2007 NCAA Football Discussion

[Teal]

Then all this silly armchair talk will cease, especially all this BS about the SEC. I think it's more envy than anything.

Envy of what? USC has been kicking SEC teams upside down for the better part of a decade, including your squad.

I seem to remember giving USC it's due in this entry, so I'm not sure what this is about...but I'll say again-run the SEC table and we'll talk about what wine goes best with my crow. Until then, I stand behind everything I've said.

[bkrich83]

Then all this silly armchair talk will cease, especially all this BS about the SEC. I think it's more envy than anything.

Envy of what? USC has been kicking SEC teams upside down for the better part of a decade, including your squad.

I seem to remember giving USC it's due in this entry, so I'm not sure what this is about...but I'll say again-run the SEC table and we'll talk about what wine goes best with my crow. Until then, I stand behind everything I've said.

If it was 3 or 4 years ago, when the SEC was head and shoulders above the other conferences, you'd have a point. That simply is no longer the case. You can stand behind it all you want, I've seen the teams play, the conference is the deepest, but the gap between it and the others is negligible at this point. Parity it is here, and the results show it. The "Play our conference schedule" argument is no longer valid. Especially since not ever team in the conference plays each other.

See Cal vs. Tennesee, USF vs. Auburn, Miss St (another "bowl eligible team") vs. WVU, Alabama vs. Florida St., Alabama vs. ULM. Look at the SEC out of concerence games vs. BCS opponents, their results may surprise you.

As far as USC, you said some of this was due to envy. What do people like me have to be envious of? My team has zero fear of the SEC.

[XXXIV]

The media is partial to the big 10. The SEC has been kicking the Big 10s ass forever therfore in the eyes of the media the SEC must be the best conference.

The media are retards.

[Teal]

Nevermind. This is a nonsensical, nonsoluable conversation had by men who no longer play, who have no say in the outcome of anything in college football, and who aren't on the field.

It really is rather pointless...

[pigpen81]

True that Teal...but it is fun to debate. And I can see where you are coming from.

[JRod]

Here's a question is more parity being seen in college football. Or is this year just the year of Top 25 Killers?

Crazy-ass year!

[Bill_Abner]

The media is partial to the big 10..

WHAT!?

[Leebo33]

13 years ago when Penn State got screwed out of a shot at the National Championship I truly realized that college football is akin to figure skating and it really changed my mindset. I realized that Penn State's two NC were based on luck and style points as well (especially the one loss 1982 team). I let go of my anger over 1994. If the administrators, coaches, universities, etc. don't care about the game and only care about the money then why should I?

So I enjoy college football for what it is. I enjoy the conference title battles, the occasional non-conference match-ups and the post season exhibitions. I enjoy watching Notre Dame lose. I'll enjoy the heck out of tonight's KU/Missouri game and I won't be thinking for those 3 1/2 hours about their strength-of-schedule. I won't be worried about the computer rankings.

I'm sure they'll be a time again in my lifetime when Penn State gets screwed or aided by a system that is riddled with bias, guesses, and "what ifs?" Until then I'm not going to put much stock in one game I saw last year or games that I saw ten years ago to judge conference strength. Because it really doesn't matter. Each and every year a new flaw is exposed and exploited in the system.

[XXXIV]

The media is partial to the big 10..

WHAT!?

Oops I forgot to add one of these... .... ....
I am a Michigan fan...

Everyone from every conference thinks that their conference gets screwed...The nature of the beast.

Some team from some conference gets screwed every year it seems...Until there is a playoff this is the way it will always be.

[Bill_Abner]

That '94 Penn State team was just plain ugly. Man, what a great, great team.

Anyway, yeah, every conference feels slighted, no doubt. The SEC fan thinks their conference is akin to the NFC East and should get special treatment come BCS time. The Big10 fan gets tired of being told all their teams are slow, the Pac10 fan is tired of the "no defense" label, the Big East fan is tired of being told their entire conference is a joke and the ACC fan...likes basketball I guess. (Is there a label for B12 fans?)

Those are sterotypes obviously but until a playoff system is put in place, which will never happen, these pointless debates will continue. The system is what it is.

All I know is that Ohio State is an Oklahoma Big12 title game win away or a WVU loss away from playing in the title game again.

So, um, Boomer Sooner baby.

[bkrich83]

All I know is that Ohio State is an Oklahoma Big12 title game win away or a WVU loss away from playing in the title game again.

