NCAA Football - 2018 (1 Viewer)

[Combat]

A mixed bag of games today. Not many top twenty matchups:

Alabama 40 Ole Miss 23: could be a trap game for any other team but the Tide continues to roll.

Auburn 24 LSU 20: should be a good game. LSU is playing well but not well enough to win this one.

Texas 30 USC 28: SC's offense looked anemic against Stanford. Texas hasn't been much better but at home playing against a true freshman QB they get the win.

Oklahoma St. 47 Boise St. 34: I haven't seen either team but the Cowboys don't have to play on the Smurf blue field so they get it done.

 

[Combat]

Bama looks unstoppable. A lot of traditional college football powers are really in a dumpster fire. USC, UCLA, Florida St., Nebraska are in death spirals. Michigan, Florida, TN, Arkansas, Arizona, are awful. It seems more and more like a couple of the same teams are light years ahead of the pack. Mostly in the south. Bama, Clemson with Ohio St., Georgia and LSU handing around on fringes. You have to wonder if these coaches are just that much better or what is making the difference. ND fields a pretty good team but they would get drilled by 30 points or more by Bama. Not even competitive. I would love someone to investigate the academic criteria at some of these successful programs.

 

[jrsteel]

Bama looks unstoppable. A lot of traditional college football powers are really in a dumpster fire. USC, UCLA, Florida St., Nebraska are in death spirals. Michigan, Florida, TN, Arkansas, Arizona, are awful. It seems more and more like a couple of the same teams are light years ahead of the pack. Mostly in the south. Bama, Clemson with Ohio St., Georgia and LSU handing around on fringes. You have to wonder if these coaches are just that much better or what is making the difference. ND fields a pretty good team but they would get drilled by 30 points or more by Bama. Not even competitive. I would love someone to investigate the academic criteria at some of these successful programs.

That's just it. There is no academic standard at Alabama, Clemson etc. they're basically minor league teams for the NFL. I enjoy watching college games but couldn't care less who wins the national championship. The whole thing is a sham. I like Notre Dame but I know they'll never win a national championship again. As long as they have a decent record and win whatever bowl they're in, that's good for me. And that's getting harder to do with the horrible coach they have

 

[lancer]

Bama looks unstoppable. A lot of traditional college football powers are really in a dumpster fire. USC, UCLA, Florida St., Nebraska are in death spirals. Michigan, Florida, TN, Arkansas, Arizona, are awful. It seems more and more like a couple of the same teams are light years ahead of the pack. Mostly in the south. Bama, Clemson with Ohio St., Georgia and LSU handing around on fringes. You have to wonder if these coaches are just that much better or what is making the difference. ND fields a pretty good team but they would get drilled by 30 points or more by Bama. Not even competitive. I would love someone to investigate the academic criteria at some of these successful programs.

Yep, beginning to look like another SEC year. Seems to always be another SEC year.^&grin -- Al

 

[Warrior]

Bama looks unstoppable. A lot of traditional college football powers are really in a dumpster fire. USC, UCLA, Florida St., Nebraska are in death spirals. Michigan, Florida, TN, Arkansas, Arizona, are awful. It seems more and more like a couple of the same teams are light years ahead of the pack. Mostly in the south. Bama, Clemson with Ohio St., Georgia and LSU handing around on fringes. You have to wonder if these coaches are just that much better or what is making the difference. ND fields a pretty good team but they would get drilled by 30 points or more by Bama. Not even competitive. I would love someone to investigate the academic criteria at some of these successful programs.

Alabama is a machine, they lose players, plug new ones in and keep rolling along, their QB looks like the real deal.

They had 5 of their secondary drafted this spring, 3 made their teams, 2 are on practice squads, they just bring in new kids and keep moving forward.

Oklahoma's offense looks very good too, their new QB throws frozen ropes out there, not sure about the defense though.

 

[lancer]

Watched the UMd Terps disgrace themselves against previously winless Temple. Terps were never in the game, losing 35-14, with their only scores coming on defense and special teams. The offense was a no-show, a total disgrace on their home field and their home opener, managing less than 200 yards total. Hard to believe they beat Texas and had over 550 yards offense against Bowling Green last week. I fear we have seen the best the Terps had to offer in their first 2 games and it's all downhill from here with 3-9 or 4-8 a likely final record.:rolleyes2: -- Al

 

[tdubel]

That's just it. There is no academic standard at Alabama, Clemson etc. they're basically minor league teams for the NFL. I enjoy watching college games but couldn't care less who wins the national championship. The whole thing is a sham. I like Notre Dame but I know they'll never win a national championship again. As long as they have a decent record and win whatever bowl they're in, that's good for me. And that's getting harder to do with the horrible coach they have

Interesting enough though, Alabama as a school academically is on the rise. They are now recruiting nationwide and offering in State tuition as a form of scholarship, South Carolina is doing it too.

