[CFB] 08-09 Season Extravaganza

[Lenaldo]

I honestly don't think any OSU or MSU fan .. or any fan of the big10 wants dick-rod to leave michigan..... He has taken a tradition rich team with some of the best talent in the country and turned it into a sub-par MAC team.

Honestly, Michigan NEVER has bare cabinets and a decent coach should be able to take Michigan's talent and at least have a .500 record. Its pretty astonishing how much he has destroyed their program in less than a year...

[Banal]

Originally Posted by Gilgamel

This is the worst the SEC has been in years. Offensively half the teams are inept.

Three teams are way worse than they should be: Auburn, Tennessee, Arkansas. The other teams are where they should be or better, especially Bama and Ole Miss. It's just that the previous three teams are so bad that it's fucking up what has made the SEC so good the last few years, depth.

Also, ESPN conspiracy theories aside, the Big 10 is very average this this year. They have one elite team and an undifferentiated mass of mediocrity.

The Big 12 is probably the best conference, mostly because of the quarterback play.

[LiquidDeath]

Originally Posted by BobDole901

I still haven't been convinced that ANY team is or conference is dominant this year. The SEC had overinflated preseason rankings and the Big12 picked up overinflated rankings in week 4 when everyone got upset but the Big12 teams all had byes. There are so many one loss teams that it's getting really hard to sort through them and figure out who deserves anything.

Honestly, how do you define a quality win this year? Solely based on ranking?

Was Oklahoma really a quality win for Texas? Just because they were number one or was it because Oklahoma has dominated the teams they faced this year including football powerhouses like Chattanooga and Washington?

Was Georgia even a quality win for Alabama? I understand Georgia dominated Georgia Southern and Central Michigan. That's pretty hard for any team to do.

Missouri hasn't even played anyone other than an overinflated preseason ranked Illinois team. How can you call that a quality win for Oklahoma State.

Unfortunately preseason rankings have to exist to give us something to talk about, but it ruins the spirit of competition. Teams that start near the top tend to stay there barring an actual losing streak while teams that keep winning have a hard time pushing their way to the top.

Honestly, does a 6-1 Ohio State team really look better than a 6-1 Michigan State team? Not really, but it's a difference of 11 spots in the polls. All because the Buckeyes start out preseason at 2 while the Spartans at 35. You can argue that OSU got beat by a tougher opponent, but did they really? Is a 1 loss USC team really better than a 1 loss Cal team? Cal was edged out by a tougher opponent. Cal also just barely beat MSU while OSU was serially raped over the course of the night by USC.

Obviously the answer to this question will ultimately be answered on Saturday and there's still several more weeks to sort out the debris. I'm still not convinced enough to put ANYONE into the NC game. Everyone is vulnerable.

Good post.

This is honestly why I can't take rankings seriously until around week 10, but sometimes even later. No one has looked absolutely dominant this season except possibly for Penn State, and we don't know if they will even be challenged because the rest of the big 10 just isn't very good. I definitely wouldn't be suprised to see another 2 loss team in the NC game this year.

[Twobit Whore]

Originally Posted by LiquidDeath

Good post.

This is honestly why I can't take rankings seriously until around week 10, but sometimes even later. No one has looked absolutely dominant this season except possibly for Penn State, and we don't know if they will even be challenged because the rest of the big 10 just isn't very good. I definitely wouldn't be suprised to see another 2 loss team in the NC game this year.

Between USC, PSU, OSU and a few SEC and Big12 teams, there won't be less than 2 1 loss teams.

[Jadaki]

Originally Posted by Lenaldo

I honestly don't think any OSU or MSU fan .. or any fan of the big10 wants dick-rod to leave michigan..... He has taken a tradition rich team with some of the best talent in the country and turned it into a sub-par MAC team.

Honestly, Michigan NEVER has bare cabinets and a decent coach should be able to take Michigan's talent and at least have a .500 record. Its pretty astonishing how much he has destroyed their program in less than a year...

They lost 4 year starters at QB and RB and OL, two star junior receivers, a few really solid defensive players and then a few players transferred out because they couldn't handle the new S&C routines. You can't lose that much talent and expect to just roll through the season undefeated.

Less than 1/2 the starting lineup returned, and recruiting was turned upside down with the coaching change. If anyone thought Michigan was going to be good this year they knew nothing about the program.

The win over Wisconsin is going to be the highlight of the year for them.

[Banal]

Originally Posted by Jadaki

They lost 4 year starters at QB and RB and OL, two star junior receivers, a few really solid defensive players and then a few players transferred out because they couldn't handle the new S&C routines. You can't lose that much talent and expect to just roll through the season undefeated.

Less than 1/2 the starting lineup returned, and recruiting was turned upside down with the coaching change. If anyone thought Michigan was going to be good this year they knew nothing about the program.

The win over Wisconsin is going to be the highlight of the year for them.

yeah, there's a difference between a traditional power having a rebuilding year and losing to 1-4 MAC teams. RR has lost the players or something.

[Gilgamel]

Originally Posted by Banal

Three teams are way worse than they should be: Auburn, Tennessee, Arkansas. The other teams are where they should be or better, especially Bama and Ole Miss. It's just that the previous three teams are so bad that it's fucking up what has made the SEC so good the last few years, depth.

