College Football Bowl Games -- The Playoffs!

Status
Not open for further replies.
All I have to say is that Les Miles won a national championship with Nick Saban's players, and has gotten worse as time goes on...
 
All I have to say is that Les Miles won a national championship with Nick Saban's players, and has gotten worse as time goes on...

That is a fair statement, but he did coach LSU to a national championship, and he should not be slighted for that.
 
Mason, you cite Dennis Erickson and Mike Gundy as examples of "good" coaches, while you characterize (by implication) Mark Richt and Les Miles as "pretty suspect." Erickson has been a bust the last two years at Arizona State, and Gundy has yet to win either a divisional title or even 10 games in a season while at Oklahoma State. OTOH, Richt's team has beaten Erickson's the last two seasons. In addition, Richt has two SEC titles, has coached his team to three BCS appearances, a 7-2 bowl record, and one of the best winning percentages (and number of wins) of any head coach, including non-conference opponents (again, see the bowl record). And Les Miles has won an SEC championship, a couple of divisional titles, and a national championship. None of that is "suspect," especially when compared to Erickson and Gundy.

Miles coached a 2-loss team to the MNC, which should never have been there to begin with and which is widely regarded as the worst championship team ever. Richt beats the weaklings but still does not have a win - in the regular season or bowls games - over a top level program outside the SEC. I'm not saying he and Miles are bad coaches, simply that they aren't any better than the second tier coaches in other conferences. Every conference has their really good coaches, their OK coaches, and the mediocre coaches. The SEC is no different.

Actually, one could make the case that the reason Ohio State makes it to the BCS every season (and two BCS title games two years in a row, where they were embarrassed by the SEC on both occasions) is for this reason -- an overall weak conference. The same could be said of the PAC-10 -- sure, USC is a great team, but they play in a conference in which there was virtually no parity until this past season. And one thing that actually hurts those two conferences (strength-wise) is that teams can win without having to play in a championship game. Ohio State can win the Big 10 without even necessarily playing the best team (other than themselves) in the conference.

I won't deny that the Big 10 was down both years OSU made it to the MNC game and lost. But a championship game has both its pros and cons. On many occasions the 2nd best team in the Big 12 or SEC is in the same division as the winner, making the championship game somewhat irrelevant. Alabama and Florida were the two best this year, but it doesn't always work out that way.

Actually, the way the bowls set up, only Alabama and Florida were matched against Top 10 teams. So if Bama does win, that'll mean the SEC went 2-0 against top ten opponents. The Big Ten has done well this bowl season, but the PAC-10? Oregon State lost (to a Big-10 team). And outside of the three really good Big 10 teams, what did the rest of the conference do? 1-3.

I wasn't talking about just bowls here, I was talking about the ENTIRE season. One of the big knocks on the SEC is their weak OOC schedule. To their credit, Alabama played Virginia Tech this year and Penn State the next two years, but the rest of the SEC plays a horribly week OOC slate. Since 2000 the SEC's record against top level teams during the regular season has been dismal, especially on the road (0-4 against UCLA, 0-2 against USC, 0-2 against Oklahoma, 0-1 against Michigan, 1-1 against OkSU, to name a few). The SEC might finish with 2 wins over Top 10 teams for the entire year, but that's worse than the Big 10 and PAC 10. SEC fans will argue that because their conference is the toughest they shouldn't have to play hard OOC games, but that's circular reasoning - to be considered the best you have to prove it against outside competition.

Again, the point isn't to down the SEC - it is consistently one of the elite conferences. But to pretend they are a notch above everyone else every single year is to ignore reality.
 
Mason, you are cherry-picking the OOC games you are citing. You are leaving out, for instance, the fact that Alabama demolished a top-10 Clemson team last season, or that Georgia went 2-0 against Clemson earlier in the decade. Georgia plays Georgia Tech every season, and is 8-1 against them in the Richt era. You could also consider the fact that historically, Ohio State (who before this season had played a very weak OOC schedule -- I remember at least one season they took the Ohio cupcake tour for OOC games) has never beaten an SEC team, or that a team like Georgia has never lost to a Big-10 team.

Miles coached a 2-loss team to the MNC, which should never have been there to begin with and which is widely regarded as the worst championship team ever. Richt beats the weaklings but still does not have a win - in the regular season or bowls games - over a top level program outside the SEC.

