The Rampant, Irresponsible College Football Thread

[SmileOfTheShadow]

It's that time of year again. I'm sure everyone's had a lot of jokes made about Michigan already. And Cal proved that the Pac 10 > SEC. What do you think is in store for this week's matchups?

Most people I know are talking about Michigan vs. Oregon (poor oregon, no win...if you win..you beat the team that lost to App. St. If you lost, you lose to a I-AA team), LSU vs. VT, and somewhat Penn St. vs. ND, but everyone knows the outcome of the last one.

What do you guys think? And how overrated is the Big East? And how underrated is Hawaii?

[Der Mike]

Hawaii cannot compete with a good team.

The PAC-10 looks like it might be really good, but LSU looks like it has a real claim as the best team in the country (they are slaughtering Va Tech right now 24-0). The ACC is still terrible and the Big 10 is being exposed as a brutally average conference (and Notre Dame showed, as usual, that they were overrated). The Big East looks better than the ACC and Big 10 right now.

But, hey, my Carolina Gamecocks beat Georgia today, so all is good.
-=Mike

[Dr Maturin]

That was a rather big win, Mike, but can the Cocks keep it coming? You've got LSU soon. And I really don't think you can get past us. It's going to be rough for any team going up against this man:

http://arkbear.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/mcfaddenespn.jpg

[Der Mike]

LSU will take Carolina apart. It's the only game I don't think the Cocks have a shot at winning.

My faith in Arkansas late in the season, after last season, is pretty well non-existent. Carolina's defense actually tackled people and the offense does just enough to win.
-=Mike

[Dr Maturin]

LSU will take Carolina apart. It's the only game I don't think the Cocks have a shot at winning.

Let's be honest...the Tigers are going to take everyone apart this season.

My faith in Arkansas late in the season, after last season, is pretty well non-existent.

A lot has changed since last season. In my opinion, they need a new defensive coordinator. They got rid of that high school coach (who went on to a glorified high school at University of Tulsa) and put in a pro as offensive coordinator. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. But one thing is sure...if this season sees Arkansas with fewer than seven in-conference wins (the amount from last year), we won't see an assistant coach shakeup; we're going to see Houston Nutt gone. It's stupid, but that's how it'll go.

[Der Mike]

7 conference wins is EXTREMELY optimistic for Arkansas.
-=Mike

[Dr Maturin]

They did it last year, which was nothing short of amazing. So what did the Hogs fans do? They brought up Houston Nutt's career in-conference record. If he doesn't at least match his performance from last year, you can bet he'll be gone. They won't take another season of bitching from (stupid) fans, fearing that the support will dwindle. We'll see what happens.

[SmileOfTheShadow]

Arkansas was very good last year, and underrated til the end of the season too. Too bad their conference has been losing big games save LSU.

Speaking of which, I do believe that LSU is probably the best team in football right now, though I think the Pac 10 conference is strongest overall.

As far as the big east, I think they're ridiculously overrated. Kinda like Hawaii/Boise St is every year. Here's why:

Sure they've got 7 teams undefeated right now, but their schedules for the most part are jokes. I might add that the Big 10 has 8 undefeated teams right now, so that really doesn't say much.

Big East:

Connecticut - Beat Duke and Maine. My high school team could have done the same.

South Florida - Elon? Who? And after watching the game, instead of saying how much of a testament this is to the big east being great, it looked to me like Auburn really sucks this year. Who misses 4 field goals like that? Terrible. I'll give you south florida's CBs are great, but that's about it. Their offense looks very weak.

Louisville - Such challenging opponents as Murray St and Middle Tennessee St!!!! And..no defense at all against the latter.

Rutgers - Buffalo. Joke. Navy, well...10 years ago that woulda been a real game, right? Keep telling yourselves that big east.

Pittsburg - East Michigan and Grambling State. Nuff Said.

West Virginia - Western Michigan and Marshall. Hmm...are these schedules starting to look the same?

Cincinnati - SE Missouri St. And..the only real game the entire big east has played so far (who, by the way is probably about as good or less than Auburn) Oregon St.

I'm sorry, but with those wins, it doesn't mean anything. And I see next week has such challenging opponents as Temple, Norfolk St. and Miami (OH) to offer. I think we'll see them going overrated all the way again this year. Hopefully most of them will take each other out like they did last year so we don't have to deal with a BCS contending Rutgers again. Or should we hope for a Big East vs. Mountain West national title?

It's my opinion that if Michigan and Notre Dame played big east teams to start their schedules, they'd be 2-0 right now.

Now that they're discredited. Mountain West. They always whine that they're not ranked high enough, this last weekend showed why. Hawaii almost lost to Louisian Tech. Boise St. went down to Washington.

[AaronB]

It's my opinion that if Michigan and Notre Dame played big east teams to start their schedules, they'd be 2-0 right now.

Shirley, you jest. Michigan lost to a Division I-AA team and Oragon at home and you think that they would be 2 -0 playing teams from the Big East.

Pitt btw is playing MSU this week and it will quite a test. Especially without their starting QB (lost for the season in game 1) and now they lost someone on the DL for the season this week as well. Now it seems that they are loosing their AD to Arkansas.

[Dr Maturin]

Now it seems that they are loosing their AD to Arkansas.

Don't need one, either.

[Der Mike]

Arkansas was very good last year, and underrated til the end of the season too. Too bad their conference has been losing big games save LSU.

Speaking of which, I do believe that LSU is probably the best team in football right now, though I think the Pac 10 conference is strongest overall.

