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(05-26-2021 02:41 PM)Cataclysmo Wrote:  It's undefeated or bust for me.

We’re in that weird place where if we drop both the Notre Dame and Indiana game we’re screwed. First, everyone will opine we can’t beat good P5 schools. Next, we’ll fall to the Military or Birmingham Bowl were we will match us against a 6-6 ACC team (someone like Duke or Wake Forest). Even if we pound them we will get nothing to show for it, people will still say we suck. Meanwhile, 12-1 Liberty/Coastal Carolina goes to the NY6.

Even at 12-1, we are no show in for another NY6. The CFP committee sees all G5 schools as the same so there may be a preference to put someone else that is 12-1 in as the G5 rep.

(05-26-2021 02:50 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 02:41 PM)Cataclysmo Wrote:  It's undefeated or bust for me.

We’re in that weird place where if we drop both the Notre Dame and Indiana game we’re screwed. First, everyone will opine we can’t beat good P5 schools. Next, we’ll fall to the Military or Birmingham Bowl were we will match us against a 6-6 ACC team (someone like Duke or Wake Forest). Even if we pound them we will get nothing to show for it, people will still say we suck. Meanwhile, 12-1 Liberty/Coastal Carolina goes to the NY6.

Even at 12-1, we are no show in for another NY6. The CFP committee sees all G5 schools as the same so there may be a preference to put someone else that is 12-1 in as the G5 rep.

I disagree, if they beat ND/lose IND close, then run the table, they'll be in playoff talks. Not in, but it will be discussed.

Oh, we are always discussed. "How can we keep them out?"

(05-26-2021 11:06 AM)Cat-Man Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 10:20 AM)ladeda Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 09:37 AM)Loco Bearcat Wrote:  I have a feeling that UC will lose to IU however they will beat ND.

I figured IU would be the harder matchup only bc ND lost so many guys on offense (including their QB.)


However, after a quick deep dive into IU's games last year, they really succeeded due to takeaways. They were +13 on int's in the 7 game regular season. 17 int's, and only threw 4 int's. If Ridder can not turn the ball and UC wins the turnover battle, I think they will be in solid shape.

Not so fun fact. Apparently UC led the NCAA in fumbles last year with 10. UC needs to tighten that stat up.

Football season can't start soon enough for me.

Both games are going to be equally tough. All the pre-season rankings I've seen both have been in or around the top 10.

ND will be fine at QB with the Wisc. transfer coming in. The offensive line will be the least experienced, but remember at a place like ND, they replace 5* guys with more 5* guys. I think they'll have the upper hand with Freeman on their staff. He knows our strengths and weaknesses.

Not to nitpick, but ND only gets 4 star players. Mayer is the only 5 star player they have gotten since 2016.

That said, even for ND, it's tough when you have to replace 3 OL who were drafted in the top 100 of this past year's draft. ND doesn't recruit as well as Bama, Clemson, tOSU.

I just think it will take a few games for their OL to gel, and also it will take Coan time as well. Basically long story short-- I'd rather want to play ND earlier in the season than later.

Plus I like the fact that ND plays Wisconsin the week before UC, while UC has a bye before the ND game. Coan is going to be geeked up for that Wisconsin game, and he could have a letdown vs UC.

And, Fickell and Denbrock are spending this entire offseason game planning for Notre Dame.

(05-26-2021 09:00 PM)ladeda Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 11:06 AM)Cat-Man Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 10:20 AM)ladeda Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 09:37 AM)Loco Bearcat Wrote:  I have a feeling that UC will lose to IU however they will beat ND.

I figured IU would be the harder matchup only bc ND lost so many guys on offense (including their QB.)


However, after a quick deep dive into IU's games last year, they really succeeded due to takeaways. They were +13 on int's in the 7 game regular season. 17 int's, and only threw 4 int's. If Ridder can not turn the ball and UC wins the turnover battle, I think they will be in solid shape.

