Official College Football Thread

[THEWOOD]

Quinn could get picked up by the Browns....eventhough some of my Ohio contacts seem to think the Brownies are really high up on a Mr. Troy Smith. Should be interesting to see how the whole thing plays out, especially if Troy has a great game on Monday.

 

On a side note.....

 

Only two more days until I am in sunny Arizona!!!

[whitesox61382]

A few comments on ND(coming from an Irish fan)!

 

1) I think it would be a mistake for the Raiders to take Quinn. I never really thought he was THAT good. I thought that he often inflatted his numbers against weak opponents and struggled in the spotlight type games. The Raiders should be punished for not taking one of the big 3 last year. They might get saved if either Brohm and/or Russel come out earlier. Other wise, it might be in their best interest to take someone like Peterson in this draft.

 

2) I was impressed by Russel. Granted some of his receivers were wide open and most college QB should be able to make those throws, but the kid is a physical freak and has maybe the strongest arm in college football. I think I would take him over Quinn if he declares.

 

3) ND is not back YET. I was never of the fans that said ND is back at the championship level after last season or this season. As the last four games against top 10 teams(OSU, Mich, SC, LSU) has shown, ND is not an elite team. Furthermore, they won't be an elite team next year. With that said, they are laying the foundation right now. Last year they brought in the 8th ranked recruiting class, and this year they will likely have a top 5 recruiting class. As most college fans know, recruiting is the key to establishing a consistant contender. ND fans need to be a little patient though and allow Weis to get top players in his progam.

 

4) Weis overrated as a coach? Once again I am always cautious about calling a person with a limited track record a great coach. He has yet to have a signature win in his two years, and the last 4 blowouts are certainly cause for concern. Furthermore, an offensive genius shouldn't be held to 30 yards in a half of football no matter what defense he is facing. With that said, he is coaching a team with limited talent. This years senior class has talent(12th ranked recruiting class), but their is little talent/depth behind them. The junior class was rated 32th and the sophomore class was rated 40th in recruiting out of high school. Furthermore, the size of the junior and sophomore class is even more disturbing. Willingham brought in only 16 players in 2004(only 10 of which were 3 star recruits or better) and 15 players in 2005(only 13 of which were 3 star recruits or better). It is rare for a team to have fewer than 20 recruits in a given year(25 recruits is about average), but to have fewer than 20 in back to back years is almost unheard of. The point being that Weis doesn't have that much talent or depth to work with, and all things considered, he has done a solid job with the talent he has.

 

5) ND's future - I already looked at the future a little, but next year will be a little bit of a struggle. I look for 7-8 wins. Expect to see a lot of talented but inexperienced sophomores and freshman from the two top 10 recruiting classes see significant PT. There will be some growing pains, but it will certainly benefit ND in the future. When these two recruiting classes are junior/seniors in 2008, than I think we can expect to see ND legitimately in the title hunt, and not backing into a BSC bowl undeservingly. Furthermore, we will be able to judge Weis's ability to coach a little better. I think college coaches need 4 years before you can accurately evaluate their resume.

[Soxbadger]

So people are still very high on Wisconsin even after their s***ty performance Monday? Sure they won, but they didn't look good at all, and were outgained 368-201. Had they played a team with any sort of quarterback (or one that didn't take 12 penalties), they would have lost.

 

When you win against a good program does it really matter how you do it?

 

OSU gave up a ton of yards versus UM, but the only stat that really matters is that when the plays counted the most OSU made them count.

 

Many of the stats in the Wisconsin v Ark game are abberations. You point out the difference in yards, but then you dont point out that over 130 yards came on 2 plays for Ark.

 

Ark played a 5 man front the entire game this held Wisconsin to -5 rushing yards. But when you look closer PJ Hill actually had 36 yards, Stocco had -41. This was in part due to play calling and the way that Ark was playing the game.

 

They wanted to stop the Wisconsin run game and they wanted to run the ball. Wisconsin was not going to get caught up in trying to throw the ball constantly or doing trick plays and moving away from their offense, because Ark had proven that they could not score on the Wisconsin defense.

 

So why would Wisconsin play risky and maybe turn the ball over when they could play for field position and win the game?

 

Outside of 1 bad loss to USC, these were the losses for ARK:

 

11/24 #9 LSU L 31-26

12/02 at #4 Florida L 38-28

01/01 vs #6 Wisconsin L 17-14

 

Seems Wisconsin palyed them about as competitively as LSU and Florida, and you seem to suggest that Wisconsin could not play with LSU....

 

In fact the difference between the LSU game was a kick return for a TD.

 

Good teams win close games, Wisconsin was ahead the entire game except for 9 minutes in the first half. While Wisconsin did not play as dominating as I would have liked, they won and that is all that really matters in the end.

 

I just dont see why Wisconsin would not have played LSU closer than ND. They played Michigan closer than ND and were away as compared to ND playing at home.

 

I know the rules are such that Wisconsin was never in consideration and I am fine with that. But they won their game, and that is what you set out to do when you play the game. Does not always have to be pretty if you lead the entire game after the first quarter.

