College Football thread.

[powerpack]

You got it. All things college football post it here. Getting close to that time. Forget baseball, basketball, hockey and even water sports. Football is it and College football rules.

[Slowboto]

GO NOLES! :wink2:

Start off with early predictions on who wins the national championship.

Bama, uf, and Texas all lost a lot of big time players to the draft. Bama has the best shot of the three but with the loss of most of their defense it is going to be difficult unless they get more out of their offense. Run wise they are great but they really need their QB to step it up because they actually have very talented WRs.

USC can't even compete for it because of NCAA sanctions.

I hate saying it but tOSU returns a lot of players and looks to have a good shot.

[powerpack]

Of those OSU is who I want.

[Slowboto]

I don't care so long as it isn't uf. I will always hope that they lose every game.

[Maverick494]

Huskies ftw?

[Slowboto]

Huskies ftw?

Washington is definitely improving, I think they are going to be very competitive in the PAC10 soon.

I'm interested to see how Nick Montana does.

[jbermi]

huck the fuskies! ted bundy was a husky.
jake locker is so over-rated. even though I am a WSU alum, i would have to say Oregon may take the pac10, they return a lot of starters and are loaded depth-wise, but stanford or arizona could be the surprise team, but both have to play at oregon, and Autzen stadium is a very hard place to win at on the road.

I think someone will poach harbaugh away from stanford at the end of the season. (rumor is Michigan may come calling if RichRod fails, he is a UM alum...or the NFL may come calling) especially if they win the pac-10, he has done quite a job of turning things around, there. and i bet Andrew Luck will be drafted before Locker.

california will disappoint, usc will underachieve, ucla will choke as usual, dennis erickson will realize coming back to college football was a mistake and leave ASU for a career in broadcasting or fishing. slick rick will mess up in ucla and bring sanctions down on them from the NCAA,

[Slowboto]

huck the fuskies! ted bundy was a husky.
jake locker is so over-rated. even though I am a WSU alum, i would have to say Oregon may take the pac10, they return a lot of starters and are loaded depth-wise, but stanford or arizona could be the surprise team, but both have to play at oregon, and Autzen stadium is a very hard place to win at on the road.

I think someone will poach harbaugh away from stanford at the end of the season. (rumor is Michigan may come calling if RichRod fails, he is a UM alum...or the NFL may come calling) especially if they win the pac-10, he has done quite a job of turning things around, there. and i bet Andrew Luck will be drafted before Locker.

california will disappoint, usc will underachieve, ucla will choke as usual, dennis erickson will realize coming back to college football was a mistake and leave ASU for a career in broadcasting or fishing. slick rick will mess up in ucla and bring sanctions down on them from the NCAA,

Stanford has become one of those teams you never want to overlook because they will pop you in the mouth and make it a game no matter how much more talent you might have.

Oregon probably does have the inside track to win it this year.

USC will be interesting to watch because either the players will play for pride and go all out or they will self destruct. No matter how good they play they can't actually win any of the big prizes because of their bans. Had they not had those issues I would have said they could have made some noise this year.

[powerpack]

Wasn't Bundy enrolled in UofM law school? I know he hung in A2 when I was a kid.

Has Michigan forgiven Harbaugh he said some things about Michigan recruiting players that shouldn't be in college and not even trying to make them anything other than semi pro athletes. Rule #1 about Michigan football is do not talk bad about it. He broke rule #1.

[jbermi]

Wasn't Bundy enrolled in UofM law school? I know he hung in A2 when I was a kid.

Has Michigan forgiven Harbaugh he said some things about Michigan recruiting players that shouldn't be in college and not even trying to make them anything other than semi pro athletes. Rule #1 about Michigan football is do not talk bad about it. He broke rule #1.

bundy got his start at UW, i think he was undergrad there.

i think if rich flubs up this season, and seeing how harbaugh turned stanford around in 3 seasons, they may forgive him to try to hire him, i am sure some boosters would prefer him over Rich-Rod.

[powerpack]

Michigan loves a winner! I like Jimmy very much.

[Slowboto]

Everything I have heard is that Michigan boosters hate Rich Rod and want him out. He has no choice but to win this year because he is on the hot seat big time this year. I very much doubt Rich Rod is coaching in Ann Arbor next season. Maybe end up in the PAC10 or one of the smaller conferences like the Mountain West after this stint. Very much doubt any of the high prestige schools will take a chance on him.

[powerpack]

I agree! Then we get a smash mouth winner?

[Maverick494]

Everything I have heard is that Michigan boosters hate Rich Rod and want him out. He has no choice but to win this year because he is on the hot seat big time this year. I very much doubt Rich Rod is coaching in Ann Arbor next season. Maybe end up in the PAC10 or one of the smaller conferences like the Mountain West after this stint. Very much doubt any of the high prestige schools will take a chance on him.

See now this is where I disagree. If you are rich-rod and come into a school that was 3-9 last year, even as good as Michigan has been in the past, and you make it a winning school (say 7-5 or 8-4) then you just proved you can get the job done and I think that goes a long way toward overshadowing any bad rep you might have. If he does better (not likely) and brings the team to a 9-3, 10-2 or 11-1 season then it could be that they find a way to play nice with him for the next couple years until he can train a protege who can keep the school going in the winning direction.

Now if you come in and only improve marginally to like 5-7 I think you are right he ends up in a position with a nobody in somewhere like Idaho.

[Slowboto]

See now this is where I disagree. If you are rich-rod and come into a school that was 3-9 last year, even as good as Michigan has been in the past, and you make it a winning school (say 7-5 or 8-4) then you just proved you can get the job done and I think that goes a long way toward overshadowing any bad rep you might have. If he does better (not likely) and brings the team to a 9-3, 10-2 or 11-1 season then it could be that they find a way to play nice with him for the next couple years until he can train a protege who can keep the school going in the winning direction.

Now if you come in and only improve marginally to like 5-7 I think you are right he ends up in a position with a nobody in somewhere like Idaho.

I think 9-3 might be the bare minimum he can have this year if he wants to be there next season. 8-4 really wouldn't be all that bad considering, but I think he has had such a bad relation with the powers that be over there that he needs to have a very good record this year. 8-4 might be acceptable if one of those wins is tOSU. Not saying I agree, I think you have to give a coach a chance to get his system and players in place but I believe it is his third year so Michigan should start to see something substantial if he is going to remain there.

If he had more support from boosters and such then he probably wouldn't be in the hot seat right now. Some of this isn't his fault, a lot of people were not happy with the hire because of how different his offensive scheme is compared to the more traditional offense that Michigan normally runs. Before he even did anything he was already behind the eight ball. Then you throw in NCAA investigations and bad records and you have people looking for blood unless he starts pulling of some quick miracles and puts them back in the national spotlight immediately which isn't very realistic.

I just don't think it was a good combination. I really think he would have been better off in a Big 12 or PAC 10 school. Big 10 has very traditional teams and they prefer their power style over the spread offense that has become popular in lots of other conferences.

[powerpack]

Who decides? The athletic boosters? The regents? If the regents I dated the Chair regent in high school. Kathy White, hey Kathy it's Frank? Get rid of Rich what a joke. Pay him out and get a real coach like BO!

[Slowboto]

Who decides? The athletic boosters? The regents? If the regents I dated the Chair regent in high school. Kathy White, hey Kathy it's Frank? Get rid of Rich what a joke. Pay him out and get a real coach like BO!

Athletic Director is probably the person who has final say in such matters but anybody who watches college sports knows that big programs have powerful boosters who heavily influence how things go.

Sometimes this is a good thing and other times it is bad, it does depend on the situation. Boosters are a big reason why Bowden "retired" last year instead of this year. The reason Bowden was upset last year about everything was because there was a plan in place for him to retire after the 2010 season. He was supposed to have another season and it would have been widely known it was his last hurrah even though he wouldn't announce anything. Then came the loss to USF and that had Boosters, already ticked off about the state of the program, beginning to threaten to not donate funds anymore. The loss to uf was the final straw and many of the powerful Boosters banded together saying they would donate no more money to the program until Jimbo was put in charge. They even made promises to donate more money and pay for some major projects such as our indoor practice field when it happened. Bobby was safe up until that point because our current Athletic Director was a bad hire and was in no way qualified to handle a place like FSU and the President of the school was a former player of Bowden's and completely loyal to him. Even then Bowden still would have had this season but he was not willing to budge on coaching changes. I could go on and on about the in-fighting between old staff and new, believe me some of these former coaches should have been fired long ago but Bowden does not like to fire people. Ultimately that was what caused him to have to "retire" after last season.

College football has become a business and if you can't produce results and raise money then it doesn't matter who you are, you will get the axe. Bowden was causing the program too much money because of his stubborness with certain things. The only reason Joe Pa is kept around is because at least he hired competent coaches that keep Penn State competitive.

[Slowboto]

DAMN IT!

FSU DT McCray is out for the season with a torn ACL. Huge blow because that is the one position FSU lacks depth at and he was more than likely going to be a starter. He was also our biggest DT at 316 lbs. Third potential starter gone in the past two weeks. Carr(LB) apparently caught a case of the stupids and decided to rob a car from a nearby apartment complex and will most likely be kicked off the team after the legal process plays out. Forston(WR) was kicked off over the weekend due to failing another drug test.

[powerpack]

How come felonies and drugs keep these troubled kids off of great college football programs? I mean it is not right. Does Jessie know? I am pretty sure he would protest until payed off.

God I love college football. It used to be an honer to play, now not sure what it is.

Edit: Torn ACL? I did mine, transplant, I say back for the bowl game.

[Slowboto]

How come felonies and drugs keep these troubled kids off of great college football programs? I mean it is not right. Does Jessie know? I am pretty sure he would protest until payed off.

God I love college football. It used to be an honer to play, now not sure what it is.

Edit: Torn ACL? I did mine, transplant, I say back for the bowl game.

Some of these kids have a lot of trouble dropping bad habits they formed growing up. Sadly I know marijuana is a big thing amongst players and that is an issue at all programs.

The felonies are far less understandable. If you are a year or two out from being a potential high draft pick, why do you feel the need to rob someone? You can be making millions soon enough and while I know players wish they received a little bit more spending money from their scholarships, they aren't exactly living a poor life.

You can potentially be back by the bowl game if you are injured now but a player won't be in football shape. Actually ACL is more of a two year injury depending on positions. Watching WRs and RBs who do lots of cutting, rarely do they look as good the following year because it ends up being a mental block in some ways. They lose some of their confidence in their knee and it takes a while to get it back. He is definitely done though for the season, he didn't use his redshirt yet so he will do that. Even if he had he would have received a medical redshirt. We had a RB tear his ACL the same day but he was 5th string and unlikely to ever play. Second tear for him and he was supposed to leave after this season. He might apply for a medical hardship but I'm doubting he gets it. Feel bad for the kid but I think his football days are done.

[powerpack]

Slow you seem to know a lot about the college football scene. When I was in the Northwestern football offices many years ago. About a year after current coach Pat Fitzgerald played. All kind of reminders how you can't give the athletes rides. Maybe NW was overboard but that was extreme. Some rules seem hard to not break.

Yes pot gets many of them and that also seems harsh to me.

On the ACL you are correct on some current thought. But yes much is in the mind. Also the ACL is only for standing up straight it is not really a part of "cutting" but it does seem to be the injury. I guess the prone position sucks.

[Slowboto]

Slow you seem to know a lot about the college football scene. When I was in the Northwestern football offices many years ago. About a year after current coach Pat Fitzgerald played. All kind of reminders how you can't give the athletes rides. Maybe NW was overboard but that was extreme. Some rules seem hard to not break.

Yes pot gets many of them and that also seems harsh to me.

On the ACL you are correct on some current thought. But yes much is in the mind. Also the ACL is only for standing up straight it is not really a part of "cutting" but it does seem to be the injury. I guess the prone position sucks.

I love college football. I like the NFL but for me college is much more passionate and fun to watch. A lot of variety in schemes and players, lots of teams and lots of upsets. NFL has less variety when it comes to schemes and less disparity between teams so for the most part teams tend to be on equal footing.

