NCAA Football 2012 Season Catch-All

McFinn wrote:

Now there's talk of Boise State, BYU, and SDSU rejoining the Mountain West. Who knows. BYU seems to be happy as an independent, and ESPN is happy with their ratings performance, so I have a hard time believing they'll go back. The problems currently for BYU are scheduling good opponents and BCS access in the future.

It all makes me wonder how good of a conference the Mountain West could have been if everyone had stayed put. Boise, TCU, Utah, and BYU would have been fun to watch. Air Force was also one of those teams that had the potential to beat most teams on any given Saturday with their triple option (which everyone else hated). And if Brady Hoke had stayed with SDSU....

And finally, a lot of sports folks here think that Gary Anderson (of Utah State, that just beat a ranked Louisiana State) is going to be poached by one of these bigger openings.

Pretty sure Utah State did not beat LSU. LA Tech?

Gah, yes, Tech. I was concentrating too hard on spelling Louisiana correctly. We four-letter states are a little slow.

Enix: Rumor in SEC circles is that many of the schools that are the only SEC unis in their states want to keep it that way, and have a coalition to vote down others. Also, Mike Slive allegedly likes things to be unanimous on big decisions like new members.

So, FSU to SEC seems unlikely. Same with Clemson. I've seen those exact two projected to the Big 12. SEC targets are UNC and either UVA or VA Tech.

All rumors, but that's all we've got.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

@Carl - I don't think anyone here is saying Kentucky or whoever are good, or would be in any conference.

Sure as hell sounded like it:

Go look at Ole Miss's record - they're on the rise under Freeze. Arkansas was a top 10 team until this year. Auburn and Arkansas will be back. So will Tennessee.
Fedaykin98 wrote:

Ole Miss is getting respect in the SEC for playing LSU and A&M extremely close, and I think all of their unfortunate losses are to top 25 teams.

Now that's much more the classic SEC line too. Losing close games in the SEC is respect. Winning close games in other conferences is barely surviving. Louisville was dogged all season for barely winning. Did Pitt get any respect for taking now #1 Notre Dame to OT at their house? Same Pitt team that beat what was then #13 Va Tech in week 3 or so. No, Pitt is terrible. 1-4 in conference, 4-6 overall, a sliver of a prayer of a bowl game left. Just like Ole Miss.

Great teams, good teams, and bad teams exist in all 6 BCS conferences this year. And yes the one conference with the most teams (SEC, 14) probably has more of each category. We had this discussion last year. More teams != better conference. Just means more. Maybe more in all three categories (great, good, bad), but still just more.

Quick check of today's standings. Great = 1 loss, or 1 conf loss. Good = 6+ wins, bowl eligible. Bad = losing record.

ACC(12): 2 great FSU, Clem. 5 good, and 5 bad
B12(10): 2 great KSU, OU, 5 good, 3 bad (although 2 could still get bowl eligible and leave Kansas alone as the only bad)
BE(8): 2 great, UL, RU, 2 good, 4 bad.
B10(12): 2 great, Nebraska, OSU, 5 good, 5 bad (although Purdue could get bowl eligible)
P12(12): 2-3 great, Stan., Ore. (UCLA). 5-6 good, 4 bad.
SEC(14): 3-5 great, Ga, FL, Ala. (LSU/A&M?) 3-5 good (LSU/A&M), 6 bad.

You can probably argue LSU, A&M, and UCLA into the great teams with 2 conf losses, but one or both loss vs a ranked good/great team. It's difficult with the unbalanced schedule in those leagues but it could be done.

But the SEC still has 6 bad teams with losing records, more than anybody else. And it's only a better % of bad teams than one other league, the BE.

So it kind of makes sense when Sagarin has the Big 12 above the SEC in conference ratings. If things go right, they could have 9/10 bowl eligible teams, but at worst 7/10. The SEC is looking at 8/14. So if the Big 12 has the same number of bowl eligible teams as the SEC with 4 less members? Yeah, that's better overall.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

@Carl - I don't think anyone here is saying Kentucky or whoever are good, or would be in any conference. We're saying Vandy is good and Ole Miss is not bad. They are 5-6 and will likely get bowl eligible next week against a crappy team you should have included in your argument - Miss. State.

