Straight Dope Message Board

[asahi]

Originally Posted by Bijou Drains

College FB still has a major issue - when you lose plays a big role in your ranking.

Lose 1st game win 11 in a row and you finish 11-1
Win 11 in a row and lose your last game and you finish 11-1

almost always the team that loses early will be ranked above the team with the late loss. No other sport cares about when you lose during the regular season.

When you lose probably ought to be a factor to some extent, but the committee also ought to consider whom the loss was to and how a team has performed over the last 5 or 6 games. Teams change over the course of an 11-game season.

If Ohio State's defense weren't so suspect I'd be inclined to say they're a solid #4, but like Oklahoma, the jury is still out on whether their defense is ready for a game against a top-tier team. We knew that Ohio State's offense was good, but I think they also exposed the truth that Michigan's defense hadn't really played any offense that could stretch the field. Look at the gap between Ohio State's offense and Notre Dame's and it's obvious that the Irish are going to get slapped around in the CFP. Any of the likely top 4 teams is going to be a nightmare for the Irish. Syracuse was probably their best win of the year - I'll give them that. But aside from that win, I don't see anyone remotely in the same class as Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, or Oklahoma on their schedule. I'd rather UCF get the nod over a team we already know is dead meat when the lights shine the brightest.

[asahi]

Originally Posted by Gatopescado

'SC fan, here. I was expecting a loss, and am somewhat relieved it wasn't a complete humiliation. We played them tough, and mostly beat ourselves. See ya, Mr. Helton. You had one job (beat UCLA and ND).

Don't even want to watch any bowl games this season. I might extract my fat, lazy ass off the couch and get some pre-Christmas skiing in for a change. Even if its crap man-made Ribbon Of Death. Or maybe some serious log-splitting.

The idea of rooting for ND, 'Bama or Urban Meyer make me want to hook a respirator to a two-stroke motorcycle exhaust pipe. And I've got both!



Your team stays healthy when you play High-school teams. I think tonight was the first time Tua played in the 4th qtr. (if he even did, I turned it off around then)

Auburn was probably the first team to really match up with Alabama physically. They just lacked the experience and the skill to execute when it mattered, and the longer the game went, they were simply unable to keep up with Alabama's extreme talent in the passing game. Bama has 3 or 4 receivers who could already go in the first or second round of the NFL draft, and Tua is as good a downfield passer as I've seen in the SEC. He's nothing short of wicked with his accuracy throwing 20 or 30 yards downfield. Auburn was putting pressure on him, and the linebackers were pretty good at not over-pursuing in the first half, but the blocking was timed better in the second half and Tua just went nuts.

[ekedolphin]

Final records for my favorite teams:

Indiana Hoosiers: 5-7
Kent State Golden Flashes: 2-9
Old Dominion Monarchs: 4-8

I know, I root for some crappy teams.

I'm pulling for Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff.

[Bijou Drains]

UNC fired their coach Fedora. He was doing very well but the wheels came off the last 2 years

[dalej42]

Florida showing their complete lack of class by being sore winners and trying to plant their flag on the FSU logo after they destroyed FSU yesterday.

It’s been a horrible season for FSU but I’ll always hate the Florida Gators and the Miami Hurricanes,l!

[ekedolphin]

Originally Posted by dalej42

Florida showing their complete lack of class by being sore winners and trying to plant their flag on the FSU logo after they destroyed FSU yesterday.

It’s been a horrible season for FSU but I’ll always hate the Florida Gators and the Miami Hurricanes,l!

Yeah, fuck the Gators for trying to do that. At least their coach interrupted his TV interview to put a stop to it.

[Bijou Drains]

Texas Tech fired their coach Kingsbury. USC is keeping Helton on as coach.

[DSYoungEsq]

Originally Posted by asahi

I don't have to worry about that because it'll never happen.

Still not going to admit that your complaint about Notre Dame's SoS was nonsense?


(For what it's worth, I agree that no one is going to beat 'Bama )

[asahi]

Originally Posted by Bijou Drains

UNC fired their coach Fedora. He was doing very well but the wheels came off the last 2 years

Yeah, I think Fedora's actually a pretty good coach. They're 2 years removed from playing eventual national champion Clemson in the ACC title game and now he's out? It's not like the Heels had Nick Saban or Tom Osborne before he arrived.

