Official College Football Thread

[Rowand44]

Except Booty has actually played QB, while Cassel was purely a clipboard holder. But yes if the Bears go down, my focus will be the Patriots and my favorite current QB in the NFL, Tom Brady.

 

However, I am now predicting a Pats/Bears superbowl. Of course first the Bears got to win a playoff game and than another and than we'll see what happens in the big game.

 

Did I mention how great Brady is.

You called Troy Smith, Troy Brown, hence my Pats comment.

[Chisoxfn]

Not sure who Brown is. But Smith was somewhat of a late bloomer as far as passing goes. Last season he was almost exclusively thought of as a running QB, which hurt his passing numbers a bit. Not to mention OSU is and always has been a run first team. Brees was in a wide open spread offense that does inflate numbers quite a bit much like the system of Texas Tech. I would put him in the second round mold where it may take some time for him to adjust to the NFL system, but I think he will still be a successful NFL QB based on how quickly he came along and his propensity (except for last night) to play well under pressure.

Whoops and now I understand Rowand's reference to the Pats any better.

[RockRaines]

Whoops and now I understand Rowand's reference to the Pats any better.

And understood evil when it comes to you anyway, I shrugged it off as a spelling error as usual.

 

Brees was a 2nd round pick and took some time and I could buy this comparison a bit, however, Brees was 3 times the passer Brown was at the collegiate level.

I wanted to at least post some stats in case people forget.

 

Brees

2000 512 att 309 completions 60.4 percent 3668 yards 26 td's 12 int

 

Smith

2006 311 att 203 comp 65.3 pct 2542 yards 30 td's 6 int

 

obviously Brees threw alot more passes, but Smith was very productive in his chances. The scouting report on Brees in 2000 is also very similar to Smith's

 

Brees was a very productive three-year starter in a pass-oriented offense, though he lacks ideal size for the NFL. He is a good athlete and an excellent leader who is good at sliding away from the rush or stepping up in the pocket to deliver the ball. Brees drills the slant route with zip, has decent velocity on sideline throws and can also throw the lob with touch and timing. He is very good at hitting receivers in stride on crossing routes and makes quick reads.

 

 

Just saying, there have been comparison's made in the press between the two, and I wanted to at least throw that info out there as where I see Smith ending up.

Edited January 9, 2007 by RockRaines

[ZoomSlowik]

Grossman also put up ungodly passing numbers for a couple seasons and had a rocket ship of an arm. And even than he went 24th overall and had the Bears not taken him (although there was speculation the Packers had interest) he probably would have fallen to the 2nd round.

 

I do think you are right, his arm is good enough but I wouldn't even think of comparing it to that of Grossman's. Brees was a 2nd round pick and took some time and I could buy this comparison a bit, however, Brees was 3 times the passer Brown was at the collegiate level.

 

I would rather draft Booty than I would Brown.

 

Grossman also had an awful junior year thanks to a season under Ron Zook, which adversely affected his draft position.

 

2001- 3896 yards, 65.6 completion percentage, 34/12 TD/INT, 170.75 rating

 

2002- 3402 yards, 57.1 completion percentage, 22/17 TD/INT, 121.54 rating

 

 

Outside of height I still don't really see why Smith wouldn't go higher, but after that bowl performance his stock is going to drop even more.

[Gene Honda Civic]

Smiths numbers and game are far more comparable to Heisman runner up Brad Banks than they are to Drew Brees or any of the elite QBs in the upcoming draft.

 

-------------------

 

I know it's going to combine the posts......

 

 

I had a thirst for some useless trivia, so....

 

Which team was ranked #1 in the VERY first BCS poll? Who was their starting QB?

[Chisoxfn]

Smiths numbers and game are far more comparable to Heisman runner up Brad Banks than they are to Drew Brees or any of the elite QBs in the upcoming draft.

Banks was amazing that season. Its too bad we couldn't have had a few seasons with him running the show. I also still think that had Iowa played like they did all season they could have beat that USC squad (that absolutley dismantled us).

 

Heck had it not been for the Clones and Seneca Wallace, Iowa probably was playing in the national championiship game that year.