Tom

 

[tdubel]

Watched the UMd Terps disgrace themselves against previously winless Temple. Terps were never in the game, losing 35-14, with their only scores coming on defense and special teams. The offense was a no-show, a total disgrace on their home field and their home opener, managing less than 200 yards total. Hard to believe they beat Texas and had over 550 yards offense against Bowling Green last week. I fear we have seen the best the Terps had to offer in their first 2 games and it's all downhill from here with 3-9 or 4-8 a likely final record.:rolleyes2: -- Al

Hi Al,
I am wondering if FSU will win another game. Doug's description of Dumpster Fire is very accurate. That game was hard to watch. I find it incredulous how FSU can still put all that talent on the field and look and play like they do. Good Grief.
TD

 

[lancer]

Hi Al,
I am wondering if FSU will win another game. Doug's description of Dumpster Fire is very accurate. That game was hard to watch. I find it incredulous how FSU can still put all that talent on the field and look and play like they do. Good Grief.
TD

Hi Tom, looks like UMd and FSU are headed for down years, a yearly occurrence for UMd, but somewhat unusual for the Seminoles. Think I'll concentrate on watching the USNA and Army.:rolleyes2: -- Al

 

[Rutledge]

Not to nitpick, but Clemson is in the ACC.

Football is king in the (deep) south, from high school through college. The NFL is third after those two.

It’s pretty obvious why the SEC schools are nearly perpetually good at football, isn’t it? The top programs recruit and land the most talented athletes. Many or nearly all of them African American. Much like the NFL.

 

[Warrior]

Not to nitpick, but Clemson is in the ACC.

Football is king in the (deep) south, from high school through college. The NFL is third after those two.

It’s pretty obvious why the SEC schools are nearly perpetually good at football, isn’t it? The top programs recruit and land the most talented athletes. Many or nearly all of them African American. Much like the NFL.

Blue chip prospects want to go to the school that gives them the best shot to go to the next level, Alabama is a factory and kids want to go there, as you said football is religion in the south as well as PA and TX, schools like Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Notre Dame will continue to have the pick of the litter.

 

[Rutledge]

W

Blue chip prospects want to go to the school that gives them the best shot to go to the next level, Alabama is a factory and kids want to go there, as you said football is religion in the south as well as PA and TX, schools like Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Notre Dame will continue to have the pick of the litter.

Smart has the Dawgs on the rise!

 

[Combat]

Not to nitpick, but Clemson is in the ACC.

Football is king in the (deep) south, from high school through college. The NFL is third after those two.

It’s pretty obvious why the SEC schools are nearly perpetually good at football, isn’t it? The top programs recruit and land the most talented athletes. Many or nearly all of them African American. Much like the NFL.

A lot of schools land talented athletes. ND, USC, Nebraska, Texas get a ton of blue chips every year but you don't see the same level of success. I have to believe there is more to it than that. You gain a huge competitive advantage in college sports by cutting corners on academics. All major programs do it. Most of these guys couldn't spell cat if you spotted them a "c" and "t." But some places abuse the privilege and take on some guys who even other corrupt programs wouldn't touch. Bama has won a record of something like 75 straight games against non-ranked opponents. They are winning those games by 30 or more points. They could score 100 or more on some days if they kept their starters in past halftime. The backup QB has a 26-2 record as a starter. It's unreal. No longer even competitive.

 

[Rutledge]

A lot of schools land talented athletes. ND, USC, Nebraska, Texas get a ton of blue chips every year but you don't see the same level of success. I have to believe there is more to it than that. You gain a huge competitive advantage in college sports by cutting corners on academics. All major programs do it. Most of these guys couldn't spell cat if you spotted them a "c" and "t." But some places abuse the privilege and take on some guys who even other corrupt programs wouldn't touch. Bama has won a record of something like 75 straight games against non-ranked opponents. They are winning those games by 30 or more points. They could score 100 or more on some days if they kept their starters in past halftime. The backup QB has a 26-2 record as a starter. It's unreal. No longer even competitive.

Well, being “not academically competitive ” does not make one a good football player, does it? There isn’t anything that says a person can’t be both academically and athletically gifted. It does happen in the real world.

You can’t know or prove that dumb blue chips are better football players than smart blue chips. That makes no sense.

I think schools can let in anyone they want, academic standards notwithstanding. If there are moral and character issues, that is something else entirely. Heck, giving a kid a “not so smart” kid a chance to upgrade his skills to possibly play at the next level could be viewed as a kind of charity or hand up that overall benefits society by giving him a way to be productive and make a good living. In a big school system the numbers are small enough it doesn’t really affect the academic quality of the school in total, I would say.

