College football

It is high time we had a dedicated thread for college football so we stop cluttering the NFL topic.

I have no desire to write a manifesto. I will simply say the season kicked off two days ago, and I was thoroughly impressed by this move 🤣. Today, you should tune in for the matchup between George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, along with my two favorites, Andrew Jackson and Teddy Roosevelt.

Daniel Cooper40 said: jadeskipper74, that’s a 10-point penalty for going off-topic

TD + FG 😁

Just figured I'd throw something into the mix here—I saw an ad on ESPN earlier, looks like they’re actually going to be broadcasting it.

ESPN is loaded with games tonight 😁

Man, the Fighting Irish really came out swinging this season, right? I mean, two wins under the belt already, and they looked absolutely dominant against Navy with that 50-10 blowout—I mean, watching Riddick and Atkinson III rack up those two TDs each was something else! Now, don't get me wrong, that matchup against Purdue wasn't exactly a walk in the park, it was a total grind, but we still pulled off the 20-17 win. We're talking a gritty 3-yard push by QB Golson and that sweet T. J. Jones TD, plus Brindza coming through with the clutch 27-yard FG with just 7 seconds left on the clock to seal it! 🎉🙂Looking ahead, we've got Michigan State waiting for us next weekend, and then, oh boy, the massive showdown against Michigan is just a week after that. That's gonna be intense! Anyway, that's my two cents until next time—let's go ND, get another win! ☕

Yesterday delivered some high-quality matchups. LSU barely scraped by Auburn 12-10, Kansas State pulled the upset over Oklahoma, and Notre Dame handled Michigan with ease to slide right into the top 10...

So, this Saturday marks the 115th Big Game. It’s honestly hard to wrap my head around the fact that it’s already been thirty years since The Play happened.

What kind of absolute mess is this matchup between Georgia and Florida? We’ve got the number 2 team playing the number 10 team, and honestly, it makes me wonder how people can act like the SEC is anything other than massively overrated...

jadeskipper74 said:Georgia and Florida playing such a dark game, especially being ranked #2 and #10. This SEC is so overrated...

I didn't catch the game, but I see there were 9 turnovers total. 🤣 There are definitely overrated teams in the SEC; look at Mississippi State, they were ranked #11 without even playing a ranked opponent, and then Alabama—who aren't overrated—crushed them by 31 points yesterday.

I tuned in halfway through the Notre Dame and Oklahoma game, and I have to say, the Irish offense was a pleasant surprise. That win over USC four weeks ago will likely land them in the championship...

Next week we’ve got Oregon heading out to face USC and then Alabama taking on LSU, and honestly, once those games wrap up, things should finally start making sense. It’d be pretty wild if Alabama ends up dropping one, though. I wouldn't hate to see it happen.

Jacob Taylor57 said:I didn't catch the game, but I see there were 9 turnovers total. 🤣 You see this all the time in the SEC where certain teams are just massively overrated; take Mississippi State, for example—they were sitting at #11 without even playing a ranked opponent, and then yesterday Alabama (who definitely aren't overrated) just absolutely crushed them by 31 points.

I managed to tune in for the second half of the Notre Dame and Oklahoma game, and honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by how the Irish offense was moving the ball. That win over USC from four weeks ago probably puts them right in the conversation for a championship berth.

It’s getting to that frustrating point where I’m forced to choose between rooting for Notre Dame or some SEC powerhouse, even though deep down I’d much rather see an SEC team play for the title. When is 2014 finally going to get here so we can actually get to those semifinals? 🙄

I don't know, if Oregon pulls off an undefeated run through the Pac-12, they might be hard for Notre Dame to overtake.

David King6 said:Next week we’ve got Oregon at USC and Alabama at LSU, and after those matchups, the picture should be a lot clearer. It would be pretty wild to see Alabama drop one.

