College Football 2013

I think we need to clarify a few things. The SEC has some great teams. But the SEC also has some really awful teams. It takes some serious skill to lose to an FCS team. Writing off a team because they don't play in the vaunted SEC is ridiculous. Power and talent ebbs and flows in college football and isn't only contained in the SEC, just watch what happens when Saban goes to Texas.

 

Today's BCS poll is going to piss a bunch of folks off no matter what happens. After that win Auburn only needs to be close in points to #2 to have a real shot at jumping osu and maybe even FSU with a win next weekend. That's the reason I wanted to play either Miami or Vtech next week-and trust me no true Nole ever wants to play Miami twice!

 

Texas has some serious muscle-tough loss yesterday at Aub-for a few $$s more hmmmmmm

Would this make him the highest paid public emp in Texas also?!

 

I'm praying for an all-SEC BCS title game so you non-believers will stay out of THE College Football 2013 thread.

Just a little reminder that we aren't a football only juggernaut...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du3lnMncltA[/ame]

Hotty Toddy!





Edit...

Ugh, the video's start image is MS St fans...perhaps the CFB gods are against me.

 

You should wait for the grapes to be ripe before you eat them.

Bama did not have a touch schedule, nor did Auburn. Texas A&M and LSU did. That's the likely reason for the 1 loss vs 3-4 loss records. You should recognize media bias when the top 3 PRESEASON teams from each side of the SEC don't even make the SECCG.


BT

 

FWIW, Auburn got a couple AP 1st place votes...media bias I'm sure.

2013 NCAA College Football Polls and Rankings for Week 15 - ESPN

#3 vs #5 for the SEC title...teams that were 2-14 in the SEC last year...great stuff IMHO...
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Coaches poll just came out also-OSU is #2 but I thought it would be tighter b/t them and Auburn. The Harris poll goes into the mix also.

Noles on top of the AP for the first time in 13 yrs! Beating the gators is one thing but I think getting back to the top had more to do with #11 from Auburn this time

 

I'm surprised the Fresno state is still up there, they let San Jose score 62 freaking points.

 

Auburn is only 25 points down from OSU in the Coaches so the computers look to play a big part in this assuming the Harris poll has them close, too. Sagarin's computer elo_chess (the worst of all 6 computers to be used) has Northern Illinois @ #2, haha. Auburn #6 and OSU #3. It will be one of the two dropped computer scores for Auburn for sure.

The only way Bama gets in is if both OSU and FSU lose...pretty much impossible, but not entirely zero chance.

 

Though not on the same weekend, similar scenario played out at the end of the '07 season...

2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

...i.e. two undefeated teams, KU & WVU, lost and shook up the polls.

Keep hope alive!

 

Harris Poll is out:

1 Florida State (97) 12-0 2,617
2 Ohio State (5) 12-0 2,488
3 Auburn (3) 11-1 2,422
4 Alabama 11-1 2,262
5 Missouri 11-1 2,231

It will be up to the computers as OSU and AU are very close.

Edit: AU would need 3.91% advantage in computers to be ranked higher than OSU.

 

I agree.

 

I suppose that this was inevitable:

Florida fires OC Brent Pease, OL coach Tim Davis - CBSSports.com

But no OC will succeed at Florida until Muschamp does a more "hands-off" approach when it comes to the offense. He should run the team like Spurrier did in 1996 (a championship year), when the team virtually had two head coaches, with Bob Stoops running the defense with little input from Spurrier.

 

BCS standings are up:

1. FSU - .9948
2. OSU - .9503
3. AU - .9233
4. UA - .8539
5. Mizzou - .8428

Computers have OSU @ #2 with .960. AU #3 with .920. Maybe with a win over #5 Mizzou on Saturday the computers (and some voters) will push Auburn to #2. But OSU plays #10 MSU so it isn't a drastic difference in strength of opponent in the computers' eyes imo.

 

IF there are two undefeated teams, they HAVE to play for the title, or the Title means nothing. I hate Ohio State, but you can't put a one loss team ahead of them. Nobody wins the Big Ten and goes undefeated without some ability.

 

I was a little disappointed that Nick Sabin took no responsibility for his team's loss.

 

What a surprise.

Narcissists never take responsibility.

After all, he's just the coach. the players are responsible.

