General Chat / College Football 2008

I guess East Carolina is for real, eh?

not really, they'll beat the rest of their nonconference opponents, but in conference play they will falter,... like they always do.

last year it was to Marshall, who went 3-9 and lost to New Hampshire.

So, I would expect them to lose to either USM, UCF, or maybe Marshall... Again.

although it would be good for the conference if they could run the table, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

EVERYONE is picking USC over OSU by at least a touchdown, most by several.

I'm terrified that we're going to get overconfident now. Seriously. If OSU won, I'd be taunted for a long time. This cannot happen!!!

That said, if we come out and play Trojan ball, we SHOULD destroy Ohio State. In the past five years, there's only been one instance where another team actually beat us, as opposed to us just completely underperforming and beating ourselves--Texas. Rose Bowl. So I expect a Trojan victory, hope for a blowout to prove my ongoing argument about Big Ten mediocrity, dread a letdown leading to an upset, and welcome a good game.

(Good game includes USC blowing OSU out. )

FIGHT ON!!

Well Corky, I hate USC and OSU, so imagine my dilemma. My best case scenario is an earthquake forms a chasm in the middle of the Coliseum and both teams fall into it. Actually if I had to pick, I'd choose Carrol since he is a former NC State assistant. The V-sign and the Trojan band are annoying as hell though.

Yes, 11 is the spread I think. I hate saying this...but I have to think you will win based on our last two weak performances. I'm not sure if you will blow us out or not...because let's get serious...you say Big Ten mediocrity, how about the Pac 10 mediocrity....and honestly, you haven't played anyone yet and you sat a week. Not that we have played anyone either...The press HERE has given the Buckeyes a bunch of crap, so they will be at least somewhat inspired to play better than they have been.

So, stop fretting. Even if by some miracle, we actually win, I don't think it will be a blowout on our side

I just hope we don't get trounced

So any desire to gloat was removed when I saw the thoroughly forlorn expression plastered on the structural engineering principal at my firm. He went to grad school at OSU, and his early game trash talking quickly switched to repeated bewildered looks of confusion and mutterings of "this is not right."

That was... everything the press said it would be. For once, the overwhelming huge favorite in the huge game won huge. That doesn't happen a lot.

Based on this, I will be severely disappointed if we lose a game this year, because our team is rolling on all cylinders. And after today's pathetic performance by the Pac 10 (more on that in a moment), it's clear that the only way USC can lose is by overconfidence.

Now, Buckeye fans, it could have been worse. You could be Michigan, with a new team and a new coach and new hopes... and that gets you beat down by Notre Dame. Although Charlie Weis getting Tom Brady'd from behind was a comical sight, even though the result obviously wasn't funny (torn ACL/MCL? I thought the sportscasters were joking). It's gonna be a long season for the Wolverines.

But hey, it could be worse. You could be UCLA, whose offense posted EPIC FAIL today by scoring zero points. Oh, and whose defense posted EPIC FAIL today by allowing 21 pts after one quarter, 42 after a half, and 59. Basically, the Bruins got their asses kicked by a bunch of mormons.

Oh, but it could be worse than that! You could be Tennessee fans, who look at todays 59-0 blanking--UCLA's worst loss since 1929--and remember that they blew their season opener against that team.

Oh, but if that gets you down, at least you're not in Houston or Galveston and under water. So you know... it could always be worse.

--

I consider myself a pretty impartial sports fan, so I've gotta say that after today's performance, the Big 10 has jumped ahead of the Pac 10 in terms of overall conference strength. Oh, I'm sorry--I mean the the USC+9 conference. Cal got upset by some turtles. Washington got destroyed by the Big 12's best team. Wazzou got destroyed by the Big 12's WORST team (pitting conferences' worst teams against each other provides a measuring stick too). Arizona lost. UCLA go creamed. ASU got upset by UNLV!!! Oregon had to rally to beat what I thought was a mediocre Purdue team, but they're better than I thought. They're actually good (though they'll inevitably fail in the middle of the season and finish 7-5 again). So, um, the Pac 10 sucks.