Yeah, I think you can give student athletes rides, don't believe that is breaking any rules but I understand why they might have had the rule. If you were working there then they might have wanted to avoid any chance of suspicious looking activity even if it is just as simple as offering a ride. One idiot goes to the NCAA and says they think an employee is offering extra benefits to one of the players and soon enough the NCAA is sniffing around. Every program has a violation or two that can be found with enough searching so no school wants them around. NCAA is awful to have to deal with because they are as corrupt as any schools. They have their favorites which they refuse to investigate unless blatant stuff starts happening that absolutely forces them to look in order to save face and make it seem like they don't have favorites. This is why a school like USC took forever to be looked at even though for a while there were allegations against players receiving extra benefits. Then they have no precedent on punishments. Sometimes they go overly harsh and it seems like a crapshoot on whether the appeals process will work. FSU and this so called cheating scandal was an example. Yes, anybody looking at this class could see there was cheating. It was an old and simple class that hadn't changed tests or anything in a long time. It was not just athletes doing the cheating and not just football players at that, everyone was cheating because it was so easy to get answers for the tests. When coaches from the teams found out they suspended the players immediately and helped the NCAA investigate. We punished ourselves with scholarship losses and all that fun stuff. What did they do? Added onto the punishments and took away all wins with those players from before it was known there was an issue. Understandable and most figure we would get the wins back during the appeal. We were wrong, NCAA refuses to budge. The problem you say? Only a few years before OU had a couple of star players receiving money for work they did not do which is considered just as bad. Initially they had to forfeit the whole season then during appeals they were given back the wins and basically suffered nothing other than having to kick those players off the team where they transferred to other schools. They don't establish any patterns, they just go with what they feel like at the time.

Pot is an interesting situation. It's illegal still so understandable that they have rules against it. However I saw firsthand how readily available it is in college towns. Probably 95% of my friends used it. I know two others besides myself that never touched it. For me it was the fact that the government jobs I wanted all require strict polygraph testing. While using a few times doesn't disqualify you I figured that it was just easier to never try it at all and save myself any potential snags. Never bothered me though that my friends used it and I learned a lot about it all in the process. Hell some of my friends were dealers. What I'm getting at is something used by so many and is all over the place makes it hard to keep out of players hands especially when a lot of them used from a young age. This is actually why programs are hiring nutritionists. Coaches know they can't eliminate this problem entirely so nutritionists, in addition to all the other benefits they can provide, can study players and make specialized cocktails for their bodies, since each is different, that make such things harder to detect and cleanse the body.

Didn't know the ACL is more for standing up straight. I think the reason though that it affects positions that do more cutting is because a vast majority of the time that is how the tear happens, during a cut. For many players it is the first time they suffer what is considered a major injury because it ends the season for them even though the surgery is quick and recovery time is not super long. Unless you are a superstar, an ACL injury in high school really hurts your chance of being a scholarship player in a DI program. It's a huge mental hurdle for them to overcome and they lose confidence in their knee. When they do cuts at first they are freaked that it is going to tear again and it takes them a while to recover mentally. That would be why a player can play the following season but many times they don't play like they are fully recovered. Not as bad for linemen who don't have to do quite as drastic shifts with the knees although they still do some and do put a lot of weight on it so still some mental barriers to overcome.

[powerpack]

If you are into College football it can be more exciting than the pros. Watching the future pro athletes play against the mortal men can be very exiting. Size speed strength above the norm is exciting.

I am going to have to expand my horizons this year and follow more teams. Just not going to be Michigans year.

My teams and if anyone is doing very well will really stand behind and follow.
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State/Northwestern
Any other Big Ten Team
Stanford

The villians
Any Flordia team
Most southern schools

Funny I was born in the South, Chapel Hill. Oh well. For me better than the WWF and real sport.

[Slowboto]

If you are into College football it can be more exciting than the pros. Watching the future pro athletes play against the mortal men can be very exiting. Size speed strength above the norm is exciting.

I am going to have to expand my horizons this year and follow more teams. Just not going to be Michigans year.

My teams and if anyone is doing very well will really stand behind and follow.
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State/Northwestern
Any other Big Ten Team
Stanford

The villians
Any Flordia team
Most southern schools

Funny I was born in the South, Chapel Hill. Oh well. For me better than the WWF and real sport.

I tend to follow a lot of teams in general. I love to analyze things so for me watching college football and trying to figure out who stands a good chance of going all the way and who will fall is entertaining.

I follow FSU heavily and starting to follow Texas a bit more since my sister goes there. I'm not quite as familiar with their players. Also Texas recruiting ends quickly since they pull most of their players from the state. It is straight forward there, if they offer you either commit soon or someone else probably will and they will move on. While a lot of schools are moving towards filling up their classes earlier in the year, Texas still fills up quicker than all the rest. Within a few months they fill almost all their spots leaving the last few for the truly elite prospects that they are willing to wait on.

As far as teams that I hate, uf is by far #1. They are the one team where I hope they lose every game. Also not a big fan of Clemson. Their fans have ticked me off. I actually grew up a Miami fan because my family is from there but they are a rival. Just like the actual rivalry it is more about respect but I don't feel any love for them. My uncle is a huge Cane fan and he looks forward to the game against FSU. Really looking forward to it this year since I will be going down there for it. I'm sure we will have a friendly wager where the loser has to wear the gear of the loser. I dislike UVA as well just because a lot of their fans that I have met are pompous asses. I used to dislike Va Tech as well but I've actually met a lot of cool people from there and even go to know one of their players through my job although he transferred this year when they tried to convert him into a DE.

[powerpack]

Let me mention in Ann Arbor tickets are not easy to get. My Dad worked for UofM so I did see lots of games.

Living in Chicago and working in Evanston and the North Shore I can get Northwestern tickets no problem. Very nice if I wanna see a game.

I guess all we can do is wait?

[Slowboto]

There are a few places I would love to see a game at and Michigan is one of them. I know they have an immense stadium.

Notre Dame is another, I actually almost did get to go there when FSU played them. I managed to get a ticket through the student lottery but my buddy really needed one for his girlfriend who was from Chicago. I still could have gone with them even if I had kept the ticket but I went ahead and gave it to her. That was fine though because they had tickets to the Miami game which sold out and gave me one as thanks and that was a much bigger game to see.

Wouldn't mind going to Death Valley even though I hate Clemson.

Penn State and Texas would be two others.

[powerpack]

On Notre Dame I have not mentioned. Both my grandfathers went there. And being an Irish Catholic they certainly are on my radar. I am just so mad at them for so many reasons and let downs. I figure why say anything if it can't be nice.

[Slowboto]

I can't say I'm a fan of them, in fact I usually root against them.

Good news is I think their latest coach was a great hire. He does more with less and has shown he was not a fluke by doing it everywhere he goes. I really feel like Kelly will be a good fit for them and start getting them some respect again. He's already been doing good with recruiting as far as I can see.

[powerpack]

Survey I heard today. Players favor a playoff vs BCS. I can see why but do not think it will solve all. If Boise State is not invited or play the highest ranked team other than the Champion who is two and three.

I do not like BCS at all but can a playoff even work. I have doubts. Shorten the season to allow playoff games.

I would try but would like to see the system. Think would still have many of the same complaints.

What do you think on a playoff? Not going to work but could not be worse than BCS

[Slowboto]

Survey I heard today. Players favor a playoff vs BCS. I can see why but do not think it will solve all. If Boise State is not invited or play the highest ranked team other than the Champion who is two and three.

I do not like BCS at all but can a playoff even work. I have doubts. Shorten the season to allow playoff games.

I would try but would like to see the system. Think would still have many of the same complaints.

What do you think on a playoff? Not going to work but could not be worse than BCS

I absolutely hate the BVS. Every year we get closer and closer to catastrophe where we will have a few teams that should be able to go to the National Championship and they won't. It's already happened before with Auburn and Texas.

What is both a flaw and the one benefit is that the BCS almost makes every game like a playoff. Losing a regular season came can really damage your chances of winning a championship whereas the NFL you can lose a bunch of games and still have a chance. It makes the games exciting in that each week you know your team has to win if it doesn't want to hurt itself but then it is really hard on players as well who feel the constant pressure.

I think a playoff system is the way to go but I understand like most new things, there will be growing pains with the system. There will be a lot that has to be worked out and there will probably be some trial and error which is similar to what we have seen with the BCS in that aspect. A major issue with a playoff system is the number of games that could add onto a season. These aren't pro players yet, they are student athletes who aren't supposed to be focused on one sport. Pro Players can focus on their practices and games and in their free time do what they please. College athletes on the other hand have to juggle school and sport. They don't have the same kind of free time because they have to study and make sure they are keeping up with their school work rather than relax. If a playoff system is implemented we could say another 3-4 games added onto a teams season. Hopefully to alleviate some of this wear and tear on a players body they will shorten up the off-season which has already been a point of contention with college football players. Many don't realize that these kids for the most part are doing stuff with football year round unlike NFL players who get a good break after the season. After the college season ends the players get a couple of weeks and then it is Spring training. After that even fewer weeks off and then training with just the S&C coaches and follow that up with player run practices. Coaches can't be with them during this time but the kids are still out there doing stuff. Another quick break and then Summer practices followed shortly thereafter by the season. They don't get months off to unwind and recover.

No matter the system things will have to be worked out. The issue with the BCS is we keep ending up with teams being left out not because they couldn't win it all, but because they started off so low in the rankings that despite everything they did they were left out and they have no opportunity to prove they could win the big game. A playoff system should allow those teams their chance.

[powerpack]

I can't wait for the season to start. Would give us so much to talk about. The surprises, the unexpected.

Slow do you have a front runner? Not your favorite but the team you think might do it? I don't yet. A few weeks in and I might.

Is there any chance in hell Rich can pull it together for Michigan or would that be pure fantasy? I am worried teams like Iowa might hurt Michigan.

[Slowboto]

I can't wait for the season to start. Would give us so much to talk about. The surprises, the unexpected.

Slow do you have a front runner? Not your favorite but the team you think might do it? I don't yet. A few weeks in and I might.

Is there any chance in hell Rich can pull it together for Michigan or would that be pure fantasy? I am worried teams like Iowa might hurt Michigan.

I think I wrote it earlier but right now tOSU might be the team to beat. Sounds like they have a lot of vets and no straight up weaknesses. Can't say I've followed them too closely so don't know how accurate that is. A lot of the other big powers just seemed to lose way too many important players. Bama has a good chance to repeat but the problem I see with them is despite their powerful running game, it was their defense which really stole the show and they lost a huge chunk of them to the draft and graduation.

This is actually an interesting season because I can honestly say that there is no clear cut favorite this year. All teams have their issues. tOSU has some tough games on the schedule and they haven't exactly done well outside the Big 10.

[powerpack]

Michigan might do OK at 1st. They start on September 4 against Connecticut. I think we could do. Next week Notre Dame kind of a challenge who will be the loser of the Midwest. Coin toss. Then Massachusetts and Bowling Green? Am I over confident?

4-0 and all down hill from there. OK give me Indiana 5-0. Then might be some problems.

[Slowboto]

Oh and I think Michigan should be better this year but couldn't give a prediction. Normal belief is that not until the third year should there be a big improvement when there is a coaching change. Reason being is it takes that long to get the correct players for the system and the actual scheme implemented along with getting some experience. I think Michigan should be very competitive and maybe a factor in the Big 10 race. If RR can get himself another season then I think next year Michigan should be more involved with the Big 10 Championship race.

[Slowboto]

Michigan might do OK at 1st. They start on September 4 against Connecticut. I think we could do. Next week Notre Dame kind of a challenge who will be the loser of the Midwest. Coin toss. Then Massachusetts and Bowling Green? Am I over confident?

4-0 and all down hill from there. OK give me Indiana 5-0. Then might be some problems.

That first part of the schedule is very manageable. I think Kelly should do well with ND but it might be a rough first year. They lost some major players from a team that was already struggling. The others Michigan should win.

[powerpack]

Slow since you know a lot. We had a local kid maybe around the time Tom Brady but if not not really important. Drew Henson?

Signed a major contract with the Yankees.Then they discovered he couldn't hit a curve ball would be stuck in the minor leagues forever. He ended up signing with Dallas when Parcells was there. He was abruptly cut in training camp. Any Idea what his fundamental flaw was. I get not hitting a curve ball. But what was so lacking in his athletic package that Parcells cut him two weeks in I think.

This kid did walk away from sports with over a million dollars having never done anything in pro sports. I should be so lucky.

[Slowboto]

Man I hate it when football recruits are good in baseball. You never know what will happen then because baseball has all those draft picks and kids get drafted and offered all sorts of money. It's worse when they are younger because now all of a sudden they are being given all sorts of unrealistic large figures and they have to make a tough choice, take the contract or risk it and go and play college football and baseball. That signing bonus might end up being the only major money they ever make if they don't pan out but then no guarantees they will be great in college and end up in a better deal. Joe Mauer was a FSU commit. Kid was supposed to be a superstar QB but he went with baseball, that has worked out well with him and the Minnesota Twins.

I believe I know who you are talking about. Henson was a QB right? It's hard for kids to go to a minor league team and then try to make it again in football. Not unheard of though, Chris Weinke did it for FSU. Went and did baseball first then he came back to college and won a Heisman and National Championship. Pro football career didn't pan out though.

[powerpack]

Let's walk down memory lane. How is Oklahoma State going to do this year? I remember a young man named Barry Sanders. 5' 8" what a freak. Speed, speed and a little more speed. If they gave credit in the NFL for East/West yardage he would of more than doubled the current rushing record. Sad he was strapped to Detroit no chance for post season success.

