Official OUS College Football 2004 Thread

[Ybrik Metaknight]

All right, we're nearing the end of August, and for me, one of the many things that means is...it's almost time for football season!

But I don't give a damn about the NFL. No, no...last season, I became semi-obsessed with NCAA football (so much so, in fact, that I bought NCAA Football 2005 for Xbox, my first sports game ever about a month and a half ago). I suppose it has something to do with the national prominence that my home team gained this year. For those of you not in the know, the TCU (Texas Christian University) Horned Frogs made national headlines last football season, for being the first team not from one of the six BCS (Bowl Championship Series) conferences (in other words, the conferences that are guaranteed to have one team in one of the four highest-profile bowl games, Sugar, Fiesta, Orange and Rose, one of which always has the national championship game) to break into the top six in the BCS rankings. Of course, at our next-to-last regular season game in November against the University of Southern Mississippi, we lost, ending a 10-game winning streak and crushing our hopes to topple the fascist BCS system. I complained about it on a thread on this very message board. For those of you who know nothing of college football, I apologize for the sports jargon; there's really no easy way to explain this stuff.

Anyways, this season I plan to pay a bit more attention to the entire college football scene, not just my home team and the colleges that friends and family go to (and University of Texas, a longtime favorite of mine). Here's who I'm following this year, sorted by Conference and by preference (where applicable):

Conference USA

TCU Horned Frogs--It should be fairly obvious why this is the school in C-USA (properly pronounced "see you ess aie," but lotsa people, myself included, say "koosa") that I'm following.

Big 12 (a.k.a. the conference TCU would be in if not for Ann Richards, former governer of Texas, being a Baylor University alumna)

University of Texas Longhorns--as I said, longtime UT fan here. Definitely gonna be watching them as I always do.

Also going to be paying minor attention to the following schools: Texas A&M University Aggies; University of Oklahoma (OU) Sooners; Texas Tech University Red Raiders. I pay a lot of attention to the Big 12 because it's the large conference around here. Plus, I have a cousin at OU, a cousin at A&M, a cousin at Tech, and a lot of friends at those three schools and UT.

Big East
University of Pittsburgh Panthers--One of my closest friends goes to Pitt, so I pay casual attention to their team. This also serves as my token school to watch in the Big East, a conference which is quickly falling in terms of prominence in football. In fact, if Pitt weren't in the Big East or my friend James didn't go there, I might not pay attention to the conference at all.

Big 10 (a.k.a. the Big 11, since the Big 10 has 11 schools)
University of Minnesota Golden Gophers--I know some people from Minnesota (a few people here at TCU, and of course a few people on OUS, like Erin and Flik), plus I was very impressed with the Golden Gophers' performance against the University of Oregon Ducks in last year's Sun Bowl, which was my favorite bowl game out of the 10-15 games I watched (a one-point margin of victory for UMN, if I remember correctly, w/in the last minute or two...quite an exciting game).

University of Michegan Wolverines--Also a bit of a longtime fan of this team, probably because I'm a longtime X-Men reader and, well, you know...Wolverine. But I'm more following UMN out of this conference.

Atlantic Coast Conference--I think this conference might be the one to pay attention to this season...last bowl season, the only loss by ACC teams was Florida State, who lost the Orange Bowl to Miami, which enters the ACC from the Big East this year (along with Virginia Tech)
Florida State University Seminoles--I like FSU, probably because their band plays the Tomahawk cheer, which I played for four years in high school (my HS mascot was the Indian). Fun cheer to play. Hey, I never said all my reasons for which school in each conference to watch were good reasons.

Southeastern Conference
Louisiana State University Tigers--My mom has a lot of family that went to LSU, so I've grown up exposed to LSU a little bit.

University of Alabama--Bamatone, here on OUS, goes to Alabama, and he and I have had a little bit of correspondence on the subject of NCAA football, so I figure I'll pay casual attention to...is it the Crimson Tide? Is that right? That's what the UA Web site seems to be saying.

Pacific 10 Conference
University of Oregon Ducks--I needed a Pac-10 school to watch. Oregon was in my favorite bowl game last year (the Sun Bowl, as detailed above under Minnesota). Also, Oregon has the hottest cheerleaders of any school whose cheerleaders I saw on TV last year. So I figure I may as well pay attention to Oregon, if I have to pick a school from the Pac-10.

Mountain West Conference--this will probably be the only non-BCS conference other than C-USA that I'll actually pay attention to, since TCU will enter this conference in the 2005-06 school year (my senior year)
University of Utah Utes--I figure I may as well watch the team that won the conference last year and is picked as the favorite to win this year, at least until a better school to watch comes up. I'll probably watch the whole conference this year, to get an idea of what TCU will be going into next year.

That's it. I don't really plan to watch the other three conferences (the Sun Belt is a joke, as University of North Texas ALWAYS wins it; the Western Athletic Conference has never been impressive; and the Mid-American Conference doesn't seem to be very consistent in terms of who's good to watch, but I may pay a little attention to it halfway through the season).

So...who else likes college football? And who are you watching?

[Variable Rush]

I never really cared for football.

[drager]

I go to USC, but I don't care about football. Which puts me in the most minor of minorities.

[SaveSuperJoe]

USC BIOTCH!


I don't watch seriously, but I'll watch when it's on.


Holy Shit, drager goes to USC...I live there.

[BAMAToNE]

W00t! College football fucking rules. I have a few teams I follow as well besides my own.

Ybrick, you'll be happy to know I liked TCU before I knew you went there. We did steal your coach, and that sucked for you, but Fran's assistant who took over seems to be doing a good job. And you see what Fran did for us. *cough*

Speaking of Conference USA, I have to mention UAB, if only because it's sort of our other hometown team. Birmingham is only 45 minutes away from Tuscaloosa. I like to see them do well, but in the end I don't really care all that much. I also like to see Southern Miss do well since they're not too far from here either, and even though they like to think they're "rivals" of Alabama (because they beat us once or twice over more than a decade). Sorry Ybrick, I know it's salt in the wound. :P

Big 12: I don't give a damn who wins as long as it's not Texas A & M. (See: Coach Fran)

Big 10: I agree that Minnesota is leaps and bounds better than they were. They played an agonzing game last year in which they lost in the final few minutes (was it Ohio St or Michigan?). But I just don't see them winning the conference. I just can't see them beating Ohio St, Michigan, etc.

Big East: Who in the hell knows who's left in this conference anyway. If VT is still there, then I pick them. If not, I like Pitt.

ACC: I don't really care for the ACC much. But my big team here is Georgia Tech (my dad's alma matter). Personally, I'd like to see Tech leave the ACC and rejoin the SEC (replacing someone like Vanderbilt), but I know that's not going to happen. I also have liked NC State these past few years because of Phil Rivers (an Alabama native and all-around nice guy). And because they beat the shit out of Notre Dame in the bowl, hahahaahahahahaha.

Pac 10: Is lame.

Mountain West: Is also lame. :P

Independents: I hope Notre Dame collapses and rots in hell.

SEC: Soooo many teams could win every year. LSU is of course very strong. Florida might be on the up and up with Leak settling in. Still don't know about Coach Zook, though. His time is running short. I like to see Kentucky do well because I really think they're capable of so much more - they just don't ever get the lucky breaks (unlike Vandy, who perpetually blows and should be kicked out of the league). And of course I want Alabama to be what they once were - the SEC powerhouse. Unfortunately it will still take a few years to do this, assuming we don't have another huge crisis anytime soon.

Which brings me to... Tennessee. The best way to sum up my feelings on the Vols is to express my wish that Knoxville be swallowed up in a huge meteor storm. Or earthquake. Or some other disaster. I don't know A) how Tennessee hasn't been punished by the NCAA and B) how Phil Phulmer still has a job. I'm not going into any details right now, but suffice to say it's all coming out in court over the next 10-12 months. Tommy Gallion will see to that. Much of it already has come out. Unfortunately, no one but Alabama and Tennessee are paying any attention.

Anyway, that's all I have for now. Roll Tide! (Yes, the Crimson Tide. ;) )

[sempaimiles]

Sorry, baseball fan here...and fall means one thing: PLAYOFFS!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's go Yankees! *clap-clap-clapclapclap*


-Miles

[erindancer]

Damn straight U of M is hot this year. Very hot. They want it hardcore and they look good coming from a preview scrimage watcher like me. I think they can and will go further and harder than ever before and yet, they will get screwed on bowl games again and get the shaft game 'cause our fans here kinda suck. But they're getting better. If we can nail this season I think we'll get an on campus stadium that we have not had in a very long time. And believe you me, no one wants to walk across the huge campus and interstate to the Metrodome or take the drunk bus over there when we have a perfectly good big screen TV right here in every bar in Dinkytown (where I live). As far as last season goes, if you weren't here you missed it. Michigan game was horrible. After that we had a stupid loss to Michigan state for homecoming that we shouldn't have. All because of this dramatic and fateful game. I won't bore you but here's how it went around here --

U of M student recap of last years' Michigan game.

