Official 2010-2011 NCAA Football Thread

[Rex Hudler]

Kev, I hear you on the Notre Dame - MIchigan game. Let's not forget though that Michigan stopped ND w/ Crist 4 times in the 2nd half and the 95 yrd TD pass was one play on blown coverage. In the first half, I got the same exact feeling you are describing. However, I just ask that Crist wasn't that great in the 2nd half after the first drive.

 

I would submit to you that Robinson's first road game and only his 2nd start isn't representative as to how the offense is playing now nor will it play the rest of the year.

 

Turnovers and special teams could be Michigan's achilles heel. We already know the D is limited. I don't expect every team to shred it like Chappell and Indiana did, but I have no delusions they are a good defense. The offense is predicated on what the defense gives them. I think the best any team in the country can do is try and slow them down, limit the big plays and make the drive the length of the field. That increases the odds for mistakes and turnovers. I do think at some point this year, the defense will give a good enough effort to win a game and a FG or two will determine their fate at one point. They are 1-4 on FG's and have pretty much shut it down. If their kicker(s) can show that was a fluke and become solid inside 40 they'll be okay. That may not happen. I'm certainly not looking for a long FG, that's for sure.

 

The tests are ahead. But with MSU, Iowa and Wisky at home and Penn St struggling, I think 9 wins is realistic. They won't win all of those games, but stealing at least two of those four would be very nice. Eight wins would not be a disaster, but a bit of a disappointment.

[kev211]

Kev, I hear you on the Notre Dame - MIchigan game. Let's not forget though that Michigan stopped ND w/ Crist 4 times in the 2nd half and the 95 yrd TD pass was one play on blown coverage. In the first half, I got the same exact feeling you are describing. However, I just ask that Crist wasn't that great in the 2nd half after the first drive.

 

I would submit to you that Robinson's first road game and only his 2nd start isn't representative as to how the offense is playing now nor will it play the rest of the year.

 

Turnovers and special teams could be Michigan's achilles heel. We already know the D is limited. I don't expect every team to shred it like Chappell and Indiana did, but I have no delusions they are a good defense. The offense is predicated on what the defense gives them. I think the best any team in the country can do is try and slow them down, limit the big plays and make the drive the length of the field. That increases the odds for mistakes and turnovers. I do think at some point this year, the defense will give a good enough effort to win a game and a FG or two will determine their fate at one point. They are 1-4 on FG's and have pretty much shut it down. If their kicker(s) can show that was a fluke and become solid inside 40 they'll be okay. That may not happen. I'm certainly not looking for a long FG, that's for sure.

 

The tests are ahead. But with MSU, Iowa and Wisky at home and Penn St struggling, I think 9 wins is realistic. They won't win all of those games, but stealing at least two of those four would be very nice. Eight wins would not be a disaster, but a bit of a disappointment.

 

Yeah I was harsh on Michigan, but obviously thats because I let emotions about a game I still think ND wins get into my head(I just really wish both teams could play a game where everyone was healthy, it be a great game). I think ND and Michigan are currently on the same level right now and that Michigan is probably a little overrated, and ND is a little underrated. Both teams look to have a solid future right now though. Obviously its going to take time for Kelly's system to take effect at ND, and it looks the Rich Rod's system is finally starting to work for Michigan. If Michigan goes out and beats MSU this weekend I'll start to become a bigger believer of them, but then again ND only lost to MSU in OT @MSU. If Notre Dame loses to Pitt then I'll start believing everyone else in that they're a terrible team though, because theres no excuse for losing to this Pitt team on your field.

 

It sucks being a Notre Dame fan when everyone is the country hates your team, and the minute they go 2-3 with the hardest schedule in the nation to this point everyone jumps on them and says they're good awful when they're not as bad as their record shows.

 

Michigan will beat Illinois, Purde, and maybe Penn st. They might steal a game vs OSU, Wisc, MSU, or Iowa. So yeah thats 8-10 wins, probably 9ish. I still don't think they're as good as the media and people are making them out to be, but they're also not the fraud I made them out to be.