Not so fun fact. Apparently UC led the NCAA in fumbles last year with 10. UC needs to tighten that stat up.

Football season can't start soon enough for me.

Both games are going to be equally tough. All the pre-season rankings I've seen both have been in or around the top 10.

ND will be fine at QB with the Wisc. transfer coming in. The offensive line will be the least experienced, but remember at a place like ND, they replace 5* guys with more 5* guys. I think they'll have the upper hand with Freeman on their staff. He knows our strengths and weaknesses.

Not to nitpick, but ND only gets 4 star players. Mayer is the only 5 star player they have gotten since 2016.

That said, even for ND, it's tough when you have to replace 3 OL who were drafted in the top 100 of this past year's draft. ND doesn't recruit as well as Bama, Clemson, tOSU.

I just think it will take a few games for their OL to gel, and also it will take Coan time as well. Basically long story short-- I'd rather want to play ND earlier in the season than later.

Plus I like the fact that ND plays Wisconsin the week before UC, while UC has a bye before the ND game. Coan is going to be geeked up for that Wisconsin game, and he could have a letdown vs UC.

And, Fickell and Denbrock are spending this entire offseason game planning for Notre Dame.

Love Marcus, but I'm hoping they've got some tricks up their sleeve for him. I bet they do.

Nice to get mentioned with big time programs:

Every year in college football, we see teams whose record differs noticeably from the previous season. It could be a positive turnaround or a negative tumble.

It’s not always easy to project which teams will rise and which will fall months before the season starts. 247Sports’ Chris Hummer has tried though, picking a program that will “rise” and one that will “tumble” in each Power 5 conference.

On the tumbling list, there are two big-name teams: Notre Dame and Florida. Hummer admittedly fudged a little bit to use Notre Dame as an ACC representative–the Fighting Irish were only a full conference member for 2020–but he thinks the team’s schedule and lost personnel will result in a drop-off from last season’s undefeated run.

“While Notre Dame’s 2021 slate isn’t crippling, there are four games on the schedule (Wisconsin, Cincinnati, USC, Notre Carolina) against what I’d consider preseason top 15 teams,” Hummer writes. “That’s in addition to difficult ACC tests against both Virginia programs and a trip to Stanford.”

That’s not to say Hummer thinks the Irish will experience a full-blown collapse, though. He just doesn’t think this will be a College Football Playoff-caliber unit.

Brian Kelly has been the definition of consistency recently, winning 10-plus games for four straight years. The schedule might allow that to happen this season – 10-3 seems possible – but it’s difficult to envision the Irish team winning 90% of their games again. Notre Dame lost too much from its 2020 roster. The heart of the offense (Ian Book) and defense (Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah) depart as did 47% of the team’s production last year – the fifth-most nationally.

Notre Dame is recruiting too well to crater. But this projects as a transition season before the Irish can truly contend again.

It's really great press for UC to be mentioned consistently in such a positive way. I (and I suspect you) are old enough to remember UC playing an ABC-TV game @ Auburn in the early 80's and it hardly got a mention in local media. It was also a total mismatch on the field.

We've come a long way, yet I think both these early games in the Hoosier State present enormous challenges. If UC football wants to keep changing the narrative in a positive way, a split is the minimally acceptable outcome. Otherwise, it tends to marginalize the great work Fickell has done here in the minds of the skeptics who see college football only through a P5 lens.

As of this week, there are four teams in the country projected to win at least 11 games. Those four teams are Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma.

Alabama and Clemson currently have the highest projected win totals, as DraftKings has them at 11.5 wins each. Ohio State and Oklahoma, meanwhile, are sitting at 11 projected wins.

There are a few more teams projected to win double-digit games this fall, such as Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina.

(05-27-2021 08:24 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  It's really great press for UC to be mentioned consistently in such a positive way. I (and I suspect you) are old enough to remember UC playing an ABC-TV game @ Auburn in the early 80's and it hardly got a mention in local media. It was also a total mismatch on the field.

