NCAA Football 2014/15

Sport
1

The new season is just a day away. For the first time ever there will be a play off at the end of the season with the top 4 in the rankings playing in semi-finals to determine which teams battle it out to be national champions. There are 5 major conferences and with only 4 berths in the play offs, someone has to miss out.

Florida State are favourites to repeat, and with Jameis Winston and most of last years starters returning they look the team to beat and should have no problem wrapping up the ACC.

The SEC will be the usual bloodbath, can Auburn repeat last years heroics? Can Alabama regain their crown that was snatched away in the most dramatic circumstances last year? Or can South Carolina or Georgia claim the title for the east?

The PAC 12 looks very strong this year. Marcus Mariota and the Oregon Ducks are fancied to take the north but they will face strong opposition from Brett Hundley and the UCLA Bruins who should emerge from the south.

In the Big 12, Oklahoma are coming off a terrific beating of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and are returning 13 starters. Their biggest threat comes from the Baylor Bears and Bryce Petty. The Big 12 is the only conference that doesn’t have a championship game and this could count against them.

The Big 10 are the ones I feel could miss out. Ohio State have been hit with a hammer blow on the eve of the new season with QB Braxton Miller injuring his shoulder in practice and being ruled out for the entire season. Michigan State would be my choice to repeat last years triumph. Connor Cook is a very under-rated QB. But they will have to run the table IMO to get into the play offs.

Penn State play Central Florida in Croke Park on Saturday. It’s a shame for us that UCF have lost their star players to the NFL, but it should still be a great occasion.

It looks like it’s going to be a fascinating season with usual fill of controversy. Not least among this will be the new 13 person committee charged with overseeing the rankings and determining which 4 teams get to the play offs, if you want to try and get your head around it read this…

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/24/sports/ncaafootball/bcs-makes-way-for-new-debates.html?_r=0

2

An absolutely incredible line up of live games from BT sports and ESPN for the opening two weeks. Let’s hope this continues throughout the season.

Thursday 28th August
23:00 South Carolina v Texas A&M BT2

Friday 29th August
01:00 Boise State v Ole Miss ESPN
02:15 Vanderbilt v Temple BT2

Saturday 30th August
00:00 UConn v BYU ESPN
03:30 Arizona v UNLV ESPN
13:30 Penn State v UCF ESPN
17:00 Virginia v UCLA ESPN
20:30 West Virginia v Alabama ESPN

Sunday 31st August
01:00 Florida State v Oklahoma State BT2

Monday 1st September
00:00 Tennessee v Utah State BT2

Tuesday 2nd September
01:00 Louisville v Miami ESPN

Saturday 6th September
00:00 Boston College v Pitt BT2
03:30 Nevada v Washington State BT2
17:00 TBD ESPN
20:30 Stanford v USC ESPN

Sunday 7th September
00:00 TBD BT1
01:00 Ohio State v Virginia Tech BT2
03:15 Boise State v Colorado State BT1

3

That’s brilliant coverage. Didn’t last year start like that and then it faded a bit in terms of quantity? Can’t remember now but thought it started better than it went on.

4

[QUOTE=“Sandymount Red, post: 1007364, member: 1074”]The new season is just a day away. For the first time ever there will be a play off at the end of the season with the top 4 in the rankings playing in semi-finals to determine which teams battle it out to be national champions. There are 5 major conferences and with only 4 berths in the play offs, someone has to miss out.

Florida State are favourites to repeat, and with Jameis Winston and most of last years starters returning they look the team to beat and should have no problem wrapping up the ACC.

The SEC will be the usual bloodbath, can Auburn repeat last years heroics? Can Alabama regain their crown that was snatched away in the most dramatic circumstances last year? Or can South Carolina or Georgia claim the title for the east?

The PAC 12 looks very strong this year. Marcus Mariota and the Oregon Ducks are fancied to take the north but they will face strong opposition from Brett Hundley and the UCLA Bruins who should emerge from the south.

In the Big 12, Oklahoma are coming off a terrific beating of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and are returning 13 starters. Their biggest threat comes from the Baylor Bears and Bryce Petty. The Big 12 is the only conference that doesn’t have a championship game and this could count against them.

The Big 10 are the ones I feel could miss out. Ohio State have been hit with a hammer blow on the eve of the new season with QB Braxton Miller injuring his shoulder in practice and being ruled out for the entire season. Michigan State would be my choice to repeat last years triumph. Connor Cook is a very under-rated QB. But they will have to run the table IMO to get into the play offs.

Penn State play Central Florida in Croke Park on Saturday. It’s a shame for us that UCF have lost their star players to the NFL, but it should still be a great occasion.

It looks like it’s going to be a fascinating season with usual fill of controversy. Not least among this will be the new 13 person committee charged with overseeing the rankings and determining which 4 teams get to the play offs, if you want to try and get your head around it read this…

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/24/sports/ncaafootball/bcs-makes-way-for-new-debates.html?_r=0[/QUOTE]
Has that cork born lad galvin any chance of makin it to the NFL?