 

[bradleyl30]

A lot of schools land talented athletes. ND, USC, Nebraska, Texas get a ton of blue chips every year but you don't see the same level of success. I have to believe there is more to it than that. You gain a huge competitive advantage in college sports by cutting corners on academics. All major programs do it. Most of these guys couldn't spell cat if you spotted them a "c" and "t." But some places abuse the privilege and take on some guys who even other corrupt programs wouldn't touch. Bama has won a record of something like 75 straight games against non-ranked opponents. They are winning those games by 30 or more points. They could score 100 or more on some days if they kept their starters in past halftime. The backup QB has a 26-2 record as a starter. It's unreal. No longer even competitive.

There are some articles about how Alabama’s system Works. A big part of it is Saban’s obsession with detail, performance, performance measurement and constant, structured feedback. To a level I never even came close to when I was playing. Also the 1 year grants of scholarships.

This means that kids who aren’t performing, or not performing high enough to start, are either weeded out early or voluntarily decide to leave. This results in Alabama getting 5 scholarship classes rather than 4 in a 4 year period.

There are other innovative things he has done as well, but this one is the one that jumped out at me.

Just search on why Alabama is so good on Google

 

[Panzer ace]

I tend to think that most schools in the top ten academic rankings do not bend their admission rules etc. for the sake of athletics.

 

[bradleyl30]

I tend to think that most schools in the top ten academic rankings do not bend their admission rules etc. for the sake of athletics.

They do a little bit, but not by much. For me, I would have been an average applicant, but football guaranteed I got in. They have minimum standards, but there is some flexibility.

 

[tdubel]

I worked for the MD football program my 4 years on scholarship there. I had an insight into the true business of College football and it probably jaded me a little. I grew up playing competitive sports including my first love of fball, so seeing it as a business was rather eye opening. Yes, colleges have exceptions to their admission standards for athletics. One example from my days was the fact that MD and VA were recruiting the same batch of kids and there were 4 in particular who they were head to head on. All 4 were not admitted to MD b/c of admission standards and we were still going through the Len Bias crisis 10 years later as well as the Bob Wade debacle, basically MD was gun shy of any scrutiny. Guess what = all 4 got into UVA!(probably one of the hardest schools in the nation to get into). Athletics bring a whole host of benefits to U's - mainly money which is subsequently used to better the academics, etc. There is a reason Alabama is starting to get national prominence in some fields of academics - they are using their athletic successes. The only true amateur sports anymore are literally basic parks and rec, although the "corruption" is even invading those levels with travel teams, pay to play squads, etc. Sports is big business across the board!~

On another note from a comment made, the late great Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV always defended his exceptions as giving kids chances who have none, i.e. if it wasn't for their basketball ability, they would not better themselves. He prided himself on this and wrote about it in both of his books. However, he really got burned on one Lloyd Daniels. Google it, it really hurt his reputation. I believe he even gave Daniels another chance during his brief stint with the San Antonio Spurs, that is how forgiving or some say naive he was!

TD

 

[Combat]

Well, being “not academically competitive ” does not make one a good football player, does it? There isn’t anything that says a person can’t be both academically and athletically gifted. It does happen in the real world.

You can’t know or prove that dumb blue chips are better football players than smart blue chips. That makes no sense.

I think schools can let in anyone they want, academic standards notwithstanding. If there are moral and character issues, that is something else entirely. Heck, giving a kid a “not so smart” kid a chance to upgrade his skills to possibly play at the next level could be viewed as a kind of charity or hand up that overall benefits society by giving him a way to be productive and make a good living. In a big school system the numbers are small enough it doesn’t really affect the academic quality of the school in total, I would say.

Huh? If you let anyone in, then you have a much larger pool of talent available. If you have some basic academic and moral standards, then the talent pool shrinks significantly. Of course there are some intelligent athletes but that is not the point. It is an obvious competitive advantage in college sports to have lower admittance standards. I believe there are minimum NCAA academic standards to play sports. There is absolutely no way that 50% or more of the football players on most elite programs could maintain those standards. Just listen to a ten second interview with any of them.

 

[Combat]

There are some articles about how Alabama’s system Works. A big part of it is Saban’s obsession with detail, performance, performance measurement and constant, structured feedback. To a level I never even came close to when I was playing. Also the 1 year grants of scholarships.

This means that kids who aren’t performing, or not performing high enough to start, are either weeded out early or voluntarily decide to leave. This results in Alabama getting 5 scholarship classes rather than 4 in a 4 year period.

There are other innovative things he has done as well, but this one is the one that jumped out at me.

Just search on why Alabama is so good on Google

I seem to recall there was a lot of controversy regarding the way Saban handles scholarships. I don't remember all the details but Saban oversigns a class then pressures kids that don't work out to leave for bogus medical or academic reasons to get them off the team. Even in the cut throat world of college football, most coaches won't do that. Saban is a great coach - maybe the best in the history of college football if the sole measure is winning - but a despicable person if you believe there is supposed to be more to sports than promoting the coach. The really weird thing about college football coaches is that even those who consistently fail - like Chip Kelly or Lame Kiffin - remain a hot commodity with schools falling all over themselves to pay them millions.