2013 NCAA FOOTBALL THREAD

[pianoknight]

The Sports Illustrated poll is full of random crap.

As others have pointed out, Oklahoma State was left out entirely despite being many people's favorite to win the Big XII. Same goes for my Huskers, which many have pegged to win the division and face Ohio State in the CCG.

Texas @ #11 is also silly, IMO. The Horns should be decent, but it's hard to get past their recent record. They've been 22 &16 (0.579) over the last three years and never finished better than 3rd overall in the Big XII. They should definitely be a Top 25 team, but on the fringe of Top 10 (and ahead of BOTH Oklahoma schools) is a bit unwarranted.

[Needschat]

I wonder when the power conferences just create their own league OUTSIDE of the NCAA, slice up the billions of dollars to be had, pay the athletes, and enter into a true developmental contract with the NFL, instead of all the pretence that's going on now.

[crashcarson15]

There's a huge issue there... only a few sports actually make schools money. And about none of them are women's sports.

So yeah, sure, pay football players all you want but public schools kind of have to follow Title IX...

EDIT: Also, why the hell would the schools want to pay players...? That makes no sense.

[dfwabel]

Let's try not mire this thread, or any other NCAA thread for that matter, in any issues on the organization's future (or any corporate structure which one would like to see).

We can easily begin a specific thread for that.

Let's do our best to stick to the sport itself.

[rams80]

Honestly the two issues are so intertwined backseat moderation to split the topics is pointless.

[crashcarson15]

Let's try not mire this thread, or any other NCAA thread for that matter, in any issues on the organization's future (or any corporate structure which one would like to see).

We can easily begin a specific thread for that.

Let's do our best to stick to the sport itself.

[DS729]

Honestly, here are my picks to win the BCS conferences.

American - Louisville

ACC- Clemson over Virginia Tech

B1G - Ohio St. over Michigan

Big 12 - Texas

Pac-12 - Oregon over UCLA

SEC - Georgia over Alabama

BCS Bowls will look something like this:

Rose - Oregon vs. Oklahoma

Sugar - Alabama vs. Florida St.

Orange - Clemson vs. Louisville

Fiesta - Texas vs. Stanford

National Championship - Georgia vs. Ohio St.

[hbgoo1975]

Here are my predictions for some teams............

USC to go 0-12, either way they will not make a Bowl Game.

Lane Kiffin will be fired and replaced by an inferior coach who will lead them to a decade of decline, especially an 0-12 season sometime.

ASU will will the Pac-12, Ohio State goes undefeated, but will not be in the BCS title game.

Alabama will not three-peat, Texas wins the Big 12, LSU wins the SEC and maybe the National title game.

[DS729]

Here are my predictions for some teams............

USC to go 0-12, either way they will not make a Bowl Game.

Lane Kiffin will be fired and replaced by an inferior coach who will lead them to a decade of decline, especially an 0-12 season sometime.

ASU will will the Pac-12, Ohio State goes undefeated, but will not be in the BCS title game.

Alabama will not three-peat, Texas wins the Big 12, LSU wins the SEC and maybe the National title game.

What will ASU do to the Pac-12? And I don't think LSU's going to the title, sub par QB play and an inexperienced defense don't win you the SEC.

[dfwabel]

Here are my predictions for some teams............

USC to go 0-12, either way they will not make a Bowl Game.

Lane Kiffin will be fired and replaced by an inferior coach who will lead them to a decade of decline, especially an 0-12 season sometime.

ASU will will the Pac-12, Ohio State goes undefeated, but will not be in the BCS title game.

Alabama will not three-peat, Texas wins the Big 12, LSU wins the SEC and maybe the National title game.

What will ASU do to the Pac-12? And I don't think LSU's going to the title, sub par QB play and an inexperienced defense don't win you the SEC.

And while your location in Virginia, it is funny that you expect that David Ash is "more mentally tough" than Logan Thomas as Ash has had much more offensive talent around him and Ash and the rest of the Longhorn roster has seemed to want to have nothing to do with the Cotton Bowl after 30 minutes the last two years.

In two games against OU, he is 0-2 and his stats are:

24-49 for 220 yards; 1TD; 4 INT; 5 sacks; 15 carries; 47 yards; 3 fumbles (1 lost)

[pianoknight]

Ohio State isn't going 12-0 this year. I have strong doubts about their success when Braxton Miller basically accounts for about 75% of their offensive production. There were a couple times last year that he got dinged up on otherwise normal tackles and would miss a series or two in the game.

I'm anxiously fearing for him to get decapitated on a blitz. Certainly not an Ohio State fan, but I don't like seeing kids get injured. If Miller goes down, OSU is a 8-4 team this year. They have no depth.

[HedleyLamarr]

Ohio State isn't going 12-0 this year. I have strong doubts about their success when Braxton Miller basically accounts for about 75% of their offensive production. There were a couple times last year that he got dinged up on otherwise normal tackles and would miss a series or two in the game.

I'm anxiously fearing for him to get decapitated on a blitz. Certainly not an Ohio State fan, but I don't like seeing kids get injured. If Miller goes down, OSU is a 8-4 team this year. They have no depth.

You could say that for just about any team, Alabama included. Very few schools will ever have a solid Option A at QB and have little drop-off in production in Option B.

