NCAA Football 2012 Season Catch-All

SEC fans are talking about which team has a chance to stop Alabama from going to the national title.

DSGamer wrote:

SEC fans are talking about which team has a chance to stop Alabama from going to the national title. :)

I don't think this has as much do with them being an SEC team as it does with them just being a really good team in general. I personally can't stand Alabama, but I can recognize they are one of the best if not the best team in the country.

DSGamer wrote:

SEC fans are talking about which team has a chance to stop Alabama from going to the national title. :)

Alabama is (currently) ranked #1. They play in the SEC. If someone is going to knock them out of the #1 spot, it's likely to be an SEC team (though Florida Atlantic and Western Carolina will also get their shot). If no one does, they are likely to go to the BCS NC game.

To the best of my knowledge, no one has tried to actually crown their team yet (in this thread).

DSGamer wrote:

SEC fans are talking about which team has a chance to stop Alabama from going to the national title. :)

I think the above posters have explained why this isn't weird or some kind of SEC propaganda, and I'll add that just last night I was talking about USC being a presumed national title game contender, and whether Oregon could keep them from getting there.

PAC12 vs the world!!!

i38warhawk wrote:

Aside from a few of posters (Stele, Jayhawker, Carlbear, Ego man, and a few others) no one, outside the SEC fans, seems to be interested in in talking about their team(s) or games.

My highlights from last week:
My Iowa State Cyclones held on to win our rivalry game against Iowa. This will sedate Cyclone Nation if the rest of the season goes south on us.
Nebraska got wacked. They changed conferences but I still don’t like ‘em.
It was nice to see Oregon State get a big win at home.

Let's focus on what's important here, f*ck the Big Ten.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Would folks be willing to join in a gentlemanly agreement to try to improve the tone here and, in general, try to support one's own team rather than denigrate others? We can call it the Phishposer Compact. ;)

As a prime offender, I'm willing to go along.

Jucofett wrote:

Nebraska got wacked. They changed conferences but I still don’t like ‘em.

Amen.

gizmo wrote:
Jucofett wrote:

Nebraska got wacked. They changed conferences but I still don’t like ‘em.

Amen.

Crazy thing is that I don't know if that means Nebraska is bad or UCLA is good or somewhere in between. Outside of Oregon and USC consistency hasn't been a hallmark of the Pac 12 so it's hard to get a read on that kind of thing. That should be a good test of the Pac 12, but it's Nebraska...

Also, can we get a refund on Colorado and Utah? Maybe take on Boise State and TCU like we should have?

Somewhere in between, I think. Which means Houston is in for an 0-3 start because they're at UCLA this coming weekend.

I never disliked Nebraska until 2010. Hated when they beat us with the option back in the '90s, yes. But I'm friends with a Nebraska family and I know that fan base is regarded as exceptionally good sports.

Then in 2010, the Flying Pelini Brothers came to College Station. And lost, in dramatic fashion, and the coordinator Pelini attacked an Aggie cameraman and tossed the camera on the ground. Then their fans whined and whined about penalties and one of our players playing grab-ass in the pile - which for the record is unacceptable - while Ndomakong Suh is brutalizing the NFL and stomping on dudes. Also, my one-word response to any Nebraska fan talking about unsportsmanlike or unclassy behavior: Pelini.

So yeah, I don't care for Nebraska anymore.

I loved the Nebraska teams from the 80s/90s. Mostly because I thought the option was cool and admired the way they could pile up yards. And I thought Tommy Frazier was amazing.

Also there's this. Pretty decent little piece. Talking about how the 4 team playoff may further the calcification of the FBS into a set of teams that qualifies for the playoff and a set of teams that can never qualify for them.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8363918/arkansas-other-college-football-teams-padding-their-schedules-new-playoff-season-starts

Someone get Stele a stiff one:

Arkansas talking to Charlie Strong.

I predict this does not help the SEC's relationship with the rest of this board.

The upside is that warhawk may be much encouraged.

I already said 2 pages back you can't have him!

And now we know Charlie Strong doesn't read GWJ.

Anyway I feel pretty confident that he will be loyal to Louisville for a few years for giving him a chance. All those SEC teams have passed him over for opportunities for years, either because of Charlie being black or because he married a white woman, or both.

Not sure how reputable that site is. Being a Kentucky fan site, they are likely to make stuff up just to mess with UofL fans. You didn't grow up with these people, you have no idea the things they are capable of doing. Not finding anything in a google search from a reputable site. Just links back to UK sites, and a couple pickups from Arkansas and Louisville fan sites in response. Nothing from actual sports news yet.

And boosters talking to coaches is a long way from ADs talking to coaches, and anything resembling an actual job.

karmajay wrote:

I personally love to hate on SEC teams. As much as we dislike it, college football seems to spawn more passion from a lot of fans.

Anyway, glad FSU and USF won thus weekend although Usf is going to lose a bunch this year due to qb play.

Clemson is looking good. Cant wait for fsu vs. Clemson!

I don't know. I think by the end of the year, beating Clemson isn't going to count for much. Auburn looks like they really suck (by comparison to previous years), and is Ball State good? I'm sure we'll learn more this week against the Furman Paladins. I bet FSU beats them senseless.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

The upside is that warhawk may be much encouraged. :)

My mantra for the season has become "Sometimes watching a trainwreck is fun." I just hope the players (especially the Juniors and Seniors) can stay healthy and still get a pay day when this is all done.

I could get behind the hiring of Charlie Strong. The rumor is he was approached about the position in April, and there my be some kind of tacit agreement already in place. Then again I've heard a similar rumor about an agreement being made with Gruden. It's mostly made up bullsh*t. Strong will probably win the Big East this year and go to a BCS Bowl. I think he could win at Arkansas. However, I'm of the opinion that Arkansas simply cannot put a better defense on the field then Alabama or LSU while Saban and Miles are coaching. Strong would be in for quite a challenge.

