2018 NCAA Football Season

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

The NCAA tweaks kick-off rules again. I’m not sure why they just don’t eliminate the kick-off all together. They keep trying more and more incentive to for the fair catch. I don’t know that I notice that many injuries on kick-off.

984875849169154048


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[Scorcho]

Utah vs. Iowa St Dec. 26th in Cactus

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/amp/ncaa-division-i-fbs/news/college-football-schedule-2018-19-bowl-projections-rankings/cezk2hi6m9071i8te9nlkk3bb

:moon:

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Utah vs. Iowa St Dec. 26th in Cactus

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/amp/ncaa-division-i-fbs/news/college-football-schedule-2018-19-bowl-projections-rankings/cezk2hi6m9071i8te9nlkk3bb

:moon:

Another day after Christmas bowl that we won't sell tickets to!

[Scratch]

The NCAA tweaks kick-off rules again. I’m not sure why they just don’t eliminate the kick-off all together. They keep trying more and more incentive to for the fair catch. I don’t know that I notice that many injuries on kick-off.

984875849169154048


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Have to allow for on-sides kicks. I suppose you could allow them if you ask for them, which would cover 90% of on-sides kicks when everyone knows it's coming, but I'd be bummed to lose out on the surprising on-sides kicks.

[LA Ute]

This is nice. We’re #25:

Top 25 College Football Programs of the Last 25 Years

https://thebiglead.com/2018/05/18/top-25-college-football-programs-of-the-last-25-years/5/

[Scorcho]

week 1 betting lines are out: no line yet for Utah vs. Weber

UA -14 vs BYU
ASU -17½ vs. UTSA
CU -6 vs. Colorado St.
OSU +38 at Ohio State
UO -28½ vs. Bowling Green
Stan -14½ vs. San Diego St.
UCLA -15½ vs. Cincinnati
USC -27 vs. UNLV
UW +3½ vs. Auburn (tempted to put money on UW )
WSU -4 at Wyoming

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

week 1 betting lines are out: no line yet for Utah vs. Weber

UA -14 vs BYU
ASU -17½ vs. UTSA
CU -6 vs. Colorado St.
OSU +38 at Ohio State
UO -28½ vs. Bowling Green
Stan -14½ vs. San Diego St.
UCLA -15½ vs. Cincinnati
USC -27 vs. UNLV
UW +3½ vs. Auburn (tempted to put money on UW )
WSU -4 at Wyoming

Wow. A few of those lines really stand out.

14 points to Arizona over BYU.
CU only 6 over the Rams.
Even given WSU’s game 1 history, only 4 points over a Wyoming who is replacing their once in twenty years quarterback.




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[Dwight Schr-Ute]

NCAA passes change that no longer requires student athlete transfers to get permission from coaches before contacting other schools.

http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/new-transfer-rule-eliminates-permission-contact-process


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[Dwight Schr-Ute]

The NCAA also updated the red shirt policy, allowing players to play in four games before losing their red shirt. We will see Tuttle this season.

[UTEopia]

NCAA passes change that no longer requires student athlete transfers to get permission from coaches before contacting other schools.

http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/new-transfer-rule-eliminates-permission-contact-process

I think this is a positive change although I notice that conferences can still enact more stringent requirements.


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I think this is a positive change although I notice that conferences can still enact more stringent requirements.

[Scorcho]

Phil Steele has Utah at #22 in his power rating

7. UW
10. Stanford
14. USC
22. Utah
26. Oregon
27. Boise St
41. Arizona
47. Colorado
53. Asu
54. SDSU
57. Fresno
58. Cal
59. UCLA
66. Utah St
68. WSU
78. BYU
81. Wyoming
83. Air Force
91. Nevada
100. Colorado St
104. UNLV
114. OSU

https://twitter.com/WestcoastCfb/status/1007136706213003264

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

Sounds like Brandon Burton is back. Now on staff.

1007395727062863872


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[LA Ute]

Sounds like Brandon Burton is back. Now on staff.

1007395727062863872

Just for fun:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb1hznDY-nA

[SoCalPat]

Just for fun:

Couple of thoughts on this video ...

1. I miss James Bates and Todd Christensen. RIP Todd. Always treated us fairly, despite his BYU background. I could say the same for Blaine Fowler. There were others who weren't nearly as professional.

2. Unbelievable way to finish our time in the MWC. And it was about time we had an out-of-the-blue play to beat BYU.

3. For all of our excellent STs play under Kyle, we still commit a major mistake on this play. Since the blocked kick went past the line of scrimmage, there is zero need to fall on it. Touching it makes it a live ball, and downing it at that point on the field costs you field position, because otherwise you'd spot the ball at the LOS. Now, one time wouldn't be a big deal, and since we touched it with no time on the clock, there was no harm that could be inflicted. Still a scary thought as the ball bounded backwards.

