Bama better quit coming out flat in the 2nd half of games if they want to control their own destiny.
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NCAA Week 8
- Thread starter Brad Barker
- Start date
USC can't help the league schedule they play. Nobody gives them credit for scheduling real teams out-of-conference. Their defense is loaded, they're the only team in the nation to give up less than 10 points a game, and they haven't been scored on in ten quarters running. They deserve to be in the mix.
For USC, #5 in the BCS is a cool place to be. Just win out and wait for the carnage to end. <ducks>
That's all well and good, Jason, the Gators do control their own destiny in the SEC. But where should they be ranked NOW? And IF they win the SEC title, will they be able to move up enough from this current nonsense ranking to make it to the national title game? It sure as heck doesn't help.
We lost to an unranked team, true--by one (a team that gave Bama its best game of the season thus far). Is that worse than OSU losing to the #5 team by 32? And we beat the #13 team by 30 points. I can safely call the latter the most impressive win of any of the one-loss teams in the top 10 except for that USC beatdown of OSU. Nope, we shouldn't be this many steps down from the top.
Wow, I just saw the BCS rankings. I'm a little stunned at how low the Gators are, and even more confused at who is ahead of us. We'll have to start blowing people out 51-21 every week to make these BCS jokers happy. Even then, I'm not so sure it is enough to play ourself into the NCG even if we run the table, which is going to be difficult.
-Mike
-Mike
Florida struggled early in the season, even though they had wins, plus they lost to an unranked team. They may have handled LSU a serious loss, but LSU has also struggled in many of their wins. All that comes into play. Florida hasn't looked particuarly impressive outside of the LSU game, and since LSU has struggled, it's hard to say how impressive that is just yet. OSU was cleaned by USC, but has looked pretty good otherwise. Florida has some serious games ahead of them that will bode well if they can win them decisively. And again, if they can get to the SEC title game and beat an undefeated Bama (best case scenario) it will be HUGE for them in the BCS. I think they'll be Miami if that happens easy.
Penn State's schedule is so weak that it'll be hard for them to get in a title game. Same goes for USC. Everyone's best bet right now is for Texas to go undefeated, which means they will play the SEC champ. Four of us have the chance to get their right now.
No they can't, and I'm not faulting them for it. But they can't help the fact that other teams play much harder schedules and as such get more props when they win. With their schedule, it's only mildly impressive to me that their defense gives up less than 10 points per game.
I've said this a million times. USC could compete in any conference in the nation. The difference between the PAC-10 and SEC or Big-12 is that you better be on your A game every week, or you'll wind up getting beat 2 or 3 times, or maybe just barely squeaking by. History in these conferences proves that. LSU and Florida the last few years had HUGE issues in conference play. They both suffered losses, and barely won many of their other games. As it is, USC can show up to a Washington State game and just destroy a team without even thinking about it. That wouldn't happen against teams like Ole Miss, Miss. State, South Carolina or even Kentucky or Vanderbilt. USC is a GREAT ball club, but the PAC-10 just absolutely sucks eggs.
No doubt...not sure what the issue is with this. I wonder if it's just that they've been so dominating in the first half that they get lazy in the second half. Either way, it's going to bite them if they don't get it fixed. Then again, I wonder if things would be different if they actually played a team that could compete with them in the first half, keeping the game closer. Perhaps then they wouldn't lose their intensity in the second half. They don't seem to be able to get it back after they lose it.
I based the impressiveness of the win over LSU on margin of victory and where LSU is ranked in the BCS (#13). Again, other than USC over OSU, nothing comes close among the one-loss teams.
As for the perceptions of UF and OSU, I strongly disagree. Look at the results:
Hawaii W 56-10
Miami (FL) W 26-3
at Tenn W 30-6
Mississippi L 31-30
at Ark W 38-7
LSU W 51-21
vs.
Youngstown St W 43-0
Ohio W 26-14
at USC L 35-3
Troy W 28-10
Minnesota W 34-21
at Wisconsin W 20-17
Purdue W 16-3
at Michigan State W 45-7
Looking at the margins of victory and the quality of the opponents, Florida wins fairly easily, IMO.
The BCS computers look at much more than margin of victory. All types of stats are consumed. Looking at that list, only the LSU game looks impressive. All the other wins for either team are fairly ho-hum. Florida has every chance in the world to do some big things going forward. OSU has to play Penn State, and then that's it for them competition-wise. If Florida can pull of a decisive win against Georgia, then things will change drastically for them. They'll shoot up in all the polls, and the BCS will reflect a bit of that. If they turn the ball over a few times and barely win, it might not change to much.
But I'm on the Gator's side. I want them to trounce Georgia so that we have the chance of seeing them in Atlanta, mostly because I don't want to play Georgia again (boring).
But I'm on the Gator's side. I want them to trounce Georgia so that we have the chance of seeing them in Atlanta, mostly because I don't want to play Georgia again (boring).
I'd also point out that LSU lost to a ranked team (UF), while UF lost to an UNranked team (Old Miss), and that absolutely affects where they will be ranked.
I'd also point out that LSU lost to a ranked team (UF) by 30 flippin' points, while UF lost to an UNranked team (Old Miss) by one point, and that absolutely affects where they will be ranked.
Adjustments made.
-Mike
I used to get bent out of shape by all this stuff. This year I'm not worried about it, mostly because Bama can keep themselves in the driver's seat if they really want it. If I were Penn State, I'd be worried cause they could go undefeated and wind up in the Sugar Bowl like Auburn did in 04. But unless things get COMPLETELY crazy, there's little doubt that an SEC team will be in Miami at the end of the season.
Adjustments made.
-Mike
Don't change the fact that they lost to an unranked team.
...don't worry, LSU lost to Kentucky last year, they still won the NC at the end of the year...
Don't change the fact that they lost to an unranked team.
It was also a loss at home.
Oh, excellent point.
But it wasn't a loss by 30 points, was it?
What would be worse......losing to LSU by 30 at home, or losing to Ole Miss at home by one on a blocked XP?
-Mike
Me, too. As much as I think USC deserves to be in the mix, the bottom line is they lost a game they shouldn't have. Even if they win out, a lot will have to transpire for them to make the BCS Championship.
Heck, if Oregon State runs the table in conference play, the Trojans wouldn't even go to the Rose Bowl! I don't have a problem with that, either, as the Big 10 beatdowns lose their appeal over the years. An opponent from the SEC or Big 12 would make for a much better game.
As flawed as the BCS system is, college football rules!
I find it odd that this incident has not been mentioned in Gard's anti-refs screeds.