1) Huge lead completely out of nowhere but well earned = beer drinking and huge euphoria until the half you could hear the screaming from the houses out on the streets until the half
2) Lead slipping = more normally nonchalant students begin to perk up and worry
3) Lead completely gone and so is our team = silent campus that night.

Seriously, people were so pissed off around here it was like someone died. I still get mad thinking about it. It's almost as infamous as the hockey riots and was last year's big event.

[Greg Kennedy]

GO HOGS

[Symmetry]

You guys mentioned the SEC and said nothing about the 'Dawgs?

Good thing for you guys I really could care less about my football team - except when we play Clemson. The bulk of my relatives attend(ed) university there, so they need to lose because they give me way too much crap about attending a sappy liberal arts college.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

I was waiting for someone to say something about U of Arkansas. I'll probably watch them somewhat, but largely because SEC is still my favorite football conference (closely followed by the Big 12).

And Symmetry, I almost said something about Georgia because of watching them last season.

Erin, I feel your pain about crappy fans. TCU fans are horrible, although that situation has been improving in recent years, since the Horned Frogs started doing well. And it sounds like the Minn.-Mich. game last year was like the TCU-Southern Miss. game, at least in terms of the disappointment of fans.

[Dale North]

HUTT

[zyko]

do not get me started ybrik :) we can go for days on this

can't believe we didn't sit and talk college football at the bbq. i noticed the TCU you were sportin but was so caught up in shit didn't get to chit chat.

but yes. i am fucking pumped for football. i used to looooove NFL (still do, die hard raider silver n black baby) but money is in the mix and therefore its BUNK
for those who love football and love guys leaving their fuckin hearts on the field.... COLLEGE FOOTBALL

i'm hittin up vegas in a couple weeks to do some partyin and football. can't wait.
woohoo!

[BAMAToNE]

I didn't say anything about Georgia because there's so many strong teams in general. Yes, UGA can definitely make a run at the SEC East at the very least. And they could end up winning the SEC in general. (Not saying I want them to win - I'm a Ga. Tech fan myself. ;) )

Arkansas has a great qb in Matt Jones. And I mean great. But beyond that I don't see the team doing anything fantastic. I must admit I was surprised (and very happy) when they beat Texas last year. I don't have any problem with Ark but they're also in the SEC West and so I have to root against them.

One thing the SEC has plenty of is awesome fans. (Except Vandy, perhaps.)

[Dale North]

zyko, I'll be in vegas in a few weeks also!

[Symmetry]

I didn't say anything about Georgia because there's so many strong teams in general. Yes, UGA can definitely make a run at the SEC East at the very least. And they could end up winning the SEC in general. (Not saying I want them to win - I'm a Ga. Tech fan myself. ;)

More onto the subject of universities in general, but -

I love GA Tech fans. Some schools, like UGA, are easy to be fans of. Georgia has a good team, a long history, is a decent (bear with me here!) academic institution, and a phenomial college town. Tech? Well, Tech is scattered throughout downtown Atlanta - which absolutely blows - has a 70/30-something male/female ratio (good for the ladies, I guess....), is an unbelievably prestigious math/computer/engeering side of the fence instution (meaning it has a reputation of being overrun by nerds), and has a football team that's merely so-so.

Everyone (only a slight exaggeration) worships UGA around here. Being a Tech fan is tough. Therefore, I like Tech fans because they stick with a school that has nothing much going for it until you graduate. (And then begin hiring all those Georgia fans to work for you.)

[zyko]

dale you bastard, call me

i'm gonna be there for my bday. we have to coordinate.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Less than a week until our first game, against Northwestern (I expect a few boos from some of you Big 11 people). I'm getting pumped.

How long for the rest of you?

[SaveSuperJoe]

Saturday, vs. Virginia Tech. In other news, the NCAA denied Williams resinstatement into the college game. Bullshit.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Thanks for the HeadsUp, SaveSuperJoe. Looks like, after nearly 8 months of waiting, I finally have a college football game to watch tonight.

Hmmm....I don't like either Va. Tech or USC that much...who to root for (or, more to the point, against)?

Anyway, expect some posting here after the game!

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Well, I was rooting for Va. Tech tonight, but only because I dislike them a little less than I dislike USC. I think USC is overrated, and they proved it with a less-than-stellar win tonight. I wanted to see the Trojans fall in their first game (and I thought they would for a long while), but I think it'll happen soon enough, and I don't really like Va. Tech either. Not a bad game to watch, though. I watched the entire first half, and most of the fourth quarter (I played Final Fantasy Tactics during halftime and the third quarter). My two cents on the evening's game.

First TCU game kicks off in four days, 20 hours and 10 minutes. I'm pumped!

[SaveSuperJoe]

I don't care what people say, though the win was not a blowout, and it looked a bit close at times, but SC pulled it out, and while we may not do as well as last year, we'll do pretty good.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

One day, 21 hours, seven minutes to kickoff. Go Frogs!

[Ybrik Metaknight]

OK, my last bump until tomorrow night, after the game.

Kickoff is at 9:30 p.m. EST. Game will be on ESPN2. If you like college football, tune in.

Also tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN will be Utah vs. Texas A&M. I'll be watching a little of this before our game if I can. But if I find out anyone here watched that game and DIDN'T watch our game, I'll...well, I'll just bitch about it. Just watch our game when it comes on, and switch to this one for a glance every now and then.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Wow...that game was TOO close.

The first half went really well for us. The score was 20-14 at halftime. But then, in the third quarter our defense died (Northwestern's defense I don't think even showed up), and Northwestern caught up. 45-45 at the end of the fourth quarter. First OT, nobody scored. Then, second OT, we made like a 40-yard field goal, then Northwestern had a possession and missed their field goal. It was an exciting ending to an exciting game.

In other news...Utah 41, Texas A&M 21. I am happy about this because Coach Fran deserves to get his ass handed to him as often as possible after doing what he did to the U of Alabama team (I know Bamatone agrees with me on this one), but I am somewhat unhappy about it because it means Utah is still the top-ranked non-BCS school.

Corrected the Utah/Texas A&M score. Wow, my original source (who said the final was 34-7) was WAY off.

[BAMAToNE]

I agree, dude. I did NOT expect it to go into overtime. I only got to watch it until near halftime, then I had to go out. I thought TCU had it wrapped up for sure. But you got the win. No one will care in December. :D

And hell fucking yes Coach Fran got his ass whooped. I noticed something during this game that was very familiar. Ybrick, you're gonna have to tell me whether you saw it while he was at TCU. A&M sure had a lot of 5 yard penalties - false starts, etc. That was very characteristic of his Alabama teams, as well. Even when we were winning in year 2. (His first game in year 1, he set a school record 15 penalties in one game.) I wonder if that's just the price you pay in his system, although I don't know why it would be so. I don't think it's terribly complicated. Maybe it's just *so* different from what we both were used to that it's tough to get the counts right, etc. Anyway, heh... just something I noticed.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

No, my first year at TCU was I think Gary Patterson's first full year as head coach. Might've been second, not sure.

We needed to beat Northwestern by a little more than 3 points in OT. We needed to beat them by at least 10 points or so to shut up those ESPN bastards who think TCU will never be worth a damn. Oh well, at least we did, as you said, get the win, and there's always SMU to slaughter next week, and Tech to beat the following week, which should surprise everyone.

[Henry Jones]

Even if Iowa State beats Northern Iowa this weekend, it's going to be a long season. If they lose, it's going to be a REALLY long season. Oh well, if we can return to form in giving overrated Iowa Hawkeyes teams a good kick to the balls, I'll be happy.

[BAMAToNE]

1. Yay for Alabama winning (48-17 over Utah State). They even looked like a real team in the second half.

2. Yay for Notre Dame losing!

3. Yay (again) for Texas A&M losing!

4. I cannot believe LSU pulled out a fucking win tonight. OSU should die and rot in hell for not protecting their lead. Kicker gets 90% of the blame; rest of the offense gets 10% for not running out the clock on their last possession.

5. Memphis over Ole Miss? Yeah, it happened. Say goodbye to the Eli Manning days.

6. Who does Alabama get next weekend? Yep, Ole Miss. Two way this can go down: Rebs are pissed off like a disturbed hornets' nest and come out kicking ass, or Rebs are down and out and dejected from losing to Memphis and get knocked around by us. Since it's home in Tuscaloosa I'm giving us the edge. ;)

7. All in all, very good weekend. With more to come tomorrow! (Louisville vs. Kentucky)

[Jessperk]

Arkansas 63 ... New Mexico State 13

w00t. While listening to it on the drive home, Arkansas got a touchdown. Band instinct kicked in and the first thing I thought was "Fight Song!".

[Ybrik Metaknight]

w00t. While listening to it on the drive home, Arkansas got a touchdown. Band instinct kicked in and the first thing I thought was "Fight Song!".

