(09-29-2019 12:29 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(09-29-2019 12:15 PM)stever20 Wrote:  The problem is the Pac 12 doesn't have a great team. Only remotely decent OOC win was Arizona St over Michigan St. Oregon choked their game with Auburn.

Kevin Steele made adjustments defensively at the end of the 1st Qtr. The offense gained some confidence in the 2nd half. Auburn's D shut down the Ducks in the second half. I wouldn't exactly call that a choke.

It is what it is and depth played a part as well. Was it a fortunate time for Nix to start hitting his targets? Yes. But the outcome was hardly a choke since it was due to adjustments in strategy.

Auburn survived and has been developing and they are sure going to need to keep doing that because the remainder of the schedule gets brutal.

The simple truth is that Oregon didn't have the same level of athletes and in as great a number as did Auburn. The PAC is down against everyone but the Big 10. Let that sink in. But in fairness to the Big 10 only Arizona State played one of their normally competitive teams and then they were pretty evenly matched.

Right now the top school pool is pretty limited: Alabama, Georgia, L.S.U., Clemson, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio State, and possibly but not completely proven yet, Auburn, Wisconsin, and Penn State.

The PAC has no dominant team competing at those levels.

I'd put Auburn and Wisconsin in that top pool. And take Texas out of it. I think that top pool then are the 8 teams htat have a real shot to win the title this year.

You say Texas? For them to have a chance to win the title now they would have to beat Oklahoma twice. yeah, that's not happening.

(09-29-2019 12:32 PM)stever20 Wrote:  

(09-29-2019 12:29 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(09-29-2019 12:15 PM)stever20 Wrote:  The problem is the Pac 12 doesn't have a great team. Only remotely decent OOC win was Arizona St over Michigan St. Oregon choked their game with Auburn.

Kevin Steele made adjustments defensively at the end of the 1st Qtr. The offense gained some confidence in the 2nd half. Auburn's D shut down the Ducks in the second half. I wouldn't exactly call that a choke.

It is what it is and depth played a part as well. Was it a fortunate time for Nix to start hitting his targets? Yes. But the outcome was hardly a choke since it was due to adjustments in strategy.

Auburn survived and has been developing and they are sure going to need to keep doing that because the remainder of the schedule gets brutal.

The simple truth is that Oregon didn't have the same level of athletes and in as great a number as did Auburn. The PAC is down against everyone but the Big 10. Let that sink in. But in fairness to the Big 10 only Arizona State played one of their normally competitive teams and then they were pretty evenly matched.

Right now the top school pool is pretty limited: Alabama, Georgia, L.S.U., Clemson, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio State, and possibly but not completely proven yet, Auburn, Wisconsin, and Penn State.

The PAC has no dominant team competing at those levels.

I'd put Auburn and Wisconsin in that top pool. And take Texas out of it. I think that top pool then are the 8 teams htat have a real shot to win the title this year.

You say Texas? For them to have a chance to win the title now they would have to beat Oklahoma twice. yeah, that's not happening.

You interjected an aspect that I intentionally left out, winning a championship. Texas is playing well enough to hang with anyone in that grouping. Texas is more proven at this point than Oklahoma. Oklahoma hasn't played an L.S.U. quality school, and won't. The closest they'll get to that will be Texas.

(09-28-2019 08:22 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(09-28-2019 05:41 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  F’n UNC. You got to be kidding me.

And make it double dumb. That was a totally recoverable onside kick. They overran it.

Retire from the game, Mack.

So you take a 2-10 team and face the #1 team who has won 14 straight games by 14 or more and lose by 1 and he needs to retire? We aren't talking Alabama vs. Clemson.

I would have gone for 1, but I'm not a coach. I don't gamble. Clemson just has too many weapons and UNC hasn't been able to move the ball. Definitely made some sense to try to win on 1 play instead of facing Clemson in OT with 4 downs.

Yeah, I believe he's out of his element. If I was playing defense for him, given how darn good of a job they did containing Clemson to what they did, I'd say that the guy gave us a vote of no confidence to keep Clemson contained. He didn't give the defense the chance to keep that shaky performance by Clemson to finish out and have it go to overtime. I think OT puts UNC in a great place.

And, I think this was a blown teaching moment. To give the kids the chance to hang with the top team in the country to learn from everything they could throw at them. It made no sense, because whether or not UNC tied it or took a lead, a successful field goal wins the game anyway for Clemson. But, you're forcing Clemson to fight back, in your house, when momentum is shifting in your favor (again).

In that moment, I really felt bad for the guys at UNC. Sure, discipline kept them in the game. But it was the coach that shoved them out of it, not the kids.

(09-26-2019 07:55 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  I wanna wax Purdue like they're Cumberland.

I used a GT/Cumberland reference when talking about the UCF/UConn game the other day. As a sports-history buff, it’s so interesting to me how certain references are still repeated and understood even after 100 years.

(09-27-2019 10:19 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  Factoring in the spread, I'll take Ole Miss and UCF. Check back tomorrow...

UConn (1-2)
#22 UCF (3-1) -43

So, UCF was up 56-0 and then coasted to a 56-21 victory. That is a perfect example of how a team that “shouldn’t” beat the point spread can nevertheless do so. I can’t imagine the rage I’d be feeling if I’d taken UCF and laid the points.

(09-27-2019 10:40 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(09-27-2019 10:31 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(09-27-2019 10:11 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  [Justin Fuente] and VT have been in a tailspin since the stunning loss to Old Dominion a year ago this past week.

Before that game, he was 21-8 at VT, with 9 and 10 win seasons, and a 2-0 start to last season.

Since then, VT is 6-9.

The whole program has fallen and can't get up since ODU.

