CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: Mdot21 on October 18, 2022, 09:12:36 PM
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figured hey, why not?
I've got...
1) Ohio State - still think this is the best all-around team with the best offense...and the fact they've been putting up video game numbers on offense without JSN- the best WR in the country and the best offensive skill player on their team - kinda nuts. We will find out a little bit more about their offense this week vs an Iowa D that is pesky- but not much about their defense as Iowa's offense well to put it lightly- sucks.
2) UGA - had some questions about them after they had a couple shaky weeks- but they've went back to burying bad teams after a closer than it should've been one vs Kent State and pulling out one they should've maybe lost vs Misery. This is a young team but loaded with talent on defense and has an experienced vet at QB, and UGA still has the best win of the season so far with their destruction of Oregon in Week 1.
3) Michigan - they have a nasty OL and DL. Both are better this year. Yup, you heard me right. Their secondary is deep and true frosh CB Will Johnson looks like a star in the making, only a matter of time before he has a breakout game and establishes himself as a star. JJ McCarthy is pretty damn good. Blake Corum & Donovan Edwards are explosive. Need to see way more out of their down field passing game if they want to truly compete with the top 2.
4) BAMA - this is a more mortal BAMA team than in years past. The OL isn't as dominant as it used to be. The WR's are meh- they don't have slew of 1st rd NFL draft picks there like they used to. The defense isn't quite what it used to be in large part because the secondary seems to have serious issues...BUT...they are still better than almost every team in the nation and can beat anybody because: Bryce Young is their QB. Oh and Gibbs is the best RB in CFB imo. Only guy I'd take over Blake if you ask me.
5) Tennessee - controversial spot maybe - but replay that game on a neutral site or in Bryant-Denny and BAMA wins 9/10 times. Tennessee is a great story and I was rooting for them like hell to pull off the upset- and that offense is legit high flying- but their defense is trash and they were pushed to the wire by a bad Florida team and almost lost in OT to a bad Pitt team playing it's back-up QB because: their defense is bad. They have a playoff caliber offense for sure- and a piss poor defense. They won't get past UGA imo and even if they do they will not be beating Bama in a rematch on a neutral site.
6) Clemson - kind of the inverse of Tennessee to me- especially now that their DL and secondary is getting healthy. Really high caliber high level defense...offense...not so much. Still think they need to make the switch at QB eventually. DJ Ugaleli (sp?) just isn't on that same level as the previous QBs Watson and Lawerence which is what vaunted them to #1 from a top 10 type program. The OMG 5* rookie Cade Klubnick might be that guy- but we just won't know until he plays...but what we do know is DJ definitely isn't that guy.
7) UCLA - don't look now but this is the surprise team of the year. Chip Kelly has QB DTR and RB Zach Charbonnet playing at an elite level and that offense humming. After back to back wins in which they handled business vs Washington and then Utah- they are getting hot. If they can go into Autzen and take down Oregon- this team could move up the list into the top 5 for me.
8) TCU - the blow out win vs Oklahoma not looking so hot right now, neither is the 1 score win over Kansas- but they did beat a pretty good Oklahoma State team in OT and are undefeated. For now. Still think Kansas State knocks them off this weekend and Texas will knock them off in Austin. But for now- they are undefeated and my #8.
9) Ole Miss - here almost by default as they don't have a loss. not really sold on them, but they are undefeated, so yeah.
10) Oregon - they've been playing a lot better but that beat down by Georgia just looms over. Have they bounced back? Are they for real? This weekend vs UCLA will be a real test of how good this team really is. Bo Nix in a big game = not someone that I would put my money on however.
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deeper dive on Tennessee's defense, they are...
47th in the nation in scoring defense
104th in total defense
129th in pass defense
that's not a recipe on defense for sustained success in going 15-0 or 14-1 (12 reg season, 1 CCG, 2 Playoff) and winning a 'chip. You don't need an all-time great level defense like UGA had last year to win it all- but you do need a probably top 20-25ish D in all those categories- as Ohio State found out the hard way last year.