Edited October 7, 2010 by kev211

[danman31]

You didn't seem to think Alabama was clearly better then Texas after the National Championship last year, and by your logic here you should have. You can go take a look in last years NCAAF thread if you don't believe me.

 

In a 4 point game no matter where its played its hard to say that a team is clearly better then a team even without injuries.

 

All I'm saying is Notre Dame played close with Michigan and MSU both of whom are ranked, beat BC and Purdue, and got destroyed by a great Stanford team. Michigan beat a decent to good UCONN team 3 other cookies and played close with Notre Dame who didn't have their starting QB for an entire half. So if you think Michigan is clearly better then ND that's crazy.

 

Michigan and ND are both around the same level probably somewhere between 20-30th teams in the nation. Michigan might be better but they're not this beast team thats going to roll through the big ten and end up in the BCS like everyone seems to be acting. You need to stop 1 player to beat Michigan, great teams have more then one weapon. Notre Dame would be 5-0 or 4-1 if they played Michigan's current schedule so theres no way you can prove that Michigan is "clearly" better.

It's a few weeks old now. Let it go. ND is 2-3 and deserves to be. There were no bad calls or ripoffs. They just lost close games. Also, their schedule so far certainly is not the toughest in the country to date. Alabama has played 4 BCS teams, @ Arkansas is harder than any game ND has played and they played Florida as well. It's been a tough opening, but it evens out.

 

People hate ND because of their fans and you aren't helping that by complaining that they should have beat Michigan a few weeks and two more losses later. Every team has a game they should have won. Also, having that ND BC garbage on instead of Stanford Oregon makes me want ND's program wiped off of college football. They are a mediocre program getting top tier attention still and that's bulls***. ND isn't special anymore.

[He_Gawn]

Kev, I hear you on the Notre Dame - MIchigan game. Let's not forget though that Michigan stopped ND w/ Crist 4 times in the 2nd half and the 95 yrd TD pass was one play on blown coverage. In the first half, I got the same exact feeling you are describing. However, I just ask that Crist wasn't that great in the 2nd half after the first drive.

 

I would submit to you that Robinson's first road game and only his 2nd start isn't representative as to how the offense is playing now nor will it play the rest of the year.

 

Turnovers and special teams could be Michigan's achilles heel. We already know the D is limited. I don't expect every team to shred it like Chappell and Indiana did, but I have no delusions they are a good defense. The offense is predicated on what the defense gives them. I think the best any team in the country can do is try and slow them down, limit the big plays and make the drive the length of the field. That increases the odds for mistakes and turnovers. I do think at some point this year, the defense will give a good enough effort to win a game and a FG or two will determine their fate at one point. They are 1-4 on FG's and have pretty much shut it down. If their kicker(s) can show that was a fluke and become solid inside 40 they'll be okay. That may not happen. I'm certainly not looking for a long FG, that's for sure.

 

The tests are ahead. But with MSU, Iowa and Wisky at home and Penn St struggling, I think 9 wins is realistic. They won't win all of those games, but stealing at least two of those four would be very nice. Eight wins would not be a disaster, but a bit of a disappointment.

 

 

Bingo. I think Chappell and the rest of the Indiana Offense will shred nearly every defense they play this year. This week vs Ohio State will show a lot.

[RockRaines]

It's a few weeks old now. Let it go. ND is 2-3 and deserves to be. There were no bad calls or ripoffs. They just lost close games. Also, their schedule so far certainly is not the toughest in the country to date. Alabama has played 4 BCS teams, @ Arkansas is harder than any game ND has played and they played Florida as well. It's been a tough opening, but it evens out.

 

People hate ND because of their fans and you aren't helping that by complaining that they should have beat Michigan a few weeks and two more losses later. Every team has a game they should have won. Also, having that ND BC garbage on instead of Stanford Oregon makes me want ND's program wiped off of college football. They are a mediocre program getting top tier attention still and that's bulls***. ND isn't special anymore.

They arent special right NOW, but they look like they will be good and they still have one of the most universally appealing programs in the country and a HUGE fanbase.

