College Football

[blutto]

....file under get a life ?....

Florida football coach Jim McElwain revealed Monday that his family and players have received death threats amid the program's 3-3 start.

"There's a lot of hate in this world, and a lot of anger," McElwain told reporters during his weekly news conference in Gainesville. "And yet it's freedom to show it. The hard part is obviously when the threats [are] against your own players, the death threats to your families, the ill will that's brought upon out there."

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/21128125/jim-mcelwain-florida-gators-coach-says-family-players-receiving-death-threats

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Re:

....file under get a life ?....

Florida football coach Jim McElwain revealed Monday that his family and players have received death threats amid the program's 3-3 start.

"There's a lot of hate in this world, and a lot of anger," McElwain told reporters during his weekly news conference in Gainesville. "And yet it's freedom to show it. The hard part is obviously when the threats [are] against your own players, the death threats to your families, the ill will that's brought upon out there."

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/21128125/jim-mcelwain-florida-gators-coach-says-family-players-receiving-death-threats

This is unfortunately nothing new in parts of the country (or with certain individuals) where they take their college football a little too seriously. Some years back a ref at a Ducks and Oklahoma game got death threats because some thought he had made the wrong call, iirc, he ended up quitting his reffing job because of it. Well, who can blame him?

 

[Nomad]

Re: Re:

....file under get a life ?....

Florida football coach Jim McElwain revealed Monday that his family and players have received death threats amid the program's 3-3 start.

"There's a lot of hate in this world, and a lot of anger," McElwain told reporters during his weekly news conference in Gainesville. "And yet it's freedom to show it. The hard part is obviously when the threats [are] against your own players, the death threats to your families, the ill will that's brought upon out there."

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/21128125/jim-mcelwain-florida-gators-coach-says-family-players-receiving-death-threats

This is unfortunately nothing new in parts of the country (or with certain individuals) where they take their college football a little too seriously. Some years back a ref at a Ducks and Oklahoma game got death threats because some thought he had made the wrong call, iirc, he ended up quitting his reffing job because of it. Well, who can blame him?

At some universities football is a religion (e.g., Bama, Ohio St., Texas, etc.). I think since McElwain was the OC at Bama for several years and had that great 10-2 team (top 25 ranking) at Colo. St in 2014 in his short tenure there, Florida fans expected him to take the program to the promised land by now. But the natives seem restless with a decline in the last 2 seasons (10-4, 9-4...no BCS playoffs) and a bad 3-3 record so far this season. Remember this a team that won 2 National titles during the Urban Myer era (06 & 08). Coaching at these big time programs can be a beast...no surprises there.

 

[red_flanders]

Re:

....file under get a life ?....

Florida football coach Jim McElwain revealed Monday that his family and players have received death threats amid the program's 3-3 start.

"There's a lot of hate in this world, and a lot of anger," McElwain told reporters during his weekly news conference in Gainesville. "And yet it's freedom to show it. The hard part is obviously when the threats [are] against your own players, the death threats to your families, the ill will that's brought upon out there."

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/21128125/jim-mcelwain-florida-gators-coach-says-family-players-receiving-death-threats

I'd file under "Leave the Bubble and Get an Education". You don't have the freedom to threaten someone with death.

 

[Nomad]

Two more from the undefeated ranks go down: #2 Penn St. loses to Ohio St., and the shocker in Ames: #4 TCU loses to Iowa St! Just a few weeks ago Iowa St. took down #3 Oklahoma, so if they keep this up the BCS committee better start taken them seriously.

And if McElwain didn't already have enough problems, the Gators get hammered by Georgia 42-7. Speculation in Gainesville is that McElwain is finished:

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/10/28/16565196/florida-jim-mcelwain-fire-with-cause

 

[jmdirt]

Two more from the undefeated ranks go down: #2 Penn St. loses to Ohio St., and the shocker in Ames: #4 TCU loses to Iowa St! Just a few weeks ago Iowa St. took down #3 Oklahoma, so if they keep this up the BCS committee better start taken them seriously.

And if McElwain didn't already have enough problems, the Gators get hammered by Georgia 42-7. Speculation in Gainesville is that McElwain is finished:

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/10/28/16565196/florida-jim-mcelwain-fire-with-cause

The BCS is dead, but I know what you mean...CFP.
1-Georga
2-Alabama
3-Notre Dame
15-Iowa State
IS is 6-2. It will be tough for a 2 loss team to even get in to the top 10 until the one loss teams play each other in conf. champs. Wisconsin (9) and Miami (10) aren't getting love from the committee even though they have 0 losses.

