LSU took the bye week to realize their offense blows and its time to start the Russell Shepherd era. On the other side, Auburn just lost at home against Kentucky despite leading in the 4th quarter, in large part to their QB sucking. I think Auburn rebounds and gets the win, hopefully at least the 2 defenses keep it low scoring and close.

Oregon St. @ USC (-20.5) 8:00 ABC - Go for 2 in a row Jacquizz, and throw Cincy right into the thick of the title discussion.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Georgia Tech has to avoid an obvious chance for a letdown against Virginia.

And I'll be pulling for UConn over West Virginia.

[MizzouRah]

I'm scared to watch the Mizzou - Texas game.. I hope my wife will hold me.

[Dr. Sak]

Penn State will lose a heartbreaker to Michigan again.

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

Penn State will lose a heartbreaker to Michigan again.

This should be a very entertaining game. I see Penn State winning, but it could go down to the wire again.

[Dr. Sak]

I've gone to the last two at Ann Arbor and I told my buddy if I ask to ever go again just kick me in the nuts and take the $50 out of my wallet. It will be less painful.

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

...I told my buddy if I ask to ever go again just kick me in the nuts...

I would do this for free!!!! (I jest... )

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

South Florida @ Pitt (-6.5) 12:00 ESPN360 - Neither team has beaten anyone

This says far more about how far FSU has fallen than it does about either of these team's schedules.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

I've gone to the last two at Ann Arbor and I told my buddy if I ask to ever go again just kick me in the nuts and take the $50 out of my wallet. It will be less painful.

Come on now. Ann Arbor is beautiful, especially in the Fall. It's a wonderful place to go spend a Saturday afternoon.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Come on now. Ann Arbor is beautiful, especially in the Fall. It's a wonderful place to go spend a Saturday afternoon.

I agree. The people were very nice to me and I would go back in a heartbeat if I knew for sure Penn State would win.

[JeeberD]

Tulsa at UTEP tonight on ESPN. The Miners are going to get raped, most likely...unless the team that beat Houston manages to somehow show up.

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

I agree. The people were very nice to me and I would go back in a heartbeat if I knew for sure Penn State would win.

On a related topic, how is that time machine schematic coming along?

[CU Tiger]

Leaving in the AM heading to Miami....gonna have fun regardless of the outcome

[larrymcg421]

Definitely a game the Canes need to be prepared for. This will be no cakewalk. If they're asleep at the start. they could find themselves trying to climb out of a big hole.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

This says far more about how far FSU has fallen than it does about either of these team's schedules.

Yeah, at the start of the season Thursday night's UNC-FSU game looked like a good bet to have 1 good team in it.

To follow-up on last week's Tyrelle Pryor discussion, looks like Pryor's HS coach fires back after being blamed behind the scenes - High school coach of Ohio State Buckeyes QB Terrelle Pryor says he's not being used effectively - ESPN

Also, how's this for "supportive" quotes from your WR

Buckeyes receiver DeVier Posey, one of Pryor's favorite targets, made the case that too much has been expected of Pryor, a sophomore who has commanded attention from the moment he set foot on campus.
"From his first pass, [people said] he's really not that good. But I really feel that's kind of hard for a guy like that, you know what I mean? There's only one Tim Tebow in this world and I don't really know what people want from [Pryor]," Posey said. "He's going to get better. He really can't do much worse."
Posey went on to say Pryor will improve, although he was a bit unsure of when.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Iowa @ Michigan St. (-1) 7:00 Big 10 Network - Iowa +2.0 turnover margin (2nd in nation), MSU -0.7 (93rd). If Iowa wins this one, I'll have to get over their narrow escapes vs. UNI and Ark St and put them in the top 10.

Not in your top 10? You have just shown yourself to have no credibility.

This Iowa defense is one of the best in the nation. The offensive line is maturing each week.

The run game is being filled by a couple no names because the starter blew out his knee.
To win a national championship you need some luck. Iowa has that this season.

This should be another good one. Im holding my breath.

GO HAWKS

[Lathum]

Terrible clock managment by Tulsa

[Logan]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Not in your top 10? You have just shown yourself to have no credibility.

This Iowa defense is one of the best in the nation. The offensive line is maturing each week.

