unclevlad Posted December 22, 2021 Report Share Posted December 22, 2021 Note about the CFP: forfeits are possible for the semis. And the possibilities are UGLY https://dknation.draftkings.com/2021/12/22/22850540/cfp-forfeit-policy-covid-19-college-football-playoff-title-game-alabama-cincinnati-georgia-michigan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted December 23, 2021 Report Share Posted December 23, 2021 5 hours ago, Grailknight said: This sucks for my team but if they can contain it before classes resume it may stay out of the main student population. All the male(unmarried) scholarships athletes share a common dorm that is central to campus but has a large lawn on all sides. If they can keep the cafeteria staff safe it could be handled quickly. I cannot pass up the appropriate line here... Spoiler Quote "... nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure." Grailknight 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted December 23, 2021 Report Share Posted December 23, 2021 .....unless, of course, it's not the omicron strain, it's secretly the Andromeda strain.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted December 23, 2021 Report Share Posted December 23, 2021 So Rutgers is going to replace A&M apparently. Has Rutgers kept its players together? Have there been any practices, or even formal, game-level conditioning? (Figure many of the players will just be in a habit of working out to a degree, but at what level of intensity?) NOTE: No, they haven't, and no, there haven't been.https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2021/12/22/rutgers-gator-bowl-replacement-texas-am/9003314002/ The Gator Bowl regretted losing the Aggies but stated "health and safety of the student-athletes, coaches and staff remains our primary concern." Yeah, well, what about the health and safety of a team that will be grossly ill-prepared? Their last game was Nov. 27th. One good thing, sort of. Rutgers, turns out, has a LATE final exams period. The last day of finals was *today*...that's better than, say, ours back in the day, which would've ended around the 15th-17th. But still, a lot of the players will have traveled home. So now you gotta get em back. And the kids better not be stuck paying for it!!!! Or is this an inadmissible benefit??? WHAT a freaking mess. And note to TV broadcasters trying to prop up the lame bowl games, touting "it gives a team a chance to continue practice and development." Yeah, well, that's soooo much BS. It's all about the money. I just HOPE!!!! none of their players gets badly injured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grailknight Posted December 23, 2021 Report Share Posted December 23, 2021 10 hours ago, unclevlad said: So Rutgers is going to replace A&M apparently. Has Rutgers kept its players together? Have there been any practices, or even formal, game-level conditioning? (Figure many of the players will just be in a habit of working out to a degree, but at what level of intensity?) NOTE: No, they haven't, and no, there haven't been.https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2021/12/22/rutgers-gator-bowl-replacement-texas-am/9003314002/ The Gator Bowl regretted losing the Aggies but stated "health and safety of the student-athletes, coaches and staff remains our primary concern." Yeah, well, what about the health and safety of a team that will be grossly ill-prepared? Their last game was Nov. 27th. One good thing, sort of. Rutgers, turns out, has a LATE final exams period. The last day of finals was *today*...that's better than, say, ours back in the day, which would've ended around the 15th-17th. But still, a lot of the players will have traveled home. So now you gotta get em back. And the kids better not be stuck paying for it!!!! Or is this an inadmissible benefit??? WHAT a freaking mess. And note to TV broadcasters trying to prop up the lame bowl games, touting "it gives a team a chance to continue practice and development." Yeah, well, that's soooo much BS. It's all about the money. I just HOPE!!!! none of their players gets badly injured. While money is an big factor, going to a bowl game(normally) is a huge benefit for the team and it's preparation for next year. If you don't qualify for one after your last game you can't (legally) hold practices or even meetings besides rehab and conditioning until the spring. A bowl game gives the team another 2-4 weeks of practice together in addition to a road trip to build team unity. And since many schools have finished classes a week or two before their games, those practices can be pretty intense, practically another Spring Football. 