 

[Nomad]

Two more from the undefeated ranks go down: #2 Penn St. loses to Ohio St., and the shocker in Ames: #4 TCU loses to Iowa St! Just a few weeks ago Iowa St. took down #3 Oklahoma, so if they keep this up the BCS committee better start taken them seriously.

And if McElwain didn't already have enough problems, the Gators get hammered by Georgia 42-7. Speculation in Gainesville is that McElwain is finished:

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/10/28/16565196/florida-jim-mcelwain-fire-with-cause

The BCS is dead, but I know what you mean...CFP.
1-Georga
2-Alabama
3-Notre Dame
15-Iowa State
IS is 6-2. It will be tough for a 2 loss team to even get in to the top 10 until the one loss teams play each other in conf. champs. Wisconsin (9) and Miami (10) aren't getting love from the committee even though they have 0 losses.

My mistake...you're right - the CFP committee & not BCS.

But weird...is all I can say. And Iowa St. isn’t even the best ranked 2 loss team (Auburn at #14). IS knocks off a #3 & #4 ranked team in a span of 1 month and all they get is #15? And how about Ohio St? They knock off #2 Penn St. and they don’t even move up one place from their initial #6 AP ranking (their AD is even on CFP committee...too funny). I think Wisconsin is being punished for their weak schedule and I don't know what the deal is with Miami.

What I'm wondering is in a sarnario where both Bama & Georgia run the table and meet in the championship game ranked 1 & 2, whether or not the loser of the game gets a playoff bid...that would be two from the same conference. Just speculation...still a lot of football to be played.

http://www.collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2017/10/16/selection-committee.aspx

 

[Tricycle Rider]

The Buckeyes go down to an unranked Iowa?

Wisconsin, Georgia, Bama, and Miami are the only top 10 undefeated teams left...

Think jmdirt mentioned this before, how come Wisconsin isn't getting any love in the rankings? Maybe I should check the strength of their schedule...

 

[Irondan]

Re:

The Buckeyes go down to an unranked Iowa?

Wisconsin, Georgia, and Bama are the only undefeated teams left...

Think jmdirt mentioned this before, how come Wisconsin isn't getting any love in the rankings? Maybe I should check the strength of their schedule...

Miami's undefeated and as a D1 school I find it odd that they're just barely cracking the top 10. Must be because of SOS I assume but they beat a really good VA Tech team yesterday who was ranked 13th.

Should see Miami climbing the rankings this week.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Re: Re:

Miami's undefeated and as a D1 school I find it odd that they're just barely cracking the top 10. Must be because of SOS I assume but they beat a really good VA Tech team yesterday who was ranked 13th.

Should see Miami climbing the rankings this week.

You're right, I just edited my post because I had overlooked Miami.

Agree, the rankings should look interesting after this weekend. (Penn State went down as well.)

How did you like the Huskies win yesterday? The Apple Cup should be awesome this year!

 

[jmdirt]

Miami and Wisconsin will move up because they both won and Ohio State and Penn State lost, but how far will they move up? Wisconsin is in the soft side of Big 10, and Miami is the soft of the ACC. BUT, my argument is always that if you have zero losses against other Div. 1 schools, you should be at the top.

IMO:
1) Alabama
2) Georgia
3) Wisconsin
4) Miami
5) ND

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Re:

Miami and Wisconsin will move up because they both won and Ohio State and Penn State lost, but how far will they move up? Wisconsin is in the soft side of Big 10, and Miami is the soft of the ACC. BUT, my argument is always that if you have zero losses against other Div. 1 schools, you should be at the top.

IMO:
1) Alabama
2) Georgia
3) Wisconsin
4) Miami
5) ND

Mostly agree, I do think strength of schedule needs to be taken into account. With so many teams and so many conferences (and relatively few games) college football will always be a mess, though.

Hate to see Bama on top again, but there's no denying they seem to perpetually have a very strong team. (Hope somebody beats them on the way to yet another national title.)

 

[Nomad]

Re:

Miami and Wisconsin will move up because they both won and Ohio State and Penn State lost, but how far will they move up? Wisconsin is in the soft side of Big 10, and Miami is the soft of the ACC. BUT, my argument is always that if you have zero losses against other Div. 1 schools, you should be at the top.

