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*** Official 2015 College Football Thread *** (2 Viewers)

That's one big reason why I'm skeptical that some form of "superconference" format will ever work. Because, under that premise, I don't see any way that P5 teams will be able to continue to play seven home games a season when all of their games are against each other. Not to mention that every "league" needs to have bottom-feeders to balance out the powers. Which current teams that usually are around .500 now are going to want to sign up to be the 3-9 or 2-10 teams every year under a new format, regardless of how good the money might be?
@Steve Tasker (or maybe it was you Dickie?) originally laid it out, but we've talked a lot here about the biggest hurdle with the SEC going to 9.  While Saban and others have been pushing for it, UGA and UF will never agree to it because they both play 1 neutral game per year + 1 OOC rival game on the road every other year...leading to only 6 home games every other year.  That's $10M out of the pocket of cities of Athens and Gainesville.

Seems like there will have to be a way to make those cities close to whole...maybe the schools work out a way to 'share' some added revenue.

 
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Do the "cocktail party" in the team stadiums....doesn't seem that difficult.  Many of my FL buddies have hoping for that for years.

 
USC's first game this year is against Alabama- that's a tough way to start. 
USC is almost back to whole from the sanctions, and have as much top-end talent as anyone other than Alabama and maybe LSU/FSU/OSU...but their upper-classmen depth at key positions like OL and DL are going to hurt.  An early game helps in this case though.

 
I guess my point is that it would be a great system for the true "power" teams, but there has to be some tradeoff. Assuming the bowl system stays the way it is now (a big if, but I don't know what it would be under a new superconference format), I think you're probably seeing a lot of these 7-5 and 6-6 P5 teams suddenly struggling to stay afloat. There has to be some counter effect to not being able to beat up on G5s and FCS teams any more ... someone is going to have to be on the losing end of those games.

But I think the bigger issue will be giving up those seventh (or even eighth) home games under a superconference setup. Otherwise, someone is going to be playing five, and who's going to sign up for that?
Eh, the bowl system is essentially tiered now anyways. CFP championship - CFP bowl games - New Year's Day games - ESPN Bowl Week games - etc.

What I imagine will eventually happen is those 7-5 and 6-6 P5 teams will start playing each other in the lower tier bowl games or against G5 teams.

Realistically, playing FCS schools should be off the table.

 
USC is almost back to whole from the sanctions, and have as much top-end talent as anyone other than Alabama and maybe LSU/FSU/OSU...but their upper-classmen depth at key positions like OL and DL are going to hurt.  An early game helps in this case though.
Yeah Bama is going to crush USC at the los.

Max Brown could be a difference maker if the hype is real. Probably going to be running for his life all game though.

 
Eh, the bowl system is essentially tiered now anyways. CFP championship - CFP bowl games - New Year's Day games - ESPN Bowl Week games - etc.

What I imagine will eventually happen is those 7-5 and 6-6 P5 teams will start playing each other in the lower tier bowl games or against G5 teams.

Realistically, playing FCS schools should be off the table.
I guess my point was, once these teams start playing another conference game (or all "superconference" games), it's going to be that much tougher for those typical 7-5 or 6-6 games to get to the six wins they need to be bowl-eligible (in a normal year, which 2015 obviously wasn't).

Unless those ninth conference games are coming at the expense of nonconference games against other P5 teams, which I'm sure isn't/won't be the case, for the most part.

It's just simple math: P5 teams are "fattening up" with a lot of wins against G5 and FCS teams that they won't be getting any more once they start playing each other even more often.

 
I may have to rethink my position a bit on the ninth conference game after looking at the Big Ten schedule for this year.

I'm assuming this is by design, but the entire West Division plays the extra game on the road this year (5 road, 4 home in conference), while the East plays five at home. The kicker is that every West team also plays all three of its nonconference games at home, meaning all of those teams still get seven home games in total.

The other side isn't quite as straightforward ... Michigan plays three noncon at home (8-4 split) and Maryland plays two on the road (6-6 split), but it still averages out to seven home games for every team. 

It does drop off a bit next season, based on what I found on FBSchedules.com. For instance, the East plays the 5 B1G road games next year, but three of those teams play at least one noncon on the road (and Michigan also has a neutral game vs. Florida).

So the only way it would work is if every B1G team averaged 5 out of 6 nonconference games at home (not neutral) every two years. There's no way that's sustainable over the long term, is it?

 
I may have to rethink my position a bit on the ninth conference game after looking at the Big Ten schedule for this year.

