College Football - Week 7 (Oct. 16th)

[Guest]

UCLA is either better than Ohio State or worse than Duke on any given week.

 

That's a pretty accurate assessment.

[bukie]

And because it's so much fun, here's Sagarin's top 25 based purely on margin of victory against schedule strength (wins and losses don't matter at all):

 

1. Oregon

2. Alabama

3. Stanford

4. Florida State

5. TCU

6. California

7. Boise State

8. Ohio State

9. Nebraska

10. Arizona

11. LSU

12. South Carolina

13. Arizona State

14. Missouri

15. Arkansas

16. Miami

17. Iowa

18. Oregon State

19. Nevada

20. Virginia Tech

21. USC

22. Florida

23. NC State

24. Texas A&M

25. Auburn

 

This may look even stranger, but it is the best predictor of future success.

 

EDIT: Just FYI, Oklahoma was 26th, Utah 27th, Oklahoma State 28th. (Illinois 29th!)

[Guest]

so we are certain that Clemson is abysmal this year, because they've lost to three top 30 teams in consecutive weeks? They aren't good, but I don't believe Cal would blow them out....it's probably too early to tell how the conferences will stack up, and I do try to remain impartial when evaluating these type things. I still think the SEC has the most talent this year. Maybe I'm just a homer...

Take my word for it...you are not impartial. The closer a conference is located to Alabama, the more highly they rate for you.

[fiver]

LSU I don't count because of Les Miles' insane luck.

 

Miles has been extremely lucky but look at the stats behind the LSU-Florida game. LSU is becoming a good team. They have one of the best defenses, if the not the best, in the country. They are a legitimate QB away from being a championship contending team. They should bench Jefferson and go with Lee for the remainder of the year....although Lee clearly isn't the answer.

[dew1679666265]

so we are certain that Clemson is abysmal this year, because they've lost to three top 30 teams in consecutive weeks? They aren't good, but I don't believe Cal would blow them out....it's probably too early to tell how the conferences will stack up, and I do try to remain impartial when evaluating these type things. I still think the SEC has the most talent this year. Maybe I'm just a homer...

 

Is UNC all that good without many of their starters? The only wins they've gotten have been against really awful teams (North Texas and Presbyterian, an 0-5 Big South team). I think they're more talented than their record and it helps that they've lost all three games close, but losing to UNC's backups is bad.

[dew1679666265]

LSU I don't count because of Les Miles' insane luck.

 

Miles has been extremely lucky but look at the stats behind the LSU-Florida game. LSU is becoming a good team. They have one of the best defenses, if the not the best, in the country. They are a legitimate QB away from being a championship contending team. They should bench Jefferson and go with Lee for the remainder of the year....although Lee clearly isn't the answer.

 

I don't like teams that have terrible QBs and less than stellar running games. Especially when that team needs to have Tennessee commit a penalty in order to beat UT, in Death Valley. The slightest bit less luck (and I mean really, really slight) for Les Miles and LSU is 4-2 with 2 SEC losses.

[fiver]

so we are certain that Clemson is abysmal this year, because they've lost to three top 30 teams in consecutive weeks? They aren't good, but I don't believe Cal would blow them out....it's probably too early to tell how the conferences will stack up, and I do try to remain impartial when evaluating these type things. I still think the SEC has the most talent this year. Maybe I'm just a homer...

Take my word for it...you are not impartial. The closer a conference is located to Alabama, the more highly they rate for you.

 

Tim, your assertion that I rank football teams based upon geographic proximity to my home pisses me off a little, certainly the way you phrased it. Admittedly, the pac-10 has been better than I expected...i thought they would probably be the third or fourth best conference coming into the season.

[dew1679666265]

so we are certain that Clemson is abysmal this year, because they've lost to three top 30 teams in consecutive weeks? They aren't good, but I don't believe Cal would blow them out....it's probably too early to tell how the conferences will stack up, and I do try to remain impartial when evaluating these type things. I still think the SEC has the most talent this year. Maybe I'm just a homer...

Take my word for it...you are not impartial. The closer a conference is located to Alabama, the more highly they rate for you.

 

Tim, your assertion that I rank football teams based upon geographic proximity to my home pisses me off a little, certainly the way you phrased it. Admittedly, the pac-10 has been better than I expected...i thought they would probably be the third or fourth best conference coming into the season.

 

I'm just not seeing much to be impressed with in the SEC – and I'm a Tennessee fan. UT is bad, Georgia is bad, UK is mediocre, Vandy is awful, Florida is pretty average (offensively, at least), LSU is unbelievably lucky, Ole Miss is pretty bad.