IMO:
1) Alabama
2) Georgia
3) Wisconsin
4) Miami
5) ND

Wouldn't strength of schedule be more important than zero loses? The CFP committee has said time & time again that strength of schedule is one of the more important criteria that they look at. Otherwise, you could have power 5 conference teams scheduling very weak non-conference opponents and playing in a weak division, or non-power 5 schools playing nobody within their conferences. Remember last year when Western Michigan ran the table and they thought they should be in the playoffs, but they play in the MAC and on top of that their non-conference schedule was very weak...I don't think that team would have been worthy to be in the playoffs...period.

And looking at Wisconsin's non-conference schedule...it's terrible; Utah St, Florida "Atlantic" & BYU. They play in the west division which is very weak this year (e.g., Purdue, Northwestern, Ill, Ind, Minn, Neb). They didn't play Penn St. or Ohio St., or any ranked opponent for that matter. But I think they can improve things dramatically in the eyes of the committee with upcoming back to back games against Iowa & Michigan, and if they win out & win the west, they would play in the championship game against probably either Ohio St., Penn St., Mich St., or Mich (up for grabs).

With Miami, I think they could find themselves right in the top 4 with a win over ND this weekend since the committee has put so much emphasis on ND's strength of schedule against ranked opponents; a 1 point loss against Georgia and decisive victories over Michigan St, USC & NC St.

 

[Nomad]

Re: Re:

Miami and Wisconsin will move up because they both won and Ohio State and Penn State lost, but how far will they move up? Wisconsin is in the soft side of Big 10, and Miami is the soft of the ACC. BUT, my argument is always that if you have zero losses against other Div. 1 schools, you should be at the top.

IMO:
1) Alabama
2) Georgia
3) Wisconsin
4) Miami
5) ND

Mostly agree, I do think strength of schedule needs to be taken into account. With so many teams and so many conferences (and relatively few games) college football will always be a mess, though.

Hate to see Bama on top again, but there's no denying they seem to perpetually have a very strong team. (Hope somebody beats them on the way to yet another national title.)

Speaking of Bama...here's Saban getting all ticked off when asked about the recent CFP polls. Classic Saban with the media! (I guess this is what happens when you're expected to win the National Championship every year. Lol).

https://youtu.be/l53GPA0Pv3s

 

[jmdirt]

Certainly strength of schedule means something, but there are so many factors, ie: you have to play your conference and there's not much you can do about their strength, games are scheduled years in advance so you might schedule a tough (non conf) team that ends up not being tough (flip you could schedule a soft team that has a some good years), plus other factors. Who put Iowa on the strength of schedule soft side and then lost to them this year? There have been several teams from the soft side upset teams from the strong side this season. If all wins don't count as wins, the NCAA needs to have different divisions (and/or mandated non conf games), but as long as they are D1, undefeated should be the number one ranking factor, then strength of schedule sorts out the teams with the same records.

I also don't like that early loses hurt a team worse than later loses.

A lot can still happen, let's see how things look in a month.

 

[jmdirt]

Today is a good example of why the early "ranking" of teams Fs them. Miami should have been ranked in the top four, but BS prevailed and they were ranked seventh. They hammered the number three team, and the number one team lost. Miami should be number two now. But the BS screwed them, and I bet the committee doesn't have the balls to right their own wrong. I hope that Miami and Wisconsin win out and play each other for the nat title. This committee football playoff sucks just as much as the BCS.

Alabama
Miami
Wisconsin
Clemson

 

[Nomad]

I don't see how the committee doesn't put Miami in the top 4 come Tues. I see it this way: Georgia & ND both lost, so they're out of the top 4. Bama & Clemson took care of business, so they stay in (though Bama was on the ropes there for awhile against Miss St.). #5 Oklahoma hammers #6 TCU and moves up into the top 4. TCU's lost to Oklahoma and they're done. #7 Miami wins and moves into the top 4. #8 Wisconsin wins and moves into #5 - the "first one in spot." #10 Auburn destroys #1 Georgia and moves up to #6...the highest rank 2 loss team.

IMO, Miami controls their own destiny - win out & they'll play Clemson in the ACC championship game with the winner take all. Wisconsin controls their own destiny - win out & they'll play in the Big 10 championship and if they win, I think they're in as an undefeated. Auburn still has to play Bama...a win & I think they're in the top 4, however, they would have to play Georgia again in the SEC championship game (and if Georgia wins, that could complicate things a bit). Here's my prediction for Tues:

Alabama
Oklahoma
Miami
Clemson
Wisconsin

 

[red_flanders]

I think the right system is to take the 5 winners of the power 5 and award 3 wild cards. 8 team playoff.

