College Football 2022

[Iuz the Evil]

The look on Saban’s face though… “wait, what?”

 

LOL

[Pariah]

Holy cow, Army has a passing game. What bizarre alternate universe have I awakened in?

[unclevlad]

2 hours ago, Pariah said:

Holy cow, Army has a passing game. What bizarre alternate universe have I awakened in?

 

Remember which thread we're in here, my friends.

 

Oh wait, I know!!!  Tribbleworld.  Go back to sleep, you'll be able to escape next time you wake up.

 

But speaking of alternate universes, this has to be a Bama from an alternate universe.  TONS of mental mistakes...most penalties in the Saban era.  LITTLE offensive punch for the first 50 minutes.  I really, really hate to use the C-word, but it's that...or just assert the refs are having a horrific game.  In favor of Bama, mostly.  Egregious face mask on the ball carrier...missed.  Bad PI on the targeted receiver...missed.  Bama takes the lead back with 10 seconds left, but it's 20-19, not Bama -20.  Desperation play for Texas after the kickoff, with only 5 seconds to go and needing 76 yards...and nope, doesn't happen.

 

VERY much a game Bama deserved to lose...and there should be a good chance they'll lose #1, depending on how well the other top 2 or 3 do.

 

Oh dear.  Dropped over to CBS.  Colorado vs. Air Force.  Just in time to watch the replay, as Air Force scores on a 14 yard run.  33 seconds into the game........  Oh.  Colorado QB doesn't look the snap in;  it wasn't great but should've been handled.  So, take the kickoff, then turn it over, and capped with a 1 play gouge.

 

I think I'll go look for a different game.  And look for Colorado in the Bottom 10 next week.

[Iuz the Evil]

 

That game was delicious. Ewers out reportedly with a clavicle sprain (6 weeks plus), texas blows the lead in the 4th quarter (you can watch their fans hearts break in slow motion on the last drive), and Bama looks like a shell of their former greatness. 

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Not really paying attention, just want Alabama to lose. 

 

When I saw the box score right before the finish, I was amazed. They couldn't hold on, but Texas scared the hell out of them ... and Vegas, I'm sure. AL was a 20.5 favorite, and they won by 1. Texas didn't just beat the spread, they demolished it. 

[unclevlad]

And elsewhere....Marshall just finished off Notre Dame, to make my weekend complete.  26-15.  Marshall's not a bad team;  they consistently make bowl games, but generally, we're talking those 2nd and 3rd tier games.  They've only ended up ranked once in the last 19 seasons...and that was 23rd and 22nd.  So ND is now 0-2, and this one's a home loss to an unranked team.  Because it's Notre Dame...and IMO, only because...they may stay in the top 25, but they shouldn't.

[unclevlad]

Deja vu.  App State upends Texas A&M...so much for being #6.  App State is much like Marshall...made a bowl game every year they were eligible (first time was 2015).  Won 6 in a row before losing last year.  Also 1 top-25 season.  So again, a solid enough team, but a team you *have* to beat to stay high up in the national rankings.

 

Gonna be one of those years in college football, looks like...an epidemic of upsets.

[unclevlad]

And good things (and bad things) come in 3s.  In this case, for the Sun Belt.  Marshall, then App State...and now Georgia Southern.  I was kinda watching the score on this, as GaSo was leading in the 4th, but then Nebraska scored to take the lead back.  OK, well, it was nice while it lasted...until GaSo drives 75 yards in 2:30 to take the lead back with less than 40 seconds.  Nebraska gets a 52 yard FG to try to tie, but not surprisingly, it misses.

 

Scott Frost's seat is getting much, much warmer.  Another blown lead.  Offense, fine, but defense, awful.  GaSo piles up well over 600 yards...in less than 30 minutes ToP.  About 7.5 yards per play.

 

And no offense to the Sun Belt...but if they're losing to one of those teams, what's gonna happen when they hit the conference schedule?  The Big 10's overrated in my book, but there are quite a few good to very good teams, at the least.

 

Next up is Iuz' team...and methinks Oklahoma will love to put it to their old rivals.  The line has been moving to Oklahoma, and after today, I suspect it'll move a lot more that way.  Then it's Indiana and Rutgers.  Lose either of those 2 and I think he's getting the boot;  last season, Indiana was 0-9 in conference, and Rutgers 2-7.

