The B12 (XII) Forum, home of the 'Front Porch, y'all' at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Yeah, I don't really see teams getting any MORE up, than they already do, against Texas (or OU).

That Gary Patterson stat is telling.

TCU is 2-9 the week before playing Texas.  They are 7-2 against Texas.  They are 3-6 the week after playing Texas.

like Oklahoma

How would a player get "up" for one opponent more than others?  Would it be beneficial in general for his performance?  Is a RB going to run harder somehow against X but not Y?

There shouldn't be a reason for it. An athlete should give maximal controlled effort every time.

But we know that's not the way 18-22 year old male brains work. You can say it all you want, but the OL will play differently in the 3rd quarter of a blowout against Texas Southern than they will against Georgia. Once they job is essentially done, it's tough to convince the brain to stay at peak performance.

A good athlete can harness rage and aggression and make it work for him. If it's uncontrolled, it leads to sloppy play and mistakes. That anger just comes more naturally against some teams. It helps when the coach tells you what the alumni think of that particular team.

Everybody who ain't Texas hates Texas. Everybody who IS Texas knows that. When you put on the Longhorn helmet, the guys on the other side will enjoy beating you. For them, the last 10 years were a lot of fun!

I don't see how you can hate from outside of the club!
I mean, you can't even get in!
Leggo!

I'm sure teams back off when way ahead, I'm thinking of motivation at the start of a game.  I played sports in HS, still play baseball on occasion.  I cannot recall ever being more up for a game over some other game.  That's just me, but you only get so many competitive events in your life.  College football is pretty exciting stuff.  I think nearly all are amped the same before each game.  They may get tired later or back off a bit if the score is out of hand.

I can understand being over confident playing Directional State, but under motivated at the start?  That would puzzle me.

I'm not sure baseball is particularly analogous to a highly physical, highly aggressive sport like football.

A university of Texas football player that I know, told me that as a player, you just can't get UP for every game.  It's unrealistic and impossible.  And being "UP" makes a difference in how you play a physical, aggressive game like football.  

He said that you CAN get up for 2-3 games per year.  Rivalries are usually among those.

I'll go ahead and take his word for it.

it's more about not being extremely focused the week in practice leading up to the game

than a few minutes after kickoff

Exactly.

Coaches are fond of saying, "you play the way you practice."  If you put in extra intensity all week long preparing for a rival, it's going to show during the game itself.

I can see being more intense in practice, it's a motivation for everyone.  I played basketball also, was pretty decent in HS, I didn't get up or down for any opponent, and it's fairly physical.  But, yeah, practice before playing Vandy could be less intense, and likely is, compared with Florida or Arkansas.

UGA didn't seem to have first quarter issues with Vandy, but they may be historically bad for them.

I do like what I see from Arkansas and Pittman, I think they found a coach to match their style and persona, reminds me a bit of the Dooley teams.