NCAA Football

[Thunder]

I am super excited for college football this year. I am a UConn season ticket holder for the first time, and after not being able to watch much college football for the last two years due to the demands of my now former profession, I am excited to be able to sit back and enjoy it this year.

[Old Red]

Against weak competition so far, but ND looks like they are very deep at RB, and WR this year. At QB not so much, and if the starter goes down they could be in trouble.

[moonslav59]

Against weak competition so far, but ND looks like they are very deep at RB, and WR this year. At QB not so much, and if the starter goes down they could be in trouble.

 

Yes, weak opps, but the back up QB did very well, yesterday.

[Old Red]

Yes, weak opps, but the back up QB did very well, yesterday.

 

A little better competition this week, and on the road.

[moonslav59]

SEP 23

 

Ohio St at ND

 

We better not be looking ahead, but I am.

[Old Red]

SEP 23

 

Ohio St at ND

 

We better not be looking ahead, but I am.

 

Amazing that these two teams have only played against each other 6 times with ND last win was 1936. I’d say it’s about time for another one.

[moonslav59]

Amazing that these two teams have only played against each other 6 times with ND last win was 1936. I’d say it’s about time for another one.

 

ND seemed to resist playing too many teams seen as skimping on academics. Sure, they added Miami and have played USC for a long time, but they seem to favor the Stanfords over the Alabamas, Oklahomas and Ohio States.

 

They did play Big 10 teams, a lot, but mostly Michigan, MSU and Purdue and not Ohio St, Indiana or Illinois, which seemed like nice regional rivalry opportunities.

 

We also joined up with the ACC, which is known for higher academic criteria than most other conferences.

 

The Army, Navy and for a while the Air Force made sense, due to the independent status of these teams.

 

Just a theory on my behalf.

 

[moonslav59]

Most games played vs ND:

 

91 Navy

89 USC

85 Purdue

77 Mich St

71 Pitt

51 Army

49 Northwestern (hardly any after 1976)

43 Michigan (every year from '78-'14)

36 GA Tech (almost all from long ago)

33 Stanford (every year since '97)

[Jasonbay44]

Against weak competition so far, but ND looks like they are very deep at RB, and WR this year. At QB not so much, and if the starter goes down they could be in trouble.

 

You could say that about most teams though. Usually if a teams starting QB goes down they are screwed.

[moonslav59]

Texas beat #3 Alabama.

 

Other top teams romped.

 

ND beat a real team, but #11 Texas will pass us.

 

I'm not sure we pass ALA.

Edited September 10, 2023 by moonslav59

[moonslav59]

Domers with a comfortable win over CMichigan

Hartman 16-26 no ints, 3 TDs and 330 yards (13 TDs and 0 INTs on year)

Estime rushed for 176 yards on just 20 carries (532 yrds/63 carries 2023)

 

#3 FSU struggles to beat BC and was out yardaged.

 

#1 GA and #10 ALA are in tight games, as we speak.

[notin]

You could say that about most teams though. Usually if a teams starting QB goes down they are screwed.

 

Even if that QB is Drew Bledsoe?

[dgalehouse]

I didn't see anything from the Irish that makes me think they can beat Ohio St. Hopefully, they have been saving something for the Buckeyes.

[moonslav59]

I didn't see anything from the Irish that makes me think they can beat Ohio St. Hopefully, they have been saving something for the Buckeyes.

 

It's a big test, for sure. I would not bet on ND, but maybe the home field will help pull an upset.

 

Maybe Ohio ST are not as good as their ranking.

[Old Red]

It's a big test, for sure. I would not bet on ND, but maybe the home field will help pull an upset.

 

Maybe Ohio ST are not as good as their ranking.

 

When is the last time ND won a big game like this?

[moonslav59]

When is the last time ND won a big game like this?

 

Hard to quantify as rankings are so fluid and arbitrary.

 

We did beat #4 Clemson way back in 2022.

 

Maybe 1984 beating LSU.

 

I'm not sure beating Tennessee in 2004 rises to this level.

 

It's all relative.

[Old Red]

Hard to quantify as rankings are so fluid and arbitrary.

 

We did beat #4 Clemson way back in 2022.

 

Maybe 1984 beating LSU.

 

I'm not sure beating Tennessee in 2004 rises to this level.

 

It's all relative.

I knew they beat Clemson, but I didn’t count that, because Lawrence didn’t play. It’s been a long time Green jerseys , or not.

[moonslav59]

I knew they beat Clemson, but I didn’t count that, because Lawrence didn’t play. It’s been a long time Green jerseys , or not.

 

I thought the bottom line was always about winning or losing, and everything else is just an excuse.

[Old Red]

I thought the bottom line was always about winning or losing, and everything else is just an excuse.

 

You trying to compare Bloom with Lawrence not playing in that Clemson game? That’s a big s t r e t c h.