 

Even our top teams have real questions. Bama has no passing game, Auburn's defense is shaky, South Carolina is South Carolina and has Stephen Garcia at QB, Ryan Mallett likes to throw the ball to the other team and Mississippi State is improving but shouldn't be in the SEC top half. None of the conferences are great, but I don't see the SEC as better than the Pac-10.

[Guest]

so we are certain that Clemson is abysmal this year, because they've lost to three top 30 teams in consecutive weeks? They aren't good, but I don't believe Cal would blow them out....it's probably too early to tell how the conferences will stack up, and I do try to remain impartial when evaluating these type things. I still think the SEC has the most talent this year. Maybe I'm just a homer...

Take my word for it...you are not impartial. The closer a conference is located to Alabama, the more highly they rate for you.

 

Tim, your assertion that I rank football teams based upon geographic proximity to my home pisses me off a little, certainly the way you phrased it. Admittedly, the pac-10 has been better than I expected...i thought they would probably be the third or fourth best conference coming into the season.

Would "yes, you're just a homer" have worked better? Then again, I find that most SEC football fans feel there's the NCAA, the NFL and then the SEC in terms of football quality.

[hawkeyecub]

And because it's so much fun, here's Sagarin's top 25 based purely on margin of victory against schedule strength (wins and losses don't matter at all):

 

1. Oregon

2. Alabama

3. Stanford

4. Florida State

5. TCU

6. California

7. Boise State

8. Ohio State

9. Nebraska

10. Arizona

11. LSU

12. South Carolina

13. Arizona State

14. Missouri

15. Arkansas

16. Miami

17. Iowa

18. Oregon State

19. Nevada

20. Virginia Tech

21. USC

22. Florida

23. NC State

24. Texas A&M

25. Auburn

 

This may look even stranger, but it is the best predictor of future success.

 

EDIT: Just FYI, Oklahoma was 26th, Utah 27th, Oklahoma State 28th. (Illinois 29th!)

 

It's still too early for them to hold much predictive value. I'm a big fan of those ratings but at this point I think the actual AP or Coaches polls are better.

 

I'm not jumping on the Pac-10 bandwagon either. Not until I see someone in that league play defense.

[E.J.]

 

It's still too early for them to hold much predictive value. I'm a big fan of those ratings but at this point I think the actual AP or Coaches polls are better.

 

I'm not jumping on the Pac-10 bandwagon either. Not until I see someone in that league play defense.

 

You Iowa fans and your defense. Just wait until you see Michigan's defense this weekend. You're in for a treat.

[Guest]

There is no way that Clemson is a better team than CU or UCLA this year. Kentucky likely not, either. Mississippi State, sure, I'd give that one. Like I said above, it's the margin of victory that is the difference right now, and that clearly favors Cal. UC Davis is also rated higher than Arkansas State and UL-Monroe, for that matter.

 

I'm not that familiar with UC-Davis, so that may well be true. Wouldn't surprise me much, to be honest – those are two bad teams (Ark St and ULM). I'll give you Clemson as well, I didn't realize quite how miserable they were.

 

Having covered the UCD-Cal game, Cal was simply bigger, stronger and faster. The 52 points were pretty legit - only one turnover that led to a short field - and the Cal offense had to move the ball down the field. Offensively, UCD was starting a RFr QB and lost two WRs who should at least make NFL practice squads (one did this year and the other went to the combine but couldn't participate due to injury) so the offense was still learning. Cal was up 42-0 early third quarter and could have easily put 60-70 up if they kept trying.

 

I'd rate UCD as a top-25 to 30 FCS school with the potential of being a playoff team this year if they keep their current play up. Last year they went 6-5 but were a couple plays from going 8-3 and being in the playoffs. Also beat San Jose State 14-13 two weeks ago.

[fiver]

ok, i thought about this, and I'm willing to admit that 'my head about to explode' reply to bukie was over the top. I haven't watched enough pac-10 football this season to comment one way or the other about them being the best conference this year.

[dew1679666265]

Having covered the UCD-Cal game, Cal was simply bigger, stronger and faster. The 52 points were pretty legit - only one turnover that led to a short field - and the Cal offense had to move the ball down the field. Offensively, UCD was starting a RFr QB and lost two WRs who should at least make NFL practice squads (one did this year and the other went to the combine but couldn't participate due to injury) so the offense was still learning. Cal was up 42-0 early third quarter and could have easily put 60-70 up if they kept trying.

 

I'd rate UCD as a top-25 to 30 FCS school with the potential of being a playoff team this year if they keep their current play up. Last year they went 6-5 but were a couple plays from going 8-3 and being in the playoffs. Also beat San Jose State 14-13 two weeks ago.