Here's the most famous instance of such a blunder ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrU8z4w8T-4

In 2012, when we beat BYU three times, we could've avoided the second kick by covering the ball after we blocked BYU's first FG attempt. That ball was already live, since it went behind the LOS. Yet you see two Utah players run away from the ball (Go to 17:20 in this clip to see it). Had we recovered it, the 15-yard penalty wouldn't have mattered, because we would've had possession. We take a knee and the game is over. But because BYU recovered it, it extended their possession and forced us to "win" the game a third time, with the FG attempt that bounced off the upright.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gXlrjK4cHU

[Scorcho]

this clearly needs to improve in 2018

(https://twitter.com/SportsPac12)https://twitter.com/SportsPac12/status/1011022359828938752

SportsPac12‏ 19 hours ago (https://twitter.com/SportsPac12/status/1011022359828938752)
https://twitter.com/SportsPac12/status/1011022359828938752
More



2017 Pac-12 Football - Percentage of Drives that Resulted in a Touchdown

1. Washington, 40%
2. Arizona, 39%
3. Stanford, 34%
4. USC, 33%
5. UCLA, 32%
6. Oregon, 31%
ASU, 31%
8. WSU, 26%
9. Colorado, 25%
10. Cal, 24%
11. Utah, 23% :shocker:
12. OSU, 19%

[SoCalPat]

this clearly needs to improve in 2018

(https://twitter.com/SportsPac12)https://twitter.com/SportsPac12/status/1011022359828938752

SportsPac12‏ 19 hours ago (https://twitter.com/SportsPac12/status/1011022359828938752)
https://twitter.com/SportsPac12/status/1011022359828938752
More



2017 Pac-12 Football - Percentage of Drives that Resulted in a Touchdown

1. Washington, 40%
2. Arizona, 39%
3. Stanford, 34%
4. USC, 33%
5. UCLA, 32%
6. Oregon, 31%
ASU, 31%
8. WSU, 26%
9. Colorado, 25%
10. Cal, 24%
11. Utah, 23% :shocker:
12. OSU, 19%


But hey ... on the rankings of drives that end with a FG, we should be pretty high. Maybe even No. 1!

[LA Ute]

Couple of thoughts on this video ...

In 2012, when we beat BYU three times, we could've avoided the second kick by covering the ball after we blocked BYU's first FG attempt. That ball was already live, since it went behind the LOS. Yet you see two Utah players run away from the ball (Go to 17:20 in this clip to see it). Had we recovered it, the 15-yard penalty wouldn't have mattered, because we would've had possession. We take a knee and the game is over. But because BYU recovered it, it extended their possession and forced us to "win" the game a third time, with the FG attempt that bounced off the upright.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gXlrjK4cHU

That was the most painful win I’ve ever experienced. I had forgotten that BYU drove the length of the field in the last 1:00.

[Dwight Schr-Ute]

This is a few weeks old, but I just saw it this morning. Pretty insane how impatient today’s blue chip QBs are and what a difference a few plays can make.

Probably one of the major motivations for the redshirt rule change.

997831817439956994


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[Mormon Red Death]

The Division I council recently approved a proposal that will allow student-athletes to participate in up to four games without burning their redshirt (http://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/23782893/ncaa-passes-reform-allows-athletes-transfer-permission) for the season. The rule will preserve a year of eligibility while still allowing some wiggle room for an athlete who hasn't yet used his or her redshirt season.

[Scorcho]

bit of a surprise, guess who is in favor of a 9 game conference schedule:

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/2013/nick-saban-9-game-schedule/

[Scorcho]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/auburns-gus-malzahn-joins-nick-saban-in-advocating-for-nine-game-sec-schedule/

well, now there are two!

[SoCalPat]

This is a few weeks old, but I just saw it this morning. Pretty insane how impatient today’s blue chip QBs are and what a difference a few plays can make.

Probably one of the major motivations for the redshirt rule change.

997831817439956994


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There's really nothing impatient about this mindset. It actually makes a lot of sense.

Hurts had his share of average/mediocre play during the season. If such a stretch happened in the national title game, and the staff didn't turn to Tua, when exactly would they turn to him?

If Hurts plays great and Bama wins going away, when exactly does Tua get his shot? His senior year after Hurts finally graduates?

[sancho]

ESPN article on turnovers. Are they more than luck?

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/24142400/coaches-their-everlasting-quest-coach-turnovers

[sancho]

Urban gets a 3 game suspension for not firing Zach Smith a few years ago and for lying at Big10 media days.

[sancho]

Who you pulling for on this list?

