# NCAA Football 2021 Season



## JamesMike

My Oregon Ducks upset Ohio State in a nail-biter, 35-28!


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## Herdfan

JamesMike said:


> My Oregon Ducks upset Ohio State in a nail-biter, 35-28!



Score was much closer than the actual game was.  But it was beautiful. 

And FSU almost beats an always over-rated Notre Dame and then loses to Jacksonville State.  Wow!

Also, it seems a lot of college students want to have sex with Joe Biden.


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## Eric

JamesMike said:


> My Oregon Ducks upset Ohio State in a nail-biter, 35-28!



Go Ducks! My #1 team as well. I spent almost 30 years in the Eugene area.


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## Thomas Veil

JamesMike said:


> My Oregon Ducks upset Ohio State in a nail-biter, 35-28!





Eric said:


> Go Ducks! My #1 team as well. I spent almost 30 years in the Eugene area.




Grrrrrrr....


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## Herdfan

Dang, that didn't take long:









						USC, seeking 'change in leadership,' fires Helton
					

Athletic director Mike Bohn said a "change in leadership" was necessary for the Trojans to meet their championship expectations in a statement announcing Clay Helton's firing.




					www.espn.com
				




Guess USC didn't like being upstaged by UCLA.


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## JamesMike

Eric said:


> Go Ducks! My #1 team as well. I spent almost 30 years in the Eugene area.




Eric, 30 years and you left!  How could you!


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## Eric

JamesMike said:


> Eric, 30 years and you left!  How could you!



It's the rain and clouds, seriously. The summers are beautiful but during the rest of the year it's depressing. CA has its own issues too but excessive rain isn't one of them.


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## Thomas Veil

As I watch, I’m feeling sorry for Rutgers. We’re not even in the 4th quarter and the score is Ohio State 52, Rutgers 6. I know this happens often in NCAA football (there are two or three other Top 25 games today with similar scores), but this kind of ass-kicking is so demoralizing for the team on the wrong end of that score.


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## Thomas Veil

So not only did Georgia thrash Kentucky yesterday, but you have to feel bad for anybody who took the spread. Kentucky blew it for them by scoring a touchdown in literally the last four seconds of the game.


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## Herdfan

The big surprise of the day: Purdue 24 - Iowa 7.

Would never have called that one.  

And it seems like TN fans didn't really like have their former coach back in town.  Boo all you want, but why did you even bring a golf ball to the game.


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## Herdfan

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron is out at the end of the season.  Just 2 years after winning a national title.

But they have been mediocre the past 2 years so I guess he had to go.  Loved hearing him talk though.


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## Roller

Herdfan said:


> The big surprise of the day: Purdue 24 - Iowa 7.
> 
> Would never have called that one.
> 
> And it seems like TN fans didn't really like have their former coach back in town.  Boo all you want, but why did you even bring a golf ball to the game.



Saw a  good description about the Purdue win on TV and elsewhere: Purdue beat the #2 out of Iowa. As for the Tennessee game, who brings a mustard container? Even if you like hot dogs and burgers, there are easier ways.


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## Roller

Herdfan said:


> LSU Coach Ed Orgeron is out at the end of the season.  Just 2 years after winning a national title.
> 
> But they have been mediocre the past 2 years so I guess he had to go.  Loved hearing him talk though.



Yes, I just saw this. I wonder about the wisdom of a mid-season announcement though. Can't be good for team morale unless they were also looking for coach O to go.


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## Roller

Coach O is getting an almost $17 million dollar buyout through Dec. 2025, so hard to feel too sorry for the guy.


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## Thomas Veil

Watching the Buckeyes play Nebraska and thinking they really need to get rid of that Netflix logo on their helmets.


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## Yoused

Thomas Veil said:


> Watching the Buckeyes play Nebraska and thinking they really need to get rid of that Netflix logo on their helmets.
> 
> View attachment 9609​



You know very well that their helmet logo stands for "Nowledge".


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## Joe

Thomas Veil said:


> Watching the Buckeyes play Nebraska and thinking they really need to get rid of that Netflix logo on their helmets.
> 
> View attachment 9609​




lol I always tease a friend that went to Nebraska about the Netflix logo


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## Herdfan

And the top teams keep falling.