Since we are talking undersized backs. You do have the Morris brothers Joe and Jamie. Giants and Red Skins. Also Garret Wolf is currently playing for Chicago he led the nation in rushing at Northern Illinois. But sad when a 6' 4" 240lbs linebacker is just as fast.

Funny story maybe I have said before but trying to get to 1,000 pages. I was 20 buying beer at a college store. Kieth Bostic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Bostic_(American_football)) was in front of me, a very large man. They card him and don't card me. He made a stink, why do they card him and not me? He had a point I was underage. I thought it was funny. But he was a very large man, biggest 220lbs person I think I have ever seen. Went on to be a hard hitter and pro bowl player.

[Slowboto]

Let's walk down memory lane. How is Oklahoma State going to do this year? I remember a young man named Barry Sanders. 5' 8" what a freak. Speed, speed and a little more speed. If they gave credit in the NFL for East/West yardage he would of more than doubled the current rushing record. Sad he was strapped to Detroit no chance for post season success.

Since we are talking undersized backs. You do have the Morris brothers Joe and Jamie. Giants and Red Skins. Also Garret Wolf is currently playing for Chicago he led the nation in rushing at Northern Illinois. But sad when a 6' 4" 240lbs linebacker is just as fast.

Funny story maybe I have said before but trying to get to 1,000 pages. I was 20 buying beer at a college store. Kieth Bostic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Bostic_(American_football)) was in front of me, a very large man. They card him and don't card me. He made a stink, why do they card him and not me? He had a point I was underage. I thought it was funny. But he was a very large man, biggest 220lbs person I think I have ever seen. Went on to be a hard hitter and pro bowl player.

OSU I'm not sure about. That's a team I don't pay much attention to. They won't win their conference so they won't be in the national title picture. Barry Sanders was on a completely different level. Speed to spare and the guy could juke like only a rare few can. I know he has a son that is being recruited. Not sure if he is a part of this recruiting class or 2012, I'll have to check that out.

I remember watching Wolf play on highlights, he was damn good at NIU. I don't know, I feel like there are some freakishly fast big guys these days. USC had that safety who was big and ran a 4.3 40.

Ha, love that story you wrote. I used to be a server at Sonny's BBQ(Southern Chain) and I knew a few of the OL guys. Had them sit at one of the large back tables where they proceeded to have an eat off. That day massive amounts of meat were consumed in that restaurant and I gave them a bunch of to go boxes filled up with ribs and pork slices.

[Slowboto]

I lucked out in that I was rarely carded, especially if I had a beard because it made me look 21+. Other times it was because I was with my Lacrosse team-mates and bars aren't going to start carding a team and have them leave, especially when that team is known for consuming massive amounts of alcohol. I miss those days. :laugh:

[powerpack]

I miss my youth also. Not sure how you are doing but it seems to me that yes I have a little more responsibility, not much. But I do have money which as a youth was always in short supply. Not tons of money but more than enough to pay for all food, drinks, cabs and even more. But not sure which was better. Struggling and appreciating all I got or now where those concerns are no more. Life might be a demon who twists her cruel fates. At least as far as me.

Oh well almost noon off today I guess I might crack a beer.

Edit: Football thread? Go Blue!

[Slowboto]

Right now I'm doing well enough that I can pay bills and still have fun from time to time but money is tight. Heading back to school for grad degrees because no other way for me to score a job I want without it.

Go Noles!

I'm pumped about football season. Going to a meet and greet next weekend for a Seminole Club that started in nearby Richmond. Should be plenty of football talk going on there. Hoping it is a good group because I'll go to Richmond for the games if it is so I can watch them with other Nole fans. Of course my productive weekends go down the drain with football season. All I do Saturday's is watch the college games and then on Sunday I watch the post game analysis along with the NFL games.

[Slowboto]

Michigan might end up with a transfer from FSU. Not sure because he can't really afford to sit a year since he only has two years left but it sounds like there might be a way for him to avoid sitting.

Anyways his name is Dionte Allen(CB) and he asked to be released and the release was granted. Kid was a Rivals 100 recruit from up in that area, most thought he would end up at Michigan but he ended up at FSU. Actually he is a talented kid but he never adjusted to the speed down South. I really expected him to transfer earlier than this but I guess because the CB race was open this season he wanted to see if he could finally get some major playing time. He was doing well in Spring but it seems with some of the new recruits arriving he once again found himself starting to get burried. If he does make it there you are still getting a good one. The kid has great size and decent speed, like I said though he just couldn't keep up with the faster kids you tend to find down in this area. He is a kid that probably should have stayed up North in the Big 10 because I think he would have made a name for himself.

[powerpack]

He is from Detroit and sure Michigan will let he be on our depth chart. Not so sure this is some kind of general speed thing or more of an individual is likely to slide ahead of him, Greg Reid.

Anyway he was top 100 in the nation (#40) he was top 2 up in our area (Michigan). So FSU loss could possibly help Michigan. But 5' 11" 183 is hardly size that would excuse speed. As a RS freshman played in 5 games last year 9, started one. I think your speed suspicions might be unfounded but I do not know. I am not familiar with this kid.

Keep in mind after this year Xotic is going to be a Big Ten company. Be careful I hear Apple wants to endorse the ACC.:p:D

[powerpack]

Michigan's Troy Woolfolk is out for a while. Dislocated ankle. Not good. He is a CB/Safety. His dad was a tailback when I was a kid.

[Slowboto]

It was definitely speed when it came to him. He's been doing a lot of speed training since getting down here but he was still having trouble with coverage on some of the faster athletes he had to face on a regular basis. Last year FSU was a mess on defense so we were throwing all sorts of players out there. Allen held his own for the most part but there were a couple of times where he would go against a speed receiver and get burned badly which normally resulted in him getting pulled. Although to be fair our man to man coverage from last season probably didn't help. He isn't a slow kid but he isn't the kind of guy who is going to be able to stick with a 4.3 40 kind of kid.

Greg Reid definitely had him beat but Dionte stayed trying to get the other spot. Unfortunately Rhodes was already looking better and JUCO CB Mike Harris and True Freshman Lamarcus Joyner both came in this Summer and they were already making a big impression and were going to start moving ahead of Allen.

I liked Allen and I think he might have played more if he hadn't been injured early on but DB has been a heavy focus for us as far as recruiting and we have been pulling in some better kids. I can say that I wish him luck because he didn't do anything stupid or illegal while here, he's leaving because it is honestly what is best for his future. I hope Michigan might be able to pick him up somehow because I think he can help you all out.

Ha, Apple won't be touching my ACC. I heard we might go with Sager, plain looking on the outside but hiding some major power under the hood. :yes:

[Howitt028]

Looks like the rumors are true that Denard Robinson has taken over the starting role at Michigan. I went to see him play in the spring game and he definitely outperformed at his position compared to Forcier and Gardner. I'm confident that he can run this offense efficiently and that Michigan will be quite a high scoring offense. He seems to have a strong arm and he definitely has the quickness, much more than former Rich Rod QB Pat White.

Defense on the other hand....oh boy. We have a long way to go here and this is where we will lose most of our games. There are a lot of experienced QB's in the Big Ten this year and that does not bode well for this defense. I'd love for us to get 8 wins, possibly beat MSU and/or OSU but I know that's asking a lot. The Rich Rod era really needs to end and we need a coach in here with the passion and determination and knowledge of Big Ten football.

[powerpack]

I just read an article a couple days ago saying Forcier was doing well back on Rich's good side? What about Wolfolk? Our most experienced secondary guy has two starts. At this point if they even brought Moeller back I would be happy. If they dug Bo up I think his corpse would do better than Rich.

I think beating Northwestern not a given (if we play them).

[Howitt028]

I just read an article a couple days ago saying Forcier was doing well back on Rich's good side? What about Wolfolk? Our most experienced secondary guy has two starts. At this point if they even brought Moeller back I would be happy. If they dug Bo up I think his corpse would do better than Rich.

I think beating Northwestern not a given (if we play them).

Forcier is back on the good side but Robinson has been the better QB. Wolfork is out for the season I'm pretty sure. We don't play Northwestern or Minnesota this season. The Indiana, Illinois, and Purdue game aren't even definite wins this season.

[Slowboto]

So looks like we'll be seeing some shootouts in the Big 10 this year, that should be interesting. I can't imagine Rich Rod being maintained with anything less than a win over OSU and a New Years Day bowl or better. Stepped on too many toes and the people in power are looking for a way to get him out.

[Slowboto]

So what do you guys think of Les Miles? He is a Michigan man I know that much. If I remember at one point he was a major target for your team but I think his struggles at LSU have him on the hot seat right now and might have turned Michigan off to him.

[Howitt028]

So what do you guys think of Les Miles? He is a Michigan man I know that much. If I remember at one point he was a major target for your team but I think his struggles at LSU have him on the hot seat right now and might have turned Michigan off to him.

As of right now, nobody locally seems to be interested in Les Miles any more. There are a lot of people saying that if Rich Rod doesn't do an amazing job this year, that he will be let go of. Michigan would need almost a New Years day bowl in order to keep him around in my opinion. Harbaugh from Stanford seems to be the guy that everybody wants to replace Rich Rod, including myself.

[Slowboto]

As of right now, nobody locally seems to be interested in Les Miles any more. There are a lot of people saying that if Rich Rod doesn't do an amazing job this year, that he will be let go of. Michigan would need almost a New Years day bowl in order to keep him around in my opinion. Harbaugh from Stanford seems to be the guy that everybody wants to replace Rich Rod, including myself.

Les apparently made some stupid choices down at LSU and since Fisher left for FSU, LSU has been on the decline. I figured that would be the case that Michigan is not interested in him. Yep, I agree with what Rich Rod needs to do in order to be considered to stay. I think he also needs to beat OSU somehow. Losing to hated rivals is never a good thing when you are on the hot seat, especially late in the season when the sting is fresh and decisions are being made. Harbaugh does seem to be the name most mentioned as being the replacement for Rich Rod.

[Howitt028]

I went to Michigan fan day yesterday...I met Tate Forcier and Devin Gardner. Tate is a pipsqueak, I've never seen such a small QB. Devin Gardner looks like the real deal physically. With more and more practice under his belt, he could become great. Vince Young ver. 2.0

[powerpack]

Howitt do you have some height or do you just mean pipsqueak for a UofM QB?

So you are hanging around the place I grew up. I grew up on Eberwhite, couple of blocks from Liberty and 7th. Went to that high school across from the Big House for a couple of years.

Ever go to the Arboretum. I played Bass in Hill Auditorium. Are you guys still painting that rock I think on the corner of Washtenaw and some other street over by the Frats.

I loved the Blue Front sold me beer from 17 years old.

OK enough A2 memories. But I was there from 4 to 23 years old. Dad was a professor and researcher. So I was one of those little punk kids you might see at the IM building. UofM country club?

[Howitt028]

Howitt do you have some height or do you just mean pipsqueak for a UofM QB?

So you are hanging around the place I grew up. I grew up on Eberwhite, couple of blocks from Liberty and 7th. Went to that high school across from the Big House for a couple of years.

Ever go to the Arboretum. I played Bass in Hill Auditorium. Are you guys still painting that rock I think on the corner of Washtenaw and some other street over by the Frats.

I loved the Blue Front sold me beer from 17 years old.

OK enough A2 memories. But I was there from 4 to 23 years old. Dad was a professor and researcher. So I was one of those little punk kids you might see at the IM building. UofM country club?

I wish I could say I grew up in A2 but that's not the case here :( I live on the east side (Fraser) and i've been a fan since as far back as I can remember. I've always followed the football team very closely and I'm never shy of showing off how much of a fan I am. Now that I'm older, I've been trying to make more and more trips to A2 to experience all that I can. Eventually I'd like to move out that way.

[powerpack]

I looked up Fraser, I have heard of many times. Was not exactly sure where it was. You are east side. Michigan deservingly has a better following than the Lions. In our part of the woods Michigan is it.

Just for Slows benefit let us talk all things Michigan. The big house is the largest (capacity) American football stadium in the world. About 110,000. When they play on Saturday it is an event. I grew up with it so kind of used to, but that is like 7 Saturdays with a bigger draw than The Rolling Stones and U2 might draw.

What is with Rodriguez and his NCAA violations? Some come from West Virginia and now he is building new ones at Michigan. Forget coaching styles or personal decisions violations are just stupid. Kind of makes me mis Loyd.

Oh well, Go Blue!

[mrmatt]

i love football and em good football player in my college man....

What position do you play? And where?

[jbermi]

What position do you play? And where?


don't feed the troll, mrmatt. lol.

the signature is a giveaway thats its a bot/troll.