We've come a long way, yet I think both these early games in the Hoosier State present enormous challenges. If UC football wants to keep changing the narrative in a positive way, a split is the minimally acceptable outcome. Otherwise, it tends to marginalize the great work Fickell has done here in the minds of the skeptics who see college football only through a P5 lens.

1984 60-0

(05-27-2021 12:55 PM)doss2 Wrote:  

(05-27-2021 08:24 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  It's really great press for UC to be mentioned consistently in such a positive way. I (and I suspect you) are old enough to remember UC playing an ABC-TV game @ Auburn in the early 80's and it hardly got a mention in local media. It was also a total mismatch on the field.

We've come a long way, yet I think both these early games in the Hoosier State present enormous challenges. If UC football wants to keep changing the narrative in a positive way, a split is the minimally acceptable outcome. Otherwise, it tends to marginalize the great work Fickell has done here in the minds of the skeptics who see college football only through a P5 lens.

1984 60-0

Bolded, some today don't have the institutional memory to appreciate how far our Bearcats have come from those bleak days--the team, the stadium, and the entire campus environment have been completely transformed. Imagine talking in '84 about UC becoming a top ten powerhouse team? One would have been referred immediately for psychiatric treatment.

(05-27-2021 04:05 PM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(05-27-2021 12:55 PM)doss2 Wrote:  

(05-27-2021 08:24 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  It's really great press for UC to be mentioned consistently in such a positive way. I (and I suspect you) are old enough to remember UC playing an ABC-TV game @ Auburn in the early 80's and it hardly got a mention in local media. It was also a total mismatch on the field.

We've come a long way, yet I think both these early games in the Hoosier State present enormous challenges. If UC football wants to keep changing the narrative in a positive way, a split is the minimally acceptable outcome. Otherwise, it tends to marginalize the great work Fickell has done here in the minds of the skeptics who see college football only through a P5 lens.

1984 60-0

Bolded, some today don't have the institutional memory to appreciate how far our Bearcats have come from those bleak days--the team, the stadium, and the entire campus environment have been completely transformed. Imagine talking in '84 about UC becoming a top ten powerhouse team? One would have been referred immediately for psychiatric treatment.

I can remember when we struggled to compete with powerhouses like Hardin-Simmons and the College of the Pacific. Miami owned us when I was a student in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and Xavier beat us a couple of times. We've made great strides in recent years but need to win a big one to fnish off next season. That one pathetic, ill-timed call in the Peach Bowl was inexcusable.
.

(05-27-2021 04:19 PM)colohank Wrote:  

(05-27-2021 04:05 PM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(05-27-2021 12:55 PM)doss2 Wrote:  

(05-27-2021 08:24 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  It's really great press for UC to be mentioned consistently in such a positive way. I (and I suspect you) are old enough to remember UC playing an ABC-TV game @ Auburn in the early 80's and it hardly got a mention in local media. It was also a total mismatch on the field.

We've come a long way, yet I think both these early games in the Hoosier State present enormous challenges. If UC football wants to keep changing the narrative in a positive way, a split is the minimally acceptable outcome. Otherwise, it tends to marginalize the great work Fickell has done here in the minds of the skeptics who see college football only through a P5 lens.

1984 60-0

Bolded, some today don't have the institutional memory to appreciate how far our Bearcats have come from those bleak days--the team, the stadium, and the entire campus environment have been completely transformed. Imagine talking in '84 about UC becoming a top ten powerhouse team? One would have been referred immediately for psychiatric treatment.

I can remember when we struggled to compete with powerhouses like Hardin-Simmons and the College of the Pacific. Miami owned us when I was a student in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and Xavier beat us a couple of times. We've made great strides in recent years but need to win a big one to fnish off next season. That one pathetic, ill-timed call in the Peach Bowl was inexcusable.
.