That is pure hyperbole to say the LSU team was "the worst championship team ever" simply because they had two loses. And they destroyed an Ohio State team in doing so. The championship was won on the field, against the Big Ten champ, after winning the SEC championship game. Richt's 7-2 bowl record speaks for itself -- it includes 2 BCS bowl wins, one over a (major) conference champion (one of those bowl wins was also against the same Virginia Tech you mentioned in your post). Is a top-10 ranked Georgia Tech team a top-ranked program? Win. Is Boise State considered to be a top program now (maybe not, but many top schools don't like playing them)? Georgia destroyed them a few years back.

You are considering the data that is favorable to your point and ignoring other considerations. Every conference has teams that play cupcakes. That's the reality of the matter. And every school does it. Sometimes it can't be avoided (such as when you play a conference schedule that naturally includes weak teams every year -- e.g., every PAC-10 team had to play Washington State this season). Consider Georgia. They have to play Vanderbilt every season because that school is in their division -- there's no way around it, good or bad (Vanderbilt did have a decent team last season, and even went to a bowl game and won it). They also have to play South Carolina every year in the second game of the season (that's significant, because under Spurrier, SC is always pretty good at the beginning of the season, before injuries set in; it's no coincidence that they start the season with a decent record, then falter at the end of the season; when they face Tennessee and Florida, it's always at the end of the year, and they just do not have the depth at skill positions as those schools). And Georgia always plays traditionally tough schools like Tennessee (though down the last two years), Florida, and Auburn every season. Because of rotating schedules, some seasons (like last) they will have to face both LSU and Alabama the same year. And this year they also played both Oklahoma State and Arizona State (scheduled back when ASU had just won a share of the PAC-10 title). They play Georgia Tech every year. Because GT is OOC and on the schedule every season, that leaves either 2 or 3 games max to schedule OOC. Two of those games they scheduled (years back) for what appeared to be top flight opponents (the other game was a cupcake -- but only one, unlike some schools). So they went 2-1 against OOC FCS schools this season (the loss was against a top-10 team at the time, one of the wins against a top-10 team at the time). This season Georgia played against 9 bowl-bound teams during the regular season. That's more than conference champions such as Oregon, Cincinnati, Texas (including the extra championship game), and Ohio State.

I appreciate the comments at the end about the SEC, but to characterize coaches like Richt and Miles as "pretty suspect" while at the same time you call Gundy and Erickson "good" just doesn't jive. And I haven't even commented on the bowl performance of some of the other "good" coaches, such as Tressel and Stoops. While I do think they are good coaches, their performance in the big game doesn't always show that. If you are going to be critical of certain SEC teams for OOC performance, you might also want to include Ohio State and Oklahoma on that list as well.
 
Last edited:
The final word on this conversation is the following: The best team wins the National Championship game. This year, is it a Big 12 team or an SEC team? The other possibilities were Cincinnati, TCU, and Boise State. After Boise State beat TCU, being asked if they deserve a shot at the national championship, their coach ignored the question, and a captain or MVP of the game stated that he didn't think so. He has a good enough mind to know unless there is a playoff system, a Boise State football team isn't going to be good enough.

Cincinnati on the other hand got beat badly by Florida. Being one of the major conferences, they might have had a claim to it prior to this game. However, their coach left, which might be a good reason why they lost as bad as they did. Who knows, maybe with Kelly sticking around, the bearcats could've pulled off an upset. It's happened before (Boise State beating Oklahoma, etc.).

But this year it is Big 12 vs. SEC. The winner holds bragging rights for the year, and shows that their conference (based on how they played against those teams) rank comparably. In some measure. I guess we have to take into consideration that any team can win on any given day. Which is why I don't know who will win tonight. If I had to pick, I'd go with Alabama for obvious reasons.
 
The final word on this conversation is the following: The best team wins the National Championship game. T

What are you talking about, Andrew? The final word on this thread is this: College Bowl Pick'em has been decided, and the winner is BackwoodsPresbyterian!