Also, ESPN conspiracy theories aside, the Big 10 is very average this this year. They have one elite team and an undifferentiated mass of mediocrity.

The Big 12 is probably the best conference, mostly because of the quarterback play.

Well basically you have the Auburn, Arkansas, Tennessee triumvirate, like you said. But Mississippi state is fucking awful on offense. Vandy is only 5-1 because they're like +15 in turnovers this year, which is more fluke than anything. South Carolina is still crappy offensively. Kentucky can't score and is breaking in a new QB and just lost their only receiver. Ole Miss shows flashes but still isn't anything special on offense. Basically our whole conference outside of Florida and Georgia and maybe LSU is way below average on offense.

Sad thing is our current staff at UT is recruiting better than we have in four or five years, and if Cutcliffe hadn't taken the Duke job we'd have Terrell Pryor and a solid offense instead of the bullshit we're seeing right now.

[whatsamattau]

Not much has changed from my perspective. You knew it was going to be all Georgia, Florida, Auburn, and LSU going in. If any other team showed up and played well it was just icing.

So we lost Auburn as a top tier team. So what? We got Alabama playing like national champions to cover up that loss of strength.

Right now we have 4 teams that you can't rule out of the national championship game. That is pretty solid half way through. Only the Big 12 could compete, but looking at that list of teams I can only count down 2 contenders, Missouri and Texas.

The Big 12 is definetly playing above its talent level. So maybe the SEC isn't WAY way way better than the lesser conferences. We're just WAY way better than the Big 12 and still WAY way way better than the rest. I can live with that.

[taebin]

Now you're just trolling.

[Banal]

Originally Posted by whatsamattau

Not much has changed from my perspective. You knew it was going to be all Georgia, Florida, Auburn, and LSU going in. If any other team showed up and played well it was just icing.

So we lost Auburn as a top tier team. So what? We got Alabama playing like national champions to cover up that loss of strength.

Right now we have 4 teams that you can't rule out of the national championship game. That is pretty solid half way through. Only the Big 12 could compete, but looking at that list of teams I can only count down 2 contenders, Missouri and Texas.

The Big 12 is definetly playing above its talent level. So maybe the SEC isn't WAY way way better than the lesser conferences. We're just WAY way better than the Big 12 and still WAY way way better than the rest. I can live with that.

Meh, I'm not sold on LSU after the beating they took and Auburn's collapse. Georgia is kind of just doing enough against teams they should be crushing. There's still half the season to go, but there's a lot of underperforming going on.

Also, I know you're just trolling, but the Big 12 has equivalent talent to the SEC. If there's anything that's clear over the last several seasons, it's that there's more parity of talent across the board, and a lot more teams are competitive. Thus, all the upsets.

[WillzZz]

We'll see, I haven't been convinced Missouri/TT/OKSt are on the same tier UT-OU are at. I'm really looking forward to watching the UT-Mizzou game.

[whatsamattau]

Originally Posted by Banal

Also, I know you're just trolling, but the Big 12 has equivalent talent to the SEC.

See, in order to believe that, I have to believe that Texas tech isn't all offense. I have to believe that the Oklahoma State "I'm a MAN!"'s somehow doubled in talent since getting stomped on by UGA last season. I would have to believe that Oklahoma doesn't consistently get stomped in every single big game they've played over the past 5 years.

My opinions just aren't swayed by multi-million dollar football programs running up the score on teams they pay millions of dollars to come and play on their home field. I understand that is the culture of the sport these days, but do try to put things in perspective. The Big 12's entire reputation so far this season has been built over an OU/texas game where defense was optional (But BOY was it fun! YEEEHAWW right?) and a slew of games against teams that are payed to come and take a loss.

Just a huge Meh for me.

[Banal]

Originally Posted by whatsamattau

See, in order to believe that, I have to believe that Texas tech isn't all offense. I have to believe that the Oklahoma State "I'm a MAN!"'s somehow doubled in talent since getting stomped on by UGA last season. I would have to believe that Oklahoma doesn't consistently get stomped in every single big game they've played over the past 5 years.

My opinions just aren't swayed by multi-million dollar football programs running up the score on teams they pay millions of dollars to come and play on their home field. I understand that is the culture of the sport these days, but do try to put things in perspective. The Big 12's entire reputation so far this season has been built over an OU/texas game where defense was optional (But BOY was it fun! YEEEHAWW right?) and a slew of games against teams that are payed to come and take a loss.

Just a huge Meh for me.

Well, yeah, but that's big time college football regardless of conference. There's something to be said for blowing out teams you should blow out.

[whatsamattau]

Originally Posted by Banal

There's something to be said for blowing out teams you should blow out.

Sure, there is something to be said. In their case, it is the only thing to be said. That is all I'm saying.

[Regime]

Originally Posted by WillzZz

We'll see, I haven't been convinced Missouri/TT/OKSt are on the same tier UT-OU are at. I'm really looking forward to watching the UT-Mizzou game.

Yea I agree, we shall see about TT/OKSt/Mizzou.

I hope Mizzou knocks off Texas but it seems very unlikely. Still putting them down for the win against Texas.