College Football Bowl Season Discussion Thread (and BG Bowl Pick Em)

[Bregor]

There's football today! One of the greatest rivalries in college football in Army - Navy at 2:30 on CBS

Gary and Verne in the booth with Obama, probably gonna turn it into a campaign stop like he did the Carrier Classic.

[Cail]

annd Griffin takes the Heisman

[archibaldcrane]

Congrats to Griffin, the only player as worthy as Ball.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S 4G using Tapatalk

[Cail]

Final Voting

Player 1st-place votes Total points
Robert Griffin III 405 1,687
Andrew Luck 247 1,407
Trent Richardson 138 978
Montee Ball 22 348
Tyrann Mathieu 34 327
Matt Barkley 11 153
Case Keenum 10 123
Kellen Moore 6 90

[LAGUNA]

woooo one of the few reasons i come back here every year

[Akiyama]

Dyer suspended for the bowl game for smoking marijuana. Also rumors about him wanting to transfer, lol. Gonna lose to Virginia.

[Octorok]

Pfft. They were gonna lose before the suspension, gonna get ugly now.

[Bregor]

Final Voting

Player 1st-place votes Total points
Robert Griffin III 405 1,687
Andrew Luck 247 1,407
Trent Richardson 138 978
Montee Ball 22 348
Tyrann Mathieu 34 327
Matt Barkley 11 153
Case Keenum 10 123
Kellen Moore 6 90

Voting was kind of a joke to me, even though the right guy won. Luck got votes based purely on preseason hype and NFL buzz. My ballot would have been RG3, Ball, Trent.

[FNH]

Voting was kind of a joke to me, even though the right guy won. Luck got votes based purely on preseason hype and NFL buzz. My ballot would have been RG3, Ball, Trent.

blasphemer

[Plow]

man all espn's big analysts have KSU losing at like 31+ confidence >.>

who knows rather we'll win or not, but I don't understand how you can have that team losing to anyone at extremely high confidence unless you haven't actually watched the big 12


oh

[Bregor]

man all espn's big analysts have KSU losing at like 31+ confidence >.>

who knows rather we'll win or not, but I don't understand how you can have that team losing to anyone at extremely high confidence unless you haven't actually watched the big 12


oh

According to Vegas, there are only five bowls with spreads of more than one possession:

Boise State (-14) over Arizona State, Hawaii Bowl, 12/22
Oklahoma (-14) over Iowa, Meineke Car Care Bowl, 12/30
TCU (-10) over Louisiana Tech, MAACO Bowl, 12/21
Texas A&M (-9.5) over Northwestern, Sun Bowl, 12/31
Baylor (-9) over Washington, Armed Forces Bowl, 12/29

So if those are your 31-35 confidence picks, pretty much anything else is up for grabs. As of right now Arkansas is (-7.5) over K-State on most sites.

Also, considering three of the five teams given two-possession spreads are from the Big XII, I'd say they're being given their due respect.

[Plow]

sorry, but did you happen to read which 3 matchups those are?


also I'm actually just bashing espn for being sectards

[Bregor]

A&M/Washington may not end up being that bad. Of all the lines I've seen, Wisconsin (+6) against Oregon was one of the most WTF to me.

Also of all the things to bash ESPN over, this is pretty weak.

Finally, right tackle D.J. Fluker coming back to Bama for his senior season, fk yeah.

[Bregor]

Also FML if this is true:

With usual barrage of coaching turnover dominating the headlines this winter, how does a relatively obscure welterweight like Colorado State guarantee some attention for its new hire? Well, poaching the chief play-caller for one of the heavyweights vying for the national championship is a good start: The Rams are expected to introduce Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain Tuesday as their new boss, simultaneously injecting a dose of optimism into a stagnant program and at temporarily throwing the Crimson Tide's prep for the BCS title game into a state of flux.

Of course, now as ever, Alabama's dominance begins on defense. But McElwain's offense has never been a mere cloud-of-dust complement: In four years, his system has produced eight draft picks, four first-rounders, six consensus All-Americans, two Heisman Trophy finalists and one Heisman winner. The Crimson Tide have averaged at least 32 points on more than 400 yards per game three years in a row — the most prolific stretch in school history — and just matched the 2010 attack for yards and points this year despite losing three first-round picks and the starting quarterback. At 220 yards per game rushing and 214 passing, it was arguably the most balanced offense in the country.