Here are the "final" results:

Backwoods: 21-12
Soonerborn: 20-13
DD2009: 20-13
Tripel: 19-14 (+1 bonus)
Hokie: 19-14
Edward: 18-15
Romans922: 17-16 (+1 bonus)
Micheal: 16-17 (+1 bonus)
CBryant: 16-17
ColdSilverMoon: 15-18

I used the bonus to rank the order (since they did not factor into the overall winner, nor 2nd and 3rd place).

Just to keep things interesting, I'm going to hand out second and third place. It will be between DD and Sooner, and I'll use the tie-breakers. Both picked Bama to win tonight, but DD picked the SEC and Sooner picked the Big-10 to have higher winning pct. So if Bama wins tonight, DD will finish second, and if Texas wins, it will be Soonerborn.

Congrats again, Benjamin. The final result was a lot closer than I thought it would be at first! But you did at least have the tie-breaker sown up with the Big East pick!
 
Knew the BE would represent. What is amazing is that I went 11-0 in the first 11 and then went 10-12 the rest of the way and somehow managed to win.
 
So what you are saying is that you are pretty good at picking the bowl games that matter little, but those which hold more importance that have good teams playing in them you are terrible at picking??? :)
 
Congrats Backwoods. After your fast start I thought I had no chance to catch you. I started out 2-6 in my first 8 picks but had a nice stretch run.
 
Mason, you are cherry-picking the OOC games you are citing. You are leaving out, for instance, the fact that Alabama demolished a top-10 Clemson team last season, or that Georgia went 2-0 against Clemson earlier in the decade. Georgia plays Georgia Tech every season, and is 8-1 against them in the Richt era. You could also consider the fact that historically, Ohio State (who before this season had played a very weak OOC schedule -- I remember at least one season they took the Ohio cupcake tour for OOC games) has never beaten an SEC team, or that a team like Georgia has never lost to a Big-10 team.

Clemson finished 6-7 last year - do you really consider them a top-level team when Alabama played them? I left out rivalry games - Florida-FSU, Georgia-Georgia Tech, South Carolina-Clemson, etc, which more or less even the record out any way you slice it. Ohio State played Texas the year they won the MNC with Vince Young (split 1-1 with the Horns), and played NC State with Philip Rivers earlier in the decade (2-0). My point is that if the SEC is so dominant then Alabama, Florida, LSU, Georgia, etc. wouldn't be afraid to schedule Oklahoma, Texas, USC, etc. They don't schedule them routinely and when they have they've been beaten. And OSU may have a bad record against the SEC, but Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan do just fine against the SEC.

LSU isn't the worst MNC team ever because they had two losses, but because they lost to both Arkansas and Kentucky, and survived at home against Auburn and Florida while taking major gambles in each game. There is no reason whatsoever LSU deserved to be in that title game and USC did not - the Tigers were there purely because of pre-season hype, not because of on-field performance.

As for coaches - calling Richt and Miles "suspect" may have been too strong, but they certainly aren't great. When Richt consistently out-coaches Carroll, Stoops, Brown, Tressel, Paterno, Saban, and Meyer, I'll give him credit. But he hasn't even been in games big enough to play the first 5, and has a pretty bad record against Saban and Meyer. Same goes for Les Miles, who hasn't fared well against any of those coaches except Tressel. Once again, Richt and Miles are solid coaches, but they aren't any better than the 2nd level coaches in any other conference.

The SEC is no better on a yearly basis than any of the other top conferences, but I will say it is nice to have a discussion about college football without the conversation devolving into crass language and personal attacks, unlike so many other message boards. And thanks, Pastor Phillips, for the weekly pick 'em and the bowl playoff thread - lots of fun!
 
Clemson finished 6-7 last year - do you really consider them a top-level team when Alabama played them? I left out rivalry games - Florida-FSU, Georgia-Georgia Tech, South Carolina-Clemson, etc, which more or less even the record out any way you slice it.

Actually, Clemson finished with a 7-6 record last season (after losing their bowl game; they were a team in turmoil for most of the season, having their coach step down mid-season). My point, though, was that Clemson was ranked in the top 10 when Bama faced them. And the rivalry games are part of the point, and they do not simply even out -- Georgia rountinely beats Georgia Tech and Florida routinely beats Florida State, for instance. Some conferences, on the other hand, because of affiliations, might not play a rivalry game against an OOC opponent (Michigan v. Ohio State, for instance). That's not a knock, of course; I'm simply saying you cannot ignore those games because they do not fit into a particular argument. If an SEC (or any conference, for that matter) has a tough OOC opponent on its schedule every season, that needs to be considered. And when a team defeats a top-10 opponent from another conference (such as Georgia beating Georgia Tech a few weeks ago), that has to be considered a big win, even if it is a rivalry game.