 

Oh and I think I'd say thats a very good comparison. I think Banks was a better runner while Smith is a bit better passer. Did Banks ever even stick on with any team (I thought he'd have had the ability to play wide-out or sometihng).

[Gene Honda Civic]

Thinking about it... I even made the comment after the opening kickoff last night.

 

That game reminded me a whole lot of the '02 Orange bowl. Iowa took the opening kick to the house then got steamrolled. (Though they still made more of a game out of it than OSU last night)

 

Also, I was thinking about Iowa's recent bowl opponents

 

Texas Tech -- Win

USC -- Loss (shared national title next year, and have been best team in CFB since)

Florida -- Win

LSU -- Win (defending champ)

Florida -- Loss (won NT in next season)

Texas -- Loss (defending champ)(NT next season?)

 

If I'm a bowl team, I want to beat Iowa in their bowl game. It looks like the path to a NT...

[greasywheels121]

Thinking about it... I even made the comment after the opening kickoff last night.

 

That game reminded me a whole lot of the '02 Orange bowl. Iowa took the opening kick to the house then got steamrolled. (Though they still made more of a game out of it than OSU last night)

 

Also, I was thinking about Iowa's recent bowl opponents

 

Texas Tech -- Win

USC -- Loss (shared national title next year, and have been best team in CFB since)

Florida -- Win

LSU -- Win (defending champ)

Florida -- Loss (won NT in next season)

Texas -- Loss (defending champ)(NT next season?)

 

If I'm a bowl team, I want to beat Iowa in their bowl game. It looks like the path to a NT...

 

It's like beating the Colts in the playoffs.

[NorthSideSox72]

Boise State, 13-0. Only undefeated BCS team. Only undefeated 1-A team. Beat 5 bowl teams.

 

And they never had a shot at the championship.

 

College football needs a better system.

[Palehosefan]

Boise could have had a greater say in the argument if they scheduled better OOC opponents. Oregon State, Wyoming, Sacramento State, and Utah just isn't going to get it done.

 

Yes, this is assuming a bigger power would actually play them, and that's a big assumption. But I'm not ready to hand Boise State anything after their schedule and escaping one of the worst BCS teams this year. USC, LSU, OSU, Florida, and probably even Michigan would beat Boise State by 10+ points in my opinion.

[RockRaines]

Boise could have had a greater say in the argument if they scheduled better OOC opponents. Oregon State, Wyoming, Sacramento State, and Utah just isn't going to get it done.

 

Yes, this is assuming a bigger power would actually play them, and that's a big assumption. But I'm not ready to hand Boise State anything after their schedule and escaping one of the worst BCS teams this year. USC, LSU, OSU, Florida, and probably even Michigan would beat Boise State by 10+ points in my opinion.

They beat a fairly weak Oklahoma team in their bowl, and had to bring out ridiculous yet awesome trick plays to do it.

[Rowand44]

Boise could have had a greater say in the argument if they scheduled better OOC opponents. Oregon State, Wyoming, Sacramento State, and Utah just isn't going to get it done.

 

Yes, this is assuming a bigger power would actually play them, and that's a big assumption. But I'm not ready to hand Boise State anything after their schedule and escaping one of the worst BCS teams this year. USC, LSU, OSU, Florida, and probably even Michigan would beat Boise State by 10+ points in my opinion.

I agree with a lot of what you said, but the point is that they still didn't get to prove themselves completely. Would they have lost to Florida? Most likely, but we don't know that for sure. And if I had to bet, there was probably no way that one of the powers would have scheduled Boise State.

Edited January 9, 2007 by Rowand44

[NorthSideSox72]

Boise could have had a greater say in the argument if they scheduled better OOC opponents. Oregon State, Wyoming, Sacramento State, and Utah just isn't going to get it done.

 

Yes, this is assuming a bigger power would actually play them, and that's a big assumption. But I'm not ready to hand Boise State anything after their schedule and escaping one of the worst BCS teams this year. USC, LSU, OSU, Florida, and probably even Michigan would beat Boise State by 10+ points in my opinion.

Take a look at who they played. 6 bowl teams, beat all of them (I missed one earlier). Of the 5 teams other than OK who they beat, those other teams were 4-1 in their bowl games and the 5th team lost by one point. The WAC was 4-1 in bowl games.

