College Football : 2013-14

[JohnBM01]

Welcome to August! Make nothing of the Preseason coaches' poll, but here is a look at the Preseason Poll (parentheses note 1st Place votes):

01 - Alabama (58)
02 - Ohio State (3)
03 - Oregon
04 - Stanford
05 - Georgia
06 - Texas A&M (1)
07 - South Carolina
08 - Clemson
09 - Louisville
10 - Florida
11 - Notre Dame
12 - Florida State
13 - LSU
14 - Oklahoma State
15 - Texas
16 - Oklahoma
17 - Michigan
18 - Nebraska
19 - Boise State
20 - TCU
21 - UCLA
22 - Northwestern
23 - Wisconsin
24 - USCal
25 - Oregon State

So at least on the FBS level, these are teams to look out for. We'll see how these 25 fare this upcoming season.

 

[Nicksfix]

Heeeeeyyyyy, the Bucks got (3) 1st place votes ......
As John stated, this really is nothing to get hyped up about, it's just a pre-season coaches poll ... means nothing. I do think it will get interesting though once the "real" polls get out. IF any of the polling is as close to this one, then I've mixed feelings about it. Sure, I like seeing the OSU Bucks planted at the #2 spot early on, just in case we drop one, we will / should have time to recover and get back in the mix of things. Then again, being ranked lower and working yourself up into the top ranked spots as the season goes on is just as cool. The other bad thing about being ranked up high is you now have a target on your back. I don't like that feeling.

We'll see ...

How about this for a Football Performance Center. Look what's going on out there in Oregon.

Pretty sweet.

-----> Clickety click <-----

WOW - JUST WOW !!!!!

 

[CAM]

Well, ECU begins their final season in Conference USA facing a mightily weakened schedule. All of our old opponents for the most part got into the Big East a year before us, and we will join them next year. Our season consists of the 8 conference games (which I haven't looked up yet), an opening night clash with FCS power Old Dominion in Greenville, Virginia Tech visiting Greenville, a trip to Chapel Hill to take on the always-difficult Tar Heels, and a trip to Raleigh to take on NC State a week before Thanksgiving.

This season could be exceptional with our returning talent, notably quarterback Shane Carden and NFL prospect wide receiver Justin Hardy. If we win our nonconference games (which is unlikely), we may win 10 games. Virginia Tech is down, but I see Logan Thomas having a big year after laying an egg last season. Carolina got everyone back, so in all likelihood they're going to trounce us (again). State is down after getting a new coach and losing some guys, but we have to play them after a few weeks of C-USA games which will be a tough transition.

This season is especially weird for me because its my last football season in Greenville before heading off to college. I haven't missed a home game at Dowdy-Ficklen since I was 5 years old and it will be a big switch for me not spending fall Saturdays with 50,000 of my closest friends at the stadium. Especially since my first choice school is UNC, which I've been brought up my entire life to hate..

Anyway, go Pirates and best of luck to all of your respective teams unless you happen to travel to Greenville (or we come to your place).

 

[dcgc5]

Welcome to August! Make nothing of the Preseason coaches' poll, but here is a look at the Preseason Poll (parentheses note 1st Place votes):

01 - Alabama (58)
02 - Ohio State (3)
03 - Oregon
04 - Stanford
05 - Georgia
06 - Texas A&M (1)
07 - South Carolina
08 - Clemson
09 - Louisville
10 - Florida
11 - Notre Dame
12 - Florida State
13 - LSU
14 - Oklahoma State
15 - Texas
16 - Oklahoma
17 - Michigan
18 - Nebraska
19 - Boise State
20 - TCU
21 - UCLA
22 - Northwestern
23 - Wisconsin
24 - USCal
25 - Oregon State

So at least on the FBS level, these are teams to look out for. We'll see how these 25 fare this upcoming season.

I expected us (South Carolina) to open up at about 10 I'm happy with 7!! I think we will be top 5 after week 1 or 2 then it's a stalemate for so long unless A&M upsets Bama again.

 

[iMikeTheKing]

NCAA investigating Manziel

 

[JohnBM01]

Tree'd. I think that's what the kids say these days since this has been reported before I attempted to discuss this. Anyhow...

The NCAA is investigating whether Johnny Manziel (Johnny football) profited from an autograph signing session. If he did make money, he may not be eligible to play football this upcoming season. I love Johnny Football, but he's stubbed his toes quite a few times. This one could be his undoing if the NCAA finds out he financially profited from this autograph session.