13 hours ago, Cancer said: I cannot pass up the appropriate line here... Reveal hidden contents It's in the middle of campus. There's a cyclotron running in the tunnels near it. Surely you wouldn't want that destroyed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted December 23, 2021 Report Share Posted December 23, 2021 1 hour ago, Grailknight said: While money is an big factor, going to a bowl game(normally) is a huge benefit for the team and it's preparation for next year. If you don't qualify for one after your last game you can't (legally) hold practices or even meetings besides rehab and conditioning until the spring. A bowl game gives the team another 2-4 weeks of practice together in addition to a road trip to build team unity. And since many schools have finished classes a week or two before their games, those practices can be pretty intense, practically another Spring Football. Sure, Comrade. That's the Party line. The Party lies. Rutgers' last game was Nov. 27th...so they haven't practiced or held supervised conditioning for over 3 weeks. The formal acceptance would come today. The players are scattered; finals are over, they're home for Christmas! So you're gonna get them back together for, what, 3 whole days of practice, or thereabouts, then they have to fly to Florida. It's a freaking JOKE to say there's any preparation for next season. MANY college coaches have come across to me as tin-plated gods. They get paid...and get paid to show up in bowl games. The kids? They don't. They've got no voice. They're the ones who'll get sacrificed on the altar of Big Money...not the coach. A similar concern is here: https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/2021/12/rutgers-to-gator-bowl-here-is-latest-on-scarlet-knights-wild-situation.html And here: https://www.app.com/story/sports/college/rutgers/2021/12/23/gator-bowl-rutgers-football-should-sit-out-edelson/9004553002/ https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/2021/12/rutgers-to-gator-bowl-here-is-latest-on-scarlet-knights-wild-situation.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grailknight Posted December 23, 2021 Report Share Posted December 23, 2021 Oh, I agree with you in this case, hence my "normally" qualifier. This is all about money. The players are still getting a trip to Florida and the gift suite though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted December 23, 2021 Report Share Posted December 23, 2021 Fair enough, but they're also losing family time....and there's not gonna be any time at all to do anything but try to prepare. It's not like they can enjoy the potential amenities a big bowl can offer. Action Network projects Wake will be a 13 point favorite. Give the points. This could easily be 21-0 after a quarter, and potentially challenge Army's 70-14 evisceration of Houston a few years ago, for the biggest bowl game rout ever. And I'm not trying to diss Rutgers' players. Well, who knows. There's *no* promise this game will go off. You've got players who scattered to the four winds, leading to potential omicron exposure...they'd darn sure better be testing EVERY player as they get back to campus. You've got who knows how many players who'll opt out. This one sets me off because it's so totally, obviously, BLATANTLY hypocritical. Lordy, I hope this backfires, in the sense of using it in further lawsuits to rip apart the utterly fake, profiteering system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted December 27, 2021 Report Share Posted December 27, 2021 Wow. 3 bowl games have been cancelled now. Military Bowl and Fenway Bowl had teams forced to pull out Sunday; Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Eve was the first. And Miami's pulled out of the Sun Bowl. Further word is, Memphis, East Carolina, and SMU, the 3 teams whose opponents withdrew, have apparently all declined. If it's not a team that's at least been practicing, even if for a different opponent, then there's no possible way, IMO, anyone can step in this late. Sun Bowl was scheduled for Friday. Just saw: Boise State had to withdraw from the Arizona Bowl. Their scheduled opponent was Central Michigan; it's more plausible than most to have them divert, because it's only 300-odd miles from Tucson to El Paso. Straight shot on I-10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted December 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2021 There's another team that's apparently ready and willing to step up and play Wazzou in the Sun Bowl: Stephen F. Austin. SFA played in the FCS playoffs a few weeks ago, losing in the play-in round to Incarnate Word. It's about a 12-hour trip from Nacogdoches to El Paso, so it's at least feasible logistically. It'll never happen, but it's fun to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted December 28, 2021 Report Share Posted December 28, 2021 Sun Bowl officially announces CMU is replacing Miami. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted December 28, 2021 Report Share Posted December 28, 2021 NC State was probably together having their pre-game meal when UCLA has to pull out of the Holiday Bowl.... A big issue in college sports is they, I believe, *can't* discuss who's tested positive in advance. They typically have to adhere much more strictly to the medical privacy issues. That's why these feel like they're coming out of the blue. Got to figure the Big Six are all sweating bullets and quietly praying their games can be played. 