# 2015 College Football Omnibus Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 30, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398 "2015-08-30T16:01:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/361 "2015-11-02T15:18:49Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > Block in the back isn’t a reviewable call. The touchdown shouldn’t count. > [Why the officials botched the ending of Miami at Duke - Streaking The Lawn](http://www.streakingthelawn.com/2015/10/31/9652828/why-the-officials-botched-the-ending-of-miami-at-duke) They can review if the guy’s knee was down before he made the pitch, which it was at one time. Should have been called back. But it was fun to watch for those of us with no rooting interest. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/362 "2015-11-02T15:50:00Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > They can review if the guy’s knee was down before he made the pitch, which it was at one time. Should have been called back. But it was fun to watch for those of us with no rooting interest. I thought they did review it to see if the knee was down, but decided that it was too close to overturn the decision on the field. Also, “apparently” they did _not_ use the review for the block in the back call; the officials conferred with each other to decide that the block was legal, but the referee was not clear about this when announcing the decision to pick up the flag. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/363 "2015-11-03T02:01:32Z")
**The Thing Fish Ratings – week 9** I regret to say I have found a couple of errors in the calculations for the last couple weeks, causing Michigan and Stanford to be underrated. Stanford should have edged out Iowa for the top spot last week, and Michigan, rather than dropping out of the rankings entirely, should have been #14, leaving Toledo out in the cold. Apologies. So, here goes this week. Lots of byes and not many upsets mean not a whole lot of movement. 1. Stanford! 2. Iowa 3. Clemson 4. Alabama 5.TCU 5. Ohio State 6. Utah 7. Oklahoma 8. LSU 9. Michigan State 10. Oklahoma State 11. Michigan 12. North Carolina – statement win at Pitt 13. Florida State 14. Baylor 15. Wisconsin 16. Ole Miss 17. UCLA 18. USC 19. Florida 20. Notre Dame – underwhelming win at Temple 21. Northwestern 22. Memphis 23. Houston 24. Pitt More commentary later as time permits. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/364 "2015-11-03T02:54:30Z")
I grew up in NW Ohio with a family connection to Univ Of Toledo. Toledo was relatively close and tickets were pretty cheap. Most of the live football I’ve seen in my life was inside the Glass Bowl. I wouldn’t have expected to ever say this but… tomorrow the AP #20 Rockets host a nationally televised conference game. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/365 "2015-11-03T04:50:47Z")
Good luck, Dino! A few comments on some of the larger disparities between my list and the AP’s: Why Stanford? Many people consider it heresy to put a team with a loss #1. I don’t agree, particularly since the loss was to Northwestern. Probably they would be ranked higher if they had scheduled Southwestern Idaho Tech instead and were 8-0. Does that make sense to you? It doesn’t to me. And other than that loss, Stanford has been killing it; all six of their Pac-12 wins have been by lopsided scores, on the road or both, and Two of them were against very good teams. Similar logic explains why I have Bama ahead of LSU; the win over Wisconsin atones for the loss to Ole Miss. Unless we are still giving credit for games played last January, I don’t see how you could justify ranking tOSU over Iowa. Iowa has six wins over power 5 teams, three of whom have winning records and two of which were on the road. Ohio State has five, including one home win against a winning team. But the flip side is that the Buckeyes have a much tougher schedule the rest of the way, so they should certainly be able to catch up if they win out. Likewise with Baylor – they haven’t done anything impressive yet, but they will have a lot of opportunities to do so this month. Why is 6-2 Mississippi State (best win: Auburn) ranked by the AP and 6-2 Northwestern (best win: Stanford) not? Please explain! ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/366 "2015-11-03T05:13:05Z")