 

Thanks. I remember UCD giving Boise State a fight for a while last year and beating San Jose State, but wasn't sure if those were fluky games or if UCD was legitimately that good.

[dew1679666265]

ok, i thought about this, and I'm willing to admit that 'my head about to explode' reply to bukie was over the top. I haven't watched enough pac-10 football this season to comment one way or the other about them being the best conference this year.

 

Oregon and Stanford are probably two of the three best teams in the SEC. Alabama is the only team likely better than them.

 

If Georgia's play Saturday was any indication of what they'll do going forward and Les Miles can continue to be the luckiest man on the planet, then the SEC is right there with the Pac-10. Otherwise, I think it's better.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

 

It's still too early for them to hold much predictive value. I'm a big fan of those ratings but at this point I think the actual AP or Coaches polls are better.

 

I'm not jumping on the Pac-10 bandwagon either. Not until I see someone in that league play defense.

 

You Iowa fans and your defense. Just wait until you see Michigan's defense this weekend. You're in for a treat.

I hope they're every bit as good as they have been in the 3 Michigan games I've seen so far this year.

[Old Style]

this is a huge, huge game for mizzou. frankly, i think its a must win.

 

with OU, @Nebraska and @Tech coming up, it's absolutely a must win. We need to go 2-2 at the absolute worst during this stretch.

It's a huge game for A&M, too. We lost the last two games against ranked opponents (one on the road and one at a neutral site) after a 3-0 start against creampuffs. This will be the first good team to visit Kyle Field. Sherman needs to start winning games like this or we will be searching for yet another new head coach in the very near future. Probably a new AD, too.

[bleedingblue]

And because it's so much fun, here's Sagarin's top 25 based purely on margin of victory against schedule strength (wins and losses don't matter at all):

 

1. Oregon

2. Alabama

3. Stanford

4. Florida State

5. TCU

6. California

7. Boise State

8. Ohio State

9. Nebraska

10. Arizona

11. LSU

12. South Carolina

13. Arizona State

14. Missouri

15. Arkansas

16. Miami

17. Iowa

18. Oregon State

19. Nevada

20. Virginia Tech

21. USC

22. Florida

23. NC State

24. Texas A&M

25. Auburn

 

This may look even stranger, but it is the best predictor of future success.

 

EDIT: Just FYI, Oklahoma was 26th, Utah 27th, Oklahoma State 28th. (Illinois 29th!)

 

 

Those are a joke. Florida State got slapped by the 26th team on that list as did Cal versus Nevada.

[Guest]

Having covered the UCD-Cal game, Cal was simply bigger, stronger and faster. The 52 points were pretty legit - only one turnover that led to a short field - and the Cal offense had to move the ball down the field. Offensively, UCD was starting a RFr QB and lost two WRs who should at least make NFL practice squads (one did this year and the other went to the combine but couldn't participate due to injury) so the offense was still learning. Cal was up 42-0 early third quarter and could have easily put 60-70 up if they kept trying.

 

I'd rate UCD as a top-25 to 30 FCS school with the potential of being a playoff team this year if they keep their current play up. Last year they went 6-5 but were a couple plays from going 8-3 and being in the playoffs. Also beat San Jose State 14-13 two weeks ago.

 

Thanks. I remember UCD giving Boise State a fight for a while last year and beating San Jose State, but wasn't sure if those were fluky games or if UCD was legitimately that good.

 

Well, Boise was definitely fluky, but San Jose State wasn't.

[stuy119]

OSU doesn't deserve to be #1, but if they beat Wisconsin in Madison, I'll change my mind.

 

Great timing for PSU's bye week. They need to figure [expletive] out

 

For you PSU fans, thought you might find this interesting (from another forum):

 

Disturbing conversation yesterday

 

The last two home games we've been lucky enough to tailgate with a member of the coaching staffs family before the games. We asked one of the coaches wives what was going on with the program and the staff and the answers were disturbing to say the least. She said.........

 

1. Joe is not at practice more than an hour a day. He also rarely if ever attends any of the coaching or game prep meetings. She said people don't know how sick he was in the offseason implying that he went through a serious medical issue that has not been publicly reported. He has absolutely zero input into the gameplanning, and doesn't even know what it is until Friday night.

 

2. The dissention amongst the staff is at an all-time high. When Joe is not there, it's a contest to see who can act like they are in charge. There have been verbal arguments in front of the team in the middle of practice sessions between assistant coaches yelling at each other that they are in charge and are going to do what they want at that point of practice.

 

3. Multiple coaches on the staff have been reaching out to gauge interest from other programs as they are worried about their future in the program. One "high profile" coach on the staff actually reached out to the head coach of another PA school over the summer saying he was worried about his future at PSU and laying the groundwork for a possible move in the future.