[Pariah]

I went to bed at halftime of the BYU-Baylor game with the Cougars up 10-6. I fell asleep confident they had a chance.

 

I was pleasantly shocked to see they had beaten Baylor 26-20 in double overtime.  Both teams had chances to win it in regulation and in the first OT, but the Cougars pulled out the W at home. It's their first win over a top 10 team at home in more than 30 years, and it gives them a 6-3 overall record against teams currently in the Big XII. 

[Pariah]

On 9/3/2022 at 8:04 PM, Pariah said:

I don't think we have any idea how good the Aggies really are yet. Next week's game against FCS Weber State probably won't help with that, unless the Wildcats win.

 

Goodness gracious. When I typed this last week, it was in jest. I didn't think there was any chance that Weber State was actually going to beat Utah State in Logan. I certainly didn't think they would win by four touchdowns. Yikes, the Utah State Aggies appear to be a really bad football team.

 

Taking into consideration what happened with Texas A&M and New Mexico State, yesterday was just not a good day to be an Aggie.

 

Colorado got trampled by Air Force in a heavy rain in Colorado Springs. So far this season, Colorado looks to be in year zero of a 3-year rebuilding plan (a tip of the cap to Cygnia for the metaphor). Air Force was the only service academy to win yesterday. Army probably should have won, but couldn't close it out in the second half. Navy is going to be just terrible again this year, it appears. I don't know that the Naval Academy would really fire Ken Niumatalolo, but I have to wonder if he's starting to lose his passion for the job.

 

My brother and his family took my dad to the Colorado State game yesterday. They said they had a great time, even though the football was forgettable. The Rams got waxed by Middle Tennessee, which should never happen to anybody. Whatever magic that coach was supposed to have brought with him from Nevada is apparently still sitting on the docks in Reno.

 

In short, I expect Utah State, Colorado State, and Colorado all to be locks for the Bottom 25 this week.

[unclevlad]

Yeah, that one ran REAL late.  BYU kicker missed not 1, but 2 game-winning kicks;  Baylor's kicker also missed in the first OT, but that was with the first possession.  Still, it set BYU up for the "ok, all we gotta do......"  Famous last words.  Robert Griffin III commented that probably both coaches would say, OK, scrap the kicking game, because both teams had multiple problems.  Turned out to not matter...in part because they changed the OT rules a bit.  You have to go for 2 after a touchdown, starting with the 2nd OT, not the 3rd.  BYU converted an out route on 3rd and long, IIRC, to get the ball to the 5, then punched it in, with the first possession of the second OT...and that was it, the kickers could leave the building.

 

A few teams had kicking woes.  Kentucky had some severe snap issues.  On a punt, one snap was catapulted way over the punter's head.  By the time he could retrieve it, it was in the end zone.  He kicked it out of the end zone...safety.  Then a bit later, the snap on an extra point was bad.

 

Down here...ohh boy, I wasn't watching it, but NMSU probably advanced their quest to be #1.  First half possessions:  INT, punt, punt, fumble, punt, punt.  Aggies first drive maybe said it all.  Couple first downs, then a nice 35 yard completion...but then a 15 yard penalty, presumably unsportsmanlike conduct, to make it 1st and 25 at the UTEP 40, instead of the 25.  INT shortly thereafter, and that's about it.  Aggies actually have negative yards the rest of the half.  UTEP wasn't exactly great...the running commentary about the game from one of the El Paso papers was pretty critical...but didn't need to be.  Score ended up 20-13, but it was worse.  2 of the TDs were gifts...fumbles leading to very short drives.  Both teams lose 2 fumbles.  Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.  

9 minutes ago, Pariah said:

 

Taking into consideration what happened with Texas A&M and New Mexico State, yesterday was just not a good day to be an Aggie.

 

<snip>

 

In short, I expect Utah State, Colorado State, and Colorado all to be locks for the Bottom 25 this week.

 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Ryan McGee makes some sort of group entries...one for Aggieland (throwing A&M under the bus along with USU and NMSU, who both deserve to be in the bottom 10), and one for the Front Range.  He likes to do that from time to time.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

This play is... unbelievable. 

