Boise St in the BCS Title game

[preacherwebb]

You don't play Boise St for the same reason countries aren't constantly at war, Sun Tzu says it best:

Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.


What does Alabama, Oregon, Nebraska even, have to gain by beating Boise? nothing. But, if Boise wins then they are world beaters, they are the underdog champions, <insert title here>

You do not fight unless you have a reason or something to gain from it. Until Boise gives some reason to fight them (like say a 2 for 1 home/away) then nobody should.

Very Well Said.

 

[BamaHarv]

Very Well Said.

I agree. According to the ESPN Bowl Predictions, it's Bama vs BSU in the Sugar Bowl. We'll see how that turns out but as far as I am concerned BSU should quit playing a 6A high-school football schedule plus one big game before even being considered.

Of course this year's big game was against the SEC East's contender. Thanks, Georgia.

If BSU should get in this year, good luck. If they DO get in, they still don't deserve it. LSU will poke a stick in them, roll them in a cornmeal batter and make them smell like a Tiger fan.

 

[005]

Wouldn't totally shock me to see Boise beat LSU

 

[AbsenteeTrojan]

if I were to give them a respectable schedule, how do you decide which conference? the SEC has 3 ranked teams in the west, and has had up to 3 in the east at one time this year.

Tennessee actually has the hardest schedule of the schools I mentioned (they have power rankings for it) and they have played six teams ranked at one time or another (soon to be seven), and four of them in the top ten..

This just isn't true. And if course I know there are 'power rankings', of which Sagarin is the best for SOS, and they have LSU ahead of TN. It's only slight, but let's keep our facts straight even if dealing in hyperbole.

Lastly, referencing teams that were ranked at one time is irrelevant and pointless. Florida was ranked, but guess what? They suck. The team's ranking at the end of the tear determines your SOS, not the faulty ranking they had at the time you played.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

 

[Slydell]

I agree. According to the ESPN Bowl Predictions, it's Bama vs BSU in the Sugar Bowl. We'll see how that turns out but as far as I am concerned BSU should quit playing a 6A high-school football schedule plus one big game before even being considered.

Of course this year's big game was against the SEC East's contender. Thanks, Georgia.

If BSU should get in this year, good luck. If they DO get in, they still don't deserve it. LSU will poke a stick in them, roll them in a cornmeal batter and make them smell like a Tiger fan.

How did that work out when Bama played lowly Utah in the Sugar Bowl a few years ago?

 

[Daloth]

This just isn't true. And if course I know there are 'power rankings', of which Sagarin is the best for SOS, and they have LSU ahead of TN. It's only slight, but let's keep our facts straight even if dealing in hyperbole.

Lastly, referencing teams that were ranked at one time is irrelevant and pointless. Florida was ranked, but guess what? They suck. The team's ranking at the end of the tear determines your SOS, not the faulty ranking they had at the time you played.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

No, no. if we are doing hyperbole then we get to do every team at its best. Florida + Brantley was a legit top 25 team (as much as I hate to say it) losses to only LSU and Bama are enough to keep a team in that discussion.

If we were to discuss teams ranked at the end of the season... would boise st have played anyone ranked outside of their bowl game? I know a certain Nevada team was ranked last year... but after that, who do they play? a team that is barely 5th best in the SEC on a good day? Come on. There are high school teams that would give Boise a better game than their schedule allows.

 

[Daloth]

How did that work out when Bama played lowly Utah in the Sugar Bowl a few years ago?

One problem.

Bama didn't give a damn about that game. It was BCS title or bust for them. They didn't care if they lost, won, tied, or got stuck in a shower with Sandusky at that point. They were so morally defeated and depressed by not being in the championship that they didn't care. A fully emotional Bama team beats Utah's ass.

 

[Slydell]

One problem.

Bama didn't give a damn about that game. It was BCS title or bust for them. They didn't care if they lost, won, tied, or got stuck in a shower with Sandusky at that point. They were so morally defeated and depressed by not being in the championship that they didn't care. A fully emotional Bama team beats Utah's ass.

So, a major college football program with a vast historical past just decided not to play? No! I watched that game. Bama came out to win and played to win. They got their ass handed to them because they looked past the game. It's a shame that Bama has so many apologist speaking up for their pitiful showing that night. It's a good thing they can use that excuse, but it wasn't the way things happened. UT has done the same to Notre Dame and Miami in the past without them having to fabricate excuses.

