Official 2012 College Football Season Thread

[MrG]



1) Oregon (I hate to put them here, but I think a closer loss to a better team puts them ahead of Alabama)
2) Alabama
3) Florida
4) Notre Dame
5) Stanford - 2 plays away from being undefeated. Lost a close one at Washington (who is immensely better at home than away (if you happened to see the LSU game) and also has a much better QB now than in the Washington game.
6) K-State? UGA? LSU? Ohio State?
I haven't seen Ohio State play a whole game so I really have no idea how good they are. Ditto for K-State. UGA has a bad loss and two bad wins. LSU looks good but has two losses.

Okay, I have to defend my team here.

There's not denying UGA has a bad loss, but UGA beat Florida. UGA also beat Missouri by more on the road than Florida did at home, and Florida needed a last-second punt return for a TD to beat Louisiana-Lafayette. All of that being the case, I can't see how you have Florida as the third-best team in the country while UGA gets a "maybe they're number six."

 

[MrG]

Looks like Auburn is under investigation. Again. That program is absolutely coming apart at the seams.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf-...ting-auburn-s-football-program-201343758.html

NCAA investigating Auburn's football program

Losing games is not the only problem Gene Chizik has faced this fall at Auburn. The embattled coach of the Tigers also is overseeing a program being investigated by the NCAA, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

According to multiple sources, NCAA investigators have spent weeks looking into potential improprieties involving Auburn recruits, players, coaches, representatives of the school's athletic interests and third parties. Assistant coaches Trooper Taylor and Curtis Luper have been scrutinized by the NCAA, sources said. Taylor is the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach, while Luper coaches running backs and is the recruiting coordinator.

Both Taylor and Luper were taken off the road recruiting several weeks ago amid the NCAA probe, sources said. Taylor was a finalist this season for national Assistant Coach of the Year honors from the American Football Coaches Association.
...
Sources told Yahoo! Sports in September that the NCAA has been investigating the recruitment of 2012 Auburn signee Jovon Robinson, whose Memphis Wooddale High School academic transcript was found to be forged and was subsequently declared ineligible in August to play this year at the school. The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported in August that a guidance counselor at Wooddale admitted creating a fraudulent transcript and resigned.

Robinson declined comment to Yahoo! Sports through a family member in September. He is not enrolled at Auburn this semester.

In addition to the academic issues involving Robinson, sources told Yahoo! Sports the NCAA has investigated whether a Wooddale P.E. teacher, Rhonda Wilkinson, provided impermissible benefits to the player during his recruitment, including transportation to the Auburn campus on at least one occasion. Wilkinson is an Auburn graduate and fan – her vehicle and home are extensively decorated with Auburn memorabilia.
...
The NCAA probe is believed to be more widespread than just Robinson, but is not believed to revisit the 2010 allegations involving former star quarterback Cam Newton – allegations Chizik and the school vigorously combated at the time. Auburn went on to win the national title that year after Newton was cleared by the NCAA late in the season.

 

[Gibonius]



Okay, I have to defend my team here.
There's not denying UGA has a bad loss, but UGA beat Florida. UGA also beat Missouri by more on the road than Florida did at home, and Florida needed a last-second punt return for a TD to beat Louisiana-Lafayette. All of that being the case, I can't see how you have Florida as the third-best team in the country while UGA gets a "maybe they're number six."

Yeah that's a joke. Florida has looked horrible since the loss to UGA. No way does a serious national championship team require a last second blocked punt to beat a Fcs team this late in the year. Georgia had a real bad loss but they A) beat Florida B) have been playing much better since. Proof would be beating Alabama, so that'll be pretty clear.

 

[FLMountainMan]

OH MY GEES I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE FLORIDA GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RedLantern]



Okay, I have to defend my team here.
There's not denying UGA has a bad loss, but UGA beat Florida. UGA also beat Missouri by more on the road than Florida did at home, and Florida needed a last-second punt return for a TD to beat Louisiana-Lafayette. All of that being the case, I can't see how you have Florida as the third-best team in the country while UGA gets a "maybe they're number six."

Yeah that's a joke. Florida has looked horrible since the loss to UGA. No way does a serious national championship team require a last second blocked punt to beat a Fcs team this late in the year. Georgia had a real bad loss but they A) beat Florida B) have been playing much better since. Proof would be beating Alabama, so that'll be pretty clear.

Fair points. TBH, I haven't seen Florida or Georgia play too much in the last couple weeks, so these are based on what I've seen earlier in the year of them and then on records (losses + bad wins). It sounds like I missed a "bad win" by florida in my analysis so maybe I need to bump them down.

 

[edinatlanta]

Not-so bold predictions!