[soxwon]

All i need is osu to win and keep the total points 51 or under, to win my confidence pool.

Whats your thoughts can they keep it under 51?

the past few years what has been the scores of the title game?

[Rex Hudler]

Fact is Notre Dame isn't the 11th best team in the country. The BCS didn't fail by putting them in, the voters did. Notre Dame is probably going to have 1 win against a top 25 (from the final poll) this year, Penn St. I say probably because they aren't ranked now, but probably will be on the final rankings. That's also the only team they beat that won their bowl game. Yes, they have only lost to the top tier in the country, but they haven't had any good wins either. Compare that to Rutgers or West Virginia who have a top 15 win on their resume. The flipside is both teams have a bad loss. I guess the voters would rather have a team that hasn't lost to a bad team as opposed to a team that has a quality win. Then again, if Notre Dame was in a real conference and had to play decent teams on the road more often they would probably be in the same situation.

 

Sagarin ratings. ND had 20th ranked strength of schedule.

 

0-3 against top 10 teams.

 

4-0 against 11-35.

 

3-1 against Big Ten teams.

 

So they weren't a top 10 team. But nobody else had a better resume. ND beat six bowl teams. I'd say most anyone that did not openly hate Notre Dame, would have taken them over WVU or Rutgers. Their bad losses cost them their chance.

[Soxbadger]

I also would rather have ND than a Big East team like WVU or Rutgers.

 

The teams on LSU's level either were in better bowl games or could not be selected.

[Rex Hudler]

I also would rather have ND than a Big East team like WVU or Rutgers.

 

The teams on LSU's level either were in better bowl games or could not be selected.

 

I agree. I thought LSU was a HORRIBLE matchup for Notre Dame from the very beginning.

[Soxbadger]

I wanted BSU v ND.

 

That would have been a fun game to watch.

[RockRaines]

I wanted BSU v ND.

 

That would have been a fun game to watch.

It appears BSU would have handed them their lunch. I would have matched ND up with someone in the 20's rankings-wise, nothing even near single digits.

[Rex Hudler]

It appears BSU would have handed them their lunch. I would have matched ND up with someone in the 20's rankings-wise, nothing even near single digits.

 

Damn, somebody should have asked you beforehand. Who knew you had all the answers?? Besides yourself, of course.

[Heads22]

Back to your corners.

[He_Gawn]

Damn, somebody should have asked you beforehand. Who knew you had all the answers?? Besides yourself, of course.

 

Thats for sure. Glad I wasn't the only one getting a little sick of that crap.

[T R U]

Thats for sure. Glad I wasn't the only one getting a little sick of that crap.

 

Why ND is garbage.. they got blown away by the legit teams they played while they feasted on bad to decent teams during the season..

 

Any of the teams in the BCS this year would have beat Notre Dame, I am pretty confident in saying that

[He_Gawn]

Why ND is garbage.. they got blown away by the legit teams they played while they feasted on bad to decent teams during the season..

 

Any of the teams in the BCS this year would have beat Notre Dame, I am pretty confident in saying that

Its not just Notre Dame talk. It just seems that every argument that he does not agree with, he shoots it down. Thats what you two have in common.

[T R U]

Its not just Notre Dame talk. It just seems that every argument that he does not agree with, he shoots it down. Thats what you two have in common.

 

I do love that little rockraines rascal..

 

I guess thats the purpose of having an opinion.. I dont agree with you, what the hell else am I going to say?

[RockRaines]

I do love that little rockraines rascal..

 

I guess thats the purpose of having an opinion.. I dont agree with you, what the hell else am I going to say?

I guess if I didnt agree with him, I should have supported his argument.

 

Look both of you, it sucks when your team loses, but frankly they arent top 20 material. I know when my team is down and I dela with it, ND just isnt that good this year, and it sucks for you, but yeah its the truth. They had no business being in a bowl with a team that good, and they proved it on the field for me.

[chimpy2121]

Now it looks like Fisher to Bama. It changes every day. Supposedly Bama is offering him anywhere from 650k-1mil for OC, and FSU is only offering 500k.

 

It sucks for UAB. They offered Fisher 500k for HC, but the Alabama Board of Trustees said it wasn't prudent use of the money. Well then how the hell can they justify the money Saban got and the money Fisher might get.

 

 

Update:

If Jimbo does not make a decision tonight or early tomorrow, they are most likely going to pull the offer because they are sick of waiting.

Edited January 5, 2007 by chimpy2121

[Rex Hudler]

I guess if I didnt agree with him, I should have supported his argument.

 

Look both of you, it sucks when your team loses, but frankly they arent top 20 material. I know when my team is down and I dela with it, ND just isnt that good this year, and it sucks for you, but yeah its the truth. They had no business being in a bowl with a team that good, and they proved it on the field for me.

 

Funny thing is, I am a Michigan football fan. I can see how ludicrous your arguments are from the outside. It doesn't take a lot of objective intelligence to see it.

 

Now it looks like Fisher to Bama. It changes every day. Supposedly Bama is offering him anywhere from 650k-1mil for OC, and FSU is only offering 500k.