It’s a bummer for the Oregon AD since both USC and Oregon State dropped their games this weekend, which is really going to tank their strength of schedule rating. I have my doubts about Alabama losing, but regardless, it’s going to be a hell of a game. Too bad I'm stuck in the States and won't be able to watch 😁

jadeskipper74 said:I'm not so sure. Even if Oregon goes undefeated in the Pac-12, they'll have a hard time overtaking Notre Dame.

True, but they still have two brutal road trips ahead plus the Pac-12 championship game. I'm pulling for Kansas State until the end.

Expect more contenders to be cleared out next weekend. LSU has a shot at getting back in the mix, though I suspect they lose decisively...

Jacob Taylor57 said:Sure, maybe, but they’ve still got two brutal road trips on their schedule plus that high-stakes Pac-12 championship game hanging over them. Honestly, I’m riding with Kansas State until the wheels fall off.

I’m fully expecting another round of the contenders getting absolutely gutted next weekend. LSU might actually have a shot at clawing their way back into the conversation, though my gut tells me they’re just going to lose convincingly.

I am seriously going to lose my mind if LSU pulls this off, because if every single one of these undefeated teams drops a game, we’re just going to end up stuck with another BCS Championship matchup between Alabama and LSU.

Notre Dame basically handed the game to Pittsburgh on a silver platter today, but these guys just couldn't finish. 🤦

Between the missed PAT, that interception in the red zone, and a fumble right on the goal line...

quietfox38 said:I honestly can't wrap my head around how Pittsburgh managed to pass up what Notre Dame basically handed them on a silver platter today. These guys just don't have a clue.🤦

Between that missed PAT, throwing an interception right in the end zone, and then that absolutely brutal fumble on the goal line...

not to mention that blatant penalty that should have gone against ND, giving Pitt another shot at a field goal in overtime, but the refs were apparently blind to the whole thing.

I follow NCAA football sporadically—mostly just when I find myself with nothing better to do on a Saturday—but let's be honest, ESPN is pretty much nothing but American football all day long.

Now, I would appreciate it if someone could explain the actual logic behind how these bowl games work... because the whole thing seems incredibly cluttered to me. It feels like every single team is playing in some bowl game since there are so many of them. Which one actually determines the ultimate champion? Is it the Rose Bowl, or something else?...

I’m asking the resident experts here to guide me, so please don't just tell me to go look it up on Google.

Nathan Reyes56 said:I casually watch NCAA football whenever I have nothing better to do on Saturdays, and honestly, it feels like ESPN is just one long marathon of American football all day.

Now, I’d be grateful if someone could explain how the whole bowl game system actually works. It seems like everyone is playing in some bowl game because there are so many of them, and I can't figure out which one actually decides the ultimate champion. Is it the Rose Bowl or what?

Please, spare me the "just Google it" crowd... I'm looking for actual answers here.

The BCS Championship game is what decides the champion, as for how the rest are picked... well, even God doesn't know. 😁

There are five BCS bowls—the elite tier. We’re talking the BCS Championship, the Rose Bowl, the Orange Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, and the Sugar Bowl. Qualification is reserved for the champions of the six major conferences (SEC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and ACC) plus four at-large selections. The top two teams in the BCS rankings face off for the title, while the remaining teams are distributed among the other four bowls. In two years, we move to a four-team playoff, which will fundamentally shift how this level of competition works...
Other bowl games are open to any team maintaining at least a .500 record. Some carry significant history, such as the Cotton Bowl, often hosting runners-up from the powerhouse conferences, but most are essentially invitation-only, where eligible teams are simply slotted into available spots.

Nathan Reyes56 said:I casually follow College football, mostly just when I have nothing better to do on a Saturday, and honestly, the whole day on ESPN is just non-stop American football.

So, look, I’d be really grateful if someone could walk me through how this whole bowl game thing actually works, because it’s a bit of a mess to me—it feels like every single team is playing in some bowl game since there are so many of them, and which one actually decides who the ultimate champion is? Is it the Rose Bowl or what?

Please, I am begging the resident "soul-cleansers" here to guide me so I don't have to go running off to Google myself.