Wow! I thought I might be the only one who remembers sitting in Nippert watching College of the Pacific.

IU took advantage of a pretty weak B1G last year when Michigan and Wisconsin were bad. O$U had them down 35-7 before letting their foot off the gas.

They lost to Ole Miss in a bowl game. We beat Georgia... for all but two seconds of the Peach Bowl.

The biggest concern about IU will be yes, the B1G homer refs.

(05-27-2021 05:45 PM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  IU took advantage of a pretty weak B1G last year when Michigan and Wisconsin were bad. O$U had them down 35-7 before letting their foot off the gas.

They lost to Ole Miss in a bowl game. We beat Georgia... for all but two seconds of the Peach Bowl.

The biggest concern about IU will be yes, the B1G homer refs.

We may get a break and get full time BIG refs. Often, we get travel to the BIG, we get refs who do lower division games or MAC games and who want to get promoted to the BIG.

(05-27-2021 04:05 PM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(05-27-2021 12:55 PM)doss2 Wrote:  

(05-27-2021 08:24 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  It's really great press for UC to be mentioned consistently in such a positive way. I (and I suspect you) are old enough to remember UC playing an ABC-TV game @ Auburn in the early 80's and it hardly got a mention in local media. It was also a total mismatch on the field.

We've come a long way, yet I think both these early games in the Hoosier State present enormous challenges. If UC football wants to keep changing the narrative in a positive way, a split is the minimally acceptable outcome. Otherwise, it tends to marginalize the great work Fickell has done here in the minds of the skeptics who see college football only through a P5 lens.

1984 60-0

Bolded, some today don't have the institutional memory to appreciate how far our Bearcats have come from those bleak days--the team, the stadium, and the entire campus environment have been completely transformed. Imagine talking in '84 about UC becoming a top ten powerhouse team? One would have been referred immediately for psychiatric treatment.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the recap of this game and Bo Jackson ripped the Bearcats a new one. He had missed the previous 5 games due to a separated shoulder but rushed for three TDs by halftime.

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/11/10/...468910800/

Due to the growing outcry about the "little guy" not getting a seat at the big boy CFP table, I'm growing more confident that if, IF, we run the table we will get a slot in the 4 game tourney. If we are undefeated and don't get in then at least we will become the flashpoint for the ongoing push for CFP expansion.

(05-26-2021 09:00 PM)ladeda Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 11:06 AM)Cat-Man Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 10:20 AM)ladeda Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 09:37 AM)Loco Bearcat Wrote:  I have a feeling that UC will lose to IU however they will beat ND.

I figured IU would be the harder matchup only bc ND lost so many guys on offense (including their QB.)


However, after a quick deep dive into IU's games last year, they really succeeded due to takeaways. They were +13 on int's in the 7 game regular season. 17 int's, and only threw 4 int's. If Ridder can not turn the ball and UC wins the turnover battle, I think they will be in solid shape.

Not so fun fact. Apparently UC led the NCAA in fumbles last year with 10. UC needs to tighten that stat up.

Football season can't start soon enough for me.

Both games are going to be equally tough. All the pre-season rankings I've seen both have been in or around the top 10.

ND will be fine at QB with the Wisc. transfer coming in. The offensive line will be the least experienced, but remember at a place like ND, they replace 5* guys with more 5* guys. I think they'll have the upper hand with Freeman on their staff. He knows our strengths and weaknesses.

Not to nitpick, but ND only gets 4 star players. Mayer is the only 5 star player they have gotten since 2016.

That said, even for ND, it's tough when you have to replace 3 OL who were drafted in the top 100 of this past year's draft. ND doesn't recruit as well as Bama, Clemson, tOSU.

I just think it will take a few games for their OL to gel, and also it will take Coan time as well. Basically long story short-- I'd rather want to play ND earlier in the season than later.

