The Rest of College Football

[Paul L]

Lots of idiots at U of A apparently.

[entropy]

If he hires a DC....

[Jamie H]

I hear Bob Stoops is looking for a position......

[lineygoblue]

If he can get Jeff Casteel to come with him, or hire a good DC that runs a standard defense well, he can be successful. Recruiting will definitely be tough, but it can be done. He probably won't be in the running for any MNC's out there, but he can make some noise in the Pac 12.

[*JD*]

Maybe a better idea would be to get rid of the divisions and have the 2 highest rated BcS schools face each other in their conference championship?

I'd be fine with bammy getting a rematch there.

[entropy]

Former Penn State student disciplinarian Vicky Triponey tells The Wall Street Journal that football players were treated "more favorably than other students accused of violating the community standards as defined by the student code of conduct."

More...

[entropy]

Realignment update ... and UT's Thanksgiving Day game in 2012 ... Reply

Two Big 12 administrators said it appears that Missouri will indeed be in the Southeastern Conference for the 2012-13 school year and that West Virginia will be in the Big 12 next year.

The deadline for scheduling football for the 2012-13 school year is the first week of December. And there was some concern that legal snafus involving West Virginia's departure from the Big East could cause the Big 12 to try to hold Missouri in the conference for next year.

But the Big 12 sources said West Virginia will leave for the Big 12 despite its legal wrangling with the Big East over that league's 27-month departure waiting period.

The dragging out of this process has caused the scheduling of games for the 2012 season to draw out and could lead to changes for Texas when it comes to Thanksgiving Day.

Initially, a source close to the situation said Texas would face Texas Tech on Thanksgiving in 2012. But Texas is pushing for the right to play all of its future Thanksgiving Day games at home in Austin and rotate opponents, rather than lock into a home-and-home with one school.

There were scheduling concerns about how that game would play on other campuses. For instance, Texas Tech normally gives its students the Friday after Thanksgiving Day off, meaning the campus is largely empty on Thanksgiving Day.

Tech was willing to give its students the Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend off (and have a full day of classes on the Friday after Thanksgiving) to try to keep the students around for a football game.

But it appears momentum is moving toward allowing Texas to always host the Thanksgiving Day game beginning next year, when its current Thanksgiving Day rival - Texas A&M -moves on to the SEC, sources said.

TCU and Baylor would be among the candidates if Texas gets the right to host the Thanksgiving Day game in 2012, sources said.

Stay tuned

[Dr. Strangelove]

But it appears momentum is moving toward allowing Texas to always host the Thanksgiving Day game beginning next year, when its current Thanksgiving Day rival - Texas A&M -moves on to the SEC, sources said.

Geez...I feel bad for the schools trying to escape Texas but can't

[Mike]

I've always believed that anyone that doesn't win it's conference should be ineligible for the title game.

Two points:

1. I disagree, Jamie. What if a team loses a couple OOC games early in the year then runs the table in their conference? Say Michigan next year loses to Bama and at ND then wins their conference at 7-1 with a CCG victory to be 10-3 overall. Would that resume' make them more deserving than a one-loss Bama team from this year? When looking at who deserves to play in the title game, the teams' entire season should be evaluated.

2. By your logic, Michigan shouldn't have been considered for the title game in 2006. I thought you've argued in the past that Michigan got jobbed by gerry-mandered SEC votes to prevent a rematch and elevate an SEC team into the title game. I don't disagree that the latter happened but I don't think winning your conference should necessarily bar a team from participation in the BCS championship game either.

As far as 2006, Michigan certainly WOULD have gotten a rematch with ohio had Arkansas beat Florida in the SEC CG. The problem this year is that Okie St. had a path to the NCG and blew it. It's not like Bama controlled their own destiny after they lost to LSU. I find it hard to complain about a rematch when Okie St., Stanford, Oregon, and Oklahoma ALL blew their chance to throw their hat in the ring. If at the end of the day Alabama is the best challenger left standing, so be it.

[whodean]

All correct Mike, and Alabama has quite a resume too.


How Alabama's defense stacks up

http://insider.espn.go.com/college-f...-best-ever-cfb

Crimson Tide's D could end the season as the best unit in the last 50 years

Much of the college football focus this week has been on the SEC having the top three teams in the BCS standings and that the national title game is probably going to be a rematch between two teams from that conference -- if not LSU-Alabama, then maybe Alabama-Arkansas.

It's the sixth week this season that the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide have together occupied the top two spots in the AP poll, and there's no secret that they've earned that respect from the voters by playing smothering defense. ESPN Insider's Brock Huard pointed out last week that a lack of offensive firepower within the SEC has contributed to this success, but the numbers being compiled by the Alabama and LSU defenses still aren't seen often.

LSU enters this week's contest against Arkansas, which has the SEC's top offense, allowing only 10.0 points and just 247.9 yards per game. Over the previous 10 seasons (2001-10), only one team -- USC in 2008 -- has been able to complete a season giving up 10 or fewer points and 250 or fewer yards per game. Therefore, it should be surprising that LSU doesn't lead the nation in either category ... and really isn't close to being on top in either.