The run game is being filled by a couple no names because the starter blew out his knee.
To win a national championship you need some luck. Iowa has that this season.

This should be another good one. Im holding my breath.

GO HAWKS

They were ranked 11th/12th last week and the Big 10 is a shitfest. His credibility is just fine.

[SirFozzie]

JeeberD: Are you ok man? Nice comeback there.

[JeeberD]

Nearly had a heart attack...I was sure the Miners were getting my hopes up just to break my heart again. WOOHOO!!!

Edit: Donald Buckram is the MFing MAN. He needs to touch the ball 2 times a game the rest of the season...

[dawgfan]

Washington hosts the pure evil that is Oregon this week, and with any justice in the world the Huskies will crush the Duck dreams of a Rose Bowl and make it as clear as the black and white colors Oregon will be wearing which team has the better 1st year head coach...

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Nearly had a heart attack...I was sure the Miners were getting my hopes up just to break my heart again. WOOHOO!!!

Edit: Donald Buckram is the MFing MAN. He needs to touch the ball 2 times a game the rest of the season...

2 times a game? I'd give it to him 25-30 times a game. Very shifty, couple of those holes were not that big. I'd worry about his fitness, he was absolutely gassed and looked destroyed at the end of the game

[JeeberD]

Heh, meant 25...

Edit: Regarding his fitness, he's a former sprinter for UTEP, so endurance may be a slight issue. Though Houston might not agree...he ran for 262 yards and 4TDs against them on 32 carries.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Not in your top 10? You have just shown yourself to have no credibility.

Well, I'll freely admit I've apparently pretty much seen them at their worst as on TV I've seen them

-Block a 2nd straight FG to beat a 1-AA team at home in a game they got outgained
-Get dominated in the 1st quarter by a Penn St team who's best win is Minnesota at home? before I went to a party with no TV
-Survive an Ark St comeback to beat a 1-4 Sun Belt team by 3 points
-Beat Michigan by 2 at home when Mich's QB was injured and they turned it over 5 times

It's cute how they've copied Ohio St's win ugly playbook, and I certainly don't have any biases for their Big 10 competitors, but they've survived thanks to an unsustainable turnover margin, and they're going to get tagged by at least 1 of the 4 4-3 teams on their schedule when that flips - hopefully more than 1 so we don't have to see them lose by 30 against USC in the Rose Bowl. The offense is below average and the defense is not one of the best in the nation - it's 22nd in YPG allowed and 27th in yards per play allowed. But if I was really out of line with the general consensus, Iowa wouldn't be an underdog against an unranked 4-3 team this weekend.

[larrymcg421]

I thought this poll was pretty interesting...

Originally Posted by molson

8. Georgia Tech
9. Brigham Young
12. Houston
15. Miami

So Miami is worse than a GA Tech team they beat, worse than a BYU team that lost 54-21 at home to an FSU team Miami beat on the road, and worse than a Houston team that lost to UTEP?

[CU Tiger]

I will tell ya come Monday

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

I thought this poll was pretty interesting...



So Miami is worse than a GA Tech team they beat,

I have all 3 basically tied, but in his defense on this, you have the triangle of Miami>GT, VT>Miami, GT>VT, and Miami's loss was by the biggest margin.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

I have all 3 basically tied, but in his defense on this, you have the triangle of Miami>GT, VT>Miami, GT>VT, and Miami's loss was by the biggest margin.

I can understand that argument somewhat, but not the BYU or Houston arguments.

Even still, your response shows why I don't like blindly going by margin of victory. Miami's win over GT was just as dominating as VT's win over Miami. Either way, there's no way Miami should be 7 spots lower than GT.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

I thought this poll was pretty interesting...



So Miami is worse than a GA Tech team they beat, worse than a BYU team that lost 54-21 at home to an FSU team Miami beat on the road, and worse than a Houston team that lost to UTEP?

I'd be livid too if the Molson poll kept my team out of the BCS.

Seriously, who the fuck cares dude? It's a guy on a forums poll that you find necessary to bring up in this thread for no apparent reason.

Maybe he just hates Miami?

Seriously, the fact you brought this up is hilarious on so many levels.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

I can understand that argument somewhat, but not the BYU or Houston arguments.