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/8/22/17606048/blue-chip-ratio-2018

[Applejack]

Who you pulling for on this list?

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/8/22/17606048/blue-chip-ratio-2018

Not Washington.

[SoCalPat]

Who you pulling for on this list?

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/8/22/17606048/blue-chip-ratio-2018

Calling my shot: A team not on this list of 13 schools will make the CFP this year.

[sancho]

Calling my shot: A team not on this list of 13 schools will make the CFP this year.

That's fine, but it doesn't count unless that team wins it all.

It will happen someday, of course, but it hasn't happened yet.

[sancho]

Technically, the season starts today! I think Hawaii @ CSU at 5:30 is the game to watch.

[sancho]

FOOTBALL IS BACK! Every one of us needs to wake up Sunday morning hungover from binge watching.

Thursday night:

Northwestern @ Purdue. Watch for an hour before switching to the main event
WSU @ Utah. HERE WE GO!

Friday night:

Watch SDSU @ Stanford until CU vs CSU starts. That Colorado rivalry is usually a good game.

Sat morning:

TTech vs Ole Miss is the smallest line of the morning. Texas @ Maryland was a great game last season, though.

Sat early afternoon:

UW vs Auburn. Game of the week by a wide margin. Both teams in the top 10. Winner goes right to the 1-seed in early playoff discussion.
Tenn vs West Virginia is a great 2nd option if the main event turns into a blowout.
Wazzu @ Wyoming. Cougars never like Laramie. The line on this is only 1.5. We are all cowboys!
UNC @ Cal. Another chance for the Pac-12 vs a P5.

Sat evening:

Cincy @ UCLA. First look at the Chippy Bruins.
Michigan @ Notre Dame. Both ranked. Fans of either team ready to start doubting their head coach.
Louisville vs Bama. Bama usually rolls in these neutral field early games. We'll see.

Late game: BYU @ Arizona.

Sunday evening: Miami vs LSU. Miami is ranked #8? Not sure I'm buying.

Monday evening: VaTech @ FSU. What a weekend!

[chrisrenrut]

Opening weekend, and the best game Fox can find for prime time is Baylor vs. Abilene Christian?

edit: my bad, didn’t realize Nebraska vs Akron was on a weather delay. Not that it would be much better.

[sancho]

Opening weekend, and the best game Fox can find for prime time is Baylor vs. Abilene Christian?

They had Akron/Nebraska, and they got rained out.

[sancho]

Last night, when Miami was getting torn apart by LSU, someone tweeted out that Fox needs labor day weekend games on Sunday and Monday as well. Give us two options.

[sancho]

Alright, on to week 2.

Friday night: TCU @ SMU. This is the only option. Probably not a close game, but check the score to see. Wouldn't want to miss it if the ponies win.

Sat morning: Slim pickin's this week. Maybe UCLA @ Oklahoma? Maybe Arizona @ Houston? Duke @ Northwestern? I guess we just check the scoreboard and tune in to whatever's closest. Or, do your chores in the morning.

Sat early afternoon:

UGA @ South Carolina. Early conference games are good.
CU @ Nebraska. Nebraska's warm up game got rained out, and now they have to start with an old rival.

Mid afternoon: Iowa State @ Iowa. Rivalry!

Sat evening:

Clemson @ Texas A&M. Clemson seems to have an easy path to the playoff. A&M is one of the few chances to stop them.
Utah @ NIU. The road game nobody wanted!
Penn St @ Pitt. Rivalry!

Sat night:

USC @ Stanford. The game of the day. Winner is still a playoff hopeful.

Late game:

Michigan State @ Arizona State. Devils impressed vs San Antonio. Spartans did not impress vs Aggies. This could be a good game.

[sancho]

1037364037909143555

[Applejack]

I know that Arizona doesn't have a whole lot. 38-0 early (REALLY EARLY) in the 3rd Quarter.

[sancho]

I know that Arizona doesn't have a whole lot. 38-0 early (REALLY EARLY) in the 3rd Quarter.

Where is Rich Rod now? I bet he's amused.

[Applejack]

Where is Rich Rod now? I bet he's amused.

The South is looking fairly weak: UCLA and Arizona have laid turds out of the block, but Colorado appears better than people thought. We don't know much about ASU and USC is USC. Too bad the schedule makers cursed us this year.

[sancho]

The South is looking fairly weak: UCLA and Arizona have laid turds out of the block, but Colorado appears better than people thought. We don't know much about ASU and USC is USC. Too bad the schedule makers cursed us this year.

I hope we can actually get a couple of comfortable conference wins this season. Those have been so rare.

[Applejack]

The buffs beat the huskers in Lincoln! They could be tough.