Also: Tennessee isn't exactly great running the football. They are just OK. You're going to have an off day when that passing attack isn't clicking- and do you have a RB that can just take over a game or can you pound someone into submission on the ground when the QB is just having an off day or the WRs aren't bringing their A game and not getting open consistently or dropping balls. Don't think Tennessee has a RB that can take over a game (like BAMA has with Gibbs) nor do I think they can impose their will and just pound you on the ground like Ohio State or Michigan can with elite OL and great RB duos.
Tennessee is very much Diet Ohio State to me. They have a lesser QB, lesser RBs, a lesser OL, lesser WRs, and a lesser defense.
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UTK's running game is simply RB runs acting as a change-up and Hooker scrambling around like a video game.
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Seriously, TCU? I mean, they’re good, but you’re giving the a Big 12 way too much credit.
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Yep, like an 8 year old.....if you haven't lost yet, you're great!
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I think pollsters put too much emphasis on the outcome of games that could have gone the other way, easily, and too little on poor performances in wins.
The good news is polls don't matter at this point. A tougher thing would be to try and project what the final final poll would be.
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I think pollsters put too much emphasis on the outcome of games that could have gone the other way, easily, and too little on poor performances in wins.
The good news is polls don't matter at this point. A tougher thing would be to try and project what the final final poll would be.
Make a list!!
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I think my list would be nearly pure guesswork, too many variables left, and uninteresting. We all know the possibilities, and perhaps some probabilities. Every "expert's" playoff prediction differs with others, and differs from what they had last week.
I lean to favoring Ohio State to win it all, but I did last season at this point as well. I think UCLA goes 15-0 ....
... maybe not.
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Seriously, TCU? I mean, they’re good, but you’re giving the a Big 12 way too much credit.
They've only played 3 B12 teams, and they've also played 3 scrubs. But Oklahoma State is a good win for them. Who else in MDot's Top 10 has a better win than that? Tennessee, and then...?
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They've only played 3 B12 teams, and they've also played 3 scrubs. But Oklahoma State is a good win for them. Who else in MDot's Top 10 has a better win than that? Tennessee, and then...?
Maybe Michigan. We'll see what PSU is soon.
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1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Alabama
5. Tennessee
6. Clemson
7. Ole Miss
8. UCLA
9. Wake Forest
10. Oregon
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If we’re talking best/most impressive wins, I think Georgia has the best with their annihilation of Oregon. I’d put Tennessee’s win over Bama at #2, and Michigan’s ass whooping of Penn State #3. I think those were all more impressive wins than beating Oklahoma State in OT. I’d probably have that W at #4 on a best wins list though.
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I think my list would be nearly pure guesswork, too many variables left, and uninteresting. We all know the possibilities, and perhaps some probabilities. Every "expert's" playoff prediction differs with others, and differs from what they had last week.
I lean to favoring Ohio State to win it all, but I did last season at this point as well. I think UCLA goes 15-0 ....
... maybe not.
Ohio State defense looks leaps and bounds better from last year and they’ve been putting up video game offensive numbers without JSN. That’s kinda scary to think of what it could be when he gets back. They are a better team this year imo simply because they’ve improved on defense.
You were the one calling UCLA. Have to give you major props for that. We were all sleeping on Chip Kelly. Maybe we shouldn’t have been. He might’ve flopped in the nfl but a lot of GREAT college coaches have. No shame in that.
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Maybe Michigan. We'll see what PSU is soon.
We shall see. I think Penn State is a 9-10 win team. Outside of Ohio State they should be favored vs the rest of their schedule. A pretty solid team but not quite a B1G title contender or playoff caliber team.
I could see Penn State going 10-2 with their only losses being to Michigan and Ohio State. They have to get past Minnesota at home this weekend and then their last 4 after Ohio State are Indiana, Rutgers, a Taulia-less Maryland, and Michigan State at home. Anything worse than 9-3 would be unacceptable with the money they’re paying Franklin and the recruiting classes he’s pulling in, and 10-2 would really be what they should go if they really are the 3rd best team in the conference.