:lol: True dat.

Hmmm....quite a good football weekend indeed...looking forward to next week.

[SaveSuperJoe]

Today, 5 PM PT, USC vs. Colorado State. watch. I'll be there, and we better fucking win.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Today, 6 p.m. CST. TCU vs. SMU. We need to slaughter our rival. Big time. I'm sure we won't, but we need to. Don't think it'll be on TV, so nobody will be able to watch it...but I'll be there.

[Henry Jones]

Dammit. Lost to Iowa by 7 points. So close, yet so far. I just hope this at least means we're not going to be embarrasingly bad like last year. Our offense still sucks, but at least we have defense.

[SaveSuperJoe]

USC beat CSU, (wierd, an anagram), 49 - 0 . This was awesome. Discuss.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Cool. Both of our teams produced one-sided shutouts. TCU 44, SMU 0. Take it, Mustangs.

Other than that...it seems like I missed some damn good football by not being able to watch other games. I mean, Notre Dame's Irish luck (or was there some divine intervention involved)? Southern Miss upsetting Nebraska? Fresno State upsetting Kansas State? Boise State soundly defeating Oregon State, a team that defending national champs LSU barely squeaked out on top of? New Mexico beating Texas Tech? Utah continuing its reign of holy Mormon terror, this time against Arizona? (Hmmm...five mid-major upsets of BCS teams....)

This is shaping up to be an interesting football season indeed. Get excited.

Now I just have to worry about how my Frogs will do against Texas Tech. Honestly, I just want to know if we'll be favorites or underdogs in that game. At any rate, I'll be there, in Lubbock in one week. Playin' my bone. Double Entendre Count +1

[BAMAToNE]

Yay for Alabama beating Ole Miss 28-7, and yay for Georgia Tech beating #20 Clemson. :D

[Ybrik Metaknight]

What a depressing game for us Horned Frog fans.

The first half was a decent game. It was a defensive slugfest for about 10 minutes or so of play, and then TCU came alive. By about 6 or 7 minutes into the second quarter, we'd put up 21 unanswered points. Then Tech came alive and tied it up by halftime. As the second quarter ended, I thought maybe I might have a seat at a great football game.

Boy, was I wrong. The third quarter began, and soon Tech had scored another 7 points...then another...then another. TCU forgot to come out and play another half. We just laid up and died, letting the Red Raiders trample all over us. I think Tech had gotten up to 56 before we scored again. Near the end of the third quarter (or was it the beginning of the fourth?), we got two touchdowns (complete with extra points) in fairly rapid succession, getting TCU fans' hopes up. Then Tech turned around and scored twice more (the first one was on a turnover play) to finish us off.

Were it not for my getting to visit with a close cousin who's a freshman at Tech, getting pretty wasted off of Seagram's 7 the night before the game in the hotel, and actually having fun playing as part of the quarter of TCU's band that actually went to the game, I'd have regretted coming all the way to godforsaken Lubbock.

A few cheers and jeers:

Cheers to Texas Tech for pulling their heads out of their asses near the end of the second quarter and redeeming themselves after a loss to piddly little New Mexico.

Jeers to Texas Tech fans who, showing the extreme lack of class (and original, intelligent thought) that probably kept them out of better universities, started yelling "f**k you, TCU!" at the band more than half an hour before the game started. Yelling "Boo!" or making fun of us is one thing, but simply yelling profanity for no reason is just plain classless.

Cheers to...actually, I have no more cheers, just jeers.

Jeers to TCU, for forgetting to play for a whole game.

Jeers to the officials, for making piss-poor calls - affecting both sides of the ball - the whole game, starting with TCU's first touchdown, which should have been a touchback for Tech.

I think I'm done.

Oh, and a few thoughts on some of the other games this weekend:

Can't believe Auburn managed to topple LSU. What happened to Lousiana State? They won the national championship last year, now they barely beat Oregon State and lose to Auburn. Oh well. Auburn is a new team on my list of teams to watch. Can't wait until Auburn-Alabama, as that should be one hell of a game.

Tennessee-Florida: Talk about your close games. I mean, damn. Good stuff.

Northwestern-Kansas: Glad to see NU win this one because it helps our strength of schedule. Too bad it just doesn't matter for TCU anymore.

Nebraska-Pitt: Really disappointed in this one. I really want Pitt to win the Big East (I've got a very close friend at Pitt), but I'm not sure it's going to even have a chance of happening after their performance thus far.

West Virginia-Maryland: Also disappointed in this one. I wanted Maryland to win.

[Henry Jones]

Well, Iowa State beat Northern Illinois, so we've all ready matched our wins from last year. Now.... getting a Big XII win! Well, playing baylor and Texas A&M, it's likely. Hopefully we can get a home win against Nebraska. The one time we've beaten Nebraska in my college career, Ames was one big party.

Oh, and I'm also happy about Iowa getting owned by Arizona State. Sure, we lost to Iowa, and it makes us look bad, but it at least reveals Iowa as the overrated posers they are now instead of oh, say, the Orange Bowl, so Iowa fans can't say stuff like "We went to the ORANGE BOWL!" "Yeah, where you got your asses kicked! Oh, and who beat you that year in your home stadium? That's right, we did. Now shut up."

[SaveSuperJoe]

USC beat BYU 42-10. That is all for this week.

[BAMAToNE]

I'm in extreme angst... Yes, Alabama put a hurtin' on Western Carolina to the tune of 52-0. But in getting the win, our quarterback, Brody Croyle, tore his damn ACL and is now out for the season. Now we get to see if what Miami saw in Mark Guillon is really there. (He was recruited by the Canes, and played some downs there before getting hurt and transferring to Bama.) (I'm assuming he'll start over Spencer Pennington... pleeease not Pennington.)

Auburn: You gotta be shitting me. I've seen more missed PATs come back to haunt a team in the last two weeks than any other whole season. (Read: OSU last week, Vandy & LSU this week.) Trust me guys, Auburn is *not* that good. Yes, they are good. And I'd give them a good shot to win the west, but they are not SEC championship material.

Ybrick: Two things. One, no one calls LSU Louisiana State. ;) (LS-WHO?) Two, dear god I'm sorry. I saw two scores for your game. The first was 21-21 and knowing you were up 21-0. The second was the final. All I could think about was how awful it was for you to see it in real life, heh. Sorry dude.

Jeers to the officiating crew of the Vanderbilt - Ole Miss game. You called back a 65 yard touchdown run by a FULLBACK for a nonexistant "illegal formation." The coach, nor even the tv guys could figure out what exactly was illegal about it. You also missed a flagrant facemask call on Ole Miss in the fourth quarter on FOURTH DOWN on the QUARTERBACK that would have given Vandy a first down and a chance to run out the clock and win their first road SEC game in years. But no. Because of those two calls, Ole Miss was able to tie the game, and then win it in OT.

Georgia: WTF is wrong with you? You better start winning a little more pizazz than that.

Damn Notre Dame for winning.

Michigan fans: Acting like you just won the Super Bowl after squeaking out a victory over San Diego State, who has never won against a ranked team, is very disturbing. Don't ever let me see that again. In fact, I was hoping you'd lose. Stupid Big 10.

And last but not least... Georgia Tech: Please take the time to actually show up for your next game. Beating ranked Clemson in dramatic fashion will not guarantee you a win over UNC or anyone else. Now you get a week off before hosting Miami... Practice at least a couple times, please? And if you have time, try to look at some game film. (I hope I'm not asking too much.)

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Bamatone: Sorry for calling LSU "Louisiana State." I was trying to avoid saying LSU at the end of two consecutive sentences. Journalism training coming through. I'll avoid it in the future. Thanks. And after all, nobody calls TCU "Texas Christian" or SMU "Southern Methodist" either.

And Auburn...I'm not saying they're gonna win the SEC. I'm saying they might have a shot at it. Actually, mostly I'm saying that they surprised the hell out of me. I never expected them to beat LSU. I think the Alabama-Auburn game will be worth checking out, although I'll be rooting for Alabama to pull a Tech on them.

[BAMAToNE]

Hehe, it's ok. The media is the only way they get called Lousiana State. Actually, I have been known to say Southern Methodist instead of SMU quite often, but almost always because I *know* the person I'm talking to isn't going to know who SMU is, heh. I understand about not using LSU twice at the end of a sentence. I very nearly majored in English (before deciding there was no money it) and things like that jump out at me as well.

I was also surprised Auburn squeaked out that game. The team itself is almost always marginal (ok, Bo Jackson's team was pretty decent), but they really turn their home field advantage into something almost tangible. It's pretty amazing. But in the longrun, I always like to point out two things when it comes to Auburn:

1) They have one national championship. Alabama has 12. (Even if you discount disputed championships, we have at least half a dozen.)