[mrmatt]

I know lol I want to mock him! :laugh:

[jbermi]

I know lol I want to mock him! :laugh:

it is fun to mock the spam-bots. but taunting them seems to cause them to bring their spam-bot friends.

in other news, college football officially kicks off for me in 8 days. WSU @ Ok State.

[powerpack]

I missed the bot! Getting close. I see us talking up or down about our teams. Pro football thread not having the volume. I think College football fans are real fans.

[Slowboto]

I love college football. Don't follow the NFL nearly as much. Just don't find the Pro level as exciting.

I have to go verify my facts on Doak(FSU stadium). I know it is one of the largest brick buildings in the US if not the biggest. Also the stain glass window is one of the largest in the world.

Rich Rod was hoping to get away with the same tricks he got away with at WVU. Sounds like everyone agrees, unless he pulls off a miracle season he is done for at Michigan.

Saw an article on the Michigan/OSU game. I guess because of the conference expansion they are trying to figure out if the game should be moved to earlier in the season rather than being the last game. What do you all think of that?

Thursday starts off the season. A bunch of really bad games but I'm still happy I'll be able to watch college football again. Plan on meeting with some friends and celebrating the start.

[powerpack]

Wiki has the Doak facts, link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Bowden_Field_at_Doak_Campbell_Stadium). 14th largest in capacity. It does have some interesting claims to fame as you mentioned.

The Chicago Tribune tonight.
One division includes Northwestern, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State and Minnesota. The other division includes Illinois, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue and Indiana.
The UM/OSU game will stay the final. Good to hear if you ask me.

Michigan fans should start a fund for Rich Rod's moving expenses.

[Slowboto]

Wiki has the Doak facts, link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Bowden_Field_at_Doak_Campbell_Stadium). 14th largest in capacity. It does have some interesting claims to fame as you mentioned.

The Chicago Tribune tonight.
The UM/OSU game will stay the final. Good to hear if you ask me.

Michigan fans should start a fund for Rich Rod's moving expenses.

Yeah, capacity wise it is only 14th but I think the building style they used is why it is listed as one of the biggest brick buildings.

The only problem I see with keeping the rivalry as the last game is if you both are division leaders at the end then you play each other again immediately. Still be a sellout and all that but very hard to beat a team twice in the same season let alone one you just played.

I'm sure Michigan boosters will give him a helpful shove to get him out quickly.

[Slowboto]

Damn, I'm hungover and tired as hell....which means the first day of college football was quite successful.

Of course it doesn't help that today I've been slammed at work as our already severely understaffed branch has someone out on vacation.

Saturday will be a blast but definitely a very long day.

[Slowboto]

Go Noles! Go Big Blue!

FSU should win big. Michigan game looks like it will be interesting. I actually like Michigan, nothing against them. I've met a few fans from there over my time and they have all been nice. tOSU fans on the other hand have not been that great. Dealt with a few obnoxious ones on Thursday. A bunch of different fans for various teams and they were the only ones to act like asses.

Hope you all enjoy the first Saturday of the season.

[powerpack]

Ever seen this?

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:GRcK5JPFZ2bmUM:http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k310/ace130745/Priceless.jpg&t=1

[powerpack]

Michigan won. Question is not how good is Michigan but how bad is UConn.

Tate Forcier says he's out at Michigan.

[Slowboto]

Ever seen this?

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:GRcK5JPFZ2bmUM:http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k310/ace130745/Priceless.jpg&t=1

Ha, stay classy tOSU, stay classy!

[Slowboto]

Michigan won. Question is not how good is Michigan but how bad is UConn.

Tate Forcier says he's out at Michigan.

UConn has been a solid team the last few years. Michigan sounds like it came out looking good. Saw some highlights and the athleticism was showing. RR has had time to get his players in place so it is to be expected. Just going to have to wait and see what happens over the next few games, it should be interesting.


I'm happy right now with the performance of FSU. True it was against Samford but they went out and won big which is how it needs to be done when playing an opponent like that. We were able to get a lot of new players into the game to get some valuable experience. Next week is OU so that will be quite a game.

[powerpack]

I did a little reading on RR and his history. While I am in no way drinking the Kool-Aid yet. He does seem to start with some bad seasons and build up from their. I could justify as he needs to get those special athletes that can make his system work. It counts on speed to work. And our QB certainly looked special on Saturday.

Just one game but interesting.

I expect the same from FSU this year, another successful season.

[Slowboto]

I did a little reading on RR and his history. While I am in no way drinking the Kool-Aid yet. He does seem to start with some bad seasons and build up from their. I could justify as he needs to get those special athletes that can make his system work. It counts on speed to work. And our QB certainly looked special on Saturday.

Just one game but interesting.

I expect the same from FSU this year, another successful season.

It's the offense he uses. Does that run option spread which isn't often used so he has to bring in his type of players before you see any results. He'll have to pull off some big games to keep the job. I still believe you guys are better off without him.

So the second week of games is right around the corner. Talk about some big matches.

FSU vs OU
Penn State vs Bama
UM vs ND
Miami vs tOSU
USF vs uf
UGA vs USCe

I'm watching games all day long.

[powerpack]

I am working Saturday, I work maybe 4 Saturdays a year and I can't believe I will be working this one. Same thing last year. Going to have my TV tuner and watch Michigan game on G73.

UofM QB does not tie his shoes cracks me up.

[powerpack]

OK same as last week I will not drink the Kool-Aid but man. Robinson is rockin.

[Slowboto]

FSU got rocked but it happens. Fairly obvious that OU was looking past Utah State in that first week. Also obvious that while FSU is going in the right direction it is still going to take a while for the defense to gel in the new scheme. Offense I was a bit disappointed in. Ponder is a really good QB but he played horribly in that game. It never helps of course to start falling behind quickly because it pulls you out of your game plan.

Va Tech is having an interesting year. I thought about it some more and while I always believed they are highly over-rated, I think the stupidity of their schedule is what really screwed them in that upset game against JMU. It's extremely similar to what happened with FSU last year. You play on Monday night and lose a heart breaker. That takes its toll on players but worse yet you are now in a short week. Tuesday players are trying to recover from the Monday night game so you can't do too much. Wednesday and Thursday you practice hard but Friday is light since you are playing the next day. Only get a few days to practice for a completely different team. It's a recipe for disaster. Last year FSU lost to UM after almost coming back but Fortson dropped the pass in the end zone as time expired. Then a few days later they played Jacksonville State and nearly lost although JSU had a couple of big time recruits that transferred from bigger schools to there. Only pulled away in the final minutes. Va Tech just didn't luck out and pull off the win.

[Thundercat710]

Glad the Ducks throttled Tennessee instead of just escaping with a win. The 1st half was hard to watch though. Darron Thomas missed some throws but I was encouraged in his lack of discouragement when the Vols got up 13-3 and that stadium was going nuts. If the Ducks can get a win over Stanford in a few weeks then I'll feel much better about them taking the pac 10. They wont go undefeated though they just can't, it seems. We'll see. And i agree: Huck the Fuskies!

[Slowboto]

Time to bring this one back from the dead.

Just returned from Charlottesville for the FSU vs UVA game that was this weekend. Enjoyed the hell out of it as I hung out with a lot of good friends both new and old. Of course watching FSU throttle UVA was great. Then we went out and watched Bama beat the crap out of uf which always makes FSU fans happy. UVA fans were actually really nice even after the game. Enjoyed speaking with them.

Michigan still winning even if ugly at times. Hate to say it but looks like you're stuck with Rich Rod. Not sure you can fire a coach when he is winning like that. Your QB is probably the front runner for the Heisman right now and honestly if you win most of your games I would say he has a very good chance to win it. Only thing that hurts him is how the voters now take your record into account even though it is supposed to be how you are the best player. Sometimes one person can only do so much, but he has been tearing it up.

A lot of traditional powers have fallen off this season, no surprise there, a lot of those teams lost a lot of important players. Still not sure who will win it all. Oregon looked good last night in their win against Stanford. Now we have to see if they can finish it. Seems like when a team in the PAC10 starts building a streak they suddenly choke and lose an important one. Bama looks very strong at the moment. tOSU has done well but other than that game against Miami they haven't really played anybody. No idea what to make of OU. They are showing up for the big games and barely showing up for anything else. Boise State remains in that awkward position. Beating everyone but not being in BCS conference greatly hinders their chances of making it to the big game. Oregon jumped them in the latest poll, basically have to hope for a whole bunch of upsets if they want to get in.

[jbermi]

Time to bring this one back from the dead.

Just returned from Charlottesville for the FSU vs UVA game that was this weekend. Enjoyed the hell out of it as I hung out with a lot of good friends both new and old. Of course watching FSU throttle UVA was great. Then we went out and watched Bama beat the crap out of uf which always makes FSU fans happy. UVA fans were actually really nice even after the game. Enjoyed speaking with them.

Michigan still winning even if ugly at times. Hate to say it but looks like you're stuck with Rich Rod. Not sure you can fire a coach when he is winning like that. Your QB is probably the front runner for the Heisman right now and honestly if you win most of your games I would say he has a very good chance to win it. Only thing that hurts him is how the voters now take your record into account even though it is supposed to be how you are the best player. Sometimes one person can only do so much, but he has been tearing it up.

A lot of traditional powers have fallen off this season, no surprise there, a lot of those teams lost a lot of important players. Still not sure who will win it all. Oregon looked good last night in their win against Stanford. Now we have to see if they can finish it. Seems like when a team in the PAC10 starts building a streak they suddenly choke and lose an important one. Bama looks very strong at the moment. tOSU has done well but other than that game against Miami they haven't really played anybody. No idea what to make of OU. They are showing up for the big games and barely showing up for anything else. Boise State remains in that awkward position. Beating everyone but not being in BCS conference greatly hinders their chances of making it to the big game. Oregon jumped them in the latest poll, basically have to hope for a whole bunch of upsets if they want to get in.


meh. friggin' Ducks. we were so close to being 36-30 going into the forth and puling off the biggest upset of the year. (WSU alum) team is so young and raw but getting better, i think we had 8 true freshman playing or starting.

now bama choked on some gamecock, there. LOL.

[powerpack]

Michigan lose to State? I am in therapy currently.

[Slowboto]

FSU blew out Miami, I'm riding high. We're trying to take it one game at a time in Tally but there is a lot of optimism right now. This is a very young team still and we should only be getting better.

Sorry PP about Michigan. Still you guys haven't done bad and I still feel your QB is playing at the highest level right now.

I saw a bit of the WSU game as well, they definitely held on for a while and gave Oregon a scare.

Bama choked big time. USCe popped them in their mouths and Bama never seemed to get back into it. Their bread and butter is their run game and USCe did a good job shutting it down. Of course as the game goes on it meant they could rely less on the run because it burns off so much time. McElroy is not a great QB and will never win a game himself. Probably didn't help at all that Julio Jones broke his hand early in the game and he is by far their best receiver.

[jbermi]

FSU blew out Miami, I'm riding high. We're trying to take it one game at a time in Tally but there is a lot of optimism right now. This is a very young team still and we should only be getting better.

Sorry PP about Michigan. Still you guys haven't done bad and I still feel your QB is playing at the highest level right now.

I saw a bit of the WSU game as well, they definitely held on for a while and gave Oregon a scare.

Bama choked big time. USCe popped them in their mouths and Bama never seemed to get back into it. Their bread and butter is their run game and USCe did a good job shutting it down. Of course as the game goes on it meant they could rely less on the run because it burns off so much time. McElroy is not a great QB and will never win a game himself. Probably didn't help at all that Julio Jones broke his hand early in the game and he is by far their best receiver.


FSU is looing good, Ponder is getting better and may live up to high expectations that seemed to come his way in the preseason.

considering the amount of underclassman we play, WSU will be a tough team to beat in the coming years if they play like that.

i think USCe showed the game plan needed to beat Bama. keep them from running up the score early and stop the run and force the game into mcelroy's hands.

I am hoping mich gets its act together for tOSU and beats the buckeyes. :biggrin:

[Slowboto]

FSU is looing good, Ponder is getting better and may live up to high expectations that seemed to come his way in the preseason.

considering the amount of underclassman we play, WSU will be a tough team to beat in the coming years if they play like that.

i think USCe showed the game plan needed to beat Bama. keep them from running up the score early and stop the run and force the game into mcelroy's hands.

I am hoping mich gets its act together for tOSU and beats the buckeyes. :biggrin:

Ponder unfortunately got a nasty arm bruise in the OU game that killed any hopes of a Heisman. He really had trouble throwing until the UVA game. Doesn't help that our young WRs were making a lot of stupid mistakes as well. In any case all we need from Ponder is smart decisions and keeping defenses honest which he has done and done well. We have a stable of backs that will only get better when we bring in the next group of guys. Our OL depth is good and the starters are some of the best in the nation as a group, only Wisconsin is really better, combine that with our backs and we can run the ball like few teams can and yet we still have the talent to make people pay through the air, it's just very young.