[asahi]

Originally Posted by DSYoungEsq

Still not going to admit that your complaint about Notre Dame's SoS was nonsense?


(For what it's worth, I agree that no one is going to beat 'Bama )

Notre Dame plays a cream puff schedule. Anytime they want to step into a major conference in which they have to compete against 1 or 2 other elite teams to actually earn a trip to the playoff, then we can have that conversation. My complaint wasn't nonsense at all; it's absolutely true.

[Chingon]

See? He's irrational.

[Gatopescado]

Originally Posted by Bijou Drains

UNC fired their coach Fedora.

Did they tip him?

[Max Torque]

Originally Posted by Bijou Drains

Texas Tech fired their coach Kingsbury.

Lubbock is mostly bummed. I mean, yeah, we'd like to win more, but Kingsbury actually got people interested in the games again; he put butts in seats. And unlike Tuberville, who was only here for the paycheck, Kliff likes Tech and wanted to be here. Injuries were a big part of this season; we were down to our fourth-string QB by the Baylor game. If original starting quarterback Alan Bowman hadn't gotten hurt, this would've been a very different season.

[Bijou Drains]

UNC quickly hires their former coach Mack Brown who left UNC in 1997 for Texas. He won a national title at Texas in 2005 but was axed there in 2013. He will be 68 at the start of next season.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

Michigan should fire Harbaugh.

[Bijou Drains]

Originally Posted by FoieGrasIsEvil

Michigan should fire Harbaugh.

sometimes not beating your main rival really gets fans ticked off even if the coach has a lot of success. But he's only been there 4 years so it would be a big surprise if he's axed this soon.

[That Don Guy]

Originally Posted by Bijou Drains

College FB still has a major issue - when you lose plays a big role in your ranking.

Lose 1st game win 11 in a row and you finish 11-1
Win 11 in a row and lose your last game and you finish 11-1

almost always the team that loses early will be ranked above the team with the late loss. No other sport cares about when you lose during the regular season.

The men's basketball committee takes how well teams do near the end of the season into account, although not nearly as much as football pollsters do.

Here's a definite example of your point: 1993
Notre Dame and Florida State both finish 12-1
Notre Dame beat Florida State on 11/13
The consensus national champion: Florida State...because Notre Dame lost to Boston College on 11/20

[Barkis is Willin']

Originally Posted by asahi

...
Look at the gap between Ohio State's offense and Notre Dame's and it's obvious that the Irish are going to get slapped around in the CFP.
...

Like how Ohio State got slapped around by Purdue? That one game alone means there is zero argument for OSU to be ranked ahead of ND.

[Uncle Jocko]

Originally Posted by Barkis is Willin'

Like how Ohio State got slapped around by Purdue? That one game alone means there is zero argument for OSU to be ranked ahead of ND.

Not to mention by all rights they should have lost that OT game to Maryland.

And the Buckeyes have already jumped to number 6 in the AP poll ... the gears are turning to squeeze a B1G team with a loss to Purdue (and a conference championship game against mighty Northwestern for their infamous “13th data point”) into the playoff. I already saw Rick Neuhisel say OSU should be considered ahead of Oklahoma for a playoff spot because of the Sooners’ horrible defense (also touting OSU’s win over a frankly pretty lousy TCU). Say, didn’t Maryland drop 51 points on the Buckeyes? Anybody else notice the B1G isn’t all-that defensively this year?

[DSYoungEsq]

Originally Posted by asahi

Notre Dame plays a cream puff schedule. Anytime they want to step into a major conference in which they have to compete against 1 or 2 other elite teams to actually earn a trip to the playoff, then we can have that conversation. My complaint wasn't nonsense at all; it's absolutely true.

This statement shows complete detachment from reality.

Here's a question for you: of the following teams, which has a win over the highest ranked opponent? Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame

Hint: think golden domes...

[DinoR]

Originally Posted by Bijou Drains

sometimes not beating your main rival really gets fans ticked off even if the coach has a lot of success. But he's only been there 4 years so it would be a big surprise if he's axed this soon.