LSU isn't the worst MNC team ever because they had two losses, but because they lost to both Arkansas and Kentucky, and survived at home against Auburn and Florida while taking major gambles in each game. There is no reason whatsoever LSU deserved to be in that title game and USC did not - the Tigers were there purely because of pre-season hype, not because of on-field performance.

Both of LSU's loses were in OT. The last was one of those "rivalry games." USC also lost two games that season: to Stanford and Oregon. Both of LSU's opponents were bowl teams, while Stanford finished the season 4-8 and Oregon finished the season losing its last three games. The fact that the PAC-10 has no championship game probably hurt USC as well. USC didn't even win its conference outright, sharing the title with Arizona State.

As for coaches - calling Richt and Miles "suspect" may have been too strong, but they certainly aren't great. When Richt consistently out-coaches Carroll, Stoops, Brown, Tressel, Paterno, Saban, and Meyer, I'll give him credit. But he hasn't even been in games big enough to play the first 5, and has a pretty bad record against Saban and Meyer. Same goes for Les Miles, who hasn't fared well against any of those coaches except Tressel. Once again, Richt and Miles are solid coaches, but they aren't any better than the 2nd level coaches in any other conference.

I wouldn't call them "great" either, but you have to recognize that they have certain accolades which cannot be ignored (lots of wins and conference titles for Richt, a national championship with Miles) and they are certainly better in current form than two of coaches you named, Gundy and Erickson. To give Gundy credit, he is a good young coach, but he hasn't actually proven himself thus far. Erickson has been good in the past, at Miami and with one good season apiece at Oregon State and Arizona State, but he has now posted back-to-back losing seasons. For what it's worth, I believe Richt is 2-3 all time versus Saban, btw.

The SEC is no better on a yearly basis than any of the other top conferences, but I will say it is nice to have a discussion about college football without the conversation devolving into crass language and personal attacks, unlike so many other message boards. And thanks, Pastor Phillips, for the weekly pick 'em and the bowl playoff thread - lots of fun!

You are correct in saying this is a down year for the SEC (the last two, actually, at least in some respects), but that is in part because of two top programs that faltered last year (Auburn and Tennessee) and new coaches at those places this year. I think LSU has been down the last two seasons (which lends credence to your Miles observations) as well. Richt suffered this season because of the loss of talent to the NFL (two first rounders left early) and a young team. But the SEC did very well in bowls games against other conferences last year (something that could be said about the Big 10, for instance), and they will likely have a winning record again this year (the Big 10, at 4-3, has its first winning record in years; the PAC-10, spotless last season in bowls, has been awful this year). This year you have 3 really solid teams from the Big 10 this season, but a noticeable drop off after that. Top to bottom, look at the overall weakness of teams in Big-10 this year: Purdue, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois had losing records (versus two teams in the SEC, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt). I don't think it is fair to say the two conferences, top to bottom are on the same level.

It is nice to have a discussion about these things and to keep everything in perspective. It is, after all, just a game. Sorry that I was incensed at the perceived disrespect (perceived on my part) at certain coaches. What this really speaks in favor of is a bowl system in college football. I always like the bowl season, because that is when you have the unique match ups. Plus, Georgia has always done very well against the Big 10, no fear there. ;)
 
Well, we definitely agree on the last point - I'm one of those few hold-outs who favors the bowl system - it basically makes every single game a vitally important game, if not a de facto playoff. And you're right about Clemson last year - I realized my mistake after I had submitted the post.

As for Richt - I think he is a classy guy and a good family man (and I've heard a believer), but I'm not a fan of his coaching style. I think he runs a Bowden-esque loose ship and I don't like all the sideline dancing, taunting, and antics he allows from his players. I also think his teams play very undisciplined football, which is why they are consistently one of the most penalized teams. Just my opinion, and of course my team (Penn State) has had its share of off-field problems of late, and that's under a very tight-run ship under Joe Paterno...
 