Excellent points.
The Hokies lost more than a game in Norfolk... they lost their confidence, MoJo, whatever you want to call it.

ESPN says this was VT's worst home loss since 1974. Things can and will get better soon.

Karmic payback for using Hurricane Florence as cover to cancel the ECU series?

(09-28-2019 04:04 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  Crikey we need to fire Charlie Strong last Thursday.

What is the financial status on his contract? I’ve heard USF would have to pay through the nose to get rid of him.

(09-28-2019 04:46 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  Shoot, [USF] may even lose at home to BYU in a couple weeks

USF is in free-fall. But they have a chance to steady the ship @UConn. If they can capitalize on that opportunity for an easy W, I really believe they have the athletes to beat BYU at home. I’ve got my eye on that one.

(09-28-2019 06:11 PM)e-parade Wrote:  congrats to Walt Bell on his first victory as a head coach, especially after making the right call to suspend starters for breaking a team rule and getting your backups to come through for you.

Yes, Akron is horrible. But so’s UMass. So to me, that game is proof that — at least for now — Bell’s players are buying into his system and giving full effort. Encouraging sign for the future.

(10-01-2019 12:16 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  What is the financial status on his (Strong's) contract? I’ve heard USF would have to pay through the nose to get rid of him.

Right now, about $5 million. We did benefit in that the first two years, his contract was mostly being paid for by his settlement with Texas. Smartly, we have not signed him to any extensions, but his original five-year deal is fully guaranteed, so if we fired him today we'd be on the hook for the rest of 2019, and then 2020 and 2021.

I’m honestly surprised it hasn’t worked out for Strong at either UT or USF. Leadership is such an intangible quality, it can be very hard to tell (until it’s too late) who’s truly got it and who doesn’t.

I think the Bulls could still improve and get to 6-6 on the season. But if the remaining games turn into a 2-10-style death-march, then USF simply must scrounge up the $$$ somehow and let him go.

(10-01-2019 09:55 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  I’m honestly surprised it hasn’t worked out for Strong at either UT or USF. Leadership is such an intangible quality, it can be very hard to tell (until it’s too late) who’s truly got it and who doesn’t.

I think the Bulls could still improve and get to 6-6 on the season. But if the remaining games turn into a 2-10-style death-march, then USF simply must scrounge up the $$$ somehow and let him go.

These next 4 are huge. @ UConn, BYU, @ Navy, and @ ECU. Have to go at least 2-2 in those 4 which will be tough.

November is brutal. Temple, Cincy, Memphis, and @ UCF. If the UCF game is a 49-10 type beat down, that may be the catalyst for change IMO.

(10-01-2019 10:00 AM)stever20 Wrote:  These next 4 are huge. @ UConn, BYU, @ Navy, and @ ECU. Have to go at least 2-2 in those 4 which will be tough.

November is brutal. Temple, Cincy, Memphis, and @ UCF. If the UCF game is a 49-10 type beat down, that may be the catalyst for change IMO.

The Bulls must use the UConn as their get-well game, and stabilize the ship. A nice, easy 45-10 type of day should be just what the doctor ordered. If the players/coaches get their minds straight, they’ve got the athleticism (IMHO) to get past BYU at home. Tough, but doable if the engine is running on all cylinders. But (of course) easier said than done.

(10-01-2019 12:16 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(09-26-2019 07:55 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  I wanna wax Purdue like they're Cumberland.

I used a GT/Cumberland reference when talking about the UCF/UConn game the other day. As a sports-history buff, it’s so interesting to me how certain references are still repeated and understood even after 100 years.

(09-27-2019 10:19 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  Factoring in the spread, I'll take Ole Miss and UCF. Check back tomorrow...

UConn (1-2)
#22 UCF (3-1) -43

So, UCF was up 56-0 and then coasted to a 56-21 victory. That is a perfect example of how a team that “shouldn’t” beat the point spread can nevertheless do so. I can’t imagine the rage I’d be feeling if I’d taken UCF and laid the points.

(09-27-2019 10:40 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(09-27-2019 10:31 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(09-27-2019 10:11 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  [Justin Fuente] and VT have been in a tailspin since the stunning loss to Old Dominion a year ago this past week.

Before that game, he was 21-8 at VT, with 9 and 10 win seasons, and a 2-0 start to last season.

Since then, VT is 6-9.

The whole program has fallen and can't get up since ODU.

Excellent points.
The Hokies lost more than a game in Norfolk... they lost their confidence, MoJo, whatever you want to call it.

ESPN says this was VT's worst home loss since 1974. Things can and will get better soon.

Karmic payback for using Hurricane Florence as cover to cancel the ECU series?

The cancellation was bitterness over ECU playing a hard hand when rescheduling the game. The series needed to be modified and neither party wanted to compromise.

(10-01-2019 09:55 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  I’m honestly surprised it hasn’t worked out for Strong at either UT or USF. Leadership is such an intangible quality, it can be very hard to tell (until it’s too late) who’s truly got it and who doesn’t.

I think the Bulls could still improve and get to 6-6 on the season. But if the remaining games turn into a 2-10-style death-march, then USF simply must scrounge up the $$$ somehow and let him go.

He looked like a good shot to move from coordinator to head coach at a G5 to a P5, but once he hired his assistants, I knew there were issues.

It was like he was afraid to hire good assistants who made him look bad. He hired relatively young, inexperienced assistants.

(10-01-2019 09:55 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  I’m honestly surprised it hasn’t worked out for Strong at either UT or USF.

Turns out he was a good coach when he had Teddy Bridgewater. TB got him millions and millions from Texas and USF.

It's one thing for Texas to be fooled because nobody could know this at the time. But USF has no excuses - if a coach can't succeed at freaking Texas what would make our admins think he could do so at USF?