Purdue -40
#3 Michigan State - 29


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## JamesMike

At least my Ducks are in the top four.


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## Thomas Veil

As I mentioned elsewhere, Ohio State-Michigan State yesterday turned into such a blowout that it became boring. Seriously, it was like every eight game minutes, another OSU touchdown. At the point where I found myself mostly reading my phone and looking up occasionally to go, "Oh, another touchdown," I turned it off.

For the part that I did watch, I was surprised to see CJ Stroud playing into the second half. Hopefully they pulled him later, along with some of the other starters. Got the big Michigan game coming up next weekend.

OTOH, I never saw this coming: Utah 38, Oregon 7.


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## Joe

My UTSA Roadrunners are 11-0 #BirdsUp


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## Herdfan

JamesMike said:


> At least my Ducks are in the top four.



Well that didn't age well. 

Certainly was surprised, not so much of losing to Utah, but the ease of which they won. The good news for me is, this will make OSU look worse


JagRunner said:


> My UTSA Roadrunners are 11-0 #BirdsUp




And probably should be ranked higher than they are.

And it looks like we are a win away against WKU from meeting in the C-USA Championship Game.  Although we have managed to lose at least 3 games we should have won so I won't take any bets on the game.


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## Roller

Definitely a weird season. But, truthfully, I think this is Georgia's time. I know they've been beaten by Alabama several times over the past few years, but I'd be shocked if Bama comes out with a W in the SEC championship.


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## Herdfan

Roller said:


> Definitely a weird season. But, truthfully, I think this is Georgia's time. I know they've been beaten by Alabama several times over the past few years, but I'd be shocked if Bama comes out with a W in the SEC championship.




So does a 2-loss Alabama make it in over a 1-Loss Oklahoma State or Notre Dame?


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## Roller

Herdfan said:


> So does a 2-loss Alabama make it in over a 1-Loss Oklahoma State or Notre Dame?



If Alabama beats Auburn and Georgia, of course they're in. But what if the Georgia game is close? An overtime or last-second Alabama win, say? You'd have two very good 1-loss teams, but I don't think the committee will let both Georgia and Alabama into the playoffs under any circumstances.

How about if Alabama loses to Auburn and wins against Georgia? The committee would be under pressure to keep a 2-loss Alabama out, but could they allow Georgia in despite losing their divisional championship? That would be a tough decision.

This is all hypothetical, though. I don't expect to see Alabama triumph over Georgia in Atlanta. They have too many exploitable weaknesses because of personnel and coaching, especially on defense.


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## Thomas Veil

Last night, because I was bored off my ass, I turned on North Carolina vs NC State. I was web surfing and only half paying attention to it because, frankly, I don’t care about either team. 

Until. 

State had been trailing most of the game and North Carolina was up by two scores with only a few minutes left. State came back to score, then recovered an onside kick which of course is not easy to do. 

So State marches down the field with two minutes left and is looking to win with at least a field goal. And then, in a flurry of utter stupidity, North Carolina makes one penalty after another, and State is getting 5 or 15 yards and new downs all over the place.

 North Carolina basically marched backward into field goal range for State, which then scored a touchdown instead. With only :05 left, North Carolina heaved one in the end zone in a desperate attempt to regain the lead, only to see State intercept. 

For a boring game, that got pretty good.


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## Thomas Veil

God. What an ugly loss for Ohio State.


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## Herdfan

JagRunner said:


> My UTSA Roadrunners are 11-0 #BirdsUp




Sorry dude.   I would have invited you to the game had the Herd not choked against WKU.

Lot's of turmoil this weekend.  But here are my guesses for how things play out.

Georgia - In unless absolutely crushed by Alabama
Cincinnati - In if win over Houston in AAC Championship Game
Alabama - In if win over Georgia, possibly still in with close loss.
Ohio State - dreams died at the Big House
Michigan - In if win over Iowa, Out with Loss
Notre Dame - This is a tough one.  The manage to creep up the rankings and the committee puts them in just to watch them get hammered.  Will the Committee learn?  
Oklahoma State - Nice win over OU, but from 7 they need help.  Will they vault over OSU?  I would put them in over ND.