I'm assuming this is by design, but the entire West Division plays the extra game on the road this year (5 road, 4 home in conference), while the East plays five at home. The kicker is that every West team also plays all three of its nonconference games at home, meaning all of those teams still get seven home games in total.

The other side isn't quite as straightforward ... Michigan plays three noncon at home (8-4 split) and Maryland plays two on the road (6-6 split), but it still averages out to seven home games for every team. 

It does drop off a bit next season, based on what I found on FBSchedules.com. For instance, the East plays the 5 B1G road games next year, but three of those teams play at least one noncon on the road (and Michigan also has a neutral game vs. Florida).

So the only way it would work is if every B1G team averaged 5 out of 6 nonconference games at home (not neutral) every two years. There's no way that's sustainable over the long term, is it?
A couple of things:

1. Your PSU, OSU, Michigan, Nebraska are going to get their 7 home games regardless. Those 4 schools have the cache and the stadium to make it worthwhile to host OOC opponents. No top of the conference school is clamoring to play at Maryland, at Rutgers because the crowds are going to suck (their own fanbase is small + who wants to go to NJ to see their team play?) Also, unlike FLA-GA, no one in the conference has a regular neutral site game to gum up the works.

2. Big 10 Network. It funnels plenty of cash to all 14 schools.

 
A couple of things:

1. Your PSU, OSU, Michigan, Nebraska are going to get their 7 home games regardless. Those 4 schools have the cache and the stadium to make it worthwhile to host OOC opponents. No top of the conference school is clamoring to play at Maryland, at Rutgers because the crowds are going to suck (their own fanbase is small + who wants to go to NJ to see their team play?) Also, unlike FLA-GA, no one in the conference has a regular neutral site game to gum up the works.

2. Big 10 Network. It funnels plenty of cash to all 14 schools.
I'm not sure how you define "top of conference" or "clamoring" but Rutgers has home OOC matchups scheduled with Washington, UCLA, Miami, and Virginia Tech over the next several years. As long as schools try to recruit national prospects out of NJ, we won't have issues getting OOC opponents. 

edit: PSU's current P5 home OOC games scheduled through 2025 are Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia so I'm failing to see your point.  

 
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I'm not sure how you define "top of conference" or "clamoring" but Rutgers has home OOC matchups scheduled with Washington, UCLA, Miami, and Virginia Tech over the next several years. As long as schools try to recruit national prospects out of NJ, we won't have issues getting OOC opponents. 

edit: PSU's current P5 home OOC games scheduled through 2025 are Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia so I'm failing to see your point.  
Are Rutgers' OOC games all home, all away or home and home? PSUs games are home and home. Without checking, I'm guessing that PSUs away OOC games match up with the years they play more conference games at home.

By "top of the conference" I mean this: Are Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida State and the like going to Rutgers? Probably not.

 
A couple of things:

1. Your PSU, OSU, Michigan, Nebraska are going to get their 7 home games regardless. Those 4 schools have the cache and the stadium to make it worthwhile to host OOC opponents. No top of the conference school is clamoring to play at Maryland, at Rutgers because the crowds are going to suck (their own fanbase is small + who wants to go to NJ to see their team play?) Also, unlike FLA-GA, no one in the conference has a regular neutral site game to gum up the works.

2. Big 10 Network. It funnels plenty of cash to all 14 schools.
And the reason they're getting those 7 home games a year is because they're playing G5 and FCS schools.

Here's how the B1G nonconference schedule breaks down for 2016:

Other P5 opponents: 8 home, 4 away

G5 opponents: 18 home, 3 away (all three by Indiana or Maryland)

FCS opponents: 9 home

Take those G5 and FCS opponents out of the equation and it's just not mathematically sustainable for every P5 team to continue to play seven home games. Maybe some will continue to play seven, but the same number will have to be stuck with five. There's no way around it.

 
I think all power 5 conferences should play the same amount of league games.  If that means 9 then fine.  The way it is now the conferences that play 9 are at a disadvantage to those that only play 8.

 
Tom Servo said:
Are Rutgers' OOC games all home, all away or home and home? PSUs games are home and home. Without checking, I'm guessing that PSUs away OOC games match up with the years they play more conference games at home.

By "top of the conference" I mean this: Are Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida State and the like going to Rutgers? Probably not.
Those Rutgers series are all home and home.

