Official 2010-2011 NCAA Football Thread

[fathom]

Worst playcall of the night was VT throwing on 3rd and long with a little over 2 minutes left. They should have let Tyrod run with it, and at least milk 40 more seconds off the clock. I'm thrilled Boise won....hard to root against them.

[Rowand44]

I really really really really really really really hope Boise can sneak into the title game this year.

[whitesoxfan99]

Worst playcall of the night was VT throwing on 3rd and long with a little over 2 minutes left. They should have let Tyrod run with it, and at least milk 40 more seconds off the clock. I'm thrilled Boise won....hard to root against them.

 

The play before that was worse IMO. On that drive they were dominating Boise running it right up the gut, you gain 4 or 5 yards on first down so give it to Ryan Williams twice, you probably pick up the first down and if you don't you punt with like a minute to go. Instead you roll out Tyrod Taylor on 2nd down? Horrible. Also kick the ball out of bounds on that last punt, no reason to give a return there. Coaching failure by VT.

[danman31]

Boise is a solid team, still think they would lose 3-4 games in a major conference. They had a bunch of calls go in their favor down the stretch which took away from the game significantly IMO.

Agree on the 3-4 losses, but the bad calls didn't really cost Va. Tech that much. Boise gained significant yardage every play but one that drive? They were going to score 80 yards with no defensive penalties that drive.

 

Worst playcall of the night was VT throwing on 3rd and long with a little over 2 minutes left. They should have let Tyrod run with it, and at least milk 40 more seconds off the clock.

Yeah, that was dreadful. 2 minutes with no timeouts is plenty. 1:20 with no timeouts is getting to the point where a sack or time wasting play drastically affects your playcalling.

 

I really really really really really really really hope Boise can sneak into the title game this year.

Are you a fan of title games that are over by the 2nd quarter?

[kev211]

Are you a fan of title games that are over by the 2nd quarter?

I love how people continue to say this about Boise, and Boise just keeps going out there and beating top 10 teams. How much more do they have to do?

[lord chas]

I love how people continue to say this about Boise, and Boise just keeps going out there and beating top 10 teams. How much more do they have to do?

Haters

[Rowand44]

I love how people continue to say this about Boise, and Boise just keeps going out there and beating top 10 teams. How much more do they have to do?

^That^

 

 

[zenryan]

Boise is a solid team, still think they would lose 3-4 games in a major conference. They had a bunch of calls go in their favor down the stretch which took away from the game significantly IMO.

 

Also, not surprisingly those were Big 10 refs tonight who are routinely horrible.

 

 

Totally agree. Boise was wearing down as the game went on. If that team played in any BCS conference outside of the Big East, they would lose a few games.

 

 

 

ESPN lucked out big time tonight. They broadcast 5 more Boise games this season and if they had lost tonight, no one would give a crap about watching them. Maybe ESPN made a call to the refs during a commercial late in the game.

[danman31]

I love how people continue to say this about Boise, and Boise just keeps going out there and beating top 10 teams. How much more do they have to do?

Play tough teams three weeks in a row. Run the gauntlet Missouri has this year. @ A&M, vs OU, @ Nebraska, @ Texas Tech consecutively. One or two games don't make a top team. It's consistently playing and beating top 40 teams and still being able to win those top 15 match ups. How often do you see a team make a big statement win and then lose within the next two weeks? The whole argument against playoffs is that every game matters and it's tough to go 11-1 or undefeated in a tough conference. Boise has 2-3 games each season, not exactly what champions are made of. I will never respect Boise until they join a real conference. The Mountain West is an upgrade, but with BYU leaving I'm not so sure it's a big difference from the WAC.

[T R U]

I love how people continue to say this about Boise, and Boise just keeps going out there and beating top 10 teams. How much more do they have to do?

 

I really hope Boise makes the Championship game so they can get murdered by Ohio State and hopefully shut up all of the playoff backers..

 

Yeah, Boise can beat a Paul Thompson Oklahoma led team.. and they can beat a TCU team which is pretty much the same level as them when the BCS had the perfect opportunity to put them against a big time program.. and of course win a mistake filled game by Va Tech.. but does anyone honestly think they could have beaten Texas, Alabama, Ohio State, or Florida last season? I sure don't.

 

Do you think they would be able to beat Alabama or Ohio State this year? Not from what I saw from them tonight..

 

So sure, Boise State may be able to take advantage over mistakes from a first round team in a playoff but there is no way a team like Boise, or TCU, or Utah would EVER be able to run a gauntlet to win a championship in a playoff system.. at least in the current system they have a chance to play for a title because that wouldn't happen in a playoff..