Since we're talking the best conferences here, go Independents!!

Notre Dame will be fairly mediocre again this year, especially since they have to play Oklahoma, USC, Michigan St. and Michigan. Oh, and BYU, who look decent. I figure they lose 3 of those 5 and probably at least one other. They could lose all of those, though, if their offense isn't better than it was against Purdue.

In related news, ND is joining the ACC for all but football. Seems like they'll play 5 games a year against ACC football teams, though. So, pretty much in the conference if not.

The ACC is a much better fit academically for ND, with Duke, UNC, Georgetown, UVa, BC, etc. Some very good schools in there.

Glad we didn't go Big 12. Would have been fun to pull off a Big 10 entry, but the ACC is going to make for a fun basketball season!

Stele: I think it's unfair and unreasonable for you to assume race is a reason that Strong hasn't been hired by the SEC before now. How could you possibly know that? There are three black SEC football head coaches.

I know you like to randomly inject politics into non-P&C threads, but making an accusation of racism like that is definitely not helping to improve the tone of this thread.

i38warhawk wrote:

However, I'm of the opinion that Arkansas simply cannot put a better defense on the field then Alabama or LSU while Saban and Miles are coaching. Strong would be in for quite a challenge.

It would be a daunting task, but if memory serves, he put together quite the squad on that side when he was down in Gainesville. His scheme is an exciting, attacking style, and he seems to be able to recruit. Of course, to get to the level of the Tide or Tigers, you need at least 3 rock star recruiting classes in a row, but I think if anyone can, Charlie can.

Back to the substance of Strong to Arkansas rumors: the Big East is looking to be the loser currently in the realignment saga:

Notre Dame is joining the ACC.

They will continue to be indie in football, but will play five games a year against ACC opponents.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Notre Dame is joining the ACC.

They will continue to be indie in football, but will play five games a year against ACC opponents.

What do you think happens after Notre Dame's contract with NBC expires in 2015? I don't see NBC keeping up the 1.2 million a game payout, unless ND really turns it around over the next few years. Howver, they could give the ACC enough star power, combined with FSU, Miami, Va. Tech, Clemson, etc. to work out a pretty danged big conference TV deal.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Stele: I think it's unfair and unreasonable for you to assume race is a reason that Strong hasn't been hired by the SEC before now. How could you possibly know that? There are three black SEC football head coaches.

Remove the by the SEC and I agree with Stele's statement.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Stele: I think it's unfair and unreasonable for you to assume race is a reason that Strong hasn't been hired by the SEC before now. How could you possibly know that? There are three black SEC football head coaches.

I know you like to randomly inject politics into non-P&C threads, but making an accusation of racism like that is definitely not helping to improve the tone of this thread.

Sorry, it's only been said by Charlie himself 3 years ago. ESPN reputable enough for you?

That was just the 2nd hit on google. It's been picked up by plenty of others and covered several times since then.

When Charlie was hired at Louisville 3 years ago, the SEC had 0 black football head coaches. Joker ended up being hired at UK the same year. And Franklin at Vandy was just hired last year. And yes, A&M brought Sumlin to the league this year. There was plenty of articles last November about the historic first meeting of two black head coaches ever in SEC football when Vandy played UK. In 2011.

I don't think we should derail this thread to debate it, but I believe that blanket accusations of racism without any context or proof are irresponsible and destructive. How can one possibly know why Strong hasn't gotten other jobs before now? He's still in his first HC position, and in only the third season there.

gizmo: The ACC has just established itself as the fourth power conference, imho. I agree with you that ND's next contract won't be remotely as lucrative. The answer to what kind of conference TV deal the ACC can get in light of this move depends largely on the details of their deal with ND, and I'm not sure those are out yet. ND doesn't have nearly the national appeal of yesteryear, but they're still a good "name", if you will. The question to me is whether any of their games would be included in the ACC deal.

Imho ND should just join the ACC as a full member and give up independence, but I do understand that they have a lot of rivalries / traditional series they want to maintain. I think as they become less and less of a national draw (and down here, no one cares at all), their independence works against them. It eventually becomes a "Who do they think they are?" kind of thing.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Imho ND should just join the ACC as a full member and give up independence, but I do understand that they have a lot of rivalries / traditional series they want to maintain. I think as they become less and less of a national draw (and down here, no one cares at all), their independence works against them. It eventually becomes a "Who do they think they are?" kind of thing.

From what I hear, they are going to focus on keeping USC, Stanford, and Navy as their rivalry games. That leaves out their natural, regional, rivals, but makes sense in terms of coast to coast visibility. I figure a bit reason that they are hanging on to it is the NBC contract. It just happens to line up with their first "free" exit date from the Big East also, which is rather "convenient".

I would not surprised if this announced arrangement is just posturing while they wait to see what they can get from NBC as they get closer to the completion of this contract.

firesloth wrote:

In related news, ND is joining the ACC for all but football. Seems like they'll play 5 games a year against ACC football teams, though. So, pretty much in the conference if not.

The ACC is a much better fit academically for ND, with Duke, UNC, Georgetown, UVa, BC, etc. Some very good schools in there.

Glad we didn't go Big 12. Would have been fun to pull off a Big 10 entry, but the ACC is going to make for a fun basketball season!

I would have liked to haver seen Notre Dame in the Big 12, but not in the way they are in the ACC. But I am glad they made a move, because it could get Texas to give up on trying to lure ND and open up some other expansion.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

gizmo: The ACC has just established itself as the fourth power conference, imho.

I'd say they are still fifth, but have avoided the Big East like crumble. They are fourth (or better) in basketball, though!