2) Georgia Tech has more SEC championships than Auburn does, and they've not been a member of the SEC since 1964. (They joined the ACC in 1979.) (In case you're interested, Tech leaving the SEC was supposedly Bobby Dodd's idea - they were so strong they didn't need a conference to help support them, and he wasn't into revenue sharing (think Notre Dame). That's all well and good in 1964, but I wish they'd come back now and replace Vanderbilt.)

Suck on that, Auburn. :P

Sigh.. I wish Tech would return to prominence... I mean come on, look at their coaching history. John Heisman himself, Bobby Dodd, Bobby Ross, George O'Leary (personal issues aside he's a great coach), etc.

[ScottPeeples]

I know you guys think the Mountain West Conference is lame and all, but I expect you all to cheer for Air Force, since, you know, I play for them

or don't you meany-pantses

[animefreak]

OMG its scott peeples!!11

[Henry Jones]

I know you guys think the Mountain West Conference is lame and all, but I expect you all to cheer for Air Force, since, you know, I play for them

or don't you meany-pantses

Play in the band or on the football team? Or both? 8O

[ScottPeeples]

ummm, on the team silly

[Ybrik Metaknight]

I know you guys think the Mountain West Conference is lame and all, but I expect you all to cheer for Air Force, since, you know, I play for them

or don't you meany-pantses

Whoever said we think the MWC is lame? I think it's the best mid-major conference. Hell, I think it's better than the Big East. And as a member of the band at the school that will be entering that conference next year (TCU, of course), I'm paying extra attention to Mountain West now.

Go Mountain West! Go Force (although I do like Utah a little better, sorry)! And, most importantly... Go Frogs!

[Ybrik Metaknight]

I think I hate my school (or at least our team) after tonight.

Second overtime: South Florida scores, TD, extra point; TCU scores, snap for the extra point: The guy fucking drops it before our kicker could get to us. South Florida wins 45-44. After the way we've played the past two games, we'll be lucky to have a winning record. And this from a team that nearly made the BCS shit itself last year.

Time to find a new team to care about.

[SaveSuperJoe]

close game for USC. At halftime we were down by 11 points, and we had suffered an eighty-fucking-four yard run. I thought that the team was gonna stop playing and just lose. Instead, we pulled it out for a 31-28 victory. Good times. I'm glad USC is playing tough games again. Blowouts are only fun to an extent.

[BAMAToNE]

Not a good weekend for Alabama, either. QB Guillon's first career start as for the Tide left much to be desired, but I don't blame him at all. Reasons we lost:

1. Ultra-conservative playcalling
2. Uninspired play by wide receivers (not getting open; dropped passes; fumbles)
3. Ultra-conservative playcalling

It's upsetting enough to lose, but it's much, much worse when you lose to a team who is no better than you.

There were two 4th and 1's inside Arkansas territory that Shula decided to punt on. Guillon attempted 15 or so passes, but most were in the 4th quarter when we had no time left. Shula never allowed Guillon to get into any kind of rhythm. How can your new qb prove anything if you give him one passing play every 15 running plays?

The running game was an A, but not A+ because Hudson fumbled inside the Arkansas red-zone - our best chance to score a touchdown (which we didn't do at all).

Not a happy Tide fan...

[SaveSuperJoe]

really just bumping this thread up so that it doesn't get lost in the crowd.
USC has a bye week this week and then we play a game next week. Which games should I be watching this week as I write my International Relations paper?

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Not really all that certain yet. I'll be having football on all day, as I've got nothing to do this weekend for the first time in a month. I don't think TCU-Army will be on TV, so I've gotta have a few other games to watch.

*Looks at the schedule for the week*

Hmm....I think the following games might be worth watching:

Thursday:
Pitt-UConn (7 p.m. EST ESPN2)
Navy-Air Force (7:45 p.m. EST ESPN)

Friday:
Utah-New Mexico (8 p.m. EST ESPN2) This one could be big

Saturday:
Virginia Tech-West Virginia (noon EST ESPN)
Arkansas-Florida (noon EST CBS)
LSU-Georgia (3:30 p.m. EST CBS)
Tennessee-Auburn (7:45 p.m. EST ESPN) This is another really big one. No. 8 vs. No. 9.

There's various games that espn.com doesn't list as being on TV, like Big 12 games, but then they may not include some other networks like Fox Sports (although they include CBS, NBC and TBS, so I don't know why they wouldn't include Fox).

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Wow.

17-0 Army at the end of the first quarter, and still that at the end of the first half.

21-17 TCU final. RB Lonta Hobbs (pronounced Lon-tay) came alive, with some help from QB Brandon Hassell, who sustained an injury for the second week in a row.

My Frogs better not do that to me again.

[erindancer]

Minnesota--

5-0


rock on

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Minnesota--

5-0


rock on

Let's hope so. I don't think Penn State will pull the upset. Minnesota is my favorite Big Eleven school, and I wish y'all the best of luck in the weeks ahead with OSU and Michigan.

[Symmetry]

UGA apparently pounded LSU.

From what I've seen though, I think we're kinda overrated. (Although not like USC is..) The games I've watched snippits of haven't exactly been phenominal - teams we should have demolished being a little too close.

45-14 or something close this time. Must have done something right.

[BAMAToNE]

About Minnesota- It's nice the Gophers won, but it's total crap they suspended the Twins baseball game so they could play football. Firstly, it's just bad scheduling and it's neither the Gophers nor Twins faults. That said, I think they should have stuck it out until the Twins got done playing. Especially since the game is crucial to them - they could win or lose the division because of this. And because it was tied at 5 and there was just a great feeling in the air... I feel bad for the Twins. :(

Second- Does anyone have an extra quarterback they can lend to Alabama?

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Wow. I must say, I really, really enjoyed having a day to just watch (or listen to, in the case of TCU-Army, since it wasn't on TV) college football.

I've already said my piece about TCU-Army. I'll only further say that I really hope this is the start of a good turnaround for our season.

Some thoughts on the games I saw parts of:

Florida State 38, North Carolina 16 - I like the Seminoles. Glad to see this one.

Georgia 45, LSU 16 - What happened to LSU? Good god, from National Champion to middle-of-the-pack-in-SEC-at-best in less than a year. Wow.

Virginia Tech 19, West Virginia 13 - Good to see WVU lose. They're overrated.

Auburn 34, Tennessee 10 - Wow, this one surprised me. I expected Tennessee to win in a close one, or at least for Tennessee to put up a fight going down. Didn't expect a blowout at all, much less one in Auburn's favor. Look out, SEC West.

California 49, Oregon State 7 - Wow, what a strong win for Cal. I think they have the best chance of upsetting USC, which I think really needs to happen as the Trojans are overrated. Sorry, SaveSuperJoe, your team's good, but they shouldn't be ranked ahead of the likes of Miami, Oklahoma and Georgia, not with such lackluster wins over weaker Pac-10 opponents.

Florida 45, Arkansas 30 - Somewhat sorry to see this one. I mildly like Arkansas (though I think they belong in the Big XII), and I sorta hate Florida (being such a big FSU fan). Oh well, I was sort of neutral about this one overall, and I figured it would end up like this.

Purdue 41, Notre Dame 16 - I expected Notre Dame to pull off the upset, since they're a little better than they were last year. I don't like Purdue at all. Oh well, maybe Michigan, Ohio State or Minnesota will do it.

Oklahoma 28, Texas Tech 13 - Another upset I was hoping would happen that didn't. Of course, I knew this one would more than likely not happen. Tech put up a hell of a fight, though, and should give the rest of the conference a fit and maybe even end up in second place in Big XII South play.

Texas A&M 42, Kansas State 30 - God, I have such mixed feelings about A&M. I am a longtime Texas fan. But I have a lot of friends and family that go, or went, to A&M, and I've never really disliked the Aggies. But...I love to see Dennis Franchione fail whenever possible. But...not as much as Mack Brown (ok, that was irrelevant to my point, but I wanted to say it anyway). At any rate, I think I want to see A&M succeed right now. So I was pleasantly surprised to see this one. Not sure why it was on TBS of all TV stations, but...whatever.

Northwestern 33, Ohio State 27 - Oh wow. Nobody, but NOBODY, expected this upset. It made me happy. I so love seeing purple people succeed. And I so hate Ohio State. And I do tend to favor underdogs when I'm neutral about a game.

Arizona State 28, Oregon 13 - I didn't care about it at all, but it was the last game on. Also on TBS, strangely enough.


Games I didn't see but wish I had:

Louisiana Tech 28, Fresno State 21 - Another upset I never saw coming. This leaves only Boise State, Utah, Louisville and Southern Miss to make a run at the BCS. My money's on Utah, although Boise could very well do it.

Boise State 38, SMU 20 - Looks like the Mustangs aren't as horrible as they were last season (and the season before, if memory serves). SMU (pronounced by us Horned Frogs as "smyew") scored before Boise did, which was a big surprise, and ended up losing rather respectably, considering how heavy underdogs they were.

