Official 2013-2014 NCAA Football Thread

[RockRaines]

I've been hearing things.

He's a target, but they hadnt been in contact as of today.

 

Thats kind of a lateral move when he's due for an HC position. He also convinced Braxton to stay at OSU.

 

 

 

We did lost Vrabel to the NFL today.

Edited January 10, 2014 by RockRaines

[dasox24]

Notre Dame switches from Adidas to Under Amour. That's pretty big news... Tennessee's Adidas contract is up next year, and most people at UT say they're going to make the switch to Nike. That would be two huge losses for Adidas.

[SoxFan1]

There's kind of a little difference in attaching yourself to a team when you're 10 as opposed to when you are 30.

10 year old me was a total front-runner in 1999 when Weinke to Warrick was tearing up the country.

 

I don't get it. What about people who go to a D2, D3 or community/junior college? Are they not allowed to root for other schools?

 

I fell in love as a kid, and stuck with them through freakin' Chris Rix and Drew Weatherford and the failure that was Adrian McPherson. Not like I've been a USC, Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama fan over the last decade too.

[IlliniKrush]

Notre Dame switches from Adidas to Under Amour. That's pretty big news... Tennessee's Adidas contract is up next year, and most people at UT say they're going to make the switch to Nike. That would be two huge losses for Adidas.

And you thought nd had ridiculous special uniforms and helmets lately...oh boy.

[IlliniKrush]

10 year old me was a total front-runner in 1999 when Weinke to Warrick was tearing up the country.

 

I don't get it. What about people who go to a D2, D3 or community/junior college? Are they not allowed to root for other schools?

 

I fell in love as a kid, and stuck with them through freakin' Chris Rix and Drew Weatherford and the failure that was Adrian McPherson. Not like I've been a USC, Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama fan over the last decade too.

Wow, what tough times.

[dasox24]

And you thought nd had ridiculous special uniforms and helmets lately...oh boy.

Ha, good point. UA does some ridiculous stuff (i.e. Maryland).

[SoxFan1]

That's awesome. I expect to lose Benjamin but I'm sure at least one of Freeman/Williams will be back at RB. Also hoping O'Leary comes back as well. I'm quite shocked Erving is returning though, he was possibly a 1st round pick.

So Freeman and Benjamin are the only two left to decide. Jerningan is going, which he should, as he'll be a 1st rounder. Williams, Matias and O'Leary all coming back too.

 

Offense should be filthy again next year. Winston back, 4 of 5 OL back with Barron easily sliding in to replace Stork. Depending on Freeman, RB should be loaded with some of Freeman/Williams/Green/Cook and maybe Pender? O'Leary is among the best TE in the country, which leaves the WR open for competition. Assuming Benjamin leaves, you have Rashad Greene, Christian Greene and then a lot of room for someone to step up. Isaiah Jones was a huge recruit and he's got the size to replace Benjamin. Travis Rudolph might get a chance as a true freshman. They're in on Malachi Dupre, who would be a HUGE get, and Florida commit Ermon Lane has been rumored to possibly flip to FSU too.

[cabiness42]

What's with the Irish football players and academic issues? Daniels suspended for spring semester but will be back next fall.

 

I know when Golson got suspended, there was a second player involved and supposedly that player was Daniels, but he didn't get suspended then because it was his first offense and Golson's second. I would have thought Golson's suspension would be enough to scare Daniels straight, but maybe not.

 

There are no easy academic paths at ND. You can't major in tomahawk chopping or painting with garnet and gold.

 

ND is pretty deep at WR anyway, so he could just go away and I wouldn't miss him. I think the Admiral's kid is going to be the stud WR now that Jones is gone.

 

[LittleHurt05]

I know when Golson got suspended, there was a second player involved and supposedly that player was Daniels, but he didn't get suspended then because it was his first offense and Golson's second. I would have thought Golson's suspension would be enough to scare Daniels straight, but maybe not.

 

There are no easy academic paths at ND. You can't major in tomahawk chopping or painting with garnet and gold.

 

ND is pretty deep at WR anyway, so he could just go away and I wouldn't miss him. I think the Admiral's kid is going to be the stud WR now that Jones is gone.

 

I laughed.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

So Freeman and Benjamin are the only two left to decide. Jerningan is going, which he should, as he'll be a 1st rounder. Williams, Matias and O'Leary all coming back too.