 

 

[Iuz the Evil]

Oklahoma’s game against Kent State showed me that the offense needs work. Struggled mightily for the first half, trying (and failing) to impose their will with a dedication to the run game. When they made adjustments at the half, which in itself was a major charge from recent years where we’d just keep throwing the ball irrespective of outcome, the scoring came much more easily and often. They are not going to look like Riley offenses out there… the loss of depth and five star talent is apparent. There are individuals who shine, like Major, Mims, and (weird to say) Stoops. Gabriel is okay, but not the amazing talent we had with Mayfield, Murray, and even Williams. That said they’ll be serviceable enough based on my second observation…

 

 

Oh my goodness. Oklahoma learned how to play defense. One game and get a safety, interception and fumble. Teams played have scored a total of 16 points in two games. They’re 10th in scoring defense, 25th in red zone defense, and 8th in turnover margin. They’re swarming to the football and not missing tackles. The last decade I’ve expected to yell at my television at least once a game over sequential missed tackles. That’s a salty crew right there.

 

 

They aren’t world beaters, but this is looking to be a pretty solid team. My biggest concerns are the lack of depth (Riley’s flight in the middle of the night and subsequent pillaging of the players did no favors there), youth, and the offensive transition to Lebby’s system. Looking pretty good though against less talented opponents. I’ll be interested to see how the texas game goes, next week they get their first road game against Nebraska. Hostile road environment against a desperate coach, who would be playing for his job if it weren’t a foregone conclusion he’ll be fired in October when the buyout drops to $7M. Loving Venables willingness to make adjustments and focus on fundamentals. Know your assignment, wrap up and swarm to the football. Great hire, and looking forward to seeing his next couple years.

 

[Iuz the Evil]

Can I ask why anyone would schedule App State? They’re professional giant killers. Win and nobody cares, lose and you are forever embarrassed. There’s literally no upside.

 

 

No thank you. Might as well schedule an actual FCS cupcake if you are going to draw from that well.

[unclevlad]

I think it's pressure from the playoff committee, and perhaps more broadly, to schedule better.  It's not like an A&M needs non-conference SoS...but they had a petit fours game...a TINY cupcake...with Sam Houston.  (Check their schedule.  Barely a crumb.)  So when you've got one of those, doing 2 will be criticized.  Plus, there's the broader push, I think, to get more Group of Five vs. Power 5, rather than those total mismatches.  That also offers an explanation for Nebraska vs. Georgia Southern, who's also Sun Belt.

[Pariah]

What's wrong with filling your non-conference schedule with cupcakes? Kansas State has been doing that for decades.

[Pariah]

I knew this was coming; I just didn't figure it was coming today.

 

Nebraska fires Scott Frost

 

Firing him today means they owe him a $15M buyout. That number would have dropped to $7.5M if they waited until October 1st, but apparently they felt the situation had to be addressed right now.

 

What the heck, it's only money.

[unclevlad]

1 hour ago, Pariah said:

I knew this was coming; I just didn't figure it was coming today.

 

Nebraska fires Scott Frost

 

Firing him today means they owe him a $15M buyout. That number would have dropped to $7.5M if they waited until October 1st, but apparently they felt the situation had to be addressed right now.

 

What the heck, it's only money.

 

I didn't know about the buyout issues;  with that in place, yeah, that surprises me.  But hey, yeah, it's only $7.5M.  Pocket change.  Figure they'd probably lose that much booster money on the path they were on.  

[Iuz the Evil]

2 hours ago, Pariah said:

I knew this was coming; I just didn't figure it was coming today.

 

Nebraska fires Scott Frost

 

Firing him today means they owe him a $15M buyout. That number would have dropped to $7.5M if they waited until October 1st, but apparently they felt the situation had to be addressed right now.

 

What the heck, it's only money.

I’m actually shocked by the financial decision. Sure he’s a dead man walking, but goddamn!

[unclevlad]

2 hours ago, Iuz the Evil said:

I’m actually shocked by the financial decision. Sure he’s a dead man walking, but goddamn!