I will say this- if Johnny Manziel is guilty of this, Texas A&M is going to stumble hard this upcoming season. What do you think of all of this if Manziel is found guilty in all of this?

 

[Nicksfix]

NCAA investigating Manziel

This would be a HUGE BLOW to A&M if he is indeed found guilty.

What do you think of all of this if Manziel is found guilty in all of this?

From the article provided, Manziels father said it spot on :

"Yeah, it could all come unraveled," Johnny's father told The Magazine. "And when it does, it's gonna be bad. Real bad."

======================

In other news, the OSU Bucks officially opened up fall practice today.

The article I put up several posts back about Carlos Hyde, well, he has been cleared. All charges were subsequently dropped against him when the alleged victim declined to pursue charges.That's not going without any penalty set forth by Urban Meyer though. Hyde will set out the 1st 3 games of the season and suffer other undisclosed punishment from the OSU Staff for his off field antics. Bradley Roby, the other incident. He has yet to be cleared of anything as of yet. He was charged with misdemeanor assault after an incident in a Bloomington, Ind., bar. The police report says Roby struck a bouncer in the chest. He is awaiting the next step in his legal case and could still face team sanctions.

 

[dcgc5]

Tree'd. I think that's what the kids say these days since this has been reported before I attempted to discuss this. Anyhow...

The NCAA is investigating whether Johnny Manziel (Johnny football) profited from an autograph signing session. If he did make money, he may not be eligible to play football this upcoming season. I love Johnny Football, but he's stubbed his toes quite a few times. This one could be his undoing if the NCAA finds out he financially profited from this autograph session.


I will say this- if Johnny Manziel is guilty of this, Texas A&M is going to stumble hard this upcoming season. What do you think of all of this if Manziel is found guilty in all of this?

If Manizel is found guilty and can't play (thats the key) A&M will be lucky to win 7 games imo.

 

[Earth]

Ive lost alot of interest in college football ever since it became the South Eastern Conference League

The SEC gets all the recruits because they get all the media coverage and love from ESPN and CBS.

Its really unfair how ESPN and CBS affect recruiting to help the teams they broadcast on television bring in higher ratings because they're higher rated

So college football is ruined for me

 

[Nicksfix]

Ive lost alot of interest in college football ever since it became the South Eastern Conference League

An interesting tidbit here. The dominance of the SEC started 7 years ago. It got started by our coach, Urban Meyer (Florida Gators head coach at that point in time), who oddly enough, dismantled The Ohio State Buckeyes (41-14) in the BCS National Championship Game to start this string. So all in all, you can thank Urban Meyer for getting this SEC crap rolling. One can only hope (me especially) that it would be Meyer (as an OSU coach) to win the BCS National Championship and end the SEC dominance. Turn about is fair play, right ?

Go Urban go ..... kick some ass and never mind the names along the way.

The SEC gets all the recruits

Here is something pretty cool

Its really unfair how ESPN and CBS affect recruiting to help the teams they broadcast on television bring in higher ratings because they're higher rated

TV and the media, you gotta love them ..... NOT REALLY.

So college football is ruined for me

Sorry to hear that.

 

[CAM]

I remember that first Florida-OSU game. I only say that because my neighbor was quite confident his alma mater (OSU) would fare well.

As I remember, Florida ran the opening kick back and Ted Ginn Jr. got hurt early, much to his chagrin.

 

[iMikeTheKing]

Jay Bilas became my favorite guy at ESPN today for Exposing the NCAA. Story. Jay's Twitter

 

[Nicksfix]

@ CAM
OSU was undefeated and ranked #1 in the BCS. Florida was 12-1 and ranked #2.

It was OSU's Ted Ginn who ran the opening kick off back.


16 seconds into the game and OSU was up 7-0, then it all went to hell. Our only other score came from Antonio Pittman in the 2nd quarter. By half time, it was all over but the shouting. Gators were up 34-14. They tacked on another 7 in the final quarter.

I sadly remember this game all too well.

 

[dkong40]

@ CAM
OSU was undefeated and ranked #1 in the BCS. Florida was 12-1 and ranked #2.

It was OSU's Ted Ginn who ran the opening kick off back.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MuX24Iy7XU">YouTube Link</a>

16 seconds into the game and OSU was up 7-0, then it all went to hell. Our only other score came from Antonio Pittman in the 2nd quarter. By half time, it was all over but the shouting. Gators were up 34-14. They tacked on another 7 in the final quarter.