He's the first UM coach to ever open with four straight losses against Ohio State. He's managed a 2-2 record against Michigan State, their other historical and divisional rival. That should get him a year with only low grumbling. 2-6 combined against your two major rivals isn't good for job security though.

[asahi]

Originally Posted by DinoR

He's the first UM coach to ever open with four straight losses against Ohio State. He's managed a 2-2 record against Michigan State, their other historical and divisional rival. That should get him a year with only low grumbling. 2-6 combined against your two major rivals isn't good for job security though.

Harbaugh's a good coach; he's just not nearly as good as he thinks he is.

Losing to rivals aside, I don't think there's a rational case for firing Harbaugh. This is as competitive as Michigan has been in over a decade, so I can't see him getting the boot under normal circumstances. That being said, I was living in Northern California during his years with the 49ers and I remember how despite his many talents as a coach, he had an even greater knack for getting under upper management's skin. So while he might not deserve to be fired for performance, I could see him getting shitcanned for being a deluded egomaniac.

[asahi]

Originally Posted by DSYoungEsq

This statement shows complete detachment from reality.

Here's a question for you: of the following teams, which has a win over the highest ranked opponent? Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame

Hint: think golden domes...

Yes, and they made the same argument back in 2012 and we saw what happened then.

"Yeah, but they don't schedule the Citadel" -- so what? Again, winning a conference championship against year-in and year-out rivals, even if you play one or even two fewer 'quality' opponents during the season, is more challenging than playing one or two more average or slightly above-average teams during the season. Alabama plays Citadel because they need to get mentally and physically ready to play LSU and Auburn. Notre Dame plays virtually nobody. They will get prison raped on national TV again - believe it.

[Pleonast]

I only follow football peripherally, mostly watching Ohio State games, and I've got to say we're not as good as I hoped. We're good, but flawed. The resounding win over Michigan is enough to satisfy me; I don't care much what happens the rest of the season. I don't have an opinion about whether we should make the play-offs, since I don't have a feel for how strong the other top teams are. I won't feel bad if we don't make it, but be happy if we do. Personally, I'd love to go the Rose Bowl, since I'd actually be able to attend that game.

[Chingon]

Asahi is triggered.

[Bijou Drains]

UNC and Kansas are now the only 2 teams where both the BB and FB coaches have won national titles. Kansas - Self and Miles, UNC - Willams and Brown . Of course Miles and Brown won a title at their previous jobs.

[DSYoungEsq]

Originally Posted by asahi

Yes, and they made the same argument back in 2012 and we saw what happened then.

"Yeah, but they don't schedule the Citadel" -- so what? Again, winning a conference championship against year-in and year-out rivals, even if you play one or even two fewer 'quality' opponents during the season, is more challenging than playing one or two more average or slightly above-average teams during the season. Alabama plays Citadel because they need to get mentally and physically ready to play LSU and Auburn. Notre Dame plays virtually nobody. They will get prison raped on national TV again - believe it.

Originally Posted by Chingon

Asahi is triggered.

Notice, however, that his rant about Notre Dame's schedule is slowly morphing from the initial complaint (they play no one but cream puffs) to a more subtle complaint (they don't finish off with a championship game against a quality opponent). He still, of course, refuses to acknowledge that Notre Dame's strength of schedule during the season is substantially better than Alabama's, and most other Div I FBS teams ("Notre Dame plays virtually nobody.") Thus, he continues to appear to be spouting nonsense. You'll notice that he doesn't offer a single shred of evidence to support the claim that Notre Dame has a weak schedule, because he can't.

I will point out that Clemson has been all that Alabama can handle the last few years, and they don't play a championship game against anyone of decent caliber most years. Nor do they have a regular-season schedule that is loaded with top teams. It doesn't seem to handicap them come season end. (Sadly )

[Oakminster]

Originally Posted by DSYoungEsq

He still, of course, refuses to acknowledge that Notre Dame's strength of schedule during the season is substantially better than Alabama's, and most other Div I FBS teams ("Notre Dame plays virtually nobody.") Thus, he continues to appear to be spouting nonsense.

Substantially better? Bama beat #3 LSU, #16 Mississippi State, #22 Texas A&M, and will play #5 Georgia (likely to move up to #4) for the SEC Championsip.