So, um, Boomer Sooner baby.

Ugggh. True, but damn, what a joke. System is beyond broken.

[seanmac31]

All I know is that Ohio State is an Oklahoma Big12 title game win away or a WVU loss away from playing in the title game again.

So, um, Boomer Sooner baby.

Ugggh. True, but damn, what a joke. System is beyond broken.

It's not the system, it's the sport.

[Teal]

All I know is that Ohio State is an Oklahoma Big12 title game win away or a WVU loss away from playing in the title game again.

So, um, Boomer Sooner baby.

Ugggh. True, but damn, what a joke. System is beyond broken.

It's not the system, it's the sport.

Not the least bit true. Attended a Div.II school, with a football playoff system, and saw that system work perfectly. The only way the sport is broken is that they are beholden to an archaic, idiotic system.

[JRod]

College football wouldn't be where it is without the bowl controversies.


A playoff system might help all the No. 1 talk nonsense. And it would create a march madness type atmosphere after the regular season. But I think it would destroy the pressure that is seen throughout the year and certain games would lose importance because of the lack of a ranking system. If a team is guaranteed a playoff spot would we see NFL type nonsense in rivalry weeks and conference championships?

Bowls are apart of college system. Going to a playoff system might help make a No. 1 more obvious but it might also make college football less interesting.

[pigpen81]

College football wouldn't be where it is without the bowl controversies.


A playoff system might help all the No. 1 talk nonsense. And it would create a march madness type atmosphere after the regular season. But I think it would destroy the pressure that is seen throughout the year and certain games would lose importance because of the lack of a ranking system. If a team is guaranteed a playoff spot would we see NFL type nonsense in rivalry weeks and conference championships?

Bowls are apart of college system. Going to a playoff system might help make a No. 1 more obvious but it might also make college football less interesting.

JROD, I comletely disagree........winning the conference would make every game nail-biting.....and rivalries would still be big.

Screw tradition...every year a new bowl pops up or a new sponsor of a Traditional bowl.

[Teal]

College football wouldn't be where it is without the bowl controversies.


A playoff system might help all the No. 1 talk nonsense. And it would create a march madness type atmosphere after the regular season. But I think it would destroy the pressure that is seen throughout the year and certain games would lose importance because of the lack of a ranking system. If a team is guaranteed a playoff spot would we see NFL type nonsense in rivalry weeks and conference championships?

Bowls are apart of college system. Going to a playoff system might help make a No. 1 more obvious but it might also make college football less interesting.

JROD, I comletely disagree........winning the conference would make every game nail-biting.....and rivalries would still be big.

Screw tradition...every year a new bowl pops up or a new sponsor of a Traditional bowl.

Yep. I mean, god help us...what's next, the Tampax Bowl? The Preparation H Bowl? If you've got the jack, you can get your name on a bowl. Far too many of them, and most of them mean absolutely nothing but change in a school's pocket, which is all that is driving this idiotic train in the first place.

Less interesting? Tell that to the March Madness crowd. Ask the Final Four what their viewership was this last season.

[bkrich83]

College football wouldn't be where it is without the bowl controversies.


A playoff system might help all the No. 1 talk nonsense. And it would create a march madness type atmosphere after the regular season. But I think it would destroy the pressure that is seen throughout the year and certain games would lose importance because of the lack of a ranking system. If a team is guaranteed a playoff spot would we see NFL type nonsense in rivalry weeks and conference championships?

Bowls are apart of college system. Going to a playoff system might help make a No. 1 more obvious but it might also make college football less interesting.

How do you figure. D1-AA, D-2, and D-3 all have a playoff system, and their games mean more every week than they do at this level.

120 teams fighting for 8 spots? Yeah, that will certainly make games less meaningful. Meanwhile 2 years ago a 5 loss FSU team makes a BCS bowl.

[bdunn13]

An 8 team playoff would make it so everyone would schedule like Kansas and Ohio State.. or NOT schedule. It would also not solve much as there would still be contraversy just like there is now. It would not take opinions out of the equation either. Does anyone believe Hawaii deserves a shot at an 8 team playoff more than Florida? No way and in an 8 team playff they would be in and Florida would be out. Heck I would pick Florida now over Ohio State. I think the game would not even be as close as last year's championship game.

A playoff creates as many if not more problems than it solves. Leave college football alone.... and I say this with Georgia playing maybe the best football in the country right now and would surely be in any playoff scenario.