[kev211]

It's a few weeks old now. Let it go. ND is 2-3 and deserves to be. There were no bad calls or ripoffs. They just lost close games. Also, their schedule so far certainly is not the toughest in the country to date. Alabama has played 4 BCS teams, @ Arkansas is harder than any game ND has played and they played Florida as well. It's been a tough opening, but it evens out.

 

People hate ND because of their fans and you aren't helping that by complaining that they should have beat Michigan a few weeks and two more losses later. Every team has a game they should have won. Also, having that ND BC garbage on instead of Stanford Oregon makes me want ND's program wiped off of college football. They are a mediocre program getting top tier attention still and that's bulls***. ND isn't special anymore.

Notre Dame has only played BCS teams and 3 currently ranked Stanford, Michigan, and Michigan St. team. San Jose St. and Duke are far and away weaker then any team ND has played. Florida isn't the same without Tebow. So before telling me Alabama has a harder schedule actually look at the two schedules, but please do tell me someone in the country whose schedule right now is hands down harder then ND's to date because its not Alabama. Don't get me wrong Alabama would be 5-0 if they played ND's schedule because I don't think there is a team in the nation that can hang with them right now. Their schedule just isn't harder than ND's to this point. Ya I said ND could have beat Michigan but everyone is right in that I can't prove it, and I'll have to get over it. I never said they should have won vs Stanford or MSU. I'm just trying to say they're better then their record shows, and most people here except you refuse to accept that. Also, sorry ESPN is making a smart business decision into getting one of the biggest fan bases in the nation to tune into their channel even if it means sacrificing a good game in certain areas, because if you were making that decision for ESPN you'd make the same one.

Edited October 7, 2010 by kev211

[RockRaines]

Nebraska is like Michigan but with good defense. Tough add to the conference.

[danman31]

Nebraska is like Michigan but with good defense. Tough add to the conference.

Sustainability is certainly a question with Nebraska. This time a year ago they were just cracking the rankings I believe. Martinez had 5 passes in the first half. That's insane. You complain about Michigan being one-dimensional, but that is video game s***. I'm not sure they can pull that off against tough teams. Hard not to be impressed though. I thought K State being at home would make it competitive.

 

And kev, ND is better than 2-3, but they deserve the record whether or not it lines up with their quality. I still think they're a 7-5 type team. Kelly is a great hire if the fan base can wait for him to develop the team.

[Rex Hudler]

Yeah I was harsh on Michigan, but obviously thats because I let emotions about a game I still think ND wins get into my head(I just really wish both teams could play a game where everyone was healthy, it be a great game). I think ND and Michigan are currently on the same level right now and that Michigan is probably a little overrated, and ND is a little underrated. Both teams look to have a solid future right now though. Obviously its going to take time for Kelly's system to take effect at ND, and it looks the Rich Rod's system is finally starting to work for Michigan. If Michigan goes out and beats MSU this weekend I'll start to become a bigger believer of them, but then again ND only lost to MSU in OT @MSU. If Notre Dame loses to Pitt then I'll start believing everyone else in that they're a terrible team though, because theres no excuse for losing to this Pitt team on your field.

 

It sucks being a Notre Dame fan when everyone is the country hates your team, and the minute they go 2-3 with the hardest schedule in the nation to this point everyone jumps on them and says they're good awful when they're not as bad as their record shows.

 

Michigan will beat Illinois, Purde, and maybe Penn st. They might steal a game vs OSU, Wisc, MSU, or Iowa. So yeah thats 8-10 wins, probably 9ish. I still don't think they're as good as the media and people are making them out to be, but they're also not the fraud I made them out to be.

 

Your last sentence is where I disagree. I don't think the media is making Michigan out to be a good/great team at all. In fact, I still hear references to last year's melt down and talk of the toughest part of their schedule ahead. They are getting a lot of love because of Denard Robinson beause he is an amazing talent who appears to be extremely humble and handling all the attention well. But defense and special teams as well as turnovers will play a vital role the rest of the year. No one is overlooking that part of UM's team.

 

That said, I'd be fine if they beat every team on their schedule the rest of the way 50-49 (assuming I could live through it), but that just ain't gonna happen! If that's the case, hell with defense, we'll figure that part out next year.

