2014/2015 NCAA Football Thread

[Jagger69]

OK....so FSU wins the mythical national championship. Let's all shout a boisterous Huzzah for them (or not) :dunno: Thankfully, it's the last one to be decided solely by the ridiculous popularity contest known as the BCS. This thread is to talk about next year when the NCAA actually crawls out of the pre-Cambrian Era and begins to evolve into what I hope will someday be a legitimate playoff. So let the debate begin....who makes the final 4?

 

[feller469]

I hope the committee that selects the four teams only picks from teams that either won their conference championship or played in the conference title game. Alabama is good, but it didn't win its division, let alone conference. There has to be some banner to beheld up by each of the four. for next year: FSU, Auburn, Oklahoma, Oregon.

 

[lurkingdirk]

Notre Dame
Michigan
USC
Duke


That's gonna be it. I'm pretty sure.

 

[Connor Macleod]

Notre Dame
Michigan
USC
Duke


That's gonna be it. I'm pretty sure.

None of the above.

---

Teams to watch:

Alabama
Auburn
FSU
Michigan State
Oklahoma State
Stanford
Oregon
Texas - (if Charlie doesn't drive the boosters crazy with his weird way of doing things)

---

My dad is an Alabama fan and he's freaking out over this story

Tide to interview Lane Kiffin
http://espn.go.com/college-football...ng-offensive-coordinator-alabama-crimson-tide

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Although it's only January, this may go down as the most bizarre story of 2014

Louisville hires Bobby Petrino (again)
http://espn.go.com/college-football...e-cardinals-hire-bobby-petrino-football-coach

 

[Ace Bandage]

Well, Purdue won't be there.

Alabama
Oklahoma
The Ohio State University
Stanford

 

[sean miguel]

The 4 team playoff is a start but a true college playoff would include all of the conference champions.

Why half-ass it? The Sun Belt conference needs a shot too.

 

[BCT]

OK....so FSU wins the mythical national championship. Let's all shout a boisterous Huzzah for them (or not) :dunno: Thankfully, it's the last one to be decided solely by the ridiculous popularity contest known as the BCS. This thread is to talk about next year when the NCAA actually crawls out of the pre-Cambrian Era and begins to evolve into what I hope will someday be a legitimate playoff. So let the debate begin....who makes the final 4?

There's never been a true CFL champion when you think about it. Pre-BCS as well.

 

[E-Ann-Hilden]

Well, Purdue won't be there.

Alabama
Oklahoma
The Ohio State University
Stanford

With a 2nd ranked recruiting class, I am expecting it. The previous years have been strong too.

 

[lurkingdirk]

good luck with that.

 

[Connor Macleod]

good luck with that.

I knew that Strong was weird in his ways with how he dealt with boosters and the press, but that manifesto has some bullshit expectations. Most notably, living in the athletic dorm. What if a player/recruit is married? Has kids? What if a player/recruit already lives in Austin and his parent's have him still living at home. Whenever you draft such a draconian set of rules, there will be some that resent it, and this resentment will be counter to his expectations of fostering teamwork.

Charlie Strong hasn't even coached a game and he's already alienated one of their biggest boosters. This is not going to help.

This could easily end up being another case like Tyrone Willingham and Notre Dame.

 

[Jagger69]

good luck with that.

What?? No mandatory crew cuts?

 

[lurkingdirk]

This could easily end up being another case like Tyrone Willingham and Notre Dame.

That was my exact thought, actually.

At Notre Dame there is, actually, the expectation that you live on campus if you're a scholarship athlete. Not in an athletic dorm, in the regular dorms. There are exceptions made for married athletes, of course, but not for those who live in town with their parents. They're expected to be in a dorm so that they are part of the university community. That way they also have access to the on campus academic support, and various things of that sort. Paid on campus housing is part of every Notre Dame athletic scholarship. I think it's a good way to do things, it helps keep the athletes humble, and part of the larger community, rather than being revered and worshiped from afar.

Also, Notre Dame holds its scholarship players to incredibly high academic standards. And they actually do hold them to it, I can tell you that with 100% assurance, as I serve on faculty there and have many of these students in my classes.

That list reads a bit like a list you'd expect to see at Notre Dame, actually. If he doesn't accomplish anything as a head coach on the field, perhaps he can at least clean up the reputation of the players at that institution on non-game days.