So my predictions:

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Cincinnati
4. Oklahoma State.

Outside looking in:

5. Notre Dame
6. Alabama


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## Joe

Herdfan said:


> Sorry dude.   I would have invited you to the game had the Herd not choked against WKU.
> 
> Lot's of turmoil this weekend.  But here are my guesses for how things play out.
> 
> Georgia - In unless absolutely crushed by Alabama
> Cincinnati - In if win over Houston in AAC Championship Game
> Alabama - In if win over Georgia, possibly still in with close loss.
> Ohio State - dreams died at the Big House
> Michigan - In if win over Iowa, Out with Loss
> Notre Dame - This is a tough one.  The manage to creep up the rankings and the committee puts them in just to watch them get hammered.  Will the Committee learn?
> Oklahoma State - Nice win over OU, but from 7 they need help.  Will they vault over OSU?  I would put them in over ND.
> 
> So my predictions:
> 
> 1. Georgia
> 2. Michigan
> 3. Cincinnati
> 4. Oklahoma State.
> 
> Outside looking in:
> 
> 5. Notre Dame
> 6. Alabama




We’re still hosting the Championship so it’s all good. They’ve sold almost 40k tickets so the crowd will be loud. And still several days until the game!


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## JamesMike

Herdfan said:


> Well that didn't age well.
> 
> Certainly was surprised, not so much of losing to Utah, but the ease of which they won. The good news for me is, this will make OSU look worse
> 
> 
> And probably should be ranked higher than they are.
> 
> And it looks like we are a win away against WKU from meeting in the C-USA Championship Game.  Although we have managed to lose at least 3 games we should have won so I won't take any bets on the game.




The Ducks get a second chance this Friday against Utah, hopefully they will do better.  They were awful in the first match.


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## Herdfan

JamesMike said:


> The Ducks get a second chance this Friday against Utah, hopefully they will do better.  They were awful in the first match.




They were.  I think Oregon is the better team and they should win.

But now that we are in Championship week, there is no MACtion on TV this week.  I like those games.


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## Joe




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## Herdfan

JamesMike said:


> The Ducks get a second chance this Friday against Utah, hopefully they will do better.  They were awful in the first match.




Someone at Oregon needs to call Billy the Exterminator to get that monkey removed from their back.  

No way did I expect this again.  Utah just seemed to have their number this year.


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## Herdfan

What a day.  Couple of upsets and a beatdown.

I thought Georgia had a defense, but if they did Alabama didn't seem to care.  Score was closer than the game and Alabama won by 17.  Didn't get to see the Baylor/OSU game, but from what I read it was a fight.  Wanted OSU to win as a means to keep ND out of the playoffs as I expected Georgia to win.  With Alabama winning it should work itself out.

My prediction

1) Michigan
2) Alabama
3) Cincinnati
4) Georgia

This order is to prevent an Alabma/Georgia rematch in the first round.  I don't think Alabama leaps Michigan after their beatdown of Iowa.

We will know at Noon.


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## Roller

Herdfan said:


> What a day.  Couple of upsets and a beatdown.
> 
> I thought Georgia had a defense, but if they did Alabama didn't seem to care.  Score was closer than the game and Alabama won by 17.  Didn't get to see the Baylor/OSU game, but from what I read it was a fight.  Wanted OSU to win as a means to keep ND out of the playoffs as I expected Georgia to win.  With Alabama winning it should work itself out.
> 
> My prediction
> 
> 1) Michigan
> 2) Alabama
> 3) Cincinnati
> 4) Georgia
> 
> This order is to prevent an Alabma/Georgia rematch in the first round.  I don't think Alabama leaps Michigan after their beatdown of Iowa.
> 
> We will know at Noon.



Now we know. I'm glad Alabama won't face Georgia in the semi-final - nobody wants to see that. The match-ups will be a good opportunity to see two top non-SEC teams compete against SEC teams. Alabama is ranked #1, but they have a tough 2-game season ahead of them, having lost one of their two top receivers yesterday. And they're playing with only one scholarship running back who's not at 100%. 