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1. Ohio State
2. Georgia
3. Tennessee
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. Alabama
7. Mississippi
8. UCLA
9. Oregon
10. TCU
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I think personally Tenn is being accorded too much credit by many. They have a good team, but with more defects, I think, and less talent, than some of the elite level teams in the top five, including Clemson. I'd have them around 8 I think. They may end up 10-2.
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Gut feeling is that Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Clemson, are all capable of beating each other on a given day.
Just a question of who rises to the occasion of that particular day. It is kind of nice to have that many teams in contention.
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Tenn has a two game schedule left with UK and @ UGA. UK with Levis healthy is a threat. Their win at Pitt lost some luster when GaTech won at Pitt. I would take Ole Miss on a neutral field over Tenn, and Ole Miss has a tougher slate ahead of them now (LSU. A&M, Bama, Arky, Miss St - they could easily lose 2-3 of those I think).
UGA has Florida, Tenn in Athens, and MSU and UK on the road. I preseason saw a loss at MSU, they might lose at UK, and UF is never a gimme, nor is Tenn even in Athens.
Bama has to win out, though a 2 loss Bama would make it if their loss is the right one of course.
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If we’re talking best/most impressive wins, I think Georgia has the best with their annihilation of Oregon. I’d put Tennessee’s win over Bama at #2, and Michigan’s ass whooping of Penn State #3. I think those were all more impressive wins than beating Oklahoma State in OT. I’d probably have that W at #4 on a best wins list though.
Sounds reasonable to me. So they have the fourth best win of all of the teams being considered for the "top 10." At only halfway through the season, with many teams not yet playing the meat of their schedule, that's a reasonable proxy for SOS and it tells a story from a certain point of view.
Anyway, I expect them to lose a couple this season, there's a lot of parity in the B12, but that doesn't mean they're not worthy of a top 10 ranking right now.
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I've no inclinations that Tennessee is the best team in the country, maybe not even top 5.
What I do know is.....Pitt was gonna whoop us, Florida was gonna whoop us, LSU was gonna whoop us, and Bama was damn sure going to bring us down to earth.....
But, the Vols keep winning....
I'll ride the wave as far as it takes me.
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I've no inclinations that Tennessee is the best team in the country, maybe not even top 5.
What I do know is.....Pitt was gonna whoop us, Florida was gonna whoop us, LSU was gonna whoop us, and Bama was damn sure going to bring us down to earth.....
But, the Vols keep winning....
I'll ride the wave as far as it takes me.
You're having a lot more fun than some of us are...
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I've no inclinations that Tennessee is the best team in the country, maybe not even top 5.
What I do know is.....Pitt was gonna whoop us, Florida was gonna whoop us, LSU was gonna whoop us, and Bama was damn sure going to bring us down to earth.....
But, the Vols keep winning....
I'll ride the wave as far as it takes me.
reminds me of Michigan last year- just playing with house money right now.
Heupel has Tennessee ahead of schedule, but he's got to fix that defense and get a little bit better of running game to take it to the next level and sustain this thing he's building.
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reminds me of Michigan last year- just playing with house money right now.
Heupel has Tennessee ahead of schedule, but he's got to fix that defense and get a little bit better of running game to take it to the next level and sustain this thing he's building.
Yeah, I keep reading this rushing game stuff.
The Vols are 27th nationally in rushing at 203 yds per game. How much better do they need to be?
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/23
Rushing defense is elite. Pass defense is a cruel joke.
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Yeah, I keep reading this rushing game stuff.
The Vols are 27th nationally in rushing at 203 yds per game. How much better do they need to be?