5

He’s a kicker, so who knows?:smiley:

Still, it’s a nice story for an emigrant whose family is steeped in the GAA to return to Croke Park and play college football there.

@Rocko If I recall properly last year’s coverage started out well, but not as well as this year, and got worse due to clashes with baseball and other stuff. They are spreading their coverage around their channels more and hopefully they serve this up every weekend.

6

[QUOTE=“Sandymount Red, post: 1007609, member: 1074”]He’s a kicker, so who knows?:smiley:

Still, it’s a nice story for an emigrant whose family is steeped in the GAA to return to Croke Park and play college football there.

@Rocko If I recall properly last year’s coverage started out well, but not as well as this year, and got worse due to clashes with baseball and other stuff. They are spreading their coverage around their channels more and hopefully they serve this up every weekend.[/QUOTE]
Why what do you mean by who knows? Is there loads of good kickers or somethin?

7

If any conference gets fucked over in the new playoff system it will be the Pac 12. Regardless of how strong it is (and it will be the deepest conference this year), old biases die hard, and if it came down to a one loss Pac 12 champ and a one or two loss Big Ten champ, we’d probably see the Big Ten team get the nod for the final playoff spot.

I think Oklahoma will be a massive disappointment, and that Bama won’t be contending come January (they’ll win 10 games though). Ohio State won’t be as good as they were last year, neither will Auburn although they’ll still win the SEC West. Ole Miss will be very good, and I reckon Texas will have a stronger year than the last few of the Mack Brown era.

My prediction for the playoff would be Florida State, Georgia, Baylor and Michigan State, with Oregon or UCLA missing out by a nose. I acknowledge that the Big 12 is disadvantaged by the lack of a title game, but I really think that Baylor will be so freakishly good that they won’t be able to be ignored. I also think Bryce Petty will win the Heisman.

8

Big story here is that the USC CB who sprained both ankles rescuing his nephew at the weekend actually lied and sustained his injuries when he fell off a balcony and while his coach is “very disappointed” his lawyer has pointed out he has “done nothing criminal”. He is suspended indefinitely by his team.

9

Word is now that he jumped off the balcony to evade police after they were called to a domestic. He had been voted a defensive captain only a few hours earlier too. Sarkisian is a hard-nose coach and I imagine Shaw will pay a heavy price.

10

fucking hell, what a tool. how’d he think he’d get away with that? It was all over the place, so he actually made far more of a story out of it than if he just held his hands up and admitted guilt from the off. dumbass.

looking forward to the game on Saturday now!

11

UCF are slight favourites despite losing Blake Bortles and Storm Johnson to the Jaguars.

More research required. I may be back later today with some Heisman tips.

12

[QUOTE=“Blake, post: 1007622, member: 1755”]If any conference gets fucked over in the new playoff system it will be the Pac 12. Regardless of how strong it is (and it will be the deepest conference this year), old biases die hard, and if it came down to a one loss Pac 12 champ and a one or two loss Big Ten champ, we’d probably see the Big Ten team get the nod for the final playoff spot.

I think Oklahoma will be a massive disappointment, and that Bama won’t be contending come January (they’ll win 10 games though). Ohio State won’t be as good as they were last year, neither will Auburn although they’ll still win the SEC West. Ole Miss will be very good, and I reckon Texas will have a stronger year than the last few of the Mack Brown era.

My prediction for the playoff would be Florida State, Georgia, Baylor and Michigan State, with Oregon or UCLA missing out by a nose. I acknowledge that the Big 12 is disadvantaged by the lack of a title game, but I really think that Baylor will be so freakishly good that they won’t be able to be ignored. I also think Bryce Petty will win the Heisman.[/QUOTE]

I disagree, a one loss PAC 12 team will get in ahead of a one loss Big 10 team. The new selection committee has changed the dynamic, and strength of schedule is far more important. A victory over Ohio State will be lessened by Braxton Miller’s absence.

Oklahoma are coming off a great victory and there is a lot of buzz about them, their game against Baylor should be a decider. I also have a sneaky feeling Texas Tech are going to have a big year, I’m a huge fan of QB Davis Webb, they look like serious dark horses to me.

Alabama need to sort their QB situation out, Sims does not fill me with confidence and Ole Miss have to start fulfilling the promise of their stellar recruiting classes. Their game against Boise State tonight will reveal a lot.

My final 4 prediction is Florida State, Oklahoma, Alabama and UCLA.

@Tabby There are only 32 kickers in the NFL, so it’s very difficult to get a gig. I have no idea how the scouts rate the guy. But it would be fantastic if Galvin became the second Irishman to play in the NFL after the St Louis Cardinals legendary kicker Neil O’Donoghue.