[bkrich83]

An 8 team playoff would make it so everyone would schedule like Kansas and Ohio State.. or NOT schedule. It would also not solve much as there would still be contraversy just like there is now. It would not take opinions out of the equation either. Does anyone believe Hawaii deserves a shot at an 8 team playoff more than Florida? No way and in an 8 team playff they would be in and Florida would be out. Heck I would pick Florida now over Ohio State. I think the game would not even be as close as last year's championship game.

A playoff creates as many if not more problems than it solves. Leave college football alone.... and I say this with Georgia playing maybe the best football in the country right now and would surely be in any playoff scenario.

Disagree. With 2 at-large bids determined by a similiar formula we have now, SOS would be a major factor if you don't win your conference.

Besides with WVU, Ohio St, Mizzou and Kansas in prime spots for a National Title, the groundwork has already been layed. Schedule a series of cupcakes out of conference, and hope you survive conference play.

Playoff systems works great at every level of football. It's ridiculous to think it wouldn't work at the D-1A level. Not to mention, the system we currently have is hardly working.

[bdunn13]

An 8 team playoff would make it so everyone would schedule like Kansas and Ohio State.. or NOT schedule. It would also not solve much as there would still be contraversy just like there is now. It would not take opinions out of the equation either. Does anyone believe Hawaii deserves a shot at an 8 team playoff more than Florida? No way and in an 8 team playff they would be in and Florida would be out. Heck I would pick Florida now over Ohio State. I think the game would not even be as close as last year's championship game.

A playoff creates as many if not more problems than it solves. Leave college football alone.... and I say this with Georgia playing maybe the best football in the country right now and would surely be in any playoff scenario.

Disagree. With 2 at-large bids determined by a similiar formula we have now, SOS would be a major factor if you don't win your conference.

Besides with WVU, Ohio St, Mizzou and Kansas in prime spots for a National Title, the groundwork has already been layed. Schedule a series of cupcakes out of conference, and hope you survive conference play.

I will agree with that... but if you see Kansas win this year I would think they would once again tweak the BCS rules to make sure someone with such a weak schedule does not get into the title game again... I don't think they would do the same if OSU wins even though they should... Ohio State's schedule is almost as bad as Kansas's.

[bkrich83]

An 8 team playoff would make it so everyone would schedule like Kansas and Ohio State.. or NOT schedule. It would also not solve much as there would still be contraversy just like there is now. It would not take opinions out of the equation either. Does anyone believe Hawaii deserves a shot at an 8 team playoff more than Florida? No way and in an 8 team playff they would be in and Florida would be out. Heck I would pick Florida now over Ohio State. I think the game would not even be as close as last year's championship game.

A playoff creates as many if not more problems than it solves. Leave college football alone.... and I say this with Georgia playing maybe the best football in the country right now and would surely be in any playoff scenario.

Disagree. With 2 at-large bids determined by a similiar formula we have now, SOS would be a major factor if you don't win your conference.

Besides with WVU, Ohio St, Mizzou and Kansas in prime spots for a National Title, the groundwork has already been layed. Schedule a series of cupcakes out of conference, and hope you survive conference play.

I will agree with that... but if you see Kansas win this year I would think they would once again tweak the BCS rules to make sure someone with such a weak schedule does not get into the title game again... I don't think they would do the same if OSU wins even though they should... Ohio State's schedule is almost as bad as Kansas's.

How could they possibly tweak it anymore? That's the question.

If WVU and OSU play, I think I read they have a combined 2 wins vs. teams currently ranked.

[bdunn13]

Maybe not so much tweak as write in a special rule.. no team below a 35 SOS can get into the title game.. Call it the Ohio State provision.

[bdunn13]

Sometime tomorrow Georgia will be the highest ranked SEC team and they won't even be in the conf championship... Thats wierd.

I still think Florida is the best team in the SEC.. they just need a better defense. Their safeties are awful.. and this is coming from someone whose favorite teams are Georgia and whoever is playing Florida.

[Bill_Abner]

Disagree. With 2 at-large bids determined by a similiar formula we have now, SOS would be a major factor if you don't win your conference.

Besides with WVU, Ohio St, Mizzou and Kansas in prime spots for a National Title, the groundwork has already been layed. Schedule a series of cupcakes out of conference, and hope you survive conference play.

I will agree with that... but if you see Kansas win this year I would think they would once again tweak the BCS rules to make sure someone with such a weak schedule does not get into the title game again... I don't think they would do the same if OSU wins even though they should... Ohio State's schedule is almost as bad as Kansas's.