 

[Merckx index]

How players are bought and paid for in the SEC. What surprises me most about this is that people really effing care about some college team so much that they will spend so much time and money to get players to go there.

The Bag Man excuses himself to make a call outside, on his "other phone," to arrange delivery of $500 in cash to a visiting recruit. The player is rated No. 1 at his position nationally and on his way into town. We're sitting in a popular restaurant near campus almost a week before National Signing Day, talking about how to arrange cash payments for amateur athletes.

"Nah, there's no way we're landing him, but you still have to do it," he says. "It looks good. It's good for down the road. Same reason my wife reads Yelp. These kids talk to each other. It's a waste of money, but they're doing the same thing to our guys right now in [rival school's town]. Cost of business."

Technically, this conversation never happened, because I won't reveal this man's name or the player's, or even the town I visited. Accordingly, all the other conversations I had with different bag men representing different SEC programs over a two-month span surrounding National Signing Day didn't happen either.

Even when I asked for and received proof -- in this case a phone call I watched him make to a number I independently verified, then a meeting in which I witnessed cash handed to an active SEC football player -- it's just cash changing hands. When things are done correctly, there's no proof more substantial than one man's word over another. That allows for plausible deniability, which is good enough for the coaches, administrators, conference officials, and network executives. And the man I officially didn't speak with was emphatic that no one really understands how often and how well it almost always works.

If you're stinking, filthy rich, a good athletic director or university fundraiser has already contacted you for above-board donations, and you likely won't get into the business of paying players. It's the guys with just about 10 or 15 grand to burn annually that usually become bag men…

Once properly vetted, your money usually buys you first or secondhand access to information most fans (or journalists) would kill for: player run-ins with the law that go unreported, what certain coaches are really like, what kind of power an A.D. or president really has, and most importantly, who really is in charge of your football program.

The rules of communication tend to follow your typical sleeper cell or drug-dealing outfit. Talk in person as much as possible, preferably in group settings. Don't use email. Never interact with the media and avoid the university's public relations or sports information departments whenever possible. And buy burners. Lots of burners.

"It's the bat phone. Everybody has a bat phone. Buy some in a gas station out of town, use 'em for a while, toss 'em. The worst part was convincing my wife it wasn't so I could carry on an affair, because I wouldn't let her use it or see who I was talking to."

A good bag man will never be famous. He will never be that guy hovering right next to the head coach after a big win. His name will never be known by the majority of students, fans, and alumni of the university he loves. There is no dead bag man memorial on the campus of any football powerhouse. There are no memorial scholarships named after the guy who gave a running back's mother $3,000 a month for four years.

The actual money is never collected in a single area, but a collective of shadow boosters keeps an unwritten counter on how much each of them can contribute in cash at any given moment for three major purposes:
1. Large single sums to be paid out in order to convince a recruit to sign with the school.
2. Maintenance payments to current players, delivered in an ongoing basis.
3. Cash owed by an out-of-area shadow booster to a bag man living in the college town. Sometimes a player whose sponsor lives back at home needs money immediately, so a local bag man not assigned to that player will pay the player, with a marker going to his booster back home.

"I've paid to put a single mother through rehab. It was the recruit's older sister. He's playing ball and mama's raising two grandchildren, his sister's kids. Mama's tired and doesn't want to raise another set of kids. So we make the calls and arrange for the daughter to go to rehab, then set her up with a job when she's done. Fast track her to a job at a private business, nothing suspicious. Now mama can enjoy her son playing and the daughter is back on her feet. And when it came time to sign, we made sure she saw something [cash], but I promise you that meant more than just money."

"Hey, how'd he get that ride? His uncle bought it. How did his uncle buy it? Paid cash. Paid cash, how'd he do that? ***, we don't know, but here's the receipt where he paid cash, and now y'all ain't got ***. Go tell the NCAA you think we're cheating because this kid's uncle bought him a used Tahoe in cash, you racist."

Late that night I get a call, and it's the player on the phone, the kid himself. You could tell he was nervous. He said, ‘Mr. [name], I talked to my mama, and we decided that $70,000 and we're going with you, if you can promise us $70,000 tonight.' I knew right away we were being recorded, and I knew the *** down there who had set it up. I knew him personally. They had him. That part was done. But they wanted to get someone on tape to try and turn it over to the NCAA. So I said, 'Well gosh [player name], we'd love to see you here next season, but we just don't do that kind of thing.' Then I hung up."