Ole Miss is getting respect in the SEC for playing LSU and A&M extremely close, and I think all of their unfortunate losses are to top 25 teams. Which doesn't make you great or anything, but they're not the cupcakes that Tenn, Arky, and Auburn have been this year.

Also: Gruden slap fight! I almost made a post about the Gruden to Arky rumor a couple weeks ago, but Gumbie went kinda quiet and I was hoping to taunt him with it. ;)

The Gruden rumor has been floating around since Petrino fell off his bike. I didn't put much stock in it since Gruden is mentioned for every coaching search, but the tweet today comes from a pretty reliable source.

Grude is wearing a [color=#CC2233]red[/color] tie tonight. Basically a sure sign that he'll be coaching in Fayetteville next year.

Enix wrote:

@ Carl: Cal might have been better if you had a decent QB. Maynard wasn't on anyone's radar when he played here in high school. Then all of a sudden he was starting at Buffalo, then followed his half-brother (and the Nike money train) to Cal. Tedford made his rep by developing QBs. Turns out he found the one guy he couldn't make better.

Most definitely.. unfortunately that rep that followed Tedford really has been a bust since Aaron Rodgers left. None of the post-Rodgers QBs at Cal have been even above average in the Pac, the closest we got was Nate Longshore who on his best day would be an Aaron Rodgers with cement shoes. Part of the reason so many have called for Tedford's head is because this mythical QB guru has been anything but the last 8 years. Its become even more painful when QBs like Sean Manion from OSU are plucked right out of Cal's backyard in the East Bay to become very good college QBs at other schools.

Holy sh*t, Stele, you decided to double down on your bullsh*t after half a day? Get outside, man. Go find an actual SEC idiot to respond to. You are quoting me saying the things that I'm saying, and then responding to ideas that I didn't write. I get that you desperately want to refute the stereotypical SEC fan. Maybe one peed in your cheerios recently, I don't know. All I know is that I'm not him.

I seriously cannot believe that you're reviving this words in my mouth, straw man bullsh*t nine hours later. Find a new hobby.

i38warhawk wrote:

't put much stock in it since Gruden is mentioned for every coaching search, but the tweet today comes from a pretty reliable source.

Grude is wearing a [color=#CC2233]red[/color] tie tonight. Basically a sure sign that he'll be coaching in Fayetteville next year. ;)

Gruden is in the Bay Area for the MNF game this week and was scoping out a new home when he's coaching Cal next year. He already has his Bay Area contacts from his Raider days. Not only that, I bet he had some influence in the NFL to schedule this Bay Area game this week after Cal's final embarassing game! Done Deal!

Speaking of SEC photoshops/GIFs/etc., I posted the first two entries to this series earlier, and people seemed to like them:

Note that the letter is being written by AJ McCarron, and the "girl" featured all over the place is his super hot mom.

Carlbear95 wrote:
i38warhawk wrote:

't put much stock in it since Gruden is mentioned for every coaching search, but the tweet today comes from a pretty reliable source.

Grude is wearing a [color=#CC2233]red[/color] tie tonight. Basically a sure sign that he'll be coaching in Fayetteville next year. ;)

Gruden is in the Bay Area for the MNF game this week and was scoping out a new home when he's coaching Cal next year. He already has his Bay Area contacts from his Raider days. Not only that, I bet he had some influence in the NFL to schedule this Bay Area game this week after Cal's final embarrassing game! Done Deal!

Gruden's scoping out unanswered 49ers points. Arkansas' main fan site has an entire Gruden sub-forum. More posts in that forum than the other coaching search forum. No one can compete with that.

Just following the coaching searches in the SEC is enough work, who's Cal looking at? Think they could pull Peterson away from Boise?

One of my favorite things about SEC football is bad photoshops. I was looking around and found this gem.

IMAGE(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vXiyf9qePRg/UBR0qb0BSPI/AAAAAAAADGE/L5XN65w4YZA/s1600/2uNcw.jpg)

The idea that Gruden would go to Arkansas is hilarious to me. If that happened I would literately eat my hat.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Speaking of SEC photoshops/GIFs/etc., I posted the first two entries to this series earlier, and people seemed to like them:

Note that the letter is being written by AJ McCarron, and the "girl" featured all over the place is his super hot mom.

I'll save you guys a google.

Gumbie wrote:

The idea that Gruden would go to Arkansas is hilarious to me. If that happened I would literately eat my hat.

I'll buy the ketchup.

i38warhawk wrote:

Just following the coaching searches in the SEC is enough work, who's Cal looking at? Think they could pull Peterson away from Boise?

I dont' think anyone is pulling Peterson away from Boise.. if the big guns in the SEC or NFL couldn't do it, no way Cal can.

Aside from Charlie Strong, Dan Mullen at Miss St has been mentioned. After that, we're looking at West Coast smaller school headcoaches like Utah State's Gary Anderson, San Jose States Mike McIntyre, or coordinators like Oregon's OC Mark Helfrich or ND's Bob Diaco. The disillusioned who somehow think Cal is worthy of a true big name coach will throw out names like Gruden, Pete Carroll or Jim Tressel, none of which would truly want to coach Cal, nor do I think they would be a good fit for the institution. If I had to pick a "big name" coach it would be the Panthers' Ron Rivera.

The other fear I have is retention. Even if somebody like Helfrich or Diaco, or even Strong show up at Cal, without any real Cal ties, if they get Cal to 8- or 9-win season some other school can wave a lot more money than we can and off they go. Bruce Snyder left Cal in 1992 after a Citrus Bowl win over Clemson.. Steve Mariucci left after a 6-6(!!) season at Cal after one year to coach the 49ers. Only Tedford has stuck around with Cal after doing some big things for the program, and for that I'm thankful despite his recent failures and the fact that I think it's time for him to go. If Rivera were to come to Cal and find success, because of his connections theres a good chance he would want to stick around longer than 1 good season.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Enix: Rumor in SEC circles is that many of the schools that are the only SEC unis in their states want to keep it that way, and have a coalition to vote down others. Also, Mike Slive allegedly likes things to be unanimous on big decisions like new members.

So, FSU to SEC seems unlikely. Same with Clemson. I've seen those exact two projected to the Big 12. SEC targets are UNC and either UVA or VA Tech.

All rumors, but that's all we've got.

I think the FSU/Clemson-to-the-SEC rumors from earlier in the year came from those two schools. Not only do SC and UF not want them, the SEC gains little by adding either or both. The Greenville and Tallahassee TV markets are tiny, and SC and UF already dominate them anyway.

VT-to-the-SEC was another popular rumor for about a week. But VT isn't going anywhere, either. It begged to join the ACC for years because that's where UVa is, and it was thrilled to get in.

A week ago, I would have dismissed any rumors of UVa going anywhere as just crazy talk. But then the Maryland thing hit and, well, I guess anyone could leave. AFAIK UVa's athletic budget is just fine, and I don't think the 'Hoos are looking to move. That said, if the Big 10 was serious about moving into the DeeCee market, UVa, not Md., is the school they should have poached.

UNC isn't going anywhere ever. It runs the ACC and would never trade down for a secondary role in another conference.

I really would be shocked if Gruden ends up at any school, in fact I would not be surprised if he never coaches again and keeps following the Madden model.

The real question is which SEC school gets Strong.

I heard some wild speculation on St. Louis radio about Andy Reid owning property in the Ozarks, and that Mizzou might be able to lure him once the hammer falls in Philadelphia. I think a large contingent is ready to move on from Pinkel.

I think it would be a brilliant move by Mizzou to recover from a pretty disastrous first season in the SEC. Their danger is that they fell pretty quickly in line with Kentucky and Vanderbilt, and they may find it harder to recruit as anything better than that in the SEC states. Texas is their emphasis, but without four schools in Texas to offer regular games in their home state, I will not be surprised if that dries up.

Andy Reid would be the kind of name you could use to spur recruiting. But this was just random speculation.

