2025 - KICKOFF!

Not sure why, but I’m gonna say Miami over Ohio State. No real reason. And I think Indiana can take ‘bama.
 
Just watched Utah decimate Nebraska. Are the CFP selections screwing up other bowl picks? Nebraska wasn’t a good choice. Miami vs Utah might have been good, for example, but Miami is in the playoffs.
 
For all the grumbling, we have 4 good matchups.

My only complaint is Georgia and Ole Miss playing again. IMO there ought to be a shuffle option in the bracket to avoid that.

At least they avoided Georgia and Alabama playing for a third time, until it truly is unavoidable.
 
Ed Haywood said:
Ok, playoff games about to start. 4 good matchups. Predictions, anyone?

Mine: Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon, and Alabama. But Indiana will probably make me look like a fool.
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I'll take Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, and Georgia

I don't have any skin in the game...

edit: of course, opt-outs could have some impact...
 
That was a disappointing game. Vanderbilt didn’t play very well in the first half, that muffed punt that resulted in an Iowa touchdown at the very end of the second quarter. Oh well, it was an excellent season regardless.
 
Halfway home. UM defense is doing a phenomenal job. But there’s still a lot of game to go.
 
Ed Haywood said:
Unfortunately, too many teams and players have that attitude, which is a shame. Notre Dame declining a bowl invite was toxic, though I'm happy for GT and BYU getting their fill of toaster pastries.
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The pure number of bowl games has made most bowl games meaningless for decades. Seriously, for 15 years now, one could be bowl eligible with a losing record and more than half the teams in college football go to a bowl; that’s kind of a hallmark for participation trophies.
 
TCABM said:
The pure number of bowl games has made most bowl games meaningless for decades. Seriously, for 15 years now, one could be bowl eligible with a losing record and more than half the teams in college football go to a bowl; that’s kind of a hallmark for participation trophies.
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Well, it sorta depends on the objective.

If the objective is to provide an exciting, entertaining, fun game for the fans, even two teams with losing records can satisfy it if they’re well matched.

If the objective is to provide “meaning” (like for determining a champion), then matching top-tier, winning teams becomes important.

Right now it’s sort of a mixed bag. We could make more bowls meaningful by expanding the playoffs and using the “lesser” bowls as a lower tier of CFP games, if meaning is the objective.

The real question is which approach maximizes profit.
 
Half Fast said:
…The real question is which approach maximizes profit.
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And that is what turns a sport into a business, continuing the NCAA’s charade of student athletics.

Before we go down the path that football money is what enables everything else (to include women) at institutions of supposed higher learning, just keep in mind there’s plenty of colleges and universities without football as a sport.
 
TCABM said:
And that is what turns a sport into a business, continuing the NCAA’s charade of student athletics.

Before we go down the path that football money is what enables everything else (to include women) at institutions of supposed higher learning, just keep in mind there’s plenty of colleges and universities without football as a sport.
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I know where I attended, student fees went to the Athletic Association. I assume those would have paid for everything except men's football and basketball.
 
kyleb said:
I know where I attended, student fees went to the Athletic Association. I assume those would have paid for everything except men's football and basketball.
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Where I attended has two sportsball fees, one is a flat $100 for access to recreation facilities and intramural sports, the other is $36/credit hour which provides entrance to all home games for all sports so long as seats are available. The latter fee along with ticket sales supplement booster club funds to pay for the programs and there’s also a dedicated endowment that supplements coaching salaries.

The players are paid from NIL dollars (officially).
 
Half Fast said:
Well, it sorta depends on the objective.

If the objective is to provide an exciting, entertaining, fun game for the fans, even two teams with losing records can satisfy it if they’re well matched.

If the objective is to provide “meaning” (like for determining a champion), then matching top-tier, winning teams becomes important.

Right now it’s sort of a mixed bag. We could make more bowls meaningful by expanding the playoffs and using the “lesser” bowls as a lower tier of CFP games, if meaning is the objective.

The real question is which approach maximizes profit.
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The objective is $$$.
And now that college players are making millions, many of them don't want to risk injury in a meaningless exhibition (bowl) game.
I'm not sure how much longer I can keep up the enthusiasm for NCAAF
:(:mad:.
 
JOhnH said:
The objective is $$$.
And now that college players are making millions, many of them don't want to risk injury in a meaningless exhibition (bowl) game.
I'm not sure how much longer I can keep up the enthusiasm for NCAAF
:(:mad:.
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The players in the teams competing for the championship really should be in a developmental league.
 
TCABM said:
The players in the teams competing for the championship really should be in a developmental league.
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Basically, they are. How many of them do you/we really believe are going to class and doing the work of a college student? With virtual classes, anyone can do the work for you. I realized that when Johnny Football offered up that all his classes were virtual, so he never went to class. >Bing!< Realization that he probably wasn't a student any longer. Just a guy paying some schmuck to do his work so he could stay eligible.
 
This is the way it's been for a long time - it's just no longer being hidden behind the lie of the student athlete. I root for the Longhorns because I went to the University of Texas, but it's really no different than cheering for the Bills because you grew up in Buffalo.

Conference realignment, the transfer portal, NIL, etc used to bother me, but I've gradually become okay with it. This is entertainment, and IMO it's just as entertaining to watch college ball today as it was twenty years ago.
 
kyleb said:
Basically, they are. How many of them do you/we really believe are going to class and doing the work of a college student? With virtual classes, anyone can do the work for you. I realized that when Johnny Football offered up that all his classes were virtual, so he never went to class. >Bing!< Realization that he probably wasn't a student any longer. Just a guy paying some schmuck to do his work so he could stay eligible.
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Well, for the few virtual programs I know anything about, all the exams are proctored and the student is monitored on video. That doesn’t do much for homework and term papers, but that’s always been the case.
 
Bob Noel said:
I'll take Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, and Georgia

I don't have any skin in the game...

edit: of course, opt-outs could have some impact...
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I'm not off to a good start with the Ohio State loss...
 
About to jump off the bridge…
 
Ed Haywood said:
Second game was not as good a match up. IMO Texas Tech did not play a strong enough schedule to justify their ranking.
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I could make the same argument about several schools. A&M, Ohio State, Oregon and probably others. I could even argue that Alabama only had two decent wins (GA and Vandy). They lost to FSU, Georgia, and Oklahoma and beat a bunch of mediocre teams.
 
Now if Ole Miss can take U(sic)GA, life will be good. I think that’s going to be a tighter game, though.
 
Half Fast said:
Now if Ole Miss can take U(sic)GA, life will be good. I think that’s going to be a tighter game, though.
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Without Kiffin there, I don't believe it'll be as close as the first game.
 
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