19 games have been played, counting AFA vs. Louisville right now, with 2 more on for later. 5 have been cancelled, and 2 more have had one team have to cancel, but got a fill-in. The US 7 day average is now *just* below the worst peak from January...230,000 per day now. I believe I saw...I don't recall if it was a forecast or concern...that daily new cases could jump to 500,000 a day. So if you like watching the big games, keep your fingers crossed. My gut says the chance that we get through the New Years, with all 4 non-playoff bowl games, and all 3 playoff games, as scheduled is not that great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iuz the Evil Posted December 29, 2021 Report Share Posted December 29, 2021 I’m really very excited about one artifact of this crazy season. Bob Stoops is coaching the Oklahoma Sooners one more time. I’m crazy nostalgic, not even that wound up about the outcome. Lots of change in both schools, Covid, and a rough coaching transition - plus opting out players. It could do either way. Current line is -6.5 OU, but with all that? Who knows? I’m going to cheer for my Sooners. It’s got a positive vibe right now, things are optimistic for next year. Close the recruiting season strong, keep minimizing transfers. Bring on 2022. Edit: I had to ask some texas acquaintances of mine… what do you do for an Alamo Bowl? Is there a special drink or hat? We’ve never been and they go about every year. Hey, what Bowl are they going to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted December 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2021 The $EC has started the bowl season 0-4, including three losses to G5 teams (Army, UCF, and Houston). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iuz the Evil Posted December 30, 2021 Report Share Posted December 30, 2021 That was a really fun game for me. Really enjoyed seeing Bob Stoops win a bowl game, coaching Oklahoma one last time, with his son Drake scoring a touchdown… over Oregon. Damn, I love that stuff. Season was looking grim for a while there, total roller coaster. OU is going to the SEC, oh wait winning ugly but undefeated… ack, lost to Baylor and OSU, what do you mean Riley is going to U$C?!… oh, never mind. We good. Next year is going to be a lot of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlord Posted January 1, 2022 Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 Oh well...the Bearcats gave it the ole 'college' try. I thought the defense played well, despite getting run on pretty efficiently. If the offense could have done, y'know, ANYTHING, I think it would have helped the defense fatigue-wise. At least they showed up, unlike the Wolverines.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted January 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 It looks like another all-$EC championship game (and another rematch). The plot thins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted January 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 Oh come on, Michigan. You're not even trying at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iuz the Evil Posted January 1, 2022 Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 Wait, people are still playing football? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted January 1, 2022 Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 2 hours ago, Iuz the Evil said: Wait, people are still playing football? Football never ends. It occasionally goes on holiday for a bit. Speaking of never ending, the bowl season doesn't end tomorrow...not counting the title game which is separate to me. No, there's one more. The world renowned TaxAct Texas Bowl is Tuesday. Oh. Ah. LSU vs. Kansas State...makes my heart pound. Apparently the sports books were taking bets on the championship game at halftime...considering the dismemberment going on, I suppose they weren't really going out on a limb. Line is Georgia -1.5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted January 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 Georgia can't beat Alabama. They just can't. They've demonstrated it so, so many times. Iuz the Evil 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iuz the Evil Posted January 1, 2022 Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 Yeah, I don’t think I’ll stop calling my Georgia fan buddy “1980” this year… we will see, I guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted January 1, 2022 Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 Well Saban has to retire at some point... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted January 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2022 ... roughly the same time that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady retire, I suspect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted January 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2022 Conclusion: Neither Ohio State nor Utah can play pass defense worth a damn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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