Just Google it.😁

There are tons of bowls out there, but only five really matter. You've got the BCS National Championship game, plus the Fiesta, Sugar, Orange, and Rose Bowls.

It used to be that one of those four major ones would determine the champion based on a rotation system, but now that championship game is its own standalone event, though they still rotate which stadium hosts it among those four big venues. So, basically, every year at one of those stadiums, you'll see two different bowls—the regular one and the big championship game.

The final matchup features the top two teams, determined by this weird cocktail of current and former coaches' polls, player votes, media rankings, and computer algorithms.

That’s the big dance right there.

All the other bowls operate under specific contracts that dictate who gets an invite. Usually, they have deals with certain conferences, allowing them to pick the team that won that conference with at least six wins. For example, looking at the heavy hitters:

The ACC Champion heads to the Orange Bowl.
The Big Ten Champion goes to the Rose Bowl.
The Big 12 Champion plays in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Pac-12 Champion plays in the Rose Bowl.
The SEC Champion goes to the Sugar Bowl.

In practice, at least one of these teams ends up in the BCS National Championship game, leaving the remaining bowls free to pick their opponents from the leftover pool. Since the Rose Bowl covers two conferences, they don't really "pick," but for the other three, the order of who gets first dibs on an opponent rotates every year (this year, it's 1. Fiesta, 2. Sugar, 3. Orange).

Once you factor in the Big East Conference winner, you've already filled six of the ten major slots.

Figuring out who fills the rest is where it gets a little messy. First off, if a program is under sanctions—like Penn State, Ohio State, and North Carolina are this year—those clubs aren't eligible to play, even if they technically qualified on the field.

Then you have Notre Dame; they aren't in a conference, but they get a seat at the table in one of the bowls if they finish in the Top 8 BCS teams at the end of the season.

Winners from the smaller conferences can jump in if they land within the top 12 in the rankings, or if they are in the top 16 and ranked higher than the champions of the major conferences.

If all ten spots aren't filled after all that math, the bowls can pretty much handpick whoever they feel like.

And besides those BCS bowls, there are a massive amount of other games out there that just grab the lower-ranked teams using a similar logic.

Let me try to break this down for you.

If the season were to wrap up today, here is how the landscape would look:

(To keep it simple, let's assume there are no conference championship games and everyone leading their conference right now is the official winner.)

The Universities that have automatically qualified:
1. Alabama (#1 BCS)
2. Kansas State (#2 BCS)
3. Oregon (Pac-12 Champion)
4. Nebraska (Big Ten Champion)
5. Florida State (ACC Champion)
6. Louisville (Big East Champion)
7. Notre Dame (Top 8 BCS)
The most likely remaining picks:
8. Georgia
9. Oklahoma
10. Oregon State
Now, here is the actual matchup lineup:

1. BCS National Championship game (which would be held in Miami, at the Orange Bowl site)
Alabama - Kansas State
The top two in the BCS rankings

Since the 2. Sugar Bowl lost its SEC champion, they’ve got every right to be the first ones looking for a replacement, especially since they just lost the highest-ranked squad on the board. They can't just go picking any random host—you know, the winners of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-12—but let's just say they end up grabbing a media powerhouse like Notre Dame.

Then you've got the Fiesta Bowl, which now has to find a substitute for their missing host, Kansas State, the Big 12 winner. Let's pretend they decide to take on Georgia.

4. Rose Bowl is pretty straightforward; it’s the Pac-12 champion taking on the Big Ten champ.
Oregon - Nebraska

5. Fiesta Bowl gets first dibs, and for their opponent against Georgia (stepping in for Kansas State), they grab Oklahoma.
Georgia - Oklahoma

6. Next up is the Sugar Bowl. They’ve already got Notre Dame (filling in for Alabama), so they pick up Louisville.
Notre Dame - Louisville

7. And finally, we’re left with the Orange Bowl, which has Florida State (the ACC Champ) and "selects" the remaining Oregon State.
Florida State - Oregon State

So, I guess someone finally figured out how this all works. 😉