Notre Dame played #14 Michigan, #7 Stanford, #24 Virginia Tech, and #12 Syracruse.

In what universe is Notre Dame "Substantially better" than Bama's strength of schedule? Do you think Notre Dame would go 12-0 if they played in the SEC West? I think they'd be lucky to finish in 5th place, behind Bama, LSU, TAM, and Mississippi State. Not convinced they'd beat Auburn. I assume they can beat Ole Miss if they have a functional running game....

[EscAlaMike]

Originally Posted by Oakminster

I think they'd be lucky to finish in 5th place, behind Bama, LSU, TAM, and Mississippi State. Not convinced they'd beat Auburn. I assume they can beat Ole Miss if they have a functional running game....

Not this year they wouldn't. ND is not better than Alabama, but I'd be pretty confident about them beating every other SECW team this year.

[BobLibDem]

There is no excuse for scheduling Citadel. The Big Ten stopped scheduling FCS teams, it's high time the SEC stopped standing for Schedule Easy Competition. So Ohio State nearly laid an egg in Maryland, at least they fucking played someone in a major conference. This business of "oh we have to put a cupcake in our second to last week so that we can get ready for our big rival" is bullshit.

So for the playoff, you have the Alabama/Georgia winner is in. Clemson is in barring a loss to Pittsburgh. Notre Dame is already in. In my book Oklahoma is in if they beat Texas in a rematch, if they don't then Ohio State gets in with a win over Northwestern. Oklahoma's lone loss to Texas in my opinion is less of a black mark than Ohio State's drubbing by Purdue. As much as I love the Big Ten, they should not get a playoff berth unless Oklahoma or Clemson lose this weekend.

As for Harbaugh, he's a great recruiter and has had a good record at Michigan. But if you can't cut the cake against Ohio State, then at some point you have to be let go. I think he's a good coach, but as others have said, not as good as he thinks he is.

For my beloved Spartans, a disappointing year. Sure, the injuries were significant. But not having a quarterback in the Kirk Cousins/Connor Cook mold has been hard. I thought Rocky Lombardi showed a lot of promise, but he needs a lot of coaching. Lewerke has at times been good, but I think it's time to not invest another year in him.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

Originally Posted by BobLibDem

There is no excuse for scheduling Citadel. The Big Ten stopped scheduling FCS teams, it's high time the SEC stopped standing for Schedule Easy Competition. So Ohio State nearly laid an egg in Maryland, at least they fucking played someone in a major conference. This business of "oh we have to put a cupcake in our second to last week so that we can get ready for our big rival" is bullshit.

So for the playoff, you have the Alabama/Georgia winner is in. Clemson is in barring a loss to Pittsburgh. Notre Dame is already in. In my book Oklahoma is in if they beat Texas in a rematch, if they don't then Ohio State gets in with a win over Northwestern. Oklahoma's lone loss to Texas in my opinion is less of a black mark than Ohio State's drubbing by Purdue. As much as I love the Big Ten, they should not get a playoff berth unless Oklahoma or Clemson lose this weekend.

As for Harbaugh, he's a great recruiter and has had a good record at Michigan. But if you can't cut the cake against Ohio State, then at some point you have to be let go. I think he's a good coach, but as others have said, not as good as he thinks he is.

For my beloved Spartans, a disappointing year. Sure, the injuries were significant. But not having a quarterback in the Kirk Cousins/Connor Cook mold has been hard. I thought Rocky Lombardi showed a lot of promise, but he needs a lot of coaching. Lewerke has at times been good, but I think it's time to not invest another year in him.

I think this is a great post and mirrors my thoughts almost exactly. And yes, asahi, Notre Dame does have strength of schedule. They have beaten good teams. They are deserving of inclusion in the playoff. They very likely won't win, but they certainly deserve to be there.

As a sidenote, is it just TV rights/money that's the obstacle to Notre Dame just joining a damn conference already? Or that ND wants to be "special" in some way? I don't follow college ball nearly as much as the NFL, so I am curious as to the reasons why they don't or won't join a conference.