About the only thing that shouldn't be in doubt is the Heisman. After his performance all season, especially marching down the field to tie the Iron Bowl last week and his performance yesterday (obviously helped by an energized O-line), it'll be a travesty if Bryce Young doesn't get it. In addition to being an excellent QB, he's humble and soft-spoken.


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## Herdfan

Roller said:


> Now we know. I'm glad Alabama won't face Georgia in the semi-final - nobody wants to see that. The match-ups will be a good opportunity to see two top non-SEC teams compete against SEC teams. Alabama is ranked #1, but they have a tough 2-game season ahead of them, having lost one of their two top receivers yesterday. And they're playing with only one scholarship running back who's not at 100%.
> 
> About the only thing that shouldn't be in doubt is the Heisman. After his performance all season, especially marching down the field to tie the Iron Bowl last week and his performance yesterday (obviously helped by an energized O-line), it'll be a travesty if Bryce Young doesn't get it. In addition to being an excellent QB, he's humble and soft-spoken.




Yeah I think he wins, but that DE from Michigan Hutchinson is deserving as well.  He just plays on the wrong side of the ball.


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## Yoused

I would like to see a top-ten play-off that would go

first week
10 vs 1
9 vs 2
8 vs 5
7 vs 6
second week
lowest-ranked-week-1-winner vs 3
second-lowest-week-1-winner vs 4
bye for top 2 week-1-winners
third week
seeded semifinals
fifth week
championship (after the bowls)

Presumably, the top two teams would have a week off, but if they were to lose, a lower-ranked team would get the bye. Mostly, teams below 4th rank would have to win 3 games to reach the final.


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## Herdfan

Yoused said:


> I would like to see a top-ten play-off that would go
> 
> first week
> 10 vs 1
> 9 vs 2
> 8 vs 5
> 7 vs 6
> second week
> lowest-ranked-week-1-winner vs 3
> second-lowest-week-1-winner vs 4
> bye for top 2 week-1-winners
> third week
> seeded semifinals
> fifth week
> championship (after the bowls)
> 
> Presumably, the top two teams would have a week off, but if they were to lose, a lower-ranked team would get the bye. Mostly, teams below 4th rank would have to win 3 games to reach the final.




I like the idea, but I think the 5 Power 5 Champs should be in as well as the highest ranked Group of 5 team.  Then fill in the rest.


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## Yoused

Herdfan said:


> I like the idea, but I think the 5 Power 5 Champs should be in as well as the highest ranked Group of 5 team.  Then fill in the rest.



How about make it _really_ interesting: Power 5 Champs are exclusive, meaning no other teams from Power 5 are admitted.


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## Herdfan

Yoused said:


> How about make it _really_ interesting: Power 5 Champs are exclusive, meaning no other teams from Power 5 are admitted.




That would chap some asses, but I like it.


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## Herdfan

Good!  This was a cheap move and the refs should have thrown the flag on hit.









						NCAA memo blows whistle on Pickett's fake slide
					

Referees should interpret a fake slide like the one used by Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett in the ACC championship game as a player surrendering himself and should end the play, according to a memo from the NCAA's national coordinator of officials.




					www.espn.com


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## Yoused

I like NCAA better than NFL – unless it is something like LSU vs Alcorn State – but their officiating can be sub-par, like that one game a few years back when a TE dropped a lateral and it was treated as an incomplete pass instead of a live ball.


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## Herdfan

Yoused said:


> I like NCAA better than NFL – unless it is something like LSU vs Alcorn State – but their officiating can be sub-par, like that one game a few years back when a TE dropped a lateral and it was treated as an incomplete pass instead of a live ball.




Or the multiple times a team has been given a 5th down.  

I like both, but the college game with it's spread offenses is just more exciting.  And the atmosphere at a college game is much better than the NFL.


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## Herdfan

More about the '22 season and going forward, but Deion is making things happen.









						The signing of five-star recruit Travis Hunter shows how Deion Sanders is impacting the HBCU landscape
					

ATLANTA — The goal for Jackson State coach Deion Sanders has always been to transform the Tigers into a championship-caliber team while changing how folks view …




					theundefeated.com
				




They had been talking about signings like this but they were mostly related to BB.  ie a couple of 5-stars who know each other from AAU decide to go a HBCU and run the table and win the NCAA's.  That could easily happen.

