Nice written state above Russ. I can respect all of your points and do think OK does have a great shot at getting back to the National Championship game. I thnk you do beat Texas this year and it is a very strong possibility if they can protect Bradford as well this coming year as they did last year that you could be in the National Title game. Good luck!
Nice written state above Russ. I can respect all of your points and do think OK does have a great shot at getting back to the National Championship game. I thnk you do beat Texas this year and it is a very strong possibility if they can protect Bradford as well this coming year as they did last year that you could be in the National Title game. Good luck!
Conan, first of all I lived in Los Angeles my whole life, and in case you didn't look where I live now I know all about USC, Sanchez (Mission Viejo) and Barkley (Mater Dei) and Corp living here in OC. Me knowing "nothing" about USC is a ridiculous statement since that's all you read and hear about in LA.
If USC played in a strong conference like the SEC every year, they wouldn't make it to the championship game. With the exception of this past season there are more Top 10 teams in the SEC in the end every year than any conference.
Florida doesn't lose to 40 pt dogs like Stanford, or Oregon St (who they took lightly). Ole Miss finished ranked 14th (whipped TT) and Oregon St. barely cracked the 25 (25th) if you want to compare loses. USC has themselves to blame since their strength of schedule doesn't get them to the top of the BCS.
USC loses 8 starters on defense although Taylor Mays is coming back. It doesn't look good for the USC now that they are relying on Aaron Corp or Mustain to lead them to the promised land. With games @ Ohio St. and @Oregon (who are preseason ranked top 7) @ Cal, @ND, it won't be easy.
Yes, I'll give USC credit for playing out of conference, but they do it out of necessity because the Pac 10 is weak. A lot of SEC schools travel don't out of conference? Would you if you had that kind of brutal conference schedule every year? BTW, Florida plays FSU every year and Miami 3 times in the last 6 years. These are OOC and USC is more than welcome to play them.
USC can't lose a game during the season-it won't get them to championship. It's their own fault. Because teams from the SEC or Big 12 will be ranked higher in the BCS, plain and simple. Even teams with 2 losses (LSU 07') will make it over USC because they lost to two top 5 teams. So until then you can play in the Rose Bowl and beat up on the Little 10 teams who lose all their bowl games and don't measure up nationally (Ohio St). Penn St. would get blown out by Florida, Texas, or OU, so beating them by 10 pts. is no big feat!
If USC played in a strong conference like the SEC every year, they wouldn't make it to the championship game. With the exception of this past season there are more Top 10 teams in the SEC in the end every year than any conference.
Florida doesn't lose to 40 pt dogs like Stanford, or Oregon St (who they took lightly). Ole Miss finished ranked 14th (whipped TT) and Oregon St. barely cracked the 25 (25th) if you want to compare loses. USC has themselves to blame since their strength of schedule doesn't get them to the top of the BCS.
USC loses 8 starters on defense although Taylor Mays is coming back. It doesn't look good for the USC now that they are relying on Aaron Corp or Mustain to lead them to the promised land. With games @ Ohio St. and @Oregon (who are preseason ranked top 7) @ Cal, @ND, it won't be easy.
Yes, I'll give USC credit for playing out of conference, but they do it out of necessity because the Pac 10 is weak. A lot of SEC schools travel don't out of conference? Would you if you had that kind of brutal conference schedule every year? BTW, Florida plays FSU every year and Miami 3 times in the last 6 years. These are OOC and USC is more than welcome to play them.
USC can't lose a game during the season-it won't get them to championship. It's their own fault. Because teams from the SEC or Big 12 will be ranked higher in the BCS, plain and simple. Even teams with 2 losses (LSU 07') will make it over USC because they lost to two top 5 teams. So until then you can play in the Rose Bowl and beat up on the Little 10 teams who lose all their bowl games and don't measure up nationally (Ohio St). Penn St. would get blown out by Florida, Texas, or OU, so beating them by 10 pts. is no big feat!
Russ, that was a nice post about your team broken down by position. Yes you didn't have Murray, but Harvin was 80% at best with a borderline hairline fracture on the contrary. And he still dominated. Not having your linebacker Reynolds was probably big also. I erroneously posted that OU was losing most of their offensive line which I believe is false. I also posted wrongly about Florida-they have TEN returning starters on defense with 7 of them will be juniors next season and one of them will be a sophomore (Jenkins).
Florida's defense won the game, holding your offense to 40 pts below their average. You don't see defense like that in the Big 12-it is the norm in the SEC year in and year out, its tough.
You can jab at Tebow all you want-but he beat OU with his play in the 2nd half-and it was fun to watch and a little retribution. And Dominique Franks and Nick Harris, eat your words!
