College Football 2023-2024

[unclevlad]

21 minutes ago, Pariah said:

Turnovers killed the Cougars last week against Oklahoma. It does not appear they've learned anything in the seven days since.

 

By this point, if they haven't learned it already, they're not going to.

 

Shedeur is sitting out for the Buffs, but somehow they're within 3 with Utah, 13-10.  Option pass for 30 yards and a TD looks to be part of it.

[unclevlad]

NMSU has Jacksonville State calling.  Both teams are 6-1, with Liberty at 7-0...so this is for a spot in the title game.

 

 

Except.....it's not......

 

Because Jacksonville State, like James Madison, is in that stupid transition period, and they're ineligible.  They're ranked...pretty decently for such a secondary conference.  #66.

 

Stupid rule.

 

That said, the Aggies are up 14-0 in the 1st.  This'd be their *gasp* 10th win of the season.  Not quite a massive surprise, as they were 7-6 last season...after 4 years where they had a combined 8 wins.....  It's also kinda interesting, they were allowed to play a 13th game during the regular season.  That's pretty unusual.  

[Pariah]

Up 15 with about a minute left in the first half, BYU goes ~30 yards on a fake punt to get deep into OSU territory. After three unsuccessful throws in the general direction of the end zone, BYU kicks the field goal, then holds Oklahoma State in their own end until halftime.

 

The Cougars lead the Cowboys 24-6 at the half. I did not expect this.

 

[unclevlad]

1 hour ago, Pariah said:

I did not expect this.

 

 

That is the mantra of this entire football season.

 

Alabama has 2nd and goal at the 8, inside a minute left...and the center snaps the ball early.  18 (!!!) yard loss.  Then Milroe dances around, with no great sense of where he is...and passes the line of scrimmage.  It's his second illegal forward pass call of the game.  Oh, of course, this is after a punt with 4 minutes left...that was muffed by Auburn.

 

And on 4th and 31 with the game on the line....

 

 

Milroe to Bond in the corner of the end zone for 6!!!!!!!!

 

Bama makes an *impossible* play...well, ok, not quite, just WILDLY unlikely...to take the lead with 32 seconds left.

 

And just because...

Auburn returner makes the mistake of trying to run back the kickoff, which just burns clock, and he gets tackled at the 15.

Ball comes loose on the first play...Auburn *barely* avoids a safety...then *barely* gets a play off from about their own 4...as the clock expires.  Of course, it's a pick 6.

 

 

[unclevlad]

OK State 40, BYU 34 in double OT.

“It's not the despair, Laura. I can take the despair. It's the hope I can't stand."
― John Cleese
 

 

EDIT:  Regretfully, Washington kicks the winning FG as time expires to beat WSU 24-21.  No chaos there.  

NMSU tries to commit seppuku...multiple TOs in the 4th to blow a 14 point lead...but they also kick the FG as time expires to win 20-17.  

 

 

 

[Pariah]

BYU started strong but faltered down the stretch. Oklahoma State looked bad at first but got stronger along the way.

 

The game mirrored each team's season, it turns out. 

 

Now join me for a verse of the official Christmas carol of the BYU football team, "I'll Be Home for Christmas". 

[Cancer]

Huskies barely winning has been much of their season.  Now, they have played a slug of ranked-at-the-time teams, but they have not been as consistent as one might hope.

[unclevlad]

Tis the season to poach coaches, fa la la la la.................

 

Mich State hires Johnathan Smith away from Oregon State, less than 24 hours after OSU's regular season ends. 

 

Who cares about bowl games anyway, right?

[unclevlad]

Hoo boy....Jordan Travis' injury is having a major, major impact so far.  Florida leads 12-0, altho FSU now has it 1st and goal.  But the first 4 FSU possessions...punt, punt, punt, safety.  89 yard drive so far, so perhaps they're working out the kinks with a new QB.  And FSU pounds it in...1 score game now, less than 30 seconds in the half.....

[Pariah]

In fairness, you could also blame Colorado State and BYU ... but blaming the $EC is more fun.

 

James Madison, Jacksonville State Primed for Bowl Berths Thanks to Two SEC Teams Losing

[unclevlad]

I dunno, I'd rather credit the SEC for being so big and overbloated already.  The Big 10 is actually worse...each conference has 14 teams.  SEC has 9 that are bowl-eligible;  the Big 10 only has 8.