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/23
Rushing defense is elite. Pass defense is a cruel joke.
i keep hearing about how bad the UT D is... from people who present statistics as proof. and from people who either a) haven't watched them play, or b) have no clue what they're talking about...
are they a great unit? uh- hell no.
however, UT starts faster than most and push opposing teams to play catch up... i expected bama to change that this week past, but it didn't happen. that was surprising in a good way from my perspective. The 'rush' D is so good (and they are) because most teams UT has played have abandoned the run... the pass D is so bad because most teams UT plays hit the oh shit button in the first quarter and air raid. that is the origin of the numbers...
i listened to something Tim Banks (UT DC) said last week leading into the bama game and it changed how i see them... they ARE NOT intending to straight stop the ball... they're intention is to slow the game. it could be said it's bull shit, but, the red zone D 'stats' supports it. his comment was "we keep the O off the field long enough to catch their breath which is important with the tempo they run, and we take as much time off the clock as we can by tackling in bounds, as our real foe is time... the clock."...
the pass d is near the bottom of all of CFB, but for teams that haven't played UT and aren't UT- how many passing attempts do they see in a game in comparison? The rushing D is tight- by the numbers- but not world class by the eye by a long shot... good, yes, but they benefit by teams throwing the desperation flag and launching it, and usually starting in the mid first quarter instead of trash time. the pass D needs help, but if you watch them they continuously play zones with lots of buffer- especially on first down.
the offense isn't a fluke. they got UF's best game this season- as they do dang near every year.. they got Pitt's best game... they got LSU's second best outing... they beat bama who is admittedly way off course this season (the beginning of the end of that reign?)... they'll get UK's best most likely, and there is good reason for hope that Georgia, who act as if they've "always been there", will underestimate them.
i've not seen tOSU beat anyone worth a damn. same with Michigan. Same with Clemson... that said, UT is either the bottom of the top tier or top of the second tier. it's still UGA's to lose.... therefore:
1 tied UGA/tOSU
2 tied Clemson/Michigan/Tennessee
3 bama (if they pull their head out of their ass they're not clearly worse than those tied for second)
then tier two.... Ole Miss leading that group...
also.... UT is in a advantageous spot- one hardly anyone else could arrange... they could lose to UGA and still make the playoff depending on what happens with UGA and Bama- requiring Bama to win out at least to the CCG and UT to only drop UGA.
make no mistake, UT 'can' beat UGA... but they could also drop a game to Mizzou or SC or UK- even to vandy, just as dang easy. and...... that's what i think is going to happen....
these things work themselves out.... and i'll be watching them as they do... and enjoying the fact 'my' team is actually in the mix... somehow...
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From Football Outsiders:
Fremeau Efficiency Index ratings (FEI) are opponent-adjusted possession efficiency data representing the per-possession scoring advantage a team would be expected to have on a neutral field against an average opponent.
Offense Fremeau Efficiency Index ratings (OFEI) represent the per-possession scoring advantage each offense would be expected to have on a neutral field against an average opponent.
Defense Fremeau Efficiency Index ratings (DFEI) represent the per-possession scoring advantage each defense would be expected to have on a neutral field against an average opponent.
Special teams Fremeau Efficiency Index ratings (STR) combine kickoff return, kickoff, punt return, punt, and field goal efficiency into one overall rating, represented as the team's standard deviation above or below average.
FEI:
1) Ohio State
2) Georgia
3) Alabama
4) Michigan
5) Texas
6) Tennessee
7) USC
8) Ole Miss
9) Utah
10) Minnesota
OFEI:
1) Ohio State
2) Georgia
3) USC
4) Tennessee
5) Ole Miss
6) Alabama
7) Texas
8) Oregon
9) Michigan
10) UCLA
DFEI:
1) Georgia
2) Alabama
3) Iowa
4) Illinois
5) Michigan
6) Kansas State
7) Iowa State
8) Ohio State
9) Texas
10) Kentucky
STR:
1) South Carolina
2) Oklahoma State
3) Michigan
4) Arkansas State
5) San Diego State
6) NC State
7) Texas A&M
8) Texas
9) Clemson
10) North Carolina
Only two teams are top 10 of their opponent adjusted rankings in all 3 phases of the game. Michigan and Texas. Georgia is 39th in STR, Bama 41st, and Ohio State 95th.