Oregon plays Cal this week with marginal relevance in the Pac-12 North at stake. I wonder if anyone has copyrighted the phrase “World’s Largest Outdoor Pot Party”? ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/367 "2015-11-03T05:25:26Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > **The Thing Fish Ratings – week 9** > > I regret to say I have found a couple of errors in the calculations for the last couple weeks, causing Michigan and Stanford to be underrated. Stanford should have edged out Iowa for the top spot last week, and Michigan, rather than dropping out of the rankings entirely, should have been #14, leaving Toledo out in the cold. Apologies. > > So, here goes this week. Lots of byes and not many upsets mean not a whole lot of movement. > > 1. Stanford! > 2. Iowa > 3. Clemson > 4. Alabama > 5.TCU > 5. Ohio State > 6. Utah > 7. Oklahoma > 8. LSU > 9. Michigan State > 10. Oklahoma State > 11. Michigan > 12. North Carolina – statement win at Pitt > 13. Florida State > 14. Baylor > 15. Wisconsin > 16. Ole Miss > 17. UCLA > 18. USC > 19. Florida > 20. Notre Dame – underwhelming win at Temple > 21. Northwestern > 22. Memphis > 23. Houston > 24. Pitt > > More commentary later as time permits. You want to talk about an underwhelming win take a look at what your #1 team did. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/368 "2015-11-03T05:38:50Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > You want to talk about an underwhelming win take a look at what your #1 team did. Wazoo is decent this year and the game was in Pullman, so I don’t think they need to apologize for the win. If Temple finishes the season strong ND will eventually get some extra credit for their win. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/369 "2015-11-03T06:14:22Z")
What a _Fucked-Up Weekend of College Football_. I used capitals, 'cause I’m gonna trademark that shit! At least USC won. Pretty skinny, though. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/370 "2015-11-03T18:48:46Z")
I was wondering about the fact that the AP voters seem to be much kinder to minor-conference teams than my system is. They currently have 4 such teams in the top 25, the highest at #15. I have only two, at 23 and 24 and likely doomed to fall out of the rankings even if they win out with their weak schedules. After review, I think the problem is with the AP, not me. Teams from the Little 5 overall are 16-91 against Power 5 teams this year. Even the very best of those teams, the ten which are currently undefeated in their conferences, are only a collective 10-8. And the Power 5 teams which do lose to these teams are almost always the weakest ones. Only three Power 5 teams with overall winning records have suffered a loss to the little guys (Miami, Penn State and Ole Miss), and only Miami lost to a team which isn’t dominating its own conference. So, everybody loves an underdog, but the evidence seems to show that even the strongest of these teams would struggle to reach .500 in a power conference. However, I am thinking I might give some sort of end-season bonus to the very best of these teams, to give them a fighting chance of finishing the season ranked. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/371 "2015-11-03T18:57:56Z")
Most of those are home games for Power 5 teams, though. There aren’t many mid-major (or whatever you want to call them now) teams with the pull to force home-and-home series. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/372 "2015-11-03T19:14:49Z")
Geaux Tigers!!! ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/373 "2015-11-03T19:49:40Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > Wazoo is decent this year and the game was in Pullman, so I don’t think they need to apologize for the win. If Temple finishes the season strong ND will eventually get some extra credit for their win. Just not sure why you called out ND’s win over a ranked Temple in Philly as unimpressive when Stanford’s was not at any more impressive. Take a look at your number 12 team, too, while we’re pointing out shaky wins. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/374 "2015-11-03T20:22:45Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Most of those are home games for Power 5 teams, though. There aren’t many mid-major (or whatever you want to call them now) teams with the pull to force home-and-home series. Good point. Mid-major (probably the most dignified term) teams were 7-23 at home against p5 opponents, not good but much better than their 9-68 road mark. Note that my rating system does give teams one point for a road win against a mid-major, no points for a home win, which seems right; how much credit do you want for doing something you should be able to do 88% of the time? However, the BEST mid-major teams were 6-1 at home (meaning they were 4-7 on the road)! But the list of defeated opponents is Purdue, Penn State, Iowa State, Washington, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss; two pretty good, one mediocre, and three five-alarm dumpster fires. Again, if a particular Power 5 team went 7-5 (what you would expect projecting those home and road percentages to a 12 game season) with one win over a ranked opponent, I don’t think anyone would be clamoring to put them in a New Years’ bowl game. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/375 "2015-11-03T20:31:25Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > Just not sure why you called out ND’s win over a ranked Temple in Philly as unimpressive when Stanford’s was not at any more impressive. Take a look at your number 12 team, too, while we’re pointing out shaky wins. 1. Because I enjoy winding up oversensitive Domers? 2. Don’t blame ME for the fact that some people have seen fit to put Temple in their top 25; I actually have them as only the seventh-best of the mid-majors, and even a home win over ND wouldn’t have been enough to get them ranked. 3. Seriously, I wanted to point out that ND actually fell a few spots even with the win. According to this system, a close road win over a Pac-10 team is three points, but a close road win over an AAC team is only one point, which isn’t enough to keep up with the pack. But as I said, if Temple gets to 10 wins, which seems quite possible, ND will get those two other points at that time. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/376 "2015-11-03T22:49:38Z")
MIchigan had a close call on the road, but all their other wins have been blowouts, which is why I have them ranked so highly despite two losses. If we’re taking nominations for last week’s least impressive win by a ranked team, I nominate UCLA squeaking by lowly Colorado by four points _at home._ ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/377 "2015-11-04T00:30:32Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > I don’t think anyone would be clamoring to put them in a New Years’ bowl game. But one of them is guaranteed to get a slot in one of the New Years six bowl games thanks to the agreement between the CFP and the top six bowl games. That gets attention on the G5 guys that wasn’t necessarily there before. Usually being undefeated in those conferences got some attention from pollsters too. Due to higher than normal wins in the non-conference part of the schedule there’s more of those undefeated this year. I think we’ll continue to see some of this affect going forward. That big name bowl game will help redefine normal. The top couple teams in those leagues might even be able to recruit better with the extra attention as a result narrowing the talent gap. They’ll be able to offer kids more attention and a better chance of going to a bowl game than playing in a P5 perpetual cellar dweller. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/378 "2015-11-04T01:48:51Z")
I generally agree with you about the positive impacts of the New Years bowl slot reserved for a mid-major team, but I think it could take a while before we start to see these. Thus far, most of the big bowl appearances by these teams haven’t gone well for them. I remember a couple years ago Northern Illinois was in the Orange Bowl, and their delegation complained about encountering pretty open hostility and resentment from Orange Bowl organizers who were pissed that they got stuck with them. Hopefully most bowl organizers are classy enough to conceal their disappointment, but I wonder how long this arrangement will last if the bowls aren’t happy with it. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/379 "2015-11-04T01:59:57Z")
[The first CFB ratings are out!](http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/polls) They mostly suck. LSU \*and \* Alabama in the top 4? TAMU and Miss State also ranked? Could we lick the SEC’s anus any harder, please? Well, presumably one of them will drop lower after this weekend, likely to be replaced by…#5 Notre Fucking Dame?? The team which has one win over another of their ranked teams (Temple, also a fucking joke), and whose two road wins are over Virginia and Temple by a total of 11 points?! What. The. Hell? ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398/380 "2015-11-04T02:34:24Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > [The first CFB ratings are out!](http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/polls) They mostly suck. > > LSU \*and \* Alabama in the top 4? TAMU and Miss State also ranked? Could we lick the SEC’s anus any harder, please? Well, presumably one of them will drop lower after this weekend, likely to be replaced by…#5 Notre Fucking Dame?? Humorously of the SEC teams in their division Ole Miss has the inside track to the championship game. and they are only #18. They have to beat LSU but it’s at home and they already beat Alabama on the road. Neither of them are likely to see the playoff if they are at home watching the championship game. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2015-college-football-omnibus-thread/729398.md?page=20)