NCAA Football 2011 Season Catch-All

DSGamer wrote:

Just got back from partying after the Rose Bowl. That was fun. That solidified my desire to have the BCS go away and be replaced with old school ballots and bowls.

That system would never work in today's "everybody has an opinion, twitterific" world. People would mobilize to threaten folks lives considering how everyone gets so hot about the stupid stuff now-a-days. People's psyches today couldn't take the random, non-definitive way of the old system.

Reliving the amazing De'Anthony Thomas runs from yesterday. He's been electrifying all season, and now DSGamer can also attest to how fast he is in person.

2 touches, 155 yards, 2 touchdowns. Not a bad day for a freshman.

It only took one+ game to realize that he was as good as advertised coming into the season. Last year I never would have believed we'd have two completely electrifying RBs in James and Thomas. And our 2nd string RB Kenjon Barner is pretty damn good as well.

It has been an amazing 3 years to go to school at Oregon, and I will be making the pilgrimage back to Autzen Stadium every year.

One thing that amazes me about bowl season is finding out just how many "fastest player in college football"s there are.

I've seen Thomas play before. I make it to 1 or 2 Ducks games a year. More than I see the team I prefer, the Beavers. Just by virtue of knowing people with season tickets. The Rose Bowl was special. It's fine to poo poo that many players get called the "fastest", but Black Mamba is ridiculously fast.

Another point in Thomas' favor is that he was given that name by Snoop Dogg in Pop Warner.

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post?id=56453

Wisconsin was indeed worrisome. They were getting at least a 3 or 4 yard push every single snap. It looked like they were going to overpower Oregon and wear them out kind of like Auburn did. It was a great game and I was very lucky to see it. Now that I've been to a major bowl I doubt it will be my last.

I just hope someday I get to see Oregon State playing there. I root for Oregon teams writ-large, but Oregon State is my favorite of the two. I used to have season tickets to see them play. Going as far back as the Jonathan Smith / Ochocinco / Simonton teams. But I never went to the Fiesta Bowl when they went (stupid) and now they suck.

DSGamer wrote:

I've seen Thomas play before. I make it to 1 or 2 Ducks games a year. More than I see the team I prefer, the Beavers. Just by virtue of knowing people with season tickets. The Rose Bowl was special. It's fine to poo poo that many players get called the "fastest", but Black Mamba is ridiculously fast.

Another point in Thomas' favor is that he was given that name by Snoop Dogg in Pop Warner.

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post?id=56453

De'Anthony Thomas also had the single most thrilling play I've seen in person (which jump started the most exciting, and ultimately crushing, failed comeback). It was this kickoff return for a TD versus USC this November. That play single-handedly re-ignited the entire stadium.

I am so very happy for you/jealous that you were at the Rose Bowl. I went two years ago (Jan 2010) and I debated about going to this Rose Bowl for weeks. I had a few different lines on tickets available and found a ride back with friends, but I just couldn't justify the time + travel time while I'm studying for the bar. And now I'm kicking myself. That was a thrilling game. I've pledged to go next year to whichever bowl game, but you know there's nothing like being there the first time.

Wisconsin played lights-out on offense and caused a couple of those stomach-churning turnovers that only seem to happen in big games. During the first half my friends and I repeatedly found ourselves admiring how well Wisconsin was playing - but the Ducks took all of Wisconsin's best shots and answered with an offensive game that was just as dazzling. In many ways the teams played like mirror images of one another.

I give Wisconsin a ton of credit. They played a hell of a game and the outcome was undecided until the last seconds, literally. And apparently the Wisconsin players were classy after the loss. Props to them. But give Oregon credit too, especially the defense, as weird as that is to say. In the second half they adjusted and forced turnovers at the crucial moments, instead of the other way around. They forced Russell Wilson's 4th interception of the year, and held Montee Ball to just one TD. He had 38 in the previous 13 games (2.92 per game). You may have heard announcers talk about Barry Sanders' record ad-nauseum leading up to the game. He was able to get a lot of ground up the middle, but he didn't break out many big runs, and the Oregon defense was swarming all over the place in the 3rd and 4th quarter.