Florida's defense won the game, holding your offense to 40 pts below their average. You don't see defense like that in the Big 12-it is the norm in the SEC year in and year out, its tough.
You can jab at Tebow all you want-but he beat OU with his play in the 2nd half-and it was fun to watch and a little retribution. And Dominique Franks and Nick Harris, eat your words!
OK that's a fair assessment.
But let me ask you this, you mention rebuilding but if you look at USC's OOC and conference record over the past 7 years, why have they never had to rebuild, only reload? How do you account for USC's record of having only 7 losses over the span of 7 years? How can you explain why USC has lost only once to an out of conference team over the same period in about 20 games vs national BCS teams? Florida only played about 6 or 7 games vs national BCS teams over the same period (all bowl games) yet they've had more losses than USC in all of their big games.
It's not a valid argument to put down the Pac-10 as a weak conference when your own conference's teams have only a .388 winning percentage when the SEC played the Pac-10 over the same period.
As I've said in the past, the only thing that puts the SEC ahead of any other conference is the presence of an extra ranked team compared to the others... and this year turned out to be less than that.
Most SEC teams have very weak OOC schedules year after year, especially Florida. When the SEC has gone west, or taken on good national competition during the preseason, it's cost them dearly. Could that be the real reason why they rarely travel? The Pac-10 and B-10 go all over the country. Why can't you?
Pac-10 teams have had extremely strong OOC schedules year after year yet you consistantly rate them as if they played nothing but patsies the way the SEC does. How can you make a claim to this vast superiority when the playing field isn't even a level one?
I keep hearing about this tough conference schedule when in actuality, you only play 8 conference games every season, normally 2 games vs. ranked SEC opponents, once in a while 3. The rest are patsies including both your conference opponents and OOC opponents.
Do you see now what I mean when I say it's a gross misconception that your conference is said by your homies to be better than everyone top to bottom? Do you see how these cheap wins are disregarded as cheap in the final tally?
Your weak early season schedules are nothing worth claiming towards high rankings yet the sportswriters ignore this and so they end up overrating many of the SEC teams almost every year. What better proof does anyone need but to look at the difference between early polls and results when the dust settles as far as the SEC is concerned?
Is it because your coaches are afraid of going the way of Fulmer when Tennessee decided to take on the Pac-10? Is that what's stopping you from getting out there? You may just luck out like Georgia did this past season when they played ASU after Erickson lost 7 of his top starters to the NFL and get a cake win looking good before anyone figures out that ASU was having a down year. You never know. It could pay off.
Florida had it a lot easier getting in than people think. Just look at who they played last season. Hawaii, Citadel, and 5 SEC teams with .500 regular season records or worse that account for 7 easy wins. LSU was a flop. Georgia was another bust. More misconception yet you still are given the benefit. OK, we're up to 9 wins now. But nevertheless, perception wins out over reality.
It was a lot easier for Florida to get into the NC game than people believe or percieve it to have been. (I did fade 'Bama in the SEC championship game.) That will continue to be true until Miami and FSU return to form or until Florida plays the kind of OOC schedule that most other national powers from other conferences play.
It's time to man up or there will always be doubters. It's time to take the show on the road like the best of them or there will always be doubters. It's time to play someone besides Miami and FSU along with the Citadels and Hawaii's of this world. Miami and FSU are has beens yet you get credit for a tough schedule as if you traveled 3000 miles like USC does at least once every year.
I will give you this, Bama was GROSSLY overrated. You may not like it but the fact is that Florida barely escaped losing to 'Bama, catching them with only 6 minutes left in the game, but Utah thoroughly beat them down from the very beginning. So much for the return of Savior Saban. So much for winning the NC decisively with an undefeated Utah team outplaying Florida vs the same opponent and with just as hard a schedule if not harder.
I may be a Pac-10 fan or call me a homey if it pleases you, but at least I can back up my arguments with real reasons, not just perception and opinion. If you want to be a real champ above reproach, then you will need to take the show on the road and prove it.
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They would probably get in every year since SEC teams get mulligans. BTW, what is the SEC's record vs the Pac-10 this decade?
Oregon State finished #18, despite having the same record as Ole Miss. They also had to go to Top 10 Penn State, and Top 2 Utah. How many ranked teams did the Rebels play in their OOC schedule again?
GJ, as long as the SEC gets its mulligans, they won't listen and keep coming up with things like USC's loss to Oregon St. but ignore Florida's loss to Mississippi. And yet their "perceived to be down" Pac-10 was the only undefeated conference in the bowls. How ironic.