[moonslav59]

You trying to compare Bloom with Lawrence not playing in that Clemson game? That’s a big s t r e t ch

 

No. I'm asking when it's about wins and when its okay to make excuses.

[dgalehouse]

When is the last time ND won a big game like this?

 

The N.D. offense was able to wear down an undermanned Cent. Mjch. defense. Estime is another Bettis and Hartman made some really nice deep throws. But the defense was kind of spotty and the tackling left much to be desired. Ohio St. will obviously be a much tougher nut to crack.

[moonslav59]

The N.D. offense was able to wear down an undermanned Cent. Mjch. defense. Estime is another Bettis and Hartman made some really nice deep throws. But the defense was kind of spotty and the tackling left much to be desired. Ohio St. will obviously be a much tougher nut to crack.

 

No doubt.

 

OSU is the fave for a reason.

 

Home field might help set the stage for un upset, but it would be an upset, if it happens. OSU looks better, on paper.

 

(Rankings matter in college football but not minor league baseball.)

[Old Red]

No doubt.

 

OSU is the fave for a reason.

 

Home field might help set the stage for un upset, but it would be an upset, if it happens. OSU looks better, on paper.

 

(Rankings matter in college football but not minor league baseball.)

 

But it’s the WL record that gets you those rankings. Are you really comparing college football rankings to minor league farm rankings. That’s about as bad a comparison as you can get. Congratulations!🙈

[moonslav59]

But it’s the WL record that gets you those rankings. Are you really comparing college football rankings to minor league farm rankings. That’s about as bad a comparison as you can get. Congratulations!🙈

 

No, I'm not.

 

BTW, the rankings are not based on W-L records. ALA is ahead of undefeated teams. It is based on speculation by AP writers and coaches on the values and potential of players some have never seen play.

[Old Red]

The N.D. offense was able to wear down an undermanned Cent. Mjch. defense. Estime is another Bettis and Hartman made some really nice deep throws. But the defense was kind of spotty and the tackling left much to be desired. Ohio St. will obviously be a much tougher nut to crack.

 

Lots of hype for the game, so we’ll see if the games lives up to it.

[Old Red]

No, I'm not.

 

BTW, the rankings are not based on W-L records. ALA is ahead of undefeated teams. It is based on speculation by AP writers and coaches on the values and potential of players some have never seen play.

I fully understand that WL isn’t all that goes into the rankings, but who, and when adds to it, so it does have something to do with it. Ala is ranked where it is from past prestige more than anything else. They even had to get a non starter QB from ND to start for them this past week.

[moonslav59]

I fully understand that WL isn’t all that goes into the rankings, but who, and when adds to it, so it does have something to do with it. Ala is ranked where it is from past prestige more than anything else. They even had to get a non starter QB from ND to start for them this past week.

 

The NCAA rankings are often a joke. That's one reason they formed the BCS. They used to switch up the criteria from year to year. I remember because they used to say a head to head game broke a tie, but ND beat FSU, and they changed the formula. (ND lost to BC, but had the same record as FSU.)

 

With so many teams having the same record, the rankings are based on whatever each voter wants to use. Many speculate on values based on what the team did the previous season and how many key players they lost. The opening day rankings set the tone for the season, and they are based n 0-0 records for all teams.

 

So, team A beats the 0-0 number one team and whoopdie freakin doo, they jump up in the rankings.

 

Of course the NCAA ranking are way different from minor league rankings or even MLB's "power rankings," But they all have speculative nature to them.

 

There really is no way of knowing just how good some of these NCAA teams are, until late in the season, and even then, a key injury or a trend change can be hard to spot.

 

I feel pretty confident in saying the final #1 team in NCAA rankings has not always been the best team, and one can argue the best teams don't always win it all, anyway, for various reasons, including bad luck.

 

 

[moonslav59]

I fully understand that WL isn’t all that goes into the rankings, but who, and when adds to it, so it does have something to do with it. Ala is ranked where it is from past prestige more than anything else. They even had to get a non starter QB from ND to start for them this past week.

 

So is speculating on past prestige a better indicator of value than speculating on how good Teel is based on his past performances?

 

I know it's not an equal comp, but don't both involve speculation and bias?

[moonslav59]

All that being said, I do think Ohio State is better. They have been for a long time, and the academic qualifications to get into ND and stay on the team puts them at a continuous disadvantage vs many other teams.

 

It's been that way for so long, it's hard to imagine this year will break the mold.

 

Even if ND wins, it doesn't mean they are better than Ohio State on any given day.

[Old Red]

So is speculating on past prestige a better indicator of value than speculating on how good Teel is based on his past performances?

 

I know it's not an equal comp, but don't both involve speculation and bias?

S T R E T C H I N G, and really grasping for anything, and everything with this. I’m sticking strictly to college football. You can go anywhere you want to.