I sadly remember this game all too well.

At least you're not a Nebraska fan that had to suffer through the Callahan era.

 

[CAM]

Well at least I remembered something halfway correct .

 

[JohnBM01]

With CAM here, here is a look at East Carolina's schedule for 2013:

--- East Carolina 2013 Schedule ---
8/31: Old Dominion
9/5: Florida Atlantic
9/14: Virginia Tech
9/28: at North Carolina
10/5: at Middle Tennessee State
10/12: at Tulane
10/19: Southern Mississippi
11/2: at Florida International
11/9: Tulsa
11/16: Alabama-Birmingham (UAB)
11/23: at North Carolina State
11/29: at Marshall

East Carolina is usually a very good football program. Southern Miss and Tulsa, even at home, are going to be tough games. North Carolina and Marshall are going to be pretty tough road matches. The Marshall game is going to be critical since the Thundering Herd are C-USA opponents. ECU will go to a Bowl Game in my view.


And since he's also a Duke fan, here's Duke's schedule for 2013:

--- Duke 2013 Schedule ---
8/31: North Carolina Central
9/7: at Memphis
9/14: Georgia Tech
9/21: Pittsburgh
9/28: Troy
10/12: Navy
10/19: at Virginia
10/26: at Virginia Tech
11/9: North Carolina State
11/16: Miami
11/23: at Wake Forest
11/30: at North Carolina

Can Duke keep up their good form from last season? The games that really concern me are Pittsburgh, at Virginia Tech, and even at their rivals North Carolina. Duke may be a basketball school, but their football team has really come along as of late. The only question is about how long the Blue Devils can keep this up.

 

[TRC GeorgiaDawg]

Ive lost alot of interest in college football ever since it became the South Eastern Conference League

The SEC gets all the recruits because they get all the media coverage and love from ESPN and CBS.

Its really unfair how ESPN and CBS affect recruiting to help the teams they broadcast on television bring in higher ratings because they're higher rated

So college football is ruined for me

The SEC's dominance has nothing to do with ESPN, CBS or any other media outlet. Further, the SEC's real dominance extends well beyond the past 7 years. The NFL is the ultimate judge of who has the most talent and it's been a long time that the SEC has had the most players in the NFL of any conference. Meanwhile, true media darlings, like OSU, Michigan and ND get propped up to the top every year then get destroyed when they are forced to face SEC competition in championship games.

The real reason for SEC (and some of the ACC's schools) dominance is simple. The south produces more elite athletes than any other region of the country. These athletes tend to naturally end up at southern schools. The small state of Georgia produces more division 1 football players than mega population states like California. It's just the reality of a warm climate and youth that spend more time outdoors in athletic endeavors.

 

[CAM]

Looking at that schedule is weird, I had to double take because it looked like we had 6 really weak non-conference games .

But yeah, if we don't make a bowl game everyone in the system will be out of a job before you can blink. The general consensus around town is that 10 wins isn't out of the question.

As for Duke, another bowl game would be superb but I wouldn't count on it. Expect us to get trounced by UNC after our slim victory last season.

 

[dkong40]

What we absolutely do not need is ANOTHER bowl game. They mean nothing anymore. When there was only a handful, they ALL meant something---Rose, Orange, Cotton, those names used to mean something. Now they're grouped together with Little Caesars Pizza and Beef O'Brady.

 

[Nicksfix]

With CAM here, here is a look at East Carolina's schedule for 2013:

--- East Carolina 2013 Schedule ---
8/31: Old Dominion
9/5: Florida Atlantic
9/14: Virginia Tech
9/28: at North Carolina
10/5: at Middle Tennessee State
10/12: at Tulane
10/19: Southern Mississippi
11/2: at Florida International
11/9: Tulsa
11/16: Alabama-Birmingham (UAB)
11/23: at North Carolina State
11/29: at Marshall

Only (3) games concern me here about the Pirates.
1) The 9/14 meeting with Virginia Tech
2) The 11/23 game @ N.C. State
3) The 11/29 game @ Marshall

The last 2 (IMO) are critical for the success of E.C. this year. Back to back tough opponents, and doing it on the road. Tall order, but it is do-able. I wish E.C. the best of luck this year and would love to see them in a bowl game with some notoriety.