Having a young team sucks at first but once they get through those growing pains it typically results in a much better team.

USCe definitely showed what you do against Bama. McElroy is like a poor mans Ken Dorsey(UM QB from the early 2000s). No athletic ability and isn't going to make crazy throws. Just avoids stupid mistakes, he won't really lose you the game but he won't win it for you either. Dorsey was a better decision maker though and then it helped that he had playmakers all over the place as well as an OL that was just phenomenal. Teams want to force McElroy to try and win it because he doesn't have enough to beat you in the air, especially if Jones is at less than 100%.

I really want Michigan to beat tOSU.

[jbermi]

Ponder unfortunately got a nasty arm bruise in the OU game that killed any hopes of a Heisman. He really had trouble throwing until the UVA game. Doesn't help that our young WRs were making a lot of stupid mistakes as well. In any case all we need from Ponder is smart decisions and keeping defenses honest which he has done and done well. We have a stable of backs that will only get better when we bring in the next group of guys. Our OL depth is good and the starters are some of the best in the nation as a group, only Wisconsin is really better, combine that with our backs and we can run the ball like few teams can and yet we still have the talent to make people pay through the air, it's just very young.

Having a young team sucks at first but once they get through those growing pains it typically results in a much better team.

USCe definitely showed what you do against Bama. McElroy is like a poor mans Ken Dorsey(UM QB from the early 2000s). No athletic ability and isn't going to make crazy throws. Just avoids stupid mistakes, he won't really lose you the game but he won't win it for you either. Dorsey was a better decision maker though and then it helped that he had playmakers all over the place as well as an OL that was just phenomenal. Teams want to force McElroy to try and win it because he doesn't have enough to beat you in the air, especially if Jones is at less than 100%.

I really want Michigan to beat tOSU.

young teams and a shift in powers seems to be having its toll on Florida, Texas and USC(well they have their own issues)...a writer on espn pointed out their are 17 Div 1A schools in texas and california combined, only 2 are ranked, Stanford and TCU..

I think the big 12 could be nebraska's if they keep playing this well...would be a nice parting shot for them as they join the big 10 next year.

SEC seems to be in USCe's hands if they keep this play up, they will face auburn or bama in the SEC championship.

if tOSU survives the badgers this weekend, they may roll on to the BCS championship.

I am still hoping someone trips up TCU and nevada beats BSU.

an Oregon-Nebraska championship game would be an offensive scoring fest. forget defenses. lol.

still got another half of season to go...gonna be interesting.

[Slowboto]

young teams and a shift in powers seems to be having its toll on Florida, Texas and USC(well they have their own issues)...a writer on espn pointed out their are 17 Div 1A schools in texas and california combined, only 2 are ranked, Stanford and TCU..

I think the big 12 could be nebraska's if they keep playing this well...would be a nice parting shot for them as they join the big 10 next year.

SEC seems to be in USCe's hands if they keep this play up, they will face auburn or bama in the SEC championship.

if tOSU survives the badgers this weekend, they may roll on to the BCS championship.

I am still hoping someone trips up TCU and nevada beats BSU.

an Oregon-Nebraska championship game would be an offensive scoring fest. forget defenses. lol.

still got another half of season to go...gonna be interesting.

Texas is hurting from youth, the other two are falling off because of other issues. USC just has all sorts of problems and distractions, it is going to take a while to restore things there. They have lost that air of invincibility and the probation is going to affect recruiting for a bit. uf lost some important players but what is really hurting them is bad coaching. Charlie Strong(DC) was truly the best thing they had going for them. He knows how to make a great defense and better yet he was their best recruiter because he actually had class and knew how to get along well with recruits and their coaches. Him going to Louisville was probably the biggest loss they suffered, even more so than their beloved Teblow. Throw that in with some of the other coaching losses and then bad replacements and now they are flipping roles with FSU. They have the talent, they don't have the proper coaching. Also meyer is an idiot, he won't switch his system even though he doesn't have a QB right now who can run it. He is getting one this year but that doesn't do squat for him right now. Brantley really isn't a bad QB, but he is more of a pocket passer. meyer is killing him with the running plays and he is a couple of shots away from being taken out for the rest of the season. He already has cracked ribs and it is affecting his motions.

Texas takes on Nebraska this week but unfortunately I think the Longhorns continue the losing streak. Nebraska is playing at a high level right now and they are definitely pissed about last years Big 12 Championship game, although I think the right call was made but McCoy definitely almost blew it. I think it is between them and OU on who wins the conference. No idea what to make of OU. They looked like a team on a mission for the FSU game but all their other games they have looked beatable. I'm not going to complain, most think it was probably the best thing that could have happened to FSU. We came into that game thinking we had accomplished something already and OU reminded us we haven't done crap yet. Since that point FSU has been improving greatly and playing on a very high level.

SEC is a toss up but right now AU, Bama, and USCe are the favorites. USCe has been a surprise for me. I think they have played with a nothing to lose attitude and it is working.

You are right about tOSU. Another favorable schedule for them, if they get past Wisconsin they do look good to win out.

TCU, Nevada, and BSU....our BCS busters for the year. Guess we will see what they do. Have to give credit to BSU, they play at a high level each game. I think they have to because they know they have to dominate to be in consideration for the BCS title game.

Man a Oregon/Nebraska matchup would be fun to watch. That would probably result in a crazy high combined score. Of course I think most of us thought that last year about TCU and BSU and it didn't go that way.

[Slowboto]

Oh and I can say this about uf, me and some of my friends know somebody that works for the team. Before the season started he stated that if something were to happen to Brantley then they were screwed because the other QBs are awful. Well they are very close to finding out how true that is.

[jbermi]

Oh and I can say this about uf, me and some of my friends know somebody that works for the team. Before the season started he stated that if something were to happen to Brantley then they were screwed because the other QBs are awful. Well they are very close to finding out how true that is.

imagine if Cam Newton stayed at florida? if auburn wins the SEC, the heismen is his.

if things play out and BSU, TCU, UO, tOSU and a big 12 team ends up undefeated, I think the big 12 team winner vs UO would be the ideal matchup. though an BSU-UO or tOSU-UO rematch would be interesting.

I think it will take a full recruiting cycle(3-4 years) and maybe some coaching changes for Texas, USC and UF to be on top of the game, again. Kids these days realize that they don't have to go to the best schools to make it to the NFL, they just have to go somewhere they can get playing time, and when a team gets loads of 4-5 star recruits, playing time can be hard to get until its too late....so they look elsewhere, at least thats how I see it trending at the moment, seems to shift around every few years.

Charlie Strong at louisville is a steal of a hire, they like him a lot over there. it was always said he would make a great head coach somewhere. I think Meyer is overrated as a coach because he doesn't adapt well to changes...he has had a system quarterback every year until Brantley.

[Slowboto]

imagine if Cam Newton stayed at florida? if auburn wins the SEC, the heismen is his.

if things play out and BSU, TCU, UO, tOSU and a big 12 team ends up undefeated, I think the big 12 team winner vs UO would be the ideal matchup. though an BSU-UO or tOSU-UO rematch would be interesting.

I think it will take a full recruiting cycle(3-4 years) and maybe some coaching changes for Texas, USC and UF to be on top of the game, again. Kids these days realize that they don't have to go to the best schools to make it to the NFL, they just have to go somewhere they can get playing time, and when a team gets loads of 4-5 star recruits, playing time can be hard to get until its too late....so they look elsewhere, at least thats how I see it trending at the moment, seems to shift around every few years.

Charlie Strong at louisville is a steal of a hire, they like him a lot over there. it was always said he would make a great head coach somewhere. I think Meyer is overrated as a coach because he doesn't adapt well to changes...he has had a system quarterback every year until Brantley.

Texas is still one of the most talented teams in the nation. They are good to go in that department and even good in coaching. Their issue is they lost their best weapons on offense, McCoy and Shipley made up a lot of their offense, and lost a lot of talent on defense to the draft. They are strictly dealing with growing pains. What Mack Brown needs to do though is bring back a run game. They went to almost all passing with McCoy and that just won't cut it now and it cost them dearly last season. They do have one 5* RB coming in this class.

uf has talent as well although meyer is starting to make some of the same mistakes FSU made. They are branching out too much and pulling players from all over the nation and leaving in-state players. I'm already hearing that some of the major players they pulled from lasts years highly touted class are being seen as busts. uf still is fairly loaded but they don't have proper coaches now to keep them at the elite level.

Now USC is going to be another story, they probably will need a few recruiting classes because of this whole NCAA issue. A lot of players left and their next couple of classes will suffer. They are in real trouble.

Cam Newton probably will win the Heisman if Auburn wins the SEC. Robinson isn't out though if he wins out with Michigan.

I agree with what you said about those undefeated teams. If they all go undefeated then it's going to be a BCS fiasco. That will really push the playoff talks.

[jbermi]

Texas is still one of the most talented teams in the nation. They are good to go in that department and even good in coaching. Their issue is they lost their best weapons on offense, McCoy and Shipley made up a lot of their offense, and lost a lot of talent on defense to the draft. They are strictly dealing with growing pains. What Mack Brown needs to do though is bring back a run game. They went to almost all passing with McCoy and that just won't cut it now and it cost them dearly last season. They do have one 5* RB coming in this class.

uf has talent as well although meyer is starting to make some of the same mistakes FSU made. They are branching out too much and pulling players from all over the nation and leaving in-state players. I'm already hearing that some of the major players they pulled from lasts years highly touted class are being seen as busts. uf still is fairly loaded but they don't have proper coaches now to keep them at the elite level.

Now USC is going to be another story, they probably will need a few recruiting classes because of this whole NCAA issue. A lot of players left and their next couple of classes will suffer. They are in real trouble.

Cam Newton probably will win the Heisman if Auburn wins the SEC. Robinson isn't out though if he wins out with Michigan.

I agree with what you said about those undefeated teams. If they all go undefeated then it's going to be a BCS fiasco. That will really push the playoff talks.

I agree on florida and texas, some minor changes in gameplanning and getting the proper players in place and and get some experience, 2 or 3 years and they are good to go, neither meyer or brown should be concerned about job security.

now USC is bitchin up a storm about the new PAC 12 alignment. aligning the northern cal scholls with the washington and oregon schools in one division. and then the so cal, arizona schools, and utah and colorado in the other. USC wanted the no cal school in the same division. I think the planned alignment is good. and will work. especially since they will still play 9 conference games and 3 non con. the AD's voted 7-5 in favor of the plan. now its up to the presidents of the schools to vote on it. they have final say.

for USC to recover they need to get 2 or 3 good classes of recruits in to replenish their ranks. which i don't see as a problem. but I see Kiffin as their issue. he had baggage coming in to USC and it seems to follow USC around. I think Carroll got out in time before the hammer really fell.

[Slowboto]

I agree on florida and texas, some minor changes in gameplanning and getting the proper players in place and and get some experience, 2 or 3 years and they are good to go, neither meyer or brown should be concerned about job security.

now USC is bitchin up a storm about the new PAC 12 alignment. aligning the northern cal scholls with the washington and oregon schools in one division. and then the so cal, arizona schools, and utah and colorado in the other. USC wanted the no cal school in the same division. I think the planned alignment is good. and will work. especially since they will still play 9 conference games and 3 non con. the AD's voted 7-5 in favor of the plan. now its up to the presidents of the schools to vote on it. they have final say.

for USC to recover they need to get 2 or 3 good classes of recruits in to replenish their ranks. which i don't see as a problem. but I see Kiffin as their issue. he had baggage coming in to USC and it seems to follow USC around. I think Carroll got out in time before the hammer really fell.

I think USC will recruit well but that level of success they had the last decade is gone. It was disappearing before the hammer was brought down. The other schools in the PAC-10 started putting together coaching staffs that made them competitive and it was getting harder for USC to keep every all-star recruit over there. Now all they did was blow the door wide open. All of those teams are going to take advantage of USC being down. Jury is still out on Kiffin as well. He is one cocky son of a bitch, that is for sure. The thing is he hasn't had that great of a record in his HC stops. NFL is a different beast so I won't hold that against him but he wasn't around Tennessee long enough either to make any decisions on whether he was good. He put together a fairly good staff and Tennessee played competitively last season despite some major shortcomings. Still I guess you can only take so much from all of that. Now USC is struggling but that isn't so much his fault as the fault of the sanctions and all the issues that has caused. I think it is going to be a while before we can decide how good of a HC he might be. He won't have it easy though and if he doesn't get it done there then I think this will be his last high profile job for a while.

[jbermi]

and texas plays the role of upsetter..andtOSUis losing atthe moment.

and auburn is a scoring machine...
rankings should be interesting..