 

Offense should be filthy again next year. Winston back, 4 of 5 OL back with Barron easily sliding in to replace Stork. Depending on Freeman, RB should be loaded with some of Freeman/Williams/Green/Cook and maybe Pender? O'Leary is among the best TE in the country, which leaves the WR open for competition. Assuming Benjamin leaves, you have Rashad Greene, Christian Greene and then a lot of room for someone to step up. Isaiah Jones was a huge recruit and he's got the size to replace Benjamin. Travis Rudolph might get a chance as a true freshman. They're in on Malachi Dupre, who would be a HUGE get, and Florida commit Ermon Lane has been rumored to possibly flip to FSU too.

 

Kermit Whitfield should be more involved with the offense as well.

 

Shouldn't affect them at all but it appears Jacob Coker is going to be transferring.

[bmags]

So, that one issue aside, James Franklin to me was going to be the best hire in college football. I thought if the stanford coach left he was a lock.

 

Penn State will be a tough win for the next few years, and mizzou like gains back an easy win! Woo hoo!

[RockRaines]

I laughed.

Me too. FS's graduation rate is equally as hilarious.

[RockRaines]

So, that one issue aside, James Franklin to me was going to be the best hire in college football. I thought if the stanford coach left he was a lock.

 

Penn State will be a tough win for the next few years, and mizzou like gains back an easy win! Woo hoo!

PSU is going to have a really tough time in their division, of course not all PSU fans care about winning, for example:

 

 

Reading about this coaching search, opinions on Bill O'Brien, and in some part opinions about JoePa show me that there are two broad types of Penn State fans out there:

 

1. The win at all costs Penn State fan: He just wants to see the football team win. Get the best coach, recruit the best players, and do whatever it takes to bring the program to a national championship level program again.

 

2. The true Penn State fan: He is a Penn State fan and wants to see the team win, but not at all costs. He wants to continue to pursue JoePa's Grand Experiment, which is to field a competitive football team without cutting corners academically. He wants to see Penn State bring in a coach who will be loyal, who will bring in recruits who are here to play football AND here to get a degree. He does not want to bring in a new head coach that will kill the traditions that exist here that make Penn State different.

 

 

I think Penn State fan #1 tends to be younger. They weren't around for Paterno's best years, and don't have a true appreciation for everything he accomplished. They aren't as big into tradition. They'd like to see some Nike Pro Combat uniforms with horns growing out of the helmets and flashing blue and white Christmas lights on the jerseys.

 

I don't get Penn State fan #1, and I'm not old. Respect tradition, people. It will make me sick to see this place turn into the next Oregon/Florida St/insert any SEC program here. I just hope the next guy they bring in here respects what type of program we have here, and keeps many of the things that make Penn State what it is in place for the foreseeable future.

 

Always, Always holier than thou. To this day they think they are the cleanest program ever ran.

[bmags]

PSU is going to have a really tough time in their division, of course not all PSU fans care about winning, for example:

 

 

 

 

Always, Always holier than thou. To this day they think they are the cleanest program ever ran.

 

Ha! What is that quoting?

[ChiSox_Sonix]

It's funny to me when people like to act like things such as graduation rate or academic performace matter. People watch college athletics for the athletics. They root for who they root for for performance on the field of play. They don't care about how their favorite player is doing in the classroom. They don't care about what he'll be doing after he leaves school. People only pretend to care when it involves another school or if it leads to sanctions against their own. Certainly, alumni want their school to be looked at in as good of a light as possible. But when fans of a school's athletic teams try to act like they actually give two s***s about academics, please. No you don't. It just makes for a convenient little narrative when the opportunity to bash another school presents itself. It reeks of sour grapes every single time.

[RockRaines]

Ha! What is that quoting?

Just about every poster on the PSU forums.

 

They still have their tinfoil hats on regarding the Paterno firing. If you havent been exposed to PSU fans in the past, they are pretty much all like that.

[cabiness42]

It's funny to me when people like to act like things such as graduation rate or academic performace matter. People watch college athletics for the athletics. They root for who they root for for performance on the field of play. They don't care about how their favorite player is doing in the classroom. They don't care about what he'll be doing after he leaves school. People only pretend to care when it involves another school or if it leads to sanctions against their own. Certainly, alumni want their school to be looked at in as good of a light as possible. But when fans of a school's athletic teams try to act like they actually give two s***s about academics, please. No you don't. It just makes for a convenient little narrative when the opportunity to bash another school presents itself. It reeks of sour grapes every single time.

 

There are a lot of alumni of Big 10, PAC 12 teams, along with ND and Vanderbilt, who do care about the academic performance of their teams.

 

Fans of those teams, who never went through the toils of actually getting a degree from one of those schools, tend to care much less, though there are definitely exceptions.