Minnesota 16, Penn State 7 - Glad to see Erin proved right about the Golden Gophers improving to 5-0. I'd love to see them run the table in the Big Eleven and win the conference.


I think I've said enough.

Not quite enough, apparently. ;)

Bama, you're right about the Twins game. They should have let it finish. How did such bad scheduling actually happen, anyway?

And you wouldn't want any of our extra QBs. Our third-stringer was losing the game today, until our already-injured second-string QB, Brandon Hassell, went in and threw three touchdowns, despite suffering another minor injury in the process. That's dedication.

Now I think I'm done.

[BAMAToNE]

I was a bit off- the Twins have already won the division. The game tonight and tomorrow are important because they're playing for home field advantage. Just wanted to make that clear. ;)

[erindancer]

I was gonna say -- good thing you corrected yourself

Twins have totally spanked their division again -- but homefield advantage would be nice. Twins/Gophers/Vikings have always clashed on schedule -- but this weekend is really the only time when it is this tight. We need an on campus stadium. That would help.

PS. I loved loved loved the Northwestern win over THE OHIO STATE. hahha.

[SaveSuperJoe]

Oh snap. ASU got beaten like a red-headed stepchild (I wonder who came up with that phrase.). I heard that some upsets happened, I think that Ohio St. lost to Iowa pretty badly. Anyways, 49-7. rock.

Oh, and since I didn't comment last week, Cal also lost to us. Close game, but Pete Carroll called the perfect plays to win the game on Cal's last drive.

UCLA unfortunately lost to Cal. I was hoping for an upset, as my mother used to work at UCLA before coming to USC to help with the tuition costs. "Oh well, what the hell."

[cadjin.]

BOISE STATE WOOHOO! 5-0 OH YEAH! They also beat TCU last year hehe. id like to see how weel TCU does these next few seasons though. would be a great thing to see them come up in the rankings and do some damage.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

I'm afraid Boise is going to suffer at least one loss before the season is through. Earlier in the year, I thought they were going to break into the BCS for sure, but over the last few weeks they've squeaked by in nearly every one of their games (hah, not unlike TCU last year). I now think Utah stands the best shot, though I would love for the Broncos to actually pull it off.

And about TCU...we've been ranked in the Top 25 more consistently than any other mid-major in the past seven years, and more consistently than most middle-of-the-pack BCS schools. However, this year will probably end up being like another 2001 for us. In 2001, we went 6-6, barely getting into the Houston Bowl against A&M and losing that game. So far, we're 3-3 this year. I really hope we at least win three more games so that we're bowl eligible and can at least go back to the Fort Worth Bowl. (Hey, playing in a bowl in your own stadium is better than not playing in a bowl at all...just ask Boise State for the three years before last year!) Maybe we'll end up playing Texas A&M in the Fort Worth Bowl as well! But as I said, we have to win three more games to do that; we have five left. Cincinnati and Tulane are practically gimmes (Tulane is one of the worst teams in the nation this year and Cincinnati lost to Army, who prior to winning that game had a losing streak of 19 games), but Houston could be trouble, and our chances of beating Louisville and Southern Miss are very slim.

Interesting, I don't think I noticed until now just how similar BSU and TCU are right now (aside from the whole history thing, and the fact that BSU this year is probably like TCU last year instead of being the same in one season). At any rate, I really hope they're invited to join us in the Mountain West very soon.

Other current thoughts on college football: The Golden Gophers have really disappointed me the past two weeks. I wanted Minnesota to win the Big 11. I also wanted Alabama to win the SEC. Two months ago, if you'd told me Wisconsin would be at the top of the Big 11 and Auburn would be at the top of the SEC, I'd have laughed in your face. Now look at it. Oh well, those are still two of my favorite conferences to watch, even though I have no absolute standout favorite school in either (or maybe that's part of why I love watching Big 11 and SEC football).

ACC has gotten somewhat interesting, with Virginia, FSU and Miami up at the top. If Virginia beats Miami (probably won't happen, but you never really know), the ACC championship could end up in a three-way split. Speaking of Miami, how about that near loss to a C-USA school? Oh well, I'm glad the Canes won, since I love to hate Louisville (C-USA rivals, and heading to the Big Least next year). Speaking of C-USA schools, I was really glad to see Bama own up on Southern Miss. It would have been nice if Southern Miss had gone to the Nov. 20 game against us undefeated so that we could have our revenge by ruining their BCS hopes for this season, but I'm glad to see them lose anyway as I also love to hate Southern Miss (once again, C-USA rivals, and they destroyed our BCS hopes last season) and I doubt we'll beat them this year anyway. I'm going to be really sorry to not have Louisville and Southern Miss on our schedule year in and year out anymore, as those have turned into MUCH better rivalries for us than the traditional one with SMU, which has consistently been one of the worst teams in the nation for years now.

I don't care too much about Pac-10. I'm starting to think USC might be a little more deserving of being ranked in the top 2 or 3, but I still think Oklahoma deserves the No. 1 spot more. I also don't care too much about the Big Least. I think it should be stripped of its automatic BCS bid (probably won't happen, but it should). Next year, it'll have two pretty good teams (Louisville and West Virginia) and a few teams that are occasionally fairly good (Syracuse, Pittsburgh, South Florida, Cincinnati, UConn). Right now, I'd just like to see the current and future Big Least do as badly as possible, with one exception: One of my best friends goes to Pitt, so I'd like for them to do well, but they've been faring about as badly this season as TCU has, barely beating a I-AA school and all.

MAC, Sun Belt and WAC I don't care too much about, other than seeing how Boise State (WAC) does. Mountain West I'm watching a bit since we'll be entering that conference next year, but right now I've only been watching Utah really closely, since they, like Boise, stand a very good shot as a BCS buster. The rest of the MWC, like the Big 11 and the SEC, beats up on each other a lot, so it's hard to predict. That's good football.

Finally, I'll go to what is my favorite conference right now (and most of the time, actually): The Big 12. The North division is pretty bad right now (Can anyone here really tell a difference between any of these teams, honestly? No, I didn't think so...no offense to Henry Jones intended!), but the South division is possibly the best it's been in years. Oklahoma is clearly at the top and Baylor is very clearly at the bottom, but the three Texas state schools and Oklahoma State are very close. I'm rooting for Texas Tech to take second place in the South (despite that devastating loss they dealt us in Lubbock earlier this year). I hope OSU takes third. Texas and Texas A&M...well, I've always been a Texas fan, and I hate Dennis Franchione (the Aggies' coach) for what he did to Alabama, but for the first time ever, this year I'll be rooting for A&M the day after Thanksgiving, because I hate Texas coach Mack Brown even more.

Vote Mack Brown out of office in '04!

[SaveSuperJoe]

Fortunately for me and mine, we're not facing too many difficult opponents in the next weeks, Wash., Wash. St., Oregon St., Arizona. Notre Dame is gonna be a fun game to watch, cause of the thing we got with them, but we'll prolly win. Then, UCLA, yeah, that's all I need to say.

[joe_cam]

HUTT

READY!!!!

[Ybrik Metaknight]

I want to make a quick list of who here is currently enrolled in a I-A school. Respond if you or anyone else you know of around here should be on this list and where, or if I get one wrong.

Ybrik Metaknight - TCU
SaveSuperJoe - USC
erindancer - Minnesota
Nekobo - UCLA
Henry Jones - Iowa State
BAMAToNE - Alabama
Miller, other OUM members, maybe some others - Arkansas
Symmetry - Georgia
Scott Peeples - Air Force Academy

That's all I can think of right now.

[erindancer]

Gophers make me wanna cry. Total repeat of last year.

Lose momentum after huge loss to Michigan and win maybe 1 game for the rest of the season. Go to crappy bowl game and win.


So sad.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Lose momentum after a huge loss, hopefully have enough wins to go to a crappy bowl game...why, Minnesota sounds a little like TCU!

[ScottPeeples]

Ybrik, I'm playing for the Air Force Academy, which is a D-I School

[Shael Riley]

Ybrik, I'm playing for the Air Force Academy, which is a D-I School


Holy shit! Scott Peeples plays football AND remixes videogame music?

Surely that would be impossible. Could Scott Peeoples be some kind of neander-nerd? Perhaps the Bobby Fisher of Rocky Johnsons?

[BAMAToNE]

Ybrik, I'm playing for the Air Force Academy, which is a D-I School

The triple option offense is badass on NCAA Football 2005. (As long as you have a line that can keep the pressure off the qb for at least 3 seconds.) I'd like to see the fullbacks get more involved on the receiving side of the ball, then the Air Force offense could be unstoppable (and you could beat Notre Dame).

And personally, I think it's awesome that someone who A) attends the AFA, and B) plays football for them posts on these boards. What position do you play, Scott?

Edit: Oh, btw. For you football fans out there, it's the Third Saturday in October. That means Alabama vs. Tennessee. I really have no idea what to expect. Cautious optimism might be applicable, but a huge loss wouldn't suprise me much either.