Jayhawker wrote:

Their danger is that they fell pretty quickly in line with Kentucky and Vanderbilt

Vandy is pretty good dang good this year. They've got a top 15 recruiting class coming in next year and it will probably get better after their bowl game.

Gumbie wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

Their danger is that they fell pretty quickly in line with Kentucky and Vanderbilt

Vandy is pretty good dang good this year. They've got a top 15 recruiting class coming in next year and it will probably get better after their bowl game.

I'm talking about where they traditionally rate in the SEC. An improved Vandy is just a bigger hurdle for Mizzou.

I would venture to say that Vandy will eventually fade back and Tennessee will reclaim that prestige in the state. But it doesn't matter that much to me one way or another.

Jayhawker wrote:
Gumbie wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

Their danger is that they fell pretty quickly in line with Kentucky and Vanderbilt

Vandy is pretty good dang good this year. They've got a top 15 recruiting class coming in next year and it will probably get better after their bowl game.

I'm talking about where they traditionally rate in the SEC. An improved Vandy is just a bigger hurdle for Mizzou.

I would venture to say that Vandy will eventually fade back and Tennessee will reclaim that prestige in the state. But it doesn't matter that much to me one way or another.

Interesting article in the Charleston Post and Courier today, that quotes Spurrier as saying the Tennessee job might never be what it once was, primarily because of the recruiting challenges poised by the state, and that recruiting nationally is maybe no longer a reliable option for the Vols.

I think Vandy's fortunes are tied to Franklin. I would not be surprised if he gets lured away to a bigger SEC school this year.

I really hate this move by the Big Ten. Twelve was ok, not ideal but ok. Fourteen plus is just stupid.

Enix wrote:

That said, if the Big 10 was serious about moving into the DeeCee market, UVa, not Md., is the school they should have poached.

Virginia doesn't neighbor a current Big Ten state. I can't remember if it's explicitly stated in the by-laws or just they way they always do things but new additions need to be in neighboring states. That said, now that Maryland is a member, Virginia is a neighboring state. I've seen a lot of people seem to think Virginia and North Carolina will be the next two targets as, academically, they both fit really well. But, I've heard that UVa and VT are basically a package deal and I really don't think UNC would leave unless the ACC implodes (for basically the same reason you stated). Even then, would they want to leave Duke and NC State?

Badferret wrote:

Interesting article in the Charleston Post and Courier today, that quotes Spurrier as saying the Tennessee job might never be what it once was, primarily because of the recruiting challenges poised by the state, and that recruiting nationally is maybe no longer a reliable option for the Vols.

A related story from SB Nation.

TL,DR: Tennessee doesn't have enough in-state talent, and they're fighting like hell to get recruits from other southeastern states that are heavily picked over.

Maybe if Tenneesee could lock down its own state and win some more recruiting battles in GA, FLA and ALA they'd have something. Sounds like a tall order.

Badferret wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:
Gumbie wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

Their danger is that they fell pretty quickly in line with Kentucky and Vanderbilt

Vandy is pretty good dang good this year. They've got a top 15 recruiting class coming in next year and it will probably get better after their bowl game.

I'm talking about where they traditionally rate in the SEC. An improved Vandy is just a bigger hurdle for Mizzou.

I would venture to say that Vandy will eventually fade back and Tennessee will reclaim that prestige in the state. But it doesn't matter that much to me one way or another.

Interesting article in the Charleston Post and Courier today, that quotes Spurrier as saying the Tennessee job might never be what it once was, primarily because of the recruiting challenges poised by the state, and that recruiting nationally is maybe no longer a reliable option for the Vols.

I think Vandy's fortunes are tied to Franklin. I would not be surprised if he gets lured away to a bigger SEC school this year.

lol, Spurrier would know..Clemson is eating into his recruiting base big time. Tennessee will be fine. Rabid fan base + good coach (if we get one) + plus top notch facilities = recruits.

iaintgotnopants wrote:

Virginia doesn't neighbor a current Big Ten state. I can't remember if it's explicitly stated in the by-laws or just they way they always do things but new additions need to be in neighboring states. That said, now that Maryland is a member, Virginia is a neighboring state. I've seen a lot of people seem to think Virginia and North Carolina will be the next two targets as, academically, they both fit really well. But, I've heard that UVa and VT are basically a package deal and I really don't think UNC would leave unless the ACC implodes (for basically the same reason you stated). Even then, would they want to leave Duke and NC State?