MSU and Mizzoushould benefit greatly.

and UK beats USCe...what a day of football.

[powerpack]

OSU and Michigan both lose.

[Slowboto]

FSU decided to have a let down game against BC and give me and my club near heart attacks. Thankfully they won in the end which is what matters for me. Still it is fairly obvious that Ponder is not the same QB he was last season before his injury at Clemson. Before that point he was actually leading the nation in a lot of big stats. Only thing was our defense was so bad that we kept losing a lot of games and so guys like McCoy and Teblow got more publicity. Anyways Ponder lacks the zip and accuracy he displayed last season. He has been floating a lot of balls and BC took advantage of that and jumped on his passes. Nearly cost us the game. Still a great leader and isn't the worse passer, but clearly his shoulder injury has hurt him more than expected.

Of course to add to my happines, uf loses its third straight game and to Miss State. They are in turmoil down in Gainesville and I couldn't be happier about it.

[Slowboto]

Well Oregon looks like it should at least be going to the National Championship if not winning it. Not sure who they will end up playing just yet. Auburn still has a tough game against Bama and I wonder if something will come out of this Cam Newton news. He carries that team on his shoulders.

[acbatchelor]

Maybe someone should start a poll about the popular topic in college football now. Playoffs vs. BCS

[jbermi]

my team finally got the monkey off their back and dominated the beavs.

oregon v. tcu in national championship.
auburn will get beat, before then...either bama or gamecocks in the SEC championship. Cam will not win the heisman, voters will be worried this will be Reggie Bush deja vu. He deserves it, but i think Luck or James will win it. with Moore and blackmon(dez bryant who?) the darkhorses, it will be a very close race.

stanford will still be/is the best one loss team in the nation.
big ten is killing themselves. they have 3 teams at the top, and all of them could win their last 2 games, OSU, MSU and WIS are all 5-1 in big 10 play. Michigan could be the difference, they play both OSU and WIS. I think MSU holds the tie breakers since they have beat WIS...they so need nebraska next year for a conference championship game.

big east is a joke. syracuse is on their way to a BCS game...or pitt.
looks like another rematch in the big 12 championship game. OkState v Nebraska. would love for nebraska to win it on their way out of town on their way to the big 10.

[acbatchelor]

oregon should have lost this week. I hope they lose one of their last two games. I think they are overrated because the only team they played all year that I consider really good is Stanford (and I think Stanford would have won 2 out of 3).

I hope the NCAA finds something on Newton and suspends him before the SEC championship. He can't be completely innocent from all the different allegations they have on him.

Anyway, I hope that either Boise State or TCU gets a shot at the national title. And this is why I wish there was a playoff system. Then they both would have a shot.

[jbermi]

I don't really think oregon is overrated at all. they are a very good team that is rather well coached (chip kelly is a genius) and have great playmakers. their defense was viewed as a weakness early on but has steadily improved over the course of the season. I am a PAC 10 fan, (WSU alum) so I may be biased towards them, a little.

only conferences that will get 2 teams in the BCS bowls, will be PAC 10 (oregon and standford) and the big 10 will have wisconsin and either MSU or tOSU. big east and ACC are rather sad this year...maybe they need to merge into a super conference and shed some weaker teams. SEC has a chance to put 2 teams in the BCS, LSU and the winner of the SEC, depends if LSU wins out and BSU or TCU take a loss and if stanford wins out.

I am rather anti-playoff, i think as a season plays out the cream does rise to the top. and if TCU, Auburn and Oregon and BSU win out, the 2 best will in the championship gam and the other 2 will face off in another BCS bowl, is my guess if things play out. stranger things have happened...nevada or fresno could upset BSU, LSU could lose to Arkansas, South Carolina could win the SEC. I think it will sort itself out...

[Slowboto]

I don't really think oregon is overrated at all. they are a very good team that is rather well coached (chip kelly is a genius) and have great playmakers. their defense was viewed as a weakness early on but has steadily improved over the course of the season. I am a PAC 10 fan, (WSU alum) so I may be biased towards them, a little.

only conferences that will get 2 teams in the BCS bowls, will be PAC 10 (oregon and standford) and the big 10 will have wisconsin and either MSU or tOSU. big east and ACC are rather sad this year...maybe they need to merge into a super conference and shed some weaker teams. SEC has a chance to put 2 teams in the BCS, LSU and the winner of the SEC, depends if LSU wins out and BSU or TCU take a loss and if stanford wins out.

I am rather anti-playoff, i think as a season plays out the cream does rise to the top. and if TCU, Auburn and Oregon and BSU win out, the 2 best will in the championship gam and the other 2 will face off in another BCS bowl, is my guess if things play out. stranger things have happened...nevada or fresno could upset BSU, LSU could lose to Arkansas, South Carolina could win the SEC. I think it will sort itself out...

Every team usually has a close game and Oregon just had their game. They still won which is what matters. I don't think they are unstoppable but they are a good team and that offense is very dangerous.

Auburn is the Cam Newton show and that team is nothing without him. This is why Auburn might as well play him even if down the line they have to vacate all the wins and whatever trophies they might get with him playing. It sounds like there was indeed some shady stuff going on in the background and that there is evidence. Auburn fans better enjoy the limelight now, they are going to get hit with the ban hammer...hard. Not that I fully blame Auburn, the fact is they need to cheat and pay players to compete with Bama, who is notorious for this sort of thing. Believe the stories about Bama, that team is straight up dirty and money is thrown around quite frequently. It happens at most big schools in one way or another. Nobody these days runs a completely clean program. What Auburn wasn't counting on was someone to snitch like they did and honestly it wouldn't surprise me if urban meyer was behind it all as some have suspected because of the timing of the announcement. Yes I'm a Nole so obviously I have no love for the man, but I've spoken with many who have dealt with him personally and the man is a complete douche bag.

As far as Cam and the Heisman goes, all the allegations are probably going to hurt him with voting but if we are talking just what he has done on the field and ignore all else then Cam is the clear cut winner right now. That kid is a game changer and really is the best player right now in college.

Unfortunately the Big East is exactly where the ACC is going to pull from come Super Conference time and that is why I want FSU out of there. There are no real good Big East teams and I don't see the ACC competing with a Super Big 10 or Super SEC.

I hate the BCS and fully support a playoff. BCS system is broken and has been for a long time. A one loss team is a one loss team and yet the BCS makes a loss hurt much more if you lose later on in the season as opposed to the beginning regardless of the situation. A team could lose to Sisters of the Blind at the beginning of the season and win out and somehow make it to the championship game over another one loss team who might have just lost to the #1 team in the nation but did it late and played and beat better competition before then. It makes no sense. Then you have teams like Boise State that just win but they can't find a way into that game unless some really major flukes happen. Now I agree that it sucks that they play next to noone because of their weak conference but it doesn't help that good teams won't play them because of how the BCS works and it isn't worth the risk for them. Hard as well for BSU to go to another conference because of their location.

Playoffs won't be a complete fix right off the back, I'm sure there will be issues, but I think it will work much better than the BCS. Oh and we can still have bowl games for non-playoff teams, just don't need quite as many. Someone was saying that there are so many now that teams with losing records might actually be in a bowl. That's just sad.

[powerpack]

Slow I like your points. Some are things I really am not up on but what I think I am I agree.

A win is a win. I am sick of running up scores and getting BCS points. All major programs are corrupt? Yea looking that way. Some more than others. Michigan is guilty of a little. Right now I am thinking Stanford might be the only one that is not. Even Northwestern in the past had some minor issues.

That said I am all for stipends for college athletes. The poor athletes are less able to work during season than other students. I don't think this would stop all but I would feel better slamming those who are found guilty of violating rules.

This is my tangent tonight not sure I put a lot of thought into so feel free to disagree with reason.

[Slowboto]

Thanks PP.

Michigan was probably a much cleaner program before Rich Rod. That is a guy who will bend and break rules whenever he can. It has already proved semi problematic for you all, hopefully it doesn't become a full blown issue in the future. Unfortunately it looks like you all might be stuck with him for now. He really needs to improve that defense though.

Stipends for the players might work. Something needs to be changed in the system. Here is where I feel for the players, they have to play football nearly year round. Even the NFL gives players breaks so they can recover. However in college ball you are practicing for almost the entire year, just sometimes not with coaches. Players only get little breaks in between. Finish the season, get a few weeks and then start weight lifting followed by spring practice, 2 weeks off, player run practices and weight lifting, 2 weeks off, two-a-days and Summer practice, week off, fall practice, then the season. Throw in classes on top of all of that. Even if the kids wanted to work they have no time for it. They get some allowance from the NCAA but lets all remember college for a sec, we know sometimes we get wild and crazy and spend more money than usual at times. I mean a lot of their stuff is paid for but fun activities are not(at least not legally which is why boosters secretly give money to the kids). I'm not saying that they should, because then we might as well have agents for kids and it becomes a bidding war. I'm just saying these kids are basically in a more intense situation than the NFL, they need to be cut some slack and be given a bit more. Yes free education and board and all that, they are also making a ton of the money for the University as well, depending on the school of course. I honestly think they should have to practice less in the year and give them longer breaks along with increasing spending money for them by a decent amount.

[acbatchelor]

Personally, I am getting tired of players getting in trouble because a friend loaned him his car, or paying for his hotel room even when the player pays him back for the room a couple of days later. The NCAA is trying to say you can't have friends if you play football. These are things that happen because they are friends, not because he is a football player.

I think the NCAA announced they have found out that Vernon Davis (who is now in the NFL) received improper benefits totaling $20. I guess someone gave him a pack of cigarettes or something. :biggrin: I don't know why they would even bother with this.

[Slowboto]

Personally, I am getting tired of players getting in trouble because a friend loaned him his car, or paying for his hotel room even when the player pays him back for the room a couple of days later. The NCAA is trying to say you can't have friends if you play football. These are things that happen because they are friends, not because he is a football player.

I think the NCAA announced they have found out that Vernon Davis (who is now in the NFL) received improper benefits totaling $20. I guess someone gave him a pack of cigarettes or something. :biggrin: I don't know why they would even bother with this.

Ha, I missed that Vernon Davis news. Wow, a whole $20.

Yeah, it gets ridiculous what counts as violations at times. Players sometimes have to be really careful because the NCAA can twist a lot of stuff around and claim improper benefits on stupid stuff. Sad thing is there are certain programs they won't investigate no matter how obvious the violations have been.

[Slowboto]

Auburn and Oregon play today. Might very well be the two teams to play for the championship. I think Oregon stands a good chance of making it. Auburn has its work cut out for it. Bama is probably going to be the best defense that they play. Auburn is a one man team and it will be interesting to see how well he does against the Bama defense and they play over in Tuscaloosa which won't help. Going to be an interesting Iron Bowl. Of course I'm a bit pissed off at the moment because I'm working during the game so I'm not going to be able to watch it. I'm also interested to see if a rumor comes to fruition. Apparently some guy and some friends bought a crap ton of Monopoly money and plan on throwing it over Auburn as they enter the stadium.

[Wrexhavok]

Say they were selling tshirts that said Scam Newton as well. Gonna be a very tough day for Auburn today. I think they lose. I wonder if lsu wins out if they jump tcu and Boise st to play in the title game. On a side note my Huskers need to beat Colorado today to win the big 12 north, Go Huskers

[Slowboto]

Say they were selling tshirts that said Scam Newton as well. Gonna be a very tough day for Auburn today. I think they lose. I wonder if lsu wins out if they jump tcu and Boise st to play in the title game. On a side note my Huskers need to beat Colorado today to win the big 12 north, Go Huskers

Not a good start for Auburn that is for sure. Still early though so we will see what happens. I think they are about to be exposed though. Everyone knows it was Cam carrying that team but I have a hard time seeing him put up superstar stats against the Bama defense and while Bama isn't an offensive juggernaut, they have some superstar offensive players who will make you pay. Two of which being the first two guys to score, Mark Ingram and Julio Jones.

Well while some might feel a one loss SEC team deserves to go over Boise and TCU, unfortunately for LSU there is no way they can go. At least last I saw the rules said they couldn't. You have to win your conference championship to go to the title game and Auburn, win or lose, wins the tie-breaker over LSU and goes to the SEC title game no matter what. Unless that rule is no longer a part of the system then LSU can't jump them. It was made because of that whole debacle with OU a few years back. They were absolutely destroying everyone and then they lost to Colorado in the Big 12 Championship. However OU still made it to the title game which they also lost. Always laugh at that because all that they did during the regular season means little because they lost the two title games. I guess they did beat their rival in Texas but that was it.

Good luck to Nebraska. Texas is my second favorite team and their season is done. If you end up against TAMU then I hope you put a beating on them.

[Slowboto]

Damn. My cousin goes to Auburn, he must be livid at the moment. They are getting schooled. I hope FSU races out to an early lead like that this Saturday against uf.

[powerpack]

Today 11:00am CST the big game.

[jbermi]

like i have said...who needs a playoff...it will all get sorted out. buhbye BSU. hello auburn....auburn just has to knock off the gamecocks and UO take care of the beavers...and the national championship is set. TCU gets screwed, though.

[Slowboto]

Sorry about the loss PP.

Obviously I'm riding high right now, FSU beat down uf badly. :D

[powerpack]

I guess we can't really bitch about Oregon and Auburn? Not like Boise and TCU?

BigTen 3 in top ten, looks good unless we lose all our bowl games. Remember back when Iowa was supposed to be good?

[Slowboto]

Oregon and Auburn have done everything they have needed to do so far to get into the big game. They have won all their games and just have to do it once more. They have played good opponents and beaten them, I have no problem with them going.

Should be an interesting matchup if it happens. I'm expecting a shootout. Auburn defense sucks so Oregon should put up points. Cam Newton is a one man show who has managed to get it done against top notch defenses so he should be able to shred the Oregon defense.

TCU didn't do anything wrong but they also didn't face the same kind of competition. Another victim of the BCS fiasco.

[powerpack]

Michigan would crush TCU two out of three!

[Wrexhavok]

Michigan would crush TCU two out of three!

Nope TCUs defense is too good, its their O that hurts them.

[Slowboto]

So PP what is the word on Rich Rod, is he done at Michigan?

[jbermi]

i think rich rod is walking a fine line.

miami canning shannon makes things interesting with miami being a rather high profile job open. rumor is gruden...which makes little sense. but oh well.

[Wrexhavok]

I don't think there is anyway Gruden goes to miami.

Auburn vs Oregon, all I know is I'm betting the over.

Nebraska vs Oklahoma perfect game to end the big 12, I don't know if my Huskers can win as beat up as we are. :(

[Slowboto]

Gruden has already turned it down apparently. High profile name but not sure how well it would have worked. Gruden apparently runs very complicated offenses that would have been hard for the college kids to grasp. More importantly Gruden has been on record as saying he doesn't care for the recruiting aspect of college and that is key these days. Now Miami is a bit of a special situation in that they sit in one of the richest talent areas in the nation so less recruiting travel involved.

On the flip side while Miami was a high profile draw, there are some major drawbacks now. They don't have their own stadium and their training facilities are in poor condition now. Private school that doesn't draw in a lot of money like some other schools, Miami can't afford much of anything right now.

Tommy Tubberville and Mike Leach are the guys I'm hearing mentioned a lot. They are going to go after a guy who has HC experience if they can, Miami can't afford to mess up the hire and risk once again getting a guy who is a first time HC.

I'm hoping for a Auburn vs Oregon match just because there should be some offensive fireworks that game. Would be interesting to see that match.

I'll cheer for Nebraska, I hate OU.

[Slowboto]

So TCU is leaving the Mountain West to go to the Big East. Guess they were tired of all the BS as well. I feel almost bad for Boise State because they join the Mountain West soon but all the other "good" teams are now leaving. BYU, Utah, and now TCU are all gone. The conference itself would have been decent with those four teams.

Don't blame TCU, they had an opportunity and they took it. Big East isn't all that great so as long as TCU keeps doing what it does, it should be able to make it to a BCS bowl on a regular basis and better yet, they don't have to go undefeated to do that.

[Slowboto]

Well urban meyer is retiring...again. This time it looks like he means it and won't be coming back the next day. Not that it really matters, I'm fairly sure this time around uf wouldn't take him back even if he wanted to.

Happy to know that FSU finished his career off there. I doubt he stays out of coaching forever but I think his reputation has taken a massive hit. His first two years where he has struggled as a HC and he quit both years. That doesn't look good when he decides to come back since it shows he can't cut it when there is adversity.

Auburn vs Oregon for the national championship...seriously if someone put in a bet for that at the beginning of the season then they won some big time money. I could see people taking a guess on Oregon but no way anybody could have predicted Auburn, more importantly Cam Newton. One man show and is a dominating force on the field. I've seen only a few college players change the game like he does. Sure he got paid to play, his dad fell on the sword for now but eventually evidence will be found showing Cam knew, but he still tore it up on the field just the same as Bush tore it up for USC. Take away the trophies when found guilty, because those players are ineligible and should not have won them, but you can't take away what they did. Innocent until proven guilty, there is just no reason for him not to be awarded the Heisman. None of those other players come even close to doing what he did for his team. I'm looking forward to the championship game, it should hopefully be an offensive display with a very high combined score.

[Slowboto]

Nebraska vs Oklahoma perfect game to end the big 12, I don't know if my Huskers can win as beat up as we are. :(

Nebraska started off right but started falling apart towards the end. They definitely should have won it but they had so many fumbles that ended drives that looked like they would score on.

[powerpack]

Big10 sucks? Except Illinois.

[jbermi]

Big10 sucks? Except Illinois.

iowa won their game. upset missouri. but overall the big 10 sucketh major SEC balls. big 10 is 2-6 in bowls (i include nebraska and their non showing agains the fuskies)

stanford put the hammer down on VT. great game.

i hope OSU gets beat...and UO beats Auburn.

[powerpack]

How bout that Stanford coach? We will take him at Michigan.

[Slowboto]

How bout that Stanford coach? We will take him at Michigan.

Sounds like it isn't a sure thing now. A lot of NFL teams have openings and will be trying to grab him. It will be a shame if Michigan misses out on him, I think he would be a perfect fit there.

Unfortunately a lot of rumors that Clemson might grab Rich Rod. While he wasn't that great at Michigan, he will probably do much better with his system at Clemson where he will have an easier time pulling athletes and meet less resistance to changing things to his type of offense.

FSU won their bowl game so I'm happy. First 10 win season since 2003 and the team is very young. First year was very successful for Jimbo and his staff and most believe it will continue to improve tremendously as we finally get depth back and now have more experience all around. Our recruiting class will be top 3 in the nation and will set us up nicely for the next few years.

So any predictions on Auburn and Oregon? Have to admit it is a toss up for me. I think either team can get it done. Grabbing the early momentum might be key in this game. I'm expecting a shootout.

[jbermi]

someone started a crazy rumor of rich-rod going to pitt...ROFL. would make the backyad brawl with WVU interesting...though its a good point, he knows the area since thats same area he recruited when at WVU.

[powerpack]

When is the Rich Rod firing?

[Slowboto]

Yeah I heard Pitt was an option as well and you are right, he would know the area already. Not sure how Pitt fans might react. WVU fans will burn some couches.

Actually what might stop Clemson from getting him is buyout clauses from past coaches. They still owe Tommy Bowden money and if they fire Dabo then they owe him a good chunk of money as well since they recently extended his contract. While Michigan will have to pay a nice chunk to RR, it might still be too much for Clemson to pay right now.

PP not sure when RR gets the axe, it seems only a matter of time.

[Slowboto]

Your wait is over PP. Rich Rod has been fired.

However the flip side of the news is it is also being said that if Harbaugh remains in college he will stay with Stanford and will only consider a move to the NFL.

I'm sure Michigan will still find a good guy, they have the deep pockets to bring someone in.

[powerpack]

I don't know if Michigan is such a great job. Wasn't Rich the cat's meow when we got him? We tore him up good. Lowest winning % in school history.

I might recommend Harbaugh stay at Stanford.

[Slowboto]

I don't know if Michigan is such a great job. Wasn't Rich the cat's meow when we got him? We tore him up good. Lowest winning % in school history.

I might recommend Harbaugh stay at Stanford.

Rich Rod isn't a bad coach, but he did not fit in at Michigan or the Big 10. RR has a completely different system from the more traditional systems run up there. When he came he pissed off a lot of the wrong people and started off on the wrong foot. Then he had little time to recruit his type of players and put his system in place. What also hurts is the type of athletes he needs for his spread option are found further South and those kids aren't exactly big on the idea of moving up North where the weather turns brutally cold early.

He jumped at the chance to coach there because of the prestige of the program, but he didn't realize just how difficult it was going to be to establish his offense up there and he didn't seem to care about defense or special teams at all. Michigan is going to go after a more traditional guy that fits them. I almost wonder if Les Miles might get a call again. Maybe he did some stupid things this season with clock management but at the end of the day he has been winning.

I think it is a shame that Harbaugh won't go there, he definitely fits the bill and would have een a great hire I think. Still he has a good deal wat Stanford and seems to love it there as well as his family. Not sure if he is going to stay, sounds like he is NFL bound, but I still expect Michigan to pursue him and try to get him to reconsider. I just don't know if they can compete with the NFL as far as money. Pockets are deeper when it comes to the NFL.

[powerpack]

I agree with all that about style of play. And then I start remembering all Michigan's losses to faster teams growing up. And then just look at our conference bowl performance. I am not sure the Midwestern corn fed prototype is the future? Might be sad in a few years when we face Rich Rod in a bowl game and he crushes us.

But that is the fun of college football, just have to wait and see. And I still remember our National Championship. No, Nebraska did not win the real one we did.:D

I don't have cable so this bowl season has not been good to me. I see pay per view in the future.:p:)

[Slowboto]

I agree and I think that is where the Big 10 has had issues, they have stuck too much to the older line of thinking of going with power. It has lead to them being exploited by faster teams. RR actually came in from the other extreme and wanted speed and far less physical players which as you saw has its drawbacks especially when constantly playing against these bigger teams.

I hate saying this because I feel the conference is overhyped, but in this case I think the SEC is ahead of the game and probably why their top teams have done so well. They do a balance of speed and power. They can be very physical but they also have athletes and speed all over. It allows them to adjust to any type of game. This is why FSU is switching their philosophy and going to this style as well. We still have plenty of speed but we are adding power to it as well. Now we don't have to just run around guys, we can go through them also.

RR was not wrong to want to bring the type of guys that he likes to Michigan. I think with some right adjustments you can really take advantage of the other teams there. He was wrong in that he wasn't flexible and didn't adjust his system to the type of game up there. You can't rely on speed and athleticism over and over, eventually teams pop you in the mouth and that is what happened and they had no way to counter it. Tressel and OSU are the guys who have come closest to balancing things out so far. He does get some athletes at certain positions, just not enough yet to make him more competitive with SEC type teams that he normally faces in the bowls. This is how he has been so successful in the Big 10 however.

The Big 12 is another conference that has a good mix of athleticism and power on a chunk of their teams although not as much power. ACC tries for the balance but it usually ends up, depending on the team, they have too much of one and not enough of the other.

Top teams in the SEC have the best balance and that is why the have had their recent streak of dominance as far as the title game. The conference overall however is not top to bottom great like SEC fans want to claim. Just the top teams are very well put together. If Michigan can achieve that balance then I think they can dominate once again.

[jbermi]

now michigan is denying he is fired...

[Slowboto]

now michigan is denying he is fired...

It's to salvage the recruiting class. Michigan was hoping to get Harbaugh right away but he may not be an option. National Signing Day is just under a month away. Michigan is going to have to do a coaching search because of the numerous teams that have openings. That could take a bit of time depending on who they want. With only a few weeks left, and dead periods during that time, having a coach that everyone knows is going to be gone is still better than no coach at all. At least he can talk to recruits they are already after and try to convince them to wait it out. Michigan cannot afford to have most of the class defect and leave them with nothing. That could result in a few more years being needed to reestablish themselves.

I have a feeling they are all over Harbaugh in the background trying to get him to change his mind about staying at Stanford if he doesn't go pro. I really think Les Miles will be considered as well if Harbaugh doesn't seem like he will reconsider.

[Slowboto]

Well RR has officially been fired by Michigan. I might have been way off base with what I posted earlier or it just might be that RR didn't want to cooperate and stick around to help. If he is trying to coach again next season then I can't blame him, he'll want to try for the openings now.

Michigan is going to have to hurry because if they take too long it could be disastrous for recruiting and the near future of the program.

[jbermi]

Well RR has officially been fired by Michigan. I might have been way off base with what I posted earlier or it just might be that RR didn't want to cooperate and stick around to help. If he is trying to coach again next season then I can't blame him, he'll want to try for the openings now.

Michigan is going to have to hurry because if they take too long it could be disastrous for recruiting and the near future of the program.

rumor rich rod may end up in Uconn, now.

miles is the top of the list since harbaugh is sitting down with the 49ers it seems.

if they hire miles and he leaves lsu, there will be a bigger domino effect in the coaching world then if they end hiring the guy from SDSU...

[Slowboto]

rumor rich rod may end up in Uconn, now.

miles is the top of the list since harbaugh is sitting down with the 49ers it seems.

if they hire miles and he leaves lsu, there will be a bigger domino effect in the coaching world then if they end hiring the guy from SDSU...

UCONN wouldn't be a good fit either.