Alabama vs. Tennessee
2:30 Central Time
Station: CBS

[ScottPeeples]

I play fullback. I rushed for a little more than 2,000 yards total in high school and I was being recruited by several schools, but I wanted to go somewhere where I wouldn't be just a blocking fullback. So my options were pretty much the Air Force Academy (DI-A) or Furman (DI-AA) as far as the running side of the ball went. I was interested in a couple of the ivy leagues, and some other random private schools, had a preferred walk-on slot at Auburn as well. But in the end I decided the Air Force Academy gave me the best chance of getting a chance to run the ball. However, the school itself isn't exaclty the most fun ;)

so, as far as future plans go, I may stic it ouot with the academy or maybe try and go somewhere else, maybe play down in a DI-AA or DII school in order for playing time and such. We'll just see.

Anyways, the biggest thing i miss being out here is that hardly any SEC games are on TV here, it sucks! But oh well, I can always root for the Dawgs anyways.

[BAMAToNE]

Man, I'm glad you decided not to go to Auburn. Was Bama ever a consideration? We're pretty stacked with Tim Castille and Le'Ron McClain right now. But as you said, you'd have been mostly a blocking back. (Although with TB Ray Hudson out for the year, Castille is getting a lot more carries (and he had maybe 10 per game before).)

Furman would sound good if Bobby Johnson were still there. (Bet he wishes he didn't take that Vandy job now. ;) ) Although I don't know anything about them now.

[ScottPeeples]

Both of my parents went to Auburn, Alabama was never a consideration.

Haha, just kidding (my parents really did go to Auburn though). Alabama sent me some letters but they never called or showed any real interest, so it wasn't an option other than a place to go to school, no football. And I decided early on I wasn't going to straight walk-on anywhere, perfered walk-on maybe, but not just a walk-on.

I love playing ball, but like I said I'm still not settled on whether or not the military is the right place fo rme. But hey, in the meantime I'll be enjoying the football and free school ;)

[joe_cam]

Holy shit...it's Scott Peeples.
How've ya been dude?

[BAMAToNE]

Unfortunately, I doubt many players at all have been shown a lot of interest lately, what with the many coaching changes recently. Coach Fran wanted to run the ball, Price wanted to throw the ball, and now Shula wants to run. All in the span of one year. Hard to recruit that way.

Hope you make it there at the AFA!

[SaveSuperJoe]

Nice weather in LA today. USC got off to a slow start, and for a while I thought this would be Cal all over again. Of course, gotta remember that USC has been busy handing other Pac-10 tems their first losses of the season. After overcoming that early stutter, we went on to shut out Washington, 38-0. First time that Washington has ben shut out since 1981, breaking their 200+ not-being-shutout streak. I think that that fact may keep our No. 1 secure. However, Oklahoma did win 41-10, so that may be a factor. Auburn won 42-10. Miami won, but not by much, I think it was 40something-30something.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

TCU beat Houston 34-27. Much less close than the score says, because they scored a TD with very, very little time left, because we stopped caring enough to stop them. We really, really needed this win. Because of this, we'll probably at the very worst go to the Fort Worth Bowl again (as opposed to no bowl at all), since Cincy and Tulane will probably be wins for us. Probably.

In other news, I lost my keys at the game. Go me. Also, it was a) Homecoming, b) Family Weekend and c) The official celebration of 100 years of the TCU marching band, so it was a busy day.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Talk about a weird day in college football. Miami's loss to North Carolina, Florida State's loss to Maryland and Florida's loss to Georgia marked the first time since 1978 that all three big Florida schools have lost on the same day. Lots of other upsets yesterday, too: Northwestern beat Purdue, Indiana beat Minnesota, Iowa State beat Kansas, and, most suprising of all (other than the aforementioned Miami loss, which was the biggest upset of the season thus far): Baylor defeated Texas A&M. Oklahoma barely dodged a bullet with a 38-35 win over Oklahoma State, and Michigan squeaked by Michigan State 45-37 in a triple-overtime game. Finally, TCU lost to Cincinnati and will not be going to a bowl game unless we manage to pull off a miracle and win two of our last three games, which is unlikely considering two of those games are against Louisville and Southern Miss. Bleah.

[SaveSuperJoe]

Well, that was all the important stuff. USC over Wash. St., 42-12. That's all I got to say. I saw the Florida game. Good game. Too bad the Gators lost.

[Henry Jones]

If Iowa State beats Nebraska, they'll be on top of the Big 12 North. HA! After barely pulling out wins against BAYLOR AND KANSAS! I generally hate it when East Coast/West Coast sportscasters constantly blab about the Big 12 being an overrated conference since the REAL reason is probably because the teams they're really cheerleading for aren't ranked as well, but this year, at least for the Big 12 North, it's true. Whoever gets the North is going to get their asses kicked by Oklahoma, that's for sure.

[erindancer]

Minnesota football makes me wanna cry. Good thing hockey season is heating up.

[BAMAToNE]

Yay for FSU, Miami, and Forida all losing.

HUGE ASS YAY for Baylor stealing one from Texas A&M.

Jeers to TCU for not taking care of Cincy. :\

Jeers to Michigan St. for not finishing off Michigan when they had the chance.

Cheers to Alabama for not losing. (Bye week) I almost am hoping that Auburn comes into Tuscaloosa in a few weeks still undefeated, so that if we somehow upset them, it'll be a much bigger deal. ;)

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Minnesota football makes me wanna cry. Good thing hockey season is heating up.

Yeah, at least you GET a hockey season. Stupid southern colleges not having hockey teams, stupid NHL lockout. Bah. If it weren't for the fact that I like watching college football other than my own school's, my sports world would be completely down the drain.

[erindancer]

Hahaha -- sorry dude. One joy of living in the as Haroon calls it "Fucking COOOOOOLLDD!!" lands is Hockey. With the NHL lockout, Gophers get to play at the Xcel Energy Center for major games (the sweetest arena ever built). Seeing a guy skating in a gopher suit check someone dressed up as a subway sandwich over the boards is just amazing. Hockey is a brutal game -- but fun!

[BAMAToNE]

The World Series is over a week and already I miss my Thrashers and Red Wings. :(

It won't really hit home until after the Super Bowl, though. Then I'll be curled up in a fetal position wishing for my hockey.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

I'll be fine a little while longer. I don't really care too much for pro sports other than hockey (which I absolutely love), but college basketball entertains me somewhat. Plus, being in basketball band at TCU (absolutely without a doubt the most fun thing I've ever encountered in the entire band universe), I really like our games, even if our men's team is average at best. And I think I'm the only person on the face of the planet that enjoys watching women's college hoops more than the men's counterpart, but that may be more because the Lady Frogs are actually pretty good.

Bah. All this doesn't matter right now. I just know that we really need to pull a win over Southern Miss or Louisville out of our asses...though I'm not too optimistic, especially on the latter.

[BAMAToNE]

Ybrick.... please explain UAB. They just flat out didn't play well at all against South Florida. I guess we can forget that C-USA title afterall. Now just a bowl game would be nice. :\

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Yes...I can't explain anything about C-USA football. We, after all, lost to BOTH South Florida and UAB. Now we have to beat Tulane (who also beat UAB, but I still think they're pretty bad) and either Louisville or Southern Miss to get to a bowl game.

The only things on our side in those two games are: a) Louisville has NEVER beaten us; b) We owe Southern Miss big for last year and c) Southern Miss is a home game, and we play better at home (except for the South Florida game this year, natch).

[Henry Jones]

I've been sort of spiraling out of the NHL for the past couple years. Main reason is I'm a Penguins fan, and...... yeah, they make baby Jesus cry. I think the NHL has lost some of its identity in moving south, too. I know, there's the markets and everything, but does any one else get nostalgia for teams like the Winnipeg Jets, the Quebec Nordiques, and my favorite, the Hartford Whalers ("Breakfast schmeckfast! Look at the score, for Christ's sake! Breakfasts come and go, but Hartford? The Whale? They only beat Vancouver like, 2-3 times in a lifetime!") ? There's still the Edmonton Oilers and the Ottawa Senators, but it's just not the same any more....

I think they need to rebuild, honestly....

[BAMAToNE]

Alabama just became bowl-eligible with their win over Mississippi State. Yay for 6 wins! I'm glad we got past them because I wouldn't want to bet money on the LSU and Auburn games...

[Fuzzynuts]

Goddamn I hate Tennessee. Thank you, Fighting Irish.

We (Georgia) need to beat the hell out of Auburn to show the world why we should be ranked ahead of Cal and fucking Utah.

Fuck Utah.

[BAMAToNE]

Heyyy, a Georgia student! Hell yes, fuck Tennessee up the goat ass. This past weekend was the one and only time in my life I have ever rooted for Notre Dame. Probably will be the last time, too.