The reason, of course, is that LSU is trailing Alabama, a team that is poised to produce some of the best defensive totals of all time.


Alabama is the national leader in scoring defense and total defense, and rushing defense and passing defense as well. The NCAA has been tracking these four major defensive statistics since 1937, and only one team (Oklahoma in 1986) has finished a season ranked No. 1 in all four. Alabama is on pace to become the second team to do it.

The Crimson Tide had a chance to become the first team since that '86 Oklahoma bunch to go through a season without allowing more than 14 points in a game until Georgia Southern returned a second-half kickoff for a touchdown last week. With FBS teams scoring at a record pace (28.5 points per game) this season, that would've been quite an accomplishment.

The most impressive of these stats for Alabama, however, is total defense -- a number that can't be sabotaged by offensive turnovers or poor special teams play. The Tide aren't just No. 1 in this category; they're a whopping 52 yards per game ahead of second-place LSU. Bama is allowing 195.9 yards per game to LSU's 247.9. That's a 21 percent gap, which is by far the biggest difference between the top two teams in total defense since Alabama's 1992 team had a similar advantage over Arizona.

FBS offenses this season are racking up 395.8 yards per game, which means the Tide defense is more than 50 percent better than the national offensive output. Since 1964, the only other defense to exceed 50 percent in this measurement is, as you might have guessed, Oklahoma in 1986. Although those Sooners were barely ahead of the mark that Alabama is posting now.

A couple of key statistics that coaches focus on are yards per play and yards per pass attempt allowed -- as opposed to raw yardage totals -- and the Crimson Tide is excelling in these areas as well. They rank first in the nation in both categories, with a 4.5 YPA allowed average (a half-yard advantage over the second-best team) and a 3.47-yards-per play-average (nearly a half-yard better than the second-best team).

The Crimson Tide lead the nation in many other defensive categories, as well, and some of the gaps between them and everyone else are staggering. For example, Alabama has allowed the fewest first downs at 117. Next in line is Georgia at 153, followed by LSU at 161, then Wisconsin and Rutgers at 165. Bama has allowed both the fewest first downs by rush (46) and the fewest first downs by pass (60).

A similar-looking stat is the number of 10-yard plays allowed. Alabama leads with 69, followed by South Carolina at 103, Wisconsin at 106 and Michigan State at 108.

Considering that Alabama is playing a struggling Auburn offense this week and possibly an LSU team in the national title game that didn't score a touchdown against it in the teams' first meeting, it's very possible that by the end of the season Alabama's defense could be considered statistically the best in the last 50 years, based on its dominance relative to national averages.

Within the BCS formula, the vast majority of the voters in the two polls have either played or coached college football, a group that is more likely to be swayed by a dominant defense than the average fan. This is why I think Alabama has a BCS advantage over the Arkansas Razorbacks in a three-way tie scenario or over a one-loss Oklahoma State Cowboys team at the end of the regular season.

In other words, Alabama's defense is one of the biggest reasons I believe we'll likely be looking at a rematch of LSU and Alabama for the BCS championship Jan. 9. Whether either team will be able to score a touchdown in that game is another matter.

[whodean]

Alabama has the toughest SoS according to this


College FB Team Strength of Schedule Rating

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-...hedule-by-team

1 Alabama (9-1) 37.7 1 80 2
2 LSU (10-0) 37.1 1 20 1
3 Kansas St (8-2) 36.5 3 116 6
4 Baylor (6-3) 35.8 4 70 11
5 Missouri (5-5) 35.8 1 41 3
6 Texas A&M (6-5) 35.6 1 70 5
7 Kansas (1-9) 35.4 7 76 13
8 Oregon (8-2) 35.1 2 23 4
9 USC (9-2) 34.7 2 85 16
10 Oklahoma (8-2) 34.7 3 36 12

[chemiclord]

I really could care less about "having to be a conference champion" or all of that bullshit.

I care about the SEC hypocrites screaming bloody murder about how terrible a rematch would be turning right around 5 years later and saying a rematch would be absolutely great for the game.

If Michigan had it's chance in 2006, then Alabama had its chance in 2011. No rematches.

[lineygoblue]

I agree, Chemi. But, they're going to justify the rematch somehow ...

... that is unless Arkansas does us all a favor and beats Ellis Ewe.

[chemiclord]

I agree, Chemi. But, they're going to justify the rematch somehow ...

... that is unless Arkansas does us all a favor and beats Ellis Ewe.

Oh, I am the world's greatest Razorback fan right now, if for any reason than to watch the chaos as the SEC devours their own for the right to be in the BCS title game.

And Arkansas has a legit chance to beat the Tigers too... they have the offensive weapons to beat LSU, if their defense can keep them in the game.

[lineygoblue]

As much as I am a fan of Les Miles, I will shed no tears for him if his boys lose on Friday.

I am a fan of whatever causes the most chaos with the BCS. An LSU loss creates unreal problems.