Your conference rankings...
1. SEC
2. Big XIII (it's close)
3. Big 10
4. Pac 10
5. Big East
6. ACC

But the ACC redeemed itself a lot, and #4 through #6 can kinda be scrambled around. South Florida's win over Kansas was helpful, though.

dawgs 14, gamecocks 7. i didnt get to see the whole game since i had to leave during halftime, but it seemed that sc had the upper hand by that point at 6-7. both teams were having trouble scoring it seemed (although not as bad as the auburn/mississippi st game), but the dawgs came out on top. that interception by jones in the 4th kept sc from making a comeback. this definitely made up for last years loss to the gamecocks.

Here's my personal top 25 for Week 3 (reflects weekly polling bias, so isn't necessary in objective order of "who's better"):

1. USC
2. Oklahoma
3. Georgia
4. Missouri
5. Florida
6. LSU
7. Alabama
8. Wisconsin
9. Texas
10. South Florida
11. Texas Tech
12. Penn State
13. Ohio State
14. Auburn
15. BYU
16. East Carolina
17. Utah
18. Oregon
19. Kansas
20. Wake Forest
21. Illinois
22. Florida State
23. Connecticut
24. TCU
25. West Virginia

Thanks Cork for not gloating too much, although you certainly have every right to. Wow...your team would not be nearly as good without Joe McKnight I think. Mark Sanchez is alright...but I do think they make a bigger deal about him than they should. USC should most assuredly play in the big game this year, please don't let a nobody beat you!!!

Our offensive line...oh wait, do we even have an offensive line??? Did anyone notice our center can't even snap the ball right most of the time..I noticed that the last two games before this too. Terrelle Pryor should be our starter because Boeckman just looked lost. So many things went wrong, but bottom line, is USC was definitely the better team. I hope we don't go on to lose to Penn St or Wisconsin (the only other 2 games I'd worry about really) because I'd still like to get to a bowl game.

Michigan looked terrible but you are right, the Big 10 overall definitely looked better than the Pac 10. Georgia got lucky..I'm guessing OKlahoma might move past Georgia this week...but we will see. The press loves the SEC, so maybe not.

Awww crap...its just not going to be as fun this year posting about football

1. USC
2. Oklahoma
3. Georgia
4. Missouri
5. Florida
6. LSU
7. Alabama
8. Wisconsin
9. Texas
10. South Florida
11. Texas Tech
12. Penn State
13. Ohio State
14. Auburn
15. BYU
16. East Carolina
17. Utah
18. Oregon
19. Kansas
20. Wake Forest
21. Illinois
22. Florida State
23. Connecticut
24. TCU
25. West Virginia

Your missing the U

Becky, McKnight is pretty important, because he brings the explosive big play possibilities, but the thing I LOVE about this year's team is the ridiculous depth and the options we have. Our tailbacks are six deep. We've got another near half dozen in options in the secondary. Sanchez is our leader, but our backups wouldn't necessarily stink things up (but lets face it; if Sanchez isn't playing, our team does suffer noticeably). We are no reliant on passing or running. And even though we've been pretty balanced over the past few years, this year, we are REALLY balanced. Opposing teams have to shut down both games. So all of these options is incredible. We could split our team into two, and both of them would probably play well enough to be ranked.

It's a nice situation to be in, for sure, and I'm definitely appreciating it. Add that to our superb defense and you've got a team that is seriously making people expect a BCS Title. Thus, our goal now has to be to remain grounded and not take any opponent for granted. The Pac 10 certainly sucks, but it's filled with teams that are familiar with USC's style and could give us problems because of that familiarity. Thus, any Stanford's or UCLA's would be unacceptable.

Ah the annual college football thread. Quite the season so far for having some pretty boring match ups more or less after the first weekend. Called the USC-Ohio State game after the way OSU opened up against Youngstown, the Ohio game only solidified it. That said, the Buckeyes are still going to roll through the Big 10.

Cork, your Trojans look very impressive. It is really unfortunate that the Pac 10 is this bad, would have liked to watch some good games. Losing 5 games in one weekend to the Mountain West.... how? This has been quite the year for the non-BCS teams. Could be the first year where if you rank the conferences two or three of the non-BCS ones are probably top to bottom stronger than some of the big boys. For as bad as the Pac 10 and Big 10 have looked early, that is nothing like the absolute failure of the Big East and ACC. While they may have overall solid mediocre teams in those conferences, they lack a flagbearer, there is no credible top team.

