It's Bucky by 7. I think that's a good line.Originally Posted by moecurlythanu
It's Bucky by 7. I think that's a good line.
Yeah, a good line, but probably not one to open the wallet on.
Many smaller schools have have given B1G teams a run for their money. But I don't think it's all about depth. As "Moe" pointed out, it may come down to the 4th quarter when fitness plays a huge role. I've seen close-ish games halfway thru the 3rd and even going into the 4th that then turns into a blowout.
I agree. They should have paired them up with Temple, the AAC champs. I think that would be a heck of a game. As it is, Temple's playing 6-6 Wake Forest. Seriously? IMO, that mocks Temple's accomplishments. But, whatever.
“The red zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the white zone."
I agree that Temple should have gotten a better opponent than Wake Forest. That said, I think most fans would find it disappointing if two Group of Five schools were paired against each other in a bowl, especially if one of them was undefeated. Part of the intrigue of undefeated schools from the smaller conferences is seeing how they stack up against the bigger names from the bigger conferences. I wish WMU was playing Michigan instead of Wisconsin, but Wisconsin will do - they were very good this year. I don't mean this as a knock on Temple at all, but I think WMU has earned a crack at a top-10 team.
In any event, WMU is more or less blocked from playing another Group of Five school in a bowl, due to the selection criteria. The "Group of Five Champion" (this year, WMU) is guaranteed a spot in a "New Year's Six" bowl game against an at-large selected team. The opponent would be someone not in the top four (obviously), and not the highest non-playoff-eligible teams from the SEC, PAC12, BIG10, Big12 or ACC, as these teams are committed to other games. This year, it worked out that they got Wisconsin. Wisconsin is the highest-rated team (according to the CFP rankings) that WMU could have played. The next-highest-rated eligible teams after Wisconsin were: Colorado, Oklahoma St. and Louisville. I think watching WMU play any of those teams would have been interesting.
Just for clarity, when I was talking about “depth” it was in comparison to the Northern Illinois team that got blown out in the Orange Bowl a few years ago. I honestly think that this year’s WMU team is quite a bit better than that year’s Northern Illinois team with a more well-rounded offense and defense. WMU has beaten two Big 10 teams this year, although both of those teams were having down years.
Temple would have been an interesting matchup mainly because the MAC has a grudge against them. When Temple’s football program was down in the dumps back in the 00’s the MAC let them in when no one else would take them. Once the Owls got their program turned around they immediately bolted to the ACC. It did not leave a very good taste in the mouth of the remaining MAC teams, and Temple is not thought of very highly in these parts.
Yup, the way it is currently set up it is what it is. I would not be a huge fan of WMU playing Michigan as they typically play each other every couple of years anyway (always on Michigan’s filed of course as they would never bow so low to play at a MAC school). WMU played Michigan State last year and play them again next year too. They have also played Wisconsin a few times off and on over the years. I think Colorado, Louisville, or OK State would have been a bit more interesting. In fact after the controversial Central Michigan / OK State ending earlier this year a lot of people were hoping for a WMU / OK State matchup as kind of a conference rematch kind of game.
I have always wondered why the group of 5 don’t just break away and do their own championship. It would be a lot of fun, with more evenly matched teams. Of course the money would probably be less for the top teams and probably no one in most of the country would care, but it would be fun for the mid-majors.
Oh no, I got that. I didn't mean to confuse things. I was just using that as a jumping off point.
So, any predictions for the playoff games?
I'm not about to predict scores, as I've always kinda sucked at that but I will predict winners. I think the final is gonna be a repeat of last year: Alabama vs Clemson.
“The red zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the white zone."
I think it will be Bama vs Ohio State with Bama winning it all. Have to admit, I have not seen Clemson play much this year though.
This year's Alabama team would be far and away the best college football team of all time if they win out, at least by the ELO metric.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/...tball-history/
"Do ya do ya think we're the best?"
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
My thoughts as well.
Please don't ask questions, just use google.
Never let good music get in the way of making a profit.
I'm only here to reglaze my bathtub.
Have you guys heard this crazy Wake Forest story?
Double-agent intrigue in NCAA football
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
They were talking about it on the Dan Patrick show this morning. Pretty crazy.
Must be some kinda strange magic
This is the only day of the year that I root for Eastern Michigan. They play in the Bahamas Bowl this afternoon. Although the Bahamas Bowl is considered by most to be a meaningless game, last year it was essential in the turnaround of the Western Michigan football program, and today’s game has the same implications for Eastern Michigan, who has not been in a bowl game in something like 20 years. Rooting for EMU today.
Watching the Russell Athletic Bowl...
I watched the end of the Cactus Bowl when I got home from work last night. Baylor pretty much laid it on Boise.
This game should be called The Russell Athletic Supporter Bowl. God we're awful.
Most teams would take that kind of awful half, dude!
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
Wow 21-7. When I left the score was 7-7.
Apparently, there's been a ton of money bet on Washington by the professional gamblers over the last few days, knocking the point spread down from +16 to +13.5.
+16 seemed quite high to me. If I still had a bookie I would have taken it. I have do doubt that Bama will win, but I think Washington can keep within 2 touchdowns.
A case could be made that Washington might be the best team Alabama will face thus far, but the last time Washington faced a team anywhere near as good as Bama (USC) they were emasculated. 13.5 pts might be generous. The Huskies have to have a big day running the football because their QB is a shrinking violet under pressure.
No Jabrill Peppers for MI!
At the end of the 1st quarter, no Jabrill, no MI (17-3 FSU).
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks