NCAA Football 2023-2024

[PDH]

Well the mighty Toledo Somethings folded to the Wyoming Cowboys (on a last second FG on the end of a 10 point 4th Quarter comeback) like a cheap suit.  Craig Bohl, in his last game as HC got over .500 for his tenure in Wyoming, and everyone felt good complaining about the score, the play, and the fact that we "settle for mediocrity" (I spent enough years with 1 and 2 win seasons to aspire to mediocrity).

Next year there is a new head coach, a "new offensive philosophy", and more of the same Wyoming football - fans might look back on this stretch later as one of the golden years.

[grumbler]

Okay, this one was funny:

It's looking great!

[OttoVonBismarck]

I haven't really followed NCAA much in years due to general distaste for how it has evolved into the minor league pro football; but I see a lot of people upset that FSU had so many players opt out of their bowl, creating a bad game for fans / ticket buyers / etc.

Since NCAA is pro sports now, why don't the bowls just offer cash bonuses to the players who attend? Or is that already done and I haven't heard about it. I dunno, but in professional sports I can understand players opting out of a meaningless game they make no money from, and that carries a non-zero risk of impacting their future earnings potential.

[grumbler]

The problem with professionalizing college football is that it would endanger the schools' tax-free status, which is based on them only engaging in activities that further the educational and research missions of the schools.  Most couldn't employ football players within their charter anyway.

The death of the college bowl system is just a microcosm of the death of college football.  Both choked to death on money.

Enjoy what's left of the last even semi-real college football season.  We will not see its like again.

[Valmy]

I haven't really followed NCAA much in years due to general distaste for how it has evolved into the minor league pro football; but I see a lot of people upset that FSU had so many players opt out of their bowl, creating a bad game for fans / ticket buyers / etc.

Since NCAA is pro sports now, why don't the bowls just offer cash bonuses to the players who attend? Or is that already done and I haven't heard about it. I dunno, but in professional sports I can understand players opting out of a meaningless game they make no money from, and that carries a non-zero risk of impacting their future earnings potential.

I think the sponsors should probably pay the players a cash bonus.

The issue is how the players are making money though. They get cash for rights to their Name/Image/Likeness rather than some contract to play. So I could see the sponsor of a bowl game giving rights regarding that players NIL for that game or something as a way to make things work.

However, having watched Florida State play against both Florida and Louisville I am not convinced that would have been a good game if their players hadn't opted out. Georgia still probably would have won by a big margin.

[OttoVonBismarck]

From what little I have watched this season, FSU before the opt outs would not have won, it almost certainly would have had to have been a better game.

If their starting QB hadn't been injured maybe they would have won--but it seems like they also would have gotten into the playoffs in that circumstance so it would have been a moot point.

I didn't watch it but I was surprised to see the score line on Ohio State v Mizzou--Ohio State scored 3 points for the entire game, but were leading until the 4th quarter, when Mizzou scored 14. What in the fuck was going on there?

[Valmy]

If their starting QB hadn't been injured maybe they would have won--but it seems like they also would have gotten into the playoffs in that circumstance so it would have been a moot point.

Travis must have been some kind of god because I keep hearing how great they were before he got hurt, but I never watched him play. I only watched FSU's last two games because those games were of concern to Texas. Both their backup Rodemaker I think was his name (he got injured against Florida), and their third string guy Glenn were not very accurate QBs. But FSU couldn't run the ball either. They could barely move the ball against either Florida or Louisville. I thought they had to come up with something or they might get shut out by Georgia, or hope Georgia turned it over a lot, but no such luck.

What I did not anticipate is FSU giving up over 350 yards rushing. That is what turned this from a 28-0 type game, which is what I thought it was going to be, to a 63-3 game.

[grumbler]

Halftime at the Rose Bowl, and Michigan is letting Alabama stay in the game, leading by just 3 despite getting twice the yardage.  I hate games like these, where Michigan is the clearly superior team, but just does dumb stuff to let their opponents score easy points.

[PDH]

Gongrats to the Michigan Grumblers, though I suspect the pucker factor was a bit high on that last play.

[crazy canuck]

I was nervous for you grumbler,  but your boys came to life at just the right time.

[Valmy]

Hopefully we see you in Houston grumbler. That was a gutsy win, Michigan has an elite defensive front.

Time for Texas in the Sugar Bowl. I am so damn nervous.

[grumbler]

One down, one to go.  I hope all the betting money goes against Michigan again, because the team plays better with a chip on their shoulder.

[PDH]

I sense a slightly higher scoring game here...

[Valmy]

I sense a slightly higher scoring game here...

Texas has one glaring weakness...a terrible secondary. Only OU has made them pay so far.

So, needless to say, Washington scares the shit out of me. Texas needs to score a lot to win.

[Valmy]

Crazy first half. Texas played pretty badly but thanks to a Washington fumble and a very questionable decision to go for a 4th down in field goal range, Texas and Washington are tied at 21.

This is going to be close and come down to who has the ball last, just as I figured.

Penix is everything he was advertised to be.