[Bijou Drains]

yes for Notre Dame it is about the money from TV. Conferences would make them share that NBC FB money. As most people know ND has a national following mostly because of Catholics are fans of them. That's why they have their own NBC deal. As a kid I lived very close to Rutgers and around there it was overrun with Notre Dame fans and very few Rutgers fans except their alums.

[EscAlaMike]

Originally Posted by FoieGrasIsEvil

As a sidenote, is it just TV rights/money that's the obstacle to Notre Dame just joining a damn conference already? Or that ND wants to be "special" in some way? I don't follow college ball nearly as much as the NFL, so I am curious as to the reasons why they don't or won't join a conference.

Notre Dame has an exclusive contract with NBC for NBC to televise each of their home games. They don't have to share the NBC money with anybody else.

If they were to join a conference, they would most likely lose the NBC contract, and would have to settle for getting a slice of whatever TV contract their conference has.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

Originally Posted by Bijou Drains

yes for Notre Dame it is about the money from TV. Conferences would make them share that NBC FB money. As most people know ND has a national following mostly because of Catholics are fans of them. That's why they have their own NBC deal. As a kid I lived very close to Rutgers and around there it was overrun with Notre Dame fans and very few Rutgers fans except their alums.

Originally Posted by EscAlaMike

Notre Dame has an exclusive contract with NBC for NBC to televise each of their home games. They don't have to share the NBC money with anybody else.

If they were to join a conference, they would most likely lose the NBC contract, and would have to settle for getting a slice of whatever TV contract their conference has.

Makes sense, and is what I figured. There are a LOT of Catholics in these parts, and LOTS of Catholic high schools in the greater Cincinnati area that have excellent high school sports and for many of the athletes, especially the football players at these high schools (like Elder, Moeller, Saint Xavier, La Salle, etc) going to ND on a scholarship is the dream.

[That Don Guy]

Originally Posted by BobLibDem

There is no excuse for scheduling Citadel. The Big Ten stopped scheduling FCS teams, it's high time the SEC stopped standing for Schedule Easy Competition. So Ohio State nearly laid an egg in Maryland, at least they fucking played someone in a major conference. This business of "oh we have to put a cupcake in our second to last week so that we can get ready for our big rival" is bullshit.

Still plenty of cupcakes in FBS - and how many teams are begging to play Alabama (or Michigan, or Clemson), knowing (a) they will be on the receiving end of a 70-0 drubbing, and (b) there's no chance of their hosting Alabama in return, for no other reason that the payday would go a long way toward funding the school's other sports? I am half-expecting a sign at, say, the Kent State-Robert Morris women's lacrosse game on 2/16 saying, "Today's game brought to you in part by funds from that 63-10 drubbing our football team got from Penn State."

[Velocity]

So I read that the 74-72 win by the Aggies over LSU was the highest-scoring college football game of all time, but wasn't there a 222-0 game around a century ago in college football that surpasses that?

[Atamasama]

Originally Posted by Velocity

So I read that the 74-72 win by the Aggies over LSU was the highest-scoring college football game of all time, but wasn't there a 222-0 game around a century ago in college football that surpasses that?

Almost exactly 102 years ago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1916_C..._football_game

The head coach of that 222 point team was none other than John Heisman himself.

[DinoR]

Originally Posted by asahi

Harbaugh's a good coach; he's just not nearly as good as he thinks he is.

He might be more realistic than the UM fans and boosters. While I was out of the state by that point, I was joking with my friends after the hire that they should probably wait to erect the statue in Ann Arbor till he wins his first game.

Losing to rivals aside, I don't think there's a rational case for firing Harbaugh.

I present the case of Gary Moeller. His record in five seasons as head coach at Michigan was 44-13-3 (.758 winning percentage). He was 3-1-1 against Ohio State and 4-1 in bowls. Harbaugh is 38-13 (.745), 0-4 against OSU, and 1-2 in bowls through all but the bowl of this fourth season.

Moeller had the disadvantage of following a great streak that kept expectations high. He also dipped to 8-4 in his last two seasons. He wasn't the third-highest paid head coach in college football or losing annually to Ohio State, though. The boosters kicked in truckloads of money to hire Harbaugh dreaming of a Saban-like dynasty. They bought Moeller-like overall performance plus losses to rivals.