Does anyone else think that SEC having half of the top ten teams right now is a little ridiculous? Don't get me wrong, they are the best conference until someone else beats them in a NC. And I have no problem with Georgia, LSU, or Florida. But Auburn and Alabama, come on. Auburn beat a Mississippi State team that lost to Louisiana Tech 3-2. That is not two high powered defense in a trench war, that is two piss poor offenses stumbling over themselves. And sure Alabama beat Clemson, but ranking Clemson in the preseason top ten is probably the best evidence I have ever seen that all the human pollsters should be taken outside, shot, and then let the computers flat out rank everybody randomly for the preseason poll. It would probably have a higher chance of being accurate. Not saying Alabama is a bad team by any stretch of the imagination, but there are still too many question marks. They are solid, not great, top 20 not top 10.

On another note, I am pretty excited about OU this year. They are playing with a fire I have not seen from them in some time. The defense is a lot more physical and the tackling a lot more sure. The no huddle offense has been really fun to watch and I can already see a few wrinkles that will be pulled out in big games that should work phenomenally. Overall the offense seems much more evolved than the run at the pile system of the past 5 years or so. Still remaining a little skeptical until after the Texas game, but to win big on the road this past week after the road woes last season was very refreshing.

And yet, they're not even the most exciting offense in their own conference.

OU's problem hasn't really been the regular season... it's the BCS bowl game they need to work on. lol Well, and the occasional Big XII title game.

And yet, they're not even the most exciting offense in their own conference.

OU's problem hasn't really been the regular season... it's the BCS bowl game they need to work on. lol Well, and the occasional Big XII title game.

Yeah, Mizzou is exciting on offense and putting up big numbers again this year. But it is still essentially the same team OU smacked twice last year. If they meet in the conference championship at the end of the year, chalk up another win for OU.

The Big XII title game has not been a problem for OU, they have won it 5/6 times they play it in. Now the whole BCS bowl bit is another story, that has been sad. Very sad. But I think two national title losses are kind of forgivable, that goes for Ohio State too. Losing the the best in the nation is nothing to be too bent out of shape against. Then the Fiesta Bowl agaisnt Boise was just a mediocre OU team, they should not have won the conference that year and it took a late collapse by Texas to get there. Last year against West Virginia is the one I don't get. On paper OU looked like the perfect foil for that team, should have rolled. Oh well.

Anyone else excited that there are halfway decent games on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday? Don't get that too often, I am going to accomplish nothing this week.

I'm excited for this weekend when ECU comes to town. We'll probably lose big but hopefully it'll be one of these nights:



edit: It's gameday, we're on ESPN...we'll either get pummeled (expected) or we'll surprise everyone and upset em...we have nothing to lose today.

Edited by gir, 20 September 2008 - 06:33 AM.

So today was pretty damn satisfying. Stood in the front row of the student section, right beside the field, and lost my voice. Went and saw the Reduced Shakespeare Company at night. Very good day. We put those rejects in their place and our football team proved a lot today.

And since Friday was Talk Like A Pirate Day...it's like beating Notre Dame on St. Patrick's Day. That was the most exciting game I've seen in person.

It wasn't a major headline shocker weekend, so some brief points before I jump into my rankings...

- The SEC is brutal. You've got three definite teams that could certainly win the BCS championship, given their overall prowess, and two other teams that could reach the game and pose problems for their opponents. You've got quality up and down the conference. You've got great coaches, great players, great defenses, and great athleticism. It's just... a crazy conference. If a team comes out of this unscathed, there's no excuse for it to miss the BCS Title game. I'd even say the same thing for a one-loss team over just abut any undefeated team. That's how good I think these teams are.
- If ECU had played on Friday--International Talk Like a Pirate Day--perhaps the pirate energy could have propelled them to a win, instead of a letdown against a lesser team that just burst their BCS bubble.
- And Notre Dame has come back down to Earth.
- Dear goodness, the Pac 10 sucks. With Oregon losing, that means only USC is an undefeated Pac 10 team. If we lose any game this season, I'll be even more angry, because none of the other teams can match our depth and quality. If we DO lose, it'll be because of mental letdowns, like last year vs Stanford and the previous year vs UCLA. That better not happen... I want to play an SEC team in the BCS Title game.
- A note to fans of losers... Syracuse and Washington State both won, which means they won't go 0-12 this season. Just 1-11, I guess.