But football has many more moving parts and a couple of stars will help, especially at the 1-AA* level (like Randy Moss at Marshall).  But not like they can in BB.  Still, good for Deion.


* yes I know it is now the FCS, but I always knew it as 1-AA so it sticks


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## Herdfan

Well, we are down to the end.

And it is pretty much what we already knew, the SEC is the best conference in college football.  The rest are pretenders.

I thought Cincinnati played well.  It was certainly more of a game than Michigan played against Georgia.  I would have liked to have seen Oklahoma St play Alabama, but Cincinnati deserved to be there.

Prediction: If Georgia plays as well as they did against Michigan, they will beat Alabama.


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## SuperMatt

I don’t pay much attention to college football, but I used to enjoy watching the bowl games on New Year’s day as a kid. So yesterday I was a little annoyed to see the big games were only available on ESPN. After seeing that they were boring blowouts, I didn’t feel so bad.

College football has become a complete joke when it comes to competitive play. There is no salary cap or any other way to control what teams get what players. So if a team does well for a few years, all the top high school players want to go there. With the new rules allowing players to make money on endorsements, this will only get worse. Why play for any school except Alabama if you’re the top at your position? You will get on TV every week and make big bucks in endorsement deals.

I saw recaps from yesterday’s Alabama - Cincinnati game. Alabama has bigger, better players at pretty much every position. It was like watching varsity vs JV.


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## Herdfan

SuperMatt said:


> I don’t pay much attention to college football, but I used to enjoy watching the bowl games on New Year’s day as a kid. So yesterday I was a little annoyed to see the big games were only available on ESPN. After seeing that they were boring blowouts, I didn’t feel so bad.




And as a kid, most of the bowl games were on either NYE or NYD, not starting in mid-December.  And were on all 3 channels.  

So yeah, it has lost some of its magic for sure.

I do expect Georgia/Alabama to be a good game.  Just hope it isn't a defensive battle and ends up 13-10.

Best bowl game of the year was Tennessee/Purdue.  Tennessee went for it on 4&G from the 1 in OT and didn't make it.  Wow.


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## Roller

Herdfan said:


> And as a kid, most of the bowl games were on either NYE or NYD, not starting in mid-December.  And were on all 3 channels.
> 
> So yeah, it has lost some of its magic for sure.
> 
> I do expect Georgia/Alabama to be a good game.  Just hope it isn't a defensive battle and ends up 13-10.
> 
> Best bowl game of the year was Tennessee/Purdue.  Tennessee went for it on 4&G from the 1 in OT and didn't make it.  Wow.



I don't think most people, even Alabama fans, are thrilled about yet another Alabama-Georgia NC, but it should temporarily silence those who said that Cincinnati and Michigan could compete against the two top SEC teams in the country. And Alabama's playing with a severely injury-depleted roster that got even smaller yesterday when another offensive lineman left the game. 

I didn't watch Tennessee-Purdue in real time, but I have seen the ending on YouTube. It was an amazing finish with the score going back-and-forth in the final minutes. I think Tennessee was robbed on the 4th-and-G play, but that's the way it goes. And they did have a chance to put it away with a last second FG.


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## Herdfan

Roller said:


> I think Tennessee was robbed on the 4th-and-G play, but that's the way it goes.




From the multiple replays they were showing, it seems the Side Judge had determined that forward progress was stopped.  You can clearly see him running in before you hear the whistle.  But yeah, tough call.

As for the CFP, I think the past few years have showed that ND, OSU, Oregon or anyone else can't compete with the top of the SEC.  Clemson did it, but they had two great quarterback in Watson and Lawrence.  And you can see what happened once they didn't have one of those two guys.


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## Yoused

Pac-12 did not at all well in bowl season, going 0-5, with one cancellation.


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## Roller

Yoused said:


> Pac-12 did not at all well in bowl season, going 0-5, with one cancellation.



Interestingly, the SEC hasn't done that well, apart from the two teams in the NC.


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