 

Eh...I'm not.  Or at least, not that much.  The school doesn't pay this;  it'll come from boosters.  Going back a couple weeks, it was apparently a bit of a surprise they brought him back at all;  every "hot seat" list had his name at or near the top as the season kicked off.  And this is 2 *very bad* losses in 3 weeks...plus being tied with an FCS school with 4 minutes left in the 3rd.  This is from a FanNation writeup before the Northwestern game:
 

Quote

The bookmakers tend to agree with the Football Power Index prediction machine, with Nebraska coming into Week 0 as a solid 11.5 point favorite.

FPI placed Nebraska at No. 32 in their preseason college football rankings, good for sixth in the Big Ten, and predicts the Huskers will win 7.8 games.

Northwestern checks in at No. 81 nationally, second to last in the Big Ten, ahead of only Rutgers. FPI projects the Wildcats to win 4.3 games.

 

We know preseason opinions are useless, but fans do read them...and get an expectation of more.  And CBS Sports dropped Nebraska 30 spots after this loss...down to #79.  That's barely staying out of the bottom third.

 

Come to think, given the Oklahoma game coming, that may be why.  It's the rivalry aspect.  It's also, I suspect, the fact that the line's moved *massively*...Friday, it was OU -6.5, IIRC, now it's -13.5 to -14.5, and I expect it to get a bit worse during the week.

[Iuz the Evil]

$7.5 million because you cannot wait until the end of the month is pretty astonishing. Boosters or not. This isn’t waiting until the end of the year, is waiting until the end of the month.

 

 Dang Nebraska. You salty.

[Pariah]

So I was looking at the updated Power Rankings at CBS Sports, and here are a few things that stuck out to me:

 

• BYU is now #8. Too high, too early, I think. Let's see how next week's game goes in Eugene (the Ducks are currently ranked #31).
• Other non-Power 5 teams in the Top 25 include Cincinnati at #24 and App State at #25. 
• App State rose 19 spots from last week. Washington State rose 33 spots. Marshall rose 39.
• Utah dropped 73 on a bad FCS team and dropped 4 spots to #17. 
• Air Force trounced Colorado and dropped 3 spots to #44; Colorado rose 6 spots to #97.
• Colorado State dropped 19 spots to #111; Utah State is looking up at them from #117 after falling 47 spots(!).

 

A lot of early season weirdness, I guess. Should be interesting to watch as the weeks play out. Looking forward to the Bottom 10 / Bottom 25 tomorrow. 

[unclevlad]

3 hours ago, Iuz the Evil said:

$7.5 million because you cannot wait until the end of the month is pretty astonishing. Boosters or not. This isn’t waiting until the end of the year, is waiting until the end of the month.

 

 Dang Nebraska. You salty.

 

Yeah, but this week is a Glory Days game, against Oklahoma, and the Scott Frost tenure has been the exact opposite.  So I'm thinking that having him in place for that game, was perhaps too inflammatory.

 

Rankings are still largely a guessing game.  There's still just no real body of work, so there's also a great deal of "beauty contest" to them.  The BAD losses for A&M and ND led to their hard falls...26 and 32 spots.

NMSU is proudly ensconced at #128.  With Wisconsin up next...and coming off a loss.  And...oh dear.  This is not a good sign.  Wisconsin is -37.5;  the over/under on the game is only 46.5.  That puts a projected score of around 41-3.  Aggies are +8000 if you want to put some longshot money on em.....?

Didn't think so.....

 

EDIT:  from an article on CBS Sports, just below the rankings story, about the Nebraska situation:

 

Quote

Nebraska is now a rebuild the scope of which its next coach may not realize. In leaving the Big 12 in 2012, Nebraska lost a big part of its history and tradition -- to the point that the average 17-year-old recruit might have trouble distinguishing Tom Osborne from Ozzy Osbourne.

 

I think this is something the ADs don't consider.  Colorado was inconsistent in the Big 8/12, and in the end the Dan Hawkins hire was a disaster to close out the time in the Big 12, but they've been a fish out of water in the Pac 12.  OTOH, Missouri bailed and has done...OK...in the SEC.  But the Big 8 was a near-perfect fit for Nebraska, and the Big 10 isn't.  And I think they lost almost all access to the Texas recruiting pipeline.  Yeah, this might be a tough sell coaching job.  

[Pariah]

So, we already have someone throwing their hat in the ring for the Nebraska head coaching job:

 

Ndamukong Suh.

 

No, really.

[Iuz the Evil]