I do want Georgia to beat Auburn's ass this weekend... but... I kinda want Auburn to be undefeated coming into Tuscaloosa two weeks from now. Then they'll fall even harder. ;)

But hey, I won't shed any tears if you take care of them first. :P

LSU, here we come!

[Jessperk]

fuck Tennessee up the goat ass.

YOU WIN A GOLD STAR FOR QUOTING THAT SKIT. whoo!

[cadjin.]

i cant wait to see Boise State go undefeated this year. it should be awesome. but either way im pretty sure they're goin to the liberty bowl to play against louisville

[Fuzzynuts]

So many SEC East teams have let me down this season. After our loss to Tennessee, I was hoping they would fall to another SEC team and give UGA another shot at the SEC Championship. Alas, Ole Miss, Alabama and Souf Cakalaki were not 'man enough' to get the job done. At least the Irish managed to get the job done.

Auburn is this weekend, and God help us. I know we've got the team to beat them, but our problem has never been a lack of coaching or talent. Georgia's an up-and-down team. Let's hope we have an 'up' weekend in a few days.

Also, is anyone else a little miffed at the USA Today/AP/BCS rankings? In one we're 5, in another we're 8...this is just a little ridiculous.

[SaveSuperJoe]

I can't believe that the BCS/AP/Coaches polls dropped the Utes to 7th even though they're 9-0, had a huge win on Saturday, and the team that is now in sixth is 8-1. Bullshit, I say.

[Fuzzynuts]

I can't believe that the BCS/AP/Coaches polls dropped the Utes to 7th even though they're 9-0, had a huge win on Saturday, and the team that is now in sixth is 8-1. Bullshit, I say.

It's bullshit that they're ranked that high. They're a good team, but they haven't played any great teams to earn a top spot.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

i cant wait to see Boise State go undefeated this year. it should be awesome. but either way im pretty sure they're goin to the liberty bowl to play against louisville

Uh, no. The only way Boise State could go to the Liberty Bowl would be if either C-USA or the Mountain West had no bowl-eligible teams, or the only bowl-eligible teams went to BCS bowls. Both of those situations are practically statistical impossibilities.

If Boise State gets invited to join the Mountain West Conference (which I think is highly likely), yeah, then they stand a good chance.

...

Actually, our sports editor just informed me that there's still a small chance that, if Utah goes to a BCS bowl, the Liberty Bowl COULD pick Boise instead of MWC No. 2, though they're really, really urged to pick MWC No. 2. In any case, I doubt Boise will be playing in Memphis on New Years' Eve.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Well, I'm going down to College Station this weekend, in part to watch the Texas A&M-Texas Tech game. I'll let you all know how it is.

Oh, and I only have two words to say in response to TCU's humiliating loss to Louisville on Wednesday night, and in response to my Horned Frogs' season this year in general: Fucking hell.

[BAMAToNE]

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Baton Rouge, Lousiana to see the Crimson Tide take on the Tigers. Then we get the other Tigers (Auburn), next week.

This is my first time going to LSU. I've heard awful, awful stories about their fans. I only hope we somehow win in order to neutralize them. ;)

(Go Red Raiders. ;) )

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Sorry, Bama, but I rooted for A&M. I wore maroon and everything. I still hate Dennis Franchione with a passion, but he has turned that team around, so I'm glad A&M got him for their sake. As long as he is occasionally embarassed (by a loss to, say, Baylor), I'll be happy. I just couldn't root for the team that started TCU's descent into shittiness.

Great game. Back and forth the whole time, overtime, everything. But even better than the game itself was the atmosphere. To everyone who enjoys football even in the slightest, and even to those who don't, for that matter: If you ever can, go to a Texas A&M game down in College Station. And go to midnight yell the night before if possible. It's an experience like none other.

[BAMAToNE]

But did you watch Alabama vs. LSU? Bama was up 10-3 at haltime, and in the third quarter with the score 10-6, Tide receiver Keith Brown is shoved down on a fade route in the end zone. And then the ball is intercepted. No pass interference called. But it most certainly was pass interference. The Bama players knew it. The Bama fans knew it. The LSU fans knew it. The ESPN guys knew it (and replayed it *many* times). Everyone who saw it on tv knew it. But there was no call and the DB runs it out to the 50. LSU doesn't score on that drive, but pins the Tide on its on 2 after the punt. Momentum swing toward the Tigers - Bama never regains it and ends up losing 26-10. By far the worst call I have seen go against us all year (and believe me, I've seen a few bad ones).

The proof: http://www.al.com/sportsflash/alabama/index.ssf?/base/sports-5/1100561660126790.xml&storylist=alabama

More: http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/sports/1100513701188630.xml

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/1100445391264932.xml

There are more, but you get the point. I just don't even know what to say. A lack of offense combined with the most horrible officiating ever doomed the Tide. (Arkansas was penalized zero times against us and South Carolina once. I guess teams just play perfectly against us? Right...)

[Ybrik Metaknight]

I was unable to see any games other than the A&M-Tech game, since I was actually at that game. There was this one really suspect call in the game I was at, though.

http://www.allsportsforums.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=104&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30

Third post from bottom for description.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Thanks. Hell of a game. Final score 43-17 Frogs. We scored within the first few minutes of the game, and held Southern Miss to zero points until there was only 1:40 left in the second quarter. Score was 21-7 at the half. Southern Miss made another touchdown and got a field goal, but after one big play with about 4 minutes left the game was over.

What was that play? Fourth and goal for Southern Miss, junior cornerback Quincy Butler (#4) makes an interception and runs it 99 YARDS for a touchdown, zig-zagging all over the place to avoid getting stopped. Crowd goes wild. Most exciting play I've seen since coming to TCU more than two years ago.

Where has this team been all season? The offense lit up the field many times throughout the game, and the defense decided to show up and play a game for once. We got our revenge and keep alive our hopes of bowl possibilities. I just hope that same team actually shows up to play again next week. Yes, it's just Tulane, but with our season, there's no such thing as a sure win.

Oh, and I find myself really wondering if Southern Miss will pull off a winning season now. At any rate, that's a school that needs to find itself a new conference to call home.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Bump bumpity bump bump...bump bump.

Anyway, here's my predictions for who ends up in what bowls. I used some of my own judgment in combination with experts' predictions at ESPN.com, FoxSports.com, and sportsillustrated.com.

FedEx Orange
USC vs. Oklahoma

Nokia Sugar
Auburn vs. Virginia Tech (Miami*)

Tostitos Fiesta
Boston College vs. Utah

Rose presented by Citi
Michigan vs. California

Capital One
Iowa vs. Tennessee

Toyota Gator
Florida State vs. West Virginia

SBC Cotton
LSU vs. Texas

Outback
Georgia vs. Wisconsin

Chick-fil-A Peach
Florida vs. Miami (Virginia Tech*, Virginia**)

AutoZone Liberty
Louisville vs. Boise State

Vitalis Sun
Oregon State vs. Purdue

Gaylord Hotels Music City
Alabama vs. Northwestern

Sillicon Valley Football Classic
Fresno State vs. Bowling Green

Pacific Life Holiday
Arizona State vs. Texas A&M

Emerald
Navy vs. Wyoming


Continental Tire
Connecticut vs. North Carolina

MasterCard Alamo
Ohio State vs. Oklahoma State

EV1.net Houston
Texas Tech vs. Pittsburgh

Insight
UCLA vs. Notre Dame

Independence
Iowa State vs. Toledo

Motor City
Minnesota vs. Northern Illinois

MPC Computers
Troy vs. Marshall (Memphis***, Akron****)

Sheraton Hawaii
UTEP vs. Cincinnati

Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas
Georgia Tech vs. New Mexico

PlainsCapital Fort Worth
TCU vs. Nebraska (Marshall****)

GMAC
Bowling Green vs. UAB (Southern Miss***)

Champs Sports
Colorado vs. Virginia (Virginia Tech**)

Wyndham New Orleans
North Texas vs. Memphis (UAB***)

* If Miami beats Virginia Tech
** If beats Virginia Tech
*** If Southern Miss beats UAB
**** If Colorado beats Nebraska

Of course, more games in the next two weeks than the few I've currently denoted at the bottom could screw up this list. But I feel pretty confident with most of these predictions (though a few were made just based on what I'd like to see).

[cadjin.]

what might also happen though if Boise State beats Nevada, and either Texas A&M beats Texas or South Miss beats CAL, BOISE STATE WILL BE 6TH IN THE BCS!!!!!!! GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO!

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Yeah. Personally, I'd rather see Boise play Louisville and Utah play Boston College and have everything else stay. I think it'd be good for mid-majors for undefeated Boise to get shut out of the BcS.

[cadjin.]

... you suck ybrik :P

[BAMAToNE]

Yeah, Bama's getting either the Music City or Independence Bowls. But there's one thing you forget. IF (hahahahahahahahahahaha) Tennessee manages to upset Auburn in the SEC Championship (I've seen crazier things happen), then Alabama looks good for the Peach Bowl. (Because Florida would then get one better, and so on, and so on.)