So much for the sportswriters garbage polls that they eat for breakfast. These SEC fans would rather take a free pass and tell you how great they are anyway. They don't want to see how they are not really so much better except in the eyes of the sportswriters in the east that hardly ever see a west coast team play.
As long as they are the beneficiaries of this East Coast bias vs the west that affects the polls, even in spite of the huge difference in non-conference opponents that the 2 conferences play every year, they won't even want to look at it. True as it may be.
So much for the sportswriters garbage polls that they eat for breakfast. These SEC fans would rather take a free pass and tell you how great they are anyway. They don't want to see how they are not really so much better except in the eyes of the sportswriters in the east that hardly ever see a west coast team play.
As long as they are the beneficiaries of this East Coast bias vs the west that affects the polls, even in spite of the huge difference in non-conference opponents that the 2 conferences play every year, they won't even want to look at it. True as it may be.
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Over the years I never really wanted to beleive in this "East Coast/West Coast" bias stuff. I would rather analyze the drinking water and the (3) hour difference in time zones.
Those that have traveled cross country (by jet) understand that "eirie" beat-up feeling you expierience when you land. You never fully recover for days.
I am convinced that both are factors when it comes to performance/handicapping although "bottled water" has made this less an issue since it all comes out of the same spigot.
Back in the late 40's and early 50's, when the Notre Dame "Fighting Irish" scheduled a regular season (away game) against a Pac-10 team, the trip was made by train (a long haul from South Bend). They would bring their own drinking water along (in large five gallon jugs). They must of had a reason. Some people speculated that they brough "other things" along in smaller jugs (Irish you know).
Those that have traveled cross country (by jet) understand that "eirie" beat-up feeling you expierience when you land. You never fully recover for days.
I am convinced that both are factors when it comes to performance/handicapping although "bottled water" has made this less an issue since it all comes out of the same spigot.
Back in the late 40's and early 50's, when the Notre Dame "Fighting Irish" scheduled a regular season (away game) against a Pac-10 team, the trip was made by train (a long haul from South Bend). They would bring their own drinking water along (in large five gallon jugs). They must of had a reason. Some people speculated that they brough "other things" along in smaller jugs (Irish you know).
I was not trying to find excuses. I was just pointing out the fact that we were not at full strength. Franks and Harris are really good kids who just do not know how to handle the press. Feeling something and saying something are two different things and I don't think they meant to disrespect anyone. Sometimes we forget they are really for the most part manchild like and we forget they are not comfortable with more attention than they can handle. I think a lot of college kids feed off the NFL guys and feel like they have to be demonstrative, even after just one tackle. I have never liked it myself but I think they should cut a little more slack for celebrating some TD's if they do not demean the other team. GoSooners mentioned how he felt about taking being a sooner fan to being a Big 12 fan and he makes some good points. I am pretty much the same way. I am not going to try to build up or defend the Big 12. It is what it is. I love college football. I think everyone writing on these threads is going through a little withdrawal. I have come to the conclusion that many people in here have their ear to the ground on certain teams. If we can all put away our differences and focus on our common ground we can probably form a formidable force for extracting cash from the gamblling establishment. I think that the way all of the Preseason predictions flopped last year there is no reason to believe that they will be any more accurate next year. Maybe when it gets closer we ought to try to form a consensus preseason rankings ourselves. I know, Florida will be number one. So be it.
Will you ever give this up? That is just plain dumb. Its like saying the worlds best looking woman should take a date with all men who ask her out. or Barack Obama should grant every single media request.
USC beat ONE team in the regular season that ended up in the final AP top 25, Florida beat THREE. The fact is Floridas schedule is pretty much too packed to fit in some random west coast team just to satisfy that team. the local in state games are more interesting, better for local football, easier for fans to travel to , easier to work out and yes easier to win.
see theres this tradition in SEC football to travel to your teams road games. we dont just sit at home and watch on tivo like pac-1 fans.
florida at central florida is MUCH better for the fans than Florida at Oregon. isnt it about the fans?
we have already established that USC must go across country to play because outside of the Pac-10 there really is no west coast football . they dont do it to prove anything, they do it because they have to
Gainesville has several d-1 teams and conferences within a 1 day drive that fans can go see
take floridas 6 toughest games and compare to USC's entire schedule. then ask yourself which group is more likely to net at least one loss to equally talented teams
Hey Ferris, good to see you. I think you guys will end up better for hiring a little bit of USC to help out. Kiffin will inject plenty of life into the Vols. He was one hell of a recruiter for Carroll too but it took a year for USC to get their act together as you have pointed out.