I know one of our guys once stopped putting in big bucks, way more than what I do, just because a head coach cussed too much on the team plane. [The coach] was losing anyway, but because he took the Lord's name in vain, that guy was offended by his morality and stopped illegally paying college football players."

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/4/10/5594348/college-football-bag-man-interview

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Never underestimate the idiotic devotion some fans, alumni, and boosters feel toward their team, Merckx. I remember some years back some deranged Alabama fan poisoned some very old and irreplaceable oak trees on Auburn's university campus, that was just really sad and pathetic.

I don't mind friendly rivalries, but you have to question the mental state and the culture of fans who take their football obsession too far. No doubt for them it's win at all and any cost.


On a different note - way to blow it, Huskies. The Apple Cup should still be fun, though.

 

[jmdirt]

OK, cupcake week is over so now its back to real football for those who scheduled a "bye".

Baker Mayfield: Stupid, but who cares. He isn't the first 20 something to grab his crotch in public. If it wouldn't have been caught on camera it would be no big deal. I know we live in an overly sensitive society*, but football is a barbarian throwback, yet we still expect civility from these kids who are doing battle.

*On the surface anyway...

EDIT: The KU gesture, while less lewd, was just as unsporting.

 

[Nomad]

It looked liked Mayfield was a tad bit upset that the Jayhawk captains didn't want to shake hands with him at the coin toss. So now Riley says Mayfield won't start against WV and he doesn't want to say when Mayfield would enter the game (probably after the offense has it's first 3 & out. Lol).

Hey...but things could be worse in college football land; how about being fired on your birthday:

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/11/19/16676552/ucla-jim-mora-fired-on-his-birthday

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Re:

OK, cupcake week is over so now its back to real football for those who scheduled a "bye".

Baker Mayfield: Stupid, but who cares. He isn't the first 20 something to grab his crotch in public. If it wouldn't have been caught on camera it would be no big deal. I know we live in an overly sensitive society*, but football is a barbarian throwback, yet we still expect civility from these kids who are doing battle.

*On the surface anyway...

EDIT: The KU gesture, while less lewd, was just as unsporting.

Heh, that reminds me of the US Navy pilots who drew a giant penis in the sky with their jet recently, apparently some puritanical parents flipped out and complained to the Navy. While juvenile I think it's hilarious, glad our military are keeping their maneuvering skills in tip-top shape.

Okay, back to football talk...

It's rivalry week this week, that should be worth watching. The Apple Cup should be good, both WA State teams are good this year. And the Civil War here in Eugene this year, well, I feel sorry for the Beavers. They've managed to win only one game this whole season, think it was against some community college team. So I'll be rooting for the Beavs, they need all the support they can get.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

With the weather being all cold and dreary outside it's a nice day to stay in and watch some college football. On that note...

Does everyone here understand the new-ish playoff system? (I know, it's the third year it's being officially implemented, but I'm just getting around to reading up on it. It's a head-scratcher.) I'm not sure it's much better than the old BCS, but what I do know is that the Rose Bowl not being played by the Pac-12 champ this year sucks.

A lot (as far as the Pac-12 is concerned) is hanging on today's Apple Cup - if the Huskies win, well, they don't stand to win much of anything except for bragging rights because then Stanford will be the Pac-12 North champ who will go to the Pac-12 championship game. If the Cougs win they will be the Pac-12 North champs who will then go the Pac-12 Championship game against USC. (Nothing against Stanford, but I think I'd prefer for the Cougs to win today just so that we have one PacNW team in the Pac-12 championship game.)

Probably the most interesting game today will be Auburn v. Alabama... they kinda don't like each other, and I think it would be sweet for Bama to lose at least one game this season. So, go Auburn!

On a completely different note - Chip Kelly to UCLA, it's amazing how how head coaches are able to switch from the NFL to the NCAA (and back and forth) like that.

 

[Nomad]

BAMA GOES DOWN!!!

Auburn stuck it to Bama 26 - 14! The Tigers are on fire beating two #1's in the last three weeks! And with Miami's loss to Pitt this is sure to flip the CFP upside down. One thing is certain: hello Auburn & Wisconsin (who destroyed Minn earlier today) to the top 4, and both control their destination here on out with conference title games.

And who was feeling sorry for Wisconsin that they being shafted for their undefeated record?