College football

[kelric]

Edit: What's the worst beating a top 5 team has ever taken? This has to be up there.

There have been a few pretty ugly pastings like this in bowl games... USC v. Oklahoma a few years back, and I'm recalling a very ugly Nebraska-Florida game a few years before that too... and whatever bowl sells out and brings in Notre Dame to play sacrificial lamb to a better team... again . Okay, bedtime... really this time. Gnight.

Actually, ESPN had a graphic up on a story today that listed the worst losses by top-2 ranked teams today:
Margin Teams Date
48 No. 1 Army 48, No. 2 Notre Dame 0 11/10/45
44 No. 5 Oklahoma 65, No. 2 Texas Tech 21 11/22/08
43 Holy Cross 55, No. 1 Boston College 12 11/28/42
38 No. 1 Nebraska 62, No. 2 Florida 24 1/2/96 (Fiesta Bowl)
36 No. 1 USC 55, No. 2 Oklahoma 19 1/4/05 (Orange Bowl)

I remembered better than I'd thought on the USC/Oklahoma and Nebraska/Florida blowouts - but this one last night was worse.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

Although I agree... I think Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida all beat Alabama on a neutral field (and Florida will get the chance)... I don't see USC much, but they're likely in the same category... if Tech played the way they had until this game, I'd say the same for them. If I *had* to pick a #1 vs. #2, I'd say Florida vs. Oklahoma right now - with Texas a very close and worthy 2.5. Anyway, bedtime for me. G'night.

I'm not a fan, but I see USC all the time because of where I live, and they are definitely in that class. Like Lateralus said, the offense isn't QUITE the caliber of these other teams, but they do have three legit tailbacks and the defense pitched three shutouts in a row. I agree with both of you, if I had to pick a national championship game right now, I'd pit Oklahoma and Florida. Alabama's ranking is just a reflection of the fact that nobody will ever drop a team from #1 unless they lose. Which is ridiculous.

I love how Oklahoma put in the backup QB so they can throw without looking like they're running it up, hah. I'm off to watch my tape of Syracuse beating some Irish ass. I can't believe I wasn't home for that.

 

[Jeffster]

Also, somebody better run over to Jeffster's house and make sure his head isn't in the oven.

Nah, life goes on, man. Tomorrow I'm gonna have fun at the Renaissance Festival with my family, and Monday I get to taunt my co-worker for being too chicken to bet on Oklahoma when he had the chance. This game sucked, but life is good.

 

[Neo Genesis]

I though OU was going to win, but I didn't think it'd be THAT bad. We got steamrolled.

I'm curious as to how people reconcile this with their vote. Everyone's talking about how you can't have Texas behind Oklahoma because they beat 'em straight up. But Tech beat Texas, Texas beat Oklahoma, and Oklahoma beat Tech. No way you can choose between those three based simply on head to head. Whoever you rank highest will have been beaten by one of the other two. To me, that means you ignore head to head and rank Oklahoma highest.

That said, I think all three of them, plus Florida and USC, beat Alabama.

I think it'd be a toss-up between Tech and Alabama, and USC is rather sporadic from week-to-week, so its difficult to determine how they'll play, but I don't think they deserve to be considered for the National Championship. And I say that as a lifelong 'SC fan (part of my bias against UT, Kelric). From what I've seen, USC reminds me very much of the Cowboys, in that they have alot of position-specific talent, yet don't seem to mesh well with each other. They seem soft on offense (too many horizontal runs/long passes), and on defense they appear to always go for the knock-out hit (don't get me wrong, I like it, it's just not a team mentality). OU/UT and Florida will make a great championship game.

I'd have liked for Tech to go, but after this game, there's no way I can even try to say they deserve it.

 

[Rajah]

 

[ygolo]

I was wrong about Texas Tech, and hopefully they can pick up their morale against Baylor.

There is still the Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State, and the Big 12 Championship game too.