 

[vols-1]

So, a major college football program with a vast historical past just decided not to play? No! I watched that game. Bama came out to win and played to win. They got their ass handed to them because they looked past the game. It's a shame that Bama has so many apologist speaking up for their pitiful showing that night. It's a good thing they can use that excuse, but it wasn't the way things happened. UT has done the same to Notre Dame and Miami in the past without them having to fabricate excuses.

There was a big scandal right before the game and their best player got suspended, Bama didn't seem to have a plan B ready in time.

 

[milohimself]

One problem.

Bama didn't give a damn about that game. It was BCS title or bust for them. They didn't care if they lost, won, tied, or got stuck in a shower with Sandusky at that point. They were so morally defeated and depressed by not being in the championship that they didn't care. A fully emotional Bama team beats Utah's ass.

I've heard this excuse from sec apologists going on three years now and still don't buy it.

One word: scoreboard.

 

[Daloth]

I've heard this excuse from sec apologists going on three years now and still don't buy it.

One word: scoreboard.

I'm not defending Bama at all, I could care less if they got beat by Tennessee School for the Blind, but if you want to tell me they actually cared about that game then you're crazy.

It's like, being in the running to have Tyra Banks in her prime, then something comes along and suddenly you have to try just to get her ugly cousin. I wouldn't have cared nearly as much either.

 

[Daloth]

This just isn't true. And if course I know there are 'power rankings', of which Sagarin is the best for SOS, and they have LSU ahead of TN. It's only slight, but let's keep our facts straight even if dealing in hyperbole.

Lastly, referencing teams that were ranked at one time is irrelevant and pointless. Florida was ranked, but guess what? They suck. The team's ranking at the end of the tear determines your SOS, not the faulty ranking they had at the time you played.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

Just thought I'd show this also. I like the Sagarin ranking normally (except basketball where it's horrible), but anytime the NCAA drops some facts down it's pretty useful too.

Tennessee’s 2011 schedule ranks as the toughest in the nation in 2011, according to the NCAA’s toughest schedule rankings based on cumulative opposition. The combined records of UT’s 2011 opponents are 65-32 (49-21 past/16-11 future), which is 67.0 percent. LSU and Oklahoma are tied for second at 66.3 percent (65-33 overall) and Iowa State fourth at 66.0 percent (64-33). Kansas and Auburn are tied for fifth at 65.6 percent (63-33 overall).

 

[milohimself]

I'm not defending Bama at all, I could care less if they got beat by Tennessee School for the Blind, but if you want to tell me they actually cared about that game then you're crazy.

It's like, being in the running to have Tyra Banks in her prime, then something comes along and suddenly you have to try just to get her ugly cousin. I wouldn't have cared nearly as much either.

You ever play football, at least in HS?

I did kinda recently, and surprisingly was lucid enough to remember my junior year of school. It was later in the season and we had just been eliminated from playoff contention after losing a close game to a team that should have sleepwalked to a W. We were all hanging our heads, one of those "longest-bus-ride-home-in-history" type moments. Practice all week seemed off, and our 2nd to last game we were playing a fairly recent startup HS in the area. They didn't fit anybody's definition of good, but they did have a couple playmakers (I think one of them ended up at OSU) and had scrapped their way to a few upset wins that season. They said they were gunning for us, and we were off beat and somewhat disillusioned. And we won by four TD's.

If Alabama was that much better, to the point where they would have curbstomped Utah, then even if they were off or not quite fully in the game, they would have been able to at least keep it close. Instead, Utah turned them into road kill.

It drives me up the wall with SEC nuts, every time a good SEC team loses to a team from out west not named USC, or even have a close game against a far inferior opponent from out'chere (a number of LSU games come to mind, UDub, ASU, OSU) the story is always immediately about what said SEC team failed to do that they didn't have the game won by halftime, and never, ever is the idea put forth that "hey, maybe the other guys just had a really good football team."

 

[tri_vol]

If Bama/Utah played that Sugar Bowl 10 times, Bama wins 8x. Utah played a great game and Bama thought their B game would be good enough. They got punked rightfully so

 

[Slydell]

If Bama/Utah played that Sugar Bowl 10 times, Bama wins 8x. Utah played a great game and Bama thought their B game would be good enough. They got punked rightfully so

Link?lol:

 

[Daloth]

You ever play football, at least in HS?