Good Luck CAM 👍

Meanwhile, true media darlings, like OSU, Michigan and ND get propped up to the top every year then get destroyed when they are forced to face SEC competition in championship games.

Media darlings ...
Not to fear, the guard is about to change. The SEC is going down. They will go down to (I'm going out on a limb with confidence on this) The Ohio State University .... word.

If not '13, then mark your calendar for '14. The Bucks will win a National Championship Game in one of these two years. Not being brash, just being truthful.

But yeah, if we don't make a bowl game everyone in the system will be out of a job before you can blink. The general consensus around town is that 10 wins isn't out of the question.

I can honestly see 9 or 10 wins in your future.

What we absolutely do not need is ANOTHER bowl game. They mean nothing anymore. When there was only a handful, they ALL meant something---Rose, Orange, Cotton, those names used to mean something. Now they're grouped together with Little Caesars Pizza and Beef O'Brady.

Well, they are here to stay. Even when the playoff system gets implemented into full swing, the games leading up to the BCS National Championship Game will bear these bowl names.

 

[JohnBM01]

Well, the one thing I fear about Ohio State is that sort of "can't win the big one" mentality people often associate with powerful teams that don't finish the job in the biggest games. I remember early on as a college football fan the epic Double Overtime game between Ohio State and Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes took down the Hurricanes. I surely thought it was a big deal because Miami, then in the Big East, was a powerful team. We all know about the 2001 Miami Hurricanes. So it was big that Ohio State took down the 'Canes that year.

Fast forward to 2013. Let's say Ohio State runs the table this season like they did last year. They get to the National Championship game against (assuming) an SEC school. Can Ohio State complete the run towards the National Championship? Only thing I fear about Ohio State is that "can't win the big one" mentality. The Buckeyes could silence their critics if they went to the National Championship game and won that big one. I have nothing against the Buckeyes at all. I'm just thinking long-term.

 

[CAM]

My only thing about the State game is that we're going to be playing teams with a lot less talent than State for more than 2 months before we go to Raleigh. So that'll be tough.

 

[Earth]

An interesting tidbit here. The dominance of the SEC started 7 years ago. It got started by our coach, Urban Meyer (Florida Gators head coach at that point in time), who oddly enough, dismantled The Ohio State Buckeyes (41-14) in the BCS National Championship Game to start this string. So all in all, you can thank Urban Meyer for getting this SEC crap rolling. One can only hope (me especially) that it would be Meyer (as an OSU coach) to win the BCS National Championship and end the SEC dominance. Turn about is fair play, right ?

Go Urban go ..... kick some ass and never mind the names along the way.



Here is something pretty cool



TV and the media, you gotta love them ..... NOT REALLY.



Sorry to hear that.

Look at the top 20 schools in recruiting by league

9 - SEC
5 - ACC
3 - Big Ten
2 - Big XII
1 - Independent (Notre Dame)

The SEC's dominance has nothing to do with ESPN, CBS or any other media outlet. Further, the SEC's real dominance extends well beyond the past 7 years. The NFL is the ultimate judge of who has the most talent and it's been a long time that the SEC has had the most players in the NFL of any conference. Meanwhile, true media darlings, like OSU, Michigan and ND get propped up to the top every year then get destroyed when they are forced to face SEC competition in championship games.

The real reason for SEC (and some of the ACC's schools) dominance is simple. The south produces more elite athletes than any other region of the country. These athletes tend to naturally end up at southern schools. The small state of Georgia produces more division 1 football players than mega population states like California. It's just the reality of a warm climate and youth that spend more time outdoors in athletic endeavors.

The SEC has always been strong, yes.

But 7 championships in a row by 4 different teams? Something is certainly wrong. Before this run they only won the title 5 times in the 25 years prior

Theres what, 120 teams in the FBS?

And only 14 of those teams are in the SEC? And they've won 7 straight titles?

In terms of ratio, thats like teams from the NFC East winning the Superbowl for 7 straight years.

Obviously something is very wrong with parity.

The SEC homegrows great recruits, yes, but they also bring in big time recruits from out of the area. Great TV coverage and hype of the league also keeps homegrown recruits in.

Because SEC teams get so much media coverage they can afford to build better facilities which also helps attract recruits.

It just isnt fair anymore. The SEC will probably win again for the 8th straight year, which is a clear warning sign to me that they have no longer achieved parity

 

[Nicksfix]

Nice point John, let me add a few words.