Which brings us to the million-dollar question: Will McElwain stick around long enough to organize the game plan and call the plays against LSU? And does it matter if he doesn't?

In the BCS era, we've seen assistant coaches go both ways, with… let's say inconclusive results. In 1998, outgoing Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe handed over the offense to quarterbacks coach Randy Sanders on his way to Ole Miss, and Sanders delivered with a championship-clinching plan against Florida State in his first game as a play-caller. Two years later, Florida State offensive coordinator Mark Richt stayed on to call the 2001 Orange Bowl before taking over at Georgia, only to lead the No. 1 offense in the nation into a shutout against Oklahoma. (The Seminoles' only points in a 13-2 loss came via safety by the defense.) In 2007, LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini decided to soak up the opportunity before shipping out for Nebraska, staying on to revel in a beatdown of Ohio State.

Based on extremely limited precedent, then, McElwain's decision could be no big deal, or could be one of the key factors that swings the pendulum in a game most books are currently listing as a pick 'em. Fortunately, we know Alabama fans aren't the type to obsess about this sort of thing at all.

[Plow]

Also of all the things to bash ESPN over, this is pretty weak.

meh I just happened to be watching when they were showing all the picks and stuff and was like wtf

I can totally understand picking Arkansas, but putting 30+ confidence against a team that was supposed to be like 3-4 win territory and has lost 2 games instead, one going down to the very last play against a team that has a strong argument for being in the nc game...

wat

[Akiyama]

People outside of the Big 12 don't think KSU's worth shit, that's why.

Me.. I'm okay with KSU because they're basically Auburn from last year in regards of a stud at QB who can carry a team.

As for coaching changes.. Malzahn out of Auburn for Arkansas State? I mean dude.. I get moving on, but moving down like that? gg. Saw the McElwain news.. sucks for Bama. Also Ted Roof's leaving Auburn too.. but LOL. Fuck that guy. His defensive gameplans were ass.

Rumors about Dyer transferring as well.. makes me wonder if there's something going on closed doors that's gonna be let out very soon and coaches/players are getting out before it hits.

Either way, I think AU's glad to get to where they are going.. but I would most certainly pick Virginia over them considering how much turnover they're seeing. I think Coaches who bail before the bowl.. or announce it before the bowl are absolutely disgusting, though. You have a job there at the moment.. finish the job there before talks of you leaving surface.

[Byrd]

I can totally understand picking Arkansas, but putting 30+ confidence against a team that was supposed to be like 3-4 win territory and has lost 2 games instead, one going down to the very last play against a team that has a strong argument for being in the nc game...

I couldn't agree more. I've got Arkansas as a low confidence victor, but in an identical money pool except for using the spread, I've got Kansas State with a 21 confidence at +8.5. This is one of the bowl games I'm most looking forward to, behind only the NCG, the Fiesta and the Rose.

[Ryany]

I glanced at Malzahn signing this morning on another board and missed the St. after Arkansas. My first thought was, “That’s shitty pay for an SEC School.” I got a laugh out of how I didn’t even bother to think about the fact that Petrino has not left Arkansas. I guess my subconscious pictures Petrino switching teams every few years. Then again, someone that has had 16 coaching jobs in 28 years kind of does that to my mind.

[Plow]

I couldn't agree more. I've got Arkansas as a low confidence victor, but in an identical money pool except for using the spread, I've got Kansas State with a 21 confidence at +8.5. This is one of the bowl games I'm most looking forward to, behind only the NCG, the Fiesta and the Rose.

Yeah, the Texas Tech and Texas games were both games where I looked at the spread/odds and was like damn I wish I was a better.

I may finally give in and put a bit down on this one, I just don't see us losing a bowl game by 8+ right now. Arkansas is good but they don't have the trenches of an OU/LSU/Bama, which I think is the only way you're going to get away from a close game with KSU.

[Plow]

fuck I can't find decent cotton bowl tickets for any remotely reasonable price >< $210 for top section very corner seats...

even the party passes are at 180, this is bullshit

we sold out cowboys stadium btw...