2014 NCAA Football Thread

[HedleyLamarr]

If I had known what would happen by the time 2013 and 2014 rolled around, I know I would've made more of an effort to appreciate the 2006-2009 Florida teams a whole hell of a lot more than I did.

(And I thought I appreciated them pretty well at the time, too. Obviously, not enough.)

Any chance Muschamp is fired by the Georgia game? I mean, no way he lives to coach another year in Gainesville. That much is all but certain barring some incredibly unlikely circumstances. That offense is painful to watch. At one point, if I remember correctly, Florida trailed 42-0 and the Missouri offense didn't even have 100 yards of total offense yet.

Not to pile onto Florida, but heard a couple interesting things on the radio earlier....

Four of Missouri's drives went for negative yards. Another seven drives either ended with 8 or less positive yards. That's 11 drives where Missouri's offense gained 8 yards or less, and they won a road game in the SEC by 29 points. That's hard to do. Just earlier this season, Arizona State ran 100+ plays and gained well over 600 yards in a game and lost by 35. You can watch a game and see it unfold liveand not be shocked, but you then look into the stats of a game and ask yourself "How the hell is this possible?".

Muschamp, for his credit, has had a really, really good defense during his tenure. But the offense is a wreck....something I thought I'd never see from a Florida team that would routinely put up 40+ each week, league game or rivalry game, any game. It just hasn't worked. They may go two straight years without qualifying for a bowl. They're dangerously becoming like Tennessee, except the Gators are in a state with great high school talent.

[LAWeaver]

I don't have a favorite team. If I did, I'd root for Ohio and Tennessee. However, I don't have much faith in either team to last a whole season.

[tBBP]

Heh, I'm a multiple team guy as well.

Obviously #1 is and always will be Florida State...kinda hard for it not to be when I have blood ties to the place. But growing up I also always liked Mississippi State, since my high school team resembled them so much (right down to the maroon and white), and since I still have rather fond memories of Jackie Sherill back in the day. So if those two should happen to meet up in the title game this postseason, it's oobvious who I'll pull for...but won't spit venom if M-State wins, in fact I'll be just as happy for them.

And then over the years I've found myself liking teams just because of their style of play. Case in point: Nevada. Back in '08 for some reason a lot of Nevada's games were broadcast on Pittsburgh cable channels, so I found myself watching them a lot--and at that time they were running their then-somewhat-unique Pistol offense (this is when Colin Kaepernick was still there). Or, I become a fan because I like their brand identity so much--like, Iowa State, of whom I've also become a big fan over the past four years. (Helps that I spend a lot of time up in Des Moines, which is only about a half hour south of Ames, where I-State is located.)

So there's my reasons.

[Kramerica Industries]

Not to pile onto Florida, but heard a couple interesting things on the radio earlier....

Four of Missouri's drives went for negative yards. Another seven drives either ended with 8 or less positive yards. That's 11 drives where Missouri's offense gained 8 yards or less, and they won a road game in the SEC by 29 points. That's hard to do. Just earlier this season, Arizona State ran 100+ plays and gained well over 600 yards in a game and lost by 35. You can watch a game and see it unfold liveand not be shocked, but you then look into the stats of a game and ask yourself "How the hell is this possible?".

Muschamp, for his credit, has had a really, really good defense during his tenure. But the offense is a wreck....something I thought I'd never see from a Florida team that would routinely put up 40+ each week, league game or rivalry game, any game. It just hasn't worked. They may go two straight years without qualifying for a bowl. They're dangerously becoming like Tennessee, except the Gators are in a state with great high school talent.

This stat is floating around and so I might as well mention it here too.

In the last ten seasons, when a team has held their opponent to 120 or fewer yards of total offense in a game, they have gone 147-2. The two losses?

11/26/2011: Florida State 21, Florida 7

Last Saturday: Missouri 42, Florida 13

Both those losses, in the entirely of division I college football, have come with the same head coach at the same university. That's almost impossible to fathom. And when I saw that stat floating around, well, gee, I was glad to be reminded of what a tire fire the 2011 FSU game was like. John Brantley throwing a pass across his entire body for a near-80 yard pick-six (or somewhere close to it) was just as much fun to watch when it happened as it is to think about several years later.