As for Richt - I think he is a classy guy and a good family man (and I've heard a believer), but I'm not a fan of his coaching style. I think he runs a Bowden-esque loose ship and I don't like all the sideline dancing, taunting, and antics he allows from his players. I also think his teams play very undisciplined football, which is why they are consistently one of the most penalized teams.

No disagreements there. Richt is, in fact, a professing Christian (Bobby Bowden is actually the one who "lead him to the Lord" as they say), and he has even taken some of his players on mission trips during the off season, leads Bible studies, etc. That is good for the Kingdom. On the other hand, the "loose ship" comment is entirely warranted. As a Georgia fan, I find it incredibly frustrating at the number of penalties Georgia racks up (especially over the last two seasons). Most of them are "dumb" penalties as well -- personal fouls, that sort of thing. But things got better at the end of the season. The only reason they beat Auburn, Georgia Tech, and Texas A&M is because they managed to cut down on penalties and turnovers. The defense was much maligned for most of the season, but when you give up the ball as much as they did (without forcing turnovers) and give up "free yardage" via dumb penalties, well the defense is going to suffer and you're going to give up a lot of points on the scoreboard. We'll see if things change once Georgia brings in a new defense coordinator (most of the penalties, naturally, were on defense).
 
I'm one of those few hold-outs who favors the bowl system - it basically makes every single game a vitally important game, if not a de facto playoff..

I don't buy that argument. Yes, every regular season game is important, but only for a handful of teams. By week 8 or 9 this season, there were only a handful of games that truly mattered, because the title game was essentially down to 4 teams. Those last few weeks of the season featured mostly games that had no impact on the national title.

Now contrast that to a 16 team playoff. That's probably 25 schools who are doing everything they can to not only qualify for the tournament, but also claim home-field advantage.

So I would argue that a properly coordinated tournament would add even greater importance to the whole of the regular season.
 
I-AA has a sixteen team playoff (I think they are expanding it to 24 next season) that works pretty well. The playoffs are very exciting and the regular season games are meaningful (you've got to either win your conference or capture one of the few at-large bids to make it). But I also understand Mason's point as well: we don't want college football to turn into a "March Madness" derivation. As exciting as that month is, it makes the rest of the college basketball season a snoozer.
 
So in light of Bama's title, I'd like to put just a few things into perspective about the SEC since it's been discussed in this thread. Earlier there was a lot of back and forth about opinions. Here are just a few facts.

  • With Bama defeating Texas last night, the SEC now has 4 National Championships in a row...something that has never been accomplished in the modern history of college football (which means excluding all those Ivy League championships around the turn of the 20th century).
  • In showing the strength and depth of the conference, these 4 titles were obtained by 3 separate teams.
  • If we go back a little further, the SEC now claims 5 of the last 7 National Championships.
  • Now let us examine the BCS era. This is important because prior to the BCS schools were awarded the National Championship. Since the BCS, schools have actually won the National Championship--on the field. So in the BCS era, which began in 1998, the SEC leads with 6 National Championships (accomplished with 4 separate teams). No other conference has more than 2.
  • If recent history isn't enough, let's step back and look at the big picture. The SEC leads all-time with 17 National Championships (again, in the modern era--since the beginning of the AP poll in 1936).
  • Over half of the teams (7) in the SEC have National Championships. And there is only one team in the SEC (Miss St) who has an all-time record of wins and losses under .500.
  • But even bigger than the trophy case: throughout the entirety of all-time college football, here is a list of the number of teams each conference has in 2 categories: Top 25 wins all-time and Top 50 wins all-time. Guess who's on top in both...

topconference.jpg


These are the facts. No other conference can hold a candle to them.
 
Last edited:
This has to be the most mythical of all MNCs. Alabama loses by 2-3 TDs if Texas had McCoy. The fact that it was as close as it was should be an embarrassment to the SEC and Alabama, not some sort of bragging right. Michael, Alabama had that game absolutely handed to them on a platter and still couldn't seal the deal until very late. Sure, the SEC has won a lot of titles of late, but that doesn't mean their conference is the best top to bottom. There really is no way you can make that claim this year - 3 Big 10 teams in the final AP top 10, 4 in the Top 16 - more than any other conference including the SEC. Three bowl wins over Top 15 teams - only the second time it has happened in history. SEC may have the MNC, but they are not the best conference this year.