Actually had that conversation about Miles and a domino effect earlier today with a friend. FSU would be directly involved since Jimbo was the OC over there when they were on the rise and he has a lot of ties to the boosters there now. They are fond of him. Doubtful he will leave but FSU will have to give him a significant pay upgrade on his base salary. He was successful in his first year and right now his base pay is in the bottom half of the ACC and even Will Muschamp, his best friend and new coach at uf, is getting paid more and he has no HC experience.

LSU has money to throw, this will be interesting.

[singleshot71]

ROLL TIDE, AUBURN next national champ

[Slowboto]

I'd be interested to see if LSU in that situation would try to make a run for Saban. It's unlikely because I'm not sure they want to get in a bidding war with Bama.

Actually they might go after Kirby Smart, the DC at Bama. Has learned a lot under Saban and he is one of the hot names to get a HC job eventually. uf has taken a chance on a first time HC, why not LSU? Smart is a UGA alum and most have him pegged as the top guy when Richt eventually gets the boot although that is likely not to happen until after next season.

Richt is on the hot seat and at bare minimum must beat uf and get to the SEC championship game in 2011 or he is done. Only getting a pass this year because his team was extremely young.

[jbermi]

I'd be interested to see if LSU in that situation would try to make a run for Saban. It's unlikely because I'm not sure they want to get in a bidding war with Bama.

Actually they might go after Kirby Smart, the DC at Bama. Has learned a lot under Saban and he is one of the hot names to get a HC job eventually. uf has taken a chance on a first time HC, why not LSU? Smart is a UGA alum and most have him pegged as the top guy when Richt eventually gets the boot although that is likely not to happen until after next season.

Richt is on the hot seat and at bare minimum must beat uf and get to the SEC championship game in 2011 or he is done. Only getting a pass this year because his team was extremely young.

kirby's name comes up a lot when discussing UGA..richt did get a pass, he needs to beat UF...at least make the SEC champ game..otherwise he may be gone. but i think hes one of those guys that even if he gets fired, he will be employed again with days.

i think if miles was to leave LSU...god only knows why, he has one of the best coaching jobs in college football... LSU would scramble for a HC and may pursue Kirby...it will be interesting. biggest issue is recruiting now for these teams...they will have very little time to get classes together.

[Slowboto]

kirby's name comes up a lot when discussing UGA..richt did get a pass, he needs to beat UF...at least make the SEC champ game..otherwise he may be gone. but i think hes one of those guys that even if he gets fired, he will be employed again with days.

i think if miles was to leave LSU...god only knows why, he has one of the best coaching jobs in college football... LSU would scramble for a HC and may pursue Kirby...it will be interesting. biggest issue is recruiting now for these teams...they will have very little time to get classes together.

Yeah, Richt would definitely get another HC job soon. He hasn't really done that bad at UGA. From what I understand the expectations are way too high at that program. Richt is a solid HC and knows his offenses. I think a lot of the mid level teams would jump at a chance to get him.

It is a dangerous time to be switching coaches so all the teams are going to buckle down to keep their main guys in place. The good news is while it hurts recruiting some and probably causes some players to leave, it doesn't mean the complete end of a class. The only reason I said Michigan needs to hurry is because they don't want to risk losing the defensive guys they desperately need.

Most teams are going the early commit route so there are a lot of teams that are getting close to filled up and have an idea of who they might be getting for their last slots. It means that unless a recruit is an elite one, if his coach leaves then he may not have that many options at this point. Some FSU insiders said if Les leaves though there are some kids we will try hard to grab from their class, DL guys. This is why you commit to a school and not a coach.

[jbermi]

This is why you commit to a school and not a coach.

shame kids these days don't understand this. the coaches are important, but its the school and a pride thing. the coaches are there to guide you and get you where you want to be, but since kids are lazy at times, they expect more from the coaches, i think. If you are good enough to earn a division 1A scholorship, you should be able to succeed no matter who the coach is. Coaches are humans that loyal to no one but the mighty dollar for the most part, moreso in the pros than college, but it is trickling down to the college level, but i put that blame on boosters, media to a point and fan bases wanting instant gratification from a new coach, even if it has been shown for a coach to fully implement his system at the college level, it usually takes 3 full recruiting cycles or 4 years, the first recruiting class is usually never a good measuring tool since they are usually coming into a program in december/january and do not have the time to invest in recruiting.

[Slowboto]

shame kids these days don't understand this. the coaches are important, but its the school and a pride thing. the coaches are there to guide you and get you where you want to be, but since kids are lazy at times, they expect more from the coaches, i think. If you are good enough to earn a division 1A scholorship, you should be able to succeed no matter who the coach is. Coaches are humans that loyal to no one but the mighty dollar for the most part, moreso in the pros than college, but it is trickling down to the college level, but i put that blame on boosters, media to a point and fan bases wanting instant gratification from a new coach, even if it has been shown for a coach to fully implement his system at the college level, it usually takes 3 full recruiting cycles or 4 years, the first recruiting class is usually never a good measuring tool since they are usually coming into a program in december/january and do not have the time to invest in recruiting.

I agree with most everything you said. Only thing I disagree somewhat with is about succeeding no matter who the coach is. Elite kids should do good no matter what, but I've seen more than a few flounder and it was because they lacked proper coaching. They still had the athletic ability to dominate but they weren't used to having to fine tune what they did or work hard to get it done(although working hard is more dependant on the player and not the coach). They just relied on natural ability to dominate HS competition and aren't used to playing in places where you are facing competition that can be just as good. Coaching up elite kids can make sure they continue to dominate even when they face other skilled players. Still as you mentioned with gratification wanted by fans, you can't count on your coach remaining the same for your entire career. It's important to have a great relationship with your coaches but you have to love the school and area as well.

I know of a few uf commits from last season that now regret their decision heavily. They went there because of meyer even though they were better fits at other places and actually enjoyed those places more but they were close to meyer and stuck with him. I was given the info on what really happened there and meyer never intended to stick around.

Very true about the timeline it takes to get a new system in place. This was part of the reason why RR wasn't completely at fault. People wanted instant success but only until this season did he start to get his type of kids in place and he started to have some success offensively.

[Slowboto]

Wow, looks like Harbaugh is sticking to his guns in not going to Michigan to coach. Apparently the owner of the Dolphins is a Michigan man as well and a major donor to the school. He actually called them to check and make sure Harbaugh wasn't a possibility for trying to get him to coach the Dolphins.

Harbaugh wouldn't be a bad grab. A little pissed though because it sounds like Cowher is interested in the Dolphins job as well but he wants full control including over who the general manager will be but Ross wants to keep Ireland at general manager.

[jbermi]

I agree with most everything you said. Only thing I disagree somewhat with is about succeeding no matter who the coach is. Elite kids should do good no matter what, but I've seen more than a few flounder and it was because they lacked proper coaching. They still had the athletic ability to dominate but they weren't used to having to fine tune what they did or work hard to get it done(although working hard is more dependant on the player and not the coach). They just relied on natural ability to dominate HS competition and aren't used to playing in places where you are facing competition that can be just as good. Coaching up elite kids can make sure they continue to dominate even when they face other skilled players. Still as you mentioned with gratification wanted by fans, you can't count on your coach remaining the same for your entire career. It's important to have a great relationship with your coaches but you have to love the school and area as well.

I know of a few uf commits from last season that now regret their decision heavily. They went there because of meyer even though they were better fits at other places and actually enjoyed those places more but they were close to meyer and stuck with him. I was given the info on what really happened there and meyer never intended to stick around.

Very true about the timeline it takes to get a new system in place. This was part of the reason why RR wasn't completely at fault. People wanted instant success but only until this season did he start to get his type of kids in place and he started to have some success offensively.

i know a few mich alumni and they are happy as hell RR is gone. they are the instant gratification type and got spoiled during the Bo Era.

i think its more the position coaches that really coach up the elite kids. and i also think once an athlete gets in a div 1 strength training program, thats when you see how displined they really are. now it will be interesting to see what happens in Michigan and what the aftershocks will be...

[Slowboto]

i know a few mich alumni and they are happy as hell RR is gone. they are the instant gratification type and got spoiled during the Bo Era.

i think its more the position coaches that really coach up the elite kids. and i also think once an athlete gets in a div 1 strength training program, thats when you see how displined they really are. now it will be interesting to see what happens in Michigan and what the aftershocks will be...

Definitely agree with that, position coaches and S&C programs make the difference.

Dolphins have decided to keep Sparano and it sounds like Harbaugh is going to return to Stanford for another year. I have a feeling this was all planned out. Luck didn't want to play for the Panthers and decided to return and finish his degree, Harbaugh probably decided with Luck to stay for one more season, Ross decides to just keep Sparano until that point.

[jbermi]

Definitely agree with that, position coaches and S&C programs make the difference.

Dolphins have decided to keep Sparano and it sounds like Harbaugh is going to return to Stanford for another year. I have a feeling this was all planned out. Luck didn't want to play for the Panthers and decided to return and finish his degree, Harbaugh probably decided with Luck to stay for one more season, Ross decides to just keep Sparano until that point.

if luck left, i think harbaugh would have left.

they have one goal next year. the national championship.

I wouldn't want to play for the panthers either...they have claussen...ROFL.

[Slowboto]

HA! Yeah I don't think anybody wants to play for the Panthers.

Stanford will be an interesting team next year. What sucks though is I hear they lose a bunch of OL. Luck is lucky, I know I know, he plays in a conference where defense tends to be less of a focus. I still think he might be in for a bit of a rough time. It is the main reason I'm surprised that he came back. Also the main reason Harbaugh will stay if he does. Latest report says he is deciding between Stanford and the 49ers. With the money the Dolphins were going to throw at him, I'll be shocked if he leaves.

[jbermi]

HA! Yeah I don't think anybody wants to play for the Panthers.

Stanford will be an interesting team next year. What sucks though is I hear they lose a bunch of OL. Luck is lucky, I know I know, he plays in a conference where defense tends to be less of a focus. I still think he might be in for a bit of a rough time. It is the main reason I'm surprised that he came back. Also the main reason Harbaugh will stay if he does. Latest report says he is deciding between Stanford and the 49ers. With the money the Dolphins were going to throw at him, I'll be shocked if he leaves.

yeah, the OL has been the strength of the team the past 2 years with this past year they were better...most are graduating, but the backups aren't half bad. their defense will still be the cream of the crop in the PAC.

of course i believe my alma mater can only improve now...lol. (washington State)

next year will be interesting with the PAC12...colorado is definitely in the rebuilding stage, but once they tap the recruiting well that is california...it wont be long now as for Utah, they started off with a bang then once they lost to TCU, the wind came out of their sails and they got beat by BSJC in the bowl game...so i am not sure how things will pan out for them, but they should be a top tier team in the new PAC.

I think it will still be Oregon and Stanford at the top. and a whole lotta mess after those 2. no team showed as much consistency game after game last year, and i don't see it changing too much going into next year.

[Slowboto]

Harbaugh to the 49ers. 5 year $25 million contract. I'm guessing that Ross wasn't offering as long of a contract with the Phins with the high pay. Well I'm ticked. I don't follow the Phins like I do FSU but this general manager better be amazing if the stuff about Cowher is true. Sparano sucks as our coach.

[jbermi]

Harbaugh to the 49ers. 5 year $25 million contract. I'm guessing that Ross wasn't offering as long of a contract with the Phins with the high pay. Well I'm ticked. I don't follow the Phins like I do FSU but this general manager better be amazing if the stuff about Cowher is true. Sparano sucks as our coach.


ya know i never heard of that guy til he got hired by the fins...i was like who the hell is he?

well, guess we spoke too soon on the harbaugh staying at the farm...niner fans are happy. I bet if michigan comes callling in 2-3 years because they will run off whomeever they hire this year, he is gone and back in the college ranks...but michigan would have to pay him a lot.

[Wrexhavok]

What should happen to Coach Tressell? Seems like more and more bad stuff keeps popping up. Personally I think once it was found out that he lied to the NCAA he should have been fired. I figure the OSU faithful are going to stand by him, but how can anyone trust what he says any more.

Also if the BCS is going to remain in place, should all the bowls be investigated for the problems found in the Fiesta Bowl organization.

[singleshot71]

Schools get money for being in a Bowl Game- Bowl Games generate a huge amounts of money for the stadium and their sponsors. As long as money is involved their WILL ALWAYS be corruption. The NCAA already knows this and excepts it. They only say anything when a whistle blower comes along and outs them. Then they "investigate" what happened (like they didn't already know) and gives them a slap on the wrist. If a coach does something to bring a big time recruit into a school and a lot of money follows said recruit, in the form of TV deals and mentions on ESPN, then they will "overlook" his indiscretions and let him keep his job. Behind doors, they tell him to do a better job of hiding it from the public eye.