[DSYoungEsq]

Originally Posted by Oakminster

Substantially better? Bama beat #3 LSU, #16 Mississippi State, #22 Texas A&M, and will play #5 Georgia (likely to move up to #4) for the SEC Championsip.

Notre Dame played #14 Michigan, #7 Stanford, #24 Virginia Tech, and #12 Syracruse.

In what universe is Notre Dame "Substantially better" than Bama's strength of schedule? Do you think Notre Dame would go 12-0 if they played in the SEC West? I think they'd be lucky to finish in 5th place, behind Bama, LSU, TAM, and Mississippi State. Not convinced they'd beat Auburn. I assume they can beat Ole Miss if they have a functional running game....

Look at where the teams rankings are NOW, not where they were when they played. LSU is not a #3 team, as it turns out. By comparison, Michigan is #8 in the nation, compared to #14 at the time.

I layed out the Notre Dame schedule and its strength above. Although 'Bama plays top teams, it also plays several "cream puff" games. Notre Dame has no cream puffs on its schedule. So the overall result is that the strength of the OVERALL schedule is much better. This is the fact being persistently ignored.

[DSYoungEsq]

Originally Posted by That Don Guy

Still plenty of cupcakes in FBS - and how many teams are begging to play Alabama (or Michigan, or Clemson), knowing (a) they will be on the receiving end of a 70-0 drubbing, and (b) there's no chance of their hosting Alabama in return, for no other reason that the payday would go a long way toward funding the school's other sports? I am half-expecting a sign at, say, the Kent State-Robert Morris women's lacrosse game on 2/16 saying, "Today's game brought to you in part by funds from that 63-10 drubbing our football team got from Penn State."

In my mind, if you're an SEC team playing a 12-game schedule, and the SEC insists upon limiting conference games to 8, then a good schedule would be one game against a Group of Five so-so, one game against a Group of Five top flight team, one game against a Power Five so-so, and a rivalry game, so long as the rival has managed to keep up their end of the bargain (still plays quality football). Clemson v. South Carolina is an example.

This, of course, is a far cry from the actual scheduling that most SEC schools follow. In Alabama's case, their four non-conference games involve The Citadel, the Ragin' Cajuns, Arkansas St., and Louisville (which I will credit them with scheduling, because back when they did, Louisville was playing decent footy). Since their rivalry game is a conference game, they don't have to spend a non-conf. game on that, which makes their schedule all the more ridiculous.

[EscAlaMike]

Originally Posted by Velocity

So I read that the 74-72 win by the Aggies over LSU was the highest-scoring college football game of all time, but wasn't there a 222-0 game around a century ago in college football that surpasses that?

The A&M-LSU game was the highest scoring game in FBS history.

The GT-Cumberland game was played before Division 1 was split into 1A and 1AA (now FBS and FCS).

[asahi]

Originally Posted by DSYoungEsq

Look at where the teams rankings are NOW, not where they were when they played. LSU is not a #3 team, as it turns out. By comparison, Michigan is #8 in the nation, compared to #14 at the time.

Oh sure, a team that gives up 63 points in regulation is a #8 team in one of its worst ever drubbings at the hands of a team they've had circled on their calendar all year long - and not to mention this isn't exactly the best the Buckeyes have ever been. Yeah, LSU's not #3, but Michigan's #8?

Notre Dame is going to get torched. We can save the nation the pain and we can spare Notre Damsels the embarrassment of getting humiliated on national television come playoff time.

[asahi]

Originally Posted by DinoR

He might be more realistic than the UM fans and boosters. While I was out of the state by that point, I was joking with my friends after the hire that they should probably wait to erect the statue in Ann Arbor till he wins his first game.


I present the case of Gary Moeller. His record in five seasons as head coach at Michigan was 44-13-3 (.758 winning percentage). He was 3-1-1 against Ohio State and 4-1 in bowls. Harbaugh is 38-13 (.745), 0-4 against OSU, and 1-2 in bowls through all but the bowl of this fourth season.

Moeller had the disadvantage of following a great streak that kept expectations high. He also dipped to 8-4 in his last two seasons. He wasn't the third-highest paid head coach in college football or losing annually to Ohio State, though. The boosters kicked in truckloads of money to hire Harbaugh dreaming of a Saban-like dynasty. They bought Moeller-like overall performance plus losses to rivals.