 

It sucks for UAB. They offered Fisher 500k for HC, but the Alabama Board of Trustees said it wasn't prudent use of the money. Well then how the hell can they justify the money Saban got and the money Fisher might get.

Update:

If Jimbo does not make a decision tonight or early tomorrow, they are most likely going to pull the offer because they are sick of waiting.

 

To clarify, UAB never offered Fisher anything. In fact, they never interviewed him. He was their #1 choice but the Board of Trustees who have final approval of a coach said he would be too expensive (it was rumored it would take $600k-$625k to get him).

 

To answer how Bama can pay him that much or more to be a coordinator is quite simple. Alabama football makes huge profits. UAB loses money. If UAB were self-sustaining, they would have it tougher defending that decision.

 

All that said, I am not saying I think it is right. It seems somewhat of a conflict of interest that the same Board members have the sole power to approve coaches at both universities at the same time. I have no doubt that the Board of Trustees were confident enough that Saban was interested and that the ability to get Fisher may be a necessary carrot that they killed the offer to Fisher. It was worth the gamble to them. If you don't believe that, then one could argue that they didn't want UAB possibly getting a better coach than UA might end up with, since this was after the Rodriguez withdrawal.

 

Lastly, I'll be shocked if Fisher doesn't end up at the Capstone.

[knightni]

4) Weis overrated as a coach? Once again I am always cautious about calling a person with a limited track record a great coach. He has yet to have a signature win in his two years, and the last 4 blowouts are certainly cause for concern. Furthermore, an offensive genius shouldn't be held to 30 yards in a half of football no matter what defense he is facing. With that said, he is coaching a team with limited talent. This years senior class has talent(12th ranked recruiting class), but their is little talent/depth behind them. The junior class was rated 32th and the sophomore class was rated 40th in recruiting out of high school. Furthermore, the size of the junior and sophomore class is even more disturbing. Willingham brought in only 16 players in 2004(only 10 of which were 3 star recruits or better) and 15 players in 2005(only 13 of which were 3 star recruits or better). It is rare for a team to have fewer than 20 recruits in a given year(25 recruits is about average), but to have fewer than 20 in back to back years is almost unheard of. The point being that Weis doesn't have that much talent or depth to work with, and all things considered, he has done a solid job with the talent he has.

 

 

Weis' Achilles Heel, he doesn't know jacks*** about defense and has to rely fully on a guy who's lone head coaching experience was getting fired at Cincinnati U.

 

His D coordinator should be fired yesterday for the last two season's of mediocrity.

[RockRaines]

Funny thing is, I am a Michigan football fan. I can see how ludicrous your arguments are from the outside. It doesn't take a lot of objective intelligence to see it.

Doesnt change what I said, your team is no good either, and you obviously have a vendetta against OSU fans like myself, and rightfully so. So please attack my arguments then, Im waiting for someone to counter point what im saying instead of taking the easy way out and trying to discount me.

Edited January 6, 2007 by RockRaines

[whitesoxfan101]

Weis' Achilles Heel, he doesn't know jacks*** about defense and has to rely fully on a guy who's lone head coaching experience was getting fired at Cincinnati U.

 

His D coordinator should be fired yesterday for the last two season's of mediocrity.

 

Plus, you know Weis is gonna put all the fast, skill guys on offense to be his little toys in the system, and the defense won't get much. That defense will remain slow and mediocre unless they fire the D coordinator AND Weis gives the defense some of the talent.

[Rex Hudler]

Doesnt change what I said, your team is no good either, and you obviously have a vendetta against OSU fans like myself, and rightfully so. So please attack my arguments then, Im waiting for someone to counter point what im saying instead of taking the easy way out and trying to discount me.

 

Dude, I am a Big Ten fan living in SEC country. I have nothing against OSU or OSU fans. I have something against posters who act like they know everything and make stupid posts. I have attacked your arguments and attacked them well. You are just too biased or ignorant to see things with any objectivity at all. It's just comical watching all of these Notre Dame haters post without any objectivity, and that includes you. I don't think any ND fan here is claiming they are an elite team. But your bias can't give them the credit they actually deserve.

 

In your last two posts you have called me a Notre Dame fan and accusing me of having an agenda against OSU. Enjoy your championship game and I'll just ignore your posts. When you start being right, maybe I'll pay attention again. Until then, keep spewing out the comedy.

[thedoctor]

hitting the road for phoenix shortly. gotta love free wireless in port columbus airport.

[Rex Hudler]

Plus, you know Weis is gonna put all the fast, skill guys on offense to be his little toys in the system, and the defense won't get much. That defense will remain slow and mediocre unless they fire the D coordinator AND Weis gives the defense some of the talent.

 

The current recruiting class seems to be loaded with "athletes". They can't all see the field on offense, can they? I'd think he'd have to give some of them to the defense in this situation. That said, don't get me wrong, I agree with your premise. Defense needs to become a priority. If Minter can't coach defense with what he has, he sure as hell better start being able to recruit better defensive players. The head coach doesn't do all the recruiting.

[Palehosefan]

Chan Gailey is apparently interviewing for the Miami job now. Miami could do worse, he's pulling in a hell of a recruiting class though to be leaving it behind.