13

COLUMBIA, S.C. – [U]Kenny Hill[/U][/URL] looked more than ready to replace [URL=‘http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/16736/johnny-manziel’][U]Johnny Manziel[/U] on the field. He still is getting used to the attention that goes along with the job.
Hill broke Manziel’s single-game passing record with 511 yards, and No. 21 Texas A&M beat No. 9 South Carolina 52-28 on Thursday night, ending the Gamecocks’ 18-game home win streak.

14

[QUOTE=“cluaindiuic, post: 1008230, member: 258”]COLUMBIA, S.C. – [U]Kenny Hill[/U][/URL] looked more than ready to replace [URL=‘http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/16736/johnny-manziel’][U]Johnny Manziel[/U] on the field. He still is getting used to the attention that goes along with the job.
Hill broke Manziel’s single-game passing record with 511 yards, and No. 21 Texas A&M beat No. 9 South Carolina 52-28 on Thursday night, ending the Gamecocks’ 18-game home win streak.[/QUOTE]
I watched this one, he is a genuine pocket passer and looks like someone who will be in the NFL sooner rather than later. He has a dominant O line and massive receivers with him though, with a powerful running game. South Carolina looked stumped all over the field, they were disappointing.
Their QB Thompson, a 5th year senior blew hot and cold, might not make the end of the season as starter.

15

[QUOTE=“Bad Winner, post: 1008240, member: 2406”]I watched this one, he is a genuine pocket passer and looks like someone who will be in the NFL sooner rather than later. He has a dominant O line and massive receivers with him though, with a powerful running game. South Carolina looked stumped all over the field, they were disappointing.
Their QB Thompson, a 5th year senior blew hot and cold, might not make the end of the season as starter.[/QUOTE]

I only watched the first half, but Hill was outstanding. The Aggies were supposed to suffer with Manziel and Mike Evans going pro, but if anything they look more balanced and freshman WR Ricky Seals-Jones also looks like a great find. They put down a serious marker last night and with the recruiting classes they are reeling in now that they are in the SEC, the Aggies look like they are going to become a serious powerhouse.

Connor Cook is looking the part here in Michigan State’s opener against Jacksonville State.

16

Went to this yesterday. Had good seats in the Cusack 20 rows back. Games is a visual mess from that vantage point. A hundred chaps on each sideline and really all you see on the field is a mass of bodies. Seats wee in the Penn State section. Americans really like to stand at these things. No hint of anyone being threatened with a clip on the ear if they didn’t sit down.

I liked the idea of being encouraged to make noise on the oppositions play. Much better concept than respect for the opposition free taker. The Penn State lion was definitely the pick of the mascots but I think the Knights had the better cheerleaders. Overall an enjoyable enough way to put in an afternoon but I had seen enough by three quarter time.

17

Huge game coming up on ESPN at 8:30 as #14 USC travel upstate to play #13 Stanford. I was going to say that NFL fans should keep their eyes on the battle between Stanford’s LT #70 Andrus Peat and Trojans defensive end #94 Leonard Williams. But twitter is suggesting that Williams is out:(

Both these players are projected to go in the top 10 in next years draft.

18

Fans of National Lampoon’s Vacation will like this from the Arkansas State game earlier… :slight_smile:

19

Only one match this week between top 25 teams, Georgia @ South Carolina , so it was never going to be a vintage week for TV, here’s the slate…

Friday 12th September
02.00 BYU v Houston

Saturday 13th September
01.00 Buffalo v Baylor
17.00 Virginia Tech v East Carolina
20.30 Texas Tech v Arkansas

Sunday 14th September
01.00 Oklahoma v Tennessee

Last weekend was a black one for the struggling Big 10. Defending champs #7 Michigan State probably emerged with the most credit, despite being eventually blown out 46-27 by #3 Oregon. #8 Ohio State were thumped 35-21 at home by unranked Virginia Tech and Michigan were humiliated 31-0 in South Bend by the #16 Irish.

#19 Nebraska needed a miraculous last minute TD by Ameer Abdullah to see off minnows McNeese State 31-24, Central Michigan and Northern Illinois added to the shame by beating Purdue and Northwestern respectively.

It’s impossible to see any team from that conference get into the play offs at this stage.

20

Big news from Tallahasee today, Heisman trophy holder Jameis Winston has been banned by FSU from playing in today’s big game against Clemson for shouting “Fuck her right in the pussy” in a crowded area on campus. Not the wisest thing for a guy who was accused of rape last year to do, and not what NFL front office personnel want to hear either with the current scandals engulfing the league, his draft stock is going to suffer big time.

Great set of games on ESPN today –

Saturday 20th September
5pm: Georgia Tech @ Virginia Tech (LIVE)
8.30pm: Florida @ Alabama (LIVE)
Midnight: Mississippi State @ LSU (LIVE)
1am: Clemson @ Florida State (LIVE, BTS1)
3.30am: Oregon @ Washington State (LIVE)