 

Of course, being bowl eligible is as weak as talking about MLB's "quality start."

 

It's expected that both teams will end up in Bad Bowl Games.  Most likely before Christmas, maybe opposite NFL games on the 23rd, or exiled to either that first Saturday, the 16th...the Avocados from Mexico, Myrtle Beach, and New Mexico bowls where the tech crews sometimes outnumber the fans.  There's 4 games...3 prime time, as ESPN probably needs filler material...in the week in between, too.  For Jacksonville State, 3rd in a VERY weak C-USA probably got them into one of these anway...but JMU was looking at something a lot better...that also paid a LOT more.

 

https://www.collegefootballpoll.com/bowl-schedule/2023/

 

 

[unclevlad]

The Athletic has an article today about who'll get in, based on who wins which key games.  They give 16 separate scenarios...none of which includes Michigan losing.

 

Quote

Even discarding the non-possibility of Iowa upsetting Michigan (you can throw this back in my face if the Hawkeyes pull off a 3-2 win), 

 

Ouch........   But, well, Fanduel has Michigan -4000 (Iowa +1400) and the line is 22.5.

 

Friday night's bid decider, Oregon vs. Washington, is expected to be explosive.  O/U is 65.5!!!  Whee!  ESPN has to be overjoyed;  they're putting this one on ABC for max audience.  Very good weather expected...50 degrees but no rain threat, and relatively mild wind.  And no real competition;  only NMSU vs. Liberty, which pretty much no one outside their immediate areas will care about.  

[unclevlad]

Poaching coaches, round 2.

 

A significant reason, IMO, why the minor-conference schools have a hard time sustaining their program is...they lose their good coaches.  This time, it's James Madison.  Curt Cignetti goes 11-1, wins Sun Belt coach of the year (duh, one would hope that was unanimous)...and hours later, is named the new coach at Indiana.  

 

Of course, he goes from making a bit under $700K at JMU, to a school that paid this year's head coach $4.5M.  Nice raise, eh?  

 

That was the 12th lowest pay, BTW.  Interestingly, the MAC has 5 notably lower, and 4 more at the same level, +/- just a couple percent.  Which may also be part of the reason why the MAC is the lowest-rated conference, even below Conference USA, which was gutted by realignment.

[Pariah]

And then there are players who go pro in something other than the NFL:

 

Utah State QB Levi Williams will skip senior season to apply for Navy SEAL training

 

[unclevlad]

Liberty beats NMSU 49-35.  NMSU's surprising QB, Diego Pavia had things staying VERY close, but according to SI, aggravated an elbow problem.  His freshman backup managed one score to tie the game at 35, going into the 4th...but...that was that.

 

Box says Liberty eviscerated the Aggies on the ground.  Gutted and bled them out.  As in almost 400 yards rushing.  Oh, and that opened up the pass for another 300.  A nice, nifty 213 passer rating...the NCAA formula isn't capped like the NFL's is.  1200 total yards...shades of a Big 12 game circa 2018.

[unclevlad]

1 down, 3 yo go.  Washington, 34-31 in a barn burner.

 

If Georgia beats Alabama...not a given...and Michigan doesn't choke against Iowa, then it's Michigan 2, Washington 3.

 

They play each other.

 

The semis are in the Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl.

 

Not even the NCAA can miss THIS layup.  Irony of ironies as the sun sets on the Pac-12.

 

Speaking of...OSU and WSU have reached an agreement to play games against the MWC...6 of em.  NOT as conference members...there's those residual conference rights that go directly, and solely, to them.  The other games, they'll try to schedule Power 5's...ok, Power 4's, IIRC, and one FCS.  It's a plan for 2024 only right now;  IIRC, what that supports is, the buyout for the MWC teams is MUCH cheaper for 2025 than 2024.

 

Get the food prepped.  Tomorrow is a day of insanity.  The chili's mostly ready...bacon and meat browned, veggies softened.  All I gotta do in the morning is add the tomatoes, beans, and beer, and simmer for multiple hours.  (A tajine is awesome for ANY form of stew.)

 

 

ARGGHHHH!!!!!   I loathe local news.  With a passion.  Haven't switched away from ABC yet...so it comes on.  "Breaking news" about the Libery/NMSU game?  That game was over 2 hours ago.  That is NOT!!! breaking news any more.  

