2014 NCAA Football Thread

[Geoff]

Let's also bring in how UAT tried to kill, did kill, and begrudgingly allowed the resuscitation of UAH hockey. The UofA BOT will do whatever they want to make sure almighty UAT has what they want.

[rams80]

You know, most university systems would be happy to have multiple member schools go bowling.

Alabama.

Yea I get the feeling this might blow up in there face...

How? Can those who want to sustain the program really afford to litigate for years?

In essence, they are just following the Nebraska gameplan to end UNO football.

If they scrapp football will they still have a enough income to keep any sports afloat and be competitive as well? And most likely they get the boot from cusa as well....

You realize that they are heavily subsidized by both the university directly and by student fees, right? They barely make $100k per home game at crappy Legion Field.

Direct university and fees support to the tune of 64%!

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/02/uab_athletic_subsidies_from_un.html

Student fees had increased 86% since 2006.

You do realize why UAB plays in Legion Field, right?

[dfwabel]

You know, most university systems would be happy to have multiple member schools go bowling.

Alabama.

Yea I get the feeling this might blow up in there face...

How? Can those who want to sustain the program really afford to litigate for years?

In essence, they are just following the Nebraska gameplan to end UNO football.

If they scrapp football will they still have a enough income to keep any sports afloat and be competitive as well? And most likely they get the boot from cusa as well....

You realize that they are heavily subsidized by both the university directly and by student fees, right? They barely make $100k per home game at crappy Legion Field.

Direct university and fees support to the tune of 64%!

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/02/uab_athletic_subsidies_from_un.html

Student fees had increased 86% since 2006.

You do realize why UAB plays in Legion Field, right?

They're still waiting for the Birmingham dome to be finished, err start.

http://www.alabamas13.com/story/25773967/conversations-about-building-a-dome-in-birmingham-heat-up-again

[infrared41]

The playoff committee is looking at TV and competitive games, though. Ohio State right now is basically a lock to get blown out of the water in a playoff game.

Are we be entirely sure about that? Who knows, maybe Cardell...Jones...Smith...Lee...whatever...is every bit as good as J.T. Barrett. My point is a team shouldn't be judged based on what might happen. If Ohio State wins next week and ends up in the playoff discussion, the fact that J.T. Barrett got hurt should not have a thing to do with whether or not the Buckeyes get a playoff bid.

I realize that this looks an awful lot like a homer pimping for his team but I assure you I'd feel the same way if we were talking about any of the other contenders.

[DS729]

The playoff committee is looking at TV and competitive games, though. Ohio State right now is basically a lock to get blown out of the water in a playoff game.

Are we be entirely sure about that? Who knows, maybe Cardell...Jones...Smith...Lee...whatever...is every bit as good as J.T. Barrett. My point is a team shouldn't be judged based on what might happen. If Ohio State wins next week and ends up in the playoff discussion, the fact that J.T. Barrett got hurt should not have a thing to do with whether or not the Buckeyes get a playoff bid.

I realize that this looks an awful lot like a homer pimping for his team but I assure you I'd feel the same way if we were talking about any of the other contenders.

To me it doesn't, your point makes a lot of sense to me. We don't know what Cardale Jones could do, he could be the next Sean Maguire, or throw for 510 yards and 6 touchdowns or something like that, the comittee needs to wait it out and see what the Buckeyes look like in the Big Ten title game.

And to rams80's point, if you're going to do that for Ohio State, you could probably do the same thing for Florida State.

Poor Washington State:

[PSUcelticsWON95]

Wow, just read the story about why UAB's football program might get shut down. So sad. It's such a shame. UAB was actually the first team I scored over 100 points with on a football video game. I was 8 years old and beat Cornell 132-10. Ahh, good times I hope that maybe a miracle happens and they're able to maintain a football program.

[See Red]

The playoff committee is looking at TV and competitive games, though. Ohio State right now is basically a lock to get blown out of the water in a playoff game.

Are we be entirely sure about that? Who knows, maybe Cardell...Jones...Smith...Lee...whatever...is every bit as good as J.T. Barrett. My point is a team shouldn't be judged based on what might happen. If Ohio State wins next week and ends up in the playoff discussion, the fact that J.T. Barrett got hurt should not have a thing to do with whether or not the Buckeyes get a playoff bid.

I realize that this looks an awful lot like a homer pimping for his team but I assure you I'd feel the same way if we were talking about any of the other contenders.

Ohio State was probably a "lock" to not even be in the playoff discussion at this point when Braxton Miller got hurt, so who knows. If they're intent on selecting the four best teams, which is what they've been saying all along, you have to judge it based on resumes, and Ohio State's is good enough to be one of the four or five top teams right now. You can't make assumptions about how a team is going to be without player X -- there's no way to know.

[BBTV]

I have not watched a single college football game all season so take this with a grain of salt.

This whole college football thing is all about assumptions. If the selection is truly a ranking based on who people think the best teams are, then you have to factor in injuries and future results in to it, regardless of a team's resume.