 

4. There is a process in place amongst the staff to determine if a high school prospect should get an offer. Some of the coaches will vote against offering or recruiting certain kids just to spite the coaches who want them offered or are their primary recruiters. Whether this is actually going on or not I do not know, but at least one coach on the staff feels that way. For this reason, the coaches who actually do recruit have basically thrown their hands in the air and almost stopped recruiting all together.

 

5. "If Tom Bradley is the next head coach, the real coaches will leave in about 30 seconds."

 

After hearing this stuff, I really feel bad for the kids on the team. This staff and Joe in paticular should be completely ashamed and embarrassed at their behavior. The sad part is I don't think Joe even has a clue what's going on because he's never around.

 

I want to clear some things up. I played recently at PSU and I just want to relate my experiences.

 

 

Let me start off by saying that our S&C program is a HUGE issue. 95% of the players I played with despised it. This WAS something we constantly bitched about in the locker room. Interestingly enough some of the biggest critics say good things about it when interviewed or asked publicly. Through my time at PSU I did feel like I lost strength and explosiveness....especially in the legs. Many of us did decide to train off campus when we could in order to improve. Problem is that you are so tired after a full day that it becomes difficult. Don't put too much stock into public interviews. No one wants really wants to badmouth anyone.

 

Here is a basic rundown of what we did.

 

5 min. bike warmup

5 min. stretch

manual neck work

1 set upright row

bench press

1 set incline fly

1 set machine row

1 set machine pulldown

1 set machine military press (once a week we did free weight, thick-bar military press)

1 set machine laterals

1 set machine dips or pushdowns

1 set thick bar curls

1 set leg press

1 set leg curl

2nd set leg press

1 set back machine

1 set ab machine

 

I never did one squat or olympic lift while at PSU. And yes it did affect the confidence in the locker room. We did not believe that we were as physically prepared as the other team. A few players did talk to Joe but nothing was done about it. Very, very frustrating. Now, when I see us getting a top recruiting class, part of me knows that many players with a lot of talent will not reach their potential. We really are putting ourselves behind the 8-ball.

 

Oh and yes you are allowed to use the weightroom and train with JT and Jeremy to prepare for the draft.

 

After what we at FSU went through the previous 10 years, I understand and have some compassion for you.

[stuy119]

And because it's so much fun, here's Sagarin's top 25 based purely on margin of victory against schedule strength (wins and losses don't matter at all):

 

1. Oregon

2. Alabama

3. Stanford

4. Florida State

5. TCU

6. California

7. Boise State

8. Ohio State

9. Nebraska

10. Arizona

11. LSU

12. South Carolina

13. Arizona State

14. Missouri

15. Arkansas

16. Miami

17. Iowa

18. Oregon State

19. Nevada

20. Virginia Tech

21. USC

22. Florida

23. NC State

24. Texas A&M

25. Auburn

 

This may look even stranger, but it is the best predictor of future success.

 

EDIT: Just FYI, Oklahoma was 26th, Utah 27th, Oklahoma State 28th. (Illinois 29th!)

 

 

Those are a joke. Florida State got slapped by the 26th team on that list as did Cal versus Nevada.

 

Are we too high at #4? Heck, yes.

 

But we played OU at just the right time for them, and just the wrong time for us. Things would be different were we to play again. Would we win? No idea, but we wouldn't get blown out, that's for sure.

 

I would say that anywhere between 12-15 is where we should be right now ...

[Jon]

Florida just slightly increased their odds of adding another arrest this year by reinstating Rainey.

 

I guess Meyer didn't feel that the current roster was enough to catch Georgia.

[BigSlick]

I think preseason rankings are stupid and only by virtue of that does OSU have the number 1 spot, but I'm still curious to hear who you think should be #1, Oregon?

 

I wouldn't complain about Boise, Oregon, OSU 1-2-3. Boise has the best resume so far, but I don't really have a problem with OSU first.

I dunno about that, Boise's 'quality' win doesn't look any better than OSU's defeat of Miami and its a toss up between Oregon and OSU there (and i hate to go and look at last years scores but OSU did go to Pac10 territory and beat them soundly last year)

 

btw

 

theres an excellent article by Joe Posnanski about BCS and all that, and he's a great sports blogger in general:

 

http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/2010/10/death-to-bcs-eulogy.html

[SpongeWorthy]

Wow, Penn State's S&C program really is a complete joke if that list of exercises is accurate.

 

That is worse than any high school program I've ever seen.

[TruffleShuffle]

most of that stuff is a load of crap. this year's team is bad because of inexperience and there have been an incredible number of injuries.