[NorthwestUteFan]

The buffs beat the huskers in Lincoln! They could be tough.That was huge. Way to go Buffs!

That win may be second only to Coach Mac's ability to sweep scandals under the rug

[sancho]

Week 3. Not exactly stuffed with prime match ups, but there are definitely some gems!

There are games W, Th, and F nights, but there's nothing interesting.

Sat morning isn't great either.

Certainly OU @ Iowa St if it stays close.
FSU @ Syracuse is more interesting than anyone would have guessed 2 weeks ago. Interesting like a train wreck.
Rutgers @ Kansas duel for the honor of being the worst P5 program.

Sat afternoon makes up for it, though.

LSU @ Auburn is the game of the week.
Boise St @ Okie State at the same time.

Sat evening:

Bama @ Ole Miss. Watch until it gets out of hand (or until the Ohio State/TCU kickoff).
Ohio State @ TCU. Huge chance for the Frogs.
USC @ Texas. Hopes for a big game were probably huge when this was scheduled. It's lost some luster with each team at an unimpressive 1-1.

Sat night:

UW @ Utah! Will Utah ever stop being the "tough out" and start winning these games? Great way to end the day.

[Applejack]

Week 3. Not exactly stuffed with prime match ups, but there are definitely some gems!

There are games W, Th, and F nights, but there's nothing interesting.

Sat morning isn't great either.

Certainly OU @ Iowa St if it stays close.
FSU @ Syracuse is more interesting than anyone would have guessed 2 weeks ago. Interesting like a train wreck.
Rutgers @ Kansas duel for the honor of being the worst P5 program.

Sat afternoon makes up for it, though.

LSU @ Auburn is the game of the week.
Boise St @ Okie State at the same time.

Sat evening:

Bama @ Ole Miss. Watch until it gets out of hand (or until the Ohio State/TCU kickoff).
Ohio State @ TCU. Huge chance for the Frogs.
USC @ Texas. Hopes for a big game were probably huge when this was scheduled. It's lost some luster with each team at an unimpressive 1-1.

Sat night:

UW @ Utah! Will Utah ever stop being the "tough out" and start winning these games? Great way to end the day.

Thanks. Two things:

1. Curse the God the created time zones.
2. Utah has already started winning "these games." Oregon in 2015? USC in 2016? Stanford every time we play them? UW has had our number (I think it is because their style of play is similar to ours, just with better athletes) but that is separate from the argument that Utah is always in games against top ten teams but never pulls them out.

[sancho]

Had a ward party tonight. Everyone wanted to make sure I knew that BYU beat Wisconsin today.

It depends on how Wisconsin does the rest of the way, but that game might end up being BYU's biggest win since the Edwards era.

[tooblue]

Week 3. Not exactly stuffed with prime match ups, but there are definitely some gems!

There are games W, Th, and F nights, but there's nothing interesting.

Sat morning isn't great either.

Certainly OU @ Iowa St if it stays close.
FSU @ Syracuse is more interesting than anyone would have guessed 2 weeks ago. Interesting like a train wreck.
Rutgers @ Kansas duel for the honor of being the worst P5 program.

Sat afternoon makes up for it, though.

LSU @ Auburn is the game of the week.
Boise St @ Okie State at the same time.

Sat evening:

Bama @ Ole Miss. Watch until it gets out of hand (or until the Ohio State/TCU kickoff).
Ohio State @ TCU. Huge chance for the Frogs.
USC @ Texas. Hopes for a big game were probably huge when this was scheduled. It's lost some luster with each team at an unimpressive 1-1.

Sat night:

UW @ Utah! Will Utah ever stop being the "tough out" and start winning these games? Great way to end the day.

You missed the best game of the day. BYU won in a slug fest at Wisconsin on ABC. But I know you all watched and you are now all just hoping Utah actually shows up tonight. Not sure I’ll Stay up and watch the game, but maybe I will. Utah should win and it could be a fun game.

[sancho]

Bye week still has some good football for us all.

Friday Night Lights:

Undercard: FAU vs UCF. Knights defending their title.
Main event: Wazzu @ USC. It's late, but we get to scout our next opponent AND root against a division rival.

Sat morning:
UGa @ Mizzou and Nebraska @ Michigan. Maybe one of them surprises and ends up close.

Sat afternoon:

A&M @ Bama is the big one for this time slot. Huge opportunity for Jimbo.
KState @ West VA. Mountaineers best chance for someone other than Oklahoma to win the Big12?
NIU @ FSU has some interest for us Utah fans now.
Arizona @ Oregon St. Go Beavs!
Mississippi @ Kentucky. Both are still 3-0.

Sat evening

Game of the day: Stanford @ Oregon.
ASU @ UW. Go Huskies.