 

Florida played 7 bowl teams, just 1 more than Boise State. Ohio State? Same number I think.

 

Their schedule strengths weren't different by much. If you are the only 1-A undefeated team, you deserve a shot at the title, one way or another.

[WHarris1]

Take a look at who they played. 6 bowl teams, beat all of them (I missed one earlier). Of the 5 teams other than OK who they beat, those other teams were 4-1 in their bowl games and the 5th team lost by one point. The WAC was 4-1 in bowl games.

 

Florida played 7 bowl teams, just 1 more than Boise State. Ohio State? Same number I think.

 

Their schedule strengths weren't different by much. If you are the only 1-A undefeated team, you deserve a shot at the title, one way or another.

"Bowl Teams" is a very loose term.

 

When counting by Bowl teams played Oregon State = LSU.

 

According to Sagarin ratings Florida played the 8th toughest schedule. Boise State? 90th. Even if you don't like SOS ratings I don't see how can you compare the schedules of Boise and Florida.

Edited January 9, 2007 by WHarris1

[NorthSideSox72]

"Bowl Teams" is a very loose term.

 

When counting by Bowl teams played Oregon State = LSU.

You're missing the point. I am not saying that BSU is better than Florida or OSU. They most likely are not. But we don't know, do we? If you go 13-0 in 1-A play, and don't just play a cream puff schedule (and by ANY definition, 6 bowl teams is not cream puff), you deserve a chance. I would have said the same for Rutgers if they had finished off their almost improbably season.

[WhiteSoxfan1986]

Ide also like to add Florida should send Ron Zook some sort of thank you for the National Title they won tonight.. Almost all of the starters were his recruits

 

I'm glad somebody else mentioned that. They wouldn't have won the nat. title with Zook at the helm but he certainly deserves a lot of credit.

 

Michael Bush to the NFL. IMO he really could have helped himself by staying another year. If Petrino stays he probably stays.

[thedoctor]

you know, as an illinois fan i'd love to jump on the bandwagon and give zook a bunch of credit for florida's nc, but i just can't do it. any illinois fan wanting to claim credit for zook better be a charter member of the bill self fan club because those situations are very similar.

 

yes, zook brough 23 of 24 (not 22 of 24 because people are missing nelson) recruits into that program. that said, zook has yet to prove he can outcoach anyone and last night urban meyer outcoached jim tressel. so the great majority of credit has to go to meyer and the players he has now, just as the huge majority of credit for illinois's final four run in 05 goes to weber and his players, not self.

 

just trying to be consistent here.

[CWSGuy406]

You're missing the point. I am not saying that BSU is better than Florida or OSU. They most likely are not. But we don't know, do we? If you go 13-0 in 1-A play, and don't just play a cream puff schedule (and by ANY definition, 6 bowl teams is not cream puff), you deserve a chance. I would have said the same for Rutgers if they had finished off their almost improbably season.

 

I think people more or less agree with you, but Boise -- if they really believe that they could 'compete' with the big teams -- should try (maybe they did?) to schedule at least one tough OOC game.

 

Although, I don't know how far in advance these schedules are made...

[IlliniKrush]

you know, as an illinois fan i'd love to jump on the bandwagon and give zook a bunch of credit for florida's nc, but i just can't do it. any illinois fan wanting to claim credit for zook better be a charter member of the bill self fan club because those situations are very similar.

 

yes, zook brough 23 of 24 (not 22 of 24 because people are missing nelson) recruits into that program. that said, zook has yet to prove he can outcoach anyone and last night urban meyer outcoached jim tressel. so the great majority of credit has to go to meyer and the players he has now, just as the huge majority of credit for illinois's final four run in 05 goes to weber and his players, not self.

 

just trying to be consistent here.

 

Exactly.

[AssHatSoxFan]

Smiths numbers and game are far more comparable to Heisman runner up Brad Banks than they are to Drew Brees or any of the elite QBs in the upcoming draft.

 

-------------------

 

I know it's going to combine the posts......

I had a thirst for some useless trivia, so....

