General Sports Talk

Quote: billryan

The football gods must be smiling. A wild weekend set up the last week of the season as ratings magic. Fresh from its historical shootout win over Da Bears , the Niners meet Seattle Saturday night in prime time for the NFC West title. If Frisco wins, they play at home until they lose.
With the Ravens winning at Green Bay and the Steelers losing to Cleveland, the stage is set for the last game of the regular season Sunday night- Baltimore vs Pittsburgh. Winner moves one, the loser goes home.
Playoffs start early this year.
Sunday also featured a heavyweight battle, with the Eagles and Bills slugging it out in a rainstorm. Josh Allen's magic scored a last-second TD, but the team went for a two-point conversion for the win instead of kicking for the tie.
Meanwhile, the Giants flashed signs of how good they can be if the other team doesn't show up, crushing the Raiders and handing them the #1 Draft pick.
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Am I mistaken( I sure could be as I don't watch much NFL)? I thought the Panthers-Bucs game this week also determined which team went to the playoff and who goes home.

Quote: DRich

Quote: billryan

The football gods must be smiling. A wild weekend set up the last week of the season as ratings magic. Fresh from its historical shootout win over Da Bears , the Niners meet Seattle Saturday night in prime time for the NFC West title. If Frisco wins, they play at home until they lose.
With the Ravens winning at Green Bay and the Steelers losing to Cleveland, the stage is set for the last game of the regular season Sunday night- Baltimore vs Pittsburgh. Winner moves one, the loser goes home.
Playoffs start early this year.
Sunday also featured a heavyweight battle, with the Eagles and Bills slugging it out in a rainstorm. Josh Allen's magic scored a last-second TD, but the team went for a two-point conversion for the win instead of kicking for the tie.
Meanwhile, the Giants flashed signs of how good they can be if the other team doesn't show up, crushing the Raiders and handing them the #1 Draft pick.
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Am I mistaken( I sure could be as I don't watch much NFL)? I thought the Panthers-Bucs game this week also determined which team went to the playoff and who goes home.
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Maybe. If the Falcons win, the Panthers win the division regardless of the outcome of the Bucs Panthers game. You have to brush up on your NFL tiebreaker rules.

In a ‘you can’t fix stupid’ moment, the Vanderbilt punter apparently doesn’t know the rules for punting! He ran a few yards over the line of scrimmage, and instead of trying to run for the first down, he then punts. Five yard penalty from previous spot. Down counts. Quick TD for Iowa. I’ll bet there is NO WAY the punter would have qualified academically for Vanderbilt…. if the football team actually goes to any classes…

Quote: SOOPOO

Quote: DRich

Quote: billryan

The football gods must be smiling. A wild weekend set up the last week of the season as ratings magic. Fresh from its historical shootout win over Da Bears , the Niners meet Seattle Saturday night in prime time for the NFC West title. If Frisco wins, they play at home until they lose.
With the Ravens winning at Green Bay and the Steelers losing to Cleveland, the stage is set for the last game of the regular season Sunday night- Baltimore vs Pittsburgh. Winner moves one, the loser goes home.
Playoffs start early this year.
Sunday also featured a heavyweight battle, with the Eagles and Bills slugging it out in a rainstorm. Josh Allen's magic scored a last-second TD, but the team went for a two-point conversion for the win instead of kicking for the tie.
Meanwhile, the Giants flashed signs of how good they can be if the other team doesn't show up, crushing the Raiders and handing them the #1 Draft pick.
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Am I mistaken( I sure could be as I don't watch much NFL)? I thought the Panthers-Bucs game this week also determined which team went to the playoff and who goes home.
link to original post

Maybe. If the Falcons win, the Panthers win the division regardless of the outcome of the Bucs Panthers game. You have to brush up on your NFL tiebreaker rules.

In a ‘you can’t fix stupid’ moment, the Vanderbilt punter apparently doesn’t know the rules for punting! He ran a few yards over the line of scrimmage, and instead of trying to run for the first down, he then punts. Five yard penalty from previous spot. Down counts. Quick TD for Iowa. I’ll bet there is NO WAY the punter would have qualified academically for Vanderbilt…. if the football team actually goes to any classes…
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With the NIL rules now, I don't know if any players go to class anymore.

Miami is overpowering Ohio State in the first half of this game. Through the first 18 minutes Miami looks like the better team. It is currently 14-0 Miami. I have the over 40.5 so I need some points from Ohio.