Oh and by the way, take a look at Florida's schedule next season. One tough game at LSU and the rest are at home or just patsies. Sorry but there's a point to make as long as they refuse to take on some serious competition from places that may play better football than you give them credit for. At least we can see how they rate vs the rest of the country, not just more SEC teams that also play a lot of patsies and a couple of their "elite" rivals every season. We've already gone over this before last season began... and guess what? Florida prevailed with their weak schedule just as I thought they would.
yeah Floridas schedule looks "easy" for an SEC team. but ill bet you when the first AP poll comes out they have more top 25 teams on thiers than USC does. i bet they play more bowl teams than USC does, etc
you make way too much out of this. Florida also has a conference championship game on schedule that USC does not. that would help the pac-1 a lot, add a championship game
each team has a traditional rival on their schedule , notre dame vs FSU - even with FSU being way down the pas 5 years they are better than Notre Dame
so in 2010 USC's two games are Hawaii and Virginia...ummm
2011 Syracuse and TBD i guess?
i dont know about the Pac-10 but SEC schedules are made up to 10-15 years in advance. again ill reference a hot girl with a full dance card. theres no way to project how good teams will be then. i know charleston aint much, but troy is better than san jose state
florida plays 7 teams next year that went to a bowl this season, PLUS a confernence championship vs a likely top 10 team.
USC only plays 6 teams in 09 that went to a bowl in 08
so which is really tougher?
Bottom line....
7-11 = SEC W/L vs Pac-10
You have once more given everyone here nothing but misconceptions that you are completely full of and cannot defend against real proof. Maybe the real reasons why they won't go west is because they only have a 39% chance of coming home with a win and a decent shot at a BCS bowl game or NC whenever they go west. The truth is that they HAVE played out west and it hurt them, even when they hosted their side of a home/home series.
That's why most of them STOPPED, except for Florida that thinks they get a pass for whatever convenience you wish to imagine. My better judgment suggests to me that someone over there sold out.
You can try to whittle it down as you would fantasize, but the fact is USC and the Pac-10 CHOOSE of their own volition to play national contenders for the sake of sportsmanship and exposure and money... and it would be just as good if not better for local football in Florida to get that kind of national exposure and revenue, so cut the BS about their cushy self serving setup. They'd do just as well if not better if they put themselves in front of the country and everyone knows it.
Well, maybe not... it could be very expensive for them if they got exposed as frauds. That wouldn't be a new experience for you. Did you do the giddyap when a second or third tier MWC team of cowpokes beat you last season? Giddyap... RIDEM COWBOY!
7-11? which timeframe did you manipulate to come up with that?
hell, i know UT alone has more than 7 wins vs pac-10 teams
dont get mad, im just saying - assuming Florida goes to the SECCG game they will play 8 teams next year that went to a bowl this year compared to 6 for USC - yet you view USC's schedule as "brutal" and Florida's as "easy"
i hate florida man than you can ever imagine and would have love to see them go 0-12 next year.
its hilarious how when USC was going to the BCSCG you guys were saying how great it was for college football and now suddenly it sucks? id like a playoff too and id have took USC even money vs Florida if they had played in a bowl, but they didnt.
crying does no good. run the table, play a conference championship game, or give it up
the best team dont always with the NC
the best player dont always win the heisman, why are Florida fans not crying as loudly about Tebow being beat by Bradford?
do you have any idea how many years as a vol fan our season was ruined by a single sepember loss to florida. i know the vols were the best team in the land in 2001 (look at NFL rosters, that team was loaded) yet they lost to LSU in Atlanta and got left out
Peyton Manning was like 45-5 as a starter or something but never won a heisman or a NC. even if the ncaa had a 32 team playoff that doesnt guarantee the best team would win it all. No way Kansas was the best hoops team last year.
stop crying over spilt milk, go forth and beat stanford and oregon st next year ...the clock is ticking on the USC program
the best player dont always win the heisman, why are Florida fans not crying as loudly about Tebow being beat by Bradford?
do you have any idea how many years as a vol fan our season was ruined by a single sepember loss to florida. i know the vols were the best team in the land in 2001 (look at NFL rosters, that team was loaded) yet they lost to LSU in Atlanta and got left out
Peyton Manning was like 45-5 as a starter or something but never won a heisman or a NC. even if the ncaa had a 32 team playoff that doesnt guarantee the best team would win it all. No way Kansas was the best hoops team last year.