[Rex Hudler]

Sustainability is certainly a question with Nebraska. This time a year ago they were just cracking the rankings I believe. Martinez had 5 passes in the first half. That's insane. You complain about Michigan being one-dimensional, but that is video game s***. I'm not sure they can pull that off against tough teams. Hard not to be impressed though. I thought K State being at home would make it competitive.

 

And kev, ND is better than 2-3, but they deserve the record whether or not it lines up with their quality. I still think they're a 7-5 type team. Kelly is a great hire if the fan base can wait for him to develop the team.

 

By one dimensional does one mean offensive? Everyone sees the highlights of Robinson running 60+ yards with defenders chasing him, but some might be surprised he is averaging about 240 yards passing a game and is completing 70% of is passes. His passer rating is 179.97. I've never been able to figure out what the hell that means, but I know it's high.

 

Look for Michigan to score quickly Saturday through the air. I see MSU trying to crowd the line and Robinson burning them over the top. After that, it'll probably be hold on tight.

[kev211]

Your last sentence is where I disagree. I don't think the media is making Michigan out to be a good/great team at all. In fact, I still hear references to last year's melt down and talk of the toughest part of their schedule ahead. They are getting a lot of love because of Denard Robinson beause he is an amazing talent who appears to be extremely humble and handling all the attention well. But defense and special teams as well as turnovers will play a vital role the rest of the year. No one is overlooking that part of UM's team.

 

That said, I'd be fine if they beat every team on their schedule the rest of the way 50-49 (assuming I could live through it), but that just ain't gonna happen! If that's the case, hell with defense, we'll figure that part out next year.

I think thats probably because you're a Michigan fan so the negativity is going to stick out more then the positivity would stick out to me. It might also be because my roomate thinks Michigan is the greatest team in the country hands down haha.

[GoodAsGould]

I think thats probably because you're a Michigan fan so the negativity is going to stick out more then the positivity would stick out to me. It might also be because my roomate thinks Michigan is the greatest team in the country hands down haha.

 

Yeah I havent been hearing all the Michigan hype either, even the few fans on this site have tempered expectations. That being said I havent watched ESPN for a long time so cant speak to how they are broadcasting it.

[RockRaines]

By one dimensional does one mean offensive? Everyone sees the highlights of Robinson running 60+ yards with defenders chasing him, but some might be surprised he is averaging about 240 yards passing a game and is completing 70% of is passes. His passer rating is 179.97. I've never been able to figure out what the hell that means, but I know it's high.

 

Look for Michigan to score quickly Saturday through the air. I see MSU trying to crowd the line and Robinson burning them over the top. After that, it'll probably be hold on tight.

How often has he gone over the top though? The games I've seen, his passes are short and the WR has broken them for long runs. The bad passes he's thrown have been the deep balls.

[CanOfCorn]

Sustainability is certainly a question with Nebraska. This time a year ago they were just cracking the rankings I believe. Martinez had 5 passes in the first half. That's insane. You complain about Michigan being one-dimensional, but that is video game s***. I'm not sure they can pull that off against tough teams. Hard not to be impressed though. I thought K State being at home would make it competitive.

 

And kev, ND is better than 2-3, but they deserve the record whether or not it lines up with their quality. I still think they're a 7-5 type team. Kelly is a great hire if the fan base can wait for him to develop the team.

 

With the move to the Big Ten...I think sustainability is no-longer going to be a question. It opens up new recruiting locales and I think, even though they'll be new to the Big Ten, they will play heavily on the traditions of it, as well as NU's own traditions. They may lose a bit of a foothold in Texas, but I'm not sure how much talent they get from there anyway.

[Heads22]

Time to find out just how good Utah is...might just be better than Iowa.

[danman31]

With the move to the Big Ten...I think sustainability is no-longer going to be a question. It opens up new recruiting locales and I think, even though they'll be new to the Big Ten, they will play heavily on the traditions of it, as well as NU's own traditions. They may lose a bit of a foothold in Texas, but I'm not sure how much talent they get from there anyway.