Quote: DRich

Quote: SOOPOO

...
In a ‘you can’t fix stupid’ moment, the Vanderbilt punter apparently doesn’t know the rules for punting! He ran a few yards over the line of scrimmage, and instead of trying to run for the first down, he then punts. Five yard penalty from previous spot. Down counts. Quick TD for Iowa. I’ll bet there is NO WAY the punter would have qualified academically for Vanderbilt…. if the football team actually goes to any classes…
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With the NIL rules now, I don't know if any players go to class anymore.
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They should end the charade and not make them go to class. Some of them are college material but few of them are equipped for both a full college schedule and a Div I athletic training schedule at the same time.

So let them play for 4 years, only classes they have to take are remedial classes which most of them will need, and if they last for 4 years but they don't go pro they get a full 4-year scholarship, which they will have a chance to do something useful with now that they don't have what is essentially a pro sports training and playing schedule as their priority.

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Quote: DRich

Quote: SOOPOO

...
In a ‘you can’t fix stupid’ moment, the Vanderbilt punter apparently doesn’t know the rules for punting! He ran a few yards over the line of scrimmage, and instead of trying to run for the first down, he then punts. Five yard penalty from previous spot. Down counts. Quick TD for Iowa. I’ll bet there is NO WAY the punter would have qualified academically for Vanderbilt…. if the football team actually goes to any classes…
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With the NIL rules now, I don't know if any players go to class anymore.
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They should end the charade and not make them go to class. Some of them are college material but few of them are equipped for both a full college schedule and a Div I athletic training schedule at the same time.

I disagree vehemently. It is still college football, let the NFL start a minor league if the players aren't going to go to class.

Quote: DRich

Quote: AutomaticMonkey

Quote: DRich

Quote: SOOPOO

...
In a ‘you can’t fix stupid’ moment, the Vanderbilt punter apparently doesn’t know the rules for punting! He ran a few yards over the line of scrimmage, and instead of trying to run for the first down, he then punts. Five yard penalty from previous spot. Down counts. Quick TD for Iowa. I’ll bet there is NO WAY the punter would have qualified academically for Vanderbilt…. if the football team actually goes to any classes…
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With the NIL rules now, I don't know if any players go to class anymore.
link to original post

They should end the charade and not make them go to class. Some of them are college material but few of them are equipped for both a full college schedule and a Div I athletic training schedule at the same time.

I disagree vehemently. It is still college football, let the NFL start a minor league if the players aren't going to go to class.
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Oh they do go to class. They just don't do very much in there. Same as a lot of non-athletes, with what college is now. The problem is there is so much money in college football that there is no way to prevent the school from franking them through their classes if it makes the difference between their being able to play or not, and in most places they have their own curriculum (as it were) full of professors who will play ball (so to speak) without much coaxing, just to keep it looking like it's still within NCAA rules, and if they stay there for 4 years they get a worthless degree.

Under the system I described none of that would be necessary as no academic demands would be put on them while they are still playing, and after 4 years and with a full scholarship they will have an opportunity to earn a degree that isn't worthless. And the school will have no incentive not to dismiss them if they screw it up. So its like going to legitimate classes is deferred, not neglected or faked like it is now. It seems like everyone involved would be better off.

About a third of NFL players have a degree when they enter the NFL, and another twenty percent get their degree while in the league. Players know they need to prepare for their post-football days.

Indiana doesn't have a single defensive player who was ranked higher than 3 stars out of high school, but they absolutely shut down Alabama who had 20 5 star players and has a roster that is mostly 4 star players.

Which calls into question how players are being ranked out of high schools. There must be thousands of high schools facing opponents of highly variable quality; so ranking services seem to emphasize height and weight. Alabama looks good getting off the bus, but Indiana has the players with quick reflexes, high intelligence and great work ethic and heart.

And what a biased system. Nico Iamaleava is ranked 5 stars out of high school, but hispanic QBs like Fernando Mendoza, Diego Pavia and Jose (Joey) Aguilar were all low ranked and had to prove themselves and up-transfer from lowly schools to achieve what they have achieved.

Had to check as I don't follow the NFL religiously, or even atheistically.