PSU isn't hosting any of those teams either. Alabama doesn't play anyone on the road OOC. Literally, they have zero P5 schools scheduled in true road games. Florida State has only Florida (they play ND as part of ND's ACC deal) and no one else on the road through the next decade. Texas and Oklahoma play schools on the road. Texas is going to Ohio State and Michigan. Oklahoma goes to Nebraska. So I'm sorry, but it seems like PSU better aligns with Rutgers than the three schools you mentioned. I'll eagerly await the announcement of Saban rolling into Happy Valley though. 

 
Those Rutgers series are all home and home.

PSU isn't hosting any of those teams either. Alabama doesn't play anyone on the road OOC. Literally, they have zero P5 schools scheduled in true road games. Florida State has only Florida (they play ND as part of ND's ACC deal) and no one else on the road through the next decade. Texas and Oklahoma play schools on the road. Texas is going to Ohio State and Michigan. Oklahoma goes to Nebraska. So I'm sorry, but it seems like PSU better aligns with Rutgers than the three schools you mentioned. I'll eagerly await the announcement of Saban rolling into Happy Valley though. 
It happened in 2011....as well as in 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, and 1989.  Perhaps you picked a bad example.  :D

Overall, I know what you and @Dickie Dunn are saying - something has to give. However, with :moneybag: at stake, I don't put it past college football to find a solution. 

 
To be fair, it has been 4 seasons!

OOC road games though are not as valuable right now for Alabama as neutral site OOC games in recruiting hotbeds like Dallas and Atlanta.  So until something changes, no reason to go back to OOC home-and-homes.
:lol:   I think 'Bama might be the exception. I would ask you if your fellow fans consider these "home" games in the sense that you're the majority of the crowd, or more like a bowl game that has kind of a festival atmosphere to it?

 
To be fair, it has been 4 seasons!

OOC road games though are not as valuable right now for Alabama as neutral site OOC games in recruiting hotbeds like Dallas and Atlanta.  So until something changes, no reason to go back to OOC home-and-homes.
I'm not disputing what you are saying, but this is just a HORRIBLE development.

Michigan plays Florida next year - another game in ####### Dallas. I will go because I live in Texas, but if I didn't, there's no way I'd go. Having said that, I would LOVE to go see Michigan play Florida in the Swamp. That would be awesome.

 
@Tom Servo  Bowl game-esque for sure.  It was really cool at the beginning, but is wearing thin.  I personally will make the trip to Dallas again this year (for the 3rd time)...but a lot of fans won't after going to 1-2 already.

It's not a popular strategy from an entertainment standpoint with fans...but we understand why.

 
I'm not disputing what you are saying, but this is just a HORRIBLE development.

Michigan plays Florida next year - another game in ####### Dallas. I will go because I live in Texas, but if I didn't, there's no way I'd go. Having said that, I would LOVE to go see Michigan play Florida in the Swamp. That would be awesome.
Agree 100%.  I missed our UCLA-Oklahoma-Penn State away games...and now really regret it.  We all hope it makes sense to start planning those again.  

And I'm sure it will at some point.  We took a hiatus from road OOC games in the early 90's when the SEC Championship began.  Started back again in the late 90's.

 
Pretty shocking what's happening at Baylor.  Briles will never coach there again (or anywhere I'd hope), but the fact that the BOR is considering a vote to bring him back is unreal.  Talk about weak leadership.

 
Agree 100%.  I missed our UCLA-Oklahoma-Penn State away games...and now really regret it.  We all hope it makes sense to start planning those again.  

And I'm sure it will at some point.  We took a hiatus from road OOC games in the early 90's when the SEC Championship began.  Started back again in the late 90's.
Hey, I loved 'em too. Those PSU schedules in the 80s were awesome! ND, Bama, Pitt (when they were good), Nebraska. Dang, those were some good games.

 
gump said:
Pretty shocking what's happening at Baylor.  Briles will never coach there again (or anywhere I'd hope), but the fact that the BOR is considering a vote to bring him back is unreal.  Talk about weak leadership.
:moneybag:

Isn't this all due to money?

Briles has a $40m guaranteed contract.  Pretty hard to get out of that.

 
:moneybag:

Isn't this all due to money?

Briles has a $40m guaranteed contract.  Pretty hard to get out of that.
I don't know what kind of guarantees are involved but I'd think that even toying with the notion of bringing him back would seriously impact the ability to justify a for-cause firing and getting out of any guarantees. Seems like the approach of "this occurred under his watch, he's gone immediately" would be best way to get out of it and literally anything short of that would make it more difficult.

