NCAA Football, 2014-2015

[grumbler]

I'd say that the number of Div-1A schools that don't charge for student tickets is probably less than those that do.  Michigan charges $295 for season tickets; OSU $252; Alabama only sells half-season tickets at $10 per game.  Texas charges $175 for an entire years' worth of tickets in all sports.

Ouch.  Seems a bit odd if you're already paying a student activity fee.  But I guess if the tickets are in demand that much you can do it.  At Marshall the students bitched about having to pay $5 for I-AA playoff tickets (which were subsidized by local businesses).  And at Delaware they couldn't pay students to attend.  About the only students who went to football games were freshman girls who had nothing else to do.

I don't know what schools charge student activity fees to support athletics, but I know Michigan and OSU don't. I'm pretty sure that Texas doesn't have any student support for athletics, either (and if they do, with what they make, they should be ashamed).

[grumbler]

That is one of the funniest things I've read.

pete carool faked cutting a football player from the team after the final practice, and the kid left, ran to the top of the practice facility roof, and threw over a dummy dressed just like him, leaving the players to watch him supposedly plunge to his death in a suicide.  The dummy shattered when it hit the ground, thus ending the prank, but I think Carroll's idea was better.  His prank ended on a bang, and Freeze's with more of a whimper.  Freeze did do a better job of setting his prank up, though I thought he should have told his assistants.

[Berkut]

That is fucking hilarious.

[derspiess]

I don't know what schools charge student activity fees to support athletics, but I know Michigan and OSU don't. I'm pretty sure that Texas doesn't have any student support for athletics, either (and if they do, with what they make, they should be ashamed).

At both schools I attended the student activity fee paid for all student activities, like guest speakers, concerts, comedians, sporting events, etc.

[alfred russel]

That is one of the funniest things I've read.

pete carool faked cutting a football player from the team after the final practice, and the kid left, ran to the top of the practice facility roof, and threw over a dummy dressed just like him, leaving the players to watch him supposedly plunge to his death in a suicide.  The dummy shattered when it hit the ground, thus ending the prank, but I think Carroll's idea was better.  His prank ended on a bang, and Freeze's with more of a whimper.  Freeze did do a better job of setting his prank up, though I thought he should have told his assistants.

Pete Carroll also once had a guy fall out of scissor lift while his team watched--supposedly to his death--only to have Will Ferrell show up with the guy in good health--supposedly after saving him.

Brian Kelly tried to one up this by sending up a video guy up into a scissor lift in 50 mph winds, resulting in his death. While this did not get a huge number of laughs, it could be seen as an attempt to bring the team together in an update to the "win one for the gipper" strategy. "Win one for the video guy" was less effective, as Notre Dame lost its next contest to Tulsa.

What I think made Hugh Freeze superior to the others is that he didn't let it stop with his team thinking someone died. He took it to the next level and tried to get them into a cover up of the incident.

[grumbler]

What I think made Hugh Freeze superior to the others is that he didn't let it stop with his team thinking someone died. He took it to the next level and tried to get them into a cover up of the incident.

That's what made his prank's ending more lame and anticlimactic.  He basically turned "All In" into a joke.  Now his players have associated "All In" with a supposedly-hilarious mistruth, and I don't think that they will lose that association quickly.

[alfred russel]

What I think made Hugh Freeze superior to the others is that he didn't let it stop with his team thinking someone died. He took it to the next level and tried to get them into a cover up of the incident.

That's what made his prank's ending more lame and anticlimactic.  He basically turned "All In" into a joke.  Now his players have associated "All In" with a supposedly-hilarious mistruth, and I don't think that they will lose that association quickly.

I think that is the best part. He was basically poking fun at the football culture he is building by extending it to a murder cover up.

"All in", if taken literally, is an absurd slogan for football. He is leading a team of grown men who should have known this.

[Valmy]

I'm pretty sure that Texas doesn't have any student support for athletics, either (and if they do, with what they make, they should be ashamed).

Correct.  Not a dime for intercollegiate athletics.  In fact athletics gives money (a portion of the LHN money) to the school.

[grumbler]

I think that is the best part. He was basically poking fun at the football culture he is building by extending it to a murder cover up.

"All in", if taken literally, is an absurd slogan for football. He is leading a team of grown men who should have known this.

Actually, I am pretty sure he is a college coach, not a coach of "grown men." 

Any coach can, if he wants to, mock any element of his football culture that he wants to.  But a smart coach doesn't damage his team's morale through mocking its values, even if it amuses the coach potatoes.

Edit:  upon further reflection, I withdraw the argument.  There were some funny moments in the locker room, and that's worth striving for as a coach.

[CountDeMoney]

Sounds like "meh" joke.

Really want to pull one on the team?  Get the charter pilot to go pitch down for 15,000 feet on that first long flight to the Marshall road game.

[alfred russel]

Actually, I am pretty sure he is a college coach, not a coach of "grown men." 

Almost all of his players are 18+, hence men. I'll concede there is a philosophical issue of whether 18 year olds are "grown". After all, is anyone truly "grown"? Don't we all "grow" through life?

Any coach can, if he wants to, mock any element of his football culture that he wants to.  But a smart coach doesn't damage his team's morale through mocking its values, even if it amuses the coach potatoes.

Are you referring to me as a coach potato?

[alfred russel]

Anyone following the Josh Shaw story out of USC?

Formerly starting CB managed to get high ankle sprains on both ankles outside of football. Out indefinitely.

Depending on who you believe, he injured himself either

A) Bravely jumping from a second floor balcony to the ground and then crawling into a pool to heroically rescue his drowning nephew, or
B) Jumping out of window while engaging in a burglary of a apartment building, or
C) Something else.

USC must be really missing Pete Carroll right now.

Childishness and lying are probably to be expected from senior leaders in the Trojan program that came up under Lane Kiffen.

Anthony Brown also just quit the team after accusing Sarkisian of treating him like a slave.

[grumbler]

Anthony Brown also just quit the team after accusing Sarkisian of treating him like a slave.

Yeah, that's another one of those stupid statements that will live with a guy a lot longer than he will want.  I think someone else would have noticed that Sarkasian was a racist by now, if he actually was one.  That the statement comes from a guy bounced from position to position and buried on the depth chart doesn't add to its credibility.

[alfred russel]

Imo, the most interesting thing coming out of last night was Vandy getting beat down by Temple 37-7. Vandy looks like it has returned to being Vandy.

[grumbler]

I was really questioning the whole "Franklin is a good coach" story in the first half of PSU-UCF game.  There were a lot of bad calls by PSU.  The second half has been much better-called.

PSU's O-line is awful.  Looks like Michigan's line last year.