Looking forward to seeing Penn State smash that feeble Tide offense next year in Tuscaloosa...
 
Both conferences (SEC & Big 10) finished with four teams in the AP top 25. If you want to dig deeper, three other SEC teams received votes to finish in the AP top 25, the Big 10 received no other votes. But when it's all said and done the SEC finished two teams in the top 3, including the championship. Pretty sure that takes the cake.
 
Colt McCoy and the Sovereignty of God

How does a young man learn so much about the Sovereignty of God at such a young age? His post game interview took my breath. "I don't ever worry about why things happen. God is in control of my life." To be able to say that while obviously very disappointed is very revealing. It's taken me decades to get to that point (and I still fall back sometimes).
 
Actually, Texas should have had 2 touchdowns handed to them early in the game, and that would have made a huge difference (if they had gone up 14-0). Of course, the injury to McCoy hurt (no pun intended), but good teams still have to score TDs when they get the ball deep in opponent's territory. But the injuries went both ways: Ingram ran at will against the Texas defense, but Texas was able to make a comeback because he was out for much of the second half with cramps. The call for the shovel pass just before the half made a huge difference as well (not just the interception, but the failure to tackle the defender on the play). Alabama was up big at halftime, and they seemed to be content to "play not to lose" in the second half. Without Ingram, they didn't accomplish much.

Anyway, it's time to give out the PB awards for the bowl season. Here they are:

Champ: BackwoodsPresbyterian (of course)
Second Place: DD2009
Third Place: Soonerborn

Congrats, and thanks to all for playing!
 
Even though I bleed burnt orange and love all things Big XII, I have to admit that the SEC is better. They put more players in the NFL than any other conference. To me this speaks louder than any record will. For example, Texas has one of the best rush defenses in all of college, but they play in a pass happy conference where no one is dedicated to the run. So it is easy to put up good stats when no one is really trying. Now look at UT when they play a team with a serious running game, Bama walks all over them. Stats and records mean nothing. NFL draft picks should be the plumbline.
 
Even though I bleed burnt orange and love all things Big XII, I have to admit that the SEC is better. They put more players in the NFL than any other conference. To me this speaks louder than any record will. For example, Texas has one of the best rush defenses in all of college, but they play in a pass happy conference where no one is dedicated to the run. So it is easy to put up good stats when no one is really trying. Now look at UT when they play a team with a serious running game, Bama walks all over them. Stats and records mean nothing. NFL draft picks should be the plumbline.

I will reluctantly have to agree with you. I miss the days when the Big 8 / Big 12 would run the ball old school, and run it with an attitude. I really feel that the finesse, spread offense has taken away that "swagger" an offense needs to have. Teams like OU, and Texas need to get back to being able to line up and run the ball down their oppenents throat. It seems like this day and age, coaches are trying to "outsmart" their opponents rather then trying at times to overpower them. Back in the day, OU would line up in the wishbone, and they knew that their opponents knew what play was coming and they still ran it with the attitude of "here we come; you can't stop us!".

Watching OU play offense, sometimes they seem to change the play at the line of scrimmage 2-3 times which often leads to busts and much confusion. I hope they develop an attitude of "we will run the ball" next year.
 
The problem though is that if UT or OU starts to do it and they play each other, they are now at a disadvantage. Think about it. Last year OU could score in a matter of seconds with their offense. For UT to keep up, they had to sling it out and score fast too. A slow ground pounding offense just won't work against a high flyer especially when you get behind. So now, you are probably going to have one or two losses in your conference and no hopes at a big bowl game. Without the bowl and ranking, recruiting goes down. So now not only are you trying to rebuild something, you are doing it with weaker players.

On the other hand if UT and OU continually play this high flying offense and stay at the top of the conference, recruiting is up and Mack Brown gets his five million a year. It all comes down to playing your conference. The defenses are more pass oriented because that is what they see all year. They don't worry about recruiting the best rush defenders out there, because they need the scholarships for the cornerbacks and lineman who can read routes at the blink of an eye.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top