UGA/GT: I'm a Catholic, I believe in miracles. On top of that, GT is on a high, backing into the ACC “Championship”, Dawgs looking ahead, Paul Johnson coaching for his life, second week of facing a triple option for UGA, its time for the once-in-a-decade victory for the NATS, its all there for a GT upset. Which I’d choose if they were playing at Tech and had half the stadium on their side. But they aren’t. No miracles in Athens on Saturday, UGA annihilates the Jackets.

FSU/UF: Florida hasn’t been impressive, really all season, but less so since the UGA game. At home for FSU. Their defense is one of the best in the country. Driskel is “healed” but I don’t buy it, he was in a walking boot earlier this week. You look at the matchups and they are close but FSU has the edge, especially at the defensive/offensive tackles (Bjoern Werner is a future-NFLer, the Florida offensive line is not going to be able to handle him and his crew). EJ Manuel has really come into his own, his reads are becoming fantastic, he can do so much to move the ball. ‘Noles are one quarter of bad playcalling, not bad play away from a national championship… It will be a good game, but I’m going to go so far as to say don’t be surprise if FSU blows out the Gators.

ND/USC Who would have predicted this in August? (side note–I did point out the Trojans’ lack of depth and could have seen them being un-ranked) Without Barkley USC has no shot. The only way the could beat the Irish is by getting the ball to the outside where they are very speedy. Notre Dame is not that good this year, though. They will get crushed in the championship.

Hope 2-9 lose in the newt weeks so FSU can beat ND for a national championship.

 

[Pennglock]



Ohio State is massively overrated. They are undefeated because the Big10 is **** and they played a bunch of patsies for their OOC games. What's their best win? A Nebraska team that also feasted on the Big10?

Yeah, I don't think OSU is a top-5 team. They've needed some lucky breaks to go undefeated against mediocre competetion.

Still, part of me is sad there is no chance for a ND-OSU national championship. That probably would have ended up being the highest rated college game of all time.

 

[RedLantern]

Apple cup kicks off in 20 minutes! Tune in, iGents! Catch it on FOX.

 

[Thomas]

So, a bunch of friends have posted their lamentations that there is no Thanksgiving weekend game between Texas and the Fighting Texas Aggies, as there has been for the past 100 or so years. Also, strangely enough I don't remember hearing about the (now-unofficial) bonfire that marked said weekend, but not surprising.

As it turned out I'm chucking because A&M beat Alabama

And TCU beat Texas, in Austin. LOLOLOLOL.

 

[munchausen]



So, a bunch of friends have posted their lamentations that there is no Thanksgiving weekend game between Texas and the Fighting Texas Aggies, as there has been for the past 100 or so years. Also, strangely enough I don't remember hearing about the (now-unofficial) bonfire that marked said weekend, but not surprising.

As it turned out I'm chucking because A&M beat Alabama
And TCU beat Texas, in Austin. LOLOLOLOL.

twas awesome. TCU is having a down year but they still managed to outplay the Horns.

 

[RedLantern]



Apple cup kicks off in 20 minutes! Tune in, iGents! Catch it on FOX.

Cliffs notes: Huskies set school record for penalties, blow 18 pt lead in late 3rd quarter. Miss game winning 30 yard field goal. Throw HORRIBLE pick on 1st play of OT. Cougars win. So much fail. I'm actually kind of happy for the seniors at Washington State - They've never won an apple cup before tonight.

 

[Texasmade]



Not-so bold predictions!
UGA/GT: I'm a Catholic, I believe in miracles. On top of that, GT is on a high, backing into the ACC “Championship”, Dawgs looking ahead, Paul Johnson coaching for his life, second week of facing a triple option for UGA, its time for the once-in-a-decade victory for the NATS, its all there for a GT upset. Which I’d choose if they were playing at Tech and had half the stadium on their side. But they aren’t. No miracles in Athens on Saturday, UGA annihilates the Jackets.

Currently 42-3 Dawgs near the end of the 3rd quarter. Georgia Tech, SMH.

 

[nerdykarim]

Is it too ridiculous to say that if we play like this next week, I like our chances against Bama?

 

[MrG]



Is it too ridiculous to say that if we play like this next week, I like our chances against Bama?

Shades of 2007...

Georgia just looks unstoppable right now. The problem is that there haven't been any real tests since Florida, but Georgia has been taking care of business and winning the way they should against the opponents they've had. If they're really as good as recent games make them look, I see no reason the Dawgs can't beat the Tide, but there's no way to know that for sure until the game starts.

FWIW, my money is on the SEC Championship hinging on Aaron Murray. If he plays as well as he's capable of playing from the first snap, Georgia wins. If he gets all wound up like he tends to do in big games, Georgia is in trouble. I'm hopeful that the Florida game was a turning point for him, but he's going to have to play the entire SECCG the way he played the second half of the Cocktail Party.

 

[munchausen]

Auburn looks like a high school team out there today.