[RockRaines]

There are a lot of alumni of Big 10, PAC 12 teams, along with ND and Vanderbilt, who do care about the academic performance of their teams.

 

Fans of those teams, who never went through the toils of actually getting a degree from one of those schools, tend to care much less, though there are definitely exceptions.

APR is important because your teams can actually get penalized and lose scholarships as well as lose postseason play.

 

Teams that score below 925 and have a student-athlete who both failed academically and left school can lose scholarships (up to 10 percent of their scholarships each year) under the immediate penalty structure.

Teams with Academic Progress Rates below 900 face additional sanctions, increasing in severity for each consecutive year the team fails to meet the standard.

Year 1: a public warning letter for poor performance

Year 2: restrictions on scholarships and practice time

Year 3: loss of postseason competition for the team (such as a bowl game or the men's basketball tournament)

Year 4: restricted membership status for an institution. The school's entire athletics program is penalized and will not be considered a part of Division I.[8]

 

Turns out graduation rate is a large part

 

Teams that fail to achieve an APR score of 925 - equivalent to a 50% graduation rate - may be penalized

[IlliniKrush]

It's funny to me when people like to act like things such as graduation rate or academic performace matter. People watch college athletics for the athletics. They root for who they root for for performance on the field of play. They don't care about how their favorite player is doing in the classroom. They don't care about what he'll be doing after he leaves school. People only pretend to care when it involves another school or if it leads to sanctions against their own. Certainly, alumni want their school to be looked at in as good of a light as possible. But when fans of a school's athletic teams try to act like they actually give two s***s about academics, please. No you don't. It just makes for a convenient little narrative when the opportunity to bash another school presents itself. It reeks of sour grapes every single time.

And also don't care about off the field issues such as sexual assault?

 

The above may be your opinion, but there are a ton of fans/alumni that care more about "just winning at all costs." It's more than just academics.

[cabiness42]

And also don't care about off the field issues such as sexual assault?

 

Some people do care about it enough to research the specifics and not just believe whatever fits their pre-formed opinion of the school.

[witesoxfan]

I know when Golson got suspended, there was a second player involved and supposedly that player was Daniels, but he didn't get suspended then because it was his first offense and Golson's second. I would have thought Golson's suspension would be enough to scare Daniels straight, but maybe not.

 

There are no easy academic paths at ND. You can't major in tomahawk chopping or painting with garnet and gold.

 

ND is pretty deep at WR anyway, so he could just go away and I wouldn't miss him. I think the Admiral's kid is going to be the stud WR now that Jones is gone.

 

So you are telling me I can't go to Notre Dame and major in physical education (or some other form of physical fitness)?

 

I find that incredibly hard to believe. Just like every single school in the country that has an athletics program, there are going to be slack classes and majors. I got a 103% in a summer class that was taught by an idiot and his assistant/wife gave us the answers to the questions on the finals THE DAY OF the final prior to taking it. This was at DI FCS U of South Dakota. You don't think those athletes at schools where sports make more money don't get treatment like that?

[IlliniKrush]

Some people do care about it enough to research the specifics and not just believe whatever fits their pre-formed opinion of the school.

Haha, right.

 

Defend at all costs!

[Soxbadger]

Yeah i dont care how smart the players are, their job is to be good at sports, my job was to be good at school.

 

I do care if they are rapists and bad people, that I wont support. Luckily Wisconsin has generally avoided that type of stuff, their shoe box scandal was free clothes and who doesnt love free s***.

[RockRaines]

So you are telling me I can't go to Notre Dame and major in physical education (or some other form of physical fitness)?

 

I find that incredibly hard to believe. Just like every single school in the country that has an athletics program, there are going to be slack classes and majors. I got a 103% in a summer class that was taught by an idiot and his assistant/wife gave us the answers to the questions on the finals THE DAY OF the final prior to taking it. This was at DI FCS U of South Dakota. You don't think those athletes at schools where sports make more money don't get treatment like that?

There has to be some way for them to graduate 97 percent of players.....

 

To be honest though, knock them as we will for many things, their APR and grad rate is top notch, only behind NW in terms of D1 programs. Thats pretty awesome.

[Soxbadger]

There has to be some way for them to graduate 97 percent of players.....

 

To be honest though, knock them as we will for many things, their APR and grad rate is top notch, only behind NW in terms of D1 programs. Thats pretty awesome.

 

I graduated college and I wasnt a famous football player, thats not really an accomplishment given how little you need to do to not fail out of college. ND is a small private school, way easier to control faculty.