Anyway, that's it. Don't have time for much else.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Arkansas fell to LSU as expected (sorry all you Arkansans, but I really did expect that to happen), and Nebraska failed to get past Colorado; that was quite a disappointment. I guess TCU (if we can beat Tulane tomorrow) will be facing a MAC opponent in the Fort Worth Bowl...yuck.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

I'm furious.

TCU lost to Tulane, 35-31, ending our chances of making a bowl game and giving us our first losing season since 1997. But that's not what has me upset.

What has me so upset is that many members of the Horned Frog Marching Band, an organization of which I am a part, were cheering for Tulane during most of the last quarter. I know they wanted to not go to a bowl game, and I can respect that (though I think they should accept the fact that they signed up with the knowledge that they might have to go to a postseason game), but to outwardly cheer against your own team is despicable. I have never been so ashamed to be a part of any organization as I am today.

Sorry, I just need to vent. I'm so mad with my own organization. I wish the students to our left that were ready to start a fight would have gone ahead and thrown some punches.

[Henry Jones]

Our fucking kicking game...... Iowa State would be well on its way to getting its ass kicked by Oklahoma if it wasn't for it. Wind at the back, a REALLY short field goal, and he MISSED! This is why, in Ames, we have the verb "yelk," based around our former kicker Tony Yelk. To yelk means to totally fuck up. "Oh shit, he yelked it!" for example. Ah well. Mediocre bowl, here we come! Well, we would've gotten one anyway, but being "Big 12 North Champion" as well would've been nice.

[animefreak]

who sponsors the mediocre bowl?

[Henry Jones]

I think it's Syndrome's evil corporation.

[SaveSuperJoe]

Well, now that the game's over, I can post.

41-10.

The Fighting Irish had us worried there for about a drive or so. After the Trojans got their heads out of their asses, we beat them like a dead horse.

Fun times.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

It looks like the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl will be Iowa State vs. Southern Miss. Any chance you'll be following your team down to watch them play in a bowl game, Henry?

[Henry Jones]

It looks like the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl will be Iowa State vs. Southern Miss. Any chance you'll be following your team down to watch them play in a bowl game, Henry?

Probably not. I've got too much to worry about, financial-wise. Considering the last month of rent, bills, Christmas presents, and moving to my job, it's too much to plug in a few days in Texas and expensive bowl prices. Plus, I never have anyone to go with. All of my family and friends are die-hard Husker fans or don't like football.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Hm, I'm considering going to the bowl even though TCU won't be in it, just for the sake of going to a game. Let me know if you change your mind.

[BAMAToNE]

Holy Cow, assuming Tennessee loses to Auburn this Saturday, Alabama will get Minnesota (not Northwestern) in the Music Shitty Bowl. Wagers, anyone? ;)

And on that note, sucks to be Notre Dame. :P

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=sundaybowlbids&prov=st&type=lgns

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Wow, I was wrong about the C-USA participant in the Fort Worth Bowl. Although it's the only C-USA bowl that hasn't extended an invitation yet, Cincinnati is the only C-USA team left, so it's obvious they'll be here. Now I'm wondering if there will be a Big XII North team (like Iowa State) here, or if we'll some random MAC team or something.

[Henry Jones]

Holy Cow, assuming Tennessee loses to Auburn this Saturday, Alabama will get Minnesota (not Northwestern) in the Music Shitty Bowl. Wagers, anyone? ;)

And on that note, sucks to be Notre Dame. :P

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=sundaybowlbids&prov=st&type=lgns

Hey, nothing wrong with the Insight Bowl. In fact, it's the ONLY bowl championship Iowa State has, and we got it back when it was the Insight.com bowl during the Sage Rosenfels era (Why aren't the Dolphins starting him, by the way? Like he could do ANY worse than AJ Feeley and Jay Fiedler. Oh well. Man gets a paycheck). There are actually reproductions of a pecil drawing representing our glory at the Insight.com bowl you can buy around town. So when you think about your college's football tradition, think about that. Unless you're Rutgers. Then you probably cry yourself to sleep at night.

[BAMAToNE]

Hellllllllls yeah! 49-6 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

http://gtalumni.org/Apps/postcards/images/postcard12.jpg

Btw, how'd you like Trev Alberts calling the SEC the best conference in football, despite regular season and bowl records? :D

S-E-C! S-E-C!

[Ybrik Metaknight]

SEC is the best conference in college football. Bar none. I love the Big XII South, and I really enjoy Big Eleven football, but the SEC is where the best shit's at.

Watched a blowout tonight in the GMAC Bowl on TV. Tomorrow, I'll probably be going to the Fort Worth Bowl to watch Cincinnati play Marshall, just for the hell of it. I'll be decked out in my purple TCU stuff, since I have no real preference on who wins this game.

The real bowl season starts Dec. 27, though I'll be watching as much of Wyoming vs. UCLA and UAB vs. Hawaii as I can. God, I love bowl season. I just wish TCU was participating.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Went to the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl on Thursday night. Cold as fuck. My dad and I left at halftime, and were back home well before the final score (my family lives in Keller, about 25 minutes northeast of TCU). Cincinnati ended up rolling over Marshall. Then we saw the much better Las Vegas Bowl, in which Wyoming squeaked past UCLA with a couple of minutes left. Hell of a game. Go Mountain West! (TCU will be entering the MWC in Fall 2005.)

Looking forward to more games next week. That's when the real games, and the real fun, begins.

[BAMAToNE]

Even though UAB lost to Hawaii 59-40, I'm still very proud of the way they played. Especially since it was the first bowl game in Blazer history. If you take away the onsides kick run back for a td and the Owens punt return for a td, that makes it 45-40. If UAB hadn't missed their first PAT, it's 45-41. If that's the case, they go for two points after the last td, and perhaps keep it within a field goal. Siigh, if only. :P

Hope it's a glimpse of the future for UAB. I'm happy to see them do well. And Hackney is only a junior. :D

I'm glad Alabama is playing on New Year's Eve - that's semi-respectable. But having to play at 11am sucks balls.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

I'm looking forward to Alabama vs. Minnesota. Should be a pretty good game.

[Mattimeo]

Navy-34
New Mexico-19

w00t!!!! :D

[Ybrik Metaknight]

How about that Liberty Bowl, eh? Hell of a game. Boise led much of the game, but unfortunately Louisville came back in the fourth quarter to win it 44-40.

And what a surprise from Texas Tech last night against California in the Holiday Bowl. Nice.

I found myself a bit torn on the Music City Bowl this morning. There are friends both at TCU and around here (erindancer, BAMAToNE) from both Minnesota and Alabama. I ended up rooting for Minnesota, so I'm happy they won, but I was even more glad to see that it was a really good game.

[SaveSuperJoe]

Wow. The Rose Bowl was freaking great. 38-37 at the end. Texas got that field goal in the last two seconds. Badass game. Sorry Mich.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Two games yesterday with last-play scores to change the outcome of the game at the very end: Iowa beat LSU in much the same way that Texas beat Michigan.

Those two games, combined with Utah's decisive victory over Pittsburgh (even if one of my best friends does go to Pitt), Georgia's win over Wisconsin and Florida State's defeat of West Virginia made yesterday a good day for college football. Now if only I could forget Texas A&M's embarassing 38-7 loss to Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl...

[SaveSuperJoe]

Hey Auburn: Way to gay up the last two minutes of your game.

That being said, good game on their part. VT made a valiant fucking effort at the end, but too little, too late.

Tomorrow night, baby. Tomorrow night. Fight on.

[SaveSuperJoe]

55-19.

The Trojans played like they were supposed to. We won.

I'm happy. Fight on.

[Mattimeo]

The Trojans played like they were supposed to. We won.


Not only did you win, you anihilated. 55-19 isn't even a game.

[Ybrik Metaknight]

Well, it's been a good season. Not so good for my Horned Frogs, but overall, a good season for me as a fan of college football in general. But now it's over, and we must wait nearly eight months for more college football games to be played. Sure, we have recruiting, spring practices (I'll be going to our spring scrimmage), BCS talk (very interested to see this), coaching changes and video games (I imagine I'll be playing a lot of Xbox pretty soon...), but none of that is quite the same.

Oh well, until next season, I leave you with my final top 25 list:

1. USC
2. Auburn
3. Utah
4. Louisville
5. Oklahoma
6. Texas
7. Boise State
8. Virginia Tech
9. Iowa
10. Georgia
11. Michigan
12. Tennessee
13. Texas Tech
14. Miami
15. Florida State
16. Ohio State
17. Arizona State
18. Boston College
19. LSU
20. Wisconsin
21. California
22. Minnesota
23. Wyoming
24. Fresno State
25. Navy

Just out (in no particular order): Alabama, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Virginia, Florida, Connecticut, Georgia Tech, Colorado, and maybe a few others that escape my mind.