 

[spacearrow99]

Florida State, Auburn, and Alabama

Florida State - FSU is loaded at every position. We lose 2 of our top 3 WRs. We have recruited well at WR and we will miss Kelvin Benjamin, but we should be fine. FSU's offense should be more explosive in 2014. All of our top 4 RBs are TD threats each time they touch the ball, and we get back our 2 and 4 TE from season ending injuries. The FSU defense is still loaded with talent and depth and doesn't have a major weakness. He have 2013 Groza Award winner as our PK, and Kermit will probably be our PR and one of returners on kickoffs. Punter is my team's weakest link.

Auburn - Nick Marshall's growth as a passer next season will be huge for the Tigers. Marshall has a cannon for a arm, and when he's very accurate with his throws; Auburn's offense is almost impossible to stop. Auburn has very good talent at running back. The Tigers will miss Tre Mason; he's perfect for their offense. Auburn has a very good stable of RBs, and a starter should emerge this Spring or next Fall. Gus Malzahn needs his highly recruited and talented sophomore DL, to step up and lead his defense.

Alabama - It looks like Jacob Coker will transfer to Alabama when he's graduated from FSU in May. Coker is still very inexperienced, but he has stronger arm then Winston and he's a much better runner.
I expect Alabama to have very good offense next year. Alabama's loaded at the WR , TE, and RB. Derrick Henry and O J Howard are freaks and matchup nightmares for most teams. Alabama had a top 10 defense last year, but their CBs were horrible. Plus they have to replace some DEs and LBs who left early for the draft.

 

[D-rock]

I can see where #8 could be a potential liability issue if a lawsuit ever comes up. It makes me wonder if they ran the thing by any lawyers for the school. What happens if a minor injury is much worse than anybody realizes, let alone how does one define a "minor injury"? If I was an athlete and had some minor injury escalate into something more serious or permanent, or had something bad happened because I played though the pain of what was much more serious than I realized even if I might not otherwise do so if the rules where different it would be lawsuit time. A document like that goes a very long way of proving that a player would have been de facto forced or at least extremely pressured by those with authority over them to play hurt and that got them injured even more seriously.

 

[Connor Macleod]

...

Alabama - It looks like Jacob Coker will transfer to Alabama when he's graduated from FSU in May. Coker is still very inexperienced, but he has stronger arm then Winston and he's a much better runner.
I expect Alabama to have very good offense next year. Alabama's loaded at the WR , TE, and RB. Derrick Henry and O J Howard are freaks and matchup nightmares for most teams. Alabama had a top 10 defense last year, but their CBs were horrible. Plus they have to replace some DEs and LBs who left early for the draft.

I don't believe Coker would be in Bama's best interest. If by some chance he comes in and has a stellar year, he would certainly declare for the draft since he has already graduated. Do you really want to bring in someone unproven and then see him leave after his first year?

 

[spacearrow99]

I don't believe Coker would be in Bama's best interest. If by some chance he comes in and has a stellar year, he would certainly declare for the draft since he has already graduated. Do you really want to bring in someone unproven and then see him leave after his first year?

That would benefit Alabama in the long run. I think one reasons Saban hired Kiffin was to attract better recruits at QB.

 

[Connor Macleod]

That would benefit Alabama in the long run. I think one reasons Saban hired Kiffin was to attract better recruits at QB.

I'm sure that was one of the primary reasons Kiffin was hired, but bringing in an injured second stringer that may not stick around for a second season is just plain stupid. They need to concentrate on attracting a real passer, something Bama hasn't had in almost 50 years. It looked like they had one in 5-start Ricky Town for 2015, but he decommitted from the Tide and now says he's going to USC.

 

[bodie54]

What?? No mandatory crew cuts?

Or jock straps? :wtf:

 

[lurkingdirk]

Jebus bobbing for hand grenades in vodka. $400 million dollar renovation.

http://ndsmcobserver.com/2014/01/university-unveils-plans-400-million-stadium-renovation/

Yeah, it includes a lot of things the campus needs, and relocates an entire department (why the hell is music being moved to the football stadium?), but that's a chunk of change...

 

[Connor Macleod]

Nick Saban with some rumoured help from Bret Bielema, managed to get those moronic committee members to consider changing the rules to slow down all the teams with hurry-up offenses. What gripes me is this proposed change wasn’t even discussed at the AFCA convention last month. Obviously Saban, got one of his friends in the NCAA hierarchy to sneak it onto the agenda when no one was looking. He claims this is to prevent injuries, but the truth is he doesn’t know how to stop it, so he whines to his cronies and asks them to change the rules to the way he likes it to make his life easier. This ridiculous bullshit will be decided on March 6:

http://espn.go.com/college-football...w-ncaa-football-rule-allow-early-subs-defense

A lot of coaches are pissed about this and think it has no chance of passing, but with Saban involved, someone is sure to bend over and kiss his ass.