Conference Rankings:
1. SEC
2. Big XII
3. Big 10
4. Mountain West
5. ACC
6. Pac 10
7. WAC
8. Big East

Top 25:
1. USC
Sure, their conference sucks, and sure, they've only played two games. But of all the nonconference statement wins, USC's has been the loudest, thumping a good (but nowhere near elite) Ohio State team. Their depth and talent is unmatched, even by the SEC powerhouses, and the only thing stopping the Trojans from a trip to Miami is themselves. Will this finally be the year USC can draw an SEC team, assuming it does go undefeated?
2. Georgia
Great statement win against an Arizona State team that's still pretty good. The Bulldogs were in control of the entire game, and while it wasn't a blowout, Georgia proved they can play with anyone. And we're talking about a team that could potentially finish third in the SEC (then again, they could win the conference, or they could finish in the middle; that's how tough everyone is) solidly defeating the Pac 10's likely #3 team. Not that that means anything these days, with the Pac-10...
3. Oklahoma
Sooners got the bump last week after their blowout coupled with a lethargic Georgia victory. The favor gets returned this week. But this means nothing, because it's still early, and the elite contenders are all VERY close to each other in terms of quality.
4. Florida
Gators have had no difficulty this year, and with Tebow at the helm, they can compete with anyone. I see Florida or Georgia emerging from the SEC East to play the West Champion, which at the moment seems most likely to be...
5. LSU
A very tough and impressive victory at Auburn bumps them up this week. The Tigers aren't as invincible looking as last year, but they've played with passion and determination. Les Miles is a great coach (though one cocky SoB sometimes, it seems), and he's got them in top form. It remains to be seen how well LSU can handle the full rigor of the SEC season, but right now, they look very good.
6. Missouri
A sloppy game bumps these Tigers down a notch, but again, they're part of the elite contenders right now. The defense will likely be whatever weakness Mizzou has this year. The offense has been on fire and still is--although "only" 42 pts this week might make people wonder if the previous super blowouts were a real indication of the team. I say yes, and I say they'll hit the Big XII North title and face the Sooners in the conference title game.
7. Alabama
It certainly looks like the Crimson Tide is back so far, and they'll contend with Auburn and LSU for the SEC West title. I'm giving them this high of a ranking right now based on their solid performance thusfar, but I wouldn't be surprised if they wilt once faced with stiffer competition (I'm invoking the Theory of Bad Nick Saban Karma here).
8. Texas
We branch down a bit into sleeper elite contender category with Texas, which has cruised but hasn't really proven anything against any good teams (mostly because they haven't had the chance). Their dates with Oklahom and Missouri will go a long way toward determining whether the Longhorns are a BCS team this year or a Holiday Bowl team like last year. Colt McCoy looks terrific, and we'll just have to see if they're better than I personally suspect, or whether they'll simply end up 'good' (which is what I'm predicting).
9. Wisconsin
Thinking back, their win over Fresno State WAS pretty impressive because it came in a hostile environment against a very tough team, and while it wasn't the best played game, it showed the Badgers' resilience. That certainly ought to count for something.
10. South Florida
At this point, the Bulls are all that stand between the Big East and complete joke-dom (mostly because no one takes UConn seriously). Great win against Kansas last week... they need to beat the lesser teams a little better though.
11. Texas Tech
Dude... this team's got a pretty damn good offense too.
12. Penn State
Another team that hasn't really been tested... I actually think the Nittany Lions will take the Big 10 this year. They've looked ferocious in all four games so far, and even though they haven't really played anyone, I have that feeling with them. I like how they look, and I'm picking them over the Badgers eventually because Wisconsin always seems to trip up a couple of times. As for OSU... just make sure your defense is fast.
13. Ohio State
Buckeye fans are wondering why Pryor didn't play most of the game against USC last week. I mean, at least if he did, they might have only lost by three touchdowns instead of nearly five. (I couldn't resist.)
14. BYU
I don't care if it was against UCLA and Wyoming. When your combined score for your last two game is 103-0, that's pretty damn impressive. The Mormons have the drivers seat to BCS-bustdom, and their matchup against Utah is looking pretty hot right now.
15. Auburn
Will this be another year in which Auburn is a much better team than their record suggests? Well, right now, they're the best one-loss team in college football. Their war with LSU was pretty impressive, and even if their option offense looks absolutely ridiculous simultaneously straightening up and looking toward the sideline to see if the play is getting changed, the team as a whole is very, very good.
16. Wake Forest
12-3 isn't pretty, but right now, Wake is the de facto class of the ACC. Defense wins championships, and the Demon Deacons certainly showed some good D in turning back the previously resurgent Seminoles.
17. Kansas
The high octane offense is still on track, and this time, an overmatched opponent provided another blowout. Lets see if they can keep pace once conference play starts.
18. Utah
The Utes just keep on rolling toward their inevitable showdown with arch rival BYU.
19. TCU
Another BCS buster... the Horned Frogs' stock will rise if they can somehow shock Oklahoma and also upend BYU and Utah to finish undefeated. Even if they lose one game in conference, a win over the Sooners could get them into the BCS fray anyway, unless the SEC teams place a lock over the spots.
20. UConn
Does anyone realize Connecticut is undefeated too? They're not a bad team. They just don't make any splashes. But the Huskies certainly have a good chance of emerging as Big East champs, at least right now.
21. Vanderbilt
It feels weird ranking a perennial spanking pad, but these aren't your Vandies of yesteryear. Vanderbilt is actually first place in the SEC East right now. No really! Go and check! Will they dethrone the likes of Georgia and Florida and become the most improved team in... history? Probably not, but don't entirely discount it.
23. Boise State
A road win against a QB-depleted but certainly skilled Oregon Ducks team is definitely something to write home about, plus it keeps the WAC's hope of sending a third consecutive BCS buster into a BCS game alive.
24. Oklahoma State
The Cowboys have looked pretty good in three big wins against 'meh' opponents, but they could surprise some teams in the Big XII if they're napping. Definitely a solid, good team.
25. Fresno State
The Bulldogs have a ton of heart and always live for the exciting games, so I'm giving them a nod back at #25 for the little guy. And because at this point, it's getting hard to figure out who really belongs at the bottom of the top 25.