[sancho]

P5 Thursday football is back...it's just UNC @ Miami, but it's back!

Friday night: UCLA @ CU. Buffs seem like leaders in the south. They can't afford to drop this game at home.

Saturday morning:

West Va @ Texas Tech. Both are ranked. Grier is great.
Syracuse @ Clemson. Both are unbeaten. Clemson wants revenge for last season.

Sat early afternoon:

This is the worst Sat afternoon I can remember. Tennesse @ UGa is the closest thing to a compelling match up from noon until the Utes kick off.

Sat late afternoon:

Utah @ WSU.

Sat evening:

Ohio State @ Penn State. Game of the week. The best whiteout in the game. Two top ten teams.
Stanford @ ND. The "rivalry" that no one cares about. Two more top ten teams, though!
BYU @ UW. Another game between ranked teams.

Sat night: so much Pac-12 action!

Oregon @ Cal. Do the Ducks recover from beating themselves vs Stanford?
USC vs Arizona. Interesting south match up. Both teams should get better as the season goes on.

[sancho]

ND pulls away in the 4th and beats Stanford easily.

Michigan comes back to beat Northwestern in a game featuring the worst holding call of all time. Seriously, with the sheer volume of officiating mistakes each week, how do we consider this sport to be anything more than arbitrary. If you could challenge/review any call, would games last 8 hours?

Ohio State comes back to beat Penn St. PSU with a play call on 4th and 5 that would make any of our past OCs look like Chip Kelley in his prime.

[sancho]

You know what cheers me up after bad football? More football!

Once again, nothing really stands out on the Thursday/Friday schedule. I think the NFL really killed Thursday night college football.

Sat morning:

Red.River.Rivalry. Both teams ranked. Seems like years since that happened.
Maryland @ Michigan could be good.

Sat afternoon:

LSU @ Florida. Both ranked. Me likey.
SDSU @ Boise St. About as good as it gets in the ole' MWC.
ASU @ CU. Are the Buffs really the best team in the south?

Sat evening. First time in forever that there is no general conference priesthood session during this time slot, and the wife and daughters will be at a women's session...and I get pretty much no great options:

Kentucky @ A&M. Kentucky is ranked #13. Seriously.
Notre Dame @ VaTech. Hokies are still ranked after losing to Old Dominion.

Sat late:

Utah @ Stanford. Did you know that Stanford has tough admissions criteria? Did you know they put the student in student-athlete? Did you know Bryce Love is going to be a doctor? Did you know that there aren't any smart people on other teams? Did you know that all Stanford athletes are majoring in physics and electrical engineering and none are majoring in..."science, technology, and society"?

[chrisrenrut]

You know what cheers me up after bad football? More football!

Once again, nothing really stands out on the Thursday/Friday schedule. I think the NFL really killed Thursday night college football.

Friday night is BYU/USU. BYU is a future opponent, and USU looks to be pretty good this year.

[chrisrenrut]

Utah State’s QB looks like the best in the state this year.

[Sullyute]

Utah State’s QB looks like the best in the state this year.

The aggies are crushing the cougars.

[sancho]

Short week for us, and a good week in general.

Thursday. The first decent Thursday night game of the season. Texas Tech @ TCU.

Friday night lights. Arizona @ Utah. Now Rich Rod free!

Sat morning is the weak spot, again. Three ranked teams play in games they should win easily. Just check in to see if Ohio State, Florida, or Auburn is having a hard time.

Sat afternoon makes up for it with two very big games:

UGa @ LSU
UW @ Oregon
Michigan St @ Penn St makes for a pretty good third option as well.

Sat evening:

Wisconsin @ Michigan.
Mizzou @ Bama. What will Saban complain about this time?

Sat night:

CU @ USC. Computers think CU is a paper tiger. This is their toughest game so far.

[sancho]

I hope we can actually get a couple of comfortable conference wins this season. Those have been so rare.

bump

[sancho]

Sat morning is the weak spot, again. Three ranked teams play in games they should win easily. Just check in to see if Ohio State, Florida, or Auburn is having a hard time.


All three are close. Not bad!

[sancho]

This week is all about USC @ Utah, but there are some other things going on.

Thursday - Stanford @ ASU. It's tough for me to root for the cards, but until all other south teams have at least 3 conference losses, I have to pull for the north.

This week features the best Sat morning we've had all year:

Michigan @ MSU, both ranked, in-state rivalry? Yes, please.
OU @ TCU. Horned Frogs season is falling apart - a win over OU is the last chance to make this a great season.
Maryland @ Iowa. Both teams just quietly winning games (except for the Terp loss to Temple).

Sat afternoon:

NC State @ Clemson. Wolfpack unbeaten! I'm not sure you can call yourself an American if you are pulling for Clemson in this game.
CU @ UW. Go huskies!