Here's how the firing of Jim Harbaugh goes down.

UM' Athletic Director: Hey, Jim, listen, I've been talking with some people and we think maybe we can help you out with some recruiters. Maybe you should consider changing offensive coordinators, go with a different offensive philosophy. You know, spread the ball more.

Harbaugh: I'm the shit. Don't tell me how to run my fucking team.

UM AD: Let's try this again. Uh, it's not your team. And you actually, uh, how do I say this, answer to me.

Harbaugh: Nope, you're wrong. I'm a fucking genius. I'm Jim effing Harbaugh, and I'm a legend in my own mind. Here's a bag of dicks. Enjoy!

(UM goes 7-5, loses to Penn St 55-21 and Ohio State 63-28)

Harbaugh, knowing he's getting fired, starts marketing himself to other teams not so privately. Spends a weekend in Baton Rouge. Spends another weekend in Eugene. Spends another weekend visiting with Mark Davis and the Oakland Raiders.

Poetic justice: Ends up as an assistant to Lane Kiffin.

[Barkis is Willin']

Originally Posted by asahi

Oh sure, a team that gives up 63 points in regulation is a #8 team in one of its worst ever drubbings at the hands of a team they've had circled on their calendar all year long - and not to mention this isn't exactly the best the Buckeyes have ever been. Yeah, LSU's not #3, but Michigan's #8?

Notre Dame is going to get torched. We can save the nation the pain and we can spare Notre Damsels the embarrassment of getting humiliated on national television come playoff time.

Do you think Oklahoma or Ohio State would fare better in the playoff than Notre Dame? That's a hard case to sell, but otherwise what is your point?

[That Don Guy]

Originally Posted by Velocity

So I read that the 74-72 win by the Aggies over LSU was the highest-scoring college football game of all time, but wasn't there a 222-0 game around a century ago in college football that surpasses that?

According to the "official" NCAA Football Records Book, the most points scored in an NCAA game by both teams since the NCAA started keeping "official" records in 1937 is 161 when Abilene Christian beat West Texas A&M 93-68 in 2008. LSU-A&M set a new Division I post-1936 record.

72 is also the second-most points scored by a losing team (and another new Division I record); Chandron State beat Abilene Christian 76-73 in 3 overtimes in 2007.

[Bijou Drains]

GT coach Paul Johnson is retiring . A rare coach now that runs the option as the primary offense. If the new coach is not an option guy he will have a bunch of players that are not used to running a standard offense.

http://www.espn.com/college-football...yellow-jackets

[Velocity]

Originally Posted by EscAlaMike

The A&M-LSU game was the highest scoring game in FBS history.

The GT-Cumberland game was played before Division 1 was split into 1A and 1AA (now FBS and FCS).

Ah OK, thanks.


Wonder if, had the LSU-Aggies game gone to something ridiculous like 20 or 30 overtimes, the officials would have suspended the game due to player exhaustion? Is that allowed?

[DinoR]

Originally Posted by Velocity

Wonder if, had the LSU-Aggies game gone to something ridiculous like 20 or 30 overtimes, the officials would have suspended the game due to player exhaustion? Is that allowed?

Disallowing extra point kicks in the third and later overtime period is part of trying to avoid that. Since the two point conversion is a lower probability play that rule was seen as decreasing the odds of things lasting that long. Presumably, the team with the less talented bench starts to show exhaustion issues first and that ends the game. This wasn't the first 7 OT game but going that deep is rare and we haven't seen 8 OTs yet. There's no end without someone winning though.

[Bijou Drains]

East Carolina fires their coach Montgomery . In 3 years he won 4 conference games. They don't have a full time AD now but I guess they will hire a new coach anyway.

[Jasmine]

The "Fighting Illini" of Illinois: Why do they stink so bad?

Yeah, Urbana-Champaign isn't the greatest place for young people, but is it any worse than Columbus, Ohio or Ames, Iowa, for example? They have Lovie Smith who has NFL credentials and even made it to a Super Bowl once. What's the deal? It's like they don't even belong in the Big Ten anymore. Maybe the MAC.