I didn't know about the Big 10s geographical rule. The ACC has something similar: Schools are supposed to come from the Atlantic Coast. (Hence the name. Too obvious, I know.) Never mind that Pennsylvania doesn't have a coastline (and never mind that Pitt and Syracuse are closer to Canada than the Atlantic Ocean).

Yes, UVa and VT would most likely be a package deal. The General Assembly probably would declare war on Ohio should the two schools be split up.

A related thought: UVa (and UNC) put a fair amount of emphasis on second-tier sports, such as baseball, lacrosse and men's and women's soccer. The ACC is pretty strong in all four. Other than wrestling, I don't really see the Big 10 as being particularly good in any of them.

Enix wrote:

I didn't know about the Big 10s geographical rule. The ACC has something similar: Schools are supposed to come from the Atlantic Coast. (Hence the name. Too obvious, I know.) Never mind that Pennsylvania doesn't have a coastline (and never mind that Pitt and Syracuse are closer to Canada than the Atlantic Ocean).

Don't forget Indiana, now that Notre Dame is headed to the ACC! There's a route to the Atlantic via the Great Lakes, but I'm not sure that should count.

A related thought: UVa (and UNC) put a fair amount of emphasis on second-tier sports, such as baseball, lacrosse and men's and women's soccer. The ACC is pretty strong in all four. Other than wrestling, I don't really see the Big 10 as being particularly good in any of them.

Don't forget basketball!

Happy Thanksgiving, Carlbear: Tedford out at Cal.

firesloth wrote:

Don't forget basketball!

Ha, ha.

Though at this time of year, college hoops is generally pretty awful.

firesloth wrote:

Happy Thanksgiving, Carlbear: Tedford out at Cal.

Yep. While necessary, its still bittersweet. Having lived through horrible years under Keith Gilbertson and Tom Holmoe, Tedford revitalized the Cal program and fan base, got a new (ok half a new) stadium built, and took Cal to heights not previously seen. He leaves as Cal's all-time winningest coach. Only USC has put more Pac-12 players into the NFL and Cal is probably in the top 15 among all NCAA schools in putting talent into the NFL. When the NFL or other schools came calling after the glory years with Aaron Rodgers and company, he elected to stay.

Unfortunately, aside from the actual record over the last few years, academics has taken a hit lately with THE lowest graduation rate in the Pac-12, an embarrassing stat for one of most academically prestigious Universities in the country.

We'll see what happens next with Cal. I don't think we can afford any of the big names out there, and that probably includes Charlie Strong. We're going to have to get lucky like we did with Tedford and hope for the best. Hopefully we'll have a new coach named soon and we can pick up the pieces with recruiting and assess current personnel.

I wonder if Strong would leave for Cal (no offense, Carlbear). I don't follow Louisville like I used to, but he's built something there, and the community loves him. I think it might actually take more than what Cal will be able to offer.

I have to say, outside of Kragthorpe, the Louisville AD Jurich has been a very good judge of coaching talent. He's certainly picked a long list of football coaches that show off their chops at Louisville and then get scooped up by someone else. Whatever you think of Petrino and even John L. Smith back in the day, they did good things at Louisville.

So, Cal just needs a coaching talent evaluator like Jurich in their AD!

No doubt Strong would be a long shot, certainly financially. The reason its in the back of people's minds is because he was interviewed for the job way back when Tedford was hired and was our 2nd choice. 12 years is a long time though. I think we'll end up with a west coast small school HC (hey Harbaugh came from University of San Diego!) or a coordinator of a BCS-type school.

Sorry hawk but I'm hearing TN has offered Gruden an obscene amount of money for an 8 year deal. There are supposedly 5 big boosters in play including Peyton Manning. Also hearing we should know something for sure no later than November 30th (possibly on the 30th). In case Gruden turns them down I'm they will be going after Charlie Strong or possibly Mora. Jimbo Fisher may be a long shot too.