I did kinda recently, and surprisingly was lucid enough to remember my junior year of school. It was later in the season and we had just been eliminated from playoff contention after losing a close game to a team that should have sleepwalked to a W. We were all hanging our heads, one of those "longest-bus-ride-home-in-history" type moments. Practice all week seemed off, and our 2nd to last game we were playing a fairly recent startup HS in the area. They didn't fit anybody's definition of good, but they did have a couple playmakers (I think one of them ended up at OSU) and had scrapped their way to a few upset wins that season. They said they were gunning for us, and we were off beat and somewhat disillusioned. And we won by four TD's.

If Alabama was that much better, to the point where they would have curbstomped Utah, then even if they were off or not quite fully in the game, they would have been able to at least keep it close. Instead, Utah turned them into road kill.

It drives me up the wall with SEC nuts, every time a good SEC team loses to a team from out west not named USC, or even have a close game against a far inferior opponent from out'chere (a number of LSU games come to mind, UDub, ASU, OSU) the story is always immediately about what said SEC team failed to do that they didn't have the game won by halftime, and never, ever is the idea put forth that "hey, maybe the other guys just had a really good football team."

I went to a final four in high school, lost to the team that won state, and then played a year in college before getting mono and having to withdraw from school completely for a while. I know plenty about the feelings we get.

When I was a Frosh in high school, our football team was predicted to go 9-1 by Murphy's fair. We were an outside shot at winning state, had the best defense in the state for our division. We also had a new head coach.

We finished 4-6, and, as freshmen, we composed over half of the starting lineup by game 6. The seniors on our team weren't just stronger than us, faster than us, and overwhelmingly more talented, they had experience and were almost down right dirty. Yet, for some reason, we had 3/5 of the offensive line as freshman by game 3, 2 of the wide receivers were fresh/sophomores by game 4, and the same numbers were for the defensive side (except with a lot more of us in the rotation, just not starting).

Now, tell me, what is the one thing you can think of that would have a coaching staff do something like that? 4 games into the season we were 2-1, and had lost to the one team we should've lost to, and had our bye already.

The guys had lost the fire already. As you said, they were sleep walking. They built their entire 4 years on ONE game, and when they lost it (we got smashed in fact), they gave up and didn't care. In the final game of the year we were playing a team that had to beat us to get into the playoffs for the first time in five years. With a core of freshman we beat a team that had 13 seniors and 10 juniors 6-3 in overtime and knocked them out of the playoffs. We had something to play for still, we wanted to win. The group that was supposed to lead our team didn't. The same thing happened to Bama. They built their WHOLE season on one game, and when it didn't come they gave up.

 

[AbsenteeTrojan]

Just thought I'd show this also. I like the Sagarin ranking normally (except basketball where it's horrible), but anytime the NCAA drops some facts down it's pretty useful too.

Those facts from the NCAA are hardly useful at all. If you don't take into account who those opponents were and who those opponents played, it's not a "strength of schedule" analysis at all... it's simply a stat that compiles your opponents' records.

And in responding to your last post...

No, no. if we are doing hyperbole then we get to do every team at its best.

You were the one that claimed you were dealing in hyperbole. I was dealing in facts. And the fact is that claiming that a team played 'X' number of ranked teams is pointless, unless they are currently ranked when you reference that fact. That is what matters.

I never got into the discussion of whether Boise plays a tough schedule. No need to insert a strawman argument there. However, I will say that they do well against the opponents they do face - including the SEC East leading Georgia.

Florida + Brantley was a legit top 25 team (as much as I hate to say it) losses to only LSU and Bama are enough to keep a team in that discussion.

Florida lost to Georgia with Brantley at QB (who only had 35% completions in that game - ouch). So they would have three losses no matter what.

I would argue that their offense would have done only marginally better against Auburn, but that still wouldn't have been enough.

Florida is also looking at potential losses to South Carolina and maybe Florida State. They will have Brantley for both, and still may lose both. No way Florida deserves to be ranked this year, their offense is horrendous.

 

[Calculon]

but what you fail to mention is Nebraska did not want to pay the million Boise was asking for...BUT Nebraska gave that money to some div 2 team to play them...hmmmm play Boise for a million or play some div 2 for the same price....you decide

They want to be paid like a FCS team and simultaneously get the respect of a top FBS team. Not happening. Nebraska gets the same asses in seats either way. It is about money. Boise won't take a fair deal because they don't get a handout and they also get to play a nobody for a sure win. Funny how that works out.