 

Which team was ranked #1 in the VERY first BCS poll? Who was their starting QB?

my guess would have been Tennessee with Tee Martin but im not sure if they started #1

[Fotop]

Not sure if anyone is aware (or cares for that matter), but the rumor is that Weis is having a Press Conference this Thursday. Most are speculating that at the very least Rick Minter is fired. Some are thinking up to three coaches could be fired and that Weis already has replacements that he's ready to announce.

 

Ultimately, no one really knows what's going on. Should be interesting if true.

[Rowand44]

if they really believe that they could 'compete' with the big teams -- should try (maybe they did?) to schedule at least one tough OOC game.

 

Although, I don't know how far in advance these schedules are made...

I'd bet that they did try.

[Rex Hudler]

A few random thoughts on last's night's debacle....

 

1. That was not the OSU team we saw all year long.

 

2. That was not the Florida team we saw all year long.

 

3. I think there has to be some validity to the idea that Ohio State was mentally spent after the Michigan game. That game was hyped so much, I think that was their "national championship" game. I think they went into the Florida game at least subconsciously overconfident, if not overtly. Running the opening kickoff back for a TD didn't help in that regard. Neither did your kick returner/star wide receiver getting hurt while celebrating said TD.

 

4. Anyone who says last night's game was an indictment of how much better SEC football is than the Big Ten is very quickly forgetting the Big Ten was 2-1 head-to-head against the SEC. Last night was one game, not an idictment of how a whole conference plays. That said, there is no doubt the SEC was a better conference top-to-bottom this year, but it is not 41-14 better - except for last night.

 

5. I have never seen Troy Smith so indecisive and timid as he was last night. He held onto the ball in the pocket way too long and whenever he tried to scramble he seemed to go the wrong way or slip/trip.

 

6. I agree that OSU should have played more straight up football early in the game, rather than trying to match Florida's spread.

 

7. Give Florida credit, they put an A-1 ass whippin on OSU last night.

 

8. In the confines of the regular season, I still think OSU wins 6 or maybe 7 out of 10 times.

Edited January 10, 2007 by Rex Hudler

[knightni]

Not sure if anyone is aware (or cares for that matter), but the rumor is that Weis is having a Press Conference this Thursday. Most are speculating that at the very least Rick Minter is fired. Some are thinking up to three coaches could be fired and that Weis already has replacements that he's ready to announce.

 

Ultimately, no one really knows what's going on. Should be interesting if true.

 

 

Weis' Achilles Heel, he doesn't know jacks*** about defense and has to rely fully on a guy who's lone head coaching experience was getting fired at Cincinnati U.

 

His D coordinator should be fired yesterday for the last two season's of mediocrity.

 

 

 

Just sayin'.

 

[thedoctor]

A few random thoughts on last's night's debacle....

 

1. That was not the OSU team we saw all year long.

 

2. That was not the Florida team we saw all year long.

 

3. I think there has to be some validity to the idea that Ohio State was mentally spent after the Michigan game. That game was hyped so much, I think that was their "national championship" game. I think they went into the Florida game at least subconsciously overconfident, if not overtly. Running the opening kickoff back for a TD didn't help in that regard. Neither did your kick returner/star wide receiver getting hurt while celebrating said TD.

 

4. Anyone who says last night's game was an indictment of how much better SEC football is than the Big Ten is very quickly forgetting the Big Ten was 2-1 head-to-head against the SEC. Last night was one game, not an idictment of how a whole conference plays. That said, there is no doubt the SEC was a better conference top-to-bottom this year, but it is not 41-14 better - except for last night.

 

5. I have never seen Troy Smith so indecisive and timid as he was last night. He held onto the ball in the pocket way too long and whenever he tried to scramble he seemed to go the wrong way or slip/trip.

 

6. I agree that OSU should have played more straight up football early in the game, rather than trying to match Florida's spread.

 

7. Give Florida credit, they put an A-1 ass whippin on OSU last night.

 

8. In the confines of the regular season, I still think OSU wins 6 or maybe 7 out of 10 times.

 

i'd agree with most of that. last night was kind of a perfect storm in the sense the right combination of things went wrong for ohio state.

 

i'm not saying they ever would have won, but i think there were circumstances that made the score much more lopsided than it would have been nine out of 10 times.