Plus I like the fact that ND plays Wisconsin the week before UC, while UC has a bye before the ND game. Coan is going to be geeked up for that Wisconsin game, and he could have a letdown vs UC.

And, Fickell and Denbrock are spending this entire offseason game planning for Notre Dame.

Very interesting They’ve had only one five star in five years.

How many 5* On average each year? I’m guessing there’s not a minimum amount. It depends on their point values adding up to a five star. Correct me if I’m wrong.

It’s not like a Bball McDonald’s all American. Every year they will be the same amount. They have to choose somebody.

(05-27-2021 11:16 PM)ZCat Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 09:00 PM)ladeda Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 11:06 AM)Cat-Man Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 10:20 AM)ladeda Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 09:37 AM)Loco Bearcat Wrote:  I have a feeling that UC will lose to IU however they will beat ND.

I figured IU would be the harder matchup only bc ND lost so many guys on offense (including their QB.)


However, after a quick deep dive into IU's games last year, they really succeeded due to takeaways. They were +13 on int's in the 7 game regular season. 17 int's, and only threw 4 int's. If Ridder can not turn the ball and UC wins the turnover battle, I think they will be in solid shape.

Not so fun fact. Apparently UC led the NCAA in fumbles last year with 10. UC needs to tighten that stat up.

Football season can't start soon enough for me.

Both games are going to be equally tough. All the pre-season rankings I've seen both have been in or around the top 10.

ND will be fine at QB with the Wisc. transfer coming in. The offensive line will be the least experienced, but remember at a place like ND, they replace 5* guys with more 5* guys. I think they'll have the upper hand with Freeman on their staff. He knows our strengths and weaknesses.

Not to nitpick, but ND only gets 4 star players. Mayer is the only 5 star player they have gotten since 2016.

That said, even for ND, it's tough when you have to replace 3 OL who were drafted in the top 100 of this past year's draft. ND doesn't recruit as well as Bama, Clemson, tOSU.

I just think it will take a few games for their OL to gel, and also it will take Coan time as well. Basically long story short-- I'd rather want to play ND earlier in the season than later.

Plus I like the fact that ND plays Wisconsin the week before UC, while UC has a bye before the ND game. Coan is going to be geeked up for that Wisconsin game, and he could have a letdown vs UC.

And, Fickell and Denbrock are spending this entire offseason game planning for Notre Dame.

Very interesting They’ve had only one five star in five years.

How many 5* On average each year? I’m guessing there’s not a minimum amount. It depends on their point values adding up to a five star. Correct me if I’m wrong.

It’s not like a Bball McDonald’s all American. Every year they will be the same amount. They have to choose somebody.

There were 33 5-star recruits in the 2021 class. 21/33 went to Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Georgia or Clemson.

The scouts are very selective when handing out 5-stars for football. Basically those are the kids they project will be playing in the NFL, and they are already physically and developmentally ready to do so. They see three and four star recruit need to physically develop or be coached up to get there.

(05-28-2021 03:58 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(05-27-2021 11:16 PM)ZCat Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 09:00 PM)ladeda Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 11:06 AM)Cat-Man Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 10:20 AM)ladeda Wrote:   I figured IU would be the harder matchup only bc ND lost so many guys on offense (including their QB.)


However, after a quick deep dive into IU's games last year, they really succeeded due to takeaways. They were +13 on int's in the 7 game regular season. 17 int's, and only threw 4 int's. If Ridder can not turn the ball and UC wins the turnover battle, I think they will be in solid shape.

Not so fun fact. Apparently UC led the NCAA in fumbles last year with 10. UC needs to tighten that stat up.

Football season can't start soon enough for me.

Both games are going to be equally tough. All the pre-season rankings I've seen both have been in or around the top 10.

ND will be fine at QB with the Wisc. transfer coming in. The offensive line will be the least experienced, but remember at a place like ND, they replace 5* guys with more 5* guys. I think they'll have the upper hand with Freeman on their staff. He knows our strengths and weaknesses.