That's part of the deal with this silly system. Look at the AZ Cardinals - their vegas odds went down with Carson Palmer, because they're just not as good of a team. Since the NFL is actually a record-based league, their wins with Palmer count for a lot. If it was NCAA, then they would (rightfully so) drop considerably even after a win.

It makes every bit of sense to not select a team that you think would get blown out, if there's another team (that may have even lost to the first team at some point) that you think is in better position to be competitive at the time of the playoff.

[pianoknight]

Obligatory comment from the resident Husker Homer on Pelini's replacement: I'm seeing a good portion of fan comments lean towards Scott Frost and Jim McElwain. Thinking outside the box, I'm intrigued by Omaha-native Mark Richt as a possible candidate. Not sure he's the right fit, but it seems like UGA fans are always trying to offload him, despite proven success.

[See Red]

Obligatory comment from the resident Husker Homer on Pelini's replacement: I'm seeing a good portion of fan comments lean towards Scott Frost and Jim McElwain. Thinking outside the box, I'm intrigued by Omaha-native Mark Richt as a possible candidate. Not sure he's the right fit, but it seems like UGA fans are always trying to offload him, despite proven success.

I just read McElwain is a leading candidate for the UF job as well. Seems like a lot of UF fans are against it since he's not a big name guy, but the man can coach!

[Kramerica Industries]

One of my best Gator friends out there, someone who I trust as much as I trust myself about Gator football, is all aboard the McElwain bandwagon and I have no reason to be against him on this one. I mean, I understand a degree of leeriness since Colorado State isn't exactly a big school, but this is someone who has not only cut coordinating chops in the SEC (I mean, Muschamp had done that too) but has also had the experience of running a football program and turning it around. And if there's one thing every Florida fan on the planet can agree about right now, it's that the program needs to be turned around.

I mean, I know this will sound shocking to say, but Florida fans are a spoiled bunch! A spoiled bunch that also is a direct rival of several other elite football programs inside the SEC and inside the state of Florida. There's a ton of competition around here, and these last few years have not been fun, sinking quite a ways behind Alabama, Florida State, and even Georgia as far as what's been put on the field in recent seasons. So if there's a sizable contingent that was yearning for a big name, I can't say I blame them. That said, the biggest names aren't always either the best and/or most realistic solutions.

[See Red]

That's part of the appeal of him for me. Colorado State isn't located in a recruiting hot bed and they very obviously don't have the resources Florida does (although give me Ft. Collins over Gainesville any day), so when they go from 3-9 the year prior to his arrival to 10-2 in his third season, I take it as a sign that the man can coach (especially with Garrett Grayson's progress). Florida fans are very spoiled, and arrogant, and in this case, not all that intelligent. Most seem to think any coach short of Saban would just jump at the chance to come to Gainesville and hiring a guy like McElwain is a complete disaster (at least that's what Facebook tells me, which I should really just avoid anyways). I keep seeing "yeah, sure he turned around CSU, but who do they play?" -- well, they play the same teams Urban Meyer played at Utah, and if I recall correctly, he was a good hire.

Surely you remember the SEC Championship game against Alabama where McElwain's offense dominated the Gators top-ranked defense, yeah?

[mania]

The body of Ohio State lineman Kosta Karageorge was found in a dumpster.

He basically send a suicidal text to his family and had a history with concussions.

[JayMac]

The body of Ohio State lineman Kosta Karageorge was found in a dumpster.

He basically send a suicidal text to his family and had a history with concussions.

Not an OSU fan at all but this is such terrible news. I was just hoping that he would've showed up alive somewhere.

[PSUcelticsWON95]

Wisconsin-Whitewater, one of the most consistently best teams in D-III, just lost their coach to Buffalo.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11961945/buffalo-bulls-lure-lance-leipold-d-iii-stalwart-wisconsin-whitewater

[alxy8s]

Obligatory comment from the resident Husker Homer on Pelini's replacement: I'm seeing a good portion of fan comments lean towards Scott Frost and Jim McElwain. Thinking outside the box, I'm intrigued by Omaha-native Mark Richt as a possible candidate. Not sure he's the right fit, but it seems like UGA fans are always trying to offload him, despite proven success.

I don't follow Nebraska, but I thought the complaints about Pelini and Richt were pretty similar. This is true of every team, but it seems like there's always some excuse as to why Georgia underperformed (young players, new coordinator, injuries, suspensions, first-year QB, some blown call, whatever). Coach Richt can be divisive amongst the fan base, but it always seems like we're making excuses as to why he shouldn't be fired instead of arguing about he should be kept on board, if that makes any sense. He'd be just fine if every other good team in the conference hadn't already won a title during his tenure, but it's getting frustrating to watch the teams we hate win and win and win.

All the Nebraska-related items I've read from Georgia people today have been along the lines of "Watch what happens at Nebraska the next few years" as a warning to those that want Richt out now. Richt always says he wants to retire at Georgia, but the lack of appreciation he gets has to wear thin on him at some point. He said a lot of nice things about Nebraska before one of the bowl games against them about all the connections he still has there and whatnot. I'd be shocked if he walked away from Georgia now. We've got the #2 recruiting class coming in, and Richt has spoken glowingly about the direction of the program. But who knows? "Home" can be a powerful thing.