How could they possibly tweak it anymore? That's the question.

If WVU and OSU play, I think I read they have a combined 2 wins vs. teams currently ranked.

OSU, when they scheduled Washington for the Home/Home series was a top 10 team coming off a Rose Bowl. It's not like Ohio State officials could have predicted they'd fall into mediocrity so fast. The UDub game this year was on the schedule back in 2002/2003.

Beyond that, OSU scheduled a home/home series against Texas in 05-06, then they play home/home series against USC, Miami, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma over the next 8 years. What more do people want?

Miami has now fallen into the land of non bowl teams this year. If they stay down, will that be OSU's fault and will it mean they're trying to pad easy wins? No. It's not like they have any control over that. The schedule is already made.

In addition, when the 12th game was added almost every team added a cupcake game to the schedule. In OSU's case it was against Tressel's former team, Youngstown State. Every team in college football plays a few cream puffs. *Every* team. Usually you'll see a team have one tough OOC game and then the rest of the meat is interconference play. In OSU's case, this year's "tough" OOC game was playing an average Washington team. It is what it is.

But this entire notion that Ohio State is scheduling easy games to pad a record is absolutely ludicrous. They do it no more or no less than any other team in the country and over the next decade will be playing top OOC schools every year.

Is it USC's fault that Nebraska and Notre Dame are garbage this year? Of course not. Georgia's entire OOC slate of Troy, Okie State and Western Carolina doesn't strike fear in anyone but they couldn't have known Okie State would be worse than usual this year.

Even aside from the OOC games, how can anyone predict how a conference will be each year? The Big10 is way down this year despite the fact that they have 10 bowl eligible teams. I will freely admit that. How that's OSU's fault is beyond me, though.

WVU plays in the Big East which I still feel is a very weak conference top to bottom, and not just this year. But all they can do is play who is on the schedule. I'll hate it if WVU gets in and OSU doesn't -- but OSU had their chance and lost to Illinois. Again, when you lose you lose your right to b*tch.

But the system is what it is. I want a playoff system. The sport needs a playoff system, and the idea that ty would lessen the importance of the regular season is complete and utter nonsense. Particularly if you make home field advantage PART of that playoff system.

Until college football comes up with a way for the top teams to actually play each other every year to determine a true champion, this argument will never end.

But I wonder...who has a schedule that's worthy of a title? Is it just SEC teams? I'm honestly curious as to what the criteria is.

Ohio State has 1 win over a ranked team. (Wisconsin) When they played Purdue, Michigan, and Penn State all 3 were ranked but after losing they dropped off the top 25. OSU's loss is to 9-3 Illinois, currently #17 in the BCS. Ohio State in 2007 played 7 or 8 teams that will be playing in a Bowl game this year.

Using that as the basis:

USC has 1 win over a ranked team. (ASU)
LSU has 2 wins over ranked teams. (Vtech and FLA)
Georgia has 1 win over a ranked team, too. (FLA)
VTech has a win over #22 Clemson and they beat #16 Virginia today, who should remain ranked,. So that's 2 for them.
Oklahoma has Texas and Mizzou and Texas will fall hard after losing to A&M. But that will still remain 2 top 25 wins most likely.
WVU's top 25 wins are against Cincinnati and South Florida. No way Uconn stays ranked now. So that's 2.

By the looks of it LSU has the two biggest wins of any top ranked team in the nation.

So, if that's about a wash, then what do you look at next? The losses? Ohio State's loss to Illinois is hardly any worse than losing to Stanford, South Florida, Texas Tech, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Boston College -- all of whom the above teams have lost to this year.

So what is a championship worthy schedule in 2007? I'm not trying to pick a fight, I'm genuinely curious.

[seanmac31]

The arguments against a playoff in college football are generally ridiculous, but it's not entirely their fault, as they assume that you need to predicate it on poll rankings, which of course you don't. Conference champions get in. There you go, the regular season means every bit as much as it ever did. If you want to add 1-2 at large teams and have them get in based on strength of schedule so as not to junk the poll system completely, I suppose you can do that, but it's not necessary.

It doesn't solve the fact that college football is an essentially inferior product, but college basketball is an inferior product, too, and it manages to make itself interesting for a month out of the year. What a playoff system would do is make I-A football an actual sport instead of a sister to figure-skating.