 
This is the hardest offseason that I can remember as an Oregon fan.  Last year left such a crappy taste in my mouth with the TCU debacle and now all the pundits (maybe rightfully so) are down on Oregon this year.  I just saw that ESPN predicted Washington to win the Pac 12 north this year.  Washington!  Are you kidding me?  They were a sub 500 team again last year until they beat a WSU team without Falk and Southern Miss.  Bet the UNDER on 9 wins for Washington,  it is a lock.

Can't wait for the season to start!

 
This is the hardest offseason that I can remember as an Oregon fan.  Last year left such a crappy taste in my mouth with the TCU debacle and now all the pundits (maybe rightfully so) are down on Oregon this year.  I just saw that ESPN predicted Washington to win the Pac 12 north this year.  Washington!  Are you kidding me?  They were a sub 500 team again last year until they beat a WSU team without Falk and Southern Miss.  Bet the UNDER on 9 wins for Washington,  it is a lock.

Can't wait for the season to start!
Not sure we agree on this one at all.  I mentioned UW as a potential loss for the Ducks.  You weren't having any of that.  This is a talented team with a good, proven head coach.  QB cut his teeth last year.  

What the TCU game did was highlight the inability of the Ducks coaching staff to make the right adjustments and play sound football.  That loss was not all on Don Pellum.  The offensive staff failing to move Lockie under center, bleed the play-clock down to zero and hand the ball off is the larger reason they lost that game.  That is what concerns me.  How was there not one coach on that staff willing to point this out?  It still bothers me.  And I want to punch Duck fans in the bill for saying ridiculous stuff like "that's our brand of football, that's how we play, we play fast".  Not when you can't snap the ####### ball to the QB, you don't.  Not when you can't throw the ball more than 3 yards forward.  It's idiotic.  At the end of the day, there's a reason why sound, fundamental football works.  There's a reason why time of possession matters.  There's a reason why controlling the clock with a lead is important.  These are high calculus observations, they're the building blocks of winning and it concerns me greatly that the coaches couldn't see this when it was happening.

 
Not sure we agree on this one at all.  I mentioned UW as a potential loss for the Ducks.  You weren't having any of that.  This is a talented team with a good, proven head coach.  QB cut his teeth last year.  

What the TCU game did was highlight the inability of the Ducks coaching staff to make the right adjustments and play sound football.  That loss was not all on Don Pellum.  The offensive staff failing to move Lockie under center, bleed the play-clock down to zero and hand the ball off is the larger reason they lost that game.  That is what concerns me.  How was there not one coach on that staff willing to point this out?  It still bothers me.  And I want to punch Duck fans in the bill for saying ridiculous stuff like "that's our brand of football, that's how we play, we play fast".  Not when you can't snap the ####### ball to the QB, you don't.  Not when you can't throw the ball more than 3 yards forward.  It's idiotic.  At the end of the day, there's a reason why sound, fundamental football works.  There's a reason why time of possession matters.  There's a reason why controlling the clock with a lead is important.  These are high calculus observations, they're the building blocks of winning and it concerns me greatly that the coaches couldn't see this when it was happening.
I agree with you that coaches should have made the adjustments in the second half.  In fact, I am not sold on Helfrich as the long term coach of the Ducks.   Worst case scenario if they start out slow this year the team may quit on him, he doesn't seem to rally the team like Kelly did.

All that being said, number 13 is coming this year in October.  

 
I agree with you that coaches should have made the adjustments in the second half.  In fact, I am not sold on Helfrich as the long term coach of the Ducks.   Worst case scenario if they start out slow this year the team may quit on him, he doesn't seem to rally the team like Kelly did.

All that being said, number 13 is coming this year in October.  
I hope so....but last year was 26-20.  The gap is closing.

 
Got the new Phil Steele earlier this week. Of course, I have to read it on my iPhone until the actual mag comes out, so my eyes will be bleeding for the next two weeks or so.

 
Riley's choice of words when the incident happened was awful, but as far as the suspensions go I don't know what a coach is supposed to do when accusations are made against his players and then charges are dropped. Assume the accusations are true and kick them out?

Either way, great story about their meeting.

 
Riley's choice of words when the incident happened was awful, but as far as the suspensions go I don't know what a coach is supposed to do when accusations are made against his players and then charges are dropped. Assume the accusations are true and kick them out?

Either way, great story about their meeting.
Yeah, I agree.  Riley deserves a lot of credit for admitting his mistakes and apologizing.  I also think this woman is incredibly courageous and hopefully can make a positive impact in the world.  

 

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