Even still, your response shows why I don't like blindly going by margin of victory. Miami's win over GT was just as dominating as VT's win over Miami. Either way, there's no way Miami should be 7 spots lower than GT.

I agree completely, which is why I have Miami at the top of the 3. But I can see the argument the other way.

Detox's post is even dumber. The only reason to post polls, and generally in this thread at all is to argue about minutiae like that.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

I agree completely, which is why I have Miami at the top of the 3. But I can see the argument the other way.

Detox's post is even dumber. The only reason to post polls, and generally in this thread at all is to argue about minutiae like that.

I don't care about the bitching but if you want to call someone out, at least have the balls to post your own poll so it can be scrutinized.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

I agree completely, which is why I have Miami at the top of the 3. But I can see the argument the other way.

Detox's post is even dumber. The only reason to post polls, and generally in this thread at all is to argue about minutiae like that.

He took a poll from another thread and brought it up here to basically call someone out. If you want to bitch, do it in that thread where people who care are all congregated. There is no reason to bring it up over here at all.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

I don't care about the bitching but if you want to call someone out, at least have the balls to post your own poll so it can be scrutinized.

Also a valid point.

BTW here's my poll for next week:

1. Michigan
2. Everyone else
3. Penn State

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

I'd be livid too if the Molson poll kept my team out of the BCS.

Seriously, who the fuck cares dude? It's a guy on a forums poll that you find necessary to bring up in this thread for no apparent reason.

Maybe he just hates Miami?

Seriously, the fact you brought this up is hilarious on so many levels.

Err, who said I really care? I saw a poll that looked weird and decided to mention it. It was brought up in this thread, because Cartman asked people not to do it in the voting thread. Not sure why it bothered you so much, but maybe you could get a sense of perspective and realize you pretty much did what you criticized me for doing. In fact, let me fix your post:

Seriously, who the fuck cares dude? It's a guy responding to a forums poll that you find necessary to respond to for no apparent reason.

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Not in your top 10? You have just shown yourself to have no credibility.

This Iowa defense is one of the best in the nation. The offensive line is maturing each week.

The run game is being filled by a couple no names because the starter blew out his knee.
To win a national championship you need some luck. Iowa has that this season.

This should be another good one. Im holding my breath.

GO HAWKS

LMAO at this homerism, no offense....

Originally Posted by Logan

They were ranked 11th/12th last week and the Big 10 is a shitfest. His credibility is just fine.

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Well, I'll freely admit I've apparently pretty much seen them at their worst as on TV I've seen them

-Block a 2nd straight FG to beat a 1-AA team at home in a game they got outgained
-Get dominated in the 1st quarter by a Penn St team who's best win is Minnesota at home? before I went to a party with no TV
-Survive an Ark St comeback to beat a 1-4 Sun Belt team by 3 points
-Beat Michigan by 2 at home when Mich's QB was injured and they turned it over 5 times

It's cute how they've copied Ohio St's win ugly playbook, and I certainly don't have any biases for their Big 10 competitors, but they've survived thanks to an unsustainable turnover margin, and they're going to get tagged by at least 1 of the 4 4-3 teams on their schedule when that flips - hopefully more than 1 so we don't have to see them lose by 30 against USC in the Rose Bowl. The offense is below average and the defense is not one of the best in the nation - it's 22nd in YPG allowed and 27th in yards per play allowed. But if I was really out of line with the general consensus, Iowa wouldn't be an underdog against an unranked 4-3 team this weekend.

Exactly. As a Michigan fan, I still like the Big Ten, but the conference is a joke, and has been for several years now. I am looking forward to seeing Iowa lose a couple of games so I don't have to hear about how they are a title contender.

Florida, USC, Alabama, and Texas would slap them around. I am pretty sure that Boise State, Cincinnati, and TCU would beat them too.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

I don't care about the bitching but if you want to call someone out, at least have the balls to post your own poll so it can be scrutinized.

Fair enough, but the only reason I haven't been posting polls is because Cartman stated he preferred that the same people do it every week and I missed the first few weeks.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

He took a poll from another thread and brought it up here to basically call someone out. If you want to bitch, do it in that thread where people who care are all congregated. There is no reason to bring it up over here at all.

Except Cartman said not to do that.