I think he did say that he and the coaches could have done "better". As well as the players. LOL

I still say he should have kicked the FG at 4th and 1 ~20 yd line instead of going for it and failing. He makes a ton of money for making those decisions. Do not think he will lose his job. After all, it is Alabama.

 

How are those teams doing now that the regular season is done? Bama and USCe (barely) make the grade. The other four, not so much.


BT

 

When looking at the full picture of the five non-common opponents it's difficult to agree with your assessment. And most of the strength of schedule rankings that are out their don't seem to agree with your assessment either. Would you mind sharing why you feel this is the case?

Also, I don't think your 1 loss v. 3-4 losses argument holds water. Three of TAMU's losses were to the other three teams in your argument. Two of them were at Kyle Field. All three of LSU's losses were to teams that Alabama and/or Auburn beat, and TAMU beat one of the three as well.

 

According to NCAA's strength of schedule list (W-L record of opponents):

#16 - Auburn
#43 - Missouri
#66 - Alabama
#80 - OSU
#85 - FSU

source: NCAA® National Rankings

Btw, I think the only team to have ever won the national championship with the #1 SOS was Florida in 1996 and again in 2006.

IF the matchup is OSU-FSU and I had to root for someone, it would be OSU. FSU and UGA are teams I can never root for...ever. Plus, OSU beat #2 ASU in the January 1997 Rose Bowel to have #3 Florida get the chance to win the national championship against #1 FSU, which they did of course.

 

Unfortunately this SOS Ranking doesn't take into account the first derivative, i.e., strength of your opponents schedule. For example, an 8-4 VT team is a much better opponent than a 9-3 Rice team, but Rice is the better opponent by this formula.

As a result, I put more stock in some of the other SOS's.

 

When I look at Alabama's schedule I see that they have four games in opponents stadiums (taking over a strategy pioneered by UF), and the only game that they won convincingly is against Kentucky, a perennial SEC doormat.

They beat a three loss VT team, a four loss aTm team, a 5 loss Ole Miss team, a 6 loss Miss State team, a 7 loss Tennessee team, a 9 loss Arkansas team, a handful of no name out of conference teams, and a 3 loss LSU team, and they lost to a 1 loss Auburn team. Doesn't look too good to me. where is the 'signature' win in this schedule?

If they had to play better competition I think they would have more than 1 loss. They have not won by large margins except to the really awful teams.

The games will not normally fall neatly into a pecking order of #1 in conference wins always, #2 wins against everyone but #1 and so on, so with a 14 team field and 8 games for each team there should be some anomalies like LSU, but the fact that they played more difficult teams form the SEC east (notice Alabama doesn't play USCe, UGA, UF), the schedule sets up nicely for them to glide through most of the season. Not so for LSU or aTm.

There is always next year, but with much of the top talent in the SEC graduating or leaving early, I see it as more difficult for them to win in a four team field (unless they get three spots!) than politicking for one of the two positions in the BCS arrangement.


The college football scene is cyclical, and we are just seeing the SEC start its downward slide that will not be permanent either. I thought it was going to be a bad year for the SEC when Clemson beat UGA and Miami beat UF early in the season when both were in the top 10. The SEC might be back on top in a week, a year, or a decade. They should be back on top by 2025 or so.


BT

 

Completely agree with Alabama's eastern opponents being weak, but you can't count UF as a strong team on LSUs schedule this year. TAMU clearly had the strongest eastern schedule this year, but Auburn's will be on par after the SECCG.

As for non-conference opponents, the fact is everyone's was a joke with the possible exception of Alabama having VT and CSU. TAMUs best opponent was Rice, LSUs was a 4-8 TCU and Auburn's was 6-6 WSU.

As for 'Signature' wins, one could argue that no one in the top10 of the BCS has had one with the exception of FSU over Clemson. But even that was sullied by the results of this past weekend.

 

I root for FSU only because my daughter went there. As a Miami grad it is difficult sometimes, but that's okay.

I root against tOSU always, and I think it hurts them more to make the MNC game and lose convincingly (as they have a habit of doing) compared to being left out with no losses. Either way they are sad, so I am happy. If they make the MNC and win I will be sad. I still think they deserve a shot at it since they are undefeated.

I'm sure the SEC is difficult, but the perception that it is far more difficult than any other major conference is incorrect. I know people have been hanging their hats on the national champion as the strongest evidence of conference superiority, and I suspect that is the reason for angst now that it appears it will take some luck for one or more of the SEC teams to make it in.