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the dynamics of the game are shifting in a major way... similar to how they did after the head of the SEC got it's ass handed to it by Nebraska- and D became the name of the game, and locking down corners to counter trip options and beat up the flats passes. then meyer came along out of BG and at a major school nobody thought he could do the same at... but he did... spreading the line and fast execution/play-development.... and while D's were still playing lock down... to counter those Ds the HUNH became wide spread- catch a team with the wrong personnel on the field and exploit it... that's where we are...
and that's where the interpretation of stats has to change.
UT has a lot of passing yards this year.. Q: how many of those yards came on first down or more importantly at the beginning of a series? I don't know what the answer is to that, but based on what i've seen "it has happened- deep passes- but more have happened when the HUNH has exposed the D UT was waiting for and locked down on the field to exploit"...
the HUNH and tempo are the means to exploit D's... period. those O's can't run an entire game with a team built like mere mortals (anyone other than tOSU, Bama, UGA) without time to recover.
tempo and HUNH invite like play- shootouts- and a simple exposure identified on D (mismatch) can really make the box score worse than it is... which is the case with UT- but which at the same time isn't saying their D is great.... it IS saying their D (according to Banks) is doing what it is supposed to do. and as long as they keep winning, that's hard to argue with.
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UT has a lot of passing yards this year.. Q: how many of those yards came on first down or more importantly at the beginning of a series? I don't know what the answer is to that, but based on what i've seen "it has happened- deep passes- but more have happened when the HUNH has exposed the D UT was waiting for and locked down on the field to exploit"...
tenn passing stats, situational:
| Situation | G | Att | Comp | Pct. | Yards | TD | Int | Rating | Long | 1st | 15+ | 25+ |
| All Plays | 6 | 189 | 134 | 70.9 | 2087 | 18 | 1 | 194.02 | 78 | 75 | 46 | 23 |
| 1st Half | 6 | 116 | 79 | 68.1 | 1216 | 9 | 0 | 181.76 | 70 | 43 | 29 | 13 |
| 2nd Half/OT | 6 | 73 | 55 | 75.3 | 871 | 9 | 1 | 213.52 | 78 | 32 | 17 | 10 |
| 1st Quarter | 6 | 58 | 38 | 65.5 | 518 | 3 | 0 | 157.61 | 47 | 21 | 15 | 4 |
| 2nd Quarter | 6 | 58 | 41 | 70.7 | 698 | 6 | 0 | 205.92 | 70 | 22 | 14 | 9 |
| 3rd Quarter | 6 | 39 | 26 | 66.7 | 402 | 4 | 1 | 181.97 | 60 | 15 | 8 | 4 |
| 4th Quarter | 6 | 33 | 28 | 84.8 | 441 | 4 | 0 | 237.11 | 78 | 16 | 8 | 5 |
| Overtime | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 665.20 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1st Down | 6 | 102 | 78 | 76.5 | 1300 | 12 | 0 | 222.35 | 78 | 36 | 26 | 15 |
| 2nd Down | 6 | 46 | 29 | 63.0 | 444 | 3 | 0 | 165.64 | 61 | 20 | 11 | 5 |
| 3rd Down | 6 | 34 | 22 | 64.7 | 320 | 3 | 1 | 167.01 | 48 | 16 | 9 | 3 |
| 3rd Down, 1-3 To Go | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100.0 | 45 | 1 | 0 | 277.00 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 3rd Down, 4-6 To Go | 6 | 13 | 7 | 53.8 | 117 | 1 | 1 | 139.45 | 48 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| 3rd Down, 7-9 To Go | 5 | 8 | 4 | 50.0 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 136.40 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 3rd Down, 10+ To Go | 6 | 9 | 7 | 77.8 | 115 | 0 | 0 | 185.12 | 32 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 4th Down | 4 | 7 | 5 | 71.4 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 99.03 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Own 1 To 20 Yd Ln | 6 | 20 | 17 | 85.0 | 216 | 0 | 0 | 175.72 | 48 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Own 21 To 39 Yd Ln | 6 | 49 | 38 | 77.6 | 672 | 1 | 0 | 199.49 | 78 | 22 | 16 | 7 |