Originally Posted by cartman

• Please keep the thread with voting submissions free of any comments about someone's vote. If there is an obvious mistake or omission, that is ok, but running commentary muddies up the thread. Comments should go into the weekly college football thread.

Look, there was a poll posted that I felt like responding to. I made my points. Bishop made his points. He made a good point. We discussed margin of victory and I thought it was an interesting college football discussion. For some reason, that got your panties in a twist.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Except Cartman said not to do that.

Look, there was a poll posted that I felt like responding to. I made my points. Bishop made his points. He made a good point. We discussed margin of victory and I thought it was an interesting college football discussion. For some reason, that got your panties in a twist.

Panties in a twist? You could only wish. I am just used to you being a dick in pretty much every thread you end up posting in, so I assumed it was the case here. I was wrong, so be it.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

I thought this poll was pretty interesting...



So Miami is worse than a GA Tech team they beat, worse than a BYU team that lost 54-21 at home to an FSU team Miami beat on the road, and worse than a Houston team that lost to UTEP?

Since this was going to be the topic, I'll even bite.

Yes Miami being ranked lower then these teams is a stretch. Obviously being lower then BYU and Houston is a stretch, and though they beat GT and have a better record, as of right now I personally think it'd be a push if they played again.

That said, they don't so yes Miami ought to be ahead of them most likely.

Hell I could see Miami end up 12-1 (With an ACC Title win) going into a BCS game, but I wouldn't consider them a top 5 team, just a very good team who took advantage of the schedule they had.

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Since this was going to be the topic, I'll even bite.

Yes Miami being ranked lower then these teams is a stretch. Obviously being lower then BYU and Houston is a stretch, and though they beat GT and have a better record, as of right now I personally think it'd be a push if they played again.

That said, they don't so yes Miami ought to be ahead of them most likely.

Hell I could see Miami end up 12-1 (With an ACC Title win) going into a BCS game, but I wouldn't consider them a top 5 team, just a very good team who took advantage of the schedule they had.

Miami's only loss is VT, and if they played again it could very well go the other way. I wouldn't say that they have an easy schedule by any stretch. Perhaps not the most difficult in the country, but definitely not easy.

[larrymcg421]

It's really hard to watch FSU these days.

[tarcone]

I cant wait until Iowa is in a BCS game. Yeah Im a homer and freely admit it. But I have watched them. Their defense is great. They have a stud at DE, MLB and S. Plus a couple above average CBs.
They play a conservative offensive game. One that goes back to Hayden Fry days. Run the ball, and throw 8 yard outs, and take the occasional shot down field. This is a great formula to win 12 games this season.
Sure Iowa doesnt have a bunch of 5 star guys running around, but the sum is greater then the parts.

If they go undefeated this season, it will be a joke if a one loss team vaults them into the championship game.

As far as the Big 10, they have taken some lumps. Unfortunately, they cant pull the studs out of Florida or Texas. Why would those kids want to go to Michigan where the tail is covered up 9 months out of the year, when they can chase it in bikinis in Florida or Alabama for 9 months out of the year?

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I cant wait until Iowa is in a BCS game.

be careful what you wish for.

[Noop]

Wow. Florida State just took the lead.

[Noop]

Amazing comeback by Florida State Christian Ponder may be the best QB in America but no one knows because our team sucks.

[Wolfpack]

I know our team sucks and will likely get the crap kicked out of it by FSU next Saturday, but for now...*snicker* BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

That was some dreadful work by UNC to give up that lead.

On a more sober note...Duke might just be the best team in the state of North Carolina this year. Oy.

[Recoil]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

On a more sober note...Duke might just be the best team in the state of North Carolina this year. Oy.

Nah, I'm gonna give the nod to Appalachian State or Elon.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Noop

Amazing comeback by Florida State Christian Ponder may be the best QB in America but no one knows because our team sucks.

Uh, no.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Anybody know why so much money is being bet on Mizzou in Vegas? The line has dropped 4 1/2 to 5 points over the last few days depending on where you look. Was there an injury situation to other players outside of McCoy's thumb that I didn't hear about?

[Butter]

I don't know, but it's not wise to overextend yourself on credit like that. Makes for a very messy time when it comes time to pay up.