Except when Russell Wilson was throwing on the run, Wisconsin looked and played like your traditional Big 10 team. Wonder if Urban Meyer can drag OSU and the rest of the conference into the 21st century?

On an unrelated note: Does anyone think that Wilson has any shot at the pros? He has all of the tools except size, and that might be enough to keep him out of the NFL.

DSGamer wrote:

It's fine to poo poo that many players get called the "fastest", but Black Mamba is ridiculously fast.

My comment was actually spawned by the Sugar Bowl pregame where Denard Robinson was the fourth or fifth player I've heard random ESPN jackass refer to as "the fastest player in college football".

Enix wrote:

Except when Russell Wilson was throwing on the run, Wisconsin looked and played like your traditional Big 10 team. Wonder if Urban Meyer can drag OSU and the rest of the conference into the 21st century?

The Big Ten has been going away from it's traditional style for a while and I think that's been part of why it struggles so much lately. Northwestern kind of started this whole mess in the '90s. If the conference as a whole would just remember that we tend to grow really good, really big linemen up here (something Wisconsin hasn't forgotten) and get back to focusing on the running game, it would be much better off.

Wow, some insanity going on in the Orange Bowl. With 11 minutes left in the 2nd, Clemson trying to go up 23/4-21 on a short TD run, but instead fumbles on the goal line and it's returned 99 yards for a WV touchdown. 11 game-minutes later, West Virginia leads 49-20, nearly setting an Orange Bowl entire game scoring record in a single half!!

Neither team should have been in a BCS bowl. A team that's ranked 23rd destroyed a team ranked 15th. This tells me everything I need to know about the BCS system. Both the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl were huge letdowns this year. System is broken and everyone knows it, no one that can change it cares so we're stuck.

Can a conference lose it's AQ status? The ACC certainly don't deserve it after tonight.

The Cotton Bowl was one of the more intense games played this bowl season. I was very impressed with K-State's stout run defense. It was a fun game to watch.

So when is the BCS going to let the Cotton Bowl into the party? Someone with the Cotton Bowl must have really ticked off someone in the BCS -- it's one of the most storied bowl games there is.

sheared wrote:

The Cotton Bowl was one of the more intense games played this bowl season. I was very impressed with K-State's stout run defense. It was a fun game to watch.

So when is the BCS going to let the Cotton Bowl into the party? Someone with the Cotton Bowl must have really ticked off someone in the BCS -- it's one of the most storied bowl games there is.

It was still in god-awful Cotton Bowl Stadium when the BCS deals went down. Now it's in glorious Cowboy Stadium.

I was really impressed with the Arkansas defense. We have not had any luck stopping the run all season, but something clicked. Don't know if it was the match ups or the coaching changes. Once Klein was shut down the game was effectively over.

That said I don't remember most of the game because I drank way too much. So I'll be watching a replay this afternoon while I shake off my two day hangover.

First 11 win season for the Hogs since 1977. The fact that four SEC teams will finish with 11+ wins is pretty incredible.

If they ever add another BCS Bowl it should be the Cotton Bowl.

Yeah, the Cotton Bowl was a nice capper to an interesting, if not annoying, college season. It really was the last interesting game of the year.

Jayhawker wrote:

Yeah, the Cotton Bowl was a nice capper to an interesting, if not annoying, college season. It really was the last interesting game of the year.

Arkansas State and Northern Illinois beg to differ.

sheared wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

Yeah, the Cotton Bowl was a nice capper to an interesting, if not annoying, college season. It really was the last interesting game of the year.

Arkansas State and Northern Illinois beg to differ.