| Own 40 To Opp 40 Yd Ln | 6 | 56 | 38 | 67.9 | 690 | 6 | 1 | 203.15 | 60 | 24 | 14 | 10 |
| Opp 39 To 21 Yd Ln | 6 | 44 | 28 | 63.6 | 372 | 5 | 0 | 172.16 | 38 | 16 | 10 | 4 |
| Opp 20 To 1 Yd Ln (RZ) | 5 | 20 | 13 | 65.0 | 137 | 6 | 0 | 221.54 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Winning By 15+ Pts | 3 | 54 | 43 | 79.6 | 658 | 6 | 0 | 218.65 | 57 | 25 | 13 | 7 |
| Winning By 8-14 Pts | 5 | 37 | 22 | 59.5 | 344 | 2 | 0 | 155.39 | 57 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
| Winning By 1-7 Pts | 6 | 32 | 23 | 71.9 | 259 | 2 | 0 | 160.50 | 47 | 11 | 7 | 1 |
| Tied | 6 | 32 | 23 | 71.9 | 365 | 4 | 0 | 208.94 | 60 | 15 | 10 | 4 |
| Losing By 1-7 Pts | 3 | 19 | 13 | 68.4 | 334 | 3 | 1 | 257.65 | 78 | 9 | 6 | 4 |
| Losing By 8-14 Pts | 1 | 15 | 10 | 66.7 | 127 | 1 | 0 | 159.79 | 32 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Losing By 15+ Pts | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
http://cfbstats.com/2022/team/694/passing/offense/situational.html
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I like this chart for a shorthand evaluation of teams:
https://twitter.com/statsowar/status/1581657917123543044
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i keep hearing about how bad the UT D is...
Probably because they're 61st in total defense based on ypp. A healthy 10th place in rushing defense (2.93 ypc allowed), and 65th in pass D (7.2 ypa allowed). Those are just raw stats, though as far as raw stats are meaningful, the yards per play metrics are pretty decent to go by.
The FEI has Tennessee's defense ranked 38th, but it doesn't break it down by rush and pass. Can't see S&P+ anymore since Connolly sulked and took his ball behind a paywall. So on a per-drive basis, Fremeau thinks Tenn is in the top 40. I'd probably wait until at least 8 games are played though. In some cases those "advanced stats" are all over the place earlier on.
Weird to see Florida sitting at 66th in the DFEI. "Interesting" to see Bama still at #2 after getting eviscerated by Hooker. FEI thinks highly of Tenn's offense (4th), so evidently it's not willing to penalize Bama's D too much for that.
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Top 15 defenses in stop rate- which is the percentage of opponents’ drives that end in punts, turnovers or turnovers on downs...
(https://mgoblog.com/sites/default/files/users/user29389/2022-10/stoprate.jpg)
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Top 12 P5 defenses in terms of team sacks
1t) Michigan - 24 sacks
1t) USC - 24 sacks
2t) Louisville - 23 sacks
2t) Illinois - 23 sacks
3t) Miami - 21 sacks
3t) Arkansas - 21 sacks
4t) Washington - 20 sacks
4t) Washington State - 20 sacks
5t) Alabama - 19 sacks
5t) Pitt - 19 sacks
5t) Florida State - 19 sacks
5t) Ole Miss - 19 sacks
Ohio State has 14 sacks, and Georgia surprisingly has only 7 sacks.
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I'm actually happy for Tennessee fans. That was a magical outcome. Just watching the jubilation, you all needed that. The football gods have been very cruel to Volunteers football the past bunch of years.
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I didn't hate seeing 100,000 rednecks in their daisy orange singing the same goddamn song a million times over and over again.
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Probably because Florida stinks. Oh well.
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I'm actually happy for Tennessee fans. That was a magical outcome. Just watching the jubilation, you all needed that. The football gods have been very cruel to Volunteers football the past bunch of years.
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I didn't hate seeing 100,000 rednecks in their daisy orange singing the same goddamn song a million times over and over again.
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Probably because Florida stinks. Oh well.