[Cancer]

* Cancer giggles giddily about his alma mater winning the last Pac-12 football championship despite being 10-point underdogs *

[unclevlad]

The most amusing aspect of the Texas game?  

 

Half time.  You're all familiar with the football toss for tuition money, run by that soft drink brand.  Well, the 2 participants were tied after the standard time...tied after, IIRC, a 15 second overtime.  Went to a toss-off, won there.

 

Except...oh, around the 4th quarter, I believe...they said there was a technical glitch.  The loser...actually should have won in the first OT.  I don't pay attention to those, to speak of, but obviously, if you don't switch games, you see several of these during these conference championship games.  I don't recall seeing a material glitch like this...oh, maybe one that might change the margin, but that doesn't matter.  

 

So, they both got the full $100K, to make it right.  

[unclevlad]

Oh my...

 

Let's send the 4 team CFP out in total style.

 

MAXIMUM CHAOS!!!!!

 

Alabama 27, Georgia 24.

 

So WHO GETS IN??????  ACK!!!!  What do you rate higher?

[unclevlad]

SMU takes down Tulane, marking at least the 2nd school to win its going-away dance.  SMU --> the ACC next year.  This is triggering the lower-level debate...who's getting into the New Year's Six from the Group of Five?  Liberty went 13-0 in a totally pathetic conference;  SMU went 11-2 but the numbers are considerably better.

[Grailknight]

Depends on the night results.

 

Right now, Washington is in and that won't change.

 

If Florida state and Michigan win, they're in. Michigan is a lock and FSU will be an undefeated Power 5 champion even if they are missing their top QB.

 

In that scenario, Ohio State and Georgia will probably be eliminated for either Texas or Alabama. They'd both be Power 5 champions, but Texas did beat Alabama at Alabama. Alabama has probably improved more than any other team over the course of the season, but a head-to-head win should still settle any debate.

 

Michigan will most likely win unless Iowa's sneaks the Steelers in, and no one notices. FSU is a more likely upset candidate and their loss would be cheered on in Austin and Tuscaloosa.

 

True chaos would be for both teams to be upset tonight. (An Iowa win would be... surprising.) That would setup a 6-way scrum of one loss teams, all Power 5, all football royalty. Alabama and Texas would be the main beneficiaries here, both would be Power 5 champs even though they both started the day behind the other 4 in the rankings.

 

That leaves FSU, who'd probably be left out, Michigan, losers to Iowa, Ohio State, losers to a team that lost to Iowa, and Georgia, defending National Champions that lost a close title game. Having seen all these teams twice, I'd personally pick Georgia but there would be much wailing and gnashing of teeth, conspiracy theories, insane media debates and general lunacy no matter which gets in.

[Pariah]

Dammit Georgia, you had one job. 

 

Washington is in. Alabama is in now, I'd say. Michigan is in, unless they choke to Iowa, which I do not foresee. 

 

Last team in? Texas won their game big and has one loss. If Florida State beats Louisville without their starting QB, there's an argument to be made there. And Georgia has been #1 most of.tje season; a loss to Bama might not be enough to drop them from the playoffs. And I suspect that's what will happen. My predictions:

 

#1: Michigan

#2: Alabama

#3: Washington

#4: Georgia

 

Alabama beats Washington, Georgia upsets Michigan, and we get a rematch for the title. 

 

Worst case scenario, in my humble opinion.

 

I can't wait for a 12-team playoff.

.

Edited December 3, 2023 by Pariah

[unclevlad]

FSU is the team people think may be *out* in favor of Texas, even if they win.  That's why it's still chaos.  Everyone's making sense, and arguing good points, but that's the problem...every team has valid points.  

 

Right now, you can write Michigan in.  Yeah, fine, it's not quite the end of the 1st, but the punt return gets them to the 5, they punch it in.  10-0.  Iowa?  10 points?  NOT likely.   

[Pariah]

~70K southern football fans, and no beer? Really?

 

Fans Were Incensed After Finding Out They Wouldn’t Be Able To Enjoy A Certain Activity At The SEC Championship Game

[unclevlad]

Can see how Iowa managed a top 20 ranking despite the worst offense in history.  But defense *alone* does not win games.

 

And FSU up only 3-0 at half, is not doing them any favors.