There's a new mentality working down there in Columbus ... it's Urbanization. I and every person here in the state of Ohio can see the changes between the Tressel years and the dawning of the Urban era. As much as I admired Tressel, I have to say that we took our knocks with him as well. He got us to some big ones, won it all in '02, but was not overly successful in his bowl games ... (5-4). He (Tressel) was the coach we were needing at this particular point in time (John Cooper sucked). Tressel knew how to beat Michigan ... 8-1 in his tenure (sorry Joey, nothing harsh intended). This is a key factor in being a successful coach @ OSU or Michigan for that matter. Meyer knows this much as well. He brings with him a new attitude and a bright future for a program that really did struggle in post season play. He's hard on his team, he teaches the mental awareness / discipline that Tressel was lacking in. His kids (players) love and respect him. He is the answer for OSU.

Urbans career as a coach speaks words .... he turns teams into winners. Honestly speaking, I feel that he's going to knock down a National Championship as an OSU coach. Again, not being partial, just expressing what we see here in him and his team.

Don't back up - Don't back down - Full Throttle - Wide Open

 

[TRC GeorgiaDawg]

And only 14 of those teams are in the SEC? And they've won 7 straight titles?

But it's not just the last 7 years. It's been the beast that it is since the mid 90's really. And it's not just the SEC. The SEC has been the clear dominant conference since the mid 90's. In the 80's it was Florida State and Miami dominating CFB. Even the trade school (Georgia Tech) got in on the act with a NC in 90.

It's just a matter of there are more athletes and football players produced in the South. Combine warmer climates with the (sometimes insane) passion the region has for High School football and you just get more players. True, SEC schools do go elsewhere to pluck a few athletes, but it pales in comparison to the rest of the nation coming here to recruit.

It's not a matter of fairness where one entity can be blamed for unbalancing things. It's just reality.

 

[dcgc5]

The SEC has dominated college football since 1992 when it was the first conference to introduce an extra game determine a champion. But look at the amount of things that happened from 1992 to 2013.

Steve Spurrier happened.
Lou Holtz with success at 2 schools.
Peyton Manning and Eli Manning
The plethora of amazing talent to come out of the states of Alabama Florida and Georgia happened.

The SEC is dominating because this part of the country lives eats breathes and sleeps college football. The SEC separated its self from the ACC and FSU with the SEC Title game and since then it has taken off into an incredible conference and honestly isn't slowing down if anything it's getting stronger. When South Carolina joined we were terrible and have recently fed of the success to become a contender VANDERBILT won 9 games last year. That's unheard of. Everyone is getting better in the SEC. Except maybe Kentucky and Auburn but Auburn will be back so will Arkansas.

So if CFB is boring because of the SEC it maybe 10 years or more until another conference actually surpasses it. I'm not saying 10 more titles in a row or even another this year because I don't know but the conference will win at least 4 in the next 10


With that being said the B10 is making a come back I was shocked at how feisty Michigan was (were not Alabama clearly) and Ohio State is not a team to play with. Stanford and Oregon have risen over the past few years Louisville came up last year and are poised to be good again. There are interesting story lines outside of the SEC.

 

[dkong40]

Conference wise, the SEC may have dominated the 90s, but you can't deny that team-wise, Nebraska dominated that era.

 

[Nicksfix]

With that being said the B10 is making a come back I was shocked at how feisty Michigan was (were not Alabama clearly) and Ohio State is not a team to play with. Stanford and Oregon have risen over the past few years Louisville came up last year and are poised to be good again. There are interesting story lines outside of the SEC.

There are a LOT of good teams on the rise. That's why I still hold to the idea that the SEC is going to fall. There will still be some noise coming out of the SEC, but I think we will see some changes coming to quiet them down a bit. Whether it be from the B1G, Pac12, ACC, wherever, we'll see a changing of the guard soon.

 

[JohnBM01]

I've been trying to think of non-BCS schools that could have great seasons this upcoming season on the NCAA FBS level. Talking about big schools is great, but let us not leave out some of the other teams. I can't really think of any non-BCS schools that could make an impact. Think about a few years ago when Ball State had that epic season until they got beat down in the MAC Championship game against Buffalo. Or think about Houston (then in C-USA) until they got their butts handed to by Southern Mississippi in the C-USA championship game. What non-BCS teams could be teams to watch, if any?

 

[Jahgee]

You know what we never talked about, the whole idea of the BCS-conferences splitting off from the rest of the FBS that was all over the news a while back.