As far as the big east, I think they're ridiculously overrated. Kinda like Hawaii/Boise St is every year. Here's why:

Sure they've got 7 teams undefeated right now, but their schedules for the most part are jokes. I might add that the Big 10 has 8 undefeated teams right now, so that really doesn't say much.

Big East:

Connecticut - Beat Duke and Maine. My high school team could have done the same.

South Florida - Elon? Who? And after watching the game, instead of saying how much of a testament this is to the big east being great, it looked to me like Auburn really sucks this year. Who misses 4 field goals like that? Terrible. I'll give you south florida's CBs are great, but that's about it. Their offense looks very weak.

Louisville - Such challenging opponents as Murray St and Middle Tennessee St!!!! And..no defense at all against the latter.

Rutgers - Buffalo. Joke. Navy, well...10 years ago that woulda been a real game, right? Keep telling yourselves that big east.

Pittsburg - East Michigan and Grambling State. Nuff Said.

West Virginia - Western Michigan and Marshall. Hmm...are these schedules starting to look the same?

Cincinnati - SE Missouri St. And..the only real game the entire big east has played so far (who, by the way is probably about as good or less than Auburn) Oregon St.

I'm sorry, but with those wins, it doesn't mean anything. And I see next week has such challenging opponents as Temple, Norfolk St. and Miami (OH) to offer. I think we'll see them going overrated all the way again this year. Hopefully most of them will take each other out like they did last year so we don't have to deal with a BCS contending Rutgers again. Or should we hope for a Big East vs. Mountain West national title?

It's my opinion that if Michigan and Notre Dame played big east teams to start their schedules, they'd be 2-0 right now.

Now that they're discredited. Mountain West. They always whine that they're not ranked high enough, this last weekend showed why. Hawaii almost lost to Louisian Tech. Boise St. went down to Washington.

Not saying the Big East is the best conference in football. Just better than the ACC and Big 10 right now. Behind the SEC, PAC-10, and Big 12. The Big 10's best team, Wisconsin, struggled with UNLV. OSU hardly looked good against Akron. Michigan is a disaster. MSU will fall apart after week 6 --- as usual. Penn State is brutally average.

The Big East has a legit claim to #4 conference.
-=Mike

[SmileOfTheShadow]

Not saying the Big East is the best conference in football. Just better than the ACC and Big 10 right now. Behind the SEC, PAC-10, and Big 12. The Big 10's best team, Wisconsin, struggled with UNLV. OSU hardly looked good against Akron. Michigan is a disaster. MSU will fall apart after week 6 --- as usual. Penn State is brutally average.

The Big East has a legit claim to #4 conference.
-=Mike

Oh sure, I'll give you that. lol. Though, MSU isn't really too much of a test. To the other poster: Oregon's a solid team. And I think they're going to continue to surprise people, though I don't know why because they've been pretty good for a few years now. And as far as the I-AA thing, they were the champions of I-AA last year, and everyone knows that when teams play against those easy teams they often come in really cocky. I've seen some bad losses in games that are totally due to that. Now they're just heartbroken and don't care anymore so it's the reverse problem. I think right now it's looking:

1. Pac 10
2. SEC (probably because of LSU, without them I'd put them below the big 12)
3. Big 12
4. I'll go ahead and say Big east
5. Big 10 (though this is subject to change depending on how OSU, Wisconsin and Penn St do. I think Penn St. might be better than OSU though, despite the polls.)
6. Other joke conferences.

[Dr Maturin]

If we beat Alabama and Kentucky (the #29 & #30 teams, respectively), we'll be in the top ten. Arkansas had better win that first game. The Crimson Tide will be their trial by fire this season.

Michigan lost to a Division I-AA team and Oragon at home and you think that they would be 2 -0 playing teams from the Big East.

Agreed. Michigan blew it.

[Der Mike]

Oh sure, I'll give you that. lol. Though, MSU isn't really too much of a test. To the other poster: Oregon's a solid team. And I think they're going to continue to surprise people, though I don't know why because they've been pretty good for a few years now. And as far as the I-AA thing, they were the champions of I-AA last year, and everyone knows that when teams play against those easy teams they often come in really cocky. I've seen some bad losses in games that are totally due to that. Now they're just heartbroken and don't care anymore so it's the reverse problem. I think right now it's looking:

1. Pac 10
2. SEC (probably because of LSU, without them I'd put them below the big 12)
3. Big 12
4. I'll go ahead and say Big east
5. Big 10 (though this is subject to change depending on how OSU, Wisconsin and Penn St do. I think Penn St. might be better than OSU though, despite the polls.)
6. Other joke conferences.

Ignoring Florida? Shameful. I picked them to beat OSU last year.
-=Mike

[NotSoWize]

Not saying the Big East is the best conference in football. Just better than the ACC and Big 10 right now. Behind the SEC, PAC-10, and Big 12. The Big 10's best team, Wisconsin, struggled with UNLV. OSU hardly looked good against Akron. Michigan is a disaster. MSU will fall apart after week 6 --- as usual. Penn State is brutally average.

The Big East has a legit claim to #4 conference.
-=Mike

As an MSU graduate, I have to disagree. The Spartans will surely implode well before week #6! Either this week they will manage to lose to the (Not So) Fighting Irish, or else they will bow to the crappy Wolverines next week. Unless the new coach is a true miracle worker, they will be very fortunate to finish off the season at 6-6 despite being 3-0 right now.