Sat evening:

Mississippi St @ LSU. You're gonna want that cowbell. Both teams ranked. LSU is a playoff hopeful.
Oregon @ Wazzu. Also both ranked. This game doesn't mean much for Utah, but I would prefer Oregon comes to RES as a playoff contender with only 1 loss.
USC @ Utah. USC is the south favorite whether they win or lose this weekend. A Utah win, however, keeps us in the discussion.

Sat night:

Arizona @ UCLA is a preview of our next opponent. The Bruins have definitely improved.

[sancho]

Computer love, still strong. #14 in ESPN's FPI. #19 S&P. #14-17 Sagarin. ESPN still favors us in each remaining game.

New season record odds, according to ESPN:

0.07% 5-7
1.35% 6-6
8.91% 7-5
27.35% 8-4
39.90% 9-3
22.41% 10-2

They give us more than 22% chance of winning the south. Over 60% chance of having 1 or fewer remaining loss. They still think ASU is our toughest remaining game, followed by CU.

[sancho]

Football football football!

Thursday night has a bunch of games. None of them are particularly great, but they are there!

Friday night: There are a few early games between P5 schools, then watch the late show: Utah @ UCLA.

Sat morning:

Clemson @ FSU. Someone's got to put a wrinkle into this college playoff picture at some point, right?
Wisconsin @ Northwestern. The wildcats are on top of the west division.
Purdue @ Michigan St. How do the 'makers follow up on their big upset?

Sat afternoon:

Florida @ Georgia. Both are ranked in the top 10. These are playoff hopefuls, or at least NY6 hopefuls.
Iowa @ Penn St. The Hawkeyes only have one loss? Both teams are ranked.
ASU @ USC. Scout next week's opponent.

Sat evening:

WSU @ Stanford. Two ranked former opponents.
Texas @ Okie State. Root for playoff chaos, root for the cowboys.

After dark: it's just Oregon @ Zona. Not much, but it's football.

[Mormon Red Death]

Good hell the Minnesota uniforms are atrocious. Whoever designed them should be embarrassed

[sancho]

Football is so great when you're winning. I think this is the best week of the season. Skip the morning, but then it's all big games for the rest of the day on Sat.

Thursday night: Temple @ #9 UCF. Temple beat Maryland and Cincy - can they end the Knights long winning streak?

Friday night:

Pitt @ UVa. All of a sudden, Bronco has UVa in first place of the worst division in P5 football.
The late game is CU @ Arizona.

Sat morning is all the games that looked good in August and are now awful:

Louisville @ Clemson, Nebraska @ OSU, A&M @ Auburn. Run your errands in the morning.

Sat afternoon makes up for it, though:

UGa @ Kentucky. Both ranked.
West Va @ Texas. Both ranked, and WVU only has 1 loss.
Penn St @ Michigan. Both ranked, and Michigan controls its own playoff destiny.
Utah @ ASU. Utes as hot as any team not named Alabama or Clemson.

Sat night:

Notre Dame @ Northwestern. One of the last chances to deny Notre Dame an undeserved playoff spot.
Alabama @ LSU. #1 @ #4, and no one expects a close game. That's how good Alabama is. Still, this is must see TV in case the Tigers pull off the upset. LSU still thinks it's a playoff contender, but that ends after this game.
OU @ Texas Tech. OU still a strong playoff contender.
Stanford @ UW. Playing for pride now, but these are two good teams.

Sat late night:

Cal @ Wazzu. WSU still an outside shot at the playoff.

[UBlender]

WSU still an outside shot at the playoff.

I'd say WSU has more than an outside shot at the playoff. If they can win out, a 12-1 WSU would be right in the mix with a bunch of other 1-loss teams. Of course, Bama and Clemson are all but locked in and Notre Dame might coast in as well. But in the mix of current 1-loss teams in the hunt many of them are still going to lose a second or even third game with the conference championship games still to come. I wouldn't say WSU has an inside track but if they win out they'd have to have something near 50% chance to get in. Then again they're not winning out.

[SoCalPat]

It would be great to get some chaos in the playoff this season.

We need Bama to win out, then all other SEC teams have at least 2 losses.

We need ND to lose at least one. Then the committee is in a tough situation of comparing 11-1 ND to 11-2 schools with tougher schedules.

It would be great to see Clemson lose, but I'm not holding my breath.

Root against OU, WVU, WSU, OSU, Michigan.

At that point, there could be many 2 loss teams in the discussion, and it would basically come down to splitting hairs, brand, coin tosses, etc. It would be guaranteed to be unjust, which is great for chaos.