Corky,

Follow my logic here. If Oregon State is up 21-0 at half time...then are you sure USC is the best team in the nation? Because by my casual observation, Stanford > Oregon State, which is apparently > USC???

Much love,
postit

jesus that was a long, in depth post cork. im not one to get into rankings and all that myself. i just watch the game and keep track of upcoming competition so i know what fans to talk smack to and which ones to keep my mouth shut around. so far this year ive had no problems with the latter. i will say that im eagerly waiting for our game against bama this weekend. thats gonna be a fun one.

We lost. Plain and simple. No excuses. USC got beat, and was obviously not worthy of #1 (or maybe even #10) status.

Thoughts from a sad Trojan:
- This is EXACTLY what I dreaded... we breeze through our non-conference and get beat by a Pac 10 team familiar with our style of play and gunning for us.
- USC is not as good as we thought they were. Officially, they are overrated. Which makes you wonder how bad Ohio State might end up this season...
- We played badly. Oregon State played very well. Our great defense wasn't so great, because we couldn't contain the running game. When has that ever happened (besides vs Texas)?? Well, it did tonight.
- Goodbye Miami. The Trojans would have to sneak into the National Championship game now, and we can't even guarantee 'SC will win the rest of their games, based on how they played tonight.
- Mark Sanchez + state of Oregon = bad. This time, we trailed the whole game, almost came back, and then Mark threw a pick. Just like last year. *sigh*
- How good must Penn State be?
- I'm dropping USC twelve spots. Or probably to just above Ohio State.
- Time to start the season over now and aim for the Rose Bowl.

OSU lol? more like USC lol! ;P