[dfwabel]

Obligatory comment from the resident Husker Homer on Pelini's replacement: I'm seeing a good portion of fan comments lean towards Scott Frost and Jim McElwain. Thinking outside the box, I'm intrigued by Omaha-native Mark Richt as a possible candidate. Not sure he's the right fit, but it seems like UGA fans are always trying to offload him, despite proven success.

I don't follow Nebraska, but I thought the complaints about Pelini and Richt were pretty similar. This is true of every team, but it seems like there's always some excuse as to why Georgia underperformed (young players, new coordinator, injuries, suspensions, first-year QB, some blown call, whatever). Coach Richt can be divisive amongst the fan base, but it always seems like we're making excuses as to why he shouldn't be fired instead of arguing about he should be kept on board, if that makes any sense. He'd be just fine if every other good team in the conference hadn't already won a title during his tenure, but it's getting frustrating to watch the teams we hate win and win and win.

All the Nebraska-related items I've read from Georgia people today have been along the lines of "Watch what happens at Nebraska the next few years" as a warning to those that want Richt out now. Richt always says he wants to retire at Georgia, but the lack of appreciation he gets has to wear thin on him at some point. He said a lot of nice things about Nebraska before one of the bowl games against them about all the connections he still has there and whatnot. I'd be shocked if he walked away from Georgia now. We've got the #2 recruiting class coming in, and Richt has spoken glowingly about the direction of the program. But who knows? "Home" can be a powerful thing.

However Richt grew up in Boulder and Boca Raton after age seven. In addition, his parents and his three siblings (along with brother in law, Brad Johnson) live in the Athens area.

[DaRadniz29]

That's part of the appeal of him for me. Colorado State isn't located in a recruiting hot bed and they very obviously don't have the resources Florida does (although give me Ft. Collins over Gainesville any day), so when they go from 3-9 the year prior to his arrival to 10-2 in his third season, I take it as a sign that the man can coach (especially with Garrett Grayson's progress). Florida fans are very spoiled, and arrogant, and in this case, not all that intelligent. Most seem to think any coach short of Saban would just jump at the chance to come to Gainesville and hiring a guy like McElwain is a complete disaster (at least that's what Facebook tells me, which I should really just avoid anyways). I keep seeing "yeah, sure he turned around CSU, but who do they play?" -- well, they play the same teams Urban Meyer played at Utah, and if I recall correctly, he was a good hire.

Surely you remember the SEC Championship game against Alabama where McElwain's offense dominated the Gators top-ranked defense, yeah?

Don't know much about McElwain, but the Orlando Sentinel (I know very little of the Sentinel's track record for accuracy though) reports with a number of coaches named in the running for the Florida job, with a good number of those coaches asked about the job and most of them rebuffing that they are leaving their current schools. The two coaches that according to the article that did not outright deny it, were Jim McElwain and Brain Kelly, even though Brian Kelly just said he's going to Florida to get sun and get out the South Bend weather, but he did say he's going to Florida. Then someone changed his Wikipedia Page to being the coach of the Florida Gators (it's been revised since) but with less than steallar finish at Notre Dame, he may be another top candidate.

[See Red]

That's part of the appeal of him for me. Colorado State isn't located in a recruiting hot bed and they very obviously don't have the resources Florida does (although give me Ft. Collins over Gainesville any day), so when they go from 3-9 the year prior to his arrival to 10-2 in his third season, I take it as a sign that the man can coach (especially with Garrett Grayson's progress). Florida fans are very spoiled, and arrogant, and in this case, not all that intelligent. Most seem to think any coach short of Saban would just jump at the chance to come to Gainesville and hiring a guy like McElwain is a complete disaster (at least that's what Facebook tells me, which I should really just avoid anyways). I keep seeing "yeah, sure he turned around CSU, but who do they play?" -- well, they play the same teams Urban Meyer played at Utah, and if I recall correctly, he was a good hire.

Surely you remember the SEC Championship game against Alabama where McElwain's offense dominated the Gators top-ranked defense, yeah?

Don't know much about McElwain, but the Orlando Sentinel (I know very little of the Sentinel's track record for accuracy though) reports with a number of coaches named in the running for the Florida job, with a good number of those coaches asked about the job and most of them rebuffing that they are leaving their current schools. The two coaches that according to the article that did not outright deny it, were Jim McElwain and Brain Kelly, even though Brian Kelly just said he's going to Florida to get sun and get out the South Bend weather, but he did say he's going to Florida. Then someone changed his Wikipedia Page to being the coach of the Florida Gators (it's been revised since) but with less than steallar finish at Notre Dame, he may be another top candidate.

I figure most coaches are going to deny even if they are interested so I don't put too much stock into that stuff until at least after the regular season is over.

I don't think anyone associated with CSU or fans actually think McElwain wouldn't immediately leave CSU to head to Florida or Nebraska or anything so he can probably get away with not outright denying interest whereas a guy like, say, Hugh Freeze wouldn't be able to without bothering some people if he were to actually be interested.

[martymcfry]

BREAKING: UAB to shut down football program

ESPN Report: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11967626/uab-blazers-shut-football-program