I still say Alabama is overrated. I haven't been watching Florida, but I guess we'll find out how they fair against each other.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

That Gator looks awfully apprehensive. He's looking down at his feet like he's afraid a mouse is going to trip him up.

 

[Rajah]

That Gator looks awfully apprehensive. He's looking down at his feet like he's afraid a mouse is going to trip him up.

*scowl*

He's just trying to make you feel comfortable so he can lure you in for the kill.

 

[Lateralus]

Actually, ESPN had a graphic up on a story today that listed the worst losses by top-2 ranked teams today:
Margin Teams Date
48 No. 1 Army 48, No. 2 Notre Dame 0 11/10/45
44 No. 5 Oklahoma 65, No. 2 Texas Tech 21 11/22/08
43 Holy Cross 55, No. 1 Boston College 12 11/28/42
38 No. 1 Nebraska 62, No. 2 Florida 24 1/2/96 (Fiesta Bowl)
36 No. 1 USC 55, No. 2 Oklahoma 19 1/4/05 (Orange Bowl)

I remembered better than I'd thought on the USC/Oklahoma and Nebraska/Florida blowouts - but this one last night was worse.

So before Tech scored that last TD, they were in line for the worst defeat by a #2 team, ever. I thought OU was going to make it 72-14, too.

 

[pure_mercury]

Man, don't Penn State look like assholes now?

 

[MacGuffin]

I saw this on tigerboard.com as a way that Mizzou can pull off the upset against OU tomorrow:

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

That is a plan I would like to see work. Unfortunately, I think nut-kicking is a 15 yard penalty.

 

[kelric]

I saw this on tigerboard.com as a way that Mizzou can pull off the upset against OU tomorrow:

As a Texas fan, I have to admit I'd like to see Oklahoma lose, but even this plan (assuming it worked) reduces the expected score to something like 40-30, instead of 60-30. Mizzou's defense just hasn't played nearly as well as they did last year - I think that'll cost them.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

If Mizzou employs this tactic and Oklahoma still wins, then Bradford should win the Heisman, and they should change the pose on the statue from the traditional stiff-arm to a guy curled up on the ground holding his nuts.

 

[kelric]

Watching the Mizzou-OU game... This is getting ugly. 38-7 OU... at halftime. Although I'd love to see Texas play in the national championship game, I have to admit that a Florida/Oklahoma game shows signs of being a very fun matchup, and although I think Texas is worthy too, you certainly can't say that Oklahoma and Florida don't deserve their chance.

 

[Rajah]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Take THAT, MacMuffin!

 

[MacGuffin]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Take THAT, MacMuffin!

Just beat the snot out of the Sooners.

And feed your cheerleaders.

 

[Rajah]

Just beat the snot out of the Sooners.

And feed your cheerleaders.

She is looking a little emaciated. And sun-damaged.

But whatever.

Yeeeaaaahhh.

 

[Lateralus]

Florida won't even have to try. They're playing Chokelahoma. They're great during the regular season, but an embarrassment in BCS games.

 

[kelric]

Heisman Trophy

So Sam Bradford won the Heisman trophy... he's certainly a worthy winner, but I admit that I was pulling for Colt McCoy. I can't help but think that if Texas had been in the Big 12 Championship game (if Tech hadn't gotten that last-second TD to keep Texas from an undefeated season, or if they'd been chosen over Oklahoma by virtue of their head-to-head victory), that Colt might likely have won.

They say that the Heisman goes to "the best offensive skill-position player on the best team" and isn't truly indicative of the true "best player" anyway, but it's strange to think that such small things out of the control of the player in question can have such an impact on the final results. I think it's largely just the difficulty in comparing lots of great players, who are really not all that comparable by any good definition.

I did like Sam's acceptance speech, though. I mean, it's always cliche to hear the winner thank his teammates, but it's nice to hear anyway. Good job to all three, and it should be fun seeing Oklahoma and Florida play in January.