That matchup in the GoDaddy.com Bowl is straight out of one of the fake SNL commercials last night. Charles Barkley inspired me to watch for the first time in years.

Fedaykin98 wrote:
sheared wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

Yeah, the Cotton Bowl was a nice capper to an interesting, if not annoying, college season. It really was the last interesting game of the year.

Arkansas State and Northern Illinois beg to differ.

That matchup in the GoDaddy.com Bowl is straight out of one of the fake SNL commercials last night. Charles Barkley inspired me to watch for the first time in years.

Yeah that bit was awesome. Especially since my wife was just making fun of all the sponsors earlier this week. We were cracking up.

I was amused:

The Wall Street Journal[/url]]On Monday night, top-ranked LSU meets No. 2 Alabama in the Bowl Championship Series title game in New Orleans, and if the word on the street is true, the Tigers and Crimson Tide plan to employ that prehistoric, ball-stopping, score-deflating football ritual:

Defense.

Blechhh, defense. Who does that anymore? Defense is so twenty years ago. It's like mailing a letter, rolling down a car window, or reading a book made out of paper.

And speaking of amused, one more time...

Bonus article from the NYT: Nine Major Sporting Events Over Two Weeks Keeps New Orleans Busy

I love the Roll Tide stuff. If only they didn't chant SEC and stuck to their love of the team.

Also stuff like this tends to alienate the rest of the country.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/look-for-big-boy-1295019.html

DSGamer wrote:

I love the Roll Tide stuff. If only they didn't chant SEC and stuck to their love of the team.

This Twitter account started following me this weekend. I immediately thought of you guys. For the record, I didn't follow-back. That dude is obnoxious.

Still, and I've said this before, the SEC is, to me, like a brotherhood. We'll hate on each other but when it's "us" versus anyone from "the outside," I'll root for us all night long. Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean it's wrong.

Edit: As I made this post, an email came in from my Baton Rouge native, LSU-supporting co-worker. We have, of course, been going back-and-forth over email all day, but as the end of the day is upon us, we're down to the "good luck" and "see you tomorrow, if you can show your face" part of the chain. This is what he just sent me:

Yeah, this is a great matchup, will be interesting to how it plays out...the SEC prevails either way.

I sh*t you not.

Grumpicus wrote:

Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean it's wrong. ;)

If politics has taught me anything its that this is false.

Also, Boomer Sooner.

This is just like watching SEC guys talk football. And it will be more interesting tonight.

Thanks, Jayhawker. I might actually watch that instead. Sweet.

Did anyone else wonder why they picked some terrible singer to do the anthem?

I'm enjoying the Big East basketball games on ESPN tonight.

See I could be just as big a jerk as the SEC guys are if I wanted. 11 teams in the basketball tournament. Overall champ is the 8th best team in the league last year. And ya know it would actually mean something since it's decided on the court instead of by some silly voters. But whatever.

Enjoy your title game. Hopefully the BCS blows up at tomorrow's meetings in KC.

The SEC chant's just there to remind other conferences of their inferiority. I don't know when it started, but it's a huge win for Slive. As a PAC-12/B1G/Big9 fan you're not supposed to like it.

I don't want to listen to Oklahoma State whine about not getting a shot. The don't deserve a split title. So I was going to pull for LSU, but it just doesn't feel right.

Roll Tide! A Tide win equals BCS meltdown. Hopefully we'll have a plus one next year and maybe an expanded playoff in the near future.

I'm rooting for Alabama 70 - LSU 7. BCS completely blows up because the "big boy" football game goes completely the other direction in a lopsided affair.

EDIT: Either that or Alabama 2 - LSU 0.

Bama hasn't had too much trouble moving the ball. LSU looks rusty. No other teams in the country play defense like this.

i38warhawk wrote:

Bama hasn't had too much trouble moving the ball. LSU looks rusty. No other teams in the country play defense like this.

It is humble, understated commentary like this that makes me love SEC football.