stop crying over spilt milk, go forth and beat stanford and oregon st next year ...the clock is ticking on the USC program
Conan: I did not realize how tough the USC schedule is this year. They play OHIO ST, CAL, N DAME, and ORE on the road. I don't care what any of the SEC guys say, that is pretty damn tough. The more I have gone over last years schedules and this next years schedules I see how teams do not really pay a price for a patsy schedule. If your conference is deep in a given year who needs more grief. It looks like schedules are getting a little more flexible and the AD's are not making committments as far down the road as they used to do. If USC was in the SEC they would be a force and no one would want them in their division. If USC and Florida played every year (like OU and Texas, Florida and Georgia, etc) it would be a hallmark game every time. Put Florida in the Pac 10 or Big 12 South and let them take on USC, Oregon, Cal, Texas, or OU on their home turf and they would have to bring their "A" game. I am already studying next years schedules and there are some very interesting scenarios down the road. The Big 12 probably made a big mistake dividing the teams they way they did. Last year with OU, Texas, T Tech, and OSU they just whittled each other right out of contention while any of them would have probably won the North Division. Some times they just shoot themselves in the foot. They probably would have been better off to not had two divisions and forego the Championship game. Oh I forgot, they make money off of that game at the expense of possibly knocking one of their own teams out of National Championship contention. Go figure.
It's funny that when FSU was ranked in the top 5 every year no one talked shit about UF's OOC schedule.
BTW, the last time UF went out of Florida to play an OOC game was Syracuse in 1991. They lost.
UF plays next year:
Florida State
Kentucky
Georgia
South Carolina
Tennessee
Arkansas
Vanderbilt
LSU
Among others. No shame in that schedule. Period.
After Auburn got the FUCK in 2003 I don't think we'll see the SEC get screwed again (see LSU's 2 loss season in 2007 AND accompanying National Championship).
I like USC and Pete Carroll. I think he is the best coach in the country (and Urban Meyer is on his way to....or has.....surpassed him). Regardless, I would love to see UF/USC next year in California (which will suck having to play there for the NC....but that's how it works w/ the BCS).
The last 2 years, LSU had a home game (New Orleans) and so did UF (Miami) for the NC game. It looks like USC could be there as well. I think USC can run their schedule even w/ mediocre QB play (not saying the QB will be mediocre....but IF the QB play is mediocre).....
College football is fun to watch.....I can't wait to see next sesaon.
BTW, Florida returns ALL eleven defensive starters...in fact, they return the ENTIRE 22 player 2-deep Defensive roster (the only senior in the 2 deep preseason blew an ACL before the season began).....
BTW, the last time UF went out of Florida to play an OOC game was Syracuse in 1991. They lost.
UF plays next year:
Florida State
Kentucky
Georgia
South Carolina
Tennessee
Arkansas
Vanderbilt
LSU
Among others. No shame in that schedule. Period.
After Auburn got the FUCK in 2003 I don't think we'll see the SEC get screwed again (see LSU's 2 loss season in 2007 AND accompanying National Championship).
I like USC and Pete Carroll. I think he is the best coach in the country (and Urban Meyer is on his way to....or has.....surpassed him). Regardless, I would love to see UF/USC next year in California (which will suck having to play there for the NC....but that's how it works w/ the BCS).
The last 2 years, LSU had a home game (New Orleans) and so did UF (Miami) for the NC game. It looks like USC could be there as well. I think USC can run their schedule even w/ mediocre QB play (not saying the QB will be mediocre....but IF the QB play is mediocre).....
College football is fun to watch.....I can't wait to see next sesaon.
BTW, Florida returns ALL eleven defensive starters...in fact, they return the ENTIRE 22 player 2-deep Defensive roster (the only senior in the 2 deep preseason blew an ACL before the season began).....
CoachCB: I am staying out of the conference bickering because nothing is going to change. But when you list Florida's list of opponents for this coming year you say "among others". That is much easier than owning up to the fact that the "others" are Charleston Southern (a perenial power), Troy, and Florida International (how long have they had Div.1 over there?). I am not trying to stir anything up but it takes the sting out of your arguement when you are too ashamed to list them with the others. Bottom line is this. This coming year if you do not go undefeated you probably will not be in the Big Game. I can assure you all the teams with the tougher schedules wish they could have pared it down a little. I think that Florida State game might be interesting and Florida may have to play LSU twice and they could split out since LSU get them at home. That one game alone would keep me from getting too far out there. SEC is as good as it gets but like every conference you have the big dogs and the little dogs too. No one saw Mississippi coming last year. I got a tip on Mississippi and went with them that day. That is the only time I bet against Florida all year until they played OU (I am a homer like everybody else). All of us talk some stuff but when it comes to laying down the green I am all ears.