[dfwabel]

Ohio State isn't going 12-0 this year. I have strong doubts about their success when Braxton Miller basically accounts for about 75% of their offensive production. There were a couple times last year that he got dinged up on otherwise normal tackles and would miss a series or two in the game.

I'm anxiously fearing for him to get decapitated on a blitz. Certainly not an Ohio State fan, but I don't like seeing kids get injured. If Miller goes down, OSU is a 8-4 team this year. They have no depth.

Do you want to take that back when a Nebraska verbal commit was taken away in a medivac yesterday?

[Raysfan12]

My Predictions (Winners in Bold):

BCS National Title Game: Alabama vs Louisville

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs Stanford

Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs Northern Illinois

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs Oregon

Orange Bowl: Clemson vs UCF

Heisman Predictions

1. Teddy Bridgewater - Louisville
2. T.J. Yeldon - Alabama
3. Braxton Miller - Ohio State
4. Jordan Lynch - Northern Illinois
5. Jadeveon Clowney - South Carolina

Other Votes: DeAnthony Thomas (Oregon), Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M), Aaron Murray (Georgia), Ka'Deem Carey (Arizona)

[dfwabel]

You have not only a MAC team going to back to back BCS bowls under different coaches, but also two team from the American.

Child Please.

[vicfurth]

You speak as if blatant homerism doesn't run rampant here.

[pianoknight]

Ohio State isn't going 12-0 this year. I have strong doubts about their success when Braxton Miller basically accounts for about 75% of their offensive production. There were a couple times last year that he got dinged up on otherwise normal tackles and would miss a series or two in the game.

I'm anxiously fearing for him to get decapitated on a blitz. Certainly not an Ohio State fan, but I don't like seeing kids get injured. If Miller goes down, OSU is a 8-4 team this year. They have no depth.

Do you want to take that back when a Nebraska verbal commit was taken away in a medivac yesterday?

No, not really. I wasn't making any sort of observation about my own team, only that Ohio State won't be 12-0.

Secondly, while I feel bad for the kid who got injured - there's a hell of a lot of difference between a sorta-maybe-kinda verbal commit high school kid getting injured and your team's first string starting quarterback going down. Without sounding crass, if they haven't suited up and played a collegiate down, I really don't care too much; at least in the context of this discussion.

Objectively, Braxton Miller accounts for a larger percentage of his team's offense than most quarterbacks. So yes, while ANY team would be hurting from a loss of their starter, I think it would be more problematic for Ohio State simply because Miller puts so many points on the board for them. At least Bauserman isn't backing him up anymore. His completion rate was nearly 80% if you count passes caught by the marching band and student section.

[Seadragon76]

Well, how about some predictions from me... Why not, right?

ACC: Clemson (Easily the most talented team in the ACC, but remember: Clemson doesn't always live up to those lofty promises.. so, 9-3 would work here)

AAC: Cincinnati (Louisville is so freaking overhyped that they will screw up somewhere before the season finale. Cincy, on the other hand, looks like a team that could make it work in the old Big East)

Big 10: Ohio State (Just don't expect them to go 12-0 again)

Big 12: Oklahoma State (Random name for this one... Four or five teams could easily win this league)

C-USA: Tulsa (Last hurrah a memorable one for Golden Hurricane)

MAC: Northern Illinois (No repeat BCS bid for the Huskies, but a repeat MAC championship is good enough)

MWC: San Jose State (Call me crazy, but SJSU has as good of a team as Fresno State does in the West division and as good as Boise State and Utah State does in the Mountain division)

Pac-12: Oregon (New coach, no problem)

SEC: Alabama (If anyone can beat Alabama, let me know...)

Sun Belt: Western Kentucky (SI called them the possible BCS crasher for the season... I won't go that far, but WKU has great talent and a good coach to be the best in the Belt)

Heisman: Braxton Miller, QB Ohio State

NCG: Ohio State defeats Alabama

[NEW.ERA]

Predictions

AAC - People building up Louisville, Teddy Bridgewater looks like the next Cam Newton, blah, blah. Weak conference, Cards should take it.

ACC - Clemson. Possible National Championship threat, best team nobody is talking about.

Big 10 - Nebraska. I'm that dude, I think Ohio State will stumble somewhere along the line, like they usually do.

Big 12 - Texas. Love the Bevo this year, David Ash will be better than Colt McCoy at least he better for my fantasy team.

C-USA - Marshall. Rakeem Cato that's why.

MAC - How I would love Kent State to win this conference, Dri Archer alone makes it worth it. I'll take Northern Illnois though.

MWC - Bigger, tougher division for Boise State. But I still like the Broncos.

PAC 12 - Stanford. Defense is gnarly, Kevin Hogan will be great.

SEC - Bama Weakest schedule they will have had during this National Title run, A&M on the road will be tough. The weak schedule makes me cringe though. No Florida, No Georgia, No South Carolina, eh.

Sun Belt - Western Kentucky. They did really well on my NCAA 14 dynasty, that's all I got.

Heisman - Jadevon Clowney, South Carolina. I'm going here, he will win it.

NCG - Alabama vs. Stanford

Rose - Nebraska vs. UCLA

Sugar - South Carolina vs. Ohio State

Orange - Clemson vs. Marshall

Fiesta - Texas vs. Louisville

Think that all can happen.... I'm sure Notre Dame could pounce out Marshall though if they're within that silly little rule of the BCS Standings.

[rams80]

Indiana goes Bowling