Not to nitpick, but ND only gets 4 star players. Mayer is the only 5 star player they have gotten since 2016.

That said, even for ND, it's tough when you have to replace 3 OL who were drafted in the top 100 of this past year's draft. ND doesn't recruit as well as Bama, Clemson, tOSU.

I just think it will take a few games for their OL to gel, and also it will take Coan time as well. Basically long story short-- I'd rather want to play ND earlier in the season than later.

Plus I like the fact that ND plays Wisconsin the week before UC, while UC has a bye before the ND game. Coan is going to be geeked up for that Wisconsin game, and he could have a letdown vs UC.

And, Fickell and Denbrock are spending this entire offseason game planning for Notre Dame.

Very interesting They’ve had only one five star in five years.

How many 5* On average each year? I’m guessing there’s not a minimum amount. It depends on their point values adding up to a five star. Correct me if I’m wrong.

It’s not like a Bball McDonald’s all American. Every year they will be the same amount. They have to choose somebody.

There were 33 5-star recruits in the 2021 class. 21/33 went to Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Georgia or Clemson.

The scouts are very selective when handing out 5-stars for football. Basically those are the kids they project will be playing in the NFL, and they are already physically and developmentally ready to do so. They see three and four star recruit need to physically develop or be coached up to get there.

Thanks!
Yeah I did some searches and was looking at the list. It’s crazy how many times I saw those same teams come up.

(05-28-2021 03:58 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(05-27-2021 11:16 PM)ZCat Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 09:00 PM)ladeda Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 11:06 AM)Cat-Man Wrote:  

(05-26-2021 10:20 AM)ladeda Wrote:   I figured IU would be the harder matchup only bc ND lost so many guys on offense (including their QB.)


However, after a quick deep dive into IU's games last year, they really succeeded due to takeaways. They were +13 on int's in the 7 game regular season. 17 int's, and only threw 4 int's. If Ridder can not turn the ball and UC wins the turnover battle, I think they will be in solid shape.

Not so fun fact. Apparently UC led the NCAA in fumbles last year with 10. UC needs to tighten that stat up.

Football season can't start soon enough for me.

Both games are going to be equally tough. All the pre-season rankings I've seen both have been in or around the top 10.

ND will be fine at QB with the Wisc. transfer coming in. The offensive line will be the least experienced, but remember at a place like ND, they replace 5* guys with more 5* guys. I think they'll have the upper hand with Freeman on their staff. He knows our strengths and weaknesses.

Not to nitpick, but ND only gets 4 star players. Mayer is the only 5 star player they have gotten since 2016.

That said, even for ND, it's tough when you have to replace 3 OL who were drafted in the top 100 of this past year's draft. ND doesn't recruit as well as Bama, Clemson, tOSU.

I just think it will take a few games for their OL to gel, and also it will take Coan time as well. Basically long story short-- I'd rather want to play ND earlier in the season than later.

Plus I like the fact that ND plays Wisconsin the week before UC, while UC has a bye before the ND game. Coan is going to be geeked up for that Wisconsin game, and he could have a letdown vs UC.

And, Fickell and Denbrock are spending this entire offseason game planning for Notre Dame.

Very interesting They’ve had only one five star in five years.

How many 5* On average each year? I’m guessing there’s not a minimum amount. It depends on their point values adding up to a five star. Correct me if I’m wrong.

It’s not like a Bball McDonald’s all American. Every year they will be the same amount. They have to choose somebody.

There were 33 5-star recruits in the 2021 class. 21/33 went to Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Georgia or Clemson.

The scouts are very selective when handing out 5-stars for football. Basically those are the kids they project will be playing in the NFL, and they are already physically and developmentally ready to do so. They see three and four star recruit need to physically develop or be coached up to get there.

There's also been some inflation in star ratings over the years. There's been consistent numbers of 5-star players, but the number of 4-star and 3-star players has risen over the years.