Quote:

Brett Maher became the first kicker in NFL history to miss four extra points in a single game during the Dallas Cowboys' 2023 Wild Card playoff victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite a solid regular season that year, his playoff struggles continued, and he has not re-signed with an NFL team as a player since a brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams in 2023. He is currently a special teams consultant for the University of Nebraska.

None of the four teams left in the college Playoffs has ever won a National title. Three of the teams have never gotten this far, and Oregon's been there but lost.
The 12-team playoff still needs some work, as two very unworthy teams took spots they didn't earn. The playoffs are moving in the right direction, but still need work.
The non-playoff bowls are in big trouble, with sad ticket sales and horrible ratings.
When was the last time the OSU lost two games in a row?

More of the same rant from me. Rice was a dismal 5-7 this year. So they are in a bowl game. You get to see their FOURTH STRING QB as one and two opted out, three just sucks, leaving it up to 4. If you go into the season as the fourth string QB for a bottom feeder program you can’t really expect much. This is a BOWL GAME. Luckily for them the opponent is powerhouse 6-6 Texas State.

All 286 fans in attendance seem to be enjoying themselves, though.

Quote: SOOPOO

More of the same rant from me. Rice was a dismal 5-7 this year. So they are in a bowl game. You get to see their FOURTH STRING QB as one and two opted out, three just sucks, leaving it up to 4. If you go into the season as the fourth string QB for a bottom feeder program you can’t really expect much. This is a BOWL GAME. Luckily for them the opponent is powerhouse 6-6 Texas State.

All 286 fans in attendance seem to be enjoying themselves, though.
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You are forgetting about the economic windfall that hundreds of fans bring to the area, not to mention the dozens of jobs created for the event.

Quote: gordonm888

Indiana doesn't have a single defensive player who was ranked higher than 3 stars out of high school, but they absolutely shut down Alabama who had 20 5 star players and has a roster that is mostly 4 star players.

Which calls into question how players are being ranked out of high schools. There must be thousands of high schools facing opponents of highly variable quality; so ranking services seem to emphasize height and weight. Alabama looks good getting off the bus, but Indiana has the players with quick reflexes, high intelligence and great work ethic and heart.

And what a biased system. Nico Iamaleava is ranked 5 stars out of high school, but hispanic QBs like Fernando Mendoza, Diego Pavia and Jose (Joey) Aguilar were all low ranked and had to prove themselves and up-transfer from lowly schools to achieve what they have achieved.
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Why would you assume the problem is recruiting? It could be coaching or systems that are allowing the players to excel.

A little-noticed court case could change NCAA football forever.

NCAA rules have always counted junior college as part of a player's eligibility. A player who plays JUCO for two seasons and transfers to an NCAA program is considered a junior. A lawsuit now argues that, since the NCAA doesn't have jurisdiction over those schools, it shouldn't be able to punish a player for going to one. It looks like a winning case. It means players can play at a UCo for two seasons and enter college with full eligibility while gaining two or three years of growth, muscle, and training. Will coaches prefer recruiting 20-year-olds who've excelled at a higher level or stick to 17-year-old high school seniors?
If a kid can play pro baseball for ten years, but retain his football eligibility, why shouldn't he be able to go to a JUCO?

Quote: billryan

A little-noticed court case could change NCAA football forever.

NCAA rules have always counted junior college as part of a player's eligibility. A player who plays JUCO for two seasons and transfers to an NCAA program is considered a junior. A lawsuit now argues that, since the NCAA doesn't have jurisdiction over those schools, it shouldn't be able to punish a player for going to one. It looks like a winning case. It means players can play at a UCo for two seasons and enter college with full eligibility while gaining two or three years of growth, muscle, and training. Will coaches prefer recruiting 20-year-olds who've excelled at a higher level or stick to 17-year-old high school seniors?
If a kid can play pro baseball for ten years, but retain his football eligibility, why shouldn't he be able to go to a JUCO?
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Players are now in their 6th year with their 4th school. Add the JUCO and they can be in ‘college’ for what, 8 years? And maybe accumulate a dozen credit hours over those 8 years? Cincinnati (their few remaining players) are playing Navy. Navy has all its players, Cincy missing its top 5 or so. The service academies are the play, having won 7 bowls in a row. The Texas State/Rice game and Navy/Cincy games have been REALLY BAD FOOTBALL!

With NILs, many, if not most D1 college football players who don't progress to the NFL will take a paycut when they run out of eligibility.