BCS Champion Predictions

[Sam]

Bass_Fanatic, I would love to see LSU in the BCS title game but I doubt it will happen this year.

George Jefferson is still learning defenses and his passing game is still not where it needs to be.

We will use his short passes to set up a catch and run offense. And the running backs may or may no do well depending on the O-line play.

Crowton had George under heavy wraps last year as the kid would rather run with the ball instead of throwing it away therefore the many sacks and runs for no gain.

Defense should be OK and once again keep us in the games until the 4th quarter.

I hope Crowton lets George loose this season so we can see what he can really do along with the others. 

[Bass_Fanatic]

Yeah Sam, I agree.

Crowton has Jefferson so scared to throw a int. that he takes sacks.  He is more than capable to escape and pick up yards with his legs, but Crowton wants a "pocket" QB.  Jefferson isn't one, but he can be explosive if Crowton will allow him to be.

To shorten things up...FIRE GARY CROWTON!!

[Matt Fly]

I know what polls are used and when they each come out.   I have used AP's for ever.

   

[SDoolittle]

I thought this was interesting.

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/odds/futures/

[lsufan334]

The winner of the SEC Championship will be your National Champions

Thats sooo true and the way it should be. But no love for my Tigers come in guys. I'm telling you we are going to suprise some people this year. And i don't plan on eating crow either.

And yes DOWN WITH CROWTON!!!

[Catt]

One can not blame Gary Crowton without first blaming

[Bass_Fanatic]

Les Miles has won a National Championship and has the most wins for any LSU coach in 5 years.  I already see the arguement of "Saban's players", but I dont care who gottem there, Miles still had to coach em up to win.  ANd LSU is always in the top ten recruiting class.

Crowton makes DUMB calls!!  He lost us the bowl game last year!

[Root beer]

Speaking of Les Miles:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview10/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=5473016

[lsufan334]

Yeah i have never got the saban's players thing.  I coach football and truly believe the players are only as good as the coaches who coach them.  I believe Les can and will do a better job coaching if he just get's rid of Crowton.  Miles has brought some great players and some good coaches to BR (Chavis) but he has to get rid of Crowton before he ruins his career at LSU.

[Catt]

Les is the head couch which means Crowton does not have free reins with the offence, Les is the one who keeps pushing "establish the run first" which is not always the best offense. Some times the pass sets up the run & one must always take what the defense gives you.

The Tigers have had top receivers for some number of years now and still have no 1,000 yd receivers why?

Les wants to establish the run!

If I were Ruben Randle I would consider transferring 

[SDoolittle]

I am no Les Miles fan, but I will say this, he's one of only two head coaches to ever beat Bob Stoops' Sooners in Norman.

[Dan:]

I am no Les Miles fan, but I will say this, he's one of only two head coaches to ever beat Bob Stoops' Sooners in Norman.

*cough*invite some good teams*cough*

[Root beer]

Did anyone watch the Alabama training day on ESPNU? I think it will reaired at 8pm on ESPN tomorrow night.

[SDoolittle]

I am no Les Miles fan, but I will say this, he's one of only two head coaches to ever beat Bob Stoops' Sooners in Norman.

*cough*invite some good teams*cough*

Here is a sampling of the non-conference teams that have been invited to play in Norman during the Stoops era:

2002 Alabama

2003 UCLA

2004 Oregon

2005 TCU

2007 Miami

2008 Cincinnati

2008 TCU

2010 Florida State

2012 Notre Dame

2014 Tennessee

2016 Ohio State

    You can say what you like about the Big XII, but year in and year out Oklahoma plays one of the toughest schedules in college football. They do it in part by scheduling tough non-conference opponents.

    Sometimes it comes back to haunt them. 2009 is a perfect example. After losing Jermaine Gresham before the season and Sam Bradford in the first half of the first game, they went on to lose to four ranked teams (BYU, Miami, Texas, Nebraska) by a total of twelve points.

    Other years it works to their advantage. In 2004, for example, Auburn went undefeated in the mighty SEC, but ended up watching the National Championship Game on TV. What was the deciding factor that year? Strength of schedule.

    So tell me sir, who has your team invited to play in their stadium?

[Dan:]

Those teams are supposed to be impressive? The teams you listed were either not that great at those times or not even close to what I would consider "elite." I've gotta disagree about tough nonconference opponents. I don't see many if any Big 12 teams scheduling any high quality opponents. I'm reminded of a few years ago when Texas Tech was ranked so high despite 3 of their wins being against FCS teams...

[Gatorbassman]

I'll say what I've said for the past three years. If an SEC team makes it through their season without being killed by injuries received while playing other SEC teams then they will win the BCS Championship.

[SDoolittle]

I don't see many if any Big 12 teams scheduling any high quality opponents.

We're not talking about Big XII teams. We're talking about one Big XII team. I'm still waiting for you to reveal which team you like so we can examine their schedule.

I've gotta disagree about tough nonconference opponents.

You're right. Miami, who finished last season ranked #19 and BYU who finished #12, really sucked!