I would hate to come off as spoiled (too late) but with the recruiting pull and the prestige of Florida's football program, to be this far down in the dumps; to be an irrelevant, losing team on the weaker side of the SEC, is absurd. It only becomes worse looking at the rascals a few hundred miles west who haven't lost a game in nearly two calendar years. It's like the reverse of when it was Meyer and Bowden coaching those schools, except even at the end of Bobby Bowden's time in Tallahassee, Florida State was still at least a bowl game-calibre team. Florida can't even say that.

[alxy8s]

Georgia has requested reinstatement for Todd Gurley. The team doesn't play again until November 1 against Florida, so it should definitely be resolved by then.

I've never been so excited for Georgia-Florida.

[Sanic]

For me, my interest in CFB has just started this season.

My first team is obv. Oregon. I heard about them way before I actually knew what they actually were, in some way. When I kept on hearing they were a contender, I was set.

WVU is a different story. It had something to do with them popping up all the time in one form or another. I mean, everyone does that, but they did it better imo.

Fake edit: + the obnoxious fan-made shirts.

[pianoknight]

From Brian Rosenthal, a Husker beat writer, Ameer Abdullah has out-rushed FIFTEEN Power 5 teams including Florida State:

Brian Rosenthal@HuskerExtraBR · In same number of games played, Ameer Abdullah has as many/more rushing yards (1,024) than B1G teams Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois, Penn St

Brian Rosenthal@HuskerExtraBR · Abdullah has more rushing yards than 15 Power-5 conference teams, including Florida, Texas, Stanford, Clemson, Florida St., Tennessee.

[PSUcelticsWON95]

From Brian Rosenthal, a Husker beat writer, Ameer Abdullah has out-rushed FIFTEEN Power 5 teams including Florida State:

Brian Rosenthal@HuskerExtraBR · In same number of games played, Ameer Abdullah has as many/more rushing yards (1,024) than B1G teams Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois, Penn St

Brian Rosenthal@HuskerExtraBR · Abdullah has more rushing yards than 15 Power-5 conference teams, including Florida, Texas, Stanford, Clemson, Florida St., Tennessee.

Even with my opinion of Nebraska, that is impressive. But, the stat I can't look past is the 45 yards against MSU. I will be going to Saturday's game against Rutgers, and I feel like that'll be a real fun game to watch for both parties.

[dfwabel]

From Brian Rosenthal, a Husker beat writer, Ameer Abdullah has out-rushed FIFTEEN Power 5 teams including Florida State:

Brian Rosenthal@HuskerExtraBR · In same number of games played, Ameer Abdullah has as many/more rushing yards (1,024) than B1G teams Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois, Penn St

Brian Rosenthal@HuskerExtraBR · Abdullah has more rushing yards than 15 Power-5 conference teams, including Florida, Texas, Stanford, Clemson, Florida St., Tennessee.

And he's STILL behind both Melvin Gordon (one less game played) and Tevin Coleman (has 26 less carries).

[crashcarson15]

So, when's my date with Riley Reid?

[See Red]

From Brian Rosenthal, a Husker beat writer, Ameer Abdullah has out-rushed FIFTEEN Power 5 teams including Florida State:

Brian Rosenthal@HuskerExtraBR · In same number of games played, Ameer Abdullah has as many/more rushing yards (1,024) than B1G teams Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois, Penn St

Brian Rosenthal@HuskerExtraBR · Abdullah has more rushing yards than 15 Power-5 conference teams, including Florida, Texas, Stanford, Clemson, Florida St., Tennessee.

And he's STILL behind both Melvin Gordon (one less game played) and Tevin Coleman (has 26 less carries).

Just looked it up. Tevin Coleman has 1192 rushing yards. Florida QB's Jeff Driskel and Treon Harris (the only two that have attempted a pass) have 1191 combined passing yards.

Wonderful.

[dfwabel]

From Brian Rosenthal, a Husker beat writer, Ameer Abdullah has out-rushed FIFTEEN Power 5 teams including Florida State:

Brian Rosenthal@HuskerExtraBR · In same number of games played, Ameer Abdullah has as many/more rushing yards (1,024) than B1G teams Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois, Penn St

Brian Rosenthal@HuskerExtraBR · Abdullah has more rushing yards than 15 Power-5 conference teams, including Florida, Texas, Stanford, Clemson, Florida St., Tennessee.