That may be, but at any school sustainability is a question until they prove otherwise. This is still a new coaching staff. Is Nebraska merely a perennial top 25 with occasional top 10 teams or are they a perennial top 10? This is, after all, the first time this coaching staff has been in the top 10 and that's still largely based on hype.

[Buehrle>Wood]

Kev's gone off the deep end.

[zenryan]

How often has he gone over the top though? The games I've seen, his passes are short and the WR has broken them for long runs. The bad passes he's thrown have been the deep balls.

 

 

 

I would love to see how many YAC yards Michigan's WR corp has. They must lead the nation because it seems like a lot of Robinson's passes are within the sticks and then the WR breaks it.

[nitetrain8601]

That may be, but at any school sustainability is a question until they prove otherwise. This is still a new coaching staff. Is Nebraska merely a perennial top 25 with occasional top 10 teams or are they a perennial top 10? This is, after all, the first time this coaching staff has been in the top 10 and that's still largely based on hype.

 

I think moving is going to benefit Nebraska big time. I think they'll return to the top considering they will now be recruiting in new land and already have the talent to compete with the best teams.

[Heads22]

True, but they won't have guarantee games against Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Colorado and Missouri anymore. Instead, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Northwestern.

 

That Iowa series should be legit.

[fathom]

Denard's racked up the passing yards because the other team continues to use one or two spotters on him, thus allowing a lot of single coverage and broken defensive assignments (I love the fake dive and then pass to the slot play). I've seen him miss a lot of deep passes, but I'll give him credit, in the games against ND and Indiana, he was sensational passing the ball on the final drive.

[Rex Hudler]

How often has he gone over the top though? The games I've seen, his passes are short and the WR has broken them for long runs. The bad passes he's thrown have been the deep balls.

 

That's a fair point. Touch on the deep ball is his biggest weakness right now. He has gone what I will call "over the top" 4-5 times on seam passes and deep slants. It's not your traditional long ball, but it doesn't have to be deep to be "over the top" when the safety's are biting hard on the run. Most of their long plays have been shorter passes that are broken long, but those are because of the favorable numbers the offense creates. They get one on one situations with good WR blocking and numbers advantages due to teams playing the run.

 

I will be curious how they will do if they play a team that will play close bump and run at the line on our WR's. If they can slow down our receivers and not get beat that will take some of the options out of the offense. It opens up possibilities for a different kind of big play, but will eliminate many of the shorter passes.

[dasox24]

I'm incredibly interested to see how Tennessee responds after last week's debacle. Though it may not really matter with 3 true freshman and a true sophomore (JUCO transfer with no other D1 offers) starting on the O-line tomorrow.

 

Injuries have absolutely destroyed us this year, and what makes it worse is that we have no depth, so when a starter goes out, it's like losing 2 people. Our depth chart is essentially a bunch of 1's and 3's. There are no 2's - that's how big of a gap we have between those who start and those who don't.

 

I'm also worried b/c Georgia is 1-4 and are pretty much in a must-win situation or else Richt will probably be fired.

[Rex Hudler]

I'm incredibly interested to see how Tennessee responds after last week's debacle. Though it may not really matter with 3 true freshman and a true sophomore (JUCO transfer with no other D1 offers) starting on the O-line tomorrow.

 

Injuries have absolutely destroyed us this year, and what makes it worse is that we have no depth, so when a starter goes out, it's like losing 2 people. Our depth chart is essentially a bunch of 1's and 3's. There are no 2's - that's how big of a gap we have between those who start and those who don't.

 

I'm also worried b/c Georgia is 1-4 and are pretty much in a must-win situation or else Richt will probably be fired.

 

How would you like to be Vince Dooley Saturday?

[dasox24]

How would you like to be Vince Dooley Saturday?

Haha, no joke. I believe he said this summer that he wouldn't wear orange but he would be quietly rooting for his son - of course, I can't find that quote now.

 

Anyway, I really would love to stick it to Georgia. Our game against them last year was probably my 3rd favorite game of my college career, mainly b/c it was so unexpected. We were really struggling at the time and they were supposed to handle us pretty easily. Then we came out and dominated 45-19 (they didn't score an offensive TD).