A Utah team that's 11-2, having avenged an earlier loss by defeating that team in a championship game, will have a massive edge over any other two loss team out there contending for the No. 3-4 spot. In effect, we will be viewed as a 1-loss team. As long as branding can stay out of the equation, if the committee has no choice but to have a 2-loss team in its top 4, that team will be Utah.

[Sullyute]

Sat night:

BYU @ Utah. Winner plays UW/WSU for Pac-12 title.
USU @ BSU. Winner plays Fresno for MWC title.

Lol. I see what you did there.

[Brian]

Some great football this week:

Egg bowl Thursday night

Friday night has UCF @ USF, OU @ WVU (winner plays Texas for the Big12 title), UW @ WSU (winner plays UTAH for the Pac-12 title)

Sat morning:

Michigan @ OSU, winner plays Northwestern for Big10 title

Sat afternoon:

Iron bowl

Sat evening:

SC @ Clemson
LSU @ A&M, both ranked

Sat night:

BYU @ Utah. Winner plays UW/WSU for Pac-12 title.
USU @ BSU. Winner plays Fresno for MWC title.


:clap:

[Utebiquitous]

Sancho,
I'm sideways with you on this one. I loved Larry Culpepper - totally miss what I thought was a brilliant campaign. I loved the Steve Smith one last year. At least we agree on our love of the Utes.

[SeattleUte]

I pretty much never don’t cheer for the Huskies when they’re not playing the Utes. But we should all want the Wasu to win this. Much better matchup for us, and we want to play a higher ranked team. But I’m getting that sinking feeling that WA just looks better.

[SeattleUte]

I'm not sure about the match up. UW has a much better defense, and I think they can stop our offense. They also have the better coach. On the other hand, WSU carved us up for three quarters. I feel like they would have little difficulty scoring against us.

We lost by a whisker in Pullman. We were never really in the game vs. UW, in our place.

[SeattleUte]

Did you watch that game? It was a pretty close one. Every bounce and call went against us. We dropped a TD return that would have made it 21-14. We had two key (incorrect) targeting calls lead to UW scores.

We were close vs WSU on the road, that is true.

Both games left you wanting another shot.

We lost by two touchdowns to Washington, at home.

Anyway, UW is better. Look what’s happening in Pullman right now. WSU has won some squeakers, like vs. us and Stanford. To be sure, UW has had some puzzling let downs.

(As I write this, WSU finally scores just before half on a great call—delayed rush off tackle with 30 seconds in the half and on the UW 12. Had it not, this game would be effectively over.)

Awsome that we get to play one of these teams in the PAC 12 Super Bowl.

[Scorcho]

Sigh! I'd like Utahs chances better against WSU. Our offense might be in for a long night against this defense.

[SeattleUte]

I do think UW has the best defense in the conference. We are #2. They hit us so hard in September that people started thinking Huntley was going to get Covey injured. And this time we won't have Huntley or Moss.

On the other hand, Browning has been somewhat disappointing. We've seen him make bad decisions under pressure all season long. Stop Gaskin, pressure Browning, and beat Petersen.

It goes both ways. We’re a worse matchup for UW than WSU is for the same reason UW is a worse match up for us. Rock breaks scissors.

[LA Ute]

We lost by two touchdowns to Washington, at home.

If I recall correctly, (and I watched every minute of that game in Rice Eccles) we pretty much gifted them two touchdowns with 3 turnovers, 2 leading directly to scores. Pita Tonga had 11 yards to go for a pick-6, facing no tacklers, when he inexplicably
lost the ball out of bounds and we then couldn’t score from the 11.

Here’s the play by play breakdown of the game:

http://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay?gameId=401012742

We’re not the same team now that we were then. If we just execute we can win. It will be interesting to see what the Vegas line is.

[SeattleUte]

If I recall correctly, (and I watched every minute of that game in Rice Eccles) we pretty much gifted them two touchdowns with 3 turnovers, 2 leading directly to scores. Pita Tonga had 11 yards to go for a pick-6, facing no tacklers, when he inexplicably
lost the ball out of bounds and we then couldn’t score from the 11.

Here’s the play by play breakdown of the game:

http://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay?gameId=401012742

We’re not the same team now that we were then. If we just execute we can win. It will be interesting to see what the Vegas line is.

I was making the point that UW is a tougher opponent for us than WSU. I do think we can win. I watched every minute of our win in Husky Stadium three years ago, and of last year’s game where half the stadium emptied with the Utes up by 7 with the ball and four downs with 3 minutes left, only to give up the ball and 10 points in those 3 minutes. That was an inferior Utah team playing probably a better Washington team than this year’s squads. We almost beat them two years ago when they went to the Final Four.

stop twisting my words.

[LA Ute]

stop twisting my words.

😀 We’re in agreement. Sweet harmony!