[kjshoe04]

Play tough teams three weeks in a row. Run the gauntlet Missouri has this year. @ A&M, vs OU, @ Nebraska, @ Texas Tech consecutively. One or two games don't make a top team. It's consistently playing and beating top 40 teams and still being able to win those top 15 match ups. How often do you see a team make a big statement win and then lose within the next two weeks? The whole argument against playoffs is that every game matters and it's tough to go 11-1 or undefeated in a tough conference. Boise has 2-3 games each season, not exactly what champions are made of. I will never respect Boise until they join a real conference. The Mountain West is an upgrade, but with BYU leaving I'm not so sure it's a big difference from the WAC.

Get out of here with this. A real conference? What's a real conference? The weak Pac 10 that USC used to blow through? I don't see how you can hate on Boise St. They have consistently beaten teams from so called "real conferences". I'ts not like they are some division 2 school or anything. I'm pretty sure they are playing at the same level as every other team out there. Fans of BCS conference schools have such an elitist attitude sometimes.

[Kyyle23]

The Heisman Trophy Trust is to strip Reggie Bush of his Heisman and leave the title vacant, acccording to sources

 

 

discuss

[LittleHurt05]

The Heisman Trophy Trust is to strip Reggie Bush of his Heisman and leave the title vacant, acccording to sources

 

 

discuss

 

Meh, I hate the whole "vacating" thing that the NCAA does. Reggie Bush was the best college player in the 2005 season, whether or not the Heisman Trophy record books say so. Anybody who watched any college football that season knows that, and the highlights from that Fresno State game will always be around and show you that.

[RockRaines]

is that the kid who got jumped in a restaurant last year?

yes.

[ZoomSlowik]

Get out of here with this. A real conference? What's a real conference? The weak Pac 10 that USC used to blow through? I don't see how you can hate on Boise St. They have consistently beaten teams from so called "real conferences". I'ts not like they are some division 2 school or anything. I'm pretty sure they are playing at the same level as every other team out there. Fans of BCS conference schools have such an elitist attitude sometimes.

 

Boise State has played Washington, Oregon and Oregon State several times since 2002 (as far back as ESPN's schedules go).

 

They're 4-3 against the "mighty" Pac-10 over that stretch, with zero games against usual contenders USC and Cal (though Oregon is legit). If you expand it to all BCS conferences, they're 7-7 over that period.

 

People also seem to forget that they've lost bowl games to East Carolina, BC, Louisville and TCU as well as losses to Fresno State and Hawaii that would be a pretty major black mark against a good major conference team (well, not TCU so much).

 

That's the beauty of their current situation: they play 1-3 games against BCS teams (including Bowls) a year instead of the 8-10 for power conference teams. No one remembers when they lose because it's irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, and when they win they're the mighty underdog that should be playing for a national championship.

 

Sample size against consistently tough competition is pretty key. Someone like Northwestern (a decidedly average major conference team) has some pretty major wins over the same stretch, but no one cares because they also see them lose consistently to teams like Ohio State and Penn State as well as dropping the occasional game to Minnesota, Michigan State, Syracuse, ect. Boise State doesn't get that because they play in a weaker conference and rack up impressive win totals against teams that most BCS teams schedule as their out of conference games to make sure they get enough wins for bowl eligibility.

Edited September 7, 2010 by ZoomSlowik

[danman31]

Spectacular post Zoom. Boise isn't a top 10 team and probably never has been.

[Rowand44]

Boise State has played Washington, Oregon and Oregon State several times since 2002 (as far back as ESPN's schedules go).

 

They're 4-3 against the "mighty" Pac-10 over that stretch, with zero games against usual contenders USC and Cal (though Oregon is legit). If you expand it to all BCS conferences, they're 7-7 over that period.

 

People also seem to forget that they've lost bowl games to East Carolina, BC, Louisville and TCU as well as losses to Fresno State and Hawaii that would be a pretty major black mark against a good major conference team (well, not TCU so much).

 

That's the beauty of their current situation: they play 1-3 games against BCS teams (including Bowls) a year instead of the 8-10 for power conference teams. No one remembers when they lose because it's irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, and when they win they're the mighty underdog that should be playing for a national championship.

 

Sample size against consistently tough competition is pretty key. Someone like Northwestern (a decidedly average major conference team) has some pretty major wins over the same stretch, but no one cares because they also see them lose consistently to teams like Ohio State and Penn State as well as dropping the occasional game to Minnesota, Michigan State, Syracuse, ect. Boise State doesn't get that because they play in a weaker conference and rack up impressive win totals against teams that most BCS teams schedule as their out of conference games to make sure they get enough wins for bowl eligibility.

Boise State really hasn't been the Boise State that everyone talks about though since 2006. And since that time they've only lost to one team from a bcs conference. And if you're going to bring up Northwestern, the reason they might be able to pull off a big upset every now and than is because they get a ton more opportunities to face that competition so that argument works both ways.

 

And yes, I'd absolutely love to see these guys in the title game, they wouldn't and shouldn't be favored in that game but there's just no way in hell that they get blown out by any team in the country, it's just not happening.

[Heads22]

 

 

I just find this funny.