What's next, you gonna sit in a circle and sing kumbayah with drew and the other Vol fans?
Man you SECers really don't seem to take your rivalries all that seriously.
(I'm just kidding, that's a nice sentiment. Tennessee's not a rival for us, but I felt similarly for them)
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There are a lot of "ifs" in contested games, but this one obviously had a bunch. What is Bama's best win this season? "We" annoint them because of the past, but this year? Maybe they end up 9-3?
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I think most football people see that bama has internal issues. They can flip a switch, get their head in a game, and do some damage. ... when they want to.
Personally I think this is where Saban begins the fall. He's been surrounded and now infiltrated by the things that he's preached against in the form of distraction. How much is young being paid by DrPepper and the other endorsements? What impact does that have on a "team" of players that could just about "each" have a deal akin to that elsewhereI?
There isn't no way in hell a college kid can make money of the sort they are in the NIL and NOT adopt the lifestyle it affords. That "work work work for your opportunity" falls flat in his style of coaching when their bank accounts already reflect "they've arrived". This is why Saban was ineffective in the NFL. His flavor of coaching is offering promise.
It's also in my opinion why he's outspoken against NIL.
Discipline is bamas issue. It's as bad as I've ever seen since UT toppled over from its own top weight (and yeah, those players were getting paid too just not legit)... it deeply impacts those on the team putting in twice the effort for none of the reward.... it creates drama in the locker room and animosity that isn't easily undermined.
There are coaches that will thrive in this environment. Lame kitten comes to mind. Sweeney likely. Lincoln likely. That twit at UF... Kelly at lsu for sure. You know, those that have been doing it but can now get a sponsor to cover them.
I've always spoken of the one element a championship team needs- and unless the talent is two benches deep its absolutely required, and that is cohesion- cohesive play. A team of upper middling players talent wise playing together and clicking is dangerous.. tennessee has that right now... it looks like uga does when they do, and it's obvious when they're misfiring.. tOSU has it as does Michigan. Clemson doesn't have it to the extent they have in the past. The other osu has it and Texas has it. ... the thing about "it" is its connected to a switch, meaning if the issues are superficial that switch can be toggled at a moments notice.. if they're not superficial they can't. Bamas issues, I charge, aren't superficial.
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Interesting, if indeed NIL is such a distraction it impacts play on the field (and I'm not at all saying it isn't).
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OSU-UM is shaping up to be a thing.
USC-UCLA may be a lesser thing this year as well. UCLA is headed to Oregon this week. A win there and they have basically only USC left of much note.
I had predicted 10-2 possible for UCLA.
Ole Miss faces AT LSU and AT A&M before a home game with Bama. I half expect a stumble before the Bama matchup, more than half.
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OSU-UM is shaping up to be a thing.
USC-UCLA may be a lesser thing this year as well. UCLA is headed to Oregon this week. A win there and they have basically only USC left of much note.
I had predicted 10-2 possible for UCLA.
Ole Miss faces AT LSU and AT A&M before a home game with Bama. I half expect a stumble before the Bama matchup, more than half.
Yup. Shaping up to be 11-0 vs 11-0, winner takes all. Both teams have to stay focused and avoid the dreaded trap game- and Michigan still has it's annual rivalry vs MSU where you can throw out all the records and anything can happen- but at this point it's looking like both or one team would have to really have a major breakdown for that to not wind up the biggest game in The Game since 2006. It should be an EPIC winner takes all- whoever wins that one probably is ranked #1 in the nation, wins the B1G and punches their ticket to the playoff. Gun to my head right now- I'd say OSU should be favored by 10. That O should be good for a 7 point advantage plus give them 3 points for home field. BUT...we still got a ways to go- don't want to look ahead too much.
I think UCLA has a legit shot at going undefeated. DTR is playing at an extremely high level and Zach Charbonnet is a DUDE. Crazy to think Haskins, Corum, Charbonnet, and Donovan Edwards were all on the same roster at one point. Talk about being loaded at RB.
I'm with you- Ole Miss definitely going to trip up before they face Bama.