[Bass_Fanatic]

Ya'll scheduled Miami in 2007, not 2010...They sucked then...and TCU...haha!  They wouldn't win three games in the SEC. Ever.  But I do respect the Sooners...they can play.  Bad luck and injuries have plagued them. 

And Catt...Les does try to establish the run and Im all for it.  Heck, when you got the backs and the O-line to do it why not?  The problem is how Crowton goes about trying to do it.  First problem is his stupid "spread" offense.  We averaged like 5 ypc when running out of a "power" formation and like 2 ypc out of the "spread" formations.  In the game agianst PSU we were in FG range and we run an option, which has yet to gain a stinkin yard, out of the "spread" to the short side of the field!!!!  Dumbest call we could have made.  We then throw an inside WR screen to the short side of the field out of the "spread".  Loose more yards.  Now we out of FG range and screwed ourselves!

We need to establish the run, just not Crowton's way.  He has done this everywhere he has been.  Look at the offensive production at his former schools.  He has one or two good years and then everyone figures him out and his production goes down the drain!

[Dan:]

I don't see many if any Big 12 teams scheduling any high quality opponents.

We're not talking about Big XII teams. We're talking about one Big XII team.

Ok, then how about Utah State and Air Force this year? Idaho State and Tulsa last year? (They lost most their other non-conference games last year) Chattanooga, Cincinatti, and Washington in 2008?

I'm still waiting for you to reveal which team you like so we can examine their schedule.

My team is JMU. They schedule an FBS opponent almost every year. This year it is Virginia Tech. They also play in the toughest conference in FCS football and routinely schedule the top teams from other conferences (ie:App State in several of their recent championship years)

I've gotta disagree about tough nonconference opponents.

You're right. Miami, who finished last season ranked #19 and BYU who finished #12, really sucked!

They didn't suck but they really weren't that great. Part of the reason BYU was ranked so high at the end of the season was because they beat #3 Oklahoma at the beginning of the year. Oklahoma was ranked high and ended up sucking but BYU got the benefit of a win against a top 3 team that really wasn't even top 25 and then cruised through an easy schedule with only one decent regular season win against Utah

[SDoolittle]

*cough*invite some good teams*cough*

who has your team invited to play in their stadium?

My team is JMU. They schedule an FBS opponent almost every year.

Yes, JMU does schedule FBS opponents, but those are road games. What would JMU's home win percentage look like if Virginia Tech came to them?

[Dan:]

*cough*invite some good teams*cough*

who has your team invited to play in their stadium?

My team is JMU. They schedule an FBS opponent almost every year.

Yes, JMU does schedule FBS opponents, but those are road games. What would JMU's home win percentage look like if Virginia Tech came to them?

Who cares if the wins are at home or away? If anything, a team gets more credit from me for scheduling tough teams AWAY. I don't care about HOME game win percentages, I only said "invite" because you were talking about the home games. The point I want to make is that OU doesn't schedule many difficult games PERIOD so that can only help their home win percentage because even fewer of those good teams they schedule are invited to Norman  (as your list shows)

If you are caught up in the tough home game schedule, how about App State in 2008? FWIW, nonconference games are not nearly as important in FCS as FBS so it's kind of a moot point.

[SDoolittle]

Who cares if the wins are at home or away? If anything, a team gets more credit from me for scheduling tough teams AWAY.

Are you kidding me, Bro?!?! That's what started this whole argument. I said that Les Miles was one of only two head coaches to beat Stoops in Norman, and you replied with "invite some good teams." WOW!

[Dan:]

go back and read my post again, I edited it.

My argument isn't about their home win percentage as much as it is about a low quality schedule in general. I admittedly went on a bit of a tangent but it's easy to have a good home record if you don't schedule ANY really difficult opponents AT ALL let alone in your own stadium. For the sake of my point, I could have just as easily replaced "invite" with "play" etc... I hope that clarifies my point.

[SDoolittle]

This is the average strength of schedule ranking for some of the major players in college football in the past decade. I took the Saragan SOS rankings from 2002 - 2009, added them together and divided by eight. 2010 is not out, and I'm not sure if it even existed prior to 2002. The number you see is the average SOS ranking over the eight year period. I've also included each of their top two SOS rankings as well as their worst. The number of FBS teams varies, but is roughly 120 every year.

TEAM AVE SOS STRONGEST SOS WEAK SOS

USC 12.62 #1 2002, #2 2006 #29 2007

Florida 17.875 #3 2007, #4 2009 #57 2004

Oklahoma 22.625 #1 2005, #7 2008 #44 2007

LSU 28.25 #5 2009, #11 2007 #50 2005

Alabama 30 #2 2008, #3 2003 #73 2004

Texas 33.5 #13 2005, #14 2009 #47 2003

Ohio State 33.62 #2 2005, #15 2003 #53 2007

The answer to your next question is "yes, I am bored."

[Root beer]

Speaking of tough schedule, Tennessee is trying get out of playing UNC next year because it's such a "tough" stretch. LOL.