[RockRaines]

Boise State really hasn't been the Boise State that everyone talks about though since 2006. And since that time they've only lost to one team from a bcs conference. And if you're going to bring up Northwestern, the reason they might be able to pull off a big upset every now and than is because they get a ton more opportunities to face that competition so that argument works both ways.

 

And yes, I'd absolutely love to see these guys in the title game, they wouldn't and shouldn't be favored in that game but there's just no way in hell that they get blown out by any team in the country, it's just not happening.

The question is whether its more difficult to consistently face tough competition vs once in awhile. Boise just doesnt have to be perfect as often as a major conference title contender, which pads their record quite a bit. And you have no idea if they would get blown out, matchups are different with every team.

[knightni]

 

 

I just find this funny.

Man, those people in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Missouri, Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, and Nebraska are gonna be pissed.

[LittleHurt05]

I just find this funny.

 

LOL, and don't they realize that 50% of the students in Iowa City are from the Chicago suburbs? Probably wanna move that color over to cover WLS too.

Edited September 7, 2010 by LittleHurt05

[ZoomSlowik]

Boise State really hasn't been the Boise State that everyone talks about though since 2006. And since that time they've only lost to one team from a bcs conference. And if you're going to bring up Northwestern, the reason they might be able to pull off a big upset every now and than is because they get a ton more opportunities to face that competition so that argument works both ways.

 

And yes, I'd absolutely love to see these guys in the title game, they wouldn't and shouldn't be favored in that game but there's just no way in hell that they get blown out by any team in the country, it's just not happening.

 

That first part is the whole point. They've been doing basically the same thing since way back in 2002 (won 9 games in 2005, 10 in 2007, at least 11 every other year), but have only been getting National Title hype since 2006 when they beat Oklahoma in exciting fashion. They just couldn't get the same kind of hype when they got crushed by Arkansas in 2002, or when they lost to Oregon State in 2003, or when they lost in the Liberty Bowl to Louisville in 2004, or when they lost to Georgia and Oregon State the first two weeks in 2005, or lost to Washington week 2 in 2007. Even in 2008 when they ran the table, the talk stopped after they lost to TCU in the Pointsettia Bowl.

 

Right now, the entire level of success of their season basically depends on the 1 or 2 games against BCS teams and their bowl game.

 

Opportunities to get big wins is definitely a factor. Northwestern gets a few shots a year while Boise gets zero to two if you count bowl games.

 

However, there are also plenty more opportunities for losses. There are a lot more games against teams like Michigan State or Minnesota where they're a tougher test than someone like Idaho or New Mexico State but you don't really gain anything if you win since good teams are supposed to beat those kind of opponents.

 

I would guess they'd be around 8-4 against a schedule like that most years. However, we just don't know how good Boise State is because of their crappy schedule. I wasn't directly comparing them to NU, I was using them as an example to show what a nationally irrelevant BCS conference team can do on a somewhat consistent basis (they've got at least half a dozen wins against BCS bowl contenders this decade). The conference season/conference championships eliminate all but a few teams every year, even solid ones like Florida and OSU last year. That doesn't happen to Boise State.

 

They've NEVER played a legitimate championship caliber squad. There's quite a difference between beating a 2-loss Oklahoma team with a suspect QB or fringe top-10 teams like Oregon and Virginia Tech and beating someone with elite talent all over the field like recent versions of Texas, Alabama, Florida, ect. The non-BCS schools like Boise and TCU typically get matched up with the weakest team possible to try to maximize ratings in the other games. There's a very good chance they wouldn't be close to beating those teams, and most fans would much rather see a matchup with two teams that are more proven against legitimate competition.

Edited September 7, 2010 by ZoomSlowik

[T R U]

And yes, I'd absolutely love to see these guys in the title game, they wouldn't and shouldn't be favored in that game but there's just no way in hell that they get blown out by any team in the country, it's just not happening.

 

You're ridiculous.

 

They would get demolished by Alabama or Ohio State this season.

 

[Balta1701]

A brief playoff round would settle that...fwiw.

[IlliniKrush]

Great game last night. But I have to point this out - you know what annoyed me last night? Musburger playing the underdog card all game. Boise goes up early, and after 1 quarter it's "are you shocked America?"

 

Boise scores the TD to go ahead and it's "and Cinderella is alive!!!!"

 

WTF? Um, they are ranked #3 and are actually FAVORED in the game. On the road, mind you.

 

First of all, realize who's playing in the game and the circumstances surrounding it. Second, don't cater the broadcast to the never-watches-college-football-but-just-have-happened-to-tune-into-this-game crowd. Most of us watching last night are knowledgeable fans who knew Boise St was legit (regardless of the argument still going on here), knew everything about the teams, and weren't shocked to see some blue and white team with broncos on their helmet looking formidable aganist a "name" team.

 

It happened multiple times, and it was just really taking away from the broadcast. He's so much better than that, usually.