And he's STILL behind both Melvin Gordon (one less game played) and Tevin Coleman (has 26 less carries).

Just looked it up. Tevin Coleman has 1192 rushing yards. Florida QB's Jeff Driskel and Treon Harris (the only two that have attempted a pass) have 1191 combined passing yards.

Wonderful.

You can still be happy about something. The last QB to beat Florida State was...

Jeff Driskel.

[DS729]

Oh boy, oh boy, Tech's offense finally gets going and then we get two straight fumbles, one on the goal line.

How did such an atrocious team win in front of a record Ohio State crowd? This team is absolutely atrocious, the offense can't move the ball, and have turnover issues even when they do, not to mention the first and twenties and all those damned snap infractions. The Defense may be good, but they really can't do anything when the offense goes three and out every series.

Miami on the Road so far this season: 0-3

Miami so far on third down this season: 25%

Yet they've converted over 60% of third downs and are well on their way to their first road win. I'll be surprised if this team wins another game this season (not including Wake Forest, they seem to also be full of suck.)

[Kramerica Industries]

You can still be happy about something. The last QB to beat Florida State was...

Jeff Driskel.

Considering that the game where that happened occurred 23 months ago, long ago enough that Florida State has since won a national championship and is in great position to win another while Florida might go two straight seasons without even being good enough to play in a pity bowl game, as well as a timespan that has seen FSU win by 30 in the Swamp and probably will win by more than 30 this year, does almost nothing to make me happy about, well, anything, really.

[CLEstones]

Oh boy, oh boy, Tech's offense finally gets going and then we get two straight fumbles, one on the goal line.

I watched most of that game tonight. It seems like VT isn't doing any of the exotic schemes that were so successful against Ohio State.

I think VT was down 24 going to half, came out and marched down to the red zone before a fumble. Miami marched down the field, but VT got a stop. Then one of the announcers came on and said something like "You would think this Hokie team would be hanging their heads after being down 24 at half, and fumbling to end their best drive of the night, but they are excited, they see what they can do against this Miami team. Virginia Tech thinks they can make this a game." Then about 2 plays later... another VT fumble.

[Tigers6884]

So, when's my date with Riley Reid?

You don't want those used goods, lol.

[pianoknight]

From Brian Rosenthal, a Husker beat writer, Ameer Abdullah has out-rushed FIFTEEN Power 5 teams including Florida State:

Brian Rosenthal@HuskerExtraBR · In same number of games played, Ameer Abdullah has as many/more rushing yards (1,024) than B1G teams Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois, Penn St

Brian Rosenthal@HuskerExtraBR · Abdullah has more rushing yards than 15 Power-5 conference teams, including Florida, Texas, Stanford, Clemson, Florida St., Tennessee.

Even with my opinion of Nebraska, that is impressive. But, the stat I can't look past is the 45 yards against MSU. I will be going to Saturday's game against Rutgers, and I feel like that'll be a real fun game to watch for both parties.

I'll give you the 45 yard game because MSU's defense is very solid against the run. But I'll raise you the 3x 200-yard games Abdullah has this season, including one against Miami. Melvin Gordon is a legit contender, too, and I'm happy to see the Big Ten actually putting up some impressive performances down the stretch. If you think back to Week 1, the national pundits pretty much wrote off the conference as useless but the way things are going I still think a 1-loss Ohio State, Michigan State or Nebraska has a fairly good chance to crack the playoff with a Big Ten crown under their belt.

[DS729]

UVA just got Sean Payton'd and it is glorious.

EDIT: Bonus, UVA derps it away with an illegal subsitution even after 2 timeouts were called on the play. If there was anything left to salvage this weekend, it was this game.

[WSU151]

Georgia Tech has a legitimate shot of scoring 200 points against Pitt. 21-0 five minutes in; on pace for 252.

Edit: 28-0 with 9:44 to go in the 1st quarter.

[PSUcelticsWON95]

I am officially 0-3 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, NE. But, I am also a solid 1-0 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL. But, my overall record of 1-3 is nothing to be proud of
October 3, 2009: Penn State 35 - 17 Illinois
November 9, 2009: Oklahoma 3 - 10 Nebraska
November 10, 2012: Penn State 23 - 32 Nebraska
October 25, 2014: Rutgers 24 - 42 Nebraska