[UtahsMrSports]

Probably helps us Bowl wise to have washington win. Wazzu probably still gets an ny6, opening a slot for Alamo or holiday for us.

[Applejack]

Probably helps us Bowl wise to have washington win. Wazzu probably still gets an ny6, opening a slot for Alamo or holiday for us.

Uh...we will be in the rose bowl this year.

[Scorcho]

Alabama 2019 schedule
Aug. 31 vs. Duke in Atlanta
Sept. 7 vs. New Mexico State
Sept. 14 at South Carolina
Sept. 21 vs. Southern Miss
Sept. 28 vs. Ole Miss
Oct. 5: Bye
Oct. 12 at Texas A&M
Oct. 19 vs. Tennessee
Oct. 26 vs. Arkansas
Nov. 2: Bye
Nov. 9 vs. LSU
Nov. 16 at Mississippi State
Nov. 23 vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 30 at Auburn

:rolleyes:

[chrisrenrut]

3) Targeting. Include the language "intentional" in any penalty that comes with an automatic ejection. The most important fix is something that fixes the arbitrary nature of this penalty.

#1 and 2 make too much sense. Don’t expect the SEC to cede their power and money so easily.

I’m not sure how asking a referee to judge intent, either real time or replay, will make targeting calls any less arbitrary. It would add complexity and provide even more debate to every call.

[Sullyute]

Alabama 2019 schedule
Aug. 31 vs. Duke in Atlanta
Sept. 7 vs. New Mexico State
Sept. 14 at South Carolina
Sept. 21 vs. Southern Miss
Sept. 28 vs. Ole Miss
Oct. 5: Bye
Oct. 12 at Texas A&M
Oct. 19 vs. Tennessee
Oct. 26 vs. Arkansas
Nov. 2: Bye
Nov. 9 vs. LSU
Nov. 16 at Mississippi State
Nov. 23 vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 30 at Auburn

:rolleyes:

Other than the Western Carolina the second to last game, what is wrong with it?

[Scorcho]

wow, this guy was a legend for Utah State. RIP

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/25529990/utah-state-night-runner-steve-wiley-made-last-ride

[NorthwestUteFan]

That is sad. I knew he was sick. He was an absolute legend. I can't even imagine the level of dedication it takes to attend every game for 20+ years.
RIP, Night Rider!

[UBlender]

Three Clemson players will miss the playoffs after failing a drug test. I wonder how prevalent steroid use is in college football.

Has it been reported that it was steroids? I haven't seen that (yet). It seems that something like marijuana would be a lot more likely (and in a few years that probably won't be something that triggers a suspension anymore).

[Hot Lunch]

So who do you have tonight? I think Bama wins easily. We'll see.

Here's one thing we don't need: we don't need the SEC to become the destination for top Polynesian players. I like Tua a lot, but I don't want Alabama establishing a Hawaii pipeline. They already get whoever they want on the mainland!

I think Bama wins by at least 14. As good as Trevor Lawrence is or will be, he is going to be very overwhelmed tonight. He hasn't seen a D that compares to Bama. Combine that with it being the National Championship game, the moment is going to be too big for him. I don't see good things tonight. Hope I am wrong.

[Hot Lunch]

I think Bama wins by at least 14. As good as Trevor Lawrence is or will be, he is going to be very overwhelmed tonight. He hasn't seen a D that compares to Bama. Combine that with it being the National Championship game, the moment is going to be too big for him. I don't see good things tonight. Hope I am wrong.

I was way off. Don’t listen to me.

[LA Ute]

I’ll just leave this right here.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190108/b3e31d7eb331f36a0ded927798043333.jpg

[sancho]

1095123871659896832

[sancho]

1096454591556739072

[sancho]

In other NCAA stupidity news, the NCAA is considering modifying the targeting rule to include harsher penalties. In addition to current suspensions, they have have discussed adding an extra game suspension for any 2nd targeting penalty.

Targeting is the worst rule in college football because the penalty so often outweighs the crime. So naturally, they are thinking of adding a harsher penalty. Referees have shown zero ability to use common sense with this rule, and they have shown zero consistency in its application. The rule has reduced football to a state where any level of violence is acceptable as long as two helmets do not touch in the process​.

[sancho]

Football slowly dying:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-can-look-to-kiss-to-win-fans-back-after-lowest-average-attendance-in-22-years/

[LA Ute]

Football slowly dying:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-can-look-to-kiss-to-win-fans-back-after-lowest-average-attendance-in-22-years/

Wouldn’t the Occam’s Razor explanation be television’s impact?

[sancho]

Wouldn’t the Occam’s Razor explanation be television’s impact?

Maybe...but I think TV ratings are also in decline, right?